Simply Put - More on The Stocking issue.

by Clint Cox

Last week I wrote about the burning question that has been on all of our minds. Why do some baseball players wear there pants hiked up to their knees, thus showing their stockings, and why do some prefer to wear their pants all the way down to their ankles.

I’ve written some columns that I thought would really generate some discussion about important issues in our lives and communities. Some did and some didn’t. But this question about stockings has certainly generated some e-mails and discussions in the baseball stands around our county. While this is not an issue that will change our earth’s rotation, it is good to know that folks are at least reading my column.

One reader, Lane Harris, sent me an e-mail that hooked me up with some websites that addressed this issue. Apparently I’m not the only one that has wondered out loud about this question. One of the web sites gave a little history on the issue and I’ll pass it on.

In the early days of baseball the players pants were knickerbockers, i.e., pants that were banded just below the knees. Most of the pants were fairly drab in appearance and most looked the same. One of the ways a team had to add color to their look and distinguish themselves was by having stockings or socks that set them apart. Some even came to tie this into their team name. Ever wondered where the clubs got the names like Red Sox or White Sox? Now you know. It was also felt that the stockings made their legs look longer and pitchers especially liked that elusion.

Over the years however uniforms became more colorful and more distinctive. It was not all without criticism. Do any of you remember the out cry when the Oakland A’s came out with their colorful uniforms, and "gasp", white shoes in the early 70’s.

For awhile it was the stirrup portion of the stocking that took center stage. Eventually someone started wearing the legs all the way down and it caught on. Shawn Larkin tells me that a few years ago at a tribute to Satchel Page, the Hall of Fame pitcher, some of the players wore their pants hiked up to the knee and had baggy pants on to pay honor to Page. So what comes around goes around and some of the modern players went back to this style. Others still feel this is more of a look for college and high school. Oddly enough at a recent game between Sneads and Altha, I noticed only one player on either team, the Sneads pitcher, displayed his stockings.

In the end, they say it is all a matter of personal preference on the stocking. Some like to show’em and some don’t. Simply Put, I still think we can tell something about a person by their choice of fashion on the stocking matter.

From the front porch: Coach said the price for keeping your integrity is never more than the cost of losing it.