Ichiro announces retirement
All-star closer Kaz Sasaki throwing to former Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima, with former A’s great Rickey Henderson at the plate.
“The reaction of the Japanese fans was outstanding,” Henderson said. “I think they recognize baseball and they love the game of baseball. I think it is a great thing for major league baseball to open the season in Japan.”
A real home team wasn’t even playing in this game, but the Mariners were the favorite due to Ichiro’s presence.
At his first practice as a Michigan freshman, Jordan Poole panicked when coach John Beilein shook his head and told Poole his basketball shorts were too short and he had to stop rolling down the waistband.
“I was like, ‘Yo, let me talk to Bob (Bland, the team equipment manager),’ “recalled Poole, now a sophomore guard. “I was like, ‘Bob, I need some smaller shorts. If Coach won’t let me (wear) them, I don’t know how good I’ll be.’ “
Beilein eventually relented as Poole wore a smaller size – and continued to roll down the waistband to make the shorts look even tinier.
Poole’s shorts stop about four or five inches above his knee with little breathing room between skin and fabric, and he isn’t alone in college basketball. Nobody seems able to pin down when and where this throwback look reignited into a sports fashion statement.
But it’s obvious: Short shorts are back.
“Some guys like to show off their leg,” Louisville forward Jordan Nwora said Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa, “especially if you’ve got bounce.”
While it’s a bit of a chicken-or-egg debate, most believe sports apparel companies began to downsize their shorts after noticing players rolling down their waistbands. Uniforms already were becoming tighter, following the trend of non-sportswear such as skinny jeans and buttoned-to-the-top fitted dress shirts.
“Everything is faster now with social media,” said Paul Lukas, who runs Uni Watch, a blog devoted to sports uniforms. “If a trend is happening at some high school in rural wherever, everyone will know about it and it can become cool.”
The length of basketball shorts has risen and fallen over the years like a yo-yo.