BALLS & STRIKES!
MLB’s new see-through pants may give fans more than they bargained for
MESA, Ariz. — Major League Baseball is showing off new uniforms during this year’s spring training.
The biggest problem is they might be showing too much.
A series of pictures have shown a slightly embarrassing problem with MLB’s new look: At least a handful of teams have white pants that are relatively see-through, making for some less-than-ideal pictures.
“I know everyone hates them,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said last week. “We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there.”
That criticism might be a little harsh, but there are still some legitimate concerns about the uniforms with MLB’s regular season approaching in about a month.
WHAT IS NEW WITH THE UNIFORMS
Nike has been designing MLB uniforms since 2020 and Fanatics has been manufacturing them since 2017, but this is the first year for the Nike Vapor Premier jerseys.
MLB officials say these uniforms improve mobility by providing 25% more stretch and also will dry 28% faster. The lettering, sleeve emblems and numbering are less bulky in an attempt to make uniforms more breathable and comfortable.
There are parts of the new uniforms that many players seem to enjoy, particularly the lightweight feeling. Players tried on versions of the new Vapor Premier uniforms during last year’s All-Star festivities and many liked them.
SO WHY ARE PLAYERS UPSET
Generally speaking, athletes usually aren’t big fans of change. That’s certainly true of baseball players.
It’s not uncommon for MLB players to be upset about something in spring training. Last year, the biggest complaints were about the sport’s new rules package that included a pitch clock, bigger bases and limits on how many times pitchers could step off the rubber. Despite those misgivings, the rules package has been widely-regarded as one of the most successful initiatives MLB has unveiled in decades.
So when the players started complaining about the uniforms this spring, it seemed like normal blowback. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred dismissed the criticism last week, saying players would get used to the uniforms and eventually like them.
But that’s until the pants problem became known. Essentially, when players are wearing white tops and white pants, the tucked-in jersey sometimes make it look like players are wearing a diaper because the pants are relatively see-through.
There have also been distribution problems. Some teams have their 2024 uniforms, while others don’t. The San Diego Padres used last year’s white pants in their spring training opener on Thursday.
WHAT CAN THE PLAYERS DO ABOUT IT
Major League Baseball Players Association deputy executive director Bruce Meyer confirmed the organization is relaying concerns from players to MLB about the new pants.
Nike has also dispatched some representatives to Arizona and Florida, trying to fix player concerns.
“We always put the athlete at the center of everything we do,” Nike said in a statement. “We worked closely with MLB players, teams and the league to create the most advanced uniforms in the history of MLB which are lighter and more flexible.
“The quality and the performance of our product is of the utmost importance to us. We will continue to work with MLB, the players and our manufacturing partner to address player uniforms.
HOW DO THEY FIX THE PROBLEM
The supply issues could potentially be fixed by opening day, which is on March 28 for most teams.
As for the see-through nature of the pants, that might be a little harder to fix. One potential solution is that players could wear last year’s pants until the problems are solved.
Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove shrugged off the controversy on Thursday, saying that it was far from the most important thing he’s worried about this spring, even if it’s a little annoying.
“Pants are pants — we’re going to wear them,” he said. “If they don’t fit right, you’ll deal with it.”
A federal judge on Friday barred the NCAA from enforcing its rules prohibiting name, image and likeness compensation from being used to recruit athletes, granting a request for a preliminary injunction from the states of Tennessee and Virginia in dealing another blow to the association’s ability to govern college sports.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Clifton Corker in the Eastern District of Tennessee undercuts what has been a fundamental principle of the NCAA’s model of amateurism for decades: Third parties cannot pay recruits to attend a particular school.
“The NCAA’s prohibition likely violates federal antitrust law and ha(r)ms student-athletes,” Corker wrote in granting the injunction.
The plaintiffs’ arguments in asking for the injunction suggest that since the NCAA lifted its ban on athletes being permitted to cash in on their fame in 2021 recruits are already factoring in NIL opportunities when they choose a school.
WYOMING SWIMMERS KILLED
Three members of the University of Wyoming swimming and diving team were killed and two others were injured when their sport utility vehicle veered off-road and rolled over along a rural highway known for deadly wrecks, including one that killed eight other Wyoming athletes.
The latest crash happened Thursday afternoon on U.S. 287 about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the Wyoming-Colorado line between Laramie and Fort Collins, Colo.
The crash happened when the Toyota RAV4 sport utility vehicle with five people inside swerved and went off the pavement, and the vehicle rolled over multiple times.
Two people were ejected. The crash killed Charlie Clark, 19, a sophomore psychology major from Las Vegas; Luke Slabber, 21, a junior studying construction management from Cape Town, South Africa; and Carson Muir , 18, a freshman on the women’s team and an animal and veterinary sciences major from Birmingham, Alabama, according to the university.
The two injured team members, including the driver, were released from the hospital Friday, according to a Colorado State Patrol statement that did not identify the survivors.
The driver may have been avoiding a vehicle ahead that had slowed, possibly to make a turn, according to the state patrol statement.
The accident was still being investigated. Possible causes including driving too fast, impairment and distractions were not being ruled out, the statement said.
The SUV was headed south and apparently not on an official team trip, according to the patrol.
“We are heartsick at the news of this terrible tragedy for our university, our state, our student-athlete community and, most importantly, the families and friends of these young people,” University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel said in the statement.
The weather was fair and conditions clear at the time on the often busy, twoand three-lane highway that winds through the scenic Rocky Mountain foothills. Typical hazards include blind curves, wildlife, passing vehicles and traffic entering and exiting at intersections.
University of Wyoming students often take the road for shopping, socializing and entertainment in Fort Collins and Denver.
PREMIER TEAMS TO TOUR US
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United will have a three-game U.S. summer tour with matches in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Columbia, South Carolina.
Organizers said it’s the first time the three Premier League soccer teams have played together in the United States.
The series, called “Rivals in Red,” begins with Arsenal playing Manchester United at SoFi Stadium, home of the NFL’s Los Angeles-based teams, on July 27.
Arsenal will play Liverpool on July 31 in Philadelphia. Liverpool and Manchester United will play at South Carolina’s football venue, Williams-Brice Stadium, on Aug. 3.
SWIATEK STUNNED
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek was stunned by qualifier Anna Kalinskaya 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals of the Dubai Championships on Friday.
Swiatek was up 4-2 when Kalinskaya broke straight back. Swiatek’s consistency began to desert her and Kalinskaya rattled off four straight games to take the first set. Swiatek saved two match points to break for 5-3 in the second and had another chance to break for 5-5 but hit wide.
Kalinskaya gave Swiatek her first straight-sets loss in almost a year.
The first qualifier to reach the Dubai final has defeated three top-10 players in a row, starting with No. 9 Jelena Ostapenko, then No. 3 Coco Gauff for her first top-five win, then Swiatek in their first meeting.
The 40th-ranked Kalinskaya will play 26th-ranked Jasmine Paolini of Italy in Saturday’s final. It’s the first WTA final for Kalinskaya and Paolini’s shot at a second title, easily her biggest.
Kalinskaya said the key to beating Swiatek was to stay calm yet aggressive.
“I know if I don’t stay calm and I don’t stay aggressive she is going to destroy me,” Kalinskaya said in her on-court interview. “That was my plan, to stay aggressive and move her a lot. She’s unbelievable. I’m happy I had the chance to play against her.
“I feel physically much better than last year. That gives me a lot of confidence to play at such a high level.”
The last qualifier to beat two top 3 players in a tournament was Amelie Mauresmo in 1998 in in Berlin with wins over Lindsay Davenport and Jana Novotna.