Some Recent Gifts I’ve Received from Uni Watch Readers

[This post is part of Uni Watch Positivity Week. You can learn more about that here, and you can see all the UWPW posts here. — PL]

I’m lucky enough to get all sorts of positive feedback from Uni Watch readers — complimentary comments and DMs, thoughtful emails, UW+ and Substack subscriptions, and sometimes even monetary donations. All of that is immensely rewarding and humbling, but a few readers will go further by taking the time to send me a uni-related treasure. That’s always super-special, so I want to talk about a few such gifts that have recently arrived here at Uni Watch HQ.

Let’s start with longtime reader Warren Junium. Earlier this year he sent me a box full of interesting stuff that he thought I’d enjoy. Not all of it was was uni-related (there was, for example, this 1964 Lyndon Johnson bumper sticker!), but the real prize was this really nice vintage wool baseball jersey with excellent vertically arched chest lettering:

There are several Ferndales in America, including ones in California, Michigan, New York, and Washington. But Warren tells me that he found the jersey in Pennsylvania, so I’ve decided that it’s from this Ferndale.

Wherever the jersey is from, it fits me quite nicely:

Thanks so much, Warren!

More recently, I got a note from reader Scott Cummings, as follows:

I was going through my parents’ old house and stumbled upon this baseball uniform made by Empire — size M. It has literally been in the attic of my childhood home since 1976, when we moved in. I know you have an affinity for older uniforms, so I thought you might like to have it. It was my dad’s, and I want it to go to someone who would appreciate it as much as he did. He passed away in 2009.

Oh man, how great is that chain-stitched insignia on the back?

The jersey has matching red pants, which have buckled cuffs:

I’ve seen buckled cuffs like these before in uniform catalogs, but I’m not sure I’ve seen them on an actual pair of pants before. They were common for softball pants in the 1950s and ’60s, so that’s probably what this uniform was for. (I don’t really understand why someone decided that softball pants should be so different from baseball pants — anyone know more?)

Much like the Ferndale jersey, this uniform fits me well:

This is so cool, and I’m really touched that Scott entrusted me with a uniform that belonged to his father. Thanks so much, Scott!

Finally, I got a note last week from reader Kevin “Gashouse” Cearfoss (who I’ve written about several times): “Something’s coming in the mail for you,” it said. This was completely out of the blue and Kevin didn’t add any details, so I thanked him and said I’d watch my mailbox. Then, two days ago, a small package arrived from some shop I’d never heard of. Inside was this vintage Mets belt buckle:

There was no accompanying note, so at first I was puzzled. But then I remembered that Kevin Cearfoss is totally into sports belt buckles, so I realized that this was the package he had told me to watch for. How nice is that?

I’ve never been a buckle guy myself, I guess mainly because I almost always wear my shirts untucked. But of course I had to try out this one:

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All of these items are great. But what’s even better is the spirit of generosity that led Warren, Scott, and Kevin to share these treasures with me. Thanks, guys — you’re the best.