Aug. 22--As any respectable major-league team might do, White Sox players put on their shorts one leg at a time in August 1976.
Sure, there were some snickers, grumbles and complaints in the clubhouse. But, what the heck, they were comfortable and former Sox owner Bill Veeck needed another gimmick to draw fans to Comiskey Park.
During an introductory news conference in 1976, Veeck quipped, "You will be awed. ... Comiskey Park will replace Paris and New York as the fashion center of the world."
Holding court at Miller's Pub, Veeck went on to say: "We are adding elegance to baseball styles. We may not be the greatest team in baseball, at least not for a few years, but we'll immediately be the most stylish team in the game."
The Sox finished 64-97 in 1976. The following year, Tribune sportswriter Phil Hersh, then writing for the Daily News, coined the phrase "South Side Hit Men," to describe the power-hitting Sox who went 90-72 in 1977.
The Sox also donned pajama-style jerseys in 1976 and wore them through 1981. The shorts, however, were short-lived. The players wore them in just three games in 1976, including the first game of a doubleheader on Aug. 8. The players refused to wear them for the nightcap.
On July 4, 1976, former Tribune sportswriter Bob Verdi elicited reactions from the Sox players about the prospect of wearing shorts.
"They don't have to get a pair for me. I'll just use (teammate) Jack Brohamer's regular pants and they'll look like shorts," Sox pitcher Bart Johnson said.
Lamar Johnson said: "I got the nicest thighs you ever saw. I can't wait."
Catcher Jim Essian quipped: "I'll just shave my legs. When we slide in those things and get all cut up, we'll need to shave before we put the bandages on anyway, right?"
The team tried to make another fashion statement on Aug. 21-22, 1976, against the Orioles before the shorts went the way of the bell-bottomed pants and other since outdated trends of the '70s.
"It's almost inconceivable that men dressed like little boys could give up 16 hits in six innings, trail the Samson-like Baltimore Orioles by six runs, yet still beat them in 12 innings, 11-10," former Tribune baseball writer Richard Dozer wrote.
The Sox announced this week that their players will wear the collared 1970-era jersey as part of their Throwback Thursday promotion against the Mariners at U.S. Cellular Field. The navy shorts will not be part of the ensemble.
The Sox said they will showcase retro photos and video as part of the Throwback Thursday promotion.
"This uniform was the ugliest I have ever worn, but it also was the most comfortable I have ever worn," Sox broadcaster Ed Farmer said in the release.
