EC's Southern Association

[Eugene Church]

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[Eugene Church]

THE NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE
Saturday, August 7, 1948

MEMPHIS MARCHES ON, 3RD STRAIGHT WIN
In the first game of the doubleheader at Pelican Stadium, Memphis manager Jack Onslow got another well-pitched game and timely hitting to polish off the New Orleans Pelicans 6-3 in Southern Association baseball yesterday afternoon... it was their third straight win... in a complete game Lefty Hoerst (8-2/3.22) upped his mark to 8 and 2, checking the Pels on seven hits, while walking three batters and striking out eight... the Chicks chalked up 12 hits, led by LF Jerry Scala (.331/19 RBI) with a perfect 4 for 4 day... New Orleans got all its runs via the home-run ball... in the late innings 1B Al Flair (331/46 RBI) hit a two-run swat and RF John Fiscalini (.209/4 RBI) cracked a solo shot... Glenn Fletcher (8-9/4.99) toiled in defeat, tattered for five runs in less than three innings... the Pelicans didn't help their cause with four errors.

PELS WIN 2ND GAME, DIVIDE DOUBLEHEADER
In the second game of the twinbill in New Orleans, George Diehl and Bob Schultz were locked up in a scoreless game for six innings, then the bats awoke from the slumber and the Pelicans won a seesaw battle 5-4 with Billy Adams (.242/19 RBI) tying the score in the bottom of the 9th with an RBI single and Charlie Letchas delivering the game-winning single... Memphis went ahead 2-1 after seven, the Pels regained the lead 3-2 in the 8th and the Chicks jumped back in front 4-3 in the top of the 9th... Memphis outhit New Orleans 11 to 10, but left too many men on base... the Chicks stranded 12 runners... Pelicans 3B Herschel Held (.242/43 RBI), 2B Charlie Letchas (.241/3 RBI) and 1B Al Flair (.334/47 RBI) each slammed one out of the park, all solo salvos... LF Jerry Scala (.333/21 RBI) and RF Roy Bueschen (.289/37 RBI) socked two-run triples for Memphis... the Chickasaws (86-31) are still riding high atop the Southern Association standings, 11 games ahead of the its nearest competitor, the Mobile Bears (75-42)... New Orleans (54-65) is just muddling through the season in sixth place.

BEARS SQUEAK BY BARONS
The second place Mobile Bears were held to just four hits, but they still squeaked by the third place Birmingham Barons 3-2... John Hall and Joe Smolko combined to stop Birmingham... Hall (7-4/3.20) started and posted the win... he worked into the 8th, allowed two runs on six hits, while fanning six Barons and issuing five bases on balls... with two outs Smolko (3-3/2.96/29 G) came on with the bases loaded and got the last out of the inning, then set the Barons down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th to seal the verdict... young Mike Palm (9-5/1.94), the Southern Association leader with a brilliant 1.94 ERA, struck out 11 in six innings, but gave up three runs for the loss... RF Walt Sessi (.284/43 RBI) homered and drove in two runs for the Bruins, while C George Dickey (.217/17 RBI) went deep for Birmingham... Mobile (75-42) is 11 games out in the SA race with Barons (63-54) third, 23 games off the pace.

VOLS BLOW ANOTHER CLOSE GAME
Poor Larry Gilbert... his Nashville Vols do a lot of things right... like collect hits like crazy... but they are snake-bitten, too... and blew another game in the late innings on a wild pitch after leading 4-0 early in the game... Nashville (57-61) peppered Atlanta for 16 hits, but were beaten 5-4 and slipped back into a fourth-place with Little Rock (57-61)... the Crackers only got nine hits... key to the victory was the Atlanta bullpen... three relievers kept the Vols off the scoreboard after the 4th frame with the last one, Norm Brown (9-11/3.15/33 G) recording the win... the Crackers broke the 4-4 tie in the last of the 8th against loser Bobo Holloman (3-1/5.17)... 1B Chet Hajduk (.321/57 RBI) tripled with one away and scored the winning run when Holloman uncorked a wiid pitch... CF Charlie Gilbert (.355/84 RBI) sparkled for the Vols with two hits and two RBIs, including his 32nd home run.

TRAVS TIE NASHVILLE FOR 4TH PLACE
The Little Rock Travelers (57-61) tied the Nashville Vols (57-61) for the fourth spot in the SA standings with a 7-5 triumph over the last place Chattanooga Lookouts (37-79), who outhit them 15 to 9... the Travs ran up a 6-0 lead in the first four frames and then managed to hold off the Lookouts in the late innings... Marlin Stuart (9-3/3.07) fired six shutouts innings, but was burned for five runs in the 7th, when Andy Adams came to his rescue and stopped 'Nooga without another run over the final three innings... leading Little Rock at the plate were 3B Wayne Blackburn (.344/31 RBI) and 2B Bob Mavis (.336/74 RBI) with three ribbies each... Hal Toenes (1-19/6.93) in the midst of an absolutely miserable season lost his 19th game, lasting only three innings in this outing and giving up four runs.

[Eugene Church]

SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
Saturday, August 7, 1948

[Eugene Church]

*

[Eugene Church]

THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS
Sunday, August 8, 1948

MEMPHIS MOPS UP ON BIRMINGHAM IN SERIES OPENER
In the opening game of a four-game series in Birmingham, Memphis mopped up on the Barons 7-3 behind the sturdy arm of Hugh Mulcahy (13-5/2.81)... the young right-hander gave up eight hits, while striking out five and walking four... Mulcahy hurled the entire game for his 13th triumph this season... he and Fritz Dorish (3-1/3.22) were engaged in a tight mound battle when the Chicks clobbered him for five runs in the top of the 8th... Memphis ended up with 14 hits in the game... SS Freddie Hancock (.268/71 RBI) led the assault with three RBIs... Memphis (87-31) is first in the Southern Association with no challengers in sight... they have an 11- game edge on runner-up Mobile (76-42)... Birmingham (63-55) is third and 24 games behind.

3-RUN 9TH WINS IT FOR BEARS
Boy, what a heartbreaking loss for New Orleans and Dutch Dietz... they took a 1-0 margin into the 9th and lost it 3-1 when Mobile scored all their runs on one hit and three errors... up until that point Dietz (10-9/2.77) had been superb, stopping the Bears on just three hits... Mobile starter Ken Olson (14-7/3.99) also did very well, holding the Pelicans to one run and four hits in seven innings... he exited for a pinchhitter trailing by a run... 3B Herschel Held's (.243/44 RBI) third-inning homer put the Pels ahead for a while, but it didn't last... New Orleans had a terrible game with six errors... winning pitcher Joe Smolko (4-3/2.89/30 G) logged the Bears' third straight win with a scoreless 8th and 9th... second place Mobile (76-42) is still far behind first place Memphis (87-31)... the Bears are 11 games back... New Orleans (54-66) is in the sixth spot in the SA standings.

VOLS KNOCK TRAVS OUT OF 4TH PLACE
The Nashville Vols and the Little Rock Travelers came into the three-game series at Ray Winder Field deadlocked for fourth place in the Southern Association standings... the first game of the three-game series went to the visiting Vols 5-4... slugging RF Chuck Workman drove in three runs with his 48th blast of the year and reliever Bobo Holloman came to the rescue of struggling starter Dick Conger with three scoreless innings... in a shaky outing Conger (8-5/3.42) did pick up the victory, working six frames, giving up four runs, five hits and walking eight... the Pebbles had plenty of scoring opportunities, but stranded 11 baserunners... in a lackluster performance Al Piechota (9-11/3.29) suffered the defeat... the Vols banged him around for five runs and seven hits in seven frames... he walked five and fanned seven... in the fight for fourth place in the SA, Nashville (58-61) edged a game in front of Little Rock (57-62) with a doubleheader set for Sunday afternoon.

CRACKERS STUN LOOKOUTS IN 9TH
It was all going Chattanooga's way Saturday afternoon at Joe Engel Stadium... Alex Zukowski went into the 9th ahead 4-1, but his bullpen blew it... the Atlanta Crackers erupted for five runs and rallied past the Lookouts 6-4... RF Buster Maynard (.257/41 RBI) supplied the big blow, a three-run homer... seventh place Atlanta (43-78) is in town for a three-game series this weekend with last place Chattanooga (37-80).

[Eugene Church]

SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
Sunday, August 8, 1948

[Eugene Church]

*

[Eugene Church]

THE MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL-APPEAL
Monday, August 9, 1948

CHIX AND EISENMANN HUMBLE BARONS IN GAME 1
In the opening game of a twinbill at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Memphis got a nice outing from Chuck Eisenmann (15-4/3.20), who registered his 15th triumph of the year... the 29-year-old right-hander fanned seven batters and walked two in the 5-3 victory... Memphis jumped on loser Pete Modica (3-5/4.11) for five runs in the first frame to put the Barons away pretty quickly... the Chickasaws got 12 hits off three Birmingham pitchers... the Barons got to Eisenmann for two homers, both solo shots by relief hurler Al Heuser (.667/2 RBI) and CF Tommy O'Brien (.317/82 RBI)... O'Brien wore out Eisenmann for four hits, including his 19th roundtripper.

MEMPHIS SWEEPS BIRMINGHAM
It certainly was a good day on the hill for 22-year-old southpaw Jim Goodwin of the Southern Association-leading Memphis Chicks (89-31)... Goodwin sparkled with a 2-0 shutout of the third place Birmingham Barons (63-57) to sweep the two games of the doubleheader Sunday at Rickwood Field... Goodwin (5-1/2.23) stopped the Baron bats on just five hits, all singles, totaled nine Ks and issued only two bases on balls... John Hoffman (3-10/4.81) also hurled a fine game for Birmingham, allowing only two runs on five hits in his eight innings... the only runs came in the first and third frames... 3B John Antonelli (.335/44 RBI) doubled in the first tally and CF Jerry Scala (.339/24 RBI) singled in the other run... Memphis will try to take all four games of the series in a single game Monday... the Chickasaws increased its lead over second place Mobile to 12 games.

STARE STARS IN SHUTOUT IN 1ST GAME
What a game for Frank Stare of the New Orleans Pelicans in the first game of a twinbill with the Mobile Bears at Pelican Stadium... Stare (6-7/3.52) starred with a sensational 3-0 shutout, restricting the Bears to just two hits and winding up with 11 strikeouts... Stare and 16-game winner Pete Wojey put nothing but goose eggs on the scoreboard for the first seven innings... then Pel LF Pete Krauss (.282/45 RBI) sent a three-run smash soaring out of the ballpark to put an end to the scoreless stalemate... Wojey (16-9/2.44) also went the distance in defeat, permitting eight hits in all... Mobile could only muster a single by LF Cal Abrams in the third and a double by 1B Preston Ward in the fourth.

BEARS SALVAGE SPLIT WITH PELS
Mobile looked to be headed toward a doubleheader defeat Sunday at Pelican Stadium in New Orleans... after only getting two hits in the opening game, they were trailing 2-1 after six frames with only three hits off Pelican pitcher Harold Breeding... but then things turned bad for Breeding... he hit two batters back-to-back to put runners on first and second... and then served up a two-run double to pinchhitter Stubby Greer (.266/40 RBI)... Mobile tacked on another run in the 9th off reliever Stan Ferek (4-0/2.48/12 G), who gave up a solo homer to RF Walt Sessi (.280/44 RBI)... the Bear bullpen did its job with three runless innings by Dale Matthewson (5-1/2.33/42 G) and John Hall (7-4/3.17/21 G)... Breeding (1-5/4.26/26 G) was the losing pitcher, permitting three hits and three runs in eight innings with only one walk and six Ks... Mobile starter Russ Oppliger (10-6/4.83) logged the win... he gave up only two runs in his six innings... the Pelicans had the advantage in hits 10-6 with C Fats Dantonio (.195/19 RBI) going a perfect 4 for 4... RF George McDonald (.371/35 RBI) had three hits and 1B Al Flair (.337/48 RBI) cracked his 8th home run... Mobile turned three double plays to slow down the New Orleans attack... the Pels also left 10 men on... dividing the doubleheader gave first place Memphis (89-31) a 12-game margin in the SA standings over the runner-up Bears (77-43)... New Orleans (55-67) is holding forth in sixth place, 35 games back of the Chicks,

[Eugene Church]

VOLS TAKE OPENER FROM TRAVS
The fourth place Nashville Vols captured the first game of the twinbill in Little Rock by beating the Travelers 7-2... Cookie Cuccurullo (9-9/4.20) evened his record up at 9-9 for the year by shutting down the Pebbles on the hill and driving in three runs with his bat... Cuccurullo held them to just six hits, struck out four and walked just one in a fine effort... Milo Johnson (13-10/3.47) seeking his 14th victory, had a miserable performance, battered for six runs in less than three innings... a four-run 3rd snapped a 2-2 draw, highlighted by two-run singles by 3B Ted Cieslak (.284/39 RBI) and Cuccurullo (.128/5 RBI).

TRAVS TRIM VOLS IN 13-INNING NIGHTCAP
Fourth place Nashville and fifth place Little Rock fought long and hard before the Travelers finally trimmed the Vols 7-6 in 13 innings to divide the twinbill... a wild throw trying to cut down a runner at home by SS Buster Boguskie cost Nashville the game... Neil Saulia (10-8/4.52/21 G) beat his former team with four scoreless innings... poor defense pinned the loss on Ben Wade (7-15/4.79), who came on in the 12th... Nashville outhit Little Rock 16 to 13... the Travelers were sparked by LF Joe Scheldt (.273/33 RBI) with three hits and three RBIs... 3B Wayne Blackman (.338/33 RBI) batted in two runs for the Pebbles... CF Charlie Gilbert (.353/85 RBI) and C Roy Easterwood (.249/13 RBI) each collected three hits for the Vols... at the end of the day Nashville (59-62) is only one game up on Little Rock (58-63) in the race for fourth place.

BROWN LEADS CRAX TO 3RD WIN IN A ROW
Led by CF Ralph "Country" Brown with four RBIs in the first game of the Sunday afternoon doubleheader, Atlanta drubbed Chattanooga 11-2 for its third win in a row and sent the Lookouts down to their third straight defeat... Brown (.348/42 RBI) went 3 for 5 and scored four runs, coming up a single short of the cycle... Brown got his 9th homer of the year... 1B Chet Hajduk (.325/61 RBI) rapped four hits, also drove in four runs and slammed his 9th roundtripper... Ken Deal (4-8/3.79) went the route for the victory, striking out five Lookouts and walking none.

'NOOGA SPLITS A PAIR WITH ATLANTA
At home at Joe Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, the Lookouts nipped Atlanta 5-4 in the second game to divide the Sunday doubleheader... Ramon Garcia (7-1/4.52) tossed a decent game, giving up 10 hits and four scores in his eight innings of work... Norm Brown (9-12/3.16) suffered the loss for the Crackers, socked for five runs in seven innings... CF Larry Drake (.277/81 RBI) led 'Nooga with three hits and two RBIs... seventh place Atlanta (44-79) took two of the three games and upped its lead over last place Chattanooga (38-81) to four games in the tussle for the bottom of the Southern Association... the win put an end to the Lookouts' three-game losing skid... the Crackers has won their three previous contests.

[Eugene Church]

SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
Monday, August 9, 1948

[Eugene Church]

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[Eugene Church]

THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS
Tuesday, August 10, 1948

BARONS ROLL OVER CHICKS, STOP SKID
At home at Rickwood Field, the third place Birmingham Barons kept first place Memphis from sweeping the four-game series by rolling over the first place Chicks 10-4 yesterday evening to snap a five-game losing skid... the Birmingham attack was led by 1B Walt Dropo (.287/49 RBI) with a three-run homer and RF George Wilson (.308/87 RBI) with a two-run three-bagger... the Barons won despite being outhit 13 to 9... Al LaMacchia (7-9/3.77) pitched well enough to win, going into the seventh, allowing three runs on six hits with four walks and six strikeouts... he went to the showers with a 4-3 lead, which Birmingham quickly expanded with six runs in the next two frames... young lefty Bob Schultz (12-11/3.72) garnered the loss, rapped for four runs in his five innings... this was the only game played in the Southern Association... all other six clubs had the night off... Memphis (89-32) is still heads and shoulders above everybody in the SA standings with an 11 and a half-game lead over second place Mobile (77-43).

[gskweres9]

I just found this story, but I love it. My grandfather was born in New Orleans in 1931. I still have a lot of family in New Orleans and visit often. I'm only 20, but I've always been fascinated with the history of baseball, whether it be the majors or minors. I love when my grandfather tells stories of going to New Orleans Pelicans games when he was younger. In fact, for Christmas this year I got myself a vintage New Orleans Pelicans jersey. He said they were probably wearing that jersey when he went to watch them play back in the day

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by gskweres9

I just found this story, but I love it. My grandfather was born in New Orleans in 1931. I still have a lot of family in New Orleans and visit often. I'm only 20, but I've always been fascinated with the history of baseball, whether it be the majors or minors. I love when my grandfather tells stories of going to New Orleans Pelicans games when he was younger. In fact, for Christmas this year I got myself a vintage New Orleans Pelicans jersey. He said they were probably wearing that jersey when he went to watch them play back in the day

Ah... those were the good old days... thanks for sharing it.

As a kid in the early 50s I often got to go to Pelican Stadium at the corner of Carrollton Avenue and Tulane Avenue to watch Al Flair, Frank Thomas (future slugger for the Pittsburgh Pirates), Bob Purkey and other Pelican standouts like Hal Bevan, Felipe Montemayor, Stan Wentzel and Dale Long... I'm sure your granddad would be familiar with those names.

I even got to see the first $100,000 bonus baby, Paul Petit, pitch for New Orleans... he was young and wild at that time... he didn't pitch very well for the Pels... he went to the Pittsburgh Pirates the next year, but developed arm trouble and never made it in the Majors... but ended up a pretty good minor league first baseman for Salinas in the Class C California League and for Hollywood om the Pacific Coast League in later years.

I also lived in Mobile in the 50s and saw the Bears at Hartwell Field... Gordy Coleman (Cincinnati), Gary Bell (Cleveland/Boston), Jim Gentile (Baltimore), Bill Dailey (Minnesota), Don Zimmer (Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, Chicago Cubs), Dick Brown (Detroit) and Don Demeter (Philadelphia).

Zimmer was a power-hitting shortstop for Mobile and was headed to be a Major League star, I think... but sadly, he got beaned at St. Paul a few years later and was never the same hitter... he was almost killed... Zimmer was a heck of a prospect... shortstops were noted for their fielding in those days... one with 20-home run power would have certainly made it in the Majors... Zimmer was a fine fielder, too... but the beaning ruined him as a hitter... he just became a longtime journeyman utility infielder in the Majors.

I even got to know many of these guys on a personal level... I was a ballboy down the right field line for several years... used to get $1 a game... had to get there at 5 o'clock to work in the dressing room doing odd jobs for the team trainer... we often got to play pepper with the players or take flies in batting practice.

One night I got to be the visiting team bat boy... the Chattanooga Lookouts were in town... my favorite player, Gary Bell, was on the mound for Mobile... he struck out 18 batters that night... he was called up to Cleveland the next day... I got to talk to a young, up-and-coming Southern Association slugger that night... a really nice fellow named Harmon Killebrew... Bell struck him out the first three times he batted... when he came to the plate for the fourth time, Killebrew told me, "I get three more swings and will call it a night."... the future Hall-of-Famer went down on three pitches.

Not a big deal... but I will always cherish that moment.

Bell had a fine fast ball initially and later developed a very nasty curve... arm trouble and control plagued him in his career... he went on to a pretty good career in the majors... played from '58 to '69... posting a 121-117 mark with a 3.68 ERA... Bell made the AL All-Star Team in 1960, 1966 and 1968.

Bill Dailey was another of my favorite Mobile Bears.

Dailey spent almost nine full years in minor league baseball before he got a chance with Cleveland in 1961... overall he was 10-7 in the Majors... appeared in 119 games as a reliever with a darn good 2.76 ERA... In Dailey's one full Major League season — 1963 with the Twins — he appeared in 66 games (second among American League pitchers), compiling a 6–3 record and a 1.99 earned run average... his 21 saves ranked third in the league that season. But he sustained a rotator cuff injury in 1964 and he retired from baseball after the season.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by gskweres9

I just found this story, but I love it. My grandfather was born in New Orleans in 1931. I still have a lot of family in New Orleans and visit often. I'm only 20, but I've always been fascinated with the history of baseball, whether it be the majors or minors. I love when my grandfather tells stories of going to New Orleans Pelicans games when he was younger. In fact, for Christmas this year I got myself a vintage New Orleans Pelicans jersey. He said they were probably wearing that jersey when he went to watch them play back in the day

What color is the jersey?

Did it have Pittsburgh's colors... black and yellow trim on a white home jersey... the away was gray with black and yellow trim?.. that's was the colors in the 50s... in the 40s I think they had blue and red colors on the white home jersey and on the gray away jersey.

[Eugene Church]

*

[Eugene Church]

THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Wednesday, August 11, 1948

STUART SHINES FOR TRAVS
In Little Rock, veteran right-hander Marlin Stuart was just about the whole show, blanking the Mobile Bears 5-0 in game one of a four-game series... he walked just one batter, whiffed six of them and only permitted seven hits, all singles... Stuart went the route for his 11th win this season... John Hall (7-5/3.07) lost it for Mobile, but only gave up one earned run and four hits in six frames... but he did walk seven, while fanning seven... 1B Bobby Moyer (.284/54 RBI) had a solo homer for the Travelers and CF Johnny Grice (.303/56 RBI) drove in a pair of runs... the Bruins (77-44) are second to Memphis (89-32) in the SA standings, while Little Rock (59-63) is ranked fifth, but only a half-game back of fourth place Nashville (59-62).

BARONS HANG ON AND NIP 'NOOGA
Visiting Birmingham had their way with basement-dwelling Chattanooga in the opener of a four-game series at Joe Engel Stadium... the third place Barons built up a 4-0 lead for Mike Palm and then had to hang on and hold off the determined Lookouts in the late innings for a 5-4 victory... winner Palm (10-5/2.01) and loser Hal Toenes dueled 0-0 for the first five innings, then the Baron bats took care of Toenes (1-20/6.67), who lost his 20th game... Palm was touched for three runs and eight hits in eight and one-third innings... he fanned six Lookouts and walked two for his 10th triumph of the year... SS Mel Hoderlein (.271/47 RBI) and LF Ben Cantrell (.295/85 RBI) sparked the Barons with two runs batted in apiece... Birmingham has had a good season, compiling a 65-57 record, but Chattanooga has been lousy with a poor 38-82 mark.

PELS SOCK IT TO CRACKERS
A seven-run inning was all sixth place New Orleans (56-67) needed to sock it to seventh place Atlanta (44-80) at Ponce de Leon Park last night 8-6... 1B Al Flair (.334/51 RBI) only got one hit in the game, but it was a good one - a three-run clout... it was number nine for the year for the Pelican star... Big Jim Kleckley (9-7/2.08) notched the win with five good relief innings... the Crackers only got one unearned run... Atlanta starter Bill Kennedy (6-16/5.37) was the victim of the fatal fourth frame and was tagged with the loss... LF Ernie Logan (.284/34 RBI) led the Crackers with a two-run homer and three RBIs... this was the first game of a four-game set.

The Southern Association leader Memphis (89-32) was rained out at Sulphur Dell in Nashville (59-62) last night... the game will be made up as part of a twinbill this afternoon.

[Eugene Church]

SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
Wednesday, August 11, 1948

[gskweres9]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

What color is the jersey?

Did it have Pittsburgh's colors... black and yellow trim on a white home jersey... the away was gray with black and yellow trim?.. that's was the colors in the 50s... in the 40s I think they had blue and red colors on the white home jersey and on the gray away jersey.

The jersey I got was the 40s. I got the white/creamish jersey with the red & blue trim with Pelicans in cursive across the front and the bat with the Pelicans on the ends through the P

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by gskweres9

The jersey I got was the 40s. I got the white/creamish jersey with the red & blue trim with Pelicans in cursive across the front and the bat with the Pelicans on the ends through the P

Yeah, the Pelicans were similar to the St. Louis Cardinals with the two birds on the bat on the front of the uniform.

Thanks for the reply.