Who were the ad wizards who came up with this one?
The Cyclones were reeling last week, drifting through a stretch of seven losses in nine games that led more than one scribe to describe them as a bunch of stiffs.
And then the front office made the team wear uniforms made out of bamboo on Saturday night.
Insert stiff joke here!
But the Cyclones had the last laugh, beating the Auburn Doubledays 11–3 and looking anything but uncomfortable at the plate and in the field.
Before the game, players commended the cottony fabric, which, despite its bamboo roots, was anything but uncomfortable.
“I’ve never played baseball in my pajamas, but that’s what it feels like,” said leadoff hitter Justin Garber, who was 1-for-4, but scored two runs. “It’s very light and comfortable.”
Relief pitcher Brandon Sage, who pitched two strong innings, also liked the new duds, comparing them favorably to the only other uniform promotion he’s endured during his career: the night that the University of Southern Alabama made him and his teammates wear camouflage outfits for “military night.”
Seeing his team in different uniforms prompted manager Pedro Lopez into not-so-fond reminiscences of his days in the minor leagues.
“I’d be on teams that would do the ‘turn-back-the-clock’ games and we’d have to wear these really uncomfortable double-knit uniforms,” he said. “Oh my, those were hot. I do like that these are comfortable, even if the green [in the recycle logo] clashes with our usual team colors. But a comfortable uniform should be good for us, anything to get the guys loose.”
It must have worked: the Cyclones hit four home runs on the night in an 11-hit barrage.
And rightfielder John Servidio made the ultimate demonstration of comfort and relaxation, throwing out a runner with a perfect one-hop toss to the plate.
He was also 2-for-3 at the plate — the two hits being mammoth homers.
Alas, the uniforms were raffled off after the game — and the team returned to its losing ways on Monday night in Vermont.
