Yankee Plaid-Stripes

You learn something new every day. For example, today, I found out that the New York Yankees once wore plaid uniforms. At first I was shocked. But alas, sometime between 1951 and 1969, the Bronx Bombers wore plaid uniforms!

I came to this shocking discovery in, of all places, the checkout line at the Deptford, NJ Target. I was in the trading card aisle looking for a blaster of UD Masterpieces; but noticed something else that piqued my interest. Stacked neatly on the bottom shelf were four 2007 Topps factory sets each with a "Target Exclusive Mickey Mantle `game-used' card."

And there it was, visible from outside the box: A Mickey Mantle card with a plaid piece of "AUTHENTIC GAME-USED MEMORABILIA."

(Image ripped off of eBay, but you get the idea.)

At first, I was skeptical. Topps wouldn't dare cut up one of Mickey Mantle's civilian dress shirts, paste the swatches on a reprint, and label it as a "game-used" card?

Nah! Topps has way too much integrity to do something that nefarious.

So I came to the only logical conclusion. The New York Yankees must have worn (at some point during The Mick's career) plaid uniforms.

Maybe that 7500-card mirror insert that Upper Deck is cooking up will mention the exact game the Yanks went plaid.