Clemens Cutting His Tags Out?

[eGameUsed]

Chris,

Great photo find! I had seen Clemens with his jersey untucked many times and had witnessed his jerseys bearing no tags. I just couldn't find a photo!

Howard,

I think ball players will come up with tons of reasons of why they do things. Astros equipment people have told me on multiple occasions that he preferred them removed because of rubbing against his legs. He does wear very long jerseys!

Thanks again Chris for the photo which I struggled to find!

Chris Boyd

[hblakewolf]

Chris-
Maybe these team contacts are confusing the Majestic tagging with the old Rawlings tagging that was possibly positioned INSIDE the tail, as opposed to the current Majestic tagging that is positioned on the EXTERIOR of the front left OUTER tail. Regardless of the Clemens jersey being long, short, wide, etc, the current Majestic tagging would not rub on his legs, rather, his pants. Likewise, most players wear "Under Armor" or a similar pair of tight shorts under their pants, and in this case, would provide an additional layer between the shirt and the leg.

I don't understand how this tagging would rub on direct skin?

Likewise, if this somehow was the case, why is it that we have not seen any other Astros jerseys void of the tags? One would have to believe that other players would take the Rocket's lead and also remove their tags for greater comfort on the field.

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[kingjammy24]

The tag would indeed be on the outside. Upon tucking the jersey in however, the tail could easily end up folded inwards, thus the tag would come in contact with the leg. When you tuck your shirt in, many people just 'stuff it' into their pants, so that the tail is just a messy jumble.

Allow me to toss another possible explanation into the fire that hasn't yet been mentioned:

More so than any other positions, pitchers have a repetitive, consistent motion that necessitates their torsos to stretch and bend outwards. (One of the last motions in a pitcher's delivery). You can see tons of pics of Clemens, or any other pitcher, right before they release the ball, where they're in full extension and the jersey seems about 1 inch from popping out from their pants. My theory: A pitcher's delivery is a fine, subtle movement, affected by the slightest factors. Perhaps Clemens, and others, felt that the outside tag could/would 'catch' on the inside of the pant waist and affect their fluid delivery. If you've got a tag on the outside and you've tucked your jersey in, then when you fully extend your torso, there's a chance that the tag could catch on some part of the pant waist (the insides of pants are a cornucopia of loose hems, loose lining, etc). If you find that your tag keeps catching on something when you fully extend, then it's going to mess with your delivery.

Rudy.

[cjosefy]

I thought this thread was about whether or not he removed the tags? There's a picture of him without the tags, so it appears that he does in fact remove them. Now, does it really matter why he does it?

[RobSteinmetz]

This is likely a stretch, but in our quest for the answer to the question "why", it should be noted that Clemens wore a Majestic jersey for the first time when joining the Astros in 2004. Not sure if that's a factor, but it's something to consider. Although I'm no 300 game winner, there have been times when I've purchased a new shirt and removed the tag in the neck or the side hem because it bothered me when I wore it. But then again, maybe I'm just weird.

[kingjammy24]

Howard,

I was perusing the Steiner site today and noticed this:
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Roger Clemens #22 2003 Game Used Road Jersey w/100th Anniversary Patch
# CLEMRJERGU2003RO
$20,000.00 Product Details
Roger Clemens came over to the Yankees by trade from the Toronto Blue Jays before the start of the 1999 season. His addition to the pitching staff made a good pitching staff even greater. While with the Yankees, Clemens won two World Series Championships, and notched his 300th career win. This 2003 game-used road jersey is missing manufacturer tag from lower right front of jersey. Yankees-Steiner Certificate of Authenticity included.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Rudy.

[allstarsplus]

Howard,

I was perusing the Steiner site today and noticed this:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Roger Clemens #22 2003 Game Used Road Jersey w/100th Anniversary Patch
# CLEMRJERGU2003RO
$20,000.00 Product Details
Roger Clemens came over to the Yankees by trade from the Toronto Blue Jays before the start of the 1999 season. His addition to the pitching staff made a good pitching staff even greater. While with the Yankees, Clemens won two World Series Championships, and notched his 300th career win. This 2003 game-used road jersey is missing manufacturer tag from lower right front of jersey. Yankees-Steiner Certificate of Authenticity included.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Rudy.

Rudy - With speculation that Roger might return to the Yankees, I decided to purchase this exact jersey from Steiner which is the last 2003 game used they have from Roger's 300 win season. The LOA reads Game Used 2003 Road Jersey (no tags). The jersey is missing the manufacturers tag, alteration tag and year tag.

It is a really nice jersey, and I am probably going to sell it this Spring so I will update in a couple of months.



Andrew