From February to August, I'm a cuff making machine, this is my busiest time of the year for baseball, with football cuffs making a presence mid July into January, not to mention the in-betweeners like basketball, soccer, tennis, nascar and volleyball, which keeps me on my toes.
The latest trend within my sports cuff empire are the vintage, old, game played baseballs, which I have to agree are my favorite to make, nothing beats the nostalgia and worn look of an old used baseball, no two leathers are alike, each has its own character and special meaning. Holding one of these baseball treasures is an experience, makes me want to sit back on my porch, drink some lemonade, and reminisce about the playing legends of the day like Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, what it must have been like to be in the crowd at the old Yankee stadium watching them play.
( Opening day at Yankee Stadium in 1923, John Philip Souza second from the right on the field, from the George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress)
Yankee Stadium officially opened on Wednesday, April 18, 1923, with the Yankees' first home game. The venue was constructed for $2.4 million (equal to $32,339,063 today's amount) between 1922–1923 specifically for the Yankees, who had been sharing the Polo Grounds with the New York Giants baseball team for 10 years. Yankee Stadium opened during the 1923 MLB season, and at the time, it was hailed as a one-of-a-kind facility in the country for its size.
A digital card collage I created using vintage baseball cards measuring 12 by 12
Up to this point The Yankees had played at the Polo Grounds in northern Manhattan since 1913, sharing the venue with the New York Giants. However, relations between the two teams were rocky, with the Giants harboring resentment towards the Yankees. For the 1920 season, the Yankees acquired star slugger Babe Ruth and in his first year with his new team, the Yankees drew 1.3 million fans to the Polo Grounds, outdrawing the Giants. In 1921, the Yankees won their first American League pennant (but lost the then-best-of-nine 1921 World Series to the Giants in eight games, all played at the Polo Grounds). This exacerbated Giants owner Charles Stoneham's resentment of the Yankees and precipitated his insistence that the Yankees find another place to play their home games. The Giants derisively suggested that the Yankees relocate "to Queens or some other out-of-the-way place. So that is what Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston and Jacob Ruppert, the Yankees' owners since January 1915, decided to due, to proceed with building their team its own stadium.
Huston and Ruppert explored many areas for Yankee Stadium, the area they settled on was a 10 acres (4.0 ha) lumberyard in the Bronx within walking distance from, and in sight of, Coogan's Bluff. The Polo Grounds was located on the Manhattan side of the Harlem River, at 155th Street and Eighth Avenue. Huston and Ruppert purchased the lumberyard from William Waldorf Astor for $600,000, equal to $8,229,423 today. Construction began May 5, 1922, and Yankee Stadium opened to the public less than a year later. The stadium's walls were built of "an extremely hard and durable concrete that was developed by Thomas Edison", with total of 20,000 cubic yards (15,000 cubic meters) of concrete used in the original structure.
a digital piece I did out of my love for Babe Ruth
Upon opening the stadium, Fred Lieb of the New York Evening Telegram dubbed the stadium "The House That Ruth Built". The Yankees also won their first World Series during the Stadium's inaugural season, this paving the way to many more World Series Wins to come.
Baseball is apart of our American history and tradition, it creates bonding experiences with families, with friends, it paves the way to new friendships, creates heartfelt tradition and memories for all ages to enjoy, guy or girl, 8 year old or 80 year old, its a way to keep the heart young and feel art of the game. For me baseball has all these factors, but it also has extra meaning, it inspired me to create, to design and play another part of the game. It enabled me to create my sports cuffs out of pure nostalgia of the baseball itself, to preserve it forever and wear as my tribute to my baseball hero's, who are guiding me closer and closer to the game. Each team I work with, every family member or friend I speak with, and fans who heart their team, all want to have that one unique piece of memorabilia which makes them feel more connected at the game.
My favorite cuffs beside the vintage baseball cuffs, are the ones that players wives, local team members, and fans sometimes want, using their own special baseball from a game, which allows me to put even more meaning into their cuff design, because its special to them and now to me.
Thanks everyone for taking a brief trip down memory lane with me and for all your support of the original sports cuff all these years!
Have a great weekend,
xo
Lisa
For more information on the history of Yankee Stadium visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Stadium
To purchase your own sports cuffs visit these 3 sites:
www.sportscuffworld.com
www.artoperanj.com
http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/MoonfairesWorld
Every time I head to a garage, rummage or tag sale, I always comb for baseballs or sporting goods equipment such as additional sport balls, gloves, bats, hockey sticks or tennis rackets, which can all be incorporated into something I'm making or will make, besides we all know what I'm going to use the sports balls for....cuffs....
Last week was no different, I headed to a large rummage sale and left with a HUGE box of vintage, old, and used baseballs with a few softballs buried in the box. There was a mix of little league, Babe Ruth league, MLB, Rawlings and no name baseballs, some were so grungy and naturally distressed, that I was in pure Heaven, for me locating a huge box of baseballs that have been worn to the core is like locating a treasure chest of gold, these baseballs are what comprise my vintage collection of baseball accessories.
My favorite of vintage and used baseballs are the real dark brown ones, that have a chocolate bar look to it, I found a few of these in this batch and will be saving them for one special cuff or to use as a display.
If you are ordering vintage cuffs from me, make sure you use the correct cuff listing , vintage baseball cuff, no two vintage baseball skins are alike and some can be extra aged, please let me know in your order.
Hope you all are having a great start to the weekend,
Cheers,
xo
Lisa :-)
a digital piece I did out of my love for Babe Ruth