A Big-Leaguer’s Son Talks About His Dad’s Uniforms
A Big-Leaguer’s Son Talks About His Dad’s Uniforms
David Briles grew up in MLB dugouts — literally! He tells us how his dad disguised which brand of glove he wore, appeared on Saturday Night Live, had a big inaccuracy on his 1973 Topps card, and more.
Last month I wrote a blog post about the paperwork for the Baltimore Orioles’ 1978 uniform order from Wilson Sporting Goods. One of the sheets included special instructions for pitcher Nelson Briles’s uniform: “Sleeve opening to be 1″ larger in circumference. No elastic at bottom of legs, has very heavy thighs.”
That prompted a bit of discussion in the comments, as follows:
I was excited to have David Briles — Nelson Briles’s son — participating in the Uni Watch comments section! I followed up with him and learned that he’s been an occasional Uni Watch reader over the years. It quickly became apparent that he had all sorts of interesting knowledge and insights, so I asked if he’d consent to an interview, and he quickly agreed.
Before we get to the interview: David’s dad, Nelson “Nellie” Briles, had a 14-year career in the 1960s and ’70s pitching for the Cardinals, Pirates, Royals, Rangers, and Orioles. He appeared in three World Series and was on the winning team in two of them. He also had several interesting brushes with show business: In 1973 he somehow got to sing the national anthem before Game Four of the 1973 World Series between the A’s and Mets; the following year he recorded a novelty song called “Hey, Hank,” in which he begged Henry Aaron to hit his record-breaking 715th home run off of somebody else (here’s the label design); and in 1979 he made a cameo appearance on Saturday Night Live. After his playing days, he was a broadcaster for the Pirates and Mariners and then joined the Pirates’ front office. He died of a heart attack in 2005 at the age of 61.
David Briles was born in 1969, when his dad was in the fifth year of his big league career, so he basically grew up watching his dad pitch. He was an extremely gracious interviewee and was very patient with all of my uni-related questions. Here’s the transcript of our recent Zoom discussion, edited for length and clarity.
Uni Watch: When your dad was playing, did you spend a lot of time at the ballpark?
David Briles: Oh, definitely. I used to go to the ballpark with him all the time. On days when he was scheduled to pitch, I wouldn’t go with him that day, but pretty much any other home game. I would hang out in the locker room and all that stuff. And I used to love sitting in the dugout and watching everyone take infield practice — that was always a blast. The catchers would leave their gear there on the bench and I’d be putting the mask on and all that, And then when that was done, I would just hop the fence and meet my mom in the in the stands.
UW: Did your dad have any specific habits or preferences about how he wore his uniform, either for functional reasons or for just personal stylistic reasons?
DB: I would be with him in the locker room when he would get dressed. It was always the same routine — you know, how he put his uniform on. I’ll always remember that he’d put his sanitaries on and then put the stirrups on, and he would put a piece of adhesive tape around his calves to hold his stirrups in place. He always wore an undershirt, even in hot weather.
UW: With long sleeves?
DB: A lot of time they’d be cut off at the elbow, kind of a three-quarter thing. I remember one time [after he retired] we were watching a game. I think it was Dwight Gooden pitching, and they were talking about how he was wearing long sleeves, even though it was really hot. And my dad said, “Well, I always did that, too.”
So I’d sit there and watch him get ready. And of course, they would do it twice. First they’d do it for their warm-ups, batting practice, and they would shag, and then they’d come in and shower and everything to get ready for the game, and they’d get dressed all over again.
UW: Your dad spent part of his career with teams that put the players’ names on the back of the jerseys,. but then also spent part of his career with teams that didn’t do that. Did that matter a lot to you as a kid? Like, did you enjoy seeing your family name on the back of your dad’s uniform?
DB: That’s a great question, but I don’t think it ever really dawned on me. It was probably just something I didn’t really think about, because I was so little.
One thing I do remember, from when my dad was with Texas and I was a bit older, is asking him, “Why does it say ‘Texas’ on your road uniform and ‘Rangers’ on your home uniform?” And he said, “When we’re on the road, we’re representing Texas, so we put that on the jersey so people will know where we’re from.”
Another thing I remember is when we went to Baltimore, they had the orange alternate jersey. It was the first time my dad played for a team with more than just the home and road jerseys. So if they were wearing orange that day, the equipment manager would have that hanging on a hanger on the bulletin board.
UW: Your dad’s career straddled the big change in uniform fabrics from flannels, which he wore when he started out with the Cardinals, to the stretch knits, which the Pirates introduced just before he started pitching for them. Did he ever talk about which fabrics he preferred?