Per MLB orders, long pants to go out of style

Subject: Per MLB orders, long pants to go out of style Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:56 pm

Friday, March 27, 2009
Baseball
Cause for a pause: Per MLB orders, long pants to go out of style
Tony Paul / The Detroit News

In a move long overdue, baseball's fashion police have a message for major leaguers: Keep your pants up. Or more specifically, keep them up enough so they're not actually a threat to get sliced by the player's own cleats.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire recently had to read to his a team an MLB-issued letter that was accompanied by photographic evidence: A USA Today snapshot from last September that showed outfielder Denard Span with a cut in his pants after a cuff looped under his spikes.

MLB warned of $1,000 fines if he's caught again.

"I didn't realize until after the game when I had a hole in the bottom of my pants from the cleat," Span told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on Sunday, recalling that Twins-Orioles game in question. "The following day, the USA Today showed me taking out the second baseman. If it wasn't for the picture USA Today took -- so I blame USA Today -- no one would have found out."

He was joking, of course, about holding a grudge against the media. Then again, his point was well-taken: MLB probably wouldn't have singled him out without the photo. Because clearly, Span is no lone ranger when it comes to this fashion statement -- the long-and-loose look is becoming increasingly popular, with sluggers Manny Ramirez and David Oritz among the repeat offenders -- yet it's unclear if any other team has been put on notice.

If they come after the Tigers, there are a slew of easy targets. It's amazing Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Jeff Larish and Marcus Thames don't trip every tour around the bases.

But forget health risks for now. The bottom line is, it just looks bad.

Baseball uniforms are among the classiest in sports -- I'm particularly partial to the high-sock look of Tigers Miguel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson and Brandon Inge -- but this latest, low-go trend is oh so sloppy, as if teams are so financially strapped, they're dressing in hand-me-downs.

You can reach Tony Paul at tpaul@detnews.com.