While Michelle was holding it down at the Phillies game. I got a chance to take in the Celtics game courtside at the Garden against The Hornets. It was a heck of a game and I got a chance to meet up with some of the players including World Champion/All-Star Player Ray Allen. 

It got me thinking (especially whenever I tell someone I moved to Boston and the first thing they say is “I heard that’s a racist city”) how far we have come in sports as far as allowing african american ballplayers to play. In the 1963-64 season, the Celtics became the first N.B.A. team to start a game with an all-Black lineup: Russell, K. C. Jones, Sam Jones, Tom Sanders and Willie Naulls.

I happened to stumble upon Jane Heller’s blog, Confessions of a She-Fan, which opens with a small blurb about her blog being a daily update on her favorite baseball team, the Yankees, as well as updated info on her life including a possible movie version on her recent book.

I immediatly clicked through to Amazon to read some reveiws on the book (which are almost all 5 stars by the way) which lead me to believe this book is a wonderful story about a woman’s journey through the love and heartbreak of being a die-hard baseball fan.

Bill Heller of the New York Post said this, “The one really suffering a “Single White Female” obsession with the Yankees is chick-lit author Jane Heller. She was so distraught with the losing ways of the 2007 Bombers, she vowed to “divorce the team on grounds of mental cruelty.” Instead, she wound up following the Yanks on the road, husband by her side, trying to get insight into her fandom and fans in general.”

Growing up in North Central NJ in a house full of baseball players and Yankee lovers, this book automatically intrigued me.  Let us know if you pick up the book and what you think!

I have always loved sports. I was a tomboy growing up and played every sports you can think of. I was voted Best Female Athlete in 5^th grade. When I got the opportunity to host for BET’s Madd Sports I was more than thrilled to step-up to the plate and represent for all women who loved sports. 

Women have come a long way in sportscasting; from just another “Barbie-on-the-air” to today’s qualified and respected professional hired for their skills and knowledge.

 Jeannie Morris is one of those women who made it possible for me to be able to walk through those doors.

Considered one of the pioneers of womens’ sportscasting she had all the qualification, but as a female, she was not afforded the same facilities as men. In the early 70’s, assigned to cover the Minnesota Vikings vs. the Chicago Bears Jeannie was not permitted to work in the press box because she was a woman. Thus, she reported the game seated above the box, outside in a blizzard. When women were finally allowed in the press box, no provisions were made for bathrooms for female reporters.

Even though male sportscasters greatly outnumber female sportscasters, and the imbalance between the salary, prestige and acceptance of male to female sportscasters is still large today. Women are defiantly making their mark in this male dominated areana. Keep pushing ladies and as always you can intelligently call the plays and still look fly while your doing it. 

Today, August 10th, in 1952, Louise Suggs wins LPGA All American Women Golf Tournament.  Suggs started playing golf at 10 on the golf course her father opened when he retired.

Nicknamed, Miss Sluggs, by Bob Hope for her long driving ability, Suggs was a remarkable player for years.  Today the LPGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year receives the Louise Suggs Trophy.

A quote about golf from the icon herself: “Golf is very much like a love affair. If you don’t take it seriously, it’s no fun, but if you do, it breaks your heart. Don’t break your heart, but flirt with the possibility.”

Today, on July 23, in 1949 a group of girls on the Grand Rapid Chicks from the AAGPBL were touring the French Quarter in New Orleans playing women’s baseball.

According to Fran Janssen the girls were spending their time 60 years ago today like this: “We traveled more than 10,000 miles in 1949 from Illinois to Texas, across the Gulf states and up to New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We played in minor league parks in Tulsa and Baltimore, as well as in city parks, and we drew good crowds. We rarely spent more than two nights in a town. We had to make fast trips to the laundromats and often had to sleep on the bus.”

Donate to the Make It Right Foundation founded by Brad Pitt to rebuild New Orleans- and SUSTAINABLY.

I am always fascinated by the photographs of the cities a hundred or so years prior to today. Somehow, in the rush of everyday life, we pass by these photos framed on bus stops and inside historic buildings showing street views from the 1800s. I used to live in an amazing, huge brownstone in West Philly- one of those places with a butler’s staircase to the kitchen, and I would find myself daydreaming about women leaving the house wearing over sized hats, cinched corsets, and long heavy skirts. I pictured their husband’s coming home, hopping off their horses, and wiping their muddy boots on those metal scrapers outside the door.

The photograph above is a group of women who became part of the health trend in Philadelphia in the late 1800s. Apparently health was the new craze across the nation (sad to see how little we have evolved in that arena) and women were beginning to play sports they never had. This was years before the AAGPBL plopped on the map- women were playing golf! And you can see by their outfits no one had thought to make something a little more comfy quite yet.

So keep your eyes peeled on these pics throughout your city and be amazed at where we have been…and where we are going. Remember- The Future is in the Past!

Ok…so we know this post is going up a little late, but we needed to share our participation in the Phillies Celebration Parade!  Well, of course you know the VB duo are always finding a way to promote our line, so we headed out on a beautiful afternoon with stacks of post cards in hand.

We recruited our girls, Erin and Da, to be part of the squad.  Yelling “There’s No Crying in Baseball” in the streets the enthusiastic (and somewhat tipsy) crowd devoured our flyers, vouching to check out our site. Broad street was mobbed, so this picture above was taken on a side street a half a block away.  

It was a great afternoon, spirits were high, bags were empty (and how often do you feel so good about going home empty handed?) so we ventured away from the madness that was being created in the debris of the parade!

Congrats Phillies!  There’s No Crying in Baseball!

As the Phillies go for their second World Series title beginning tonight against Tampa Bay, let’s take a look back when this ball club gave Edith Houghton, a chance to become the first woman hired as a first major-league baseball scout.

In 1866, Vassar College created the first women’s baseball team . In 1875, the first public game was held between two women’s teams. This first game was a form of entertainment organized by men. “The Blonds” played “The Brunettes.”

Still, baseball for women caught on. Early players took to the field in high-button shoes, high necklines, long skirts and long sleeves. Later, Amelia Bloomer would create loose trousers that carried her name.

The “Bloomer Girls” were born.The Bloomer Girls era lasted from the 1890s until 1934. Hundreds of teams; All Star Ranger Girls, Philadelphia Bobbies, New York Bloomer Girls, Baltimore Black Sox Colored Girls, offered employment, travel, and adventure for young women who could hit, field, slide, or catch.

Edith Houghton was only ten years old when she joined the Philadelphia Bobbies, a factory team made up of women, all of whom bobbed their hair. After the war, Edith wrote to Bob Carpenter, owner of the Philadelphia Phillies, asking for a job as a scout.Carpenter decided to give her a chance and the rest is HISTORY!!!!!

Don’t miss our launch party on September 19th and McFadden’s Ballpark at the Phillie’s Stadium! The event is from 9pm-2am.
In celebration of the our online launch, a small shop will be set up inside the bar. The shop will include the eco-friendly line of tees and totes, where customers can get an exclusive 15% discount for making an online purchase at the affair. A free Vintage Blue Mash Up CD will be included with purchase, with custom blends from the past and present, produced by Grand Larceny.

The giving doesn’t stop there. We will be handing out complimentary eco-friendly gift bags provided by Fabulous Stationary filled with goodies, such as Primitive Natural Lipstick, and gift certificates from various local companies. Attendees will also be lucky enough to scoop up free natural makeup products from Sephora, located on Chestnut Street. Raffles will also take place, offering gifts, such as $150 to Closet Fever, $100 to City Fitness, a gift basket provided by Mew Gallery, gift certificates from Honey’s, and more. Proceeds will be donated to The Achieving Independence Center in Philadelphia.

The company’s tagline, The Future is in the Past, will give attendees at the September 19th party a head spin with the mix of displays of vintage suitcases, baseball bats, and balls as girls serve popcorn from old fashioned concession trays, styled with flaunting retro hairstyles, all while sporting Vintage Blue attire. Partygoers will enjoy complimentary beverages, drink specials, a “Nickel and Dime Menu” of baseball snacks such as Cracker Jacks, mini hotdogs, and pretzels, as a tribute to the 40’s and 50’s.

If chatter among peers isn’t entertainment enough, vintage board games will adorn tables to pass the night away and a sneak preview fashion show of the entire collection will grace the stage by the end of the night, with makeup provided by Sephora. To keep the event eco-friendly, The Recycling Alliance of Philadelphia has teamed up with Vintage Blue to keep all the bottles and cans from ending up in landfills.

We hope to see you all out there!

Vintage Blue is officially launching our e-commerce website with a big bash at McFadden’s Ballpark on September 19th. Save the Date and make sure you come out for a very special night with lots of surprises and goodies! More info to come!