40 years later, there are still fond memories of the Indians' red jerseys
CLEVELAND -- With Saturday being the 40th anniversary of Rick Manning's debut in the majors, the Indians will give away red jerseys.
The Tribe wore the red jerseys last year during a throwback game at Kansas City but will not be donning them for the game against the Reds. It might have been a pretty neat concept considering the Reds could have worn their '75 jerseys with it being the 40th anniversary of the first World Series title for the Big Red Machine.
"Those were the colors I'm used to. I wouldn't mind seeing them go back to red," said Manning, who will be honored during a pregame ceremony. "I always liked them when we wore the white pants and the red shoes. I didn't like the red pants."
The Indians wore the red jerseys from 1975-77 before going to blue and white in 1978.
Here is a collection of what other people thought about the red jerseys:
Duane Kuiper (former Indians second baseman and Giants announcer): "The guys that looked good in a business suit were going to look good in that uniform. None of us had a problem with the shoes and jersey, it was the red pants. Boog Powell once asked us if he looked like a giant Bloody Mary and we had to tell him that he did."
Mike Seghi (longtime Indians traveling secretary): "They were different and catchy. George Hendrick looked great in it, Boog Powell not so good."
Bob DiBiasio (Indians Senior Vice President of Public Affairs): "I thought it was fun. Oakland had rolled out yellow and green a few years earlier. All of the sudden the Indians were there with them.
Matt Underwood (SportsTime Ohio Indians announcer): "The thing that stands out in the '70s is baseball went through this uniform explosion. I loved all those vibrant colors. I liked the red and blue tops, I loved the crooked C, it still is one of my favorite hats. The Indians got those uniforms and they jumped off the page and screen."
