Often in social media groups, discussions veer toward "classic" baseball uniforms of the 1970s. The Houston Astros "Tequila Sunrise" jerseys, Oakland A's yellow-and-green getups, or the powder blue sansabelt combos used by so many teams alternately fie for the title of ugliest or handsomest, depending on the beholder.
And then, invariably, someone says "The Chicago White Sox used to wear shorts!"
The reality is much more nuanced. The 1976 Chicago White Sox did have an alternate uniform that included shorts. Most players received the idea unfavorably, with infield Jack Brohamer exclaiming "I'm not going to wear short pants unless they let me wear a halter top, too." As a result, the White Sox wore their short pants just three times during the 1976 season - and then never again. For his part, Brohamer became the only major league player ever to hit a home run wearing shorts - with no halter top.
Presented here is a ticket stub from the first "shorts game" on August 8 - the first time a major league team ever wore shorts on a baseball field. The Kansas City Royals clobbered the White Sox, 7-1 in this game (the Sox won the other two "shorts games"), with Al Fitzmorris pitching a complete game for the Royals. White Sox DH Pat Kelly stole second base in the game (no word on how bad the raspberry was from the slide), and while this game was not the game in which Brohamer hit the home run, he did go 2-for-4 with an RBI.
The stub presents well, with some minor wear at the perf and edges, the perf slightly flimsy with visible wear on both sides. Corners are strong, with minor wrinkling, surface abrasions and light soiling here and there, perhaps VG to VG/EX. This is a fantastic stub from a classic marketing event, one that takes its place alongside Disco Demolition night, Ten Cent Beer night, the Eddie Gaedel game and Seat Cushion night as one of baseball's long talked-about gimmicks. The only example of this stub we have seen.