Mickey Vernon Sports Museum

The Saga of Hall of Famer Tony LsRussa's Traveling Pants by John Lavin

   Tony LaRussa's traveling pants have ended a long journey, coming to rest as a sports rarity in the Mickey Vernon Sports History Museum.  It's a journey that began over fifty years ago:

    In 1961, Marv Thronebury, playing at the time for the Kansas City A's, was issued two sets of home uniforms at the beginning of the season, just as was every other player.  As the season ended, players would return them, receiving new ones the following year.

    It was typical for the used uniforms to began an annual odyssey that would take them through descending levels of minor league affiliates, beginning with Triple A. Oddly enough, as players careers flourished and faded, they could possibly inherit the old uniforms that they had worn in their salad days of fleeting major-league glory.  

    In 1963, Tony LaRussa--a most recent Hall of Fame inductee--was with the A's.  He subsequently descended into the minors for five seasons (in at least one of those seasons, he was managed by Mickey Vernon) but resurfaced with the A's in 1968.  While in the minors, LaRussa inherited Marv Thronebury's old A's pants from the 1961 season. 

    Now for another Delaware County connection:   Joe Grace, a record-setting St. James High and St. Joe's College third baseman and a draft pick of the A's in !967, wore those very same much-traveled pants as he played in a rookie league in Florida.

    Now those same pants have finally found a home as one of the many sports rarities now on display at the Mickey Vernon Sports History Museum Granite Run Mall Media, PA.  For more information on them or other museum artifacts, contact Jim Vankoski at 610-909-4919or vankoski21@comcast.net.