In the minors, uniforms can be a novelty

ALLENTOWN - The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have worn jerseys that resemble the silks of a jockey and those that look like hockey sweaters. There have been Star Wars jerseys, Batman jerseys, and Halloween jerseys. They once suited up in police-themed uniforms while their opponents dressed as firefighters.

Novelty jerseys have been a staple for the IronPigs since their 2008 inaugural season, which is also around the time that the whacky-jersey craze started sweeping through the minor leagues. The Phillies' triple-A affiliate has sported jerseys that looked like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" jacket and another covered in Hawaiian print.

"They keep you guessing," said infielder Russ Canzler, who played on Wednesday with a camel's face on the front of his jersey. "They take it to a whole new level here."

Novelty jerseys have dominated minor-league promotions in the last few seasons, just as bobbleheads did a decade before. Double-A Reading wore jerseys last month that looked to be made of grass. Low-A Lakewood wore Boy Scouts-themed jerseys. It's the latest trend in a market that seems to get more zany each year.

"It's simply fun," said IronPigs general manager Kurt Landes. "The whole industry is well known for fun, goofy, unique ideas. You do things so your fans recognize that it's more than just baseball. Baseball is important. It's who we are at the heart, but we do things just to make people laugh."

The novelty jerseys are usually auctioned off after just one wearing. Landes the auctions at Lehigh Valley raise about $10,000 to $12,000 each. That money is split between a local nonprofit and the team's own foundation, IronPigs Charities. Wednesday's camel jersey benefited the Lehigh Valley Zoo.

Most of the themed jerseys - including those worn by the Phillies' affiliates - are made by OT Sports, an apparel company based in North Carolina. The trend started simply: pink jerseys for breast cancer awareness and camouflage jerseys to honor the military.

The company's creativity was limited to stock-colored fabric and basic jerseys. OT Sports recently started using sublimation printing, which allows them to print a picture directly into a jersey. It allows the ink to penetrate the material and is absorbed into the fabric to create a permanent image. The options are limitless.

Landes said the promotional jerseys were already rising. The new technique, he said, caused them to "skyrocket" the last two seasons. The new printing allows generic Christmas sweater jerseys from the past to be upgraded to look like Will Ferrell's character in Elf. Both Reading and Lehigh Valley have placed orders.

"In the last few years, it's really become kind of a competition between the minor-league teams to see who can have the wildest, craziest, and best-themed nights," said Elaine Gastineau, OT Sports' minor-league baseball sales manager. "It's really fun because we can do anything."

Wednesday's camel jerseys were the fourth themed jersey the IronPigs wore this season. They wore their annual Miracle League jersey in April and a Captain America-themed jersey in June. Another featured Star Wars character Han Solo frozen in carbonite.

The IronPigs wore the camel jerseys to celebrate "hump day." And, of course, it was sponsored by Geico. A camel's face was on the front, while the back featured a camel's rear. That was embarrassing, Canzler said.

"We had the camel's butt on the back of the jersey," he said. "It's tough to look intimidating when you have a camel on your jersey."

Canzler signed his jersey after driving home the winning run. The winner of the auction was a season-ticket holder, and Canzler met her behind home plate. He asked her whether she was sure she wanted the camel jersey, and then asked her why.

"We've had some pretty good ones. They've had some good ideas. But that one we were kind of scratching our head on," Canzler said. "That's the fun part of minor-league baseball."