Sports
See-through pants. 'Knockoff' jerseys. New MLB uniforms trigger complaints, except from Dodgers
Dodgers players haven’t complained as much as others around baseball. Maybe when a team wins 100 or more games every year the players look and feel good no matter what they wear.
But the hot topic in MLB spring-training clubhouses spilled onto the field this week when teams held photo day dressed in new uniforms designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics. Players griped about poor fit, bright colors, the small size of their names, and the, er, see-through nature of pants that brought to mind the children’s chant, “I see London, I see France, I see Mookie’s underpants.”
For his part, Dodgers star Mookie Betts is less concerned than many of his MLB counterparts, saying: “It doesn’t matter to me. If we’re worrying about uniforms — it matters to some people. I couldn’t care less. As long as I’ve got one on.”
Nevertheless, the grumbling across the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues got loud enough for the Major League Baseball Players Assn. to express dismay.
“It’s disappointing that we’ve landed in a place where the uniforms are the topic of discussion,” MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said. “Each conversation with the guys is yielding more information with what we’re seeing.”
As in seeing too much. Shohei — show hey! — Ohtani.
“A lot of the rhetoric is confirmation that the pants are see-through,” Clark said. “It’s been an ongoing conversation where each day has yielded something new that doesn’t seem to make as much sense as you would like.”
Another issue with the pants: Several teams don’t have enough to go around.
“There are teams that have pants and jerseys,” Clark said. “There are some teams that don’t have pants. There are other teams that are supposed to be receiving certain things before the start of the [season]. There are others that — in the event they have an issue with the pants and a player needs a new pair — don’t have any in reserve.”
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred last week waved off the growing chorus of complaints like Alessandro Benetton at a Paris fashion show, saying the jerseys “have been tested more extensively than any jersey in any sport. … After people wear them a little bit, I think they are going to be really popular.”
The new uniforms were worn at last year’s All-Star Game in Seattle, and Manfred said feedback was “universally positive from the players.” Or maybe they were just overjoyed to be All-Stars and unwilling to criticize the brass.
Spring training is different. Days drag on, scores don’t matter and players have plenty of time to consider sartorial splendor or lack thereof. A cliche in baseball goes something like, “Look good, play good.” Players paid mega-millions want to feel like at least a million bucks.
Not, as one veteran Orioles player told the Baltimore Banner, like a fan scouring off-price retailers for deals. “The look of it is like a knockoff jersey from T.J.Maxx,” he said.
Another Orioles player, who like his teammate requested anonymity to avoid backlash from MLB officials, critiqued his new orange cap, saying: “You can see how much brighter this one is. And so you look like a pumpkin when you’re out there.”
Numbers and letters on jerseys are smaller because the new Nike Vapor Premier jersey is made of thinner, lighter fabric that MLB says will provide more comfort during hot summer ballgames. Players might eventually appreciate that.
Other complaints — especially pertaining to below the belt — seem to be worth addressing.
Previously, players fitted during spring training could request customized tailoring, according to the Athletic. This year, Nike and Fanatics sorted players by four body types based on body-scanning of about 300 players and gave them three options — slim, regular, or baggy fit. Tailoring specific areas wasn’t an option.
A statement by MLB on Thursday indicates Nike and Fanatics are revisiting the policies and could break out the measuring tape or thicken pants before opening day, which is about five weeks away.
“Like every Spring Training, Fanatics team services, Nike and MLB representatives are visiting camps to meet with all players, conduct uniform fitting sessions with them, and get their feedback on how their uniforms fits,” the statement said. “Based on player requests, adjustments are being made to jersey size, waist, in-seam, length, thigh fit and the bottom of their pants.
“The goal of these meetings is to provide players with the most comfortable uniforms available for Opening Day. We are in close contact with our Clubs and uniform partners to ensure Clubs have what they need for Opening Day.”
Maybe by then the uniforms will live up to what MLB and Nike promised ahead of spring training, that they would “improve mobility, moisture management and fit, while keeping sustainability in mind — bringing inspiration and innovation to athletes.”
Or at the very least, sufficient cover.
Times staff writer Jack Harris contributed to this report.
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Lindsey Vonn’s remarkable comeback to the Olympic Games is nearly complete.
Vonn completed her training in the women’s downhill on Friday and Saturday, a big test after she tore her ACL just over a week ago in a World Cup race. With her training complete, she will compete at 5:30 a.m. ET on Sunday in the women’s downhill final.
Vonn will also compete in the women’s team combined downhill and the women’s super-G.
Lindsey Vonn speeds down the course during alpine skiing women’s downhill official training at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
The 41-year-old will participate in the women’s team combined official training on Monday, Feb. 9, at 5:30 a.m. ET. She will then compete in the actual event on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 4:30 a.m. ET and 8 a.m. ET.
Her final event is on Thursday, the women’s super-G, at 5:30 a.m. ET.
After Vonn was injured last week, many thought it would rule her out of the Olympics, but the Minnesota native has fought through. On X, she clarified that her ACL is 100% ruptured.
LINDSEY VONN TO COMPETE IN WINTER OLYMPICS DAYS AFTER SUFFERING INJURY IN WORLD CUP CRASH
Franjo von Allmen speeds down the course during an alpine skiing men’s downhill race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Bormio, Italy. The race took place on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
An ACL tear normally entails a recovery that lasts about a year, but Vonn plans to fight through it.
She made a stunning comeback to the sport last year after nearly six years away from competition. Her return followed a partial titanium replacement inserted into her right knee, which she had in 2024.
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Lindsey Vonn, right, and Breezy Johnson stand in the finish area during an alpine skiing women’s downhill official training at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
The Team USA legend is the second-most successful woman in World Cup history with 84 wins. She has won eight World Championship medals.
Vonn won a gold medal in the downhill and a bronze medal in the super-G in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, and a bronze medal in the downhill at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games. She will look to add to her collection in Italy.
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Sports
Sierra Canyon boys, Ontario Christian girls draw top seeds in Open Division basketball playoffs
Sierra Canyon boys’ basketball team and Ontario Christian’s girls’ team received the No. 1 seeds for the Southern Section Open Division playoffs when pairings were released on Saturday. It’s no surprise since those two teams have been No. 1 since the season began in November.
As they say in horse racing terms, they’re trying to go wire-to-wire, but each faces challenges to reach the Toyota Arena in Ontario for the championship games Feb. 28. Pool play begins Wednesday for boys and Thursday for girls.
There are two veteran teams in the Open Division that should provide competition to Sierra Canyon (22-1). No. 2-seeded Santa Margarita (26-3) and No. 3 Redondo Union (25-3) have both proven to be capable of winning big games against top opponents. Redondo Union owns wins over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Phoenix Sunnyslope, the No. 1 team in Arizona. Santa Margarita won the Trinity League tournament.
There were 12 teams selected for the Open Division, using a computer algorithm to rank teams, with three pools of three teams. Teams are guaranteed three games with boys’ quarterfinals Feb. 20, semifinals Feb. 24 and finals Feb. 28. Two teams won’t advance to state playoffs.
Crean Lutheran is seeded No. 1 in Division 1 boys. Gold Coast League co-champions Brentwood and Crossroads have already met twice and could meet a third time in the second round of the Division 1 playoffs if Brentwood defeats Fairmont Prep and Crossroads defeats Long Beach Poly. Longtime power Mater Dei made the Division 2 playoffs. Servite received its first playoff berth in Division 2 since 2022.
In girls’ brackets, defending state champion Etiwanda (27-2) is seeded No. 2 and always seems to play its best come playoff time. Last season, the Eagles knocked off Ontario Christian in the regionals. No. 3 Sierra Canyon (26-2) has South Carolina-bound Jerzy Robinson and will certainly be in contention for section, regional and state titles.
An Etiwanda-Sierra Canyon semifinal is looming for the right to play Ontario Christian. These three teams have dominated girls’ basketball this season.
City Section pairings will be released later Saturday afternoon.
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Former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig was found guilty by a jury in a federal gambling case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
The verdict followed a weekslong trial that included testimony from MLB officials and Donny Kadokawa, a Hawaii baseball coach tied to Puig and the illegal gambling operation.
Puig played for three major league teams, spending the bulk of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has not appeared in an MLB game since 2019. Puig, 35, now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
His sentencing is scheduled for May 26.
Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig reacts after the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Game 3 of the 2017 NLDS playoff baseball series at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz., Oct. 9, 2017. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports)
Puig’s attorney, Keri Curtis Axel, argued the government failed to prove key elements of its case and that she plans to raise post-trial motions.
“We look forward to clearing Yasiel’s name,” Axel said.
Puig initially pleaded guilty to a felony charge of lying to federal agents investigating an illegal gambling operation.
He acknowledged in an August 2022 plea agreement that he wracked up more than $280,000 in losses over a few months in 2019 while wagering on tennis, football and basketball games through a third party who worked for an illegal gambling operation run by Wayne Nix, a former minor league baseball player.
GUARDIANS’ EMMANUEL CLASE ARRESTED BY FBI AT JFK AIRPORT FOR ALLEGED ROLE IN GAMBLING SCHEME
Nix pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and subscribing to a false tax return. Authorities said Puig placed at least 900 bets through Nix-controlled betting websites and through a man who worked for Nix.
Prosecutors said that, during a January 2022 interview with federal investigators, Puig denied knowing about the nature of his bets, who he was betting with and the circumstances of paying his gambling debts.
But he changed his tune months later, announcing that he was switching his plea to not guilty because of “significant new evidence,” according to a statement from his attorneys in Los Angeles.
“I want to clear my name,” Puig said in the statement. “I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit.”
Yasiel Puig of Tiburones de La Guaira of Venezuela reacts after leaving a game due to injury in the fourth inning during a game against the Dominican Republic at loanDepot park as part of Series del Caribe 2024 Feb. 9, 2024, in Miami, Fla. (Luis Gutierrez/by Norte Photo/Getty Images)
The government argued he intentionally misled federal investigators. They played in court audio clips of Puig speaking English and brought expert witnesses to testify on Puig’s cognitive abilities, The New York Times reported.
His attorneys said Puig, who has a third-grade education, had untreated mental health issues and did not have his own interpreter or criminal legal counsel with him during the interview with federal investigators when he allegedly lied.
Yasiel Puig of Tiburones de la Guaira of Venezuela reacts in the fifth inning of a game against the Dominican Republic at loanDepot Park as part of the Serie del Caribe 2024 Feb. 1, 2024, in Miami, Fla. (Luis Gutierrez/Norte Photo/Getty Images)
Puig made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2013 and finished his major league career with 132 home runs and 415 RBIs. He was selected to the MLB All-Star team in 2014. Last year, he played for the Kiwoom Heroes, a professional baseball team based in Seoul.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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