The Bassett Furnituremakers played in the Bi-State League from 1935 through 1940, based in Bassett, Virginia, a company town built almost entirely around the Henry County furniture manufacturing industry. The Furnituremakers were the league's dominant franchise, winning three consecutive championships from 1936 through 1938 and reaching the finals again in 1940, where they lost a seven-game series to the Martinsville Manufacturers. In 1936, player-manager and pitcher Lefty Jenkins went 25-5 with a .833 winning percentage while leading the team to its first title.
In 1937, the Yankees assigned a 19-year-old Brooklyn shortstop named Phil Rizzuto to Bassett as his first professional posting. Rizzuto hit .310 with 5 home runs in 67 games and won a championship in his debut season. He later recalled arriving in Bassett and not finding the town until the train pulled away from the platform: thirteen hundred people, a drugstore, a post office, and a diner, with a Brooklyn accent that nobody in Henry County could quite follow. Rizzuto went on to spend his entire 13-year major league career with the Yankees, winning seven World Series titles, the 1950 AL MVP award, and a Hall of Fame induction in 1994, followed by forty years as the voice of Yankees broadcasts.
Bassett was affiliated with the New York Yankees from 1936 to 1937, the Cincinnati Reds in 1939, and the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1940. The Bi-State League was a Class D circuit that ran from 1934 through 1942, fielding teams from the tobacco, textile, and furniture country straddling the Virginia-North Carolina border. The league did not resume after World War II.
Retro Baseball Revival celebrates historic baseball teams with unique apparel, honoring their legacy and bringing history to one-of-a-kind clothing with our old school retro baseball tees from defunct Minor League Baseball teams. All of our high quality apparel is designed, printed, and shipped within the USA. This collection features 100% original designs based on the history and nicknames of historic minor league teams.
Our premium lightweight shirts are the hugely popular Bella+Canvas brand 3001 tees. They are much lighter and thinner feeling than a traditional heavyweight tee. They also are more form fitting and feel more snug. These are generally 90% to 100% cotton, although please note that heather colors in this item are 52% cotton.
Size Guide: Fit is true to size or a little snug. Considering ordering one size up if you are normally between sizes.
Brand: Bella Canvas | Product ID: 3001
- Made with 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, a lightweight fabric (4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²)) that is easy to layer, breathable. Perfect for active and leisure wear.
- The retail fit that is perfect for casual and semi-formal settings. The crew neckline adds a classic, neat style that's perfect for accessorizing.
- Bella+Canvas manufactures all its products in the US and internationally in humane, no-sweat-shop, sustainable way and is part of the Fair Labor Association as well as Platinum WRAP certified.
- The tear-away label minimizes skin irritations.
- Fabric blends: Ash and Heather Prism colors - 99% cotton, 1% polyester; Heather and Solid Blend colors - 52% cotton, 48% polyester; Athletic Heather and Black Heather - 90% cotton, 10% polyester.
