The Lodi Melon Rollers, based in Lodi, California, were the city's first professional baseball team, playing in the California State League in 1904 and 1905. The name is a small masterpiece of local truth: before Lodi became synonymous with wine grapes, it was one of California's great watermelon shipping centers, sending trainloads of melons out of San Joaquin County every summer, and the image of workers rolling melons up into boxcars gave the ballclub the name the papers used for it from the start.
The Melon Rollers came and went quickly, as most small-market clubs of the outlaw-league era did, and Lodi would wait six decades for professional baseball to return. When it finally did, with the Lodi Crushers of 1966, the new name honored the grape industry that had replaced melons at the heart of the local economy, making Lodi likely the only city in baseball history whose two team names track its agricultural succession.
In the first half of the 1900s, professional baseball reached into towns of every size across America, with leagues rising and folding year to year as cities looked for entertainment in the era before television, and few names anywhere said more about their town in two words than the Melon Rollers.
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 crewneck sweatshirts are classics that anyone is sure to recognize. They are thick, durable Gildan brand crews. They are a cotton/poly blend that stands the test of time.
Size Guide: True to size
- Made with a medium-heavy fabric blend of 50% cotton and 50% polyester (8.0 oz/yd² (271.25 g/m²)), this sweatshirt feels cozy and is the perfect choice for those colder months.
- The classic fit along with the crew neckline deliver a comfy wearing experience with a clean-cut style. Meanwhile, the double-needle stitching at the shoulder, armhole, neck, waistband, and cuff seams add top-tier durability.
- Say goodbye to itchiness thanks to the gray, pearlized tear-away label.
- Made using 100% ethically grown US cotton. Gildan is also a proud member of the US Cotton Trust Protocol ensuring ethical and sustainable means of production. The blank shirt's dyes are OEKO-TEX-certified dyes with low environmental impact.
- Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F); Non-chlorine: bleach as needed; Tumble dry: low heat; Do not iron; Do not dryclean.
