The Mesa Jewels were Mesa, Arizona's professional baseball club for part of one season, 1929, in Arizona's first league in organized baseball. Backed by the city's Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Jewels joined as an expansion club when the league grew from four teams to six.
Mesa played at Rendezvous Park, a tree-lined field with no outfield fence that later became the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs. The farming town could not draw a crowd in the summer heat, and on July 24, 1929 the club returned its franchise with roughly $2,000 in debts against $600 in assets. The league credited its remaining opponents with wins for the unplayed series, which left Mesa an official 28-61.
Infielder Ernie Lloyd, who also managed the club for a stretch, hit .410 in 34 games before the end came. Pitcher Lefty Blackburn stayed in town and became a Mesa police detective. Where the Jewels name came from is not recorded in any source we have found; the club was gone before anyone wrote it down.
Mesa did not field another professional team until 1947, when it took over the Juarez franchise in midseason and played out the year as the Orphans. In the first half of the 1900s, teams existed in thousands of small towns across the United States, as Americans looked for recreational activities and entertainment in the era before TV.
Arizona's first league in organized baseball opened in 1928 as a Class D circuit with four clubs, in Bisbee, Miami, Phoenix and Tucson. It became the Arizona-Texas League in 1931 and the Arizona-Mexico League in 1955, and ran, with gaps, through 1958, eventually reaching into Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and northern Mexico.
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.
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- Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F); Non-chlorine: bleach as needed; Tumble dry: low heat; Do not iron; Do not dryclean.
