The West Palm Beach Sheriffs of West Palm Beach, Florida were the first professional baseball team the city ever had, joining central Florida's league for the 1928 season as part of its late-decade push down the Atlantic coast. Their debut, on April 26, 1928 at Daytona Beach, set the tone for the era: a 7-5 loss played before 3,000 fans, with United States Senator Park Trammell throwing out the first ball, the Daytona pitcher baffling Sheriff hitters with an underhanded delivery, and, in the fourth inning of the first game in franchise history, manager Ernie Burke getting ejected for arguing a call at first base too strenuously. An outfielder named Hogan finished the game at first base in his place. The papers approvingly noted the afternoon featured "plenty of umpire baiting."
The Sheriffs' only season was also the league's last for a while; the circuit went dark after 1928, and that same September the great Okeechobee hurricane devastated Palm Beach County, one of the deadliest storms in American history. Between the disaster and the Depression that followed, professional baseball did not return to West Palm Beach until 1940.
The Sheriffs' league began play in 1919 as a Class D circuit of six teams clustered across central Florida, tracing what would later become the I-4 corridor decades before the interstate existed. The circuit ran through 1928, went dark during the Depression, returned in 1936, paused again for World War II, and resumed in 1946. Unlike most minor leagues of the era, it never truly died; the same circuit still operates across Florida today.
In the 1800s and 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.
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.
