Nostalgia Day was a hit with the fans Sunday, but few of the Cubs players were keen on the 1948-style uniforms they wore against the Phillies.
”You better take a picture because this is as bad as I`m ever gonna look,” said Dwight Smith, the universally recognized fashion plate of the Cubs.
Manager Jim Lefebvre felt the same.
”Take a look around,” he said. ”Nobody looks good in these things. I look 25 pounds heavier and three inches shorter.”
Reliever Ken Patterson wasn`t crazy about the style either, but he liked the comfort.
”I can`t believe it. These things are more comfortable than our regular uniforms,” said Patterson. ”This is they way to go.”
Music mutiny: The public address system played big band music from the 1940s for nearly two hours before the game. Tunes like ”Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy” had the fans clapping in their seats. But, just like the uniforms, not all of the players caught the spirit. Twenty minutes after the music started, before most of the fans got into the ballpark, Philly first baseman John Kruk screamed up to the control booth: ”Turn that off.” Kruk probably is a little frustrated. He was out of the starting lineup the last three days with a strained groin.
Dancing Hawk: At least one Cub liked the music. Andre Dawson broke into a jitterbug on the field during his stretching exercises. Dawson was supposed to sit out the afternoon game after playing Saturday night, but he went to Lefebvre and asked to play his fourth consecutive game on artificial turf.
”He knows his body better than I do,” said Lefebvre. ”If he comes to me and tells me he wants to play, I`m going to put him in.”
Bad memories: The Phillies chose to commemorate 1948 because they wanted a year when they wore uniforms similar to the new ones they are wearing this season. That narrowed the choice to somewhere between 1945 and 1949. They went with 1948 because it was Richie Ashburn`s rookie season. But it was a bad year both for the Phillies and the Cubs. The Phillies finished 66-88, just ahead of the seventh-place Cubs, who were 27 1/2 games out of first at 64-90.
Still hitting: Mark Grace singled in the sixth inning off Philly starter Kyle Abbott to extend his hitting streak to a team-high 13 games this season. Grace`s career high is a 19-game hitting streak last year. Earlier this year, shortstop Shawon Dunston hit in 12 consecutive games before having to undergo back surgery.
Still counting: When pitcher Dennis Rasmussen worked one inning Saturday night, he became the 33rd player used by the Cubs this season.