the crosley memorial sleeveless armband

powel crosley jr owned the cincinnati reds from 1935 until he died of a heart attack in march of 1961.  the reds honored his memory by wearing a black armband during the 1961 season.  however, since the reds wore jersey vests, the armband actually extended around the left armhole.  here is jim brosnan's 1962 topps card to demonstrate.

crosley was kind of a jack-of-all trades who found success in inventing and developing products such as automobiles, refrigerators, radios, soap operas and even a radio station.  it was under his watch that the first night games in the history of major league baseball were played - lights were installed at what was now known as crosley field in 1935.

interestingly enough, the reds actually incorporated the memorial armband into their uniforms by adding an identical band to the right arm side of their jerseys.  they kept the look through the 1966 season.

here's to you, powel crosley jr!