In 2009, the team’s poor record had them laying pretty low with respect to odd fashion gimmicks, but Joe Maddon did try out jet black hair.
This year, they have been dressing in costumes on road trips, which has somehow resulted in the best road record in the majors. Their favorite of the looks, though, was plaid, and the team has decided to fixate on the clothing pattern.
“Real men wear plaid,” Maddon told TampaBay.com. “Come on out in your plaids — that would be awesome. To have this ballpark plaided out would be very cool.”
The MLB has licensed plaid Rays gear, including hats and beer coozies, but the centerpiece of the Rays marketing gimmick will be the upcoming release of Maddon’s own invention, the “Brayser.”
The Brayser is a plaid suit with Rays colors, and apparently, the team has commissioned a boutique in New York to produce them, hopefully in time for sale during this playoff run.
The Rays seem to have their postseason gimmick locked down, now all they need is for fans to show up.
See the local news video on the jackets below.
Photo from Photobucket
