Twisting my brain

I think that I think about Procurement too much. Hazard of the job, I suppose. I spend 40+ hours each week thinking about procurement, how it can be done better, more efficiently, or cheaper. Even more so when an odd commodity is presented, how to structure the deal.

It may have infected my brain.

Last week, I was watching a baseball game. They were celebrating the anniversary of the day that Jackie Robinson made his MLB debut. So on that day, April 15th, every player in MLB wore the number 42, Robinson’s number while playing with the Dodgers.

This got my mind going. I understand that the clubhouse manager is responsible for getting unis for the team. I believe each guy has about three of each uniform, home and away. If they tear or indelibly stain the uni, it gets replaced and they plenty of backups.

Cool, ok. So in Spring Training they measure everyone and order up the stuff.

Pretty predictable. Put that on a blanket order and you are off to the races.

Then you have special events like Jackie Robinson day, the military day in which the San Diego Padres wear camouflage unis. Or when the San Francisco Giants wore the word “Gigantes” on their uniforms to celebrate Juan Marichal.

So how do you negotiate that deal? You have this standing order for all the sizes and numbers sewn on, but then you do these one offs.

Do they take an existing uniform and rip off the number and sew 42 on there, then rip that off and sew back on the old number? Something tells me no. I suspect they get a whole new uni with the special features that is only worn once.

Sometimes they auction off those one offs for charity, sure.

Cost savings aren’t likely a goal of the clubhouse manager.

Oh the money I could save an ailing franchise or two!

Ah well, odd ramblings bringing my favorite pastime and my daily grind into one happy space….