Author: imathewjaxson

There is a ritual in baseball that predates the modern game by more than a century. It happens in dugouts and locker rooms across the country at every level of the sport, from the smallest youth recreational leagues competing on dusty community diamonds to elite travel programs chasing national championships at premier showcase events. It happens every time a player puts on a new baseball jersey for the very first time. They hold it up. They look at the name or the number. They pull it over their shoulders or button it up the front. And then they stand there…