Crack open the time capsule today and step back into history. It’s May 6th, 1982. Gaylord Perry, now a member of the Seattle Mariners, has just won his 300th career game, the first player in 19 years to reach that milestone. The feat is lauded and good-naturedly received, a sign of the times and the levity with which sports are still viewed, considering Perry’s well-established reputation as a spitballer and ball-doctorer.
Case in point, a still-up-and-coming sportswear brand celebrates the occasion with the Nike Gaylord Perry poster, the definition of good humor. There’s the overall image that makes light of the legendary pitcher’s advanced age — he’s taken up whittling bats, while hanging out in a rocking chair — but the real distinguishing feature is the “K-Lord” poster label at the bottom. The graphic proudly appropriates the branding of a certain petroleum jelly that, at this point, is nearly synonymous with Perry’s pitching antics.
Flash back to 2014, when we take our cheating a bit more seriously, and you can again grab a copy of the three-decade-old print. Homage has a limited quantity available, priced at $30 apiece.