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It's rare to see baseball players step into the batter's box without gloves. Vladimir Guerrero and Jorge Posada are two who quickly come to mind.
Then again, it's virtually unheard of to see a professional golfer without some sort of sponsor's logo. Wasn't it the great Gene "The Machine" Littler who helped start the trend when he wore a golf cap promoting Amana?
At the start of this season, it was the golf world was buzzing about Puyallup's Ryan Moore playing "sponsor-free."
Sunday's performance in Greensboro, N.C., put Moore's wardrobe back in the spotlight as the 26-year-old claimed first PGA Tour victory and did so without looking like walking billboard.
It was a hot topic on this Golf Channel chatroom. And even Rotowire.com, the fantasy sports Web site, referenced his wardrobe in its free weekly newsletter.
Why? Because he has no contract with a sponsor. He told USA Today earlier this year "I pick a club now because I want to play it, not because I have to use a club because of a deal I have, and then I have to make the club work for me."
That may change soon. Then again, it might not. Moore seems comfortable being different, and he's enjoying his best season as a professional. The swing is self-made like that of Jim Furyk's. He's been critiqued for being "grunge." And commentator/comedian Gary McCord once joked that Moore's look was a combination of Justin Timberlake and Ellen DeGeneres.
His amateur career was considered by many the best since Bobby Jones, and Moore will likely get some TV time this weekend at The Barclays. It is staged near New York City, and Tiger has committed to play it as the FedEx Cup race is starting to boil. Folks already wonder how Moore's future and his closet will be altered as he enters the event No. 22 in the FedEx point standings. (He moved up 54 spots with Sunday's win).
Product placement costs big bucks in movies and TV shows. That lack of sponsorship cost Moore some nice performances, but and now he has some leverage with potential advertisers.
Earlier in the season, his bag featured the Seattle Seahawks color scheme, but not their logo.
Just think if the NFL ran the PGA Tour. Every golfer would look as vanilla Moore did Sunday. It's a refreshing concept, but then no one is willing to pay me to wear their gear.
