The Jersey You Wear Matters

By Anthony Zandonatti Published: 2026-02-12

I've been around baseball for over 20 years. Two years at Santa Barbara City College wearing the Vaqueros black and gold, eighteen years in amateur and semi-pro leagues. And in all that time, I've never seen anything more bizarre than watching someone stand on a team's field, wearing another team's jersey, claiming they belong there.

Let me paint you a picture.

You're at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers are playing the San Francisco Giants. It's a home game. The energy is electric.

Now imagine a guy walks onto the field in a Yankees jersey. Full pinstripes. New York cap. He's not visiting. He's not a fan in the stands. He's not even on the Giants the team the Dodgers are actually playing. He's just... there. On the field, in the dugout, trying to take at-bats, arguing with the umpire, demanding playing time.

The security guards approach him. "Hey, you can't be here. You're not on this team."

But he argues. "I've been here for years. I love this stadium. I work hard. I deserve to play."

"Then make the team," they say. "Get a contract. Get traded. Wear the Dodgers jersey. But you can't play for the Dodgers in a Yankees uniform."

Seems pretty straightforward, right?

You Can't Play for Two Teams at Once

Here's the thing about baseball and life: You have to pick a team. You can respect other teams. You can admire their players. You can even disagree with your own coach sometimes. But when you're on the field, you play for the jersey you're wearing.

If you're a Dodger, you don't root for the Yankees mid-game (or worse, the Giants). You don't undermine your own team because you're mad at the manager. You don't blow whistles from your own dugout while your teammates are trying to focus.

That's not loyalty. That's chaos.

And if you truly want to be a Dodger? Fine. Make the team. Earn a contract. Get traded. Go through the process. But you don't get to stand in Dodger Stadium, wearing the wrong colors, and demand the privileges of being on the team.

Security Guards Exist for a Reason

Every baseball game has security. They're not there to harass fans. They're there to protect the integrity of the game.

When a fan charges the field maybe drunk, maybe angry, maybe just looking for attention, what happens? Security tackles them. They escort them out. No one questions it.

Maybe someone says, "Well, maybe they had a tough childhood, let them run around the bases."

But here's the thing this guy in the Yankees jersey isn't just running around the bases. He's already on the field. And now people are saying, "Well, he's already on field... just let him play on the team."

Wait, what?

No. They remove the disruptor, because the game can't function in chaos.

The players need to focus. The fans paid to watch a real game, not a circus. And the rules exist so everyone knows what to expect.

Security doesn't apologize for doing their job. They don't check with everyone in the crowd first. They act. They protect the field. They restore order.

Because without order, there's no game.

The Home Team Deserves to Play Without Distraction

Imagine you're a Dodgers pitcher. Bases loaded. Bottom of the ninth. You need to throw a strike.

And someone in your own dugout starts blowing an air horn. Over and over. Distracting you. Making it impossible to concentrate.

Who does that?

Not even the Giants, they're supposed to try to beat you. That's the game.

But your own team? That's sabotage.

You can disagree with the coach's strategy. You can think the GM made a bad trade. You can be frustrated with ownership. But when the game is on, you play. You don't undermine your own team while they're trying to win.

Because if you do, you're not just hurting the coach. You're hurting every player on that field. You're hurting the fans who believed in you. You're hurting the team's future.

And for what? To prove a point?

Wear the Jersey or Don't Step on the Field

I'm not saying every team is perfect. I'm not saying you have to agree with every call the umpire makes. I'm not saying you can't push for change, fight for what's right, or hold leadership accountable.

But if you're going to be on the field, wear the jersey. Respect the team. Play your position.

And if security has to remove someone who doesn't belong there who refuses to make the team the right way, who's disrupting the game let them do their job.

Don't say, "Well, he's already on the field... just let him play."

Because the game depends on it.

The team depends on it.

And everyone who loves the gameeveryone who wants to see it played right depends on it.

So here's my question:

What jersey are you wearing? And are you playing for the name on the front, or are you rooting for someone else while standing on your own team's field?

- Anthony Zandonatti