WASHINGTON -- Adam Lind had the toughest time finding a nickname for the back of his jersey for Players Weekend. He had a couple of ideas, but kept running into copyright issues before he finally harkened back to his old nickname in college.
Lind will wear the nickname "Donnie" on the back of his No. 26 jersey during the inaugural Players Weekend this Friday through Sunday. The name is a nod to the character Donny from the 1998 film "The Big Lebowski" and a nickname Lind received while he was at the University of South Alabama.
"I had nothing left," Lind said with a laugh. "'Sleepy' -- that was copyrighted. And then I went to 'Linsanity' -- that was copyrighted."
• Players Weekend gear available at MLBShop.com
The special uniforms with nicknames on the back will first be worn by the Pirates and Cardinals during the MLB Little League Classic to be played in Williamsport, Penn., at Bowman Field on Sunday, during the 2017 Little League World Series. During Players Weekend, all players will wear colorful, non-traditional uniforms featuring alternate designs and a nickname on the back of the jersey. They will also have the opportunity to wear and use uniquely colored and designed spikes, batting gloves, wristbands, compression sleeves, catcher's masks and bats.
Lind frequently wears bright-colored gym shoes into the clubhouse at Nationals Park, so he'll be able to show off some of his personality that weekend. Players also have the chance to wear specially designed caps by New Era and unique socks from Stance.
• Players Weekend: Nicknames of the game
During workouts and pregame interviews, players will wear T-shirts highlighting a charity or cause of their choice. Each player will also wear a special patch on his sleeve showing the progression of a child evolving into a Major Leaguer, with a white space where they will mark the name of a person they are grateful for helping them advance in their own careers.
The Players Weekend game-worn jerseys will be auctioned at MLB.com/auctions, with all proceeds donated to the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, a joint effort by MLB and the MLBPA with an initial commitment of $30 million focused on improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the U.S. and Canada.