Baseball’s interleague rivalry week is almost over, so put away those split jerseys

Like many Bay Area sports fans who were of elementary school age when the Oakland Athletics played the San Francisco Giants in the 1989 World Series, I owned one of those split A's-Giants caps.

They weren't the greatest fashion statement a kid could make, but I won't hold it against any youngster wearing one — then or now. Adults, on the hand, I dunno.

We see more of this type of devotion-splitting today, since baseball pushes for interleague rivalries. We're coming to the end of a four-day stretch of league-wide geographic clashes — like the Subway Series in New York between the Mets and Yankees and the Freeway Series in Los Angeles between the Dodgers and Angels. (Sidenote: Has the Passport Series between the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays turned into a thing yet?)

One product of these rivalries is the split jersey — a half-and-half mash-up of two rival teams. Like the split Giants-A's cap, the idea walks the fine line between "oh, that's funny" and "hide that deep in your closet." I kept an eye this week on the split jersey phenomenon and noticed three worth your attention, for varying reasons.

1. THE CLASSY: This Mets-Yankees combo doesn't try to mix player names or numbers. It doesn't look like it was bought at the flea market or is the result an of Etsy experiment gone wrong. You can argue with the idea, but the execution is at least nice. Photo via @MLB on Twitter.

2. THE CRASS BUT CLEVER: Somewhere Beavis and Butthead are giggling at this outdated but sophomorically humorous Royals-Cardinals split jersey. Billy Butler and Albert Pujols ... Bujols ... get it? From @LOaks11 on Twitter via Eye on Baseball.

3. THE HOT MESS: Folks, this is all bad. Half Yoenis Cespedes and half Buster Posey — with part of the S in Posey still hanging around? Not the business. Not something to wear around other humans. Via AlexEspinozaIV of Bay Mode.

You'll notice there's no split White Sox/Cubs jersey. I looked. Not to be found. I think that sorta thing is against the Chicago sports bylaws.

Baseball is back. Don't miss anything.
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