I am always looking for cleats I haven’t seen. Earlier this season, at the Eastern League All-Star game, I was placed in a locker room full of prospects. And prospects mean shoe deals.
As I was meeting some of the guys I happened to notice my locker mate had some serious cleat game going on. I saw a pair of elephant print Nike MVP Pros and asked him “what is the story behind those cleats?” Being the cool guy that he was he humored me and told me the whole story. The short of it is that he has the same agent as Casey Kotchman, a former member of the Tribe. Kotchman found himself with the Marlins this year which left many of his Indians inspired colorways to be of no use. As fate would have it, my buddy wears the exact same size. I guess you could say he walked into the right situation.
I have to admit I was envious of these cleats. They stole the show amongst our teammates. If you look closely you can see the detail of the elephant print leather starting on the toe ranging back to the heel. Another difference from the standard Nike MVP Pro metal compared to this custom pair is the replacement of mesh on the quarter panel as well as the toe-box. This allows for unhindered flexing while reducing crease marks. I love the white outsole which appears to highlight the red midsole. And of course the big white swoosh is a great contrast to the dark silhouette which makes it look like its jumping off the cleat.
I know a few Nike athletes that have told me about the design process involving their personal pairs of cleats. For a select few, they have access to any model, any colors, any material—let your imagination run wild. It is like Nike iD on…well…you know. Sometimes you meet the right people who know the right people. I give this custom Casey Kotchman Nike MVP Pro metal an A+.
