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Worst Uniform Combo Ever?

Worst Uni Combos Hed

By Phil Hecken, with James Huening

Worst Uni Ever? Been there done that. But, recently Jimbo and I were trading E-mails and we came upon one of those “worst uni” angles we don’t believe has ever been explored. Worst Uniform Combo of all time.

How’s that different from “worst uniform” you may ask? Well, quite simply, those ‘worst’ uniforms stand alone, on their own, as awful. But there are some teams who possess different tops and bottoms, which, when worn independently, don’t look too bad. But when you combine them…well the results are predictably bad.

There are probably dozens of examples of this, and of course, some are all a matter of opinion. We thought this might be an interesting topic to explore on a holiday weekend. We’ll get the discussion started with a bunch of bad combinations, then you guys can come up with your own. This will, of course, probably lead to a poll. But today, we want nominees.

We can probably break this down into two categories that aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. But, for purposes of this discussion, we won’t. Those would be teams who possess multiple combinations, and we’ll suggest the worst of the bunch, while other would comprise teams who really didn’t have multiple combinations, but the tops and bottoms just looked so wretched together that we’re including them in the discussion. We’ll just look at them as one bad combo.

Lets take a look at some nominees:

Football

Cincinnati Bengals Orange over Black: The Bengals unis are pretty attrocious (save for the black jersey over the white pants), but this one is just color overload. Unless they’re wearing it on hallowe’en. Then maybe. They do slightly redeem themselves by wearing orange socks (which they should do ANYWAY with the black pants). But not enough.

Clemson University Purple over Orange: It’s bad enough that they have an all-orange combo and an all-purple combo. But purple over orange is somehow the worst choice. Pick a lane and stay in it, fellas, you’re not Oregon. Besides, everyone knows the best look for Clemson is orange over purple.

New York Jets green over green: The Jets have great classic uniforms, but when they added the green pants a few years back, we knew the tempatation to ‘go mono’ would be too great. Green over white — beautiful. White over green — still pretty sharp. green over green? Um…no. At least they have the good sense not to wear the green undersocks. That would be really bad.

University of Oregon green (and black) over neon yellow: There are about 2,345 different combinations the Ducks have or could trot out, so, there may be many different opinions as to the worst. But these three colors don’t do the eyes well. Sure, the pants pick up the Belotti Bold numbers, but really — it’s just too much. Feel free to pick a different combo here — you really can’t go wrong.

Minnesota Vikings purple over purple: What, you thought we were gonna bring up the modern version? OK, we will. The 2007 version is probably even worse because the uniform itself is so much worse. Plus, they’re wearing purple socks for that whole Violet Beauregarde thing. Wow.

Seattle Seahawks neon snot over blue: OK, so they never paired the ‘electric’ green jersey with anything else, but it would have looked better (a relative term) over white pants. Much better. Lime over navy with monochrome socks? Ugh.

Washington Redskins burgundy over maroon: Our final submission in the NFL portion. Not that this combo could ever look good, but wearing a burgundy helmet, burgundy jersey, AND maroon pants is bad. Adding burgundy socks to that rivals the Vikings all purple for “what were they thinking?”

University of Minnesota gold over gold: Why not?

Southern California Sun: Magenta over orange?

Baseball

Pittsburgh Pirates white pinstripes over yellow pants: Well, there were at least 10 different combinations worn by those “bumblebee” Bucs of the late 70’s-early 80’s and you could make a good case for a bunch of them. But the white pinstripes over gold pants was really the worst possible look out of all.

Oakland A’s kelly over kelly: The monochrome baseball experiment taken to its extreme. Seriously, this combo makes one question Charley O’s sanity. Not that the green pants could have looked better with a white top or a gold top, but when paired with a green top and green stirrups? Too much green. If that’s possible.

Cleveland Indians blue over red: The all-red blood clot was bad enough, but at least it was uniform (which in baseball is very important — not so much in hockey or football). But to pair the blue with the red. A bit much, no? Yes.

Colorado Rockies black (and purple) over gray pinstripe: The Rockies have nice uniforms. They also have some bad looks. This is the worst. The purple sleeves under the black vest is bad enough. Pair it with road pinstripes and you’re seriously sporting a bad combo. Even stirrups can’t save that.

Basketball

Only three nominees here, for the sole reason that there really aren’t a lot of “combos” teams can wear (or haven’t…yet). But we think most of us agree on one thing: when you’re wearing a tank top and shorts, they probably should be the same color. When they’re not…it’s not good.

Chicago Bulls (Stags) red over blue: This was some kind of throwback or something. Either that or half of their throwback uniform was lost in transit.

Washington Wizards gold over black: “Hey, let’s have a gold alternate.” “No, black!”…yada yada yada. They compromised. Compromise is not always a good idea in sports uniform design.

Kansas State lavender over purple: If you thought that 1981 look was bad and should have been retired, you’d be wrong. At least then their shorts were a decent length and they wore white socks and kicks. The lavender over purple redux put the early 80’s look to shame.

Hockey

Another sport where mix and match isn’t really practiced. But there have still been some bad combos.

Los Angeles Kings gold over gold: Yes, they really did wear that. Monochrome in hockey isn’t always a bad thing. Monochrome gold…that’s another story. The Kings quickly realized that really light colored breezers weren’t such a bright idea and went to the purple shorts. But they still gave us that all gold look.

Washington Capitals red over white: There is historical precedent for white breezers in puck. But the sporting world hadn’t seen it in decades when the Caps thought it would be a good idea to bring them back. Um, no. Hockey has some of the best uniforms in all of sport, but really, it’s pretty much a given that the pants will be dark.

Soccer

There are probably a dozen submissions you guys can offer. We have only one. It will be tough to top.

Seattle X-Boxes neon over neon: Not even sure what color that is, maybe…”bright”? Is that a color? Their regular combos are no picnic, but this is just overkill. Even Jim Vilk wouldn’t wear that, would he?

~~~

OK, there are our possible suggestions for the worst uniform combinations of all time. But there have got to be more. Let us know what you think of what we nominated and give us some of your own.

Jimbo adds this final thought: “Well, I think that’s a fairly comprehensive list. But we’re probably just scratching the surface. I’m sure the Uni Watch community can give us plenty more fuel for another poll. And I need to give a shout out reprimand to my alma mater. The black helmets were bad enough, but then they went and did this? Thank God the game where they wore the one-and-done black jerseys wasn’t televised.

“Oh, and orange over white is by far the Bengals’ best look.”

Yeah…if you like side panels on a jersey.

~~~~~~~~~~

Antti Niemi Front

Eyes on the Prize: With the NHL Finals beginning tonight, Jason Levine is here to give us the important matchups for the Hawks vs. Flyers finals…the goalie mask matchups, that is. Here’s Jason:

~~~

I know Uni Watch often likes to evaluate the uniforms of teams facing off big series or tournaments. But with the Stanley Cup Finals slated to start Saturday, I thought I’d go in a different direction and evaluate the way each team is represented by what I believe is the coolest piece of sports equipment out there – the goalie mask.

Here’s my take on the starters’ masks with a little insight on the backups’, too. After all, you never know when a netminder will get hurt or pulled. If I’m not mistaken, Michael Leighton is the 35rd man to play net for the Flyers in the last six weeks alone.

Antti Niemi, Blackhawks: Any Chicago goalie faces the fact that they’re wearing one of the nicest sweaters in all of hockey. Few mask designs can compete, which may be why the only Chicago goalies I remember are Tony Esposito and Murray Bannerman. Niemi’s mask is almost too “off the shelf.” The hawk face over the cage is nice in its detail and color, but what’s with the black and white flame treatment on the sides? If it’s symbolic of anything, it’s far too subtle while being visually not subtle at all. From the side, the contrast of the black and white elements against the red is more curious than engaging. The flames morph into hawks along the bottom of each side. Again, that’s just “kinda” interesting, but I don’t get the sense Antti is really all that engaged in his mask’s design. The standard white cage looks like it was grabbed by an equipment guy at the last minute, though we’ve seen what happens when cage colors get out of hand, right Tuukka Rask? While I’m not a huge fan of personalized masks, some explicit identifying graphics would be nice here. How about a “31” in the chin logo. Or “The Niemisis” woven into the flame design. The back plate features a small Finnish lion decal but is otherwise red. Snoozefest.

It’s a whole other story for Niemi’s backup, the veteran Cristobal Huet. Now this is anything but off the shelf. Grey base color, awesome headdress on the forehead, silver cage, flowing hair graphic along the side. Hell, even the chin graphic is cool. This design complements the Hawks sweater as well as a mask can. Too bad Cristobal has seen action in only one playoff game this season.

Michael Leighton, Flyers: Leighton came to the Flyers with his Hurricanes mask in December. Rather than take the ice with enemy colors, he taped over his entire mask to the point where he looked like he was wearing a plaster paris replica. When it comes to personalization, Leighton is the anti-Niemi (get it?). The “Leights” across his chin is adorned with snow and a Winter Classic logo. I’ve grown to like the basic color scheme here, with a white base and an orange stripe bisecting the top of the mask. The white helps blend the cage nicely. It’s a clean look. Although if you take the back plate into account, the word “jockstrap” pops into your head. Unfortunately, what adorns the color scheme is a bit cliché. Leighton falls into the Flyers goalie trap of depicting landmarks. From the Liberty Bell to the Liberty Place skyscrapers, it’s been done. The Flyers logos on each side are too big and really not necessary. That’s where having an alternate or secondary logo, a la Chicago, might help.

Leighton’s backup is Johan Backlund, whose primary experience is adjusting his baseball cap on the bench. Backlund goes with a black base and a white stripe bisecting the top of the mask. Like Niemmi’s, this looks like a street hockey replica design, though I do like how the Flyers logo is blended into the design rather than simply placed like a decal. As it turns out, Brian Boucher may back up Leighton.

Who wins? I give the edge to Leighton for what appears to simply be more effort. But if Huet has to step in, Chicago drinks from the Cup.

~~~~~~~~~~

Benchies Header

Ol’ Eddie may be old, but he sure does know how to pick ’em. Here’s Rick:

Heroes are important, perhaps even essential. Many of us latch onto them in childhood and hold the best of them so tightly they become a touchstone for our entire belief system, an intrinsic part of our who we are for a long time. Sometimes a long, lonnnnnnnnnng time.

Enjoy your Saturday Benchies.

~~~~~~~~~~

blackhawks logo

Teebz hates Cox (NTTAWWT). More puck. Joining us today, it being the opening night of the NHL playoffs, is the President of the Hockey Wing, Teebz. And he’s not happy about how the PC police are taking issue with the logo of the Western Division champions. And he’s got something to say:

~~~

There was an article that appeared in Friday’s Toronto Star and on their website that was written by Damian Cox. Cox is a Toronto sportswriter who covers the hockey beat quite a bit. He proposed that the Chicago Blackhawks logo is offensive, and that the team and the NHL should look at changing it to something less offensive.

He cites several sports teams who have changed their names in recent years from the NCAA, and includes examples of more offensive names such as the Washington Redskins. He even links the name change for the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux as a good reason for the Blackhawks to consider doing the same. I’m going to put a stop to this right here.

The fact is that the Black Hawk name and logo came about thanks to some very honourable people. Cox even states that “the name came from the wish of founder Frederic McLaughlin back in 1926 to honour his battalion from World War I, which was nicknamed after Chief Black Hawk of the Saux Nation, who fought on the side of the British in the War of 1812”.

Being that this is Memorial Day Weekend in the USA, are we now saying that soldiers who served bravely in previous wars should not be honoured? More importantly, are we saying that a brave Native American warrior who fought to save Native American lands from the Europeans shouldn’t have recognition? There are statues, roads, schools, and military helicopters all with Chief Black Hawk’s name on or in them. Are those offensive too?

Enough is enough. Team names like the “Redskins”, the “Indians”, and the “Redmen” can be considered somewhat offensive. The Chicago Blackhawks name is neither offensive nor is it insulting in anyway. It honours brave military men from the past, and the Black Hawk name is used extensively in American culture. To remove it from Chicago’s hockey team would be, in my view, like taking apple pie out of the mouth of a red-blooded American.

~~~~~~~~~~

uni template 2

Back again with more Uniform Tweaks, Concepts and Revisions today. Lots to get to, and if you have a tweak, change or concept for any sport, send them my way.

~~~

Once again, everyone’s favorite ex-pat, Mike Engle, is here with some tweaks, for a team that once was and may (never) be again:

Phil:

As an almost-Canadian, I got so excited about the potential for the re-emergence of the Winnipeg Jets, I made a tweak. (And a new blank canvas for future tweaks, to boot.) Just as I finished the black-and-white (which I copy, color one white, and the other in team colors), I heard about the Glendale vote. So oh well, won’t have any hope to see my Winnipeg Jets tweaks (white and blue) any time soon, but I spent too much time on them not to share.

And now for a few words:

• The crest has been tweaked. I like the way I incorporated the plane into the J. I also basically ignored the updated crest (as worn by Tkachuk, Selanne, et al), except for the fact that “Winnipeg” remains over “Jets,” and not vice versa.

• Stripe systems: The jersey splits the difference. Hawerchuk sleeves, and Tkachuk hem.

• I picked Helvetica for the numbers and the NOB’s because jets remind me of airports, and airports remind me of jets. No outlines because I thought they would be unnecessary. Vertical arches on the NOB’s because the NHL needs more of them.

• Shoulder patch for the sake of a shoulder patch. This is purely original. At the risk of stating the obvious, it is a W, a J, a plane, and a hockey stick all at once.

~~~

Next up is Andrew Cramer, who has a few Royals logo concepts:

Phil,

I don’t see much wrong with the Royals unis, (although the powder blue cap should go) but I feel their sleeve patch logo could do with some updating. I started just by adding the powder blue to the shield, since they have fallen in love with that color as of late, but that made the whole thing look to blocky (It also made it look like the White Castle logo). So I rounded out the edges and got rid of that pesky drop shadow and there you go! I also made one with the colors reversed and one in solid royal, just to see how they would look.

~~~

Rounding out today’s tweaks is Matt Malinowski, who has some concepts for the Washington Nats and the Boston Sawks:

Phil,

I have attached a couple of tweaks, one for the Nationals and one for the Red Sox.

The Nationals have that great Senators cap, but the rest of the uniform doesn’t match at all. I eliminated gold, and I developed “Washington” and “Nationals” scripts based on the Senators’ script. I also used serif numerals once used by the Indians and Philadelphia A’s.

From 1951 to 1978, the Red Sox had great-looking letters on their home jerseys (and in the seventies, the road jerseys too). However, when they switched to Wilson in 1979, the lettering became sloppy looking. My tweak for the home uniform is to bring it back to 1967. That includes blue undershirts, the classic striped socks, two rows of thin (not as thick as it is now) soutache and sleeve piping, and the elegant “B” on the cap that was used from 1967 to 1974. For the road uniform, I used the same style lettering as on the home jersey, except with the colors reversed, and without piping. I reworked the jersey typeface into the team logo as well.

Great job everyone on those tweaks/concepts/revisions. Check back next time for more.

~~~~~~~~~~

No ticker today, but I received a bunch of submissions late last night, so I’ll run one tomorrow (I hope).

Everyone have a great Saturday.

~~~

I really thought I’d be long buried when they started saying my name around the Blackhawks again. — Bobby Hull

 
  
 
Comments (121)

    Certainly some, um, “worthy” candidates among the nominees for Ugliest Combo ever.

    As much as the recent Vikings’ all-purple Grapes of Wretch was a first-class gagger (as were plenty of others, such as the Capitals’ Look, Ma, I Ain’t Wearin’ Any Pants skivvies or the Skins’ Merlot Monotard), I gotta go with Bengals’ orange over black Smashing Rotted Pumpkins.

    Orange and black is a color combination that can be really dicey to work with (believe me, I know; was my high school’s colors). If you get it right, it can be great. Get it wrong, though, and it goes REALLY wrong.

    —Ricko

    Since “Black Hawk” was the English name given a Ute Saux chief Antonga ( I think?), it’s in no way a racial slur. The logo may be a bit dicey, but it’s nothing like the N-word equivalent “redskin.” That’s a name needs changing. It’s especially ignorant considering the location of that team too. But honoring a chief & a WW2 squadron is the way it can be done right.

    That Red-over-Royal combo as worn by the Bulls would look a lot better if it wasn’t 20 sizes too big! And as to Mr. Cox’s mentioning the NCAA in his call to ditch the Black Hawk logo-the NCAA are some of the biggest hypocrites going. They moved their headquarters from SHAWNEE MISSION, KS to INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA! Now who’s being insensitive to Native Americans? Get thine own house in order!

    The Philadelphia Eagles black jersey over green pants (sorry, no link) has to merit consideration. I believe they’ve worn the combo twice-12/28/04 against the 49ers sticks in my memory as one of the dates.

    Love Matt Malinowski’s Nationals redesign.

    Burgundy and maroon are different colors. The Redskins once wore burgundy, but now it’s all maroon, unfortunately.

    [quote comment=”392105″]Love Matt Malinowski’s Nationals redesign.

    Burgundy and maroon are different colors. The Redskins once wore burgundy, but now it’s all maroon, unfortunately.[/quote]

    How can you say it’s maroon? It’s been burgundy for years. C’mon buddy you’re better than that.

    That being said, that clemson purple over orange is worse than I thought..

    The photo of Dave Parker shows the stirrup problem began in the 70s. What’s the point of wearing them if all you see is a stripe down the side? I think they stretched them like that so the loops would be taunt. The manufacturers should have responded by making smaller loops. Soon the stirrups were discarded in favor of sanis with a side stripe. It’s been downhill ever since. Why is baseball afraid to enforce a uniform dress code. If a player dosen’t like it, he can make his multi millions somewhere else.

    My wife is a fashion designer and has certain opinions about the use of colors. While having breakfast here in this glorious morning on the Outer Banks, I had her look at your worst combo submissions and had her pick. She picked Indians blue over red. She says those are two colors they NEVER EVER put together in her business and thinks in sports one should ONLY EVER BE USED as an accent of the other.

    By the way she also have an Eli Manning red jersey poster that she hates! It’s the same blue over red problem!! Her opinion is, if your team color is Blue, then red should be used as little as possible. Maybe a logo, number outline etc, but never a red article ( cap, helmet, pants, not even shoes ).

    If your primary team color is Red, then you should ditch blue altogether…….

    So there is a woman’s opinion….have to go, some deep see fishing awaits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I’ll say this about that:

    [quote comment=”391784″][quote comment=”391763″][quote comment=”391760″]- Kansas State lavender over purple: If you thought that 1981 look was bad and should have been retired, you’d be wrong. At least then their shorts were a decent length and they wore white socks and kicks. The lavender over purple redux put the early 80’s look to shame.[/quote]

    OK, I went to State during the “lavender lovelies” era. Great basketball. I was never sold on the two-tone purple, but Rolando Blackman wore it with class. Those throwbacks show how far basketball unis have deteriorated. Burn ’em and never bring ’em back.

    [quote comment=”391784″][quote comment=”391763″][quote comment=”391760″]I don’t see much wrong with the Royals unis, (although the powder blue cap should go) but I feel their sleeve patch logo could do with some updating. I started just by adding the powder blue to the shield, since they have fallen in love with that color as of late, but that made the whole thing look to blocky (It also made it look like the White Castle logo). So I rounded out the edges and got rid of that pesky drop shadow and there you go! I also made one with the colors reversed and one in solid royal, just to see how they would look.[/quote]

    Change the Royals’ shield? Uh, no. Nice try, but no. The Royals need to shelve their powder blue caps. The alt top is OK as alts go, but I much prefer the Royal top. All powder blue for away games would be OK if the baggy look went away, and I don’t anticipate that. Right now, the Royals are winning and their away grays are OK.

    I’m leaving to enjoy a day of bike races.

    [quote comment=”392107″]The photo of Dave Parker shows the stirrup problem began in the 70s. What’s the point of wearing them if all you see is a stripe down the side? I think they stretched them like that so the loops would be taunt. The manufacturers should have responded by making smaller loops. Soon the stirrups were discarded in favor of sanis with a side stripe. It’s been downhill ever since. Why is baseball afraid to enforce a uniform dress code. If a player dosen’t like it, he can make his multi millions somewhere else.[/quote]

    MLB has never had a dress code regarding style from the knees down. Individual teams have, but not MLB. Only rule on the books currently is that pants cannot extend under the heel. That is, in effect, approval of pants long enough to cover shoes.

    In the 1970’s MLB tried to establish some some standards regarding stirrups. Umps said it wasn’t their job to enforce it (see this story)…
    link

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”392101″]Since “Black Hawk” was the English name given a Ute Saux chief Antonga ( I think?), it’s in no way a racial slur. The logo may be a bit dicey, but it’s nothing like the N-word equivalent “redskin.” That’s a name needs changing. It’s especially ignorant considering the location of that team too. But honoring a chief & a WW2 squadron is the way it can be done right.[/quote]
    Two different tribes, two different Chief Black Hawks, two different geographical regions.

    Antonga Black Hawk was a Ute. He lived in present-day Utah.

    The Black Hawk who inspired the military division’s (and eventually the hockey team’s) nickname was a Sauk war chief who lived in present-day Illinois/Iowa/Wisconsin.
    ~~~~~~~~~~
    Jason,

    Nice breakdown of the goalie masks. I’ve got to agree that Niemi’s is uninspired. That’s one category where Huet beats Niemi hands down, and he gets bonus points for the link he had made to wear with the link. Well, he also wins in the salary category, of course.

    I was thinking that he could do something related to his nickname, Nemo. No, not link. I was mean more along the lines of link.

    “But we think most of us agree on one thing: when you’re wearing a tank top and shorts, they probably should be the same color. When they’re not…it’s not good.”
    There is an exception.
    link

    I would nominate the AZ Cardinals blood red uniform as being one of the ugliest. Having a white helmet is the only thing that makes it slightly better than the Vikes and Redskins.

    [quote comment=”392115″]I would nominate the AZ Cardinals blood red uniform as being one of the ugliest. Having a white helmet is the only thing that makes it slightly better than the Vikes and Redskins.[/quote]

    I would, too. Although I thought the white helmet made it worse, though. They looked like Q-Tips.

    Hey, we each have our own different reactions.

    —Ricko

    Can I nominate a horrible Eagles combo? I don’t mind the black jerseys even though they placed high in the BFBS poll. But link? They look like a link. link.

    Also ranking up there in the horrible is the link. It’s rare, but it has, unfortunately, happened.

    The look I wish they’d stick with is link. They only use it in pre-season though. It’s link, link and honestly, they look faster than the usual white jersey/green pants combo, which just makes everybody look link. Which some of them link. But still….

    That Nationals tweak is the best I’ve seen for any tweaks presented here. Fantastic uniform and sleeve patch. What they wear now makes no sense at all. I think all of the Uni Typos they fall victim too are the Baseball Gods smiting them for their uni choice. Change them unis!

    [quote comment=”392116″][quote comment=”392115″]I would nominate the AZ Cardinals blood red uniform as being one of the ugliest. Having a white helmet is the only thing that makes it slightly better than the Vikes and Redskins.[/quote]

    I would, too. Although I thought the white helmet made it worse, though. They looked like Q-Tips.

    Hey, we each have our own different reactions.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    I don’t have any problem with the Vikes or Skins monochrome looks. The issue with the Cards is also the redesign, it was dull. They should have stuck with the striping pattern from the Jim Hart era.

    When I saw the U of Minnesota’s Gold on Gold was listed, I figured it would be the recent one:

    couple quick thoughts…

    jimbo and i considered the eagles black over midnight…i think both of us simply forgot to include it in the final selections; thanks for the nomination

    other nom’s so far are great too…keep em coming

    ~~~~~

    i don’t normally “praise” or “critique” (or otherwise ‘approve’ or ‘disapprove’) of all the tweaks sent my way (they’re all welcome, and i need to maintain some sense of impartiality)…

    that being said

    today’s nationals concept has got to be one of the best i’ve ever seen, and really should be adopted for 2011 (or tomorrow)

    just outstanding

    Andrew Cramer – great job on the Royals logo tweak!

    And more kudos to Matt Malinowski for the Nats re-do!!

    -Jet

    A basketball combo that has to rank amongst the worst ever was the Memphis Tams of the ABA. Owned by Charlie Finlay, they adopted the same gold/white/kelly colours of the A’s, and mixed and matched in the same way. Some of the combos looked OK, but they mostly looked like crap.

    link

    [quote comment=”392123″]couple quick thoughts…

    jimbo and i considered the eagles black over midnight…i think both of us simply forgot to include it in the final selections; thanks for the nomination

    other nom’s so far are great too…keep em coming

    ~~~~~

    i don’t normally “praise” or “critique” (or otherwise ‘approve’ or ‘disapprove’) of all the tweaks sent my way (they’re all welcome, and i need to maintain some sense of impartiality)…

    that being said

    today’s link has got to be one of the best i’ve ever seen, and really should be adopted for 2011 (or tomorrow)

    just outstanding[/quote]
    I’m also normally not one to comment on the uni tweaks (good or bad), but I’ve got to agree with everything said here.

    I don’t necessarily think that the cap logo NEEDS to match the wordmark (nothing wrong with the Dodgers unis, for example) but in this case it’s so obvious to anyone with taste that the Nats’ beveled wordmark just doesn’t work with that script W cap.

    And the exclusion of the black over midnight green was definitely a brain cramp.

    Oh, and the link is definitely a good look, but it would be so much better if they had green socks instead of black. (The green socks should also be worn with the green jerseys.)

    I thought we were turning a corner the other day when many people voiced there support for a return of a traditional dark on dark uniform in baseball, but now with this post it seems to have regressed back into instant hatred for anything that features the same color pants and shirt (or in the case of basketball, anything with different colored tanks and shorts). True, some monochromatic uniforms aren’t very easy on the eye, like the Vikings, for example, but the Jets’ green on green looks great. The white sleeves, white helmet and white socks balance the green very well, if you ask me.

    I think much of the disdain for looks like this come from preconceptions of what a uniform ‘should be’ and that opinion is formed by varying means. It’s really about what you’re used to. The mismatched basketball jersey and shorts is a look that I love. There’s so much character in it, but we’ve been accustomed to seeing one color basketball uniforms for so long that anything else instantly looks ‘wrong.’ I really try hard to dismiss these ‘rules’ when I look at something, I attempt to evaluate it objectively and for it’s character and aesthetic merits instead of harping on the fact that it’s different than ‘the norm.’

    I mean, ‘no white breezers in hockey?’ What kind of an unwritten rule is that? White pants are accepted, even heralded in football, but taboo in hockey? If it looks good (and there’s always a way to make it look good, believe me) then the rules should go out the window.

    [quote comment=”392109″]My wife is a fashion designer and has certain opinions about the use of colors. While having breakfast here in this glorious morning on the Outer Banks, I had her look at your worst combo submissions and had her pick. She picked Indians blue over red. She says those are two colors they NEVER EVER put together in her business and thinks in sports one should ONLY EVER BE USED as an accent of the other.

    By the way she also have an Eli Manning red jersey poster that she hates! It’s the same blue over red problem!! Her opinion is, if your team color is Blue, then red should be used as little as possible. Maybe a logo, number outline etc, but never a red article ( cap, helmet, pants, not even shoes ).

    If your primary team color is Red, then you should ditch blue altogether…….

    So there is a woman’s opinion….have to go, some deep see fishing awaits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    Well, that’s one woman’s opinion. These ladies may beg to differ…
    link
    link

    I’d wear the Indians blue over red, as well as Shippensburg football’s red over blue:
    link

    [quote comment=”392129″][quote comment=”392109″]My wife is a fashion designer and has certain opinions about the use of colors. While having breakfast here in this glorious morning on the Outer Banks, I had her look at your worst combo submissions and had her pick. She picked Indians blue over red. She says those are two colors they NEVER EVER put together in her business and thinks in sports one should ONLY EVER BE USED as an accent of the other.

    By the way she also have an Eli Manning red jersey poster that she hates! It’s the same blue over red problem!! Her opinion is, if your team color is Blue, then red should be used as little as possible. Maybe a logo, number outline etc, but never a red article ( cap, helmet, pants, not even shoes ).

    If your primary team color is Red, then you should ditch blue altogether…….

    So there is a woman’s opinion….have to go, some deep see fishing awaits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    Well, that’s one woman’s opinion. These ladies may beg to differ…
    link
    link

    I’d wear the Indians blue over red, as well as Shippensburg football’s red over blue:
    link

    By the way, those red over blue Chicago hoops unis would look better if they weren’t so baggy.

    One reason white or gold (Capitals, Kings) breezers don’t work in hockey is because they will quickly become dirty-looking from slash marks and puck marks.

    -Jet

    No, I don’t think I’d wear those Seattle soccer unis. That much neon needs some contrast. But leave those Seahawks alts alone!

    I agree that those Ducks, Pirates, Rockies, Capitals and KSU combos aren’t very pleasing to my eye. I also nominate those Eagles black and midnight green unis.

    The monochrome look doesn’t bug me. It’s kind of old old school. The new Vikings one, though, does bug me.

    [quote comment=”392128″]I thought we were turning a corner the other day when many people voiced there support for a return of a traditional dark on dark uniform in baseball, but now with this post it seems to have regressed back into instant hatred for anything that features the same color pants and shirt (or in the case of basketball, anything with different colored tanks and shorts). True, some monochromatic uniforms aren’t very easy on the eye, like the Vikings, for example, but the Jets’ green on green looks great. The white sleeves, white helmet and white socks balance the green very well, if you ask me.

    I think much of the disdain for looks like this come from preconceptions of what a uniform ‘should be’ and that opinion is formed by varying means. It’s really about what you’re used to. The mismatched basketball jersey and shorts is a look that I love. There’s so much character in it, but we’ve been accustomed to seeing one color basketball uniforms for so long that anything else instantly looks ‘wrong.’ I really try hard to dismiss these ‘rules’ when I look at something, I attempt to evaluate it objectively and for it’s character and aesthetic merits instead of harping on the fact that it’s different than ‘the norm.’

    I mean, ‘no white breezers in hockey?’ What kind of an unwritten rule is that? White pants are accepted, even heralded in football, but taboo in hockey? If it looks good (and there’s always a way to make it look good, believe me) then the rules should go out the window.[/quote]

    Been discussed here many times. Different sports, different paradigms. Not much history of home in white, road in gray in basketball, for example.

    Or black trousers in jai lai.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”392128″]I thought we were turning a corner the other day when many people voiced there support for a return of a traditional dark on dark uniform in baseball, but now with this post it seems to have regressed back into instant hatred for anything that features the same color pants and shirt (or in the case of basketball, anything with different colored tanks and shorts). True, some monochromatic uniforms aren’t very easy on the eye, like the Vikings, for example, but the Jets’ green on green looks great. The white sleeves, white helmet and white socks balance the green very well, if you ask me.

    I think much of the disdain for looks like this come from preconceptions of what a uniform ‘should be’ and that opinion is formed by varying means. It’s really about what you’re used to. The mismatched basketball jersey and shorts is a look that I love. There’s so much character in it, but we’ve been accustomed to seeing one color basketball uniforms for so long that anything else instantly looks ‘wrong.’ I really try hard to dismiss these ‘rules’ when I look at something, I attempt to evaluate it objectively and for it’s character and aesthetic merits instead of harping on the fact that it’s different than ‘the norm.’

    I mean, ‘no white breezers in hockey?’ What kind of an unwritten rule is that? White pants are accepted, even heralded in football, but taboo in hockey? If it looks good (and there’s always a way to make it look good, believe me) then the rules should go out the window.[/quote]

    great points andy, but where did you intimate that because of the few “nominees” for bad combos does that automatically imply i now “hate” every possible monochromatic uniform? or that i wouldn’t be calling for a few (maybe just a very few) monochromatic looks to return to baseball?

    opinions are just that — you’re welcome to disagree, but please don’t put words into my mouth

    what you may or may not like may differ from what i like; feel free to disagree (as you did) and please feel free to add your thoughts as to “worst combos” — we’re just throwing them out there…nothing says you have to agree or that there are any “unwritten” rules

    if you honestly like the a’s all-kelly look, that’s fine; i think there’s a place in baseball for monochrome, but that aint it (in my opinion)

    likewise, if you feel the bloodclots or saturday night specials or the all-orange brooksie specials looked good and you want them to return, that’s absolutely fine…i may not agree with that but again, that’s just an opinion — neither of us is “right” or “wrong”

    fair points also about “preconceptions” — but with sports with great history and tradition, like baseball, there is (or at least seems to be) a reason why some things just “look right”

    i don’t mind teams trying something new; but obviously certain things just work and some things don’t — styles and fashions change, and even baseball has followed these to a degree…we’re now in a period of bland, solid color tops and no stirrups (for the most part) … it’s been that way for a while, but maybe this will go the way of the powderblue roads and pullover tops; maybe not

    in hockey, i don’t think there are any “rules” per se (where else can we see white tops over darks, monochromes and solid tops over solid bottoms that ALL look good), but i would think there might be one ‘sort of rule’ that dictates pants be darker than sweaters…that just seems to work

    sorry for the long reply…just wanted to be clear that i’m not necessarily opposed to monochrome in football (just some looks) or that monochrome in baseball can’t be tried; hating one look does NOT imply i don’t or won’t like others

    I’d like to nominate the traffic cone orange jersey and off-white pants combo the SF Giants trotted out last night. Unless it was free Creamsicle night at the ballpark…

    [quote comment=”392132″]No, I don’t think I’d wear those Seattle soccer unis. That much neon needs some contrast. But leave those Seahawks alts alone!

    I agree that those Ducks, Pirates, Rockies, Capitals and KSU combos aren’t very pleasing to my eye. I also nominate those Eagles black and midnight green unis.

    The monochrome look doesn’t bug me. It’s kind of old old school. The new Vikings one, though, does bug me.[/quote]

    I’m with you on the Seahawks’ green Alt. Their normal home monochrome is SO frickin’ gloomy that, from an image/branding/tourism of view, it does nothing but reinforce Puget Sound’s negative weather stereotype: slug-colored skies and rain day after day after day.

    Should they wear them all the time? Of course not. But once a season, say in November on potentially dreary Seattle Sunday, why not.

    It didn’t help the overall impression of those jerseys that the Bears picked that day to wear their navy pants. Both teams in navy pants was a bit much. Though it probably did make the green jerseys stand out even more, I suppose.
    link

    Not sure monochrome dark is “old school” in football, though. For low budget high schools with laundry/expense issues and the CFL, yeah. For the NFL and big-time college programs, not so much.

    —Ricko

    College Football:
    Cal’s yellow over navy look. That great color combo has never looked as bad.

    NFL:
    Patriot’s silver over navy

    [quote comment=”392135″]I’d like to nominate the traffic cone orange jersey and off-white pants combo the SF Giants trotted out last night. Unless it was free Creamsicle night at the ballpark…[/quote]

    Having a 1980’s flashback here…
    link

    —Ricko

    I actually tend to like those electric seattle sounders jerseys. Something different and sharp. I think their normal snot green jerseys work too. Also it wouldnt surprise me if the seahawks eventually made those green jerseys their primary jerseys a la Tennessee due to seattles love for that neon color. While we may bash them for the use of such an ugly color you have to admit that the fact that the city rallies around a color like that, almost like pittsburgh with the black and gold, is pretty cool.

    Not sure if this has been mentioned anywhere, if it has, I missed it.

    But according to a blurb in yesterday’s Boston Herald (which sadly doesn’t seem to be online) ALL 163 Minor League teams will be wearing some form of Stars and Stripes cap on July 4th.

    There were no other details given, and I couldn’t find anything else anywhere to corroborate it, but I thought that was interesting.

    [quote comment=”392137″]College Football:
    Cal’s yellow over navy look. That great color combo has never looked as bad.

    NFL:
    Patriot’s silver over navy[/quote]

    Now that I’m somewhere that I can link photos…
    Cal
    link

    Patriots
    link

    …and another nominee, the Titan’s light blue over navy:
    link

    This wins for the worst uni combo ever. How did this not even get mentioned. I also love the Seahawks neon jersey…

    for football, you cant forget about the philadelphia eagles black-over-midnight green (link). also, there’s the dolphins teal-over-teal (link).

    I have to go with the Washington Capitols white breezers as tthe all-time worst combo. I’m open-minded, and I really wanted to like them at the time, and I appreciate the bold (idiotic?) decision to trot it out, but…come on–that was just embarrassing. They looked like big ol’ diapers.

    The Memphis Tams, at least, changed combos from game to game, ala the Oakland A’s, so that the very unfortunate dark top/white shorts combo was only periodically displayed to our great horror.

    [quote comment=”392129″][quote comment=”392109″]My wife is a fashion designer and has certain opinions about the use of colors. While having breakfast here in this glorious morning on the Outer Banks, I had her look at your worst combo submissions and had her pick. She picked Indians blue over red. She says those are two colors they NEVER EVER put together in her business and thinks in sports one should ONLY EVER BE USED as an accent of the other.

    By the way she also have an Eli Manning red jersey poster that she hates! It’s the same blue over red problem!! Her opinion is, if your team color is Blue, then red should be used as little as possible. Maybe a logo, number outline etc, but never a red article ( cap, helmet, pants, not even shoes ).

    If your primary team color is Red, then you should ditch blue altogether…….

    So there is a woman’s opinion….have to go, some deep see fishing awaits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

    Well, that’s one woman’s opinion. These ladies may beg to differ…
    link
    link

    I’d wear the Indians blue over red, as well as Shippensburg football’s red over blue:
    link
    …and returning to the world of athletics aesthetics, two examples of link and break it link come to mind right away.

    Sorry, I linked to the wrong version of Cal’s uniform.

    This is much worse
    link

    The could be even worse than the yellow over navy
    link

    [quote comment=”392117″]Can I nominate a horrible Eagles combo? I don’t mind the black jerseys even though they placed high in the BFBS poll. But link? They look like a link. link.

    Also ranking up there in the horrible is the link. It’s rare, but it has, unfortunately, happened.

    The look I wish they’d stick with is link. They only use it in pre-season though. It’s link, link and honestly, they look faster than the usual white jersey/green pants combo, which just makes everybody look link. Which some of them link. But still….[/quote]

    Well said. 100% Agreed!

    The color must be off on my computer- Malinowski’s Nats and Sawx tweaks, while certainly very quality work, had black in them. In my both cases, I feel like this has a certain BFBS to it. I can forgive the black in the Sawx, although I think it gives it too dark a look- remember, we’re talking about the boys of summer. I can’t imagine why you’d take the blue out of the Nats though- if any team should be red, white and blue (or any combination therein), it should be the team which represents the capital of the country. All this being said, Mr. Malinowski should be proud. The work is top-notch and I’m just being nit-picky from being hungover.

    [quote comment=”392155″]The color must be off on my computer- Malinowski’s Nats and Sawx tweaks, while certainly very quality work, had black in them. In my both cases, I feel like this has a certain BFBS to it. I can forgive the black in the Sawx, although I think it gives it too dark a look- remember, we’re talking about the boys of summer. I can’t imagine why you’d take the blue out of the Nats though- if any team should be red, white and blue (or any combination therein), it should be the team which represents the capital of the country. All this being said, Mr. Malinowski should be proud. The work is top-notch and I’m just being nit-picky from being hungover.[/quote]

    it definitely does appear black, but it is most definitely not…i took the liberty of filling in the left side of the nationals jacket that matt created with black … while still dark in appearance, you can see teh difference

    i don’t want to speak for matt, but it’s probably a color akin to midnight blue (yankees color)…

    it’s hard to explain (not a graphics guy), but like danny finocchio’s world cup tweaks, when viewed in high res, the colors appear different than when downloaded, resized, etc. and then uploaded onto UW

    might he have considered a lighter shade of navy? possibly, but it could also just be due to some technical limitations that we’re seeing it as dark as we are

    but it’s definitely not black

    [quote comment=”392150″]You’re an idiot.[/quote]
    I know you are, but what am I?

    I absolutely LOVE all of the uniform combinations. I understand that Paul and many others are extremely traditional and want all teams to follow certain rules when it comes to uniforms, but it is all about fun. And having fun is making every possible uniform combination a team can make. Kudos to the Vikings, Redskins, Jets, and all other teams that do this. I hope all other franchises follow suit from time to time. No harm done in doing this and it’s great to see something “new” every once in awhile on TV.

    I figured it out. Antti Niemi’s side “black and white flames motif” is an eagle. The head and beak are right there on the mandible, so the “flames” are its wings. Therefore, the eagle is either a totem-like Indian icon or a tribute to former Chicago goalie (and briefly, former Chicago goalie #31) Ed Belfour.
    That being said, there’s no way Niemi’s mask is better than Huet’s.

    Andrew Cramer:
    Really nice try on the Royals patch tweak. The rounded shape looks good, but not “This is so earth-shatteringly awesome, it should become official tomorrow!” And nice idea to add some powder. But I don’t like the way the royal/powder dividing line cuts through the serif of the K. Looks sloppy. I’d keep the shield royal, but color the white space in between the shield and the crown powder. Then I think it would be as good as it gets.
    PS: Thank you for eliminating the drop shadow.

    Phil- Thanks so much for clearing that up. I feel like a bit of a fool now, especially being a born-and-raised Yankee fan who’s entirely used to, and in love with, that “midnight blue,” as you so aptly put it.

    In that case, Mr. Malinowski- I apologize and am now in complete and utter love with your tweaks.

    It’s hard to find a good image of this kit, but Chelsea used to have an away kit of neon, electric yellow and black with the most ridiculous stripes.

    Dig this uniform combination:
    link
    Where does that fall on today’s list?

    Paul’s dream team:
    link

    Aren’t those shoulder pads supposed to go a little higher?
    link

    Surreal.

    Pretty much all the students at Tennessee love the black jerseys, but I’m probably one of the 4 or 5 who hate them, especially paired with the orange pants. Tennessee’s all orange look is pretty bad too. My dad played at UT back in the late 70s and said that none of the players liked wearing the all orange uniforms, because they felt they looked like pumpkins. Also, I’ll agree that the Titans baby blue over navy is a bad look as well. Any all yellow look is bad (Cal, WVU, Southern Miss). All teal, or “midnight green” is a rough sight too (Dolphins, Eagles). The Falcon’s link is pretty bad as well. I’m also not a huge fan of the FSU all black, but I guess that’d probably be “Worst Uniform.”

    Another one that I don’t like (and maybe it’s just because I’m a Braves fan) is the Braves wearing their all navy hats with their road grays. I understand them with the navy alternates, that looks fine, but they just don’t look good with the grays because there’s no red on the hat, like there is on the jerseys. I think two years of that look is enough, they should switch back to their primary hats on the road next year.

    I’ll nominate the NY Giants red alternates

    link

    Nothing offensive about any particular element, but that combination of colours just doesn’t work. As one poster above mentioned, there are teams that pull of the red and blue look (Canadiens, NY Rangers) but the Giants don’t.

    [quote comment=”392136″][quote comment=”392132″]No, I don’t think I’d wear those Seattle soccer unis. That much neon needs some contrast. But leave those Seahawks alts alone!

    I agree that those Ducks, Pirates, Rockies, Capitals and KSU combos aren’t very pleasing to my eye. I also nominate those Eagles black and midnight green unis.

    The monochrome look doesn’t bug me. It’s kind of old old school. The new Vikings one, though, does bug me.[/quote]

    I’m with you on the Seahawks’ green Alt. Their normal home monochrome is SO frickin’ gloomy that, from an image/branding/tourism of view, it does nothing but reinforce Puget Sound’s negative weather stereotype: slug-colored skies and rain day after day after day.

    Should they wear them all the time? Of course not. But once a season, say in November on potentially dreary Seattle Sunday, why not.

    It didn’t help the overall impression of those jerseys that the Bears picked that day to wear their navy pants. Both teams in navy pants was a bit much. Though it probably did make the green jerseys stand out even more, I suppose.
    link

    Not sure monochrome dark is “old school” in football, though. For low budget high schools with laundry/expense issues and the CFL, yeah. For the NFL and big-time college programs, not so much.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Ah yes, monochrome CFL. Loved those all-yellow Ti-Cats unis from the 50s.

    By old old school, I meant small-time college or high school, but didn’t a few early NFL teams go mono?

    Everything about that Seahawks/Bears game was set up for failure: both teams in dark pants, the sun was out making the green seem even brighter, starting QB and LB were injured, making a loss very likely, etc.. The jerseys were a convenient scapegoat, but it wasn’t their fault.

    As you said, wear those in November and add some brightness to a rainy Seattle day.

    [quote comment=”392165″]I’ll nominate the NY Giants red alternates

    link

    Nothing offensive about any particular element, but that combination of colours just doesn’t work. As one poster above mentioned, there are teams that pull of the red and blue look (Canadiens, NY Rangers) but the Giants don’t.[/quote]

    It’s the cut and fit of the new unis.
    They used to pull off that look quite well:
    link
    link
    They had big heads back then, didn’t they?

    [quote comment=”392167″][quote comment=”392165″]I’ll nominate the NY Giants red alternates

    link

    Nothing offensive about any particular element, but that combination of colours just doesn’t work. As one poster above mentioned, there are teams that pull of the red and blue look (Canadiens, NY Rangers) but the Giants don’t.[/quote]

    It’s the cut and fit of the new unis.
    They used to pull off that look quite well:
    link
    link
    They had big heads back then, didn’t they?[/quote]

    The old Birmingham Americans of the WFL had a red jersey/blue pants combo which looked sharp.

    Has anyone seen Joe Mauers logo? He’s got it on his chest protector. Its a 7 & M (7M) I took a bad cell phone photo of it at last nights game.
    I will try and email it in.

    [quote comment=”392168″][quote comment=”392167″][quote comment=”392165″]I’ll nominate the NY Giants red alternates

    link

    Nothing offensive about any particular element, but that combination of colours just doesn’t work. As one poster above mentioned, there are teams that pull of the red and blue look (Canadiens, NY Rangers) but the Giants don’t.[/quote]

    It’s the cut and fit of the new unis.
    They used to pull off that look quite well:
    link
    link
    They had big heads back then, didn’t they?[/quote]

    The old Birmingham Americans of the WFL had a red jersey/blue pants combo which looked sharp.[/quote]

    Oops, I meant to say Florida Blazers.

    [quote comment=”392170″][quote comment=”392168″][quote comment=”392167″][quote comment=”392165″]I’ll nominate the NY Giants red alternates

    link

    Nothing offensive about any particular element, but that combination of colours just doesn’t work. As one poster above mentioned, there are teams that pull of the red and blue look (Canadiens, NY Rangers) but the Giants don’t.[/quote]

    It’s the cut and fit of the new unis.
    They used to pull off that look quite well:
    link
    link
    They had big heads back then, didn’t they?[/quote]

    The old Birmingham Americans of the WFL had a red jersey/blue pants combo which looked sharp.[/quote]

    Oops, I meant to say Florida Blazers.[/quote]

    Yep.
    link
    I’d wear that.

    [quote comment=”392154″]The numbers on the front of Turkey’s jerseys are huge![/quote]
    It’s hard to find a good side-by-side pic, but on TV, they looked to be exactly the same size as the USA’s. Although, Turkey’s numbers did look a bit odd link.

    [quote comment=”392165″]I’ll nominate the NY Giants red alternates

    link

    Nothing offensive about any particular element, but that combination of colours just doesn’t work. As one poster above mentioned, there are teams that pull of the red and blue look (Canadiens, NY Rangers) but the Giants don’t.[/quote]

    That was commonly the Giants home uni in the early ’50s (minus pant stripes, helmet logo and numbers, etc., of course): Blue helmet with a single red stripe, red jersey and socks, silver pants.

    Also, and I’ve asked this before and no one’s ever answered, has the Giants organization ever referred to the team as the “Big Blue” or is that a fan/media term? And was it even around before their Super Bowl years? I don’t know that it was.

    Point being that maybe FANS think of the Giants as a blue team but there’s a history or going back and forth from blue to red. Hence, the red numbers, etc., on the road…which first appeared in the mid-’50s with the mandatory addition of white jerseys. They had gone to blue at home by then, but used red on the roads to keep the red alive and least a bit prominent in the color scheme.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”392156″]

    but it’s definitely not black[/quote]

    It’s actually in the purple area:

    link

    It comes off as pretty black on my monitor.

    I did not remember that Mexico now has black uniforms. They’re on FSC right now against England. Bad. Just bad.

    Hey Matt, if the Nats and MLB Properties haven’t been trying to contact you all day today, they’re a bunch of idiots. Can’t say again how nice those Nats tweaks are. Someone needs to get those made up and out to San Diego tonight.(That’s where the Nats are playing)

    The Bumblebee Bucs had 18 possible combinations: 3 shirts x 3 pants x 2 caps. IMO, the worst look was the black shirt with the white-pinstripe pants.

    Actually, the “old-school” Minnesota Vikings purple-on-purple was unintentional. I saw a bit on NFL Films “Lost Treasures” once about a preseason game in the late ’60s between the Vikes and Detroit Lions (as shown in your pic there) where the Vikings decided to wear their white road jerseys just once so the home fans could see them in person. Only problem was no one informed the Detroit equipment manager, so naturally the Lions showed up in their white road uni’s as well. Well, the game officials ordered the Vikings to change into their purple jerseys, so the poor equipment manager had to round them all up and bring them to the bench area, where the Vikings players changed in the middle of the game, which led to a rather bizarre scene on the sidelines at the old Met.

    [quote comment=”392178″]The Bumblebee Bucs had 18 possible combinations: 3 shirts x 3 pants x 2 caps. IMO, the worst look was the black shirt with the white-pinstripe pants.[/quote]

    You’re correct about the possibility of that many combos, but in practice there were fewer than that. To the best of my knowledge, the hat and jersey always contrasted. The helmet, of course, was another story, since it was always yellow.

    [quote comment=”392178″]The Bumblebee Bucs had 18 possible combinations: 3 shirts x 3 pants x 2 caps. IMO, the worst look was the black shirt with the white-pinstripe pants.[/quote]

    IMO, the best look was the all black. Also liked the black pant/yellow jersey set, yellow pant/black jersey set, and all gold pinstripes. Good times, and a golden decade.

    Interesting fact about the pillbox hats, I have a 1976 yearbook packed away which shows the mustard style pillbox hats without the distinctive striping pattern. It appears the Bucs added the stripes just before the 1976 regular season. I’ll need to scan one of those photos someday, unless we have a Pirate fan here who owns a 1976 yearbook.

    Brewers and Mets looking sharp in their Negro League Tribute Throwbacks IMHO. Even Prince Fielder doesn’t look too baggy tonight.

    And it appears that the “New York Cubans” have the faux flannel look going on. I will try and get a screen grab when they have a close up on their uni.

    [quote comment=”392180″][quote comment=”392178″]The Bumblebee Bucs had 18 possible combinations: 3 shirts x 3 pants x 2 caps. IMO, the worst look was the black shirt with the white-pinstripe pants.[/quote]

    You’re correct about the possibility of that many combos, but in practice there were fewer than that. To the best of my knowledge, the hat and jersey always contrasted. The helmet, of course, was another story, since it was always yellow.[/quote]

    Things you never saw in the 70s:
    link

    Things I wish I saw in the 70s:
    link
    Even with the black hat, I’d like to see those unis without the pillbox.

    [quote comment=”392182″]Brewers and Mets looking sharp in their Negro League Tribute Throwbacks IMHO. Even Prince Fielder doesn’t look too baggy tonight.

    And it appears that the “New York Cubans” have the faux flannel look going on. I will try and get a screen grab when they have a close up on their uni.[/quote]

    Mets 1923 Negro Throwbacks as promised:

    link

    link

    [quote comment=”392182″]Brewers and Mets looking sharp in their Negro League Tribute Throwbacks IMHO. Even Prince Fielder doesn’t look too baggy tonight.

    And it appears that the “New York Cubans” have the faux flannel look going on. I will try and get a screen grab when they have a close up on their uni.[/quote]

    The Mets are the Cubans, and this blog post came out yesterday, link and Paul missed both of them? If he only knew what he was missing.

    Nice unis…and nice sandwich.

    Of all the story lines that this Stanley Cup finals, none is I think bigger than the Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis replacing the Hartford Whalers song, as the most distintive song after a goal ever.

    [quote comment=”392187″]Of all the story lines that this Stanley Cup finals, none is I think bigger than the Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis replacing the Hartford Whalers song, as the most distintive song after a goal ever.[/quote]

    I was at the Sharks/Hawks game last Friday, and I still have “Chelsea Dagger” stuck in my head. The place goes friggin’ nuts. I have been to many sports venues on many different levels, and I have never heard a place go as mad as the Mad House.

    (OK, maybe the 2007 NFC Championship game was “madder”, but that is me being biased. You know how much it takes for me to admit a Chicago-based franchise may be a crazier venue?)

    [quote comment=”392188″][quote comment=”392187″]Of all the story lines that this Stanley Cup finals, none is I think bigger than the Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis replacing the Hartford Whalers song, as the most distintive song after a goal ever.[/quote]

    I was at the Sharks/Hawks game last Friday, and I still have “Chelsea Dagger” stuck in my head. The place goes friggin’ nuts. I have been to many sports venues on many different levels, and I have never heard a place go as mad as the Mad House.

    (OK, maybe the 2007 NFC Championship game was “madder”, but that is me being biased. You know how much it takes for me to admit a Chicago-based franchise may be a crazier venue?)[/quote]

    I was humming it all morning while golfing.

    [quote comment=”392189″][quote comment=”392188″][quote comment=”392187″]Of all the story lines that this Stanley Cup finals, none is I think bigger than the Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis replacing the Hartford Whalers song, as the most distintive song after a goal ever.[/quote]

    I was at the Sharks/Hawks game last Friday, and I still have “Chelsea Dagger” stuck in my head. The place goes friggin’ nuts. I have been to many sports venues on many different levels, and I have never heard a place go as mad as the Mad House.

    (OK, maybe the 2007 NFC Championship game was “madder”, but that is me being biased. You know how much it takes for me to admit a Chicago-based franchise may be a crazier venue?)[/quote]

    I was humming it all morning while golfing.[/quote]

    I have been in the golf business for 11 years, and I still don’t get why people love golfing on Memorial Day weekend. Fri-Mon at my course we have solid tee times from 6:30am-5pm every day. Don’t get me wrong, it is great for business, and the pace of play is decent. I also don’t drink while I play golf, and obviously I am in the minority on that one too.

    And being so close to the Wisconsin/Illinois boarder, I get a lot of Blackhawks fans coming in humming “Chelsea Dagger” and getting it stuck again in my head. It’s a phenomenon for sure.

    [quote comment=”392183″][quote comment=”392180″][quote comment=”392178″]The Bumblebee Bucs had 18 possible combinations: 3 shirts x 3 pants x 2 caps. IMO, the worst look was the black shirt with the white-pinstripe pants.[/quote]

    You’re correct about the possibility of that many combos, but in practice there were fewer than that. To the best of my knowledge, the hat and jersey always contrasted. The helmet, of course, was another story, since it was always yellow.[/quote]

    Things you never saw in the 70s:
    link

    Things I wish I saw in the 70s:
    link
    Even with the black hat, I’d like to see those unis without the pillbox.[/quote]

    Yes, the iconic pillbox hats were a product of the era, and the regular style hat should be wore with any multi colored Pirates uni. I like the black crown/yellow bill version rolled out several years ago.

    I am not opposed to purple over orange – I might have designed a football uni w/ that combo way before Clemcon wore it.
    Nostalgic for the K-State two-tone purple, so I don’t hate that either. Always liked Rolando Blackmon.

    All Oregon combinations that don’t use the school’s traditional shages of green and athletic would be my least favorites.

    [quote comment=”392190″][quote comment=”392189″][quote comment=”392188″][quote comment=”392187″]Of all the story lines that this Stanley Cup finals, none is I think bigger than the Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis replacing the Hartford Whalers song, as the most distintive song after a goal ever.[/quote]

    I was at the Sharks/Hawks game last Friday, and I still have “Chelsea Dagger” stuck in my head. The place goes friggin’ nuts. I have been to many sports venues on many different levels, and I have never heard a place go as mad as the Mad House.

    (OK, maybe the 2007 NFC Championship game was “madder”, but that is me being biased. You know how much it takes for me to admit a Chicago-based franchise may be a crazier venue?)[/quote]

    I was humming it all morning while golfing.[/quote]

    I have been in the golf business for 11 years, and I still don’t get why people love golfing on Memorial Day weekend. Fri-Mon at my course we have solid tee times from 6:30am-5pm every day. Don’t get me wrong, it is great for business, and the pace of play is decent. I also don’t drink while I play golf, and obviously I am in the minority on that one too.

    And being so close to the Wisconsin/Illinois boarder, I get a lot of Blackhawks fans coming in humming “Chelsea Dagger” and getting it stuck again in my head. It’s a phenomenon for sure.[/quote]

    FYI – I’m Canadian = so I was golfing on a non-holiday weekend here, but interested to know – my infliction is being shared.

    You’re correct about the possibility of that many combos, but in practice there were fewer than that. To the best of my knowledge, the hat and jersey always contrasted. The helmet, of course, was another story, since it was always yellow.

    People here have said that they’d wear either cap in 1977. After that, it was always gold cap with black jersey and gold stirrups with black pants, and black cap or stirrups with white or gold.

    I meant to say “shades of green and athletic gold”.

    //not drunk Uni-Watching
    //typing on the dark porch

    *To the attention of Mr. Jim Vilk*
    The Montreal office of the Canadian embassy of Uni Watch would like to open a private correspondence with you. Kindly email link at your earliest convenience.
    Thanks,
    MIKE

    [quote comment=”392194″][quote comment=”392190″][quote comment=”392189″][quote comment=”392188″][quote comment=”392187″]Of all the story lines that this Stanley Cup finals, none is I think bigger than the Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis replacing the Hartford Whalers song, as the most distintive song after a goal ever.[/quote]

    I was at the Sharks/Hawks game last Friday, and I still have “Chelsea Dagger” stuck in my head. The place goes friggin’ nuts. I have been to many sports venues on many different levels, and I have never heard a place go as mad as the Mad House.

    (OK, maybe the 2007 NFC Championship game was “madder”, but that is me being biased. You know how much it takes for me to admit a Chicago-based franchise may be a crazier venue?)[/quote]

    I was humming it all morning while golfing.[/quote]

    I have been in the golf business for 11 years, and I still don’t get why people love golfing on Memorial Day weekend. Fri-Mon at my course we have solid tee times from 6:30am-5pm every day. Don’t get me wrong, it is great for business, and the pace of play is decent. I also don’t drink while I play golf, and obviously I am in the minority on that one too.

    And being so close to the Wisconsin/Illinois boarder, I get a lot of Blackhawks fans coming in humming “Chelsea Dagger” and getting it stuck again in my head. It’s a phenomenon for sure.[/quote]

    FYI – I’m Canadian = so I was golfing on a non-holiday weekend here, but interested to know – my infliction is being shared.[/quote]

    Didn’t mean to sound that I was razzing on you… just kind of venting. With a full tee sheet for four straight days, paired with 95 degree heat in Southern Wisconsin, you get some interesting calls/people to deal with. I guess I am just jealous of all the golfers. They say if you love playing golf, don’t become a golf pro. Those people are exactly right.

    [quote comment=”392178″]The Bumblebee Bucs had 18 possible combinations: 3 shirts x 3 pants x 2 caps. IMO, the worst look was the black shirt with the white-pinstripe pants.[/quote]

    18 possible combinations, but it was confirmed to me on thursday by someone who wore them that it was 10 that were worn

    here’s a direct quote:

    “One quick point about the Pirates combinations used (at least from 1977-early 1979)…they used ten different combinations. The pin-striped uni was complimented with both black and gold hat/sleeves/socks highlights.”

    [quote comment=”392197″]*To the attention of Mr. Jim Vilk*
    The Montreal office of the Canadian embassy of Uni Watch would like to open a private correspondence with you. Kindly email link at your earliest convenience.
    Thanks,
    MIKE[/quote]
    Never mind Jim, Postmaster Hecken provided me your email address. Check your inbox.

    [quote comment=\”392193\”]I am not opposed to purple over orange – I might have designed a football uni w/ that combo way before Clemcon wore it.
    Nostalgic for the K-State two-tone purple, so I don\’t hate that either. Always liked Rolando Blackmon.

    All Oregon combinations that don\’t use the school\’s traditional shages of green and athletic would be my least favorites.[/quote]

    I’m pretty sure Clemson wore purple over orange decades ago, back in the leather helmet days. By the 70’s they were simply orange and white, then navy trim was added. Finally purple, the official school color, was brought back was a lark. Then they went overboard.

    Similarly, back in the late 60’s the Braves wore the same all-navy road cap they’re wearing now. So when they wear it with their road greys, it’s actually a traditional look.

    [quote comment=”392204″]Antti Niemi resorting to his backup mask after his primary mask came undone twice.[/quote]
    And it looks like link.

    [quote comment=”392202″][quote comment=\”392193\”]I am not opposed to purple over orange – I might have designed a football uni w/ that combo way before Clemcon wore it.
    Nostalgic for the K-State two-tone purple, so I don\’t hate that either. Always liked Rolando Blackmon.

    All Oregon combinations that don\’t use the school\’s traditional shages of green and athletic would be my least favorites.[/quote]

    I’m pretty sure Clemson wore purple over orange decades ago, back in the leather helmet days. By the 70’s they were simply orange and white, then navy trim was added. Finally purple, the official school color, was brought back was a lark. Then they went overboard.

    Similarly, back in the late 60’s the Braves wore the same all-navy road cap they’re wearing now. So when they wear it with their road greys, it’s actually a traditional look.[/quote]

    I think you’re probably correct on all of your Clemson points. Watching ACC hoops in the 70s it seemed the Tigers wore some dark color to trim out the orange, but it sure didn’t seem purple. Then I recall a free college schedule my dad picked up from a liquor store that listed the teams’ school colors and I was surprised to see purple and orange listed for Clemson. Years later, the purple became more apparent in both hoops and football.

    [quote comment=”392190″][quote comment=”392189″][quote comment=”392188″][quote comment=”392187″]Of all the story lines that this Stanley Cup finals, none is I think bigger than the Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis replacing the Hartford Whalers song, as the most distintive song after a goal ever.[/quote]

    I was at the Sharks/Hawks game last Friday, and I still have “Chelsea Dagger” stuck in my head. The place goes friggin’ nuts. I have been to many sports venues on many different levels, and I have never heard a place go as mad as the Mad House.

    (OK, maybe the 2007 NFC Championship game was “madder”, but that is me being biased. You know how much it takes for me to admit a Chicago-based franchise may be a crazier venue?)[/quote]

    I was humming it all morning while golfing.[/quote]

    I have been in the golf business for 11 years, and I still don’t get why people love golfing on Memorial Day weekend. Fri-Mon at my course we have solid tee times from 6:30am-5pm every day. Don’t get me wrong, it is great for business, and the pace of play is decent. I also don’t drink while I play golf, and obviously I am in the minority on that one too.

    And being so close to the Wisconsin/Illinois boarder, I get a lot of Blackhawks fans coming in humming “Chelsea Dagger” and getting it stuck again in my head. It’s a phenomenon for sure.[/quote]
    I do not like that song. Tons of people going nuts over it solidifies its wackness. For me. It solidifies it for me.
    In my head currently, I have “She’s Not There” by the Zombies.

    [quote comment=”392195″]You’re correct about the possibility of that many combos, but in practice there were fewer than that. To the best of my knowledge, the hat and jersey always contrasted. The helmet, of course, was another story, since it was always yellow.

    People here have said that they’d wear either cap in 1977. After that, it was always gold cap with black jersey and gold stirrups with black pants, and black cap or stirrups with white or gold.[/quote]

    Too bad Mike Princip wasn’t doing a Buc Tracker back then…

    Thanks for the info. I always assumed they stuck with nine combos.

    Oh, and Mike Engle – got your email and I’m about to reply.

    Good thing Mr. Marshall isn’t here to read all this Chelsea Dagger talk. He’d probably have a seizure followed by his head ess-ploding.

    Thank you everyone for your kind words about my tweaks. The Nats’ current uniforms have been bothering me from day one. I have occasionally questioned myself about my choice of blue. I think it depends on the light source. I have a few official Red Sox caps and they are much darker than my Mitchell and Ness 1967 jacket. I have also Googled “Red Sox cap” and seen umpteen different shades of blue. If any of you know anyone in the Nationals organization, please pass it on!

    [quote comment=”392207″][quote comment=”392190″][quote comment=”392189″][quote comment=”392188″][quote comment=”392187″]Of all the story lines that this Stanley Cup finals, none is I think bigger than the Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis replacing the Hartford Whalers song, as the most distintive song after a goal ever.[/quote]

    I was at the Sharks/Hawks game last Friday, and I still have “Chelsea Dagger” stuck in my head. The place goes friggin’ nuts. I have been to many sports venues on many different levels, and I have never heard a place go as mad as the Mad House.

    (OK, maybe the 2007 NFC Championship game was “madder”, but that is me being biased. You know how much it takes for me to admit a Chicago-based franchise may be a crazier venue?)[/quote]

    I was humming it all morning while golfing.[/quote]

    I have been in the golf business for 11 years, and I still don’t get why people love golfing on Memorial Day weekend. Fri-Mon at my course we have solid tee times from 6:30am-5pm every day. Don’t get me wrong, it is great for business, and the pace of play is decent. I also don’t drink while I play golf, and obviously I am in the minority on that one too.

    And being so close to the Wisconsin/Illinois boarder, I get a lot of Blackhawks fans coming in humming “Chelsea Dagger” and getting it stuck again in my head. It’s a phenomenon for sure.[/quote]
    I do not like that song. Tons of people going nuts over it solidifies its wackness. For me. It solidifies it for me.
    In my head currently, I have “She’s Not There” by the Zombies.[/quote]
    It is truly a terrible song. The 22,000 plus “singing” along with it after every goal would probably agree. (My compadre about 10 miles to the southeast link.)

    But I’ll be damned if it isn’t a friggin’ blast to join in with the dah dah dahs after every lighting of the lamp.

    [quote comment=”392209″]Thank you everyone for your kind words about my tweaks. The Nats’ current uniforms have been bothering me from day one. I have occasionally questioned myself about my choice of blue. I think it depends on the light source. I have a few official Red Sox caps and they are much darker than my Mitchell and Ness 1967 jacket. I have also Googled “Red Sox cap” and seen umpteen different shades of blue. If any of you know anyone in the Nationals organization, please pass it on![/quote]

    That’s right, I forgot to add my thoughts on your tweaks. I would indeed wear those. Much better without the beveled font!

    When the Nats adopt your look, can they keep the red alts, though?

    [quote comment=”392202″][quote comment=\”392193\”]I am not opposed to purple over orange – I might have designed a football uni w/ that combo way before Clemcon wore it.
    Nostalgic for the K-State two-tone purple, so I don\’t hate that either. Always liked Rolando Blackmon.

    All Oregon combinations that don\’t use the school\’s traditional shages of green and athletic would be my least favorites.[/quote]

    I’m pretty sure Clemson wore purple over orange decades ago, back in the leather helmet days. By the 70’s they were simply orange and white, then navy trim was added. Finally purple, the official school color, was brought back was a lark. Then they went overboard.

    Similarly, back in the late 60’s the Braves wore the same all-navy road cap they’re wearing now. So when they wear it with their road greys, it’s actually a traditional look.[/quote]

    CLEMSON PURPLE/NAVY

    When Clemson wore Throwback football Unis a couple of years back, they wore Midnight Navy Blue Helmets and Pants, Orange jerseys, with Midnight Navy numerals and striping and with Orange striping on the Pants and Helmet – they even wore “cross” striping on the helmet to mimick the leather helmet striping of the era.

    It was a pretty good looking uni – I even managed to buy a whole uni on Ebay before re-selling it to a Clemson fanatic.

    Chiming in late here, The only one I really hate of those listed above is the skins burgandy. I like it with white pants, or with white jersey, but it was putrid together.

    I like goofy unis. There, I said it. So, my most hated, worst ever, ugly unis are the horrible boring ones. Braves 1983 road pwdr blues. Any all black hockey team (stars, pens, sharks, etc.) Seahawks monochrome. Those are the worst. I give credit to those who take a chance – like my K State Cats. Like the tequilla sunrise Astros. Like the SoCal Suns. Awesome. Nothing makes me turn the channel faster than boring.

    please pleasePLEASE NO MORE TWEAKS IN CRAYON
    its as bad as some of the unis that are ‘created’

    [quote comment=”392205″][quote comment=”392204″]Antti Niemi resorting to his backup mask after his primary mask came undone twice.[/quote]
    And it looks like link.[/quote]
    Game action shot of Niemi’s backup mask (#2 of 43 is the link doesn’t work)
    link
    And the normal mask (#25 of 43)
    link

    I noticed that in the different versions of the Blackhawks logo, the nose has gotten progressively smaller, almost like a nose job. Noticed this because, a) I used to play the “spot the difference” game between two pics, and b) I was reminded to bring it up once I read the story on how the US currency (e.g., five dollar bill) was made safer from counterfeit with each new version, but the presidents (and Hamilton and Franklin) may have gotten nose jobs (and face lifts):
    link

    Probably unfair to single out the Sounder’s neon yellow. It’s their 3rd jersey, which traditionally is something garish for the express purpose of NOT being the same color as any conceivable opponent’s home kit. They tend to be monochrome, too (having only one color in your gear means less chance of matching a color in the home team’s).

    I don’t think any other team in MLS has green unis, but there are enough blue teams out there that would be too close to the jersey / shorts of Seattle’s 1st/2nd kit.

    Seattle’s original sin was having it’s 1st/2nd kits being the very same color combination. This mandates wearing the 3rd more often.

    [quote comment=”392206″][quote comment=”392202″][quote comment=\”392193\”]I am not opposed to purple over orange – I might have designed a football uni w/ that combo way before Clemcon wore it.
    Nostalgic for the K-State two-tone purple, so I don\’t hate that either. Always liked Rolando Blackmon.

    All Oregon combinations that don\’t use the school\’s traditional shages of green and athletic would be my least favorites.[/quote]

    I’m pretty sure Clemson wore purple over orange decades ago, back in the leather helmet days. By the 70’s they were simply orange and white, then navy trim was added. Finally purple, the official school color, was brought back was a lark. Then they went overboard.

    Similarly, back in the late 60’s the Braves wore the same all-navy road cap they’re wearing now. So when they wear it with their road greys, it’s actually a traditional look.[/quote]

    I think you’re probably correct on all of your Clemson points. Watching ACC hoops in the 70s it seemed the Tigers wore some dark color to trim out the orange, but it sure didn’t seem purple. Then I recall a free college schedule my dad picked up from a liquor store that listed the teams’ school colors and I was surprised to see purple and orange listed for Clemson. Years later, the purple became more apparent in both hoops and football.[/quote]

    Clemson wore navy blue road uniforms in basketball from the early 1980s through 1991 or so. They switched the navy to purple. They have always had orange uniforms, of course.

    Worst combos:

    Ravens’ purple over black. Northwestern’s black over purple only slightly less garish. Any colored jersey over darker-colored pants is a loser. Add the Titans’ light blue over dark blue. Yikes, awful.

    Watching the A’s highlights recently reminded me why the green and gold looks so good on them: The bright sunshine and radiant green grass in Oakland makes the uniforms stand out.

    The Uni Tweaks submissions nearly always suck, but an excellent job on the Nationals unis. Nats should start wearing those this week.

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