Every Team’s Greatest Uniform – National League Edition

By Phil Hecken
Follow @PhilHecken

I was recently asked on a podcast what I thought was the “greatest” baseball uniform of all-time. I hesitated a bit, but gave my answer (hint: look at the splash). But the answer wasn’t as easy as it seems. More recently, Graig Kreindler tweeted out his painting of Stan Musial in that very same uniform, and I remarked it was my “all-time favorite” uni. A bit later on in that thread, this question was posed to me:

I'd really have to think long and hard about this. But I'll start with those two.

— Phil Hecken (@PhilHecken) March 5, 2019

Now, I’ve done a bunch of lists on Uni Watch and elsewhere, but one I’ve never undertaken is to identify (in my humble opinion, of course) the “greatest” MLB uniform for each team. I have picked the “greatest” uni year in baseball (1969), but of course not every uniform worn in 1969 was a particular team’s greatest.

I guess I’ve always thought I’d do a column like this someday, but always also thought it would be a daunting challenge: there are some obvious slam-dunks, but there are several teams for whom it would be very difficult to choose a “best” or “greatest” uni — and given that the choices for some teams would be very close (in other words, even in my own mind, I could waver on any given Sunday that a uniform I thought best yesterday I’d have second thoughts about the next day). Even now, I’m still unsure on a couple.

But I set myself to this task, and today we’ll look at my selections for the National League. These choices are all, obviously, just my opinion of the greatest uni for each team; you can (and should) argue for or against any of them. I tried to keep my choices limited to the current city in which a team plays; if a uni from a different era in a different city totally trumps a current city uniform, I note that. If there are some close seconds (or thirds), I’ll mention them, but I have to stick with one uni set for each team. As I write this, I hope I don’t talk myself out of any of these, so I better get started. Here we go.

• • • • • •

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

2001-06 Home

Let’s face it, the Diamondbacks have never been blessed with particularly good uniforms in the overall scheme of things. Whether it’s the “bloody sock” sublimated snakeskin or the sedona red of their previous set, most would argue this team’s best look was something from the 1998-2006 timeframe. But which? My personal selection is the look pictured above: full sleeved, pinstripes, without the double-stacked wordmark of the early years. The D-Backs have never had great unis, but this is the best.

• • •

ATLANTA BRAVES

1987-present Home

I bet some of you thought I’d select the feather sleeve version, (which I do love) worn so famously by Henry Aaron, but he wore a lot of unis for the Braves. No, this one was a fairly easy choice. They wore their greatest (or very similar unis) in Milwaukee, brought to them to Atlanta, and wore them for the first two years there before going through a multitude of unis in the late 60s, 70s and into the mid-80s. But the current home uni, which they basically re-adopted in 1987, was, and remains, their best. The headspoon, the jersey and pants piping, and of course the classic belt tunnels — all having the same width striping — this one is a modern classic. And their greatest.

• • •

CHICAGO CUBS

1948-56 Home

Things immediately get tricky here. With well over 100 years of uniforms (many of which have been great), choosing a greatest is very hard. Here’s the thing, while I’m not generally a big fan of zipperfront jerseys, I love the Cubs in these clean unis. Even the cap is beautiful. Not only is it classically gorgeous, those stirrups are to die for. Yes, the various pinstriped models the Cubs have worn are great, but not their greatest. These are.

• • •

CINCINNATI REDS

1956 Road

Cincinnati, like Chicago, poses its own set of problems — namely due to the shear volume of unis worn over 100 years (and we’ll get to see 15 of them this upcoming season!). I reeeeeeaally like the classic wool flannel numbers worn between 1967 and 1971, and even the polyester pullovers of the Big Red Machine-era have their appeal. But my favorite, and their greatest (IMHO) uni, was just a one-year wonder, and worn only on the road: a vested beauty featuring the loveable Mr. Redlegs on the left breast. Why they only wore this one season and only on the road uni is beyond me. Mr. Redlegs didn’t deserve such a fate.

• • •

COLORADO ROCKIES

1993-present Home

Unlike the Marlins (who joined the league with them in 1993), and the D-Backs and Rays who followed, the Rockies have basically stuck with one solid home uniform for their existence. Yes, they’ve had sleeveless alternate jerseys and plenty of purple, but their home pins were, and remain, their greatest uni.

• • •

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

1970 Road

Other than changing “Los Angeles” to “Dodgers” and back a couple times, you might think the Dodgers road uniforms have remained basically unchanged since they moved out west from Brooklyn. And you wouldn’t really be wrong, because they have remained essentially the same over the years. The team wore “Dodgers” in their first year in LA (1958), switching to “Los Angeles” in beautiful script in 1959, and they’d keep it there until 1969. In 1970, they returned to “Dodgers” in plain blue script on a gray jersey. In their penultimate season in flannel, this would be a one year jersey. In 1971, a thin white/blue/white soutache trim was added to the shoulders and sleeves. They’d lose that in 1972, but by then they’d switched over to polyester double-knits and the beauty was gone a bit (they’d later add a white outline around “Dodgers”, along with piping on the sleeve ends). I’ve always thought the Dodgers have had great unis (and eschewed the softball tops except in very rare instances), and you could certainly argue the home is better than the road. But there’s something about that beautiful plain gray jersey with blue “Dodgers” and the red number below. It’s not that “Los Angeles” on the road is bad, it’s just that “Dodgers” is better. And this one is their best.

• • •

MIAMI MARLINS

1993-94 Road

Like the Diamondbacks, the Marlins have never really had very good uniforms, and we have go back to then the team wore “FLORIDA” on their road grays to find their greatest. Sure, teal was a trendy color then (and the Marlins embraced it), but it’s still much better than the (always trendy) heavy does of black that would follow their early years. Nothing they’ve worn since then has looked better. So I was initially torn between the road grays and the home pins. But teal pinstripes aren’t dark enough to really see from distance and hey you’re not the Yankees! (black pins aren’t so hot either), to the road grays, despite what I consider to be a less-than-perfect white/teal/black pants stripe are the winner by default. I mean, it’s not that bad, right?

• • •

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

1970-71 Road

Quick show of (virtual) hands: how many of you thought I was going to select the 1978-93 home pins (or even the 1978-84 powder roads)? Both are beautiful, and both have the greatest logo of all time (that’s the BiG) on the caps. Nope. Those of you who know me also probably know I love the colored sani look which the team featured on the road from 1974-1977. Nope. I think the 1970-71 powder blue flannels, which were basically repurposed Pilots roadies, are their greatest. There may be nothing more beautiful than a wool flannel blue uniform, and this hits the spot. I love how the team kept the odd lower-case “e” (which was NOT a repurposed “e” from Seattle — check the font, they’re slightly different). This endearing quirk only makes them better! Yep. The original roads were their greatest! (Yes, I still think of the Brewers as an AL team, so it’s no wonder their best unis came while they were in the American League.)

• • •

NEW YORK METS

1969 Road

Well, you knew damn well I wasn’t going to select the racing stripes or the snow whites or the … gah … BFBS softball uniforms, so why the 1969 roads? And weren’t those worn basically from 1965 (when they put the front number on) through 1973? Well, yes, but I chose 1969 for a couple reasons. One, while it’s not a “one year” uni in the classic sense, those are the only year the team wore the Jerry Dior patch. And two, almost all teams wore it during 1969, but the Mets were the only team to win the World Series (they were the “Miracle Mets” then, ya know) wearing it. And, c’mon, how beautiful is this? I could have gone with the ’69 homes, but I think the roads were their best uni ever.

• • •

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

1938 Road

Bet you didn’t see that one coming. Like the Reds and Cubs (and others), the Phillies have a deep uni history, and there have been some great unis. I particularly like the thin upright “Phillies” worn by the Whiz Kid-era players, and there’s always a soft spot in my heart for the powder blue maroon unis. But in 1938, the Phillies went blue and gold, to celebrate the city’s sesquicentennial by incorporating the colors of their flag on the uniform. They also did so on their home uni. Both unis had one of the greatest uni patches ever on their left shoulder. Unfortunately, the team went 45-105 that season (and a last place finish), so any memories of their greatest uni season were tempered by a terrible statistical season.

• • •

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

1939 Road

Yeah, the Pirates haven’t always worn black and gold, and I was really torn between picking the 1957-70 vested look (with gorgeous rups!) and the mustard accented polyester pullovers that followed. I don’t generally like the polyester era, but the Pirates were the first to make the switch, so they get special dispensation. However, the 1939 Bucs had such a glorious look, I selected it as their greatest uni. Their home & roads were basically identical, save for the white/gray color. Not only is the “Pirates” script a work of art, but the 1939 Centennial patch and the block blue belt tunnel really makes them stand apart.

• • •

SAN DIEGO PADRES

1978

“Wait, what?” you might be thinking. OK, first of all, the Padres most beautiful uniform is likely their original 1969 set, immaculately rendered on wool flannel, and I admit to liking both the 1972-73 mono-gold (they wore that both at home and on the road) as well as the “classic” 1980-84 brown roads. But when all is said and done, the 1978 set, when they mixed/matched white, gold and brown jerseys with white and gold pants was just glorious. The raglan sleeves, the gold sanis — their greatest uni ever.

• • •

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

1983-93 Road

This was another tough one. I was sorely tempted to go with their classic 1958-73 look (and indeed, that’s beautiful), and indeed, I still have a soft spot for the orange road jersey and sanis from 1978-80 with the classic funky angled “Giants” script. But for me, the 1983-93 roadie, with the headspoon and interlocking SF on the left breast is their greatest. I could go back to their New York days to nominate the 1911 World Series specials, the 1916 plaid numbers or even the 1940 red/white/blue editions, but I wanted to keep this to San Fran.

• • •

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

1940-50 Road

Ah, the “greatest” uniform of all time — or at least in my opinion — and the one that started this whole exercise. Let me say, I have loved the Cardinals unis since 1922, when they first put the birds on bat on the jersey (OK, I’m not that old — I mean, I’ve loved their unis for a long time, beginning with their 1922 uni). I think they still have the best uni in baseball today. The only year since 1922 I didn’t like was 1956, when they inexplicably dropped the birds-on-bat for the script “Cardinals”. That one year aberration would be corrected the next season. But the team’s greatest uniform is unquestionably the 1940-50 roads (which were identical to the homes, save for base color). But that look, with the sleeve stripes, headspoon and belt loop striping is just absolutely gorgeous.

• • •

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

2011-present

This one wins, almost by default. I was sorely tempted to post an Expos uni here, but I’m going to give them their own section. The Nats, like the Marlins and D-Backs, have never had a particularly great uniform, in my opinion. Their current home whites are more than good, and certainly their best, but just not great. Sorry, Nats fans. If you want to talk Washington unis, then the 1905 homes (first team to place a nickname on a jersey) or the 1948-55 homes (and how great would this never worn prototype from the 50s have been?). But that’s not the same franchise. But now, it’s time to give a little love to the…

• • •

MONTREAL EXPOS

1980-91 Home

I have been vascillating between these beauties and the original road set for a while now, and it’s almost a coin flip. I mean, these are just drop dead gorgeous, and undoubtedly my favorite, but their greatest was the 1980-91 homes. The team made the red/blue racing stripes look good, but managed to do so while wearing button front jerseys and belted pants in the polyester era when pullovers and sansabelts ruled the day. It’s really a tough choice between the two, but the 1980-91 ekes out the title of “greatest” Expos uni!

• • • • • •

Whew! And there you have it — the greatest uni for each National League team. I’m sure your opinions will differ (and that’s great — I welcome a robust discussion). What say you, readers? If you have better nominees, I’d love to hear what they are.

• • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • •

Kreindler’s Korner

I had the distinct pleasure of featuring the wonderful artwork of artist Graig Kriendler on two occasions over the summer and fall of 2017, and more recently, in August of 2018.

For those who don’t wish to click the links, Graig paints baseball heroes (and regular guys) from the past, and is an immense talent.

Occasionally, I will be featuring his work on Uni Watch.

Here’s today’s offering (click to enlarge):

• • •

Title: “Kankol”
Subject: Kankol, 1930s
Medium: Oil on linen
Size: 30″ x 34″

When looking back upon baseball history, the Zulu Cannibal Giants remain a mere footnote in the lineage of the sport. If compared to some of the more well-known barnstorming teams throughout baseball history, they share many similarities with the House of David and the Weiss All Stars, yet still, amongst them, the Zulus remain largely forgotten.

It is perhaps because they were of African-American descent that we know so little about their profundity. With baseball being a segregated sport until the coming of Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby in 1947, African-Americans had been organizing their own professional ballclubs as far back as the mid 1880s. The Chicago Unions, Page Fence Giants, and later, the Homestead Grays and Kansas City Monarchs drew hundreds of thousands of fans to the ballparks to watch a game very different than those seen in the white leagues. Stars like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard became the luminaries by which baseball fans are taught a history of the sport.

Described by broadside posters of the day as ‘eccentric’, ‘weird’, and ‘primitive’, these ‘cannibals’ traveled throughout the United States and Canada, taking on amateur and professional baseball clubs alike. Formed by Charlie Henry, a former Negro League pitcher in Louisville, KY during the early part of the ‘30s, they donned war paint, long haired wigs, grass skirts and even played in their bare feet. Inspired by the Ethiopian-Italian conflicts of the era, the players even assumed tribal names and engaged in gibberish jabbing during game play.

Hailing from ‘Zululand’, these ballplayers were advertised as former lion hunters and war heroes – foes to be truly feared. It was said that under employment with the team, players were not to eat before games, in the hopes that they would become ravenous in the late innings to further intimidate the competition.

However, like some of the semi-pro teams they played against, the Zulus were simply thought of as a comical act, one that was never really taken seriously in the official Negro Leagues. And in the eyes of most Americans at the time, blacks would only succeed if they were clowns, engaging in antics rather than outplaying or outsmarting their opponents. But in terms of baseball, such a novelty was a profitable one. Their clowning on the diamond brought thousands to each ballpark they traveled to.

Over half a century ago, they were considered little more than an oddity. However, once we really educate ourselves to their existence, much like the Grays and Monarchs, underneath the facade of that machine were some of the best and most gifted athletes of the era.

This ballplayer’s name was ‘Kankol.’ That much we know – his real name has been lost to the ages. The same goes for most images of him and his teammates, be they promotional press photos or the grainy advertisements extolling their athletic prowess. And despite how jarring this image might look to us now, it was a reality of baseball’s pre-integration era.

• • •

Thanks, Graig! You can (and should!) follow Graig on Twitter.

• • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • •

Uni Concepts & Tweaks

It’s been a long while since I ran this particular feature as a sublede, but last weekend I ran a set of Chiefs uniforms. This week it’s time for another.

I hope you guys like this feature and will want to continue to submit your concepts and tweaks to me. If you do, Shoot me an E-mail (Phil (dot) Hecken (at) gmail (dot) com).

• • •

Here’s a set of Mavericks concepts I received from reader Bryan Spencer. The writeup is a bit longer than I’d like, but I’ll run it in its entirety here (future lengthy writeups will be subject to editing for length). But enjoy!

Phil,

As a part-time design nerd aspiring to one day become an actual designer, I’ve always appreciated your content and insight. Reading the blog was really what first made me start caring about what teams wore when the took the floor, field, etc.

Similarly, Mark Cuban’s 2013 Crowdspring contest to design a Mavericks uniform was what first made me start designing uniforms. I was shocked when my admittedly terrible submission was not selected, but I fell in love with the creative process and have been designing uniforms ever since. You recently resurrected the Uniform Concepts and Tweaks feature, so I thought I would share some of my recent work with you.

Cuban recently went on the Locked On Mavericks podcast (February 25) and brushed off the possibility of the Mavs re-branding in the near future. I know there’s nostalgia with the current look because it’s synonymous with Dirk Nowitzki and the 2011 title, but let’s face it: the look is beyond dated, they have an exciting future with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, and the time to re-brand is now.

I put together a set of concepts for them focusing on an updated color palette — the navy returns in a shade that’s a bit bolder, the royal blue is eliminated in favor of a cactus-like teal, and to keep things clean and simple white is the only other accent color.

Much like the pre-2001 set, these concept uniforms are stripped down compared to the current look. The goal was to create a modern, minimalist evolution of the current brand. To do this, the wordmarks and numerals receive sharp, angular lines to add some Western flair, the color palette is deliberately vibrant and contrasting, and each uniform in the set incorporates a two-tone teal cactus detailing motif.

I recently sent these concepts to Mr. Cuban, but didn’t receive a response. I wasn’t necessarily expecting one, but I was admittedly disheartened when I heard his recent remarks dismissing the urgency for a proper re-brand. Hopefully he’ll become open to the idea sooner rather than later.

As always, thanks for providing such great content for the sports design community!

Take care,
Bryan

Thanks Bryan. OK readers (and concepters). If you have some tweaks or concepts, shoot ’em my way with a brief description of your creation and I’ll run ’em here.

• • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • •

DIY Celtic FC Shorts

Got an e-mail from Colin Sherrod yesterday that contained a very cool DIY (his first, dontchaknow) for Celtic FC Shorts, “inspired by Uni Watch” no less. Here’s Colin:

• • •

In 2017 Uni Watch ran an article about Glasgow Celtic FC and the numbers, or lack there of, on their shirts.

I was blown away by this. I thought the shorts were the coolest uniform item I’d seen in a long time. So I decided I’d make a pair myself!

Practically speaking, I needed to make sure they were real functional shorts. So I needed pockets to hold keys, phone, wallet, etc. I already had an old pair of white shorts, so I just decided to use those.

Then I bought two pairs of green numbers on eBay and cut them to look like the proper font from the Uni-Watch article:

And I ironed them onto the shorts:

And figured out how to use my wife’s sewing machine (I must’ve sewed the legs together at least three times):

Finally, I bought a Glasgow Celtic FC badge on eBay for four dollars:

And I applied that to the front of the shorts!

This was my first DIY project, and I think it turned out OK! I know it’s not as impressive as most of the other ones that you guys post, but I thought I’d share anyway. Thank you so much for the inspiration!

Colin

• • •

Thanks, Colin! Great job, especially for your first time out too! Thanks for sharing — they turned out really well.

• • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • •

Threads Of Our Game

Occasionally I receive an e-mail update from Craig Brown, the designer and proprietor of the website, Threads of our Game. As the header explains, the website is a databuse of 1800s base ball uniforms. If you haven’t checked it out before, you’re welcome.

Anyway, got an e-mail yesterday with the subject line: “Take a closer look here — two famous baseball photos”. The body was as follows…

• • •

Hello baseball historians,

Threads Of Our Game takes a look at two 19th-century team photos that are very familiar to us: 1860 Excelsior and 1869 Cincinnati. Indeed, these are famous images of famous teams. But have you zoomed-in to take a closer look? Threads tries to answer the little mysteries within each photo.

1860 Excelsior, Brooklyn
A beautiful image for sure, but there’s very little photographic detail in the highlight tones of this print. So the question becomes: what exactly was Jim Creighton wearing that day? Had he discarded his bib before the photo was taken? Was there a wardrobe malfunction? Click the link and scroll through the photos for one possible answer.

1869 Cincinnati
In the Ferdinand Huff photo from this year, both George Wright and Fred Waterman brought out the bling—they’re both wearing medals on their Cincinnati uniforms. Do you know why? For the back story on this “heavy medal,” click the link and see photo B.

If you have additional information or opinions about these pages, please send me an email.

Thanks for your time. And thanks, too, to the growing number of researchers submitting uniform information to Threads. You all are great. (I need an admin to keep up!)

CB

• • •

How great is that? Very! Thanks, Craig!

• • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • •

Uni Watch News Ticker
By Phil

Baseball News: The artist ballpark formerly known as “AT&T Park,” (I still call it…PacBell…not) now has a fourth new advertiser: It will now be known as Oracle Park at Camden Yards. Sigh (thanks, Brinke). … More information about this Lee County Strong sticker is in the CFB section below, but that’s Auburn baseball wearing the decal on their helmets (from Mark Palzcewski). More information on the baseball/softball teams wearing it here. … Virginia Tech went anthracite for anthracite’s sake Friday night versus Florida State (from Mike Lucia). … Normally I’d say “kill it with fire,” but since it would be for the Minor Leagues, I’m OK with this: TATC jerseys for MiLB teams (from OT Sports). … Check out these gorgeous powder blue uniforms for Southern (from Marcus). … Check this out: Brian Dawkins sporting a SCHMIDT/DAWKINS custom Phillies jersey (from Andrew Dillon). He introduced the Phillies yesterday. Love the double radially arched NOBS (and Dawkins wore 20 for the Eagles, while Schmidt wore 20 for the Phillies). … Good looking color vs. color matchup yesterday between Cal & LSU (from PodKATT). … The Yankees have a pitching prospect named Phillip Diehl, who has “Real Diehl” stitched onto his Rawlings glove. Adds submitter Nicholas Walz, “He’s projected to be up with the big club this season, so let’s hope he is indeed the Real Diehl!” … Tweeter Kate Witten thinks these Baylor baseball uniforms are pretty sweet. I agree. … Normally when I see a tweet that says this, “God. Country. Notre Dame. #ColorRush #PassTheShillelagh” I’m expecting the worst. But I kinda dig these mono-blue unis from ND (from Notre Dame Baseball). … Bryce Harper may no longer wear #34 now that he’s on the Phillies, but he’s still #34 in our hearts wearing #34 on his sleeve (from Robert Bonasty).

College/High School Football News: College Football season is still months away (though spring games are just around the corner), so the Auburn helmets at yesterday’s Pro Day event featured a ‘Lee County Strong’ decal in reference to the recent tragic tornadoes that killed 23. Several readers (including Clint Richardson) sent this in, and Mark Palczewski added the baseball team & softball teams wore it as well (see the MLB section above). Here’s another look. … Penn Football played a game in Shanghai (wearing their “home” uniform) yesterday (via Paul). Here are some more pics (from Chris Mycoskie). … Tweeter Russell writes, “I know of some people who will appreciate how local high schools are represented at the Big Shanty Barber Shop in Kennesaw, GA.”

Hockey News: ICYMI: Yesterday’s ticker featured the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL “taking uniform sponsorship to a whole new level” on Friday night (from Matt Straus). In yesterday’s comments, Rob S found a much better photo. Jeebus. … Here’s a look at Kurtis Gabriel still rocking the Pride Tape for the Devils (from bryanwdc). … “Check out the small bear patch by the captain’s C. Odd place for a non-commemorative patch,” says Timothy Jenkins. … All NHL arenas have a Ted Lindsay tribute on the boards until today, however it is not present at the Xcel center as the boards have MN state ads. Also, both uni’s for Greenway and Cathedral schools are INCREDIBLY beautiful (from Luke Gabel). … I’m not 100% certain exactly what this specialty jersey is for the Worcester Railers, but it is indeed special (from @daffy_dank). … It was (former Islanders GM) Bill Torrey Night at the Nassau Coliseum, and his sons were there wearing specialty jerseys commemorating the Isles four consecutive Stanley Cup winning seasons (from GOAT Jerseys).

NBA/College/High School Hoops News: Here’s a really in-depth article about the future of branding in basketball (from Adam Herbst). … More than 60 years after New Castle High’s fieldhouse was built, proclaiming itself the largest high school gym in the world, it is no longer No. 1 (from Gary Moore). Lots of cool info in that article. … Yesterday’s ticker contained the following from Andrew Cosentino: “Virginia Tech put the uni numbers of its seniors at midcourt for senior night — 5 for G Justin Robinson, 13 for G Ahmed Hill and 42 for G/F Ty Outlaw.” He left out one detail: “One thing I missed: The ‘FD’ is for senior manager Francis ‘Pope’ Duggan.” … Florida Gators AD Scott Stricklin writes, “This poster is from the first college basketball game(s) I attended as a kid (1982). My mom took my brother and me to Lexington to see the tournament. Mom later had this framed and it now hangs in the home office.” … William Wells asks, “I know it is done under the guise of corporate mess, but I sincerely dig this “Tobacco Road” jersey! Is this ticker worthy?” Yes, yes it is. … Interesting Pittsburgh themed sneakers for Kentucky’s Jonny David (from Matt Slavonic). … Film professor, and now Oscar winner, Kansas Jayhawk Kevin Willmott received this custom jersey yesterday (from Sam Wescott). … The old SEC logo was spotted at the LSU Basketball vs. Vandy in Baton Rouge (from Benji King).

Soccer News: Who said they weren’t fun before??? “The USL is making American soccer jerseys fun again,” says The Athletic. … Adidas have unveiled new home shirts for Germany, Sweden and Spain’s women’s teams ahead of this summer’s World Cup. … Josh Hinton writes, “Forward Madison FC on Instagram: ‘Blue at home. White away. Flamingos everywhere. Introducing our 2019 inaugural season jerseys!'” Some more pics here (from Ed Żelaski). … Tweeter (and reader) James Gilbert writes, “From last fall, framed jerseys for seniors feature old number type and old ‘NC’ logo. Compare to jerseys on players. Type/logo change done when these players were seniors in high school.” … More from Josh Hinton: New font for the USL teams on the back of the kits. … Here’s a look at some new gray/black uniforms for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, including a special 20th anniversary crest (from Ed Żelaski). They also have new white uniforms as well (also from Ed).

Grab Bag: A reader who goes by Mr. Haverkamp noted that a segment during the Golf Channel tournament focused on a tweet from the Winnie Palmer Hospital showed a newborn wearing a onesie that was provided courtesy of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament. “If you look at the picture in the tweet, you’ll see the newborn in their onesie that has the Arnold Palmer Invitational branding; but also includes the dreaded credit card company logo,” he adds. … Interesting article about William & Mary signing with UA, sent in by Noah Crouch, who adds, “many programs were already getting product from UA, except men’s basketball and football, who were still getting product from Nike. It also stated that Nike was a big sponsor of former football coach Jimmye Laycock’s football camps. Furthermore, it said Nike would continue sponsoring the football program and that UA was ok with that. After this past season, Laycock retired and W&M hired former Richmond/UVA/Howard coach Mike London as their new head coach. Now, in his official picture and all his summer camp info, London is sporting UA William & Mary year. Now that Laycock is gone, I guess UA gets football as well?” … Reader Stephen Wilkinson spotted this absolutely brutal apostrophe catastrophe at O’Hare Airport. … “Rocket Mortgage changed their logo. Noticed on the commercial. Old on left, new on right” says Jarrod Campbell. … Interesting logo on these seats in a secret upstairs area of Grand Central Station in NY (from Al N. Kreit). … “Just found out the New Westminster Salmonbellies of the Western Lacrosse Association unveiled their 130th season patch,” writes Wade Heidt. “This patch will be worn on their uniforms this upcoming season. Their season starts May 23.”

• • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • •