Yesterday we used some clues from the Phillies’ promotional schedule to figure out that they’re probably planning a 1930s throwback game against the A’s this summer. Now another MLB team’s promo schedule has led to another discovery.
Here’s the deal: If you look at the Padres’ promotional schedule, you’ll see that they’re planning a Ha-Seong Kim bobblehead giveaway for June 25, when they host the Nationals:
One of my Twitter followers, Jonah La Margo, took a closer look at that bobblehead. Check out what he spotted:
Looks like the bobble figure is wearing a 20th-anniversary patch, doesn’t it? We can’t see what it says, but the Padres’ stadium opened in 2004, so this year marks its 20th anniversary.
As you’re probably aware, I have a source who’s been selectively sharing info with me from the 2024 MLB Style Guide, so I asked them if the Guide shows a new patch for the Padres. Sure enough:
Now let’s take a closer look at that patch:
I’m not 100% sure on this, but I think they would not have been able to include the ballpark’s corporate-advertised name prior to last season, because that would have counted as a uniform ad, which of course would have been disallowed prior to 2023. As it stands now, though, the Padres will essentially have ads on both sleeves this season.
Or at least that will be the situation when they wear their home pinstripes. The Style Guide does not show the anniversary patch being worn on any of the team’s other jerseys — only on the pins.
Speaking of their other jerseys: Just like last year, the Guide shows the Padres with six designs — white, tan, brown, dark camouflage, light camouflage, and City Connect — which would seem to be a violation of the “four plus one” rule. But as Padres radio guy and longtime friend of Uni Watch Jesse Agler has explained, they get a mulligan because MLB doesn’t want to nix either of the camouflage designs:
In here: MLB allowing Padres to keep both camo unis, even with new “4+1” rule. Grandfathered in to allow tradition of honoring the military to continue.
— jesse agler (@jesseagler) March 10, 2023
Meanwhile, the Padres have previously announced that they’ll be adding a memorial patch for owner Peter Seidler. That patch is not shown in the Style Guide (which isn’t uncommon for memorial patches) and it’s not clear where it will be worn, but I’m guessing the chest.
That’s it for now. To see all my reports on the 2024 MLB Style Guide, look here. Meanwhile, for all the Padres sites that will be tweeting about this, it would be nice if you could please link to this page instead of just lifting the graphics and saying “per @UniWatch.” Thanks!
(Big thanks to Jonah La Margo for spotting the patch on the bobblehead.)
Maybe they should of put it on the chest
I’ll miss seeing the Swinging Friar
What about Turner Field? I believe you’ve reported before there was some money exchanged for naming rights and the Braves wore a farewell patch in 2016.
Turner Field was named for Ted Turner, not his eponymous broadcasting company. By then the company had merged with Time Warner, though I think the old name still persisted for a while.
I don’t recall reporting that Turner paid anything for the name of that ballpark, nor do I recall hearing anything about that. But perhaps I’m just forgetting.
I wonder where the Peter Sidler memorial patch is going to go? If the Padres wear one, will it be all season or only for a memorial celebration series/game?
I took a behind-the-scenes tour of Petco Park last week for my birthday and the tour guide said the jerseys will also have a “PS” patch on the sleeve for Peter Seidler.
Why does a team need 2 different camouflage jerseys?
Aren’t you honoring camouflage in one?
The second one then becomes redundant.
And unnecessary.
(See what I did there?)
San Diego is a huge naval town. I think one set of camo is for the army, one is definitely for the navy. Eliminating one would offend that service, I suppose.
If SD is a huge naval town, would it not make sense to keep that one and not the other?
No, because the military is the hardest job anyone could ever attempt…
Honoring that effort and sacrifice cannot be “overdone”, and since the Padres wear camo every home Sunday, utilizing two camo unis allows them to honor the “military” in general, then the Navy specifically with the Blue camos (although Navy personnel no longer wear that set, not sure if/when SD will update)
Glad they understand the importance of a true community/city-connect concept…
The green camouflage set known as the type 2 patterns are worn by the navy. The desert is MARPAT worn by the Marines. Both have a large presence in the city
Thank you for the correction, I was not 100% certain.
I really think teams shouldn’t pretend to be Weekend Warriors. The Padres camos stink, they have always been terrible. Too many damn ugly uniforms for that team.
So afraid of charges of unpatriotism they’re allowing not one, but TWO camouflage jerseys.
So if any team wants to stretch that stupid 4+1 rule, they know what tack to use. Cool.
I can think of a few other tacks (tacts?) teams could use for more than 4+1 ..
First responder unis (Nike disaster waiting to happen)
Civil rights unis (long overdue Negro league throwbacks MLB-wide)
Cancer Awareness unis (similar to the NFL October uni variations)
Holiday unis (already got Veterans Day unis, why not Independence Day unis, Moms Day, Dads Day, Easter (LOL)
Indigenous Tribe unis (for local native nations, designed BY members of that nation)
Sure there’s other options, eh?
Personally I’ve never had a problem honoring those in the military especially with sports teams tributes, Peace
*tact
It will be interesting to see if there are anniversary patches for the Mariners (25th anniversary) and the Blue Jays (35th anniversary) for their respective ballparks. Query whether the fact that both stadiums have different names from when opened impacts the decision to have a patch.
I’m officially old.
The Padres’ ballpark is 20 years old already?
That’s how long the gone-too-soon Richfield Coliseum lasted. Please tell me they’re not going to ask for a new ballpark yet.
That ballpark is the next Dodger Stadium. It will be around forever. It’s in great shape, the fans love it. It’s even been modified for the Holiday Bowl. Petco Park is NOT “Guaranteed Rate Field.”
Too bad the friar will be missing this season but the 20 year patch looks OK.
Can your source check the Phillies part of the style guide? This year is the 20th anniversary of CBP maybe the Phils will do something as well?
Woof, those City Connect unis are really, REALLY bad.
They are atrocious
So bad that as a Friars fan I listen to the City Connect Friday home games on radio.
Since brown is the WORST color for a baseball uniform, I LOVE the City Connect set. All it needs are readable NOB. They are sensational, the young fans sell them out. I am not a Padres fan but I think the CC’s are spectacular.
They are extremely popular down here. You see people wearing the jerseys and hats all the time. There are always tons in the stadium, even on non-City Connect days.
They are popular. Not denying that. As a lifetime fan, it makes me want to vomit every time I see them. The thing that bothers me is we’ve been pushing to bring back the brown for over 15 years now and when they finally do, they bring out this mess. Why not do a shitty connect with the 1984 color way ? Or incorporate the military camo colors instead of the Sunday version ?
Sorry. Brown is miserable, it always has been. And, it’s not really traditional. The PCL Padres wore cream colored uniforms, with red and blue. The team has worn those on throwback nights and they are beautiful. Brown was a fetish color of the first owner. It had no connection to a priest’s smock, the Missions, etc. One idiot who wore brown suits, wrote in brown ink on tan paper, is responsible for this crappy (literally) “tradition.” The team should be outfitted in the traditional colors of the Chargers…powder blue, gold…..and the name should be changed. But I guess it’s too late for “San Diego Surf.” Or not….the NWSL team is the San Diego Wave. That team gets it..