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Strike Two – Dodgers Debut 2nd City Connect Unis

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Good Sunday Morning, everyone! Yes, the Dodgers won big last night, so their dreams came true in their new City Connect uniforms. And, at least they beat one of my least-favorite jerseys in the process!

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Always good to see the Anaheim Red Devils…er, I mean, the “Los Angeles” Angels take it on the chin in those red stealth jerseys. So at least the Dodgers didn’t have the worst uniform on the field. Their second attempt at a CC uni still was a swing and a foul ball, though. Better than taking a called strike, as they did with the first ones.

As you might have noticed with the lede photo, starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow had some funky socks. One of the things I liked about this uniform was the sprinkles on it. The dark socks have those same sprinkles on them.

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They also had the LAD mashup logo on the back of the legs.

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So from the waist down, I’m a fan. But those numbers…

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I don’t mind the name under the number (I was a Kansas City Kings fan, after all), but WHY cut off the numbers at the bottom? Whoever came up with that idea gets the Broken Pencil Award because it’s pointless. Such a shame, because I love that number font and I want to see all of it. At least it wasn’t noticeable on Shohei Ohtani.

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I don’t even mind the 0 in front of the single-digit numbers. Just as pointless, but more quirky than aggravating. One other thing bothered me, which you’ll see below, as we welcome in a surprise guest. Reader Scott Thompson sent me an email last night with some images and said:

I can’t stop noticing the yellow tinge that is so obvious on television.

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Not sure how they look in person, but they look like an old white undershirt that has sweat stains in the armpits.

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Is this due to the “off white” color of the jerseys? It’s most prominent around the buttons it seems. Every player has the same issue. It’s driving me nuts.

Thanks, Scott! Yeah, I’ve had some old dress shirts that have yellowed like that. Old ones…not brand spanking new like these jerseys. Anyone else see that last night? And what’s driving *me* nuts is the “LOS AINGELES” on Tyler Glasnow’s jersey. Respect The Placket, Nike!

It’s Time For Doing Better. You were so close with this one, that with full numbers and a fixed placket, I could have been able to say, “I’d wear that.”

 

 

 
  
 

Lots Of Voices, Not Lots Of Fans

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Back when Phil covered the first appearance of LA’s City Connects, the response was overwhelmingly negative. Out of 106 comments, the positive ones numbered in the single digits, and just one said:

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So he should be really happy this morning! Most didn’t like the paint splatter/funfetti look of the unis. That was one of the bright spots (pun not intended) for me, and for this reader:

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What really drew the ire of readers, understandably, was the cut-off numbers.

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This was where I got the Strike Two idea for today’s headline. Maybe third time will be the charm?

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There was a lot of “tolerating them” and “They’re nice, but…” in the comments, so it wasn’t all completely negative. And I don’t know if Kary is left-handed, but his compliment sure was!

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Finally, I have to agree with Susan…this was the winner:

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Where Were You On April 29, 2017?

Do you know what you were doing 2,611 days ago? The Detroit Mechanix know. That was the last time they won an Ultimate Frisbee game, until last night!

Wow, seven years and 81 games. That’s a lot of futility, so congrats to them. Here is a closeup of the winning jersey.

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Unfortunately for me, their historic victory came at the expense of “my” Pittsburgh Thunderbirds. I found out about them recently, and even attended the home opener with longtime UW reader and longtime friend Doug Keklak. Here’s what the T-Birds wore in last night’s defeat.

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The home version of that jersey was the design I chose for my fourth and final UW membership card.

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Anyway, congratulations again, Detroit. Just hope you didn’t mess up Pittsburgh’s playoff chances!

 

 

 

Leaving You Today With A Colourful Walk-Off Field Goal

Quite the Colour Palette Special last night in Toronto, as the Elks and Argonauts went back and forth in some very nice unis.

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Both Wade Heidt and I approve of Edmonton going with the new green pants on the road. Still not used to the Argos in light blue helmets.

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I can roll with it, though. And I definitely can roll with the most exciting play in football, the walk-off field goal!

With that, I will say goodbye until next weekend. Take care, everyone!

 

 

Comments (36)

    Noticed the Pirates wore white pants with their CC yesterday! Would this be because dark colors hold heat and are uncomfortable in the summer? Are teams and players realizing how hideous and unprofessional dark pants look, especially on a MLB team?

    I read that Tampa Bay was going to wear their City Connects for the whole series against the Pirates, instead of just Friday night. But yesterday they went with light blue over gray.
    At least one good thing came from this heat wave!

    “Are teams and players realizing how hideous and unprofessional dark pants look, especially on a MLB team?”
    I generally agree when it comes to the NFL, though there are a few exceptions in pro baseball, such as the Reds 1936 throwback-
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    And I liked the original ‘Family’ Bucs black pillbox/yellow/black set when they visited the Vet…and think the Mariners CC would make a fine road set.

    The jersey is see through everywhere that doesn’t have a double layer of material, like seams and the button placket, and the areas that are double layered are yellow. 100% agree with the statement that they look like sweat stains on old, white undershirts. I love to see the Dodgers fail, lord knows it’ll be a while before I get to see them fail on the field again, so I’ll take what I can get.

    It’s most prominent around the buttons it seems.

    One layer of cloth on top of another one. “Saturates” the color, perhaps (for lack of a better phrase)?

    Oh, the City Connect uniforms. Someone please make it stop!

    “Both Wade Heidt and I approve of Edmonton going with the new green pants on the road. Still not used to the Argos in light blue helmets.”

    These are the new alternate uniform pants for the Elks. Didn’t take long until they started to mix it in with the road uniforms. Yes, I like it as an occasional option for them compared to usual yellow pants on the road.

    Toronto wearing Cambridge (light) blue helmets starting last year was unexpected and hard to get used to. Some long, long time Canadian football fans might feel comfortable with it if they watch the Argonauts play from the mid-1940s until 1962. They last wore the light blue helmets in 1962 before returning to that colour shell in 2023.

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    This makes me want to eat a can of frosting for breakfast. That’s kind of depressing.

    Ok, big strike on the dingy looking fabric. Stays in theme with the LA Rams dirty laundry whites, though.

    Otherwise this is an all-around decent uni for me. Baseball is a sport where lots of teams can have a “traditional” look without it seeming boring and derivative, unlike the NBA where too many teams styled like the Celtics (block athletic font everything, no frills, just solid color and basic trim) looks uninspired after a while. The dodgers are a team that has infrequently gone off script and so they don’t need this, and anything “newfangled” will seem out of character. But this is a nice looking uni with minor quibbles aside.

    Nike sadly has had an opportunity with the dodgers who are not afraid of being the new evil empire and spending on the roster like money grows on drought resistant trees, they have the most popular player (or at least biggest name) in the sport right now (and plenty of big names that fans would want on the back of a jersey) and consistently have a dominant team with legit World Series chances (and the rest of the NL West won’t be putting any pressure on them any time soon), and they’re the LA Dodgers, they are an old, storied franchise that for once isn’t the Yankees or Red Sox and they’re in LA, baby! If Nike really did something special and good looking for the Dodgers, it would have done wonders for the CC program and Nike’s legacy as a uni provider for MLB.

    While this is a nice uni, I’m not sure it does that, and it’s too little too late, anyway.

    Broken Pencil Award had me laughing. Love it. Overall the Uni is not too bad.

    I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: The truncated numbers don’t bother me at all. I don’t LIKE them, per se, but I don’t dislike them either. Just an artistic choice. I understand why it’s a bit jarring to people, especially if you’re a uni traditionalist, but I just don’t buy the argument that it’s a problem from a legibility perspective (which has been floated in other posts, not necessarily this one). The human brain can easily recognize a number without its bottom. I think the dark-on-dark contrast issues with some of the other CCs are a much bigger number legibility problem than this.

    I think the dark-on-dark contrast issues with some of the other CCs are a much bigger number legibility problem than this

    YES.
    These are aggravating but not impossible to read, even from a distance.

    Not even really a Dodgers fan but concede they sport one of the great classic uniforms. Why they would wear this mess at all is beyond me.

    Why do Toronto teams make double-blue look so much better than anything the Tennessee Titans try? Answer: no other colors involved.

    I keep thinking about birthday cake every time I see these Dodgers CC unis.

    My 9 year old on the new Dodgers’ CCs: “I love them.” He’s been bugging me for the new hat since the design leaked and was super excited to watch the game last night.

    The LA dishwater jersey continues. First he Rams dishwater (following the Hawks light grey dishwater), now the Dodgers dishwater.

    I didn’t realize how popular H-town Blue had become. Even the Argonauts are wearing it.

    Someone needs to alert the Titans’ ownership to this travesty! Only Tennessee can wear Houston’s color!

    I’m Calling It Steal Blue.
    I’m ok with with NFLers using Columbia/powder/etc as long as there some team precedent – like the Chargers and the Eagles – but for the Texans to opt in after 2 decades without it is distasteful and kinda pathetic.

    They jabbed that strep swap a little farther down my throat than I would have preferred with the “old yellow sweat stain” look on the jerseys.

    I don’t hate them. I don’t love them, but I don’t hate them. They look like the Dodgers. The hat logo is kind of nice. The yellow…enh. I’m gonna chalk that up to the general shittiness with Nike this season. The truncated numbers are not great, but I’ll file it under “quirky”. The funfetti is growing on me and the I even like the wordmark. Honestly my biggest gripe might be the two shades of blue, but apparently this is Nike’s Year of Two Shades of Blue.

    They’re at least different, something the first try miserably failed at.

    Sprinkles???

    smh

    Okay, it’s all over. Sports is now officially just one big schlockfest.

    the dodgers now have worn as many CC uniforms as 106+ win seasons thrown away in the past 3 years

    Much like the old days in the NFL. I will never understand the goal posts being in the field of play. But, in the CFL, if you pushed them back any farther, kickers would never be able to hit them LOL

    I will never forget the CFL trying to squeeze a team into the Liberty Bowl. You can barely fit a legit NCAA/NFL field into that place.

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    If we’re going to have names under numbers, can we go back to the Cincinnati Reds of 1964? Great examples in this You Tube Video of a Home Movie of the Reds playing the Cardinals in Cincinnati at Crosley Field in 1964.

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    Lots to like in this one. Vests. White hats with red bills. NOB under the number. Crosley field and its “hill” out it the outfield. I saw my first game there. As I was 5 or so, I remember very little, but it was an awesome place.

    Well, if you’re counting purely CC jerseys, it’s strike 2.

    If you’re counting changes to the CC uniform(s) over the years, it’s strike 4. First year had Los Dodgers cap, second year cap was changed to LA and black brim added. Third year they added white pants.

    Is that white line cutting through some of the letters the San Andreas fault? One of many on this uni.

    Add them to the list:
    SFSS = Sprinkles for Sprinkles Sake
    BNNOB = Blocking Numbers Name On Back

    So I’m going to make a bold defense of these, and the CC program in general, because I’ve seen them through the eyes of their target audience. My son is obsessed with Shohei, so he has become a Dodgers fan. He saw these and LOVED them. He’s 7. That’s ultimately who these uniforms are for. They’re not for old and middle aged baseball purists. They’re for Gen Z and Gen Alpha who have grown up seeing NBA teams have 12 insane uniforms a season, soccer teams get 3 new shirts every year in random colors. These uniforms are made for a younger culture that a lot of us are just not familiar with. That’s honestly fine. I’m glad my team (Red Sox) tightened up their use of them, but if they attract some younger fans to the game, that’s all well and good. I think these are ugly as sin, but they’re not for me.

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