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A(nother) Question of the Day from a Uni Watch Reader

A little over a month ago, I ran a similar article which focused on a reader question. Now, as you all know Mike Chamernik continues his Question Of The Week series, so the QUOD may be a bit similar (and I don’t want to steal any of Mike’s thunder). But I’m sure the QOTW and QOTD can peacefully coexist.

A few days ago, reader T.J. Brennan wrote to me with this:

Hey Phil – below is a question someone posed to Paul, along with his response, in one of his Ask Me Anything segments. This would be a great topic for the community to weigh in on.

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What are your favorite current uni matchups in each of the Big Four pro leagues?

My answers to this could vary depending on the day you ask me. But for today:

• MLB: Cardinals (white) vs. Mets (grey).

• NFL: Packers (green) vs. 49ers (white).

• NHL: Rangers (white) vs. Bruins (black).

• NBA: Celtics (white) vs. Spurs (black).

Those were Paul’s answers and they are definitely some all-time classic matchups. As a uniform classicist myself, I definitely find I’m drawn to matchups where we have long-established teams whose uniform identities have been static for some time. In other words, a Cardinals vs. Mets game from the late 1960s might not look too different from a matchup today. That speaks to the staying power of good uniform design.

But T.J. is correct that this would make for a great question for the readership to weigh in on. What are YOUR favorite current uniform matchups in baseball, football, basketball and hockey?

For the purposes of this exercise, ANY uniform (no matter what league) that is currently worn will do, so it’s not limited to “regular” home and road uniforms — CCs, throwbacks, alternates, etc. are all “eligible” for inclusion.

I’ll start (and like Paul, I’m not 100% tied to these, but as of today, here’s what I like):

MLB

For my money, it’s hard to beat a Dodgers (home) vs. Cardinals (road) uniform matchup. But these two classic uniforms may actually be greater individually than the sum of their parts — both have beautiful script wordmarks (and that Cardinals birds-on-bat is one of the all-time greatest logos), and the red vs. royal blue accents pair well. But both teams wear stripeless pants, and when players don’t cuff their pants to expose their excellent hosiery, the below-the-waist look is actually very bland. Another timeless classic (made even moreso with the Yankees’ removal of the white accents this past season) is the Red Sox (home) vs. Yankees (road). Yes, the rest of the world may dread this frequent ESPN SNB game, but there’s something special about that matchup.

With all that being said, I’m going to go with a slightly-less-than-classic matchup. The Cubs (home) vs. the Cardinals (alternate road) checks ALL the boxes: traditional (Cubbies pins are second only to the Yankees’) with a dash of color — the powder blue of the Cards. Red vs. Royal. Pins vs. modern-retro. Just a beautiful combo.

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NFL

While I may not love green and gold as much as Paul, it’s also one of my favorite color combinations, so any NFL list for me will inevitably start with a Packers home uniform. From there it gets a bit trickier, because some of my favorite NFL uniforms don’t necessarily match up versus green and gold. One team that immediately comes to mind is the Bears, with their midnight navy and orange accents pairing nicely with the green and gold. But…I’m not a fan of the Bears in navy pants. I also thought of Raiders vs. Packers, but I prefer da Raidahs in black jerseys. So, after much consideration, I’m selecting an all time classic: Cowboys vs. Packers. With Dallas almost always wearing their white jerseys, this game looks great whether it’s played in Arlington or Green Bay.

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NBA

Ugh. Ever since Nike took over the contract and introduced multiple uniform sets (some of which change yearly), I have a hard time keeping up with all the current styles. But I’ve always loved the classic red road (well, now they call it Association or Icon or something) uniforms of the Chicago Bulls. So I’ll start there. It’s not quite the same as the uniform MJ wore, but it’s pretty close. (And how good does that look contrasted with the Lakers gold?). It’s not a matchup we see much anymore (I don’t think we had a red Bulls/gold Lakers in the past couple seasons, although I could be wrong). But one of the newer uniforms I really liked has been the white “Miami Vice” uniform. It’s one of the few “alternates” I feel are much better than the team’s “regular” uniforms. But since that uniform is no longer in existence (it’s been retired), I can’t put the Bulls red vs. the Heat/Vice white. So Bulls red vs. ??? Well — I’ve always loved the Celtics unis (green or white), so that makes this one a pretty easy choice. Great colors, classic unis. Easy on the eyes.

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NHL

Unlike the NBA, the NHL have stuck with pretty traditional uniforms (but also tried some out-of-the-box design in the 1990s as well as with some of the “Reverse Retro” uniforms), but for me, the best matchup will be one of the “O6” teams. And my top two of those? Despite my reservations about the use of Native American iconography, I think the Chicago Blackhawks have the best home road uniform in the NHL. So that’s one half of my matchup. Of the remaining O6 teams who wear colored (home) jerseys, Les Habs are my favorites. So this one is an easy choice (although I’d be fine with almost any O6 matchups — they’re all that good).

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So there you have my Big Four “best” uniform matchups.

And the question, once again: What are your favorite current uni matchups in each of the Big Four pro leagues?

What are yours? Feel free to post some out-of-the-box matchups if that tickles your fancy!

 
  
 
Comments (52)

    I always love seeing the Leafs against the Red Wings, in either iteration.

    In any matchup, I like when the two teams share as few colours as possible.

    Celtics (green) vs Lakers (yellow) is one that comes to mind.

    Colts vs. Falcons always reminds me of playing Madden with my brother in the mid-2000s.

    Lakers in gold vs Celtcs in green. Mardi Gras on the court, high-contrast, tradition (bonus points for Boston Garden parquet, and this permutation could only happen today with relaxed home and away uniforms, but not back then)
    Habs red vs Penguins white. I’m a Habs fan but even without that bias, the torso stripe is so classic and timeless. I’m a huge fan of black and gold together, so it’s either Pittsburgh or Boston. Between those, I don’t know, Boston feels more black and Pittsburgh feels more gold. Brighten it up!
    Bears navy vs 49ers white
    Yankees pinstripes home vs Orioles gray

    Baseball – Can’t decide between Yankees at Red Sox or Dodgers vs Cardinals (either stadium)
    Football – My favorite would be Colts (classic blue jerseys/white pants) vs the Browns (classic all white) BUT the game HAS to be OUTSIDE in Cleveland. Watching a football game that takes place inside ruins everything.
    Basketball – Not a big NBA fan, so I’ll just go with classic Lakers vs Celtics in either venue.
    Hockey – Any original six matchup. Love the Red Wings simple classic look the most.

    A big yes to indoor games ruining everything. I will also say, football games on turf are almost as bad as indoor games!

    Here are mine:
    AL: A’s 1970’s golds vs Yankees pinstripes
    NL: Cubs 1980’s blues vs Cardinals whites
    NFL: Cowboys whites vs Niners reds
    NBA: Celtics greens vs Lakers golds
    NHL: Leafs whites vs Habs reds

    And for a bonus
    MLS: Orlando City purples vs Columbus Crew golds

    I’m with you, Mike, with one modification: Niners (red) vs. Raiders (white). I have loved this combo ever since I played Tudor’s electric football game in the early ’70s.

    Calgary Flames (White) vs. Minnesota Wild (North Stars Alternate)
    New York Knicks (White) vs. Chicago Bulls (Red)
    St. Louis Cardinals (White) vs. Oakland A’s (Kelly Green)
    Green Bay Packers (Green) vs Kansas City Chiefs (White)

    First, thanks to Phil for posting my suggested question. I’m going to post as a result to Basti as we match on 5 of the 8 teams!
    NBA. Bulls vs Knicks, although I prefer the Knicks in blue with the Bulls in white.
    NFL- Raiders in home black over silver vs Chiefs white over red.
    MBL- Athletics in the Kelly green alternates vs Guardians in either gray or navy.
    NHL- Flames in home red vs Kraken in the road whites with the multiple shades of blue on the sleeves

    Knicks in Blue vs. the Bulls in White could have also been my choice. It depends on my Mood on any given Day. Calgary against Seattle is a fantastic Choice. The Chiefs best Look is White over Red and in my Book they look great against the Chargers Powder over Yellow or Packers in Green over Yellow. Chiefs vs. Raiders is also a great Choice.

    MLB: Yankees Home vs. Red Sox Road
    NFL: Niners Home vs. Raiders Road (sucker for silver & gold)
    NBA: Knicks Home vs. Celtics Road
    NHL: Wild RR Home (Green) vs. Rangers Road

    NFL – KC Chiefs (white w/ red pants) vs Raiders home
    MLB – Cards grey or powder blue vs Cubs home pinstripes
    NHL – NY Rangers white vs Bruins black
    NBA – Celtics white vs Lakers purple or gold

    NFL: Chiefs in r/w/r vs Colts in w/b/w.

    NHL: Since I can’t have Nordiques vs Whalers or Barons vs North Stars, I’ll take Penguins vs Canadiens…any combo.

    NBA: Hawks current red vs Spurs current white.

    MLB: Padres road pinstripes vs Tigers home whites.

    Barons vs North Stars would be a handsome game. The Barons uni is sadly forgotten

    NFL: 49ers Gold/Red/Gold vs Cowboys Silver/White/Blueish Silver. I love metallic gold vs metallic silver helmets.
    NBA: Lakers Gold vs Celtics Green
    MLB: Dodgers White vs Yankees Gray
    NHL: Red Wings vs Bruins either
    And my all time matchup is…
    CFB: USC Cardinal Red vs UCLA Light Blue

    Rivalries sure help make uniform matchups iconic. Much more when those games matter. Then you need contrast. Massive edge when teams have good versions of the traditionally boring uniform (away baseball, whites in the other three).

    MLB: Dodgers at Giants.
    NBA: Yep, Celtics in green against gold Lakers.
    NHL: Oilers in blues against the Flames in white, but both versions are excellent. Unless we’re overthinking this and it’s white Leafs against red Habs. Whole gd book about that.
    NFL: 49ers/Cowboys.

    As a child of the Bay Area in the 80’s and 90’s I totally agree with Dodgers at Giants and Cowboys in white vs Niners in red. I’d also accept Niners in gold/white/gold vs the Seahawks throwbacks. I have no idea what’s going on in terms of NBA official current unis, so why not stick with ones I know are probably about the same as always, and has always been a great matchup? Lakers vs Celtics, and combo of their primary sets, but purple vs white is an absolute classic. Hockey is not my forte but the rangers whites and habs reds have always been what I think of when I think of hockey unis, bruins yellows next. Leafs when they had about a dozen stripes on the sleeves, but no more. Sharks have had some very nice jerseys for asthetic matchups, but not currently.

    Not a big NBA watcher and will need to have a good think about hockey (might be Maple Leaf v Red Wings) but the 2 no brainers are Dodgers at Giants and 49ers at Cowboys!!!

    Wow, Chicago teams in 3 of the 4 matchups, and also mentioned as in the running for the NFL. As someone who lived in Chicago for a few years, I’m all for that.

    MLB: Cubs (white) – Cardinals (gray)
    NFL: Vikings (purple/white/purple) – Eagles (green/green/white)
    NBA: Lakers (gold) – Celtics (green)
    NHL: Rangers (blue) – Capitals (white)

    Give me the purple vs orange alt-top Rockies-Giants “halloween” color matchup any day of the week. I’m no traditionalist, that’s for sure.

    NFL: Pats red throwbacks vs Titans Oilers all white throwback with blue helmet (2009 game)
    MLB: Phillies alt creams vs. Cards road blues
    NBA: Sixers reds vs Lakers yellows from the 80s
    NHL: Quebec blues vs Canadiens whites

    (hope I understood the assignment!)

    MLB – Philadelphia at Oakland
    NFL – Los Angeles Chargers (W/W/Y/B) at Las Vegas
    NBA – Philadelphia at Boston
    NHL – Toronto at Pittsburgh

    my personal favorites:

    CFB: Ohio State at Penn State during a clear, 3:30 kickoff (which never happens anymore)
    MLB: Nats in curly W home whites vs. Mets in classic roadies, Dodgers in “Los Angeles” not far behind
    NHL: Caps in red, Pens in white
    NFL: 49ers in red vs. Cowboys in white on grass in the sunshine

    NFL: Raiders (black) vs. Chiefs (white)
    * Playing on the dirt infield in Oakland.

    NBA: Celtics (green) vs. Lakers (yellow)

    MLB: Giants (cream) vs. Dodgers (gray)

    CFB: Ohio State (scarlet) vs. Michigan (white)
    * With Michigan in gold pants and Ohio State wearing its silver helmets loaded with Buckeye stickers.

    CFB: Washington State @ Washington
    NFL: giants @ packers
    MLB: d#dgers @ giants

    NFL: 49ers (red) @ Cowboys (white)

    NBA: Lakers (gold) vs. Celtics (white)

    MLB: Red Sox (white) vs. Yankees (gray)

    NHL: Red wings vs. Maple Leafs*
    *(or Bruins (black) vs. Rangers (white) but trying to limit myself to 2 Boston teams as a Boston fan)

    Question for the question.. are the O6 jerseys good because they’re good or are they good because they’ve been around and largely unchanged for 100 years?

    I think they have remained relatively unchanged because they’re good.

    This is a great question! Some matchups that just look right that I didn’t see mentioned already:

    MLB: Red Sox vs Dodgers
    NBA: Celtics vs Knicks
    NFL: Bills vs Steelers
    English Premier League: Tottenham (white top/blue shorts) vs Arsenal (red top/white shorts)

    The key is in the shorts and socks. If none of them are clashing, Arsenal vs. Spurs is great. Not a fan of Arsenal wearing their home kit against teams in white shorts.

    I have a suggestion for a question:
    Is it okay to wear multiple logos of a team? For example throwback hat with a current jersey.

    I would say yes…if you have multiple shirts/jerseys for you team you oughtn’t feel obliged to have multiple caps.

    Are you speaking of pro teams? Or fans wearing said throwback cap with current jersey?

    NFL: Chargers retro powder blues vs raiders
    NBA: Celtics green vs Lakers gold
    MLB: (hate me for this) Angels red tops vs Blue Jays blue tops

    IMO:
    • MLB: Detroit (white) vs. Minnesota (grey).

    • NFL: Chicago (Blue) vs. Green Bay (white).

    • NHL: Montreal (white) vs. Detroit (red).

    • NBA: Golden State (white) vs. Boston (Green).

    NHL: Montreal (Red) – Bruins (old school whites)
    NFL: Miami (old school whites) – Brownies – played on a cold day at Municipal Stadium – extra points for Miami dressed on their sideline in winter gear
    MLB: Pirates (home) Expos (light blues)
    NBA – Celtics at the LA Forum, Lakers wearing their early 70’s unis

    NFL: 49ers (red) vs. Cowboys (White)
    MLB: Dodgers @ Giants
    NBA: Celtics @ Lakers
    NHL: Flyers @ Blues

    NFL: Niners (red) – Cowboys (standard whites) outside on grass in Santa Clara
    MLB: Mets road gray – Cards home whites
    NBA: Bulls (white) – Celtics (green)
    NHL: Flames (white) – Oilers (blue)

    MLB Bal (Gray) @ PHI Red/White
    NFL Cin (Black) @ Dal White
    NBA CHC @ LAL(Yellow)

    NBA
    97 Away Cavs vs 97 Home Pistons
    NFL
    2010 Home Jags and 2010 Away Cardinals (Red pants)
    NBA
    80s Powder Blue Expos vs Away 80’s Tigers with waistband

    NFL: Raiders in black vs. Chiefs in white.
    MLB: Athletics in white vs. Yankees in grey.
    NHL: Blackhawks in red vs. Rangers in white.
    NBA: Lakers in gold vs. Knicks in blue.

    With elastic time frame:
    NFL 1977: Falcons in red vs. Rams in white.
    MLB 1977: Padres in brown vs. Astros in white/orange.
    NHL 1978: Canucks in black vs. Maple Leafs in white.
    NBA 1977: Suns in white vs. Spurs in black.

    Cowboys in white jerseys at Washington in burgundy over yellow. Gotta have those yellow pants! I can’t wait for them to come back. A classic 70s look.

    Leaving out college football here, which is a pity. There are tons of gorgeous matchups.

    And the best is the best rivalry there is. Michigan (maize pants, home) vs. Ohio State.

    But a lot of people would make acceptable choices like USC vs UCLA (both home) or good-but-slightly less obvious ones like LSU vs Auburn.

    NFL: Raiders home vs Chiefs road (red pants).
    NBA: Celtics white vs Heat black
    NHL: Red Wings white vs Maple Leafs blue
    MLB: Cardinals white vs Blue Jays blue (their light blue would be the ideal match here but I don’t think it can actually happen).

    MLB: Yankees at Red Sox on a Sunday when the Sox wear the classic white unis.
    NFL: Cowboys at Packers; football should be played outdoors.
    NBA: Lakers yellow/gold vs. Sixers red (either 1983 or current version).
    NHL: Hawks at Les Habs.

    NFL: Raiders away (silver numbers) vs. Chargers home (powder blue)
    MLB: Yankees away (new version) vs. Dodgers home
    NBA: Celtics white vs Lakers purple
    NHL: Rangers white vs. Bruins black

    MLB: My White Sox (home whites) vs. Orioles (orange alts with black “Mr. Oriole” hats)

    There’s a couple variations on this question that I’d like to see posed at some point: greatest all time matchups (any uni from any era vs any uni from any era), and strictly alternates (assuming every team has one road and one home, everything else is categorized as an alternate).

    MLB
    – Dodgers v. Cardinals
    – Cubs (White) v. Pirates (Gray) under the sun at Wrigley

    NFL
    – Chargers v. Chiefs/Raiders
    – Vikings (Throwback) v. Packers (White)
    – Rams (Throwback) v. 49ers (White)

    NFL
    – Celtics (White) v. 76ers (Blue)
    – Wolves (Throwback) v. Bucks (Green)

    NHL
    – Maple Leafs (White) v. Canadiens (Red)
    – Blues (Throwback) v. Wild (Reverse Retro)

    COLLEGE
    – Kentucky v. Louisville
    – North Carolina v. South Carolina (Garnet or White)

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