Good morning, everyone. For the first time ever, I can say I’m glad to see the back of the Colorado Rockies’ City Connect uniforms. The proverbial back of them…not the actual back. Yesterday the Rockies became the fourth Manfred League Baseball team to announce they’re retiring their CC uni.
Coming in 2025 👀 New City Connect
This is the final month of the inaugural green and white uniforms. As part of MLB and Nike’s three year City Connect cycle, we will be debuting a new City Connect design next season. pic.twitter.com/dYOwbwKLsC
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 13, 2024
The Dodgers not only retired their first City Connect, they came out with a second one this year. Also, the Nationals and Giants have announced their CCs won’t return next season.
I’m sure this will make many baseball fans and bloggers sad, including Phil. According to SI.com, “…the Colorado Rockies’ green and white alternate threads have routinely showed up towards the top of any list ranking Nike’s City Connect uniforms.” When I first read that I thought, apparently this writer hasn’t heard of Uni Watch. But then I looked back at Phil’s CC rankings, and not only did he rank them fourth overall, he had them at the top of the Class of 2022. Even though they have the same problem the Giants had: half of the back numbers are ghosted. He put the Giants at 26th overall, and dead last in the 2021 rankings. And he says my 5&1 lists are hard to understand…
So yes, the biggest reason I’m glad to see these unis go away is because of the half-ghosted numbers. If you’re going to mimic the Colorado license plate…
…why not treat the jersey numbers the same way and have them all the way in the green mountains? It was such an easy fix!
My only other quibble is something the regular jerseys suffer from as well: COL()RADO (or COLO)RADO) doesn’t know how to Respect The Placket.
I’m learning to live with that, even though it bugs me to no end. But full or half ghosted numbers are an automatic fail in my book.
Everything else about the uni I loved. The overall concept, the white belts on the green pants, the cap, and especially the white-front helmet.
And the socks…I’d wear those.
Hopefully, their next City Connect will have fully legible numbers and a clean placket. I’m not holding my breath, though, since it seems I’m the only one who’s glad to see these unis heading out the door.
I remember thinking the coolest thing I’ve ever seen uni-wise was those Astros tequila sunrise unis that worked BOTH home and away. How cool was that? 162 games. One uniform. Nothing will ever top that.
Nike saw those uniforms and thought, “Pfft! There’s a wasted retailing opportunity…”
And then the design director at Nike popped a couple tabs of acid and came up with “Space City”.
Rockies fan here (as much as anyone can be a fan of this horribly run franchise). I’m with Jim on this one. There were several elements of the Rox’ CC unis that were enjoyable, but, over time, what was wrong with them stood out to me more than what I liked about them. I’m ready for a change, fully aware that I should be careful what I wish for.
Be careful what you wish for, Kary…
I hate to see those Rockies uniforms be retired. That forest green color is beautiful and criminally under used in baseball and sports in general. I have no problem with the numbers because they are outlined, which is what the Giants should have done to their fog numbers.
I initially liked them – and still like a lot about them. But I can say as someone who’s watched a fair amount of the Rockies in those uniforms that the tops of those numbers were difficult to make out from any semblance of a distance – whether on TV or in person – even with the outline. It worked fine for a retail jersey when you were looking at them up close, but they were functionally problematic for anyone who doesn’t want to rely on the broadcasters or the stadium PA system to figure out who the players were.
Frankly, if the Rockies debuted a new CC that simply corrected the number issue and left the rest of the uniforms alone, I would be satisfied with that. And I admit that I may wish they had done just that whenever they reveal their new CC uniforms. Fingers crossed they don’t mess it up too much…
But the Giants’ uniforms were meant to have the numbers partially shrouded in fog. So the problem was really at the level of the design, not the execution. Nike wanted to pay tribute to the atmospheric condition known to obscure things and did it on the thing that identifies an individual player. If you step back another level, this is the flaw with a lot of CC design: when trying to make sporty apparel for non-sporty people, Nike chooses form over function, obscuring team names, player numbers and team colors.
Next, hopefully the Phillies atrocities.
We’d need an exemption to the 3 year rule though. Since it means they’d be able to sell another uniform atrocity sooner to the suckers that bought this year’s CC, MLB might consider it.
While I don’t see how they connect with the city in any meaningful way, they are very popular with fans…as evidenced by the number of hats, tops, etc I see being worn around town.
Don’t see them going away – but I too wish that they would.
As a fellow local, it shocks and saddens me how many people bought the Phillies’ CC gear. For as much as the initial backlash was strong, people seem to be buying it. Ugh. I think they already said they won’t wear it in the playoffs.
I think the Rockies CC was one of the best. If you wanted the rear numbers to be wholly in the green then they’d be so low that they’d be barely above the belt. Interesting to see if/how they can top this set.
I know nothing of cricket but would be interested in learning, at least the basics. There is a cricket ground in my city that is literally just a 9 minute drive away so I may have to find out when they play. Of those unis you posted I think I like the Sussex kit the best. I really dig the chevron across the chest. Gloucestershire looks cool too, yellow over black.
First step in learning about cricket: search for a graphic on fielding positions and print it out. Then start listening to the BBC commentators (usually free online) with the printout nearby.
After eight years of listening to matches, I know that “silly mid-off” is a lot closer to the batter than “long off.” But there are SO many ways you can position the fielders that I wish I had the printout with me while I’m listening away from home.
The Rockie’s CC was one of the few I liked, especially with the white pants. Like you, Jim, I wasn’t crazy about the numbers but overall they looked fine.
If they wouldn’t, or couldn’t, fix the mountains on the back to have the numbers within them entirely, then at least they should’ve had a thicker green outline for the numbers, especially since they’re skinny. It was still a pretty great uni.
As for today, Michigan’s come out with the maize pants for the game against AR State, so they look more like Michigan, in contrast to last week when they looked (and played) like navy crap.
Uniform designers suffer from the same malady as software designers—instead of tweaking the small things that drive people crazy they go for a major overhaul that introduces a whole new set of irritants. And CC designers are like EV designers who are intentionally provocative—see the Rivian headlights and the Cybertruck. Colorado ditching the green pants was an upgrade; making the numerals look more like the license plate would take care of the rest, though I still would prefer the state flag on the cap and helmet. And the Giants could do the same for their CC issues, which were more in execution than in concept. Now if only my Mariners would stick their black CC pants in the nearest dumpster ….
Are the Astros dropping there current city connect jersey
Let’s hope they dump their whole uniform
More Rainbow Guts! Heck, there have been so many of them in the minor and independent ball the last few years.
Oh did you like that jersey? We need more of your money – here’s a new one.
At least they’re not doing it every single year like the NBA…
The best thing about this set was the introduction of the color green, which I think is something the Rocks should keep.
I look at this is a “bird in the hand” situation. I have a feeling they’re going to replace this with something far, far worse. Get ready for silver-on-white with random armpit triangles and a “5280” bedazzled on the crotch. Maybe they’ll try to replicate those godawful 1990s pink-and-purple ski jackets with the crazy neon shapes.
My choice would be to just fix the numbers, and change the hat to something with the CR monogram. I think the complaint about the numbers is valid, but it’s a little unfair to say that they’re on the same level as the Giants CC, which I think is a few notches lower on the legibility scale.
Either raise or lower the mountains on the back (so they don’t split the numbers half-way) and make the numbers contrasting color. White pants for day games.
But I guess it all looks the same on the radio…
Hopefully the Rockies go with the red version of the license plate for the next city connect. Woof.
You mean the plates that are only issued for rental cars? Yeah, that’ll work.
Oh! Is that what they’re used for?! I had no idea. I’ve just seen them on the road. Interesting!
** correction ** DON’T go with the red version.
“…not only did he rank them fourth overall, he had them at the top of the Class of 2022. Even though they have the same problem the Giants had: half of the back numbers are ghosted. He put the Giants at 26th overall, and dead last in the 2021 rankings. And he says my 5&1 lists are hard to understand…”
They’re not “ghosted” the same way the Giants’ vile CC’s were, though. They have a clear, dark outline. The Giants have a grey outline that’s almost impossible to see from more than ten feet away. Also they’re worse in every other way.
Hopefully, next time there will be a hat that matches the uniform. Too many colors in that hat patch, and it looked ofd because it didn’t match the uniform green and white.