Good Thursday morning, Uni Watchers! I hope everyone had a fine Wednesday.
As you’re likely aware, the Chicago Cubs introduced a new “Blues Alternate” uniform earlier this year. At the time, there was some confusion as to whether it was a “City Connect” uniform, and which uniform or jersey would it be replacing. I can answer the first part in the negative (it’s not a City Connect). Which uniform it’s actually replacing is not quite as clear.
Part of the confusion stemmed from a few sentences in the Cubs press release announcing the new Blues Alternate:
The new Blue Alternate uniform will make its major league debut Saturday, April 5, and be worn at home on Fridays during the summer months. The uniform will be added to the team’s lineup along with the home white pinstripe and road gray uniforms. The navy Wrigleyville jersey will be retired by the team.
Here’s the confirmed uniform lineup for the Cubs “Core Four” (four jerseys/uniforms). Each team now follows Nike’s “4 + 1” system of dress — the core four plus a City Connect.
HOME
ROAD
ALTERNATE ONE
ALTERNATE TWO
But here’s where it gets interesting. My source sent the “+ 1” (City Connect) image included in the 2025 SG:
That’s the “Wrigleyville” City Connect that was one of the original seven introduced in 2021 — and which the Cubs have said they are eliminating. Why is it included in the 2025 Style Guide? I followed up with my source, and asked whether teams who are confirmed to be getting new City Connects for 2025 (Houston, Boston, San Francisco, Miami, Washington, Colorado) have their old CC’s included in their 2025 SG sets. It turns out that yes, the SG still shows those six teams still having their (now) former CC’s.
As Paul explained last year and our source reiterated, teams who are getting new CC’s this season will not have them shown in the style guide until November or December of 2025, “Because MLB wants exclusivity for merchandise sales for the first year.” Fair enough. But since those teams still have the old CC shown — and we know the six teams mentioned above still show the old CC — does that indicate the Cubs will also be getting a new CC as well?
We do know this much: the popular royal jersey is coming back as Alternate One (it was always assumed, but the Cubs press release wasn’t entirely clear). It’s hard to see the team ever ditching it since that was the jersey that broke the 108-year old curse.
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The new light blue uniform (with as much storytelling as a CC gets) is confirmed as Alternate Two.
If that’s the full extent of the uniform lineup, then the Cubs will not be getting a new CC this season. But if they’re not, then why is the “placeholder” CC in the style guide? Since we know the “Wrigleyville” CC is definitely gone, it would stand to reason it would be eliminated entirely from the SG. And since the above mentioned teams who are definitely receiving new CCs this year all still have placeholder CC’s in the CC spot, would the Cubs also having one indicate a new CC is forthcoming?
So far, the Cubs are not among those teams who have confirmed a new CC for next season. But will they?
This brings up another point for discussion. When the Cubs first unveiled the new light blue alternate, I mistakenly called it a City Connect. It has all the hallmarks of being a CC: full uniform, replete with storytelling, to make its major league debut Saturday, April 5, and be worn at home on Fridays during the summer months … that’s a CC by any other name. But indeed, it’s “just” an alternate. If the Cubs don’t get a new City Connect, is MLB/Nike now beginning a new phase where teams simply retire their CC but replace it with an alternate uniform that looks, tastes and smells like a CC, but isn’t?
Unless and until a new CC is confirmed, I don’t think the Cubs will actually be getting one. If they don’t, they’ll become the first team to retire a CC without replacing it. They’re already the first team to technically (if not officially in 4 + 1 parlance) replace a CC with an alt. I’ll bet they won’t be the last.
I’ll be speaking with my source again shortly (I have a bunch of follow-up questions) and I’ll have more big MLB uni news tomorrow as well.
Your thoughts?
Hope the Cubs bring back red brim hats. Don’t really care if they get new city connects though. I like the new alternates better than the old CC.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo those red brimmed hats were awful!!!!! LOL
Agreed, I loved that red brim hat.
I really miss the National League patch on the royals. Felt as though it made them unique to the rest of the league. Glad I ordered mine before they removed the patch.
I always thought that was a cool touch considering they are the only original NL team that is still in their original city.
I wasn’t a fan of the NL patch. The leagues don’t mean anything anymore. There haven’t been separate AL and NL presidents since 1999. It also became ridiculous when the Astros changed leagues and the Cubs didn’t even bother to change from the 16 star logo to the 15 star logo for a few years.
No team bothered to copy them by adding a league patch, which is a good indication every other team thinks it is a goofy idea. Same with the logo on the pants. They should get rid of that as well.
I never noticed the 16 stars being changed to 15. Guess I need to take a look at mine when I get home and see which version I have. I can’t remember what year I bought it.
The patch on my authentic royal jersey only has 14 stars?????
Really hope they’re still getting a CC. I like the CC’s more than most apparently. I like new ideas for uniforms in all sports. Sure, some are bad, but even then it’s a fun change up imo. Let’s see a red jersey with some red pants and light blue pants as well to mix and match. I love that some teams are doing that like the pirates and I think Orioles maybe as well.
“I’ll have more big MLB uni news tomorrow as well.”
*Rubbing my hands together*
Maybe nike figured it out. Don’t call it a CC…it tracks better. Now if they do get a new CC in ’25…ignore preceding…
What’s a little confusing is their press release says that they’ll wear the new blue alternative at home. I’m assuming that it’s the light blue, since the royal blue isn’t new. For the royal blue, can they pair that with their home white pinstripe pants and wear at home, or is it only for road games?
They can wear the royal blue top at home. And they can pair it with the white pins (or even the white pants of the new light blue alternate). Not sure that they will, but they certainly can.
Cubs quit wearing the royal blue tops at home in 2006 I believe. Except for one game in 2019. Never was a fan of them with the white pinstripe pants. Didn’t like the Wrigleyville CC’s either. But, these new powder blues, I really like. I’d like to buy one. But, waiting to see if the Nike template does get changed first.
They actually quit wearing the blues at home after the 2009 season. They also retired the red billed hats after 2009 as well.
Cubs do wear the royal blue at home. Many pitchers make the call.
Phil should check the comments.
On the original (incorrect) post about the Blues Alternates, team historian Ed Hartig commented the Cubs will not be wearing City Connects for at least a couple years.
link
GTGFTU:
NFL 2015 season, week 1
Green Bay 31, Chicago 23
That is so interesting. I wonder if the Rockies plan to keep their CC around as an alternate Luke the Red Sox or bring back the black vests. Both were incredibly popular with fans. You see probably half CC at the stadium nowadays in Colorado. I wouldn’t be mad if they rebranded to some form of that in the near future.
Not super significant, but are the Guardians wearing new pants this season with the matching stripes/piping? When they initially unveiled their uniforms, the pants had the single navy stripe down the sides like in the past even though the striping on the jersey sleeves & neck were different.
Glad that this blue one is still here. One of my favorite jerseys, but it should have the NL patch on the sleeve.
GTGFTS
Confidence level 5/10
12 June 1968
Dodgers have a pregame ceremony as Buzzie Bavasi becomes president of the expansion Padres.
Nolan Ryan starts against Don Drysdale, but Al Jackson gets the win in relief when the Mets plate 2 in the top of the 9th to win 2-1.
I am a fan of the Cubs’ late 70s reverse-pinstripe road uniform, but I don’t foresee that coming back as a CC or even a road alt. As for a CC, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were to incorporate an ivy or red-brick pattern.
The 4 uniforms, the 4 regular shown are all a team needs in a regular rotation. It’s becoming too nba like.