A while back, I sat down for a beer with a couple of buddies at Choppers Sports Grill in Cherry Creek. Somehow, the conversation turned to uniforms — the good, the bad and the truly ugly.
We all agreed that the San Diego Chargers’ powder-blue throwback uniforms rate among the best of all time. Two of us loved the old-school style of the Colts. There was a consensus that the Seattle Seahawks’ uniforms should be declared a public eyesore.
But when it came to baseball uniforms, the picks were all over the yard.
OK, OK, I know we’re not talking world peace here, or figuring out how to plug up the BP oil spill, but a cool uniform is important. Remember how cool it felt when you slipped on that Little League uniform for the first time?
With that in mind, I present my list of the top-five, current major league uniforms.
No. 5 — The New York Yankees. Their home whites with the vertical pinstripes are as timeless as a Rolex watch. But like everything else about the Yankees, the uniforms are a little too serious, a little too self-important for my taste.
No. 4 – The Boston Red Sox. The famed, old-fashioned Red Sox script set against the white jersey is old school and hip at the same time. When I see those uniforms, I automatically think of baseball history and Fenway Park. Or, as they say in Beantown “Fenway Pawk.”
No. 3 – Oakland A’s. The green and gold might be gaudy and garish, but it is unique and colorful. It makes a statement. I like it.
No. 2 – Detroit Tigers. The Olde English “D” on the home uniform is instantly recognizable. If a newer team tried it get away with something that looks like it came from the Middle Ages, it would come off as hokey and forced. But the “D” fits the Tigers perfectly. Their road grays, with the scripted Detroit in blue and orange are nice, too.
No. 1 – The St. Louis Cardinals. If you told somebody today to design a uniform logo featuring two red birds sitting on a bat, they might laugh. But the Cardinals’ uniform works perfectly, whether worn by Stan Musial, Bob Gibson or Albert Pujols. The interlocking “STL” on the cap is classic.
Trivia time
What major league team was the first to make numbers a permanent part of the uniform? (Answer below)
Polling
After Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki went down with a broken wrist, The Post asked fans where the Rockies will stand in the National League West by the time he returns in six weeks (or more). More than 59 percent said the Rockies will stay in the middle of the pack. Nearly 26 percent said the team is now on life support without Tulo. About 15 percent (wishful thinkers, no doubt) said pitching will be enough to carry the team to first place in Tulo’s absence.
Quotable
“I’d like to do a little better this time. I probably couldn’t do much worse,” — former Cherry Creek High star and current Red Sox outfielder about his return to Coors Field.
He didn’t fare well in his first visit to Coors Field as a big leaguer, going 1-for-8 with five strikeouts in two games for the Reds last September. McDonald is hitting .270 for the Red Sox and has driven in 17 runs.
Blog spot
The Post’s Mike Klis reports that Broncos defensive lineman to his former his former high school, Trinity High School in Euless, Texas. The school has won three of the past five Class 5A state titles in Texas, despite having a decrepit weight room.
In case you missed it
Opening arguments began this week in a Connecticut trail that could determine whether universities can consider cheerleading a sport under a federal law that requires gender equality in athletic programs.
Five members of the Quinnipiac University women’s volleyball team, and the team’s coach, have sued the school for dismantling the team to use the money for a cheerleading squad. The players argue that cheerleading does not meet federally defined standards for a “sport” under Title IX, the groundbreaking civil rights law that requires schools to allocate resources equally to men’s and women’s sports teams.
As the the verdict could have lasting consequences.
Trivia answer
The Yankees, who started wearing numbers in 1929. This is how the Yankees’ official website explains it: “The initial distribution of numbers on the Yankees was made according to the player’s position in the batting order. Therefore, in 1929, leadoff hitter Earle Combs wore No. 1, Mark Koenig No. 2, Babe Ruth No. 3, Lou Gehrig No. 4, Bob Meusel No. 5, Tony Lazzeri No. 6, Leo Durocher No. 7, Johnny Grabowski No. 8, Benny Bengough No. 9 and Bill Dickey No. 10. (Grabowski, Bengough and Dickey shared the catching duties).
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
