Uniform Kerfluffle
After the Red Sox sent an email around on Monday to members of Red Sox Nation™©® trumpeting the announcement and reveal of a new logo and alternate uniform on Thursday, blogs lit up with speculation and consternation. So let’s take a look at what’s got everyone’s feathers all a-ruffled.
Exhibit A: This mock up of a potential new road uni began floating around the interwebs a month ago, when the first rumblings about a new road/alternate uni started up. Wally1912 posted this mockup, and our commenters (and me!) weighed in on the design. Paul Lukas confirmed this is not a legit leaked design.
Exhibit B: New Era leaks a “new” cap design on its website, which features a logo takeoff on the old interlocking double socks with a red top button… and then pulls the design off the website by Monday night. Fortunately, the good folks at Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos message board archived the cap design on Monday as well. UniWatch also picks up on the cap design and posts it on Tuesday.
Exhibit C: Wally1912 posits a new road uni design mockup that implements a shoulder patch with the doublesocks design, plus blue lettering instead of red. There are rumors on Tuesday that the official logo will only be slightly tweaked – either to clean up the lettering to more closely match the lettering currently on the front of the uniforms, or slight color adjustments. A tipster mentions that calling the new logo “new” is misleading – indicating the “new” logo will either be a rehash of a vintage logo, or a slight tweak to the current one.
I’m going to go on record and say: (a) The doublesocks logo is cute (obviously, I utilize it right on this very site), but it will look ridiculous as an on-field alternate cap. It would be acceptable as a BP cap… but only barely. The one constant has always been the “B”, and I don’t want to lose that – even on an “alternate” game cap. (b) I’m not a fan of the shoulder logos- they clutter the uni, and make it look like a football jersey. (c) A switch to navy lettering on the road unis would look sharp – but it would look ridiculous to add any kind of red outline around the navy. The best rule of thumb is always: SIMPLER IS BETTER.
Whatever the outcome, I find it simultaneously sweet and funny that hometown guy Manny Delcarmen will be doing the unveiling. If the baseball gods are kind, they’ll force Manny to put on the new uni and parade up and down like a fashion show.
The best rule of thumb is always: SIMPLER IS BETTER.
Oh my god, yes. That is absolute truth.
I’m not happy with any of these changes, if they are true.
I would like to point out that drew’s expression is only slightly harder to read this way as opposed to on field..
Also I totally want that hat for me …
Oh what I’d do to see navy away jerseys return.
If Exhibit C are indeed the new road unis, those are sweet. I don’t care for exhibit A or B though.
Wait – hold on a minute. JD Drew HAS an expression?!? Any kind of expression? Now I know you’re pulling my leg.
But what I really want to know is do the new unis adopt Tazawa’s awesome socks? Because those should be mandatory.
I like the two-sock logo, but I agree, it wouldn’t work as a cap. I do like the look of those away unis – very sharp.
Finally, what on earth is going on with that mockup’s hip area? Is JD Drew going to be playing carrying a pair of concealed nunchuks?
All the better to knock out the visitor’s bullpen while he’s out in RF.
And while I personally would worship the ground of the executives that put the Sox back in stirrups or high socks… I have it on good authority that is not part of the new uni package.
I don’t like the two-sock logo as a team cap. And that red beanie dot on top annoys me.
The new road uni’s don’t look too bad. A sublte shoulder patch would be fine, but not some big monstrosity of a thing.
Tally my vote for the return of short pants and stirrup socks. Enough with the pajama bottoms already.
I’ve always liked the double socks but as an alternative logo. The B on the cap is traditional.
And the road unis with the blue lettering reminds me too much of the Yankees’ road unis, with the gray background and blue letters. There’s barely any red on it!
As long as they have red socks…