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Cubs road cap update


CubsFanBudMan

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Hey DirtyCurty - that cap in your avatar is going to be extinct as of next season.

Don't know if that's common knowledge yet or not, but there it is.

^_^

The Cubs are getting rid of the road cap?

I've been on a mission for more information since ColorWerx posted that in a White Sox-Royals throwback thread, but have come up dry until now. People aren't returning my calls and e-mails when they usually do, even to deny -- which only confirmed something was up.

But, I finally got something. It's not much, but I thought it was worth a new thread since it really wasn't worth unearthing the one that veered off-topic.

A source confirmed to me that the New Era reps had been in contact with him and that the Cubs would indeed be discontinuing the use of the road cap next year. "They want one cap, like Boston and the Yankees." The Cubs have been tinkering with this sort of thinking in the past by removing names in 2005-2006 and then returning them in 2007 but losing the blue alt for an all-white-and-gray year. I had thought this was mostly former president/marketing guy John McDonough's doing, but maybe not.

I still think navy is in the Cubs' plans, if not officially, then in the future. As I stated before, all player t-shirts sold in Wrigley Field are navy as of this year, both the ones mimicking the walking bear royal alt and a new one with the "Cuba" Cubs script. And of course there was that navy BP from a few years back.

Yesterday, I spotted a Cubs thermabase jacket in navy just like what the players wear on the field. Hadn't seen that before. It was right next to the royal one. The Cubs logo was royal on both.

I could see a royal at home, navy on the road situation, but as of now my source said no. One thing I should have asked but didn't -- a full switch to navy? Hope not.

Maybe you guys have more now... a month later. You certainly have better sources than me. :)

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I don't have any information for you but thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention because I hadn't heard about it before. I can't imagine a full switch to navy because the royal blue has become so iconic. Switching to navy now would to me at least go completely against what would seem to be their goal in eliminating the road cap, i.e. a simple traditional look. Not that the navy wouldn't look traditional (especially since they have it in their history) but they have used the royal for so long that it'd be a shame for them to change.

mets.png
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I understand the club wanting to merchandise navy stuff, but I agree with Puck - this development would seem to indicate that an on-field switch is less likely.

They're trying to solidify the brand, streamlining. Going to navy would be counter-productive, since the royal cap is so iconic.

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I would 100% support a return to the all royal cap home and road. I never liked the red-billed road cap. That said, I would not support a move to navy. I liked the throwback game, and those uni's (even though they were supposed to have royal caps), but once a year is enough.

Moose

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Yes, I agree that this move would point to keeping the royal cap.

Maybe they gave up on navy as part of the uni (although I forgot to mention that throwback "mistake") and decided they could still make the money off it by selling secondary merch in that shade.

Seeing it all clash reminds me of the Cowboys' current blue mess.

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The Cubs' red bill/away hats can go. Those won't really be missed as they wore all-blue on the road when I was a youngster.

The blue/Zambrano alternates are okay, but if those went away (again) I would be fine with that. They reek of "BP" anyways.

No to navy. I seriously doubt they would stray from their royal and red combo, so I'm not going to worry about any new colors.

One final thing, names on the back of the uniforms must stay!

6uXNWAo.png

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If they keep the blue alt, I'd like to see them take another run at it. Wish they'd done it before bringing it back. Current one makes a fine BP -- and by rule Zambrano could still wear that if he's not satisfied with the redesign (right?). 10+ years of this set...needs more of a shakeup than these minor tweaks. Save those for the home and try something new on the others. You can always go back.

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Since we're on the topic of mixing things up -- Would any fan be opposed if the Cubs altered or did away with their primary logo? (Big "C", small "UBS")

Yeah, the logo has been a part of the Cubs since the late 70s (for that matter, my entire lifetime), but it really does nothing for me at all. It's not exactly a classic, nor is it very attractive at all. It just seems really generic. Perhaps they could try using the "walking cub" alternate logo on the home unis, or the plain "C" like the one they use on their hat, without using the "UBS"...

Oh by the way, Awesome win tonight!

6uXNWAo.png

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Since we're on the topic of mixing things up -- Would any fan be opposed if the Cubs altered or did away with their primary logo? (Big "C", small "UBS")

Yeah, the logo has been a part of the Cubs since the late 70s (for that matter, my entire lifetime), but it really does nothing for me at all. It's not exactly a classic, nor is it very attractive at all. It just seems really generic. Perhaps they could try using the "walking cub" alternate logo on the home unis, or the plain "C" like the one they use on their hat, without using the "UBS"...

Oh by the way, Awesome win tonight!

I've seen home replicas or t-shirts in both of the styles you mention and they just don't work, in my opinion. I've never been sold on the walking bear as a primary (or even as a sleeve patch, obviously, given my avatar, but I recognize that's a nostalgia thing). I think for MLB the text has to outweigh the art in most cases.

I'm not saying the homes are untouchable, because they've been touched up plenty over the years, but I think they need to keep the same general concept. Past examples like the thinner blue outline that follows the outline of the lettering, or even a red Cubs outlined in blue (and lose the circle) could work again if modernized (although both of those options would threaten the pinstripes). But I think the home works as is and the others should get the attention first.

(And yes... awesome win.)

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I like the cub in your avatar as well, or the one on that magnificent '96 road jersey you have. I've never been a fan of the walking cub either. And although it's not quite as iconic as an Old English D or the interlocking NY, I think the Cubs home jerseys are untouchable as far as pinstripes and the big C-ubs logo, as well it should be.

And they could do so much better with the blues. Even something reminiscent of the 1984 Roads would be good.

"Hats for bats. Keep bats warm. Gracias"

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I like that logo in your avatar as well, I think it makes a better sleeve patch while the walking bear makes a better primary on a jersey (like the alt or bp jersey). Completely unrelated but when I finally made it out to Wrigley last year I bought one of the t-shirts with a similar cubs logo with the Harry Caray glasses on the bear. I'm sure they make a killing selling that shirt to out of towner's!

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What to do:

-Don't touch the Cubs logo

-Cubbie blue, not navy blue

-Model the blues after the '84 roads, with nice big red and white stripes

-687.gif, no more white trim on NOBs and #s on the greys

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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I don't have a ton to add here, because my opinion is basically the same as the others. No, the Cubs home is not as classic as Yanks, Tigers, etc. (heck, the Cubs are likely the most innovative uni team in MLB - zippers, powder blue, vests), but I think the current home look works well, and i has been around basically most of my life (and I'm older than most of you guys here).

I wouldn't mind the road tweaked, but I think that works too. It's a decent modernization of the classic arched Chicago wordmark. And while I liked the early '90's ((one season) small Chicago, I think it makes a better letterhead than jersey font.

The thirds are okay, but they too could be better. I think the bottem line here is that they haven't changed in a decade, so why not change it up? They missed a huge opportunity when it was removed for a year, and re-debut this season. Why not just have a new jersey at that point? I'd like to see a throwback, bit let's skip this recent-throwback to the '70's and '80's trend. My favorite third lately was the White Sox (that's hard for me to say) 1917 thirds from a few years ago. That was a nice look. I'd like to see the Cubs do a throwback third to, say, that first set of powder blues, or maybe the '32 World Series uni's with the great script Cubs logo, or go all the way back to the early part of last century (especially if this season turns out like all Cubs fans hope), and do a 1908 throwback uni. Just some thoughts...

Moose

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I can see where the team is coming from in terms of brand identity. But I always liked the road cap. Helps maintain the team's identity as a blue-and-red team. Without the road cap, the Cubs become a royal blue team with a few red highlights. Nothing wrong with that, necessarily, but I liked the way the road caps raised the profile of red in the team's scheme.

But I just don't see the Cubs as some kind of "untouchable" uniform team. The Cubs have a distinctive overall look, but the specific elements within that look have varied tremendously over the years. So. Royal caps, the round C, and royal pinstripes at home? Those elements have to stay. But that still leaves a lot of room for innovation and modernization, and I hope the Cubs don't feel bound by the particular details for all time based on their current, not-all-that-old uniforms. The "UBS" in side the C on the home jerseys? Not mandatory. Road script? Completely changeable. Heck, the Cubs could get away with an entirely new approach to the home script, as long as they keep the royal pinstripes, royal cap, and red C on the caps.

We already have too many teams that feel unable to change their uniforms, most of which don't even have particularly good uniforms to begin with. I hope the Cubs don't become one of those teams.

20082614447.png
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I don't have a ton to add here, because my opinion is basically the same as the others. No, the Cubs home is not as classic as Yanks, Tigers, etc. (heck, the Cubs are likely the most innovative uni team in MLB - zippers, powder blue, vests), but I think the current home look works well, and i has been around basically most of my life (and I'm older than most of you guys here).

I wouldn't mind the road tweaked, but I think that works too. It's a decent modernization of the classic arched Chicago wordmark. And while I liked the early '90's ((one season) small Chicago, I think it makes a better letterhead than jersey font.

The thirds are okay, but they too could be better. I think the bottem line here is that they haven't changed in a decade, so why not change it up? They missed a huge opportunity when it was removed for a year, and re-debut this season. Why not just have a new jersey at that point? I'd like to see a throwback, bit let's skip this recent-throwback to the '70's and '80's trend. My favorite third lately was the White Sox (that's hard for me to say) 1917 thirds from a few years ago. That was a nice look. I'd like to see the Cubs do a throwback third to, say, that first set of powder blues, or maybe the '32 World Series uni's with the great script Cubs logo, or go all the way back to the early part of last century (especially if this season turns out like all Cubs fans hope), and do a 1908 throwback uni. Just some thoughts...

Moose

I see your 1932 script, and raise you the even cooler, IMHO, 1933 script.

nl_1933_chicago.gif

starpoint.pngclippers.pngbullsnew.gif
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Hey guys, I havent posted on here, but Ive been coming to the site for years. I have managed a local sports store in South Bend, IN and can confirm the Cubs losing the road hat next year. As far as the switch to Navy, I doubt it will be anything official. We did just recieve the navy therma base jackets, but I believe this to just be an alternate style, as the white sox just came in gray. There has been an increase in navy tshirts and hats, but the public hasnt been too receptive to it. So I doubt they will abandon the royal blue.

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Hey guys, I havent posted on here, but Ive been coming to the site for years. I have managed a local sports store in South Bend, IN and can confirm the Cubs losing the road hat next year. As far as the switch to Navy, I doubt it will be anything official. We did just recieve the navy therma base jackets, but I believe this to just be an alternate style, as the white sox just came in gray. There has been an increase in navy tshirts and hats, but the public hasnt been too receptive to it. So I doubt they will abandon the royal blue.

Thanks for the confirmation. It seems to be a lock that they are gone and will be replaced only by the current home cap. I think it will look good.

Good to hear the navy is being coolly received, but I'm seeing more of it at games, but that's probably because it's the only option at Wrigley. The navy therma base jackets threw me, but if they are expanding those to include "fashion" colors for other teams, then that makes sense.

On a slightly unrelated note, but of interest here and probably not worth a new thread, the Chicago Tribune did a gallery of Cubs and Sox fans in jerseys of players no longer on the team, and asked them why they were still wearing them (sort of a local Straight Cash...):

Out-of-date jerseys

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I don't have a ton to add here, because my opinion is basically the same as the others. No, the Cubs home is not as classic as Yanks, Tigers, etc. (heck, the Cubs are likely the most innovative uni team in MLB - zippers, powder blue, vests), but I think the current home look works well, and i has been around basically most of my life (and I'm older than most of you guys here).

I wouldn't mind the road tweaked, but I think that works too. It's a decent modernization of the classic arched Chicago wordmark. And while I liked the early '90's ((one season) small Chicago, I think it makes a better letterhead than jersey font.

The thirds are okay, but they too could be better. I think the bottem line here is that they haven't changed in a decade, so why not change it up? They missed a huge opportunity when it was removed for a year, and re-debut this season. Why not just have a new jersey at that point? I'd like to see a throwback, bit let's skip this recent-throwback to the '70's and '80's trend. My favorite third lately was the White Sox (that's hard for me to say) 1917 thirds from a few years ago. That was a nice look. I'd like to see the Cubs do a throwback third to, say, that first set of powder blues, or maybe the '32 World Series uni's with the great script Cubs logo, or go all the way back to the early part of last century (especially if this season turns out like all Cubs fans hope), and do a 1908 throwback uni. Just some thoughts...

Moose

I see your 1932 script, and raise you the even cooler, IMHO, 1933 script.

nl_1933_chicago.gif

Those are the same. It debuted in the '32 WS, then was an alt, I believe in '33.

1932:

nl_1932_chicago.gif

1933:

nl_1933_chicago.gif

Either way it's always been a favorite of mine...

Moose

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Going to navy would be counter-productive, since the royal cap is so iconic.

Yes it would as seen last night against the Astros. The Cubs wore their royal blue jerseys with a navy cap (or so it looked) and it did not look good. Royal blue is the way to go for the Cubs; it separates them from the many teams who already wear navy.

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