Worst MLB Uniforms

[AstroCree]

18 hours ago, Around the Horn said:

Those jersey were terrible and made the Red Sox look like faux Yankees...

 

Case in point... for the longest time as a child I was under the impression that the Mets had beat the Yankees in '86 because I had seen pictures of the game where all the Red Sox in the frame had they back turned or the "BOSTON" on the chest obscured...

Gonna be honest, when I was little I thought the same thing. 

[OnWis97]

18 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

This is incorrect.   The team name was never "Minnesota Twin Cities".  

Calvin Griffith wanted to name the team the "Twin Cities Twins", and devised the TC logo in keeping with that plan. The American League refused to allow the locality name "Twin Cities", but let Griffith keep the TC cap even after he agreed to change the locality name to "Minnesota".

The notion that the TC monogram stands for an abandoned locality name is historical fact.  And it is this historical fact that serves as the basis for my contention that the TC logo does not belong on the cap.

The TC logo was on the sleeve of the Twins' best uniforms; and it was fine there, where it functioned as a secondary logo.  Also, both letters were visible, unlike on the cap.  So the sleeve placement was better for a couple of reasons.

First, thank you American League for not allowing "Twin Cities Twins." 

 

Second, I'd argue that this even adds more of a "cool historical quirk" factor to the "TC" logo.  They designed it after their chosen "Twin Cities Twins" name and just kept it when the AL forced them out of the name.  There's some pretty cool history there.

(admittedly, as a Twins fan, I'd never heard of the "TC" being designed for the team being called "TC Twins" and then just being kept).

[The_Admiral]

"Twins" as short for "Twin Cities" is genius trolling and I applaud it.

[SFGiants58]

Eh, I like Twin Cities Twins. It may be redundant, but it still sounds nice and identifies their precise location. It's also four syllables, so it doesn't sound too odd. I also like Twin Cities Vikings. 

 

However, I prefer Minneapolis Timberwolves and St. Paul Wild. "Minneapolis" connects the Timberwolves to the Minneapolis Lakers. Also, given how the Timberwolves were pricks to any hockey team trying to move into the Target Center (partially causing the North Stars to move) and how the Wild had to have a St. Paul arena, St. Paul makes sense as a location name for the Wild.

 

I just don't like state names. Phoenix Diamondbacks, Denver Rockies, Dallas Rangers (or Chaparrals), etc., all sound better than state names. I remember seeing a few Rangers throw a fit when somebody suggested changing the name to "Dallas Rangers," but they'd get over it soon enough.

[ScubaSteve]

2 hours ago, SFGiants58 said:

 Phoenix Diamondbacks, Denver Rockies, Dallas Rangers (or Chaparrals), etc., all sound better than state names.

 

You can make the case for some, but Colorado Rockies sounds much better than Denver Rockies.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

On 3/22/2017 at 0:56 PM, ScubaSteve said:

On 3/22/2017 at 10:18 AM, SFGiants58 said:

 Phoenix Diamondbacks, Denver Rockies, Dallas Rangers (or Chaparrals), etc., all sound better than state names.

 

You can make the case for some, but Colorado Rockies sounds much better than Denver Rockies.

 

The issue there is that "Colorado Rockies" was a phrase long before the baseball team (or the hockey team) adopted it.  Likewise "Texas Rangers" and "Florida Panthers".  I also favour city names over state names; but in those cases, the nicknames were chosen specifically to pair with the state names, so those teams would require different nicknames if they had city locality names. 

Here is a wildcard: the New York Islanders.  That's right -- the "New York" there refers to the state! The nickname and logo show that the team does not aim to represent New York City (notwithstanding the fact that it currently plays its home games in New York City).   What's more, the term "the New York island" to refer to Long Island dates at least to the 1940s and Woody Guthrie's song "This Land Is Your Land"; and in that reference, "New York" clearly means the state.

 

The nickname is crucial here.  If the team had any other nickname, one could make the argument that "New York" refers to New York City, and that the team is simply located outside the City's borders.  There are certainly plenty of examples of this phenomenon in all sports, particularly the New York Nets, the New York Arrows (MISL), and the New York Dragons (Arena Football League), all of which played at the same arena where the Islanders used to play.  But the "Islanders" nickname precludes this possibility.

For an informative comparison, let's imagine the existence of the demonym "Orangites" for residents of Orange County in California.  A team there could conceivably be called the "California Orangites"; but it would not be called the "Los Angeles Orangites", because the nickname "Orangites" specifically excludes Los Angeles.  However, an Orange County-based team with any other nickname could use "Los Angeles" as its locality name, on the grounds that it is located near that city despite not being within the city's limits, examples being the Los Angeles Angels, the Los Angeles Rams (after 1980), and the Los Angeles Kiss (Arena Football).

While "Islanders" is a good nickname, my discomfort with a state locality name, combined with the weirdness of one team with the "New York" name referring to the state when it refers for all other teams to the City, has always made me wish that the team had been called the "Long Island (somethings)" instead.

The other interesting case is the New Jersey Devils.  While most teams that have played in New Jersey were New York City teams that just happened to be located outside the City's limits, and so could on those grounds have been called "New York", the Devils are different in two respects: 1) the team has no history or roots in New York (apart from superfan David Puddy), and was put in New Jersey specifically to appeal to New Jersey fans;  2) the name is based on an existing phrase, as the "Jersey Devil" is some sort of monster according to the local yokels' folklore. So that team would never have existed as a "New York" team.  

Another possibility would have been the name of New Jersey's biggest city, Newark.  But the sad fact (explainable only by acknowledging the reality of racism, if we're honest) is that the name "Newark" would have been a turnoff to most of the New Jersey fans whom the NHL was targeting.

In light of all this, and despite the fact that the Devils currently play in Newark, I am inclined to give that team a pass on its state locality name.

[chcarlson23]

3 hours ago, SFGiants58 said:

Eh, I like Twin Cities Twins. It may be redundant, but it still sounds nice and identifies their precise location. It's also four syllables, so it doesn't sound too odd. I also like Twin Cities Vikings. 

 

However, I prefer Minneapolis Timberwolves and St. Paul Wild. "Minneapolis" connects the Timberwolves to the Minneapolis Lakers. Also, given how the Timberwolves were pricks to any hockey team trying to move into the Target Center (partially causing the North Stars to move) and how the Wild had to have a St. Paul arena, St. Paul makes sense as a location name for the Wild.

 

I just don't like state names. Phoenix Diamondbacks, Denver Rockies, Dallas Rangers (or Chaparrals), etc., all sound better than state names. I remember seeing a few Rangers throw a fit when somebody suggested changing the name to "Dallas Rangers," but they'd get over it soon enough.

Except, wolves don't live in Minneapolis... They do live in Minnesota however...

And when most people hear "St. Paul", they don't think of the wilderness... But when they hear "Minnesota" on the other hand...

 

Some state names work because the team nickname describes something state wide. Some are a play on other words... Like Texas Rangers or Florida Panthers. The city names started in an era where any athletics were more or less an athletic club, and there were many teams insides cities. Most teams only had coverage in that particular city. In today's world, coverage is limitless, and teams cover a broader era. Technically then, teams should be named after their media coverage...

 

The American Patriots... The International Blackhawks or Penguins... European United??? 

 

Locations are important, but can be a little broader than just the city. The state names work... 

[WSU151]

On 3/22/2017 at 10:18 AM, SFGiants58 said:

I just don't like state names. Phoenix Diamondbacks, Denver Rockies, Dallas Rangers (or Chaparrals), etc., all sound better than state names. I remember seeing a few Rangers throw a fit when somebody suggested changing the name to "Dallas Rangers," but they'd get over it soon enough.

 

Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers are references to other uses of the name, much like Baltimore Orioles.

 

Walker, Dallas Ranger was never a thing and sounds terrible.

 

 

[SFGiants58]

5 minutes ago, WSU151 said:

 

Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers are references to other uses of the name, much like Baltimore Orioles.

 

Walker, Dallas Ranger was never a thing and sounds terrible.

 

I'm fully aware that these team names have state names linked to them. However, the name Dallas Rangers has a decent history in Texas baseball. Also, the Rocky Mountains are not limited to the state of Colorado. So, I see the use of city names as A-OK for both of them. 

[WSU151]

7 minutes ago, SFGiants58 said:

 

I'm fully aware that these team names have state names linked to them. However, the name Dallas Rangers has a decent history in Texas baseball. Also, the Rocky Mountains are not limited to the state of Colorado. So, I see the use of city names as A-OK for both of them. 

 

If you're using Dallas Rangers because of a tiny history of a minor league baseball team, then Colorado Rockies works as an homage to a sports team in Colorado too.  Plus the Rangers don't play in Dallas.    People in Texas are proud of the Texas Rangers police force...expecting them to "get over it" is laughable at best.

 

The Rocky Mountains aren't limited to Denver, either.  Nor is Denver in the Rocky Mountains.

[SFGiants58]

Just now, WSU151 said:

If you're using Dallas Rangers because of a tiny history of a baseball team, then Colorado Rockies works as an homage to a sports team in Colorado too.  Plus the Rangers aren't in Dallas.  

 

The Rocky Mountains aren't limited to Denver, either.  Nor is Denver in the Rocky Mountains.

 

At least the historical Dallas Rangers played the same sport, and had a relative degree of success (compared to the NHL Rockies). Arlington is close enough to Dallas to justify the name (see the Cowboys). I did not imply that the Rocky Mountains were limited to Denver. Rather, that because the range isn't limited to Colorado, the name "Rockies" can be paired with locations other than Colorado. I'm fully aware that Denver isn't actually in the Rocky Mountains, but it's close enough where I think the name works. 

[WSU151]

2 minutes ago, SFGiants58 said:

 

At least the historical Dallas Rangers played the same sport, and had a relative degree of success (compared to the NHL Rockies). Arlington is close enough to Dallas to justify the name (see the Cowboys). I did not imply that the Rocky Mountains were limited to Denver. Rather, that because the range isn't limited to Colorado, the name "Rockies" can be paired with locations other than Colorado. I'm fully aware that Denver isn't actually in the Rocky Mountains, but it's close enough where I think the name works. 

 

50 years ago, in the minor leagues.  There's really no reason to use that name.

 

What other names can you pair with Rockies within the US?  The Wyoming Rockies?  Montana Rockies?   "Colorado Rockies" is a pretty famous term.

[SFGiants58]

Just now, WSU151 said:

50 years ago, in the minor leagues.  There's really no reason to use that name.

Not now, obviously. The brand equity around the state names is too strong to consider changing those names. However, if the team had started out with a name like that, I wouldn't have a problem with it. I like the sound of it.

 

I hate the "Texas"-heavy branding of the Rangers and their Texas flag patch (flags really have no place on Big Four uniforms). I loathe the jingoistic sentiments it brings, and I don't like how it ignores the presence of the other Texas team.

[MCM0313]

25 minutes ago, WSU151 said:

Walker, Dallas Ranger was never a thing and sounds terrible.

If it had been a thing, the producers would have all died of roundhouse-kick-related causes.

[WSU151]

15 minutes ago, SFGiants58 said:

Not now, obviously. The brand equity around the state names is too strong to consider changing those names. However, if the team had started out with a name like that, I wouldn't have a problem with it. I like the sound of it.

 

I hate the "Texas"-heavy branding of the Rangers and their Texas flag patch (flags really have no place on Big Four uniforms). I loathe the jingoistic sentiments it brings, and I don't like how it ignores the presence of the other Texas team.

 

I'm not sure that happens.  Jingoism has a pretty specific definition.  

 

The "city-name only" method is very tribal, which has it's pros and cons as well.

[The_Admiral]

43 minutes ago, WSU151 said:

Walker, Dallas Ranger was never a thing and sounds terrible.

 

I support "Dallas Rangers" now more than ever because you said "a thing."

[WSU151]

Just now, the admiral said:

 

I support "Dallas Rangers" now more than ever because you said "a thing."

 

What if I said "thingy"?  That's the worst.

[The_Admiral]

35 minutes ago, WSU151 said:

The Rocky Mountains aren't limited to Denver, either.  Nor is Denver in the Rocky Mountains.

Then don't name a Denver-based sports team after the Rocky Mountains (or the snow that cascades down them), unless you're arguing it's a Colorado sports team that for the sake of convenience and logistics happens to be located in the city of Denver, which is first-class pedantry.

[The_Admiral]

21 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

What's more, the term "the New York island" to refer to Long Island dates at least to the 1940s and Woody Guthrie's song "This Land Is Your Land"

Wasn't he probably referring to Manhattan Island (as a maximum contrast to the openness of California, not to mention the obvious west-east)? And what did you think of Billy Bragg and Wilco putting his unfinished lyrics to music on the Mermaid Avenue albums? "California Stars" is the only cut I really listen to often.

[WSU151]

16 minutes ago, the admiral said:

Then don't name a Denver-based sports team after the Rocky Mountains (or the snow that cascades down them), unless you're arguing it's a Colorado sports team that for the sake of convenience and logistics happens to be located in the city of Denver, which is first-class pedantry.

 

So Rocky Mountain Extreme wasn't a good name?  It should have been Denver Extreme?