Baseball Uniform Question

[slapshot]

If you want to go by the letter of the law, there's nothing wrong with a home team having a dark color jersey. All that's required is that a team has a white version for home games, and a dirfferent color version for road games.

Possession or ownership is one thing. It does not say the home team has to wear the white home uniform, only that it has them. And it only covers the jerseys, not the pants. But there are special situations where that rule is waived, usually for special throwback uniform games.

Yes, this is a little bugger of a technicality, but it's a loophole I guess.

And it would be nice if as umpire I could send a team back to the locker room to put on contrasting jerseys if both teams match. It's not that impractical...a jersey does not take up much room. Look at some of these spring training games. when the Red Sox played the Reds, both wore red jerseys. You couldn't tell one team from the other.

[ltravisjr]

Those official MLB rules always made me wonder. I remember in my earlier days questioning how the Astros could wear the very same rainbow shirt/white pants uniform both at home and on the road. The only explanation I could come up with for colored jerseys at home was that the pants were always white and that "qualified" the uniform as being "white".

Now, in my more cynical days I tend to think that the only reason some colors schemes can be used is that the team simply bends the rules and is never questioned about it...

LT

[slapshot]

I think the Astros' home rainbows (both torso stripes and later with sleeve to shoulder rainbows) were white, and the road versions were a light cream/gray color, similar to what the Giants wear at home now, just not as yellowish.

It was very hard to tell the difference, especially looking at baseball cards.

[griffelh]

What I hate is when the home and road team both wear dark jerseys. I was at a game 2 years ago where the Mets wore their black alts and the Brewers wore their navy alts. At the very least, if the home team is wearing their drak jersey, the road team should be FORCED to wear grey (or whatever color the Padres wear).

[Discrim]

-the home team can wear any color they damn well please.  currently the only primary home uniforms that aren't straight up white are the Giants and Diamondbacks (both off-white)

I've heard that there might be more teams doing this in 2006 and beyond...

...don't know who though.

intriguing. I can only venture to guess who these teams could be, and my guesses ain't coming anytime soon.

[Bernd]

At the very least, if the home team is wearing their drak jersey, the road team should be FORCED to wear grey (or whatever color the Padres wear).

Tan.

When two teams wear dark alts, it makes it look like a softball game. NO to dark alts.

[FiddySicks]

the rules forbid the use of pullover jerseys, elastic waist pants, color-clashing cap panels, ball in glove logos, the color brown, stripes across the belly of the jersey, pants in any color other then white, cream, gray, and I guess, khaki.

Im sure there are more.

dont you mean sand

[FiddySicks]

Technically, I believe there are only a few specific rules regarding uniforms, most of them deal with the pitcher.

A pitcher may not pitch with tattered sleeves.

No part of the uniform may imitate the seams of a baseball (although I think logo patches are the exception).

No metal buttons.

The bottom of the pant leg must be elasticized (may be an unofficial rule, made last season deu to the players wearing the pants down over their cleats).

No foreign substance in uniforms that may alter the baseball (pine tar is ok, as seen on many batting helmets).

a few things im wondering. if elastic in the pants is required, how does Bonds get around that rule? and i remember hearing Mike Piazza say that anything that resembles a baseball cannot be on the uniforms, including patches. i think the Mets are the only exception and thats because that Patch, while resembling a baseball, uses enough different colors that it is acceptable.

one more thing im wondering, i dont know if its a pro rule, but in high school baseball a pitcher cannot wear a white long sleeves, because the baseball supposedly gets lost against the sleeve. but what im wondering is why is this a big deal when teams wear white jerseys anyway?

[mjrbaseball]

The worst I ever saw was back in the '70s, I think, when the Indians played the A's ... Cleveland in red shirts, Oakland in green shirts.

It was like a Christmas game!

(I never saw an Orioles-orange vs. A's-green, if it ever happened. That would have been worse.)

[OMMF]

Hockey, Football, Basketball, Soccer. These are all sports where it is important to make sure the teams have contrasting unis. But baseball? Is it really that hard to tell the fielders from the baserunners? Is the batter getting confused because he thought the guy stepping off second with the big glove on his hand was a teammate and not an opponent? I just don't see that much confusion going on with similar looking uni's. It may be ugly, it IS ugly, but it can't be that hard to differentiate.

[slapshot]

The pitcher cannot wear anything under the jersey with long white sleeves, because the batter would not be able to see the ball once it's pitched. But it tends to extend to the rest of the team as well, for uniformity.

[TruColor]

the rules forbid the use of pullover jerseys, elastic waist pants, color-clashing cap panels, ball in glove logos, the color brown, stripes across the belly of the jersey, pants in any color other then white, cream, gray, and I guess, khaki.

Im sure there are more.

dont you mean sand

You're both wrong.

It's Khaki. Sand is the secondary color that they use in the uniforms and logo; Khaki is a completely different color that they use as the road uniform primary color.

Here's an example:

You can see the difference between the Sand and the "Road Uniform Khaki".

[FiddySicks]

The pitcher cannot wear anything under the jersey with long white sleeves, because the batter would not be able to see the ball once it's pitched. But it tends to extend to the rest of the team as well, for uniformity.

but pitchers wear wite jerseys. wouldnt it be just as hard to see the ball against a home jersey?

[Saintsfan]

I kind of like the Khaki unis the Padres have. Iknow thats not a totally universal opinion, but I think more teams could try and find subtle shades for road unis to make their uni outfits look more individual, for instance the A's could pic a subtle shade of yellow or the D-Backs could find a subtle shade of lilac maybe? Nothing too bright though

Although baseball doesn't rely on different color unis for each team, I think it helps the fans to have a recognisable uni for there team. I like the traditions of baseball unis, the fact that they aren't unrecognisable from those of say 80 years ago is good.

[OMMF]

The pitcher cannot wear anything under the jersey with long white sleeves, because the batter would not be able to see the ball once it's pitched. But it tends to extend to the rest of the team as well, for uniformity.

but pitchers wear wite jerseys. wouldnt it be just as hard to see the ball against a home jersey?

Most pitchers I know don't release the ball in front of their chest. If you can get a lock on something, its easier to follow against a similar colored background.

[hormone]

I wouldn't like the idea of roads being a "faded" team color. Would teams like the Reds wear pink? I think the official color of SD's roads are urine. They look dumb to me. They'll look even dumber at the all star game when the rest of the league is in gray. I like home whites and road grays. Alt's too as long as they aren't the same or similar to what the other team is wearing. I'm alright with throwbacks, but why or what makes a team say "we are wearing these this weekend." Is it some anniversary? Do they want to "re-test" the uniform? Is it just novelty or boredom since a baseball season is 1,300 games long?

[Saintsfan]

I wouldn't like the idea of roads being a "faded" team color. Would teams like the Reds wear pink? I think the official color of SD's roads are urine. They look dumb to me. They'll look even dumber at the all star game when the rest of the league is in gray. I like home whites and road grays. Alt's too as long as they aren't the same or similar to what the other team is wearing. I'm alright with throwbacks, but why or what makes a team say "we are wearing these this weekend." Is it some anniversary? Do they want to "re-test" the uniform? Is it just novelty or boredom since a baseball season is 1,300 games long?

I wasn't saying that all teams should do it but I do think it would help watching a game to see something different. To a casual TV watcher its not always immediately clear which 2 teams are inviolved as so many teams have similar color caps as well.