Padres Question

[stlramsfan]

Baseball is so unorganized they should have rules about Jerseys like the NFL, but seriosly who would even want Jerseys like this?

[Beantown77]

The Padres have been wearing one-off camo jersey for years. They do it as a salute to the Navy people who are stationed at the Naval base in SD....

[stlramsfan]

It's hideous!!!!!!!!

[rmackman]

So in your opinion you're basically saying you'd rather the Padres say screw the troops we wanna look good? Hmm...I think it's okay to look bad out of respect once in awhile.

[BaltimoreFan]

I think each team should take a day to wear jerseys like this to honor all of our troops (except Toronto, unless they want to honor Canada's). I have noticed quite a few teams sell similar jerseys on MLB.com

[iowahoo]

So in your opinion you're basically saying you'd rather the Padres say screw the troops we wanna look good? Hmm...I think it's okay to look bad out of respect once in awhile.

Actually, attempting to "honor" someone or something and looking tacky or untidy is, in fact, a dishonor.

The old addage "it's the thought that counts" is good for when your six year old attempts to build you a birdfeeder as an x-mas present, but not when multimillion dollar businesses try to honor armed forces.

[Joshawaggie]

I happen to like the cammo jersys as a one day deal. Its for a good thing.

[slapshot]

It's a one-time jersey. What's the big deal? As long as you can read the lettering and numbers on it, I think this is a very cool tribute to the military presence in town.

Camouflage is not supposed to look fashionable, it's supposed to help you blend in. And when you wear cammies outside their intended environment, they appear very loud.

It's not tacky. It fits the color scheme better than when the Padres wore blue and orange. Or brown and orange. Or brown and orange and yellow and red.

[rbripley]

Let's not get sidetracked by baseball's "patriotic" intention here. If there is one, it's simply a by product of the white elephant in the room that's quietly chanting, "Marketing, marketing, revenue, revenue."

Baseball's placed itself in a position requiring itself to squeeze every penny out of everyone for everything. And (for most teams) uniforms are now simply another tool to generate cash flow - see "alternate uniforms". (I predict that pay toilets for all small-market teams are only a couple of seasons off! - you heard it here first!)

So in your opinion you're basically saying you'd rather the Padres say screw the troops we wanna look good? Hmm...I think it's okay to look bad out of respect once in awhile.

It hardly seems accurate to surmise that by NOT wearing camo unis the Padres are "screwing" the troops. There are other ways to pay tribute that don't involve changing the official game uniforms. And with the steroid fiasco hanging over the sport, its safe to say that baseball already looks bad enough!

It's a one-time jersey. What's the big deal? As long as you can read the lettering and numbers on it, I think this is a very cool tribute to the military presence in town.

This concept of altering jerseys IS a big deal. If a baseball club wants to honor any group people for their work, contribution or unique presence in the life of the city, then offer up some tickets, parking and concession vouchers so that a family of four doesn't have to drop $200 for a day at the ballpark.

Or design and wear a great patch on the uniform for the entire season and give one to each of the people you're honoring.

Or give them that overpriced ad space in the programs.

Furthermore, we all know that the one-off jersey practice is a slippery slope - just look at minor league hockey! I for one, can't wait to see the Yankees wearing pink breast cancer jerseys for a day

Naturally, all of the above is only offered IMHO.

[slapshot]

It's funny how a lot of people flip out at the sight of this jersey. The Padres have done this for years, and I think the jerseys are auctioned off for charity.

This is not like other minor hockey or baseball teams wearing "special event" uniforms; most of those are worn for holidays, or just for fun. The Padres aren't trying to be hokey or overly sentimental. If they only wore a patch for this one game, I doubt many people would notice is from the stands or on TV unless a closeup of it was taken.

San Diego is proud of its military connection. This is a fun way to do it without being disrespectful.

I'll put it this way...if these jerseys were that ugly and unpopular, MacFarlane would never have made the Trevor Hoffman figure in the camo version.

[CZzyzx41]

Let's not get sidetracked by baseball's "patriotic" intention here. If there is one, it's simply a by product of the white elephant in the room that's quietly chanting, "Marketing, marketing, revenue, revenue."

Yeah let's not let facts get in the way of a good argument.

I bought one of those in 2002. I really like the look. Certainly not for every day but for one day.

That fact that anyone who's not a fashion princess (NTTAWWT) would be offended at this is perhaps out of the grasp of my understanding. Perhaps it's my San Diego hometown bias that's blinding me to the horrific and terrible things that these jerseys represent to some people.

Geez guys it's a one-day jersey. I don't throw a fit when the A's wear their Yellow throwbacks for a weekend each year. Didn't throw a fit when the Diamondbacks started their existence with like 325 uniform combinations including three separate cap/helmet colors with three different logos, 6-7 different jersey tops and 2 different pants. OK that's less than 325 but you get my point. This is one jersey done once a year to honor the military. Trust me they dedicate an entire week and other various games during the year to the military. Last night they gave free tickets to the familes of and allowed the kids of current Iraq deployed Marines and Sailors to join the Padres as they were introduced along the 1st base line. They do this "free tickets" thing for groups of military families (mostly enlisted because they make less base pay) all year. Military week includes free tickets for families of deployed servicemen and servicewomen, ceremonies and various other things celebrating the military and thanking them for their service. I dare you to name one other ballclub that does more for it's servicemen/servicewomen than the San Diego Padres.

Off the soap box...next?

[rbripley]

Thanks for filling us in on the all the goodies that the Padres throw towards the military! You're obviously a big fan and the team's lucky to have you.

I'm not saying that the military personnel in San Diego (or anywhere) don't deserved to be honored. They do.

I just don't think that baseball should wear anything other than their own uniforms. Again, just my beliefs.

[Magus]

i personally like the military jersey, it drives anti-military liberals nuts.

nothing wrong with paying homage to the military unless of course one would hate the military.

now for the communists amonst us, whats wrong with marketing and making money? if a team sells an alternate jersey, lots of people buy them, and the club profits; whats wrong with that?

i guess we can break out our 1864 new york yankees or Boston redsox jerseys, play in an 1860's era ball park, charge nothing, pay the players nothing because they simply love playing the game of baseballand would play for free because they love the game so much and give everyone free hotdogs, free drinks and free jerseys produce nothing, market nothing, make no money and leave the dollar at the door. after all, who wants to market the team, and make money? its the owners who are evil and they simply don't have the right to come up with innovations for profit and revenue, after all that might be what a capitalist might do.

[CZzyzx41]

Thanks for filling us in on the all the goodies that the Padres throw towards the military! You're obviously a big fan and the team's lucky to have you.

I'm not saying that the military personnel in San Diego (or anywhere) don't deserved to be honored. They do.

I just don't think that baseball should wear anything other than their own uniforms. Again, just my beliefs.

Now that's an opinion I can respect. Thanks for the kind words. I like seeing teams wear new different stuff if it's once a year only but I can understand people not liking it. Especially when it's worded the way you worded it. Thanks for that.

[Bernd]

i personally like the military jersey, it drives anti-military liberals nuts.

nothing wrong with paying homage to the military unless of course one would hate the military.

now for the communists amonst us, whats wrong with marketing and making money? if a team sells an alternate jersey, lots of people buy them, and the club profits; whats wrong with that?

i guess we can break out our 1864 new york yankees or Boston redsox jerseys, play in an 1860's era ball park, charge nothing, pay the players nothing because they simply love playing the game of baseballand would play for free because they love the game so much and give everyone free hotdogs, free drinks and free jerseys produce nothing, market nothing, make no money and leave the dollar at the door. after all, who wants to market the team, and make money? its the owners who are evil and they simply don't have the right to come up with innovations for profit and revenue, after all that might be what a capitalist might do.

Boo. No need to bring politics into it...no one else has.

[winghaz]

I'd like to see the Blue Jays honor the RCMP with RCMP-style jerseys.

Wait. That's "honour" in Canadian. Sorry about that.

[Brian in Boston]

This is completely off topic, but I just had to comment on it.

I find it amusing - albeit, in a manner bordering on pity - that Magus tries so damned hard to get a rise out of this community. I just noticed that his signature includes the phrases, "The forums most hated member ever" and "I intend to shock, horrify and disturb you".

I mean, the very fact that he feels compelled to label himself "the forum's most hated member ever" smacks of a desperately silly attempt to garner attention for himself. What's truly funny is that when he publicly declares his intention to "shock, horrify and disturb" the community, he's pretty much guaranteeing that he won't succeed at doing so.

Oh, the unintentional humor that's generated when a frustrated "Dungeons and Dragons"-type sets out to wreak havoc on an internet message board. Honestly, when I read that signature I laughed so hard I spit out my beverage.

Priceless.

[quantum]

The camo jersey is a Padre-only deal. If other teams did this, I would like to see them change. However, the camo jersey says Padres to me. It's an honorable tradition. Let it be.

[GeneralW91]

I don't think the jersey is teriffic, but I can see where they are coming from by using it, and until someone can think of a better way to honor troops during a game(by the means of uniforms), then I'm not going to complain.

[FiddySicks]

they should wear cammo pants