The Toronto Blue Jays

[grmuckrakers]

I think the Joe Carter-Kelly Gruber era uniforms were by far the best. By far. Especially when they wore the solid blue cap.

The lettering was unique to the Jays, the logo included something about Canada. You knew it was the Blue Jays instantly.

[averyj]

Since I strayed into the topic, has the Toronto Sun ever officially apologized to Cito Gaston by the way? It really should have, considering the venom they spewed towards him shortly after he took over the reigns in 91.

...

The Raptors were an abomination for a start, and ignored the tradition of the Huskies, who hosted the first NBA game in history.

...

My favorite iteration of the Jays is the look from 91-94. Those are really hard jerseys to find nowadays, any advice on where I can get a custom one ordered from that great era?

I'm not helping here, but i figured i'd correct your information for your own sake...

Cito took over in 1989 after Jimy had the team in last place (in a 7 team division) in mid-May... they went on to win the division that year.

The Raptors have not ignored the traditions of the Huskies... they wore Huskies uniforms a few times during the 96-97 season.

Those Jays uniforms you speak of were worn from 1989-1996, and you should be able to find one on e-bay, the jays sell them at their team store (expensive!) and I believe cooperstown classics produces the pullover version (worn '77-88) of that set.

Chris, did the Blue Jays release any photos of the all graphite road uni before they scrapped it?

[huggermugger]

Since I strayed into the topic, has the Toronto Sun ever officially apologized to Cito Gaston by the way? It really should have, considering the venom they spewed towards him shortly after he took over the reigns in 91.

...

The Raptors were an abomination for a start, and ignored the tradition of the Huskies, who hosted the first NBA game in history.

...

My favorite iteration of the Jays is the look from 91-94. Those are really hard jerseys to find nowadays, any advice on where I can get a custom one ordered from that great era?

I'm not helping here, but i figured i'd correct your information for your own sake...

Cito took over in 1989 after Jimy had the team in last place (in a 7 team division) in mid-May... they went on to win the division that year.

The Raptors have not ignored the traditions of the Huskies... they wore Huskies uniforms a few times during the 96-97 season.

Those Jays uniforms you speak of were worn from 1989-1996, and you should be able to find one on e-bay, the jays sell them at their team store (expensive!) and I believe cooperstown classics produces the pullover version (worn '77-88) of that set.

Chris, did the Blue Jays release any photos of the all graphite road uni before they scrapped it?

I actually saw one of the graphite road jerseys for sale in a sneaker store. It must have been shipped on accident or something. they had it in the window of a Scranton sneaker store. It looked amazing! Because the grey was so dark it made the white and blue and silver really pop.

[TruColor]

Chris, did the Blue Jays release any photos of the all graphite road uni before they scrapped it?

Here's how the Style Guide showed them:

[marlinfan]

I remember reading on UniWatch, that the 'Jays' are avoiding using blue because Rogers' biggest competition in Canada has blue as the company's main color. I'd post a link but UniWatch website is having work done to it.

[29a]

The Raptors have not ignored the traditions of the Huskies... they wore Huskies uniforms a few times during the 96-97 season.

I've always looked for, but never found some pictures from that game.

[Phil]

I remember reading on UniWatch, that the 'Jays' are avoiding using blue because Rogers' biggest competition in Canada has blue as the company's main color. I'd post a link but UniWatch website is having work done to it.

This is an interesting point that I'd have difficulty believing for a couple of reasons:

• Rogers is in so many different markets (everything from movie rentals to cell phones) that it'd be difficult to pin down one main competitor.
  
• The team also removed red entirely, which is the colour of Rogers.
  

[Snazel]

Cito took over in 1989 after Jimy had the team in last place (in a 7 team division) in mid-May

I feel like an idiot for forgetting this fact, thanks for setting me straight. I thought it was 91, because I remember it was a team that Cito drove to a division title after he took over the reigns. I still maintain the Sun never gave him a fair shake, but always took Williams' side in his feud with Bell. I remember the 89 year now, it was the year the Toronto Star (and Rosie Dimano specifically if memory serves) went to war with Bob Costas and lost.

I did not know the Raptors wore Husky uniforms in 96/97. That's positive, but I still hate the moniker, despised the cartoon logo and just found the whole organization to be quite embarassing when it was fresh out of the gate. I mean why not just embrace the NBA tradition the city had already established? Instead we got an ex-Premiere, telling us how his son had just seen "Jurassic Park"...

My really my main beef was how both Canadian franchises really agreed to a terrible expansion deal, which I believe crippled both franchise for the critical first five years, but I digress.

I can't believe I got the Cito fact wrong. If my friends knew this, they'd crucify me.

What warms my heart is that just about everyone here agrees that the uniform of the early 90's remains the best of the bunch. Now I don't feel like such a freak for feeling the same way. E-Bay has yielded no ability to buy new versions of that style jersey, yet, but I'll keep surfing. MLB.COM offers a "retro" Tony Fernandez jersey, but its the old "pajama" style, that the Jays wore during the 70's and most of the 80's.

Just out of curiosity, whatever became of Exhibition Stadium? Does it still stand? It was arguably the worst ballpark in major league history, but I once saw Al Oliver hit a game winning double in extra innings in the ALCS against the Royals. Those bleechers were a blast back then, despite the fact you needed a telescope to watch the game.

I have old hats from that era, dirty and well-worn, but still sacred to me.

I also used my "homerism" to affect what cards came out in a now-defunct trading card game called MLB Showdown. Not really a claim to fame, but I take pride in the fact that certain Jays and Expos were produced in that game, due to my direct and very biased influence.

[leedsunited]

Chris, did the Blue Jays release any photos of the all graphite road uni before they scrapped it?

Here's how the Style Guide showed them:

Looks like dingy laundry.

[Yac12]

Just out of curiosity, whatever became of Exhibition Stadium? Does it still stand? It was arguably the worst ballpark in major league history, but I once saw Al Oliver hit a game winning double in extra innings in the ALCS against the Royals. Those bleechers were a blast back then, despite the fact you needed a telescope to watch the game.

Exhibition Stadium Demolition: February 1, 1999

Check out www.ballparks.com for more information

[CC97]

Just out of curiosity, whatever became of Exhibition Stadium? Does it still stand? It was arguably the worst ballpark in major league history, but I once saw Al Oliver hit a game winning double in extra innings in the ALCS against the Royals. Those bleechers were a blast back then, despite the fact you needed a telescope to watch the game.

Exhibition Stadium Demolition: February 1, 1999

Check out www.ballparks.com for more information

Yup Exhibition Stadium is no more... for 7 years it was a parking lot with markers in the road where each base was, and the goal lines were for Argo games.

Today it is now the site of BMO Field, home of the expansion Toronto FC soccer team (sounds silly, but accurate)

[Braden]

Chris, did the Blue Jays release any photos of the all graphite road uni before they scrapped it?

Here's how the Style Guide showed them:

Looks like dingy laundry.

They look COMPLETELY different in person.

[See Red]

Chris, did the Blue Jays release any photos of the all graphite road uni before they scrapped it?

Here's how the Style Guide showed them:

Looks like dingy laundry.

They look COMPLETELY different in person.

That does look pretty good, though I guess the rest of the set does set pretty low standards. In the Styleguide photo that Pantone shared, they look like the numbers would be difficult to make out -- that's not at all the case in this photo.

I really wish they'd go back to the uniform sets that you see behind these ones. Were those the ones with the bird popping out from behind the 'T'? I never liked that logo but that uniform looks great.

[Snazel]

Thanks for the update on the 'fate' of Exhibition stadium.

Look forward to seeing Toronto FC. Hopefully HD NET will play a game or two of their inaugural season. I was a Blizzard season ticket holder back in the day, good to see soccer rising to another level in Toronto.

I think the jersey that one posted liked was from the late 90's era, (the Roger Clemens era for lack of a better term).

The red "T" with the Blue Jay behind it, always kind of look like a Texas cap from a distance. Since they seized the "T" before Toronto did, I never liked that logo concept.

I also never liked the giant "Maple Leaf" logo from the late 90's. I thought a maple-leaf was fine, but it needed to be understated. In general, I think Canadians tend to stick a maple-leaf on things a little too quickly.

If I had dictatorship over the franchise I'd go back to the original Jays logo, but remove the baseball behind it. I believe Pat Gillick once commented that he loved the Jays logo, but lamented the baseball behind it, suggesting it was necessary during expansion, but now that the Jays were world class, it was no longer necessary to hit people over the head with the sport involved with the team.

They've had a few "retro" days at Skydome right? I seem to remember one or two photos of the old late '70's pajama uniform, being donned by Carlos Delgado, before he was scooped up by the Mets.

Heh, remember when Toronto held Delgado back for a year or two, trying to make him a catcher? They were overloaded at first base, if memory serves.

[Gothamite]

I also never liked the giant "Maple Leaf" logo from the late 90's. I thought a maple-leaf was fine, but it needed to be understated. In general, I think Canadians tend to stick a maple-leaf on things a little too quickly.

Like Texans with a star....

[Guest]

Okay, well, if you take the whole baseball off, the logo falters because it doesn't frame the wraparound letters as well and sort of leaves them floating in orbit. If you just take the seams out, then it looks okay, but it's not really a big deal. The old Jays logo was perfect, I think.

[CC97]

They look COMPLETELY different in person.

Is that my picture? I've been trying to find it

[SabreGuy]

I also never liked the giant "Maple Leaf" logo from the late 90's. I thought a maple-leaf was fine, but it needed to be understated. In general, I think Canadians tend to stick a maple-leaf on things a little too quickly.

Like Texans with a star....

Both good points. I have been thinking about this lots, since I moved to Canada. The leaf is EVERYWHERE. I couldn't think of somewhere else that had this big of an obsession with a single graphical symbol, but Texas is a perfect comparison.

Which is actually something I enjoy about the current Blue Jays set (and one of the few things)... the lack of a maple leaf.

If I'm eating McDonalds in Ottawa, I don't need a maple leaf overlayed on the golden arches to remind me that I'm in Canada.

[leedsunited]

I also never liked the giant "Maple Leaf" logo from the late 90's. I thought a maple-leaf was fine, but it needed to be understated. In general, I think Canadians tend to stick a maple-leaf on things a little too quickly.

Like Texans with a star....

Both good points. I have been thinking about this lots, since I moved to Canada. The leaf is EVERYWHERE. I couldn't think of somewhere else that had this big of an obsession with a single graphical symbol, but Texas is a perfect comparison.

Which is actually something I enjoy about the current Blue Jays set (and one of the few things)... the lack of a maple leaf.

If I'm eating McDonalds in Ottawa, I don't need a maple leaf overlayed on the golden arches to remind me that I'm in Canada.

Here's a fun game, when watching a canadian broadcast of an NHL game, try to see how many commercials have some sort of maple leaf in them. Subway, McDonalds, Molson, most sponsors have it. It's quite interesting. Mostly from American companies attempting to show their Canadian affinity, I assume. Boston Pizza and other Canadian-only brands/advertisers don't do this.

[Gothamite]

It wouldn't bother me since they're the only Canadian team in the majors.

If there were still multiple teams, then I think a Canadian emblem would be presumptuous. Kind of like the Scottish flag on Rangers' shirts.