CoolBase Jerseys

[Bouj]

Paul Lukas expands on this particular topic today:

"And finally, here's something to ponder: You may not realize this, but not all road grays are the same shade of gray. As recently as a couple of years ago, there were about 11 different grays out there among the 30 MLB teams. Majestic has been working to streamline things, and now they're down to about five different grays. But here's the thing: This year, for the first time, Cool Base jerseys (which are lighter weight and have those annoying armpit ventilation gussets that look particularly bad with pinstripes) will be available for road games, and Uni Watch's understanding is that all the Cool Base grays will use the same shade. This means a player wearing a Cool Base road jersey might not have the same shade of gray as his teammate wearing a conventional road jersey. And since there are no plans to introduce Cool Base pants (the lightweight material would get torn up too easily), this also means a player could end up wearing two nonmatching shades of gray simultaneously -- Cool Base gray above the waist and his team's usual shade of gray below the waist. Ah, progress."

So, maybe I was too quick to praise Majestic. Some credit for finally making grey, but no credit for not differentiating between the various shades being worn around the majors.

[TruColor]

I just got off the phone with Paul...and we talked about this. It makes me CRAZY that there isn't more standardization of the road colors in the MLB.

[Chazberg]

Paul Lukas expands on this particular topic today:

"And finally, here's something to ponder: You may not realize this, but not all road grays are the same shade of gray. As recently as a couple of years ago, there were about 11 different grays out there among the 30 MLB teams. Majestic has been working to streamline things, and now they're down to about five different grays. But here's the thing: This year, for the first time, Cool Base jerseys (which are lighter weight and have those annoying armpit ventilation gussets that look particularly bad with pinstripes) will be available for road games, and Uni Watch's understanding is that all the Cool Base grays will use the same shade. This means a player wearing a Cool Base road jersey might not have the same shade of gray as his teammate wearing a conventional road jersey. And since there are no plans to introduce Cool Base pants (the lightweight material would get torn up too easily), this also means a player could end up wearing two nonmatching shades of gray simultaneously -- Cool Base gray above the waist and his team's usual shade of gray below the waist. Ah, progress."

So, maybe I was too quick to praise Majestic. Some credit for finally making grey, but no credit for not differentiating between the various shades being worn around the majors.

Wait, you mean it's a player's choice of what jersey to wear? I thought the Coolbase thing was a team-wide decision, so everyone on the team would be wearing the same jersey. If not that would get kinda ridiculous...

[Gothamite]

I just got off the phone with Paul...and we talked about this. It makes me CRAZY that there isn't more standardization of the road colors in the MLB.

Doesn't bother me - I never liked the Brewers' 1994-1996 greenish gray, but I appreciated that they were trying to tie in with the green-billed road cap.

I like that certain teams have individual shades of gray, but prefer it when all teams use gray on the road.

[Bouj]

I just got off the phone with Paul...and we talked about this. It makes me CRAZY that there isn't more standardization of the road colors in the MLB.

Showoff...

I'm sure you've seen it, PANTONE, but Henderson's style guide has a great picture of about 5 different gray jerseys, and they are all different shades of gray.

Paul Lukas expands on this particular topic today:

"And finally, here's something to ponder: You may not realize this, but not all road grays are the same shade of gray. As recently as a couple of years ago, there were about 11 different grays out there among the 30 MLB teams. Majestic has been working to streamline things, and now they're down to about five different grays. But here's the thing: This year, for the first time, Cool Base jerseys (which are lighter weight and have those annoying armpit ventilation gussets that look particularly bad with pinstripes) will be available for road games, and Uni Watch's understanding is that all the Cool Base grays will use the same shade. This means a player wearing a Cool Base road jersey might not have the same shade of gray as his teammate wearing a conventional road jersey. And since there are no plans to introduce Cool Base pants (the lightweight material would get torn up too easily), this also means a player could end up wearing two nonmatching shades of gray simultaneously -- Cool Base gray above the waist and his team's usual shade of gray below the waist. Ah, progress."

So, maybe I was too quick to praise Majestic. Some credit for finally making grey, but no credit for not differentiating between the various shades being worn around the majors.

Wait, you mean it's a player's choice of what jersey to wear? I thought the Coolbase thing was a team-wide decision, so everyone on the team would be wearing the same jersey. If not that would get kinda ridiculous...

To an extent, it is a team-wide decision. For the sake of ease and continuity, it is all-or-nothing during the regular season.

As I understand it, and as I have observed it in use over the last 2 seasons, the CB jerseys are brought out in the summer (late May or so) and used the rest of the season. It has appeared that once a team goes CB, the entire team does it. This is to avoid confusion by the equipment managers (less confusing for road trips). Late in 2006, some of the Tigers & Cardinals switched from wearing CB whites back to the standard doubleknit whites. If you go back and look at some pics from the ALCS, you can see the differences (the gussets vs. the non-gussets) in the pictures of the Tigers celebrating following Ordonez's series-ending home run. And in the WS pics, Pujols is wearing doubleknit and Wainwright is wearing CB. From what I understand, some of the players complained that the CB were too cold for winter weather, so the equipment managers unpacked the regular jerseys for those that requested it.

[Gothamite]

Since you mentioned it, am I the only one really bothered by Henderson's style guide? Last version I saw had some really wild inaccuracies - he seems not to know that teams used to pass jerseys down from one season to the next, modifying them when necessary, and therefore not every element found on a jersey marked "1973" was actually from 1973.

[BadSeed84]

Phillies road gray is definitely a bit lighter than the others.

[BallWonk]

I just got off the phone with Paul...and we talked about this. It makes me CRAZY that there isn't more standardization of the road colors in the MLB.

Doesn't bother me - I never liked the Brewers' 1994-1996 greenish gray, but I appreciated that they were trying to tie in with the green-billed road cap.

I like that certain teams have individual shades of gray, but prefer it when all teams use gray on the road.

I agree that it's a Good Thing for teams to have individualized shades of gray. I'm also for khaki road uniforms and powder blue, too. Most teams also need to darken their road grays; under incandescent light, today's very-light-gray road uniforms just aren't dark enough to provide a proper contrast with home whites. Variety, distinctiveness, and individuality are features of uniform design, not bugs. (And for the Brew Crew, I'd love to see them adopt an even bluer road gray. Not powder blue, but more blue content, even leaning toward slate. Team had the right idea with the greenish-tinted uniforms, but the wrong color scheme.)

Anyway, if Majestic cannot provide the right shade of gray to each team, then it's not providing each team with the proper uniform, is it? Would anyone think it was OK for Majestic to provide the Giants with a bright-white home jersey?

[Bouj]

Since you mentioned it, am I the only one really bothered by Henderson's style guide? Last version I saw had some really wild inaccuracies - he seems not to know that teams used to pass jerseys down from one season to the next, modifying them when necessary, and therefore not every element found on a jersey marked "1973" was actually from 1973.

If I were using it as Henderson seems to be intending (proper research / restoration), I would probably be a bigger stickler over the details. I use it for reference and for style / creative purposes (new jersey designs using past elements), so it doesn't bother me as much. Plus, it's awfully hard to find a lot of the pics he has. I'll definitely give him credit for finding pictures of obscure and hard-to-find jerseys.

(edited for spelling, because I are a poor speller-er)

[Gothamite]

Sure, I'll grant him that. He's got lots of great pictures.

The problem I have is the flawed conclusions that he draws from those pictures. And if he's going to be considered a serious resource, as he wishes, than he's got to start getting those things right.

[Gothamite]

Doesn't bother me - I never liked the Brewers' 1994-1996 greenish gray, but I appreciated that they were trying to tie in with the green-billed road cap.

(And for the Brew Crew, I'd love to see them adopt an even bluer road gray. Not powder blue, but more blue content, even leaning toward slate. Team had the right idea with the greenish-tinted uniforms, but the wrong color scheme.)

I'm in.

[BBTV]

A pale-slate blue would be a fantastic uniform. I'd also like to see a grayish "sage" (for lack of a better description.) Pretty much every team that's primary color isn't red could pull off a tinted road uniform.

[Sodboy13]

A pale-slate blue would be a fantastic uniform.

It would be, and it has been.

I own this one, and it definitely leans more toward slate blue than powder blue, and I don't think it's just because of the wool flannel material. (You can tell the difference in the logo patch, which is a powder blue twill.) The end result, especially when contrasted with the bright pop of the athletic gold and royal blue, is nothing short of beautiful.

[spyboy1]

I just got off the phone with Paul...and we talked about this. It makes me CRAZY that there isn't more standardization of the road colors in the MLB.

Knowing you, I bet you lose sleep over it too!