New Cleveland Indians unis coming....

[02Rover]

Photos to come, Im sure..... Taken from the PDQ section of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Sunday, 11/8:

Sunday, November 18, 2007

PDQ Editor

Kim Crow

Isn?t this curious timing? Just weeks after PDQ asked readers to redesign the Cleveland Indians uniform, the Tribe front office unveils a new look for its alternate home jersey.

Oh, Kurt Schloss, director of merchandising for the Indians, will tell you that the team started planning for this new look way back in April, at the behest of General Manager Mark Shapiro. Perhaps it is just a coincidence, but PDQ knows the power and influence its readers wield.

Regardless of its origins, the Tribe?s ?Sunday Best? ? to be worn only on Opening Day (March 31), weekends and holidays ? is a handsome return to the classic Indians uniforms of the early 1900s and 1920s. ?It?s very old-school,? says Schloss. ?We removed the retail glitter and looked back at the history of the team.?

Make that modern old-school in the best sense. Made of a Coolmax, breathable fabric, the jersey is cream in color, with a simple block INDIANS across the chest, and a Chief Wahoo logo on the left sleeve. The players? names will not be on the back, just their numbers. The matching pants are also cream with a strip of navy blue down the side. The caps are solid navy blue, adorned with a block C in red.

?Mark had a vision,? said Schloss of Shapiro. ?We looked at where we had been and where we wanted to go. We wanted to get back to a simpler look.?

All of the Tribe?s various uniforms have been tweaked as well in favor of simplicity, losing the metallic silver outlines and other signs of that pesky ?retail glitter.?

But that controversial mascot who constantly grins in the face of adversity remains on a few of the uniforms.

?Chief Wahoo is a piece of who we are,? says Schloss firmly. ?It?s not about representing a person or a group, it?s about our history.? The new/old jersey is available for holiday giving at the six team shops found in Northeast Ohio.

The authentic version, in the same Coolmax fabric the Tribe will wear, is $180; replica jerseys will be $85.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: kcrow@plaind.com, 216-999-4046

[cranium]

Sounds like it may be a little too plain by today's standards, but as I've posted here before I like the idea of regular special alt. Sunday unis (or Friday unis in the Brewer's case).

[Old School Fool]

I think we have a new fad, thanks to the Brewers.

[edensker]

Sounds like it may be a little too plain by today's standards, but as I've posted here before I like the idea of regular special alt. Sunday unis (or Friday unis in the Brewer's case).

I agree. Teams wearing alts only on specific days might go a ways toward keeping them from wearing the alts so frequently as to make them the de fact primary uniforms.

[TheOldRoman]

I think we have a new fad, thanks to the White Sox.

I fixed if for you. The White Sox did this in 2001, with the beautiful 1917 throwbacks. They were worn for every Sunday home game. They made 1906 throwbacks last year with the same intent, but they were only worn twice. In 01, the Sox lost most of those Sunday games at home (much like the Brewers in theirs), and they couldn't wait to get rid of them. In 06, the players nixed wearing them every Sunday, and only wore them against the Cubs (who they beat in the 1906 series), and a random game against Texas. The Sox may not have made the jerseys a full-time alt for more than one season, but they were the first to do this.

The Indians throwbacks are ok, but nothing I would buy if I were a fan of theirs. As for the change in their normal unis, I hope they go completely back to the 1994-2001 jerseys, with red shoes/socks at home, bigger Wahoo, and darker blue hats. Those uniforms, every single one of them, was perfection. The latest version were awful, and not just because of the silver.

[02Rover]

I saw a pic today (not online) of the throwback and I love it. Very old school Indians. Not totally from a particular era, just a feel for the 60's-ish. Big block letters, big Wahoo on the sleeve and an early 80's-ish "C" on the lid, but not the exact 80's "C". I think they are going to be a big hit, for sure.

Ps. The Tribe has been wearing the Wahoo Vests and the "I" caps for Sundays and Holidays for 3 or 4 years now, so this trend isnt new to them.

[darkshadow1031]

I saw a pic today (not online) of the throwback and I love it. Very old school Indians. Not totally from a particular era, just a feel for the 60's-ish. Big block letters, big Wahoo on the sleeve and an early 80's-ish "C" on the lid, but not the exact 80's "C". I think they are going to be a big hit, for sure.

Ps. The Tribe has been wearing the Wahoo Vests and the "I" caps for Sundays and Holidays for 3 or 4 years now, so this trend isnt new to them.

Glad they are putting the vests in mothballs. Its seems like they were forced and I was never a fan. I saw a picture of these throwbacks awhile ago before it was removed (can I even mention this?).

[Proc]

Pics people! We need pictures!

[erlovepuck]

Pics people! We need pictures!

Go to the main page of MLB.com and there is a photo gallery in the lower left corner. This shows everything including the alt, the jerseys sans silver and even the new jackets for 2008.

[SabreGuy]

So they're KEEPING the I cap, and pairing it with the blue jersey? That seems... kinda weird to me. I wonder if that's just the way they paired it on the dummies, and it will be one of those mystery "never worn" caps. Four is too many. If they wanted to keep the script I cap, they probably should have dropped the road all-blue.

[02Rover]

So they're KEEPING the I cap, and pairing it with the blue jersey? That seems... kinda weird to me. I wonder if that's just the way they paired it on the dummies, and it will be one of those mystery "never worn" caps. Four is too many. If they wanted to keep the script I cap, they probably should have dropped the road all-blue.

The alt blue is worn at home, as well. Are they changing the newer, smaller-Wahoo caps?? They have had the silver outline for a few years. Are they dropping that, too?? I cant tell from the MLB pics...

[Burning River]

wow... great photo gallery! I like that the "Millenium Silver" is gone. It was like, "Oh.. it's 2000. Let's add silver!" The new jerseys are OK... a bit too plain. I do like the off-white, though. It's weird to have a throw-back to the year... well, nothing in particular.

[CubsFanBudMan]

It appears the new "block C" cap is a different navy -- the darker midnight version. Too bad.

To be honest, I never noticed all of the silver trim on the old caps and jerseys until fairly recently, so these don't seem too drastic. But it is better to remove it.

[SabreGuy]

The alt blue is worn at home, as well. Are they changing the newer, smaller-Wahoo caps?? They have had the silver outline for a few years. Are they dropping that, too?? I cant tell from the MLB pics...

I meant the road blue cap, not the alt blue jersey. Four caps seems excessive to me (says the guy with over 600 caps).

I believe I heard previously that they would be dropping the silver outline on the caps.

It appears the new "block C" cap is a different navy -- the darker midnight version. Too bad.

It is... and that kind of annoys me as well. I thought, during the previous revision of the uniform, they had JUST started standardizing their blue. Or... at least that's what they said they were doing. The home and road caps still looked a little different to me.

[iowahoo]

It's odd to me that the new Block C cap is a darker blue than the other caps. I know that adding the white outline would make it resemble the early 80s block C, but something is missing from that hat.

I will probably buy the block C because I like it better than the smaller wahoo and cannot stand the Indianapolis script I cap.

[McCall]

While I still dislike the "I" cap, it at least matches up better with the navy jersey than it ever did with the vest (though I still think it's needs to be ditched altogether.) And god I hope all the players wear hiked pant legs with the throwbacks. That would make that even better.

[hjwii]

OKay.. so I have a couple of questions....

1 - Has silver has been replaced with white?

2 - No names just on the retro jerseys or the "everyday" home jerseys too? (I like the no name look, but I think I'm one of 16 people that do...)

...and would the different color blue be more fitting to the era of the retro jersey? Afterall, Milwaukee is using 2 different color blues (or has that also been discussed elsewhere?)

So, ummmm... GO TRIBE...

[02Rover]

OKay.. so I have a couple of questions....

1 - Has silver has been replaced with white?

2 - No names just on the retro jerseys or the "everyday" home jerseys too? (I like the no name look, but I think I'm one of 16 people that do...)

...and would the different color blue be more fitting to the era of the retro jersey? Afterall, Milwaukee is using 2 different color blues (or has that also been discussed elsewhere?)

So, ummmm... GO TRIBE...

As far as I can tell, all silver is gone. Also, the names are gone from only the retro's. The names remain on the every day look. I, like you, are one of the "16" that apprecaite the nameless look.

And I think you are 100% on the mark about the blue of the retro cap matching the darker blue of the retro jersey. The normal blue remains as is, I believe.

ps. I have never liked the "I" hat. I wouldnt mind seeing that go away completely. But, its all about marketing these days. 4 caps?? Why the hell not... **LOL***

[NyghtOwl]

Glad to see the block letters back on the Indians uniforms...but I'm longing for the return of the Major League era "big Wahoo" with the navy cap, and red button and bill. Now THAT's a hat!

The new alternates are good--and the removal of silver from the uniforms is long overdue. But the script has got to go. Bring back the block letters.

[no97]

I agree, why go elsewhere for pics:

Also, what's up with Kim Crow?

Sunday, November 18, 2007

PDQ Editor

Kim Crow

Isn?t this curious timing? Just weeks after PDQ asked readers to redesign the Cleveland Indians uniform, the Tribe front office unveils a new look for its alternate home jersey.

Oh, Kurt Schloss, director of merchandising for the Indians, will tell you that the team started planning for this new look way back in April, at the behest of General Manager Mark Shapiro. Perhaps it is just a coincidence, but PDQ knows the power and influence its readers wield.

Is Kim really this stupid to think that it takes just "weeks" to come up with a make-over of a MLB uniform? Or, is he/she just that egomaniacal? I find the first two paragraphs of this story quite unbelievable...

Moose