2009 Stars and Stripes

[Brian E]

Okay, so we saw the Blue Jays' hat and Canada Day jersey. Well the red is a trend. In fact, the Stars and Stripes Caps are BACK for 2009 and now they're all red.

but check out this possible development. Teams are selling Stars and Stripes replica jerseys that look like they match the hat:

Could teams be wearing an authentic version of these to solve the matching problem? Or will the whole thing look like a bigger pile of crap come Memorial Day weekend?

[TFoA]

I'm willing to bet that it's going to look like a pile of crap, just because I can't see the Yankees wearing any sort of red in their uniform, ever.

[Gothamite]

Yep, I'm going to go with "pile of crap" there.

[NEW.ERA]

One day a year and most likely 9/11 it's a great honor to your country and to me it doesn't matter if it looks like crap.

[Billy B]

I think it's going to look better if teams wear the stars and stripes jerseys to match it. What's disappointing is that they are probably only switching to red hats to sell more.

[Saintsfan]

One day a year and most likely 9/11 it's a great honor to your country and to me it doesn't matter if it looks like crap.

Surely thats a comment that should get you expelled from this board.

Sacrilege.

[LEWJ]

One day a year and most likely 9/11 it's a great honor to your country and to me it doesn't matter if it looks like crap.

Surely thats a comment that should get you expelled from this board.

Sacrilege.

I agree with NEW.ERA.PANDA.

They have their heads in the right place when honoring our own country on 4th of July and Patriot Day. If it turns out like crap, which I never thought it has (and I don't think it will), oh well.

That's almost like saying the American flag is ugly, so I won't honor it.

Or disliking your favorite teams because of the jerseys they just began wearing.

Something along those lines.

As for the red caps, I like them. I have a feeling next year they're gonna end up going with a contrasting colored bill or something along those lines. With the economy like it is, I don't blame 'em.

How about seeing a red and white crown with a blue bill (like the old Expos cap)?

I think that'd be neat.

[scarsofthumper]

At least the Nationals have a valid reason to wear the blues.

[BallWonk]

That's almost like saying the American flag is ugly, so I won't honor it.

Funny you should mention the flag, since the U.S. Flag Code specifically bans using the flag, or any portion of the flag, on an athletic uniform. I'm not sure how we got to a place in America where the idea of young men of military age who aren't serving their country during wartime literally trampling the American flag in the dirt while playing a game for money came to be considered "patriotic," but I guess I'm just old fashioned about that sort of thing. In my day, we didn't call flag desecration "patriotic", and we sure as heck didn't applaud when a business committed flag desecration on Independence Day.

Plus, doing this stupid, flag-desecrating stunt in red instead of blue only makes sense if you don't actually know what Independence Day celebrates. It's about declaring our independence from the British, which led to a six-year war against the army of the king, and in this war our soldiers wore blue and theirs wore red. So not only is MLB desecrating the flag, it's dressing in the color of the enemy to desecrate the flag. If King George III, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Kim Jong Il formed a committee to think of ways for MLB to spit on America on the nation's birthday, I'm not sure it could have come up with worse.

(And yes, I'm overstating the case a wee bit for the purposes of self-effacement. There's a lot of grains of salt in the above, along with the single kernel of truth that I really do object to violating basic rules of respect for the flag and calling it "patriotic.")

[tBBP]

That's almost like saying the American flag is ugly, so I won't honor it.

Funny you should mention the flag, since the U.S. Flag Code specifically bans using the flag, or any portion of the flag, on an athletic uniform. I'm not sure how we got to a place in America where the idea of young men of military age who aren't serving their country during wartime literally trampling the American flag in the dirt while playing a game for money came to be considered "patriotic," but I guess I'm just old fashioned about that sort of thing. In my day, we didn't call flag desecration "patriotic", and we sure as heck didn't applaud when a business committed flag desecration on Independence Day.

Plus, doing this stupid, flag-desecrating stunt in red instead of blue only makes sense if you don't actually know what Independence Day celebrates. It's about declaring our independence from the British, which led to a six-year war against the army of the king, and in this war our soldiers wore blue and theirs wore red. So not only is MLB desecrating the flag, it's dressing in the color of the enemy to desecrate the flag. If King George III, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Kim Jong Il formed a committee to think of ways for MLB to spit on America on the nation's birthday, I'm not sure it could have come up with worse.

(And yes, I'm overstating the case a wee bit for the purposes of self-effacement. There's a lot of grains of salt in the above, along with the single kernel of truth that I really do object to violating basic rules of respect for the flag and calling it "patriotic.")

I was going to mention the Flag Code thing (being that it really hits home to me), but, you beat me to it.

That said, I think it's good that teams honor MEMORIAL Day (Independence Day is still a ways off), but sometimes I can't help but think this is more of a sales push (read: $$$) than a move truly representative of a national holiday. And in that vein, I see it as a bit of exploitation--another issue I ain't even finna get into in this thread--or, this site, for that matter.

All that said, from an aesthetic view, these are going to be hard to read on the field, if these do see the field on game day when that day comes.

I can appreciate the idea behind these; I just think a lapel pin or something more subtle and not so outlandish probably could did a job more effectively.

[BBTV]

If you honestly think that someone was sitting around thinking of a way to "honor" anyone or anything, you're an idiot. There is not one single ounce of nobility in these silly types of promotions.

The FDNY, Oakland PD, etc. caps - thats how to "honor" someone. Not with a silly piece of merchandise that you pimp all over your website.

[scottysprings]

I actually wrote a big paper on the U.S. Flag Code for my U.S. Government and Politics class this year and found the disregard for the flag and the provisions of the flag code to be disheartening. I disagree with the whole "who cares if it looks like crap" argument because you don't need ridiculous over the top uniforms to recognize 9/11, that's what the pre-game ceremonies are for. If anything, a simple uniform patch or hat ribbon would do the job quite well.

P.S.- BBTV nailed it, the makeshift memorials like the FDNY/NYPD/PAPD caps after 9/11 worn by the Yanks and Mets or VT caps worn by the Nats after the VT shootings are the most sincere and effective memorials. If it the MLB had any other intent besides making money on the "memorial" they would either not sell the merchandise or donate all the proceeds to a 9/11 related charity or organization.

[BBTV]

Why would they put placket piping on this jersey, when none of their regular jerseys have it???

:puke:

[LMU]

Interestingly, the Orioles are using their "O's" logo, and the Indians are using their throwback "C" logo.

[Gothamite]

One day a year and most likely 9/11 it's a great honor to your country and to me it doesn't matter if it looks like crap.

Okay, it's officially time for us to get over the whole self-indulgent 9/11 boosterism.

Lest anyone accuse me of not appreciating the horror of the event, I watched it unfold live and in person. I lost good friends on that day. But teams selling out their visual traditions for a couple extra merchandising bucks, all the while making a great public show of their patriotism? It does nothing to honor the memory of those who died; quite the reverse, actually.

[JayJaxon]

I am with everyone else on the whole flag issue. I was checking the caps out when I saw this under the image:

Welcome Back Veterans is an initiative launched by Major League Baseball and the McCormick Foundation to raise public awareness about issues facing today's veterans, and to raise funds to support programs and services that these returning soldiers need to repair and restore their lives.

So I guess money from the sales will go to veterans such as Bucco and myself At least some good will come out of it.

[ManCalledAmp]

Staying out of the whole Flag Code and overarching implications thing.

However, even as a noted anti-Phillies person, I really like the look of the Phlag-waving Phillies shirt up there.

The outlines make it clearer and easier to read, and the bursting stars make it look even sweeter. Well executed.

[IceCap]

Why would they put placket piping on this jersey, when none of their regular jerseys have it???

:puke:

What's the point of that jersey anyway? Aren't the regular Phillies uniforms already pretty esque?

[VandyDelphia Mike]

To those tooting the "flag desecration" horn, does that apply to designs "inspired by" the Stars and Stripes in addition to actual flags? That's how I have always understood the delineation. I'm not desecrating a flag by wearing this,

but if I were to cut up an American flag and turn it into a shirt or a doo-rag, etc, then I'd be blatantly in violation of the flag code.

(As an aside, blatant misuse of flag = using it to cover up a competitor's logo)

Back to MLB specifics, in the first iteration of the flag-inspired merchandise, I do remember Paul Lukas attempting to pin down the exact amount of proceeds that would be donated from sale of caps/shirts/etc. that would be sent to Welcome Home Veterans. Anybody remember the outcome of such investigation?

[eRay]

I want to see the Dodgers wear that Red hat with their regular home or away uniforms for one day. That way the Red numbers match something else on the uniform.