2010 MLB New Logos, Uniforms, Patches

[FiddySicks]

As linked to on UniWatch this morning, the new Giants alt is up on the MLB Shop website. I like it a lot. Purchased the new alt cap this weekend, which also looks really nice IMO.

I just don't see how either could have come to pass without the following conversation taking place:

Giants Exec 1: I see that we are still easily one of the three best-dressed teams in baseball. Maybe even all of pro sports.

Giants Exec 2: And proud of it!

Giants Exec 1: And we've evolved one of the most instantly-recognizable visual identities in sports. Maybe even in American business in general. When you look at the San Francisco Giants, you know instantly that you're seeing the Giants.

Giants Exec 2: Every time. Never a doubt.

Giants Exec 1: So I say, let's blow it up. Screw around with the jerseys. Make our caps look like the Baltimore Orioles. Rip our uniforms to shreds.

Giants Exec 2: Right away, sir!

That said, the alt cap and jersey are badly mismatched. The all-orange jersey needs a solid-black cap for balance. If the Giants feel the need for an orange-billed jersey, it should be worn with either the regular home or road jerseys. I don't like either the alt cap or the alt jersey, but that's just me thinking they don't look pretty. From a disinterested design-quality point of view, I think that matching the orange jersey with the orange-billed cap is a very bad move. All that orange is going to make the black crown stand out too much, and it's going to look like the Giants are wearing a fez. The bill needs to contrast with the jersey for the alt uni to work. With the black jersey lettering on the more washed-out home and road unis, an orange bill will work just fine.

Calm down, it's an alt uniform. It's not like they took the current sets and tossed them into the bay for the seals. Plus, the Giants have this whole Orange out thing they started on fridays a few seasons ago. I personally didn't like the idea, but people got on board with it and the park is packed full of people wearing orange on friday nights, so it fits well. It'll be hard to get used to, but people will adjust. Plus, it's a decent tribute to many of the Candlestick Giants teams (And if you've ever gone to a Giants game and talked to fans, I guarantee at least one of them brought up Candlestick at some point). This fits better for the Giants than many who don't go to games would think.

This has sort of been a hot topic lately so I'll just say it here. Anyone who doesn't feel that the fans have a strong influence over things like uniforms, probably doesn't go to a lot of games.

[IceCap]

If the Seahawks wore that vaunted silver helmet, they'd have to wear silver pants and have silver elsewhere in the scheme, which they don't. If they just tacked it on, it would look mismatched and stupid. The Puget slate helmet is just fine.

Agreed. The silver choice was just put out there to help fans accept the new look. The current Seahawks look is fine, actually, especially when worn correctly. Even the slate monochrome look seems nice next to the recent slate/navy look.

The modernized Fins logo is kinda dumpy, and the older iterations aren't without their flaws either, but the Leaping Dolphin is too iconic and valuable among NFL logos to do away with it. At least the old one was the same one the undefeateds wore. At least it had that.

Sorry, can't agree here. The old Dolphins logo is just poorly designed. The really timeless marks look just as good now as when they were first designed. The old Fins logo is like Pat the Patriot, it just wouldn't cut it today. Yes, the modernized version is a little cartoony looking, but it's still better then what came before.

[BallWonk]

Calm down, it's an alt uniform. It's not like they took the current sets and tossed them into the bay for the seals. Plus, the Giants have this whole Orange out thing they started on fridays a few seasons ago. I personally didn't like the idea, but people got on board with it and the park is packed full of people wearing orange on friday nights, so it fits well. It'll be hard to get used to, but people will adjust. Plus, it's a decent tribute to many of the Candlestick Giants teams (And if you've ever gone to a Giants game and talked to fans, I guarantee at least one of them brought up Candlestick at some point). This fits better for the Giants than many who don't go to games would think.

Silly, seals don't eat polyester.

Anyway, I'm not saying the Giants shouldn't wear an orange jersey. Well, OK, I am saying that. But I'm also saying that if the Giants do wear an orange jersey, then they need to pair it with the all-black cap. Or with a cap with an orange crown and black bill. But not with their new alt cap. If the Giants want to emphasize orange more at home, then they should make the new alt cap their regular home cap. Bam! More orange at home. Then let the orange alt jersey speak for itself with a black-billed cap. A much more elegant solution to the how-do-we-wear-more-orange conundrum.

[Buster]

Giants alternate hat officially released:

That MLB logo is so sloppy. It looks like it was stitched by hand with needle and thread.

[Brian E]

Calm down, it's an alt uniform. It's not like they took the current sets and tossed them into the bay for the seals. Plus, the Giants have this whole Orange out thing they started on fridays a few seasons ago. I personally didn't like the idea, but people got on board with it and the park is packed full of people wearing orange on friday nights, so it fits well. It'll be hard to get used to, but people will adjust. Plus, it's a decent tribute to many of the Candlestick Giants teams (And if you've ever gone to a Giants game and talked to fans, I guarantee at least one of them brought up Candlestick at some point). This fits better for the Giants than many who don't go to games would think.

Silly, seals don't eat polyester.

Anyway, I'm not saying the Giants shouldn't wear an orange jersey. Well, OK, I am saying that. But I'm also saying that if the Giants do wear an orange jersey, then they need to pair it with the all-black cap. Or with a cap with an orange crown and black bill. But not with their new alt cap. If the Giants want to emphasize orange more at home, then they should make the new alt cap their regular home cap. Bam! More orange at home. Then let the orange alt jersey speak for itself with a black-billed cap. A much more elegant solution to the how-do-we-wear-more-orange conundrum.

I agree on the matching. I happen to really enjoy the Giants in an orange jersey, but the matching is wrong on this one. Orange jersey should be worn with the black hat and the orange bill should be worn with the home unis.

[The_Admiral]

To me, it seems like failure to pick a lane, to be so concerned with projecting an old-time image befitting the baseball Giants as to wear cream rather than white, and then tack on a bright orange alternate to remind people of when the Giants were a bad team in a bad park and almost moved away. Every day they wear these jerseys will be a day they're consciously declining to be one of baseball's best-dressed teams. I'll never get it.

[M59]

I like the new Giants alt. I miss the old black home and road alts. And I wish the Orioles did have an orange alt that said "Orioles" and a black one that said "Baltimore"...but that's just me.

[FiddySicks]

Calm down, it's an alt uniform. It's not like they took the current sets and tossed them into the bay for the seals. Plus, the Giants have this whole Orange out thing they started on fridays a few seasons ago. I personally didn't like the idea, but people got on board with it and the park is packed full of people wearing orange on friday nights, so it fits well. It'll be hard to get used to, but people will adjust. Plus, it's a decent tribute to many of the Candlestick Giants teams (And if you've ever gone to a Giants game and talked to fans, I guarantee at least one of them brought up Candlestick at some point). This fits better for the Giants than many who don't go to games would think.

Silly, seals don't eat polyester.

Anyway, I'm not saying the Giants shouldn't wear an orange jersey. Well, OK, I am saying that. But I'm also saying that if the Giants do wear an orange jersey, then they need to pair it with the all-black cap. Or with a cap with an orange crown and black bill. But not with their new alt cap. If the Giants want to emphasize orange more at home, then they should make the new alt cap their regular home cap. Bam! More orange at home. Then let the orange alt jersey speak for itself with a black-billed cap. A much more elegant solution to the how-do-we-wear-more-orange conundrum.

I personally feel that wearing the orange billed cap with the home and road set would in a lot of ways ruin it. If they insist on wearing the orange billed cap at all, it should be with the orange alt IMO.

[BawlmerOreos]

I like the new Giants alt. I miss the old black home and road alts. And I wish the Orioles did have an orange alt that said "Orioles" and a black one that said "Baltimore"...but that's just me.

Sort of like the BP jerseys?

[M59]

I like the new Giants alt. I miss the old black home and road alts. And I wish the Orioles did have an orange alt that said "Orioles" and a black one that said "Baltimore"...but that's just me.

Sort of like the BP jerseys?

Sort of...but every day that goes by without the Orioles restoring the white trim to the script and numbers on the black jersey is a sad one for me.

This just looks so much better than orange over black over black.

[BawlmerOreos]

I like the new Giants alt. I miss the old black home and road alts. And I wish the Orioles did have an orange alt that said "Orioles" and a black one that said "Baltimore"...but that's just me.

Sort of like the BP jerseys?

Sort of...but every day that goes by without the Orioles restoring the white trim to the script and numbers on the black jersey is a sad one for me.

This just looks so much better than orange over black over black.

I don't know...that one to me is too busy.

[powersurge]

Giants alternate hat officially released:

That MLB logo is so sloppy. It looks like it was stitched by hand with needle and thread.

that looks sloppy indeed. WOW, what the hell is going on there? Looks like it went through the wash about a 1000 times.

[OnWis97]

Calm down, it's an alt uniform. It's not like they took the current sets and tossed them into the bay for the seals. Plus, the Giants have this whole Orange out thing they started on fridays a few seasons ago. I personally didn't like the idea, but people got on board with it and the park is packed full of people wearing orange on friday nights, so it fits well. It'll be hard to get used to, but people will adjust. Plus, it's a decent tribute to many of the Candlestick Giants teams (And if you've ever gone to a Giants game and talked to fans, I guarantee at least one of them brought up Candlestick at some point). This fits better for the Giants than many who don't go to games would think.

Silly, seals don't eat polyester.

Anyway, I'm not saying the Giants shouldn't wear an orange jersey. Well, OK, I am saying that. But I'm also saying that if the Giants do wear an orange jersey, then they need to pair it with the all-black cap. Or with a cap with an orange crown and black bill. But not with their new alt cap. If the Giants want to emphasize orange more at home, then they should make the new alt cap their regular home cap. Bam! More orange at home. Then let the orange alt jersey speak for itself with a black-billed cap. A much more elegant solution to the how-do-we-wear-more-orange conundrum.

I personally feel that wearing the orange billed cap with the home and road set would in a lot of ways ruin it. If they insist on wearing the orange billed cap at all, it should be with the orange alt IMO.

I agree with BallWonk that the orange bill with the orange jersey is overkill. I also agree with Bucfan that the orange billed cap would ruin the primary set (particularly at home). Since the classic cap is, well, the classic cap, it should definitely remain the home primary. So I'd say forget the orange billed cap. But since they're gonna use it so they can sell it, either use it on the road (the least of three evils) or on the alt (the middle of three evils just to preserve primary status on the classic cap). Wearing it on the home primaries is the most evil.

[NDwas]

Saw this photo of Reds' prospect Juan Duran on the front page of MLB.com today...any ideas where this jersey came from?

[koizim]

Saw this photo of Reds' prospect Juan Duran on the front page of MLB.com today...any ideas where this jersey came from?

Judging by the collar, that looks more like a jacket/windbreaker more than a jersey.

[Gothamite]

Giants alternate hat officially released:

That MLB logo is so sloppy. It looks like it was stitched by hand with needle and thread.

that looks sloppy indeed. WOW, what the hell is going on there? Looks like it went through the wash about a 1000 times.

That's pretty much the standard with the new puff embroidery. I understand using it for the team logos (don't like it, but I understand it), but why they felt the need to extend it to the MLB logo is beyond me.

[BallWonk]

That's pretty much the standard with the new puff embroidery. I understand using it for the team logos (don't like it, but I understand it), but why they felt the need to extend it to the MLB logo is beyond me.

I'm also not a fan of it on the cap-front logos. But at least there a solid functional case can be made: The foam-core embroidery really does make the logo easier to see. Really pops on TV, especially in hi-def, but it also slightly improves visibility for fans in the stands. (It distorts the apparent shapes of logos, but increases visibility, particularly at long angles.) I can live with trading purely aesthetic quality for increased functionality.

But using the raised embroidery on the outline of the MLB logo on the back reduces that logo's visibility. It's not only harder to see at a distance; it muddles the logo even when you're right next to it. So it's an example where they've made the product both uglier and less functional. That is an objective, not-a-matter-of-opinion, design failure.

[powersurge]

That's pretty much the standard with the new puff embroidery. I understand using it for the team logos (don't like it, but I understand it), but why they felt the need to extend it to the MLB logo is beyond me.

I'm also not a fan of it on the cap-front logos. But at least there a solid functional case can be made: The foam-core embroidery really does make the logo easier to see. Really pops on TV, especially in hi-def, but it also slightly improves visibility for fans in the stands. (It distorts the apparent shapes of logos, but increases visibility, particularly at long angles.) I can live with trading purely aesthetic quality for increased functionality.

But using the raised embroidery on the outline of the MLB logo on the back reduces that logo's visibility. It's not only harder to see at a distance; it muddles the logo even when you're right next to it. So it's an example where they've made the product both uglier and less functional. That is an objective, not-a-matter-of-opinion, design failure.

one way to fix it is to increase the size of the MLB logo. I think it can be done without it looking like a gaudy world series patch or something. It would at least help separate the elements in the logo a little more to increase visibility.

[JPhebert]

new twins bp 2010 hats

[ElwoodCuse]

Any of you guys pick up any of the new Cooperstown hats? I had a couple questions.

1. Can you get rid of the New Era logo with a seam ripper? Does it look normal after you do?

2. How is their crown/visor shape? Will it resist my attempts to take the stickers off, curve the visor, and wear it like an actual baseball cap?