Team uniform requests

[devilray2k1]

Last summer I called the Toronto Blue Jays to request that they actually make blue their main uniform color.

2 days later, someone hurled a brick through my living room window.

[OnWis97]

Actually she forwarded me to the equipment manager,but he didn't pick up(sigh).

Because you don't know how to get in touch with people of importance via the telephone. Trust me, there are ways to get in touch with anyone of importance, if you know what you're doing and have the balls to do it. It's the way people get the really good jobs out there.

If you're the expert then let's see you get the Falcons to wear their black jerseys for their next game...

OK, but after that he's gettin' me a better job.

[Brian E]

after the mets introduced their cream alternate last year, i wrote to them via their generic "contact us" website form venting about it, fully well aware that my complaint would probably never be read. it just made me feel better to express my overall frustration with not only the black alternate jersey and hats, but they fact that they would come out with a "retro" uniform and keep elements of black on it. that was the day before thanksgiving. about 2 weeks later, their senior vice president of marketing called me and we discussed uniforms for over 20 minutes. a full recap of my conversation with her can be read here in a guest post i wrote for the blog metspolice:

http://metspolice.com/2010/04/13/a-uni-conversation-with-the-mets/

overall, i think it's silly to assume that a franchise would listen to a single fan's request that the team should wear a specific jersey for certain game. but, i think certain franchises can be receptive to fan suggestions based on the current state of their product. for example, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see the mets move to eliminate most elements of black in the coming seasons, if only because their brand is suffering because of on-field performance and an easy way to show fans you're not tone deaf to them is by addressing certain things that, when you're winning, seem more like a nuisance.

one thing i think we can all agree on is how frustrating it is with most team's and mainstream beat writer's attitudes towards the uniform. complaints or critiques about the uniform almost always seem to generate this scoffing, as if people who care are just the little kid at the big kid table. but it's undoubtedly the most visual and arguably more important facet of a club's brand.

[infrared41]

I wrote in several suggestions to the Blue Jays in the past, all of which were eventually used -- was it because of me? Who knows.

So are you the person everybody has to blame for the black?

Don't try to lay that on me

I wrote in suggesting a sleeveless jersey in the off-season before they made their debut in 1999, that could be a coincidence... i suggested they put photos commemorating the teams past great moments along the outfield wall ("like the Dodgers do") and they did the following season... and i also requested a memorial patch for the three former players/managers who died in the one off-season, they responded with something like "we'll get back to you about this", a few months later there was that memorial logo on their uniforms.

I *think* there were a few others; Gord Ash personally responded to one about the first logo change back in Nov '96

As I was saying...

You're famous dude. You have clout. The Jays said "Hey, this is from that Chris Creamer guy. You know, that guy who's always mentioned by that other guy who does that ESPN column about uniforms."