Ask Paul - No More Blue Jerseys

by MikeJ on Apr 13, 2007 9:20 AM CDT

Did anybody see the "Ask Paul Sullivan" feature in today's trib?

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/askthewriter/cs-070412askpaulsullivan,1 ,6225049.story?coll=cs-cubs-headlines

Dear, Paul, for the past few years, Carlos Zambrano has always worn the blue jersey top rather than the road gray or the home pinstripes. In his first two starts of 2007, I see him in the road gray jersey. Are the Cubs no longer wearing the blue jersey or does the starting pitcher no longer select the jersey to be worn for the game? --Vince Doyle, Elk Grove, Calif.

The Cubs are no longer wearing the blue jerseys, a nod to traditional gray road uniforms of the past. They will also wear exclusively white at home. I'm not a fashion aficionado, but I thought the blue jerseys made them look like a 16-inch softball team from Albany Park. I'm happy the Cubs ditched the blues.

I didn't know this was happening. Great news!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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Comments

Blue Jerseys...

Well, they're gone for now...until the fans "forget" about them for a few years...and somoeone in the front office realizes they could make a bunch of money marketing the "retro" blue jerseys...

"KONG!"

by drone1047 @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Apr 13, 2007 9:23 AM CDT reply actions

No name on the home jerseys

names are back again. I Liked the no-name look.

by CubFaninNY on Apr 13, 2007 11:11 AM CDT reply actions

Agreed.

by Rev Gunia on Apr 13, 2007 1:52 PM CDT up reply actions

Makes the home jerseys more valuable.

A jersey without a name can belong to ... whoever has ever worn the number.

"God, grant me the Serenity to accept the Prior I cannot change ..."

by Littlerock Rynofan on Apr 13, 2007 9:46 PM CDT up reply actions

It is good news.

I think this news first came out after opening day, when Zambrano pitched in the greys. Z wore the greys at least once last season, but I never remember seeing him pitch in the pinstripes, which he will do today. While it doesn't ruin the trip to the ballpark, I always thought it was a bit of a drag to walk into Wrigley on a beautiful day and see the Cubs come out of the dugout looking like they forgot to change after batting practice. On the road, it was less bothersome, except for the fact that the blue jerseys were just plain ugly, and the greys are one of the best road uniforms around.

Next step: getting the team to retire the dorky red-billed road cap. Al has ten million different caps, yet the roadie is nowhere to be seen in the cap standings. It's been around since 1994, yet how often do you see anyone wearing one? If the insist on a road cap, I would rather see blue on red, or perhaps the white-on-blue look of the new BP cap. My first choice would be simply to wear the standard home cap on the road, but that will never happen, right?

by John in Indy on Apr 13, 2007 12:26 PM CDT reply actions

Aesthetics (sp?)

We are agreed on the blue uniform tops. They always looked out of place with the pinstriped home pants. Keeping them around for rare, occasional use (e.g. Sundays) would be fine with me as I never thought of them as ugly, they just looked unprofessional to me.

Now, where we have disagreement is on the baseball caps. I really like the red-billed road caps and would like to see the Cubs keep them for the idefinate future. However, whether or not they decide to keep a road cap, I do hope the Cubs fashion designers don't take your advice and work on blue-on-red or white-on-blue caps. No disrespect intended, but I can't picure anyone but frat boys and rap stars wearing such caps. Talk about unprofessional looks!

by Rev Gunia on Apr 13, 2007 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions

Would You Object to...??

a font change on the road cap and jerseys. I think that I could go for that.

There's always next year.

by BJ Simpson on Apr 13, 2007 5:31 PM CDT up reply actions

It's what ALL the players are wearing in Paris...

I'd have to see what they look like. It's not like I'm going to stop cheering for the Cubs if I don't like their road caps. I like their uniforms as they are and yet I realize that times change, styles change, and the Cubs uniforms will eventually change with them.

For what it's worth (and probably not much), my favorite caps are those ones with the silly-looking bear holding a baseball bat.

by Rev Gunia on Apr 13, 2007 9:28 PM CDT up reply actions

Interestingly...

... although the Cubs have changed uniform styles several times through the years, the current style, which dates from 1957, is an echo of what the team wore in the first decade of the 20th Century, when they last won World Series.

For more on uniforms you can click here; this link is permanently on the left sidebar under "Baseball Uniform Searchable Database".

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Apr 14, 2007 4:30 AM CDT up reply actions

Thanks

This link is really neat. I've put it on my favorites.

by Rev Gunia on Apr 14, 2007 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions

I am for

Blue ones as an alternate on, say, Sunday games. A la the Braves red ones.

On another note, why does TBS Braves' coverage and format for games look SO much better than WGN's? Is it just me? WGN's on-screen presentation of sports is weak for a "superstation." Any thoughts?

D-LEE!

by airweino on Apr 13, 2007 1:30 PM CDT reply actions

I thought the same thing about TBS.

Caught a little bit of last night's game before watching the OFFICE and I thought the same thing myself.

The on screen graphics are clean and nice.

I have Comcast Digital Cable as a provider. To my naked eye, it looked like I was receiving the feed in high definition as everything looked really crisp. I couldn't confirm if it really was high definition or not though.

Lastly, I think that the lighting at Atlanta is really well done with no shadows whatsoever. I think that carries well over to the TV feed also.

There's always next year.

by BJ Simpson on Apr 13, 2007 5:28 PM CDT up reply actions

Just like Wrigley

Turner Field features NO lighting poles in the outfield. All of the lighting comes from behind the diamond. The candlepower at Wrigley has to be up to MLB standards. Where it is DARK is in the seats! The lighting is (obviously) directed at the field, and there are not enough lights in the grandstand areas.

And, WGN sorely needs an update of their graphics presentation....however, perhaps with the pending Tribune sale, all capital expenditures may be -- shut down. (Except for baseball) So, no new character generators for WGN-TV. (Their news graphics are also about 5-6 years old too, and need to be freshened.)

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Apr 13, 2007 10:51 PM CDT up reply actions

It figures

I got a blue jersey this offseason. Oh well.

AC 00 00 00 - BELIEVE

by mike @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Apr 13, 2007 3:48 PM CDT reply actions

Bring The Jerseys Back

I love the blue jersey. I like the blue jersery worn on the road than at home but the blue jersey should be brought back. I will start a pettition and send it in to John McDonough himself. Ive been reading alot about how people think its unproffessional or looks like a softball league but the jersey looks great especially with the national league patch its very traditional how many teams have there league patches on a jersey anymore? thats one of the reason why I liked the jersey.

website coming up soon for the blue jersey up soon

and pettition at wrigley field coming soon

by CubFanAtMyOwnRisk on Apr 14, 2007 8:53 AM CDT reply actions

I wrote this

on a differennt web-site back when it was actually news, you know, when the season started, and there were stories in both the Tribune, and here:

http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/story/2007/4/3/125124/3543

Anyway, bottem line was that I think w all just got sick of how often the blues were worn. I agree that they wouldn't have been bad if it were a Sunday only type jersey, but it seemed like they were worn every other day...

It seems also like that 2003 was the apex of the problem when Z, Clement and Estes wore the blue all the time. Plus, Wood and Prior wore it on the road a ton as well.

I think it's good that the blue has gone away for a while, but I wouldn't mind seeing a return on a limited basis in '08...

Moose

by moose97 on Apr 14, 2007 9:25 AM CDT reply actions