People talk about the 70s being bad for baseball fashion, but the mid 90s had some bad trends as well. The neon of the D-Rays, the teal of the Marlins, the stupid vest trend, the Angels hideous unis, the Pirates busy uniforms, the Blue Jays switching to a stupid looking bird, teams like the Rangers going for inexplicable changes in colors, and of course the trend of having fifteen different uniform styles for one team.

When I was in high school in the 90s, I just wanted a simple, classic logo, like the Boston "B" or the Detroit "D" or the Royals "KC", and too many teams like the Pirates, Angels, Blue Jays, and D-Rays put up these awful, humongous logos on their caps. Blech.

Indians....

Worst: Anything with Wahoo. Non-Wahoo category: the all-red 1975-76 ensemble was certainly an interesting choice. They got those just in time for Boog Powell to join the team,


which DID lead to one of the better quotes of all-time, when Boog called himself "the world's largest blood clot"

The Orioles cap from the early 70's that he links to, with the back top, orange bill, and cartoon bird, is my favorite. Also, it's worth noting that the orioles shift in 1989 to a button down, belted uniform with the non-cartoon bird seemed to spark the trend away from the pullover jerseys and elastic pants.

I couldn't immediately find photographic evidence of them (I do still have a day job), but I was shocked to realize that Boog was party to both the all-orange Orioles and the all-red Indians. I almost wish he would have been traded to the White Sox in time to sport the shorts.

are the Yankees still the only team that has player names on neither the home nor the road uniform?

are the Yankees still the only team that has player names on neither the home nor the road uniform?

Didn't the Dodgers take the names off the uniforms a couple of years back?

The Sox Shorts didn't work out, but the hat was a solid design. It's nice to see the Mariner's trident M on the list, although the trident within a star was slightly cooler.

The AL has a wider range from best to worst than the NL, and Craig covers it nicely.

I gotta demur about some of the AL West assessments, though. The A's look great in almost any variety of green and yellow. I just think those are great uniform colors; they look great on the Packers and they look great on the A's. You walk into the ballpark and you know who you're playing that day, it's not some incognito outfit in neutral blue.

And for the same reason that I hate neutral blue, I think that the late-'90s red Ranger uniforms were by far the best thing they ever did. Very classy, and it gains by association with success too, because that was the only time the Rangers ever won anything. By contrast, every attempt they have made to design a blue uniform has been embarrassing.

I'll accept all opinions on the green and yellow. My distaste of it is a very personal thing.

Rangers: I probably have to defer to the judgment of a Texan like you, Bob. A commenter on my blog made the point that the red matched up much more nicely with the Ballpark's color scheme too, and now the blue looks out of place.

It's just that when I think Rangers, I think blue, going back to the 70s.

A few comments:

Craig, you should have stuck to the Cooperstown version, cuz it's easier not to get the years mixed up. For one example, that "1937" Yankees uniform shows a photo of Joe Dimaggio that couldn't possibly have been taken before 1946.

You're right about the Yanks, Tigers, and Dodgers having the best unis ever (the Red Sox and the White Sox are close), but the Yanks win the tiebreaker for never having the players' names on the back.

As a general rule, the ugliest uniforms are those that combine vests and pinstripes, like the Angels of recent years.

But vests in general are a horror under any circumstances. In fact, as soon as I make a phone call and get rid of Selig once and for all, my newly appointed Commissioner is going to ban the damn things, unless your name is Ted Kluszewski.

Andy -- Good point about that DiMaggio pic. I should probably change that to 1947. After yesterday's NL piece, a couple of people asked to see the uniforms on living bodies, so I tried to accomodate them for the most part. Lukas does this so much better than anyone else. I'm just dabbling.

I think the Pirates looked good in vests (old version; not the red crap and big ugly patch they have today). The Reds did it pretty well too back in the day (again, less impressed with the more modern version). The Royals, Angels, and others should know better, though.

the red matched up much more nicely with the Ballpark's color scheme too

A lot of this is pure association, indeed, Craig. Ranger blue, especially in that wacky (actually kinda cool in itself) '70s font you comment on, is linked to the "Strangers" who "never played a meaningful game in September," and Arlington Stadium, aka "the world's largest open-air broiler." The Ballpark was a chance for the team to toss all that stuff down the memory hole, but the return of the blue was like the return of the repressed, and it's a bit jarring :)

Craig, I agree that the back in the day vests of the Reds and the Pirates were better than the versions we see now, but even then the Reds only had them for two years before cluttering them up with pinstripes.

The biggest problem today is that lousy teams seem to think that switching styles every other year is some sort of fabulous marketing gimmick, as if their fan base consists of a flock of fickle fashionistas. Just one more reason out of many to be a Yankees fan.

I'll confess to liking the White Sox pajama tops. I think Fisk said they were the most comfortable uniform he'd ever worn.

My only question involves the Dressed to the Nines database. How did they get Kevin Brown to model all those modern uniforms?

How did they get Kevin Brown to model all those modern uniforms?

Classic.

Indians....

Worst: Anything with Wahoo. Non-Wahoo category: the all-red 1975-76 ensemble was certainly an interesting choice. They got those just in time for Boog Powell to join the team,

which DID lead to one of the better quotes of all-time, when Boog called himself "the world's largest blood clot"

I recall Joe Garagiola describing Boog as looking like a giant Bloody Mary.

To critique my own favourite team, the uniforms the Blue Jays had from 1997-2000 were awful. I hated that look from the moment I saw it, particularly the road uniforms. The update they made before the 2001 season improved them significantly, giving them a slightly more traditional feel. They still weren't great, but they were no longer an embarrassment.

When the Jays unveiled their uniforms for the 1997 season, this one was going to be one of their alternates. It's was axed before the season started. I actually liked it the best of the ones from that year.

I personally like the current Jays logo. I was lukewarm to it at first, but it's grown on me and I think it'll be around for a number of years yet. I do wish they'd go back to being blue, at least at home. I can live with black on the road.

The Blue Jays are going to have to update their home and alternate uniforms to be consistent with the new road jersey. It doesn't make much sense to have two different looks.

Some general comments:

I happen to like solid coloured alternate jerseys, as long as they're not bright red like the ones the Braves and Red Sox have. For some reason I hate saving alternate jerseys for one particular day of the week -- if a team is going to have them, they should be warn at any time. If I'm not mistaken, I think a lot of teams allow the starting pitcher to choose the jersey of the day.

I'm not a fan of retro alternate jerseys. If you want to have a Turn Back the Clock night once or twice season, fine. But don't be like the Brewers and Jays and have a regular retro jersey. It's dumb.

Worst jerseys in recent years: the black alternate jerseys the Royals and A's had. Damn, those things were ugly.

Hands down worst uniforms ever. One game - "Turn Ahead the Clock" Royals vs. Mariners. I still have nightmares about it.

And for the same reason that I hate neutral blue, I think that the late-'90s red Ranger uniforms were by far the best thing they ever did. Very classy, and it gains by association with success too, because that was the only time the Rangers ever won anything. By contrast, every attempt they have made to design a blue uniform has been embarrassing.

Yeah...I was annoyed when the Rangers changed from red to blue. It just made them look exactly the same, except more generic.

And then the Angels dumped the weird Mo Vaughn-era uniforms in favor of something that looked just like what the Rangers had gotten rid of. I was confused for a while, to see the Angels seemingly dressed like the Rangers.

A comment that should go on yesterday's post: There really hasn't been enough emphasis on just how awful the Braves uniforms were in the mid-70s. That is definitely closer to little-kid pajamas than any Mariners or Brewers uni. It caught me by surprise, because they have not one single thing in common with the look the Braves have had for the last 15 years...and the Braves were so mediocre at that time that we hardly ever see any photos of that era (even though it was when Aaron was breaking the record...I guess I've more often seen pictures of him as a Milwaukee Brave than as an Atlanta Brave, actually).

Hands down worst uniforms ever. One game - "Turn Ahead the Clock" Royals vs. Mariners. I still have nightmares about it.

Those uni's belong in their own section for awfulness. Ill-conceieved and badly executed. Plus a handful of teams--or at least the Yankees--wouldn't go along with it and that only served to demonstrate how stupid the other ones looked.

I love the red mid-70s Sox cap. It's one of my favorite retro caps to wear. I think it's aged well. I agree the pullovers weren't very good - they have this sort of regretfulness about them, like the team knew they should never have used them, but just couldn't help themselves, so they didn't go all out and make something truly memorable like the Indians, Pirates or Giants pullovers, so you're just left with this bland pullover that looks like the button-up without buttons.

I think this is my favorite Red Sox road and what the team should be wearing now. Change the black in the block BOSTON to blue, and add red piping around it. Looks good.

I don't know why so many people hate black as a jersey color. If it were up to me, as a Met fan, I'd have the traditional classic look for all home games, and replace the road uniforms with the black alternates. Classic blue cap for home games and solid black (none of the blue-rimmed monstrosities) for the road.

I've never been a big fan of the gray road uniforms, particularly with the similarity to the Yankees.

I unashamedly think the technicolor 70s were the best decade for baseball uniforms. My all-time favorites are the Astros, Padres, and Athletics.

I always thought the Brown, gray and green colors of the St. Louis Browns was pretty classic. Kind of depression-era classic but classic nonetheless.

The M's trident cap is kind of cool, but I much prefer the compass rose. Lest you think my aesthetic sense has been clouded by the quality of the teams that sported the caps, I'd counter that I prefer the ornithologically correct Orioles caps...

There really hasn't been enough emphasis on just how awful the Braves uniforms were in the mid-70s.

That look has really shot up in popularity lately. In Atlanta, you'll see almost as many of those 70s era caps as present day Braves caps. I certainly prefer the current uniforms (indeed, the Braves' uniforms are my favorite ones from any team), but I think those 70s ones are decent. They have some flair, certainly.

Plus a handful of teams--or at least the Yankees--wouldn't go along with it

Maybe they did go along with it. They just looked the same.

The lowercase a logo on the 70's Braves hat is nice, just like the Brewers mb glove logo. But the uniforms themselves look real silly. What's that pointy thing on the sleeves? And that shade of blue is all wrong. Not dark enough to be dignified, not powder-blue enough to be classic.

The only time I've seen a team's uniforms really change for the better recently was when the Padres adopted the "sand" color. That navy did not work, not for Greg Vaughn, not for Trevor Hoffman, not for anyone.

Every other change I've greeted with "well, I guess we could get used to this." Even the Angels' dropping the ridiculous white pinstripes, because they decided to replace them with the Rangers' uniforms.

Oh, except for the Dbacks' new "db" snakehead logo. That's pretty sweet.

What's that pointy thing on the sleeves?

I've always thought it was supposed to be a tobacco leaf, though I'm not sure from where I got that idea.

Oddly, I much preferred the Pads' navy uniform to those sand ones, which look so...nothing to me.

What's that pointy thing on the sleeves?

Feathers. As in, on an arrow. Indian Braves, you know.

Green and gold is beautiful. White cleats are beautiful. Don't care what anyone else has to say about that.

Worst jerseys in recent years: the black alternate jerseys the Royals and A's had. Damn, those things were ugly.

Black, however, is not beautiful. And it's coming back this season for the A's, in a slightly altered version. And it still looks horrible.

I have to disagree. I think this year's Devil Rays uniforms are boring, bland, and uninspiring. Their last year's uniform was classic looking, yet modern in appearance. This year? Same as every other team. Wow, navy blue, no one has that for a team color.

The Yankees when they switched briefly to cotton uniforms in '94 - now that was insane

My favorite "universally criticized" uniform is still the Astros' rainbow jersey. Stripe-down-the-sleeve kind, not the wraparound rainbow.

The Yankees when they switched briefly to cotton uniforms in '94 - now that was insane

especially after they shrank in the wash.

it's worth noting that the orioles shift in 1989 to a button down, belted uniform with the non-cartoon bird seemed to spark the trend away from the pullover jerseys and elastic pants.

I think it really started a quarter-century ago, when the '83 Giants abandoned the black+orange pullovers in favor of the button down home whites, road grays, which began the return to traditional uniforms...

Tigers

Best: My vote for the best dressed team of all time.

Amen. However, having the tiger crawling through the D on the logo annoys me to no end.

"Turn Ahead the Clock"

Am I the only one who liked the TATC unis? Well, I didn't really like the unis per se (the Royals, I agree, were an abomination), I just liked the idea that a billion-dollar industry like MLB could actually conceive of such a thing. At least they were trying to be different, unlike other leagues that require every uni to contain some combination of teal, black, teal and black, or black and teal...

Every other change I've greeted with "well, I guess we could get used to this." Even the Angels' dropping the ridiculous white pinstripes, because they decided to replace them with the Rangers' uniforms.

I thought the 1993-1996 Angel jerseys were very nicely done. Simple, tasteful, classic. I do like the present logo as well, though I'm not a fan of the red.

Oh, except for the Dbacks' new "db" snakehead logo. That's pretty sweet.

Concur! It's the best new logo in sports. The whole renovation of the DBacks look is fantastic. They pulled from the local area the color a design style, and the typeface for 2008 logo is just outstanding.

I think this year's Devil Rays uniforms are boring, bland, and uninspiring.

In the Lounge a few days ago, I complained that the new Rays logo doesn't even connect to the team. Everything the DBacks did right, the DRays did wrong. Their unis have two different logos on them, so are they the Devil Rays or the Sun Rays? How do the colors work for the region? Who knows! Who cares! Because the DRays obviously don't! What a lousy logo, reflective of a lousy organization.

Amen. However, having the tiger crawling through the D on the logo annoys me to no end.

Me too. Illitch's worst idea in a long time.

Detroit has some snazzy unis for most of their teams. Red Wings and Tigers are obviously classics and, in my biased opinion, the best in both their leagues (or at least tied with the Yankees and Blackhawks/Canadians). The PIstons unis are decent now that they went back to the bad boy blues and away from the Grant Hill pansy-ass teal.

Even the Lions had solid uniforms until Millen came along and added black piping on everything. Now they look like an arean league team on the field AND in the locker room. Nice job Millen.

Angels

Best: The halos on the hats and over the A in "Angels" is a pretty sweet look. The current version gets demerits for not putting a city name on the roadies after causing Anaheim all that trouble in switching to "Los Angeles" a couple of years ago.

Well, part of the point was to brand ANGELS, and make it universal. Arte never wanted "Los Angeles" to be on anything, least of all on the uniforms.

Well, part of the point was to brand ANGELS, and make it universal. Arte never wanted "Los Angeles" to be on anything, least of all on the uniforms.

One of the Angels' front office personnel (I forget the name, unfortunately) was a guest on the Mariners' broadcast today, and Dave Niehaus was commenting on how he much liked the early 1960s Angels hats with the interlocking LA. The conversation got around to having Angels instead of a city name on the uniforms, and the executive was saying that that was a decision made by Mr. Moreno, and that if you go to the Angels team store, you won't find anything that has "Los Angeles" or "Anaheim" on it - it's all "Angels"...

Amen. However, having the tiger crawling through the D on the logo annoys me to no end.

It's not on the uniform, though, so I don't really care. But I prefer the '80s logo.

Another hideous uniform, and I know it has noble intentions, are the Padres camo jerseys. The Padres as a franchise have really had pretty hideous uniforms throughout their history. Every time I see these unis I think someone peed on them.

I do kinda have a nostalgic wish that pullovers would make a comeback.

I actually don't mind the Padres' sand roadies too much. They're unique, but not offensive, and they do coordinate nicely with the stadium (if that matters). Not cool enough to be considered a "best" certainly, but not bad enough to be a "worst" either.

Concur! It's the best new logo in sports. The whole renovation of the DBacks look is fantastic. They pulled from the local area the color a design style, and the typeface for 2008 logo is just outstanding.

And that just adds to the fact that Diamondbacks is the best-named new team in my lifetime (40 years). I think Diamondbacks was a spectacular choice due to its uniqueness, its relevance to Arizona (I much prefer when the team can tap into its geography for a nickname) and for the fact that a baseball term happens to be included in it.

I love the A's Green and Gold from the early 1970's. I became an A's fan as a kid growing up in St Louis. I bought an A's cap at Busch Stadium and the vendor looked at me like I was a ten year old Benedict Arnold. I think I was the only A's fan in all of eastern Missouri at that time. The cap still fits!

"I may have hated the A’s traditional green and yellow uniforms before then, but I know I hated them afterwards. I still hate them."

I can be somewhat objective about NL uniforms. But being an AL fan and an A's fan in particular, my views on Oakland are admittedly biased. I've basically loved every version of the Oakland A's uniforms, save the black Sunday unis they wore. I love the 1970s versions, the '80s, the 90's and today's.

This may be completely due to my personal bias, but the normal A's hats, gold brim and dark green cap, are the best looking baseball hats of all time. Whenever a crowd is panned at some other stadium -- say in Philadelphia or Boston or Atlanta -- and someone has on an A's hat, it stands out, it stands above the rest, and it screams, "I am the best looking damn hat in this crappy ballpark. Hah!"

The other hats respond, "Your hat doesn't work in the playoffs."

I hate the Diamonback name, new logo, new colors, new uniforms, original logo, original colors, and original uniforms. Other than that, they don't really bother me. I like some of their players.

Does this guy hate the Blue Jays? He wants powder blues and cartoon birds.

Ugh.

According to the bb-ref wiki piece on TATC, that Royals-Mariners game was a one-off promotion in 1998, likely dreamed up by the home team (the M's).

It was successful enough that Bud and MLB got involved, setting up a 1999 TATC schedule, and lining up a corporate sponsor to promote the whole shebang. Teams had the option of declining to participate in the farce; the Yankees and 7 other teams took that option.

MLB must have run the numbers post-season and decided it didn't make sense to revive the promotion, so that's why we haven't seen it since.