The New Old Uniforms

Little did I know when I attended the Red Sox - Padres game in June of 2007, that I would be present for a franchise-changing event. You see, the night of June 22nd was Retro 80s night. It was a real hoot - the Padres wore those hideous orange polyester unis from those dark days, Adding:
and they even doctored the player photos for the Jumbotron:
The Sox players wore retro uniforms as well, although the road version. You can see Ortiz (who was manning first that night) and Pedroia in photo at the top. I thought they were actually quite cool and, IIRC, Kelly and I got a kick out of the fact that the player names were omitted - just as they were back in the day. Edit to add:


Now, I say this was a "franchise changing" event because of an announcement made officially at Game On last night - the introduction of new road jerseys. From the official press release:

Team ownership and management were first inspired for the uniform changes during a “turn back the clock” game against the Padres on June 22, 2007, in which the team sported gray road uniforms from the early 1980s. It was a traditional look that prompted management to call Major League Baseball with a request to design new uniforms that would reflect the heritage of the long-standing franchise.

So, here are three Red Sox legends - Terry Francona, Jim Rice and Jerry Remy - modeling the new look:

AP Photo

I like them! Very clean, classic. And I've always been fond of the "hanging Sox" logo - I've already got a few pieces of clothing and hats that feature it. I know this probably a big marketing ploy - the timing, just in time for Christmas shopping, says it all. But a little change is good!

Now, I've just got to send a new email to Santa....