Uniforms

Best Home/Road Uniforms:

Winner

I don’t even like the color red, but I really enjoy these uniforms. Last year, the Reds ditched their vests. Vests are gay. Thus, good decision, Reds.

Runner-up

The runner-up was a tough decision for me, but I decided that the Marlins have a classy look, and the pinstripes are a nice touch. Their color scheme was a little more popular in the ’90′s when teal hats were in, but I still enjoy it quite a bit.

Honorable Mention: Pirates, Orioles, Rays, Mariners, Rockies

Way to stick with your guns (classics): Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox(sort of), Athletics, Cardinals, Royals

Best Alternate Uniforms:

Winner:

This might be the best look of any uniform, and I’m not sure why. The drawing doesn’t really do the uniform justice, as it is one of the cleanest and classiest looks in baseball. Chief Wahoo may not be classy, but the navy blue tribe unis are.

Runner-up:

The Rangers new red alternates are a real good look.

Honorable Mention: Athletics(green), Twins (blue), Red Sox (red), Kansas City (light blue)

The worst look in baseball:

When the Toronto Blue Jays switched their uniforms in 2003 to whatever that is, I was extremely disappointed. It’s terrible. It even makes Doc Holliday look a little dumpy. I was mainly angry because they had what was one of the best uniforms:

That was a good look, and their World Series-winning look was just as good. Now they wear trash. Now, on to the hats. People tend to fall in love with the classic hats of teams such as Boston, New York, and the Dodgers, and all are pretty sweet hats. Here are 5 of the finest hats of today’s MLB teams in my opinion (I can’t rank these…it’s too close):

And my favorite hats from last decade:

I’ve long been intrigued by baseball parks, so it’s been a great time growing up in the most recent ballpark-building boom. Since the Orioles christened Camden Yards in 1993, 18 of the 30 major league teams have built new ballparks. Many of the new parks were welcome changes, especially in cities like Pittsburgh and Cincinnati where the Reds and Pirates were still using multi-use stadiums from the cookie-cutter era of the ’70′s. However, the interesting thing about this new building boom, which ushered in new, beautiful, different, “retro” stadiums based on Camden Yards, is that these parks have essentially become a new kind of cookie-cutter. It is most definitely a better kind of cookie-cutter compared to the round, stale, cement-and-astroturf structures of the ’70′s, but all of these ballparks have basically blended into one gob of forest-green seating and ‘old school’ brick facades.

I still absolutely love baseball parks and hope to visit a vast majority of then at some point and time. I have only been to two, the beloved Safeco Field and the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which, well, let’s just say it leaves a lot to be desired. But that shouldn’t stop me from making a list of my top 5 favorite ballparks, which is in no way an expert list because I haven’t actually been to any of them (minus the Safe.) But, it is instead judged in the same way that all common fans judge ballparks: TV and pictures. Thus….here goes:

1) Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles): As mentioned earlier in this post, Camden Yards was the first park designed to look “retro” with a brick facade and less seating. This park started it all, and is still the best of the group. Even though it’s full name is Oriole Park at Camden Yards, no one actually uses the Oriole Park part, so I love the fact that the name of this place ends with “Yards.” When combined with the Orioles’ fabulous orange and black color scheme, delightful bird logo, and the object of my man-crush, centerfielder Adam Jones, Camden Yards is no doubt number 1.

2. PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates): It’s too bad the Pirates are atrocious, because not only would I love to see the poor Pirates be good, but also I’d like to see their park more often on TV. Of course, even if they were good, they would only be televised on ESPN when playing the Mets or Cubs. This place looks like a work of art, and the nice part about PNC is that they didn’t use the traditional reddish brick for the backstop behind home plate. They used a cream-colored limestone type of rock (I’m no geologist, obviously), making PNC look different from the other throwback parks built in this era. And that skyline? Well…yeah….hurry up and make a contender, Neal Huntington, your park needs to be full.

3. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals): Opened in 1973 during the peak of the concrete cookie-cutter era, Kauffman Stadium stands apart from most baseball parks because of it’s odd shape and concrete look. It has no “throwback” or “retro” look, but I find this pleasing about “The K” because I think it has its own personality (in must the same way Dodger Stadium does).
Kauffman was just renovated over the past few seasons, with more seating and a patio placed in the midst of the iconic outfield waterfalls and that gargantuan video board in straightaway center. Those sitting in the grandstand are encouraged to wear shades because of it. That was a joke. But really, Kansas City Royals fans haven’t really had a reason to go to the ballpark except the ballpark itself until this season, as Royals fans have reason to show up once every five games to see Zach Greinke. The other days of the week, they go just to be in “The K.”

4) Safeco Field (Seattle Mariners): You better believe I’m biased, but even forgetting the fact that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed several games here, Safeco is an excellent ballpark. The Safe wasn’t designed by the same architect that designed a vast majority of the new baseball stadiums, HOK Sport, so it doesn’t have a lot of the fluffy little throwback items that many parks try to throw in to make it neat. It’s a baseball park, plain and simple, and has probably pulled off the retractable roof better than anyone else. The interesting part about Safeco is that its roof acts more as an umbrella than anything else, so even when closed to keep fans and players dry, it is still an open air park with the majority of winds and elements blowing in from left field. When the roof is rolled off the park, it rests above a railyard making the whistles of trains passing by echo through the entire place. My memories of watching Mariners home games will always be accompanied by the occassional train whistle. When the place is full and going nuts like in the first years after it was built in 1999, it’s a beautiful thing. We’ll get back there.

5) “Progressive” (Jacobs) Field (Cleveland Indians): While I’ve never really gotten the “It’s Tribe Time Now!” phrase (why do they say now? why not later too? What an awkward phrase to put on t-shirts), I do thoroughly enjoy the Tribe’s baseball park. In happier times it was named Jacobs Field, and then the ugly beast that is corporate sponsorship reared her ugly head and naming rights was given to Progressive Insurance (bobblehead dolls of commercial icon Flo should be coming soon), but I still refuse to call this place anything but “The Jake.” The Jake catches a lot of flak from folks who say that it has an identity crisis between a retro park and a modern look. I’m just going to be very simple and sum it up like this: it looks cool.
Ballparks that all blend in to one big retro mess: Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati), Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia), Busch Stadium II (St. Louis), Citi Field (New York), AT&T Park (San Francisco), Comerica Park (Detroit), Rangers Ballpark (Texas)

Ballpark that is a good try: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota)

Ballparks that are asking for dynamite: Oakland Coliseum (Oakland)

Ballparks that are more fit for rats than baseball players: Angels Stadium (Los Angeles)

2009 “406″ Spell-Stars

#276, TIMOTHY RUITER

Speller #276 Timothy Ruiter

Age 12, 7th Grade

Hometown: Centreville, Virginia

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#139, SIDHARTH CHAND

Speller #139 Sidharth Chand

Age 13, 8th grade
Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Sidharth enjoys competing and is the one of two constestants to sport a mustache.  An avid philatelist, he has collected multiple stamps and postage items from around the world.

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#18, ALEX WELLS

Speller #18 Alex Wells

Age 13, 8th grade
Hometown: San Diego, California

Alex is extraordinarily versed in music. He plays bassoon, piano, and clarinet and composes symphony and chamber music.  He loves to read, and his favorite sport is basketball.

“I think he has been a great flamboyant quarterback, but he has made more stupid plays than any great quarterback that I’ve ever seen. Look at his final game in a Packers uniform. He blew that game against the Giants. He’s playing against Eli Manning(notes), I love Eli Manning, but he’s still not a great quarterback. He’s not Peyton yet, or Tom Brady(notes). He’s just a guy. And they’re (Packers) are playing at home, and they’re in a tight situation, they went to overtime and he (Favre) throws the interception that allows them (the Giants) to come back and win the game. He has done that and driven his coaches crazy all of his career.”

All of us rational thinking folks agree, but somewhere, on his bus/horse trailer/turducken wagon, John Madden is enraged.

A couple things to Note after watching the previous video:

1) The little man is 2 years old, and did anyone else happen notice he’s already poppin his collar, AND ACTUALLY PULLIN IT OFF??

2) Most college-middle aged men should be terrified of bars and pool halls from now on. Imagine the situation when you and a few of the guys head to the bar and decide to play some pool while havin some drinks and observing the females……and you lose to a 2 year old. Ladies will love that fellas! (Plus, the kid is 2 and he’s poppin his collar.)

And in honor of Rashard Lewis, who is lethal and probably shouldn’t be guarded by Ben Wallace with the game on the line, watch the following. Acutally it’s in honor of his former team, the Seattle SuperSonics. Ok…I’m still in love with them and it’s just sweet, that’s why.