MLB notes: Red Sox wisely took less is more approach with new uniforms

Since Nike and MLB first introduced the City Connect uniform scheme in we ve seen a handful of standout designs along with a bunch that missed the mark Certain like the Red Sox original yellows the Padres colorful Baja design and Milwaukee s powder blue Brew Crew kits were home runs Others like the Wrigleyville Cubs design and the blue Los Dodgers look were bland and forgettable Then you had certain like the Phillies and Tigers weird and disjointed blues which were as ugly as they were confounding Now four years in Nike has begun rolling out a new cycle of City Connects So far this spring eight MLB clubs have unveiled their second generation look with the Red Sox becoming the greater part newest this weekend following the Astros Nationals Giants Rockies White Sox Marlins and Diamondbacks Of that group the Red Sox s new Fenway Greens clearly rank among the best When it comes to alternate uniforms and City Connects in particular several teams have a tendency to go overboard Whether it s too countless design elements ill-conceived concepts or bold style decisions the aftermath is often messy and off-putting The Red Sox wisely took a less is more approach Everyone who sees the new uniform will instantly recognize the Fenway Park inspiration and every design element flows naturally from that concept The Red Sox across the front in the scoreboard font is right now identifiable as is the yellow front number which evokes the running line points and the foul poles The circle B sleeve patch is a creative touch and the green and red dots mimicking the balls strikes and outs lights are subtle but effective But what separates the uniform is everything it could have featured but doesn t The Red Sox could have put the Wally Head home run prop or certain other overwrought logo on the hat They could have gone with green pants which might have seemed cool in theory but would have been a catastrophe in practice Look no further than the New England Patriots whose home uniforms look infinitely better with silver pants rather than wearing navy blue on navy blue The early response to the new uniform appears to be overwhelmingly positive but if there s one area the club will likely draw criticism it ll be for playing it safe Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy predicted the uniforms would be controversial and I don t think either the design s supporters or detractors would argue that s the occurrence Still you don t have to search hard to find examples of other clubs who pushed the envelope to their own detriment Houston Astros reliever Bennett Sousa wears the club's new City Connect uniform which features the word quot Stros quot across the front AP Photo Ashley Landis Look at the Astros new uniform which is close to being great but shoots itself unnecessarily in the foot The overall aesthetic is a cool blend of their modern championship look and their sleek s style but the Stros across the front looks like someone forgot to add the A before sending the design to the printer The new hat also looks too much like the old Arizona Diamondbacks logo for my taste How about the Marlins new design I would have given it an A except for the hat which curiously features the city s area code rather than one of the gang s various excellent logos And don t even get me started about the Giants who replaced their bad original City Connect uniforms with one that s somehow even worse I think it s supposed to evoke the city s psychedelic music history and look like a lava lamp At least it s more original than the White Sox who basically just took a Chicago Bulls basketball top and turned it into a baseball jersey The Red Sox meanwhile are now for with their City Connects Other clubs would do well to learn from their success The Red Sox celebrate on the field at Dodger Stadium after winning the World Series Matt Stone Boston Herald Red vs Blue While the Red Sox largely hit it out of the park with their new City Connects there is one uniform-related area where the club really missed the mark They retired the wrong alternate jersey As it stands now Nike has a four-plus-one guidelines that dictates an MLB club can have four core uniforms plus a City Connect Other clubs that have received a new City Connect have historically retired their previous ones but the Red Sox decided to keep their original yellow uniforms and convert it to a core offering That meant the club had to retire one of their other uniforms instead and the Red Sox opted to do away with their road blues I think that was a mistake In general I like the reds better than the blues and between and the club wore the blues far too frequently But the blues were fine as a Friday night alternate and the matter the Red Sox have is the blues were their only alternate uniforms designed to fit with the club s usual road look Historically the club s road uniforms say Boston across the front have names on the back and are worn with grey pants The home uniforms meanwhile generally say Red Sox across the front with specific exceptions do not have names on the back and are worn with white pants Given that the two City Connects were invariably going to be prioritized at home the club has instead worn red on the road The effect I d argue has been a mess Besides the fact that it s odd seeing the Red Sox playing on the road without names on the back of their jerseys the reds just don t look as good with grey pants Worse the red and grey combination looks more like something the Cleveland Guardians would wear to the point that it was borderline confusing when the Red Sox wore red while playing at Progressive Field a couple of weeks ago Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman takes the mound against the Cleveland Guardians wearing the club's red alternate uniform earlier this season AP Photo David Richard Keeping the blues would have made for a more sensible uniform rotation but that s not the only reason they should have stayed For as long as the Red Sox exist Chris Sale striking out Manny Machado to clinch the World Series championship will remain an indelible image in club history That clip will be a fixture of hype videos for years to come which means fans will invariably have a reminder that the blues not only existed but were a prominent part of one of the franchise s greatest seasons Whatever detractors the blues may have had their absence will make the heart grow fonder I suspect the blues will eventually enjoy a nostalgic resurgence among fans much like the Patriots classic red uniforms and to a lesser extent their s era blues They ll likely retain a strong industry on platforms like eBay and if they haven t been reintroduced by the th anniversary of the championship in three years I wouldn t be surprised if there s momentum among fans to bring them back Nice as they look on a warm Friday night at Fenway Park the red alternates don t have anywhere near that level of historical significance And with the superior yellow and green alternatives now at their disposal the club doesn t really need the red top any more Former Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose has been posthumously reinstated from baseball's permanently ineligible list and could soon be up for Hall of Fame consideration AP Photo John Swart File Rose Jackson not shoe-ins Earlier this week MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stunned the baseball world when he reported that anyone placed on the sport s permanently ineligible list would be reinstated upon their death As a end Pete Rose and others are now effectively back in the competition s good graces and eligible for Hall of Fame consideration The immediate reaction was predictably polarized but majority people seemed to agree that the decision likely paves the way for Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson a member of the infamous Chicago White Sox company that threw the World Series to eventually make the Baseball Hall of Fame most of likely when the Hall s Classic Era committee next convenes in Me I m not so sure While Rose and Jackson are now eligible they remain highly divisive figures in the baseball world and those on the Hall of Fame s Classic Era committee may not have any interest in enshrining players who for decades have been barred for gambling on baseball the sport s cardinal sin Especially not someone like Rose whose transgressions went far beyond the playing field and included everything from a tax evasion conviction to an extramarital affair with a teenager The experience of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens may prove instructive When Bonds and Clemens were on the BBWAA ballot they consistently polled in the range and ostensibly would have eventually cleared the needed for induction if the Hall hadn t shortened the eligibility period from to years Yet when they came before the Classic Era committee in they were roundly rejected receiving fewer than four votes from the -member committee It s entirely practicable they may not have received any votes at all Even if Bonds and Clemens were never permanently banned the sport rendered judgment against them anyway Rose has never been on a Hall of Fame ballot so at the very least he will now get the same shot as those ostracized for their association with performance-enhancing drugs But Bonds and Clemens landslide defeat in was a clarifying moment ending more than a decade of debate and speculation about their Hall of Fame fates and all but assuring they will remain on the outside looking in Whether he makes it or not Rose s eventual candidacy will likely do the same potentially closing the book on a story nearly years in the making