Gumball unis

The other day I was watching a game between the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers.  It was a Monday afternoon game which the A’s eventually one in 10 innings on a walk off home run by Hideki Matsui.  What struck me about the game — aside from the great ending — was the alternate uniforms worn by each team.  The A’s have these retro ’70s bright yellow jerseys that they wear occasionally at home.  The Rangers wore a bright, royal blue top, as opposed to their travelling grays.

For some reason these colors  — the yellow and blue — looked great together.  Maybe it is because they are primary colors, and bright ones at that.  They looked like gum balls.

I was searching for a photo that showed both uniform in the same shot, but could not find one.  Instead, in keeping with the retro theme, I’ll give you a photo of Coco Crisp with his Oscar Gamble style ‘fro. 

Rangers starter Matt Harrison

Those wacky baseball uniforms of the ’70s.

 Who besides me is nostalgic for this quirky period in baseball haberdashery?  Who can forget the banana-in-pajamas yellow of the Pittsburgh Pirates? 

  How about the seizure-inducing kaleidoscope that comprised the Houston Astros festival in orange?

 Even the seats of the Astrodome had this pattern!

And of course, the staple road uniform of at least 10 teams: powder-blue.   I was partial to the road uniforms of the St Louis Cardinals, which inexplicably had nothing to do with their home color, Cardinal red.

 How about those Whitesox, who for one game in the middle of the decade actually wore short pants!

I’m hoping that teams begin to break out of the  conservative period that we currently inhabit. Enough of this boring road grey.  I’m also tired of black jerseys that have nothing to do with the team colors. 

How about you?   What were, or are, or were your favorite uniforms?

Happy Memorial Day!