For some reason, I find uniforms fascinating. Although I don’t think I quite qualify as a scholar of “The Obsessive Study of Athletic Aesthetics” like the fantastic Paul Lukas at Uni Watch, I do consider myself an interested observer and a student when it comes to jersey design, and I certainly find myself with strong opinions on jerseys in all sports, including baseball.

For example, the Toronto Blue Jays of the 1980s and 1990s had some classic uniforms and perhaps my favorite hat logo of all time.

Now, though, the Jays use this hat logo, which I’ve seen referred to as a “rat,” and much like the lettering on the jersey, the “J” on the logo is a bit heavy on metallic gray and beveling for my tastes. The current uniform design looks boring and, to me, corporate. Particularly disappointing is the use of black as a primary color on these alternates.

What to do? Going back to the old uniforms might work, but I feel like their time has passed. The lettering in particular on the jerseys from the 80s and early 90s belong in that time period. The Jays need a re-design that can work in 2010 while using the color scheme to the fullest. The Jays tried to use their blue in the late 90s, but the use of blinding red ruined these jerseys from 2003. However, I do think they had a few good things going.

Read the rest of this entry »