Metsblog has posted a story about possible changes to the 2011 uniforms.
In a nusthell, it could be that black stays in the mix and they might get rid of the blue piping on the pinless.
Discuss!
As I’ve been saying all day, if you like this say so. Â If you don’t like it say so – but do more than telling me. Â Tell the other blogs, tell the writers, write a letter.
But if you like it, stand up for your opinion!
My opinion: I think I have made it clear I don’t like black as part of the uniforms and that I think the black dropshadow takes away from even the white uniforms. Â Â I can’t judge a piping-less uniform until I see one but my gut reaction is to leave the pinless the same as it is for 2010.
If anyone has expertise in MLB marketing please email me ([email protected]). Â I’d love to know how much lead time has to be given to the league, to manufacturers, partners etc.
I have no idea if this is locked in stone or just being considered.
Guest posts welcome and encouraged.
After hearing this news, I suspect the Mets decided to leak this because of marketing purposes.
I don’t think the real news is the fact that they are THINKING of getting rid of the blue stripe on the snow white unis. They want fans to know that investing in a black cap, shirt, or even jersey would not be short term, especially with speculation amongst bloggers and fans that the black might soon be out the door.
I guess they have been significantly hurting in black merchandise sales that they thought it was a good idea to make a statement on the topic.
CPen I wondered if this was a float as well but I don’t think it was because of how I learned of it. All speculation.
Man I hate that black uni! And that hybrid cap is even worse. It just looks too casual and unprofessional. Its like they should be wearing it in spring training or workouts. Put those pinstripes on and do those Mets look GOOD! When I see them dressed like that I think of all that good history they have and winning guys like Seaver and Koosman come to mind.
I think you might be confusing ‘looking good’ with looking familiar.
Didn’t that Mets uniform survey from last year have piping-free whites?
Removing the piping from the all white uniform is going to make them look like the Dodgers. I thought they were trying to dispel the Dodgers fetish stuff.
It wouldn’t just be a Dodger fetish. The Giants didn’t have pinstripes either. I don’t see the reason for pinstripes in a Mets uniform. What convinced those first Mets uniform designers that they needed to incorporate elements of the Yankee uniform? It was a big mistake.
With the clashing blue and orange, they added pinstripes. In essence, they tried to combing THREE !!! teams uniforms in one. Not an easy task. Time to get the Yankee uniform out of the Met uniform, but leave the NY Giant-Dodger legacy in that uniform. It’s important for the Mets to stake that claim as the home of NL history in NY.
You are apparently completely unfamiliar with the NL history in New York City. If you were, you would be aware that the Giants wore pinstripes before the Yankees did. In fact, All three NY teams wore pinstripes simultaneously for roughly a 20 year period.
This concept that somehow pinstripes are a “Yankee” thing is simply factually incorrect. Pinstripes are a “Baseball” thing.
When the black first came out I thought it was cool but it is time to go. I am not a fan of the ice cream pinless jerseys either. They should wear either the white or off white jerseys with the pinstripes and the road grey’s with New York on them. Blue caps for both. Enough with the mixing and matching of uni’s. Keep it simple.
I think changing up the “snow whites” is the wrong way to go. by comparison to what MetsBlog thinks the new unis might look like, the current snow whites really aren’t bad.
Dyhrd: as a civlian I find i look best (a very relative term) in the pinless. However I am not playing.
Derek Jeter looks handsome in a suit. He would look silly in my house in a pinstripe jersey.
I have conceded the pinless battle. That’s the primary now, fine. But if it’s the primary, wear it. I don’t wanna see dopey hybrids tonight.
they don’t get it in flushing and i don’t think they ever will. the black was a fad that should have died years ago. if the want to continue to sell the jerseys, by all means do so…but gimme the pinstripes please. it’s a crime that the road grays have only been worn with blue hats/socks once in the last seven years. it’s a beautiful thing, see for yourselves:
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/images/2009/02/27/BHAQdAqS.jpg
There was strong talk in Binghamton that the New York Mets were going to change there 3d uniform to match the Binghamton mets and would drop the black from the color .Last year the Mets asked the fans and the fans wanted them to drop black from the color set .. It shows you that the mets don’t care what the fans want
I don’t like solid color uniforms much. eh.
What about a Black pinstriped jersey, or would that just make them look like candystripers or something?
unspeakably horrendous
They need to stop tinkering with the jerseys and just drop anything with black in it altogether. As Ry said, it was a fad that died a long time ago with the Mets being the only inept team when it comes to fashion trends. But then again, Jay Horowitz’s orange blazer is still around so should anyone be surprised?
The mets front office sent out e-mail asking fan there input and then they blow off what the fans want
Lord al: to be fair we don’t know the results of the survey. Maybe it came back pro-black. Maybe black is the top seller. Maybe there are MLB marketing rules we’re unaware of.
Maybe the people who grew up on Piazza are more likely to fill out a survey online than someone who is 55.
Lots of unknowns.
Maybe I’m missing something, but I interpret Cerrone’s post as saying they’re considering ditching the blue piping on the BLACK jerseys, not the white ones:
“…the Mets will be keeping the black uniforms next season, and might look to ditch the blue stripe running along the collar and down the center.”
i dont know what matt heard but i heard the blue piping would come off the white.
Uni survey Shannon posted about last year, unfortunately the screen shots are kind of small
https://metspolice.com/2009/09/29/repost-the-new-york-mets-uniform-survey-2/
Shannon, that’s the first thing I thought of when you mentioned the Dodgers in the other post
yeah, cerrone needs to clarify this. are they going to ditch the piping on the blacks or the snow whites, as both have blue piping?
shannon, in regards to expressing your opinion, i spoke with a higher up in the marketing department (don’t want to reveal names in the comment section, but will do via email) and we talked for 25 minutes this offseason about my concerns for the uniform. would love to fill you in on that.
but ultimately, here is where i stand. i’m not an old man. i’m 25 years old. i’m also someone who has spent thousands in summer job and now real job money on mets merchandise. i’m a collector and a huge supporter, both financially and emotionally, of this orangization. when i was a teenager, the mets started rockin’ the “mets in black” gimmick and was fully open to cool alternate jerseys. but then i grew up. i got into public relations. i started understanding brand and sports design. and ultimately here’s the deal: the uniforms that my dad watched them play in when he was a kid are superior to what we wear now. that being said, i’m not saying i’m opposed to an alternate. but it has to fit.
ideal uniforms for me:
primary home: cream pinstripes (without dropshadow)
home alternate: either current snow whites without dropshadow OR add a blue alternate (orange piping, orange mets script outlined in white)
road: current greys, again without dropshadow paired with blue hat.
alternate hat: if you want to add an alternate hat, use the awesome color scheme we have: traditional blue hat with orange brim.
i would kill the black jersey, the all black hat and the hybrid hat. the hybrid hat is the WORST.
Brian I would love to hear about that conversation – or I’d you’d like to write it up even better.
I can be reached at [email protected] and respond to everyone pretty quickly plus or minus real job.
But Brian, surely if you think marketing, you’ll realize that a bright blue (not a dark blue) hat with burnt orange lettres is a cap that civis can’t wear without looking like … I dunno … I don’t want to say clowns but definitely victims of something. It’s not friendly to the civilian. And civilians want to wear this clothing.
I very much disagree with you, that they should adopt an alt hat with an orange brim. That is unusable for the civilian community.
What would be better is a blue hat, with grey lettering for the road, or white lettering for home. And a darker shade of blue. Something civis can wear without like nerds.
I just want to emphasize that in a perfect world for me, black would go, pinstripes might go, the blue would be a little bit darker – like Dodger blue, perhaps there’d be an away hat and a home hat, where either one is the blue with orange one (without the orange pin, with darker blue – like the original), and white for home or grey for away lettering on the hat. Simple, clean, neat, and uniform. And, for the true alternate uniform, every year, for one home series or one away series, they’d pull something out from the historical closet. I’d also like that beautiful skyline logo on both home and away uniforms, but with no more than three colors, preferably the original white, blue, and orange.
The black should be completely eliminated and go back to the TRUE Mets colors as appeared in the 1960’s! Nuff Said!!
That’s a darker shade of blue, btw. Just go to the Mets hall of fame and see the old hat there. And no orange pin. It’s a little more understated, in both respects.
Personally, I think the snow-whites are worse than the black jerseys–but I love the cream pinstripes. That said, maybe it’s all about context. I would accept a dozen different jerseys if there was some rhyme or reason to what was worn when–other than what Charlie Samuels feels like on a given day. Incorporate some new tradition into it (black jerseys only for Saturday nights, snow-whites for Sunday afternoon, creamed pinstripes all other times at home, perhaps a blue and orange racing stripes ala the 86 team when the team is either in first place or playing a first place team).
We need rules for uniform selection, rules that real fans know, and that real fans can teach their kids. The old rules used to be pinstripes at home, greys on the road–having new rules would give the team a pleasant idiosyncrasy distinctly “Mets” (as opposed to late-season collapses).
Ron you make a great point. If Saturday were black jersey day or polka dots and shorts day it would make sense.
In the past I have offered Sunday as “wear whatever and I’ll shut up” but in exchange blue the other 6 days.
This is a point I’ve been expressing. A specific alt jersey for a specific occasion is not a bad thing.
The Mets don’t seem to understand that. Witness: the throwback pinstripe uniform, which has the ‘modern’ element of of black drop shadow. Just a crazy, uncalled for, delegitimizing combination.
You wonder does their fashion.
Agree 100% with Ron. How hard is it to say, “White for night games, pinstripes for day games, and black on Sundays” or something to that effect?
The random use of the black cap/sleeves/socks/belts with the white & pinstriped unis just adds to the confusion.
I honestly don’t mind the black jerseys or having a road cap, but the uniforms lack any uniformity with this “throw a dart every day and see what it lands on” mix-and-match policy.
i just thought about this more and it got me agitated. exactly how did the mets interpret fans speaking out against the black to mean “you should totally just take the blue piping off the white jersey. then we’re set.”
i’m so pumped about the hall of fame and the new placement of the old apple because it shows they’re listening. if they are, AT THE VERY LEAST, kill the drop shadows and the black hybrid cap. if i have to live with the black, it should be worn exclusively as a road alternate.
Brian one thing 2009 showed is that if the fanbase speaks loud enough the organization reacts.
Again, they know my feelings. And I mean MY feelings specifically (hi guys) – to make change whether it’s unis or a second taqueria, spread to other sites and media.
Ditch the black! All of these uniform combinations are great…for a minor league team. Pinstripes at home (no drop-shadowing) with blue hat and grey on the road (no drop-shadowing) with blue hat. Simple and classic. If they must have an alternate, go with the ’86 uni’s, at least they won a championship in them.
I appreciate all my fellow dislikers of the black uniforms. I’ve got u covered here and uniwatch was on this well before me.
Spread the opinion elsewhere! I want you to get up, log off Mets Police, go to the internet, sports radio and post office and say Ditch The Black!
Winning in the 86 garb is no reason to repeat that mistake. Racing stripes? Let em go. Nice for collectible, but that was always an indication of the kind of aesthetic randomness the Mets have been subject to.
I just wish they would leave everything alone. That’s it. Use it for the next 50 years.
I hope they always prefer traditional pinstripe and road jerseys, but that’s it. Just leave it alone. Don’t touch it. Do not open ’till XMAS 2062.
Hugo you are right. To build the brand they should pick something and go with it for 6 days a week for 50 years.
Sunday Jerseys are a traditional baseball concept.
I’d even go as far as chaning the Sunday Jersey every year and making an event-day in the winter where the new uni is displayed. That way you can have tradition AND sales.
This is very much the case. To establish a brand, and to message of consistency, they need a ‘uniform’ uniform. If alts are to be worn, it should be for purpose on stated occasions. They can wear pink tutus on Gay Pride day for all I care, but at least a stated cause for the rare alternation. They need a uniform.
Given the whole history, they’re probably just best going back to the 69 unis, but for fans on the street, they should consider a blue hat, without orange pin, with dark blue, and a white home or grey away lettering on the hat. Something understated which does not conflict with civilian clothes.
Shannon! We need some clarification. The way that I interpreted it on MetsBlog was that the blue piping was going to disappear on the black jersey. No mention of the white jersey was made on Cerrone’s statement. But then again, his statement is unclear because he provided pics of the 3 day alternates they used against the Giants last year. Clarification Required. But if they do keep the Black in any way shape or form it just goes to prove how ignorant they are of their fan’s wishes. As always, BAN THE 2 Tone Hybrid its FUGLY! Ban it at all costs!!!
El primo: again knowing that Mets Police is not a news organization and everything on here is opinion, what I heard was from a trusted source who told me that the piping would be removed from the WHITE pinless. I also heard that the hybrids could go and that the black uniforms are, well let’s just say gonna be here long past the time when Fred is the owner.
I love that “hybrid” cap is catching on in the Metsoverse. I don’t think I made up the term but I like using it. Need Howie to start using it.
what a slap to the mets fan if there were to be a change to either the snow whites or the blue pin striped uni.
I actually like the snow whites (and own one), with the blue caps of course. The pinstripes are also stellar unis but to drop the blue piping out of the snow whites is dumb. Why do they consider changing the jerseys for no other reason then to sell jerseys. this is a greedy move on their part in an ultimate cash cow of an industry.
Even the black jerseys they couldn’t get right. Why they would wear the METS black jersey instead of the NEW YORK black jersey on the road is a joke. I don’t know who is behind all of these decisions but they should really analyze what they are doing.
This on top of the hideous citifield logo that is plastered everywhere in and out of the park, everytime i see that logo it reminds me of the poor decisions made by this organization. I’m happy i see those logos everywhere, it reminds me how little the organization cares about the reputation of the team and the fans as a whole.
If the wilpons really love the dodgers so much they should take a look into their book and at least treat us like the way the dodgers treat their fans. I don’t see the dodgers wearing black uniforms or all blue batting practice-esque jerseys during the regular season.
If its merchandise they are worried about maybe if the team performed they would sell out most games in the season, and I mean true sell outs not selling every ticket because if anyone here looks on stubhub 30 minutes before the game you will see an abundance of seats available at over market prices.
maybe you will call this a rant or just an average, 24 year old fan venting, but it doesnt take a genius to see this ownership doing harm to this once proud franchise.
I will still go to games, watch on tv, and buy merchandise from this team forever… so i guess maybe the ownership is smarter than we think?
Dominick I’m impressed that at 24 you are rolling with the old codgers like me. You grew up on V and Piazza and Franco. I picture all in black.
I don’t know who makes these decisions. Would love to know the thought process.
So far no black in 2010!
All this talk of different uniforms, please Mets just need the pin stripes (cream ok, just drop the black in it), blue hats and the current grey road uniform. Want an alternate uniform let it be for batting practice. Two uniforms only………works for the Yankees, why not the Mets?
Cant be changing every year. Shows mgmt just wants to make money.
I remember when it was either the late 70s or early 80s that the Orioles wore like all orange uniforms……….tops and bottoms…..lol………..think Indians did too……in red. Yikes.
Jesse lots of bad uniforms happened in the 70s. All things considered those Mets teams didn’t look too bad.
The point is that the black was a fad and the whole Back in Black thing was to rebrand the team i feel.
Well, it’s rebranded, now is time to get back to the roots…
After MS Paint-ing the piping off of a David Wright picture, I can say I’d be OK with a piping-less home white.
After looking closely at the white jersey I currently own, I can also say until the dropshadows are gone, I will have no reason to buy a new jersey. That piping will come off rather easily with a stitch ripper and some patience, and there’s not a big enough difference between cream and white to even bother.
i wouldn’t change my white, piped jersey. the piping is a nice touch.
The new pinstripe uni would look sooo much better without the black shadow. It makes everything look purple and blurry. Without the black you would see a very sharp and vibrant blue and orange (very Metsish).
I agree the black has got to go. Or maybe an occasional appearence on the road, but the black hats need to be history.
@Bob Murphy – agreed that the black/blue combo tricks the eye into seeing purple. Was thinking that exact thing myself yesterday.
I wore my 83 Seaver (which of course has no dropshadow) and caught 5 different “nice jersey” compliments.
The drop shadows only look bad because the names on the backs also use them; it makes the names look big and clunky. I have a ’99 home black jersey, and it looks pretty good even if you hate black (but would look hideous if there were a name on there).
Shadows can look pretty good if the only thing on the back is a number:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/55/110560984_4e1ac86cb5.jpg
(If 1/8 bothers you, just imagine a “real” number instead.)
I’d like the cream home jerseys a lot more if there were only numbers on the backs. If you’re going to have NOBs, ditch the shadows.
One or the other.
Home: White or Off White with Blue Pinstripes and Blue cap
Away: Grey, New York, Blue cap
NO BLACK WHAT SO EVER!!!!! (Drop Shadow, Full Uniform, Two Tier Cap, All Black Cap, Mets logo)
The two tier hat was cool was I was 10, I’m a traditional kind of guy now. Always hated everything all black, it’s cheap and makes us look like clowns more than their playing does.
If you’re going to make alternate jerseys, keep them OFF the field
Listen to the fans or you won’t have any!!
The Islanders went back to traditional uniforms, most MLB teams have too. Get your heads out of your asses and take a look around.
The Mets should keep black completely off their uniforms and caps. PERIOD! Caps are orange and blue. Unies are white (or grey) with orange and blue trim. I really hate the black unies and caps.
I have always HATED the black being added to the uniform and would love to see it go. Also prefer pinstripes at home. Make the hats the way they were in the 70s and 80s, no orange button. They also used to have a blue that was more “royal” blue and now it’s more “electric” blue which is just too flourescent. Go back to basics. They looked a lot better before all the messing around with the uniforms in the late 1990s.
I don’t like the idea of getting rid of the piping on the whites, we’re going to look like the Giants. Maybe thats what they want to do, who knows. I also am sick of the black, not only in the outline, but the uniforms and caps. I’m sort of a traditionalist, so I feel they should wear the off white pinstripe uniform with the blue cap at home, and the grey ‘New York’ uniform on the road with the blue cap. Also take the names off the backs of the jersey, it looks so much better.
As much as I don’t like the Yankees, we should look at how they market themselves. They don’t have multiple alternate uniforms like all the other teams in the MLB. If the Mets want to boost merchandising sales, don’t put these god awful uniforms on the field, keep them in the stores.
Black is beautiful. So is white. Pinstripes suck. Too much like the Shankees.