From the Rose Law Group Growlery/By Phil Riske, managing editor
(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are posted for discussion purposes only.)
There’s bound to be more discussion and debate about the new uniforms—7 of them—for the Arizona Diamondbacks than were the team to trade Paul Goldschmidt.
Sucked in by the Nike swoosh-driven drastic changes in collegiate football uniforms, the Diamondbacks midseason 2014 began planning a new look from caps to cleats at a time when the team was sucking with the worst record in Major League Baseball.
Promotions ranging from bring your mutt to the ballpark to fast food outlets at every aisle to Star Wars dress up to, finally, supposedly more hip uniforms are all what baseball brass hopes will draw more millennial support for the game.
Hey, what about old fogeys like me who grew up with baseball and who respect the tradition and history of men in stripes?
For the sake of argument, we acknowledge some teams have made subtle uniform changes that don’t appear gratuitous and, moreover, baseball has made changes to better the game itself.
But if the D-Backs insist on going rogue with new uniforms, for goodness sake come up with something that looks less gimmickry. One of the visiting uniforms make the players look like they were submerged in a vat of teal dye. (photo)
At least the D-Backs are keeping the original 2001 pin stripes, which speak of their World Championship. Why not go retro and keep that look as the only home uni?
You’ll probably never see the New York Yankee pin stripes change, They speak to decades of championships and household-name stars.
Millennials want instant gratification. The way to bring them to baseball in Arizona is to again produce a championship ballclub.
Baseball is America’s game. Don’t mess with stars and stripes.
