The Phillies today unveiled their new alternate home jersey. It's a cream-colored shirt and pant uniform without pinstripes. The team name is written in the familiar script, and a red stripe runs down each leg. Throw in the blue hat with a red "P," and you have a 1940s-esque throw-back uniform.
Yawn.
There's nothing wrong with this new uniform - it looks fine, I guess - but I'm not a fan of "alternate" hats, jerseys or uniforms. And since these unis will be worn only on home day games, they'll get - what, a dozen or so? - wears. Big deal.
(The Philadelphia sportswriters didn't know - or didn't reveal - the uniform design, but some dude over at The Everything Baseball Union Board posted a good sketch of the new uniform on his website back on November 12.)
If the Phillies wanted to tinker with their uniforms I would have suggested that they change their road jerseys to be emblazoned with Philadelphia across the front, rather than the team name (a la San Francisco, both New York teams, and Boston). In a city where loyalty to the Phillies is not huge but identity with the city is significant, this jersey would sell. As a native Philadelphian living in Virginia, I know I'd wear one (I currently own one Phillies jersey - #53 Bobby Abreu, purchased in the spring of 1998).
