OUR FANHOUSE TOOLBAR INTEGRATES THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS INTO YOUR WEB BROWSER AND INSTALLS IN SECONDS.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE TOOLBAR HERE.

MLB

The Worst Baseball Uniforms of All-Time

Posted Jun 05, 2007 12:10PM By Matt Watson (RSS feed)

Filed Under: AL East, AL Central, AL West, NL East, NL Central, NL West, MLB Gossip

Text SizeAAA
Curt Schilling in greenAOL Sports is compiling a list of the worst uniforms ever, and, because they're our friends and the subject matter lends itself to hilarity, we thought we'd join in the fun. So here's our look at the worst uniforms in MLB history.

What do the Yankees, Dodgers and Tigers have in common? Timeless uniforms that look as sharp now as they did 75 years ago. Unfortunately, not every Major League Baseball franchise has been so lucky over the years. In no particular order, here are nine of the ugliest uniforms ever to disgrace our national pastime.

You know why Curt Schilling looks so upset in this picture? Because he knows he looks like a freaking Christmas tree, that's why. The Red Sox have worn green on St. Patrick's day in spring training the last few years, and for one game this April they busted out the uniforms in honor of recently deceased Celtics legend Red Auerbach. Good thing it's the thought that counts, because that combo is atrocious.

Some people mock the Padres' camo jerseys, but I actually think it's a pretty slick nod to all of the servicemen and women located on San Diego's miltary bases. But those mustard yellow throwbacks? Yikes.

The Houston Astros prove that the spectrum of what's "ugly" and "cool" is cyclical -- the classic rainbow threads of the late 70s and early 80s were once considered atrocious, but now they're so loud they're considered by some to be pretty slick. So why include them on this list? Because I firmly believe no one would consider them fashionable if they weren't nostalgic.

Pinstripes work for the Yankees, perhaps because they're subtle. Sadly, as documented by Where is Andy Van Slyke?, there's nothing subtle about the Pirates' take on pinstripes in the 1970's. (And the pillbox style cap ... why? Why?)

So not all of the retro threads are that hot ... but they're certainly better than than baseball's attempt to "Turn Ahead the Clock" in 1999. As seen on Uniwatch (the real authority on sports uniforms), witness this classic SportsCenter segment lampooning the worst of the worst.

To be completely fair, I probably could have selected any 10 of those and called this list complete, but I'm going to lump them together as one.

When the Devil Rays debuted in 1998, they tried a bit too hard to be cutting edge. The result? An ugly rainbow gradient on their jersey that was almost as embarrassing as the quality of play on the field. Almost.

Pete Rose could fall out of bed and hit .300. For a while in the 70's it looked like he did just that, as the Phillies' "Saturday Night Specials" were all burgundy outfits that looked more than a bit like pajamas.

The Indians committed the same sin in the mid 70s, occasionally going with an all red combo down to the shoes. Is it me, or does Jackie Brown look like he's sporting a leisure suit?

Professional ballplayers in shorts? It lasted just one game, but August 8, 1975 has forever earned a place in White Sox history infamy. According to the Hall of Fame, several minor league teams featured uniforms with shorts in 1950, but the notorious ChiSox owner Bill Veeck was the first to bring the style to the majors. It's a good thing it didn't last, or else the already dubious distinction between the physique of a pro ballplayer and amateur beerleaguer would have been blurred beyond recognition.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Previously at FanHouse:
Five Worst Uniforms in NFL History
Worst Uniforms tag

Tags: worst+uniforms, WorstUniforms

Related Articles

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)




Complete World Series Coverage

2009 World Series -- FanHouse Illustration
FanHouse's coverage of the 2009 Fall Classic.

Baseball's Forgotten Crusader

Curt Flood -- FanHouse Illustration
Four decades ago, Curt Flood made enormous sacrifices and changed the national pastime forever.