Archive for the 'New Uniforms' Category

Nov 15

Marlins Show Pride In Their Home, The Rays Do Not

New Uniforms Cork Gaines 28 Comments »

The Miami Marlins unveiled their new uniforms on Friday (right). After the logo leaked a few weeks ago, there were some concerns about how atrocious the uniforms would be. But if you ask us. they aren’t that bad, and in fact they look very South Beach.

But there is another reason that we are discussing these today. Notice that, of the four jerseys, three of them say “Miami” across the front.

Now compare that to the Rays. Of the Rays four official jerseys, NONE says “Tampa Bay.”

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria spoke about the use of “Miami” on the unis (thanks Joe)…

Loria noted that having the city name on the primary uniforms ” is a rarity in major league baseball. We’re proud of where our home is and we want to remind the world when we take the field.”

The Rays front office has always been Read the rest of this entry »

Mar 16

Apparently The University Of Rhode Island Liked The Rays’ Alt Jersey

New Uniforms Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

The picture at right is from a recent college baseball match-up between the University of Florida and the University of Rhode Island (via UniWatch). That jersey should look familiar. It is basically a complete knock-off of the Rays powder blue alternate jersey.

The serifs are a little smaller, and there is no sunburst. But everything else is identical, right down to the navy blue piping along the placket and on the sleeves.

Certainly, imitation is Read the rest of this entry »

Jul 26

Should The Rays Go Monochrome?

New Uniforms Cork Gaines 16 Comments »

The images above are from THIS POST over at Uniwatch in which they examine monochrome possibilities for various teams. Call us crazy, but we kinda like the all-navy blue look on the right. Reminds us of the style used by the Cubs for a few years in the early part of the 20th Century.

Mar 08

The Mystery Of The Blue Rays Cap, 7 Years Before It Existed

New Uniforms Cork Gaines 14 Comments »

Over the weekend, two Rays fans on Twitter (@striderblack and @pdriscoll811) brought to our attention this image…

Kind looks like a cheap Tampa Bay Rays knock-off cap, right? There is only one problem with that theory: That image is from 2000, seven years before the Rays switched from green to blue caps.

The image is a screen grab from the video for the song “Adam’s Song” by Blink 182, a song that was released as a single in 2000. Forward to the 3:53 mark and watch very closely as the video scrolls through a bunch of still images.

The cap is very similar to the ones worn by the Rays since 2008. Here are the two side-by-side…

The image quality on the left is poor so it is difficult to tell how similar the blue is, and the thickness of the letters are clearly different. But the orientation of the letters are identical, and the font appears to be the same on both caps.

So where did this cap come from? Only professional teams in the area use “Tampa Bay.” As far as we know, no minor league teams in the area have ever used “Tampa Bay.”

That blue narrows it down to the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Tampa Bay Storm. Both are unlikely as it is clearly a baseball design and there is nothing else to associate the cap with either team (e.g. a logo) as would be expected. Also, correct us if we are wrong, but we believe the Storm were using a much lighter blue in 2000 (apparently not, see comments).

So, is this a cap from a local semi-pro or amateur team? Might it just be a Do-It-Yourself project that somebody created and just happened to predict the Rays caps of the future? Or does the “TB” stand for something completely different?

We are at a loss. Anybody have an answer or a theory?

Feb 11

Why This Rays Front Office Will Never Feature A “Tampa Bay” Jersey

New Uniforms, Sunburst Cork Gaines 18 Comments »

Back in November of 2007, it was reported that the Rays first alternate jersey would debut in 2009 and that it would say “Tampa Bay” across the front. The Rays did introduce a navy blue alternate in 2009, but like the two regular jerseys, it included the standard “Rays” logo, albeit with a larger sunburst. A year later, the Rays are set to introduce a second alternate jersey, this one powder blue. And again, like its three predecessors, this one will not read “Tampa Bay” across the front.

Now it looks like we will never see a “Tampa Bay” jersey. At least as long as Stuart Sternberg owns the team.

Why? Simple.

The Rays are run by business people, not baseball people. The Rays are more interested in creating a recognizable “brand” and less worried about civic pride. In business 101, they teach you not to include city or regional references in a business name (e.g. Tampa Auto Parts). That type of name is too limiting. Tampa Auto Parts would never sell in St Pete or Orlando or Miami or New York. So even if the business is great, it will have trouble expanding beyond the self-imposed geographical borders.

The last thing in the world the Rays want, is to limit their potential fan base. Aligning themselves more closely to the Tampa Bay area will distance themselves from fans outside the area. And there are a lot of non-denominational baseball fans outside of the Bay Area that could potentially buy jerseys, either as casual fans of an exciting young team, or as a fashion piece. Either way, they are more likely to buy a jersey that says “Rays” than one that says “Tampa Bay.”

In fact, we predict that the Rays will introduce a powder blue alternate cap next year with sunburst instead of TB, removing the only remaining link to the area. It only makes sense for a team that has enlarged the sunburst on both alternate jerseys, features a sunburst emblazoned in the outfield at The Trop and run a side-business called “Sunburst Entertainment Group.”

In the end, the Rays are taking advantage of the fact that local support for the team is based more on the product on the field and less on what it says across the front of the jersey. So while you may want a “Tampa Bay” jersey, your fandom is not dependent on it.

Feb 11

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Powder Blue Jerseys, Bungled Naming Rights And Bossman And Dirtbag In Hockey Jerseys

BJ Upton, Evan Longoria, Jeff Niemann, New Uniforms Cork Gaines 4 Comments »

The folks over at Uniwatch feel the new powder blue alternate would be much better if paired with powder blue pants. The image at right is what they concocted. Note that this is not an accurate representation of the new powder blue jersey as the real jersey does not have the fish patch on the sleeve and the “Rays” logo on the front is much larger.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • The Daily Loaf writes about the Rays bungled attempt to sell the naming rights to their spring training home. [The Daily Loaf]
  • BJ Upton and Evan Longoria attended a recent Tampa Bay Lightning game together and received personalized jerseys. [The Heater]
  • Evan Longoria was interviewed by USA Today about his involvement with “MLB 2K10.” [USA Today]
  • Rick Nafe, the Rays VP for operations and facilities received a lifetime achievement award. [Rays Report]
  • Jeff Niemann recently attended the Rice Alumni Baseball Game, but did not participate. He was also sporting a new well-groomed beard (scroll about halfway down). [All Things Bubba]
  • In their “Names to know” series, USA Today features Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson. [USA Today]
Feb 08

Tampa Bay Rays Powder Blue Alternate Unveiled

New Uniforms Cork Gaines 22 Comments »

[Update] The jersey has already been pulled from the website, which is silly. The cat is out of the bag and now all MLB and the Rays are doing is costing themselves money. After the new jersey was linked here, several other sites, including The St. Pete Times, linked to the MLB Shop. Most of the people that click through to the jersey are Rays fans and all are potential customers. There will be no reason to link back to the shop after today.

[1:46pm] We’ve been sitting on this for a while. But now that MLB.com has them on sale, we guess it is ok to tell you that the Rays will be introducing a new alternate jersey in 2010 (thanks Josh).

Hello powder blue. And like the other three jerseys, this one does not say “Tampa Bay” across the front. In fact, not only does it not say “Tampa Bay,” but the “Rays” logo is now much larger ginormous.

Also notice that there is no fish patch on the sleeve. Let’s face it, this ownership group wants nothing to do with the “Devil Rays” past, which leaves us wondering why they didn’t just scrap the “Devil Rays” altogether and start fresh with a new logo.

Jan 19

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Powder Blue, Arbitration Deadlines And Pena’s Digits

Carlos Pena, New Uniforms, Top Prospects Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

hangoverHere is the Rays new road Spring Training/Batting Practice cap. You can see the new home ST/BP cap here.

We’re not allowed to talk about it yet, but let’s just say, we hope you like the color.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • The deadline for the Rays to avoid arbitration is noon today. At that point, the two sides will submit their arbitration figures and the Rays will no longer negotiate, although they could still explore long-term deals before the arbitration hearing. Mark Topkin reports that the Rays did not appear close to any deals as of yesterday. [St. Pete Times]
  • Carlos Pena says his fingers have healed and he is pain-freee and already in the batting cage. [The Heater]
  • Fanfest is scheduled for February 20th at The Trop. The Rays will donate at least $50K and Carlos Pena will donate $15K to Haitian relief funds. [via Press Release]
  • Another day, another top prospects list. [Fangraphs]
Mar 18

Apparently The Rays Exorcised The Devil And St. Patrick

New Uniforms, Spring Training Cork Gaines 7 Comments »

phpN0jhl4For many teams it is tradition on St. Patrick’s Day to switch either their cap or their cap and jersey from their traditional colors to green. Two years ago, when the then Devil Rays still wore green, the team became the first team in the history of spring training to wear less green on St. Patrick’s Day (see image at right).

Last year, when the Rays exorcised the Devil and eschewed the green for blue, the team was mysteriously idle on St. Patrick’s Day and were spared from having to either where something akin to a throwback cap/jersey or be seen as insulting a baseball tradition and the greatest of holidays.

So what did the Rays decide to do this year? They once again had an off-day on St. Patrick’s Day. Two years in a row? A coincidence? Or did the Rays forsake St. Patrick when they ditched the green?

Feb 22

Reminding The Rays Where They Are From

New Uniforms Cork Gaines No Comments »
Rays Alternative Road UniformRays Alternative Road Uniform

No, that is not an official rendering of the Rays road uniforms. For the second straight year, the Rays will not feature “Tampa Bay” on their home, road or alternative uniforms. With the Orioles featuring new road uniforms this season that will include “Baltimore” on the front of the jersey, one reader at UniWatch, wondered what a Rays uniform might look like if they were to do the same. The above image was the result. We likey.

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