Photo from the PG, where Dejan has more details.
So it was rumored for a few days, and now we know: the sleeves are back and the new alt is black with a gold “P” on the chest. It’s easy to know why they did it, too. When Frank Coonelly took over Kevin McClatchy’s role in 2007, it was already too late to file a request for uniform change in 2008. This is pretty clearly Coonelly’s way of distancing himself and his front office from the previous regime. But that’s not really what I’m concerned with. What I’m concerned with is how good we look.
The new home/road combo
I can start by admitting that I’m a vest apologist. I love those vests. To me, they’re the classic Pirate uniform. Something about the way the black and gold looks with the black undersleeves is timeless. I see those vests and I see Maz and Roberto and Vern Law and they’re perfect. Vests don’t look good on every team, but they did look good on the Pirates. That said, I guess this look isn’t a bad look. It is a little bland. It’s hard to see in this picture, but the collar, pants, and and sleeves all have a gold/black/gold striping pattern. I think maybe it’d be a little more distinctive if the gold and black were reversed, but maybe I’ll think differently if I see more pictures. In the end, they’re black and gold, they keep the subtly unique font and number style, and it’s hard to complain. I think these are a little more boring than the vests, especially with that striping pattern but these are still pretty decent looking. For some reason, the home unis look substantially better (read: less boring) than the road unis to me. Maybe they should’ve kept the vests on the road. Also, if everyone wore their socks like Nyjer Morgan, I’d be more OK with these.
The black alternate jersey
You have to look closely (or look here), but these come with their own cap, which has the “P” outlined in white. That’s a purely mercenary marketing move, which kind of irks me. The black alternates themselves aren’t so bad. I kind of like the fact that they’re not just the regular uniforms with a black shirt, to be honest. I know that’s for marketing, too, but it’s some nice variety. And we all agree that the gold “P” on a black field is one of the most badass logos in sports, so there’s nothing wrong with featuring that, in my book. So long as we keep the signature number/name font on the back, I think I’m OK with these. Actually, I’m more than OK with these because they aren’t brutal attempts to introduce a needless third color into the uniform scheme.
The pinstriped Sunday jerseys
I hate these, but not for how they look. I hate being a “four jersey team.” I hate that if an out-of-town fan flies in for a three game series on Friday, he’ll see three different jerseys on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I know that’s the point, but we’re the Pittsburgh Pirates, we’ve got 121 years of baseball history, and maybe the last seventeen years have sucked, but we’ve got some tradition here, dammit, and I wish we’d act like it in the jersey department.
