It's been a long time since I've liked the Texas Rangers.
Actually, I've never liked the Texas Rangers. It's not their fault, really. First they were in the same division as my favorite team, and then ... well, then other things happened, the details of which don't really interest anyone except me, and even me not so very much. Except for this, today: It's been a long time since I liked the Rangers' livery. I enjoyed their first look, in the early '70s, and ... hell, who am I kidding? I wasn't old enough to pay attention. I liked those uniforms after the fact, but in my actual memory I've never enjoyed the Rangers' uniforms, and I've actively disliked their recent livery, which they've had for some time now. While I lack the vocabulary to explain why I've disliked it, I have.
Well, I think I might like the Rangers' new jerseys. Here's the old and the new road tops:
tip of the cap: Paul Lukas
The old lettering was too dark, too heavy. Overbearing. The new lettering is lighter, and allows the Old West motif to really shine; it gives the design a sense of place that it lacked before. More than anything, the new design is just classier than the old.
I'm still not going to LIKE the Rangers; it's difficult for me to imagine the circumstances that might lead to me liking the Rangers. But now it's going to be easier for me to watch them. For which I'm grateful.
Meanwhile, one of the teams I always have liked is taking a small step backward, livery-wise. On the right, the Royals' old (or recent) alternate road jersey; on the left, their new one:
tip of the cap: Phil Hecken
Those white stripes that start up there on Eric Hosmer's broad shoulders and make their way into his belted pants? Those stripes are called placket piping and they're a pox upon the world of baseball uniforms. Sometimes they look terrible and sometimes they look inoffensive, but they're never attractive. Not to me, anyway.
I'm not a big fan of solid-color tops in the first place, but this just makes them worse. To me, anyway. I'm the guy who thinks if you're going to wear colored tops, you should wear matching bottoms. Which leaves me in a tiny minority, I guess. But bring these bad boys back, I say.