Uniforms Gone Wild

The Maryland Terrapins had an impressive 32-24 over Miami last night in the season opener. Yeah, the Hurricanes were missing several of their key players, but a win over Miami is always sweet. However, instead of everyone talking about the victory, the new Terps uniforms seem to be the topic of discussion today. Some people loved them and others seem to absolutely hate them. I would have to side with the latter group. I just find the uniform and helmet combo a bit too busy. I have to wonder how many people had the urge to adjust the color setting on the TV after seeing these uniforms.


(OK, I give up. Where's Waldo?)

Just curious......I wonder if the coach feels the urge to wear a striped tie with a plaid shirt on gameday?

Call me boring, but I like the old traditional Terps red and white attire. It was tastefully simple and quickly identifiable to college football fans. With these new uniforms, I have to look away every few minutes or I start to get dizzy.

All right, maybe I'm being a little too hard. After all, there have been many other teams with crazy looking uniforms. Remember the old Houston Astros uniforms from the 80's? As if hitting a fastball off of Nolan Ryan was hard enough, now batters had to stare into this rainbow of colors:


(J.R. Richard and legendary strike-out king Nolan Ryan)

And, of course, there were the shorts that the Chicago White Sox wore during the 1976 season. I mean these guys make it all the way to the big leagues, and now they're forced to wear bar-league softball uniforms? Who came up with this idea?


(No wonder this guy looks pissed!)

The San Diego Padres had their problems back in the 70's too. Of all the colors they could pair together, they somehow settled on brown and yellow?


(Are these ballplayers or a couple of Banana Splits?)

And then coming back to Maryland, who can forget those loud uniforms that the Baltimore Bullets donned back in the day. Normally, the sight of red, white and blue makes me feel patriotic. But when the Bullets mixed it all together like this, it totally backfired:


(If this guy looks confused, I can certainly understand why)

Even the Baltimore Orioles had their fashion mishaps back in the 70's. This was one bad ass pitching staff but they look more like a bunch of pumpkins in these bright orange uniforms:



Personally, I like things straightforward and simple. Take the New York Yankees. Love them or hate them, their uniforms, although quite simple, project a powerful image. If they're still playing baseball 200 years from now, I guarantee you that the Yanks will still be wearing the same ol' pinstripes. Tradition is a beautiful thing!

So, if the Maryland Terps' goal was to make a visual statement last night, I think they succeeded. The new uniforms have certainly grabbed the attention of media sources all of the country. But I say go back to the old red and white uniforms and just keep winning. That will bring all of the attention you'll ever need....

kw