We're only two weeks into baseball season and already several teams have unveiled new alternate uniforms that have an old-school feel to them.

Cleveland Indians



The cap has a "C" on it, the front has block lettering, and the jersey and pants have a cream color rather than pure white. While this exact design was never actually worn by the Indians in past seasons, it has similarities to some of the team's more simple designs of yesteryear.

Toronto Blue Jays



This powder blue thing was actually the team's away uniform from 1979-1988, but it looks pretty darn cool these days in the Rogers Centre. As I have previously opined on this blog, the Blue Jays should go back to this design. It's way better than the boring togs they wear now.

Philadelphia Phillies



This style with no pinstripes, no sleeve numbers, a blue cap, piping on the sides and a cream-#### tint was worn by the Phils from 1946-1949. While the Phillies' regular uniforms are already some of the best in baseball, these look pretty sharp as well.

Kansas City Royals



Like the Indians, this exact design was never worn by the Royals, but their road uniforms were this same powder blue color from 1973-1991 and the jersey said "Royals" in white letters like these from 1983-1991. This modernization of an old design really works.

From what I hear, the Orioles are also planning to don throwbacks later this summer to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 1983 World Series Champions. Perhaps they'll be the first team to get the 70's-80's-era throwbacks completely right and have elastic waistbands on the pants.



I love throwback uniforms. They remind us that our favorite sports wouldn't be what they are today if it hadn't been for the teams and players of bygone eras. It's interesting to think that someday teams could be wearing the uniform designs of today as throwbacks. Oh, the memories that will be sparked.

A new baseball season is just around the corner, and right now every team has the chance to make this year something special. Some teams don't look poised to make much noise, but there are surprises every season. Is there reason for you to have hope? I say there is. Whichever team you root for, here's why you'll be seeing your guys play in October.

AL West:

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. After making the Playoffs last year they added a big bat in Torii Hunter and bolstered one of the AL's best rotations with Jon Garland. It's pretty hard to imagine them not repeating the feat this year.

Oakland Athletics. OK, so Billy Beane gutted the team during the offseason. If you've ever read Moneyball though, you know never to underestimate that guy. He can unearth hidden gems like nobody's business. Some of these no-names are going to surprise everyone and lead the A's to glory.

Seattle Mariners. They found ways to win last year, there's plenty of talent on their roster, and they just added Erik Bedard. With another ace developing in Felix Hernandez, this team is much to be feared.

Texas Rangers. True, their pitching staff is full of guys who looked bad last year, but many of them have shown that they were capable of better in the past. When they all bounce back this year the Rangers will leave their division rivals in the dust.

AL Central:

Chicago White Sox. The last three times the Red Sox won the World Series the White Sox won the pennant the next year. Since the BoSox won the World Series last year it looks like the ChiSox have this year's pennant wrapped up.

Cleveland Indians. They came within one game of the World Series last year, and most of the same players are returning. You know they've gotten hungrier, and this time they won't accept anything less than an American League pennant.

Detroit Tigers. They were in the Playoff hunt most of last season but tailed off at the end. This offseason they've added a proven veteran in Edgar Renteria and two young stars in Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. How can the rest of the American League not be trembling?

Kansas City Royals. After three straight 100-loss seasons they only lost 93 last year. Clearly they're on the rise. With several promising youngsters and some solid veterans in the mix, this is the year the Royals finally break through.

Minnesota Twins. OK, so they traded Matt Garza and Johan Santana. The good news is they got some young guys in those deals who are going to surprise everyone with breakout years. Those Twins executives are a crafty bunch, and they know what it takes to get their team into the Playoffs.

AL East:

Baltimore Orioles. Their roster hasn't looked very good since they traded Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada, but now that those guys are gone the rest of the team will be inspired to pick up the slack. No more relying on the stars, it's time for everyone to step up. This kick in the pants is going to give them the boost they need to make it an Oriole October.

Boston Red Sox. They're the defending champions. Why wouldn't you expect them to make the Playoffs this year? Besides, Boston's teams are invincible (at least that's what their fans always tell me).

New York Yankees. They're the Yankees. The idea of these guys missing the Playoffs is like the idea of Amanda Overmyer winning "American Idol". It's simply unthinkable.

Tampa Bay Rays. With a talented young pitching staff, a solid lineup and freedom from that "Devil" in their old name, the Rays are ready to sneak up on everyone. Their youthful energy will be enough to carry them past the aging teams in their division.

Toronto Blue Jays. Two words: David Eckstein. The Blue Jays finished 13 games out of first last year, but everyone's favorite scrapper easily adds that many wins to a team's record just by being on the roster. Don't believe me? Ask Tim McCarver.

NL West:

Arizona Diamondbacks. They had the National League's best record last year with a bunch of unknown youngsters. Those youngsters are all a year older, Randy Johnson is returning from injury and they've added Dan Haren to their rotation. There's going to be some fun in the desert this year.

Colorado Rockies. They shocked the world by winning the pennant last year, they've brought back most of their key players, and they now have an extra year of experience under their belts. In the words of Freddie Prinze: "Looking good!"

Los Angeles Dodgers. They're solid all around and they've added Joe Torre as manager. With all that Yankee mystique at the helm how can they lose?

San Diego Padres. They have a great pitching staff and play in one of the best pitcher's parks. Their mediocre offense is good enough for them to win behind these hurlers, so it looks like there's a Petco postseason in store.

San Francisco Giants. They have one of baseball's most promising starting rotations. This is the year they pull a 1991 Braves on us.

NL Central:

Chicago Cubs. It's been almost 100 years since these guys won the World Series. I'd say the law of averages is on their side. Besides, they made the Playoffs last year, so we know they've got some talent.

Cincinnati Reds. Dusty Baker always does well in his first year managing a team. He took the Giants to 103 wins and the Cubs to Game 7 of the NLCS. It's his first year in Cincinnati, so you can count on this team making the Playoffs in the weak NL Central.

Houston Astros. They've got a solid bullpen, a good lineup, and one of the game's best aces in Roy Oswalt. The rest of their starting pitchers struggled last year, but they'll get it together this year and the Astros will reclaim their division-winning ways.

Milwaukee Brewers. With all those big bats in their lineup scoring runs won't be a problem. With a healthy Ben Sheets and a determination not to let the division title slip away like last year, the Brew Crew is going to cruise past the competition.

Pittsburgh Pirates. OK, so it's been a long time since they've had a winning season. Still, they play in baseball's weakest division, they have plenty of youth on their roster, and there's been an overhaul in the front office. The Pirates are clearly no longer satisfied with losing, and new manager John Russell says he's looking to start winning now. A post-Bonds Playoff appearance? This is the year.

St. Louis Cardinals. Their starting rotation is full of guys who'll be great once they complete their rehabs and they finally got rid of that crybaby Scott Rolen. The Cardinals are the most classy organization in sports, so you know they'll find a way to get to the postseason.

NL East:

Atlanta Braves. They've brought back Tom Glavine to an already-strong pitching staff and they don't have any truly weak hitters in their lineup. It's starting to look a lot like the 90's again in Atlanta.

Florida Marlins. Did anyone see it coming in 2003? Did anyone (other than team president David Samson) think that youthful but unproven Marlins team was going to win 91 games? The Marlins are in the business of shocking people. They've been laying low the last few seasons just so no one will be gunning for them this year when they do it all over again.

New York Mets. They missed the Playoffs by one game last year. This offseason they acquired one of the best pitchers in baseball. As the only National League team that matters to ESPN, this Mets squad is back with a vengeance.

Philadelphia Phillies. They have a power-laden lineup playing in a great hitter's park. Their pitching is good enough not to allow the opposing team to outscore the offense, so it looks like the Phils are going to repeat as NL East Champions.

Washington Nationals. Most people didn't realize it, but they actually had a .500 record after June last year. With all that momentum going into this season and Manny Acta's new-school management techniques, this is the year the Nationals finally claim some Playoff territory.

To sum things up, it's in the bag. When baseball's postseason arrives your team will be there, ready to inspire millions with their heroics. Sit back, enjoy the season, and don't forget to buy the champagne in September.

Here we are. We're three games into the World Series and the Red Sox are only one win away from another title. If you're a Boston fan (or bandwagoner) this feels great. If you're just about anyone else this feels pretty rotten. The one fanbase in baseball more arrogant than the Yankees' is on the verge of a celebration and the rest of us will never hear the end of it if it happens. The Rockies' offense hasn't been getting it done in the World Series, and the pitching staff that was so good throughout the Playoffs has been terrible. Right now everything appears hopeless.

I refuse to give up, though. It's not impossible for the Rockies to win. The odds are almost negligibly slim, but there's still some hope. The Rockies did win 21 of 22, after all. If you want a team that can win four in a row with no margin for error these Rockies are a pretty good choice. That small hope is all I have left. I was bummed about the Yankees winning the pennant after Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS too, but we all know what happened there. Ever since that series the prospect of coming back from a 0-3 deficit hasn't seemed so crazy.

The Red Sox got a few lucky breaks during that hellish six-run inning. Why couldn't Yorvit Torrealba have made a good throw to first? Why couldn't Josh Fogg get Daisuke Matsuzaka, an American League pitcher, out? I wish the Rockies could avoid those big innings. I'd like to see how they play when they have some wind in their sails. As soon as they built up some momentum their bullpen let the Red Sox have it right back. It's hard to climb back into a game more than once, especially in the later innings.

Is anyone else getting tired of Jonathan Papelbon? That "death stare" is the goofiest-looking thing I've ever seen, except perhaps for those clips of him doing a celebratory ####. If someone tried to intimidate me with that face I'd be too busy laughing to take it seriously. I'm also tired of seeing shots of the Boston bullpen. Seriously, I don't care about their rituals. I want to watch what's happening on the field.

I actually listened to most of Game 3 rather than keeping it on mute (what a difference it makes not having to hear a Boston crowd cheering). Tim McCarver seemed like he was lost half the time and Joe Buck was his typical cold self while trying to maintain some sanity. In other words, I realized I wasn't missing much by keeping the game on mute.

Mike Timlin is incredible. He's 41 years old, he was a member of the Blue Jays' back-to-back World Series winners in 1992 and 1993, and he's still a key contributor for a World Series team. Even though he gave up a few runs in Game 3 he's been pretty solid this postseason. He probably doesn't have many years left, but the guy deserves some credit for being effective as long as he has.

I don't know about anybody else, but I loved those shots of the Rocky Mountains during the game. Colorado has some great scenery. Denver is a unique city whose teams don't usually get much of the spotlight, but I find they can be just as fascinating as any other city's teams. It'll be interesting to see what type of culture Colorado fans develop into once the Rockies have some sustained success. It's hard to believe that they had the National League's highest attendance for their first seven seasons and were in the top three for two years after that. In recent years the attendance has tailed off (somewhat understandable, since they haven't been very good), but hopefully the Colorado fans' interest in baseball will be renewed now that they have a good young team that's built for future success. It almost seems too soon for these Rockies to win it all, but I'd rather see them win it than the Red Sox any day.

Rockies, the comeback starts tonight. At least it had better, or this season is going to end on a low note.

Every year when the Playoffs come around I have to decide who I want to win. I've discovered that's it's virtually impossible for me to follow a series and not have any interest at all in who wins. Even when I start out "not caring" I usually end up rooting for someone eventually. Now that the Playoffs are under way I've realized that there are four ways to categorize the teams by how I'd feel about them winning the 2007 World Series.

#1: "I Really Want It To Happen"

The Chicago Cubs are the only team that falls into this category. I would love for this to be "the year" for my Cubs, but we'll have to see if we can beat those pesky Diamondbacks first.

#2: "I'll Be Happy For Them If They Win"

The Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cleveland Indians fall into this category. The Rockies have never won a World Series, and it's been a while for the Phillies and Indians. They all have some underdog appeal, so naturally I like them. If the Cubs get eliminated these are the other teams I can back.

#3: "I Can Live With It If They Win"

The Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Boston Red Sox fall into this category. I'm not actively rooting for any of these teams, but if one of them wins it all it won't be the end of the world to me. It's just that they've each won a World Series this decade, so it would be boring to see one of them win it again.

#4: "I Really Don't Want It To Happen"

They're so evil they get their own category. They're the New York Yankees. With 26 World Series titles to their name they have absolutely no underdog appeal and I have no reason to root for them whatsoever. The Yankees need another World Series title like Cal Ripken Jr. needs a comb.

Speaking of Cal Ripken Jr., I think he's done a pretty good job so far on TBS. I wish I could say the same about Frank Thomas. I'm a huge fan of Frank from his days in Chicago, but his commentating has been awful thus far. Hopefully he'll get better with experience. I'd like to believe the Big Hurt is better than what he's shown us.

Let's get back to the Playoffs though. As I've already discussed in another post, predictions are meaningless. I'm not going to bother saying who I think will win, since I tend to be wrong anytime I do. I'm rooting for a Cubs-Rockies NLCS (though I have no problem if the Phillies make it) and an Angels-Indians ALCS. I don't want to hear anymore Yankees-Red Sox hype. My ideal World Series would be Cubs-Indians. It'd be great to see the two teams that have waited the longest battling it out knowing that the drought is going to end for one of them.

This could easily turn out to be a very disappointing postseason for me. If one of the teams in categories 3 or 4 ends up winning the World Series I'll be upset that I waited all year for that particular result. For now I'm just enjoying the present. Each team still has a chance to win it, so there's no reason for despair yet. Hopefully I'll still be feeling the same way next week.

I was reading bgalella's blog entries about the worst NBA throwback jerseys (a must-read if you like old basketball uniforms and obscure NBA players) and I got to thinking about how many uniforms in sports today I don't really like. For some teams it's not so much that their current uniforms are terrible, just that their old ones were so much better. I feel that many of today's sports uniforms are either too dull or try too hard to look "modern." Sometimes it seems to be a combination of both. With that in mind, I've come up with a list of the top ten pro sports teams whose old uniforms I wouldn't mind seeing brought back. Because baseball, basketball and football are the only sports I follow very closely, those are the only ones that will be represented on this list. I've included photos for anyone who needs visual proof.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers

When I think of the Steelers I think of a tough, blue-collar team. Their old uniforms reflected that.

Their current uniforms, however, replaced the old varsity block numbers with these skinny, rounded-edged, slightly slanted numerals. They don't look nearly as intimidating as the old ones did.

See what I mean?

9. Utah Jazz

I'll admit that those old uniforms with the J in "JAZZ" shaped like a musical note would probably look outdated in today's NBA, but what was so bad about the ones with the mountain in the background?

They weren't the best, but look at the ones they have now.

They're so...boring. They have no personality. I'd rather see the original with the musical note than these.

8. Houston Astros

Their current uniforms are OK, I suppose, but the Astros don't seem like a "pinstripe" team to me, if that makes any sense.

I thought the ones they had before looked good though.

I honestly don't know why they felt they needed to change these.

7. Minnesota Vikings

I'd always liked the Vikings' old uniforms.

They weren't spectacular, but they looked like you'd expect a traditional football uniform to look. For some reason they decided to "update" them.

Same basic design, but the rounder edges on the numbers and the white stripes on the sides and sleeves make them look more like the run-of-the-mill "modern" uniforms we're seeing more and more of these days. Their originals just looked better.

6. Denver Nuggets

Powder blue is not a tough-looking color, though some try to make it so.

Their previous uniforms seemed more appropriate for a bunch of guys representing the mile-high city. The N and S were big, while the "UGGET" in the middle was shaped like a mountain. Their colors weren't wimpy either.

I had a hard time finding a good photo of a player wearing this uniform. I guess when a team is perennially one of the worst in the NBA it tends not to get as much media coverage.

5. Buffalo Bills

The Bills had some classy uniforms back in the day. The colors were vibrant and the numbers were distinctive.

The ones they have now are too complex and the colors have been dulled.

How does a team actually look at this design and consider it an improvement?

4. San Diego Padres

I liked the Padres' uniforms in the 90's. The one with pinstripes and no numbers on the front is still the ultimate Padre uniform to me.

After wearing a butchered version of that uniform for a few years they changed to this thing they wear now:

Boooooring.

3. Houston Rockets

The Rockets' current uniforms have sort of an "Eastern" flavor, probably because one of their star players is from China.

While these current ones are better than the ones they had in the late 90's, they still don't compare to the ones they'd had for about 20 years before that.

Simple but effective. They changed them after winning the second of their back-to-back championships. They haven't won one since.

2. Toronto Blue Jays

I always loved the old Blue Jays uniforms. They had unique lettering, and that logo that combined a blue jay head, a baseball and a maple leaf was pretty cool.

Now they have uniforms that are just ordinary.

You never really appreciate a good uniform until it's gone.

Finally, the uniform I miss the most...

1. Sacramento Kings

I don't care what anyone says, those old Kings uniforms were awesome.

I even own a Mitch Richmond jersey in that design. Now their road uniforms have purple as the main color.

I know that purple is a "royal" color, which fits with the name of the team, but it just doesn't have the same edge. Neither does the lettering.

Yes, change is inevitable in life. That doesn't mean I have to like it. If any of these teams decided to go back to their old look you wouldn't hear me complain. Can you think of any uniforms that you wish were still being worn today?