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I'll admit that those old uniforms with the J in "JAZZ" shaped like a musical note would probably look outdated in today's NBA, but what was so bad about the ones with the mountain in the background?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

By now we all know that the Bears and Colts are going to meet in the Super Bowl. I'm a Bears fan, so that should give you a pretty good hint about who I'm rooting for in the big game. This is exactly the matchup I wanted when we got down to the final four teams, so I'm pretty darn excited.

I was extremely nervous in the last minute of yesterday's Colts-Patriots game. We've been bombarded for years with the message that Tom Brady always comes through when the Patriots need to win, so I knew exactly how Peyton Manning felt while he was sitting on the bench face down. I had a knot in my stomach, and I'm not even a fan of either team. I can't imagine how the players and the fans of the teams felt. I'm just glad it turned out the way I wanted it to.

Though I'm (obviously) rooting for the Bears, I'm one of many who thinks the Colts are the clear favorite. I'd love to be wrong, though I'll be happy for the Colts if they do win. I'm really looking forward to the game, and it'll feel kind of weird to experience the "two weeks of hype" with my own team involved. I was too young to remember the 1985 team, though I know they were much better than this 2006 team. Whether the Bears win or lose though, I'm proud of them. I've followed them all season, and stayed loyal to them even when my co-workers teased me about being a Bears fan. They can talk about their NFC East teams, but I'm the one whose team is going to the Super Bowl. They told me that the Bears wouldn't win in the Playoffs with Rex Grossman at quarterback (and I'll even admit that I had my doubts), but my team proved the critics wrong. My biggest regret this season was not staying up to watch the Bears' comeback against Arizona on Monday Night Football. I had work the next day and needed some extra sleep, but if I'd known that something that big was going to happen I probably could've done without it for one more day. I'll never live that one down. The Bears have been doing unexpected things all year, so while my official prediction is that the Colts will win, I'm in no way ruling out the possibility of a Bears victory. Whatever happens though, it's been a great season, and I'll probably look back on it with fond memories in the future.

To conclude this post, I have a useless tidbit I'd like to share. Peyton Manning is about to do something that's never been done before. He'll be the first starting quarterback in Super Bowl history to wear #18. You can look it up. Of the available numbers for a quarterback (1-19), 1, 2 and 6 have never been worn either. Warren Moon and Jeff George are the only quarterbacks I can think of offhand who wore number 1, so it might be some time before the number loses that distinction. We've got a few 2's and 6's (Aaron Brooks, Chris Simms and Jay Cutler come immediately to mind), so perhaps one day those will be taken off the list too. Does information get any more meaningless?

When will it ever end, fellow Pats fans? When will they stop disrespecting our team, the New England Patriots? You can't turn on the TV or listen to the radio anymore without hearing some moron dissing our guys. Every year we show the NFL that we're the best team in the league, and they still never give us any credit! It's disgraceful!

What's that you say? The Pats didn't even make it to the AFC Championship Game last year? Well give us a break! We had a bunch of injuries. We do, after all, play harder than any other team in the league. Besides, Jake Plummer and the Broncos were no slouch. We lost to one of the best non-Patriot teams of the decade (I mean, they must've been), and just barely! You know we would've won the Super Bowl if the team had been at full strength. That's a fact and you can't deny it. Tom Brady is a god. Unless it's some fluke like the Broncos, you can not, I repeat can not, beat him come Playoff time. Look at the way he stepped it up against the Chargers last weekend and single-handedly won that game!

What's that you say? Brady completed fewer than 53% of his passes and threw 3 interceptions? Yeah, right! Where did you hear that? It's probably those people who keep the statistics. They must've made up those stats so that it would look like he had a bad game. It's all part of the NFL's conspiracy to make the Pats look bad and ensure that nobody gives them any respect!

What's that you say? The media is always fawning over Tom Brady and Bill Belichick? Well of course they say good things about them sometimes! Brady's the best quarterback in the league today (if not the entire history of the NFL) and Belichick is the greatest coach of all time. The media's job is to report facts. Anytime they talk about their greatness it's a simple matter of journalistic integrity. We all know that deep down they hate the whole Patriots organization. I mean, come on! They always bring up the 12-1 playoff record Brady and Belichick have together. They just have to remind everyone that the Patriots lost in the Playoffs one measly time.

Then there's this upcoming game with the Colts. I'm actually hearing people predicting that the Colts will win! Is this a joke? They talk about all this stuff like the Patriots being on the road, and the Colts' defense playing better, blah, blah, blah. I'll tell you the only fact you need to know: Brady and the Pats have 3 rings. Peyton Manning and the Colts have none. The Colts have no shot at winning this game because they're losers. The Patriots are winners, and that's all there is to it. Once a winner, always a winner. Once a loser, always a loser. That's how sports work.

What's that you say? Six years ago the Patriots had never won a Super Bowl or even so much as a championship in the old AFL? Psssh. Whatever. We've won three of the last five Super Bowls (soon to be four of six), and the Colts have never won one. I mean, we all know that they were never good until Manning came along. You're obviously just jealous! We're a better team than you and have more class any day!

What's that you say? The Patriots classlessly mocked the Chargers on their home field in the final seconds of a crushing Playoff loss last weekend? There was nothing classless about that! They were just making fun of Shawne Merriman's "Lights Out" dance! That guy is such a trash talker. At halftime of our game against the Jets he actually predicted the Jets would win! Suggesting that the Patriots are beatable is nothing short of sacrilege! Besides, it's revenge, because the Chargers mocked us after winning on our field last year. That game last season was much more important to our franchise than the one last weekend was to the Chargers! The bottom line is that Merriman does that dance because he's a classless, steroid-using showboat. The Patriots do it because it makes a statement. You can't mock us on our home turf or we'll come back and beat you. That's all they were saying. The Patriots would never actually lower themselves to the level of someone like Shawne Merriman.

Even though we all know that they're going to win the Super Bowl again this year, it just won't be enough unless everyone else admits that their teams are inferior and should consider themselves lucky even to be on the same field as our mighty Patriots! We have to unite and fight for respect, since the Pats aren't going to get any no matter how many Super Bowls they win. We need to start blogs and e-mail every dumb sportswriter who makes even the slightest suggestion that the Patriots aren't the best until everyone in America hears our cry. RESPECT US!!!!

(Note: This piece is satirical. I'm not a Patriots fan, nor do I think that all Patriots fans hold such exaggerated beliefs.)

If I were a San Diego Chargers fan right now I'd probably feel a little bit like Dennis Green did after the Cardinals' loss to the Bears earlier this season. All week long the media had been talking down the Chargers. They admitted that on paper the Chargers were a superior team to the New England Patriots. However, they saw a coach with a history of losing in the Playoffs on the Chargers' side and a coach with a history of winning in the Playoffs on the Patriots' side. Therefore, many of them said, it was a foregone conclusion that the Chargers would lose to the Patriots.

It turned out that their prediction was correct. The Patriots won. Marty Schottenheimer proved yet again that he just can't win in the Playoffs. Bill "The Genius" Belichick and Tom "The Infallible Being" Brady took their extensive playoff experience and showed the Chargers how Playoff football is done. Right? Sorry, I'm not buying it.

The Chargers lost the game because they made several costly mistakes. Marlon McCree fumbled the ball after an interception. Eric Parker dropped a punt. Schottenheimer wasted a timeout by unnecessarily challenging a play. There were plenty of others, but as someone who watched almost every minute of the game I felt that the Chargers beat themselves more than the Patriots did. I don't think the results would've been any different had the Chargers had more "playoff experience." I think they just made too many mental mistakes and it cost them the game. I feel bad for the Chargers, because they deserved to go to the Super Bowl this year. Even though I'm not a Charger fan, there's something about this loss that affected me personally.

I was extremely offended by the media's treatment of this matchup. Just about everyone I heard was predicting a Patriot win because of their "playoff experience" and the fact that Schottenheimer's postseason record (especially in recent years) leaves much to be desired. If people had been making serious analyses of the matchup and predicting a Patriot win, that wouldn't have offended me. The thing that ignited my anger was that the majority of them were all but saying that certain players and coaches are simply born winners while others are born losers. As someone who's been an underdog before, I don't think there's ever been a football game not involving my own team that has meant more to me than yesterday's game. The sorry excuse for sports analysis that I'd been witnessing everywhere made me want to see the Patriots lose with a passion I normally reserve for my favorite sport, baseball.

The Patriots have become one of the NFL's elite franchises this decade due to their winning three Super Bowls. The Chargers have only won an AFL Championship in 1963 (which apparently doesn't count to most people, since it was pre-Super Bowl era), and been known as a laughingstock for most of their existence. That clearly defined the Patriots as "winners" and the Chargers as "losers." Even though this year's Chargers were the better team, the media (which, incidentally, is often accused of having an East Coast bias) put more stock in the Patriots franchise and their reputation.

Well, the media lucked out. The Patriots won the game, despite their "clutch" quarterback throwing three interceptions and only completing about 53% of his passes. Now all the people who evaluated the matchup through intangibles can look like the smart ones. Anyone who actually watched the game though, knows that New England was lucky to pull off a victory despite being outplayed.

Now the Patriots move on to Indianapolis. Peyton Manning and the Colts (who have plenty of "playoff experience") are another team that seems to be getting the "loser" rap. A lot of people are starting to talk about Manning being the next Dan Marino (outstanding individual stats at quarterback, but no championship). I don't think I'll be following the media's coverage of this upcoming game because I'm not in the mood to hear anymore talk about how "great" the Patriots are. Sadly, I doubt we'll hear much else until they're eliminated.

At least my Bears are in the NFC Championship Game. Though the Bears have historically been an "elite" franchise in the NFL, they've become more of an underdog in recent years. In fact, all the remaining teams except the Patriots have some underdog appeal. Who's going to end up with the Lombardi Trophy this year? Hopefully one of the underdogs, though I'm not as confident about it as I wish I could be.