ESPN's Jim Caple killed a little column space last week by ranking the jerseys of all 30 teams. Placing dead last were the San Diego Padres, who were taken to task for donning camouflage to honor our Armed Forces during every Sunday home game.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think it makes me a member of the Taliban to point out you can salute our servicemen without wearing an ugly jersey," Caple wrote.
A lot of Padres fans took issue with the spot on the list and it turns out some members of the team did too. Check out what they had to say to Annie Heilbrunn of the Union-Tribune:
Though I might agree with Caple's ranking if we were just going with the team's snoozeworthy home and away uniforms, I can't nod my head in agreement when it comes to the team's digital camouflage uniforms. The Padres were the creators of the movement — teams like the White Sox and Reds have worn camo in recent years — and they've gone through painstaking lengths to make sure they're wearing an accurate representation. Caple also cites Uni Watch maven Paul Lukas as saying that a team's uniform "should fit the city." I can't think of many uniforms that reflect their locality more than the Padres' Sunday tops do. Better yet, they were designed with an honorable motive in mind and not for financial gain like many other third jerseys.
But even if we're taking the patriotism angle out of the equation, I find it silly to rank a team last based on its alternate uniform. Even if I thought the Padres' camo tops were ugly — and I do not — the handful of dates they wear them doesn't justify weighing down a team's sartorial reputation.
But that's just like, my opinion, man.
Which team do you think wears the ugliest uniform in the big leagues?
Spring training has started, so don't miss a beat ...
Follow @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk and the BLS Facebook page!
