Uni-watch, the sports uniform authority, released its baseball power rankings today, and Paul Lukas was a bit harsh on his favorite team. The Mets suffered the worst drop in the league, falling seven spots to number 14 in the annual uniform rankings.
The basic home and road looks are among the sport's best, but too many alternate jerseys plus a completely unnecessary alternate cap equals a classic case of uni overkill.
It makes sense that there would be some come down after the euphoria of the Mets' ditching the color black last year,* and Lukas certainly makes some good points. The road blue jersey seems unnecessary and even a bit garish, especially given the classic look of the blue on grey, which has been criminally underused this season.
In my opinion, the team should wear the snow whites and the blue alternates at home, and the greys on the road. The Mets are never much for tradition and I agree with Lukas that pinstripes lose their appeal with baggy pants, so I'd shelve ours until high socks come back, or at least use them sparingly. I'd also like to see the Mets stick with the classic all-blue hat, but drop the orange pin.
Still, though, given the sharp look of blue and orange and it's historical roots in New Yorkbaseball and New York City history, the Mets' threads have to rank among the game's best.
And if you think this is all a big waste of time, remember, in the end we're all just rooting for laundry.
*- For the record, the Mets can be forgiven for riding a marketing wave that overtook nearly all of baseball in the late- '90s and early '00s. In fact, I look back fondly at those uniforms as synonymous with a great Mets era. But characteristically, the team stuck with it for far too long and took it far too far.