The Best and Worst Uniforms in Baseball

In baseball, there's always been a big division between the haves and the have-nots when it comes to good uniforms.

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During any time period, for every great, traditional uniform, there's a faddish-looking, strange uniform to clash with it (see: 1984 NLCS, Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres).

For instance, do the Colorado Rockies or Houston Astros really need five different uniforms? You only need to look at teams like the Yankees and Dodgers (just two uniforms each) to understand that historic success doesn't come as a result of blinding the opponents with a dazzling array of uniforms.

That said, here are the five best and five worst uniforms you'll see splashed across the diamond this season:

The five WORST uniforms (in no particular order) ...

San Diego Padres away uniform

When I first saw these on the highlights, I was constantly checking the contrast on my television. Or, the tint. Why? Something just didn't look right. Gold-ish gray? Exactly what color are those uniforms supposed to be? When they first got them, did they accidentally wash their gray road outfits in the same load as the San Diego Chicken costume?

Furthermore, was it some sort of city mandate in San Diego that the Padres have to be Navy blue and gold just like the Chargers? I mean, I get it, San Diego: a heavy Naval tradition, "Navy" blue and gold, so on and so forth. But seriously, the Padres should always have their classic colors. Brown and orange, and then, they can throw yellow in there for fun. There's no need for the Padres to look like the "San Diego Pa-rgers." I'd rather see those camouflage deals they sport every once in awhile, rather than these away outfits ...

Houston Astros alternate uniform

Whenever I see an Astros game (or highlights) when they are wearing that dark reddish-orangish alternate jersey, questions immediately spring to mind. So, is this the College World Series? If so, has Wichita State been eliminated yet?

When you look at any of the current Astros' jerseys, it has the same-old, boring, "Hey look, here is our team nickname in CURSIVE!!!!" thing happening on the front, that nearly everyone in baseball sports. I'm down with tradition, but if Major League Baseball wasn't in your city in the 1950s, that sort of thing is not OK. I realize the "new" cursive "Astros" on the jersey is a throwback to old, old, school Astros (we're talking Joe Morgan in Houston) uniforms, but I was always content with that "Hey, Hey, We're the Astros!"-1970slicious font featured on their uniforms in the climax of the film "Bad News Bears: Breaking Training." Sure, those uniforms were faddish then, but they'd be downright traditional now.

The New York Mets second alternate road uniform

The mere fact that these uniforms have to be called the "second alternate road uniform" should tell you right off the baseball bat that they are terrible. First, this jersey looks like something the New York Knicks would be wearing in pregame layup drills. Or, if the New York Knicks were an Australian Rules Football team.

Basically, the Mets need to lose the color black on all of their uniforms. Lose the black hats, black jerseys, black lettering, the works. Let's stick with tradition, guys. Blue and Orange. And since when did the Mets get so fashion conscious and adopt 94 different uniforms anyway? I always thought "Met" stood for "Metropolitan", not "Metrosexual."

The Kansas City Royals alternate road uniform

When I see the black-jerseyed, black-capped Royals alternate uniforms, I don't think "George Brett." Instead, I think, "These are awful!" And it's the exact same thing going on as the Mets.

Every team doesn't have to sport a black alternate jersey or black alternate hat, especially if their primary color is regular old blue. The Royals' alternate road uniform is the most blatant example of this. I understand why the alternate hats and jerseys are designed. Merchandising. People like buying and wearing dark baseball hats. If I actually wore a baseball cap around, I would choose a dark blue or black one. However, a black hat design is not going to make any casual fan want to buy a Kansas City Royals hat. Not letting Johnny Damon leave the franchise may have.

Any current Toronto Blue Jays uniform

The best uniforms that Toronto has ever had were the ones that they came into the league with in the 1970s, a design that lasted them (with subtle tweaks) for almost 20 years. Their current uniforms look like something I'd expect out of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Also from a traditionalist's standpoint, were Toronto's hats or jerseys the color black when Joe Carter took Mitch Williams deep in the World Series? Didn't think so. At the rate we are going, every single MLB team will either change their primary uniform color to black, or have a black alternate uniform by the year 2011. Or, 2006.

Now, the five BEST uniforms in baseball

New York Yankees home uniform

Love 'em or hate 'em, the New York Yankees' home uniform is the best in baseball history. Is it the uniform is that awesome because of the team's rich history? Possibly. But any uniform that can and will hold up over a century is one really good design. The pinstripes are sharp, and their logo is iconic, but it's the simplicity of the color scheme that makes it work. It's just dark blue things on a white background. Simple. And that hat of theirs ... that thing is a keeper.

Detroit Tigers home uniform

The Tiger home uniform is the simplest design in all of baseball. No extra colors. Not even pinstripes. Just a big "D" in gothic font on the right hand side of the jersey, and a thin, dark blue trim in all of the places where trim is necessary, but not overdone. Let's face it, a uniform that anyone from Jack Morris to Cecil Fielder can look sharp in, is a good one. I even like the Tigers away uniform, just for the sole reason that it features the color orange, completely not matching the home uniform in any way. Detroit offers no explanation for this, other than the fact that tigers are orange, and it's been that way for the past couple decades, so whatever, right? Now, that is an alternate uniform, kids.

Any Boston Red Sox uniform

I was trying to decide which Red Sox uniform I like better, home or away. I couldn't. The heavy featuring of red in the classic lettering on both, along with the very basic (and classic) red trim, and the red socks (go figure). The uniforms just look great, when they wear them white in Boston, or gray otherwise. Red is a color that can be overdone on a uniform (see: Phillies, Philadelphia, or, 1970s Red Sox hats), but there's a great contrast with the heavy red accents and the dark blue hats here.

San Francisco Giants away uniform

Barry Bonds is breaking baseball records in the EXACT same uniform design that Willie Mays wore, and there's nothing wrong with that. Plus, you can never have a bad uniform with the colors black and orange involved (see: Orioles, Baltimore). That goes for any sport, at any level. Unless, you are the Cincinnati Bengals. So why did I choose the Giants away unis? Black with orange trim looks great on white, but even better on gray.

Chicago Cubs home uniform

The Cub home uniform is not as good as the Yankee home uniform, but it's pretty darn close. If aliens landed and their first question was, "What is this baseball you speak of?" It'd be awfully nice if WGN is showing a Cubs home game right then, because you could flip to it, and they'd get to see one of the top two baseball uniforms ever.

The Cubs' home threads have barely ever changed at all, and it should absolutely stay that way. And their home hat shows everyone that it doesn't have to be a black hat (or even dark blue) to be cool. I don't care for the red bill on the away hats.

Therefore, in conclusion ... It's the simple uniforms that are always the best. This is baseball, America's pastime. It's not Arena Football or Indoor Lacrosse, so there's really no reason to be futuristic or busy with your designs (... and I'm partially talking to you, "new catcher helmets"). In an entire uniform, there's no reason to ever wear something that could possibly hurt people's eyes on a sunny July afternoon. And I'll let the Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays slide for now, especially if they keep their same uniforms for the next 75 years. After that amount of time, I should be able to get used to it.

Eric Moneypenny is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com. You can absolutely not e-mail him at moneypennysucks@yahoo.com.

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