Thousands of fans gathered at the Sheraton in Chicago a few short weeks ago for the 2014 Cubs Convention, and I was fortunate enough to be among them. For those of you who haven't heard of me, my name is Justin Jabs, and I'm a Cubs fan who writes at "the other" Baseblog (no second capital B). Ryan was kind enough to write a great guest post about Wrigley's "Streets, Eats, and Seats" for my website last June, so I'm returning the favor since Ryan wasn't able to get out to #CubsCon.
First and foremost, it was a great weekend. Anyone who loves the Cubs and has an opportunity to go to the convention during any year should take advantage. If I had as great a time as a did when the team is poor and the future is still off in the distance, I can't imagine what CubsCon would be like when the team is competing again.
There always seems to be some sort of announcement at CubsCon over the past few years. Last year, the Ricketts family unveiled a plan to restore and improve Wrigley Field. Two years ago, Pat Hughes introduced the "newest Cub" as Kerry Wood, who had just signed a contract to return to the ballclub. Most of the news from this year's CubsCon came during the 100th Anniversary of Wrigley Field panel, and the most interesting part of the panel had to do with throwback uniforms.
The Cubs will wear a total of 13 (or 14?) uniforms during the 2014 season: their current home, the gray away uniform, the alternate blue uniform with the walking bear, a new alternate road uniform, and 9 or 10 throwbacks. Chris Creamer over at SportsLogos.net has a great slideshow with pictures of what all the new uniforms look like that are clearer and better organized than anything I took.Take a peek and then read on for some more commentary.
1914 Throwback -- April 23rd
The first and arguably most exciting throwback isn't even a Cubs jersey. On April 23rd, which is exactly 100 years after the first game at Wrigley Field, the Cubs will don the uniform once worn by the Chicago Federals of the Federal League (the Cubs moved into Wrigley in 1916). Pretty cool. It should be noted that when discussing these throwbacks, it won't just be the Cubs who will wear vintage uniforms. Their opponents are dressing up as well. The Cubs take on the Arizona Diamondbacks for Wrigley's 100th birthday, and have agreed to wear Kansas City Packers uniforms. The Packers were the Federals' opponents on 4/23/1914. I think that's super cool. Harry Pavlidis (must follow) has a picture of the Dbacks' uniform here.
As a bonus, the first 30,000 fans in attendance that day will get the Chi-Feds uniform for free! Hooray giveaways.
1929 Throwback -- May 4th
The bear holding the bat is pretty cool. This uniform is a pullover with some buttons at the top.
1937 Throwback -- May 18th
Something about the big red "C" with the read of the letters being blue is very pleasing to my eye. I also love the blue piping around the uniform's edges. It's pretty simple, but I like it.
1942 Throwback -- June 8th
This is a curious design. The sleeves are interesting, and someone smarter than me needs to tell you what the "HEALTH" thing is. It should also be noted that the Cubs are playing the Marlins that day. Teams who weren't in existence during the decade that is being celebrated are going to be designing their own uniforms, taking note of minor league teams at the time and guessing what the 1942 Marlins might have worn. These opponent jerseys will be just as fun to watch, I think.
1953 Throwback -- June 22nd
This one is even more simple than the others -- just a Cubs logo on the chest and a number on the back. An interesting fact about this uniform, though, is the zipper. A few of these throwbacks feature zippers instead of buttons, just like they did back in the day.
1969 Throwback -- July 13th
Aside from the Chi-Feds jersey, this is the one I am most excited to see. It's a classic look that most all Cubs fans recognize. Love it.
1978 Throwback -- July 27th
This uniform is pretty cool, with one of the old bear logos on the sleeve. The powder blue and white stripes go nicely together.
1988 Throwback -- August 10th
This is another look that I recognized. It's pretty similar to what the Cubs wear today, except the collar and the end of the sleeves have some thicker blue on it.
1994 Throwback -- August 24th
The '94 throwback is kind of ... meh. Not a fan. But it was the nineties, right? The logo is way too big for my taste.
2008 "Throwback" -- September 7th
This final entry is where things get a little confusing. The slideshow shown at CubsCon pegged the September 1st to 7th homestand as honoring the 2000s, with the Cubs wearing "2008 throwbacks" on September 7th. Most of the articles written after the announcement about the throwback uniforms failed to mention anything about the 2000s, and it should be noted that a uniform from that decade was not on display at CubsCon. I'm pretty sure that the current uniform is the same one that was worn during 2008. It will be interesting to see if anything different happens on September 7th.
****
There you have it! A ton of awesome new uniforms are coming this season. I know I'll be doing my best to attend that April 23rd game, and at minimum will be watching the rest of the Sunday throwback games from my couch the rest of the season. Thanks for reading, and tweet me up (@justinjabs) if you want to talk about the Cubs!
No comments:
Post a Comment