Back to the 70s?

Hey, don't worry. This was my doing. This reminds us that the Nationals have one of the classiest, conservative uniforms in the majors, and we don't want ANYTHING to change!

Powder Blue uniforms first appeared in the American League in 1969. The expansion Seattle Pilots, knowing that no one would come watch them play because of their talent, became innovative in their uniform and logo design. The Pilots hat was a first. Trying to create a "mariner" look, they added a hat stripe and "scrambled eggs" on the bill. They also added stripes, or "hacks," on the uniform sleeves. The powder blue uniforms were also a first. The Pilots didn't start spring training with their regular season uniforms. Whether they weren't done in time, or they wanted to save them for opening day, I don't know. The spring training uniforms were very simple and they never wore them again.

Most think that this is the uniform that the Brewers wore their first year in Milwaukee. Actually, this uniform was first worn in 1973. In 1971 and '72, they wore a similar uniform but without the "double knit" motif. The move to Milwaukee happened too fast to plan for uniforms. The Pilots broke camp in April, 1970, and with the ownership very much up in the air, the van drivers carrying the uniforms and equipment were told to drive to Salt Lake and call the General Manager to find out what city to go to. They called and got the word: Milwaukee. By the time they reached Wisconsin, they only had a day or two to come up with appropriate uniforms. Seamstresses, using a seam ripper, removed the lettering from the uniforms and resewed "Brewers" in plain block lettering. They bought a few boxes of caps from New Era that pretty much matched the blue on the uniform and also had a "M" on the front [they were for a college baseball team]. As they lined up along the basepaths for opening day, they were wearing Pilots uniforms with new lettering stitched along the front. You could barely see the lines where the old lettering was. How could you tell? The "hacks" or multiple stripes were still on the uniform. They wore these the entire season.

Uniforms are as big a part of baseball lore as statistics or pennants. I'm so glad we were given nice looking uniforms to wear for the theam's first season in Washington. They were created almost as quickly as the Brewers uniforms were. MLB contacted someone they knew who dabbled in graphic arts -- he was in Boston watching the start of the Red Sox drive towards the world championship. He was told to simply "create a uniform for the new team." This unnamed person decided on the colors and design of the togs. He decided to keep the old script "W" on the hat. Watching the game in his hotel room, he opened his laptop and created the Nats uniforms that evening.

The rest is history.

Pretty weird, huh?