Welcome to the Fall Uni Classic
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After 162 regular-season games and a bunch more in the postseason, it has come down to the Indians and the Cubs -- one legendarily cursed Midwestern franchise against another. While everyone else crunches the statistical metrics, your friendly uniform columnist is here with 10 uni-related tidbits to watch for as the Series unfolds:
1. Moving from Left to Right. It was 20 years ago, during the 1996 Series, that the Yankees and Braves became the first teams to wear the World Series logo on their caps. The logo has always appeared on the left side of the crown, but this year it'll be moving to the right side, because the New Era logo is now occupying the left side.
2. "C" Section. Most MLB teams use a standard vinyl decal for their helmet logos, but the Cubs use an adhesive-backed embroidered patch. It provides a nice sense of depth, but it also has a tendency to peel off or end up in some unlikely places.
3. Hail to the Chief. The Indians have said that they're de-emphasizing their Chief Wahoo logo, which is a source of ongoing controversy among fans who think the design is a disparaging caricature of Native Americans. In 2014, the team demoted Wahoo to secondary logo status and designated its block-C logo its primary mark. But Wahoo has been ascendant during the postseason: The Indians wore their Wahoo cap for all three games against the Red Sox in the American League Division Series, and then for all five games against the Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series. Given how superstitious teams can be, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Indians keep wearing it in the Series.
4. In the Navy. Cleveland's navy alternate jersey has been almost as much of a postseason fixture as the Wahoo cap. The team wore white for Game 1 of the ALDS against Boston but went with the navy tops for its seven remaining playoff games. (One of those was Game 3 of the ALCS in Toronto, when starting pitcher Trevor Bauer -- who usually prefers to wear the standard gray uniform for road games -- went with navy to help hide the blood from his injured finger.) Will the Indians stick with navy to open the Series, or will the grand setting of the Fall Classic lead them to wear the more formal home whites?
5. Unique Unis. The Cubbies' uniforms may seem standard and traditional at first glance, but they're loaded with quirks and oddities: The home jersey is the only MLB jersey to include a circle-R trademark symbol on the chest logo; the road pants are the only MLB pants to include a team logo on the pants; and the blue alternate jersey is the only MLB jersey to include a league logo patch.
6. Single File. Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. wears No. 6, making him part of the small but growing fraternity of pitchers with single-digit uniform numbers. If he gets into a World Series game, he will become the first single-digitized pitcher to appear in the Fall Classic since 1997, when Cleveland reliever Jeff Juden appeared in two games while wearing No. 7.
7. Hosiery Heroes. Shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielders Tyler Naquin and Rajai Davis form the sharpest combo in the majors, at least when it comes to stirrups. It would be nice if Lindor went with pure white sanitaries instead of those spotted Trusox he has been wearing lately, but he has made up for that by wearing "Believeland" shoes during the postseason.
8. Tattoo You. Just in case you didn't know which league you were watching, all MLB players helpfully wear MLB's familiar silhouetted batter logo on the backs of their jerseys, caps, batting helmets, pants and undershirts. But Cubs third baseman Javier Baez takes it a step further: He has a tattoo of the logo on the back of his neck.
9. Hold the Cream. The Indians have announced that their cream-toned retro alternate uniform will not be back next season. That uni is usually reserved for Sunday-afternoon home games, but Cleveland isn't scheduled to have any Sunday home dates in this Series (and besides, the World Series hasn't had an afternoon game since 1987), so the creams will presumably remain on the shelf -- the uniform equivalent of the last man on the bench who never gets called upon to pinch hit.
10. Nothing Up Their Sleeve. The Cubs wore a very nice Wrigley Field centennial patch this season, but it was removed during the playoffs and replaced by the MLB postseason patch -- an odd move, because team patches and league-wide patches can usually coexist without any problems. Why not wear both?
Honorable Mention: Make a Wish. Although the wishbone-C is primarily associated with the Reds these days, lots of teams have worn it over the years, including the Indians and Cubs. That suggests a good metaphor for this year's Fall Classic -- two teams tugging on either side of a wishbone, wishing to be delivered from their respective curses.
Paul Lukas always roots for the National League team in the World Series. If you like this column, you'll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, be added to his mailing list so you'll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask him a question? Contact him here.
