The Cincinnati Reds unveiled new Camo, St. Paddy's and BP jerseys at the end of last week. I'm pretty annoyed that they've stolen the look from the Padres, who were the first team to wear camouflage and the first to get permission from the Marines to wear their MARPAT camouflage pattern.
#Reds camouflage jersey, hat #RedsFestpic.twitter.com/qtQ8TwhV05
— ctrent (@ctrent) December 7, 2013If Reds just had to salute the military, then why not choose another branch of service's camouflage? Each branch has their own pattern and color after all. They could have gone with the gray Army camo or the blue Navy camo or even the Air Force tiger-striped camo. If they were hell bent on paying tribute to the Marines why not go with their Woodland pattern? Instead they chose to copy and use the Padres uniform, the one uniform our team has in their lockers that's unique. Ugh.
The other thing that bugs me is that the small differences in the uniforms are improvements over the Padres' uniforms. I never understood why the Padres had white lettering for the player's last names. It's really difficult to read on a bright Sunday afternoon and it simply doesn't fit the theme. The Reds used the same colored lettering throughout. The other thing is the caps. The Reds are using camouflage hats that actually match their jersey and the Marine covers rather than some weird tan/brown/greenish cap that the Padres are using. There's still room for improvement though. Both teams should invest in some camouflage pants and get rid of the white slacks.
