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Dodgers fans had mixed reactions to the new City Connect jerseys, ranging from enthusiasm over the all-blue scheme and nod to L.A.’s Latino community to disappointment over what many consider a boring design and a half-hearted attempt to, well, connect to the city.
For over six decades, Angelenos have been united by a team, a dream and a color. Whether you refer to that color as blue or azul, we all share a connection and an allegiance to a team that inspires our art and story. We are Los Angeles, somos Los Dodgers. pic.twitter.com/Iba5mt12rE
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 19, 2021
“The City Connect uniforms were familiar by design, as any changes to our uniform are significant,” chief marketing officer Lon Rosen explained in a news release. “The Dodgers uniform has gone largely unchanged since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958…so an all-blue uniform with spray paint accents and anything but our iconic LA cap are drastic changes for us.”
There’s also the question of why Nike stopped short of using “Los Doyers,” a phrase that the Dodgers have trademarked and that fans have often used to refer to the team, rather than “Los Dodgers.”
According to Nike, the Dodgers and other teams will continue to wear these jerseys for several seasons to come.
Joon Lee at ESPN has more on the design process.
Links & Notes
Houston Mitchell at the Los Angeles Times analyzes the Dodgers’ shaky defense and ranks the team’s efforts based on Total Fielding Runs Above Average, with Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger appearing to carry the team when it comes to runs saved.
Last night, Mitch White became the first Dodgers reliever to go 7 1/3 scoreless innings since 1960. Wes Goldberg at the San Jose Mercury News celebrates the newly-minted local hero.
Adam Weinrib at Dodgers Way presents a terrifying concept: What if Mets owner Steve Cohen had purchased the Dodgers, with Tony La Russa as president of baseball operations? It almost happened, and the Mets’ current woes could have been L.A.’s instead.