The jerseys and hats were not great. At times, it just seemed to be too much going on at one time. However, they were interesting and brought a distinct look to the festivities. The real problem with the uniforms was the socks.
Now, as a disclaimer, I am not a uniform hater. Many of the designs that are hated on online and in the media I find really cool. One of my favorite uniforms of all-time is the old New Jersey Nets matte uniform that is hated by many.
Jose Altuve https://photos.smugmug.com/Sports/MLB/071216-bb a-All-Star-Game/i-VjzQnDg/0/XL/AP476973507151-XL.jpg |
Some All Stars last night, including Jose Altuve and Manny Machado, wore All Star Game specific socks from Stance. Stance makes great socks, but these were the ugliest baseball socks I have ever seen: Navy blue with yellow stripes with the All Star Game logo on the side and the team, National or American, below the logo.
There are many bones to pick with this sock.
First, they do not match the uniforms of the people wearing them. During the All Star Game, players wear the uniforms of their team, not the All Star Game uniform. Therefore, those socks would only match the Padres color scheme. As a result, the socks do not match with any other team's color scheme, and therefore, almost of all the players in the game.
Second, there is so much going on. The baseball stirrup or sock is at its best when it is simple. Either as one full color or a main color with stripes, the best socks do not go over the top. These socks go all over the place. The logo, the team name, the stars are all additions to the sock that take the grandeur out of it.
Francisco Lindor http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Francisco+Lindor+87th +MLB+Star+Game+ber2ZP8hSTNl.jpg |
This issue is even more noticeable when some players do not wear the ASG socks. Francisco Lindor, for example, wore his regular Cleveland stirrups (arguably the best in the game) and it looked great.
For the Home Run Derby, I can live with the socks because players are wearing the All Star uniform and their respective socks would not match the All Star uniform. But, the sock is still way too much. It is obvious that having this sock is just a marketing ploy, hoping that youth will want to buy the sock. People will buy the sock, whether is is used in the game or not. But, putting it in the game is not going to result in more sales.
Let's not put money ahead of the game. While socks will not have an impact on the game, MLB should want the All Star Game to be its best product. The All Star Game socks are arguably its worst product.