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Certainly, there has been a fashion revolution for the Arizona Diamondbacks over the winter, with the announcement, in a blizzard of publicity just before the Zack Greinke signing, of the new uniforms the team will be wearing going forward. But, notably not present at the time, were the trousers spotted once the team reported for spring training earlier this week. If responses to the new uniforms was mixed - to be honest, that is entirely to be expected, since you can't please all of the people all of the time - response to the new pants was almost universal:
- "Obviously I’ve seen pants that are weirder than these, but never as part of a Major League uniform." - USA Today
- "How long before hitters complain about the color being a distraction?" - Sports Illustrated
- "Maybe they are all fans of The Walking Dead, and want it to look like they've been bitten by zombies." -- Yahoo Sports
And that's not even including the Twitter reactions:
@SteveGilbertMLB @Uniformswag @UniWatch dear god.... #Flashdance called......They want their leg warmers back.
— The Kid (@KidStallyn) February 18, 2016
@SteveGilbertMLB @Buster_ESPN @Uniformswag @UniWatch Looks like they were stomping grapes for wine between practices
— Magic Bag (@themagicbag) February 18, 2016
@SteveGilbertMLB @Uniformswag @UniWatch @PhilHecken I don’t mind the new jerseys, but those pants are just awful.
— Nick LaRosa (@nlarosa62) February 18, 2016
@SteveGilbertMLB @UniWatch @Uniformswag The legs look like they were washed with red towels. Never seen anything more stupid.
— Dave Nagle (@DaveESPNPR) February 18, 2016
@SteveGilbertMLB @Buster_ESPN @Uniformswag @UniWatch what is up with slow pitch softball uniforms making their way into baseball??
— Ryan Rylee (@chiveonjiveon) February 18, 2016
Bold prediction. These pants get quietly consigned to the dustbin of history before the end of the season, and are never talked about again.
Perhaps tonight's show on Fox Sports Arizona will shed some light on them. Premiering at 6:30pm, and on again at 11pm, it's narrated by Matt Williams and will tell the story of how the new uniforms came to be. The program includes video from inside the design meetings with players, coaches, front office staff and the uniform designers, interviews with those involved in the process, including Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, Patrick Corbin, Chip Hale and Derrick Hall. Additionally, ASUy evolutionary biology professor Kevin McGraw will discuss the scientific advantages of the team’s colors.
Here are a couple of preview clips:
FIRST LOOK: @Dbacks Evolution / #JoinTheEvolutionhttps://t.co/N3o5HdwqRL
— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) February 18, 2016
SNEAK PEEK #2: @Dbacks Evolution / You’ve seen what worked. Here’s what didn’t. #JoinTheEvolutionhttps://t.co/15PeEtXRnZ
— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) February 18, 2016