photo by Rasheed Clarke

Each week, our intrepid interns reflect on life and times in the big city.

Nothing screams November like new baseball uniforms. Last Friday, heedless of falling temperatures and the fact that Major League Baseball spring training is still three months away, the Toronto Blue Jays unveiled their updated  logo and uniforms at the Rogers Centre, with the club’s star players on hand to model the new threads. A few days later I swung by the Jays Shop inside Sears’ Toronto Eaton Centre location for a first-hand look at the new gear.

A sense of relief hit me like a Ricky Romero fastball. Once again there’s actual blue in the Blue Jays’ uniforms. I never did like the black-heavy caps and jerseys that the team has donned since 2004—you know, the ones adorned with the angry bird that would have been better suited for, well, Angry Birds. Simultaneously, I was delighted to see that everything just looks so darn good. The colours, the lettering, the logo—all modernized versions of the club’s original style.

The team's new logo

It’s that similarity to the classic uniforms that makes the updated apparel so emblematic of Toronto sports. It’s a reminder of the glory that this team has achieved, and that it’s trying to recapture. When I look at the new jerseys, I remember Devon White’s catch, Mike Timlin’s toss to Joe Carter, and Tom Cheek’s call: “Touch ‘em all, Joe! You’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life!”

Here’s hoping that José Bautista, J.P. Arencibia and company can create those kinds of memories come April 2012. At least they’ll look good trying.

—Rasheed Clarke