(Editor’s note: File this under “Great Minds Think Alike”; you may have seen a version of this post earlier today. Tom and I wrote similar posts on the same subject and posted them within minutes of each other. I’ve combined those two posts into this one. –Chad)
CHAD: I don’t like this one bit:
It might be of subtle notice but Reds minor leaguers are no longer required to wear their socks high over their pants. Being clean shaven is not mandatory anymore either. That rule extended to coaches too. Triple-A Louisville manager Rick Sweet is wasting no time growing a mustache.
I don’t care about the facial hair, though we still have a strict no-facial-hair policy for the editors here at Redleg Nation. It’s the other part, about the socks, that irritates me.
I’ve been on a crusade to get the Reds to wear the old-style stirrups again. Well, it isn’t really a crusade; all I’ve done is complain on a dumb little blog, but still…the stirrups are classy and they make the uniform look much better.
I don’t know if I can bear watching the minor league Reds now. They’ll all probably wear those stupid long pants that come down under their cleats. Ugh.
Wonder if I can talk our Spotlight Players into wearing the high socks for us? I’m looking at you, Logan Parker and Matt Klinker!
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TOM: I must say I am saddened by this news. I know in the bigger scheme of things it probably doesn’t really matter and is merely a personal preference on my part. I’ve never liked how the big baggy pants all bunched up over the top of the cleats looks. I think it looks sloppy. I also dislike that the players’ uniforms look different, with some players wearing their pants traditionally showing their red socks, and others with the frumpy bunched up look going on.
I think having the minor leaguers all required to wear their uniforms the same instills a little bit of the importance of being a team. I believe it also provides a bit of discipline in the young men, which seems to be missing in many places these days. I don’t mind as much that the clean shaven rule was also dropped, as long as they require them to keep their facial hair neatly trimmed. Like I said, I’m sure this is just an old-school personal preference on my part, but I always liked that the Reds required their minor leaguers to do this. How is everyone else out there in Redleg Nation feeling about this bit of news?