City Connect playlist: part two + more CFB revelations

Good morning everyone. We’ve got a lot to talk about today, so let’s get started with the American League section of Jim’s City Connect playlist. Before we begin, I made a change to the Pirates in the first part from last weekend. The song I originally had in mind for them had completely slipped my mind until I heard it again a few nights ago. I think this one fits better, but of course, Your Music May Vary.

The idea behind the playlist is this: I’m going to look at the MLB City Connect uniforms and then pair them with 21st century songs that come to mind. Some of them are pretty straightforward, others require a little explanation as to why a particular uniform reminds me of a particular song. Hopefully they all make sense after a little “storytelling.” And hopefully you’ll give the songs a try. I know very few of you will like them all, but I think everyone can find at least one song they like. Alright, let’s put the American League to music.

At least

Baltimore

__________

__________

When I first saw this, my immediate reaction was, “No, no, no… wait… it’s legible, it’s got *some* orange, it’s… well, it’s pretty good.” When I first heard “Get Him Back” by Olivia Rodrigo, my immediate reaction was, “No, no, no, not my type of… wait… it’s catchy, it’s clever, it’s… well, it’s pretty good.” By the end of the song, I was nodding my head as I worked.

Boston

__________

__________

The Red Sox wear yellow socks? Gnarls Barkley said it best: That’s “crazy.”

new York

DNP: Owner’s decision. Don’t worry, Yankees fans. I’ll create a similar playlist for the regular uniforms of all 30 teams, with older music.

Tampa Bay

__________

__________

Since this university capitalizes on the area’s skateboard culture, I looked into what skateboarders in general listen to. One of the bands that came up was Less Than Jake, and their song “The Science Of Selling Yourself Short” seemed perfect for a jersey that sells itself short because it’s unreadable from a distance.

Toronto

__________

__________

Speaking of unreadable! The “night mode” is a nightmare unless you’re two feet away from it. The skyline looks like there was a major power outage downtown, so I couldn’t help but think of the NEW Billy Joel song: “Turn The Lights Back On.”

AL Central

Chicago

__________

__________

Spoiler alert for the traditional college playlist: The regular sox remind me of Led Zeppelin. Why? They’re considered classics. And their refusal to wear white socks gets on my nerves as much as Robert Plant’s screaming in my ears. Their CCs remind me of modern-day Zeppelin clones Greta Van Fleet. The person who handles the music at work has a huge crush on them because they play every 40 minutes or so. And again, the refusal to wear white socks on an otherwise good college gets on my nerves as much as Josh Kiszka’s whining. At least the rest of “Highway Tune” is pleasing to my ears.

Cleveland

__________

__________

An art deco feel, but still thoroughly modern. It’s a hit with me, and the same goes for Postmodern Jukebox. They have an art deco look and take thoroughly modern songs and give them an old-fashioned feel. Here’s their version of the song “Stacy’s Mom” ​​by Fountains of Wayne.

Detroit

__________

__________

Eminem would probably have been the most obvious choice, but I couldn’t listen to any of his stuff, so I went with Detroit rapper Kid Rock, who wears a lot of black and rocks out to “All Summer Long” with a Tigers cap.

Kansas City

__________

__________

I love, love, LOVE these. I really hope they keep them as permanent alternates so I can watch them later. I also love, love, LOVE “See You Later” by The Band CAMINO, which I first heard during the Middle Child drum concert. It’s one of my favorite songs from this century.

Minnesota

__________

__________

The “Ripple Effect,” with its salute to the state’s 10,000 lakes, makes me think of cold water. It gives me chills, but in a good way. Ed Sheeran’s tune was a perfect fit for me.

AL West

Houston

__________

__________

Well… they have popular numbers. And “Hips Don’t Lie”. Shakira! Shakira!

“Los Angeles”

_________

__________

The Angels look good in their surf uniform. Too bad Anaheim isn’t on the coast, so I’ll focus on the name rather than the looks. Did you know Rick Astley released an album in the last decade? One of the singles was the very fitting “Angels On My Side.”

Oakland

(see New York)

Seattle

__________

__________

My head says blue tops and black pants shouldn’t work. But my heart goes boom boom boom da boom boom, boom boom boom da boom… just like in “Head & Heart” by Joel Corry and MNEK.

Texas

__________

__________

Just like Philly, the letters and numbers remind me of tattoos. You know who has a lot of tattoos? Post Malone, who teams up with Morgan Wallen on the current number one country song “I Had Some Help.”

And there you have it… 28 unis paired with 28 new or relatively new songs. As I said last weekend, listening to new music has given me a greater appreciation for the City Connect program. They’re still putting out *some* good stuff these days, both in the studios and in the fields. Not everything is a hit, but you never know what will be a hit if you don’t keep being creative. And not everything old needs to be put out to pasture. Over the coming weekends, I’ll be pairing the more traditional unis with songs that have a lot of staying power. Stay tuned!

Golden Hurricane gets stripes and the Red Wolves are red again!

Following the unveiling of Rice’s new and improved uniforms last weekend, fellow Adidas teams Tulsa and Arkansas State joined the upgrade parade yesterday. Let’s start with the Golden Hurricane, who added sleeve stripes to their jerseys.

__________

__________

The gold-bordered TV numbers move from the sleeves to the shoulders to make room for the stripes. Otherwise, it’s the same jersey as last year, only better. And yes, there’s still a white helmet and white pants, so they still have the option to wear it white.

__________

__________

The big change is below the waist. Tulsa dropped the giant GOLDEN on one leg and HURRICANE on the other and instead added a small “Tulsa” lettering on the hurricane flag patch on the hip. Here’s how they looked last year for comparison:

__________

__________

I’m SO glad I can consider them for the top five games even if they don’t wear throwback outfits. No word yet on what they will be this year, or if the blue pants will stay in rotation.

Then there are the Red Wolves, who hardly wore red last year. At least the wolf logo was red, but the jerseys were mostly black and white. This year they’re adding red jerseys and pants with black/white/black stripes.

__________

__________

Those were screenshots from the team’s non-obligatory hype video. You’re welcome. It’s available in this article, along with a much tamer news video that I recommend. Same style as last year…

__________

__________

…only with a lot more red! I wonder if they’ll combine them with last year’s set. I wouldn’t mind.

The S stands for Stealth, not for Saskatchewan

__________

Last night, the CFL showed once again that it doesn’t care much about the commentators, statisticians and fans in the cheap seats by allowing the Roughriders to wear their alternate jerseys in “Obsidian Green.” See how well you can make out the numbers in this video.

Unfortunately, they beat the Blue Bombers, so now they have both “luck” and camouflage. Depending on the lighting, the jerseys and shorts might look black…

__________

__________

…or green.

__________

__________

The league’s other green team, the Edmonton Elks, opened the season with a green third jersey with hidden numbers. That has to stop. Just because it looks cool up close… very close up… and some fans like to buy and wear it, doesn’t mean it belongs on the field at a real game. But it’s a nice helmet. Keep it, Saskatchewan, and send the rest to the gift shop.

That’s it for today

Have a nice Saturday. Take care, see you tomorrow.