With few exceptions, my reaction to the funky City Connect uniforms that Major League teams are wearing has ranged from revulsion to loathing, On Friday, I finally got to see the Phillies’ City Connect uniforms in person, and my stance on the alternative togs is starting to soften.
As we hung out at Comcast LIve over a couple of Victory beers before the game, only a handful of fans wandered in with the City Connect jerseys. Fact is, in Philly, just about everyone wears a regular replica jersey to Citizens Bank Park, most in tradtional red and white livery with a healthy percentage of powder blue tops and maroon caps.
My friend Brian, visiting from California with a friend from college days, was on the back side on an East Coast baseball swing that took him from Camden Yards to Cooperstown, with other stops at Citi Field, Fenway Park and Nationals Park. He was amazed by the overwhelming presence of Phillies duds — even on the women, he noted, not just the guys.
Brian was wearing a Giants sweatshirt and his friend Randy was wearing a vintage Washington Senators cap. I had on a Giants cap, and we had a few nice exchanges with other Giants fans as well as Phillies fans throughout the evening.
Our seats were in the third deck, which gave us a marvelous view of the field but also seemed to wave the wind straight at us on a night when the temperature stayed in the low 50s. The weather vibe was vintage Candlestick Park on a summer night.
Anyhow, back to the City Connect uniforms. I’ve generally reacted to those uniforms when looking at photos of a single player or fan wearing them. But the wider view from the grandstand, with the whole team wearing them, uh, uniformly, made them much more tolerable and acceptable.
The Phillies’ Liberty Bell cap design in the City Connect uniforms is nice enough that I might buy one at some point, but I would pass on the glare yellow trimmings of J.T. Realmuto’s catching gear.
It was a lot of fun to catch the game with Brian and Randy, whom I’d met for the first time. We made the most our visit to the ballpark, hitting Ashburn Alley right after the gates opened and heading straight to the Tony Luke’s station for cheesesteaks, with (Whiz) and wit (onions). They were magnificent.
The Phillies beat the Giants 4-3 in a tight game, which I’ll remember mostly for the camaraderie. And it may even become a memory of when I discovered I actually like City Connect uniforms.
The Ball Caps Blog 
Sounds like a great experience at the ballpark and a perfect post game activity- cheese steak sandwiches! I hear and read more about Phillies fans than any other MLB team’s fans.
It’s a fun atmosphere at Citizens Bank Park. Next visit, I’ll be back in my Phillies duds. 🙂