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Some uniform advice for Brewers, Padres from Len Kasper

I have some serious thoughts on a topic that isn't discussed enough in baseball - uniform design.

Yes, I admit I am a sports uniform and logo nut. And I have thoroughly enjoyed this season's decade-to-decade journey of the Cubs' outfits as part of Wrigley Field's 100th birthday celebration.

Those uniforms can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/nxktace.

Of all the throwbacks, my favorite so far has been the 1937 zipper-style, off-white top with the thick red "C" surrounding the blue "UBS" without the modern thick blue outline. It has blue piping down the front and on the sleeves but no pinstripes.

If the Cubs decided to go back to that Gabby Hartnett-era look, I would be all for it. Of course, the current home uniform is iconic in its own right, so I wouldn't necessarily mess with it.

Baseball uniforms (and pro sports uniforms in general) match the general fashion of the times, but it is interesting to see what looks dated and what works in perpetuity.

There are a few teams that have either scrapped their recent look to return to their roots or at least flirted with the past that I find interesting.

• The Blue Jays started out with a unique design with their double-lined uniform script. They had recently gotten away from it until finally going back to their original appearance (with minor updates), which I love.

• Same goes for the Astros, who should always have blue and orange as their main colors. I am not sure I'd ever revive their rainbow jerseys, but they are back on the right track for sure.

• The Brewers are another interesting team. Their terrific ball-and-glove logo is outdated by most standards, with a very disco-era late 1970s feel. But it is so clever that they keep bringing it back as kind of a pseudo alternate look.

One of my staunch logo and uniform tenets is uniqueness and that logo represents the franchise better than any before or after it. Their current combo is completely unmemorable. The Brewers need to ditch their 2014-style jerseys and go back to what clearly is their best design, established 36 years ago.

For more on the Brewers' uniform and logo history, visit http://tinyurl.com/pzabjz5.

• Then we have the San Diego Padres, a team that seemingly can't run away far enough from what made the franchise stand out from all others. Their current (and boring) navy blue dominant look makes me yawn every time I see it. It is forgettable and frustratingly generic. This team had it right from the beginning with the Swinging Friar logo in brown and yellow.

Yes, brown and yellow.

Heck, even the brown and orange of the late 1980s would work. But brown needs to be the main color. Why? Because they own it. Like the A's own green, brown belongs to the San Diego Padres. It's in their DNA.

One pet peeve of mine is alternate jerseys. The Yankees have resisted the trend and should be applauded for that. Yes, marketing departments love them but as a fan, I want one home and one road uniform and that's it.

Speaking of road uni's, remember the baby blue trend of the 1970s and 1980s? Nobody has that look anymore and I am not sure why. The Royals shouldn't wear gray on the road. It has to be that cool George Brett-era light blue with the white "Royals" on the front, no? It just works.

There's your baseball sartorial advice of the week, free of charge.

• Len Kasper is the TV play-by-play broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs. Follow him on Twitter@LenKasper and check out his baseball-blog with Jim Deshaies at wgntv.com.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross throws against the New York Mets in the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 19, 2014, in San Diego. Associated Press
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