The Best and Worst Uniforms of All Time: The Pittsburgh Pirates - MLB

The Best: When I wrote this up a couple of years ago I was clearly suffering from some sort of stress-related malady, because I picked the 1960s vests as the best Pirate uniform. That’s not the worst thing ever because the Pirates did vests pretty well, all things considered, but I realize now that no vest should ever be picked as a team’s best look. So, with all apologies to Clemente, Mazeroski and the rest, I’m going to give the title of best ever Pirates uniform to the longer sleeved traditional look they adopted in 1948. Which, with the exception of a big ugly arm patch, is what they wear today. The Pirates look great, actually. At least when they’re standing still and not, you know, trying to play baseball.

The Worst: While there had been a couple of very, very minor taste lapses in their history (Blue sleeves? Pirate head?) I don’t think it’s controversial to say that the late 1970s Pirates were an abomination unto all that is Good and Holy. And that’s the case even when they tried really, really hard to look cool.

Assessment: If we did this bracket-style, the 70s Pirates and 70s A’s would almost certainly meet up in the awfulness finals. Which, for Pittsburgh at least, is kind of a shame. Really, they’ve got well over a hundred years of downright sharp and respectable uniforms sullied by a few short years of dreck, clouding all of our memories. Alas.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada Senate adjourned Thursday without voting on a financing bill for a proposed $1.5 billion Las Vegas Strip stadium for the Oakland Athletics, extending the special legislative session into the next week amid negotiations over whether to contribute $380 million in public funding to the project.

The measure can still be amended by lawmakers, and if it passes the Senate it would still need approval from the Assembly before going to the desk of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who has expressed support for it. Both the state Senate and Assembly are adjourned until Monday.

In a hearing that began Wednesday and stretched into the early morning hours Thursday, lawmakers peppered tourism officials and a representative from a firm partnering with the ball club with questions about the feasibility and benefits of financing such a deal.

Public funds for the stadium would mainly come from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. Backers have pledged that the creation of a special tax district around the proposed stadium would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.

The A’s would not owe property taxes for the publicly owned stadium. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, would also contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

A’s representatives and some tourism officials say a deal would further grow Las Vegas’ developing sports scene and act as an economic engine, but a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers warn that the project would bring minimal benefits for the hefty public price tag.