Colorado Rockies: Black vests for City Connects, was it worth it?

June 4 is quickly approaching Colorado Rockies fans and we all know what that means: The new City Connect Jerseys will make their official on-field debut.

Before we look at what the Colorado Rockies are gaining, I feel we should look back at what was lost (the black vests) and ask, “Was it worth it?”

I know I have been quiet on my socials lately. I have been busy being offshore and then getting married, but I want to share my opinion on these jerseys. I am a fan. The design is really good. I like the inspiration. They have finally embraced the green, and I think the new hat is amazing. I will say that it has its faults, though, mainly the lack of purple. So the jersey isn’t a perfect home run. Does that mean it wasn’t worth losing the iconic black vests?

The Colorado Rockies ditched their black vests for their City Connect uniforms. Is it worth it?

The black vests were my favorite jerseys for the same reason they were many people’s favorite jerseys: Todd Helton catch at first base to clinch a World Series berth for the Colorado Rockies (and vests being rad as heck in the 2000s.)

Since then, I have seen it become the most polarizing jersey in the Colorado Rockies rotation. A relic of a bygone era, cringing now at something that was in vogue over a decade ago. Those vests will forever be an important part of Rockies history, tied forever to Todd Helton throwing his hands up in 2007, just as the Turn Ahead the Clock Jerseys will forever be associated with Larry Walker’s iconic no doubt walk-off home run against Atlanta.

It is fitting that the new City Connect uniform is just as polarizing as the vest it is replacing, almost like it is living up to the legacy that the black vests leave behind. Constantly bickered about, but what isn’t nowadays?

One thing that I don’t believe has been mentioned about the black vest retirement is that the Rockies now have a truly solid option for a Throwback jersey. The team has been too new with little change for a long time, so there have never been true throwbacks for the Colorado Rockies to fall back to as a fan favorite alt.

Give it a couple of years and I am sure we will see the black vests again. It’s all about the money and I know some people will pay good money for a vest that says Veen on the back by 2026.

So was it worth it? I love the black vests. They were my favorite jerseys, but they simply do not fit the Colorado Rockies’ branding as the other jerseys do.

If any of the jerseys had to go, the black vest would make the most sense. I am happy to see the team try something new, and while I would have liked to see a little more from the city connect jersey than what we got, they are a step in the right direction. I think/hope the black vests will return in some capacity as the Colorado Rockies throwback jerseys in a few years.

Is change good? The answer is generally yes, but whether this change is good is entirely up to you.