Yankees Fan Rich Reacts to Possible Alternate Jersey’s for the Pinstripes

Cooper Rich, all 15 years of him, knows exactly what he is doing when he serves up another City Connect uniform conversation to his dad. Rich admits it. The kid is the target audience, and the kid also knows the reaction he is about to get. Rich does not like the City Connects. He does not understand them. The Braves get a pass because their version actually nods to a 70s look that ties back to the franchise. The Red Sox version is a Green Monster homage and Chris jumps in to defend it. Rich shrugs. Whatever. He just sees a money grab dressed up as a city tribute, and a kid who keeps asking for the new jersey for his birthday or Hanukkah.

Then the conversation turns to the only two holdouts in the league. The Yankees and the A's. Rich points out that the A's do not really have a city to connect to right now, so that one writes itself. He guesses Vegas eventually gets a City Connect once they land there. The Yankees are different. Pinstripes at home, gray on the road, no names on the back, end of story. Tradition. Rich says he digs that. He also catches himself saying we when he describes the Yankees, and Chris does not let him off the hook for it.

Now then. The Athletic is reporting the Yankees are considering an alternate road jersey, not a City Connect, but something the players have been wearing in spring training. Aaron Judge is the photo on the screen. New York lettering in light blue across a navy body instead of road gray. Rich connects it to the loosened facial hair rule that George Steinbrenner put in place half a century ago, the one that has been eased so the Yankees do not show up looking like the Red Sox dirt bags or the cough drop brothers from O Brother Where Art Thou. He laughs through the comparison.

When Cooper asked him for his opinion on the new look, Rich gave him four words. Whatever Aaron Judge wants. If Judge is one of the players asking for the jersey, Rich is in. If it makes him happy, if it makes him a leader, if it gets Ben Rice another home run while he is red hot, fine. If it helps Judge hit better than .200 in October, even better. If it helps him catch a pop up, whatever the man wants.

Hal Steinbrenner has the final say. Rich knows it. He also knows Cooper is already drafting the birthday list, and all conditions apply directly to dad's wallet.