Orioles appear to finally get their City Connects right after jersey leak

The original Baltimore Orioles City Connect was a flop. The Orioles were one of the last teams to get one of these special uniforms, and after years of waiting, the reveal that their City Connect jersey was just an all-black uniform and Baltimore printed in plain bold lettering was a major disappointment.

The "twist" on this first try that the inside of the jersey was colorful to contrast the dark exterior probably killed it in the boardroom when it was first presented, but in practice on the field, it did not work. Nike backtracked and made an adjustment to the jersey after it was released, trying to bring some life to it, but it still fell very flat. The team quickly ditched the black baseball pants entirely, so they haven't even been wearing the uniform as it was designed in years.

It seems the long-bemoaned City Connect’s days are numbered after leak of Orioles' new design

The leaked images reveal a new city-connect theme, clearly meant as an homage to Camden Yards.  Similar to the Red Sox's most recent city connect, which was an homage to Fenway Park. It features green sleeves reminiscent of the green outfield walls, a brick pattern on the inside of the jersey as a nod to this iconic Warehouse in right field, a small patch depicting the familiar clock mounted atop the scoreboard, and a patch on the left sleeve similar to the plaques you'd find littered about Eutaw Street. Based on the "B" logo displayed on the jersey's tag, it's likely that the cap will feature a Baltimore “B” in the style of the Camden Yards gates.

Orioles fans aren't out of the woods yet. There are still key details, like the pants and the back of the jersey, yet to be revealed. If the pants are green and the nameplate is wonky, these could still end up being a miss, but as long as there are no serious gaffes with the remaining details, these jerseys are going to be a massive hit amongst Orioles fans.

The design is simple, and it's full of references to something all Orioles fans love. When these elements come together for a City Connect jersey, it has the potential to have real staying power. Some teams have gone on to make their City Connect jerseys permanent. If these new Orioles jerseys look as good on the field as they do in these leaked images, they have the potential to be around for a long time.