What do Hillsboro Hops look like?

Thursday afternoon in cold and rainy suburban Portland, Oregon, the brand-new Hillsboro Hops unveiled their brand-new livery, and I was there. We also got a ballpark tour -- more on that later -- but the highlight was the unveiling, with three local high-school stars modeling the batting-practice jersey, the road uniforms, and the home livery.

This image is not the local high-school stars. This image was released by the Hops shortly after the unveiling. I know know who these guys are, or where this photo was snapped. But it’s better than anything I took with my phone, so I’m sharing this one:

(photo courtesy of Hillsboro Hops)

These are plenty slick enough, I think. No frivolous bells and whistles. I’m not a big fan of the Nike branding, but that’s minor-league baseball in 2013. Especially when Nike’s main campus is just a few Giancarlo Stanton blasts away. One thing you might notice: the numbers, both front and back, are displayed in what seems to be a unique font. And one that I happen to like.

I’m not so wild about the H on the road caps; it just doesn’t look quite enough like an H for my tastes. Also (and I wish I’d thought to ask about this at the unveiling) ... what about stirrups? Will stirrups even be an option? Because I haven’t seen livery yet that doesn’t look better with stirrups. In fact, stirrups are among the key ingredients in a classic uniform. And one of the great things about the minor leagues is that you can actually make players do things. Unlike the majors, where the guys just do whatever the hell they like. Stirrups-wise, anyway.

Quibbles. This is going to be a good-looking squad, and Opening Day’s less than a month away.

_{but seriously, stirrups please}