Recently, Goat-Rider-On-Probation Kyle had a great idea. He said, "Kurt, what if I give you access to my bank account?" Wait, no, he actually suggested a weekly debate on the blog. I like the idea a lot, and Kyle is officially no longer on probation. How 'bout that? Anyway, the snazzy graphic:

So. Here's how this will work. This article will be sticky at the top of the blog for most of the day. At different points in time, various Riders will come on and contribute their perspective on the hot topic we will be discussing today. You the reader can comment as well and we will respond to your thoughts, too. This article should be updated sporadically throughout the day, so be sure to check back and see the latest pithy statement made by one of the Riders, who will probably be drunk at the time.

Today's Hot Topic: Uniforms.

Kurt: I thought I'd kick this off by spelling out what I'm talking about. The Cubs have one of the classic unis in baseball. The blue pinstripes, the Cubs logo, the hat, the tradition! But I have to be honest. I have always fantasized about the Cubs changing their look a little - I know, my fantasies are both weird and boring - and my most favorite jersey in the world is this one ...the blue alternates that Carlos so loves.

So, let me throw it out there to y'all. What is your favorite Cubs jersey? Which jersey do you hate? What would you change about the current jerseys the team wears? Not to mention high socks or low pants?

I'm mixed up about it. I am all about a traditional look. I hate that the Cubs have names on the backs of their jerseys. I like the high sock look. Sometimes I wonder what the Cubs would look like if they wore a jersey without pinstripes or if they modified their logo, and I'll post a few examples at some point today. But, ultimately, I love me those blue jerseys. They remind me of the road uniforms the Cubs wore when I was a kid. I just wish that, if they wear them, they find a different pair of bottoms to wear. The blue jersey looks ridiculous when worn with grey pants or pinstripes.

So, who's with me? Who wants the Cubs to name the blues as the official road jersey? ...anybody? Anybody at all?

Jason: I don't understand, what kind of bottoms would you wear? Blue bottoms? All blue? Like pajamas? Just plain white pants? Why can't I type in complete sentences?

I think it's insane to wear the blue at home (they do that, don't they?) give that the Cubs have such awesome home jerseys. And on the road? I prefer the grey, but it doesn't get me too worked up. What'd I'd really prefer is something completely different on the road. Like horizontal pinstrips. Or fur.

Byron (Pestilence): I don't like the blue tops with white bottoms. I think it makes most of the players look ugly and fat. The blue tops are fine by themselves, so maybe the blue jerseys and jeans or khakis?

High socks or low socks? How about, an inverse relationship between height of socks and weight of player. The lighter you are, the higher your socks. (No uniform for Mike Fontenot, just one large stirrup.)

Kyle: There is no doubt the blue alts look much better with the road pants, however, they are then completely destroyed by the red-billed cap. Does anyone else think this is the most disgusting part of the Cubs' whole uniform set?

They have a God-given classic with their all blue hats...why would you ever stray away from them (yes, I know MLB teams like to have a home and away cap to generate more revenue but come on)? Any person who willfully spends their own money to buy a red-billed cap should be punched in the gut by the cashier on completion of the transaction. It's the only fair solution if you want to keep those hats.

Does anyone else think the reddies are an abomination? How about the Cubs wearing their all blue hats at home AND on the road? Several other teams wear only one cap (Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers) and I think they look pretty classy.

Colin: I'm largely agnostic on the subject of the blue alternates, socks, stirrups, and pants. I just want to note that I'm really not fond of the road greys. I think they're bland and unimaginative - and worst of all, if you take off the lettering on the front there's absolutely no hint that the guy wearing it is a Cub. The blue uniforms at least look like Cub uniforms.

Byron (Pestilence): I actually like the road caps on their own. (Maybe that's a theme today.) When in uniform, the Cubs should stick to the solid blue hats, but fans in the stand can do worse than the red bill. Maybe the away hats could become batting practice hats, and reserve the solid blues for all games.

Kurt (Not Pestilence): I used to get into a debate with a buddy of mine because I thought the Cubs home cap would look better if it was white with a blue bill.

And, c'mon Jason, blue shirt white pants, just like the 80's. No names on the back.

I like the walking bear better than the old Cubbie face, although the 1970's Cubbie face is the best ever. The only problem with it is that it is a symbol of the Cubbies. We hate the Cubbies. Cubbies is a suck word. We follow the Cubs, right?

I said right?!?!

Jason: Um, meh? Hate the Cubbies? When did it become universally acceptable that only group-think idiots use the word cubbies and the ludites use Cubs? Or, more to the point, shouldn't this announcement have been made public?

I mean, fine, I get it. You want a way to weed out the mouth-breathers. But I would be perfectly content using the word cubbies in conversation and not think less of myself. That being said, I'm not entirely sure that I ever say the word Cubbies, but I wouldn't think less of myself if I did. I just think it's kind of an arbitrary thing that all the "smart sites" have latched onto to separate themselves from the masses. The point is that I would never have associated that word with suck if the internets didn't tell me too and I suspect that's the same for a lot of people. Thank god Desipio was here to set us straight.

That being said, I only like the home pinstripes. I'm neither a fan of the blue jerseys nor the grey ones but, at the same time, I'm ambivilent to both. How about we go back to an off-white wool jersey for road games? Or maybe cotton.

Byron (Pestilence): Er, I'm a mouth breather... and occassionally a Cubbies slips out. Does this mean I'm fired?

In other news, Larry Borowsky of Viva El Birdos answered my questions for today's Back-Channel Relations feature.

Colin: Every night, when I go to bed, I lay down, knit my fingers together, bow my head, and ask God:

"Oh Lord, did I only use words approved by Andy Dolan today?"

Only when the Lord gives me a sign can I lay my head against my pillow and sleep an untroubled sleep.

Jason: Nice. I'm not trying to be an ass and I really, really like Andy's site and think he's an outstanding writer, but I get a little tired of the attitude that there's only one acceptable type of Cub fan. Dude, it's baseball. Just a game. I like it by being obsessive and in depth (well, some would disagree with the "in depth" part) and others prefer beer, sun, and the final score. I've just never understood why one of those was right and the other was for idiots.

I used to go to a hockey game to get drunk. I was a bad, bad fan, but it was still fun. Who cares?

Kurt: And with that, our first debate has ended.  What did we learn from this event?

1. We learned that if you throw out a topic and people randomly respond, it less resembles a debate and more resembles a post with random opinions loosely related to a singular topic.  

2. We learned that hatred for the word "Cubbies" does not necessarily extend beyond the borders of Desipio, where there be vicious wit and cruel Cubbie fans.  In other words, they are our friends.

3. We learned that this was a fun experiment.  Next week, we will tackle a singular topic and we'll pick two writers in particular to debate it, hopefully people who actually have contrary opinions about the very topic we will debate.  So far, I think it's going to be a debate on the use of the word Cubbie.  Any thoughts about that?

Go Cubs.  ...bies.