The Padres marketing department announced that they will have three separate retro nights for the 2012 season, honoring the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s, respectively. But the genius of it is that the uniforms they will wear on each of these nights will be decided interactively with a vote by us, the fans. We will get to choose one uniform from three selections in each decade. With voting starting today and closing on Sunday, I will give you a crash course on all you need to know to make an informative decision in 2012’s most important election.

First we’ll boogie back to the seventies where disco ruled and the Padres, well, did not. But the Padres chose three uniforms highlighting three great moments of the decade.

The first choice is the 1973 duds worn by Dave Winfield’s rookie year. This little getup was all yellow with brown font and a brown cap. And when I say all yellow I mean pants and top like a banana that’s about to go bad. The next choice is the 1976 road uniforms worn Randy Jones during his Cy Young season. These brown tops are not unlike the 1978 ones worn in 2010, but instead have “San Diego” across the chest. The final choice is the 1978 home uniforms, worn by the Padres players when they hosted their first ever All-Star Game. They are white w/ brown sleeves with the full team name (San Diego Padres) across the chest in yellow with a brown outline.

Next we venture into the eighties. And while we are unable to vote for Mugatu’s keyboard necktie, there are several choices that are totally rad.

Leading off this decade is a uniform regarded in many circles as the best one worn in Padres history, the 1984 home uniforms honoring the Padres first National League championship. These uniforms added orange font with the familiar brown and yellow as trim. Next off are the 1987 road uniforms, honoring rookie of the year Benito Santiago. The uniforms were gray with brown pinstripes with an interlocking “SD” on the chest in brown with an orange outline. The hat all brown with an orange “SD” as well. The final choice is the home version of these, worn by announcer Mark Grant in 1989. They had Brown pinstripes with Padres across the chest.

Finally all you blue-lovers will feel good vibrations, as the Padres march out three choices that “you can’t touch”.

Their classy road grays from their 1996 NL West championship lead off the decade. The uniform says San Diego across the chest in navy blue block lettering outlined in white with orange shadowing. The Cap was navy with a white “S” and an orange “D”. The next choice is the 1997 home honoring one of Tony Gwynn’s silver slugger awards. This choice is white w/ navy pinstripes, with Padres across the chest in navy, outlined in white with orange shadowing. The last choice is the alternate Navy jersey, worn by saves leader Trevor Hoffman in the Padres second trip to the World Series in 1998. The jersey has Padres across the chest in navy, outlined in white with orange shadowing, with white piping and a patch of the “Swinging Friar” on the left sleeve.

So those are your candidates for this year’s retro nights’ uniforms. Just click this link. I urge you to get out and vote and vote often, but please make an informative decision. Our future is in you hands.