As the clock ticks down on the decade's last few days, protocol demands that Uni Watch prepare a top-10 list. But what sort of list should it be? The decade's 10 best uniforms? The 10 worst uniforms? The 10 worst Oregon football uniforms?

No, no and no. Those are too easy, too obvious. Instead, let's tackle something a bit more challenging: the decade's 10 most unusual uniform moments. In a sports world where so many things feel scripted and predictable, these 10 incidents defied all sense of expectation and planning, making us sit up and say, "Wow, I've never seen that before!"

So here they are -- 10 uni-based reminders that surprise and spontaneity still can triumph over our "been there, seen that" jadedness, at least while we're watching a game.

1. Oh no -- no O!: April 17, 2009, becomes a national holiday on the Uni Watch calendar, as the Washington Nationals send two players onto the field with the same jersey typo. If the dual uni errata are unprecedented, so is the apology that follows a few days later. An instant classic that future decades will be hard-pressed to match.

2. Lost and found: Four Virginia Tech jerseys go missing just before the team's football game against Georgia Tech on Nov. 1, 2007. So the Hokies end up borrowing some Yellow Jackets jerseys, blacking out the offending bits with marker and writing in the players' names by hand (lots of additional photos here and here). Hey, sometimes you have to improvise.

3. Wait, I thought we were the home team: Syracuse and South Carolina both show up for the 2002 NIT championship game with their white uniforms. A Syracuse staffer is sent back to the hotel to fetch the team's orange road unis, but he takes too long, so the game begins with both teams wearing white, causing major confusion for fans, players and officials. When the orange gear finally arrives midway through the first half, the Syracuse players quickly change their jerseys but not their shorts, which makes it look as though they're playing in their underwear. They finally go with solid orange for the second half. (Footnote: Seven years later, almost to the day, a similar situation takes place at a North Carolina high school hoops tourney. Further details here.)

4. Recidivist exhibitionist: After catching a touchdown pass against the Bears on Oct. 9, 2005, Cleveland Browns receiver Antonio Bryant moons the Cleveland faithful. Seems like a freak accident -- until the next season, when Bryant, having joined the San Francisco 49ers, gives a repeat performance. (Footnote: Bryant may have some new competition in the form of Oakland Raiders lineman Tommy Kelly, who emerged from a goal-line pile two Sundays ago with less than he'd bargained for. And let's give an honorable mention to Brian Westbrook, who suffered an NFL-record wedgie last season.)

5. Sock it to me: Clinton Portis and Sean Taylor decide to jazz up the Washington Redskins' socks for a 2005 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Taylor goes candy-striped (and adds stripes to his face mask), while Portis becomes the first player in history to go with stripes on one leg and solid burgundy on the other. Neither player offers an explanation, and both are fined by the NFL.

6. Four-gone conclusion: Milwaukee Bucks guard Charlie Bell wears No. 42 -- or at least he does until he steps to the free throw line during a 2006 game against the Detroit Pistons, at which point his 4 begins to fall off. Teammate Charlie Villanueva grabs the wayward numeral and hands it to coach Terry Stotts, leaving Bell with a new uni number.

7. Hat trick: With the Canadiens, Oilers and 57,000 fans braving subzero temperatures for an outdoor hockey game in Edmonton on Nov. 22, 2003, Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore perfectly captures the spirit of the moment by wearing a Canadiens toque, complete with a pom-pom. Six years later, the NHL Winter Classic is an annual outdoor tradition, and a lot of the enthusiasm for it can be traced back to Theodore's inspired headwear choice that day in Edmonton.

8. Long may it wave stick: It's Memorial Day 2006, and Kansas City Royals pitcher Ambiorix Burgos appears to be sending out a distress signal. But he's actually one of many MLB players whose American flag patches end up upside down or askew in 2006 and '07. Memo to Bud Selig: If you're going to have players wear the stars and stripes on major holidays, maybe you should embroider the flag directly onto the caps instead of using cheap peel-and-stick patches.

9. Men in tights: The NBA doesn't have a panty hose licensing deal, but it sure looks that way in the fall and winter of 2005, as dozens of players start wearing tights on the court. The odd fad is eventually banned by the league, except for players who have legitimate medical reasons to look really stupid wear support hose.

10. Back to the drawing board: The Texas Rangers decide to ring in 2009 by unveiling history's ugliest batting helmet. Fortunately, reaction is so swift and so harsh that the team quickly reverses course.

But why limit ourselves to just 10 incidents? Here's a chronological listing of a few dozen additional uni-notable moments, all of which deserve honorable mention:

And there you have it, people -- a decade's worth of uniform anomalies, abnormalities, and aberrations. Here's hoping the next decade is even better.

Paul Lukas thanks all the readers whose contributions helped make Uni Watch's first decade so successful. If you liked this column, you'll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, be added to his mailing list so you'll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask him a question? Contact him here.

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