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Archive for November, 2006
Got an intriguing note yesterday from reader Cliff Corcoran. Check it out:
I’ve stumbled upon a fantastic site called Vintage Card Traders, which has scanned in some complete sets of baseball, football, and basketball cards, even a few hockey stickers. These are endlessly entertaining for numerous reasons — some uni-related, some not.
What prompted this e-mail was something from the 1958 Topps set. No, it’s not the tasty stirups sported by some of the Reds (or Braves, or Red Sox, or White Sox, or Orioles, or KC A’s, for that matter). Nor is it Topps’ misguided guess as to what the Giants’ new “SF” insigna would look like, or the fact that the Cubs’ road unis sported the full team name. It’s the uniform number on card No. 317 — it appears to be a solid navy “7″ with a red outline of a boxy “3-D” drop shadow. I’ve never seen anything like it, particularly not from the 1950s. Did the Senators really have uni numbers like that?
Corcoran’s question, which I’ll get to in a second, raises a larger issue: We often think we know what an old uniform looked like, because of templates like this or this. These resources don’t often show us the back of the uniform, however. There are some exceptions — NHLUniforms.com features full front and back coverage, and the Dressed to the Nines” database occasionally shows notable posterior views — but for the most part our rear-view uni knowledge is woefully inadequate.
Which brings us to Corcoran’s question regarding the Senators’ uni numbers. I’d never seen anything like them either, and my initial gut reaction was that this had to be a Topps blunder. But then I noticed that the Sens’ front-jersey “W” logo from this period featured that same kind of boxy red outlining. Hmmmmm. So then I queried a few people, including longtime Uni Watch comrade-in-arms Todd Radom, who quickly provided this shot of a game-worn 1958 Senators jersey — as he put it, ” 3-D all the way!” Mystery solved.
Incidentally, that Vintage Card Traders site is a major find. I wasted the better part of an hour just looking at the 1958 Topps set, thanks in part to the following:
• This was the time period when the Pirates wore flocked helmets — not just while batting, but in the field. Even the pitchers!
• Remember our recent discussions of pointed collars and windbreakers worn underneath jerseys? Look at this.
• Does this dude look scary or what?
Big thanks to Cliff for bringing this great site to our attention (and my apologies to everyone who wastes the entire day clicking through it — it’s pretty addictive).
Uni Watch News Ticker: Is Tracy McGrady “cheating” by continuing to wear the now-banned tights? This page thinks so. (Thanks to Justin Kadis for the tip.) … Dominic J. Litten reports that the University of North Carolina at Pembroke will have a football team next season — their first gridiron presence in over 50 years. Info and uniform pics here. … In case you missed it from yesterday’s Comments section: Seattle Matt did a great job providing a better view of the U. of Memphis logo on DeAngelo Williams’s mouthguard. … And do these uni numbers (a throwback rugby design being worn by the South Africa Springboks) look completely amazing or what? … Uni Watch is rather amusingly referenced in this eBay listing. … Cinematic commentary from Jake Keys: “Here’s a screen capture from the new movie We Are Marshall. You’ll notice Nike shoes on the fella on the left — looks like they tried to black out the logo. Other than that, the uniforms are very accurate for the ‘71 team. The helmet looks great, too — this is the exact logo the team used that year.” … Admirably minutiae-obsessive observation by Chaz Noerenberg, who writes: “For a while now I’ve noticed that the Pittsburgh Penguins have two different styles of lettering for the the alternate captain’s ‘A’ — one worn by Sergei Gonchar, and one worn by Crosby, Recchi, and everyone else. Gonchar’s ‘A’ is thicker with a smaller opening; the other style, which is thinner with thicker trim and a bigger opening, better matches the sleeve numbers. I’m also pretty sure Gonchar has a slightly different nameplate font, so I’m thinking he gets his jerseys lettered at a different place than the rest of the team. I’m looking for more pics to back this up.” … Astute analysis from Bryan Redemske: “Nice use of authentic lettering here, but doesn’t it look a little 5th grade arts-and-crafts? ‘Hey, you’re the MVP! Here’s a … ummm … this base that we had custom-made for you.’ That’s like rummaging through your own closet in search of something cool to give someone.” … Another collared ballplayer, courtesy of Scott M.X. Turner: “This is German Barranca (who played a few years in the U.S. major leagues), during his stint with the Hermillos Naranjeros. Plus side: it’s completely wacky, and Northwestern-striped stirrups. Downside: vinyl iron-on numbers.” … Back when we were discussing poppies for Remembrance Day, several readers mentioned that lots of Canadian minor league hockey teams were wearing poppy patches, but we didn’t have any photos. Now, thanks to Chris Creamer, we do: Check out his shot of the Toronto Marlies (and try to ignore that other jersey patch). … Any style points for this are more than canceled out by this. … Anyone else think Ernest Wilford’s white gloves and white socks made him look like a mime? … Did anyone get a clear look at Del Rio’s lapel pin? I couldn’t figure out what it was.
November 21st, 2006
This past weekend was a bonanza for alternate uniforms, including several making their inaugural appearances. Check it out:
• The Bobcats wore their new navy alts (additional views here and here), which I like quite a bit.
• The Nets unveiled their solid-red alts (also look here, here, and here). Now let’s hope they quietly retire them.
• The Jazz dressed in light blue. According to “Baby Blues” section of this article, several players thought the shorts lettering looked “like high school,” an assessment with which I agree. (Another note from that article: Robert Hyde, president of the team’s Fanzz merchandise stores [now there's a brilliant store name...], is quoted thusly: “The NBA won’t let you use black anymore [for alternate jerseys].” First I’ve heard of that.)
• Maybe the prohibition on solid-black alternates explains why the Wizards have gone with their controversial two-tone alts, which made their debut over the weekend. I still like the stars and stripes, although I wouldn’t argue too hard with anyone who finds the whole thing a bit much. (Question: Notwithstanding last season’s Bulls-as-Stags throwbacks, when’s the last time an NBA team wore two-tone unis?)
• Notre Dame broke out the green jerseys (which I happen to love, so I’m running lots of additional pics here, here, here, here, and here).
• The Titans wore their light blue pants for the first time (additional pics here, here, and here). I prefer the navy pants, although I like the reference to the franchise’s old Love Ya Blue days.
• I’m not positive, but I think yesterday marked the first time the Rams have worn these white pants (which didn’t fare too well).
And that’s not counting the Eagles’ black jerseys, the Panthers’ blue jerseys, the Lakers’ home whites, or the Broncos’ blue pants, all of which are now reasonably familiar sights. “Uniform”? Apparently not.
While you were watching football…: Yesterday I accompanied a lively crew of folks from the very wonderful City Reliquary to the annual Rosendale Picklefest, where there was much munching of deep-fried pickles, among other nutritious options. The proceedings included music from an “authentic” German band, whose members were attired in traditional lederhosen. I had my photo taken with one of them, for reasons that I think will be obvious to most of you.
Our next stop was the excellent Century House Historical Society, where Uni Watch hedge fund analyst Jenny Strasburg alertly spotted photos of old women’s and men’s basketball uniforms hanging on one of the walls. Those stripes on the men’s jerseys are pretty wild — I’ve seen similar stripes used as side panels, but never quite like they’re used in this old photo. All of which goes to show that historical uni-related research can take place anywhere, even during a field trip to a pickle festival.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Chargers’ Marcus McNeill is playing with two broken hands — which apparently makes it difficult for him to zip up his pants (über-thanks to Tim Walsh and Vince Vincenzo, both of whom submitted screen-grabs). … Interesting Boston College uni-numbering tradition explained here (scroll down to the “New jersey” section, and thanks to Dave Conley for the tip). … Michael Rich notes that Rutgers uses different helmet-numbering formats depending on which helmet design a player is wearing. … Good account of DeAngelo Williams’s super-shiny shoe soles in the middle of this Q&A page (with thanks to Ryan Campbell). Multiple sources report that Williams also wears the Univeristy of Memphis logo on his mouthguard, but if you can see it here, your eyesight is better than mine. … All that fuss, just for this? (And although you can’t see it in the photos, Robert Madel notes that Nolan was wearing white socks, which suggests that he still has a lot to learn about wearing a suit.) … Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard showed up at yesterday’s Eagles game wearing a pretty cool retro jacket. … In case you missed it in yesterday’s Comments section: Interesting note in the middle of this page regarding Jocelyn Thibault’s new mask (here’s his old one). … And here’s an article about the new NHL jerseys (although it’s long on speculation and short on solid info). … This web site turned six months old last Friday. Thanks to everyone who’s helped make this a really great half-year — looking forward to more.
November 20th, 2006
(Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Utah Jazz debuted their new baby blue unis on November 18, 2006 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
November 19th, 2006
Whatever else you may think of football, it’s got one major advantage over every other American sport: No matter what the weather is, the game goes on. That point was driven home nicely two nights ago, when Bowling Green and Miami of Ohio played in a mild monsoon that turned the field into a quagmire. The result: a classic mudder (now, as always, the best argument against artificial turf).
As it happens, reader Tom Konecny was at the game. Here’s his report:
I’ve attended a lot of sporting events all over the country in my life, and this was pretty bad (the pix don’t do it justice). Punishing winds and horizontal rain. The cheerleaders were wearing those “track suit”-type nylon outfits, and on one of the smaller women it was inflating like a balloon and throwing her around. Thankfully, we had a gigantic golf umbrella and were bundled well.
This got me thinking: What happens if the uni numbers become illegible due to mud, and how do the officials handle the problem? Is there anything in the rulebooks (in any sport) on how to handle this?
Good question. I’m not aware of any such provision. Anyone..?
Speaking of mudders: This sensational book, which features dynamite photos from the late 1950s and illustrations from the NFL’s early days (highly recommended — see link at right), features an entire section devoted to mud, as you can see here, here, and here (also note the amazing facemask at far right).
You probably love mudders too — everybody does (well, maybe except equipment managers, laundry attendants, and groundskeepers). And therein lies a paradox: If we love uniforms, why do we also love seeing them get mucked up? This, dear reader, is a question that each of us will have to answer for him- or herself.
Shop(ping) Assistants Wanted: Webmaster Johnny Ek and I want to set up a Uni Watch-themed Amazon store, which basically means we’re trying to compile a list of items sold by Amazon that would appeal to Uni Watch readers — books, DVDs, sportswear (see obvious example at right), whatever. Amazon sells pretty much everything imaginable these days, so the possibilities are almost limitless.
And who better to know what would appeal to Uni Watch readers than other Uni Watch readers? That’s where you come in: If you’ve got Amazon-available items that you’d like to recommend, please send a note to amazonlist at earthlink dot net (note that this is not the usual Uni Watch address). If possible, please provide Amazon’s URLs for the items in question — or, better yet, just give me the items’ ASINs or ISBNs, which are listed in the “Product Details” section of every Amazon listing.
Ideally, we’ll end up with a wide-ranging inventory of cool stuff, all of it recommended either by me or by you — just in time for holiday shopping. And yes, Nike products are fine. But I reserve the right not to list anything purple.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Bit of a retired number controversy at Marquette (with thanks to Adam Kirby). … More collar news, courtesy of Antti Salmi (who reads Uni Watch in Finland!): “Many European hockey teams used to have pointed collars. Currently in Finnish league, only TPS Turku and Karpat Oulu have them. In the old days, jerseys were made by Finnish companies Koho and Tackla. I can’t say much about other European leagues, because obtaining photo reference is quite time-consuming [Tell me about it. -- PL]. In Finnish rules baseball — or Pespallo, as we call it in Finnish, pointed collars are standard.” … Not sure how we’ve managed not to discuss this all week long, but Fresno State, whose helmets normally look like this, went with blank helmets for last Saturday’s game against New Mexico State. Full details here (with thanks to Kent Meckling). … Good article here about the NBA’s new uni guidelines, and the players’ reaction to them. … Amusing blog entry here about why the A’s logo has an apostrophe (with thanks to RJ Charles). … Wondering how Ohio State awards its merit decals? Look here, here, here, and here. (With thanks to OSU mega-fan Chad Klenk.) … Let’s all root for this guy. … In case you’ve missed it in the Comments section, there’s been some discussion of the bottom of DeAngelo Williams’s shoes, which are very shiny. For an explanation, look here. … Frank Mercogliano notes that Maine hoops players wear an America East logo patch on their rear jerseys — except for the team’s freshmen, whose jerseys are patch-free. … Excellent page tracking the evolution of the Iowa State logo, all the way back to the 1800s, here (recommended by Josh Yetmar). … Neil Shaffer notes that MLB.com recently included the following uni-related tidbit: ” ‘[MLB's vice president of on-field operations] Bob Watson gave the on-field operations report. He talked about the pace of the game, and we went through some of the uniform guidelines,’ said Joe Garagiola Jr., MLB’s senior vice president of baseball operations. ‘[The changes are] pretty small: additional language on baggy shirts and pants was added so that there can now be a determination as to whether it is giving a player a competitive advantage, in addition to making it more difficult for an umpire to make a call.’” … Even if you don’t agree with the use of “major” in this news bulletin, it’s still bad news. … Good range of old uniforms shown in this gallery of Harvard/Yale programs (with apologies to the person who sent me the link — I appear to have misplaced your name). … Tom Konecny has nominated Uni Watch for the Weblog Awards. Further details when the voting begins next month.
November 17th, 2006
Bonus ESPN column today — here’s the link.
Meanwhile: There are lots of trophies with equipment-based imagery (like the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards), and several more featuring balls (like the Lombardi, O’Brien, and Commissioner’s Trophies). But you don’t often see uniform-based awards. Yeah, there’s the Green Jacket and the yellow jersey, but those are actual items of apparel, not depictions of apparel. If there’s a Golden Cap or Platinum Jersey award floating around out there, I’m not aware of it.
There’s a uni-based award in college football, however, and it’s up for grabs this weekend in Columbus. In keeping with longstanding tradition, if Ohio State beats Michigan, all OSU players will instantly become members of the Gold Pants Club (which sounds like a support group for the bladder-challenged) and receive a little charm pendant to mark the occasion. This is, to my knowledge, the sports world’s only pants-based honor.
According to this page, the Gold Pants ritual dates back to the 1930s, when OSU coach Francis Schmidt was asked about facing Michigan and replied, “They put their pants on one leg at a time, same as everybody else.” Seventy years later, the little pants charms have become a strong OSU tradition. Somewhat predictably, they’ve also turned into a merchandising bonanza, with lots of spin-off products like this — a symbol of a symbol.
Every now and then, a real Gold Pants charm shows up on eBay. This one, from 1955, sold just a few days ago — for nearly a grand. Two others went up for sale in late 2003, which caused a bit of a stir among serious OSU fans.
Of course, no matter what happens on Saturday, the year’s most famous gold pants are likely to be the ones recently worn — just barely — by Antonio Bryant. Too bad he went to Pitt, not Ohio State.
Collar Controversy, Continued: This thing with the Saints and their undershirt collars keeps getting weirder. Here’s the deal: On Monday several readers told me that Charles Grant had worn a dress shirt — or at least something with what appeared to have a dress shirt collar — under his shoulder pads. So on Tuesday I asked if anyone could get any screen grabs, and that night reader Chad Morris provided me with several shots, which I posted yesterday.
But as several readers quickly pointed out, the pics didn’t show Charles Grant (who wears No. 94) — they were of Will Smith (No. 91). Apparently Morris, while fast-forwarding through his DVR file of the game in search of screen shots, had inadvertently found a second collar-clad Saints player. I asked if he’d be willing to go back and look for shots of Grant, and he graciously agreed. You can see the successful results of his search here, here, and here. You can even see Grant and Smith standing together — perhaps trading collar tips — here and here.
So now we have two confirmed cases of collared Saints players. As the saying goes, two’s a coincidence, three’s a trend. Stay tuned.
Radio Free Uni Watch: I’ll be appearing on the KADI’s “Morning Drive Sports Report” show (1340AM, from Springfield, Missouri) on Friday morning at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. I’m told that the spot will run at least 15 minutes, and you can stream it here.
Uni Watch News Ticker: You know uni watchery has gone mainstream when there’s an entire article devoted to the Jazz switching the color of their road shoes. … Yesterday’s discussion of pointed collars prompted a sharp rebuke from soccer fans, who chided me for overlooking all the the game’s long history of collared jerseys. Longtime contributor Doug Brei provided the best pics, pointing me toward this, this, this, this, and this. … Interesting note from Mark Meeks, who notes: “I’m hearing rumors from some folks with better seats than I had that Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams was wearing cleats with lights on them (like the kind little kids wear). I can’t imagine a player wearing something like that, especially a rookie backup, but they insist it’s true.” Anybody know anything more about this? … Remember that British football league I mentioned yesterday? Joe Moore poked around their web site and discovered that at least one team is wearing recycled NCAA jerseys, and you can see here and here. … If you’re curious about the University of Oregon’s identity program (i.e., the guidelines for how the school’s logo and seal are supposed to be applied to letterhead, typographic style rules, etc.), an admirably detailed style guide is available in this PDF file. “If only they applied the same theories and principles to their unis,” says Joe Hilseberg, who provided the link (and who also pointed out this article about NFL uni numbers).
November 16th, 2006
Uni Watch readers continue to impress, as Chad Morris has come through with screen shots of the collared undershirt worn last Sunday by Will Smith (not by Charles Grant, as I had originally been led to believe). Judging from the pics — additional views are here, here, here, here, and here — I’d say it looks like Smith was actually wearing a mock turtle collar with a slit cut down the center, not an actual dress shirt. But the effect is visually similar.
Rugby shirts traditionally have pointed collars, natch. Pointed collars are rarer in American sports, but they’re not unheard of. The World team wore a striped Johnny collar in the 2000 and 2001 NHL All-Star Games (additional views here, here, here, and here). And remember our recent discussion of MLB players wearing windbreakers under their jerseys? One hallmark of that look is that the windbreaker’s pointed collar usually peaks out above the jersey collar, as you can see here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Go back to baseball’s early days and you’ll see lots of pointed collars. Virtually every MLB team was wearing them in 1907, for example. The last team to have worn them on a regular basis appears to be the 1913 Tigers, although modern teams have occasionally gone the collared route for throwback games. (Update: As several readers immediately pointed out, my original text inexplicably neglected to mention the late-’70s White Sox, with their floppy poet collars.)
Got any additional collar examples? You know what to do.
(Doubleplusthanks to Chad Morris for coming up with the screen shots.)
Uni Watch News Ticker: “One of my coworkers is from Liverpool, and he was talking about how there’s a league in England that plays American-style football,” writes BJ Lanier. “Notice that the Kent Exiles and East Midlands Saxons wear their team names on their nameplates, and the Saxons appear to have a web URL listed underneath the numbers.” … Several readers have noted that the latest iteration of Col. Sanders, unveiled earlier this week, appears to be sponsored by Adidas. … Danny Fortson of the Sonics did some game-day sneaker shopping the other day. The amusing details are in the middle of this page (with thanks to Jason Cruz). … Bryan Redemske notes that Dan Werner — No. 21 in the background of this photo — appears to have been dancing the twist.
November 15th, 2006
Road-tripping was on the agenda last weekend, as Uni Watch hedge fund analyst Jenny Strasburg and I spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday tooling around the Jersey Shore. We hit the blackjack tables in Atlantic City, paid a visit to Lucy the Elephant (more details here), enjoyed a Garden State delicacy (more details here), and had fun checking out all the old-school motels in Wildwood (see more of them here). On the way back to NYC, we stopped in to see webmaster John Ekdahl — only the second time he and I had ever been in the same room, incredibly enough.
These stops were all good, but the high point of the trip was a surreal junk shop we visited in Tuckahoe, called Young’s Four Y’s Antiques. The place featured a pretty amazing accumulation of stuff, much of it dusty and cobwebbed, and most of it piled high in mini-mountains. Serpentine little paths snaked through the piles, making for tricky navigation, and it was hard to pick anything up without knocking over something else. The owner — a very sweet old man named Marvin Young, who I really liked (and who seemed to like me until I mistakenly referred to the very large ducks in his back yard as geese) — said he’d been accumulating and collecting all his life and that “it just piled up.” Think Collyer Brothers, but with better social skills.
Predictably enough, the one thing I bought at Marvin’s shop was uni-related: this book, which I purchased mainly for the photos. Among the highlights:
• Lots of early teams wore those old lace-up vest jerseys.
• Can you guess what year this photo is from? Incredibly enough, it’s the 1964 Princeton team. I’m pretty astonished that a team was still wearing those sleeve stripes at such a relatively late date.
• We’ve all seen leather helmets, but I’d never seen any like this or this.
• Here’s something you don’t see very often: an old fashioned helmetless facemask.
• You all know how much I hate the current trend of contrast-colored side panels. But I might make an exception for these.
• Love the stripes, but what’s with the girdle? (Also: Note the wedding band.)
• This photo didn’t have a caption, so I’m not sure which team this was. Odd helmet design, though. Anyone recognize the school in question?
The book wasn’t priced, so I asked Marvin how much he wanted for it. He said $15, which was outrageous, so I countered with $10 (also outrageous, but I didn’t want to risk offending him by offering less), which he grudgingly accepted. When I got home, I found that used copies are selling on Amazon for a bit less than what I paid, but it was worth it for the experience of encountering Marvin and his incredible shop.
(Mega-thanks to David Brown for the tip about about Young’s Four Y’s, and to his lovely consort, Lori Baker, who took the Young’s photos when she and David discovered the place a few months back.)
Research Request: Did anyone TiVo Sunday’s Saints/Steelers game? Apparently Saints DE Charles Grant wore a collared dress shirt under his pads, much to the amusement of the broadcast crew. I’ve looked high and low for a photo, but no dice. Little help..?
Uni Watch News Ticker: Congrats to longtime Uni Watch favorite Witesock, who was featured in a big article in last Saturday’s National Post (although the definitive Witesock article is, of course, this one). … In case you missed it in Sunday’s Comments section, reader Andy F came up with a genius observation regarding the “ny” logo on the Giants’ nose bumper. It used to be just printed on, but now it’s raised and rubberized, at least for some players. … More news from the Giants/Bears game: R.W. McQuarters was apparently wearing a SpongeBob Band-Aid, eye-black-style. … Campus report from Bruno Lesage: “Here’s another way Nike is taking over college: I go to the University of Texas, and almost every single sorority girl here wears these shorts. There are various color schemes and all that, but it’s all the same basic design. It kind of surprises me that nobody even considers wearing another brand. I don’t think that many non-sorority girls wear them, so I guess its a sign of the ‘elite’ girls on campus.” … Football historian Mark Bolding, whose excellent web site was spotlighted here two weeks ago, has added a new section to his site, focusing on starting QBs at various points in NFL history. Among the visual highlights: a good look at the Packers’ 1950 jersey; the Rams in canary yellow; the Saints wearing heavily white-outlined uni numbers (and dig all those stripes!); the Eagles’ double sleeve stripes; Joe Namath wearing a knee pad outside his pants; and the Broncos in red pants. The full section is available here. … Well, this sure didn’t take long (you can order your own here). … The single-A Lakeland Tigers have renamed themselves the Flying Tigers — a World War II military reference. According to this article, “manager Kevin Bradshaw will wear a special cap designating his status as ‘commander,’ while the club’s pitchers will have a star added to their cap for each win they accumulate.” Let’s all avoid the rush and start hating this idea right now, shall we? … Good catch by Jesse Spector, who notes that one of the Boston College players in this photo is wearing an American flag patch, while the other two players aren’t.
November 14th, 2006
As you may recall, the Knicks wore special green uniforms for St. Patrick’s Day last season, and I think the plan is for them to do it again this time around. You’d figure that the fabric used for these unis would be the same as for the team’s regular attire, only green — and you’d be wrong.
That news comes from reader Kevin McGuire, who recently checked in with the following report:
One of my best friends plays for the Knicks. He’s well aware of my Irish heritage and my love for game-used or otherwise authentic apparel. When the Knicks dressed in green last March for St. Paddy’s Day, I asked him for his game shorts from that game as a way to commemorate and combine two of my favorite things.
The reason you might be interested in this is because the mesh for those special uniforms is quite different than the Knicks’ regular unis the Knicks wear. I know this because I also have both home and road game shorts. Without knowing much about textiles or whatever, but having read your recent ESPN column [in which I mentioned that the Cavs were switching from open-hole mesh to closed-hole mesh -- PL], I would say regular Knicks game shorts are open-hole mesh and the St. Paddy’s shorts are closed-hole. I could be wrong on the exact name or the exact textile, but those adjectives sure do fit the look of the shorts. [I'm not sure about this myself, but I believe the regular shorts are actually closed-hole mesh, while the green shorts aren't a mesh at all. -- PL] I think this would be obvious, but the St. Paddy’s shorts are much hotter than the regular game shorts.
Also, notice the inside lining: The regular blue or white shorts are simply double-lined with the mesh, while the green ones have that white, silky mesh thing going on.
I also have Rockets game shorts, but that is a whole other type of material, for which my description would be completely inadequate. What I do know, however, is that the Rockets game shorts move much more freely than either of the Knicks shorts.
Big thanks to Kevin for this close look at NBA textiles. As always, I’m amazed that athletes are willing to wear these horrible-looking synthetic fabrics. If I were a pro athlete — check that, when I become a pro athlete — I plan to fake a skin allergy to polyester and have it written into my contract that my uni will be cotton. And yes, I know: moisture-wicking, thermal regulation, blah-blah-blah, but you all know how much I care about that stuff. (For the uninitiated: about this much.) When it comes to athletics aesthetics, natural fibers are the way to go.
Tattoo Update: On Friday I announced the arrival of Uni Watch temporary tattoos (which not nearly enough of you have yet purchased, but we’ll get to that in a sec). A few readers found this development somewhere between ironic and immoral. The following quip, which ran in Friday’s Comments section, was typical:
A website that abhors logo creep is selling temporary logo tattoos? What would the Uni Watch reaction be to temporary Nike tattoos? Love the site, just think it’s a little hypocritical.
This type of comment reflects several misconceptions, the biggest of which is that I am somehow anti-logo. Come on, people: One reason for this web site’s very existence is that I love logos — this one, this one, and this one, to cite just a few examples. I like plenty of non-sports logos, too. As a fan of graphic design in general, I’m totally into stuff like this and this.
What I don’t like — and what the term logo creep is meant to signify — is the encroachment of corporate logos where they don’t belong. And one place they don’t belong, in my opinion, is on a team uniform. My opposition to logo creep is actually rooted in a respect for team logos, and in my strong belief that no logo should appear on a team’s uniform except the team logo itself.
As for the Uni Watch tattoos (remember how this discussion started?), I’m just having some fun with my “brand,” if you want to call it that. I’d never want to see a Uni Watch logo showing up as a sleeve patch on a team’s jersey, but I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t appear on your arm, your girlfriend’s torso, or Dick Cheney’s ass. It’s no different than buying a Uni Watch T-shirt — a way to show your colors, without infringing on someone else’s colors.
Speaking of which: I’d like to see more of you ringing the cash register on this one. As I explained on Friday, this is basically a fund-raiser, so webmaster Johnny Ek and I can feel like we’re getting a little something back for our efforts. Five bucks for the first tat, a dollar for each additional one. PayPal those life savings to paul_lukas at earthlink dot net, OK? OK!
Uni Watch News Ticker: Five of the six Canada-based NHL franchises played on Saturday (the lone exception: Edmonton), and all of them wore rear-helmet poppy decals in honor of Remembrance Day, as you can see in these pics of the Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Flames, Canucks, and Senators. … Meanwhile, the Habs and Leafs also wore special Hall of Fame jersey patches on Saturday. … Everyone knows about that time the White Sox wore shorts, and I’ve previously written about the shorts-clad Hollywood Stars (more details on them are available here). But former Pacific Coast League photographer John Moist just filled me in on another team that wore shorts on the diamond: the triple-A Sacramento Solons of the mid-1970s. “They were atrocious and the players hated them, but you gotta admit the sox are the greatest,” says Moist. … Excellent article here about BYU’s merit decals (with thanks to John Ervin). … Roderick Rogers had some major mismatched-sleeve action going on in Saturday’s Wisconsin/Iowa game. The thing is, Wisconsin isn’t a Nike school, so is Adidas now getting in on the sleeve stupidity scene? Or did Rogers create his own Nike-wannabe undershirt? … Reader Cathy didn’t provide her last name, but we’ll cut her some slack because she provided this photo of a Florida Pop Warner team wearing some amazing candy-striped socks. … Matthew Strauss checked in to torment me with this photo from Saturday’s Amherst/Williams game — ooof! … Interesting Louisiana Tech hoops report from Chris Mycoskie: “The story goes that their Nike rep failed to process their order until three days before the first exhibition game. They screen-printed the logos on blank white jerseys for a temporary fix, just so they’d have something to wear. They only have the whites, so they’ll wear them at home and on the road until the real unis arrive.” … Good article here about the company that cleans the Steelers’ uniforms (with thanks to Yancy Yeater). … Can’t these guys do anything right?
November 13th, 2006
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