We have a lot of ground to cover today, boys and girls, so let’s get crackin’…
I’ve written several times in the past about sports historian Dave Eskenazi and his amazing photo archive documenting the baseball history of the Pacific Northwest. He’s promised to contribute occasional dispatches, the latest of which arrived in my in-box a few days ago:
The Class D Western Tri State League existed from 1912 to 1914. The three states represented were Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, and franchises included the Boise Irrigators, Walla Walla (Washington) Bears, Pendleton (Oregon) Buckaroos, LaGrande (Oregon) Pippins/Spuds, Baker City (Oregon) Golddiggers/Miners, and North Yakima (Washington) Braves.
This scan shows three players from the 1913 LaGrande team [here’s a larger view], including Northwest baseball lifer Karl “Junk” Walters (upper left). Love that “L A G” in the triangle. Here’s another cool pic of Walters, as a Walla Walla Bear.
The second two scans are of the 1913 North Yakima Braves. Note the apple on the breast, the “Y” on the sleeve [looks like a truncated version of the Detroit Tigers’ “D” — PL], and “Yakima” down the placket.
Big thanks to Dave for continuing to share his vast visual database with the Uni Watch community.
Meanwhile, speaking of the northwest, reader Andy Head has discovered a web site devoted to the history of hockey in Seattle. Here’s his report:
As a Seattle-area hockey fan who would love to see an NHL franchise come to town someday, I found this site fascinating, and you’ve got to appreciate some of the pictures. First off, there’s the guy’s personal collection of jerseys. I think this old Totems jersey [note the similarity to the NFL Seahawks’ logo — PL] has got to be my favorite [I prefer this one — PL]. There’s also an equipment page, some pins and patches, and of course some great vintage photos — dig the stripeage on the 1929 Seattle Eskimos!
Trust me, the more time you spend poking around on this site, the more great stuff you find, from old ticket stubs and press passes to game-used sticks, player profiles, team histories, all kinds of stuff. Hope you find it as cool as I do.
Indeed. Andy didn’t even mention the assorted programs, schedules, and related arcana. Great site.
And as long as we’re doing the northwest thing: As you all know by now, the Flaming Ducks did their thing last night. The big surprise was that there was a little “O” on the back of the helmet — whoa, talk about edgy. At the end of the day, the helmet didn’t look any worse than the rest of the uni (a point implicitly made in this article, pointed out to me by Mark Snider). Can we all please move on now?
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ITEM! Major Lone Star Find: Two days ago I ran some great photos from the Texas A&M archive. But it turns out that the real treasure is at Texas Tech, where Ben Veazey has turned up a couple of 1938 pics of what just might be the greatest football uniform I’ve ever seen. Check it out here, here, and here.
Man, even with the watermarks, those unis are something special. The sleeve stripes, the interior sleeve and torso panels, the cuff stripes (!), the thicker white-bordered stripe within the hoop-striped socks — I’d give anything to see these babies in color.
–––––––––
Prodigal Jeremy: Uni Watch Far Eastern bureau chief Jeremy Brahm has been busy lately, but he checked in yesterday with a bunch of pics from his archives. Here’s his rundown:
• During the 1991 Japanese All-Star game, Hideo Nomo of the Kintetsu Buffaloes had to bat (the Pacific League uses the DH) and borrowed a helmet from an Orix Blue Wave player. Strangely, in 2005, Buffaloes’ players would be wearing Orix on their uniforms because of a merger between Orix and Kintetsu.
• A picture of shoe striping matching the uniform colors. This was in a 1994 issue of Sports Illustrated, which covered the 1994 Japan Series (there was no World Series due to the strike).
• Dan Gladden helped the Yomiuri Giants win the 1994 Japan Series, but look at his shoes — they have a stylized “G” for Giants. Here’s another player with the same motif. Yomiuri was the only team with this design.
• Here’s a picture of the 1935 Yomiuri Giants with kanji pictographs on their uniforms. The numbers, from the left: 3, 10, 1, 2, 14, 13.
• The Chunichi Dragons started their season in 1948 with the Japanese pronunciation of the team name — Do-ra-gons — on their jerseys. However, when an American serviceman saw the spelling, he pointed it out and the uniform was changed to “Dragons” a month into the season.
• In 1982-83, the Yomiuri Giants’ Tadashi Matsumoto led the Central League in steals and the team decided that they wanted to give him an easy-to-work-in uniform. The top and bottom were linked, kind of like a unitard. It was even called a new revolution for uniforms. However, there were no other players even mentioned for this type of uniform, other than Matsumoto. It was later found to be hard to take off only the top, and that was main reason for its demise.
And for good measure, Jeremy also tossed in two Japanese football photos. Dig the helmets worn by the Mycal Bears and the Omron Seagulls — amazing stuff.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Fascinating logo creep story involving the TV show 60 Minutes — look here (with thanks to Alex Gordon). … Extra-special thanks to Benjamin Sonnet, who sent me a really cool Xmas gift. … “Is Lebron James showing support for AI?” asks Dave Sterling. … Speaking of Iverson, there’s a great video clip here that shows his Nuggets jersey being lettered and stitched up, and some still pics are available here, here, here, and here. … SI.com’s “Year’s Most Interesting Sports Photos” gallery features some uni-related items of note, including this amazing shot of the Japanese women’s field hockey team (whose roster apparently includes Hannibal Lecter), and a mud-caked shot for the ages (note that the swoosh appears to be mud-resistant). … Here’s the best information I’ve seen so far on the new NHL unis (with thanks to Eric van der Burght). … Amazing photo here of the 1901 Denison University basketball team (nice find by Craig Hicks). … You Can’t Make This Stuff Up Dept.: Check out the name of the UK’s Chief of Defence Staff (great catch by Todd Davis). … Matt Zegarski reports that Villanova has begun wearing a black “11″ memorial patch in honor of the late Paul Arizin. No photos yet. … Bizarre scene the other night in Milwaukee, as Blain Fowler explains: “Oakland center Shawn Hopes picked Oakland’s uniforms for their game against Marquette. In an effort to try to change Oakland’s luck (team had lost three in a row on the road, including losses to Arkansas and UCLA), he chose to mix and match their two road options, pairing black jerseys with gold shorts. It made for an appealingly ugly result.” … When an MLB player signs with a new team, he usually just puts on a jersey for his photo op. But Bryan Redemske notes that Jason Jennings put on an entire Astros uni — and even threw a pitch — when joining the team earlier this week. … A reader who prefers to remain anonymous notes that the captain’s “C” on Mo Williams’s jersey has been much larger in recent games than the one worn by Michael Redd. “Mo had a small ‘C’ earlier this season,” notes our mystery reporter. “But after Wednesday’s game he took off his jersey and threw it in the crowd, and it wasn’t the first time he’s done this. I’m wondering if they ran out of little ‘C’s because he does it so often.” … Latest racer-backed women’s hoops team: Colorado State (as spotted by Bryan Redemske).
Holiday Schedule: I’ll probably post a real entry at some point during the three-day weekend, most likely on Sunday. Happy holidaze to all, and my deepest sympathies to anyone who has to travel via Denver.
#1 by WVU Tom on 12.22.06 8:54 am |
Hard to tell in black and white, but to me those Texas Tech unis look awfully busy with those crazy sleeve patterns and rectangular boxes all over the place. I’d love to see it in color before I make any real judgment though.
(I can see, however, where Paul would love the socks!)
#2 by Sammy44 on 12.22.06 9:01 am |
Oakland’s uniforms remind me of the was we used to look in junior high basketball. We only had one pair of uniform shorts that where the color of our road jersey (orange) and it would look really stupid when you played at home with the white jersey.
When a college with a $1 million budget reminds you of your junior high team then you know you have uni problems.
#3 by Chris on 12.22.06 9:02 am |
Is it me or do those Racers look REALLY good on women’s basketball players?
#4 by WVU Tom on 12.22.06 9:02 am |
Oh, and I find this pic strange for non-uni related reasons–I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone bat like this before. From the waist down, I would swear that this player was winding up preparing to throw a pitch. Perhaps this is the “crane technique” of batting?
#5 by austin on 12.22.06 9:03 am |
those pictures from the Western Tri State League are awesome.
#6 by WVU Tom on 12.22.06 9:05 am |
Not just you
#7 by wooster, oh on 12.22.06 9:11 am |
Paul,
I think those sleeve stripes on the Texas Tech jerseys are are more than that. As they head up the arm into the shoulder panels they form the letter ‘T’ on each side..perhaps because they are Texas Tech.
#8 by scott on 12.22.06 9:14 am |
Yes, the racer back is real nice. Those UCONN unis look great for girls’ unis too.
Did anybody catch the Misssouri v. Illinois game the another night? My mom and dad thought it looked like the Illini were wearing bowties!
Please bring back the piping on Men’s unis! No piping is seriously for girls’ unis. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
#9 by josh on 12.22.06 9:24 am |
Speaking of big C’s:
Scroll down to the third pic.
#10 by dilbert719 on 12.22.06 9:24 am |
OK, too many things I want to comment on.
First, the Iverson jerseys look so farking weird. (having lived in Philly all my life, I’m exceedingly used to AI on the Sixers) I’m sure I’ll get used to it, but it looks wrong on many levels.
Mud-caked: Get that poor man a hose or a bucket of water or something!
The Green Totems jersey reminds me of the Whalers, so I’m love-loving it. And while we’re on the subject, bring the Whalers, Jets, and Nordiques back, Bettman!
Texas Tech: Those actually look futuristic, and they’re substantially older than my parents. Creepy. But cool. Anyways, if they canned the watermark spots (which make them look, depending on the picture, like either hoboes or crash test dummies) and enlarged the numbers, those would be fantastic jerseys. I very much like.
All of those Japanese jerseys are amazing, especially the shoe striping one, and the Omron Seagulls. Wow. Blue Men Group, take note! This should be your model.
I really liked what Oakland did there (except that two-tone unies need to have names above letter.) It’s like an inverse Wizards, a jersey combo that, once I got past the initial weird, am coming to think is fantastic. (Though the Wiz need to bite the bullet, add more black stripe to the back, drop the white stripe down, and put the names on the white stripe, since it’s otherwise impossible to draw any attention to the players’ names.)
Oregon: to steal a phrase from elsewhere on the net: Kill it. Kill it with LSD Yellow fire. All of it. Speaking of taking cues from other jerseys, please, Oregon, I beg you, take cues from somewhere else. Anywhere else. Hell, even the Blue Men Group or Falcons if you must. But KILL THOSE UNIFORMS.
And last, Jock Splitter. Holy freaking wow. That’s got to be a first ballot inductee into the Macho Name Hall of Fame, right up there with Dick Armey.
#11 by Banker Bill on 12.22.06 9:25 am |
Fascinating logo creep story involving the TV show 60 Minutes — look here (with thanks to Alex Gordon).
Holy Cow - that’s my hometown paper and I didn’t even see that - guess because I don’t get home delivery, and I usually read the Daily News online.
#12 by josh on 12.22.06 9:25 am |
#13 by dilbert719 on 12.22.06 9:25 am |
Only make that Jock Stirrup. Typing doesn’t work well early in the morning, especially after all that other stuff.
#14 by Chris on 12.22.06 9:25 am |
Those Texas Tech unis are great… maybe a throwback game is in order for a Big 12 match…
#15 by josh on 12.22.06 9:25 am |
westvirginia.scout.com/2/602732.html
damn
#16 by jesse on 12.22.06 9:27 am |
On Oregon;
1.
#17 by Miguel on 12.22.06 9:28 am |
Can someone photoshop a racer-back jersey onto Sue Bird for Krvanch?
#18 by Chris on 12.22.06 9:28 am |
I know we all hate Nike on this site, but I kinda liked the Oregon helmets, although you couldn’t see the flames. The “O” did make it a little bit better. However, I do agree, the Uni’s got to go.
#19 by jesse on 12.22.06 9:31 am |
Oops.
1. I liked the logo on the back of the helmet, it is an interesting direction that I think could be used in a really neat (maybe even classy) way in another uniform.
2. Apparently Nike is now in league with HDTV folks. I don’t have it, so the diamondplate on the sholders just looked like a white shoulder patch from far away, and I never even saw the helmet flames, although I knew they were there.
#20 by Banker Bill on 12.22.06 9:32 am |
I saw two minutes of that game and all I could think of was “This is what Electric Football must have looked like for kids who sniffed glue.”
#21 by jesse on 12.22.06 9:37 am |
Also you have got to give BYU credit for having some of the sharpest uniforms in college football. The uniforms they wore last night are highly under rated.
#22 by Stuby on 12.22.06 9:37 am |
If you’re going to put flames on a helmet, I think you should go all the way man.
#23 by Metsfan AZ on 12.22.06 9:39 am |
Minna’s gonna be disappointed…
#24 by BtotheE on 12.22.06 9:42 am |
Agreed. But then again I am a sucker for helmet stickers.
#25 by Kel on 12.22.06 9:49 am |
“Jock Stirrup”
Nice. :)
And why am I not surprised that Todd Davis found it?
The Oregon uniforms are just weird, but the helmets, well, at least they’ll be able to play night games even if the power goes out.
Happy Holidays, everybody. Be safe!
#26 by Teebz on 12.22.06 9:49 am |
From Paul’s linked article: “Now, (Kyle) McLaren is a large man. One of the NHL’s biggest, but not the biggest. So it’s kind of interesting that he says the jersey fit OK but he wouldn’t want to go any smaller. And what if he wanted to go a size bigger? … Uh, problem. There isn’t a size bigger. Apparently, in the faster, sleeker NHL, the size limit is 6-foot-5, 230 pounds.”
Does this mean they don’t have a jersey for Zdeno Chara or Derian Hatcher? With hockey players consistently getting bigger in terms of muscle mass, wouldn’t the Reebok people realize this? They do make clothing, do they not?
Also, Mark Smith had these choice words: “‘I’ll hang it right in the garbage.’”
Looks like the NHL may have a problem on its hands. This echoes the sentiments made by Nashville and Detroit players. Personally, this jersey idea should go away quietly.
#27 by Shane on 12.22.06 9:54 am |
I think I like this one better than your pick, Paul. But then again I’m a fan of diagonal lettering on hockey jerseys.
If anyone’s interested, Stall & Dean makes a pretty decent copy of the sweater that Paul had linked to.
#28 by Kenny on 12.22.06 10:15 am |
Nike has nothing to do with the helmets, but i would have liked to see the green O on the side of the helmet…wasn’t a big fan of it on the back, especially when i turned the TV on and it looked like they were blank
#29 by Jim on 12.22.06 10:26 am |
With regards to the mud picture, there will be three things left when the world ends:
1. Roaches
2. Rats
3. The Swoosh
Merry Christmas
#30 by Shane on 12.22.06 10:28 am |
I dunno..I really like what they did with Manchester United’s home jersey this season, and the black away shirt from a few years ago.
#31 by Jay Palmer on 12.22.06 10:28 am |
Oddly enough, that was different enough to be interesting to me.
The rest of the uni’s…uugghhh, not that good. K.I.S.S., words I live by.
#32 by austin on 12.22.06 10:38 am |
Nike designs the helmets.
#33 by Anthony Verna on 12.22.06 10:39 am |
Just so we don’t disappoint Minna. . .
Here you go, Minna!
#34 by Joe Hilseberg on 12.22.06 10:46 am |
Very cool movie of making the AI jersey…it broughtback memories. Like the cardboard arc the guy was using to letter the name on the back. I used to have 2 of those!
Anyway, I thought the coolest part of the still pics was looking beyond the main subject and seeing what is going on in that shop. This pic is cool because if you look at the seamstress’ thread stash, it’s all colors of the major sports teams of the area. She must just knock out the pro stuff all day. Propably the top rated sewer in the joint!
This pic is cool because you clearly see a Rockies “4″ laying around, what appears to be a Diamondback’s 9, and a stock lettering box labled “3rd Jersey.” And the place is just a total mess, as are most jersey places.
This pic is cool beacuse you can clearly see that the Nuggets use “glacier twill” on their authentic’s lettering. Keep that in mind jersey collectors!
This shot is cool beause seamstress #2 is working on what appear’s to be softball shirts for Bently. And beneath them is a big old stash of Av’s jerseys. ANd then to the left on the desk you have a big piece of NFL nameplate material and on the shelves you have more thread and rolls of pant stiping. Cool stuff!
#35 by Stuby on 12.22.06 10:47 am |
That’s way too much flair, dude.
#36 by Joe Hilseberg on 12.22.06 10:48 am |
sorry about the typos!
#37 by Anthony Verna on 12.22.06 10:52 am |
Joe, don’t worry about the typos. You noticed things while I almost started crying over my beloved 76ers.
Almost.
(I have to be strong. Only the strong survive. Or something like that.)
#38 by wooster, oh on 12.22.06 10:52 am |
After seeing the photos of old college uniforms over the past few days, I decided to take a peek at my alma mater’s basketball page and found a few fantastic photos
1904 basketball team (notice how the jerseys have BB on them…shouldn’t people know that it’s the basketball team? (also, note the shorts):
http://athletics.woo...
Check out the belt: http://athletics.woo...
More belt action: http://athletics.woo...
nice socks! (and why is everyone at the game wearing glasses?):
http://athletics.woo...
#39 by Metsfan AZ on 12.22.06 10:54 am |
I like that it’s a throwback ref jersey/shirt.
“What are you gonna do when HochuliMania runs over you!”
#40 by Stuby on 12.22.06 10:56 am |
Wow, my grandmother graduated from Wooster college around 1930. I love the idea of a ‘Fighting Scot’ as a mascot. Did any of the teams (y’know besides field hockey) ever wear kilts?
#41 by Anthony Verna on 12.22.06 10:58 am |
I went to Case Western, so I think I have to not like you. However, for such a good post, I might look past your collegial shortcomings. 0=)
(Is the Baird Bros. trophy still being awarded? Did anyone care?)
#42 by Anthony Verna on 12.22.06 10:58 am |
I would never post a Hochuli picture in new ref rags.
#43 by Shane on 12.22.06 10:59 am |
Speaking of Nike and awesome Manchester United products..I think I need to order one of these.
#44 by Teebz on 12.22.06 11:00 am |
I’m not sure if this is true or not, but apparently the glacier twill fabric for lettering was first used by the NY Islanders when they switched to the Fisherman jerseys, and then carried on by the Avalanche. The reason for the usage of it is that it shimmers under the lights.
My Islanders jersey has some shimmering going on.
#45 by wooster, oh on 12.22.06 11:05 am |
Stuby–
No, however the entire marching band wears kilts which you can see here: http://athletics.woo...
and here: http://athletics.woo...
Also, from the 1904 team photo, the basketball has a ‘UW’ under the 1904 which stood for the University of Wooster…a few years later, they decided to switch directions and become a College, so we are known as The College of Wooster, however most people refer to us as Wooster College…which pisses the locals off, but whatever.
One last note…there are only two college basketball teams in the country to have three coaches win more than 300 games a piece. The College of Wooster and The University of Kansas.
And while Paul’s not a fan on monochrome unis, I think Wooster’s got it right: http://athletics.woo...
#46 by Kenny on 12.22.06 11:06 am |
My bad I missed that part in this article…I just saw who was supplying them with the helmets
#47 by Kenny on 12.22.06 11:07 am |
Very nice, I like, High five!!!
#48 by David N on 12.22.06 11:07 am |
How can anybody like those Texas Tech unis and dislike the Oregon ones. They’re both hideous.
#49 by wooster, oh on 12.22.06 11:08 am |
Yes they are…Wooster’s won ten straight and was named one of the most unique rivalry trophies by SI. Full info here for anyone who cares (2nd para): http://www.wooster.e...
#50 by Stuby on 12.22.06 11:16 am |
Sorry I got the name wrong. So the initials are C.O.W.? I love it. Thanks for the great kilt pics.
#51 by Jay Palmer on 12.22.06 11:18 am |
I agree….the Tech was “different”. But not a different good. It was too much….K.I.S.S is my rule
#52 by Anthony Verna on 12.22.06 11:20 am |
Thank you, sir! Wooster’s won ten straight? Let’s see. . . Oh, I found a list. No surprise there.
It is, shall we say, a unique trophy (and since Prof. Baird at Case once called me a friend, I’m happy to see it still being awarded).
#53 by todd krevanchi on 12.22.06 11:21 am |
its a shame that colorado st. didnt have those jerseys when becky hammon played there…
here she is (on the left) with danica, wnba commisioner donna orender, my girl sue, and tamika catchings.
http://www.nba.com/m...
thanks buddy!!! good looking out!
this is definitely the wrong type of jersey…
http://www.nba.com/m...
i definitely need more of this…
http://cache.gettyim...
and this
http://www.nba.com/m...
and this
http://www.nba.com/m...
and this
http://i12.tinypic.c...
and this niketown banner
http://flickr.com/ph...
#54 by Kenny on 12.22.06 11:26 am |
Big fan of this razor back uni on her
#55 by todd krevanchi on 12.22.06 11:26 am |
dont speak on everyones behalf…
please.
i love nike.
i buy their products,
apparel
shoes
etc.
i think the swoosh has got to be recognized as one of the nicest and simplest brand logos of all time
#56 by Anthony Verna on 12.22.06 11:28 am |
Is that a full navel ring with capture bead?
You’d think she’d change it to a semi-circle curved barbell for the season.
#57 by Broker75 on 12.22.06 11:34 am |
nice pics, i think i found my new league to follow, for numerous reasons ;-)
#58 by todd krevanchi on 12.22.06 11:37 am |
you know what ant?
in my opinion, who cares!
i love that stomach…
good catch buddy…
#59 by Beantown on 12.22.06 11:39 am |
I’m not sure if this is true or not, but apparently the glacier twill fabric for lettering was first used by the NY Islanders when they switched to the Fisherman jerseys, and then carried on by the Avalanche. The reason for the usage of it is that it shimmers under the lights.
My Islanders jersey has some shimmering going on.
I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
#60 by Anthony Verna on 12.22.06 11:46 am |
I’m just thinking that in all sports, I’d rather not have jewlery that protrudes from the stomach. Imagine if she fell on it the wrong way or . . . had it pulled. Ick. I’m just thinking safety.
No doubt, she’s a beautiful woman. No doubt at all.
(And I won’t post any more Hochuli photos to appease Minna.)
#61 by Daniel on 12.22.06 11:48 am |
That’s what I thought too. If they had made the flame green and added silver trim, it would have looked pretty good.
#62 by JTN on 12.22.06 11:52 am |
I wonder how Paul would feel about these high school basketball uni’s…
HOME
AWAY
#63 by Ian on 12.22.06 11:53 am |
Love all the Pacific NW stuff today, Paul. Being your Salem, Oregon representative, I’m eatin’ it all up — especially those awesome La Grande pics.
But on the topic of vintage hockey sites, check out this one dedicated to the Portland Buckaroos of the old WHL. Some of the memorabilia on there is out of this world, including this gem from 1936 and this beaut which features the greatest retro hockey logo EVER.
Keep up the great work.
#64 by Teebz on 12.22.06 11:56 am |
I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
Dude, that’s a classic jersey. Why? Because almost no one has one. :o)
#65 by todd krevanchi on 12.22.06 12:12 pm |
that 2nd pic looks like an intrasquad scrimmage as both teams are wearing the nike ohio state 06-07 template.
#66 by Banker Bill on 12.22.06 12:13 pm |
Krvanch, you can have Sue Bird - although she’s beautiful - I’ll have Becky Hammon is my Christmas stocking any year - although I’d rather see her in hers! She can ball too!
#67 by Banker Bill on 12.22.06 12:16 pm |
Ian, GREAT FIND - Hockey jerseys may be the greatest uniforms in the world, and the Buckaroo is AWESOME - If he were still alive, I’d buy one and send it to Buck Owens.
(Let’s see how many Hee-Haw fans are out there now!)
#68 by Banker Bill on 12.22.06 12:18 pm |
Dude, that’s a classic jersey. Why? Because almost no one has one. :o)
I always kind of had a fondness for those jerseys - as a Ranger fan, I was there the night we started the “We want Fish Sticks” chant. Those jerseys are like Lyle Lovett to me - brilliantly recognizable for their sheer ugliness.
#69 by todd krevanchi on 12.22.06 12:49 pm |
merry christmas bill
http://cache.gettyim...
http://cache.gettyim...
http://cache.gettyim...
http://cache.gettyim...
#70 by Broker75 on 12.22.06 12:52 pm |
Dude, that’s a classic jersey. Why? Because almost no one has one. :o)
true, that jersey was limited, but Teebz, the jerseys that the Isles wear now is better. Remember the war that started when they released those jerseys?
#71 by Chancelikely on 12.22.06 12:53 pm |
Lyle Lovett called… he wants an apology for being compared to the Isles jersey.
#72 by Brad on 12.22.06 12:59 pm |
First off, let me say I love this site AND I love Nike. Before you kill me, let me clarify. In my opinion, they make the best athletic equipment and apparel. All my football, baseball and hockey stuff through the years has always been Nike. There is no better or cooler logo than the swoosh. That being said, a lot of their uniforms are horrendous (except for ASU), and their placemnet of the great swoosh is getting WAY out of hand.
As for flames on helmets….Oregon’s were obviously an embarrasment to everything we as Americans hold dear, but flames can be done right. I played at Moon Valley HS in Phoenix, AZ from 1996-00, and during that time we had white helmets with red flames on them, in a style very similar to the Philadelphia Eagles. They were frickin’ sweet, and every player coveted them. Well, after I graduated, the new coach got rid of them in favor of a bastardized red and royal version of the Tennessee Titans logo, with MV in the center of the circle. Now, we are reduced to this…..and even a state championship in 2004 can’t heal the wound that the flame removal left.
#73 by Banker Bill on 12.22.06 1:01 pm |
Oh, the gift of giving at the holidays…thanks krvanch.
#74 by Brad on 12.22.06 1:03 pm |
Sorry, forgot to mention. Moon Valley is the Rockets, hence our flames.
#75 by Teebz on 12.22.06 1:03 pm |
The orange calamity? Please tell me you’re not referring to them. Because they’re worse, in my opinion. But yes, the classic Isles jerseys are better.
#76 by Stuby on 12.22.06 1:03 pm |
Brad,
Any pictures of your helmet flames?
#77 by Burrill on 12.22.06 1:05 pm |
Okay, that second one is absolutely amazing. The horse is wearing skates. That is award-winning, if only in my own mind. (Submit your nominations now for the 2006 Burrills! The most prestigious awards presented by anyone named Burrill anywhere! Also, completely new and entirely fictional! With lots of exclamation points and parenthetical statements!)
#78 by Brad on 12.22.06 1:08 pm |
Stubby,
Not yet…I’m looking…but here is a photo of those horrible Titans knockoffs
#79 by JTN on 12.22.06 1:12 pm |
I’m not that much of a Nike hater as Paul is (except I do hate the Ohio State templates), but I do love the fact that this school has the striped socks as part of the uni’s…here’s another pic…
HERE
#80 by Brad on 12.22.06 1:12 pm |