Uni Watch » It’s an Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World

Wilson 1955.jpg

I love trade magazines. American Funeral Director, Hay and Forage Grower, Elevator World, Demolition, American Jails — each of these very real magazines provides a peek into a previously unseen and largely unimagined world. The best part is the ads, which provide solutions for problems you never thought of before (prison furniture, for example, needs to be very sturdy, in case some violent felon starts tossing it against a wall).

I have copies of all the above-mentioned mags, and many more (including several copies of Referee, “The Magazine for Sports Officials,” which has lots of ads for whistles). Until recently, however, I hadn’t been aware of the trade mag I most needed to know about. That would be Coach and Athletic Director (or, as it used to be known, Scholastic Coach), where a lot of the ads are for uniforms and related equipment.

Uni Watch design director Scott M.X. Turner collects old issues of Scholastic Coach and recently stopped by Uni Watch HQ with a bunch of copies from the 1950s-’70s. The ads provide some interesting windows into the state of uniform and equipment design during that period. First, here are some comments from Scott:

• Although the baseball world was “surprised” when the Pirates switched from flannels to polyester doubleknits in the middle of the 1970 season, this Sand-Knit ad appeared in the fall of 1969. Any high-school/amateur coach would’ve known about doubleknits from this ad. [As an aside, Sand-Knit appears to have had consistently high production values in its Scholastic Coach advertising. Great stuff, as you can see here, here, here, here, here. — PL]

• Here’s an amazing 1957 advert from Spanjian. They were revolutionizing baseball fabric more than a decade before the doubleknit revolution (or so they hoped) — cotton/nylon blend, with hopes of phasing out wool flannel.

• There are all sorts of titillating possibilities here and here.

• Not an ad, but there are some great grouch-old-coach tips from a guy who’d probably slit his wrists if he saw what was going on today. Start reading halfway down the right-hand column on this page.

And now some thoughts from me:

• When you see three stripes today, you instantly think, “Adidas.” So it’s surprising to see how many non-Adidas brands used to put three stripes on their sneakers and cleats, as seen here, here, and here.

• How many kids do you think learned to dribble a basketball using this?

• I’ve written in the past about how old basketball cards often depicted players wearing their jerseys backwards, because the card companies weren’t allowed to reproduce the NBA’s trademarks. Turns out the same protocol was used for ads.

• Today we generally think of Rawlings as a company that makes equipment, not apparel. And judging from this 1970 ad, it’s easy to see why.

• Never seen a pad setup quite like the one shown on the left side of this ad.

• If I’d been a coach in the late 1960s, I’d have bought my undershirts from these guys just because of their vertically and negatively arched lettering.

• I love how this company was trying to double-dip into the uniform and varsity blazer markets.

• How come this never caught on?

• Did they draw these templates on a napkin during lunch or what?

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to catch up on the lastest issue of National Hog Farmer.

In Case You Missed It: If you didn’t see yesterday’s post, scroll down to the “NHL All-Star Raffle” section for news on the latest Uni Watch giveaway.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Spot-on analysis by Mark Yacovetta, who writes: “With the Patriots’ loss on Sunday, Belichick will be the coach of the AFC team in the Pro Bowl. You know what this means: the Hood wearing a Hawaiian shirt. I never watch the Pro Bowl, but this may make me tune in.” … Interesting logo-litigation article here. … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Check out Dave Meggett’s unusual chinstrap style. … Rugby note from Daniel Brown, who’s intrigued by this practice session photo of the England International Rugby Team. “I’ve seen the NFL practices where the QBs wear red jerseys, so the defense knows not to hit them,” he writes. “But I don’t think I ever seen a jersey with that message actually written on it.” … Uni Watch intern Vince Grzegorek reports that Antonio Pittman was wearing LaCoste clothing when he declared for the NFL draft last week. “One columnist from the Cleveland Plain Dealer actually wondered why Pittman couldn’t just get dressed up in a bunch of Nike stuff like everybody else,” says Vince. “And especially after OSU got trounced by the Florida Gators the week before, was a crocodile logo really the best fashion choice?”

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

#1 by chris on 01.24.07 9:07 am |

After listening to the NPR thing, it’s great to finally put a voice to those yellow blocks of text.

#2 by Griff on 01.24.07 9:07 am |

Hey check out this news story I glanced upon from my student email this morning…. it talks about the research that went into the new NHL jerseys, and then says that the NBA plans to get jerseys like the NHL as well!!!

FIRE UP CHIPS

#3 by SpartyCuse on 01.24.07 9:08 am |

Paul:

Whats the best way to contact you, to send uni info, pics, etc? Email? If so, email addy?

#4 by mg12 on 01.24.07 9:09 am |

This ad.

http://farm1.static....

uses the same font that is used on Real Madrid’s jersey nameplates.

http://articulo.merc...

#5 by Monte on 01.24.07 9:09 am |

Regarding the shoulder pad liners… there are companies that still make a similar design, albeit made from different materials.
I’m not sure if football players still wear those under their pads (since present day shoulder pads are padded enough on their own), but these are the most popular shoulder pad for lacrosse on the highschool/college level.

#6 by Paul Lukas on 01.24.07 9:14 am |

Paul:

Whats the best way to contact you, to send uni info, pics, etc? Email? If so, email addy?

uniwatch@earthlink.net

#7 by Robert on 01.24.07 9:18 am |

In the advertisement featuring the basketball player with his name on the front in place of the team name/logo, it appears that he is not wearing jersey backward. It looks like someone made a special jersey with his name on the front.

The basketball card, on the other hand, looks as if he put his regular jersey on backward.

#8 by Robert on 01.24.07 9:20 am |

After listening to the NPR thing, it’s great to finally put a voice to those yellow blocks of text.

So does Paul have a thick Yankee accent? I am a little nervous about meeting him at the Dallas event and giggling if he talks funny.

#9 by Paul Lukas on 01.24.07 9:25 am |

After listening to the NPR thing, it’s great to finally put a voice to those yellow blocks of text.

So does Paul have a thick Yankee accent? I am a little nervous about meeting him at the Dallas event and giggling if he talks funny.

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

#10 by chris on 01.24.07 9:26 am |

After listening to the NPR thing, it’s great to finally put a voice to those yellow blocks of text.

So does Paul have a thick Yankee accent? I am a little nervous about meeting him at the Dallas event and giggling if he talks funny.

hmm.. sounded normal to me. Then again, I would probably have the same accent so it wouldn’t sound different to me.

click the Listen button

#11 by Chris on 01.24.07 9:29 am |

I still can’t believe that Bruce Pearl painted his chest. No wonder the kids at Tennesse love this guy. Maybe he should do this for one of his men’s games.

#12 by Phil on 01.24.07 9:33 am |

My high school basketball teams always wore Pro-Keds back in the early to mid 70’s. At one time they had three stripes, but by the mid 70’s, they had switched to 2 stripes. We always understood back then that Addidas forced them to change.

#13 by Matt Parker on 01.24.07 9:34 am |

Regarding the flavored mouthguards… guys on my high school football team would often boil their mouthguards (which you have to do to fit them to your teeth) in kool-aid. They claimed it gave them flavor. I never tried it though, so I can’t attest to its efficacy.

#14 by keith on 01.24.07 9:36 am |

Regarding the shoulder pad liners… there are companies that still make a similar design, albeit made from different materials.
I’m not sure if football players still wear those under their pads (since present day shoulder pads are padded enough on their own), but these are the most popular shoulder pad for lacrosse on the highschool/college level.

Those pads were used by anyone who had a shoulder injury when I was in HS (class of ‘00).

On the flavored mouthguard issue, I remember Tru-fit or one of those companies making mint mouthguards back in the late 80s.

#15 by Teebz on 01.24.07 9:40 am |

Ironically, Paul, our high school basketball coach made us use those eye-shield glasses thingies a lot. They actually do improve dribbling techniques because you can’t look down at the ball. Being a

I will say this, though: the one we had were ridiculously uncomfortable to wear. When pulled tight, they dug into your cheekbones just below the eye sockets.

#16 by Robert on 01.24.07 9:43 am |

After listening to the NPR thing, it’s great to finally put a voice to those yellow blocks of text.

So does Paul have a thick Yankee accent? I am a little nervous about meeting him at the Dallas event and giggling if he talks funny.

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

Very normal. I am almost disappointed. I was hoping for something along the lines of Andrew “Dice” Clay or maybe the Philly Cheese Steak Researcher from the Jack-in-the-Box commercial.

Good interview, by the way.

#17 by Teebz on 01.24.07 9:43 am |

Ironically, Paul, our high school basketball coach made us use those eye-shield glasses thingies a lot. They actually do improve dribbling techniques because you can’t look down at the ball. Being a forward/post player, it really improved our play inside the key.

I will say this, though: the one we had were ridiculously uncomfortable to wear. When pulled tight, they dug into your cheekbones just below the eye sockets.

Not sure how, but part of my post got cut off. The added portion has been bolded.

#18 by Tom C. on 01.24.07 9:49 am |

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

Since no topic seems too detailed for this crew… I noticed the NPR interviewer called the column/site
Une-ah-watch (I’m not good at phonetic spelling). I’ve always thought of it as Une-E-watch.

Thoughts?

#19 by chris on 01.24.07 9:50 am |

After listening to the NPR thing, it’s great to finally put a voice to those yellow blocks of text.

So does Paul have a thick Yankee accent? I am a little nervous about meeting him at the Dallas event and giggling if he talks funny.

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

Very normal. I am almost disappointed. I was hoping for something along the lines of Andrew “Dice” Clay or maybe the Philly Cheese Steak Researcher from the Jack-in-the-Box commercial.

Good interview, by the way.

is this commercial on-line anywhere? Being from Philadelphia, I’d like to see it.
By the way, before you eat a “Philly cheese-steak” from, remember that any cheesesteak you get outside the 215 area code (and probably the 610) is nowhere near as good as it is here

#20 by JohnBoy on 01.24.07 9:50 am |

Does anyone else think the model with the blue wrestling headgear looks like actor-turned-Crestor spokesman Mandy Patinkin?

#21 by dchis on 01.24.07 9:50 am |

Ironically, Paul, our high school basketball coach made us use those eye-shield glasses thingies a lot. They actually do improve dribbling techniques because you can’t look down at the ball. Being a forward/post player, it really improved our play inside the key.

I will say this, though: the one we had were ridiculously uncomfortable to wear. When pulled tight, they dug into your cheekbones just below the eye sockets.

Not sure how, but part of my post got cut off. The added portion has been bolded.

Used those in junior high and high school, and have since used those for elementary and junior high basketball camps I’ve run.

#22 by WVU Tom on 01.24.07 9:53 am |

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

Since no topic seems too detailed for this crew… I noticed the NPR interviewer called the column/site
Une-ah-watch (I’m not good at phonetic spelling).

I’ve always thought of it as Une-E-watch.

Thoughts?

Yeah, Inoticed that too…

#23 by chris on 01.24.07 9:54 am |

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

Since no topic seems too detailed for this crew… I noticed the NPR interviewer called the column/site
Une-ah-watch (I’m not good at phonetic spelling).

I’ve always thought of it as Une-E-watch.

Thoughts?

I caught that too. I always thought it as Un-E-watch, though it makes sense as un-AH-watch. Not a whole lot of people say un-E-form

#24 by Burrill on 01.24.07 9:57 am |

In the first Sand-Knit ad, why is the player still reaching out with his glove even though he has the ball in his right hand?

#25 by dchis on 01.24.07 9:59 am |

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

Since no topic seems too detailed for this crew… I noticed the NPR interviewer called the column/site
Une-ah-watch (I’m not good at phonetic spelling).

I’ve always thought of it as Une-E-watch.

Thoughts?

I caught that too. I always thought it as Un-E-watch, though it makes sense as un-AH-watch. Not a whole lot of people say un-E-form

Right it is pronounced un-AH-watch, but when saying the shorter form “Uni” instead of “Uniform” it is pronounced un-E.

#26 by Teenage FBI on 01.24.07 10:03 am |

Although people tend to talk about “you-knees”, not “you-nahs”. I believe we require an official ruling on this.

#27 by Mike on 01.24.07 10:08 am |

I had a flavoured mouth guard about 10 or so years ago for hockey. It came with this mint spray, and every once in a while you were supposed to spray it and it would hold in the flavour for a few games or something like that. I don’t really remember because I never really wore it. I don’t think its the same thing as in the ad though.

#28 by Ian K on 01.24.07 10:10 am |

Great stuff, as you can see here,…

This ad from the 1970s uses the same font that Real Madrid uses on their uniforms, Peignot. I guess Original Jim was write when he said in Friday’s post,

A very ugly 70-ish font, it reminds me of the Mary Tyler Moore show.

#29 by Ian K on 01.24.07 10:11 am |

Although it looks like Real Madrid’s typeface is italicized.

Did I really just use “write” instead of “right”??

#30 by Paul Lukas on 01.24.07 10:13 am |

Since no topic seems too detailed for this crew… I noticed the NPR interviewer called the column/site
Une-ah-watch (I’m not good at phonetic spelling).

I’ve always thought of it as Une-E-watch.

Thoughts?

Yeah, that kinda bugged me.

#31 by Andy on 01.24.07 10:15 am |

I was one of the people wearing flavored mouthguards in the late 80’s. For about half of one practice. The thing made me gag everytime I put it back in. Not my favorite experience ever.

#32 by Anthony Verna on 01.24.07 10:15 am |

I never thought Paul’s voice could be lower than mine!

Logo litigation. . .
http://media.www.the...

UT sues over sawed-off horns
Vendor claims logo parody protected under First Amendment

Hmmmm. I can say that the trend is going towards the opposite. Parody for copyrighted stuff? Yes. Parody for trademarks? Not to make money. See http://en.wikipedia.... for more info.

http://www.cbldf.org...

(That’s because TMs are used to denote business. Parodying them is ok, but selling the parodys is not.)

#33 by Tony Edwards on 01.24.07 10:16 am |

Regarding the shoulder pad liners… there are companies that still make a similar design, albeit made from different materials.
I’m not sure if football players still wear those under their pads (since present day shoulder pads are padded enough on their own), but these are the most popular shoulder pad for lacrosse on the highschool/college level.

Those pads were used by anyone who had a shoulder injury when I was in HS (class of ‘00).

Also if you got neck injuries, like stingers. I had to wear the pad under my shoulder pads for my last two years of football. (class of ‘01)

#34 by Daniel on 01.24.07 10:17 am |

In the first Sand-Knit ad, why is the player still reaching out with his glove even though he has the ball in his right hand?

I was thinking about that too. I would like to think they were playing a game with two balls.

#35 by Ian K on 01.24.07 10:18 am |

Although it looks like Real Madrid’s typeface is italicized.

Did I really just use “write” instead of “right”??

Next time I’ll also read the comments more closely, since this was brought up earlier…

In other news, Dick Cheney wore a purple-ish tie last night during the State of the Union, which is in line with Paul’s November theory about political pundits wearing purple on Election Day to show “bi-partisanship” or being “middle of the road”.

#36 by Pantherfid on 01.24.07 10:20 am |

Looks like the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will have a change in uniform for next season. Local sports talk radio WDAE 620AM is reporting that the Rays will have “more blue” on the uniform for the 2007 season. What “more blue” means, I dunno. I will post a link and/or pic when I find one.

#37 by WVU Tom on 01.24.07 10:23 am |

In the first Sand-Knit ad, why is the player still reaching out with his glove even though he has the ball in his right hand?

I was thinking about that too. I would like to think they were playing a game with two balls.

…or maybe he has a very short attention span and forgot he already had the ball…?

#38 by tessa on 01.24.07 10:23 am |

I am putting my vote in for You-Knee Watch. Only because it is two words. If it were one word, I could see pronouncing it closer to uniform.

Also, whenever I do something I am proud of, I will now use the term “Tra Da.” Be warned.

#39 by Paul Lukas on 01.24.07 10:24 am |

Looks like the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will have a change in uniform for next season. Local sports talk radio WDAE 620AM is reporting that the Rays will have “more blue” on the uniform for the 2007 season. What “more blue” means, I dunno. I will post a link and/or pic when I find one.

That’s news to me. Are you sure they said 2007, not 2008? My understanding is that the only Rays change for 2007 is the addition of the 10th-anniversary sleeve patch.

#40 by TonyE on 01.24.07 10:25 am |

The Wednesday event was embargoed, meaning attendees had to agree beforehand not to disclose any information until 2pm today. Now that the embargo is over, hereâ€™s a peek at what went down:

I’m disappointed that no one asked probing questions at this rare chance to defend the Uni Watch nation.

Like:

Did anybody (media)have the balls to ask Reebok and Bettman what the fans thought about changing the only thing still cool about the NHL at this PR cluster F?

Did anyone (media) the NHL have research that the fans wanted a change? And how this will affect the photo and video archival history of this once great sport?

Did anyone (media) see an NHL legend (say a Jean Beliveau ,a Bobby Hull or a John Bucyk) there to support the need to change something so precious to NHL long time fans?

Too bad because regular NHL fans would welcome the chance to flambeau these knuckleheads…

#41 by Gary on 01.24.07 10:26 am |

Regarding the shoulder pad liners… there are companies that still make a similar design, albeit made from different materials.
I’m not sure if football players still wear those under their pads (since present day shoulder pads are padded enough on their own), but these are the most popular shoulder pad for lacrosse on the highschool/college level.

Those pads were used by anyone who had a shoulder injury when I was in HS (class of ‘00).

quote]

We had a bunch of those in high school. Freshman running backs wore them and they were also used as a extra layer in frigid weather. Also, alot of guys used them the first week of summer practice in August to get used to contact again.

#42 by Morgan Doninger on 01.24.07 10:28 am |

Ahh, trade magazines. That brings me back to my first job in New York, where I worked for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology. It was a membersheip organization for theatre designers and techies. Our magazine was TD&T (Theatre Design & Technology) which ran adds for stage weights and dimmer boards. It had some good theatre costuming articles as well, he types, desperately trying to get this comment even close to the subject of uniforms…

#43 by David N on 01.24.07 10:29 am |

More Senior Bowl helmet stuff. NC State’s AJ Davis was wearing a helmet with no red stripe down the middle and a black facemask. The facemasks are normally red.

http://media.scout.c...
http://www.accfootba...

#44 by Brandon T. on 01.24.07 10:29 am |

So, I’m still searching for unawatchblog.com…

Since no topic seems too detailed for this crew… I noticed the NPR interviewer called the column/site
Une-ah-watch (I’m not good at phonetic spelling).

I’ve always thought of it as Une-E-watch.

Thoughts?

Yeah, that kinda bugged me.

#45 by chris on 01.24.07 10:36 am |

More Senior Bowl helmet stuff. NC State’s AJ Davis was wearing a helmet with no red stripe down the middle and a black facemask. The facemasks are normally red.

http://media.scout.c...
http://www.accfootba...

I was watching ESPN or ESPN2 the other day and there were college players wearing more than one logo on their helmet. I counted 4 on one player. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what was being played, but I think the teams were North and South. Can anyone help me with what game this was?

#46 by Robert on 01.24.07 10:37 am |

After listening to the NPR thing, it’s great to finally put a voice to those yellow blocks of text.

So does Paul have a thick Yankee accent? I am a little nervous about meeting him at the Dallas event and giggling if he talks funny.

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

Very normal. I am almost disappointed. I was hoping for something along the lines of Andrew “Dice” Clay or maybe the Philly Cheese Steak Researcher from the Jack-in-the-Box commercial.

Good interview, by the way.

is this commercial on-line anywhere? Being from Philadelphia, I’d like to see it.
By the way, before you eat a “Philly cheese-steak” from, remember that any cheesesteak you get outside the 215 area code (and probably the 610) is nowhere near as good as it is here

Here you go. It’s funny.

http://www.mypartypo...

#47 by David N on 01.24.07 10:38 am |

oops, bad link. let’s try again.

http://media.scout.c...
http://s9.imagehosti...

#48 by wooster, oh on 01.24.07 10:38 am |

Regarding the shoulder pad liners… there are companies that still make a similar design, albeit made from different materials.
I’m not sure if football players still wear those under their pads (since present day shoulder pads are padded enough on their own), but these are the most popular shoulder pad for lacrosse on the highschool/college level.

Receivers, backs and kids who thought they looked cooler used to wear those foam pads in HS all the time. We refered to them as butterfly pads or fairy pads. On another note, they were great when they caught on in lacrosse. They were super lightweight and offer full range of motion. As a defensemen, they were perfect because I never really got hit, much less on the shoulder. However, we’d lick our chops if we saw an attackman wearing them. You could just wail away on the upper arm and shoulder socket all day long.

#49 by TonyE on 01.24.07 10:38 am |

Tampa Bay 2008. League mandates that the changes are approved in sampling prototypes by May 31 of the preceding year.

#50 by Kenny on 01.24.07 10:40 am |

The Wednesday event was embargoed, meaning attendees had to agree beforehand not to disclose any information until 2pm today. Now that the embargo is over, hereâ€™s a peek at what went down:

I’m disappointed that no one asked probing questions at this rare chance to defend the Uni Watch nation.

Like:

Did anybody (media)have the balls to ask Reebok and Bettman what the fans thought about changing the only thing still cool about the NHL at this PR cluster F?

Did anyone (media) the NHL have research that the fans wanted a change? And how this will affect the photo and video archival history of this once great sport?

Did anyone (media) see an NHL legend (say a Jean Beliveau ,a Bobby Hull or a John Bucyk) there to support the need to change something so precious to NHL long time fans?

Too bad because regular NHL fans would welcome the chance to flambeau these knuckleheads…

Now I understand the preserving tradition for the NHL and the history behind the unis. However, after reading the comments over the past couple of days/weeks, I noticed a heavy dose of animosity towards the new jerseys. Haven’t All-Star jerseys been historically gaudy? Everything about the team’s actual design has been speculation. I will try and watch some of the All-star game tonight, but I am a semi-casual fan of hockey (the lock-out caused me to drop any previous interest in it). As Paul said in the interview, these new jerseys will make the game faster and smoother, with less grabbing, not to mention the benefit to the players (not overheating as much, longer periods on the ice for the best players, etc.). Just my thoughts- feel free to agree/disagree, just felt I had to put my 2 cents in.

#51 by Richard on 01.24.07 10:42 am |

More Senior Bowl helmet stuff. NC State’s AJ Davis was wearing a helmet with no red stripe down the middle and a black facemask. The facemasks are normally red.

http://media.scout.c...
http://www.accfootba...

I was watching ESPN or ESPN2 the other day and there were college players wearing more than one logo on their helmet. I counted 4 on one player. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what was being played, but I think the teams were North and South. Can anyone help me with what game this was?

It could have been the East-West Shrine Game, or the Hula Bowl. These are the first 2 All-Star games for college football in preparation for the NFL Draft.

#52 by Jeremy on 01.24.07 10:44 am |

I also had a flavored mouthguard (mint) in the 80’s for youth hockey in SE Minnesota. They were pretty popular for a very short time. Mine had a green strip along the bottom where the bottom of your teeth would make contact. But like mint gum, after a short time (a couple practices or games) the flavor dissipated and you were then left with a terrible taste.

#53 by Tony Edwards on 01.24.07 10:49 am |

In the first Sand-Knit ad, why is the player still reaching out with his glove even though he has the ball in his right hand?

It looks to me like he’s getting ready to throw the ball. Back in the day “they” taught you to throw like that. Just watch a “Tom Emanski” video. It’s like rotation or something.

#54 by Kenny on 01.24.07 10:49 am |

I forgot to add what everyone’s feelings would be if they kept the current look of your favorite teams uniform but implemented the sleeker look of the new jersey.

Also I am taking a Graphic Design class and the professor is the Senior Art Director for Wilson Sports. Hopefully, I can snag some examples of his previous works.

I had an interesting talk with him yesterday about the NFL football and how the NFL logo and the commish’s name have gotten bigger while the Wilson logo has gotten smaller

#55 by Joe on 01.24.07 10:52 am |

After listening to the NPR thing, it’s great to finally put a voice to those yellow blocks of text.

So does Paul have a thick Yankee accent? I am a little nervous about meeting him at the Dallas event and giggling if he talks funny.

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

Very normal. I am almost disappointed. I was hoping for something along the lines of Andrew “Dice” Clay or maybe the Philly Cheese Steak Researcher from the Jack-in-the-Box commercial.

Good interview, by the way.

is this commercial on-line anywhere? Being from Philadelphia, I’d like to see it.
By the way, before you eat a “Philly cheese-steak” from, remember that any cheesesteak you get outside the 215 area code (and probably the 610) is nowhere near as good as it is here

Glad to hear Paul sounded like an adult male, which is more than can be said for his Page 2 colleague Bill Simmons.

And of course you can’t get a “real” cheesesteak outside of philly just like you can’t get a real bagel or pizza outside new york…or a real “blank” outside of “blank” I call BS on this. People move all around and they don’t lose the ability to cook just cause their zip or area code changes. The ingredients that make up these items are shipped nationwide. Maybe 25 to 50 years ago this was the case, but not anymore.

#56 by Andrew on 01.24.07 10:54 am |

Does anyone else think the model with the blue wrestling headgear looks like actor-turned-Crestor spokesman Mandy Patinkin?

How about the football player in this ad looking like Joe Mauer?

And did anyone else notice Eric Staal’s helmet in the fastest skater competition last night? He was wearing his number 12 jersey, but his helmet had number 21 on it. I don’t have any photo evidence of this, but I’m sure someone would.

#57 by Fleishman on 01.24.07 10:56 am |

Regarding the flavored mouthguards… guys on my high school football team would often boil their mouthguards (which you have to do to fit them to your teeth) in kool-aid. They claimed it gave them flavor. I never tried it though, so I can’t attest to its efficacy.

Back when I played lacrosse in college, we would keep our mouthguards (already boiled and molded) in a jar of strawberry or grape jelly overnight. That worked for a couple days, but mouthpieces are generally nasty no matter what.

#58 by Kenny on 01.24.07 10:58 am |

After listening to the NPR thing, it’s great to finally put a voice to those yellow blocks of text.

So does Paul have a thick Yankee accent? I am a little nervous about meeting him at the Dallas event and giggling if he talks funny.

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

Very normal. I am almost disappointed. I was hoping for something along the lines of Andrew “Dice” Clay or maybe the Philly Cheese Steak Researcher from the Jack-in-the-Box commercial.

Good interview, by the way.

is this commercial on-line anywhere? Being from Philadelphia, I’d like to see it.
By the way, before you eat a “Philly cheese-steak” from, remember that any cheesesteak you get outside the 215 area code (and probably the 610) is nowhere near as good as it is here

Glad to hear Paul sounded like an adult male, which is more than can be said for his Page 2 colleague Bill Simmons.

And of course you can’t get a “real” cheesesteak outside of philly just like you can’t get a real bagel or pizza outside new york…or a real “blank” outside of “blank” I call BS on this. People move all around and they don’t lose the ability to cook just cause their zip or area code changes. The ingredients that make up these items are shipped nationwide. Maybe 25 to 50 years ago this was the case, but not anymore.

Sorry but “real” pizza resides in Chicago, not NY City

#59 by Andrew on 01.24.07 11:04 am |

Sorry but “real” pizza resides in Chicago, not NY City

Amen.

#60 by Greg on 01.24.07 11:07 am |

So, I’m still searching for unawatchblog.com…

Since no topic seems too detailed for this crew… I noticed the NPR interviewer called the column/site
Une-ah-watch (I’m not good at phonetic spelling).

I’ve always thought of it as Une-E-watch.

Thoughts?

Yeah, that kinda bugged me.

I don’t know how many listen to NPR, but they are a somewhat formal bunch (unless you consider yourself part of the “Intelligentsia”). Although on All Things Considered they cover a wide range of topics, I doubt they discuss hockey uniforms very often.

I’m surprised the questions weren’t far worse than their pronunciation of Uni Watch…good job Paul.

#61 by Pat on 01.24.07 11:07 am |

Sorry but “real” pizza resides in Chicago, not NY City

Amen.

False. REAL pizza resides in Boston across the street from the TD Banknorth Garden.

#62 by Eric on 01.24.07 11:07 am |

Does anyone else think the model with the blue wrestling headgear looks like actor-turned-Crestor spokesman Mandy Patinkin?

How about the football player in this ad looking like Joe Mauer?

And did anyone else notice Eric Staal’s helmet in the fastest skater competition last night? He was wearing his number 12 jersey, but his helmet had number 21 on it. I don’t have any photo evidence of this, but I’m sure someone would.

No evidence, but according to this NHL Blog, it’s due to the fact that Simon Gagne also wears 12, and since he’s got seniority, he gets to wear 12 for the all-star game, and Staal will take 21. Here’s the rest of the relevant number changes:

* Floridaâ€™s Jay Bouwmeester will wear #3, deferring to Tampa Bayâ€™s Vincent Lecavalier, who dons his familiar #4. This is Bouwmeesterâ€™s ASG debut.

* Dany Heatley of Ottawa has taken #16, as his usual #15 goes to Torontoâ€™s Tomas Kaberle. Both are playing their second All-Star Game.

* Carolinaâ€™s Eric Staal will wear #21, with #12 going to the more-vested Simon Gagne of Philadelphia. This is Staalâ€™s ASG debut.

* San Joseâ€™s Joe Thornton is outfitted in #97. Naturally, #19 goes to Coloradoâ€™s Joe Sakic, also the captain of the Western Conference.

* For the second consecutive All-Star Game, Patrick Marleau of San Jose is forced to make a number change, taking #10 this time. In the West, #12 goes to All-Star game rookie Brian Rolston of Minnesota

* And how rare is this! Two #94â€™s in the West, and two All-Star rookies to boot. But Yanic Perreault of Phoenix has seniority over Edmontonâ€™s Ryan Smyth, who will wear #93

* Two Eastern goaltenders, Martin Brodeur and Ryan Miller, will each wear their usual #30, as both canâ€™t be on the ice at the same time.

#63 by chris on 01.24.07 11:08 am |

And of course you can’t get a “real” cheesesteak outside of philly just like you can’t get a real bagel or pizza outside new york…or a real “blank” outside of “blank” I call BS on this. People move all around and they don’t lose the ability to cook just cause their zip or area code changes. The ingredients that make up these items are shipped nationwide. Maybe 25 to 50 years ago this was the case, but not anymore.

I get what you’re saying. Still I’ve yet to find one that’s close to it. I’ve tried them in LA, San Fran., St. Louis, NYC, Myrtle Beach and Boston among others. Even places as close as Harrisburg don’t seem to do it right. That’s not to say there are places that can get it right, just the places I went to didn’t do it. Oh, if the meat comes covered in a red sauce that you didn’t ask for, that’s a big read flag that it’s not ‘real’.

Funny anecdote: my dad went on his honeymoon to Hawaii and ordered a cheesesteak from a restaurant to see how it would compare. The waiter brought out a 8 oz steak covered in Swiss on a Kaiser roll.

#64 by chris on 01.24.07 11:14 am |

More Senior Bowl helmet stuff. NC State’s AJ Davis was wearing a helmet with no red stripe down the middle and a black facemask. The facemasks are normally red.

http://media.scout.c...
http://www.accfootba...

I was watching ESPN or ESPN2 the other day and there were college players wearing more than one logo on their helmet. I counted 4 on one player. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what was being played, but I think the teams were North and South. Can anyone help me with what game this was?

It could have been the East-West Shrine Game, or the Hula Bowl. These are the first 2 All-Star games for college football in preparation for the NFL Draft.

I searched around a bit, I think it might have been the North South All-Star Classic. This isn’t it, but the helmets were similar with all the school’s different decals

#65 by Richard on 01.24.07 11:15 am |

Sorry but “real” pizza resides in Chicago, not NY City

Amen.

False. REAL pizza resides in Boston across the street from the TD Banknorth Garden.

a great spot, and with tonight’s game, maybe a necessity

#66 by Ian K on 01.24.07 11:15 am |

So, I’m still searching for unawatchblog.com…

Since no topic seems too detailed for this crew… I noticed the NPR interviewer called the column/site
Une-ah-watch (I’m not good at phonetic spelling).

I’ve always thought of it as Une-E-watch.

Thoughts?

Yeah, that kinda bugged me.

I don’t know how many listen to NPR, but they are a somewhat formal bunch (unless you consider yourself part of the “Intelligentsia”). Although on All Things Considered they cover a wide range of topics, I doubt they discuss hockey uniforms very often.

I’m surprised the questions weren’t far worse than their pronunciation of Uni Watch…good job Paul.

In addition to Unawatch, one of the first lines read by the radio host was “new uniforms will make their debut”, but very strong emphasis was placed on the 2nd syllable so it sounded like duh-BUE. Maybe it’s a regional thing, Unawatch, d’BUE…

#67 by Anthony Verna on 01.24.07 11:17 am |

In addition to Unawatch, one of the first lines read by the radio host was “new uniforms will make their debut”, but very strong emphasis was placed on the 2nd syllable so it sounded like duh-BUE. Maybe it’s a regional thing, Unawatch, d’BUE…

Correct me if I’m wrong, but ATC comes out of Philly, right?

#68 by Richard on 01.24.07 11:18 am |

Sorry but “real” pizza resides in Chicago, not NY City

Amen.

False. REAL pizza resides in Boston across the street from the TD Banknorth Garden.

a great spot, and with tonight’s game, maybe a necessity

and by tonight’s game, i meant my having to see these beauties…

#69 by Pat on 01.24.07 11:21 am |

Does anyone else think the model with the blue wrestling headgear looks like actor-turned-Crestor spokesman Mandy Patinkin?

How about the football player in this ad looking like Joe Mauer?

And did anyone else notice Eric Staal’s helmet in the fastest skater competition last night? He was wearing his number 12 jersey, but his helmet had number 21 on it. I don’t have any photo evidence of this, but I’m sure someone would.

No evidence, but according to this NHL Blog, it’s due to the fact that Simon Gagne also wears 12, and since he’s got seniority, he gets to wear 12 for the all-star game, and Staal will take 21. Here’s the rest of the relevant number changes:

* Floridaâ€™s Jay Bouwmeester will wear #3, deferring to Tampa Bayâ€™s Vincent Lecavalier, who dons his familiar #4. This is Bouwmeesterâ€™s ASG debut.

* Dany Heatley of Ottawa has taken #16, as his usual #15 goes to Torontoâ€™s Tomas Kaberle. Both are playing their second All-Star Game.

* Carolinaâ€™s Eric Staal will wear #21, with #12 going to the more-vested Simon Gagne of Philadelphia. This is Staalâ€™s ASG debut.

* San Joseâ€™s Joe Thornton is outfitted in #97. Naturally, #19 goes to Coloradoâ€™s Joe Sakic, also the captain of the Western Conference.

* For the second consecutive All-Star Game, Patrick Marleau of San Jose is forced to make a number change, taking #10 this time. In the West, #12 goes to All-Star game rookie Brian Rolston of Minnesota

* And how rare is this! Two #94â€™s in the West, and two All-Star rookies to boot. But Yanic Perreault of Phoenix has seniority over Edmontonâ€™s Ryan Smyth, who will wear #93

* Two Eastern goaltenders, Martin Brodeur and Ryan Miller, will each wear their usual #30, as both canâ€™t be on the ice at the same time.

Why can’t they do like the NBA All-Star Game? Have some players wear repeating numbers. Makes more sense since it’s just an exhibition anyway.

#70 by Pat on 01.24.07 11:23 am |

Sorry but “real” pizza resides in Chicago, not NY City

Well at least the pizza will look good. Those Hawks unis are gross. At least the Celts will make up for it, in uniform at least.
Amen.

False. REAL pizza resides in Boston across the street from the TD Banknorth Garden.

a great spot, and with tonight’s game, maybe a necessity

and by tonight’s game, i meant my having to see these beauties…

#71 by Pantherfid on 01.24.07 11:24 am |

Another Devil Rays update…I just called WDAE and they confirmed that the word that “they recieved” is that the Rays will add more blue to the uniform for the 2007 season. I have heard about the deadline for changing uniforms in the past, and I know about the whole name change deal that was supposed to (and still might) happen. This was news to me to. I have checked all of the Rays message boards, and there is nothing about a change in the uni. I wouls take this with a grain of sale, but as I said, the radio is reporting it, I called and they confirmed it.

I just called the Devil Rays Front Office and talked to Carmen in Communications. I asked about the possible addition of “more blue” to the uniform and she said “Yes for 2007.” The then back-stepped and said it is a “possibility…we haven’t made it official yet.”

So more blue…yes, but no, but maybe.

We’ll see.

#72 by Pat on 01.24.07 11:27 am |

I don’t know what happened to my comment, I meant to write this:

At least the pizza will look good, those Hawks unis are gross. At least the Celts will make up for it, in the uniform department anyway.

#73 by chris on 01.24.07 11:30 am |

In addition to Unawatch, one of the first lines read by the radio host was “new uniforms will make their debut”, but very strong emphasis was placed on the 2nd syllable so it sounded like duh-BUE. Maybe it’s a regional thing, Unawatch, d’BUE…

Correct me if I’m wrong, but ATC comes out of Philly, right?

I don’t think so, but Fresh Air and Radio Times are. I don’t think Radio Times is nationally syndicated though.

#74 by Kerry on 01.24.07 11:30 am |

I was watching ESPN or ESPN2 the other day and there were college players wearing more than one logo on their helmet. I counted 4 on one player. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what was being played, but I think the teams were North and South. Can anyone help me with what game this was?

It could have been the East-West Shrine Game, or the Hula Bowl. These are the first 2 All-Star games for college football in preparation for the NFL Draft.

Not the Hula Bowl…I don’t recall seeing any players in that game with additional helmet stickers (plus the called the teams Aina & Kai, not North & South). The East-West Shrine Game was this past Saturday (January 20) while the Saturday before (January 13) the INTAJUICE ALL-STAR CLASSIC played in Houston.

#75 by Vernona on 01.24.07 11:37 am |

Loved the NPR interview! I learned more about hockey unis in this 3 or 4 minutes than I’d known in my whole life.

#76 by todd krevanchi on 01.24.07 11:45 am |

After listening to the NPR thing, it’s great to finally put a voice to those yellow blocks of text.

So does Paul have a thick Yankee accent? I am a little nervous about meeting him at the Dallas event and giggling if he talks funny.

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

Very normal. I am almost disappointed. I was hoping for something along the lines of Andrew “Dice” Clay or maybe the Philly Cheese Steak Researcher from the Jack-in-the-Box commercial.

Good interview, by the way.

is this commercial on-line anywhere? Being from Philadelphia, I’d like to see it.
By the way, before you eat a “Philly cheese-steak” from, remember that any cheesesteak you get outside the 215 area code (and probably the 610) is nowhere near as good as it is here

whiz, with, and mushrooms please!!!!!
and at jims on south street.
i will accept pats as a substitute but, never the standard…

#77 by Banker Bill on 01.24.07 11:47 am |

Regarding the flavored mouthguards… guys on my high school football team would often boil their mouthguards (which you have to do to fit them to your teeth) in kool-aid. They claimed it gave them flavor. I never tried it though, so I can’t attest to its efficacy.

I used to soak mine in mouthwash when I wasn’t using it to help it taste better - and maybe help to kill germs. Doubt it worked, but I am a superstitious person….

#78 by redemske on 01.24.07 11:48 am |

On the Kant Peek — when I was a high school basketball manager, my friend and I were digging around in the old equipment closets — which were a uni treasure-trove — and we found a whole box of a simliar dribbling aide. I can see that working in the 1970s, but those things were annoying. Tripping over things was very easy.

#79 by Vincent on 01.24.07 11:49 am |

After listening to the NPR thing, it’s great to finally put a voice to those yellow blocks of text.

So does Paul have a thick Yankee accent? I am a little nervous about meeting him at the Dallas event and giggling if he talks funny.

See (or, rather, hear) for yourself here.

Paul, in why the change, is receiving 106M$ from Reebok is a good one ? (source: The Score)

#80 by chris on 01.24.07 11:51 am |

whiz, with, and mushrooms please!!!!!
and at jims on south street.
i will accept pats as a substitute but, never the standard…

you mean, ‘whiz wit’

#81 by Anthony Verna on 01.24.07 11:54 am |

whiz, with, and mushrooms please!!!!!
and at jims on south street.
i will accept pats as a substitute but, never the standard…

you mean, ‘whiz wit’

Is it ok if I gag at the thought of cheez whiz?

*GAG*

#82 by Rob Hinkle on 01.24.07 12:00 pm |

The Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) wear a throwback jersey each year to honor the teams that either were Flyers farm teams or teams that played in Philadelphia before. This year they will be wearing Philadelphia Quaker (NHL) uniforms - http://www.phantomsh...

#83 by Teebz on 01.24.07 12:02 pm |

If the NHL ever wants to get its All-Star Game correct, they’ll take a look at the AHL. The AHL All-Star game is available to over 100 million households on TV, and available for free over the ‘Net to anyone with broadband.

Kudos to the “developmental” league, and Commissioner Dave Andrews. At least someone in pro hockey knows what they’re doing.

#84 by Banker Bill on 01.24.07 12:16 pm |

If the NHL ever wants to get its All-Star Game correct, they’ll take a look at the AHL. The AHL All-Star game is available to over 100 million households on TV, and available for free over the ‘Net to anyone with broadband.

Kudos to the “developmental” league, and Commissioner Dave Andrews. At least someone in pro hockey knows what they’re doing.

They have a skills competition too, don’t they Teebz?

#85 by Philly Bill on 01.24.07 12:17 pm |

Word up, Teebz!

The Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) wear a throwback jersey each year to honor the teams that either were Flyers farm teams or teams that played in Philadelphia before. This year they will be wearing Philadelphia Quaker (NHL) uniforms - http://www.phantomsh...

That’s just tremendous. I want one of those sweaters.

I haven’t found a good cheesesteak in Dallas, but I hear there’s a decent place up in Plano run by a Philly ex-pat. I can’t trust a Texan’s opinion on this issue, however. When I’m back in Philly, this is the place to go for a “provie wit’.” (And apparently they have one in New York now? Not sure how I feel about that.)

I used to live about 8 blocks from Pat’s and Geno’s, and about once a week when I was walking around in the neighborhood, a car would pull over and someone would ask me how to get to one or the other of them. I considered it my duty, if they asked how to get to Geno’s, to tell them Pat’s is better.

Fantastic post today, Paul. And you sound a bit like John Hein from Howard 100 (like the logo?) on Sirius radio, but your voice is a little bit deeper.

#86 by JT on 01.24.07 12:17 pm |

In the first Sand-Knit ad, why is the player still reaching out with his glove even though he has the ball in his right hand?

It looks to me like he’s getting ready to throw the ball. Back in the day “they” taught you to throw like that. Just watch a “Tom Emanski” video. It’s like rotation or something.

That’s exactly what I thought. I helped coach little league baseball for a few years and we used some set of videos that had broken down batting and throwing into steps. Part of throwing was reach out your glove hand and use it like a gun sight at your target.

#87