Uni Watch Profiles: P.K. Cummings

At the recent Uni Watch party in San Francisco, I met reader Al Cummings, who mentioned that his daughter works as a colorist for a major sportswear company. I said I’d be very interested in interviewing her, so he promised to point her in my direction. Sure enough, a few days later I got an e-mail from P.K. Cummings.

P.K. (which is what everyone calls her — it’s not an alias or anything like that) turned out to be quite a character. As you’ll see, she’s not exactly shy with her opinions. But you’ll also see that she’s a highly skilled professional with a lot of specialized technical expertise. That combination makes for a very, very good interview.

P.K. asked that I not name the company she works for, so the firm is referred to as “Company X” in the transcript that follows, even though it’s pretty obvious which company it is. Just keep that to yourself, OK? OK.

Uni Watch: How long have you worked at Company X, and what’s your title there?

P.K. Cummings: I’ve been there almost a year, and I’m a textile color specialist.

UW: How’d you end up with that job?

PKC: It was pretty serendipitous — it kinda fell into my lap. I’d worked in fashion and gone to school for textiles. I saw a post on Monster.com and responded.

UW: Where did you study textiles?

PKC: At the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, in Los Angeles. I studied textile design. We didn’t have any sports teams, so now, whenever we have “Wear Your School Day” at work, I just come in all black.

UW: What are favorite team uniforms, in terms of color?

PKC: I’m a fan of most throwbacks due to the simplicity. The old Celtics, when they wore satin shorts, are decent. And I have a locational and occupational bias towards the Raiders — silver and black always look good as clothing and face paint.

UW: Do you have a favorite color?

PKC: Green. Kelly green. Actually, there’s this gridiron green that we’re using now — it’s like a kelly, but not quite as springy. A bit olive.

UW: What about a least favorite color?

PKC: I don’t have one of those. [Switching to mock-flowery tone.] They’re all my favorites!

UW: Hmmmm…

PKC: Except for Vegas gold, which is just fucking hideous.

UW: So many people seem to hate that color. Why is that?

PKC: It’s like what you look like after a night of gambling in Vegas — jaundiced, drunk. Plus it’s really hard to match, it’s hard for mills to get right.

UW: So what does your job actually entail? You just mentioned fabric mills…

PKC: I work with all our sourced mills — there are over 40 of them. We have a set of in-house color standards on little placards, so the mills send me little samples of what their huge production lot will be like…

UW: Like a swatch?

PKC: Yeah. They send that to me, and then I read it on a spectrophotometer, which reads pure light, so I can see where it is, numerically, compared to our standards.

UW: These placards of yours, they probably have to be replaced from time to time, because they fade, right?

PKC: We keep them in a controlled environment. Our lab is conditioned…

UW: What does that mean?

PKC [after long pause]: Sorry, I just looked at MySpace and saw a picture of my brother’s butt — ugh! Fuck him, y’know? Wait, where were we?

UW: What does “conditioned” mean?

PKC: It’s maintained at a stable temperature and humidity. We like to keep it between 68 and 72 degrees, and 21.3% humidity. That’s the optimum.

UW: What sorts of Company X products do you deal with?

PKC: Everything, from the Dri-Power to the AFL uniforms, to selecting the threads to match with it.

UW: Like, the threads for seam stitching and embroidery?

PKC: Yeah. I just had this super drama today with the Philadelphia Soul.

UW: Um, is that an AFL team?

PKC: Yeah. The coolest thing I’ve gotten to do for the AFL is that the color we’re using for the Philadelphia Soul jersey, I got to name it Jon Bon Jovi.

UW: That’s the name of the color?

PKC: Well, it’s officially Soul Blue, but we reference it internally by a three-letter code, so it’s going to be JB — wait a minute, “Jon Bon Jovi,” okay, so it’s JBJ.

UW: What other leagues do you work with?

PKC: We do Little League Baseball.

UW: So the Little League World Series uniforms..?

PKC: Yeah, we do those.

UW: Any other leagues?

PKC: Company X lost most of their league contracts over the past few years, but they’re hoping to get a lot of them back.

UW: You mentioned to me in an e-mail yesterday that you hate how the gold on the Saints’ helmet doesn’t match the gold on their collar trim.

PKC: Oh, I hate that. I would be, like, fired if I did that. The closest thing we’ve had to that was a mismatch with Washington State — the silver on their pants didn’t match the silver on the helmet. So I had to read the helmet [on the spectrophotometer], redo everything, and then they actually ended up putting these horrible jerseys on the field. It was the saddest thing ever. It wasn’t my fault!

UW: Isn’t it hard matching fabric to plastic, though?

PKC: It can be, yeah. You just have work with the best dye materials. A lot of mills are pretty hesitant to spend the money on something they’re only gonna use once.

UW: Are you aware that the Cowboys have two different blues, and three different silvers?

PKC: Yes. It makes me crazy.

UW: If you could talk to the management of these teams, what would you say to them?

PKC: Look at the jerseys before you put them on the field! Or at least have a woman look at them.

UW: I’ve been told Jerry Jones, who owns the Cowboys, is actually colorblind.

PKC: Well, one of every 12 males is.

UW: What about women?

PKC: I think we’re up in the 200s.

UW: Wouldn’t life be easier, in some ways, if we were all colorblind?

PKC: I suppose, yeah.

UW: But you’d be out of a job.

PKC: Yeah, that would be a bummer. What would I do with my more-than-perfect vision?

UW: Your vision is better than perfect?

PKC: Yes.

UW: What is it, like, 20/15?

PKC: Yes.

UW: That’s pretty good.

PKC: I know.

UW: But wait a minute, you just sent me a photo of yourself wearing glasses.

PKC: I have a slight astigmatism, and my glasses have a glare reducer for the friggin’ computer screen and night driving. That and I take them off to emphasize a point every once in a while.

UW: When you’re dealing with mills and dye manufacturers and such, do you actually travel to the factories?

PKC: I do a little bit of traveling, but not too much. Mostly I work in-house.

UW: Do you communicate directly with any of the teams or leagues?

PKC: Personally? No. But I hear John Elway really liked one of the colors I worked on.

UW: Is he the owner of one of the teams?

PKC: I think he’s involved with the Philly Soul — I think it’s Jon Bon Jovi, Horse Teeth, and someone else. [Actually, Elway is part-owner of the Colorado Crush. — PL]

UW: Do you use Pantone samples?

PKC: We try not to. It’s really hard to get super-accurate color readings, because the piece of fabric is mounted on a white backing, and that makes it hard to get the density of the color. Also, there are optical brighteners in the glue, which can affect the purity of the color.

UW: So do you use something else, instead of Pantone?

PKC: CSI — Color Solutions International. They’re another widely accepted standard within the industry. They work mostly with fabric — they have this color wall that’s, like, the Wonka-land for color. God, it’s amazing.

UW: Where are they headquartered?

PKC: North Carolina.

UW: Have you been there?

PKC: Mmmmm — I can picture it. But I haven’t been.

UW: You fantasize about it!

PKC: I do — it’s really lame. You know, I was e-mailing with my dad about a CD that he invested for me, and I wrote, “Yeah, just let it accrue a little.” But instead of “accrue,” I wrote “ecru,” the color. I didn’t even realize I did it, but he wrote back, “I can tell you’re a colorist.” And I’m like, aw jeez…

UW: You’re a color geek! That’s cool. Do you use one of those special viewing boxes with the special industry-standard lighting?

PKC: Yeah. UV 65 is the industry-wide standard, and then cool-white is another, because that’s similar to retail lighting. So yeah, we all have our light boxes, and our lab coats…

UW: You wear a lab coat?

PKC: Yes, I do. I look very official.

UW: Is it white?

PKC: No, it’s gray. White would reflect and then adulterate your viewing of the color. So it’s a very mellow gray. Our whole lab — everything in it is gray.

UW: Does your lab coat have a little name patch on it?

PKC: No, nothing cool like that.

UW [terribly disappointed]: So it’s sort of a uniform, but it’s not a cool uniform.

PKC: It’s just a boring lab coat, like your science teacher would wear.

UW: Any other rules in terms of what you have to wear?

PKC: No. And we can wear Company X product. Like, you can be super scumbagged-out, but as long as you’re wearing Company X sweats, you’re good to go. So I stocked up on sweats.

UW: What if you show up wearing, say, Nike sweats?

PKC: Hmmm. If someone’s lame enough to say something, you just say you got it at a sample sale so you could knock it off.

UW: Researching the competition, right?

PKC: Exactly. I got a bunch of Quicksilver stuff from one of the women in the graphics department…

UW: What’s Quicksilver?

PKC: They do surfwear stuff. They’re just another company, but someone bought a bunch of their stuff to knock ‘em off.

UW: We see sports design go through lots of color cycles. Like, purple and teal were really popular, and now red seems to be on the rise. How do these cycles come about? Do people like you sit around in a big room somewhere and decide all of this stuff?

PKC: Everything is pretty much decided two years in advance. There are trend operations that put out trend books.

UW: And do you participate in creating those trends, or do you just respond to them?

PKC: I respond to them, because I don’t have any say-so in the design process, as of yet.

UW: But it sounds like you have a world-domination scheme that will eventually call for you to make those decisions.

PKC: Yes, definitely.

UW: Do you belong any professional organizations?

PKC: I’m a member of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. There’s also the CPMA — that’s the Color, uh, something or other. I don’t know, it came free with another membership. [She’s apparently referring to this. — PL]

UW: What do you think are the best and worst trends in sports color?

PKC: Hmmm. I think the yellows never work out. They don’t televise well.

UW: Is that something you’re always thinking about? Like, you have to consider how it’ll look at retail, and then on TV, and then in high-def.

PKC: I do, yeah.

UW: Do you videotape things and then see how they look on TV?

PKC: I’ll do that with my digital camera. I’ll take something outside, film it from different light sources, that sort of thing.

UW: What about good trends?

PKC: I don’t know. You know, I think football uniforms in general are kind of ridiculous. I don’t think they match the current needs of football. Back in the day, it was a sweater or a sweatshirt, but now it’s graduated to this insane microfiber — like, the pants we’re doing for the AFL, it’s crazy. It’s so tight, but it stretches. The designer picked it on purpose, ’cause she’s kind of a pervert.

UW: So it’ll show off the players’ butts, or outline their packages?

PKC: Yeah, that kind of thing. She was like, “Ooh, it’s gonna be so tight on them!”

UW: Any predictions for future trends?

PKC: Well, I know that throwbacks are so much more prevalent now, so people are going with the more standard looks. I think it’s gonna segue into different kind of cut-outs. I don’t think colors per se are gonna change much.

UW: What does the average sports fan not understand about color?

PKC: That there are actually people working to make it happen correctly. Things don’t just show up matching — there’s a lot of work to make it all go together, especially since the fabric that you use for the pants may be different than the fabric for the shirt. And the mesh inserts are different from the dazzle fabric. So there’s a lot that goes into making it a cohesive unit.

UW: It sounds like you’re an actual sports fan yourself.

PKC: I had no choice, really.

UW: You mean it was a prerequisite for the job?

PKC: No, I mean growing up with my father and brother.

UW: Oh! Well, is it a prerequisite for the job? Can you work for Company X if you’re not a sports fan?

PKC: Yeah, you can. We have a lot of overweight people who work there, too. I mean, come on, we make athletic apparel…

UW: How has the job affected how you watch sports?

PKC: I’m way more hyper-critical of what they look like. I’m always looking to see if the socks match, or making sure the numbers and trim match up.

UW: So it’s basically ruined your sports viewing experience?

PKC: No, after about two beers I’m able to put all that aside, and then I could care less.

UW: Do you prefer a team that has only two colors, like the Colts or the Red Wings or the Jets, or a team with a lot of colors?

PKC: Hmmm. [Long pause of consideration.] You know, it doesn’t really matter. I like both approaches. The multiple colors are fun, because it adds more variety to what you can paint your face with.

——–

Well put. Über-thanks to P.K. for an interview as entertaining as it was informative.

150 comments February 28th, 2007

I’m So Happy About the Site Being Back to Normal, I’m Even Saying Good Things About Nike

After all the hassles caused by the Nike-pox sleeves last season, I’ve been wondering if they’d be back this year. I hadn’t seen any sign of them in spring training until yesterday, when I noticed this photo. Then I remembered how much Carlos Beltran loves the dotted sleeves (he always wears them), so I checked his spring training pics — sure enough. “Damn,” I thought, “another year of this crap.”

Or maybe not. Because a few hours later I got a note from reader Brian Erni, who pointed me toward this — apparently a new undershirt design from Nike. This design is available for at least nine other teams, and there’s also a short-sleeved version.

I’m not sure yet whether these shirts are intended for on-field use (I’m waiting for a call-back from Nike), but I’ll go on record right here: I like the long-sleeved renditions. The contrasting patch panels are simple, not at all video game-ish, and remind me of the sleeve patches on old football jerseys. Erni notes that the effect is also somewhat reminiscent of Jim Edmonds’s windbreaker sleeves from last year’s World Series, but somehow this look doesn’t annoy me nearly as much as that one did.

One thing’s for sure, though: These sleeves are going to be even more distracting to a hitter than the dot-matrix design. Which means we’ll probably still see lots of scenes like this.

Site Update: After a really frustrating week, we’re back in business. There are still a few kinks to be ironed out, but for the most part everything is restored to the way it was before we went all JetBlue on you last Wednesday. And we have discovered exactly what the problem was, so it shouldn’t happen again.

The only bad news is that Sunday’s and most of Monday’s comments were wiped clean. Unavoidable, and not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Incidentally: When the site went blank last Wednesday morning, our post that day was a really good piece by Uni Watch intern Vince Grzegorek. Most of you probably never got to see it, so check it out here.

Thanks to everyone for your patience — it’s good to be back.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Interesting chatter here about the Cubs and Sammy Sosa’s old number. … Yesterday’s shot of Wilt Chamberlain in an unfamiliar uni number led Todd Krevanchi to submit this. “I’m quite certain I’ve seen him wearing No. 16 as well,” he adds. … This pink thing is getting way out of hand (details here, with thanks to AJ Brandt). … Mark Galus notes that George Brett is wearing real stirrups in Royals camp. … Is it just me, or does Gerald Laird’s catcher’s mitt look really undersized? … Take a look at this obituary. The deceased fella was an official scorer and, as you can see, was photographed wearing zebra stripes. The obit’s text refers to him sitting in “his regular spot at the scorer’s table, where he sat dressed in his usual zebra-striped official’s shirt.” Maybe I’m way off base here (I watch approximately zero high school basketball), but isn’t it a little odd for a scorer to wear stripes? … The NCAA will once again be hosting a Skills Challenge as part of this year’s Frozen Four. Last year’s uniforms looked like this and this; this year’s will look like this. … I attended an Arena Football League media shindig last night. Look for a short review on today’s Page 2 index page. … I’ve got a doozy of an interview for you people tomorrow — just you wait!

185 comments February 27th, 2007

Sweater Weather

Site status update: Comments are turned on, archives still unavailable. We hope to have full functionality restored later today, probably in the afternoon. Once that happens, all today’s comments will, unfortunately, be wiped clean. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t chime in — please do.

Meanwhile: Dugout jackets are fine, but man, it would be great to have been alive back in the days when ballplayers wore sweaters, which were so damn cool. At one point last year I wanted to put together an article about them, but I didn’t turn up enough good photos.

But I’ve got plenty of killer pics now, thanks to the new tome Deadball Stars of the American League, which is a total goldmine of sweater shots. My favorite, shown above, is of Nixey Callahan (here’s a larger view), and there are also excellent shots of such sweater-clad stalwarts as Harry Coveleski and Chief Bender, along with sweater-centric group shots of the Red Sox, White Sox, Yankees, and Browns (note the fleur-de-lis, which the Brownies wore for three seasons). The show-stopper, though, is this team portrait of the Indians — check out those woolen sweater-jackets!

The book also features lots of non-sweater items of interest. Dig:

• Actually, there is a sweater in this shot of the 1907 World Series — it’s being worn by the first base coach. But I’m more interested in all the people in the crowd who appear to have white bags or wraps over their heads. Was it raining? Were these formative do-rags? Very odd.

• I’ve written several times about the old-school style of wearing the belt buckle off-center. But Terry Turner wore his buckle all the way in the back — I’d never seen that before. Looks like Jack Coombs did it, too.

• Awesome shot here of the Red Sox’s old lace-up jersey.

• Speaking of the Bosox, recognize this guy? That’s Babe Ruth, in his pre-pinstripe days.

• You’ve probably seen plenty of photos of Cy Young pitching. But here he is batting — with his glove hanging from his belt loop. Elmer Flick did likewise, and Bobby Veach stuffed his glove in his pocket.

• Ray Schalk’s chest protector is obscuring his jersey insignia, but you can still tell he played for the White Sox, because of the little “WS” initials on his collar.

• This photo of Stan Coveleski had to have been taken in 1920, because that’s the year the Indians wore that black armband. It was in memory of Ray Chapman, who was killed by a beanball thrown by Yankees pitcher Carl Mays (still the only on-field player death in MLB history).

• I’m assuming the black carnation on Harry Davis’s jersey is also some sort of memorial, but I don’t know the details. Anyone..?

• Here’s the weirdest-looking version of the Tigers’ “D” I’ve ever seen. It looks like it didn’t get enough vitamins or something.

• Last but not least, check out the crazy hoop stripes on George Davis’s undershirt.

Uni Watch News Ticker: The Celtics are memorializing Dennis Johnson with a black shoulder band. … On Friday I said this was a thumb guard, but Adam Schulz says otherwise: “It’s designed to give the batter better leverage with the bat. It works kind of like Turbo Slot batting gloves.” … Kim Kolb reports that the Philadelphia Phantoms (the Flyers’ AHL affiliate) wore retro-style jerseys on Friday (except what’s retro about putting the team name on the lower stripe?). … More “Turn Ahead the Clock” news: Look at No. 66 on this list (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … J. D. Hutchinson reports that Florida’s basketball team may preview its special NCAA tourney uniforms tomorrow. … Michael Rich notes that Siena’s Kenny Hasbrouck was wearing mismatched socks the other day. … Another note from Rich: “Levi Leipheimer (American and current leader of the Tour of California) chose not to wear the yellow jersey in the individual time trial on Friday, despite his position as race leader. I’m pretty sure they force you to wear it in the Tour de France (Lance tried to not wear it to make a statement in his last Tour, and they threatened to disqualify him), but I guess they’re a little more lax on the rules in the US. Here’s a video of Leipheimer during Stage 5, in the usual Team Discovery jersey rather than traditional yellow.” … Bryan Redemske spotted two notable items regarding Edgar Martinez: (1) He’s got something on his underbrim, and (2) in a stunning development, he actually knows how to wear a glove! … Redemske also notes that Rich Harden was posing for photos in a replica cap. … Three contributions from Brian Crisp: (1) “I work for NASA at Johnson Space Center. We always get these free magazines about different space events. Turns out one of them had a pretty interesting article about mission patches. The article starts on page 6 of this PDF file.” (2) “SI ran a goalie mask design contest for kids, and some of the finalists are pretty good.” (3) “Since former coach Shelby Metcalf died on 2/8, the Texas A&M basketball team has been wearing a ribbon patch for him. The ribbon is maroon and has the initials “SM.” … Japanese baseball news from Jeremy Brahm, who writes: “Yomiuri Giants player Wilfin Obispo, who had just reached a trial contract with the Giants, couldn’t get a uniform with his name fast enough before the spring training game on the 24th, so he borrowed coach Kiite Kim’s uniform which was numbered 130.” … Two other interesting items from Jeremy: (1) An old 49ers pennant with a logo I’d never seen before, and (2) a shot of Wilt Chamberlain wearing No. 54. Anyone know more about that? … Highly detailed critique of the new MLB caps from Jason Peg: “I just picked up my new Rockies hat for the season and went to work on it. The stitching and black plastics haven’t changed at all, but the white threads did seem to pull out from the seams a LOT easier with this hat compared to previous years. Also, instead of having a cloth/cloth underband, it’s got a cloth/papercloth underband. Also, I soaked it in hot water like always, but when I pulled it out, the dye had run into the water QUITE a bit. It wasn’t that the water was a little darker or anything — it was THICK. The MLB logo in back, instead of being fully cross-stitched, now has the rollstitching like the front over the raised portions of the logo. And finally, I don’t know if this is a sign of things to come, but I’m wondering if quality control has gone out the window. The front logo was crooked it each and every hat I saw in the dugout store. The vertical stroke of the ‘R’ usually aligns with the center seam in front, but this time — well, see for yourself.” … South Carolina’s new Under Armour-designed football jerseys will apparently look like this (with thanks to Beau Frankllin). … Can’t wait to see the uniforms for the Israel Baseball League, but for now all we have is a set of logos (as brought to my attention by, of course, Jeffrey Israel). … Bit of cryptic info here on the new Canucks uniforms. … Jorn Schaffner reports that Ohio State wore some weird-ass uniforms the other day. Unusual nameplates, too. … “The pistons ran an ad for next year’s season tix, which included a ‘50 seasons’ logo,” writes Jeff Cohen. “Do you know if they’re gonna wear it as a commemorative patch next season?” No idea, but I do know that the years cited on on the design actually add up to 51 seasons. … More from Cohen: “The ad also had a few pics from throughout the years, and it looks like the Pistons once had an old english ‘D’ on their warmup jackets — looks pretty cool.”

34 comments February 26th, 2007

Sunday Open Thread

Some things never change — like Sammy Sosa wearing elasticized sleeve cuffs, just like he did with the Orioles and Cubs.

Meanwhile, here’s a status update on the site: The good news is that as of today, you can once again leave comments — knock yourselves out. The bad news is that we still don’t have our archives. The additional good news is that we hope to have full database functionality restored sometime tomorrow, probably in the afternoon. The additional bad news is that when that happens, today’s comments (and any comments posted early tomorrow) will be lost. So if you’re posting a refutation of Newton’s third law of motion, you might want to save a copy of it. But if you just want to chat amongst yourselves and such, have at it.

5 comments February 25th, 2007

And They Cook Up a Mighty Fine Brat, Too

Yes, we’re still having server problems. So you still can’t leave comments or view the archives. But at least I can post new content, so…

Wisconsin is my favorite state — and that was before reader Karl Anderson pointed me toward the striped socks that the UW basketball team wore back in the 1940s — yee-haw! The pinnacle apparently came in 1941, when UW hosted the Eastern Regional Tournament, whose participants included the similarly stripe-centric UNC. UW had cool belted satin shorts, too. And dig the excellent jackets and caps the coaching staff got to wear. And to put this all in perspective, check out the shorts and socks the hoops team was wearing in 1905!

Turns out that the UW photo archives are a goldmine of great stuff. Here’s a sport-by-sport breakdown:

Football: Here’s the very first UW football team, circa 1889. Note that the guy holding the ball has a vest, and the guy next to him appears to have different typography than everyone else. … Ten years later, the uni looked like this. … Great shot here of the school’s old “W” helmets. … Speaking of the “W,” check out the massive letter on Alan Ameche’s sideline jacket. … And speaking of Ameche, dig his totally rulin’ All-America sweater. … Weirdest shot of all: the football team’s 1910 human mascot (a child, not a dwarf, according to the archives, but kinda disturbing either way).

Baseball: Here’s the school’s 1885 baseball team. Is that a primitive mask the catcher’s holding? … By 1959, the team was going with a zipper-front jersey.

Hockey: I think this photo has appeared in the ticker at some point but it’s worth repeating — if not for the stripes, than for the eyewear. It’s from 1929, and the team was apparently still striped to the gills in 1938.

Women’s Sports: Those poor Badger gals got saddled with some pretty poofy garb — check out these shots of women’s baseball (here and here), basketball (here and here), and track and field (here, here, and here).

Miscellaneous: This is a 1907 shot of Biddy Rogers, who lettered in three sports. I think this is his basketball uni — interesting shorts. … Love the sashes in this shot of the 1903 track team. The guy on the left in the front row is George Poage, the first black American to win an Olympic medal. … More track and field in this 1927 shot. Typography looks mighty close to the current Red Sox font, no? … Nice boxing shot here. Note that the Washington State fighter is wearing headgear, while the Badger is bare-headed. … Before Eric Heiden won all those gold medals for speed skating, he played soccer at UW.

And so on. To see the full UW sports archive, look here.

2 comments February 24th, 2007

[Tap-tap] Testing. [Tap] Is This Thing On?

So I tried to give up blogging for Lent. But it didn’t take.

Uni Watch’s “JetBlue moment,” as the historians will no doubt refer to it in the future, is still ongoing. What you’re reading right now is a no-frills, placeholder version of the site. There’s no old content, and the comments function is temporarily disabled (no doubt a great relief to those of you who keep losing your lengthy comments when you forget to enter the security code).

So what happened, and when will it be fixed? I’m pretty tech-illiterate when it comes to this stuff, but as webmaster Johnny Ek explains it to me, the company that hosts our site on their server decided that we’d maxed out our database storage — in short, the site had gotten too large — so they shut us down. They were supposed to send us a warning first, but instead they just pulled the plug. We’re upgrading to a dedicated server, but that means the entire site has to be downloaded off the old server and uploaded onto the new one, and for some reason that’s taking waaaaaay longer than anyone expected.

I don’t really pretend to understand any of this. But it sure makes me appreciate how smoothly everything ran for the past nine months. Kind of a miracle, really.

Anyway, for now we’ve got this temporary mirror site set up, so I can at least run new content. And, as it happens, I’ve got something very special to share with you — something that should make you forget all about the hassles of the past few days. Remember those “Turn Ahead the Clock” uniforms from 1999? Maybe you’ve seen this breakdown of them, but now there’s something better: a four-minute SportsCenter segment that someone has posted on YouTube. I can’t take credit for discovering it — someone on the Chris Creamer boards posted the link. But whatever. It’s amazing. Dig:

That should put us all in a better mood, yes?

As for subsequent content: Look for a new entry either later today or on Saturday, our usual open thread on Sunday, and full throttle on Monday. Hopefully the site will be back to normal by then.

Also, I’m told that the dedicated server means the site will now run a bit faster, and next week we’re gonna add a new feature that I think everyone will really like. Plus we’re drawing up a “Uni Watch Reader’s Bill of Rights.” Okay, no we’re not. But you get the idea.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Reprinted from Tuesday’s comments: Great little video here of the Orioles’ clubhouse attendants cleaning the players’ spikes (with thanks to Joe Hilseberg). … And here’s a video clip of Curtis Granderson shopping for a new glove (with thanks to Chris Blackstone). … Tuesday’s entry about catchers’ equipment omitted this article, about Jorge Posada’s new gear (thanks to Matt Garrett). … More backstop news: Ramon Castro, first spotted in this Rawlings chest protector, was more recently seen wearing this one. … And Brian Schneider, who in the past has worn his uni number on his chest protector collar, now has his name there. … Scroll down to the middle of this Q&A page (look for the question from “bluebleeder1977″) and you’ll learn something amazing about Dodgers reliever Takashi Saito: He wears toe socks! (Brilliant catch by Daniel Graf.) … New Pirates pitcher Masumi Kuwata is wearing his old Yomiuri Giants glove (as spotted by Mike Forgy). …¦ The Federation Internationale de Volleyball’s World League has changed its logo from this to this (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … Uni Watch intern Vince Grzegorek notes that Warrensville, Ohio girls’ hoops team is wearing faux-stirrup baseball socks. … Vance Wilson has added his uni number to his chest protector collar. … Rockies pitching coach Rick Mathews appears to be wearing real stirrups (although of course his pants are way too long). … Speaking of pants, it’s good to see Ichiro is maintaining the high-cuffs look this spring. … And speaking of hosiery, one of my biggest gripes is Rawlings-branded socks, previously worn by several players, including Joe Crede. If you look closely, you can just barely see that he’s wearing them again this spring. … Here’s something you don’t see much anymore: the old ABC helmet logo. … A USC hockey goalie pulled down his pants during a recent game. … Bryan Redemske notes that Nomar was wearing mismatched wristbands the other day. … Bit of a faux pas for Nike on the cricket front (as spotted by Bill Kirby). … You know those little thumb guards that hitters sometimes wear? Here’s a really good look at one of them. … Big article here about granny basketball (now that’s a uniform!). … Did Mike Sweeney wear a “C” on his old BP jersey? He’s got one now. … “Check out this fan, trying to get Matsuzaka’s autograph,” writes Jeremy Brahm. “His cap reads, ‘Sign, please.’ ” … They really can’t wait to shorten the team name down there in Tampa. … Memo to Homeland Security: Looks like Osama is lurking around Tigers camp. … Why is Gustavo Chacin using an outfielder’s glove? … Shin-soo Choo is still going double-flapped this season. … Look at all those elastic-free cuffs — scandalous! … Doug Mientkiewicz’s batting helmet is pristine for now, but history suggests that won’t last long. … The minor league Providence Bruins wore Rhode Island Reds unis the other night.

3 comments February 23rd, 2007

Buckin’ The Trend: I’m Gonna Need a Hacksaw Helmet

By Vince Grzegorek

Browsing through one of the free weeklies in Cleveland the other day, I saw this little tidbit from News of the Weird by Chuck Shepherd: “About one-fifth of professional rodeo bull riders have given up their cowboy hats and now wear modified hockey helmets with face masks because of the prevalence of serious injuries. Said one diehard, though, ‘I don’t wear a cowboy hat because I’m a bull rider. I wear a cowboy hat because I’m a cowboy.’”

Not having watched enough (read: any) bull-riding competitions lately, I wasn’t aware of the trend, but I wasn’t surprised. If I was going to get on a bull, I would wear a helmet, a vest, shoulder pads, a mouthguard, and, just to be safe, probably full-body protective suit. If less is better with mechanical bulls, the exact opposite is true with real ones. Bad things can and do happen (even to the rodeo clowns). After all, the question isn’t whether you’re going to be thrown from the bull — it’s just how long it’s going to take.

So now, as Shepherd reported, some riders are starting to wear hockey- or lacrosse-style helmets. According to Professional Bull Riders, 12 of the top 45 PRB riders wear helmets: J.B. Mauney, Mike Lee, Austin Meier, Sean Willingham, Wiley Peterson, Travis Briscoe, Shane Proctor, Cord McCoy, Mark Lopes, Corey Navarre, Cody Whitney, and Dusty LaBeth.

But let’s face it: The helmets look dorky. So is there a way for the fashion-conscious rider to employ some safety precautions? Absolutely. In an ingenious combination of style and function, two riders in the PBR actually wear both a Stetson and headgear equipped with a faceguard: Kasey Hayes and Ednei Caminhas. The effect is pretty cool-looking, and when the hat comes off you sort of get a Hannibal Lecter effect.

Reasons for riders sticking with the hat instead of the helmet vary. Some say the helmets are uncomfortable and that they restrict their vision during the competition (apparently this isn’t that uncomfortable for them). Others stick with the hat out of tradition. Those who opt for the helmet have a couple of options, including the Bullisitic and Bull Tough gear.

For quasi-understandable reasons, cowboy culture is slow to embrace change. The protective vest, which is almost universally worn today and credited with the prevention of countless injuries, was first introduced about 14 years ago by Cody Lambert and was initially met with the same resistance that helmets are currently getting. Now, it is generally accepted as part of the uniform. The number of riders using a helmet has increased, but it’s got a long way to go. (Almost all rodeos, however, require that children under 18 wear helmets, which I think we can all agree is a good idea.)

My only hope is that a new trend will develop toward the personalization of the helmets, much like goalie masks, for those who choose to display the American flag, or Lil Jon (only because I doubt that both Brooks and Dunn would comfortably fit).

“She Sang, She Danced, I Think She Twirled a Rope” Bonus Material: Actually, there is a lot of personalization already when it comes to bull-riding uniforms. Chaps have intricate designs, and even come in purple.

Belt buckles aren’t the most comfortable things to wear while trying to ride a bull, so riders thread a piece of nylon through their belt loops instead.

We can add bull-riding to the list of professional sports to feature advertising logos or patches on the uniforms.

Finally, in some celebrity rodeo news (what other kind is there?), Kiefer Sutherland was a two-time national team roping champ back in the late 1990s. No word on if he wore a helmet or a hat, but I’m sure no hacksaws were allowed for humane reasons.

(Bonus points to the first person to post the origin of the reference to the quote for the last subtitle. Hint: It has to do with the lead photo.)

55 comments February 21st, 2007

If Ron Hodges Could Do It, How Hard Could It Be?

The term we all hear tossed around this time of year is “pitchers and catchers,” but let’s be honest: The catchers are mostly incidental. The only reason they’re there is that the pitchers need someone to throw to. Or as Casey Stengel famously put it, “You gotta have a catcher, otherwise you’re gonna have a lot of passed balls.”

So far, though, the catchers are the big spring training story, uni-wise. Yesterday I reported that Ramon Castro had switched from wearing TPX gear to Rawlings (and, as was noted in yesterday’s comments, the Rawlings folks seem to have used the wrong tone of blue). In addition, Jose Molina has switched from All-Star to Nike (check out the relatively restrained swoosh on the chest protector — a big improvement over this model), and Doug Mirabelli appears to have switched from Mizuno to Reebok (note the logo on the back) — first time I’ve ever seen an MLB backstop wearing that brand. Adidas appears to be getting into the act, too (now that’s an unnecessarily large logo).

Ugliest chest protector I’ve seen so far: Javy Lopez’s Easton model. Why couldn’t they have kept him wearing black-on-black, like they did last year?

And I Hear the Diamondbacks Have New Unis, Too: One of the most annoying aspects of spring training this year has been the repetitious cry of alarm as one media outlet after another breaks the news about their team’s new BP caps and jerseys. Of course, all the teams have new BP caps and jerseys, and we’ve known about the new designs for months — just as all these other ignorami could have known, if they simply read Uni Watch.

The latest media geniuses to weigh in on this hot story are New York broadcast bullies Mike Francessa and Chris Russo, who addressed the new BP attire yesterday. I wasn’t listening, but reader Mike from Queens was. Here’s his transcription (with bracketed comments from Mike, not from me):

Francessa: And the Yankees are wearing this weird hat in spring training. Did you notice this? With the white thing on it? It’s driving me crazy.

Russo: I didn’t see it.

Francessa: Why does it have that white line on it in spring Training? They using a spring training hat this year–

Russo: Oh, so now the Yankees have gone the way that everyone else has gone.

Francessa: I don’t like it. I don’t like it. I don’t like it. Why do they have that white thing on the hat?

[After a bit of a break, the commentary continued.]

Francessa: Is this just a spring training hat? It better be. They better have not changed the hat for the regular season. It’s nonsense. It’s a disgrace. The Yankees have never ever bastardized their uniform. Not like these teams with 42 different softball uniforms. Now the Yankees are starting to bail out. … [Having a special hat for spring training] is the Yankees ripping people off, though. They’re just trying to find a way to sell it. The Yankees should be embarrassed to do that. You’re the Yankees. You don’t do that.

[And then, somewhere in the middle of all of this ranting, Russo came out with this gem. I quote directly:]

Russo: Even wearing that apparel for spring training to sell — to sell money is…that’s a Yankees. How could you do that?

Remember, kids, it’s brilliant analysis like this that makes New York the media capital of the world.

Uni Watch News Ticker: The Blue Jays gave John Gibbons a one-year contract extension yesterday, which means another year of looking at that lame-ass smock he always wears. … Mitchell & Ness has struck new deals with Nike/Jordan and with the Cowboys. The Reds are supposedly using red undershirts, instead of black, with their home and road uniforms this year — but they’re still using black sleeves in spring training. Speaking of spring training, Eric Gagne has been wearing a regular game cap, instead of the Rangers’ BP cap (presumably part of his “wear one cap all season long” protocol). Good article here about a guy in Idaho who collects hockey jerseys (with thanks to Mark Snider). I was poking around on eBay and stumbled across this. An old Johnny U. helmet is being auctioned off for charity. “I was at the NBA All-Star festivities,” writes Ben Kramer. “There was an exhibit on uniforms at the Jam Session, so I thought I’d send along some photos.” You can access his pics here. … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Apparently David Weathers is a NASCAR fan. … Also from yesterday: Oh. My. God. … Remember those Wake Forest throwbacks I wrote about last week? They wore them again on Saturday. …

99 comments February 20th, 2007