There’s nothing new about a tragedy from the “real world” being commemorated on a sports uniform. Sometimes the gesture is confined to one team, like the Rockies wearing a “CHS” sleeve patch after the Columbine High School shootings, or the Astros wearing a space shuttle patch following the Columbia disaster. But sometimes the response is more widespread — after Hurricane Katrina, for example, all MLB teams wore Red Cross helmet decals, and several college football teams wore a Gulf states decal.
But I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like the uni-based response to the Virginia Tech shootings. It began with the Nationals wearing VT caps on Tuesday night and has really snowballed from there. Here’s what I’ve seen so far (and I bet there’s plenty more that I’ve missed):
• College Baseball: The most obvious response has come from Virginia Tech itself, where all of the school’s teams will wear a memorial patch for the rest of this year. The first team to wear it has been the Hokie baseball team. Meanwhile, Auburn and Alabama wore VT colors on Friday.
• College Football: It isn’t football season, but several schools are holding their spring scrimmages right about now. Ohio State wore the VT logo for their game on Saturday. Kentucky did the same thing, and Michigan State wore a red VT helmet decal (here’s a closer look). Meanwhile, over at Penn State, Joe Paterno had a VT cap, and Penn State’s student cheering section even formed the VT logo. (Special thanks to Jesse Gavin for letting me know about a couple of these that I hadn’t been aware of.)
• MLB: On Friday, Paul Bako wore a VT wristband and Kevin Youkilis donned a VT cap during batting practice. On Friday night, the Red Sox wore the VT logo on their sleeves and caps. And on Saturday night, Angels pitcher Joe Saunders — MLB’s only Virginia Tech alum — got special permission from the Commissioner’s office to wear a VT cap.
• NBA: Allen Iverson wore a memorial patch on his protective sleeve last night.
• Golf: Several PGA players have been sporting the VT logo, including Charley Hoffman, Jason Dufner, Mark Calcavecchia, and Johnson Wagner (a VT grad).
• NASCAR: The VT logo was displayed on lots of cars over the weekend, including those driven by Ward Burton, Eric McClure, Ricky Rudd, Tristan Gommendy, Katherine Legge, and Kyle Busch (who also wore a VT cap, as did Denny Hamlin and a member of Clint Bowyer’s crew). The logo also appeared on the helmet of a Champ Car official.
• MLS: The Houston Dynamo will wear VT tribute uniforms this Sunday.
And there’s probably more where that came from — stay tuned.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Last week I noted that Chase Wright was wearing Sean Henn’s glove. New York Times Yankees beat reporter Tyler Kepner has provided the background on that: “Wright and Henn are close friends — both are from Texas — and Wright wears Henn’s glove when he pitches. Wright said that he believed the glove brought him luck; he had not one, but two Henn models on the top shelf of his locker Thursday. ‘I used it a couple of years ago, and it’s worked for me,’ Wright said. ‘So I’ve used his glove ever since.’ ” … Interesting article here about names on MLS jerseys (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … About time. … Eli Manning is now shilling for Schutt (as spotted by Matt Olson). … Very entertaining rundown of bespectacled ballplayers here (with thanks to Watch Your Back impresario Brian Corrigan). … Why was David Wright going high-cuffed over the weekend? Maybe to show off his new cleats, which are his own signature model. … The University of Portland is getting a new logo (with thanks to Portland’s own Jeremy Brahm). … Can anyone explain why the Red Sox wore their Jackie Robinson tribute patches on their caps, instead of on their helmets like everyone else? … This photo, provided by Josh Yetmar, supposedly shows the 1911 Brooklyn Dodgers. But note the different jersey, cap, and hosiery styles — do these guys really play for the same team? Additional info welcome. … I was at yesterday’s Mets/Braves game — my first game of the season — and was disappointed to see that the on-deck circles, had become giant New Era ads. Is this an MLB-wide thing, or just at Shea? … Please, no more uni cameo contributions — my in box overfloweth!
#1 by joe on 04.23.07 8:36 am |
anyone see the stripey socks on the cardinals starting pitcher on saturday?
#2 by Timmer on 04.23.07 8:40 am |
After back to back to back to back homers, I think Chase Wright might reconsider his “lucky” gloves..
#3 by keith on 04.23.07 8:45 am |
Paul, that 1911 Dodgers photo may be from the pre-number era where some teams toyed with using different hosiery to denote position.
#4 by Todd on 04.23.07 8:47 am |
Typo on Auburn. It is spelled Aubrun above.
#5 by LES on 04.23.07 8:54 am |
Hi
Finally a team that looked like the New York Mets played yesterday ,Blue caps and pinstripes the past and the future.
#6 by Perry on 04.23.07 8:59 am |
In that Dodgers photo, it looks like a couple of the players are wearing the 1907-1908 uniform, while 3-4 others have the 1909 version, and the rest have the 1910-1911 version. I guess there was no MLB style guide in those days.
How’s this for old school? The Boston Herald has an interview with Paul Foytack, the only ML pitcher to give up 4 consecutive home runs before last night:
Interestingly, Foytack watched some of last night’s game on television.
“But I turned it off when I saw that guy with the baggy pants in left field,†said Foytack, referring to Ramirez. “I don’t know why they let guys dress like that. But, hey, it’s none of my business.â€
#7 by LES on 04.23.07 9:01 am |
Hi
Regarding the Dodgers “LA” cap logo ,when the team was in Brooklyn they where synominous with the thin line but nicely curved “B” on there caps ,but when the team moved to Los Angeles they went for a very straight Block “LA” font on the cap logo ,why did they choose this style? when the Angels came a few years later they wore a more curved “LA” on there caps which if the Dodgers used this style with thinner white lines in the style of the Brooklyn “B” cap would surely have fit in better with the franchise history.
Les
#8 by Matt Parker on 04.23.07 9:02 am |
Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sure looks to me like two of the guys in that “Brooklyn Dodgers” photo have a Detriot Tigers D on their jerseys. They are next to each other off to the left side of the photo, the 2nd and 3rd guys in.
#9 by Cody Pope on 04.23.07 9:03 am |
As far as on-deck circles go, i was at a cards game last week, and they had a cards logo for the home circle and the NL logo for the away circle. The New Era stuff must just be a Mets thing.
#10 by Perry on 04.23.07 9:06 am |
Matt Parker said:
Brooklyn used the Old English style “B” in 1907-1908.
#11 by Richard on 04.23.07 9:07 am |
In the Sox game last night, Jason Varitek had the Jackie Robinson sticker on the back side his catcher’s helmet, so when he took the mask off it was visible to the audience. I’m looking for a shot now.
Not sure why the team wore patches instead of helmet stickers. Seeing Papi in 42, though, kinda reminded me of this hefty lefty.
#12 by Todd on 04.23.07 9:09 am |
Anyone notice how ESPN had “42 David Ortiz” on the graphics at the bottom of the screen when Big Papi was up the first time, but each plate appearance after that, it was changed back to his regular “34 David Ortiz”. I thought that was interesting.
#13 by Matt Parker on 04.23.07 9:09 am |
Perry said:
Thanks!
#14 by Pedro on 04.23.07 9:11 am |
David Wright was wearing the Nike Shox Monster Metal. They were obviously customized for him, but they are not his ’signature model’.
It was so refreshing to see the Mets wearing the blue caps this weekend.
#15 by Murphy on 04.23.07 9:11 am |
The new MLS name-on-back regulation is as dumb as it gets. Why, in this instance, do they try to emulate the No Fun League?!? Trying to be more professional is insane. They need fannies in the seats. It would be a better idea to ENCOURAGE this! So, the MLS somehow sees all the other soccer leagues around the world as unprofessional because they allow nicknames on their shirts?!? Idiots.
#16 by Perry on 04.23.07 9:17 am |
Pedro said:
The TBS announcers (particularly Don Sutton?) were ragging on Wright’s shoes for the entire game, (jokingly) suggesting that maybe the white tops was causing him problems while batting. Don did seem to like the traditional Mets uniforms, though.
#17 by Bill T. on 04.23.07 9:17 am |
keith said:
I was thinking the same thing; but after some research, discovered that the sock color-by-position designation was decreed by the NL briefly in the 1880’s. It still wouldn’t explain for the other varying uniform jerseys, caps, etc.
#18 by JJD on 04.23.07 9:19 am |
• NASCAR: The VT logo was displayed on lots of cars over the weekend, including those driven by Ward Burton, Eric McClure, Ricky Rudd, Tristan Gommendy, Katherine Legge, and Kyle Busch (who also wore a VT cap, as did Denny Hamlin and a member of Clint Bowyer’s crew). The logo also appeared on the helmet of a Champ Car official.
Not to get nitpicky, but Champ Car (where Katherine Legge and Tristan Gommendy drive) isn’t NASCAR. They are two different racing series. Champ Cars look like Indy cars, not stock cars.
#19 by Patrick on 04.23.07 9:21 am |
I think the Red Sox were wearing the helmet stickers, just on their caps. I remember seeing Jonathan Papelbon at the end of the game, and seeing a shiny reflection coming off the logo that made it look like glossy paper.
#20 by Cathy on 04.23.07 9:24 am |
Nice to see A.I. paying tribute to VT. Although he played at Georgetown, he is from VA, the tidewater area. Though, the patch sort of looks too big on his sleeve stocking. I suppose it is the only place he can put it withough breaking some sort of NBA dress code.
#21 by Bdiamond on 04.23.07 9:28 am |
Can’t find picture evidence right now, but i’m pretty sure Manny was wearing the sticker on the right side of his cap, while everyone one else had it on the left.
#22 by JP on 04.23.07 9:30 am |
I know Wrigley Field has a Cubs logo for their on deck circle – not sure what is there for the visitors, though
#23 by Christopher "fuegote" on 04.23.07 9:31 am |
New York Red Bulls of MLS also had VT logos on their kits. (upper left hand corner)
#24 by Billy on 04.23.07 9:34 am |
The entire Orioles team wore VT sweatbands on Friday. And they also announced that VT students with ID will get in free to every Friday home game the rest of the year.
#25 by Todd on 04.23.07 9:37 am |
Patrick said:
You are correct.
And Manny did have his sticker on the other side of his hat, I guess just to be different, or to be “Manny”.
#26 by Wade on 04.23.07 9:38 am |
Major logo creep on that Auburn uniform. I’m surprised Paul let that one go.
#27 by James P. on 04.23.07 9:47 am |
Anyone else hear the ESPN ad for Sunday Night Baseball for next Sunday’s Cubs-Cards? The line of note was “…takes on Albert Pujols and the World Champion CUBS”! My wife heard this as well and asked me if I just heard what ESPN said.
#28 by Jonathon on 04.23.07 9:50 am |
Perry said:
That was Joe Simpson, not Don Sutton. Sutton works for MASN and the Nationals now. And, yes, Wright’s shoes are horrendous. Just like his batting stats against Atlanta this weekend.
Go Braves!
#29 by Mike on 04.23.07 9:50 am |
On Monday, President Bush will welcome Coach Dungy and the Super Bowl XLI Champion Colts to the White House to congratulate them on their victory…..and someone walks away with a new jersey…..
#30 by Brendan on 04.23.07 9:51 am |
The TBS announcers (particularly Don Sutton?) were ragging on Wright’s shoes for the entire game, (jokingly) suggesting that maybe the white tops was causing him problems while batting. Don did seem to like the traditional Mets uniforms, though.
Don Sutton announces for the Washington Nationals now.
http://www.hofmag.co...
#31 by Sammy44 on 04.23.07 9:52 am |
Wade said:
A trade off, do you go high cuffed properly and show the logos on your socks, or do you go pajama pants and cover the logos? Chinese riddle for you.
#32 by Noah on 04.23.07 9:56 am |
Todd said:
I also noticed that Papelbon was wearing an old hat (gray undervisor). So it was a “new” hat with the sticker, but old model…
#33 by Jonathon on 04.23.07 9:57 am |
Auburn’s Under Armour logos are no worse than, say, Nike’s logos on the Texas unis. Perhaps UA is trying to get the word out that they make baseball apparel by displaying their logo prominently on the jersey and socks?
http://www.texasspor...
#34 by Perry on 04.23.07 9:59 am |
Brendan said:
Don Sutton announces for the Washington Nationals now.
http://www.hofmag.co...
I must have missed that…I don’t know who it was, then. Joe Simpson, maybe? He sure sounded like Don to me, though.
#35 by Dan on 04.23.07 10:07 am |
Sammy44 said:
did anyone else notice that the Auburn player has VT written on his arm? kind of an odd placement for it.
and a quick question: how does just putting last names on jerseys professionalize a sport? i think thats the worst excuse i’ve heard.
#36 by Todd on 04.23.07 10:08 am |
Anyone notice that a bunch of the Mets were wearing the old blue hats yesterday? Even Willie Randolph had grey under the brim of his blue hat. I was under the assumption that all 2007 hats were going to have black under the brim. Am I wrong or what?
#37 by SaraJane on 04.23.07 10:09 am |
JP said:
I’m pretty sure it’s the visiting team’s logo. I noticed it sometime this weekend; I was surprised to see the birds on a bat anywhere at Wrigley Field. (other than on the scores of Cards fans, of course!)
#38 by Brad on 04.23.07 10:14 am |
LES said:
and choking away a game to the Braves, That’s the Mets alright! (only kidding but I have to do my part to stop the board from becoming a Mets pep rally like it does from time to time)
#39 by Mason B on 04.23.07 10:15 am |
There was a hug new era logo/banner at Comerica Park on saturday behind the on deck circle by the tigers dugout (third base side) but didnt see the first base side
#40 by MichaelM on 04.23.07 10:18 am |
Interesting note from this picture. Since the Sox were wearing their St. Patty’s day green, someone in the local media said they thought it was the first time the Sox had ever worn names on the backs of their jerseys at a home game.
#41 by Metsfan AZ on 04.23.07 10:25 am |
MichaelM said:
You know someone (PL) here mentioned it right?
#42 by Tricia on 04.23.07 10:31 am |
USA Hockey’s Under-18 team was wearing black arm bands for Virginia Tech during their games on the weekend at the World Under-18 Championship.
Patrick White
#43 by Metsfan AZ on 04.23.07 10:33 am |
Kinda cool, one of the golfers with the VT caps won this weekend
#44 by Todd on 04.23.07 10:35 am |
Just a side note on the Virginia Tech hat that Joe Paterno was holding……
“The family of Penn State graduate Jeremy Herbstritt, a Virginia Tech graduate student killed in the shooting, presented Paterno with the VT hat prior to the spring scrimmage.”
#45 by ToasterPoodle on 04.23.07 10:51 am |
Wade said:
Anyone else notice the fact that Under Armor and Auburn University might be the most appropriate combination of Uni-supplier and university?
#46 by Eric on 04.23.07 10:51 am |
Not sure if this was mentioned over the weekend, but the Rochester Red Wings (Twins AAA affiliate) wore VT caps on Sunday against Syracuse. According to this, they also offered a VT cap to Syracuse first baseman Kevin Barker, who attended VT. He wore his VT cap the whole game, the only Chief to do so.
#47 by Matthew H on 04.23.07 10:52 am |
Paul:
Cubs put down the visting team’s logo on the visiting team on-deck circle.
#48 by todd krevanchi on 04.23.07 10:53 am |
those titleist team caps are very nice…
titleist must have just secured licensing rights to mlb and the ncaa…
within the past year, they have been making these hats with all mlb and most ncaa major conference teams…
(just do a titleist hat search on ebay and you can see all the teams)
i have a tennessee, unc and st. louis cardinals hat just like the va tech one shown today…
they fit very low profile…
currently 3 va tech ones are up for auction and i think are at 50 plus dollars..
#49 by Jon J. on 04.23.07 10:54 am |
Given the white tops of David Wright’s cleats, they would have looked even smarter with apprpriately worn stirrups with the white sanitary portion matching up with the white tops of the cleats, it would give almost a football spat-type effect.
#50 by Metsfan AZ on 04.23.07 10:58 am |
todd krevanchi said:
Is there a cap available with proceeds going to a memorial fund or something similar? I would be happy to show support AND help out a little
#51 by Burrill on 04.23.07 11:08 am |
On Saturday, I was photographing the local (Chelsea, MI) high school baseball team, and later in the game, one of the players stepped in front as he warmed up for his turn at the plate. At that point, I couldn’t help but look at the back of his batting helmet, and something caught my eye. There was a logo on the back of the helmet, and though I know nothing about it, I remembered seeing it appear at least once or twice here on Uni Watch. Normally I wouldn’t be photographing the back of anyone’s helmet, but this time I did, solely out of curiosity. So I’m hoping you all will address my curiosity: what is the logo, and why have I seen it here before?
#52 by Matt D. on 04.23.07 11:11 am |
LES said:
The Dodgers’ “LA” was/is very similar to the PCL Los Angeles Angels logo. The Dodgers did decide to go with 1 color and use a non-angled ‘A’.
And if Wikipedia says it, it must be true (J/K)
#53 by Shaftman on 04.23.07 11:13 am |
Burrill said:
The logo is the model of the helmet.
#54 by Ed on 04.23.07 11:19 am |
I know they don’t look that much alike, but does the new Portland Logo remind anyone else of the Russell Athletic logo? (FWIW, they appear to be a Nike school.)
ed
#55 by Kim on 04.23.07 11:27 am |
JP said:
Hmmm. I would have thought they’d have a ‘For Sale’ sign there.
#56 by Brendan on 04.23.07 11:30 am |
Eli Manning is now schilling for Schutt (as spotted by Matt Olson) Is the “schilling” a play on “Schutt”? If so it’s fine, otherwise it ought to be “shilling”.
#57 by DJ on 04.23.07 11:30 am |
There was a hug new era logo/banner at Comerica Park on saturday behind the on deck circle by the tigers dugout (third base side) but didnt see the first base side
There were New Era signs by both dugouts. On the third base side (Tigers’ dugout), the banner featured the Tigers’ home cap. On the first base side (visitors’ dugout) it featured the Tigers’ road cap.
#58 by Paul Lukas on 04.23.07 11:32 am |
Burrill said:
That is the old ABC Helmet logo (one of my favorites), which used to appear on all MLB helmets. ABC has since been acquired by Rawlings.
#59 by Paul Lukas on 04.23.07 11:36 am |
As you know, I’m trying to assemble a full numerical roster of players who’ve worn a particular number for a particular reason, with at least one example for each number from 0 to 99.
Big thanks for all the help that you’ve provided so far, but I still have about two dozen gaps to fill in. Here are the numbers for which I don’t yet have specific examples:
8, 27, 35, 41, 46, 47, 48, 53, 54, 59, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 70, 74, 78, 82, 83, 86, and 95.
If you know of anyone in any sport who wore one of these numbers for a particular reason, please get in touch with me ASAP — thanks! (Please, no suggestions for any other numbers.)
#60 by Jon on 04.23.07 11:41 am |
ABC stood for American Baseball Cap, the company that invented the batting helmet (and was started by legendary front-office man Branch Rickey). In the CLEMENTE bio, it mentions that Rickey, when GMing the Pirates in the 1950s, didn’t mind when frustrated players smashed their helmets because it meant more sales.
#61 by Anthony Verna on 04.23.07 11:52 am |
Todd said:
I bought a 59fifty at Citizens Bank Park last week that was made of wool and had a grey underbrim. (Things that make you go “Hmmmm.”)
#62 by Chad E. on 04.23.07 12:06 pm |
The VT logo was displayed on every NASCAR at the top of the window that the drivers climb in and out of.
#63 by matt on 04.23.07 12:11 pm |
went to the yankees-indians game last wednesday and they too had new era on deck circles.
#64 by Phil Pereira on 04.23.07 12:12 pm |
I have to say the whole MLS thing regarding no nicknames is so incredibly dumb. Nicknames are a part of soccer, it provides the game with personality and makes people memorable. I can think of a number of Portuguese and Brazilian players who go by a single name: Deco, Pauleta, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, etc. I can bet no one knows their full names lol If players want to be known by a name, that’s great. I don’t think MLS is right to legislate nomenclature. Soccer is entertainment, and the performers deserve to use stage names if they wish.
#65 by Todd on 04.23.07 12:24 pm |
Anthony Verna said:
http://shop.mlb.com/...
Weird……….it even says “Performance undervisor is black to reduce glare.”
Paul??
#66 by Ryan Real on 04.23.07 12:25 pm |
Ohio University wore a Virginia Tech logo on their helmets for their spring game as well, as well as a decal for a girls’ soccer player who died over Spring Break. Working on pics.
#67 by Jason on 04.23.07 12:28 pm |
Just because they switched to the new 59Fifties doesn’t mean that the old ones just disappeared. I’m sure there are plenty of them out there and still being sold at regular prices or, if you’re lucky, at a discounted rate.
#68 by Ray on 04.23.07 12:28 pm |
Johns Hopkins Mens lacrosse coach, Dave Pietramala, wore a Virgina Tech hat for Saturday’s Navy-Hopkins game. It was homecoming weekend for JHU & the game was on ESPN-U
#69 by Mike Lindsay on 04.23.07 12:29 pm |
The first thing that caught my eye with the photo of the 1911 Brooklyn Dodgers “team” was that, while there are reflections in front of the team of the buildings and trees, there are no reflections of the players themselves. As someone who uses Photoshop for eight or nine hours a day, I’m guessing there’s been some alterations maybe? Just a thought.
#70 by Original Jim on 04.23.07 12:30 pm |
Paul, I think Jason Tapp wore #83 for Boston University (and currently Quad City of the UHL) when he played from 1998-99 to 2001-02. I am not familiar with the entire story, but this is what an archived page from BU says:
[i]Wears number 83 in honor of sister, Jessica, who was born in 1983. Jessica suffers from curvature of the spine, and she is her brother’s best friend.[/i]
#71 by Johnny on 04.23.07 12:33 pm |
Todd said:
You can still buy last year’s 5950 model at team stores all over they run out, and you can also still find them online at mlb.com. But they are no longer in production. This isn’t really strange or surprising.
#72 by Todd on 04.23.07 12:34 pm |
More news on Urlacher’s Vitamin Water hat….
http://www.aolsports...
#73 by Mike Lindsay on 04.23.07 12:34 pm |
Also the fact that the background has a fisheye lens effect while the players don’t. I’m not saying the the whole thing is a fake, maybe it’s done for design reasons? Maybe the whole thing is a composited from still shots of each player? Maybe it’s a conspiracy! Someone check for a second shooter on the grassy knoll!
#74 by diz on 04.23.07 12:36 pm |
So, who won the “Who can pay the most tribute to the Virginia Tech shooting victims” contest then?
#75 by Kevin from Ohio in Virginia on 04.23.07 12:45 pm |
One guy that was missed in the linked “Bespectacled Players” article, and my personal fave – Eric Plunk, who on his less than effective days was known as Eric “Ker” Plunk. The guy looked a bit like that turtle from the kid’s cartoon on PBS and wore some pretty LARGE glasses in his days with the Indians of the mid-90’s.
#76 by Brad on 04.23.07 12:47 pm |
Back in the day I remember hearing that Ozell Jones wore #8 because he was a Robert Parrish fan, but couldn’t wear #00 for some reason. He chose #8 because if you turned it on its side it would look like 00.
Anyone else ever hear this? Was there another Spur at the time who wore 00?
#77 by Todd on 04.23.07 12:48 pm |
Johnny said:
My main question is………yesterday, why was Willie Randolph still wearing last year’s hat with the grey undervisor?
#78 by Jason on 04.23.07 12:49 pm |
Mike Lindsay said:
The fisheye effect is because old cameras had to physically rotate in order to create a wide-angle image. Notice the line drawn on the ground at the feet of the players — this line was actually a semicircle drawn around the camera, and the rotation of the camera makes it look like they are standing in a straight line. The background, which actually IS in a straight line, gets the fisheye treatment.
#79 by Justin on 04.23.07 12:50 pm |
The Denver Broncos had a Columbine helmet decal… i cant find any great pictures, this is the best I could find
#80 by Ed from Dallas on 04.23.07 12:52 pm |
So should we expect some big VT tribute on Michael Vick’s uni this season?? He does have those shoes with the logo already on them.
#81 by Brad on 04.23.07 12:53 pm |
A little googling (and a memory jog) showed that Johnny Moore was wearing #00 for the spurs at the time.
#82 by Brad on 04.23.07 12:56 pm |
might have to cut and paste if you really want to see Johnny Moore.
http://olympia.fortu...
#83 by BrooklynBS on 04.23.07 12:57 pm |
Paul Bako was not alone in wearing a Virginia Tech wristband, as the entire Orioles team did. Here’s a pic of Brian Roberts and Melvin Mora sporting the tribute.
#84 by Steve on 04.23.07 12:58 pm |
Ironic photo of Jay-Z wearing Vince Carter’s all-star warmup jersey. Ironic in the sense that Jay-Z’s real name is Shawn Carter, so the “Carter” on the jacket is also appropriate for him.
http://i.a.cnn.net./...
#85 by Tom Snell on 04.23.07 1:03 pm |
Could someone explain why the Los Angeles Dodgers uniform has a red number on the front of the jersey and red is used nowhere else in the uniform. Was there some original significance to this or just a fashion decision
#86 by Teebz on 04.23.07 1:03 pm |
The Colorado Avalanche also wore a Columbine High School patch in memory of the tragedy there. It was only worn in the playoffs due to the timing of the shooting in terms of the NHL season.
#87 by Mets86 on 04.23.07 1:12 pm |
Todd said:
Aaron Heilmann wasn’t wearing the new cap yesterday either.
#88 by GoTerriers on 04.23.07 1:13 pm |
Original Jim said:
Good call, Jim!!
You know . .as a BU Alum and hockey season ticket holder (check the screen name!), you’d think I’d have remembered this!
#89 by Mets86 on 04.23.07 1:21 pm |
Mets86 said:
Oops, forgot the link. http://sports.yahoo....
#90 by DJ on 04.23.07 1:33 pm |
I have to say the whole MLS thing regarding no nicknames is so incredibly dumb. Nicknames are a part of soccer, it provides the game with personality and makes people memorable. I can think of a number of Portuguese and Brazilian players who go by a single name: Deco, Pauleta, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, etc.
The article specifically stated that nicknames for Brazilian/Portuguese players would be permitted on MLS jerseys.
#91 by Perry on 04.23.07 1:36 pm |
Jason said:
Yes, it looks like a genuine old panoramic photo. It doesn’t seem to me that mysterious that the shirts and socks are different. Team owners of the time were notoriously stingy, so why wouldn’t some players have uniforms that were a 2 or 3 years old? (Especially if they weren’t starters?) Or maybe it was Spring training, etc. In those days, things seemed less standardized, and teams were not concerned with things like batting practice jerseys, etc.
It was s different time, when even the nicknames for teams were not set in stone. (I believe they were called the “Superbas” rather than Dodgers in those days.) The players in that photo would probably wonder what the players in a photo from today were up to, with the baggy pants, “do-rags” under their caps, flashy shoes, etc.
#92 by Joey on 04.23.07 1:42 pm |
Steve said:
He also owns a piece of the Nets, so I guess you could call it doubly ironical.
#93 by MGreen on 04.23.07 1:42 pm |
So I’m sitting in the library on campus and notice a guy walking by with one of these on. After reading all the comments yesterday, I thought I had seen the last of it. I guess not.
#94 by MichaelM on 04.23.07 1:43 pm |
Mike Lindsay said:
I can’t find the picture on the web, but I remember seeing a similar picture of the golfers from an early 1900 U.S. Open Golf tourney where two jokers ran behind the camera as it did it’s pan and they are standing on both the left and right sides of the group. I’ll post here if I can find it.
#95 by Go Cyclones on 04.23.07 1:45 pm |
The Auburn player also has “VT” written just below his elbow.
#96 by Kim on 04.23.07 1:48 pm |
DJ said:
The rule is fair. There was a guy on Columbus who had “Loco” on his jersey. Later he had it changed to his actual last name. This rule prevents “He Hate Me” junk on the jerseys.
I think a guy like Cobi Jones (as much as I hate him) has done enough for US soccer and MLS to warrant having his first name on his jersey. It’s not like you can’t pick out the little guy (and his Sideshow Bob hair) on the field.
#97 by Lockbull on 04.23.07 1:51 pm |
I’m pretty sure that the late Bison Dele wore #8 for the Pistons because it’s the infinity symbol sideways… I can’t believe that he’s the only athlete to do so….
#98 by Philly Bill on 04.23.07 1:54 pm |
I can’t get comments to post, dag blammit!
#99 by Philly Bill on 04.23.07 1:55 pm |
Let’s try smaller, partial comments:
Someone mentioned on one of the weekend threads that DeShawn Stevenson had written “Gil 0″ on his shoes as some sort of tribute to the injured Agent Zero. Indeed — right up near the collar on the lateral side.
#100 by Perry on 04.23.07 1:56 pm |
Mike Lindsay said:
Or since it’s a baseball photo, a second spitter on the gravelly road.
#101 by Kim on 04.23.07 1:56 pm |
MichaelM said:
I’ve seen many High School Senior Class pictures with this prank done.
#102 by Philly Bill on 04.23.07 1:58 pm |
Okay…
Philly Bill said:
I noticed on TV that several players are wearing Arenas’ signature Adidas — in fact, called the Gil Zero — including Michael Ruffin and Antonio Daniels of the Wizards and Sasha Pavlovic of the Cavs. (Note that Agent Zero wears the low-tops whereas the other players wear the three-quarters model.)
#103 by Philly Bill on 04.23.07 1:58 pm |
And finally, on the Va-Tech note:
Antawn Jamison, another Adidas endorser among the Wizards, scrawled a makeshift, incorrect Virginia Tech logo onto his shoes. Or maybe it’s just a “V” and a “T”.
#104 by ToasterPoodle on 04.23.07 1:59 pm |
Jason said:
bought two solid red Cinti Reds caps with gray under-bill and wool construction on amazon for $22 a piece. NICE
#105 by ToasterPoodle on 04.23.07 2:01 pm |
Todd said:
Maybe he likes the wool-blend instead of the polyester model
#106 by Anthony Verna on 04.23.07 2:05 pm |
ToasterPoodle said:
Amen. I’m going to try to get a couple more if I can, as I’d like to avoid polyester as much as possible.
#107 by Mark Mihalik on 04.23.07 2:07 pm |
Pedro said:
Wright has been wearing those customized Monsters for a while now, but I suspect he’ll be wearing the Nike Shox Fuse Metal pretty soon, since Nike’s 2008 cleats are starting to hit the field. The first I’ve seen of the new models were Jason Varitek’s cleats this weekend, which are the new Nike 5-Tools. You can see those and the Shox Fuse cleats here, and the full footwear and equipment catalog here.
#108 by JP on 04.23.07 2:14 pm |
Michael Barrett was wearing a new style chest protector yesterday with his last name on the collar. Isn’t he usually a wearer of the Wilson ‘older’ style chest protector?
#109 by Failos2002 on 04.23.07 2:16 pm |
Paul,
Now batting. Shortstop. #8. Cal Ripken Jr.
#110 by Forrest on 04.23.07 2:17 pm |
The Colorado Eagles! I even sent it in! Oh well. for anyone who is interested, the CHL Colorado Eagles are wearing a patch on the back of their helmet, seen here. Just wait for the page to load, and it is the first image on the flash thingy.
#111 by John Zajac on 04.23.07 2:17 pm |
Todd said:
Not only that, he also had moved the sticker to the top of the bill on his hat by the 8th or 9th inning, I hope someone can get a screen grab of it. I remember him fielding a fly ball and seeing that and thinking “he represents everything that is wrong about how to wear a baseball uniform, from head to toe.” He can’t even be a part of a tribute without bringing it down a peg or two.
Also, Paul, Randy Johnson took #41 for 2 reasons when he joined the Yankees in 2005. First because 51 was taken by Bernie Williams, but 41 was also selected because he was 41 years old when signing the Yankees contract to prove he could still pitch up to his expectations.
#112 by Matthew S. on 04.23.07 2:19 pm |
WTF?
http://shop.mlb.com/...
#113 by BCrisp on 04.23.07 2:19 pm |
The Astros and Phillies will wear #42 tonight to make up for their Jackie Robinson day rainout.
Very bottom of this article.
#114 by Failos2002 on 04.23.07 2:19 pm |
Oh. You wanted a reason WHY Cal wore #8. — Didn’t he choose it because his dad was #7 ?
#115 by Michael Emody on 04.23.07 2:20 pm |
Concerning the photo of the 1911 Dodgers. On the left side, in the background, there’s a small mountain, not part of the topography of Brooklyn. On the very left edge, behind the smiling face of the half-cropped civilian, are two bare trees. The Dodgers held spring training in 1910-1912 in Hot Springs, AR. Thus, the mini-mountain (Arkansas) and the trees (March) But here’s the kicker: behind the players is a building with it’s name clearly on the front: Majestic. Here’s another picture of the
Concerning the photo of the 1911 Dodgers. On the left side, in the background, there’s a small mountain, not part of the topography of Brooklyn. On the very left edge, behind the smiling face of the half-cropped civilian, are two bare trees. The Dodgers held spring training in 1910-1912 in Hot Springs, AR. Thus, the mini-mountain (Arkansas) and the trees (March) But here’s the kicker: behind the players is a building with it’s name clearly on the front: Majestic. Here’s another picture of the
Mejestic Hotel in Hot Springs, AR.
The photo was probably taken early in the morning before catching a train to New York, or embarking on a barnstorming route toward NYC. These are the players that made the team, dressed in a variety of older uni’s, good for spring training use. Keep in mind it’s probably 5 or 6 am, and the players that made the team are most likely hung over, so the probably grabbed whatever uni’s were still unpacked for the photo.
Case solved.
#116 by Matthew S. on 04.23.07 2:21 pm |
MGreen said:
I just ran into this on mlb.com: http://shop.mlb.com/...
Oh sweet Jesus that’s bad…
#117 by Perry on 04.23.07 2:24 pm |
Michael Emody said:
That was ome nice detective work.
#118 by Perry on 04.23.07 2:25 pm |
Perry said:
ome = some
#119 by Phil Pereira on 04.23.07 2:25 pm |
DJ said:
I understand that, I was just using it as an example of how nicknames make players more recognizable. What if someone is like me, an American born person who is also a Portuguese citizen, who wanted to just use my first name to play ball, would I be denied the opportunity because I was born in the states?
Kim said:
No offense to football players, but I think they’re more likely to come up with dumb nicknames than soccer players. Some limits are fair, someone can’t just make up a nickname when they start playing just because they think it’s cool, like “He Hate me” which has no basis on real life. But if someone has been called a certain name since they were kids, I think it’s fair to allow them to use that name as their identity. I’m probably making a big deal out of nothing, because I can’t think of any player who isn’t Spanish or Portuguese speaking who only goes by a nickname.
#120 by Mets86 on 04.23.07 2:30 pm |
Paul, do these pants make you cringe?
http://us.news2.yimg...
#121 by Bill T. on 04.23.07 2:33 pm |
#115 by Michael Emody on 04.23.07 2:20 pm
Great work, Sherlock!
#122 by Jason H on 04.23.07 2:40 pm |
I know this is out of normal posting etiquette, although seeing as the one game historical posting from a couple of days ago is now 400+ posts, I thought I’d revisit it here, if I may very briefly.
How bout Ted Turner as the Braves coach for one game? Not really obscure, very memorable, but definitely short-lived…
And Phil Niekro… coming back to the Braves for one last game in 1987, of which he started with no decision. Here’s his beautiful line for the day:
3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 0 K
Any pictures of these two events would be great.
#123 by todd krevanchi on 04.23.07 2:46 pm |
if the rules of the league concerning uniformity and the way that player names are represented state that only surnames are to represent the player on a jersey, i really dont see how anyone can argue that.
because it is done on the international level and in europe, doesnt mean it has to follow through to the states and its league.
#124 by Anthony Verna on 04.23.07 2:52 pm |
Regarding Brazilian soccer players – has Ronaldinho or Ronaldo officially changed his name in the same way Nene did?
#125 by patrick on 04.23.07 2:55 pm |
Murphy said:
While it may sound stupid, I actually agree. The only players you really see with their first or nick names ont he uniform is the brazilian/portuguese, and they will be allowed in MLS, a la Fred at DC. I really dont see the big deal, Cobi and Herculez shoudl be wearing their surnames
#126 by Phil Pereira on 04.23.07 2:58 pm |
Anthony Verna said:
http://www.fcbarcelo... Ronaldinho’s official page on FC Barcelona, his full name is there. Ronaldinho basically means “little ronaldo”
#127 by patrick on 04.23.07 3:07 pm |
MichaelM said:
i did this on my college class picture, taking a picture of 1,000 kidslined up is difficult
#128 by Ryan Real on 04.23.07 3:12 pm |
Regarding Ohio University’s Virginia Tech logo…
http://thepost.baker...
#129 by Minna H. on 04.23.07 3:17 pm |
MGreen said:
MGreen, it is your duty as a Uni-Watch citizen to go up to this guy and whap that thing off his head. He will thank you for it later.
#130 by Kim on 04.23.07 3:29 pm |
Minna H. said:
Dude, it’s his duty as an human being.
#131 by Minna H. on 04.23.07 3:31 pm |
I think we have covered nude jocularity before. Here is some more (no pics, don’t worry) from Brian Giles. Read the first few paragraphs. What if the ball hit him? That would hurt.
#132 by Minna H. on 04.23.07 3:36 pm |
Kim said:
Good point, Kim. However, many of the unenlightened masses wouldn’t even know there was something wrong with this. I mean, the guy was wearing it! Those of us a bit more aware need to hold interventions when we see problems arise. Right, Mr. Met?
At least they have it in orange and blue.
#133 by MGreen on 04.23.07 3:40 pm |
I’ll be honest Minna and Kim…I froze out of sheer horror that someone was actually wearing something like that. Next time I’ll be better prepared.
#134 by marlowe on 04.23.07 3:42 pm |
Michael Emody said:
Yes nice detective work.
Deadball Era teams almost never wore new unis during spring training – they were normally passed out at the start of the regular season.
Also you can tell it’s likely spring training because teams would not carry this many (26 shown here) players during the regular season.
#135 by CollinJ on 04.23.07 3:44 pm |
Regarding the MLS name regulations, I think there are is definitely inconsistency on who the MLS allows to wear their first name on their jersey. Ezra Hendrickson of the Crew is from St. Vincent and he is allowed to wear Ezra on the back of his jersey. I wish I could find a photo, but the MLS website has virtually no photos and Google didn’t help any.
#136 by Minna H. on 04.23.07 3:47 pm |
MGreen said:
Remember, I am not advocating violence; just a whap for the person’s own good. That goes double if you see one of these, these, or these.
#137 by Cathy on 04.23.07 3:52 pm |
Ryan Real said:
Nice…did you notice the guy in white has a mismatched helmet/jersey number?
#138 by Mike on 04.23.07 3:56 pm |
From today’s White House ceremony on the South Lawn:
MR. DUNGY: And on behalf of the team, we got you a Bush Colts jersey. We normally go number 1, but in this case, we had to go 43.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s right, thank you.
Pics coming soon….
#139 by Mets86 on 04.23.07 4:02 pm |
Minna H. said:
I smell a new topic for Paul……….worst merchandise currently available for sale on the internet from a pro sports team. haha
#140 by Minna H. on 04.23.07 4:09 pm |
Mets86 said:
Except Paul doesn’t care what fans wear. He’s only concerned by what’s on the field. That’s why it’s up to the rest of us to stamp out the insanity.
#141 by Mike on 04.23.07 4:09 pm |
As promised, POTUS and his new jersey
http://news.yahoo.co...
#142 by Mark in Shiga on 04.23.07 4:16 pm |
Paul, I can fill in some of those blanks with some Japanese baseball players:
Regarding number 27, quite a few catchers in Japanese baseball wear it in honor of Carlton Fisk. Many fans have come to associate 27 with catchers without knowing why.
The most famous such player is probably Yakult Swallows player-manager Atsuya Furuta, who’s got a good shot at the Hall of Fame. Motonobu Tanishige of the Chunichi Dragons is another one.
Toru Hosokawa of the Seibu Lions is another player who specifically lusted for this number (quoting from the Nikkan Sports Color Player Guide 2007), and in fact 8 of the 12 teams have a catcher wearing #27.
There’s a similar thing with pitchers and 47, but I can’t remember who it started with. Give me some time to look that up.
Chiba Lotte Marines outfielder SaburÅ ÅŒmura wore number 53 for a while as a play on Ichiro’s 51. Ichiro’s name means, roughly, “first son”, and contains the numeral 1, so by analogy, Saburo (”third son”) started calling himself by his first name and using 53. Since Ichiro left for Seattle, Saburo’s change to the more logical 3.
Keiji ÅŒsawa, one of the old Nippon Ham Fighters managers, chose 86 for good luck, as 8 is hachi and 6 is muttsu, the initial sounds of which spell out hamu, the Japanese pronunciation of “Ham”. (Current manager Trey Hillman ignores this superstition.)
Quite a few players choose their numbers based on phonetic jokes like Osawa did; I’ll see if I can find some more.
#143 by Jim on 04.23.07 4:23 pm |
Teams not from the same town as Va Tech wearing “VT” patches = Cheap sentiment masquerading as genuine concern.
It was a tragedy, but as a platform for billion-dollar commercial enterprises to show they “care,” it’s a fucking sham.
#144 by Matthew S. on 04.23.07 4:25 pm |
Mark in Shiga said:
Mark, could the 47 be for Tom Glavine?
http://sports.espn.g...
#145 by Minna H. on 04.23.07 4:30 pm |
Jim said:
Why do you assume that the teams don’t care? How is it a sham? I think in a case like this, people DO care, regardless of if they are connected to the town/university or not. I don’t see this as a platform for anything other than a show of support, and I’m pretty cynical.
If your argument is that they should donate some money to the school/community, etc., we don’t know if they have or haven’t. With so many things to take offense over, this is pretty low on the list.
#146 by Brandon on 04.23.07 4:34 pm |
Cathy said:
I’m pretty sure that’s the tribute to the female soccer player that died. I may be wrong but i think that’s her number.
#147 by MGreen on 04.23.07 4:45 pm |
Taken from the Ohio University Football website:
“The Bobcats took the opportunity to remember Ohio soccer player Sarah Merritt who passed away on March 21 and the victims of last week’s tragedy at Virginia Tech. Each player sported a Virginia Tech logo on one side of their helmet and the number 26, Merritt’s jersey number at Ohio, on the other.“
Here’s the link to the story. Third to last paragraph.
#148 by Mike on 04.23.07 4:46 pm |
Did anyone else notice how high Jon Papelbon’s 42 patch was on his hat?
It wasn’t to the bottom like most side hat patches are… it was raised way higher.
#149 by dilbert719 on 04.23.07 4:53 pm |
Paul Lukas said:
For #8: Joe Morgan (who had worn 18 for a while) couldn’t wear it when he got to the Reds, since Ted Kluszewski was wearing it, so he adopted #8 for Willie Stargell.
#150 by ScottyJ in WV on 04.23.07 4:54 pm |
Mets86 said:
I don’t know about Paul, but they make ME cringe.
Ugh.
The way he admired his handywork last night kinda made me a little queasy, too. Run the d@mn thing out, slap hands with your teammates and go sit down.
#151 by todd krevanchi on 04.23.07 4:55 pm |
Jim said:
for schools who wore hokie colors, a patch, a message, a hat, helmet decals, etc; whatever these teams did for their spring game, baseball game, softball game, lacrosse match, etc.
to say that it is masked concern because they arent from blacksburg va is ridiculous.
they ARE from the same community… the college community.
this could have happened at any of the schools listed in todays entry who had uniform tributes and unfortunately there is no guarantee that it wont happen there in the future.
these were college students showing solidarity for their fellow college students. im sure most college students have said or thought this in the last week, “jesus, that could have happened here.”
to say the concern was cheap and masked is completely insensitive.
#152 by Kent S. on 04.23.07 5:02 pm |
Related to the MLS “Names on the Uniform” article.
Back in the NASL days, a Cosmos goalie, Shep Messing, wanted to put his first name on the back of his jersey. NASL said “no”, he could only put his last name on the back of his jersey. So, he put the word “SHEP” on the front of his goalie jersey.
#153 by Eriq Jaffe on 04.23.07 5:13 pm |
The bespectacled ballplayer article sadly omits Fred Manrique, who also sports an awesome porn star moustache.
#154 by Teebz on 04.23.07 5:13 pm |
From the Washington Capitals:
“ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals will unveil their new uniforms at a special Draft Day Party on Friday, June 22, held at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va. The event will be held in conjunction with the live broadcast on Versus of the first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, which takes place that evening in Columbus, Ohio.
The new uniforms will mark a return to a red, white and blue color scheme – the colors the Capitals wore from their first season in 1974-75 through 1994-95. The Capitals are the first team in the NHL to announce their plans to unveil their new uniforms, which are produced by Reebok and feature the Rbk EDGE Uniform System technology that was introduced at the 2007 NHL All-Star Game in Dallas. The Capitals are the first team planning to have their new uniforms on hand at the NHL Entry Draft.”
#155 by Eriq Jaffe on 04.23.07 5:14 pm |
Eriq Jaffe said:
Oh, and Fred should get extra bonus points for the stiped stirrups.
#156 by Jamikel on 04.23.07 5:28 pm |
If only the Sox had gone with green #42 jerseys with VT on the sleeve…that would have been awesome.
#157 by stuby on 04.23.07 5:46 pm |
I believe Jose Rijo wore #27 in honor of his father-in-law, Juan Marichal.
#158 by stuby on 04.23.07 5:49 pm |
Matthew S. said:
Maybe it was for this guy.
#159 by Failos2002 on 04.23.07 5:49 pm |
Regarding number 47: is anyone clued into this?
http://www.47.net/47...
#160 by Christopher on 04.23.07 5:51 pm |
Jim said:
Actually, I don’t think its cheap or insincere. But you could argue that it’s a bit much to go THIS far with a tragedy that took 30+ lives when individuals die every day from the same thing (and worse).
The only thing that makes this a national story is that it happened in one place. Which, if you think about it, is sort of silly.
I mean- I am sure there will be 30+ shooting deaths over the next few weeks in the US. It is only because these 30+ victims weren’t in the same room and killed by the same guy that they don’t get the national media.
Ok, getting off my soapbox now…
#161 by Andy from KC on 04.23.07 6:08 pm |
Paul Lukas said:
For #47: “NBA player Andrei Kirilenko has chosen to wear the number 47, unusual in the NBA, on his gear, because of the coincidence that his initials together with this number form the abbreviation AK-47, the name of the famous Russian rifle, named after its inventor and the year it was invented (Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947).”
That comes from Wikipedia, so take it with like 600 grains of salt, but still.
#162 by Jeff L. on 04.23.07 6:10 pm |
I always thought it was quite interesting how Kirilenko’s nickname (AK-47) matched the automatic rifle, which was coincidentally invented in his hometown.
Turns out, according to his homepage, one of his old teammates started calling him AK-47, which is why he chose the jersey number.
#163 by Murphy on 04.23.07 6:17 pm |
patrick said:
You forget all the Spanish and Turkish players plus countless others who do the same.
Just about any rule or law is inherently stupid if it says that you can’t do something but “those” people can. Sorry, you’re an American, you can’t do that.
#164 by Chris f on 04.23.07 6:54 pm |
Paul Lukas said:
8- Andre Dawson With the Marlins
#165 by douglas on 04.23.07 6:56 pm |
Few years ago players of Galatasaray in Turkey used to have funny numbers, based on their hometown zipcodes. I think you could find several 50 something to 80 something in their roster.
#166 by Perry on 04.23.07 6:57 pm |
stuby said:
And Sandy Koufax wore 32 because that was always the count when he pitched. No, actually that was just a joke he used to make.
Jim Bouton said he kept his “spring training” number 56 because it served as a constant reminder of his fringe status, which motivated him. At the time he played there was a certain stigma associated with a number over 50 (although it didn’t seem to bother Drysdale). There doesn’t seem to be any such stigma today, lots of guys wear numbers in the 50s and even 60s.
#167 by Seattle Zach on 04.23.07 6:59 pm |
Arthur Rhodes and Bobby Abreu both wear #53, though I haven’t been able to find out if there’s a reason for it.
#168 by Failos2002 on 04.23.07 7:07 pm |
Seattle Zach said:
Maybe in homage to:
http://hometown.aol....
#169 by Chris f on 04.23.07 7:11 pm |
oR
27- Ron Hextall with the quebec Nordiques after the flyers traded him.
Or whatever jersey John Smoltz wore with the Tigers.
#170 by Chad G on 04.23.07 7:13 pm |
The rockies are wearing their purple tops today, and the particlular shade of purplish-blue is not agreeing with my eyes.
#171 by stuby on 04.23.07 7:27 pm |
Chris f said:
Paul is looking for the reasons players wear particular numbers.
#172 by JJD on 04.23.07 7:47 pm |
I SWEAR I read somewhere that Kobe was wearing #8 because his ABCD camp number was 143 and 1+4+3=8.
They reference that in his wiki bio, but I’m pretty sure I saw it somewhere else.
#173 by TD on 04.23.07 7:48 pm |
Failos2002 said:
Cal Sr. didn’t wear #7 when Junior came up – Mark Belanger did. Cal Sr. wore #47 as a coach then wore #7 the year he managed.
It’s always bugged me that the O’s honored Cal Sr. by painting #7 in the 3rd base coaches box when he died. He wore #7 in a wholly forgettable year, and the team never really honored Blade Belanger when he died.
I presume the logic of the #7 honor was that #47 was active at the time (Jesse Orosco, who will be wearing #47 for someone somewhere for the next 138 years, give or take).
#174 by Joe O. on 04.23.07 7:56 pm |
Intersting VT tidbit from tonight’s AFL on ESPN football game.
The Philly Soul coaching staff are wearing VT Polo’s on the sideline.
Of course Russell is the official provider of the AFL, so the shirt has a large “R” logo on the right side…and the VT logo on the left.
Nike is the provider for VT (unless I’m mistaken). So did Nike give permission for Russell to throw together some VT shirts? Or did Russell just throw their logos on top of the Nike logos?
#175 by Joe O. on 04.23.07 7:58 pm |
And it appears the Columbus Destroyers are also wearing the VT polos…
This is of course in addition to helmet decals…and logos on at least on of the sideline walls…
#176 by Mario on 04.23.07 8:00 pm |
i don’t know if anyone else is watching the piston-magic game, but they just flashed some clips of grant hill in the ugly red and green jerseys with the horse on the front. steve kerr then went into a whole monologue about how the nba would wear jerseys woth their mascot or whatever on the front. he said that the raptors had the dinosour that looked like a big purple barney on the jersey. marv alberts then said that he liked the style and ask steve about his barney reference. steve answered (paraphrasing) “it’s barney. there’s no need for barney in the nba.” i was cracking up.
#177 by Mario on 04.23.07 8:02 pm |
dale davis gave a kid in need in the detroit area some nice shoes for his graduation. they were size 18’s. thought that was interesting. happens to be dale davis’ shoe size as well.
#178 by Donny on 04.23.07 8:06 pm |
Supposedly, the 1980s and early ’90sversion of Cincinnatti’s “Mr. Red” wore 27 after the number of outs in a nine-inning game
#179 by Joey Guns on 04.23.07 8:22 pm |
Shawn Green watch…….he just lost his hat twice in the span of about 4 pitches chasing foul balls. The second one he caught for the final out of the inning.
#180 by Joe on 04.23.07 8:46 pm |
The post that Alabama and Auburn were wearing VT colors made me think they each were wearing VT colors, not that they combined to wear VT colors…They each were wearing jerseys in their own school colors. Although I have no idea how often the Tigers wear those orange duds.
#181 by Brandon Grimm on 04.23.07 8:48 pm |
Good news everybody. Shin Soo Choo and his double-earflapped batting helmet are back in the bigs. The Tribe called him up to replace David Dillucci, who went on the DL.
#182 by Pete on 04.23.07 8:48 pm |
Sam Perkins wore #41 at UNC because it was his sleeve length.
#183 by Robert on 04.23.07 8:51 pm |
Donny said:
I always heard that they wore 27 because 1-25 represented the players on the roster, no. 26 the fans, leaving no. 27 for the mascot.
#184 by Brandon Grimm on 04.23.07 8:52 pm |
Correction, Dillucci is day-to-day, not on the DL. Rest easy Tribe fans.
#185 by stuby on 04.23.07 9:28 pm |
Perhaps I’m a bit cynical. No, I am cynical. I’ve been trying to imagine what the extent of tributes would be like if the Virginia Tech tragedy had happened at a university that no one had heard of before, didn’t have a recognizable logo/color scheme.
If this had happened at my alma mater, Sacramento State, or a Kansas Wesleyan University or an Albion College, would we have SEC baseball players and Arena League coaches wearing those logos?
I like to think that the tributes would be the same. I don’t know.
#186 by Brendan on 04.23.07 9:30 pm |
Jason said:
A store near my work was selling them for $15 in March. I was incredibly disappointed that the only one in my size (7 1/2) that I would let myself buy was the Blue Jays’ “home” hat. I was really looking forward to finding a Twins “TC” hat, the royal blue KC hat, or a new Phillies home hat, but I wasn’t able to find one.
#187 by Failos2002 on 04.23.07 9:39 pm |
Watching TB/NYY right now, I’m reminded that Joe Maddon was once asked why he wore #70. He said that after changing numbers several times throughout his coaching career, he finally just decided to pick a number no one else would want.
Hands down the best #70 in the game right now.
On another note entirely, if Brian Bruney gains 30 more pounds, he will be Bob Wickman. Am I right?
#188 by Brendan on 04.23.07 9:44 pm |
I don’t know if this counts, but my friend wore 86 when he played tight end for my high school because he was born in 1986.
#189 by stuby on 04.23.07 9:50 pm |
I think I mentioned this a few days ago, but Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti gave up his #19 to 2B and family friend Kevin Frandsen. He then took #46 in honor of former Giants pitcher Kirk Rueter.
#190 by tony payne on 04.23.07 9:54 pm |
JJD said:
there was a nba.com special about why players wore the # that they do
there were like 20ish players
#191 by VTHokie on 04.23.07 9:59 pm |
As a way of showing support for Wagner, Brendon and Virginia Tech, Titleist sent 100 maroon golf caps with Titleist on the front and VT on the side for the players to wear in this week’s PGA TOUR event at TPC-Louisiana. Johnson said that all of the Titleist staff members are wearing the caps and will do so throughout the week. In addition, he received a request from The Golf Channel for something that the announcers could wear during the telecast so VT lapel pins were sent to them by overnight express.
#192 by Brendan on 04.23.07 10:02 pm |
For some evidence of the “same person twice int he same picture,” take a look here. The blur under the middle arrow is her running to the other side; the camera caught her.
Also look for the idiot without a jacket. That was me.
#193 by Brendan on 04.23.07 10:04 pm |
Brendan said:
Let’s try that link again
#194 by tony payne on 04.23.07 10:04 pm |
http://www.nba.com/f...
HERE it is!
and i dunno if this counts, but Dirk wears 41 for the Mavs and 14 for the German Nat. Team
just observing
#195 by Andy from KC on 04.23.07 10:26 pm |
Brendan said:
Hey, is that the Close-Up program? I did that in high school, and they took a group picture and did the exact same thing — some guy ran from one end to the other. I’d forgotten all about it!
#196 by junkland on 04.23.07 10:26 pm |
Close-up of Mariano Rivera’s glove on ESPN…
Phil 4.13 embroidered on the thumb
It’d be great if Mo wore a rainbow wig and had John 3.16 embroidered on his glove
#197 by Smail on 04.23.07 10:43 pm |
Mike said:
Yeah, I caught that too. I’m guessing tht because they were stickers instead of patches, quality control wsa a little lower than usual. Kinda surprised I didn’t see more about it here today.
#198 by Jeff B on 04.23.07 10:45 pm |
Scott Eyre on the Cubs changed it up and went with the high socks tonight. Len Kasper on WGN said his family wasn’t enamored with the look, but he’s sticking with it because it’s not about fashion. It’s about changing up the mojo.
#199 by Zack on 04.23.07 10:59 pm |
Demarr Johnson of the Nuggets wore #3 untill AI was traded there, then switch to #8 so Kobe’s magic would wear off on him.
#200 by Shane S on 04.23.07 11:03 pm |
It looks like Ohio State either couldn’t get a hold of enough of the VT logos, or they only put one on the left side as it appears that two of the linemen in the white jerseys in the 1st picture have nothing on the right side of their helmets. In every other picture you can tell that all of the players have them at least on the left side.
#201 by Andy from KC on 04.23.07 11:03 pm |
*** THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS 0% UNI-RELATED CONTENT***
David Halberstam was killed in a car wreck today. He was a truly amazing author. Among his sports books, Summer of ‘49 is one of my favorite books ever (about the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry when it wasn’t so damn nauseating). I’d recommend it highly to any of you who haven’t checked it out.
Also, apparently posts are timing out after a short time. That’s kinda annoying.
#202 by Dan on 04.23.07 11:11 pm |
even though its late i’ll say it anyway, about the brazilian and portuguese soccer players and their names:
their last names usually have multiple parts to them. Ronaldinho’s real name is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira. Fred’s name is Helbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva. Dida’s is Nelson de Jesus Silva. try fitting those names on a jersey without it looking ugly.
using the He Hate Me reference is ridiculous. as long as it resembles a name, like Cobi or Herculez, is fine with me. a lot of people have a last name of jones or gomez. it provides the player some individuality.
#203 by Jason on 04.23.07 11:57 pm |
Kobe wore #8 because it was the number he wore a kid in Italy and because his ABCD camp numbers (143) add up to 8. He now wears 24 because that is the number he wore in high school, with the exception of his senior year at Lower Merion (PA) when he wore 33, in honor of his dad.
Source:
#204 by JJD on 04.24.07 12:01 am |
Vancouver just won game 7 of their series against Dallas while wearing their alternate uniforms. Does that happen very often? (A team not wearing their primary uniform in a deciding game.)
#205 by Minna H. on 04.24.07 12:09 am |
stuby said:
stuby, I will agree with you on this one. I think the fact that VaTech is such a powerhouse football-wise definitely played into the magnitude of the memorials. Sadly, if this happened at MY alma mater, St. Olaf, I am pretty sure the tributes would be strictly regional.
I also agree with Christopher that the thirty gunshot deaths that happen today across the nation won’t get as much play because there is something about an anomaly, especyally one of a horrific nature, that grabs the collective consciousness and won’t let go. It’s not fair, but it’s understandable and shouldn’t take away from the heartfelt sorrow engendered across the nation.
On a lighter note, stuby, thanks for posting a pic of Jack Morris. He will always be a hero in MN. Are you a relocated Twins’ fan?
#206 by Dear Lord Stanley on 04.24.07 12:33 am |
Teebz said:
Here you can see the patch under the “bigfoot” logo on Peter Forsberg’s sleeve.
And just barely here on Patrick Roy’s left arm.
And here again on Forsberg.
Sorry, couldn’t find any closeups.
#207 by Ben on 04.24.07 1:01 am |
joe said:
Anthony Reyes has worn the high, striped socks every since he has been in the majors. I tried to find a picture of him in the minors wearing the high socks or when he was at USC, but I was unable to do so.
#208 by Dan on 04.24.07 2:05 am |
Minna H. said:
to go off of that, those Case people know about the shooting here a few years ago, nowhere near the magnitude of VTech, but no one wore memorial patches including our own teams. so part of the reason for all of these memorial patches or gestures is because it is such a large university that almost everyone knows about
#209 by Minna H. on 04.24.07 2:51 am |
Dan said:
Dan, are you talking about this?
Trial under way.
We had a pretty horrific shooting here as well. The Red Lake shooting. High school boy killed his grandfather, the grandfather’s girlfriend, then went to school and started shooting. He killed seven people there before killing himself. I don’t remember a single team paying tribute. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
#210 by stuby on 04.24.07 5:17 am |
Minna H. said:
Minna, I’ve never been a Twins fan but have always been impressed by Jack Morris. I remember watching him throw his no-hitter with the Tigers in ‘84 on the NBC Game of the Week (i think). Then the ‘91 series against the Braves. Just a great pitcher.
#211 by Teebz on 04.24.07 8:09 am |
Dear Lord Stanley said:
Good job, Lord Stanley.
I did find some close-ups and clear shots of the patch, though. Forsberg wearing one. Jon Klemm wearing the patch. Klemm showing off his patch to Wendel Clark as a Red Wing (2-in-1 photo!). Dale Hunter likes his patch.
#212 by Steven on 04.24.07 12:29 pm |
DC United will be wearing maroon jerseys with orange goalies this Saturday in honor of VT.
http://dcunited.mlsn...
Oh another note, as a VT alumnus, it’s been really quite touching to see all of these tributes from across the sporting spectrum. As a Uni Watch reader, I find it especially interesting because maroon and orange is not a typical color combination. How different would it feel if our colors were, say, red and blue?
Thanks for putting this together Paul. I will be forwarding today’s page to my fellow Hokies.
#213 by Satoru on 10.27.07 1:55 am |
This is an old article, but the Carlton Fisk thing had been bothering me for quite some time. I decided to look into it just now and found that Japanese catchers wear 27 NOT for Fisk, but for former Yomiuri Giants catcher Masahiko Mori, who played between 1955-74. (So HE definitely didn’t wear it in honor of Fisk) The trend gained momentum with Yakult Swallows’ Akihiko Ohya, whose career more or less coincided with Fisk’s across the pond. Incidentally, aces on the Giants’ pitching staff have traditionally worn 18, and this has spread to pitchers on other teams in Japanese baseball as well. Hence, Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Mori’s playing days were the golden era of the Giants, and he won 12 titles as a player including 9 straight from 1965-73. In 1978, Mori became coach for the Swallows, where Charlie Manuel played. In the late 80’s to early 90’s, he managed the Seibu Lions, winning 6 titles. (and for some reason changed his first name to Masa-aki) He didn’t manage former Lions Kaz Matsui or Matsuzaka, but did manage current ESPN analyst Orestes Destrade. Later with the Yokohama Bay Stars, he turned now-Dodger Takashi Saito into a closer.
Anyway, it appears to be sheer coincidence that so many Japanese catchers wear Carlton Fisk’s number.