The WNBA preseason begins today, and the league kicked things off yesterday by unveiling a new set of uniforms for all the teams. The truth: I don’t really give a rat’s hairy little tuchis about the WNBA, and I know most of you don’t either. But the new designs still provide some useful object lessons — most of them, unfortunately, negative.
WNBA teams already face serious visual identity challenges, because many of them are affiliated with, and aesthetically modeled after, NBA teams. So why make things even worse by imposing the same design template on every club in the league? If you’ve got a league that’s struggling for recognition and high-profile coverage, wouldn’t it make sense to allow your teams to develop their own unique looks? But instead each WNBA team now has an elongated design panel running down from the jersey through the shorts; each team now has player names appearing below the uni number (a fun device when used sparingly; pointless overkill when imposed league-wide); each team name will appear on the players’ butts; and so on. In other words, these aren’t really individual teams with their own distinct characters — they’re just interchangeable pieces of Team WNBA. Or at least that’s the message this kind of design program creates.
The template might be tolerable if it were a good template — but it’s not. Each team has its own piping pattern (described on the league’s web site as “a dramatic pattern design formed from core elements of each team’s logo”), and some of them are pretty embarrassing. I mean, c’mon, what is this? Or this? I do like this one, but the shape of the jersey panel is still so weird and forced-looking — it all feels like a badly failed experiment. (You can see more images of the new uniforms here.)
This hive-mentality approach is the unfortunate hallmark of small, new-ish leagues these days, because they insist on having the league office coordinate all the uniform designs. Fun logo characters like Pat Patriot and odd uniform quirks like the Steelers wearing their logo on only one side of the helmet could never happen in leagues like the WNBA or the AFL, because the uniforms are all created under the same roof. I understand why they do it — they’re trying to create a league-wide brand identity — but I think it’s a serious miscalculation. If you’re an upstart trying to compete with the major sports, you don’t need a league identity — you need lots of distinct team identities. People don’t say, “Hey, let’s go to the WNBA game tonight!” They say, “Hey, let’s go see the Mystics tonight!” Or at least that’s the idea.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Holders for placekicks usually go bare-handed, so I was surprised to see this photo. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a double-gloved holder before. … There are a lot of odd things in this photo, but the one that interests me most is that the ump is wearing his uni number on his ball bag (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … Kudos to Phil Richardson, who’s got his entire Little League team wearing striped stirrups (additional pics here and here). … Yet another case of a municipal icon being draped in a jersey: Check out this photo gallery (with thanks to Aaron Stilley). … Willie Harris is back in the bigs, this time with the Braves. As you may recall, he’s that rarest of creatures: a non-switch-hitter who wears a double-flapped batting helmet. … Good discussion of college softball uniforms here. … Juhem Navarro notes that Tigers closer Todd Jones has some issues with MLB’s uniform regulations (but then he lots of issues, so I don’t take his opinions too seriously). … Interesting rugby news from Caleb Borchers, who writes: “The French have just changed their national rugby jerseys from this to this, and seem to have done it to force New Zealand’s famous ‘All Blacks’ into not wearing all black if the two meet in this year’s World Cup. If all goes as expected such a matchup would be in the Finals of the tournament.” Further details here. … This should be fun. … Nice documentation here of Julio Lugo wearing Jason Varitek’s jersey during pregame warm-ups. … Enough already. … Coming tomorrow: a really interesting story about golf (and believe me, I never thought I’d be typing those words).
#1 by Robert on 05.02.07 8:20 am |
I always wondered how to spell tuchis.
The WNBA uniforms aren’t so hot, but at least they don’t have an extra, non-matching color thrown onto them. Didn’t the teams used to have light green included on the uniform, regardless of the rest of the color scheme?
#2 by Mark in Shiga on 05.02.07 8:22 am |
The problem with the positioning of the player surname on those WNBA jerseys isn’t that it’s underneath the number; rather it’s that they’ve got that huge blank spot over the number, with a silly and pointless team logo in it.
Player names under the numbers work in basketball because the jerseys are singlets, and there’s no space to work with around the shoulders. You want to have the number in that space because it fits better — with the name on top, certain very long names look awkward (though vertical arching can help).
Another factor is that some of the WNBA players use double-barrel surnames after getting married. I’ve seen such long names drawn out Jabbar-style, and also spread over two lines. In that latter situation you really want them to be on the bottom where you can add a second line without too much trouble.
#3 by Vincent A. Cipollone on 05.02.07 8:25 am |
In defense of the Marlins untucking their jerseys after games, the Marlins have a lot of young players and I guess that’s the cool thing to do. I mean, after a basketball game, the first thing I do is untuck my jersey.
#4 by Mike on 05.02.07 8:29 am |
The Pirates broke out the red vests again last night, this time with the red billed hats……so much for Friday night special unis….
http://www.post-gaze...
#5 by Dane on 05.02.07 8:30 am |
I guess Phoenix is trying to save money on their electric bill by dimming the lights at US Airways Arena and wearing these in the dark:
http://www.wnba.com/...
#6 by stuby on 05.02.07 8:31 am |
Its weird that the Seattle Storm colors were chosen to match the Sonics, but the Sonics have gone back to the green & gold and the Storm has/have kept the old colors and logo design.
#7 by Mark in Shiga on 05.02.07 8:38 am |
If they just exchanged the white pants for black, and wore that only on the road, they’d look good.
I’m trying to find a picture of Phil Hughes’s back from yesterday’s outing, but it seems that the cameramen were too respectful to leave the public with shots of that ugly #65. The Yankees need to hurry up and un-retire some numbers, or we’re just going to see more of this — linebacker numbers on baseball players! I’d rather see a whote team in untucked jerseys, pajama pants, and fake stirrups than see players with numbers like 65.
(While searching for a photo, I spotted a billowing jersey on Doug Mientkiewicz. He looks Cecil Fielder-like!)
#8 by Robert on 05.02.07 8:39 am |
The Doug Jones column was interesting reading. I found it odd that, in complaining about the uniform police, he wrote that “the length of [players’] pants are big deals, too. I realize some players have gotten creative and blurred the line between uniforms and pajamas, but come on.”
Jones seems to be saying that MLB is taking some action against those whose pajama pants are out of control. However, aside from stopping the practice of tying the pants under players’ shoes, have we seen any evidence of the MLB putting a stop to pajama-pants syndrome?
#9 by Hank on 05.02.07 8:40 am |
Ump having his number on his ballbag, no biggie. A monkey in a uniform on a beachball. The wonders and mysteries of the Far East never fail to amaze.
#10 by harry on 05.02.07 8:41 am |
Michigan State’s softball team is sporting pink uniforms for a Breast Cancer Awareness game.
#11 by MH on 05.02.07 8:42 am |
It figures that a bunch of Little Leaguers have to lead the way in how to dress appropriately on the field. Baseball (and uni-wear) at its purest folks, plain and simple. The so-called “pros” should take note; they could learn something important.
#12 by My Name is Not Earl on 05.02.07 8:44 am |
When exactly did the whole “team name on the fanny” phenomenon begin in college basketball? And why is the WNBA adopting it? I’ve never been thrilled about it; it reminds me too much of those hoochie-mama pants with various things written on the backside (though to the teams’ credit, the writing hasn’t gotten as big as that on the “fashion” wear . . . yet).
#13 by Eric on 05.02.07 8:45 am |
Did anyone see the Red Sox game last night (5/1)and more specifically, Curt Schillings latest shoe message? Haven’t been able to locate an image yet, but his cleat was embroidered with “4 Pete’s Sake” where he had scrawled “K-ALS” back in ‘04. I don’t know how long he’s had that written on his cleat, my first impression was that he was commenting on the latest round of bloody sock controversy, but it seems 4 Pete’s Sake is an actual cause.
Gotta admire his savvy in that he knew the cameras would be on his ankle at some point last night since it was his first start following Thorne’s comments.
#14 by Peter Wunsch on 05.02.07 8:46 am |
During a stoppage in play last night, the NY Rangers ran a one-minute slide show of all of the NY statuers that were dressed in Ranger jerseys, not just the Ralph Kramden shown above. They included Mayor LaGuardia ay City hall and a bunch of others, however the Junkotron (oops, Jumbotron) was so bad that I can report that there were 10 others, including one directly in front of MSG. Maybe we can do a scavenger hunt to see who can locate the most?
#15 by benjamin in the uk on 05.02.07 8:47 am |
I always thought that in rugby, the home team were the ones who changed kits, not the away side - the theory being that if the ref couldn’t tell the two teams apart then the home team would be more likely to have a change kit? I’ve looked on the irb regulations but i cant find anything pertaining to home/away kits.
#16 by My Name is Not Earl on 05.02.07 8:47 am |
“Double-barrel surnames spread out over two lines” . . . reminds me of that brief stint in the late 80s when Isiah Thomas had both his first and last name on his jersey, with the first name in slightly smaller letters placed above his last name. I couldn’t find any pictures, though
#17 by Cathy on 05.02.07 8:50 am |
Mike,
I was watching the game last night with my dad, who is half blind, elderly and generally not very observant. I swear, in the second inning he said, “I thought they (cubs) were playing the Pirates?”. I told him they were and he said, “Geez those are some ugly red uniforms…why in the hell are they wearing red!” It is the first time I can EVER remember him commenting on uniforms. Of course, he was a senior in High School in 1945 when he cut school to go see the Cubs play a game in the World Series against the Tigers…so he has a pretty traditional idea of what a baseball uniform should look like.
It will be interersting to see if the Pirates don the same jersey’s today when finishing their ’suspended’ game.
#18 by schuby on 05.02.07 8:51 am |
Someone said yesterday that Nebraska has ditched its striped socks, but i dont know what they’re talking about.
#19 by Beau on 05.02.07 8:55 am |
Hard to knock the WNBA for actually trying to add more uniformity to its uniforms. Seems like a novel idea to me.
#20 by Original Jim on 05.02.07 8:57 am |
Interesting article by Todd Jones.
Shoes have to be 51% the team’s dominant color? So does that mean that white is a dominant color of the A’s scheme? Or is that just for shoes that are neither black nor white?
#21 by diz on 05.02.07 8:58 am |
In big tournaments like World Cups, the tendency is for a coin toss to determine who gets first choice, and the ref deciding if/what the other side needs to change any of their home kit to avoid a clash.
#22 by Joey Guns on 05.02.07 8:59 am |
I was watching the tv show the Wonder Years last night, and it was an episode where Kevin Arnold tries out for his high school baseball team. There were lots and lots of players in stirrups!
#23 by Michael Churchill on 05.02.07 9:04 am |
Forgive me for my Englishness, but who is/was Ralph Kramden?
#24 by Mike on 05.02.07 9:12 am |
http://en.wikipedia....
#25 by kc on 05.02.07 9:13 am |
Two comments
1) The picture of the holder wearing the gloves isn’t all that unusual. Many times in college the team will have a wide reciever/d-back hold rather then the quarterback. Why? I dunno, just becuase. So that why the gloves on the holder
2) Do you think that the WNBA placeing the logo on the buttocks area and putting the name in the lower back area is on purpose to draw the eyes to the butt or do you think that it never crossed their minds becuase it’s a somewhat normal thing in baseketball. A comment made a reference to butt hugger shorts that say stuff on them, and the only reason it’s there is to draw attention to the physcial attributes of the wearer
#26 by kc on 05.02.07 9:13 am |
sorry basketball, my fat fingers did a little extra walking
#27 by Amy on 05.02.07 9:15 am |
Re: the ump uni number on ball bag pic.
I was dismayed to see that the monkey has also adopted the pajama pants look…
#28 by Natron on 05.02.07 9:19 am |
Say… tomorrow’s story about golf wouldn’t have anything to do with England’s Ian Poulter, would it?
They’re so obnoxious, the BBC had a trouser design contest to design him some new ones.
#29 by Mike on 05.02.07 9:20 am |
Definately no stirrups here…..
http://en.wikipedia....
#30 by Robert on 05.02.07 9:21 am |
Interesting. They must wear the striped socks with only certain uniforms. They went stripe-free earlier in the same series. This photo is from Saturday against K-State.
http://media.college...
#31 by Christopher "fuegote" on 05.02.07 9:25 am |
Fans of the English Premiere League, some new kits that have been revealed:
Arsenal
Everton
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Tottenham Hotspur
#32 by todd krevanchi on 05.02.07 9:26 am |
ok, so you guys know i actually like the wnba (read, i like sue bird and she plays in this league).
the teams always obeyed templates. i think there were 4 different uni templates used for the last 4 years. no only 1 basic template. i think it all comes down to cost.
when a team goes on a major uni overhaul, (im assuming, but correct me if im wrong) they would hire a company for the sole purpose of color and design. the nba, nfl, and mlb teams individually can all afford this cost. i would assume that the cost to individually overhaul ALL of the teams would be astronomical versus, creating a blank template universal for all teams… but again, im assuming.
There are a lot of odd things in this photo, but the one that interests me most is that the ump is wearing his uni number on his ball bag.
god did i laugh at that sentence!
#33 by Christopher "fuegote" on 05.02.07 9:28 am |
EPL kits link (didn’t post it earlier)
http://eplleague.blo...
#34 by Mark in Shiga on 05.02.07 9:29 am |
Beau, uniformity within a team is very different from the idea of uniformity across teams, which is what you seem to be proposing. I’d much rather see the players have loyalty for their own teams than for a larger entity that includes their rivals. Should the US military design their uniforms with the same template as, say, France?
#35 by scott on 05.02.07 9:32 am |
In defense of the Marlins untucking their jerseys after games, the Marlins have a lot of young players and I guess that’s the cool thing to do. I mean, after a basketball game, the first thing I do is untuck my jersey.
I don’t particularly like the practice of untucking jerseys, but it seems that the criticism is akin to Buck Showalter complaining about Ken Griffey Jr. wearing his cap backwards. Or the complaints about hot dogging during home run trots (which seemed to be more common when there were more black ballplayers). If people want one explanation for why the number of blacks in baseball is declining, it could be because they are coming under constant criticism for the way they approach the game and their fashion sense (haven’t Dontrelle Willis and CC Sabatahia both been blasted for the way they wear their caps?)
#36 by Paul Lukas on 05.02.07 9:33 am |
No.
#37 by Paul Lukas on 05.02.07 9:35 am |
That is a really smart analysis, and I wish it had occurred to me. Thanks, Mark!
#38 by TexasDDS on 05.02.07 9:36 am |
I hate the wnba. It would have folded a long time ago if it was not heavily subsidized by the NBA. And I love how most arenas put black drapes covering the second decks of the arenas, and only show certain camera angles to make you think the place is packed, when in reality there are 4-5K there. Come to think of it, the NCAA does the same thing with the women’s b-ball tournament, except for the final four.
#39 by Swift on 05.02.07 9:41 am |
1. If each WNBA team’s color/theme is modeled after the NBA team in the same city, what happens when an NBA team jumps ship and moves to another city? Does the WNBA team follow?
2. If I were a WNBA fan in San Antonio or Hoston, I’d be showing up at the league office with a torch. Horrible. Laughable. They look like fake “girly” jerseys they made up to appeal to women at NBA games. Sorta like all those pink hats for all the teams.
3. For the record, WNBA games are fun to go to. I occasionaly catch a Mystics game here in DC. The crowd is a delightful mix of lesbians, African American families, and school kids. It has a good vibe. The game is, at least, mildly entertaining. Seriously, you should check it out, especially if you have kids. That being said, I couldn’t name a single Mystics player.
#40 by Ian K on 05.02.07 9:42 am |
I went to the TCU-Baylor baseball game last night and noticed a few uni issues. First, on the cover of the program, TCU’s away jerseys are gray with purple pinstripes and “Frogs” written in the same font/style as Toronto’s “Jays” uniforms.
Second, Baylor’s away uniforms are overly trendy. I noticed 3 MLB uni trends, all in one game’s uniform. 1) They didn’t have gray pants, they have sand-colored pants, like the Padres. 2) Full color alt-jersey top. 3) BLACK alt jersey top when black is not a color you think of when Baylor Bears comes to mind.
And I hate to be that “sorry no pics” guy but I have to be. I walked down to the Baylor dugout and my digital camera, on its last legs, finally decided to not work. So call me “that guy”…
#41 by Swift on 05.02.07 9:46 am |
Yeah, and men’s college baseball, and men’s pro lacrosse, and . . . any “men’s” sport other than the big four.
#42 by Jonathon on 05.02.07 9:48 am |
I also think the name-under-the-number policy might be due to the increasing popularity of women’s jerseys that are racerback style; just no room above the number for the name. Racerback jerseys are popular in college right now, but it can’t be long before you see them in the WNBA.
#43 by Mike on 05.02.07 9:50 am |
That Federer-Nadal clay/grass court is cool, but any idea why it cost $1.63 million to build? Is tennis clay embedded with tiny gold nuggets or something?
#44 by todd krevanchi on 05.02.07 9:50 am |
like taj mcwilliams-franklin
http://cache.gettyim...
http://cache.gettyim...
http://cache.gettyim...
http://cache.gettyim...
#45 by Robert on 05.02.07 9:51 am |
Checking out the Baylor website, I see the “gold” alts. http://baylorbears.c... If it wasn’t for the armpit stripes and out-of-place piping, I would like them.
At first glance, I did not see any photos of the black-and-sand atrocities that you mentioned. Boo to Baylor for incorporating both of those colors, though. Maybe it is for the best that you were not able to get any photos, Ian.
#46 by DJ on 05.02.07 9:52 am |
I mean, c’mon, what is this? Or this?
The first one is the Sacramento Monarchs, which seems to be using something from the monarch butterfly that is in their logo. The second is the LA Sparks, which is using the top of the palm tree that is in their logo.
#47 by Kurt on 05.02.07 9:53 am |
How about Natalie Gulbis?
http://www.golftoday...
#48 by Sage Confucius on 05.02.07 9:56 am |
Obviously you have never attended a game at a top-notch women’s basketball school. Until the past few years it was the women’s teams at schools like Tennessee, Texas and Texas Tech that sold out the arenas. Not the men’s programs.
#49 by Richard on 05.02.07 10:00 am |
Love to the Sue Bird!
And the WNBA Uniforms I think could work, because they’ve always followed templates. Plus, the league promotes its players to their target audience, and if you haven’t noticed, there are probably more young women picking up a basketball in your neighborhoods.
#50 by Rick Smith on 05.02.07 10:05 am |
Your comment about non-switch-hitters wearing double-ear-flapped batting helmets reminds me that Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo wears a double-flapped helmet when he hits. It’s an odd sight, to say the least.
#51 by Kurt on 05.02.07 10:12 am |
Sue Bird is ok. (She is, however, great looking - for a WNBA player) I’d much rather look at the women of the LPGA, WTA, or women’s beach volleyball tour.
#52 by dpnation on 05.02.07 10:12 am |
I think the Mystics unis look pretty sharp, kind of inspired by the old Bullets design but in the updated Wizards/Mystics colors. Speaking of which, which DC teams are going back to red and blue? Is that only the Caps?
#53 by Richard on 05.02.07 10:15 am |
Sue is also a hell of a player. Multiple All-Star games, at or near the top of the APG every year, USA Basketball team member, Olympic Gold Medalist, and the list goes on…
#54 by Jason on 05.02.07 10:15 am |
Case in point. I’m a die hard Louisville men’s basketball fan and went to watch them play at Tennessee a few years back (pre-Bruce Pearl). Our seats were at the top of the arena right in front of a big, black curtain. I peeled it back a little to reveal another 10 rows of seats. I asked the person next to me what that was all about and they said they only open up those seats for women’s games.
#55 by Rich on 05.02.07 10:16 am |
At the risk of asking a dumb question, but if the Sonics move (to Vegas, or Oklahoma, or wherever) do the Storm move too?
#56 by dpnation on 05.02.07 10:20 am |
Just because I don’t find Steve Nash attractive, doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a Sun’s game. I’m not a fan of the double standard that female athletes need to be hot (and athletic) in order for a sport to be popular.
#57 by TD on 05.02.07 10:24 am |
I would think the WNBA would consciously try to avoid maternity wear, but what do I know?
Meanwhile, Mason Crosby’s double-gloved holder is Nick Holz, a senior wide receiver. Thus the gloves, although he only had three catches all year on a 2-10 team, so there was probably some wishful thinking involved.
#58 by Lockbull on 05.02.07 10:24 am |
At the risk of asking a dumb question, but if the Sonics move (to Vegas, or Oklahoma, or wherever) do the Storm move too?
The Charlotte Sting stuck it out there between the Hornets departure and Bobcats arrival. Also the Connecticut Sun does not share an arena with an NBA team.
#59 by todd krevanchi on 05.02.07 10:25 am |
yes. the ownership group owns both teams. this is the case for most of the teams.
#60 by tape on 05.02.07 10:25 am |
you know.
those uniforms almost kinda look good… except when the Pittsburgh Pirates are wearing them. the Pirates should not have any red in their uniform at all; Their colors are black and yellow, therefore all they should be using is black, yellow and white.
that’s a really good pic though.
#61 by Stu on 05.02.07 10:28 am |
according to the lions website, it looks like calvin johnson will be wearing 81. I think it would have been cool to wear 12 since he can’t wear 21 in the NFL.
http://www.detroitli...
and even though its not official yet it looks like numbers have been determined for other guys like ginn, brown, lynch, okoye and some more. i’d guess that these will be thier numbers b/c wouldn’t they just have #1 jerseys otherwise. especially for jerseys with a number change like ginn’s 7 to 11
http://www.nflshop.c...
#62 by Swift on 05.02.07 10:35 am |
God I hope they’re all going back to red/blue. If any team deserves to wear red/white/blue (which, patriotism aside, is awesome color combo) its the teams in the nations capital. Now, if I could just the get the Skins to switch colors. . . Seriously though, EVERYONE wears a Nats cap in this town and no one (except on game day) wears Skins, Wiz, or Caps stuff. Thats b/c those three teams have horrible color scheme/logo. Who over the age of 12 wants to something based on this. Get real. Or seriously, how many people have a non-Skins shirt in their closet with a maroon and gold color scheme? Theres a reason for that. I’ve rooted for years for one of those native american copyright suits to succeed, just so we could get a decent theme.
#63 by tape on 05.02.07 10:35 am |
#64 by Mike on 05.02.07 10:36 am |
I can’t understand why the rest of the Pirates organization can’t see that. If they bring those back next year I would be surprised. I have mixed emotions on the pinstripes as well……
#65 by Clevo on 05.02.07 10:36 am |
until those Arsenal jerseys appear on their site, I am not believing they are real.
I don’t mind if they go to a white kit as an alt or 2nd even if that is Tottenham’s color. If only to make Tottenham wear an alt when we play them.
Honestly, I’d like to see them go to an away/ alt kit like the original SEGA yellow kit. The red JVC kit will always be my favorite though. (old crest included)
#66 by Kelley on 05.02.07 10:36 am |
Not the main point of discussion, but isn’t it interesting how officials distance themselves from comments like those made by Todd Jones in 2003 about the prospect of a gay ballplayer? The Colorado Rockies, Jones’s team that year, said that they totally disagreed with his opinions. Of course, everyone in a position of power in this diverse country would say the same thing in the 21st century. But actions speak louder than words, and Jones’s bigotry bears this out. His most insightful comment (though I don’t think he intended it to be so insightful) was that a gay player had better hit 50 HR or win 20 games, or management will run him out of town for being a distraction. The fact of the matter is, conservative estimates put the homosexual population at about 10%. That means that there are, without a doubt, gay ballplayers, RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE! But can you name me one? Exactly.
Thus, Jones was right. No one comes out while active, because to do so would be to voluntarily bear a cross (and have to listen to the screeds of ‘men’ like Jones). Jackie Robinson didn’t have much choice in the issue; his difference was written on his skin. Gay players have the option of hiding their identities, of choosing to avoid the burden of being a “first.” And so it remains that, in the public consciousness at least, there are no gay professional team-sport athletes (except John Amaechi, of course). And since no athlete would be masochistic enough to don the burden of breaking the sexuality barrier, front offices can continue issuing platitudes while men like Jones (of whom I was a big fan until reading this article) are free to spew hatred towards individuals who have done nothing to earn it.
So thanks for saying the truth, Todd Jones, John Rocker, Tim Hardaway, all you honestly bigoted souls. And shame on executives mumbling about diversity while avoiding the fact that their locker rooms are built on homophobia, misogyny, and racism. Perhaps one day, another Branch Rickey will come along and realize the shame that is this secret. Perhaps Mark Cuban will be that guy; he’s already said it would be a million-dollar move for a pro athlete to come out. Remember, Rickey didn’t select Jackie Robinson out of some moral duty to break down the color barrier; he did it because he thought Jackie Robinson could sell tickets.
#67 by tape on 05.02.07 10:38 am |
not quite sure what happened with the italics in comment #63.
my response was:
I’m sorry, did you just suggest that a Major League baseball team wear black pants?
need you be reminded of this idiocy?
#68 by Mike on 05.02.07 10:47 am |
I think it was two years ago the Pirates brought back the yellow jersey, black pants combo for a “turn back the clock” night….sweet
#69 by My Name is Not Earl on 05.02.07 10:48 am |
Vanderbilt is wearing black pants now, and they’re the #1 college baseball team in the country.
Just as long as nobody ever decides to wear the gold-on-gold baseball unis Florida State wore in the mid-80s. I’m still looking for pictures of those, by the way . . .
#70 by MH on 05.02.07 10:49 am |
I was dismayed to see that the monkey has also adopted the pajama pants look…
Me too.
#71 by bj in gainesville on 05.02.07 10:49 am |
re: holders wearing gloves
I’m 99% sure Jeff Samardzija wore gloves as the holder for Notre Dame last season. I can see the reasoning: why have your punter or 2nd QB hold when you can use your All-American WR?
I’d look for a pic, but I’ve got 3 finals today…
#72 by Mike on 05.02.07 10:53 am |
This turn back the clock uni, not so sweet…terrible pinstripes…
http://www.post-gaze...
#73 by dpnation on 05.02.07 10:53 am |
I totally agree. I find it interesting that the NCAA has been so adamantly abolishing the Indian inspired teams (Seminoles, Illini - many of which are ‘approved’ by the respective tribes), yet the most offensive teams are all in professional sports - Redskins, Indians (Cleveland’s red faced cartoon mascot), Braves tomahawk chop, etc. The fact that the Redskins reside in our nations capital is beyond me!
#74 by Quint on 05.02.07 10:57 am |
I don’t think the numbers of black ballplayers are declining because some people don’t like it when they untuck their shirts after a game, or wear their caps crooked. I’ve always assumed the number of African-Americans, as well as caucasians(although I have no idea if those numbers have changed or not) is due to the increase in players of Latin and Asian descent.
Black players aren’t the only ones who untuck their jerseys, or wear their hats crooked, or wear pajama pants. And just yesterday in the comments section, someone put Juan Pierre’s name forward as the Uni-Watch poster boy for the way he wears his uniform (particularly his pants).
#75 by Marty Met on 05.02.07 10:57 am |
#76 by devijet on 05.02.07 10:58 am |
I dont’ know if all you “Ditch the Black” backers noticed, but the Mets lost again in the blue hats. I believe they are now 0 - 3 wearing blue.
Time to start a “Ditch the Blue” website????
#77 by Mike on 05.02.07 10:58 am |
At one point there was supposed to be an Arena Football team playing at the Verizon Center. They were supposed to be the Washington Warriors and their uni’s were going to match the old Redskins “arrow helmet” design. Nothing ever came of that…….
#78 by todd krevanchi on 05.02.07 11:01 am |
perhaps the golf post has something to do with the fact that NIKE guys tiger woods and michael jordan were paired together this morning in their first organized round ever.
#79 by tim b on 05.02.07 11:02 am |
Two things:
WNBA - The Cleveland Rockers went defunct a second after the Cavs “won” the lottery in 2003. The Gunds had no use for the team anymore, couldn’t find a buyer, and the WNBA did a dispersal draft.
I got an email from nflshop.com about the jerseys, if it works, here’s the graphic that was used in it. Interesting that Brady Quinn is the featured jersey of the 4, unless that was send that way since I’m probably registered on that list as a Browns fan:
http://cdn.rsys1.net...
#80 by douglas on 05.02.07 11:04 am |
True, and he didn’t even try to make it look different, knowing it would help convince the league, who was already selling thousands of tickets to black people but still kept them off the field. Then a few decades later, general hypocrisy made the society rewrite the history as it’s known today.
#81 by Mike on 05.02.07 11:07 am |
The ones who can’t wear their hats straight are left handed pitchers…..anyone else ever notice this? Doesn’t matter what color skin they have, the hat is always crooked……weird….
#82 by Dave S on 05.02.07 11:11 am |
I saw this old Sports Illusatrated cover today and I noticed the guy from the Bullets is wearing a totally different jersey than Elvin Hayes. Blue shorts and there is no logo or number on the front. Weird…
#83 by Christopher "fuegote" on 05.02.07 11:13 am |
Liverpool’s away kit for next year:
http://bp0.blogger.c...
#84 by Matt Dub on 05.02.07 11:14 am |
SI.com has this picture from a cover from the 1978 Eastern Conference Finals and Elvin Hayes is wearing a completely different jersey than his teammate in the background.
http://sportsillustr...
#85 by bj in gainesville on 05.02.07 11:17 am |
Paul’s just mad because they beat the Mets at Shea last night. The “untucking” incident is Paul’s personal equivalent of the “T.O. Dallas Star” episode.
#86 by todd krevanchi on 05.02.07 11:23 am |
“so thats 1 tuck, and 1 no tuck.”
#87 by Peter G on 05.02.07 11:23 am |
“There are a lot of odd things in this photo, but the one that interests me most is that the ump is wearing his uni number on his ball bag (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm).”
Yeah, am I the only one uncomfortable with clicking on a picture of an umpire’s ball bag?
#88 by Shaftman on 05.02.07 11:23 am |
As a Mets fan I look at this more as an age thing. Last year, after every game, Jose Reyes and Cliff Floyd would both do the “untuck” but for some reason it bothered me more to see Floyd do it than Reyes.
#89 by Shaftman on 05.02.07 11:24 am |
Yes, George.
#90 by Perry on 05.02.07 11:24 am |
Note that the site says in one way or another that most of these are unofficial and may or may not be real. He specifically cautions as much about the Arsenal white away shirt.
#91 by John Kuczaj on 05.02.07 11:24 am |
Hey! Let’s keep the language clean in this blog!
The appropriate term is “testicles”.
#92 by Rob on 05.02.07 11:25 am |
Actually, I think that the Kings road jersey is based on the Monarchs road jersey, not vice versa.