Boston College unveiled their new football uniforms this weekend, as Jolonn Dunbar, No. 40, unveiled his new hairdo and Matt Ryan, No. 12, unveiled his recently pumped-up biceps. –Vince
I thought they were going to adidas? Anyways, the numerials makes the jerseys looks Arena-League-ish. But the color combination is great. And I never understood what the problem with all-white football jerseys was. I think it looks sharp.
I thought they were going to adidas? Anyways, the numerials makes the jerseys looks Arena-League-ish. But the color combination is great. And I never understood what the problem with all-white football jerseys was. I think it looks sharp.
Aren’t Adidas and Reebok the same company anyways?
And whats wrong with the Arena League?!?!? Damnit!
Retired Numbers: You always tell Yankee haters: They are the ones always sniffing about the Yanks retiring so many numbers. I can think of maybe only a couple of retired numbers that MAY be a little much: 44 and 49…Otherwise, an EXCELLENT case can be made for every other number:
1: might borderline to some, but not to Yankee fans 3,4,5,7, both 8s are you kidding? 9: not just for one year – he was the co-cornerstone of five pennant winners in a row 10 another no-brainer 15 RIP 16 come on…is this even necessary to explain? 23 Donnie Baseball..and he isn’t done in Yankee history yet 32 When Ellie broke the YANKEE color line, it was almost as significant as Jackie and Doby..plus one hell of a ballplayer, and was one of the people who helped keep the late 70s Yanks from tearing apart. 37 are you KIDDING??
When I made the comment yesterday that some teams go overboard with the retired numbers, I didn’t even have the Yankees in mind. I was thinking about the Celtics, or a football team that retires #12 for the fans, or a team that makes up a number for an owner or coach that never wore a number (the Angels retiring #26 for Gene Autry, for example).
The worst example of excess, however, is the Devil Rays retiring Wade Boggs’ number.
Vince, come on. Something had to have happened in Cleveland that you could have written about. Why the coverage of sports in general? I come here for all my Cleveland sports needs, and then I have to read this national BS. Your game is slipping!
Retired Numbers: You always tell Yankee haters: They are the ones always sniffing about the Yanks retiring so many numbers. I can think of maybe only a couple of retired numbers that MAY be a little much: 44 and 49…Otherwise, an EXCELLENT case can be made for every other number:
1: might borderline to some, but not to Yankee fans 3,4,5,7, both 8s are you kidding? 9: not just for one year – he was the co-cornerstone of five pennant winners in a row 10 another no-brainer 15 RIP 16 come on…is this even necessary to explain? 23 Donnie Baseball..and he isn’t done in Yankee history yet 32 When Ellie broke the YANKEE color line, it was almost as significant as Jackie and Doby..plus one hell of a ballplayer, and was one of the people who helped keep the late 70s Yanks from tearing apart. 37 are you KIDDING??
and the Celtics are the same…
I think you just supported at least one argument FOR “Yankee Haters Everywhere.”
I’m suprized that you failed to mention how many championships the Yankees have won and how George can spend his money any way that he wants.
By the way, it would have been nice for you have added a “are you kidding me?” for #42, which you omitted.
Aside from the 4, I like BC’s font. It’s proprietary and consistent through all the sports teams.
I think the black helped the numbers pop out more. Gold against white is not the easiest to read, and the black defines the characters and shapes better.
The discussion of the last few days has lead me to ask the following … If any member of the following list left retirement and came back to coach in The Show, what number would they wear?:
Mike Jackson
Scott Karl
Lenny Webster
Tom Goodwin
Marc Sagmoen
(Sure, I left out a couple notable examples, but adding those names wouldn’t have been any fun)
The discussion of the last few days has lead me to ask the following … If any member of the following list left retirement and came back to coach in The Show, what number would they wear?:
Mike Jackson
Scott Karl
Lenny Webster
Tom Goodwin
Marc Sagmoen
(Sure, I left out a couple notable examples, but adding those names wouldn’t have been any fun)
I kinda feel like coaches and managers shouldn’t get numbers anyway. Make ‘em like batboys: M for manager, C for Coach, Z for Don Zimmer (I don’t really know what he does)
The discussion of the last few days has lead me to ask the following … If any member of the following list left retirement and came back to coach in The Show, what number would they wear?:
Mike Jackson
Scott Karl
Lenny Webster
Tom Goodwin
Marc Sagmoen
(Sure, I left out a couple notable examples, but adding those names wouldn’t have been any fun)
I kinda feel like coaches and managers shouldn’t get numbers anyway. Make ‘em like batboys: M for manager, C for Coach, Z for Don Zimmer (I don’t really know what he does)
Once again, another damn fine uniform update. Boston College kept a very unique and traditional look with the number font. 2 for 2 the past couple days. Yesterday was Tulane, and today is Boston College. the designers of the new WVU and Miami(Fla)football jerseys should take note.
ps- by “designers” i mean the individual person involved, not nike itself.
pps- what logo is on the sleeve of the new BC football jerseys? i couldnt find a picture
Did anyone else catch Jason Varitek going up to bat with the wrong-flap helmet last night?
No, I didn’t, because Fox in all of its money-grubbing stupidity blacked me out, even though we pay an assload of money every year for Extra Innings, and the local Fox channel here was showing me the Cards game.
They wonder why their ratings are so terrible every October. Hmm, could it be because the games aren’t scheduled to start until 8, but then are pushed back to 8:30 or 9 cause of all the Fox gimmicks? Or because they have JOE BUCK AND TIM MCCARVER CALLING GAMES?! Or Slider, the cartoon that explains to you how a pitch works? Why not just hire Orel Hershiser? Oh wait, cause that would be catering too much to the fan who actually knows and cares about baseball. No no, we want the fan who cares about which celebrity is sitting in the owners boxes or when the next episode of “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” will be on.
Sorry, I just hate hate hate hate hate hate MLB on Fox.
Hey guys,
I know it’s late, it’s really late back east, but I saw something I loved! I was watching TV tonight, and saw the new LT Nike Zoom Commercail. I know someone else out there has seen this one. It shows LT in the new Chargers uni, and shows some good angles of it. But the point is, the NIKE guys LEFT all the RBK logo’s on the unis, so even though they were promoting their shoes, they were throwing free support out there for their biggest rivals!!!! Loved it, someone grab that!
here is a video ofit and I know someone can get it
I don’t think Nike had much of a choice. They either had to have the player/actors wear Reebok uniforms or generic Nike uniforms. I think they went with the Reebok uniforms for a few reasons: They are trying to showcase that the shoes are being worn by pro athletes in-game; you can’t exactly see the faces of players in football gear (hence showcasing #21 in a Chargers uni is so valuble); and if someone wants a Chargers jersey or helmet, Nike can’t do much for them anyway.
Remember that Nike didn’t make the jersey for every (or possibly any) in-game shot of Michael Jordan in his commercials, either.
that’s my point, they should have done something, like not show the RBK logo. I’m not saying there dumb for not putting the actors in generic unis, I’m saying they could have done better to not show the RBK logo, like slowing down the footage when LT spins and you can clearly see the logo right there on the shoulder.
Did anyone else catch Jason Varitek going up to bat with the wrong-flap helmet last night?
No, I didn’t, because Fox in all of its money-grubbing stupidity blacked me out, even though we pay an assload of money every year for Extra Innings, and the local Fox channel here was showing me the Cards game.
They wonder why their ratings are so terrible every October. Hmm, could it be because the games aren’t scheduled to start until 8, but then are pushed back to 8:30 or 9 cause of all the Fox gimmicks? Or because they have JOE BUCK AND TIM MCCARVER CALLING GAMES?! Or Slider, the cartoon that explains to you how a pitch works? Why not just hire Orel Hershiser? Oh wait, cause that would be catering too much to the fan who actually knows and cares about baseball. No no, we want the fan who cares about which celebrity is sitting in the owners boxes or when the next episode of “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” will be on.
Sorry, I just hate hate hate hate hate hate MLB on Fox.
Please tell me I’m not alone?
Not by any means … I’m with you. Unfortunately, I don’t think the stupidity in baseball broadcasting is limited to RM’s group. I’m a Cub fan – a life-long bleacher bum. I moved to St. Louis 11 years ago to get married, which I figured wouldn’t cause too many “Cub Fan” problems thanks to Superstation WGN. I could be wrong, but I think their down to about one game broadcast every 3 months, whether or not they want to. I guess they’re able to get better ratings with Matlock and Murder She Wrote (hint: Wherever a woman goes, death follows … it’s not coincidence) reruns.
Did anyone else catch Jason Varitek going up to bat with the wrong-flap helmet last night?
No, I didn’t, because Fox in all of its money-grubbing stupidity blacked me out, even though we pay an assload of money every year for Extra Innings, and the local Fox channel here was showing me the Cards game.
They wonder why their ratings are so terrible every October. Hmm, could it be because the games aren’t scheduled to start until 8, but then are pushed back to 8:30 or 9 cause of all the Fox gimmicks? Or because they have JOE BUCK AND TIM MCCARVER CALLING GAMES?! Or Slider, the cartoon that explains to you how a pitch works? Why not just hire Orel Hershiser? Oh wait, cause that would be catering too much to the fan who actually knows and cares about baseball. No no, we want the fan who cares about which celebrity is sitting in the owners boxes or when the next episode of “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” will be on.
Sorry, I just hate hate hate hate hate hate MLB on Fox.
Please tell me I’m not alone?
Not by any means … I’m with you. Unfortunately, I don’t think the stupidity in baseball broadcasting is limited to RM’s group. I’m a Cub fan – a life-long bleacher bum. I moved to St. Louis 11 years ago to get married, which I figured wouldn’t cause too many “Cub Fan” problems thanks to Superstation WGN. I could be wrong, but I think their down to about one game broadcast every 3 months, whether or not they want to. I guess they’re able to get better ratings with Matlock and Murder She Wrote (hint: Wherever a woman goes, death follows … it’s not coincidence) reruns.
Getting off the soapbox now …
Mark Cuban, Take Me AWAY!!!!
Oooh, a Cubs fan in St. Louis. I go to school at SLU, and about to take up permanent residence after I graduate in May, and some Cards fans are nasty. Not as bad as Sox and Yanks fans, but still. Personally, the Cards are my NL team, but I hold no animocity towards the Cubs… being a life-long Red Sox fan, I more or less understand your pain.
Did anyone else catch Jason Varitek going up to bat with the wrong-flap helmet last night?
No, I didn’t, because Fox in all of its money-grubbing stupidity blacked me out, even though we pay an assload of money every year for Extra Innings, and the local Fox channel here was showing me the Cards game.
They wonder why their ratings are so terrible every October. Hmm, could it be because the games aren’t scheduled to start until 8, but then are pushed back to 8:30 or 9 cause of all the Fox gimmicks? Or because they have JOE BUCK AND TIM MCCARVER CALLING GAMES?! Or Slider, the cartoon that explains to you how a pitch works? Why not just hire Orel Hershiser? Oh wait, cause that would be catering too much to the fan who actually knows and cares about baseball. No no, we want the fan who cares about which celebrity is sitting in the owners boxes or when the next episode of “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” will be on.
Sorry, I just hate hate hate hate hate hate MLB on Fox.
Please tell me I’m not alone?
I’m with you too Rob. I can’t stand the stupid sound and visual effects, and all the idiotic gimmicks Fox puts on during its baseball broadcasts. I hear you about the celebrity thing too.
It’s gotten that way with MNF too, with them bringing in a celebrity to the booth to talk about his/her career and how big of a fan they are of the team playing. Then the celebrity tries to start being all funny and instead sounds like an idiot, which makes me mute the TV and listen to Boomer Esiason on AM radio instead.
I’m really disliking national broadcasts of baseball and football. Of course the networks don’t care about guys like us because they want to draw in the casual fan. Groan.
Did anyone else catch Jason Varitek going up to bat with the wrong-flap helmet last night?
No, I didn’t, because Fox in all of its money-grubbing stupidity blacked me out, even though we pay an assload of money every year for Extra Innings, and the local Fox channel here was showing me the Cards game.
They wonder why their ratings are so terrible every October. Hmm, could it be because the games aren’t scheduled to start until 8, but then are pushed back to 8:30 or 9 cause of all the Fox gimmicks? Or because they have JOE BUCK AND TIM MCCARVER CALLING GAMES?! Or Slider, the cartoon that explains to you how a pitch works? Why not just hire Orel Hershiser? Oh wait, cause that would be catering too much to the fan who actually knows and cares about baseball. No no, we want the fan who cares about which celebrity is sitting in the owners boxes or when the next episode of “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” will be on.
Sorry, I just hate hate hate hate hate hate MLB on Fox.
Please tell me I’m not alone?
Not by any means … I’m with you. Unfortunately, I don’t think the stupidity in baseball broadcasting is limited to RM’s group. I’m a Cub fan – a life-long bleacher bum. I moved to St. Louis 11 years ago to get married, which I figured wouldn’t cause too many “Cub Fan” problems thanks to Superstation WGN. I could be wrong, but I think their down to about one game broadcast every 3 months, whether or not they want to. I guess they’re able to get better ratings with Matlock and Murder She Wrote (hint: Wherever a woman goes, death follows … it’s not coincidence) reruns.
Getting off the soapbox now …
Mark Cuban, Take Me AWAY!!!!
Oooh, a Cubs fan in St. Louis. I go to school at SLU, and about to take up permanent residence after I graduate in May, and some Cards fans are nasty. Not as bad as Sox and Yanks fans, but still. Personally, the Cards are my NL team, but I hold no animocity towards the Cubs… being a life-long Red Sox fan, I more or less understand your pain.
Of course the networks don’t care about guys like us because they want to draw in the casual fan. Groan.
Bingo. The casual fan. I’ve always called MLB on Fox “Baseball for the Non-Baseball fan.” It’s absolutely ridiculous, and I can’t believe they have the World Series until 2013. It’s just bad broadcasting all around.
What grinds my gears worst, though, are those Saturday Games of the Week. I’m a Sox fan living in Louisville, who goes to school in St. Louis. My only options are DirecTV (here at home) and MLB.TV (at school). Fox buys 3-4 games a week, and blacks out all other providers (DirecTV and MLB.TV) from all 3-4 of those games, then gives you only 1 game depending on your region. WTF?! I pay money to see those games, and they can’t realize that I am out of the Red Sox region, thus should give me the game? At least when ESPN buys their Sunday night games, they only buy 1 game and show it nationwide. Fox should do the same.
I called MLB.TV once to tell them I’d been wrongfully blacked out, and they said that there was nothing they could do about it, and (I quote) “Fox pays MLB a lot of money for the exclusive rights to those games.” Thanks, Mr. Selig, for caring about your fans getting what they want.
And finally, on the good side, I don’t think all national broadcast teams are bad. For MLB, (I know a lot of people don’t like them) I love John Miller and Joe Morgan. Their voices instantly remind me of warm, lazy summer nights. And I think Orel does a great job, and so does the guy he usually works with (whose name escapes me right now). Plus, the few times I’ve watched MNF (I’m a college football guy), the guys in the booth always end up making fun of the celebrity du jour by asking him questions about his “favorite team’s” past.
By the way, it would have been nice for you have added a “are you kidding me?” for #42, which you omitted.
Are you kidding me? The Yankees still have an active #42.
I used to give tours at the Louisville Slugger Bat Factory, and I’d always start with a trivia question, and that was always my favorite to stump the crowds, particularly Yankee fans.
“In 1997, MLB retired Jackie Robinson’s number in all 30 ballparks. If you were in the bigs and wearing it, you could continue to wear it in his honor. Who is the last player still wearing #42 today?”
pps- what logo is on the sleeve of the new BC football jerseys? i couldnt find a picture
A profile of an eagle’s head. They are switching to this secondary logo, as opposed to the direct-on headshot of the eagle that BC fans call “the angry chicken.”
speaking of Boggs, didn’t the Rockies retire – and then subsequently unretire – No. 3 in honor of Dale Murphy?
And Paul, how on earth have you not done a column on retired numbers that really shouldn’t be retired?
The White Sox retired Harold Baines’ #3 before the guy even retired. He then went on to play for a few more teams in the AL, so you had him returning to Chicago with an opposing team with his number hanging in honor. Just weird.
WNT to Wear Gold Jerseys in World Cup
The American women are going for the gold — wearing gold. The U.S. women’s soccer team unveiled its new jerseys for the upcoming World Cup, and they’re stylin’. The Nike jersey is gold, with red, white and blue trimming.
U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team player Lindsay TarpleyThe new gold uniform is a confident celebration of the team, and statement of intent, as the #1 ranked team in the world continues its’ Summer Send Off Tour and journey to the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China.
“This is a statement Nike and the rest of us are taking on,” scoring leader Abby Wambach said at the first public showing of the uniform. “We believe we can win the World Cup. Seeing how we’re No. 1 in the world, we’re going into this tournament with all the confidence in the world.”
Head Coach, Greg Ryan, has assembled a highly talented and focused team with many new faces to provide a successful blend of experience and youth. The team comprises a mixture of players who have never competed in a World Cup, players who already possess Olympic gold medals and success hungry players who helped put together a remarkable string of results.
Four years ago, the Americans lost to Germany in the semifinals of the World Cup, which was moved from China to the United States because of the SARS epidemic. That defeat remains a driving force for the veterans of that game, including Wambach, who still blames herself for Germany’s first goal.
Since that defeat, the Americans have won nearly every match, including the 2004 Olympics, where they beat Brazil in the final. The team epitomizes excellence in sport and the players serve as role models for today’s youth and aspiring athletes.
Available to the public for $60, the jerseys also will be used in next year’s Olympics.
Details:
The primary shirt features a solid gold torso, the first time the U.S. women have worn anything but red, white or blue as their primary color. The new kit has a gold-outlined U.S. Soccer crest over the left chest and a gold collar, and features white and blue trim on the right sleeve and red and blue trim on the left sleeve.
The second jersey is white with red and blue trim on the top of the sleeves.
The gold jersey will be worn with blue shorts and socks with gold trim when it debuts Saturday. The white jersey will be worn with white or blue shorts with white socks that are trimmed in the other colors of the uniform.
The Americans open the World Cup on Sept. 11 2007 against North Korea.
Yes, the Eagle head is eerily similar to a Philadelphia franchise, but that really is my only disagreement with these jerseys. If you want to know its origin, check out the Eagle head that actually is on the primary “interlock” BC logo. This secondary logo was also on the shorts of the basketball unis last spring.
The helmets are not changing, and these uniforms are clearly designed with the helmets in mind. The maroon piping on both the white and gold pants is designed to directly mimic the helmet pattern.
And the slanty numbers are part of the entire BC Athletics font. It is consistent in all of the uniforms across the sports. BC also will unlikely change from RBK to Adidas (even though I believe they are the last DIA school left with the tic-tac-toe) because of an alumni relationship with the company which is based down the road from Chestnut Hill.
Retired Numbers: You always tell Yankee haters: They are the ones always sniffing about the Yanks retiring so many numbers. I can think of maybe only a couple of retired numbers that MAY be a little much: 44 and 49…Otherwise, an EXCELLENT case can be made for every other number:
1: might borderline to some, but not to Yankee fans
23 Donnie Baseball..and he isn’t done in Yankee history yet
Donnie Baseball? are you kidding? He was OK for like 4 years, but they couldn’t win win a thing when he was playing… come to think of it they haven’t won a damn thing since he came back as coach. L-O-S-E-R
Major OHIO STATE Uni Change:
Just was looking through the pictures of this years tOSU media photo day and found a huge change. Last year, you may remember pictures like this with all the nike swooshes on the white socks. well, this year, they have went to these black socks. I know, small steps, but hey, that’s what we are all about here
By the way, it would have been nice for you have added a “are you kidding me?” for #42, which you omitted.
Are you kidding me? The Yankees still have an active #42.
The issue is that the Yankees waited 10 years to acknowledge Jackie Robinson in Monument Park, and even when it finally happened, it was on a Tuesday and not promoted like a regular Yankee number retirement ceremony.
Is there any hope that the Vikings will have a retro jersey this year? I’ve seen quite a few pics from Training Camp where they’re wearing helmets with the old horn logo (which they had every year before last year) and gray facemasks.
Anything would be a step up from what they’re wearing now…
Retired Numbers: You always tell Yankee haters: They are the ones always sniffing about the Yanks retiring so many numbers. I can think of maybe only a couple of retired numbers that MAY be a little much: 44 and 49…Otherwise, an EXCELLENT case can be made for every other number:
1: might borderline to some, but not to Yankee fans 3,4,5,7, both 8s are you kidding? 9: not just for one year – he was the co-cornerstone of five pennant winners in a row 10 another no-brainer 15 RIP 16 come on…is this even necessary to explain? 23 Donnie Baseball..and he isn’t done in Yankee history yet 32 When Ellie broke the YANKEE color line, it was almost as significant as Jackie and Doby..plus one hell of a ballplayer, and was one of the people who helped keep the late 70s Yanks from tearing apart. 37 are you KIDDING??
and the Celtics are the same…
Several comments from a self-professed Mets fan and reasonable person:
1) I don’t even know who Bill Dickey (one of the 8’s) is. If someone’s number is retired, shouldn’t they have been so good that everyone at least knows their name.
2) If Rizzuto (10) hadn’t been a broadcaster, would he still be as beloved?
3) If Thurman (15) wouldn’t have died so suddenly, would you still think his number should be retired, or are you pretending that had he not died, he would have lived up to his potential?
4) How many championships did Mattingly (23) win with the team? He was a favorite of mine growing up, truth be told, but was he as great as Ruth/Gehrig/Mantle?
“In 1997, MLB retired Jackie Robinson’s number in all 30 ballparks. If you were in the bigs and wearing it, you could continue to wear it in his honor. Who is the last player still wearing #42 today?â€
this might have already been mentioned a while ago, but it looks the chargers are going with the white helmets this year. A mix of old and new with a slight change to the outline of the lightning bolt.
1. Rizzuto was the 1950 MVP and a five time All Star. His HOF worthiness is debatable but he was a solid shortstop in that era.
2. Bill Dickey, 10 time All Star catcher, entered the Hall Of Fame in 1954, Yogi Berra’s 8th year as a starter.
3. Elston Howard was an All Star nine straight years (1957-65) and was the 1963 MVP.
For interest and irony sake, the 1950 AL All Star Lineup looked like this:
1. Phil Rizzuto (NYY) SS
2. Larry Doby (CLE) CF
3. George Kell (DET) 3B
4. Ted Williams (BOS) LF
5. Walt Dropo* (BOS) 1B
6. Hoot Evers (DET) RF
7. Yogi Berra (NYY) C
8. Bobby Doerr (BOS) 2B
9. Vic Raschi (NYY) P
*Dropo was Rookie of the Year in 1950
the backup shortstop for the AL was Vern Stephens of the Red Sox.
Scooter’s All Star contemporaries from 1950-53 were Stephens, Chico Carrasquel of the White Sox, Eddie Joost of the A’s. Luke Appling’s final year in the bigs was 1950.
By the way, it would have been nice for you have added a “are you kidding me?” for #42, which you omitted.
Are you kidding me? The Yankees still have an active #42.
I used to give tours at the Louisville Slugger Bat Factory, and I’d always start with a trivia question, and that was always my favorite to stump the crowds, particularly Yankee fans.
“In 1997, MLB retired Jackie Robinson’s number in all 30 ballparks. If you were in the bigs and wearing it, you could continue to wear it in his honor. Who is the last player still wearing #42 today?”
I just went on that tour this week. pretty neat. They had a display after the tour about PEANUTS, with a bunch of reproduced art and old merchandise.
It’s good to see that some teams are going to these type of pant stripes. Now if we could only get Oregon to go back to an old school look with those damn football unis. Another reason I moved away from Eugene!
this might have already been mentioned a while ago, but it looks the chargers are going with the white helmets this year. A mix of old and new with a slight change to the outline of the lightning bolt.
Charger unis don’t look too bad in action; only the numerals are really objectionable. That and the fact that the new powder-blue “alternate” version of this design means the retro powder-blues go away for good, which is a shame.
I must be the only one who really likes the Seahawks unis design-wise; it’s just that they insist on going blue-over-blue that ruins it. The blue jersey would look great with the white pants, and vice-versa; the white-over-white looks good too.
Sorry if this has been covered, but I haven’t seen it. Does anyone know what’s up with the lime green dots on some NFL helmets this weekend?
This was covered a couple days ago…something about refs being able to determine with the specific helmets that only one player for each team was on the field with the ability to hear the coaches or something?
Green dots: indicate that the helmet has a sideline radio receiver in it. The NFL doesn’t want headsets on the field during special teams plays like field goals and punts because you can call a naked fake from the sideline. They also don’t want two on the field at the same time.
(Stupid rule that penalizes teams who use QBs as holders – it means they have to change helmets for special teams plays)
Chargers: just noticed the third color in the bolt (gold in the center, dark blue outline, a hint of the powder blue as an inside outline). As much as I like the theory of putting the powder blue into the mix, it makes the bolt a little too cartoonish.
The logo behind his head looks like the shoulder logo got wet and sagged. I know they’re going for some three-dimensional depth, but it looks kinda goofy.
Retired Numbers: You always tell Yankee haters: They are the ones always sniffing about the Yanks retiring so many numbers. I can think of maybe only a couple of retired numbers that MAY be a little much: 44 and 49…Otherwise, an EXCELLENT case can be made for every other number:
1: might borderline to some, but not to Yankee fans 3,4,5,7, both 8s are you kidding? 9: not just for one year – he was the co-cornerstone of five pennant winners in a row 10 another no-brainer 15 RIP 16 come on…is this even necessary to explain? 23 Donnie Baseball..and he isn’t done in Yankee history yet 32 When Ellie broke the YANKEE color line, it was almost as significant as Jackie and Doby..plus one hell of a ballplayer, and was one of the people who helped keep the late 70s Yanks from tearing apart. 37 are you KIDDING??
and the Celtics are the same…
Several comments from a self-professed Mets fan and reasonable person:
1) I don’t even know who Bill Dickey (one of the 8’s) is. If someone’s number is retired, shouldn’t they have been so good that everyone at least knows their name.
2) If Rizzuto (10) hadn’t been a broadcaster, would he still be as beloved?
3) If Thurman (15) wouldn’t have died so suddenly, would you still think his number should be retired, or are you pretending that had he not died, he would have lived up to his potential?
4) How many championships did Mattingly (23) win with the team? He was a favorite of mine growing up, truth be told, but was he as great as Ruth/Gehrig/Mantle?
5) Who is Elston Howard?
6) I thought the rest of the team hated Reggie?
Yep. The Yankees love the Yankees, don’t they?
If the Mets were as retire-happy as the neighbors, we’d have retired:
1 – Mookie Wilson
4 – Rusty Staub (and Len Dysktra, my personal favorite)
8 – Gary Carter 14 – Gil Hodges
16 – Dwight Gooden
17 – Keith Hernandez
18 – Darryl Strawberry
20 – Tommy Agee
21 – Cleon Jones
24 – Willie Mays & Rickey Henderson
31 – John Franco & Mike Piazza 37 – Casey Stengel 41 – Tom Seaver 42 – Jackie Robinson
45 – Tug McGraw
Mantles and Ruths they are not, but they sure as hell deserve the honor as much as Bill Effin Dickey!!!
There’s also this from the Giants/MLB website: Worn with the regular-uniform pant (cream at home, gray on the road), the alternate jerseys are identical in design to the regular uniforms except for the color. The Giants only wore the black uniform top for road games in 2002 and abandoned them altogether after the season.
I was hoping for a picture from a game or something. That’s what I haven’t been able to find quite yet.
an EXCELLENT case can be made for every other number:
32 When Ellie broke the YANKEE color line, it was almost as significant as Jackie and Doby..plus one hell of a ballplayer, and was one of the people who helped keep the late 70s Yanks from tearing apart.
Wait just a second. Breaking the YANKEE color line is nothing for you as a Yankee fan to be proud of.
Just as significant as Jackie? As if the Yankees, being the cornerstone franchise of baseball, have a higher standard than every one else?
That’s absolutely true, and that’s why you should be FUCKING ASHAMED Elston Howard was the first black Yankee, in 1955.
Therefore it’s your team’s RESPONSIBILITY to act like a first-class organization…. and NOT be one of the LAST franchises to integrate.
Your franchise had the chance — as baseball’s premier franchise — to make a statement to the country: That black men ARE equal to white men.
And you FAILED to be first. You failed to be second. You failed to be third. You failed to be fourth. You failed to be fifth. You failed to be sixth. You failed to be seventh. You failed to be eighth. You failed to be ninth. You failed to be 10th. You failed to be 11th. You failed to be 12th.
It took EIGHT YEARS after Jackie Robinson for the Yankees to play a black ballplayer.
Being the first Black Yankee was a huge deal. It was the symbol that even the staunches of racist organizations — like the white bread Yankees — would FINALLY cast their antiquated, ignorant, hate-filled views aside.
The fact that Elston Howard was the first black Yankee ALMOST A DECADE after Jackie Robinson, and after 12 other teams (including TWO FROM A FORMER SLAVE STATE) accepted black ballplayers is the biggest shame your organization could possibly ever have.
#91 by Vincent A. Cipollone on 08.12.07 11:07 pm |
Fox buys 3-4 games a week, and blacks out all other providers (DirecTV and MLB.TV) from all 3-4 of those games, then gives you only 1 game depending on your region. WTF?! I pay money to see those games, and they can’t realize that I am out of the Red Sox region, thus should give me the game? At least when ESPN buys their Sunday night games, they only buy 1 game and show it nationwide. Fox should do the same.
I called MLB.TV once to tell them I’d been wrongfully blacked out, and they said that there was nothing they could do about it, and (I quote) “Fox pays MLB a lot of money for the exclusive rights to those games.” Thanks, Mr. Selig, for caring about your fans getting what they want.
This is America. If you’re willing to pay for it, you should be able to watch any sporting event with a camera present.
I don’t understand why the Fox feeds from other games can’t be simulcast on Fox Sports Net affiliates — making them eligible to be on Extra Innings.
As sports fans, the biggest problem with TV rights is that there’s an antiquated law from the 1950s that prevents “over-the-air” TV stations from being sent over cable. It’s a fair law for normal programming, but needs a sports exemption.
THAT is why NFL Sunday Ticket is on DirecTV and not digital cable: because it’s illegal to put CBS, FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC and CW/WB/UPN feeds on cable. The law prevents big city affiliates from paying cable companies to put their station on out-of-market.
But the law didn’t see how it would apply to sports, because when they made it, it was years before the AFL-NFL merger.
Congress has mentioned that they want to investigate DirecTV’s “monopoly” on NFL Sunday Ticket, and MLB Extra Innings’ proposed move to DirecTV only.
Yet they fail to realize that THEIR OWN FCC LAWS are the reason that NFL Sunday Ticket HAS to be on satellite. It CANNOT be on cable, under their current laws.
They need to make a sports exemption, THEN bash the DirecTV monopoly. So all of us can shell out $150-$250 for EVERY GAME we want to see.
It’s like the Giants website said… identical except for the jersey color. They had no names on the home jerseys which said Giants on the front and names on the road jerseys which said San Francisco on the front.
It’s like the Giants website said… identical except for the jersey color. They had no names on the home jerseys which said Giants on the front and names on the road jerseys which said San Francisco on the front.
Those black Giants jerseys were TERRIBLE. Absolutely unreadable from a distance. Black numbers on a black jersey with a measly orange outline? Whose bright idea was that?
WNT to Wear Gold Jerseys in World Cup
The American women are going for the gold — wearing gold. The U.S. women’s soccer team unveiled its new jerseys for the upcoming World Cup, and they’re stylin’. The Nike jersey is gold, with red, white and blue trimming.
U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team player Lindsay TarpleyThe new gold uniform is a confident celebration of the team, and statement of intent, as the #1 ranked team in the world continues its’ Summer Send Off Tour and journey to the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China.
“This is a statement Nike and the rest of us are taking on,” scoring leader Abby Wambach said at the first public showing of the uniform. “We believe we can win the World Cup. Seeing how we’re No. 1 in the world, we’re going into this tournament with all the confidence in the world.”
Head Coach, Greg Ryan, has assembled a highly talented and focused team with many new faces to provide a successful blend of experience and youth. The team comprises a mixture of players who have never competed in a World Cup, players who already possess Olympic gold medals and success hungry players who helped put together a remarkable string of results.
Four years ago, the Americans lost to Germany in the semifinals of the World Cup, which was moved from China to the United States because of the SARS epidemic. That defeat remains a driving force for the veterans of that game, including Wambach, who still blames herself for Germany’s first goal.
Since that defeat, the Americans have won nearly every match, including the 2004 Olympics, where they beat Brazil in the final. The team epitomizes excellence in sport and the players serve as role models for today’s youth and aspiring athletes.
Available to the public for $60, the jerseys also will be used in next year’s Olympics.
Details:
The primary shirt features a solid gold torso, the first time the U.S. women have worn anything but red, white or blue as their primary color. The new kit has a gold-outlined U.S. Soccer crest over the left chest and a gold collar, and features white and blue trim on the right sleeve and red and blue trim on the left sleeve.
The second jersey is white with red and blue trim on the top of the sleeves.
The gold jersey will be worn with blue shorts and socks with gold trim when it debuts Saturday. The white jersey will be worn with white or blue shorts with white socks that are trimmed in the other colors of the uniform.
The Americans open the World Cup on Sept. 11 2007 against North Korea.
mmkay…
Whatever the reason, they’re still damn ugly.
And what’s with the quote by Abby Wambach? Who cares what statement Nike is trying to make!
Yankees retired numbers from the perspective of a Yankees fan:
If you were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame after playing more than 12 seasons with the same team, then I think that retiring numbers is a fitting honor.
(Some might argue that this is arbitrary and will look for reasons to look at media bias towards Yankees in selecting the hall of fame, but whatever.)
Anyway. The following players fit that criteria:
#8, Yogi Berra
#8, Bill Dickey
#5, Joe DiMaggio
#16, Whitey Ford
#4, Lou Gehrig
#11, Lefty Gomez (not retired)
#7, Mickey Mantle
#10, Phil Rizzuto
#15, Red Ruffing (not retired)
#3, Babe Ruth
Barely missing the (arbitrary) cut (but still in the Hall):
#37, Casey Stengel (11 years, lots of titles)
Joe McCarthy (manager for 15 years, no number)
#12/16, Herb Pennock (10 years, only wore Uni #s for 5 years)
#6, Tony Lazzeri (9 years)
#11/12 Waite Hoyt (9 years, only wore Uni #s for 2 yrs)
As for Billy Martin (#1), Reggie Jackson (#44), Ron Guidry (#49) and Thurman Munson (#15), they were selected in part for their impact on the Yankees championship teams of the 1970s. Munson I understand – he was the captain and died while still playing. The other three? Meh. Great, but worthy of having their numbers retired? Not so much. Add Don Mattingly to that list (#23). He was wonderful. He was the best thing about the Yankees in the 1980s, but that number should be re-used. I think that those numbers were retired in an attempt by Steinbrenner to connect “his” teams with the teams of the past. The retiring of Maris’s #9 was an unnecessary step taken in that same sense of connection.
Elston Howard? The man played 13 seasons, was an all-star for 9 of those seasons, and then coached for the team for 11 more seasons. He died young, (51) while still working for the team. Not a bad resume. I’m on the fence with him. He’s a tentative yes.
But still – man, there are 15 different players who spent significant time in the Bronx and then were enshrined in Cooperstown. Not too shabby. If you think a retired number is a significant tribute, then the following numbers are more than justified in being out of circulation:
3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 16, 37 (Hall of Famers)
15, 32 (tributes to keystone players)
42 (Jackie Robinson)
And legitimate cases can be made for 6 (Lazzeri), 11 (Gomez) and 12 (as a joint Hoyt/Pennock tribute).
For the sake of keeping baseball out of triple-digit numbers, the Yankees seriously should have gone with a “Wall of Honor” instead.
That’s not even considering current Yankees who might be considered for the honor. But that’s another story for another time.
Did anyone else catch Jason Varitek going up to bat with the wrong-flap helmet last night?
No, I didn’t, because Fox in all of its money-grubbing stupidity blacked me out, even though we pay an assload of money every year for Extra Innings, and the local Fox channel here was showing me the Cards game.
They wonder why their ratings are so terrible every October. Hmm, could it be because the games aren’t scheduled to start until 8, but then are pushed back to 8:30 or 9 cause of all the Fox gimmicks? Or because they have JOE BUCK AND TIM MCCARVER CALLING GAMES?! Or Slider, the cartoon that explains to you how a pitch works? Why not just hire Orel Hershiser? Oh wait, cause that would be catering too much to the fan who actually knows and cares about baseball. No no, we want the fan who cares about which celebrity is sitting in the owners boxes or when the next episode of “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” will be on.
Sorry, I just hate hate hate hate hate hate MLB on Fox.
Please tell me I’m not alone?
You’re not–BUT Joe Giradi and Kenny Albert could save that sinking ship if they got to cover more big games. It’s about the game with them, not the ego.
Did anyone else catch Jason Varitek going up to bat with the wrong-flap helmet last night?
No, I didn’t, because Fox in all of its money-grubbing stupidity blacked me out, even though we pay an assload of money every year for Extra Innings, and the local Fox channel here was showing me the Cards game.
They wonder why their ratings are so terrible every October. Hmm, could it be because the games aren’t scheduled to start until 8, but then are pushed back to 8:30 or 9 cause of all the Fox gimmicks? Or because they have JOE BUCK AND TIM MCCARVER CALLING GAMES?! Or Slider, the cartoon that explains to you how a pitch works? Why not just hire Orel Hershiser? Oh wait, cause that would be catering too much to the fan who actually knows and cares about baseball. No no, we want the fan who cares about which celebrity is sitting in the owners boxes or when the next episode of “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” will be on.
Sorry, I just hate hate hate hate hate hate MLB on Fox.
Please tell me I’m not alone?
You’re not–BUT Joe Giradi and Kenny Albert could save that sinking ship if they got to cover more big games. It’s about the game with them, not the ego.
OK. ego is the wrong word–Joe and Kenny let the game direct their announcing while others seem to dominate the game with theirs.
Retired Numbers: You always tell Yankee haters: They are the ones always sniffing about the Yanks retiring so many numbers. I can think of maybe only a couple of retired numbers that MAY be a little much: 44 and 49…Otherwise, an EXCELLENT case can be made for every other number:
1: might borderline to some, but not to Yankee fans 3,4,5,7, both 8s are you kidding? 9: not just for one year – he was the co-cornerstone of five pennant winners in a row 10 another no-brainer 15 RIP 16 come on…is this even necessary to explain? 23 Donnie Baseball..and he isn’t done in Yankee history yet 32 When Ellie broke the YANKEE color line, it was almost as significant as Jackie and Doby..plus one hell of a ballplayer, and was one of the people who helped keep the late 70s Yanks from tearing apart. 37 are you KIDDING??
and the Celtics are the same…
Several comments from a self-professed Mets fan and reasonable person:
1) I don’t even know who Bill Dickey (one of the 8’s) is. If someone’s number is retired, shouldn’t they have been so good that everyone at least knows their name.
2) If Rizzuto (10) hadn’t been a broadcaster, would he still be as beloved?
3) If Thurman (15) wouldn’t have died so suddenly, would you still think his number should be retired, or are you pretending that had he not died, he would have lived up to his potential?
4) How many championships did Mattingly (23) win with the team? He was a favorite of mine growing up, truth be told, but was he as great as Ruth/Gehrig/Mantle?
5) Who is Elston Howard?
6) I thought the rest of the team hated Reggie?
The Pittsburgh Penguins retired Michel Briere’s #21 due to him dieing in a car accident after only one year of hockey. He wasn’t a dominant force, he was decent though. Finishing third on the team in scoring, pretty good for a rookie. I don’t think the Penguins retired his number thinking he would have went on to a record setting career (as you suggested the Yankees did with Thurman). I would think they did it out of respect (they didn’t retire it until 1996 or something) I was there and had NO clue who the guy was. So if he can get his retired, I think Thurman would deserve the same respect
Does anyone else know of any other examples of deaths and numbers retired or not retired?
The Pittsburgh Penguins retired Michel Briere’s #21 due to him dieing in a car accident after only one year of hockey…. I would think they did it out of respect (they didn’t retire it until 1996 or something) I was there and had NO clue who the guy was.
They didn’t put a banner up until the ’90s, but the Penguins retired Briere’s number when he died in the early ’70s.
The Pittsburgh Penguins retired Michel Briere’s #21 due to him dieing in a car accident after only one year of hockey. He wasn’t a dominant force, he was decent though. Finishing third on the team in scoring, pretty good for a rookie. I don’t think the Penguins retired his number thinking he would have went on to a record setting career (as you suggested the Yankees did with Thurman). I would think they did it out of respect (they didn’t retire it until 1996 or something) I was there and had NO clue who the guy was. So if he can get his retired, I think Thurman would deserve the same respect
Does anyone else know of any other examples of deaths and numbers retired or not retired?
Fox buys 3-4 games a week, and blacks out all other providers (DirecTV and MLB.TV) from all 3-4 of those games, then gives you only 1 game depending on your region. WTF?! I pay money to see those games, and they can’t realize that I am out of the Red Sox region, thus should give me the game? At least when ESPN buys their Sunday night games, they only buy 1 game and show it nationwide. Fox should do the same.
I called MLB.TV once to tell them I’d been wrongfully blacked out, and they said that there was nothing they could do about it, and (I quote) “Fox pays MLB a lot of money for the exclusive rights to those games.” Thanks, Mr. Selig, for caring about your fans getting what they want.
This is America. If you’re willing to pay for it, you should be able to watch any sporting event with a camera present.
I don’t understand why the Fox feeds from other games can’t be simulcast on Fox Sports Net affiliates — making them eligible to be on Extra Innings.
Broadcast television is a dying business, thanks to FCC regulations forcing stations to be a network affilliate and/or owned by a large conglomerate to stay on the air. The Fox blackout rules are to support the affiliates and their advertisers. If you are NOT watching the Fox telecast on your local affiliate, that hurts its ratings and the limited, yet valuable ad dollars that local station gets. Putting the games on Extra Innings or a cable net wouldn’t do that. The only option that I see could be to put those games on the station’s digital feeds. Therefore, the viewers are still watching that same local broadcast station, even though its a different game.
As sports fans, the biggest problem with TV rights is that there’s an antiquated law from the 1950s that prevents “over-the-air” TV stations from being sent over cable. It’s a fair law for normal programming, but needs a sports exemption.
THAT is why NFL Sunday Ticket is on DirecTV and not digital cable: because it’s illegal to put CBS, FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC and CW/WB/UPN feeds on cable. The law prevents big city affiliates from paying cable companies to put their station on out-of-market.
But the law didn’t see how it would apply to sports, because when they made it, it was years before the AFL-NFL merger.
Congress has mentioned that they want to investigate DirecTV’s “monopoly” on NFL Sunday Ticket, and MLB Extra Innings’ proposed move to DirecTV only.
Yet they fail to realize that THEIR OWN FCC LAWS are the reason that NFL Sunday Ticket HAS to be on satellite. It CANNOT be on cable, under their current laws.
Wrong. NFL Sunday Ticket could be on cable if the NFL allowed it. DirecTV, in a wise move on their part, continues to outbid the cable systems for the exclusive rights, as the newer technologies of digital cable (like phone, internet and VOD) are superior to satellite’s video-only technologies.
Yankees retired numbers from the perspective of a Yankees fan:
If you were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame after playing more than 12 seasons with the same team, then I think that retiring numbers is a fitting honor.
I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. Let’s say that hypothetically Kobe Bryant is traded to another team right now. He could play the next 12 years of his career for a team like the Bucks, T-Wolves, Bobcats, Magic, or a bunch of other teams, and never win another championship. His glory years were with the Lakers. He’ll go into the Hall of Fame (assuming he keeps his current pace and slows down with age). His glory years were with the Lakers. He won 3 championships with them, and none with another team. But he played 12 years with them. Is retiring his number guaranteed? I say no.
Yankees retired numbers from the perspective of a Yankees fan:
If you were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame after playing more than 12 seasons with the same team, then I think that retiring numbers is a fitting honor.
dunford said:
I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. Let’s say that hypothetically Kobe Bryant is traded to another team right now. He could play the next 12 years of his career for a team like the Bucks, T-Wolves, Bobcats, Magic, or a bunch of other teams, and never win another championship. His glory years were with the Lakers. He’ll go into the Hall of Fame (assuming he keeps his current pace and slows down with age). His glory years were with the Lakers. He won 3 championships with them, and none with another team. But he played 12 years with them. Is retiring his number guaranteed? I say no.
Kobe doesn’t play baseball. Basketball’s a different sport. 12 seasons in baseball (on a 154 game schedule) is 1,848 games, not counting playoffs. 12 seasons in basketball is far less. 12 in baseball is a far bigger achievement, in my opinion.
#1 by Stuby on 08.12.07 8:12 am |
Those BC unis aren’t bad, I just don’t like the slanty numerals.
In regards to yesterday’s discussion of hidden images, I give you the Washington State University logo. A cougar head made from a W,S & U.
I’ve also always wondered if there is something hidden in the Kansas State logo.
#2 by Stuby on 08.12.07 8:17 am |
Damn, that K-State link didn’t work. Just use the LogoServer link over to the right of the page.
#3 by Ray on 08.12.07 8:20 am |
Anyone know if the BC helmet is staying the same?
#4 by Taylor on 08.12.07 8:31 am |
I thought they were going to adidas? Anyways, the numerials makes the jerseys looks Arena-League-ish. But the color combination is great. And I never understood what the problem with all-white football jerseys was. I think it looks sharp.
#5 by JM Rempt on 08.12.07 8:38 am |
I like the new BC gear. They managed not to go over the top or recycle a template. And personally, I dig the number font.
#6 by Joe O. on 08.12.07 9:07 am |
Taylor said:
Aren’t Adidas and Reebok the same company anyways?
And whats wrong with the Arena League?!?!? Damnit!
#7 by John in Athens on 08.12.07 9:23 am |
Ray said:
No helmets.
Thus the hairdo.
#8 by LouUmp on 08.12.07 9:33 am |
Missed yesterday’s comments, so here is a review:
Larry Doby: Ignorance is everywhere..
Retired Numbers: You always tell Yankee haters: They are the ones always sniffing about the Yanks retiring so many numbers. I can think of maybe only a couple of retired numbers that MAY be a little much: 44 and 49…Otherwise, an EXCELLENT case can be made for every other number:
1: might borderline to some, but not to Yankee fans
3,4,5,7, both 8s are you kidding?
9: not just for one year – he was the co-cornerstone of five pennant winners in a row
10 another no-brainer
15 RIP
16 come on…is this even necessary to explain?
23 Donnie Baseball..and he isn’t done in Yankee history yet
32 When Ellie broke the YANKEE color line, it was almost as significant as Jackie and Doby..plus one hell of a ballplayer, and was one of the people who helped keep the late 70s Yanks from tearing apart.
37 are you KIDDING??
and the Celtics are the same…
#9 by LouUmp on 08.12.07 9:34 am |
and oh yes, the Lamar Hunt patches are the BEST…
#10 by Stuby on 08.12.07 9:49 am |
When I made the comment yesterday that some teams go overboard with the retired numbers, I didn’t even have the Yankees in mind. I was thinking about the Celtics, or a football team that retires #12 for the fans, or a team that makes up a number for an owner or coach that never wore a number (the Angels retiring #26 for Gene Autry, for example).
The worst example of excess, however, is the Devil Rays retiring Wade Boggs’ number.
#11 by Tom C. on 08.12.07 10:09 am |
Not uni related, but the analysis of highway sign fonts seems like something uniwatchers would appreciate.
#12 by Tod H. on 08.12.07 11:13 am |
Vince, come on. Something had to have happened in Cleveland that you could have written about. Why the coverage of sports in general? I come here for all my Cleveland sports needs, and then I have to read this national BS. Your game is slipping!
#13 by John in Athens on 08.12.07 11:17 am |
LouUmp said:
I think you just supported at least one argument FOR “Yankee Haters Everywhere.”
I’m suprized that you failed to mention how many championships the Yankees have won and how George can spend his money any way that he wants.
By the way, it would have been nice for you have added a “are you kidding me?” for #42, which you omitted.
‘55 still hurts, huh?
#14 by Original Jim on 08.12.07 11:17 am |
Aside from the 4, I like BC’s font. It’s proprietary and consistent through all the sports teams.
I think the black helped the numbers pop out more. Gold against white is not the easiest to read, and the black defines the characters and shapes better.
#15 by Jason on 08.12.07 11:19 am |
Tom C. said:
Good find, that was actually an enjoyable read. I’m always looking to up my UKQ (Useless Knowledge Quotient).
#16 by Jim on 08.12.07 11:24 am |
The discussion of the last few days has lead me to ask the following … If any member of the following list left retirement and came back to coach in The Show, what number would they wear?:
Mike Jackson
Scott Karl
Lenny Webster
Tom Goodwin
Marc Sagmoen
(Sure, I left out a couple notable examples, but adding those names wouldn’t have been any fun)
#17 by Stuby on 08.12.07 11:29 am |
Jim said:
I kinda feel like coaches and managers shouldn’t get numbers anyway. Make ‘em like batboys: M for manager, C for Coach, Z for Don Zimmer (I don’t really know what he does)
#18 by Jim on 08.12.07 11:30 am |
Stuby said:
Zim? Easy: GWA
#19 by mike on 08.12.07 11:34 am |
Once again, another damn fine uniform update. Boston College kept a very unique and traditional look with the number font. 2 for 2 the past couple days. Yesterday was Tulane, and today is Boston College. the designers of the new WVU and Miami(Fla)football jerseys should take note.
ps- by “designers” i mean the individual person involved, not nike itself.
pps- what logo is on the sleeve of the new BC football jerseys? i couldnt find a picture
#20 by Joe from WV on 08.12.07 11:34 am |
Did anyone else catch Jason Varitek going up to bat with the wrong-flap helmet last night?
#21 by Rob Curtin on 08.12.07 12:06 pm |
Joe from WV said:
No, I didn’t, because Fox in all of its money-grubbing stupidity blacked me out, even though we pay an assload of money every year for Extra Innings, and the local Fox channel here was showing me the Cards game.
They wonder why their ratings are so terrible every October. Hmm, could it be because the games aren’t scheduled to start until 8, but then are pushed back to 8:30 or 9 cause of all the Fox gimmicks? Or because they have JOE BUCK AND TIM MCCARVER CALLING GAMES?! Or Slider, the cartoon that explains to you how a pitch works? Why not just hire Orel Hershiser? Oh wait, cause that would be catering too much to the fan who actually knows and cares about baseball. No no, we want the fan who cares about which celebrity is sitting in the owners boxes or when the next episode of “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” will be on.
Sorry, I just hate hate hate hate hate hate MLB on Fox.
Please tell me I’m not alone?
#22 by Buckeye Mike on 08.12.07 12:13 pm |
from yesterday
Brendan said:
that’s my point, they should have done something, like not show the RBK logo. I’m not saying there dumb for not putting the actors in generic unis, I’m saying they could have done better to not show the RBK logo, like slowing down the footage when LT spins and you can clearly see the logo right there on the shoulder.
#23 by Jim on 08.12.07 12:14 pm |
Rob Curtin said:
Not by any means … I’m with you. Unfortunately, I don’t think the stupidity in baseball broadcasting is limited to RM’s group. I’m a Cub fan – a life-long bleacher bum. I moved to St. Louis 11 years ago to get married, which I figured wouldn’t cause too many “Cub Fan” problems thanks to Superstation WGN. I could be wrong, but I think their down to about one game broadcast every 3 months, whether or not they want to. I guess they’re able to get better ratings with Matlock and Murder She Wrote (hint: Wherever a woman goes, death follows … it’s not coincidence) reruns.
Getting off the soapbox now …
Mark Cuban, Take Me AWAY!!!!
#24 by Rob Curtin on 08.12.07 12:20 pm |
Jim said:
Oooh, a Cubs fan in St. Louis. I go to school at SLU, and about to take up permanent residence after I graduate in May, and some Cards fans are nasty. Not as bad as Sox and Yanks fans, but still. Personally, the Cards are my NL team, but I hold no animocity towards the Cubs… being a life-long Red Sox fan, I more or less understand your pain.
#25 by David on 08.12.07 12:33 pm |
Stuby said:
Maybe this counts as a hidden image?
#26 by Tom C. on 08.12.07 12:33 pm |
#27 by Tom C. on 08.12.07 12:34 pm |
hope
this closes italics, sorry
#28 by Wayne on 08.12.07 12:52 pm |
Rob Curtin said:
I’m with you too Rob. I can’t stand the stupid sound and visual effects, and all the idiotic gimmicks Fox puts on during its baseball broadcasts. I hear you about the celebrity thing too.
It’s gotten that way with MNF too, with them bringing in a celebrity to the booth to talk about his/her career and how big of a fan they are of the team playing. Then the celebrity tries to start being all funny and instead sounds like an idiot, which makes me mute the TV and listen to Boomer Esiason on AM radio instead.
I’m really disliking national broadcasts of baseball and football. Of course the networks don’t care about guys like us because they want to draw in the casual fan. Groan.
#29 by Jim on 08.12.07 12:54 pm |
Rob Curtin said:
Let’s just say she can never question my love.
#30 by PDXclark on 08.12.07 12:56 pm |
Stuby said:
The wavy line is supposed to represent the river that runs through the town/campus.
#31 by Randy on 08.12.07 1:17 pm |
John in Athens said:
Are you kidding me? The Yankees still have an active #42.
#32 by Matt on 08.12.07 1:17 pm |
speaking of Boggs, didn’t the Rockies retire – and then subsequently unretire – No. 3 in honor of Dale Murphy?
And Paul, how on earth have you not done a column on retired numbers that really shouldn’t be retired?
#33 by Rob Curtin on 08.12.07 1:22 pm |
Joe from WV said:
Bingo. The casual fan. I’ve always called MLB on Fox “Baseball for the Non-Baseball fan.” It’s absolutely ridiculous, and I can’t believe they have the World Series until 2013. It’s just bad broadcasting all around.
What grinds my gears worst, though, are those Saturday Games of the Week. I’m a Sox fan living in Louisville, who goes to school in St. Louis. My only options are DirecTV (here at home) and MLB.TV (at school). Fox buys 3-4 games a week, and blacks out all other providers (DirecTV and MLB.TV) from all 3-4 of those games, then gives you only 1 game depending on your region. WTF?! I pay money to see those games, and they can’t realize that I am out of the Red Sox region, thus should give me the game? At least when ESPN buys their Sunday night games, they only buy 1 game and show it nationwide. Fox should do the same.
I called MLB.TV once to tell them I’d been wrongfully blacked out, and they said that there was nothing they could do about it, and (I quote) “Fox pays MLB a lot of money for the exclusive rights to those games.” Thanks, Mr. Selig, for caring about your fans getting what they want.
And finally, on the good side, I don’t think all national broadcast teams are bad. For MLB, (I know a lot of people don’t like them) I love John Miller and Joe Morgan. Their voices instantly remind me of warm, lazy summer nights. And I think Orel does a great job, and so does the guy he usually works with (whose name escapes me right now). Plus, the few times I’ve watched MNF (I’m a college football guy), the guys in the booth always end up making fun of the celebrity du jour by asking him questions about his “favorite team’s” past.
#34 by Rob Curtin on 08.12.07 1:26 pm |
Randy said:
I used to give tours at the Louisville Slugger Bat Factory, and I’d always start with a trivia question, and that was always my favorite to stump the crowds, particularly Yankee fans.
“In 1997, MLB retired Jackie Robinson’s number in all 30 ballparks. If you were in the bigs and wearing it, you could continue to wear it in his honor. Who is the last player still wearing #42 today?”
#35 by DJ on 08.12.07 1:43 pm |
pps- what logo is on the sleeve of the new BC football jerseys? i couldnt find a picture
A profile of an eagle’s head. They are switching to this secondary logo, as opposed to the direct-on headshot of the eagle that BC fans call “the angry chicken.”
#36 by Shayne M on 08.12.07 1:45 pm |
No copyright infringement on the eagle head logo for BC? Reminds me of an NFL logo.
#37 by slurpeeman on 08.12.07 2:12 pm |
Stuby said:
I’ve always thought the most clever hidden image in a sports logo was the “11†hidden in the Big Ten logo.
#38 by Stuby on 08.12.07 2:18 pm |
Matt said:
The White Sox retired Harold Baines’ #3 before the guy even retired. He then went on to play for a few more teams in the AL, so you had him returning to Chicago with an opposing team with his number hanging in honor. Just weird.
#39 by TD on 08.12.07 2:29 pm |
USA womens soccer facing New Zealand at Soldier Field today (ESPN2)… US wearing gold jerseys with red and blue trim and blue shorts. New Zealand in all-whites.
Why gold?
#40 by Aaron Scholder on 08.12.07 2:30 pm |
An interesting eBay auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/...
#41 by TD on 08.12.07 2:34 pm |
Answering my own question:
TD said:
mmkay…
#42 by Aaron Scholder on 08.12.07 2:38 pm |
yet another interesting eBay auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/...
#43 by DL on 08.12.07 2:38 pm |
Yes, the Eagle head is eerily similar to a Philadelphia franchise, but that really is my only disagreement with these jerseys. If you want to know its origin, check out the Eagle head that actually is on the primary “interlock” BC logo. This secondary logo was also on the shorts of the basketball unis last spring.
The helmets are not changing, and these uniforms are clearly designed with the helmets in mind. The maroon piping on both the white and gold pants is designed to directly mimic the helmet pattern.
And the slanty numbers are part of the entire BC Athletics font. It is consistent in all of the uniforms across the sports. BC also will unlikely change from RBK to Adidas (even though I believe they are the last DIA school left with the tic-tac-toe) because of an alumni relationship with the company which is based down the road from Chestnut Hill.
#44 by Aaron Scholder on 08.12.07 2:40 pm |
and yet 2 more interesting eBay auctions (sorry hehe):
http://cgi.ebay.com/...
http://cgi.ebay.com/...
#45 by timmy b on 08.12.07 2:51 pm |
Tom C. said:
thanks for that!
and http://www.ugcs.calt...
is a kool updated place to see all the state route markers. some are hopelessy drab, but some are really nice.
#46 by Mr. Met on 08.12.07 3:11 pm |
Retired Numbers: You always tell Yankee haters: They are the ones always sniffing about the Yanks retiring so many numbers. I can think of maybe only a couple of retired numbers that MAY be a little much: 44 and 49…Otherwise, an EXCELLENT case can be made for every other number:
1: might borderline to some, but not to Yankee fans
23 Donnie Baseball..and he isn’t done in Yankee history yet
Donnie Baseball? are you kidding? He was OK for like 4 years, but they couldn’t win win a thing when he was playing… come to think of it they haven’t won a damn thing since he came back as coach. L-O-S-E-R
#47 by dpnation on 08.12.07 3:42 pm |
Couple more pics of the uniforms:
One
Two
#48 by Buckeye Mike on 08.12.07 3:45 pm |
Major OHIO STATE Uni Change:
Just was looking through the pictures of this years tOSU media photo day and found a huge change. Last year, you may remember pictures like this with all the nike swooshes on the white socks. well, this year, they have went to these black socks. I know, small steps, but hey, that’s what we are all about here
#49 by Dave on 08.12.07 4:04 pm |
Mariners are wearing their BP jerseys today. No names on the back, just ugly armpits.
#50 by Ian on 08.12.07 4:19 pm |
Randy said:
The issue is that the Yankees waited 10 years to acknowledge Jackie Robinson in Monument Park, and even when it finally happened, it was on a Tuesday and not promoted like a regular Yankee number retirement ceremony.
#51 by Tim McCabe on 08.12.07 4:21 pm |
Is there any hope that the Vikings will have a retro jersey this year? I’ve seen quite a few pics from Training Camp where they’re wearing helmets with the old horn logo (which they had every year before last year) and gray facemasks.
Anything would be a step up from what they’re wearing now…
#52 by ja on 08.12.07 4:34 pm |
lastings milledge solid blue socks, no stirrups today…maybe he will just be using the stirrups with the pinstripe unis…mets are in snow whites today.
#53 by Gabe on 08.12.07 4:37 pm |
LouUmp said:
Several comments from a self-professed Mets fan and reasonable person:
1) I don’t even know who Bill Dickey (one of the 8’s) is. If someone’s number is retired, shouldn’t they have been so good that everyone at least knows their name.
2) If Rizzuto (10) hadn’t been a broadcaster, would he still be as beloved?
3) If Thurman (15) wouldn’t have died so suddenly, would you still think his number should be retired, or are you pretending that had he not died, he would have lived up to his potential?
4) How many championships did Mattingly (23) win with the team? He was a favorite of mine growing up, truth be told, but was he as great as Ruth/Gehrig/Mantle?
5) Who is Elston Howard?
6) I thought the rest of the team hated Reggie?
#54 by mike on 08.12.07 4:44 pm |
“In 1997, MLB retired Jackie Robinson’s number in all 30 ballparks. If you were in the bigs and wearing it, you could continue to wear it in his honor. Who is the last player still wearing #42 today?â€
MARIANO RIVERA
#55 by Dan on 08.12.07 4:44 pm |
this might have already been mentioned a while ago, but it looks the chargers are going with the white helmets this year. A mix of old and new with a slight change to the outline of the lightning bolt.
http://www.chargers....
#56 by Smail on 08.12.07 5:38 pm |
The M’s wore their BP jerseys in their game against the Chi Sox today. Lame!
#57 by TD on 08.12.07 5:46 pm |
1. Rizzuto was the 1950 MVP and a five time All Star. His HOF worthiness is debatable but he was a solid shortstop in that era.
2. Bill Dickey, 10 time All Star catcher, entered the Hall Of Fame in 1954, Yogi Berra’s 8th year as a starter.
3. Elston Howard was an All Star nine straight years (1957-65) and was the 1963 MVP.
For interest and irony sake, the 1950 AL All Star Lineup looked like this:
1. Phil Rizzuto (NYY) SS
2. Larry Doby (CLE) CF
3. George Kell (DET) 3B
4. Ted Williams (BOS) LF
5. Walt Dropo* (BOS) 1B
6. Hoot Evers (DET) RF
7. Yogi Berra (NYY) C
8. Bobby Doerr (BOS) 2B
9. Vic Raschi (NYY) P
*Dropo was Rookie of the Year in 1950
the backup shortstop for the AL was Vern Stephens of the Red Sox.
Scooter’s All Star contemporaries from 1950-53 were Stephens, Chico Carrasquel of the White Sox, Eddie Joost of the A’s. Luke Appling’s final year in the bigs was 1950.
#58 by Dom on 08.12.07 6:24 pm |
Facial Hair Hall Of Fame On SI Photo Gallery
http://sportsillustr...
#59 by odessasteps on 08.12.07 7:20 pm |
Rob Curtin said:
I just went on that tour this week. pretty neat. They had a display after the tour about PEANUTS, with a bunch of reproduced art and old merchandise.
good times.
#60 by Kyle at IU on 08.12.07 7:33 pm |
Dom said:
Man, they are missing a TON of great facial hair on there.
Dennis Eckersley
Jack Lambert (along with the sneer, one of the best looks in football)
Lambert’s teammate Joe Green
#61 by Brett S on 08.12.07 7:39 pm |
Dom said:
What about Reed Johnson?
#62 by MSUtigers on 08.12.07 7:41 pm |
dpnation said:
It’s good to see that some teams are going to these type of pant stripes. Now if we could only get Oregon to go back to an old school look with those damn football unis. Another reason I moved away from Eugene!
#63 by LakerPride on 08.12.07 8:28 pm |
not positive, but im guessing matt ryan is a kicker
#64 by Tom C. on 08.12.07 8:30 pm |
LakerPride said:
or the starting QB… either way.
#65 by Drew on 08.12.07 8:32 pm |
chargers new unis looking good in action
#66 by dpnation on 08.12.07 8:34 pm |
Dan said:
http://www.uniwatchb...
#67 by TD on 08.12.07 8:57 pm |
The Chargers unis look rather arena league in practical application – the numbers are hard to read in live TV action.
In fact, they seem to be a bit Boston College-y, with odd serifs and bad points. The ones look like the Easter Island heads.
#68 by Graf Zeppelin on 08.12.07 9:01 pm |
Charger unis don’t look too bad in action; only the numerals are really objectionable. That and the fact that the new powder-blue “alternate” version of this design means the retro powder-blues go away for good, which is a shame.
I must be the only one who really likes the Seahawks unis design-wise; it’s just that they insist on going blue-over-blue that ruins it. The blue jersey would look great with the white pants, and vice-versa; the white-over-white looks good too.
#69 by Chris on 08.12.07 9:17 pm |
LakerPride said:
Matt Ryan is the QB and ACC pre-season player of the year. He is also 6′5″ 220lbs. Not exactly the kicker build.
#70 by Mike D. on 08.12.07 9:22 pm |
The Chargers had great uniforms, especially the retro powder blue, they should have kept them instead of coming out with these new ones.
#71 by Joemanji on 08.12.07 9:26 pm |
Evening gang!
I apologize if this is a repost, but after having my mind-blown by the FedEx logo, I came across this on the NHL logo blog:
http://nhllogos.blog...
#72 by Mark on 08.12.07 9:31 pm |
Sorry if this has been covered, but I haven’t seen it. Does anyone know what’s up with the lime green dots on some NFL helmets this weekend?
#73 by Josh on 08.12.07 9:43 pm |
Mark said:
This was covered a couple days ago…something about refs being able to determine with the specific helmets that only one player for each team was on the field with the ability to hear the coaches or something?
#74 by =bg= on 08.12.07 9:47 pm |
New Chargers unis are freakin’ awesome. Just put the #’s on the side of the helmet, guys.
#75 by BS on 08.12.07 9:52 pm |
A small item from my kid sister’s restraunt menu.
#76 by TD on 08.12.07 9:52 pm |
Green dots: indicate that the helmet has a sideline radio receiver in it. The NFL doesn’t want headsets on the field during special teams plays like field goals and punts because you can call a naked fake from the sideline. They also don’t want two on the field at the same time.
(Stupid rule that penalizes teams who use QBs as holders – it means they have to change helmets for special teams plays)
Chargers: just noticed the third color in the bolt (gold in the center, dark blue outline, a hint of the powder blue as an inside outline). As much as I like the theory of putting the powder blue into the mix, it makes the bolt a little too cartoonish.
#77 by TD on 08.12.07 10:05 pm |
Hey Phil, you’ve got something on your shoulder..
The logo behind his head looks like the shoulder logo got wet and sagged. I know they’re going for some three-dimensional depth, but it looks kinda goofy.
#78 by John in Athens on 08.12.07 10:08 pm |
Gabe said:
Yep. The Yankees love the Yankees, don’t they?
If the Mets were as retire-happy as the neighbors, we’d have retired:
1 – Mookie Wilson
4 – Rusty Staub (and Len Dysktra, my personal favorite)
8 – Gary Carter
14 – Gil Hodges
16 – Dwight Gooden
17 – Keith Hernandez
18 – Darryl Strawberry
20 – Tommy Agee
21 – Cleon Jones
24 – Willie Mays & Rickey Henderson
31 – John Franco & Mike Piazza
37 – Casey Stengel
41 – Tom Seaver
42 – Jackie Robinson
45 – Tug McGraw
Mantles and Ruths they are not, but they sure as hell deserve the honor as much as Bill Effin Dickey!!!
#79 by TD on 08.12.07 10:14 pm |
EA Sports has apparently calculated Tom Brady for sympathetic baby weight…
(click NEXT >> a couple times)
#80 by Bill T. on 08.12.07 10:17 pm |
Liking the Chargers white/navy/white combo.
#81 by TD on 08.12.07 10:19 pm |
I’m not a Yankee fan at all, but slamming Bill Dickey is cheap and will get you haunted.
Props to a guy who was an All Star in 1943 at age 36, joined the war effort, came back for the 1946 season at age 39 and made the All Star team again.
#82 by Seattle Zach on 08.12.07 10:33 pm |
Any San Francisco Giants fans out there?
Did their old (2000-2002) home black alternate jerseys have names on the back?
#83 by John in Athens on 08.12.07 10:35 pm |
TD said:
Fair enough.
How about Phil Effin Rizzuto, then?
#84 by TD on 08.12.07 10:36 pm |
umm.. speaking of all this stuff, am I correct in saying that the Yankee’s retired numbers website pictures Yogi Berra in a Mets (or Giants) cap?
#85 by =bg= on 08.12.07 10:36 pm |
Seattle Zach said:
think so.
http://www.sportsgal...
#86 by TD on 08.12.07 10:45 pm |
John in Athens said:
Slam Scooter all you want. As I said back in #57, he has an MVP award and was the premier AL shortstop of his era, which isn’t saying a whole lot.
Number retired? Why not – he was part of the Yankee lexicon as a player and broadcaster for 40+ years. Hall of Famer? Slam away.
#87 by Taha on 08.12.07 10:47 pm |
Dom said:
What is up with the old Texas jersey? The X is a different font than the other letters. Was it the 10th anniversary of something?
#88 by Seattle Zach on 08.12.07 10:52 pm |
=bg= said:
I’ve seen it both ways…
Without
With
There’s also this from the Giants/MLB website:
Worn with the regular-uniform pant (cream at home, gray on the road), the alternate jerseys are identical in design to the regular uniforms except for the color. The Giants only wore the black uniform top for road games in 2002 and abandoned them altogether after the season.
I was hoping for a picture from a game or something. That’s what I haven’t been able to find quite yet.
#89 by Bill T. on 08.12.07 10:53 pm |
TD said:
You are correct on that. Yogi played for, coached and managed the Mets but had no affiliation with the Giants.
Its unusual that of all the pics of Yogi out there that the Yanks or MLB would select one from his Mets days on that page.
#90 by JP on 08.12.07 11:01 pm |
LouUmp said:
Wait just a second. Breaking the YANKEE color line is nothing for you as a Yankee fan to be proud of.
Just as significant as Jackie? As if the Yankees, being the cornerstone franchise of baseball, have a higher standard than every one else?
That’s absolutely true, and that’s why you should be FUCKING ASHAMED Elston Howard was the first black Yankee, in 1955.
Therefore it’s your team’s RESPONSIBILITY to act like a first-class organization…. and NOT be one of the LAST franchises to integrate.
Your franchise had the chance — as baseball’s premier franchise — to make a statement to the country: That black men ARE equal to white men.
And you FAILED to be first. You failed to be second. You failed to be third. You failed to be fourth. You failed to be fifth. You failed to be sixth. You failed to be seventh. You failed to be eighth. You failed to be ninth. You failed to be 10th. You failed to be 11th. You failed to be 12th.
It took EIGHT YEARS after Jackie Robinson for the Yankees to play a black ballplayer.
Being the first Black Yankee was a huge deal. It was the symbol that even the staunches of racist organizations — like the white bread Yankees — would FINALLY cast their antiquated, ignorant, hate-filled views aside.
The fact that Elston Howard was the first black Yankee ALMOST A DECADE after Jackie Robinson, and after 12 other teams (including TWO FROM A FORMER SLAVE STATE) accepted black ballplayers is the biggest shame your organization could possibly ever have.
#91 by Vincent A. Cipollone on 08.12.07 11:07 pm |
Taha said:
I think it’s just a goofy font
#92 by JP on 08.12.07 11:08 pm |
Rob Curtin said:
This is America. If you’re willing to pay for it, you should be able to watch any sporting event with a camera present.
I don’t understand why the Fox feeds from other games can’t be simulcast on Fox Sports Net affiliates — making them eligible to be on Extra Innings.
As sports fans, the biggest problem with TV rights is that there’s an antiquated law from the 1950s that prevents “over-the-air” TV stations from being sent over cable. It’s a fair law for normal programming, but needs a sports exemption.
THAT is why NFL Sunday Ticket is on DirecTV and not digital cable: because it’s illegal to put CBS, FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC and CW/WB/UPN feeds on cable. The law prevents big city affiliates from paying cable companies to put their station on out-of-market.
But the law didn’t see how it would apply to sports, because when they made it, it was years before the AFL-NFL merger.
Congress has mentioned that they want to investigate DirecTV’s “monopoly” on NFL Sunday Ticket, and MLB Extra Innings’ proposed move to DirecTV only.
Yet they fail to realize that THEIR OWN FCC LAWS are the reason that NFL Sunday Ticket HAS to be on satellite. It CANNOT be on cable, under their current laws.
They need to make a sports exemption, THEN bash the DirecTV monopoly. So all of us can shell out $150-$250 for EVERY GAME we want to see.
#93 by TD on 08.12.07 11:08 pm |
This is where I mention Roy Campanella won the 1951 NL MVP for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Carry on.
#94 by Frankie on 08.12.07 11:12 pm |
It’s like the Giants website said… identical except for the jersey color. They had no names on the home jerseys which said Giants on the front and names on the road jerseys which said San Francisco on the front.
#95 by Mike Engle on 08.12.07 11:39 pm |
Frankie said:
Those black Giants jerseys were TERRIBLE. Absolutely unreadable from a distance. Black numbers on a black jersey with a measly orange outline? Whose bright idea was that?
#96 by Ryan B on 08.12.07 11:43 pm |
Seattle Zach said:
Home: no
Road: yes
#97 by Sage Confucius on 08.12.07 11:46 pm |
TD said:
Whatever the reason, they’re still damn ugly.
And what’s with the quote by Abby Wambach? Who cares what statement Nike is trying to make!
#98 by dunford on 08.12.07 11:59 pm |
Yankees retired numbers from the perspective of a Yankees fan:
If you were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame after playing more than 12 seasons with the same team, then I think that retiring numbers is a fitting honor.
(Some might argue that this is arbitrary and will look for reasons to look at media bias towards Yankees in selecting the hall of fame, but whatever.)
Anyway. The following players fit that criteria:
#8, Yogi Berra
#8, Bill Dickey
#5, Joe DiMaggio
#16, Whitey Ford
#4, Lou Gehrig
#11, Lefty Gomez (not retired)
#7, Mickey Mantle
#10, Phil Rizzuto
#15, Red Ruffing (not retired)
#3, Babe Ruth
Barely missing the (arbitrary) cut (but still in the Hall):
#37, Casey Stengel (11 years, lots of titles)
Joe McCarthy (manager for 15 years, no number)
#12/16, Herb Pennock (10 years, only wore Uni #s for 5 years)
#6, Tony Lazzeri (9 years)
#11/12 Waite Hoyt (9 years, only wore Uni #s for 2 yrs)
As for Billy Martin (#1), Reggie Jackson (#44), Ron Guidry (#49) and Thurman Munson (#15), they were selected in part for their impact on the Yankees championship teams of the 1970s. Munson I understand – he was the captain and died while still playing. The other three? Meh. Great, but worthy of having their numbers retired? Not so much. Add Don Mattingly to that list (#23). He was wonderful. He was the best thing about the Yankees in the 1980s, but that number should be re-used. I think that those numbers were retired in an attempt by Steinbrenner to connect “his” teams with the teams of the past. The retiring of Maris’s #9 was an unnecessary step taken in that same sense of connection.
Elston Howard? The man played 13 seasons, was an all-star for 9 of those seasons, and then coached for the team for 11 more seasons. He died young, (51) while still working for the team. Not a bad resume. I’m on the fence with him. He’s a tentative yes.
But still – man, there are 15 different players who spent significant time in the Bronx and then were enshrined in Cooperstown. Not too shabby. If you think a retired number is a significant tribute, then the following numbers are more than justified in being out of circulation:
3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 16, 37 (Hall of Famers)
15, 32 (tributes to keystone players)
42 (Jackie Robinson)
And legitimate cases can be made for 6 (Lazzeri), 11 (Gomez) and 12 (as a joint Hoyt/Pennock tribute).
For the sake of keeping baseball out of triple-digit numbers, the Yankees seriously should have gone with a “Wall of Honor” instead.
That’s not even considering current Yankees who might be considered for the honor. But that’s another story for another time.
#99 by Patrick R. Jonas on 08.13.07 12:10 am |
Rob Curtin said:
You’re not–BUT Joe Giradi and Kenny Albert could save that sinking ship if they got to cover more big games. It’s about the game with them, not the ego.
#100 by Patrick R. Jonas on 08.13.07 12:20 am |
Patrick R. Jonas said:
OK. ego is the wrong word–Joe and Kenny let the game direct their announcing while others seem to dominate the game with theirs.
#101 by Bayview on 08.13.07 1:20 am |
Seattle Zach said:
This is a pic when Barry hit 71/72 in SF…notice the lack of a name in the back. Further proof.
#102 by Mike Engle on 08.13.07 1:22 am |
Bayview said:
Yeah. Further proof that those atrocities are illegible from my computer screen, much less the upper deck.
#103 by Seattle Zach on 08.13.07 1:43 am |
Bayview said:
Thanks, this was exactly what I was looking for.
#104 by TD on 08.13.07 1:49 am |
Tag closing, yo.
Can’t find a better pic, but Zona Cardinals punter Scott Player is sporting a Hulk Hogan/Paul Teutul Sr. – style monster-fu.
All behold the menacing punter.
#105 by Luke on 08.13.07 2:21 am |
Gabe said:
The Pittsburgh Penguins retired Michel Briere’s #21 due to him dieing in a car accident after only one year of hockey. He wasn’t a dominant force, he was decent though. Finishing third on the team in scoring, pretty good for a rookie. I don’t think the Penguins retired his number thinking he would have went on to a record setting career (as you suggested the Yankees did with Thurman). I would think they did it out of respect (they didn’t retire it until 1996 or something) I was there and had NO clue who the guy was. So if he can get his retired, I think Thurman would deserve the same respect
Does anyone else know of any other examples of deaths and numbers retired or not retired?
#106 by Andrew F. on 08.13.07 2:58 am |
I believe that there is a rule that all NL road team jerseys must have the players’ names on them.
#107 by BurghFan on 08.13.07 4:35 am |
The Pittsburgh Penguins retired Michel Briere’s #21 due to him dieing in a car accident after only one year of hockey…. I would think they did it out of respect (they didn’t retire it until 1996 or something) I was there and had NO clue who the guy was.
They didn’t put a banner up until the ’90s, but the Penguins retired Briere’s number when he died in the early ’70s.
#108 by JM Rempt on 08.13.07 4:52 am |
Luke said:
Gil Hodges with the Mets comes to mind….
#109 by Andrew on 08.13.07 8:09 am |
Does anyone else know of any other examples of deaths and numbers retired or not retired?
In addition to Munson, Hodges, and Briere:
The Minnesota North Stars retired #19 in honor of Bill Masterton.
Pat Tillman at both Arizona St. (#42) and with the Cardinals (#40).
Reggie Lewis’s #35 with the Celtics.
#110 by Andrew on 08.13.07 8:10 am |
Andrew said:
In addition to Munson, Hodges, and Briere:
The Minnesota North Stars retired #19 in honor of Bill Masterton.
Pat Tillman at both Arizona St. (#42) and with the Cardinals (#40).
Reggie Lewis’s #35 with the Celtics.
Also, Korey Stringer with the Vikings.
#111 by Ian on 08.13.07 8:51 am |
JP said:
Wrong. NFL Sunday Ticket could be on cable if the NFL allowed it. DirecTV, in a wise move on their part, continues to outbid the cable systems for the exclusive rights, as the newer technologies of digital cable (like phone, internet and VOD) are superior to satellite’s video-only technologies.
#112 by Adam on 08.13.07 10:10 am |
Andrew F. said:
No, there’s not. IIRC, some recent Dodger uniforms didn’t. But anyway, except for the DH there are no longer any “AL Rules” and “NL Rules”.
#113 by Gabe on 08.13.07 11:27 am |
#114 by John on 08.13.07 3:04 pm |
Giants 2002 alternates (by the way, they didn’t wear them on the road, did they?)
http://mlb.mlb.com/m...
#115 by John on 08.13.07 3:05 pm |
Nevermind. That is clearly a road game.
#116 by John on 08.13.07 3:07 pm |
John said:
John said:
Here’s the home version. No name.
http://www2.jsonline...
#117 by dunford on 08.13.07 5:33 pm |