So I was looking through the membership card gallery the other day, and I was suddenly struck by something I’d never noticed before: Most of the drop shadows and block shadows fall down and to the right — call it the five o’clock shadow.
As I started looking at photos, I realized that five o’clock shadows are standardized throughout most of the sports world. The primary exception among current teams is the New York Rangers, whose block shadows go down and to the left (a protocol that holds for all their jerseys). For everyone else, it’s down and to the right, down and to the right, ad infinitum.
I was curious about how this phenomenon became so entrenched. Was it because we read from left to right? Was it because the sun sets in the west, casting an eastward shadow? Was it a something designers consciously considered when coming up with uniform designs, or did they just reflexively go with the five o’clock format without even thinking about it?
I posed those questions to Todd Radom and Scott M.X. Turner, both of whom have designed a few uniforms in their day. Here’s an edited version of their responses:
Todd Radom: Agreed, drop shadows traditionally fall off to the bottom right, and I can only assume that this is a logical function of [our culture’s] left-to-right thing. Are there any drop shadows in the new Israeli baseball league that go from right to left? [I don’t think so. — PL]
My 2 cents: Bottom-right is the way to go. And the shadow should be connected to the top layer of lettering, as opposed to just being set off. Also, I think any drop shadow should be darker than the layer on top, so white drop shadows on a black background, for instance, make no sense at all.
The 49ers numbers achieve drop shadow perfection for my money.
Scott M.X. Turner: What Todd said, basically. The Rangers’ bottom-left look has become so iconic that it doesn’t strike me as odd (though it does feel counterintuitive when I do Rangers treatments for Uni Watch cardbacks).
I agree block shadow is a better idea than drop shadow. … I’m not as sold that the bottom layer needs to be darker, however — the St. Louis Browns stuck orange under brown back in the ’40s, and Cleveland did it in 1970 with red under navy [and let’s not forget this — PL]. I guess it depends on whether you’re trying to convey a shadow or a block. If it’s a shadow, then Todd’s right, should be darker; block, then most anything goes.
Unlike the well-documented histories of pinstripes, certain colors, and logos, I’m not sure there’s a way to know for sure why shadows came out lower-right. Just that most of us designers agree that’s the way it feels right. And nine times out of ten, the feel’s more important than the math.
Todd also pointed out what may be the oddest configuration of all: the one used by the late-1950s Washington Senators, whose block shadow ran up and to the right. I’m unaware of any other team having done this. But then again, until a week or so ago I hadn’t given much thought to this topic to begin with.
And that’s the thing — once you start thinking about a subject like this, all sorts of things start jumping out at you. With my “shadow radar” more finely tuned in recent days, I’ve suddenly noticed a few more left-leaning shadows. During my recent visit to Lelands, for example, I turned over this New Jersey Knights jersey and immediately fixated on the nameplate. And when preparing yesterday’s ESPN column about “one and done” designs, I was got a little rush of excitement when I saw the shadow configuration on Wisconsin’s one-day design from 1995.
My feeling is that while drop and block shadows often look good (especially on a membership card), they can also add unnecessary clutter to a design. And while I haven’t done a formal tally, my sense of things is that more teams are employing shadows these days than in the past, because they’re so easy to execute digitally. I’m fairly certain teams like the Mets, Dolphins, and 49ers, all of which added drop shadows within the past decade, wouldn’t have done so if it hadn’t been so easy for a designer to call everyone over to his computer and say, “Look, what if we just did this…” I’m not saying there’s no place for shadows, but most of them these days come with the distinct echo of “Because we can.”
Raffle Results: I’m happy to announce that the winner of the Helmet Hut raffle for a free college football helmet is Vertically Arched member Mike Brodsky. Mike, please get in touch with me pronto to claim your prize.
Thanks to all who entered. And I can absolutely promise, incidentally, that next month’s raffle is gonna be a mind-blower.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Creepy Nike product placement of the day — and one of the best ever — here (with mega-thanks to Chris Dominiak). … The Jets, who were originally known as the Titans, will be having a, uh, Titanic throwback game on October 14th. Lots good Titans info is available here (and be sure to check out the JetsTV video link, which features some fantastic Titans footage — special thanks to Mike from Queens for that link). … Cool-sounding exhibit of military uniforms currently on display in Delray Beach, Florida. Details here (with thanks to Jeff Fishman). … Speaking of military unis, check out this. … Yesterday Todd Radom e-mailed me an article about various lowlights in Phillies uniform history (it’s not web-accessible, alas), and one passage in particular caught my eye: “June 10, 1972. Trying to inject some life into a 19-29 club at the start of a homestand, gimmick-obsessed team vice president Bill Giles suggested that, since the Phillies had been playing better on the the road than at home, they ought to try their road uniforms at the Vet. Giles’ plan bombed. The Atlanta Braves’ 15-3 victory included Hank Aaron’s 649th home run, a grand slam.” The Braves were wearing the “feather” design on the road that year, so it wasn’t gray-vs.-gray, but still — two teams wearing road uniforms? I’d never heard about this before. Anyone else? … When not serving me cocktails, doing my laundry, and changing Tucker and Caitlin’s litterbox, Uni Watch intern Vince Grzegorek moonlights at a dental office. And who should come in for a root canal yesterday but a VP of Sales for Reebok. “He was dressed head to toe in Reebok stuff,” reports Vince. “Shorts, shoes, socks, and the logo was EXTREMELY prominent.” While he was in the chair, Vince slipped him some nitrous oxide and nabbed this Cleveland Browns cap from his briefcase. Then he put a Uni Watch temporary tattoo on his arm, etched a Nike swoosh onto one of his front teeth, and doubled his bill. All in a day’s work. … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Major hosiery development Wednesday night, as Esteban Loaiza was wearing special stirrups with the A’s logo on the side. Best photo so far (provided by Roger Faso) is here — you can just barely make out the logo on Loaiza’s left ankle. Anyone got a better shot? I can’t do screen grabs from my backup computer (main machine’s still in the shop, grumble-grumble), but I’m told that there were some close-up views in the first inning. … Here’s a quote for the ages: “It was an interesting lesson to learn in how quickly a fire can happen.” To appreciate the full context, look here (with thanks to Peter Bliao). … The Trenton Thunder unveiled a new identity system yesterday. … And Cleveland State unveiled a new logo (as noted by Josh Yetmar). … Golf report from Dan Sherman, who writes: “At the first round of the FedEx cup, close to 50 golfers were wearing blue belts with silver buckles inscribed with ‘IFF,’ for ‘Ian and Friends Foundation.’” Details here. … I’d heard about the Denver Bears’ “strike zone uniforms” before, but I’d never seen them — until now (with thanks to George McClure). … Can someone please tell the Mariners to stop wearing their BP jerseys in actual games? They did it again last night. … Here’s one I hadn’t been aware of: As you know, the Steelers switched from block numbers to their current font in 1997. But for the first game of that season — and only the first game — they kept their old block lettering for the nameplates, before switching to their now-familiar rounded font in Week 2. … Tired of seeing your favorite team’s baseball cap rendered in all sorts of weird colors? You’re not the only one (good find by Dave Miller). … Latest MLBer to wear toe socks: Brendan Ryan of the Cardinals. This and several other uni-related tidbits can be found in the last four paragraphs of this article. Meanwhile, the second text section of this piece reports that Ryan has some unusual taste in eyewear. (Both items sent my way by Elena Elms, who I’m pretty sure has a crush on Ryan.) … Mike Lowell has been wearing a Jeff Bagwell-style padded batting glove lately. “It was made by using an old piece of catching equipment, an idea conceived by the Red Sox trainers,” says AJ Chalifour. … Got an e-mail last night from Jay Gordon, who’s the editor-in-chief of Uniforms magazine (!), which features lively columns like “The Uniforms Laboratory” and “Ask the Uniforms Guy” (who, for some inexplicable reason, isn’t me). Granted, none of the uniforms are sports-related, but it still looks pretty damn cool. … Jason Cruz notes that there sure seems to be a lot of stuff going on on Lauren Jackson’s shoes. Anyone know what the “153″ is for?
#1 by Monte on 08.24.07 9:05 am |
Was at the mets game last night and steiner was running a silent auction by the team store. They also had some “game worn” stuff… mostly jackets and bp jerseys of scrubs. One that did catch my eye though was a Schowenweis spring training jersey with #36. Got a picture on my cell but it’s fairly terrible. Thought that was prety cool since he only had that number for a few days. Wasn’t willing to throw down $100 for a black mets jersey with screen printing on it.
#2 by Nate on 08.24.07 9:18 am |
the hat that vince found isnt new–its the sideline cap from 2005
#3 by Nate on 08.24.07 9:18 am |
#4 by Nate on 08.24.07 9:21 am |
there was supposed to be a link there, but heres the site anywho http://www.rivercity...
#5 by charlie on 08.24.07 9:22 am |
if this turns out to be true I will be VERY VERY VERY VERY upset. VERY upset.
#6 by Vince Grzegorek on 08.24.07 9:22 am |
You’re right!!
I was lied to!! Oh well. Disappointed by Reebok again, not like it’s anything new.
#7 by Steve B on 08.24.07 9:24 am |
Last night during the rainout of the White Sox game, on Comcast Sportsnet, they were showing interviews with Chicago baseball fans wearing jerseys. There was a White Sox fan who had S. Bartman on the back as a jab at his northside brethren. They also had a piece on a guy wearing a Cubs jersey with Hill on the back. And as the reported said, “when you think about Cubs baseball, you think about Glenallen Hill.” HA.
There was also a guy who ran through a whole host of replicas that he owed, from home and away 1908’s to more recent years. It was prettey intertaining. The best story was the guy who bought a Sosa jersey on ebay, and it arrived while he was out of the country in Mexico. When he got back and opened the package, there was a picture of Sosa in an Orioles jersey on the front page that day.
This may be a pretty standard piece that they run during rainouts, but it was the first time I had seen it. Anybody else in the Chicago area ever seen this piece?
Steve B
#8 by hott rodd on 08.24.07 9:31 am |
is that supposed to say a ‘titanic’ throwback game ?
#9 by Elena E on 08.24.07 9:32 am |
When I was learning lettering by hand in the pre-computer day of graphic art, all the instruction books showed letter shadowing down and to the right. Do they do it differently in South America, I wonder?
[A crush on Brendan Ryan? Me? Adam Wainwright would be so disappointed, but he never does anything UniWatch worthy]
#10 by al on 08.24.07 9:33 am |
for the rangers, the 7 o’clock shadow was probably selected because the printing of RANGERS goes from Top Left to Bottom right.
#11 by Eric on 08.24.07 9:33 am |
Apparently being the full-time manager now means that John McLaren can be incredibly lazy.
Also, what was up with the Virgin Islands’ canary yellow home unis last night? (Couldn’t find a picture)
#12 by Eriq Jaffe on 08.24.07 9:34 am |
While I have to just shake my head in disappointment at the Sox fan wearing a Bartman jersey (you’re making the rest of us look bad, y’know?), I had to just call attention to the irony…
#13 by Robert on 08.24.07 9:40 am |
“Down and to the right. Down and to the right.” Funny.
#14 by Chad Johnson on 08.24.07 9:41 am |
I was at a Texas Rangers game in 1983 against the Oakland A’s in Arlington, TX. Both teams were wearing their road uniforms for this game. At the time, the Rangers road jersey was a blue top that said Texas with white pants. Here’s a picture.
#15 by Chad Johnson on 08.24.07 9:45 am |
Here’s the picture of the Ranger uniform
http://www.cbssports...
#16 by Steve B on 08.24.07 9:45 am |
Yeah, thankfully the B in my name doesn’t stand for Bartman.
#17 by Jason G. on 08.24.07 9:45 am |
Someone please tell me that the “Bad Ass” shoe is a photoshop job. Someone please tell me that there is not someone in this world annoying enough to have that put on a shoe.
As you should be. That would surely be one of worst updates of a uniform ever.
#18 by BAM BAM on 08.24.07 9:48 am |
Isn’t it just a 3D design and not really a shadow?
#19 by Kerry on 08.24.07 9:50 am |
For anyone interested in seeing the New York Yankees gang caps, check out
#20 by Kerry on 08.24.07 9:51 am |
For anyone interested in seeing the New York Yankees gang caps, check out THIS ARTICLE.
#21 by Jim on 08.24.07 9:56 am |
How interesting … I guess EVERY profession has uniforms in 2007 … with excessive logo creep to boot! Saw an autograph of this guy on a coworker’s wall … couldn’t help but share it here:
http://www.pbrnow.co...
#22 by Brian W on 08.24.07 9:57 am |
It’s too bad that the NY Jets will not be dressing up as the “Titans” for a game against the current Titans. Now, that would be mind-blowing!
I know the Eagles will be wearing throwbacks a couple times this year for their 75th anni. Will they be wearing their throwbacks that week too?
#23 by JJD on 08.24.07 10:02 am |
It looks like a Band-aid stuck on there to me.
#24 by scott on 08.24.07 10:02 am |
New Britain Rock Cats wore their Independence Day jerseys again Thursday night. Here’s how the team’s press release describes them:
“the Rock Cats will be honoring America by wearing their stylish red, white and blue uniforms. And they will be sporting those colorful jerseys as they look skyward to salute a Connecticut Air National Guard A-10 Flyover just before the game’s first pitch at 7:05 PM!”
#25 by JM Rempt on 08.24.07 10:03 am |
I wonder if Jackson’s wallet says Bad Motherfucker on it.
#26 by scott on 08.24.07 10:04 am |
Are the Mariners (thanfully) the only team that has broken out its BP jerseys for a regular season game this year? I know other teams have done so in the recent past, including the Twins, Expos and Padres.
#27 by Jeff B on 08.24.07 10:15 am |
So Brendan Ryan wears game socks, presumably red, that are toe socks under his red stirrups? I think not. Unless he has white toe sanitaries…
#28 by Elena E on 08.24.07 10:21 am |
He wears white socks under his stirrups. I don’t know if those are the toe socks–I have never seen him with his shoes off.
#29 by Brick on 08.24.07 10:23 am |
The Washington Nationals wordmarks and numbers go down and to the left. Is that technically a block shadow?
#30 by Paul Lukas on 08.24.07 10:32 am |
No, that’s a bevel. And the Nats’ bevel indicates a light source coming from the left — which is the same thing indicated by a drop shadow going to the right. In other words, just another manifestation of the same phenomenon.
#31 by Hank on 08.24.07 10:34 am |
Eagles will be wearing the Blue and Yellow only once. It will be for their 9/23 game against the Lions at the Linc.
#32 by BCrisp on 08.24.07 10:37 am |
We all know the term southpaw refers to a lefty pitcher. That term came from the fact that early ball fields were built so that home plate faced to the east. That way, the late afternoon sun wouldn’t be in the batter’s eyes, a dangerous situation when a baseball is thrown in your direction. The pitcher faced west, and if he was left handed, the ball would be thrown with his south side hand, his “south paw”. The sun setting in front of fielders and a little to their left would cause a shadow down and to the right. Maybe that is an explanation for that phenomenon.
#33 by KW on 08.24.07 10:42 am |
But the Nationals light source would appear to come from the bottom left leaving the shadown top right
#34 by lockbull on 08.24.07 10:47 am |
Better not let word get out about etching the Nike swoosh on the teeth, someone else may take you up on it!
#35 by Anthony Verna on 08.24.07 10:53 am |
I have my tickets for Eagles-Jets Oct. 14th. That’ll be fun - seeing throwbacks in action. (Though I’ll be wearing one of my caps with a bird on it!)
(And a friend who went to Marshall will be coming to see her “boyfriend.” Ha!)
#36 by Nick Maibroda on 08.24.07 10:54 am |
Looks like the Leafs were inspired by Shania Twain’s version of jersey from the 2003 Juno awards. Hopefully the Canadiens don’t get the same idea.
#37 by SATCH on 08.24.07 10:59 am |
Does anyone else find something strange about the Trenton Thunder logos? I mean, the primary is a cloud using a lightning bolt as a bat. The secondary uses an anthropomorphized lightning bolt holding an actual bat. Well if the lightning bolt is alive then I don’t think the cloud should be using it to swing with. I’m sure their tertiary logo will just combine the logos and have a cloud swinging a lightning bolt swinging a bat. Or just a bat that has been brought to life and thrown by Jose Offerman or something.
#38 by Nolan on 08.24.07 11:00 am |
So, not Back and to the left?
#39 by GoTerriers on 08.24.07 11:06 am |
Unless you go to Waconah Park in Pittsfield, MA where the sun set DIRECTLY over the centerfield fence and night games played there regularly have a “sun delay” around the third inning
#40 by Wade Harder on 08.24.07 11:10 am |
Paul,
The drop shadowing to bottom and right does not just pertain to lettering. In architecture school, we were taught when rendering to always depict the light source coming from the top left corner of the page because it was more visually appealing to have the shadows drop to the right rather than the other way around.
#41 by Flip on 08.24.07 11:14 am |
It’s a dumb-looking logo that contrasts badly with the sweet cursive W on the cap.
#42 by todd krevanchi on 08.24.07 11:14 am |
interesting, but i dont see logo creep here at all.
what i see is that enterprise rent-a-car has sponsored the rodeo clown or at least the clowns uniform. they have paid to put their bilboard on his clothes, just like they do for tv or print ads.
i think the term logo creep is starting to get thrown around way too loosely now.
if im not mistaken it was a term derived to mean that a manufacturers “logo” has “crept” all over the uniform and accessories, (ie. logos on shoes, socks, wristbands, braces, under-gear or mock shirts, gloves, et. al.) creating a distraction from the general uniform (like a virus spreading over it until it completely overtakes the uni)
i understand the above description from a manufacturers standpoint.
a swoosh, 3 stripes or vector on a shirt, wrist band, shoe, glove, towel, sock, whatever, is not logo creep, its identifying and branding a piece of apparel for the sake of resale.
now when worn all together, on a college or pro field, i guess i’ll have to say, yes its a bit much.
but there is a significant difference between the above and me wearing a nike logo’ed shirt to a game with my air max 360s
im not even gonna go into the crossword puzzle logo creep reference because i still dont understand what that meant.
#43 by Andrew on 08.24.07 11:15 am |
I was at the Reds game last night–high, high up–and saw Javier Valentin write something in the dirt before an at bat. He did it twice: once on the edge of the dirt as he approached the plate from the on-deck circle and again when he entered the box and did the standard kicking the dirt around and digging your feet in. Both times he used the end of his bat to write something.
It looked like it started with a T and had an i in it, because he dotted something.
I figured he might be writing a kid’s name or something, but nowhere I’ve looked mentions children or even a wife.
Does anyone have any idea?
#44 by tape on 08.24.07 11:21 am |
interesting use of thong straps by Shania in that Habs “uni”.
#45 by Latrell on 08.24.07 11:22 am |
Canoe.ca has an article about the highly anticipated unveiling of the new Flames uniforms.
#46 by Paul Lukas on 08.24.07 11:24 am |
Faaaascinating. That’s precisely the type of info I was hoping this entry would generate. But WHY is it considered more visually appealing to have shadows dropping off to the right? On what basis was that determination made?
#47 by Joe Drennan on 08.24.07 11:29 am |
While I never hope to see any profesional team look like that, seeing Shania like that makes this hockey fan feel warm and fuzzy inside.
#48 by Kerry on 08.24.07 11:29 am |
Strangely enough, I was thinking the same thing. I love the cloud swinging the lightning bolt…but it was kind of weird to see the bolt swinging the bat.
#49 by Kerry on 08.24.07 11:31 am |
Personally, I really think it’s just the “right-handed” mindset here where we read going to the right and drive on the right side of the road. Having things on or going to the right just looks right.
#50 by Joe Drennan on 08.24.07 11:34 am |
While I hope to never see a hockey team outfitted like that, seeing Shania dressed like that makes this hockey fan warm and fuzzy inside.
#51 by Bill T. on 08.24.07 11:43 am |
The Reds’ road uniforms of recent years had a shifting shadow on the word Cincinnati. Pic.
Whereby the “C” at the left end has a 5 o’clock shadow, gradually moves to the center, and the “I” at the right end has a 7 o’clock shadow - inconsistant with the numbers and the name plates on the back.
#52 by Frank Mercogliano on 08.24.07 11:44 am |
Paul,
Regarding the previously mentioned drop shadows, it is more eye pleasing because we do visually see things first and foremost on the left and then go down and to the right. That’s why when you look at a newspaper page, when they have a photo in a column, it is always set to the left of the column, as it is more visually appealing as it creates a more natural eye movement. I as told in college this is due to the left-to-right nature of things in western civilization, so I don’t know what that means for places that go right to left…
Frank
#53 by Stephen on 08.24.07 11:46 am |
Maybe they just combine them all to have the lightning bolt swinging a bat at the cloud?
~E~
#54 by John on 08.24.07 11:48 am |
Lauren Jackson’s 153 on her shoe is a reference to her current number (15 on both the Storm and Australian National Team) and a former number.
The 15 also represents the uniform number that her mother wore (info here). Both of her parents represented Australia basketball — #3 may well have been her old man’s number though I can’t find any record of it.
#55 by Paul Lukas on 08.24.07 11:49 am |
Publication design is more complex than that, actually. Placement on the right-hand page of a two-page spread is always considered more valuable than being on the left-hand page, because when you turn the page, the first thing you see on the newly revealed spread is the right page. The upper-right slot is the choicest spot.
But your basic point about our cultural predisposition toward left-to-right formats is well taken. So: For cultures that read right to left, do you think they use left-leaning drop shadows?
#56 by Dean Christian on 08.24.07 11:55 am |
I thought the 153 on her shoes was to remind her how much she gets paid per game to play in the WNBA.
#57 by Michael B on 08.24.07 11:56 am |
So I asked my Step-Ma (who is a Rep. for UST Golf Shafts on the PGA Tour) about the “Blue Belts” the Golfers are wearing in Westchester this week. This is what she said:
“Its to raise awareness for a charity.
A guy from wall street whose son has brain cancer started the whole thing. They are made of all kinds of skins-alligator, croc, ostrich. They start at 500 dollars and go up to fifteen hundred dollars. A lot of players have been wearing them for years-Darren Clarke first made them popular. So this week they are all wearing the blue in unison.”
I think some of that info was on the website but that is from a tour veteran. Hope it sheds a bit more light on the subject.
#58 by GoTerriers on 08.24.07 11:56 am |
Not in the Israel Baseball League . . .
In this slideshow there are photos of the Tel Aviv Lightning. I believe they are wearing BP Shirts/Jerseys, but the lettering is in Hebrew and the drop shadow is clearly “down and to the right” . . .
#59 by possum on 08.24.07 11:57 am |
I do crosswords fairly regularly and you don’t normally see corporate names in them, much less twice in one puzzle. Guess I misused the term “logo creep”…I promise to do better next time. I was bringing forth (the millionth) piece of evidence that Nike is taking over the world. Sorry, I’ll make sure to consult with you before using any terms or phrases from now on.
#60 by GoTerriers on 08.24.07 12:00 pm |
No drop shadows as all in Israel Hockey, though I think it’s interesting that the logo on the golf shirt is on the right chest instead of the left, where a typical US golf shirt would have a logo . . .
#61 by Frankie on 08.24.07 12:03 pm |
Don’t both teams technically wear road jerseys when the Padres wear their sand pants with their military appreciation jersey and hats?
#62 by Johnny O on 08.24.07 12:03 pm |
What stadium is that on the front page today? Anyways, it reminded me that Miller Park is absolutly rancid on really sunny day games because the shadow creeps over the pitchers mound. So the batter sees half the ball in sunlight, and half in the shadows.
Shadows at Miller Park
#63 by denverjason on 08.24.07 12:04 pm |
Paul is right, on a two page spread we always look at the right-hand page first, because the other one is covered until completely open. However when looking at one page, our eyes move in a Z movement.
I was also taught that in design always put the light source in the top left. That way, when our eyes move in their natural Z motion (at least natural for English speakers, and other related languages), the drop shadow does not distract us and take our eyes off course, working against what we naturally want to do.
I have never been a huge fan of blocks or drop shadows on jerseys, though. I was still in high school when the 49ers introduced their 3-D block lettering, and I remember thinking, “Do they put that 3-D design there because they want me to actually think, ‘WOW! Those letters are three-dimensional, are they really coming off the jersey!?’â€
I later came to realize why I don’t like it. Drop SHADOWS are okay because we naturally expect to see a shadow down there. But drop BLOCK lettering makes no sense because the three-dimensional aspect is underneath the letter. However, we watch sports from the same level or above the players. Hence, the old Senators 3-D block lettering is the only one I have ever liked, because we should naturally be seeing the tops of the blocks, anyway.
#64 by GoTerriers on 08.24.07 12:05 pm |
From the shape of the shadows it looks like it might be old Busch Stadium in St. Louis . . .the shadows are arched and that was a major design component of the stadium. I don’t know if the new stadium echoes the same element.
#65 by Robert on 08.24.07 12:06 pm |
I don’t know about Valentin, but I have noticed several players doing this at games that I have attended this year. It must be a fad.
#66 by Jeff on 08.24.07 12:06 pm |
Here’s something that has bothered me for years, and I’ve just now decided to put it in writing. Why is it that the Dodgers use red for the number on the front of their jerseys? Don’t get me wrong, I love their unis, but I’ve always wondered why they use a color that appears practically nowhere else in their color schemes. The only other place you’ll find red in Dodgerland is here. And if you want to use that as the basis for your argument that their team colors are “blue and red”, then you would also have to say the Yankees are also a “blue and red” team. And I just won’t buy that.
Are there any other teams that use a secondary color so minimally in their uniforms??
#67 by Quint on 08.24.07 12:08 pm |
From yesterday’s comments:
Thanks for correcting me on the socks/stirrups issue. When I first heard about it, I assumed they were stirrups, but when I finally got to see the game (it was blacked out in Canada, even though it wasn’t televised), I couldn’t see any yellow, so I assumed they were socks. Does Blanton wear green socks, or are those really low stirrups, too?
Didn’t Loaiza wear 25 last year, too? I’ll have to check my various nerdy scorecards and other materials when I get home today.
#68 by Peter on 08.24.07 12:11 pm |
For me, when the drop shadow is down and to the left, it gives the appearance of the word rising off the background. When it’s down and to the right, it looks more like the word is casting a shadow.
#69 by Flip on 08.24.07 12:16 pm |
#70 by marlowe on 08.24.07 12:16 pm |
two teams wearing road uniforms? I’d never heard about this before. Anyone else?
——
Yes, Cubs wore road grays at home for some games of both the 06 and 07 WS’s. It was not without controversy, especially in 07 vs. Detroit when it was gray vs. gray.
#71 by Cavan on 08.24.07 12:17 pm |
Check out these Polish cycling jerseys…
http://www.cyclingne...
#72 by todd krevanchi on 08.24.07 12:18 pm |
not a photoshopped pic…
its actually on her shoe
http://www.flickr.co...
#73 by Trump1010 on 08.24.07 12:18 pm |
I’ve always felt the orange on the Tigers road jersey was odd too.
#74 by mooka on 08.24.07 12:22 pm |
More like Polish sausage. Yikes.
#75 by Shaftman on 08.24.07 12:23 pm |
Black on the Met’s. They should really use that color more. It’s looks so good on them {/sarcasm]
#76 by Joe Drennan on 08.24.07 12:24 pm |
When I worked at a newspaper, our common rule of thumb was you place the picture in relation to the text so that the person/people in the picture are looking at the text, therefor guiding you to the text. The other option would be if you had a picture of say a horse running, we would always put the object so thaty it was moving into the story, instead of away. This lead to several pictures on the right side of the story/page.
If the pictures were simple head shots/landscape, they were almost always on the left though.
#77 by marlowe on 08.24.07 12:27 pm |
I’ve always felt the orange on the Tigers road jersey was odd too.
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Nothing odd about it. They first included orange in 1901. It was dropped for a few decades, then reappeared in the 1920’s, then again in the 40’s and 50’s, went away for awhile and reappeared again in the 70’s.
#78 by todd krevanchi on 08.24.07 12:29 pm |
http://www.flickr.co...
this one has 315 here…
#79 by Trump1010 on 08.24.07 12:29 pm |
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Nothing odd about it. They first included orange in 1901. It was dropped for a few decades, then reappeared in the 1920’s, then again in the 40’s and 50’s, went away for awhile and reappeared again in the 70’s.
I understand that… but where is it on the homes?
#80 by Bryant on 08.24.07 12:31 pm |
Has anyone else heard that Portland Beavers are thinking about changing their nickname? They have a webpage where you can vote for your favorite nickname.
The names and rough concept logos for five potential nicknames: Beavers, Green Sox, Sockeyes, Thorns, and Wet Sox. I find nothing wrong with the Beavers nickname. It has plenty of history behind it. But how cool of a nickname is Wet Sox? I can’t put it into words.
#81 by Banker Bill on 08.24.07 12:34 pm |
I like the shadow down to the left - gives the appearance of forward motion - or am I the only nitwit who sees it that way?
#82 by marlowe on 08.24.07 12:34 pm |
I understand that… but where is it on the homes?
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Good point - that split began in 1972 with orange only in the road unis. They could put orange stripes on the socks.
#83 by marlowe on 08.24.07 12:44 pm |
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I don’t think you are a nitwit, but why is that forward? It depends on where you are going. If you are going down and to the left, it would be backward motion.
#84 by Banker Bill on 08.24.07 12:49 pm |
It’s that standard right-handed, left-to-right thing that’s ingrained in me I guess.
#85 by Teebz on 08.24.07 12:58 pm |
Cubs? In the WS? Vs. Detroit?
I think you mean the Cardinals.
#86 by Jeremy on 08.24.07 1:00 pm |
On the NY Rangers website, the new RBK edge jerseys are for sale for a whopping price of 114.99 for a jersey with no name on the back. Strange this is, you could still buy the old style of jersey, but only the white one. Seems very strange to me.
#87 by Jim on 08.24.07 1:03 pm |
Great uni-related site that takes photos of people with obscure jerseys http://straightcashh...
#88 by joe on 08.24.07 1:07 pm |
the thing is that shadow actually has the light source from the LOWER left. Bottoms and lefts are in light, tops and rights are dark.
#89 by joe on 08.24.07 1:12 pm |
if shania’s in the pic I don’t care what shes wearing, its gonna be a good pic.
#90 by Jordan on 08.24.07 1:13 pm |
I was at the Cubs-Cards game last Saturday and a Card fan has a Card jeresy with Bartman on the back and the number 1908.
Horrible!
#91 by SWC Susan (aka Tex) on 08.24.07 1:15 pm |
So… do most Japanese uni number shadows go bottom left???
#92 by hott rodd on 08.24.07 1:17 pm |
07 WS? cubs v detroit? if you can see the future lemme know so i can put money down..
#93 by Adam on 08.24.07 1:17 pm |
1906 World Series - Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox
1907 World Series - Chicago Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers
#94 by joe on 08.24.07 1:17 pm |
big red penis’s
#95 by Josh on 08.24.07 1:17 pm |
When I was in Cairo, I sorta half followed a soccer club called Al Ahly. This is the best picture I found of the back of their jerseys, and I’m going back and forth about whether or not there’s a shadow down and to the left of the numbers. On the front there definitely isn’t, but I’m not sure that says anything about how the back looks. As far as the general argument, it makes perfect sense to me that we think left-to-right is the way to do things because that’s how we read, while Arabic and Hebrew-readers would do their shadows in the opposite direction. For a possible example, I think the shadows direct you through the numbers, so if the number is 25, the shadow on the 2 should direct your eye to the 5 (I’ve read how comic books are written and they absolutely attempt to create a flow with the text and shadowing), whereas if it were the other way around (though, now that I think about it, the Al Ahly jerseys use the same left-to-right numbering system westerners do…) you’d want your eye to be drawn the other way. Maybe an example of Arabic numerals on a jersey would have down and left shadowing?
Man, I think I’ve confused myself in my own argument. Hopefully I haven’t lost everyone else too…
#96 by Kevin Z. on 08.24.07 1:18 pm |
Not sure if someone already said this earlier today, but Mike Lowell has been wearing that protective batting glove for most of the season, not just recently. I think he may have been hit in the hand.