Uni Watch » Rock Star Undergoes Foot Exam

Rock Star Undergoes Foot Exam

As I’ve repeatedly noted in the past, reader Mark Mihalik is Uni Watch’s undisputed king of footwear studies. He’s particularly adept at spotting customized or modified cleats, as he showed a few years ago when he noticed that Nomar Garciaparra was wearing Adidas spikes with a Reebok tongue. And back when I was on vacation a few months ago, he pinch-hit one day with a great breakdown of ballplayers who wear modified sneakers or cross-trainers.

A few year ago Mark noticed that Doug Mientkiewicz, who had a shoe contract with Adidas at the time, was wearing Nike cleats with clumsily drawn stripes that were unlikely to fool anyone. Now he’s discovered something similar, except the disguise job has been executed much more expertly (making Mark’s detective work all the more impressive). I hereby turn the mic over to him:

Todd Helton has been a longtime exclusive Mizuno guy. Everything’s Mizuno, including bats, batting gloves, cleats, and his first baseman’s mitt. So I can’t believe I didn’t pick up on this until now, especially since it’s been going on since April 17th, but he’s been wearing Nike Air Zoom Clippers almost all season. They’ve just been Mizuno-ized all over. [Meanwhile, check out the bag of seeds in Matt Holliday’s pocket, plus the repair job on what appears to have been a tear on the left leg of his pants. — PL]

Unlike Mientkiewicz’s botch job, this was a much more professional cover-up. It looks he had the the big Nike swooshes on the sides blacked out and had Mizuno logos sewn or glued on over the top (you can tell because the Mizuno logo looks a little more downward-tilted than normal, to run at the same angle as the swoosh it’s covering up, and you can barely see the swoosh outline in some pictures), plus he had the white swooshes on the outsoles blacked out, and even had Mizuno logos added on the heel and tongue. He also had the same treatment applied to a pair of Clipper MCS molded cleats. To go through all that effort, Mizuno’s real cleats must seriously be killing his feet.

Big thanks to Mark for once again sharing the fruits of his impressively obsessive footwear studies.

Uni Watch News Ticker: According to a small item at the very bottom of this page, the Penguins’ had to lower their sleeve numbers slightly in order to make room for their 250th-anniversary patch (with thanks to Casey Blick). … Support our sponsors: Note that Jersey-Joe is offering free shipping on MLB jerseys this week, and the No Mas ad in the right-hand column now links directly to their cool line of T-shirts (including my all-time favorite). … Clinton Portis wore gold shoelaces on Sunday. Further details here (with thanks to Mike Peasley). … How many lower-leg irregularities can you spot in this photo? Or this one? (With thanks to Braden Russell.) … Yesterday I noted that many Illinois players wear “Team” on their nose bumpers. That led Joe J. to note that Eastern Michigan wears “Pride.” Any other interesting nose bumper messages floating around out there? … Man, did those Bills throwbacks look magnificent or what? And sure enough, just as I had suggested might be the case, their helmets had no American flag and no NFL logo (although they did appear to have the warning decal. … Jeremy Brahm notes that the Chinese Basketball Association uses a European-style 7 and the discarded NBA ball from last year (although the design on their all-star uniforms shows a standard ball). … Scott Player and his single-bar facemask are looking for a job.

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#1 by =bg= on 10.09.07 9:25 am |

New dugout jackets for playoffs and 2008;

http://shop.mlb.com/...

#2 by possum on 10.09.07 9:33 am |

Thanks for posting early Paul. I’m working early this week and I just yesterday I just kept staring at Sunday’s page trying to send you telepathic messages.

#3 by Robert on 10.09.07 9:35 am |

As I recall, there was a big lawsuit years ago that involved Mike Schmidt and perhaps others. I think that he had a contract to wear one brand of shoe, but altered another brand to look like the one he was contractually obligated to wear, and ended up getting sued. I came across the case one day in law school when I was bored and fiddling around on Westlaw.

#4 by dm00n on 10.09.07 9:40 am |

Jags are asking their fans to wear teal next week:

Jaguars players returned home to Jacksonville with more than just a big win, they also brought with them an idea somewhat inspired by the sea of red shirts that flooded the stadium in Kansas City.

“We would love it — this Sunday, we’re going to be in our teal jerseys and want all you fans out there to be in your teal shirts,” Mathis said.

#5 by dm00n on 10.09.07 9:42 am |

Chargers go powder blue next week:

The Chargers will debut their new-look Powder Blue jerseys Sunday as they celebrate Alumni Weekend against the Raiders.

#6 by badly drawn boykins on 10.09.07 9:44 am |

The doctored shoe thing is/was popular in soccer too. For decades, adidas Copa Mundial was the go-to boot for serious soccer players. Players would wear the Copas instead the inferior brands they were endorsing, and simply black out the three stripes to hide them.

I don’t think this is as prevalent these days, with the increased popularity of non-black boots and improvements in footwear technology.

#7 by Robert on 10.09.07 9:44 am |

New dugout jackets for playoffs and 2008;

http://shop.mlb.com/...

That Giants jacket looks great. It is good to see that some teams are finally going back to understated dugout jackets.

Unfortunately for me, the Reds have left some black accenting on their version, for no good reason at all. (For some reason, my efforts to insert a link to the photo are being rebuffed.)

#8 by Jason on 10.09.07 9:45 am |

I thought the “Jewboys” shirt was your favorite, Paul. Still a classic choice. My fave is this one.

#9 by dm00n on 10.09.07 9:45 am |

Nike leaves hockey:

Thirteen years after it skated into the hockey industry with its purchase of the world’s largest hockey company, Nike is abandoning Canada’s national game.

Last week, the iconic sports company whose simple swoosh logo is among the world’s most recognized, said it was putting on the block its flagging hockey division, known as NikeBauer.

#10 by Jason G. on 10.09.07 10:03 am |

As is probably the case with a lot of people who grew up in late 80’s/early 90’s, this is my favorite No-Mas shirt.

#11 by Stuby on 10.09.07 10:05 am |

Bad week for QBs named ‘Trent’ as they went 0-3 in the NFL. Last year, it seemed like every QB was named ‘Drew’. What happened to the good old days when QBs were named ‘Joe’?

#12 by Joe Drennan on 10.09.07 10:07 am |

Nike leaves hockey:

Thirteen years after it skated into the hockey industry with its purchase of the world’s largest hockey company, Nike is abandoning Canada’s national game.

Last week, the iconic sports company whose simple swoosh logo is among the world’s most recognized, said it was putting on the block its flagging hockey division, known as NikeBauer.

This is great. We might get Baurer back into hockey now without the annoying swoosh accompanying it. While I do own a pair of the old white nike rolleerblades, I never like them in the sport. It seemed to be out of their comfort zone. RBK annoys me too because they’re downplaying CCM, the greatest brand in hockey, but they’re producing quality equipment (jerseys not withstanding) and as a player I apprechiate that. Nikie did nothing for equipment advancement. They simply took what Bauer had produced and slapped their swoosh on it.

#13 by Pat on 10.09.07 10:09 am |

As is probably the case with a lot of people who grew up in late 80’s/early 90’s, this is my favorite No-Mas shirt.

That video may be the greatest thing ever put on you tube. I think I pulled one of those on my brother once. It was always a race to see who could press down-down-A first to be the Raiders. The other guy had to be the 49ers as a consolation prize. The only reason I would buy a Wii is to play that game again.

#14 by Alan #44 on 10.09.07 10:11 am |

That guy doing on field reporting during the Yankee game sure was wearing an ugly suit.

And by the way, how many fucking times do I need to see a close up of the Cleveland manager!!!!!

#15 by Adam on 10.09.07 10:12 am |

Jags are asking their fans to wear teal next week:

Jaguars players returned home to Jacksonville with more than just a big win, they also brought with them an idea somewhat inspired by the sea of red shirts that flooded the stadium in Kansas City.

“We would love it — this Sunday, we’re going to be in our teal jerseys and want all you fans out there to be in your teal shirts,” Mathis said.

The Jaguars could HAND OUT Teal shirts and they still wouldnt play in front of a full house. They are too shaky to be considered a threat. People in this city (Jax) love winners and until they return to there prime, no full house

#16 by ThresherK on 10.09.07 10:16 am |

The doctored shoe thing is/was popular in soccer too….Players would wear the Copas instead the inferior brands they were endorsing, and simply black out the three stripes to hide them.

IIRC, Shep Messing (Cosmos goalie) cut his hand while cutting off the trademark swoosh or stripes from a supplied shoe while he endorsed another brand, ~30 years ago.

Does this happen often?

#17 by Stuby on 10.09.07 10:24 am |

The doctored shoe thing is/was popular in soccer too….Players would wear the Copas instead the inferior brands they were endorsing, and simply black out the three stripes to hide them.

IIRC, Shep Messing (Cosmos goalie) cut his hand while cutting off the trademark swoosh or stripes from a supplied shoe while he endorsed another brand, ~30 years ago.

Does this happen often?

What, hand-cutting?

#18 by Jason G. on 10.09.07 10:26 am |

Bad week for QBs named ‘Trent’ as they went 0-3 in the NFL. Last year, it seemed like every QB was named ‘Drew’. What happened to the good old days when QBs were named ‘Joe’?

My friends and I have conversations about QB names all the time. It always seems like the good QB’s (or at least the highly touted ones) have odd but epic sounding names. College football is particularly notorious for this. Guys like Colt Brennan, Colt McCoy, Brady Quinn, Major Applewhite, etc. As far as the NFL goes it doesn’t get more epic sounding than Joe Montana, sounds like a cowboy in a western. Dan Marino is pretty heroic sounding name.

#19 by Joe S on 10.09.07 10:30 am |

As I recall, there was a big lawsuit years ago that involved Mike Schmidt and perhaps others. I think that he had a contract to wear one brand of shoe, but altered another brand to look like the one he was contractually obligated to wear, and ended up getting sued. I came across the case one day in law school when I was bored and fiddling around on Westlaw.

Well, Mark & Paul. I hope you’re happy. You’re going to get this poor guy sued. He’s just trying to put food on the table and keep a roof over his family. You know you can’t do that on a baseball salary, so he endorses a product just to make ends meet. The man has to work TWO JOBS! And now you nag him because after all that hard work, he doesn’t want to come home with blistered feet. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves!

#20 by My name is not Earl on 10.09.07 10:31 am |

We all know the real reason Steinbrenner is going to fire Joe Torre: Steinbrenner’s a tradition-oriented guy, and he ptobably couldn’t stand the fact that Torre always seemed to be wearing that pullover instead of his jersey.

Perhaps the Boss should institute a mandatory jersey rule for the next manager (as a New Orleans native, I’d like for that next manager to be Guidry, but I doubt that’s going to happen).

#21 by joe on 10.09.07 10:31 am |

Nike leaves hockey:

Thirteen years after it skated into the hockey industry with its purchase of the world’s largest hockey company, Nike is abandoning Canada’s national game.

Last week, the iconic sports company whose simple swoosh logo is among the world’s most recognized, said it was putting on the block its flagging hockey division, known as NikeBauer.

good now bauer might be good again. if only ccm could get away from RBK

#22 by I AM A WEREWOLF! on 10.09.07 10:32 am |

The only reason I would buy a Wii is to play that game again.

PSSSSTTTT!!!
www.virtualnes.com

Hours and hours and hours and hours … wasted there.

Unlike Todd Helton, I find the nike metal spikes brutal to wear. The metal spikes start puching through the sole and into your feet. Meanwhile, the Mizunos feel like sneakers filled with feathers.

#23 by Stuby on 10.09.07 10:32 am |

Bad week for QBs named ‘Trent’ as they went 0-3 in the NFL. Last year, it seemed like every QB was named ‘Drew’. What happened to the good old days when QBs were named ‘Joe’?

My friends and I have conversations about QB names all the time. It always seems like the good QB’s (or at least the highly touted ones) have odd but epic sounding names. College football is particularly notorious for this. Guys like Colt Brennan, Colt McCoy, Brady Quinn, Major Applewhite, etc. As far as the NFL goes it doesn’t get more epic sounding than Joe Montana, sounds like a cowboy in a western. Dan Marino is pretty heroic sounding name.

I agree. Joe Namath and Johnny Unitas sound much more heroic than Drew Brees and Trent Dilfer.

#24 by Pete on 10.09.07 10:32 am |

The Bills’ throwbacks were nice last night, but I couldn’t help thinking the red helmet stripe looked off-center on several players’ helmets. Maybe it was just the shadows or something about the lighting on the broadcast.

OMG…”wear your teal.” Yeah, because TEAL strikes fear in the hearts of the visitors. “Watch out for those guys - they’re wearing TEAL.” Un-huh, sure. They’re better off going for a black-out. As Dwight Schrute says, “Black is best because it’s the most intimidating.”

China gets NBA hand-me-down balls. Just lovely.

#25 by Jason G. on 10.09.07 10:32 am |

As is probably the case with a lot of people who grew up in late 80’s/early 90’s, this is my favorite No-Mas shirt.

That video may be the greatest thing ever put on you tube. I think I pulled one of those on my brother once. It was always a race to see who could press down-down-A first to be the Raiders. The other guy had to be the 49ers as a consolation prize. The only reason I would buy a Wii is to play that game again.

You can play all the classic Nintendo games on your PC if you get an emulator and the roms to go with it. Do an internet search and you can find them. Just remember that you can only use these for backup purposes (wink,wink,nudge,nudge). Also don’t underestimate the Bears on that game. Great defense and Payton is almost as good as Bo.

#26 by ben on 10.09.07 10:34 am |

Nike leaves hockey:
RBK annoys me too because they’re downplaying CCM, the greatest brand in hockey, but they’re producing quality equipment (jerseys not withstanding) and as a player I apprechiate that. Nikie did nothing for equipment advancement. They simply took what Bauer had produced and slapped their swoosh on it.

I think thats a great point. While Nike never really did anything new-and in fact actually hurt the Bauer/Cooper lines of gear, RBK has really come out swinging with some great stuff. But also, RBK has CCM and Jofa products to sell. CCM was always right there with Bauer for skates, and JOFA was (globally) pretty dominate in protective gear. It just never felt like Nike was into hockey, and didn’t really “get it”. It started with this horrible white Fedorov skates (which hurt to wear and where just crap quality wise for the price). The one90’s are amazing-but for a few hundred less you can get Grafs which are still the Cadillac of hockey skates.

As for inline, forget about it. RBK has really come on strong there, not to mention companies like Tour and Mission. There’s much more competition now than we could have imagined in the mid 1990s when all these conglomerates formed, which is great for the consumer. Just look at the “skate wars” going on in line.

#27 by I AM A WEREWOLF! on 10.09.07 10:38 am |

Also don’t underestimate the Bears on that game. Great defense and Payton is almost as good as Bo.

This morning I was steam rolled by Denver.

Elway, Dorsett and Mecklenberg.

Even Tom Jackson.

#28 by Stuby on 10.09.07 10:40 am |

We all know the real reason Steinbrenner is going to fire Joe Torre: Steinbrenner’s a tradition-oriented guy, and he ptobably couldn’t stand the fact that Torre always seemed to be wearing that pullover instead of his jersey.

Perhaps the Boss should institute a mandatory jersey rule for the next manager (as a New Orleans native, I’d like for that next manager to be Guidry, but I doubt that’s going to happen).

Interesting that Torre was wearing his jersey at the post-game press conference - perhaps his last appearance as Yankee Manager.

#29 by Low Impact Development on 10.09.07 10:41 am |

The Bills uniforms are great, except for the memories of O.J. Simpson.

#30 by Portland Web Designer on 10.09.07 10:45 am |

End the Drew Bledsoe Era officially, Buffalo, and bring back the old unis in tact (looking at you, Chargers).

#31 by Mark on 10.09.07 10:49 am |

Melvin Mora signed with Under Armour before this season, and was wearing their shoes and batting gloves…until he turned up in a pair of Franklin batting gloves midway through the season. At first, the Franklin logo was just blacked out, but after a week or so, the gloves had magically grown Under Armour logos!
Mora eventually returned to regular UA batting gloves.

#32 by Matt B on 10.09.07 10:51 am |

>What happened to the good old days when QBs were named ‘Joe’?

They ruined all our best names, like Bruce and Lance and Julian!

#33 by Eriq Jaffe on 10.09.07 10:54 am |

The Penguins have a 250th Anniversary patch? ;)

#34 by denverjason on 10.09.07 10:56 am |

Wow! Yesterday’s discussion between Gil68 and UW was one of the better “who’s on first?” conversations I have ever read. Great work guys!

#35 by Seth H on 10.09.07 10:56 am |

A case of uniforms impacting player decisions: At a talk by Art Shamsky which I attended last weekend, Shamsky stated that he signed with the Reds as a teenager because he liked the vest uniforms they wore in the early 60s.

#36 by Stuby on 10.09.07 11:03 am |

Watching the highlights from last night, Torre actually wore his jersey out to the mound to pull Wang. :^)

#37 by Ben on 10.09.07 11:03 am |

Who are the guys on the NFL sidelines wearing officials uniforms with the exception of either an all white collared or maroon collared shirt. Clearly not ball boys or chain-gang members.

#38 by Joey Guns on 10.09.07 11:07 am |

That guy doing on field reporting during the Yankee game sure was wearing an ugly suit.

And by the way, how many fucking times do I need to see a close up of the Cleveland manager!!!!!

Craig Sager always has the ugliest suits possible. It’s become his trademark.

Look at this gem:

http://thesportshern...

#39 by Jason G. on 10.09.07 11:07 am |

Who are the guys on the NFL sidelines wearing officials uniforms with the exception of either an all white collared or maroon collared shirt. Clearly not ball boys or chain-gang members.

Could one of these be the guy with the “K ball”?

#40 by Stuby on 10.09.07 11:13 am |

That guy doing on field reporting during the Yankee game sure was wearing an ugly suit.

And by the way, how many fucking times do I need to see a close up of the Cleveland manager!!!!!

Craig Sager always has the ugliest suits possible.

It’s become his trademark.

Look at this gem:

http://thesportshern...

Sager’s got nothing on this guy.

#41 by Matthew S. on 10.09.07 11:14 am |

Who are the guys on the NFL sidelines wearing officials uniforms with the exception of either an all white collared or maroon collared shirt. Clearly not ball boys or chain-gang members.

Could one of these be the guy with the “K ball”?

If they’re wearing red hats and are wearing headphones and a mic, at least one of them could be the TV official who is responsible for talking to the booth and signalling to the field officials when the broadcast is back from commercial so that the game can resume.

#42 by jesse on 10.09.07 11:21 am |

As is probably the case with a lot of people who grew up in late 80’s/early 90’s, this is my favorite No-Mas shirt.

That video may be the greatest thing ever put on you tube. I think I pulled one of those on my brother once. It was always a race to see who could press down-down-A first to be the Raiders. The other guy had to be the 49ers as a consolation prize. The only reason I would buy a Wii is to play that game again.

You could pick the Giants. LT could get him off the field every once and a while, and he could block all of the extra points.

#43 by Kel on 10.09.07 11:21 am |

OK, I will admit to stupidity. But I don’t understand the joke of the “Fuck Face” tshirt. Can some kind soul take pity on an overtired UniWatch fan and explain it?

#44 by Jason G. on 10.09.07 11:25 am |

There was a Billy Ripken baseball card in the 80’s where he’s holding a bat that says Fuck Face on the bottom. The cards were immediately pulled and are worth a good amount of money today.

#45 by Pat on 10.09.07 11:25 am |

OK, I will admit to stupidity. But I don’t understand the joke of the “Fuck Face” tshirt. Can some kind soul take pity on an overtired UniWatch fan and explain it?

http://www.sportsbas...

#46 by Matthew S. on 10.09.07 11:25 am |

OK, I will admit to stupidity. But I don’t understand the joke of the “Fuck Face” tshirt. Can some kind soul take pity on an overtired UniWatch fan and explain it?

This should explain everything for you Kel: http://www.sportsbas...

Baseball players are great pranksters.

#47 by badly drawn boykins on 10.09.07 11:25 am |

OK, I will admit to stupidity. But I don’t understand the joke of the “Fuck Face” tshirt. Can some kind soul take pity on an overtired UniWatch fan and explain it?

It’s from a Billy Ripken baseball card.

#48 by Dwight on 10.09.07 11:26 am |

OK, I will admit to stupidity. But I don’t understand the joke of the “Fuck Face” tshirt. Can some kind soul take pity on an overtired UniWatch fan and explain it?

An old Billy Ripken (w/ the Orioles) baseball card from the 80s (i think) had “fuck face” written on the knob of the bat he was holding

#49 by Matthew S. on 10.09.07 11:26 am |

Wow, Pat and Jason G and I all responded at, according to the timing, 11:25 am. Scary. Good job guys for beating me to it.

#50 by Jason G. on 10.09.07 11:27 am |

OK, I will admit to stupidity. But I don’t understand the joke of the “Fuck Face” tshirt. Can some kind soul take pity on an overtired UniWatch fan and explain it?

Here’s a pic.

#51 by doogie on 10.09.07 11:27 am |

more shoe talk please!

hey Paul have you ever covered visors in hockey? i recently started playing forward instead of goalie, and i felt it was necessary to spend almost 100 bucks on the oakley visor that looked by far the best with my bauer 4000…ala Marcus Naslund and Joe Sakic etc etc

#52 by Dwight on 10.09.07 11:27 am |

Nice response Uni-watch readers - and no smart-ass comments! Atta-boys!

#53 by SWC Susan (aka Tex) on 10.09.07 11:30 am |

For you Comisky Park fans that were remeniscing yesterday… at UncommonGoods.com they have some pretty neat cufflinks made out of old baseball seats from some of the old stadiums. You will have to search for item no. 15048, it would not let me link directly.

#54 by Graf Zeppelin on 10.09.07 11:30 am |

WORST QB FIRST NAME OF ALL TIME: Browning Nagle

RUNNERS UP:

Bubby Brister
Trent Dilfer
June Jones
Peyton Manning (sorry)
Donovan McNabb
Cade McNown
Steadman Shealy
Heath Shuler
Whit Taylor
Norris Weese

#55 by Dane on 10.09.07 11:31 am |

That guy doing on field reporting during the Yankee game sure was wearing an ugly suit.

It’s become his trademark.

Look at this gem:

http://thesportshern...

Sager’s got nothing on this guy.

Could you imagine the carnage if Craig Sager and Don Cherry were in the same studio together? Great googly moogly, flat-screen TVs would melt off the wall with that image burning their pixels.

#56 by Pat on 10.09.07 11:31 am |

WORST QB FIRST NAME OF ALL TIME: Browning Nagle

RUNNERS UP:

Bubby Brister
Trent Dilfer
June Jones
Peyton Manning (sorry)
Donovan McNabb
Cade McNown
Steadman Shealy
Heath Shuler
Whit Taylor
Norris Weese

Why sorry? It’s a little girl’s name.

#57 by badly drawn boykins on 10.09.07 11:33 am |

The doctored shoe thing is/was popular in soccer too….Players would wear the Copas instead the inferior brands they were endorsing, and simply black out the three stripes to hide them.

IIRC, Shep Messing (Cosmos goalie) cut his hand while cutting off the trademark swoosh or stripes from a supplied shoe while he endorsed another brand, ~30 years ago.

Does this happen often?

What, hand-cutting?

Hand-cutting, probably not that often, but the logo-stripping moreso. Until very recently, soccer shoes were really, really primitive, just black leather with some marking, so it was easy to take an adidas and slap another logo on it.

Nowadays though, each brand has a distinctive look, and with different colored boots abound, it’s much harder (and probably less necessary) to fake a different brand.

#58 by Korch on 10.09.07 11:35 am |

Pic of Helton wearing Nike Air Max 360’s during a workout:

http://sports.yahoo....

#59 by Alan #44 on 10.09.07 11:35 am |

That guy doing on field reporting during the Yankee game sure was wearing an ugly suit.

And by the way, how many fucking times do I need to see a close up of the Cleveland manager!!!!!

Craig Sager always has the ugliest suits possible.

It’s become his trademark.

Look at this gem:

http://thesportshern...

Sager’s got nothing on this guy.

He looks like the Grand Wizard of Wrestling.
Don Cherry is in a class by himself. But he also is a RIOT!!! Check out his You Tube videos.

#60 by todd krevanchi on 10.09.07 11:35 am |

That guy doing on field reporting during the Yankee game sure was wearing an ugly suit.

And by the way, how many fucking times do I need to see a close up of the Cleveland manager!!!!!

Craig Sager always has the ugliest suits possible.

It’s become his trademark.

Look at this gem:

http://thesportshern...

youre absolutely right its become his trademark. its as though, every day before going to work he says, “im gonna be on national television tonight. what kind of blazer can i wear in order for me to look as ridiculous as possible.”

oh, and about torre?
when larussa leaves this off season to go to seattle, i for one, as a cardinal fan, will welcome back joe torre as cardinal manager with open arms..

#61 by Ben on 10.09.07 11:35 am |

The guys on the NFL sideline are the “K” kicking ball holders. Those ball boys have blue sweatpants and an orange K vest along with a front pouch for the ball. It is also not the TV crew guy who signals for commercials. No orange oven mitt or florescent hat. These guys look exactly like officials just collared shirts. I assumed it was a back-up official but usually like in the playoffs they wear the full uniform with an all-black jacket and part of their uniform top is uncovered.

#62 by Philly Bill on 10.09.07 11:43 am |

That guy doing on field reporting during the Yankee game sure was wearing an ugly suit.

And by the way, how many fucking times do I need to see a close up of the Cleveland manager!!!!!

Craig Sager always has the ugliest suits possible.

It’s become his trademark.

Look at this gem:

http://thesportshern...

Sager’s got nothing on this guy.

He looks like the Grand Wizard of Wrestling.
Don Cherry is in a class by himself. But he also is a RIOT!!! Check out his You Tube videos.

This guy was also known for his garish suits during ABC’s NBA broadcasts.

But yeah, when it comes to ostentatious haberdashery, all must stand in awe of Grapes.

#63 by Stuby on 10.09.07 11:43 am |

WORST QB FIRST NAME OF ALL TIME: Browning Nagle

RUNNERS UP:

Bubby Brister
Trent Dilfer
June Jones
Peyton Manning (sorry)
Donovan McNabb
Cade McNown
Steadman Shealy
Heath Shuler
Whit Taylor
Norris Weese

Byron Leftwich
Dieter Brock
Lynn Dickey

#64 by Stuby on 10.09.07 11:45 am |

That guy doing on field reporting during the Yankee game sure was wearing an ugly suit.

And by the way, how many fucking times do I need to see a close up of the Cleveland manager!!!!!

Craig Sager always has the ugliest suits possible.

It’s become his trademark.

Look at this gem:

http://thesportshern...

Sager’s got nothing on this guy.

He looks like the Grand Wizard of Wrestling.
Don Cherry is in a class by himself. But he also is a RIOT!!! Check out his You Tube videos.

This guy was also known for his garish suits during ABC’s NBA broadcasts.

But yeah, when it comes to ostentatious haberdashery, all must stand in awe of Grapes.

The Godfather of Garishness was, of course, Lindsey Nelson. I couldn’t find a good picture of him, unfortunately.

#65 by Graf Zeppelin on 10.09.07 11:57 am |

WORST QB FIRST NAME OF ALL TIME: Browning Nagle

RUNNERS UP:

Bubby Brister
Trent Dilfer
June Jones
Peyton Manning (sorry)
Donovan McNabb
Cade McNown
Steadman Shealy
Heath Shuler
Whit Taylor
Norris Weese

Byron Leftwich
Dieter Brock
Lynn Dickey

Cody Carlson
Gale Gilbert
Rusty Hilger
Tracy Ham
Blair Kiel
Babe Laufenberg
Brady Quinn

#66 by Jason on 10.09.07 11:57 am |

Always been a fan of this guy. Not Jimmy Connors, btw.

#67 by Shane S. on 10.09.07 11:57 am |

Does anyone here know anything about the Angels ever wearing a black jersey? A friend of mine said that a friend of his has one and he would really like to know about it.

Thanks

#68 by Shane on 10.09.07 11:57 am |

more shoe talk please!

hey Paul have you ever covered visors in hockey? i recently started playing forward instead of goalie, and i felt it was necessary to spend almost 100 bucks on the oakley visor that looked by far the best with my bauer 4000…ala Marcus Naslund and Joe Sakic etc etc

I’ve always wondered why no one’s ever tried using a visor on a goalie mask instead of bars. Is there not a strong enough material available?

#69 by Rich on 10.09.07 12:02 pm |

WORST QB FIRST NAME OF ALL TIME: Browning Nagle

RUNNERS UP:

Bubby Brister
Trent Dilfer
June Jones
Peyton Manning (sorry)
Donovan McNabb
Cade McNown
Steadman Shealy
Heath Shuler
Whit Taylor
Norris Weese

Byron Leftwich
Dieter Brock
Lynn Dickey

Gus Frerotte

#70 by Trevor Kruger on 10.09.07 12:02 pm |

Jags are asking their fans to wear teal next week:

Jaguars players returned home to Jacksonville with more than just a big win, they also brought with them an idea somewhat inspired by the sea of red shirts that flooded the stadium in Kansas City.

“We would love it — this Sunday, we’re going to be in our teal jerseys and want all you fans out there to be in your teal shirts,” Mathis said.

We never asked fans to wear red…It just kind of happened. Traditions are a lot cooler when they aren’t forced(I’m looking at you black/white/red/gold/teal/any other color out there-outs all across the nation)

#71 by Jeff on 10.09.07 12:02 pm |

WORST QB FIRST NAME OF ALL TIME: Browning Nagle

RUNNERS UP:

Bubby Brister
Trent Dilfer
June Jones
Peyton Manning (sorry)
Donovan McNabb
Cade McNown
Steadman Shealy
Heath Shuler
Whit Taylor
Norris Weese

What about Spurgeon Wynn! Horrible name and Horrible QB!!!!

#72 by Trevor Kruger on 10.09.07 12:03 pm |

WORST QB FIRST NAME OF ALL TIME: Browning Nagle

RUNNERS UP:

Bubby Brister
Trent Dilfer
June Jones
Peyton Manning (sorry)
Donovan McNabb
Cade McNown
Steadman Shealy
Heath Shuler
Whit Taylor
Norris Weese

Byron Leftwich
Dieter Brock
Lynn Dickey

Gus Frerotte

Elvis Grbac

#73 by Trevor Kruger on 10.09.07 12:05 pm |

WORST QB FIRST NAME OF ALL TIME: Browning Nagle

RUNNERS UP:

Bubby Brister
Trent Dilfer
June Jones
Peyton Manning (sorry)
Donovan McNabb
Cade McNown
Steadman Shealy
Heath Shuler
Whit Taylor
Norris Weese

Byron Leftwich
Dieter Brock
Lynn Dickey

Gus Frerotte

Elvis Grbac

oh, and my favorite Iowa State QB of all-time: Sage Rosenfels

and Seneca Wallace is another good name from ISU.

#74 by dm00n on 10.09.07 12:07 pm |

I’ve always wondered why no one’s ever tried using a visor on a goalie mask instead of bars. Is there not a strong enough material available?

Even if you could be sure the visor wouldn’t break, you’d have to worry about puck marks. They would either block your vision or just be annoying.

Plus they probably wouldn’t want to be more closed in, the masks look like they get hot enough as it is.

#75 by E Ro on 10.09.07 12:07 pm |

Nike leaves hockey:

Thirteen years after it skated into the hockey industry with its purchase of the world’s largest hockey company, Nike is abandoning Canada’s national game.

Last week, the iconic sports company whose simple swoosh logo is among the world’s most recognized, said it was putting on the block its flagging hockey division, known as NikeBauer.

This is potentially great news, I have been so upset about the swoosh being pasted next to the bauer logo in the couple of years. Will equipment = cooper, and skates = bauer?? in my dreams.

Hopefully reebok will follow suit, Their looks like it belongs in Pro Beach Hockey. Those two-tone helmets with the ugly different color holes in the side are too much for me. Actually they look good outside of that. I also hate that they changed the ccm logo this year, come on, it has been the same forever, it just makes me think hockey.

#76 by Shane on 10.09.07 12:09 pm |

WORST QB FIRST NAME OF ALL TIME: Browning Nagle

RUNNERS UP:

Bubby Brister
Trent Dilfer
June Jones
Peyton Manning (sorry)
Donovan McNabb
Cade McNown
Steadman Shealy
Heath Shuler
Whit Taylor
Norris Weese

Byron Leftwich
Dieter Brock
Lynn Dickey

Gus Frerotte

Elvis Grbac

oh, and my favorite Iowa State QB of all-time: Sage Rosenfels

and Seneca Wallace is another good name from ISU.

Scott Zolak. I always used to think of Zorak from Space Ghost.

#77 by Stuby on 10.09.07 12:10 pm |

The Best QB Names:

Bart Starr
Johnny Unitas
Jim Plunkett
Joe Montana
Sonny Jurgensen
Sammy Baugh
Joe Namath
Brian Sipe
Jack Kemp
John Brodie
Jim Zorn

Some more bad ones:

Fran Tarkenton
Terry Hanratty
Quincy Carter

#78 by MLB2PDX on 10.09.07 12:13 pm |

I’ve always wondered why no one’s ever tried using a visor on a goalie mask instead of bars. Is there not a strong enough material available?

Even if you could be sure the visor wouldn’t break, you’d have to worry about puck marks. They would either block your vision or just be annoying.

Plus they probably wouldn’t want to be more closed in, the masks look like they get hot enough as it is.

Also, part of the game is for opposing players to spray the goalie with ice when skating/stopping near the goal. Which would stick to a visor.

#79 by E Ro on 10.09.07 12:14 pm |

Here an interesting article from the NHL.com front page about Oakland briefly wearing Gold skates

link

#80 by todd krevanchi on 10.09.07 12:14 pm |

That guy doing on field reporting during the Yankee game sure was wearing an ugly suit.

And by the way, how many fucking times do I need to see a close up of the Cleveland manager!!!!!

Craig Sager always has the ugliest suits possible.

It’s become his trademark.

Look at this gem:

http://thesportshern...

Sager’s got nothing on this guy.

He looks like the Grand Wizard of Wrestling.
Don Cherry is in a class by himself. But he also is a RIOT!!! Check out his You Tube videos.

This guy was also known for his garish suits during ABC’s NBA broadcasts.

But yeah, when it comes to ostentatious haberdashery, all must stand in awe of Grapes.

The Godfather of Garishness was, of course, Lindsey Nelson. I couldn’t find a good picture of him, unfortunately.

heywood hale broun was brutal when it came to sportcoats and blazers as well…

interesting note about sager on his wik page.
i guess his eccentric sport coat ways started early in his career…

“What many people do not know about Sager is that he is the fan who was waiting for Henry Aaron at home plate after Aaron hit his 715th home run. Sager can be easily recognized in the fracas at home plate after the home run because of his long white overcoat that he was wearing.”

sure enough i checked, and sure enough, sager is easily spotted at home…
same haircut, ahem, piece, same obnoxious sport coat.

im just curious that if he was “the fan” waiting there, how did “a fan” get there to begin with? especially because of all the tension and threats going on throughout the pursuit.
was there a fan contest to greet hank when he beat the record?
or is it an incorrect statement and was sager working as an on field reporter that night?

id be interested to know.

#81 by Kel on 10.09.07 12:15 pm |

My gratitude for the immediate and prolific responses! Now I understand why it’s a favorite. :)

#82 by Shane on 10.09.07 12:15 pm |

I’ve always wondered why no one’s ever tried using a visor on a goalie mask instead of bars. Is there not a strong enough material available?

Even if you could be sure the visor wouldn’t break, you’d have to worry about puck marks. They would either block your vision or just be annoying.

Plus they probably wouldn’t want to be more closed in, the masks look like they get hot enough as it is.

Also, part of the game is for opposing players to spray the goalie with ice when skating/stopping near the goal. Which would stick to a visor.

Bah, just throw a squegee on top of the net along with the water bottle.

Now that I think about it, you’d have to take the mask off to drink water with a visor. Maybe that’s why.

#83 by Jason G. on 10.09.07 12:16 pm |

I’ve always wondered why no one’s ever tried using a visor on a goalie mask instead of bars. Is there not a strong enough material available?

Even if you could be sure the visor wouldn’t break, you’d have to worry about puck marks. They would either block your vision or just be annoying.

Plus they probably wouldn’t want to be more closed in, the masks look like they get hot enough as it is.

I pretty sure 1/2″ thick Lexan is bullet proof. However, the problems you mentioned would still stand.

#84 by joe on 10.09.07 12:20 pm |

more shoe talk please!

hey Paul have you ever covered visors in hockey? i recently started playing forward instead of goalie, and i felt it was necessary to spend almost 100 bucks on the oakley visor that looked by far the best with my bauer 4000…ala Marcus Naslund and Joe Sakic etc etc

hopefully nit, colored visors are lame.

#85 by Charlie on 10.09.07 12:21 pm |

WORST QB FIRST NAME OF ALL TIME: Browning Nagle

RUNNERS UP:

Bubby Brister
Trent Dilfer
June Jones
Peyton Manning (sorry)
Donovan McNabb
Cade McNown
Steadman Shealy
Heath Shuler
Whit Taylor
Norris Weese

Byron Leftwich
Dieter Brock
Lynn Dickey

Gus Frerotte

Elvis Grbac

oh, and my favorite Iowa State QB of all-time: Sage Rosenfels

and Seneca Wallace is another good name from ISU.

Scott Zolak. I always used to think of Zorak from Space Ghost.

Kordell Stewart (and all Steeler fans shudder)

#86 by Shane on 10.09.07 12:23 pm |

UT had a quarterback a few years back called Major Applewhite. I’m still not sure if that’s completely lame or quite awesome.

#87 by joe on 10.09.07 12:24 pm |

Bah, just throw a squegee on top of the net along with the water bottle.

Now that I think about it, you’d have to take the mask off to drink water with a visor. Maybe that’s why.

in the middle of the action, “hello, Mr. ref can you stop the action so I can squeege my mask?” Lexan is a dumb idea for a goalie mask.

#88 by Marty Met on 10.09.07 12:27 pm |

That guy doing on field reporting during the Yankee game sure was wearing an ugly suit.

And by the way, how many fucking times do I need to see a close up of the Cleveland manager!!!!!

Craig Sager always has the ugliest suits possible.

It’s become his trademark.

Look at this gem:

http://thesportshern...

Sager’s got nothing on this guy.

He looks like the Grand Wizard of Wrestling.
Don Cherry is in a class by himself. But he also is a RIOT!!! Check out his You Tube videos.

This guy was also known for his garish suits during ABC’s NBA broadcasts.

But yeah, when it comes to ostentatious haberdashery, all must stand in awe of Grapes.

The Godfather of Garishness was, of course, Lindsey Nelson. I couldn’t find a good picture of him, unfortunately.

Nelson ALWAYS wore multi-colored plaid sports jackets (Over 300 of which he was reputed to have owned) during the Mets broadcasts. They often clashed with the set and his other surroundings and caused scintillation to the picture when his image was being broadcast, the television technology of the time being inadequate to represent them accurately.

also Nelson never sent any of his jackets to the cleaners and they smelled worse than a sanitation worker strike in August.

#89 by kj on 10.09.07 12:28 pm |

Don Cherry is in a class by himself.

He sure is–he’s a doddering old fool whom the game passed by some twenty years ago. I can’t stand him.

#90 by Andy McKillop on 10.09.07 12:29 pm |

I don’t think it’s been mentioned. But EA Sports has started a contest, in which you design you own NBA jersey. They give you all the drawing tools online.

There is also a gallery of what EA thinks are the best jerseys so far.

#91 by CJ on 10.09.07 12:29 pm |

I love the personalized UniWatch Jersey Joe ad.

Free Shipping! (Even the purple ones)

Gave me a good laugh this morning.

#92 by Graf Zeppelin on 10.09.07 12:29 pm |

UT had a quarterback a few years back called Major Applewhite. I’m still not sure if that’s completely lame or quite awesome.

Reminds me of Marshall Applewhite, the Hale-Bopp Comet/Heaven’s Gate suicide cult guy.

#93 by Andy McKillop on 10.09.07 12:31 pm |

The gallery link is:

#94 by jack on 10.09.07 12:31 pm |

Nike leaves hockey:

Thirteen years after it skated into the hockey industry with its purchase of the world’s largest hockey company, Nike is abandoning Canada’s national game.

Last week, the iconic sports company whose simple swoosh logo is among the world’s most recognized, said it was putting on the block its flagging hockey division, known as NikeBauer.

Canada’s national sport is lacrosse, contrary to pupular belief

#95 by ThresherK on 10.09.07 12:34 pm |

I’ve always wondered why no one’s ever tried using a visor on a goalie mask instead of bars. Is there not a strong enough material available?

Even if you could be sure the visor wouldn’t break, you’d have to worry about puck marks. They would either block your vision or just be annoying.

Plus they probably wouldn’t want to be more closed in, the masks look like they get hot enough as it is.

I pretty sure 1/2″ thick Lexan is bullet proof. However, the problems you mentioned would still stand.

But I can’t imagine the refraction when it’s bent helping a goalie stop pucks.

#96 by The Modernish Father on 10.09.07 12:41 pm |

Meanwhile, check out the bag of seeds in Matt Holliday’s pocket

Yeah, Holliday’s apparently addicted to the seeds. My brother and I watched him guzzle down at least six bags in the outfield during a Rockies-Astros game a few months ago.

#97 by The Modernish Father on 10.09.07 12:42 pm |

Meanwhile, check out the bag of seeds in Matt Holliday’s pocket

Yeah, Holliday’s apparently addicted to the seeds. My brother and I watched him guzzle down at least six bags in the outfield during a Rockies-Astros game a few months ago.

At one point, he even had to make a quick trip to the bullpen between batters to get some more in the middle of an inning.

Dude likes the seeds.

#98 by kj on 10.09.07 12:43 pm |

Canada’s national sport is lacrosse, contrary to pupular belief

Actually, while that was true, this leads me to think that changed in 1994. Now, they’re both recognized as national sports.

#99 by Philly Bill on 10.09.07 12:46 pm |

interesting note about sager on his wik page.
i guess his eccentric sport coat ways started early in his career…

“What many people do not know about Sager is that he is the fan who was waiting for Henry Aaron at home plate after Aaron hit his 715th home run. Sager can be easily recognized in the fracas at home plate after the home run because of his long white overcoat that he was wearing.”

sure enough i checked, and sure enough, sager is easily spotted at home…
same haircut, ahem, piece, same obnoxious sport coat.

im just curious that if he was “the fan” waiting there, how did “a fan” get there to begin with? especially because of all the tension and threats going on throughout the pursuit.
was there a fan contest to greet hank when he beat the record?
or is it an incorrect statement and was sager working as an on field reporter that night?

id be interested to know.

Believe it or not, I actually knew that. I always point it out to some unsuspecting bystander when the Aaron HR footage is shown.

My understanding is that Sager was working at the game as a small-time radio reporter. He wasn’t just a fan who ran onto the field.

#100 by Philly Bill on 10.09.07 12:49 pm |

BTW, the guys who ran the bases with Hank were just fans, and they didn’t seem to find much resistance in getting onto the field. But anyway, I think Sager is just erroneously lumped in with those guys.

#101 by Alan #44 on 10.09.07 12:49 pm |

Byron Leftwich

You mean Brian Lefkowitz?

#102 by Joe Drennan on 10.09.07 12:51 pm |