Yesterday afternoon at about 5:30 I got on an airplane. After I landed (never mind where), I went straight to a live theater performance thingie. After that I mingled with friends for a bit. It wasn’t until about 1:30 a.m. that I got to my host’s house. I was reeeaaaaaally tired (for reasons not worth getting into, I hadn’t slept the night before, plus I’m fighting a respiratory infection), and my plan was to crash without even bothering to check my e-mail. But then I thought, “Oh, what the hell,” and I broke out my laptop.
And that’s when I discovered what I’d missed.
In case you were even further off the grid than I was: Four Virginia Tech jerseys were missing prior to the start of last night’s game against Georgia Tech. Since the Hokies were wearing white, the host Yellow Jackets provided some of their white jerseys for the Va.Tech players to wear. The replacement jerseys were “customized” with handwritten nameplates (all rendered in cap-lowercase, which gave an eighth grade arts and crafts feel to the proceedings), plus the Yellow Jackets wordmark and Russell Athletic logo were blacked out and little Nike swooshes were drawn in (backwards, for some reason). Virginia Tech won handily, which means Georgia Tech lost to their own uniforms.
The incident apparently got big play on SportsCenter, where they did a little mini-feature on other jersey snafus, including “Angees” and “Gretkzy” (not really the best comparisons) and the time MJ wore No. 12 because his jersey had been stolen (better). Although I haven’t yet seen the report, they apparently didn’t mention anything about umpires whose uniforms get lost in transit, which might be the most apt comparison of all.
Anyway: I had nearly 100 e-mails waiting for me when I opened up the laptop. About 20% were of the “What the fuck is going on in that game?” variety, another 60% began with some variation on “I’m sure you already know this, but…,” and most of the rest were eager to inform me of a “hot scoop” (a few of these are still trickling in, which is pretty amusing). Plus two people were very angry about SportsCenter “totally ripping you off,” and two more wondered why I wasn’t appearing on SportsCenter myself at that very moment.
The bad news is that I have a lot of social obligations today and don’t have time to give this topic the full treatment it deserves. The good news is that there’s loads of other coverage out there. Here’s where to look:
• Last night’s comments provided a running stream of info on the situation, as Uni Watch readers kept passing along updates and reactions. If you pick up the discussion here, you’ll get a good sense of how things unfolded.
• If you’d rather have mainstream media coverage, there’s a good boilerplate treatment of the situation in this article.
• There’s a decent video recap of the incident here.
• Reader John Okray took lots of screen shots, which you can view in this fine slide show.
As for me, I have two major thoughts here, the first of which is that the whole thing is wonderful — and not just because it’s such good Uni Watch fodder. As many of you know, one of my biggest gripes about contemporary sports is that everything seems hyper-calculated and pre-scripted. But there was nothing in the script about this, and that’s what makes it so much fun. And I love that the handwritten nameplates were done in cap-lowercase, instead of all-caps, which perfectly captured the spontaneity and playfulness of the situation.
Unfortunately, there was one major turd in the punchbowl: those handwritten swooshes. I wasn’t watching the game, but according to several readers’ accounts of the game broadcast, Nike’s people specifically insisted that the Russell logo be blocked out (which I can sort of understand) and that the little swooshes be drawn in. If that’s true, it’s beyond pathetic, and goes a long way toward canceling out the playfulness. Nike didn’t manufacture those repurposed jerseys, so what exactly was the point of adding the swoosh? If your answer (or Nike’s) is, “Because Virginia Tech is a Nike school,” then you’re pretty much affirming what I’ve been saying all along — i.e., that the brand has become more important than the school or the uniforms. And that gives this fun story a bittersweet aftertaste.
One last thing, for now: Lots of readers have asked if anything like this has ever happened before. I’m honestly unsure — there are plenty of examples of players wearing someone else’s number, like the MJ example cited above, but I’m not sure about players wearing their opponents’ jerseys — that might be a first. If anyone knows more, this is definitely a topic for further research.
(Extra-special thanks to readers who provided screen grabs and other crucial info, especially John Okray, Miguel Rodriguez, and Bryan Redemske.)
Uni Watch News Ticker: The single-A Casper Rockies have renamed themselves the Casper Ghosts — and will wear a glow-in-the-dark cap. Details here and here. … The Gamecocks’ memorial decal referred to in yesterday’s Ticker will look like this. Further details here (with thanks to Andy Shain). … Speaking of decals, Chris Willis, who runs Athletic Decals (the company that provides most NFL and NCAA helmet decals), checked in yesterday with this tidbit: “We produced some decals honoring the San Diego firefighters. These will probably be worn by SD State for this weekend’s game with Wyoming, and SDSU equipment manager Nick Pettit got enough so Wyoming could wear them too. Now, don’t bet on them being there, though — I can’t tell you how many times I’ve busted it getting a decal out and someone ends up ‘kiboshing’ it at the last minute.” … Yesterday I mentioned that the Lakewood Blue Claws have a new secondary logo. Now Dan Cichalski tells me they’ll be using it on a Friday-night vest, which looks really cool. … Joe Girardi will wear No. 27 with the Yankees, to symbolize the team’s quest for a 27th championship. … Bob Sherron notes that Amare Stoudemire’s NOB has some letter-spacing issues. … Eric Stangel found something interesting on eBay: a game-used Astros St. Patty’s Day jersey. And check out the NOB! Anyone ever seen any game photos of this jersey?
#1 by Josh on 11.02.07 9:57 am |
The new Florida jerseys made their debut last night…
http://gatorcountry....
#2 by Zach Smith on 11.02.07 9:58 am |
We were worried you might not be able to check in on this, glad to see you made it. However, I’m sorry you didn’t get to see it live…probably the most mainstream attention uniforms have gotten in years!
Keep up the good work, Paul.
#3 by Alan on 11.02.07 9:59 am |
Two quick items unrelated to each other:
1. VT has played 19 Thursday night games and is 15-4 in those games. They have played at least two weekday games a year (not counting bowls) for the last 6 years. Are there any other teams with that many?
2. Here is a vid clip of Dic-K’s HS no hitter . What’s up with the numbers on the back? They are on white patches. Are the changeable? Paging J. Brahm. Paging J. Brahm.
#4 by Brian from Short Island on 11.02.07 10:01 am |
Earlier this year Auxerre wore OM’s jerseys, as reported on this site…
Here
#5 by Brian from Short Island on 11.02.07 10:01 am |
And the photo is down. But it happened.
#6 by Shaftman on 11.02.07 10:02 am |
Paul,
I can’t thing of anything like the VTech incident in a regulation game, but weren’t there a few MLB All-Star games where players either wore replicas or other teams uni’s/helmets/caps? I can’t remember specifics but maybe some others can help me out with those.
#7 by Shaftman on 11.02.07 10:03 am |
Shaftman said:
sorry, it’s supposed to read “I can’t think…“
#8 by John on 11.02.07 10:04 am |
Great picture here I would love to see them wear these as throwbacks. I loved these uni’s!
#9 by Marty Met on 11.02.07 10:06 am |
Paul,
The Spurs vs. Bullets in 1978.
Here’s a Spurs player wearing a Bullets uniform inside out.
#10 by Austin Gray on 11.02.07 10:08 am |
The practice of wearing another team’s jerseys is not completely foreign to the world of soccer. Aside from Auxerre wearing Marseille’s jerseys, I believe that either last year or the year before, Wycombe Wanderers had to wear Bristol Rovers’ away jerseys because both their home and away kits clashed with Wycombe’s home kit. Also, I believe there was a snafu in one of the World Cups in the 80’s in which France was forced to take the field against Hungary in green and white striped shirts that belonged to a local team because France’s white kits clashed with Hungary’s white kits. I might be off on this little fact, but I know I’m close. Imagine something like that happening on the world stage that is the World Cup.
Also, don’t forget that one of the odd Florida schools (International or Atlantic) was playing Wisconsin last season, and their unis didn’t make the trip. Wisconsin officials had blank black uniforms printed up, and mystery Florida school played in them instead.
#11 by Martin on 11.02.07 10:09 am |
I can recall an incident of a player wearing a fan’s jersey. This happened back in 1985/86, when I was following an amateur football team called the Birmingham Bulls, based in Birmingham, England. A bunch of fans, myself included, made the long trek to Frankfurt, Germany to watch the Bulls play the Hanau Hawks. Bulls QB Dave Stanton lost his jersey along the way, so one of the coaches came into the stands and borrowed a replica jersey that one of our fan group was wearing. Stanton took the field wearing this black jersey, with a white tape nameplate and his surname handwritten in black marker. It made for a great souvenir after the game …
#12 by Shane on 11.02.07 10:09 am |
I missed DIY football jerseys to watch the Bruins and another shoddy episode of Scrubs?
At least the Broons look great (and they beat the Buffaslugs).
#13 by Al Gruwell on 11.02.07 10:10 am |
Lou Whitaker wore a replica Tigers jersey for an All-Star game once. They hand-stenciled the No. 1 on it and if I remember right, the announcers said they had purchased it from a souvenir stand at the ballpark. Sorry no pic.
#14 by Austin Gray on 11.02.07 10:10 am |
Here’s a link to the story about the soccer match in question. It was in 1978, not in the 80’s.
#15 by Austin Gray on 11.02.07 10:11 am |
#16 by odessasteps magazine on 11.02.07 10:12 am |
I recall stories of the classic “player takes a fan’s jersey out of the stands to wear” but can’t think of any examples right now. I think it was hockey-related, but can’t be sure.
#17 by Austin Gray on 11.02.07 10:12 am |
I’m an idiot.
#18 by Pat on 11.02.07 10:13 am |
John said:
What’s with dude wearing gold grills?
#19 by JL on 11.02.07 10:14 am |
The thing I couldn’t understand is how they didn’t notice these uniforms missing earlier. I would think they would be there several hours before kickoff and that they probably could have found somewhere in town to have something a little better printed up. That said, also kinda suprised they weren’t traveling with back-up unis.
#20 by Paul Lukas on 11.02.07 10:15 am |
Marty Met said:
Right! Forgot about that one.
Al Gruwell said:
Here.
#21 by Joe Drennan on 11.02.07 10:16 am |
Few thoughts;
First, the thing that bugged me on ESPN last night is when one announcer mentioned the players even made little Nike swooshes, another said, “gotta love the little shoowshes.” Think about that and discuss.
Second, when i was in college, I was on the JV hockey team my freshman year and we were playing a home game. The visiting team’s bus arrived and their coach soon realized he’d forgotten to pack the team’s jerseys. Our coach, being all too nice and accomodating, offered to let them borrow some of our jerseys. No problem us players thought. The problem is, our coach offered up our brand new home jerseys (not a new design, simply a new set as the old ones we’re getting pretty torn up)leaving us to wear an old bunch of away jerseys. The problem with the away jerseys is there were two different styles, one similar to the Habs, the other similar to the Rangers. We had to look like the Bad News Bears on our home ice. It pissed us off enough to go out there and beat the snot out of this team that was no push over. Then again we went 16-3 that season so we weren’t that bad either.
#22 by Elena E on 11.02.07 10:16 am |
Love the quote in the Casper Ghosts article, from their CEO Kevin Haughian: “I originally wanted to be the Casper Weinbergers, but we figured no one would get it.” I would.
#23 by Johnny O on 11.02.07 10:17 am |
I know Paul linked my slide show in the article this morning, but here is a link to my photo album of all the VT photos so you can click on whichever one you like. Enjoy!
Album of VT photos
#24 by John on 11.02.07 10:19 am |
John said:
I’m a steelers fan but these the bucs orange unis were the best in the nfl at the time. On another note i was watching sportscenter last night and saw the VT uni debacle i felt like a little kid at christmas waiting to see uni watch this morning becuase of it.
#25 by John on 11.02.07 10:19 am |
Pat said:
Not sure, maybe he’s a closet Ocho Cinko fan too?
Regarding the VT thing. It’s just hard for me to believe that in this day and age of major college football that these teams don’t travel with at least 2 jersies per player.
#26 by John on 11.02.07 10:20 am |
sorry missed the extra “these” in the first sentance
#27 by Brady on 11.02.07 10:21 am |
JL said:
I also find that to be the most interesting aspect of the issue that occurred. Don’t equipment managers carry extra jerseys in case one is ripped or torn up. I know when I played college baeball we always carried extra jerseys “just in case” (I know because as a freshman we always had to carry the extra stuff – balls, equipment, etc). Is this because these players refused to wear any number but their own and therefore would not wear just any back up, random jersey? Or were there no back up jerseys because the equipment managers didn’t carry any? Is this normal or is this a VT thing? Interesting questions to pursue in my mind.
#28 by College Kid on 11.02.07 10:23 am |
JL said:
That’s what myself and the other managers I work with were wondering while we were watching this game in our Eq Room last night…
We ALWAYS travel with two full sets of away uniforms, mainly in case someone gets a major rip in their uniform or personnel changes are made and two players who normally wear the same number (one on off, one on def)–happens in kick coverages a lot–and one has to change to a new number mid-game.
This is also why we don’t take the uniforms off the semi until Saturday morning when we get to the stadium (at least 5 hours before kickoff), because you can never really be sure about the host team’s security for the visiting locker room.
#29 by Scott on 11.02.07 10:24 am |
Ty Cobb once had to wear a Cleveland Indians jersey for the Adie Joss All Star game, as his luggage had been lost.
#30 by Scott on 11.02.07 10:26 am |
It keeps eating my link!!!
#31 by todd krevanchi on 11.02.07 10:27 am |
Elena E said:
i would have gotten that too, but he spelled it caspar…
#32 by Shane on 11.02.07 10:33 am |
I’d forgot to mention in my earlier post, but Boston’s Milan Lucic is wearing #17 now. He started the season with #62.
#33 by Greg on 11.02.07 10:35 am |
I wish I could find pictures, but I remember when I was in college the football team (Lamar University) in 1988 went to Arizona State for a game. They forgot to bring their pants, so the red and white Cardinals played with ASU’s maroon pants.
And the next year, the school cancelled the football program. Go figure.
#34 by Rick on 11.02.07 10:37 am |
Marty Met said:
Nice memory Marty Met. I totally remembered the picture, but I would’ve had to search for it.
Paul, I’m disappointed, since you mentioned this picture in your blog a few times!
#35 by Nicefellow31 on 11.02.07 10:39 am |
Paul Lukas said:
I was at that game in 78. Mike Gale is the player shown in the Bullets road uniform. If I rember correctly some a couple of the other Spurs had their jerseys but had to wear Bullet shorts. Here is a larger photo.
#36 by Perry on 11.02.07 10:40 am |
Once ca. 1970 Michigan State’s basketball team was scheduled to play at Ohio State, and their jerseys were stolen. They wore OSU’s road (scarlet) jerseys during the game, making it look like an intrasquad scrimmage. They won, too, dammit.
#37 by Nicefellow31 on 11.02.07 10:41 am |
I forgot the link
#38 by bj in gainesville on 11.02.07 10:43 am |
Is VT (or any other school) contractually obligated to wear their sponsor’s logo? I imagine they are, which would necessitate the little swooshes. Either way, the fact that they were drawn backwards is a sign that there is justice in the world.
#39 by Jonathan on 11.02.07 10:45 am |
Virginia Tech’s Nike swooshes were drawn on by trainer Mike Goforth (as explained by Sean Glennon and Frank Beamer during their postgame radio interviews). Beamer said Goforth was their main Nike contact and just wanted to make sure there was no contract violation or anything. Glennon also mentioned that had his replacement jersey arrived at halftime he would not have made the switch because he was playing well. Beamer noted that Taylor didn’t switch “as a sign of solidarity with his fellow quarterback”. Also, during the game a few GT fans attempted to steal the Hokies’ lunch pail (the symbol of the defense). They made it back to the stands, only to be tackled by the police. They’re just lucky it wasn’t Vince Hall
#40 by Paul P on 11.02.07 10:46 am |
Phil’s got to do something about this. Second time I’ve seen way too much of his legs this year in a photo.
http://us.i1.yimg.co...
#41 by Rich on 11.02.07 10:47 am |
God forbid those jerseys go without Nike swooshes! Quick, draw ‘em in!
#42 by Tricia on 11.02.07 10:49 am |
Theoren Fleury briefly wore a fan’s jersey on the bench of a game. He had bled all over his game jersey, and was standing on the bench without one. A fan took off his jersey, threw it over the glass, and Fleury put it on.
I have read a longer version of the article where he says he didn’t actually wear it in the game, but it did happen briefly.
Down Near the Bottom
#43 by douglas on 11.02.07 10:50 am |
Brian from Short Island said:
yes it did happen between Marseille and Auxerre last month. Both teams color is white but Marseille forgot to bring their away kits. Fair play should be the hosts to change their color but instead they handed the opponent their brown away kit. It was funny how peope first thought Djibril Cissé was back with his former team, Auxerre.
#44 by Eriq Jaffe on 11.02.07 10:51 am |
Alan said:
I remember, back in the old days of ESPN when they used to show Canadian Football League games, players would wear these temporary vest-like number plates over their regular jerseys to denote that they were lining up as eligible for a given play. Darned if I can find any pictures of ‘em, but they must be out there somewhere.
#45 by Bdawg on 11.02.07 10:52 am |
I was at the game last night and was sitting in the upper deck and it took me a while to figure out they were actually wearing GT away jerseys. From a distance they just looked like VT jerseys that had been altered.
#46 by College Kid on 11.02.07 10:53 am |
Rich said:
When you’re facing a fee of a few thousand dollars for NOT showing the Swoosh, you’ll draw them on.
Not sure what VT’s contract with Nike is, but ours is pretty strict. I’m just a student manager so I don’t know the details, but we could have a Nike rep drop in at any time and if anyone is wearing Adidas or Reebok or Russell or another big brand out at practice or on the sidelines, Nike can pull all their products from us immediately. And tack on fees for covering up swooshes, including shoe swooshes covered by spat jobs.
#47 by Marty Met on 11.02.07 10:55 am |
Tricia said:
Must have been a 7 or 8 year old kid that gave the sweater to Theo
#48 by josh's twin on 11.02.07 10:56 am |
Great picture here I would love to see them wear these as throwbacks. I loved these uni’s!
I’m a steelers fan but these the bucs orange unis were the best in the nfl at the time.
Nothing says 0-28 quite like “Bruce the Pirate”.
#49 by Broker75 on 11.02.07 10:59 am |
John said:
That’s the best idea I’ve heard in years, regarding the Bucs. I bet Chucky loves’em too.
#50 by Paul P on 11.02.07 10:59 am |
John Buccingros from espn.com got the following e-mail from reebok regarding the jersey issue in the NHL:
“After working with NHL players, teams and equipment managers to gather feedback on the Rbk Edge uniform system, Reebok has decided to provide an alternative jersey to the players who request it.
“Many NHL players are satisfied with the current Rbk Edge jersey, but since the start of the season, we have received player feedback about the jersey’s moisture management and durability. Based on this feedback, Reebok will provide players with the option to wear a version with slight sizing and fabrication adjustments.
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
Since Marty Turco, left, and Sidney Crosby unveiled the NHL’s new unis at last season’s All-Star weekend, there have been mixed reviews.
“In the alternate version, one fabric has been replaced with an air-knit fabric and the bead-away water repellency technology has been removed. Both jerseys will continue to offer up to four performance materials, including Reebok’s PlayDry moisture-wicking technology and a stretch mesh for increased range of motion and ventilation.
“There will be no visual difference between the jerseys. The newly designed comfort necklines, jersey cut lines, anatomical fit and team designs will remain identical. Retail versions of the jersey also will remain unchanged.
“Reebok has taken this customized approach with other sports, providing multiple cuts of jerseys to professional athletes based on their individual preferences and performance needs.
“The performance benefits of the Rbk Edge uniform system were proven during testing last season with 28 of 30 NHL teams. We are pleased that overall player feedback has been very positive. We will continue to work with NHL players to ensure they have the best hockey uniform possible.”
David Baxter
President, Sports Licensed Division
#51 by al on 11.02.07 11:02 am |
Marty Met said:
Met Marty, (I ‘m assuming you might be from Long Island as a good met fan might be) Shame on your for not recognizing ex’Net Rich ‘House’ Jones. and he appears to be wearing a Bullet’s Road uniform, not an inside out uniform.
#52 by al on 11.02.07 11:05 am |
Austin Gray said:
Said WC uniform snafu occured in the 1978 tornament held in my native Argentina. The venue was Mar Del Plata. France didn’t have their alt kit (or whatever) and had to borrow the kit of local Club Kimberley (green/white stripes), shades of the 1934 Sneaker Game.
#53 by Jim on 11.02.07 11:05 am |
Is anybody else disappointed that the Casper Ghosts didn’t actually use Casper the Friendly Ghost as their logo?
#54 by Joe Drennan on 11.02.07 11:09 am |
Paul P said:
What he needs to do is zip up his breezer pant leg. Here in MN it’s a high school rule that any player wearing their brezzers like that gets a penalty and could be ejected from the game for wearing inproper equipment.
#55 by Broker75 on 11.02.07 11:10 am |
I’m glad I missed the VT incident from last night, too disturbing and I wouldn’t have slept. Those pranksters were two days late, after all Devils Night is October 30th.
#56 by DJ on 11.02.07 11:13 am |
Said WC uniform snafu occured in the 1978 tornament held in my native Argentina. The venue was Mar Del Plata. France didn’t have their alt kit (or whatever) and had to borrow the kit of local Club Kimberley (green/white stripes), shades of the 1934 Sneaker Game.
FIFA required one team to wear a dark-colored jersey and the other to wear a light-colored one (because of black-and-white TV) as recently as the 2002 World Cup. There, when Brazil and Germany reached the Final, they figured that color TV was prevalent enough so that both teams could wear their primary jerseys (Brazil in yellow, Germany in white).
#57 by al on 11.02.07 11:14 am |
ugh… i was so proud of myself for ‘admonishing Marty for the unnamed Spur and then three posts later I come to find out that the nameless Spur was in fact Mike Gale… i’m gutted.
While Jones’ and Gale’s ‘Fros are quite similar.. the lession here is old, tried & true Read all posts first before writing…. sorry .
#58 by BobA on 11.02.07 11:15 am |
And speaking of “inked in” swooshes..
#59 by Mike Edgerly on 11.02.07 11:16 am |
Broker75 said:
It’ll never happen, Derrick Brooks wanted them for last Thanksgiving but was voted down.
Speaking of Bucco Bruce, hey Paul, where’s the interview with Frankie Pupello?
#60 by douglas on 11.02.07 11:17 am |
Speaking of manufacturer and contract, there was a Story about Fulham FC and other clubs wearing Airness uniforms. As the supplier was late, and with the ne season starting, they had to practice in their former uniforms, and cover up the logo. However, by mid season, you could still see the staff wearing Nike training tops, and guess who’s outfitting Fulham this year… I’ll try to find the article but in some cases, Airness was so late that the teams went to their former supplier so they could manufacture the new kits and later on add the airness logo. Crazy!
#61 by Matt D on 11.02.07 11:21 am |
Alan said:
My High School baseball team had velcro nameplates like that, which allowed the jerseys to be reused over and over.
#62 by Chance on 11.02.07 11:22 am |
Jim said:
According to the Chris Creamer boards, they do have alt logos with Casper the Friendly Ghost, just not yet unveiled.
#63 by Kevin Corley on 11.02.07 11:23 am |
One last thing, for now: Lots of readers have asked if anything like this has ever happened before. I’m honestly unsure — there are plenty of examples of players wearing someone else’s number, like the MJ example cited above, but I’m not sure about players wearing their opponents’ jerseys — that might be a first. If anyone knows more, this is definitely a topic for further research.
I thought I remembered a Uniwatch entry a year ago or so about a college basketball team somewhere in the midwest (Kansas, Kentucky, ???) where they forgot their jerseys or brought only one color set and the home team had the same color so the home team loaned the visitors practice or away jerseys.
Or am I making that up?
#64 by Kent on 11.02.07 11:25 am |
Going back to wiffle ball:
I think they should do an Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. They would be the parking lot next to the field.
#65 by Shane on 11.02.07 11:25 am |
douglas said:
I was always confused as to why Chris Coleman was wearing Nike gear in interviews. Thanks for that post.
#66 by todd krevanchi on 11.02.07 11:25 am |
BobA said:
as a right of passage, most ekins get swoosh tattoos on their person somewhere.
#67 by Trekkie on 11.02.07 11:25 am |
I can’t find the story now, but in the mid 1910’s the Cincinnati Reds trainer forgot to load the teams uniforms for a trip to Chicago. The Cubs offered to loan the Reds their away uniforms, but the Reds instead were able to borrow uniforms and shoes from the Chicago White Sox.
#68 by Marty Met on 11.02.07 11:26 am |
al said:
Nope. New Jersey. Originally from Toronto.
#69 by Perry on 11.02.07 11:28 am |
Haven’t had any luck finding a pic of Michigan State wearing Ohio State’s road jerseys, but I think I have an exact date — Jan. 30, 1971. I remembered it was a year that OSU went unbeaten on the road in the Big 10, making their road JERSEYS undefeated in all road games plus one home game! Anyway I checked the game-by-game records on OSU’s website and 1970-71 was the season, and Jan. 30 the night they played MSU at home. I didn’t remember this, but it was their only conference loss, period, that season. Anyway, maybe having the date will help someone find a pic.
#70 by scott on 11.02.07 11:33 am |
At the 1992 All-Star game warmups (home run hitting contest, maybe?), John Kruk had to wear Leo Mazzone’s Braves uniform because Kruk and Darren Daulton’s Phillies uniforms had been shipped back:
http://bigfool.com/k...
#71 by Wahoo on 11.02.07 11:33 am |
JL said:
That is because they go to VPI&SU. More intelligent people go to other schools.
Wahoo-wa
#72 by Josh on 11.02.07 11:34 am |
There is always a lot of Orange and Bucco Bruce at Bucs home games. It is always nice to see. Problem is the Glaziers hate the old unis and refuse to let us break them out. They would not even let the old colors be used on licensed merchandise until 2 or 3 years ago. I guess they finally saw the dollar signs…
#73 by Shane on 11.02.07 11:39 am |
Josh said:
And yet the first new Man United jersey under their ownership was a throwback to 1957…heh.
#74 by Perry on 11.02.07 11:40 am |
Perry said:
Here’s a link to a news account, at least:
http://tinyurl.com/2...
#75 by u2horn on 11.02.07 11:40 am |
al said:
It is a roadie, but it’s also inside out–no bullets and no number visible
#76 by Brian W on 11.02.07 11:47 am |
When I was a freshman at ND (1988), the ND hoops team was playing Univ of Houston. The Univ of Houston uniforms arrived late, and they played the first half in a different color ND uniform, making for an “intersquad game” kind of look.
I guess the jerseys made it by halftime, because in the 2nd half, they wore their correct uniforms.
#77 by Greg V. on 11.02.07 11:52 am |
You would think that if Goforth was the Nike contract man at VT he would know which way to draw the stupid swoosh.
And speaking of stupid corporate branding, I have a question for the hockey fans. I saw a Dick’s commercial for the Reebok Edge uniforms on TV and they are repeatedly referred to as RBK Edge. The tags say RBK too. Is there any significance to “RBK” vs. “Reebok”?
#78 by dm00n on 11.02.07 11:56 am |
Chance said:
The details:
dm00n said:
From here.
#79 by dm00n on 11.02.07 11:59 am |
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
dm00n said:
(emphasis added)
#80 by dm00n on 11.02.07 11:59 am |
Opp, AJC link.
#81 by Bryce on 11.02.07 12:02 pm |
Paul,
Regarding Amare’s NOB, either you or the jersey spelled his last name wrong. You have it Stoudamire, they have it Stoudemire. I hope you are correct and the jersey is wrong….
#82 by dm00n on 11.02.07 12:04 pm |
Apparently there is a hockey off-shoot called ringette. Canada has a women’s national team and they wear pink. The article didn’t make it sound like it was a special occasion thing.
#83 by Broker75 on 11.02.07 12:07 pm |
A couple of reasons for posting this pic
1) the red 37 on McAmmond’s glove looks sharp.
2) read the passage and spot the spelling mistake from espn..”Atlanta Thrashers Jim Slater comes from behind during first period HNL hockey action at….”
#84 by Ian K on 11.02.07 12:08 pm |
Alan said:
Oh Alan, you have struck a chord with me here!
To answer, yes, absolutely. There is no bigger TV whore than my alma mater, TCU. We have played a game on every day of the week at some point in the last 7 years. TCU is 9-9 overall in non-Saturday games since 2001, 8 at home, 10 on the road. This comes partly from playing in mid-major conferences like CUSA and Mountain West, but mainly because TCU will play anytime to get on national TV, like a 5pm kick on a Thursday. Who can go to that??
I don’t know how boosters put up with that, especially those that pay thousands of dollars to tailgate 8 Saturdays a year, but then lose a day when their school decides a Tuesday night game vs. East Carolina on ESPN2 is better for the program. Gag me. I understand that TCU will never be Texas, will never be A&M, and we’ll never replace Baylor in the Big 12. I’ve come to terms with it. Now just play on Saturday to make everyone happy. Ok I’m done now.
#85 by sleepyfloyd on 11.02.07 12:08 pm |
Did my best to find a photo, but no dice.
I distinctly remember an NBA all-star game (I think in Orlando), where David Robinson’s warm up jacket did not arrive, and he and another player wore Orlando Magic warm-ups for the introduction.
Anyone else remember that?
#86 by phil on 11.02.07 12:10 pm |
Not the greatest example in athletes in opponents’ jerseys, since it is NASCAR, but Richard Petty buying into the World 600 (now the Coca-Cola 600) in 1985 since he missed the race, driving a #6 car owned by D.K. Ulrich, instead of the famous STP #43 owned by himself and Mike Curb.
The #6 car he ran that day:
#87 by dm00n on 11.02.07 12:11 pm |
It is Black Friday in Troy, NY and Blue Friday in Indianapolis.
#88 by phil on 11.02.07 12:13 pm |
oops.. new to this. i need to learn this crap.
Petty’s #6 he ran that day.
http://tinyurl.com/y...
Petty’s 1985 #43
http://tinyurl.com/2...
#89 by Shane on 11.02.07 12:21 pm |
dm00n said:
Apparently DC United was doing the whole “blackout” thing last night, too.
#90 by Tuffy on 11.02.07 12:22 pm |
1) Why didn’t the Blue Claws reverse image their new secondary logo so that the claw would actually form the letter “C”? Would that be so hard?
2) I scrolled through the comments quickly, so I didn’t see it (though it may be there):
Remember Lou Whitaker’s missing jersey at the MLB All-Star game in Mpls (1985?) — he bought a souvenir jersey and sharpie-d his number on the back.
#91 by Philly Bill on 11.02.07 12:36 pm |
Tuffy said:
There’s a photo of it linked up there someplace.
Josh said:
I’m not a Bucs fan, but I do own a creamsicle-orange t-shirt with an ENORMOUS “Bucco Bruce” logo on the front. It’s hellaciously ugly. I love it.
#92 by dm00n on 11.02.07 12:43 pm |
sleepyfloyd said:
The introductions for the 1992 All-Star Game in Orlando are on youtube (here and continued here).
Everyone wears the correct team warm-ups except Clyde Drexler, Reggie Lewis, and David Robinson. They just get introduced in the All Star uniform. Dominique Wilkins is introduced in some sort of non-team looking Reebok tracksuit, but he is behind the bench and it doesn’t appear he is dressed for the game.
It does look like some players might have been wearing Magic gear in the pre-game warm-ups, but they focus mainly on following around Jordan and Magic Johnson.
#93 by Kevin on 11.02.07 12:48 pm |
Tuffy said:
The Blue Claws probably thought it would be too similar to the Columbus Catfish cap logo and since they both play in the SAL that would be bad.
#94 by BCrisp on 11.02.07 12:48 pm |
I’ve been doing some resaerch on that green Astros jersey.
J.R.Richards played for the Astros from 1971-1980, and the team only wore that font during his career from 1975-1980. So far I haven’t found a record of these uniforms in that time. So far all I can find is this 1978 green jersey Obviously different from the e-bay jersey.
#95 by Ray on 11.02.07 12:48 pm |
Don’t like the NBA or the Wizards but you can’t complain about this treatment of a uni…
http://sportsillustr...
#96 by Joe H on 11.02.07 12:50 pm |
Man…in meetings all morning and I miss all of this great stuff!
Last night’s VT jersey situation is a prime example of why EVERY team should have a heat press and a set of standard vinyl letters for emergencies. There is no excuse for hand drawn letters.
#97 by Broker75 on 11.02.07 12:56 pm |
Joe H said:
I wonder what the outcome would’ve been if this were to happen in the stingy NFL.
#98 by mrlumpy on 11.02.07 1:01 pm |
Marty Met said:
Believe it or not, I’m pretty sure it was a woman who handed her jersey over the glass.
#99 by bobwool on 11.02.07 1:03 pm |
Paging through SI this week and saw an article on Alberto Salazar. “Cool”, I thought, “wonder what he’s doing now.” That was as far as I got – the 2nd page of the article had a huge side portrait of him and prominently tattooed on his upper left arm is the swoosh. Ugh.
#100 by Jonathan on 11.02.07 1:04 pm |
One additional comment, while being recruited, Sean Glennon’s top two choices: Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, how many guys can say they’ve worn the jersey’s of their top two choices in actual game action?
#101 by Christopher on 11.02.07 1:07 pm |
I don’t think this has been asked yet…
How did their jerseys not arrive, but their helmets, and especially pants, get there on time?
Wouldn’t the pants and jerseys always pretty much be in the same place?
#102 by baude on 11.02.07 1:08 pm |
Vintage Hockey Goalie Masks
Look at the links at the right for vintage replicas. I was looking for a new mask for myslef (a Mage, a la Tim Thomas) and I thought you all might like to look at some of the old mask designs. There is also a funny video of a mask being tested using on of the links on the left.
#103 by Joe B on 11.02.07 1:09 pm |
Last night i was watching the game at work and noticed the jerseys. it took me a few minutes to realize the scope of the events and point it out to my co-workers. somebody immediately said “Thats gonna be on Uni-Watch tomorrow!”
anybody else need proof of God’s existence?
#104 by Mark in Shiga on 11.02.07 1:10 pm |
Alan said:
Alan, I can explain this one to you.
Japanese high school teams don’t have numbers sewn on to them, in part because schools usually don’t cut guys and so you’d have some very high numbers (not that this is unheard of even at the pro level).
What happens is that only the people actually eligible to participate in a given game get numbers. In the national tournament, the roster is only 15 or 16 players, so fabric squares printed with 1 through 16 are issued to those players.
In principle, the nine starters wear their position numbers on their backs, with the second pitcher getting 10 or 11, and the backup catcher getting 12. Not much room for individuality, and now you know why Dice-K had #1. (In the Japanese majors, #18 is traditionally given to the ace pitcher.)
In general, the coach doesn’t get a number.
Often schools will line up the font and colors of the patch with their own jersey, but in the national tournament, the patch is white and the number is dark blue-black, in a specific semi-block font. Sometimes this looks fine, but since the rules apply regardless of your team’s regular colors, so you might get a rugby-like look.
I think this system is a litle silly and is unfair to players who want to choose their own numbers, but a lot of Japanese people like it and think that the fact that many high school kids can devote themselves to the baseball squad for three years without ever getting to have a number creates a kind of mystique.
I say just make a JV squad, limit the main team to 25 guys, and sew the numbers on, but I’m not in charge!
#105 by Walaitis on 11.02.07 1:21 pm |
Here’s how I imagine the conversation going:
“Good news, coach! We were able to get some jerseys and put our players’ names on them. We’re good to go!”
“Nice job, kid. Now black out those logos and put the swoosh on.”
“Yeah, that’d be funny.”
“No, seriously, we HAVE to put the swoosh on or we’ll get fined.”
“How do you want it to look?”
“I don’t care what it looks like, as long is the swoosh is identical to what you see on your shoes!”
(and the swoosh on those jerseys does, if you look at the right side of your Nikes, look JUST like the swoosh on your shoes)
#106 by Freddy Adont on 11.02.07 1:25 pm |
I thought the Ghosts logo was pretty lame at first but seeing it with the glow in the dark thread makes it look really good. Im impressed and can’t wait to get one.
#107 by Alan on 11.02.07 1:40 pm |
Ian K said:
I knew someone would have answers. Thanks! The best was the year VT played TWO Thursday night games AND a Wednesday night game. Good lord, talk about ESPN/TV rights slurpage.
#108 by Kenny on 11.02.07 1:42 pm |
Joe H said:
Here’s a novel idea – how bout no names on the back?!? is it that frickin’ important to have your name on the back?
#109 by Johnny O on 11.02.07 1:43 pm |
Joe B said:
As I watched the events unfold last night on my TV, I quickly ran to get my camera from the bedroom. My g/f, sensing my urgency, asked me what the hell I was doing. I responded, “Do you really want to know?” She excitedly said, “Yes!” I started saying, “Well, this is Uni Watch gold! Four of the Virginia Tech players had to wear Georgia Tech uni’s in tonights game because they lost theirs, and then they blacked out the logos and put in a swoosh, an–…” She then cut me off and said, “Never mind, I guess I didn’t want to know.” She went back to bed, and I went on in the dark snapping pictures of the game on my TV with my digital camera.
I LOVE UNI WATCH!
#110 by tommy on 11.02.07 1:48 pm |
Been searching online during my lunch for this pic but can’t find it…
In the Toronto Star Sports section today there’s a picture of the Japanese Baseball champs celebrating (Cunichi Dragons?) and in the foreground there’s a dude wearing what looks like jersey #110… Can anybody help?
#111 by Kevin on 11.02.07 1:59 pm |
It appears that OU has given in to Nike’s SOD.
http://www.soonerspo...
#112 by Matt Powers on 11.02.07 1:59 pm |
Tommy, It’s already been posted! I don’t have the link but I saved the picture to my hard drive…the guy’s name was Nagata in the lower left hand corner.
As for the Tech’s fiasco…When I was in college, I played lacrosse for the first two years then decided to focus solely on football. One day, in my junior year we played Wester Connecticutt who didn’t bring any subs. The WestConn goalie caught a wicked shot in his junk and had to leave the game. One of the defenders took over in goal so they needed a replacement. They asked the Wagner coach and team if anyoone would help out. Everyone declined. I happened to be at the game that day, helping out with the scoreboard so I jumped at it. It was pretty funny, since alot of my former teammates and buddies were a bit pissed since I didn’t return that season. The most ironic thing was that I damn near scored two goals that day, when I hadn’t come close when playing for my ownschool!
#113 by Greg G on 11.02.07 2:00 pm |
1) Why didn’t the Blue Claws reverse image their new secondary logo so that the claw would actually form the letter “C”? Would that be so hard?
^^ I was thinking the same exact thing
#114 by Matt Powers on 11.02.07 2:04 pm |
Another sports equipment malfunction anecdote from my college days. As a freshman, in my varsity road game at St. Peter’s, the “moorings” from our fullback’s facemask came apart, so in the chaos that ensued, instead of calmly alerting the official and receiving an equipment time-out, I threw my “yet unused” helmet into him. Needless to say that was the closest I came to playing that night.
#115 by College Kid on 11.02.07 2:06 pm |
Christopher said:
Was wondering the same thing. In our Eq Room, we hang the pants on the same hanger as the jersey to ensure that the right pants are with the right jersey at all times. When we travel, the hangers are hung inside a trunk to keep them neat and with the pants.
Our helmets are packed separate, however. After the Thursday practice, the players pack their shoulder pads, helmet, and insert pads for their pants into a bag that we give them. Managers double check every bag for helmet, shoulder pads, and insert pads.
Game shoes and gloves are kept in a completely separate trunk and collected after every game. After they’ve been cleaned the next day, they’re put back into the trunk and sit there for the week and are not redistributed until Saturday morning during locker room setup.
#116 by dm00n on 11.02.07 2:06 pm |
Here is an idea of what a college program does to go on the road:
dm00n said:
So assuming that VT is anything like the Illini, they should have had everything unpacked and set to go pretty early on. But one of the commenters last night said that they have worked road games and they leave everything on the buses as long as possible because they don’t trust security on the road.
#117 by patrick on 11.02.07 2:09 pm |
Kenny said:
Kenny,
Glennan mentioned in his postgame interview on TV that 1) Glennan wrote his name on himself, and they all wanted to put their numbers for continuity/conformity
#118 by Mark in Shiga on 11.02.07 2:10 pm |
tommy said:
Tommy, number 110 on the Chunichi Dragons is Kazutaka Sakata, a batting practice pitcher. One of the pleasures of the series-ending pile-on is seeing those three-digit guys finally get to step on the field.
Two or three days ago I posted a picture of the same celebration, featuring #118 Nagata.
And Kenny, I also like jerseys with no names on the backs, but with VT the numbers are positioned so far down the guys’ backs that it would look seriously off-balance without a name. Some teams (such as Houston with their red jerseys) are particularly egregious about this.
#119 by patrick on 11.02.07 2:15 pm |
Matt Powers said:
Matt, where’d you go to school?
#120 by alex smith on 11.02.07 2:22 pm |
man…vt was on fire last night!
not even seung-hui cho could have stopped them!
#121 by Matt Powers on 11.02.07 2:26 pm |
I went to Wagner College on Staten Island from the fall of 1995 to the Spring of 98.
#122 by Matt Powers on 11.02.07 2:33 pm |
#123 by TimInGA on 11.02.07 2:35 pm |
UGA is allowing scout team and walk-ons to dress this weekend. Some players will be wearing duplicate numbers.
AJC Article
#124 by Nicefellow31 on 11.02.07 2:37 pm |
Back in 1986 when I was an undergraduate at University of Maryland, I attended Len Bias’ final home game at Cole Field House. The Terps were playing Univ of Virginia. In the 1st half, the Virginia was wearing their blue road uniforms. In the 2nd half, they wore their orange uniforms. Very strange. Anybody else watched or attended that game? I’ve searched the net looking for an explaination and found nothing.
#125 by Marty Met on 11.02.07 2:39 pm |
mrlumpy said:
Ladies XS probably was too big for him.
BTW I heard the reason Theo used to do coke was that it made him feel 5 ft. tall.
#126 by Matt Powers on 11.02.07 2:40 pm |
However, we alumni were highly disappointed when after spending millions to remake the football field into field turf, they also decided to redesign the logo. Don”t let anybody from Barry Alvarez find out.
#127 by Matt Powers on 11.02.07 2:43 pm |
I meant to say anyone from Wisconsin, like Barry Alvarez! Sorry…I get so excited when attempting to send something to Uni-Watch, I become typing challenged!
#128 by Ian K on 11.02.07 3:17 pm |
Alan said:
In 2003, TCU played 4 midweek games – a Monday (Labor Day), Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Lately they’ve gone to just Thursdays, as have ESPN broadcasts I think. I’m surprised that BCS conferences like the SEC and ACC agreed to a contract to air Thursday games though.
#129 by Kenny on 11.02.07 3:22 pm |
Mark in Shiga said:
Yeah i get that some jersey’s are designed to have names on the back – but would you rather have it look completely ridiculous or have no name on the back of the used GT jersey – that’s what i was trying to point out – don’t put names on the back the “borrowed” jerseys
#130 by Henry on 11.02.07 3:25 pm |
Pretty cool that Tyrod Taylor kept his jersey to confirm with what Glennon wore… the million dollar question is whether any of these hybrids will show up on eBay :)
Tricia said:
Yup, I remember reading about this… I’m pretty sure the fan was a man, not a woman, and I think the jersey was crested with Fleury’s name and number and even had autographs on it (including Fleury’s). He may have played one shift (although I don’t recall the he did; the equipment manager ended up getting him a replacment — sorry, no link).
#131 by Daniel on 11.02.07 3:34 pm |
Theres one you can add to the list (unless I missed it), Robt. Smith just on ESPN
#132 by Talon Lardner on 11.02.07 4:01 pm |
Kenny said:
I liked the look, personally. Why have players with no names on the back if the rest of the players have names? Doesn’t seem too fair…
As for names in general, I don’t really mind either way, seeing how high-school clubs don’t put names on them for financial reasons (Though at my school, seniors have to buy their jerseys in order to keep them), but in college ball, sometimes I don’t really buy the “team first” attitude that NNOB teams adopt.
#133 by Greg on 11.02.07 4:04 pm |
Ray said:
the best thing on that page is the Tecmo Bowl Brett Favre vid on the bottom. hilarious
#134 by u2horn on 11.02.07 4:10 pm |
TimInGA said:
Duplicate numbers is completely common in Div. I football, even with players who are significant contributors on defense and offense–not just walk-on scrubs. (Nathan Vasher and Selvin Young at Texas, for example)
#135 by Matthew S. on 11.02.07 4:19 pm |
BCrisp said:
BCrisp, I did a little research too and found mention of the fact that JR Richard did pitch in 1 spring training game in 1982 (which year the seller claims this jersey is from) and we all know that the annual St. Patrick’s Day games around the MLB take place during the latter part of Spring Training games by virtue of when St. Patty’s day takes place on the calendar each year. So it’s possible that his is legit. The tagging looks good too.
If I had the money right now, I’d absolutely bid on it.
#136 by Micah on 11.02.07 4:26 pm |
todd krevanchi said:
Todd,
You know nobody is gonna know what an “EKIN” is; lol. I gotcha though; that is one of my goals actually, to become one.
#137 by todd krevanchi on 11.02.07 4:34 pm |
Greg said:
super tecmo… ahh the memories, the fist fights it brought on, the all nighters to play seasons, the 2.2 it afforded me 2nd semester freshman year. arguably the greatest video game ever.
#138 by todd krevanchi on 11.02.07 4:39 pm |
Micah said:
wish you the best with that one! you get your nketlk shirt yet?
#139 by Subtle Protest from the Hokies? on 11.02.07 4:40 pm |
[...] Well, last night’s Virginia Tech – Georgia Tech game was completely unremarkable in terms of the actual game, but the jerseys, oh the jerseys. Four Virginia Tech players forgot their jerseys, forcing them to wear Georgia Tech’s away jerseys, with some slight alterations. For all the pertinent information, I will direct you to the always interesting Uniwatch. While the situation as a whole is pretty hilarious, I’m going to focus on the alterations the Hokie players made, one in particular. The replacement jerseys were “customized” with handwritten nameplates (all rendered in cap-lowercase, which gave an eighth grade arts and crafts feel to the proceedings), plus the Yellow Jackets wordmark and Russell Athletic logo were blacked out and little Nike swooshes were drawn in (backwards, for some reason). [...]
#140 by Trav on 11.02.07 4:41 pm |
In the ‘94 Pro Bowl Daryl Johnston’s Cowboys helmet was lost/stolen and he had to borrow a Packers one from Reggie White….can’t find a picture.
#141 by LI Phil on 11.02.07 4:55 pm |
Micah said:
rofl…g’luck with that
i suppose tiger would qualify as an EKIN…does he get a swoosh or the TW thingy?
#142 by Marty Met on 11.02.07 4:55 pm |
The Ottawa Citizen had a brief clipping about the Senators-Thrashers game. “The Sens wore ‘modified’ versions of the new jerseys and are the first to do so. They look the same, but they did look baggier”.
There is a small but vocal group in Ottawa that HATES the red Sens sweater. There rallying cry is “Bring Back The Black”
#143 by Brandon on 11.02.07 5:04 pm |
Woody Paige is wearing a tribute to the VT/GT jerseys today on Around the Horn
#144 by Forrest on 11.02.07 5:16 pm |
To expand on the previous super-vague comment, (#143) Woody is wearing a CU jersey, with duct tape over the ‘Colorado’, and Paige written on it (in the same style as the GT jerseys, uppercase start, then lower case), and a backwards swoosh in duct tape as well. Nicely done.
#145 by Forrest on 11.02.07 5:28 pm |
It also was discussed in the last part of the show, and I should think PTI will tackle it. It also looks like Woody may have been wearing a CU T-Shirt Jersey, and it was #44. Not sure why.
#146 by Matt Powers on 11.02.07 5:33 pm |
I’m not liking the Niketalk shirts minus the A. Ekin07,in my mind, was the greatest contributor in Niketalk history. By the way, if it weren’t for Niketalk and the thread on Todd Helton’s cleats, I would have never founf Uni-Watch, which in all honesty has changed my life!
#147 by charlie on 11.02.07 5:40 pm |
Nicefellow31 said:
Nicefellow31 said:
Sally Jenkins wrote in the Washington Post on March 2, 1986:
It was an afternoon of mind games and physical play as the Terrapins came in seeking to erase what had been their most embarrassing loss all season. Maryland started its seniors in the final home game of their careers, and Virginia started its “Blue” team, a squad that included four second-stringers, as a reward for their hard work all season. The Cavaliers came out in their blue uniforms, but then changed to the orange at halftime for a psychological lift.
“I was hoping they’d forget who we were,” Virginia Coach Terry Holland said.
It didn’t help, the Terrapins led, 44-34, at intermission and never trailed in the second half in taking as much as a 16-point lead. The Cavaliers never came closer than six with 11:04 to go, and Maryland responded by going on a 16-6 run over the 6:07 to break it open.
Final score: Maryland 87 – Virginia 72 (Len Bias scored 22 points in his last game at Cole Field House.)
#148 by John M on 11.02.07 5:46 pm |
The SportsCenter that followed the VT-GT game poked a little fun at the uniform blunder as well: At the end of the segment the two anchors said that they sometimes misplace their jackets, and that it has gotten so out of hand that they started having nameplates attached to them, and they change to the camera behind them and sure enough they have homemade nameplates on them. It was pretty fun, and one of the anchors happened to be John Buccicgoss (sp?) and made a joke that “It took me four sharpies to color in my name!” Was good a laugh before bed.
#149 by todd krevanchi (krvanch) on 11.02.07 5:49 pm |
Matt Powers said:
matt,
member since when?
len bias? one of the greatest college players of all time.
#150 by hofflalu on 11.02.07 5:59 pm |
I just love the fact that the Nike swooshes were drawn in backwards on the front of the jersey. I’m sure this wasn’t the reason, but it’s almost as if that guy who drew them on was doing it wrong as a way to screw with Nike.
#151 by Matt Powers on 11.02.07 6:09 pm |
todd krevanchi (krvanch) said:
#152 by Matt Powers on 11.02.07 6:10 pm |
Sorry Todd… I’m trying to figure out how to simply add my reply on to a previous post.
#153 by Brent on 11.02.07 6:44 pm |
Brent said:
Fleury never wore the replica jersey with autographs in play. He just put it on to a big cheer from the crowd. Then the trainer gave him a Flames game jersey with no name and #76, which he wore the last few shifts. Hard to believe they didn’t have another game jersey!!
#154 by Matt Powers on 11.02.07 7:13 pm |
Yup, I remember reading about this… I’m pretty sure the fan was a man, not a woman, and I think the jersey was crested with Fleury’s name and number and even had autographs on it (including Fleury’s). He may have played one shift (although I don’t recall the he did; the equipment manager ended up getting him a replacment — sorry, no link).
Fleury never wore the replica jersey with autographs in play. He just put it on to a big cheer from the crowd. Then the trainer gave him a Flames game jersey with no name and #76, which he wore the last few shifts. Hard to believe they didn’t have another game jersey!!
That is beyond cool…It is like the opposite of the mean Joe Greene commercial from the 70’s.
#155 by Bryan S on 11.02.07 7:25 pm |
I’m cursing myself for not remember the whole story, but I recall reading years ago a story about how there was a player (On the Detroit Tigers I think) who had his uniform and all of his equipment left at home for a game, and he ended up having to buy a replica jersey at a stand at the game, and he had to borrow Cal Ripken’s glove, but while he was in the field he had to put tape over the logo because he had contract with a different glove provider… I’ll try to find out more details, but today’s blog article reminds me of this story.
#156 by Bryan S on 11.02.07 7:26 pm |
Bryan S said:
Found it really fast, it was Lou Whitaker and it was at the 1985 All-Star game.
More info here
#157 by Bryan S on 11.02.07 7:27 pm |
http://www.baseball-...
sorry about that…
#158 by Al Gruwell on 11.02.07 7:31 pm |
Bryan S said:
I found some more info here.
#159 by Case on 11.02.07 7:52 pm |
Apols if this has been mentioned, but there was an International Soccer game between England and Scotland in the early 1990s that saw the Scotland team misplaced their goalkeepers jersey, so were forced to borrow England’s alternate keeper jersey. No moderations were made so far I recall…
#160 by Joseph on 11.02.07 7:59 pm |
The ESPNU homepage has two great pics right now next to each other. Dennis Dixon and Rudy Carpenter really show off just how different Oregon’s uniforms are (I especially noticed the number font)
#161 by Brent on 11.02.07 8:11 pm |
Found two pics of Fleury from that #76 game. One on left is him wearing 76 and the on the right is from earlier in the game:
http://tinyurl.com/2...
#162 by My Name is Not Earl on 11.02.07 8:12 pm |
What’s up with those basket supports in Boston? Are all NBA arenas going to that style of basket?
#163 by My Name is Not Earl on 11.02.07 8:23 pm |
Oh, wait a minute. Those are the normal supports. I was just confused . . . the camera angle made it look like there was some sort of frame running from the base of the support to the base of the backboard. Turns out that this was just some sort of table or billboard running along the base line.
#164 by Micah on 11.02.07 8:34 pm |
Todd,
Naw, I didn’t even know they where some up for sale; where do I get one? And thanks for the wishes; you got an e-mail address I can hit you up on?
#165 by Micah on 11.02.07 8:37 pm |
And LI Phil,
Didn’t mean to make it a joke for you, but I guess you can take that anyway you want. Tiger doesn’t “qualify” as an EKIN, it’s just a term for a Nike rep, as if you care and I know you don’t.
#166 by Joseph on 11.02.07 9:48 pm |
Why is Ray Allen wearing a different warmup jacket from the rest of the Celts??
#167 by Dave A on 11.02.07 9:56 pm |
Matthew S. said:
Actually, in the item description, the seller claims it is 1980-82 vintage, so it could date to Richard’s last season spring training.
#168 by LI Phil on 11.02.07 10:24 pm |
Micah said:
actually…thanks for the clarification, but i knew it was a nike rep…(google confirmed my suspicions…even found a freakin treatise on it from a nike rep)…i was just thinkin if there was EVER a true ‘nike rep’ it would be le tigre
cheers
btw…some interesting factoids on paul’s favorite brand
http://www.trizera.c...
#169 by Randy Miller on 11.02.07 10:40 pm |
Add another to the pile of misplaced jerseys stories: In 1974, the UT-Arlington Mavericks football team’s road jerseys didn’t arrive in Hattiesburg for a game with Southern Miss. The Mavs wore the Eagles’ road black jerseys.
It was 33 years ago, but a true UniWatcher never forgets.
#170 by TD on 11.02.07 10:46 pm |
Lakers wearing yellow on the road against Phoenix’s orange alts. This is really weird.
#171 by ross on 11.02.07 10:58 pm |
TD said:
just thinking the same thing. Definitely a weird combo, and definitely a night for phoenix to go white at home. lakers must make some crazy uni combos in most situations.
are the other teams that don’t wear white unis in regular games (lakers white are sunday home only, and i dont think of them as real lakers unis, just seems wrong) any ideas?
#172 by LI Phil on 11.02.07 11:05 pm |
did/do the pacers wear the yellow pinstripes as a home uni?
also…not a big fan of the phx orange when it’s paired with the gray piping…i DO like the “PHX” and the orange…just not with the gray
#173 by Adam on 11.02.07 11:06 pm |
as long as we’re recalling uni switch stories:
In high shcool, my team was set to play against a conference opponent, and to give you some background, our coach had played under the opposign teams coach in college, and the two didnt get along well, and had to say the least, a shaky relationship. anyway, we were the home team, and before the game the opposing coach informed our coach that the varsity team’s managers had packed the wrong jerseys (brought white when they were to wear red) and so he asked our coach if we would mind wearing our away black jerseys and letting them wear their whites. our coach politely declined, informing him that our squad always wears white at home. he then offered to let them either wear our black unifroms, or forfeit the game. so they played in our away jerseys when we dealt them a decisive loss. really fun times, lots of confused fans, great local sports highlights, and of course, an awesome uniform story to boot.
#174 by katie on 11.02.07 11:14 pm |
Pinch Hitter 2
you can choose your team name, but more importantly, you can pick the colors for your shoes, pants, cap (batting helmet?), and jersey.
i’m having a hard time coming up with a good color combo! honestly, the best i’ve come up with so far has been a green/yellow/white system, a la Oakland, or a blue/white duo. for me, the hat (helmet??) MUST be dark blue or even black at a stretch.
fun game (i’m addicted) but i wish it had better uni options!
#175 by DCM on 11.02.07 11:22 pm |
Virginia Tech QB writes his name on the back of his GT jersey. Hey! The rest of the Hokies in their normal jerseys…they didn’t have names on their jerseys! How bout that!
My YellowJackets are embarrassed again. At least everyone didn’t talk about all the patches they wear…4 or 5. Almost NASCAR range.
#176 by DCM on 11.02.07 11:25 pm |
Maybe there were names on the Hokie jerseys. I’ll go back to sleep.
#177 by Bob Nolte on 11.03.07 12:29 am |
The other Hokies did have their names on the normal jerseys…
Here
#178 by Bob Nolte on 11.03.07 12:30 am |
Screwed up the link
Here
#179 by Anthony Verna on 11.03.07 1:29 am |
dm00n said:
Ah, yes, Ringuette. I saw a ringuette game when I was in Quebec. . . 15 years ago or so. My friend, Stephanie, got a penalty for checking. Whoops.
#180 by Micah on 11.03.07 2:17 am |
LI Phil,
You alright with me man, thanks for that link and sorry I read more into your initial comment than was necessary. My bad.
#181 by Teebz on 11.03.07 3:06 am |
Shane said:
Lucic was supposed to be returned to his junior team, but the Bruins decided to keep him for the season. His #62 was just a temporary number until the Bruins decided on keeping him or sending him back. According to the CBA, NHL teams have 12 games before they can send rookies back to their junior teams. He will be #17 for the rest of the season now that he is officially a full-time Bruin.
#182 by Teebz on 11.03.07 3:08 am |
dm00n said:
Ringette is not an offshoot of hockey whatsoever. That’s like saying tennis and badminton are related. They are completely different in the way they are played.
#183 by Dave Soline on 11.03.07 9:06 am |
A great hockey uni cartoon
http://www.bluelinec...
#184 by Gary A on 11.03.07 9:41 am |
I really like what’s been done with the Casper Ghost’s. Looking at Plan B. Branding’s website however, shows them as the responsible party for the Fresno Grizzlies overhaul. They must have visited Fresno because brown and green ARE the dominant colors here. But that doesn’t mean I want my team represented by such bland crap. The logo they designed was garbage too.
I don’t know who the Grizz have hired for their new makeover (after only two years), but if it’s Plan B. again…C’mon guys…I’ve now seen your work. You can (and HAVE) done better. I’m not saying you have to go back to purple (although I’d personally like that), but anything has to be better than what you came up with last time.
#185 by dpnation on 11.03.07 12:54 pm |
alex smith said:
Get some class, seriously.
#186 by dpnation on 11.03.07 12:59 pm |
Martin said:
I’d guess that there aren’t too many replica away jerseys to be found in Atlanta for VT, so that probably wasn’t an option. Maybe if GT was still wearing white at home (gold is a recent change) and VT needed maroon jerseys..
#187 by krista on 11.03.07 1:35 pm |
alex smith said:
as a vt alum, that’s not funny. at all. not even a little bit.
#188 by Alan on 11.03.07 3:27 pm |
krista said:
I was just about to say something about this and your comment popped up…I’m very upset (maybe it was just a miss by the staff) but this is not a joke by any stretch…how they could allow something like that to be posted is beyond me…i think that whoever posted should be banned from making further posts on this site…the post wasnt even uni related in the 1st place…juts some jerkoff trying to be funny…did anyone find this funny?…i would love to get some response on this
#189 by bighokie09 on 11.03.07 6:18 pm |
krista said:
As a current VT student, All I got say is Alex Smith, What The Hell is wrong with you?
#190 by Dan McNamara on 11.04.07 1:19 am |
Same thing happened to Ole Miss one year when Archie Manning was QB. Ole Miss’s uniforms got lost in transit and Ole Miss had to wear opponent’s (auburn I think) road uniforms.
#191 by Jim Stodart on 11.15.07 1:11 pm |
I like the article but I must admit when my son and I read it, we where shocked to see the word
“fuck” in the article. Since when is that word used commonly on a espn website. If that is the future of your reporting, then I will now read SI.com for now on.
Jim Stodart
#192 by Jake on 11.15.07 6:50 pm |
Not that anyone cares, but when I played high school frosh basketball we played a home game against a team that wore road yellows. Unfortunately, our home jerseys were yellows too. If I remember correctly, we went back into the locker room and put on our maroon tops (it was either that or the whites from the JV team) and kept wearing the yellow shorts.
#193 by On Frozen Blog | Dude, Where’s My Jersey? on 11.17.07 7:13 pm |
[...] The always entertaining fount of sports uniform-related minutia, UniWatch, has a compilation of gametime scrambling caused by lost or stolen uniforms. The article—inspired by the recent Virginia Tech players who had to wear Georgia Tech jerseys for a recent game, complete with handwritten nameplates—has one hockey-related example: 1998: During the World Junior Hockey Championships in Finland, Canada and Russia both show up for a quarterfinal game with red uniforms. Russia is the designated home team, so the Canadians are forced to play the first period in Finnish national jerseys until their white jerseys can be driven to the arena. [...]