By Bryan Redemske
Of the hundreds of posts here on Uni Watch, the ones I find most interesting deal with the unique tweaks and modifications athletes make to their equipment.
Todd Helton’s Mizuno-clad Nikes were a revelation, much like the first time I saw Nomar was wearing Reeboks in disguise. The Bill Buckner lucky batting glove thing caught everybody by surprise. I think what makes those things so interesting is that every athlete — pro or otherwise — does little things to their uniforms or equipment to make them their own. It’s just that most of them aren’t noticeable until you take a closer look.
With that in mind, I remembered something a guy at the local bike shop told me when I walked in with my Lance Armstrong model cycling shoes: “You know, those things are so uncomfortable, Lance actually had Shimano soles glued on.”
Brief cycling lesson for those not in the know: Shimano is a Japanese component giant — it makes all of the individual parts on most of the bikes in America. Shoes are one of the company’s specialties as well. Before Lance joined NikeWorld, he wore Shimano shoes for several years.
So what the guy was getting at was this: Lance has Nike uppers glued onto a Shimano sole, which is like gluing a Nike running upper to an Adidas sole. We’ve seen disguised shoes and equipment before, but Frankenstein-style gear is hard to come by.
Here’s what the bottom of the production Lance shoe looks like. The cloudy white area just to the right of the toe is an air vent. That will be important later.
According to this article (first item), Lance ordered custom soles for the 2005 tour — ones with more curve to them than the standard Nike sole. Provided with a good look at both, they’re clearly different. The standard sole is pretty much straight where it attaches to the upper, but the custom version curves up.
The article makes it sound like something Lance did for the 2005 tour, but evidence proves otherwise. He had similar soles — if not identical ones — in 2003, possibly earlier. The curve where the sole and upper meet is present here. For comparison’s sake, here’s the production version, featuring a pretty straight joint.
And what about the vent? Take a look at this one again. On the sole, just to the right of the black toe piece, are two slit-shaped vents. Here’s a similar shot from 2004. Vents are nothing new — many shoes have them. But Shimano soles generally only have one vent, and the Nike production vent is a completely different shape.
There’s one more thing, too. Note the cleat — white with blue tips. For mere mortals, Shimano only has two choices: black with yellow or black with red.
So what’s the deal with the white cleats? And exactly where did those soles come from? They don’t match up with any Shimanos I’ve found, and they’re definitely not standard Nike issue.
Perhaps more importantly, though — who else is doing this? Given the pickiness of athletes in every sport, Lance can’t be the only one, right? If you know of any other Frankenstein-style equipment out there, send info here.
And for what it’s worth, I think basic Lance production model fits fine. But it’s possible that Lance might have slightly higher standards than I do.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Paul here. Greetings from Austin, where a small but enthusiastic group showed up last night for a Uni Watch gathering. Unfortunately, I left my camera back at the hotel, so no pics. At some point in the evening, Devin Curry asked if I’d noticed that the Nebraska football team wears “Huskers” on their chinstraps. This was news to me, so he sent me photographic proof after he got home. … The Phillies will unveil their new alternate uniform (already leaked months ago) tomorrow at noon. … Very odd NOB format for the Tunisia volleyball team, which uses the player’s last name, then a space, then a period, and then first initial (additional view here, with thanks to Jeremy Brahm).
#1 by Kyle O. on 11.28.07 9:15 am |
great article… i love it when athletes cutsomize their own stuff but what I like even better is when a company that an athlete is under contract with helps the athlete modify a competitors equiptment
#2 by Mike Edgerly on 11.28.07 9:17 am |
Bryan,
You probably know this already, but “re-branding” is an old tradtion in cycling, mainly for sponsorship purposes.
Not uni-related but 1) in 1999 Lance rode a Litespeed Time Trial frame with a “Trek” branding. 2) Eddy Merckx rode a Colnago with an “Eddy Merckx” brand. 3) The 7-11 team in the 80’s rode “Huffy” brand made by Serotta.
#3 by Joey Guns on 11.28.07 9:20 am |
One more note on the Sean Taylor tribute……
Sources in Washington have said that coach Joe Gibbs and the Buffalo Bills have been working on a “gentleman’s agreement” that would allow the Redskins to honor their fallen teammate on the first play of the game.
From what I understand, Washington would line up with 10 defensive players, minus the free safety, and the Bills would simply run the ball.
Again, this rumor is unconfirmed as of yet.
#4 by Tim on 11.28.07 9:22 am |
The cleats are not specific to the shoe. They are specific to the pedal. Lance used Shimano DuraAce pedals and those are the proprietary cleat that fits the pedal. Shimano sells different cleats that allow for varying degrees of float, either 0 degrees or 4.5 degrees, IIRC. Other pedal systems have their own proprietary cleat design. Other big pedal brands are Look, Time, Speedplay, Crank Brothers. All have their own take on road pedals. The Shimano cleat would not work on any of them and vice versa.
Basically, the cleat is provided with the pedal and then attached to the cycling shoe.
If you want to get into specifics, google on “Look vs. Speedplay” or “Ultegra vs. Keo.” Debates rage and it’s a very personal preference in the cycling world.
#5 by KK on 11.28.07 9:24 am |
Where can I find a picture of the Phillies alternate?
Was it ever posted on here? I must have missed it.
#6 by Stuby on 11.28.07 9:25 am |
Could the Tunisian names be that way because Arabic is written right to left? The period goes with the initial.
#7 by Joey Guns on 11.28.07 9:27 am |
Picture from the Army/Navy rivalry:
http://sports.yahoo....
#8 by Joe Drennan on 11.28.07 9:33 am |
As a hockey player, I know some guys change the chassy for their blade. Gretzky used to have blue tukkes that were quite stylish in his early days. I’ve seen players wear a CCM skate, but add a graff chassy, or a Bauer skate and add the Pro 3 lite chassy that came with CCM skates. It’s a simple change too as you pop out a few rivets and attach the new chassy. This sometimes required drilling new holes in the bottom of the boot, but a good sho repair guy was trstworthy. That’s right shoe repair for hockey equipment, the best in the buisness in hockey equipment modifications.
#9 by Joey Guns on 11.28.07 9:36 am |
KK said:
Here:
http://www.flickr.co...
#10 by todd krevanchi on 11.28.07 9:40 am |
Joey Guns said:
i went to that game last year for the first time.
what a spectacle! one of those games that you need to experience at one time in your life.
but you have to see the parade of cadets and midshipmen… now that was awesome.
#11 by Shane on 11.28.07 9:43 am |
Follow-up footy from yesterday:
Brian from Short Island said:
Brian from Short Island said:
Touche on Luzhinski, but I believe CSKA was playing at Lokomotiv yesterday, which also, according to Wikipedia again, is grass (and have now checked the match report, UEFA lists Lokomotiv). Is Dinamo not up to snuff for Euro matches?
That pitch certainly looked and played like turf. Maybe it was the rain that slicked it down? I dunno.
#12 by Bryan Redemske on 11.28.07 9:47 am |
Mike Edgerly said:
Jan Ullrich rode the same Walser bike for about four years — it’s been both a Bianchi and a Giant.
Tim said:
I’m on the Dura-Ace pedals (new 7810, but I used the version Lance had before that), too, but my cleats are black and yellow, just like the rest of the world. I’ve never EVER seen white and blue ones. It’s always been black and yellow or black and red. Oh, and on the new 7810s, the degree of float is lopped down to 3, I believe. They’re quite snug.
The white and blue ones are likely just custom made for Lance, which is slightly strange. None of the other Postal/Discovery riders had them, either.
#13 by The Hemogoblin on 11.28.07 9:58 am |
Because nothing’s more important than the last name on a Tunisian volleyball jersey.
If you can’t taste the sarcasm in my comment, you shouldn’t be on the internet.
#14 by Mike Edgerly on 11.28.07 10:01 am |
Check out the NOB on the Stetson b-ball team against Florida yesterday.
Also the CSKA – PSV match yesterday was definitely at Lokomotiv.
#15 by Shane on 11.28.07 10:10 am |
This may fit more into the Helton-mod-category (and may have been mentioned on here before, apologies if so), but Bret Boone’s “Rawlings” mitt he had for a couple years in Seattle was a pretty nice bit of trickery. He used this same model Mizuno nearly his entire career, one glove a year, various stops. But there was about a two year period in Seattle where he was sporting this conglomeration. Still clearly a Mizuno, though not the worst cover job ever. I have a good shot I got of it while part-timing for the a club back in 2003. He just pulled the stitches from the thumb patch and ripped it off, looked like he glued on the Rawlings patch over the back of the hand. The palm was so heavily oiled you couldn’t make out the branding.
Hope this is a new one.
#16 by Brian from Short Island on 11.28.07 10:12 am |
Shane said:
Soccernet’s game recap has Dinamo listed, but I’ll plead guilty to not watching the match because I needed my computer to do work and couldn’t stream the match on it.
#17 by Matt B on 11.28.07 10:13 am |
Odd FNOB: Yaya Toure’s nameplate reads “Toure Yaya“
#18 by Shane on 11.28.07 10:16 am |
Brian from Short Island said:
Yeah, I only had it going in the top right corner while I was plugging through the day, didn’t bother to take a good look at the stadium. It was filler until the Rangers match started, which just made me want to throw my monitor out in the hall.
#19 by Rob B on 11.28.07 10:16 am |
Joey Guns said:
The Phillies Management is continually trying to add blue to the Phillies look. Did they learn nothing from the bad luck blue hats of past. They even put Blue seats in their new ball park. Being home jerseys I guess it would have been silly to put the city’s name on the front something they have not done in over a 100 years. I guess they don’t see the revenue potential of a uniform jersey with Philadelphia on it. I would just like to see a little home town pride. How many teams don’t wear their home city or state on their road unis beside the Phillies?
#20 by Boston Nick on 11.28.07 10:17 am |
Joe Drennan said:
Alex Ovechkin is a guy who does that actually, wearing CCM skates (and being one of their big endorsers), but he puts a TUUK chassis (which is standard equipment on all Nike-Bauer skates) on his skates and has since he entered the league.
Doug Weight and Mike Grier are two guys who wear Bauer skates, and even when they update the boot model they are using, they stick with an old-school looking black TUUK chassis.
I’ve also noticed it with some BU players. Some of the guys wearing the Bauer One90 on the team have replaced the clear TUUKs with the white TUUKs that you see on Vapors.
#21 by LI Phil on 11.28.07 10:19 am |
wow…bicycle cleats…skate chassis’…tunisian volleyball…and some good ole ‘footy’
hope someone posts the specs on the yale crew double skull oars and yorvit torrealba’s cup dimensions today
j/k…it’s all good…well…most of it
happy humpday
#22 by Ray on 11.28.07 10:21 am |
Not sure if anyone saw this among the plethora of ads in the newest GQ, but on page 89, there is an advertisement for a Elton John album. What makes this uni-related is the main photo on page 89 is Elton in a sequenced LA Dodgers uniform standing on stage in the outfield of Dodger Stadium.
Photographic evidence here
In the magazine it’s easier to see, but he evn has the sequenced stirrups!
(Like one would ever expect Elton John to leave out a wardrobe detail, eh?)
Ray
#23 by Shane on 11.28.07 10:22 am |
Rob B said:
Well, I mean, to be fair, they are the Phillies.
#24 by Hank on 11.28.07 10:22 am |
Joey Guns said:
That’s more of a mock-up than the real deal. We’ll see come Thursday. If the uni is based on that concept, it should be pretty good.
#25 by Rick on 11.28.07 10:29 am |
Ray said:
sequined, not sequenced.
#26 by tivonia on 11.28.07 10:38 am |
Years ago I remember seeing a VH1 “Behind the Music” special on Elton John that showed a concert clip of him in the sequined Dodgers uniform.
#27 by Shane on 11.28.07 10:38 am |
Luke Moore of Aston Villa also wears NOB-period-first initial. I think I posted a picture last week, actually.
#28 by Joey Guns on 11.28.07 10:41 am |
Ray said:
That link didn’t work. It took me right to Surfing The Mag. http://www.surfingth...
#29 by DGLS on 11.28.07 10:46 am |
Rob B said:
I’m not wild about that design either…don’t like alts in general… but there’s plenty of precedent for blue in the Phils uniforms over the years.
#30 by Marc on 11.28.07 10:48 am |
Rob B said:
Angels
Orioles
new Rays
Brewers
Cardinals
Phillies (of courseL)
And, to be fair….the Rangers have Texas, not the city
Same for Minnesota, D-Backs, Marlins, Rockies
And correct me if I’m wrong, but Tampa Bay isn’t really a city, right?
#31 by Ray on 11.28.07 10:48 am |
Try this:
http://forums.surfin...
the url works fine for the Elton shot but not for the link.
#32 by DGLS on 11.28.07 10:49 am |
The more I loook at that Phils alt design (realizing it’s just a concept), it’s the SHOE color that bugs me most…if they wore black spikes it would look real throwback and almost okay.
#33 by Kevin on 11.28.07 10:51 am |
Marc said:
Right Tampa Bay is the area (body of water actually). The Rays play in St.Petersburg and that pisses people off from Tampa cause if they are called Tampa Bay whatever they should play in Tampa or so they think.
#34 by C.N. on 11.28.07 10:53 am |
Shane said:
Yeah, is there really any doubt what the name of the city is?
#35 by Matt on 11.28.07 10:54 am |
Maybe it is just me, but I cannot see the difference in any of those shoes. Of course, I am one of the people who don’t get why office monkeys dress up like a yellow billboards to ride around the neighborhood.
Whenever I see a way too serious cyclist, I take a classic line from 40 Year Old Virgin
“Hey, look at Mr. Schwinn Fuckin’ Armstrong!”
#36 by NEO on 11.28.07 11:01 am |
Rob B said:
The Bucks and the Brewers :(
#37 by LI Phil on 11.28.07 11:03 am |
DGLS said:
indeed…also plenty of precedent for maroon and blue away unis…and that garish ALL MAROON uni they wore once
but…if they really want to bring back some good mojo…they should bring back the 1980 duds…their only WS (winning) unis
philly unis over the decades
#38 by Seth E. on 11.28.07 11:12 am |
I’ve been told by numerous people the Shimano makes carbon fiber soles for almost all major brand cycling shoes, including nike. The Shimano soles look identical to the soles on my Nike cycling shoes, so I believe this is correct.
#39 by todd krevanchi (krvanch) on 11.28.07 11:15 am |
im wondering if anyone could shed some light on this…
in watching a sean taylor tribute piece on sportscenter narrated by steve levy, he got to a statement made “by sean taylor’s father, pedro taylor, a police chief in florida.”
he followed that with something like, “the last name is not a coincidence, pedro taylor is sean taylor’s father.”
im still trying to figure out why that was said…
i must have heard it 3 times already and each time it makes no sense…
#40 by Shane on 11.28.07 11:15 am |
Seth E. said:
I’ve heard this as well. Nike doesn’t really “make” a lot of their sport equipment if you look at it. They either outsource it and toss their name on it or buy up a company that’s already doing something they want in to.
#41 by Kevin on 11.28.07 11:16 am |
todd krevanchi (krvanch) said:
For people with short attention spans?
#42 by Andrew on 11.28.07 11:17 am |
Surfing magazine shot still not working. They seem pretty excited about redirecting it.
#43 by Jeremy on 11.28.07 11:27 am |
Kevin said:
I’m thinking of two possiblities. One could be for people who have just turned on their tv and are suprised that they spoke to a police officer with the same last name as Sean Taylor. The other could be that so many times people have different last names than their fathers for a host of different reasons that we can all figure out.
#44 by jesse on 11.28.07 11:36 am |
LI Phil said:
First, its tough to tell from the pictures, are they going to wear the same blue that they have over the the past few seasons, or will it be closer to navy blue? I hope its the latter because…
Second, I like the new look, I think it’s good third uniform, as opposed to the space age crap that they had been forcing down our throats for the past few seasons.
#45 by Kate on 11.28.07 11:52 am |
So does the green dot on the Nike shoe box mean that it’s the box with the headset in it? To distinguish it from the other boxes?
#46 by Shane on 11.28.07 11:55 am |
Not uni-fied, but always a boost to my spirits after a Gers loss: Walter Smith 1-0 Chick Young
If you’re at work keep the volume turned down.
I wish more managers and coaches were this honest in interviews, especially with reporters like Young.
#47 by Patrick on 11.28.07 11:56 am |
Now THIS is a really good looking Phillies uniform!
#48 by Johnny O on 11.28.07 11:57 am |
Ray said:
Sorry, I was too busy looking at Hayden Panettiere in GQ…
Sorry for the tangent. Back to uni’s.
#49 by Shane on 11.28.07 11:59 am |
Kate said:
Ba-dum-chis
#50 by Bryan Redemske on 11.28.07 12:00 pm |
Kate said:
That’s funny as hell.
#51 by Shane on 11.28.07 12:03 pm |
From the air-brushed jersey front
Sorry, it’s really slow in the office today. I’m sitting here listening to a press run.
#52 by BigBootyLover58 on 11.28.07 12:15 pm |
DGLS said:
That’s the real deal – not a concept.
#53 by DCM on 11.28.07 12:21 pm |
Hopefully that’s an old Elton photo. He’s said he’s been a Braves fans the past few years, and visited the Braves clubhouse this past season.
I wish the Braves would go back to wearing BRAVES on the road, as they did well into the 80’s. It was the one bad decision Ted Turner made, for TV purposes.
Back in the 70’s Falcons safety Ray Brown (#34) broke his jaw, and played the rest of his career with a huge facemask.
#54 by Chris A on 11.28.07 12:30 pm |
What makes a baseball uniform throwback attempt better?
An older looking jersey, or pulled up pants with classic socks?
#55 by DCM on 11.28.07 12:36 pm |
If you get the players to cooperate, pulled up, baggy pants with striped stirrups turn me on the most. But one little detail can ruin the whole thing. Call me a perfectionist.
#56 by John in Athens on 11.28.07 12:38 pm |
todd krevanchi (krvanch) said:
It may have been an editing mistake.
They were going to go with “by sean taylor’s father, pedro taylor, a police chief in florida” or “the last name is not a coincidence, pedro taylor is sean taylor’s father” and ended up putting them both in. Added one without deleting the other. The guy just read the teleprompter.
Unless the piece was taped.
Then it may be a sign of the assumed attention spans of…
DUH-DUH-DUT! DUH-DUH-DUT!
What were we talking about?
#57 by Shane on 11.28.07 12:41 pm |
Chris A said:
I think the socks are definitely a key. That and proper application, ie that blue Braves throwback should fit like a new pair of jeans washed in boiling water a couple dozen times. Or any of the classic-era throwbacks should have a somewhat baggier fit and knee highs. Things like that.
This question reminded me of one of my favorite baseball cards ever: the 1994 Billy Spiers Topps (top left). Both teams sporting some nice throwbacks, down to the era-specific hat of, I’m assuming, the old American Association Brewers. I believe his 94 Upper Deck had him in the same uni, but this card is burned into the memories of my childhood.
#58 by Mets Fan in Chicago on 11.28.07 12:41 pm |
John in Athens said:
I think it was Sean Tayl……OOH! LOOK! A CHICKEN!!
;-)
#59 by Marty Met on 11.28.07 12:41 pm |
Joey Guns said:
Why is the photo from a concert at Dodger Stadium but the album was recorded in Madison Square Garden?
#60 by Joey Guns on 11.28.07 12:45 pm |
Bo Jackson is still supporting Nike:
http://assets.espn.g...
#61 by Shane on 11.28.07 12:46 pm |
Joey Guns said:
Apparently Bo also knows hunting.
#62 by bj in gainesville on 11.28.07 12:46 pm |
RE: the “HUSKERS” chinstraps…
Florida wore blue chinstraps a few years ago, with GATORS on them. Sometimes they were worn by most of the team, sometimes just a few guys wore them (others wore regular white ones). All this stopped when Urban Meyer (a uni-mod hater) came in.
I actually had one for my lacrosse helmet, but it broke a strap and had to be tossed during a game.
#63 by DonD on 11.28.07 12:50 pm |
LI Phil said:
I say Bring back the all RED uniforms. :)
#64 by Frenchie on 11.28.07 12:53 pm |
Army’s unis facing “crotch durability problems.” Can’t make this shit up!
#65 by Tim D on 11.28.07 12:58 pm |
Joey Guns said:
I would imagine that Bo is still making Moola from Nike…..so why not wear it?
#66 by Kim on 11.28.07 1:12 pm |
Rob B said:
I think it was on here several months ago, but the Phillies are the ONLY MLB team to never have their city name on their jerseys.
Go back and look at the various Phillies unis, and you’ll almost always see some blue trim. And remember the blue (OK sky blue) road unis of the 70’s and 80’s. (Which I personally hate)
And the Vet’s second set of seats were blue, too.
#67 by ART on 11.28.07 1:38 pm |
I think the Phillies would be served better by going to a red alternate jersey with a royal blue along the buttons like the Braves alternate red uniforms. Any thoughts?
#68 by Tim D on 11.28.07 1:39 pm |
DonD said:
Wouldn’t the most likely reason be that Phillies is a LOT shorter and more likely cheaper to put on the Uni’s than Philly?
#69 by John Baranowski on 11.28.07 1:39 pm |
i just had a fun but not-so-great uni-caper a few minutes ago.
TeamStore.com sent me an email for a 25% off sale, which included jerseys. their CCM Columbus Blue Jackets Replica 3rd jersey including customization is only $79.99, so i was very interested. much to my chagrin, the numbers were wrong, red with a white outline, as seen here.
the correct numbers are white with a red outline, here and here.
so i call them concerning this discrepancy, because i’d buy a correct one. they tell me that they’re at the mercy of CCM, using what they send them, and that’s all they have. they give me CCM’s number, and i call them up.
i call RBK/CCM (without swearing or anything! i’m proud of myself!), which to my suprise has salsa hold music. They were very nice about everything and looked at teamstore’s website. He told me that they never made those red numbers, i was right, and it had to be an error on their website.
i call back teamstore, i get a different person and she was very confused by it (someone who doesn’t “get it” working at a jersey store?!), but she said she’d pass along the information. I asked about their stock, if they have this number that “never should have existed”, and her supervisor told her that what was on the website was all they had. With the sale ending tonight, i doubt i’m going to get my Blue Jackets Vyborny jersey any time soon, but hopefully they’ll fix it for future customers.
and that’s my tale of righting the jersey wrongs of this world, and that big companies can be very friendly, especially if you get someone who “gets it”
#70 by Robert on 11.28.07 1:46 pm |
ART said:
While I believe that if a team feels the need to have an alternate and red is part of the team’s color scheme, then a red jersey is a good way to go.
However, there are so many teams wearing red alts already that another one would be excessive. If the Braves and Pirates would abandon theirs, I would be fine with the Phillies wearing red jerseys.
#71 by Chance on 11.28.07 1:50 pm |
I still can’t see the Elton John photo. Any help?
#72 by dm00n on 11.28.07 2:03 pm |
Chance said:
here and also here.
#73 by todd krevanchi (krvanch) on 11.28.07 2:04 pm |
John in Athens said:
it was just so ridiculous.
each time i have seen this, and i hear that part, its as though, espn copy writers wrote that as if to say…
“here is this guy sean taylor, who grew up in south florida, has had a few run ins with the law, and he actually has the same last name as his father! i mean, can you believe that? a minority pro athlete with the same last name as his father? thats no coincidence that they both have the same last name folks.”
#74 by todd krevanchi (krvanch) on 11.28.07 2:04 pm |
Joey Guns said:
or nike is still supporting bo jackson…
#75 by Shawn Knowles on 11.28.07 2:08 pm |
Elton John picture
#76 by Shane on 11.28.07 2:10 pm |
Shawn Knowles said:
They should’ve put Torre in that uniform when they trotted him out.
#77 by Rick on 11.28.07 2:15 pm |
Shane said:
A Rod looks like he’d wear that!
#78 by Justin on 11.28.07 2:23 pm |
Forgive me if this has been talked about before, I don’t always read all the comments.
Has anyone seen http://straightcashh... ? Its a website dedicated to photos of fans wearing obscure/out of date jerseys to games. Today’s features someone wearing a Jeff Garcia Eagles jersey.
#79 by DGLS on 11.28.07 2:35 pm |
Chris A said:
I say: can’t have one without the other.
The point about the Phils not needing the city name on their road unis because the city is built into the team name is interesting. It also brings up the question of what a “Phillie” is, anyway?
Does anyone know of any other teams with abstract names derived from the name of the home city?
I posted the following yesterday regarding Phils uniforms…apparently a day too early based on today’s discussion. I’m hoping to connect to anyone who has memories of this little league team. Don’t worry I won’t re-post this again.
DGLS said:
#80 by patrick on 11.28.07 2:46 pm |
Justin said:
Its on Page 2 of ESPN.com every week, other week, something like that. Its amusing
#81 by LI Phil on 11.28.07 2:58 pm |
Tim D said:
if you go to the link i posted (found above in the quote indentions), you will see at least one of the jerseys has “PHILA”…i believe it is from the late 1890’s or VERY early 1900s…i think that’s the last instance they put (albeit an abbreviation) their city name on a jersey
reminds me a lil bit of wilt the stilt’s jersey that nite he scored 100 (points, not chicks)
#82 by LI Phil on 11.28.07 3:00 pm |
pic & article on wilt
#83 by Philly Bill on 11.28.07 3:07 pm |
Robert said:
They already have red jerseys — they wear them in batting practice and spring training. I like that setup — they’re available for fans to buy, but they’re not used in actual games because they’re not in keeping with traditional uniform motifs.
DGLS said:
I don’t think it’s abstract; I think it refers to a female racehorse, with the city’s “Ph-” grafted onto it. (The term ‘Filly’ used to be much more common than it is now.) Like the Phillies’ actual track record isn’t embarrassing enough for us fans… er, Phans.
#84 by Zack on 11.28.07 3:07 pm |
I heard on the radio today that on sunday the players will be wearing a black 21 patch in honor of Sean Taylor
#85 by Adam on 11.28.07 3:08 pm |
Stuby said:
Yeah, I think that’s exactly it. Still, it’s quite unusual. Having seen plenty of sporting events in (and involving teams from) the Middle East, that’s the first time I’ve seen anything like it.
#86 by LI Phil on 11.28.07 3:11 pm |
how the phillies got their name
and the phanatic too
LI Phil said:
#87 by todd krevanchi on 11.28.07 3:13 pm |
…or iverson throwbacks…
http://pictopia.com/...
http://www.alleniver...
#88 by Philly Bill on 11.28.07 3:20 pm |
LI Phil said:
And apparently a relative of his, named Slyly, serves as the mascot of the Japan Central League’s Hiroshima Carp.
(Sorry for the Geocities link; I know it’ll crash within minutes.)
#89 by Dre on 11.28.07 3:28 pm |
Joe Drennan said:
It even would go beyond that… I remember when Nike first came out with skates, I believe Scott Stevens was one of their players however all he had was a pair of Bauers that had been modified to have the big swoosh on it. They also a lot of times have their skates custom made to look old school with the new technology, etc. I’d say hockey players are probably the ones that do the most modifying of any pro athletes.
#90 by Joe Drennan on 11.28.07 3:39 pm |
Dre said:
I think you may be right in that hockey players do the most modifications, but they are less noticable because the equipment companies know of NHL players tinkering and actualy work with the players to make them during production. Goalie pads are a great example. NHL goalies started adding an extra inch to the top of their pads to close their 5-hole, now this is an optional add-on for your amature goalie.
Same goes for gloves. Look at old school Gordie Howe gloves and you’ll see massive cuffs at the top of the gloves. as time went on this cuff shrank, but wings wwere cutting them down even more to allow for more wrist movement and better puck control. Now you can order gloves with high or low cuffs. As a high school hockey coach you we can tell our defensemen from wingers simply by looking at their gloves because of this. The D-men like the higher cuffs to protect from slashing of the wrist as they’re not always very nimble with the puck. Forwards many times wear slash guards that look similar to wrist bands to protect against slashing, but also allow for the wrist movement with the lower cuff.
Sorry to bore you all. I’ll go back to work now.
#91 by Sarah on 11.28.07 3:48 pm |
Andre Woodson of Kentucky had UK and Wildcats on his chinstrap against Tennessee this past weekend. you can sort of see it on the bottom strap here.
#92 by Jay on 11.28.07 3:55 pm |
John Baranowski said:
Just so you know, that’s the old jersey. You can probably find the new jerseys (no black sleeves) for the same price.
#93 by Kevin on 11.28.07 4:00 pm |
The Brewers’ road uni has a “Milwaukee” patch on the sleeve.
#94 by ryan c #40 on 11.28.07 4:01 pm |
“Forgive me if this has been talked about before, I don’t always read all the comments.
Has anyone seen http://straightcashh... ? Its a website dedicated to photos of fans wearing obscure/out of date jerseys to games. Today’s features someone wearing a Jeff Garcia Eagles jersey.”
no joke… at the browns vs. steelers game a few weeks back… i saw a real gem! an authentic, nfl 75th anniv. barry foster jersey!
it was actually a real nice jersey!
#95 by Chance on 11.28.07 4:06 pm |
Kevin said:
Yeah. A silly, half-hearted tribute at best.
#96 by Shane on 11.28.07 4:14 pm |
For mod-based development, I’m hoping this doesn’t catch on anymore in soccer. Basically you buy the upper, then buy a stud plate that locks inside the body, rotate plates as the pitch condition dictates.
I think all of these “advancements” in boots over the past decade or so has directly led to the number of foot injuries (breaks specifically) in soccer. Since I suffered a foot injury a few years ago after switching to a “next-gen, lightwieght” boot I wear nothing but Kelme’s (wide feet), full leather uppers, none of the newer man-made materials for “speed,” “power,” or “control.” I still think the classic Copa Mundial is possibly the best piece of sporting equipment ever. 25 years, not a change, still a world class shoe that delivers everything one could want. I just can’t get my feet in them anymore.
All of those lightweight shoes offer very little in the way of true protection for the foot from such basic things as being stepped on. In a good leather boot you’re still going to feel it, probably get a bruise or lose a nail. In a pair of the current crop of high end styles you’re probably going to end up with a pin holding your toe together like I have now. It’s innovation without real purpose behind it. Innovation to say, Hey, our boots come in all these great colors and will make you 7% more accurate. Hey, so would an extra hour of practice.
Anyone else out there had/seen these kinds of problems or am I just ranting without cause?
#97 by Pedro on 11.28.07 4:22 pm |
Does anyone know what the Stanford pride sticker is?
#98 by Broker75 on 11.28.07 4:39 pm |
Anybody got $17,500.00 handy? then this could be yours
#99 by dennis on 11.28.07 4:40 pm |
I absolutely hate those sleeveless volleyball jerseys. They look fruity, as if us v-ballers don’t have a gay enough reputation already. Also, if you slide and your shoulder rubs the floor (happens often) then you’re sure to have a brush burn there. Ouch.
#100 by GoTerriers on 11.28.07 4:41 pm |
Pedro said:
No idea . . .anyone want to take a wild guess?
#101 by LI Phil on 11.28.07 4:44 pm |
which uni is worser?
1979 philly home alt
or
1971 baltimore home alt
or
1975 cleveland road alt
hon. mention:
1972 padres
#102 by LI Phil on 11.28.07 4:49 pm |
Broker75 said:
all that 9-11 shit goes up in value
#103 by Banker Bill on 11.28.07 4:52 pm |
Joe Drennan said:
I thought Gretzky had blue Perfecta blades – I was actually talking about this with a co-worker two days ago.
#104 by Broker75 on 11.28.07 4:55 pm |
LI Phil said:
Baltimore is the “worser” one. Cleveland went back to that style, I like the font.
#105 by Gyorgy on 11.28.07 5:02 pm |
Not uni-related but geeky (yet prideful) equipment modification story. In my salad days as a semi-professional dart player (seriously) I preferred a dart manufactured by Hammerhead, but the tips manufactured by Powerpoint were technologically superior (cylindrical tip so that when the tip retracted at impact the dart could rotate freely enabling a subsequent dart to nestle closely alongside without interference from a flight). Needless to say the screw threads were not compatible.
So, a fellow competitor and I went to a machine shop and found a way to rethread the components in order to enable the dart and tip to work together.
Although it worked perfectly, it came as a surprise to us that our efforts did not impress the ladies.
And for a uni-related ending, we were not wearing the Union Jack…http://www.pdpa.co.uk/
#106 by LI Phil on 11.28.07 5:07 pm |
associatioin?
#107 by Justin on 11.28.07 5:07 pm |
Yeah that’s where I found it.. but theres a whole site for it too.
patrick said:
#108 by Gyorgy on 11.28.07 5:16 pm |
…Professional Dart player shirts are generally over the top…
A seemingly unexplored area here. Great flight/shirt combinations abound.
#109 by Marty Met on 11.28.07 5:17 pm |
Broker75 said:
I love them ALL. Baseball uniforms have become SO BORING!!!
#110 by todd krevanchi on 11.28.07 5:18 pm |
Gyorgy said:
ahh another dart guy!
im usually good for about 3 leagues a year… 2 weekend and 1 weeknight league.
dont play english darts though, only on a widdy or a darto board.
here is the site which handles pretty much all you need to know about darts in my area.
http://www.vipid.com...
#111 by Adam on 11.28.07 5:22 pm |
Hey all-
Paul has a new uniwatch article up on page 2. No clue how to link…
-he sure “nose” what he is talking about…
#112 by Henry on 11.28.07 5:27 pm |
Speaking of NHL modifications, I learned not too long ago that NHL goalies have been “refacing” their goalie pads for years. Not wanting to change pads, they will have them “refaced” with the new/current designs from various manufacturers… but the essential design of the pads remains the same, as per the player’s preference. One example is Martin Brodeur, who I’ve been told still wears the same D&R style of pads (dating back to the early 90’s), even though they appear to be Heaton, CCM, etc. It is more visible these days with the flat faced pads; you’ll see guys like Toskala, Miller, and Hasek have the older style knee rolls but the new RBK/TPS designs.
#113 by Floormaster Squeeze on 11.28.07 5:27 pm |
Justin said:
At Christmas I want to get a picture of my brother who still likes to wear his Packer jersey of the late Charles Martin around (even in Chicago). 99% of people never notice but the reaction he gets with the 1% is often priceless.
#114 by Dan King on 11.28.07 5:42 pm |
after reading paul’s article on ESPN today, i realized when my uniwatch obsession started:
when i was about 10 my family went to a local pizza joint/sports bar for dinner. the owner came to our table with a gold helmet, saying it was for notre dame, to hang on the wall. (he knew that my family are ND fans) he gave it to me and i told him it wasn’t a notre dame helmet because it said BIKE on the nose bumper instead of Irish. just a funny story i thought i’d share that with you all
#115 by =bg= on 11.28.07 5:54 pm |
GoTerriers said:
what pride sticker? you mean all those little award stickers?
#116 by Mike on 11.28.07 6:02 pm |
regarding the phillies alternate… their AA Reading farm club recently released an updated “marketing” plan. The new alternate includes a light blue top based on the 1980 look. not sure how credible the leak mentioned on this site previously is, but some minor league teams tend to follow the parent club. i’m inclined to wait and see what tomorrow brings. i remember rumors floating around last year about the reds re-introducing blue. we all know that never came to fruition. more info at
http://www.rphils.co...
#117 by Randy Williams on 11.28.07 6:12 pm |
Floormaster Squeeze said:
I look forward to sporting my #19 Bernie Kosar jersey to any Browns game i get to go to…kinda tough when you live in San Diego.
#118 by Chad G on 11.28.07 6:44 pm |
=bg= said:
I think they’re tanks…why however, I have no idea
#119 by Chris Allen on 11.28.07 6:51 pm |
Justin said:
The pic from Nov 26 is a Nike Panther’s jersey.
#120 by LynchMob on 11.28.07 7:03 pm |
Chad G said:
If what’s being asked about is the sticker on the football helmets shown in the link above, it’s a “Stanford Axe” …
#121 by LynchMob on 11.28.07 7:04 pm |
re: Stanford football help stickers …
Stanford Axe
#122 by LynchMob on 11.28.07 7:09 pm |
And one last (better) link re: Stanford Axe …
The History of the Stanford Axe
#123 by John Lintner on 11.28.07 7:22 pm |
it is indeed the Stanford Axe. I think earlier this year they had a black football sticker too but im not sure.
#124 by John in Athens on 11.28.07 7:41 pm |
Awesome ESPN article today.
That is Uni Watching at it’s finest.
How the bumper history wasn’t told earlier is beyond me and a testiment to all of the shit that I don’t know about and am just waiting for Paul to blow my mind with.
The blog has been less enlightening lately with the seemingly endless NFL-Helmet-Flag-Watch, focuses on very particular uni-items (one guy’s sunglasses, one guy’s (one) plant shoe, cool photos in a book, one guy’s bicycling shoes, etc.), it was great to read a full column about something that is everywhere but I really had no idea why (I always thought it was just a place to put a brand or team name).
I am now prepared to bore the crap out of my friends and family with information that totally facinates me.
And that (among other things) is what Uni Watching is about!
#125 by u2horn on 11.28.07 8:38 pm |
here’s a better pic of the axe from Paul’s column on bumpers today
http://farm3.static....
#126 by Stevo on 11.28.07 9:02 pm |
Illinois is sporting their dark blues, they look like the Phoenix Suns from afar.
#127 by andrewwwww on 11.28.07 9:09 pm |
Kevin said:
the complaints come more frequently from across the bay, where St. Petersburg residents want more of a claim to the baseball team. The Lightning also used to play in St. Pete, but were still called Tampa Bay, which references the area, the body of water which Tampa proper sits on (Bayshore Blvd) is the Hillsborough Bay
#128 by Stuby on 11.28.07 9:13 pm |
If anyone has a USA Sports section from today, checkout the dumbass in the backwards Falcons Favre jersey. He’s holding up a sign that says “FARVE” and something about being the #1 Packer-Backer. The funny thing is that if he looked down at his backwards jersey he could see how to spell it correctly. Priceless.
#129 by Stuby on 11.28.07 9:17 pm |
Sorry, that should be USA Today Sports section. Who’s the dumbass?
#130 by LI Phil on 11.28.07 9:23 pm |
Stuby said:
what about brett favruh?
#131 by DenverGregg on 11.28.07 9:34 pm |
A uni-watchish piece on powder-blue MLB unis, with some nice pics (and some opinions I don’t share) at Home Run Derby.
#132 by todd krevanchi on 11.28.07 9:40 pm |
i would have bet the ranch that permian high school would have had MOJO on its nose bumpers…
however after research, nope.
#133 by Tony Bruno on 11.28.07 11:02 pm |
Regarding out of date unis, here is a rule that I have always lived by; You pretty much look like an ass if your wearing a shirt of a player who is younger than you. For example a 55 year old fat bastard wearing a number 87 Pens sweater.
#134 by Broker75 on 11.28.07 11:18 pm |
LI Phil said:
are you kidding me, I praised Favre just for the fact that he can say he dated Cameron
#135 by Paul on 11.29.07 1:19 am |
A pretty cool article about the return of the powder blues to MLB
#136 by Franklin on 11.29.07 2:33 am |
WARNING Paul: For this Saturday’s 111th Civil War game (Oregon vs. Oregon State)on ESPN2 Oregon will be wearing the yellow helmets they debuted @ the Las Vegas Bowl last year and Oregon State are said to be wearing their orange alternate jerseys. This may rank on the Uni Watch list of ugliest football game ever.
#137 by Ryan Cousineau on 11.29.07 5:17 pm |
Hm. Looking at those Lance shoes, the two-slot vents seem eerily like the nose-end of an SPD-compatible cleat plate.
Now that’s ridiculous, because (DANGER: EXTREME BIKE GEAR NERDING AHEAD!) he’s using SPD-SL pedals and cleats (cleats, btw, in the cycling sense of being the bolt-on attachment to the shoe sole that locks into the pedal). But I wonder if this shoe sole is derived from one of the many universal (aka 4-bolt) designs that can handle either SPD or SPD-SL/Look cleats, plus sometimes the Time 4-bolt mount as well.
It’s not impossible he was using some variant made by another manufacturer, and for that matter, a custom vent is easy to add compared to, say, custom uppers and sole.
But neat find on this oddity! An especially nice adjunct to the oft-told story about Lance’s conversion from the old Look-licensed Shimano pedal to the new SPD-SL design somewhere around the middle of his 7 Tour de France wins.
Lance had a lot of control over his gear, too: Trek built some seriously custom TT bikes for Lance, and largely built the stock 5900 and Madone bikes to his preferences as well (famously, he didn’t like compact designs, and now that he’s retired, the new Madone is a compact design).
And as mentioned before, equipment cheating is rampant. I’ve seen a few photos of Shimano-sponsored riders indiscreetly running Campagnolo drivetrains, which would be about like a Ford-sponsored racer using a Chevy engine.
#138 by denverjason on 11.30.07 11:40 pm |
Wow, another bengals quirk I’ve never noticed before. Not only do their shirts not match, their pants don’t match. Check out the two guys facing left (52 and 94), both have their left legs showing, but their tiger stripes go different direcctions. 52’s go UP to the back, 94’s go DOWN to the back. Also, check out Smith and the guy right in front of him (obscured by 52). Their right legs are visable. Smith’s stripes go up to the front; the other guy’s (and #28 for that matter) go up to the back. Smith & 94 are both down linemen, all the other guys seem to be LBs & DBs. So, maybe it’s one template or the fat guys and another for the “skill possitions.”
#139 by art on 01.17.08 1:48 pm |
That cleat looks like zero float with an extra deep pocket. Nobody else has them because they’ve got to be nearly impossible to unclip. Armstrong has had a number of near crashes from pedal pullouts. The white body is most likely some kind of machined HDPE. The blue pads are probably to keep the mechanics from accidentally putting them on someone else’s shoes.
The award for most hard core pedal setup still goes to track cyclists. Many of them still use Shimano’s discontinued SPD-R, not only because of the binding stiffness but because the body is big enough to drill and screw on toe straps.