For most of my life, I feel like color schemes have pretty much made sense. There are color combos I really like, like green/gold/maroon, and ones that I don’t like, like most pastel combinations. But whether I like them or not, I feel like most of the combinations I’ve seen over the past four decades have made a certain kind of intuitive sense.
Lately, though, I’ve been seeing color schemes that I simply don’t understand. Foremost among these is pale blue and brown, which I now see practically everywhere. Doesn’t work for me at all, but it’s obviously working for someone, because it’s becoming unavoidable.
I also don’t get the Seahawks’ combination of steel blue and neon snot. The latter hue makes no sense — it doesn’t match up with or complement, um, anything. It just sticks out out like a sort whatsis. And I say that as a guy who’s a lifelong fan of green.
So it was pretty horrifying to see lots of the Seahawks wearing green-trimmed footwear on Saturday. I mean, really, is this any way for an NFL player to look? Or this? The term “offensive line” has never been more literally accurate. Looks like some of the players even wore green shoelaces (as if Matt H.’s green-trimmed muff weren’t bad enough). Seriously, is there anyone who doesn’t think this looks way better?
Even worse, the fans seem to be embracing the radioactive jade shade. Fortunately, the ’Hawks will be playing in Green Bay next weekend, so we should see fans with a greater sense of decorum.
In other NFL news from the weekend:
• Matt Hasselbeck broke a thigh pad in the third quarter, which led to third-stringer Charlie Frye pulling down his pants and removing one of his own pads to give to Hasselbeck. Details in the middle of this page (with thanks to Nick Collecchi).
• I’ve written several times about the Giants’ curved nameplates, which match up with one of the rear jersey seams. But Mike Slesinski has spotted something new: Amani Toomer appeared to be wearing a completely different tailoring template yesterday, which (among other things) had the effect of pushing his nameplate much lower. Mike also thinks Toomer’s front tailoring pattern is new, and that his red triangle patch at the base of the collar is wider, although I’m not sure about either of those claims. Joe Skiba, fill us in!
• Did you see that new Mac commercial with the football referee? He’s clearly supposed to be an NFL ref, since he goes under the hood for a video review, but he’s not wearing NFL zebra stripes or NFL socks. More egregiously, his pants are cuffed WAY too low — lame. (Thanks to Randy Williams, John Okray, Chad Todd, and Phil Hecken for the screen grabs.)
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Portland Lumberjax are taking their name rather literally (with thanks to Travis Demers). … Mr. Horse Collar is changing uni numbers next season (with thanks to Patrick Nance). … Good catch by Jon McKay who noticed two officials wearing white hats during the Independence Bowl (apparently the umpire lost his black cap). … Friday’s entry about players wearing earplugs led to this from Andy Head: “Freddy Garcia, then pitching for the Mariners, pitched with earplugs in for much of the 2003 season because he had suffered perforated eardrums from flying on numerous team flights with a cold the previous season.” … Bit of a pad controversy for Rick Dipietro. … Bruce Menard sent along this awesome old St. Louis Cardinals team portrait. Dig those double-breasted jackets! … Check out the bizarre pants Washington State wore in the 1994 Alamo Bowl (additional pics here, courtesy of Jon V. Buerstatte). … At the 2:28 mark of this video clip, you’ll see something rare: Randy Moss with an “R. Moss” nameplate, which he apparently wore for one game in 2000 (good find by Nick Noyes). … You expect to see plenty of logo creep in a game called the Under Armour All-Star Game, but this is still a bit much (with thanks to Brandon Pratt). … Fun bit here about Les Miles’s hat (as forwarded by Minna H.). … The other day I asked if anyone knew the story behind Fresno State’s three different-colored merit decals. Anthony Johnson found the answer here). … Interesting FNOB find by Roy Ellingsen, who writes: “I’ve just returned to Norway after a quick visit to the Czech Republic. There, I saw that Sparta Prague’s leading points scorer, Petr Ton, wears ‘Ton Petr,’ as you can just about see here, right below the number. It’s common to use family name before given names in Eastern Europe. Petr Nedved, for example, wears ‘Nedved P.’” … Speaking of FNOB, Erik Little was watching some old Rams footage and spotted Ron Brown with the rare double-decker FNOB (road jersey too, but poor image quality). He also spotted this guy. “Not sure who that is,” he writes. “The only Rams LB with #59 that I can confirm is Bob Brudzinski. Not really a good shot, but the surname seems lowered to allow for a first name (à la Ron Brown’s jersey).” Can anyone shed more light on this one? … Stripe-o-rama yesterday, as Stoke City faced Newcastle in Round 3 of the FA Cup (with thanks to Morris Levin). … “Damaso Marte, who plays for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is playing in the Dominican Winter League for the Tigres del Licey,” writes Jean Oliva. “He’s wearing No. 143, since his regular number (43) is retired by the team.” … Speaking of uni numbers, scroll down to the middle of this page for a history lesson in Cubs uni number protocol (good find by Jeremy Brahm). … “I was at the Bruins game on Sunday afternoon and noticed something I’d never seen before,” writes Jeffrey Israel. “People were getting their jerseys personalized as they waited in the middle of the Garden concourse.” … I had planned to bid on that Packers dickey, but the price got way out of hand — dang.
#1 by j g on 01.07.08 8:34 am |
Mark Jerue was 59 for the Rams from 1983-89- looks more like his name was lowered due to the neck roll
#2 by Frank on 01.07.08 8:50 am |
I was at the Independence Bowl. The reason there were two white hats is that one of the other referees was injured on a play, and the reserve referee entered the game in his place. The reserve referee also had an “R” on the back of his shirt. My guess is that he had an “R” and a white hat so he could replace any official on the field, including the Referee.
#3 by Who cares on 01.07.08 8:52 am |
Why are the Jags’ captain patches on their white jerseys teal? Seems like they should be black given the fact that black is the dominant color in their road unis.
#4 by Dean on 01.07.08 8:54 am |
I hate when players change their #’s, Roy Williams was my favorite player for the longest time. I always liked 13, and the 31, it worked out perfect. Now he has to go ruin it, just so he can hide from the refs when he horse collars someone next season.
#5 by Jake on 01.07.08 8:55 am |
Wasn’t one of the reasons that the NFL made the change to its refs’ unis so that they could protect the brand from things like Mac commercials ?
And I woudln’t give the Mac people too much trouble over the attention to detail, I get the impression that they pride themselves on low production quality.
Take your pick, Paul : Snot Green or Purple ?
#6 by Stephen on 01.07.08 9:02 am |
I’m sure I am alone in this, but I actually like the Seahawks electric shade of lime…and I liked that all the offensive linemen wore matching shoes, too.
There was something weird in the Giants-Bucs game, though. Giants cornerback R.W. McQuarters looked to be wearing some sort of pink or purple band-aid under one of his eyes for the game. No pic. Anybody else see this?
~E~
#7 by Paul Lukas on 01.07.08 9:06 am |
It’s a SpongeBob Band-Aid. He’s been wearing it at least since last season.
#8 by DrBear on 01.07.08 9:12 am |
It looks like a 26 on that dickey’s tag which would, if it’s a 60s Packer, make it Herb Adderley.
#9 by Jeff on 01.07.08 9:13 am |
I am in no sense a Cubs fan at all, but that link talking about the history lesson of Cubs uniforms made little sense. I distinctly remembered many a Cub in a single digit number roaming the outfield or behind the plate in the 70’s (Jose Cardinal, Rick Monday & Randy Hundley come to mind). In a search to make sure I wasn’t nuts, I found this interesting link:
http://ignarski.trip...
More Cubs info, though, than this Sox fan can handle.
#10 by derek on 01.07.08 9:13 am |
“it doesn’t match up with or complement, um, anything.”
paul- you spelled compliment wrong
#11 by Joe H on 01.07.08 9:16 am |
“People were getting their jerseys personalized as they waited in the middle of the Garden concourse.”
Looks like they have a bunch of pre-cut and pre-sewn numbers and letters, so it should only take a skilled seamstress 30 mins or less to do a full jersey.
I’ve seen that before…used to do it at Orioles Fan-Fest while people waited.
#12 by Paul Lukas on 01.07.08 9:17 am |
No I didn’t. Two different words. One is about saying something nice about someone; the other is about two things going well together.
#13 by Shaftman on 01.07.08 9:18 am |
From Peter King’s article on CNNsi.com…
“I think the nicest gestures of the week belong to Dallas safety Roy Williams and the Redskins. Washington listed the late Sean Taylor as their starting safety for Saturday’s playoff game. On the other hand, Williams, who was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for Taylor, said he will have something special for the Taylor family in Honolulu, and this is what it is: He’ll switch from his uniform number, 31, and wear Taylor’s number, 21, for the game. A brilliant idea and nice tribute to the memory of a man who’s been an inspiration to players and people in and out of the Washington organization.”
#14 by LI Phil on 01.07.08 9:21 am |
seahawk fans travel well too
phew…i thought that pic was gonna be NSFW or worse
#15 by Matt Lesser on 01.07.08 9:26 am |
Paul, it’s Portland LumberJax. Like Red/White Sox only more lame. There’s another NLL franchise that didn’t get the stupid name memo. The Chicago Shamrox.
http://www.nll.com/I...
#16 by Kevin on 01.07.08 9:26 am |
Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that green stripe on the Seahwaks pants matching the color green in the eye of the Seahawk logo?
#17 by bfnh on 01.07.08 9:33 am |
i absolutely loved the way the seahawks decided to take that lil’ neon stripe out of the collars and give it more visibility. i’ve always liked how they decided to “throw in” a unique non-traditional color and it’s good to see that they took some time to use it in other places.
if they keep this to a playoff phenomenon it would be perfect. it reminds me of what the 76ers (and i think the eagles, too) used to do when they wore black shoes for the playoffs.
#18 by BAL on 01.07.08 9:41 am |
They still do. Get one 3/29 at OPACY
#19 by scott on 01.07.08 9:42 am |
i personally love the brown and baby blue combo. are there any sports teams that actually use it?
#20 by Robert on 01.07.08 9:45 am |
Don’t give Wyoming any ideas . . . .
#21 by Chance on 01.07.08 9:47 am |
I do too. Ranks right up there with the claret and sky blue of Aston Villa and West Ham - great, distinctive color combinations that work precisely because no ad agency would ever select them.
#22 by kj on 01.07.08 9:49 am |
I saw it at a Blues game over the holidays. But they weren’t sewing them on–they just use a heat press to basically iron on the twill nameplates and numbers.
#23 by Husker E10 on 01.07.08 9:50 am |
I’m thinking it was maybe Subway that has a commercial currently out there with NFL referees too? I can’t find it online…but maybe it will jog someone’s memory.
#24 by Jason G. on 01.07.08 9:50 am |
I like the color combo too. I’m not sure it would work in the sports world though. I don’t see it looking good on any sports uniforms.
#25 by Chance on 01.07.08 9:51 am |
Bigger clubs do this in England - soccer numbers are heat-pressed, so you can go to a stadium, buy a customized jersey and wear it during the game.
#26 by b on 01.07.08 9:51 am |
Tufts University uses the powder blue/brown scheme
#27 by teamcinnamon on 01.07.08 9:53 am |
#28 by b on 01.07.08 9:54 am |
here’s a working link
#29 by Pedro on 01.07.08 9:54 am |
I got some hoop-striped blue/brown socks for Christmas. I have no idea what I’ll wear them with.
#30 by Jason G. on 01.07.08 9:54 am |
Yea they do. He comes out and apologizes for a bad call and says he will make an equally bad one against the other team later. I don’t think it specifies if it’s college or NFL. Here it is on youtube.
http://www.youtube.c...
#31 by teamcinnamon on 01.07.08 9:55 am |
I saw the refs in Seattle wearing the cold weather gear - what was the game time temp on Saturday?
#32 by Gerrard on 01.07.08 9:57 am |
I can’t say I necessarily like the Seahawks color combo, but the green reminds me of a neon green/yellow world’s loudest whistle that I used to use for lifeguarding. That sort of goes with the “stormy sea” color of the jersey. My .02 on what they were going for.
#33 by Rick From Cedar Park, TX on 01.07.08 10:00 am |
I am a huge fan of baby blue and brown now.
But, I’m not a fan of neon green (or any neon for that matter) on a sports uniform. It just don’t look right.
#34 by Kevin on 01.07.08 10:01 am |
You know what is an more bizarre site than Washington State’s pants in those Alamo Bowl pictures? Baylor University in a bowl game.
#35 by Jeremy Brahm on 01.07.08 10:05 am |
Yes, the neon green matches the eye in the Seahawks’ logo.
But if you remember the original logo, the eye was an emerald green, Seattle being known as the “Emerald City.”
A team in Japan wears a blue and green color scheme, Bellmare Shonan.
Here is a picture from 10 years ago.
#36 by Kevin Z. on 01.07.08 10:06 am |
Here’s a seahawk logo with no green:
#37 by Kevin Z. on 01.07.08 10:07 am |
sorry, here’s that link:
http://blog.washingt...
#38 by Rick on 01.07.08 10:07 am |
They also do this at every Mets game in the clubhouse store, located near the field level.
#39 by Rick on 01.07.08 10:13 am |
You’re talking about the commercial with the ref in the #85 jersey (which is coincidentally NFL red Ed Hochuli’s number) who basically says “I goofed on the call, but I’ll make up for it by screwing the other team on the next call”.
#40 by AssGrabber on 01.07.08 10:18 am |
The Washington Capitals do it at their main team store (which doesn’t have much of anything). To make it wasier on fans,they will even bring it to your seat so you don’t have to go back and pick it up. The Maple Leafs do it as well, but they have souvenier stands every 5 feet at Air Canada.
#41 by LI Phil on 01.07.08 10:18 am |
i posted this saturday 01.05.08:
#42 by Chris Hilf on 01.07.08 10:28 am |
Yertle the Turtle is where Seattle got the look.
#43 by scott on 01.07.08 10:29 am |
I think the reason Moss had an R on his nameplate was because his cousin was on the team. He was an offensive lineman named Zefross Moss or something like that. It was probably the only game he was ever active for.
#44 by craig g on 01.07.08 10:32 am |
I noticed the Seahawk fans had a lot of their old blue in the stands too. I think some of them wish they never changed. Me too.
#45 by john on 01.07.08 10:32 am |
Not sure if this was picked up before…
ESPN’s John Buccigross had this in his January 3rd column about where the NHL should have the next outdoor game in the States:
Fenway Park: The small confines of Fenway, especially the Green Monster seats, would provide Boston Garden-like camera angles. The Green Monster would also be a great shield for north and northeast winds. The Bruins-Blues, wearing vintage 1970 uniforms, would be a nice matchup. Bruins-Canadiens is another obvious pick. Or you could play off the Yankees-Red Sox thing and go Rangers-Bruins. This also provides two large television markets that should bring great ratings.
#46 by scott on 01.07.08 10:38 am |
To correct above, I meant to say his brother Eric Moss.
#47 by Jeff Scott on 01.07.08 10:39 am |
…Bruce Menard sent along this awesome old St. Louis Cardinals team portrait…
My favorite part of this photo is the little boy in front, with “MASCOT” on his shirt. He’s even identified in the caption as the mascot.
#48 by derek on 01.07.08 10:39 am |
Your right, my bad
#49 by Chance on 01.07.08 10:42 am |
Didn’t somebody answer that on Saturday?
Aston Villa used the color scheme first, having adopted it in the nineteenth century. West Ham adopted them around 1899, having gotten a set of second-hand kits from Aston Villa.
The Phillies are some serious Johnny-Come-Latelys when it comes to claret and blue.
#50 by teamcinnamon on 01.07.08 10:42 am |
I, along with the rest of the country, am tired of New York and Boston being the current centerpieces of the sports landscape.
However, I guess it’s unavoidable.
#51 by Mark W on 01.07.08 10:49 am |
“his pants are fuced WAY too low”
Fuced? Is that a real word? Did you make it up? Or is it a typo? I’ve been fucing my baseball pants just below the knee forever, I just didn’t know it.
#52 by LI Phil on 01.07.08 10:50 am |
yes they did chase…i should have posted the full list of responses, but im at work and time is precious…i just wanted to show the color schemes of the two teams you mentioned and rather than search for pics, i figured it was just easier to repost…sorry for the confusion
-cheers
#53 by Trevor Kruger on 01.07.08 10:50 am |
The Des Moines Dragons managed to think that combining the colors was a good idea…no wonder we never supported them.
#54 by LI Phil on 01.07.08 10:51 am |
*sorry…should be CHANCE…
/my bad
#55 by Mark on 01.07.08 10:51 am |
Pretty Sure Randy Moss wore “R. Moss” because his brother Eric was signed to a contract. I remember my grandpa thought he got me Randy’s autograph, but later found out it was Eric’s.
http://en.wikipedia....
#56 by Joe H on 01.07.08 10:52 am |
That’s funny on levels Paul will understand!
#57 by Rick From Cedar Park, TX on 01.07.08 10:54 am |
With nearly 8% of the nation’s population living in NYC and Boston, it is kinda unavoidable.
#58 by Chance on 01.07.08 10:54 am |
Cool. No worries.
#59 by girad31 on 01.07.08 11:03 am |
RE: Wazoo’s weird 1994 Alamo Bowl pants. It seems to me those pants popped up on a few teams that year. I think NC State wore them in a bowl, but I have to find photo proof.
#60 by Matt Lesser on 01.07.08 11:03 am |
They’ll do it for you at Columbus Blue Jackets games. They recommend you give them one period to finish. They also do it at RedsFest for the Cincinnati Reds. Usually around 20 minutes or so.
#61 by Perry on 01.07.08 11:05 am |
Saw a weird style of NOB in the Premier League recently — Aston Villa’s Luke Moore’s nameplate read
“Moore. L”
with the period, for some reason, following his last name rather than his initial. This is the best pic I could find:
http://uk.eurosport....
#62 by Paul Lukas on 01.07.08 11:07 am |
Yikes — should be (and now is) “cuffed.” Sometimes I’m writing these things late at night and don’t proofread as well as I should….
#63 by Michael Princip on 01.07.08 11:10 am |
I love the lime green accent color in the Seahawk’s uniform. It’s such a nice contrast from the darker blues and thus really pops. That being said, Mike Holmgren, and possibly myself, are not ready for an alternate jersey featuring this lime green. In any case, I have yet to see one that I like, or, that I thought worked. It seems, Holmgren’s attitude is if the players like it and they play well, I’m for it, yet, nothing past just an accent color. I tend to agree. The green in the Seahawks wordmark on Leonard Weaver’s visor is especially hip:
Leonard Weaver’s Visor
#64 by Michael Princip on 01.07.08 11:11 am |
#65 by prayers for blowouts » Blog Archive » Roy Williams to add 7 on 01.07.08 11:12 am |
[…] (h/t: UniWatch) SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Roy Williams to add 7″, url: “http://prayersforblowouts.com/2008/01/07/roy-williams-to-add-7/” }); […]
#66 by Michael Princip on 01.07.08 11:14 am |
http://static.nfl.co...
#67 by Tim on 01.07.08 11:19 am |
They do this at Citizens Bank Park for Phillies games. They do jersey customization in the Alley Store in Ashburn Alley.
#68 by Shaftman on 01.07.08 11:19 am |
I don’t have a problem with the neon accents on the Seahawks. I find their entire mono-chromatic home style so hideous that nothing can really make it much worse. I don’t dislike their color options, I just wish they would pair it with white or grey pants.
#69 by Marty Met on 01.07.08 11:25 am |
I am. I would love to see an alternate lime green jersey, even better if it were paired with green pants!!!
#70 by Riley on 01.07.08 11:27 am |
I’ve seen this at just about every professional sporting event I’ve gone to (Flames, Angels, Mariners, even some junior hockey games).
Beware though. While they usually are twill numbers they are only heat pressed, so the durability is pretty average (this coming from a guy that has 2 letters peeling on his Angels jersey). You’re way better off to wait a week or two and get the letters stitched.
#71 by Joe on 01.07.08 11:27 am |
Two quick Tampa comments:
First, I believe yesterdays’s Buccaneers playoff game was the first time they wore white for a home playoff game. I know they wore red in their home games in ‘97, ‘99, ‘02, and ‘05. I am almost certain they wore orange in their only other home playoff apperance in their 2 home games in ‘79 against the Eagles and Rams.
Also, as far as the ticker’s note on the Bruins customizing your jersey during the game, add the Lightning to the list of teams that customize your jersey during the game. The St Pete Times Forum has a station on the concourse next to the team store. I’m not sure if they sew on or heat apply.
#72 by Keith on 01.07.08 11:30 am |
just browsing thru some FA cup footy photos, and i noticed west ham united and aston villa both look like they took their uni inspiration from these guys…or is it vice versa?
It’s vice-versa; Villa’s been using that combination since the late 1800’s.
#73 by BrianC on 01.07.08 11:35 am |
Football uniforms with matching jersey/pants color never look good.
#74 by The Ol Goaler on 01.07.08 11:42 am |
After a quick perusal of that site, it looks as if the “College of Coaches” wore numbers in the “60″s rather than the single-digits cited in that Japanese article…
Of course, when the Cubs hired Leo Durocher, he declared he was the (expletives deleted) MANAGER, and not some (expurgated) “Head Coach”… and wore the #2 he’d worn since his days as the shortstop for the “Gas House Gang” Cardinals, and as manager for both the Dodgers and Giants.
And as a Cards fan, I chuckled at the listing for Lou Brock as #24 with the Cubbies…
#75 by Robert on 01.07.08 11:46 am |
That’s funny. I was confused by “fuced” as well, but just thought, “Geez, look at the vocabulary on this guy.”
#76 by CV on 01.07.08 11:49 am |
QFT. Their “Gloom Blue”, which I guess matches the Seattle weather, sucks so bad, the Neon gren highlights actually look OK with it. I’m not a fan of grey pants, but at least they would match the rainclouds. :) White pants would look much better.
Now a neon-green jersey? Well, it would likely instantly be the WORST NFL jersey ever.