[Editor’s Note: As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of the writings of Dave “Large” Larzelere, which appear daily on the No Mas blog. He e-mailed me during yesterday’s Giants/Packers tilt to say he was feeling rather uni-inspired and asked if he could pen today’s lead entry, an offer I was only too happy to accept. Here’s his essay; my own report follows after his. — PL]
By Large
Could any true football fan of a certain age who watched the Packers/Giants game last night honestly say that their enjoyment wasn’t keenly heightened by the mere sight of those two iconic uniforms doing battle against the freezing backdrop of Lambeau Field? The way the colors and logos so vividly hearkened to championship games played by these same two teams in the NFL’s glory years lent an inescapable air of nostalgia to the contest and a powerful sense of the sport’s past being present, a feeling that all too often seems lacking in this day and age of the league’s generally wretched marketing aesthetic.
The fact that the Giants wore their whites and the Packers their home green-and-yellows made for an interesting historical note, for it gave them a striking likeness to their 1961 NFL Championship showdown at Lambeau (then called City Stadium), which the Pack won in a Paul Hornung-fest, 37-0. That was an important year for Green Bay, marking the first NFL title of the Lombardi era, and it was also an important year for both the Packers’ and Giants’ uniforms, with each team wearing helmet logos for the first time — the very same logos they wore last night. Of course, the Packers only ever have sported one logo on their helmets, while that classic Giants helmet logo survived until 1975 and made its triumphant return in 2000.
For a generational uni-comparison, check out this shot of Frank Gifford and this shot of Hornung in their teams’ respective ’60s road and home looks, and then move on to Lawrence Tynes and Brett Favre yesterday. The colors are certainly brighter now, particularly with the Packers, and there are many subtle differences that I’m sure the average Uni Watch devotee is far more hip to than I am. The overall similarity is amazing, though. So when, I wonder, is the last time that an NFL playoff game was reprised almost a half century later and saw the two teams looking so similar to their bygone editions?
Well, if it had been left up to the Chargers, the answer to that question might have been “Oh, a couple hours earlier.” The championship game history between the Packers and Giants got a lot of press last week, while the same history between San Diego and the Pats was largely ignored. The great Chargers of the John Hadl-to-Lance Alworth era beat the then-Boston Patriots 51-10 in the 1963 AFL Championship Game at San Diego’s great Balboa Stadium. I managed to find only one picture of a Pats/Bolts game from that season, but it’s from an exhibition played in August. Anybody out there have pictures from the 1963 AFL title game? Of course, even if the Chargers were in white for that game — a uniform whose jersey and helmet would at least bear a passing resemblance to they sported yesterday the Pats couldn’t hold up their end of the time-travel bargain in any way whatsoever. Such a shame that the best of yesterday’s four teams was by far the weakest link in the uniform department. To that, I say: Help them, Pat Patriot, you’re their only hope.
Chip Off the Old Blockhead: Paul here. Gotta love how the paint and decals were flying yesterday at Lambeau. Brandon Jacobs’s “ny” logo got seriously torn, but we’ve seen that happen a jillion times this season. The real story was Ahmad Bradshaw, who not only lost one of his front helmet numerals but also had a helmet collision for the ages in the fourth quarter, when a big chip of paint, decal, and maybe brain matter came loose, peeled off, and went flying (here’s another view), leaving Bradshaw with a badly scarred lid (additional pics here, here, and here).
Better yet, in case you missed the play, we’ve got it on video. Check it out here.
Coupla other NFL notes:
• How much do I love stripes? So much that I kinda dig those undershirts that the teams were wearing yesterday.
• What the hell was Favre using on his nose?
• For those who are wondering: Pats are the designated home team for the Super Bowl, and will presumably wear their blue jerseys, meaning the Jints will wear white.
(Extra-special thanks to Ryan Whitacre, James Wortham, and Bobby O’Brien for their screen grabs, and to Matt Moschella for the video clip.)
Raffle Results: The winner of the $250 gift card from Distant Replays is Patrick Stickney, who should contact me to claim his prize. Thanks to all who entered, and watch for more raffles coming soon.
Friendly Reminder for NYCers: I’ll be presenting a lecture/performance on the pleasures of obscure trade magazines (like, say, this, this, this, this, and this) tomorrow nite at 8 p.m. at Union Hall in Park Slope. Four other people will be discussing similarly eccentric and entertaining topics (like this one), and the event is free. Hope to see lots of you there.
Uni Watch News Ticker: By now most of you know that many Cowboys players tie their jerseys to their shoulder pads. But that’s nothing compared to this old high school shot. Love the Band-Aid on the forehead, too (with thanks to Steven Brown). … Our recent discussion of prototypes prompted JD Denison to send along this. I have my doubts as to its authenticity, but it’s still pretty cool. … The Air Jordan XXIII will apparently feature an argyle pattern, presumably as part of a UNC tribute (with thanks to Seth Snyder). … Larry Weiderecht sent along some vintage uniform ads the other day. First there’s this one, for Rawlings youth football attire. Love how the text mentions that the jerseys “are great for just knocking around in between games” — still a novel concept at that time. Then there’s this one. Interestingly, the text notes that “16 major league teams suit up in Wilson uniforms … 9 for both home and road.” It had never occurred to me that a team might have different outfitters for their home and road unis. Why would that be the case? Anyone..? … Speaking of kids’ uniforms and related merchandising, check out all the great material Jon Helfenstein has assembled here (click on the individual images for larger versions) — addictive stuff. … Jeremy Brahm is intrigued by the logo for the 2008 FIVB World Congress: “The panels form a U, an A, and an E, for ‘United Arab Emirates,’ where the Congress will be held.” … Also from Jeremy: a gallery of Naomi Yotsumoto’s table tennis outfits (she’s featured in the shots with the green boxes). … Jeremy also notes that Ricoh is sponsoring MLB’s season-opening series between the Red Sox and A’s, which presumably means we’ll be seeing advertising on the sleeves and helmets again — ugh. … Lots of new MLS uniforms were unveiled at Friday’s draft (with thanks to Steven Lewis). … According to this item, the Raptors are working on an alternate jersey for next season. … The Bobcats wore special NASCAR-themed alternate uniforms on Saturday (additional views here and here). I’d been told about these before the season started but wasn’t allowed to talk about them and had forgotten about the whole thing until I saw the pics. I generally like checkerboard patterns, but the NASCAR connection is way too forced. And besides, shouldn’t the Pacers have first dibs on racing-related tie-ins? Not one of the NBA’s better ideas. … Reprinted from Saturday’s comments: North Dakota State had a really interesting football uni back in the late ’60s. On first glance it looks like they’re wearing short white sleeves with longer-sleeved undershirts, but it’s actually all one piece with contrast-colored upper sleeves. … Roman Karmazin, fighting on the Trinidad/Jones undercard, wore the name of slain NYPD officer Ruslan Timoshenko on his trunks Saturday night. … Karmazin’s opponent, Alex Bunema, was wearing one of those annoying loincloth/skirt getups, and so did another undercard fighter, DeMarcus Corley. … And let’s not even get into this guy (although it’s worth noting that he had a Yankees logo on his trunks). … “The U.S. men’s national soccer team beat Sweden, 2-0, on Saturday night,” writes Andrew Ghassemian. For some reason, Landon Donovan (our captain) decided to go with the orange cleats.” … Japanese golfer Ryo Ishikawa, who wore camouflage pants as an amateur last year, will not be allowed to wear them on the Japanese pro tour (with thanks to, of course, Jeremy Brahm). … Good article here about QBs and gloves (with thanks to David Sonny). … Faaaascinating article here about how Flying Elvis was designed, although the designer and the guy who wrote the article both seem to think that Elvis is cool and that Pat Patriot was lame, which should give you an idea of how clueless they both are. … Chris Yandle reports that Louisiana’s basketball team wore NOBs on Saturday night, after going NNOB this season up until then. … UConn wore silver-gray alternates yesterday. … Happy MLK Day, folks. I have a dream of a world without logo creep, of a Mets uniform set featuring only orange, blue, and white, and of the New York Football Giants winning one more championship for my old man, a lifelong Jints fan who turns 84 this week and probably never thought he’d get to see his team in another Super Bowl. Whoo-hoo, Big Blue!
#1 by Seth H on 01.21.08 8:53 am |
What the hell was Favre using on his nose
Looks like a chemical hand warmer that he stuck in his head wrap on the sidelines fairly often in the second half.
#2 by DenverGregg on 01.21.08 8:57 am |
Why different suppliers home and away? I noticed the Cubs only got the road blues from Wilson, so I’m guessing their primary supplier couldn’t get the right shade of blue for them. That type of thing seems like a ready reason. Then again, maybe hamartia on my part.
#3 by u2horn on 01.21.08 9:04 am |
Wow, my brother and I had a ton of stuff from those Sears and JC Penney Catalogs. I had the NFL bedding, he had a wastebasket, we both had the pajamas. Great stuff.
#4 by Scott on 01.21.08 9:05 am |
I am pretty sure that Jaguars helmet is legit - they were going to go with that logo until the car maker of the same name threatened to sue. Said the logo was too similar.
That’s when they went with the head logo and switched to a black helmet.
#5 by Kenny on 01.21.08 9:10 am |
Sure, Indy has the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400, but Charlotte is home to just about every NASCAR team in the sport. Plus you have quite a few tracks around that area.
#6 by mg12 on 01.21.08 9:10 am |
Landon Donovan was wearing the new Nike Mercurial Vapor boots.
http://www.soccer.co...
They only come in a couple color options. Honestly I kind-of like the color, but do you think they could make the manufacturer logo a little larger?
#7 by Roger on 01.21.08 9:20 am |
“Faaaascinating article here about how Flying Elvis was designed, although the designer and the guy who wrote the article both seem to think that Elvis is cool and that Pat Patriot was lame, which should give you an idea of how clueless they both are.”
You’re absolutely right on this, and the story was written by Bill Plaschke. ‘Nuff said.
#8 by ryan c #40 on 01.21.08 9:20 am |
“So when, I wonder, is the last time that an NFL playoff game was reprised almost a half century later and saw the two teams looking so similar to their bygone editions?”
great point!
nhl offers that quite a bit…
p.s.
anyone catch the bruins @ rangers yesterday? classic unis… even though they are the edge system… great colors up and down the ice though!
#9 by KT on 01.21.08 9:20 am |
Links in that top article are screwy.
And Lance Alworth has one l, not two, in his last name.
#10 by ryan c #40 on 01.21.08 9:24 am |
“The Bobcats wore special NASCAR-themed alternate uniforms on Saturday”
it would kind of be cool if the uniform numbers were the same font as earnhardt’s, petty’s or *sigh* gordon’s (not robby!). haha. either way, catchy jerseys!!!
#11 by Rick on 01.21.08 9:27 am |
• What the hell was Favre using on his nose?
It was a hand warmer.
#12 by Ash on 01.21.08 9:28 am |
The Wilson ad incorrectly labels the brown Padre jersey as their home uni and the white as the road outfit.
#13 by Paul Lukas on 01.21.08 9:29 am |
Mea culpa. All links now fixed. Thanks for the heads-up.
#14 by ryan c #40 on 01.21.08 9:30 am |
oh…
“I generally like checkerboard patterns, but the NASCAR connection is way too forced…”
it gets hot down there in charlotte in the summer… so what a better way for rednecks to buy nba apperal to use as tank-tops??? damn sleeves get in the way while flippin’ burgers and chugging bush pounders anyway… just a thought…
maybe not enough sponsor patches on those uni’s though…
#15 by Ryan B. on 01.21.08 9:36 am |
Lots of new MLS uniforms were unveiled at Friday’s draft (with thanks to Steven Lewis). …
Anyone else notice that the horizontal Adidas stripes that have been on D.C. United’s shirts basically since their inception were missing from that pic?
Makes me wonder if they don’t have a shirt sponsorship deal in the works, and they can’t display it because it hasn’t been finalized.
I always kinda assumed that “Adidas” was their shirt sponsor; those stripes are a darn find advertisement, and everyone knows what they mean.
#16 by derek on 01.21.08 9:38 am |
check out this weird tulsa basketball t-shirt
http://rivals.teamfa...
#17 by Kyle O. on 01.21.08 9:46 am |
Aren’t those “stripes” more like unecessary piping that detracts from the uniform?
#18 by Shane on 01.21.08 9:47 am |
Holy boring, DC United. No stripes across the shirt anymore?
#19 by chris on 01.21.08 9:50 am |
yesterday during the football games there was a commercial with a lot of old football footage. One thing of note I saw in there was a clip of a Bengals with the number 68 (i think) hand-drawn on his helmet, but his jersey was a different number. I can’t remember the product it was pitching for but if anyone saw it, can you let me know. It’d be a good little research project…
#20 by Kyle O. on 01.21.08 9:53 am |
Charlotte is homoe of the NASCAR hall of fame. That is the connection
#21 by Vincent A. Cipollone on 01.21.08 9:54 am |
I like UConn’s new jerseys. I already comes self-diagrammed for everything that’s wrong with it!
#22 by Matt D. on 01.21.08 9:54 am |
Anybody out there have pictures from the 1963 AFL title game?
Keith Lincoln wearing the most awesome Chargers Uni Ever in their greatest moment ever.
Remember, the Chargers lost the first 2 AFL title games, then had a, injury-ruined 1962. They followed up the Championship by losing the next two AFL title games to Buffalo, including this incident, which is the AFL equivalent to Gifford/Bednarik.
#23 by Matt D. on 01.21.08 9:56 am |
Let’s try that 2nd link again.
Keith Lincoln getting knocked all the way to Rochester by Mike Stratton.
#24 by Larry on 01.21.08 10:01 am |
Anybody notice the QB’s in each game yesterday had a green dot on the back of their helmet?
|sarcasm|
#25 by JoeS on 01.21.08 10:08 am |
Anyone notice that this isn’t funny anymore?
|serious|
Please excuse me if I have an attitude problem today, I’m a Packer fan. But seriously, can we give the green dot thing a rest?
#26 by J on 01.21.08 10:16 am |
It’s really so much more than that. Other than the soon to be built NASCAR Hall of Fame, there’s the fact that one of NASCAR’s nicest tracks is there, it’s All-Star Race, and almost all racing teams have their headquarters in Charlotte. It’s considered stock car racing’s home. The Pacers would get dibs on Indy Racing League tie-ins, sure, but, when it comes to NASCAR, its certainly Charlotte.
#27 by LI Phil on 01.21.08 10:17 am |
i had these sheets oh…35 years ago…
wow paul…ditto on both accounts…my dad just turned 80 and *snif* i went over to his house yesterday to watch the game…maybe i should have checked the attic to see if my parents saved those sheets
freudian slip?
#28 by kj on 01.21.08 10:17 am |
I guess I’m clueless too, because I find the “Flying Elvis” superior to Pat Patriot.
#29 by Robert on 01.21.08 10:22 am |
“And besides, shouldn’t the Pacers have first dibs on racing-related tie-ins? Not one of the NBA’s better ideas.”
I would say no. Indianapolis may have one big race (which has suffered a major decline in importance over the past two decades), but the NASCAR teams are all based in North Carolina and are a major source of jobs and tax revenue for the area. Thus, Charlotte is the logical team to cross-promote NASCAR.
#30 by Jason on 01.21.08 10:22 am |
Pretty sure it’s been rehashed here regularly, but:
Worst. Super Bowl Logo. Ever!
The only thing those colors remind me of are Loyola Marymount basketball in the early 90’s.
#31 by Jim on 01.21.08 10:23 am |
Alot of Packers had built in jersey hand warmers yesterday. It also looked like some players might have had solid body fabric instead of mesh below the yoke. I’m not sure but it looked dull and I didn’t see the normal mesh look?????? What can you find out Paul? Also, what was with black thermal head covers for the Packers- why not Dark Green?????
#32 by Nick Hanson on 01.21.08 10:24 am |
No credit for my Bradshaw screencap? ;( How do I file a lawsuit, anyone know?
Just kidding.
Nick Hanson
#33 by Fez Whatley on 01.21.08 10:27 am |
That was Anthony Munoz. I saw that #68 sharpied between the stripes too.
#34 by chris on 01.21.08 10:30 am |
fantastic, thank you. any idea as to why 68 was sharpied on there?
#35 by Smail on 01.21.08 10:35 am |
“Louisiana’s basketball team”
should read Louisiana-Lafayette’s basketball team
#36 by DonD on 01.21.08 10:35 am |
In 1971 I so wanted one of those Wilson football uniforms for my team (Vikings), but living in the Bay Area all you could get was the 49er or Raiders and maybe the Rams if you looked hard enough. Xmas morning came and I got a 49er helmet, to add insult to injury the 49ers upset the Vikings that year in the playoffs. I immediately peeled off all the decals and painted the helmet purple.
#37 by Fez Whatley on 01.21.08 10:36 am |
Not yet. But you can kinda see something written above Munoz’s ear hole on this page:
www.bengalshistory.c...
I also LOVE collingsworth’s picture. ha ha
#38 by Taha on 01.21.08 10:37 am |
It looks like Tynes has a Zipper-fly? I’ve never seen that in football.
The MLS jerseys, I can’t figure out a couple of the teams with sponsors.
Best Buy = Chicago Fire
Glidden Paint = Columbus Crew
Amigo Energy = ?
Xango = ?
Comex = ?
The teams unaccounted for are Toronto, Salt Lake City, Houston, Colorado, LA, and Chivas USA. iirc, LA signed some deal with Herbalife last year, so I don’t think they have a redesign.
#39 by Minna H. on 01.21.08 10:39 am |
So, the old pics prove that the NYG have had red prominent in their unis before and that yesterday was not an aberration. Good. I like the fact that my preference (red over blue) has historical background.
I am also clueless because I don’t like Pat Patriot. I don’t like the Flying Elvis, either, though–so I guess they cancel each other out.
As for the UConn alts, I give them a thumbs up. The silver is a nice change, and I like that it’s being used as a dominant color for once.
I have no interest in the Super Bowl now (though I would like the Giants to win just to see Peyton’s head explode when his little brother wins a Super Bowl earlier in his career than Peyton did in his), but based on unis alone and the fact that I normally root for the underdog, I am slightly leaning towards the Giants.
#40 by Taha on 01.21.08 10:40 am |
Re-try
It looks like Tynes has a Zipper-fly? I’ve never seen that in football.
The MLS jerseys, I can’t figure out a couple of the teams with sponsors.
Best Buy = Chicago Fire
Glidden Paint = Columbus Crew
Amigo Energy = ?
Xango = ?
Comex = ?
The teams unaccounted for are Toronto, Salt Lake City, Houston, Colorado, LA, and Chivas USA. iirc, LA signed some deal with Herbalife last year, so I don’t think they have a redesign.
#41 by Identity Design on 01.21.08 10:40 am |
The MLS jerseys seem to be a marginal improvement, but I don’t get why that “REVOLUTION” font keeps getting used. If timelessness is a hallmark of great design, that font guarantees an expiration date for any style.
-Joba
#42 by keeperharrison on 01.21.08 10:42 am |
Not sure if anyone’s mentioned it here the past day or so…but Sunday’s Outside the Lines featured how teams deal with cold weather. It even had an interview with, I believe, the Bills’ equipment manager on the snowy sidelines of an empty stadium in Buffalo. Does anyone have a link or anything to this that I missed?
#43 by Mike Miller on 01.21.08 10:48 am |
The Bengals of the late 80s often paid tribute to injured teammates by writing their uniform numbers on their helmets. I believe #68 was for Joe Walter, an OL that was injured earlier in the season. That was before the NFL put the kibosh on such things.
#44 by 13monkeys on 01.21.08 10:50 am |
I don’t care what Joe Skiba says this still looks like an armband tribute to me and once again Aaron Ross was wearing one as well as Corey Webster
#45 by LI Phil on 01.21.08 10:54 am |
forever cementing the viking super bowl jinx
oh c’mon minna, join the dark side for real ;)
#46 by MPowers1634 on 01.21.08 10:56 am |
Yesterday in either the New York Daily News or The Post had an interview with RW McQuarters. I didn’t get a chance to read it, maybe some other UWer did. One interesting tidbit I heard concerning him on ESPN radio last night is that his three children all share differing variations of his RW initials.
As for his two bonehead plays in the game…I wanted to put Spongebob band-aids OVER both of my eyes when he fumbled!
By the way, THAT was a football game, dirt hot breath, decals and paint akimbo.
There was one pass play where Farvaruh threw to Driver and he zinged it so hard in combination to the bitter cold, he had to seek attention from the trainers on the sidelines!
#47 by Mike Miller on 01.21.08 10:59 am |
Indianapolis has more importance in the larger scale of motor sport. It is the home of the oldest and most attended race (the 500), NASCARs 2nd most important race (Brickyard 400), drag racing’s largest event, the U.S. Nationals, one of two U.S. rounds of MotoGP, the top class of motorcycle racing, and until recently, home of the U.S. Grand Prix in Formula 1. If Indianapolis Motor Speedway weren’t located in the middle of a neighborhood, they would probably have some LeMans type race as well. But if it was strictly a NASCAR promotion, then yeah, Charlotte gets the nod.
#48 by Tim on 01.21.08 11:00 am |
Good stuff. I was gonna ask if anyone noticed Jacobs’ N was missing….but figured the humor would have been lost.
And about that commercial, if it was the “salute to the linemen” commercial, it was for State Farm. Lots of neat old uni stuff in that.
#49 by Ryan B. on 01.21.08 11:01 am |
Comex is the shirt sponsor for Chivas USA.
ZANGO is Real Salt Lake.
Amigo Energy is Houston Dynamo.
Toronto has a shirt sponsor deal with BMO, and as a second-year team, I doubt there are any changes for them. Colorado, shirt-sponsorless (as far as I know), also redesigned last year and seems unlikely for a new design.
#50 by Eriq Jaffe on 01.21.08 11:04 am |
Man, those old catalogs brought back some memories.
I still have a Steelers knit hat (as featured on this page, although the top tassel has long since disappeared.
Incidentally, I used to use a Sears catalog as a “template” for when I’d do my old tracing paper football uniform designs…
#51 by Kris McInnis on 01.21.08 11:04 am |
To be honest, from what I could tell, Farve was just using a Kleenex or a hanky to wipe his nose because of the cold. There were a couple of shots throughout the game of his face with snot all over his upper lip, gross as as that sounds…or looks.
#52 by 13monkeys on 01.21.08 11:05 am |
Here’s Ross
#53 by interlockingtc on 01.21.08 11:09 am |
What a treat to look through those Christmas catalogues 35 years later. Thanks you. Those annuals were the motherlode for a logo inclined boy. I owned evrything from NFL belt buckles to replica helmets to bed spreads to waste baskets, et al. My parents lovingly indulged me in my obsession.
#54 by Stephen on 01.21.08 11:12 am |
It was a commercial for an insurance company. It focused on linemen (protection). Think it was State Farm, but I can’t be sure, and I can’t find the video.
~E~
#55 by Philly Bill on 01.21.08 11:13 am |
Plaschke is the king of Doesn’t Get It. He should be the next staffer pushed overboard in Tribune Co’s ongoing purge of the L.A. Times.
#56 by Matt D. on 01.21.08 11:13 am |
From here on, he is R.W. McButterfingers.
#57 by LI Phil on 01.21.08 11:24 am |
i don’t think it’s a handwarmer either…on the OT interception, in one of the myriad replays, you can see whatever it is fall to the ground…
when i saw him using that (ostensibly, i believe, to keep his lungs from freezing between plays), i thought, ‘god…he’s human and he’s old’
it was a great game, don’t get me wrong, but was there really any question as to who was the better team yesterday? the zebras did all they could to keep the pack in the game in the second half
#58 by LM on 01.21.08 11:26 am |
For those of us that love all aspects of our football tradition rich, yesterdays New York vs Green Bay game was the greatest.
And, for those of us that love the tradition and history of our football played on real grass, yesterdays game was a big sigh of relief.
I was somewhat expecting the field to be a frozen rock with players struggling just to stand up and announcers clamouring for Lambeau field to finally come into this century and switch to Field Turf.
However, Lambeau Fields newly installed DD Grassmaster system, and redone underground heating system (that this time promised to keep the would be frozen tundra to a balmy 55 degrees), worked like a charm.
The field only had some superficial icing, but never once was the playing surface an issue, and it remained soft enough for players cleats to work properly.
For all the bad press, that was recieved at Heinz field this year, and Foxboro last year, what a relief.
#59 by scott on 01.21.08 11:27 am |
Aren’t those “stripes” more like unecessary piping that detracts from the uniform?
If you like the stripes on the sleeves of the players yesterday in Green Bay, then you’ve also got to like the stripes that run down the side of the Patriots’ jerseys. I personally don’t have a problem with them, but I could see some people arguing that they are unnecessary piping.
We all love old Pat Patriot, but I remember being so happy when the Patriots put him in mothballs. He represented a lot of bad things (i.e., 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, the Sullivan family, Victor Kiam and Shaffer Stadium) and fewer good things (Steve Grogan).
#60 by LI Phil on 01.21.08 11:30 am |
um…no…not at all
personally i don’t think the pats newest uni’s are all that bad, but the side piping is totally unnecessary and the shoulder and sleeve stripes still rock (although, the truncated shit today compared to years back sucks)
#61 by Stuby on 01.21.08 11:34 am |
Agreed. Looks very cheap and amateurish, not to mention it resembles a car-door. Not sure why they curved Arizona like that. The fonts don’t go together and the colors are horrible.
This will be the longest 2 weeks ever looking at that damn thing. I guess the upside is that it really would have clashed with the Packers unis.
#62 by TBDRO on 01.21.08 11:34 am |
Was the Riddell “R” on the back of the helmet in use back in 1993? For some reason that seems like a more recently introduced logo.
#63 by derek on 01.21.08 11:35 am |
here you go buddy
http://sports.espn.g...
#64 by LI Phil on 01.21.08 11:38 am |
although this is infinitely better than this
#65 by Matt Lesser on 01.21.08 11:42 am |
Favre was using pure rock cocaine.
Just kidding.
WHO DEY
#66 by Karl Anderson on 01.21.08 11:42 am |
I know its not really uni-related, but did anyone else notice the frostbite on Tom Coughlin’s face last night? Holy man, you could see it slowly get worse as the game went on and then during the press conference there were some spots that were pretty bad. There hasn’t been any good photos that I have seen, but if anyone has a screen shot from ESPN or something, you can really see how bad it was.
Karl
#67 by Larry on 01.21.08 11:42 am |
Pipe down, Junior. It was a joke. I’m sure someone was going to ask it as a serious question today, since every Monday it’s been asked since week 1, so I wanted to beat that person to the punch, so hopefully they don’t ask it today.
#68 by The Ol Goaler on 01.21.08 11:47 am |
That’s not an armband… Ross dislocated his shoulder (twice!) the previous week against Dallas. What you see is part of the “harness” he was wearing to keep that shoulder from dislocating again…
The pictures of the Wish Books brought back great memories. I’d spend hours just looking at all the “cool stuff” in the book, whether I actually wanted it or not! Back in the days before replica jerseys, we’d get “team” sweatshirts and Magic Marker numbers on the back…
#69 by Matt on 01.21.08 11:51 am |
Paul, I’m surprised that you didn’t mention the packers’ built in hand warmers, here’s a pretty good picture
http://www.nytimes.c...
#70 by sj32 on 01.21.08 11:52 am |
I’m not sure why baseball teams used different manufacturers for home and road jerseys during the late-flannel era, but it led to another oddity - different number fonts on home and road jerseys. If you look at film of the 1969 World Series, you will notice that Mets wore block fonts at home:
http://www.onlinespo...
and varsity fonts on the road:
http://www.mitchella...
The Orioles were just the opposite, wearing the block number font on the road and the varsity font at home. The reason - different manufacturers made the home and road jerseys for each team. The Minnesota Twins and the Seattle Pilots were two other teams that wore different number fonts home and road because the home jerseys were made by different manufacturers than the road jerseys. Up until the 1990s, the manufacturer of a jersey usually determined what number font was used. Wilson used a varsity font that is still used today on Yankees and Braves jerseys. The Yankees and the Braves were the last teams to stop wearing Wilson jerseys after MLB started making exclusive deals - first with Rawlings, then Russell Athletic and now Majestic - to supply uniforms. Rawlings jerseys usually had block fonts.
#71 by Ronnie Poore on 01.21.08 11:55 am |
Thanks, fellas, for the Ahmed Bradshaw screen grabs. Very Zapruder-like!
i immediately thought: “Back….and to the Left!”
#72 by Mark M on 01.21.08 11:58 am |
While DCU was always an Adidas-dressed team (they did not always outfit the entire league) they never paid extra. DCU has had two paying shirt sponsors, MasterCard in the early years and Sierra Mist for the second Adu year. In both cases the sponsor was relegated to the shirttail and shorts.
I heard last fall that DCU was getting a front-of-shirt sponsor. The hot rumor is Verizon, but it is just a rumor for now. This will be announced (whoever it is) very soon or DCU will look pretty spartan this year. After all training camp is two weeks away.
As a DCU die-hard I am torn. Sure the 3 stripes look is just free advertising for Adidas but at least our kits have been classic looking and consistent for 12 years. But the idea that more money will be available to buy better players is also really appealing.
#73 by Ben on 01.21.08 12:01 pm |
one word stupidity
#74 by LI Phil on 01.21.08 12:04 pm |
video of the OT interception…at about 1:00, you can see whatever favre was wearing (handwarmer, kleenex?) fall out
#75 by joe on 01.21.08 12:07 pm |
shut up, its stupid.
#76 by joe on 01.21.08 12:09 pm |
did anyone notice early in the game, 1st quarter I think, there was a hit and 3 white piece went flying in different directions? I’m guessing it was a shattered chinstrap, I love high def.
#77 by Johnny O on 01.21.08 12:09 pm |
Just got back from Green Bay, and I am just about thawed out completely. As a lifelong Packers fan, I am obviously kind of pissed off today and not in a very good mood.
Yesterday’s game had just about everything. Great uni’s, great players, great ambiance. You couldn’t have scripted it better. Missed FG, Favre with the ball in OT… and then complete disappointment. I have never seen Lambeau Field clear out quicker than it did last night.
The scene was pretty amazing. My fiance and I were not terribly cold as we were bundled up like an Eskimo, or Inuit. The scene in the bathroom was something else. Dozens of kids bawling their eyes out with their fathers rubbing hand warmers all over them trying to get them warm. So many people were not dressed properly, and they paid for it.
All in all, I am glad I went, but of course very mad at the result. This is going to be the worst two weeks of my life. Two weeks of ESPN talking heads and local news broadcasters saying how they can’t believe the Packers lost, and yadda, yadda, yadda.
Oh well, I am out. Don’t count on me being happy for a few weeks on here.
#78 by Patrick on 01.21.08 12:15 pm |
I’d have to go back and check the archives, but I’m sure that at some point there were MLB-approved suppliers prior to there being MLB-exclusive suppliers.
On the same note, I’d be interested in knowing the history of the MLB design department and how they played into the various manufacturers. I bet that at some point someone said “it sure would be easier to only have to order these jerseys from one company and look through one catalog.”
#79 by KT on 01.21.08 12:17 pm |
Indianapolis has two big races. And used to have three.
#80 by LI Phil on 01.21.08 12:19 pm |
i was thinkin about ya the whole game johnny…tought loss and great game…had you won, i would have been a packer fan two weeks hence…every time they showed a crowd shot, i was thinking “where’s johnny, and will he be holding a ‘uniwatch’ banner?”
ah well…thaw out my friend and join the g-men fans in our quest to return the lombardi to the nfc
/any pics from the game?
#81 by Duckstyle on 01.21.08 12:21 pm |
Actually I’m almost positive they were handwarmers. I aksed a guy here in the office who’s also a Packer fan, he siad he used the exact same warmers in teh same way when he deer hunts. He said bretahing hot air thru them really helps keep you warm. And on the game, are you kidding me!?? Keeping the Packers in the game? There were 5 or 6 terrible calls in the Giants favor. That BS rough call that lead to a TD, when like 2 series later Favre gets drilled like 2 seconds after a throw, and guess what, no call. Give me a break. Were the Giants better yesterday, no question, the Pack played terrible. But don’t start the ref nonsense, as far as I could tell, not to mention a couple Bears fans I watched the game with, the calls were definitly on the Giants side.
#82 by bj in gainesville on 01.21.08 12:22 pm |
The orange also happens to be one of the colors for Donovan’s club team, the LA Galaxy. It’s pretty common for players to not change cleats when they play for their national team.
#83 by KT on 01.21.08 12:22 pm |
As they were on all MLS teams.
Because they weren’t team “shirt sponsors” in the way we normally think of them for soccer teams. They were league sponsors who were doled out among the league’s teams to give them some additional exposure. I’m guessing the back-of-the-jersey things have gone away now that there are sponsors on the front.
#84 by KT on 01.21.08 12:25 pm |
God, grow up.
#85 by KT on 01.21.08 12:26 pm |
I do not believe orange is in the Galaxy’s color palette.
#86 by Paul Lukas on 01.21.08 12:26 pm |
The point I was making is that the Pacers actually named after a racing-related term. Pace car, y’know? So they would seem to be the natural team for a racing-related uni pattern.
#87 by u2horn on 01.21.08 12:26 pm |
oh my gosh, I had that Cowboys jacket and stocking cap too!
here’s a pic of us at a playoff game in 1979
and my brother’s room. —NFL comforter, Dolphins trash can with hot Charlie’s Angels stickers on it.
#88 by Duckstyle on 01.21.08 12:29 pm |
Care to elaborate, smartass? Phil commoented that it went one way, I rebuffed. So what exactly is your beef?
#89 by LI Phil on 01.21.08 12:30 pm |
ducks…
i’ll grant there was ONE call (late hit) that went in the giants favor…but please explain to me the third down penalty for “personal foul” which let the pack get a first down (4th quarter) where it happened so far from the action that NO CAMERA EVEN CAPTURED IT…talk about a phantom foul…that shit happens all the time (like hockey players who rough it up down rink while the action has moved to the other end)…
i guess depending upon your rooting interests you’d think the refs were jobbing you (i thought it was the pack getting the calls, you thought the calls went the g-men’s way)
but i have NEVER seen a phantom call (i think it was on spongebob) like the one made yesterday
#90 by KT on 01.21.08 12:30 pm |
Landon Donovan also usually wears blue boots when playing for the Galaxy.
#91 by S Dot on 01.21.08 12:33 pm |
I have one of those Jacksonville helmets. They aren’t really an authentic helmet, but they were padded with something different than other replica helmets (no pictures, its in my parents garage). They had it at a Champs Sports the year before the team began play. If that guy is getting that much for it, I might be digging through their garage to try and find it.
#92 by Richard Bruns on 01.21.08 12:34 pm |
I think orange was Nike’s color of choice for player’s wearing them this weekend. Christiano Ronaldo for Manchester United was wearing them in orange. He’s in the background here. Nicklas Bendtner for Arsenal didn’t get off the subs bench but he was wearing them in orange also.
#93 by Paul Lukas on 01.21.08 12:36 pm |
No more quibbling about the refs. Not uni-related, not relevant, not conducive to civil discourse. Stop it. Now.
#94 by Ryan B. on 01.21.08 12:40 pm |
Thanks, Mark. I hadn’t heard anything about United’s potential shirt sponsor, but it does make sense, having seen that the front Adidas stripes aren’t there.
Of course, I totally missed Chicago getting a front sponsor until late last week. So I’m not completely and totally on the ball.
#95 by LI Phil on 01.21.08 12:40 pm |
according to wiki:
According to Indianapolis attorney, Richard D. Tinkham, the nickname “Pacers” was decided on through a collective decision of the original investors. Tinkham, one of those investors, recalled that the nickname was a combination of the state’s rich history with the harness racing pacers and the pace car used for the running of the Indianapolis 500. Investor Chuck Barnes was a horse racing enthusiast in addition to being business manager of Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Roger Ward. Barnes’ wife, Lois, suggested the name over dinner.
Tinkham said the “Pacers” decision was an easy one, but the real debate was whether the team should be called the Indiana Pacers or the Indianapolis Pacers. Since one of the original ideas for the team was to have it playing throughout the state with its base in Indianapolis, the official team name became the Indiana Pacers.
source