Ah, Super Bowl Media Day — otherwise known as “the price we pay for having a free press.” I’m sure there are sillier rituals out there, but thinking of them would just be too depressing. Here’s a quick rundown of thoughts from the latest edition of this annual exercise in pointlessness:
• What exactly — exactly — is the rationale for having the players arrive in their full uniforms? And are these regular game jerseys, or do they wear smaller jerseys prepared specifically for Media Day, since they won’t be wearing pads?
• Those director-style chairs always strike me as somewhat infantilizing, like the players are little boys perched on high stools. I realize the idea is to get them up high where everyone can see them, but couldn’t they just dig a trench or a moat for the media to stand in instead?
• Mandals are almost always a bad idea, but I kinda like how they underscore the idiocy of the whole affair here.
• How come this guy didn’t wear his regular uniform?
• The Super Bowl patch looks pretty good on both teams’ jerseys this year.
• I had a hunch that they might use the Super Bowl to trot out the revised NFL logo on the field. But I was wrong.
If you want less jaundiced analysis, I heartily recommend this high-larious piece, which I bet was a big hit in Junior Seau’s hotel room.
Multi-Media Day: I’ve got a really fun article in today’s New York Times that I’m pretty proud of, plus I did the voiceover narration for an accompanying video (embedded in the same page). It’s not uni-related, but don’t let that stop you — it’s probably the coolest thing I’ve worked on since the Bill Buckner column back in the fall of ’06. Enjoy.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT (for a handful of you): Due to some scheduling complications, the starting time for this Saturday’s Uni Watch party at Sheep Station has been changed. Festivities will now commence at 4:30 p.m., not at the time I had previously announced (which I won’t even mention here, since its now moot). Update your datebooks, PDAs, scribblings on the back of your hand, or wherever you keep track of important events.
Among those in attendance, by the way, will be Jon Springer, who hopes to bring along a few advance copies of his upcoming book, Mets by the Numbers (based, of course, on his awesome web site of the same name, which has recently been revamped and relaunched after an all-too-lengthy period of inactivity). We may have a few copies to raffle off as well.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Yesterday morning, about an hour after my post about those vintage curling sweaters went up, I got a note from Nolan Thiessen, who’s actually a member of the team that wore the sweaters! “I’m a huge fan of the site and check it out regularly, so I was very happy to see that you picked up on the curling from last weekend,” he wrote. “The whole outfit ended up being a huge hit throughout the curling community. The guy on eBay had four sweaters — XL, L, M, M — which are exactly the four sizes we wear, so no tailoring was needed. We wanted to wear them sooner but couldn’t find pants to complete the look until recently. We plan on wearing them again, probably at an event in Victoria and our Players Championships in April.” At my request, Nolan also sent along a photo of his sweater’s inner label, which is a gorgeous piece of art in itself. … The Portland Beavers unveiled their new uniforms yesterday. The bad news is (a) they’re using the same sand/urine tone as their parent club, the Padres, and (b) they’re going to wear it at home. The good news is that the road grays are solid. The weird news is that they’re referring to their solid-color alternate design as “vintage,” even though there’s nothing vintage about wearing a solid jersey with white pants. As for the new logo, I like it well enough, although I’d prefer it if the top of the bat overlapped the lettering instead of the other way around (with thanks to Travis Demers for the graphics). … The U.S. soccer team will unveil new uniforms today, and the jersey will apparently look like this. Not bad, except it sucks that the sleeve stripes don’t wrap all the way around. Meanwhile, David Robins sent along an excellent video clip about the team’s training gear — recommended viewing. … If for some reason you’ve been dying to own an AHL all-star warm-up jersey, here’s your big chance (courtesy of Mark Coale).
#1 by Garrett on 01.30.08 8:03 am |
7am (Central) and uni watch is up already? Must be my lucky day. I better call that cute girl I’ve been hanging out with.
#2 by Robert on 01.30.08 8:07 am |
Seeing the players at media day without their pads really creeps me out.
#3 by KT on 01.30.08 8:11 am |
Ah, the timeless look of the US soccer team. You can look at any design and know exactly what week it was that they wore that one before they changed and wore something else.
#4 by Mike Edgerly on 01.30.08 8:12 am |
I like the new US Soccer jersey, but why can’t they find one look and stick with it? They can’t build a brand to compete with other world soccer powers if they can’t stick with a “Signature” look.
#5 by Beantown on 01.30.08 8:18 am |
I’m not so sure that Junior’s Flip Flops would qualify as “mandals.” My wife and I are avid ‘Mandal-Watchers’, and those are just flip-flops. I do agree with you that they look a bit rediculous with his uniform, but in order to be classified as “Mandals” there needs to be more straps, velcroe, etc.
#6 by Robert on 01.30.08 8:20 am |
Big thumbs up to the new Portland Beavers logo. I like that they used a cartoon beaver with a classic old-time look to it, as opposed to the silly ones that have been prevalent in many sports over the past couple of decades. Examples include Buffaslug and a BUNCH at the minor league baseball level, such as this:
http://www.saltdogs....
#7 by Mark in Shiga on 01.30.08 8:24 am |
On those PortlandBeavers uniforms, it looks like the sand-colored home jerseys have names on the backs, but the road grays and “vintage” dark blue don’t. If any of them are gonig to have names, it should be the dull gray.
I think what’s “vintage” about the dark blues is that they use white caps and white piping with a single letter logo, which is kind of old-fashioned. Trade the white pants for dark blue pants and you’d have some real circa-1910 coolness.
And Jon, if you’re out there, I’m really looking forward to the MBTN book! I sent you a picture of some Japanese baseball players with really cool numerals on their backs a few years ago. The picture is long out of copyright; did you use it in the book?
#8 by Justin on 01.30.08 8:34 am |
About the media day jerseys, the Patriots seemed to be wearing their game jerseys, they are naturally cut small and stretch over the pads. The Giants however, seemed to be wearing loose fit authentic jerseys, which are clearly not their game worn cuts.
#9 by Kyle O. on 01.30.08 8:45 am |
Since the team pictures are also taken on media day wouldnt that be a valid reason to have the players in full uniform?
#10 by Hed-Bone11 on 01.30.08 8:55 am |
The weird news is that they’re referring to their solid-color alternate design as “vintage,” even thought there’s nothing vintage about wearing a solid jersey with white pants.
Should be even “though”
#11 by Dan King on 01.30.08 8:57 am |
Is it just me or is the new US soccer teams training stuff a blatant ripoff of adidas by nike?
#12 by rc on 01.30.08 8:57 am |
Agreed. It is a sharp, simple, design, but as previous discussion had pointed out, the US National Team lacks a true identity, like the stripes of Argentina, or the orange of Holland. On the other hand, England, another team where white is thier primary color, has done some things with stripes and designs in the past. Germany has also changed thier white primary jersey depending on the manufacturer template. So maybe the only constant is the predominately White Jersey. Bottom line, the more Nike changes it, the more they sell, the more money they make. Same with all sports.
#13 by rc on 01.30.08 9:00 am |
I thought the same thing. I wonder why Nike would go ahead w/ such a similar design. Maybe they are getting lazy?
#14 by xyz on 01.30.08 9:03 am |
Yeah the ‘mandals’ are strange but I think Junior’s hat is the real concern. He looks like he just came out of a gay niteclub in Chelsea.
#15 by Southend James on 01.30.08 9:06 am |
Big thumbs up here for the new USA football kit.
Umbro have lost the plot with England of late, pretty much given up on the new designs so instead decided to buy a 1986 retro shirt recently. That’s much more like it.
#16 by Steve on 01.30.08 9:09 am |
I read the beefsteak article this morning, without even realizing (at the time) that it was your handiwork, Paul. Now it is 9:00 am and I am already so hungry I’m about to lose my mind. And now I have to move to New Jersey.
Thanks, Paul.
#17 by LI Phil on 01.30.08 9:11 am |
denzel & spike saw the knicks & lake show in LA last night…who would have thought denzel would violate uni-taste whilst spike ALMOST got it?
#18 by Tim on 01.30.08 9:11 am |
If USA Soccer wants to have a sustainable identity they should first get rid of the crest which is awful compared to other countries.
#19 by Joey Guns on 01.30.08 9:13 am |
Paul,
Great beefsteak article. I live in north Jersey and was just at a charity beefsteak a few months back, so I can definitely relate!
#20 by Joey Guns on 01.30.08 9:15 am |
Nice to see Spike with the Super Bowl XLII logo on his jersey already…..
#21 by MPowers1634 on 01.30.08 9:15 am |
I am anxiously anticipating the barrage of colorfully created captions to go along with this pic.
And on a uni-note, the Ohio State unis were gorgeous on ESPN last night, while what was up with the sidebars on the Nittany Lions gear?
#22 by todd krevanchi on 01.30.08 9:15 am |
from yesterday…
i agree. however they would have to be of less quality than the nike elite game shorts that are being sold. especially if you are targetting that intramural demo. i remember what i looked like after IM flag games in college.
#23 by MPowers1634 on 01.30.08 9:18 am |
Here’s a video link to highlights of said game featuring TOSU and WE ARE PENN STATE
#24 by Jeff F on 01.30.08 9:19 am |
I think the strangest thing about the Portland Beavers new logo is that the bat is under the wordmark on the top but on top of the wordmark on the bottom (the knob of the bat). Where’s the consistency?
#25 by Eriq Jaffe on 01.30.08 9:19 am |
I can only assume the “vintage” refers to the vertical sleeve striping (which is pretty cool, IMO), as well as breaking out the “Lucky Beavers” name. Other than that, yeah, there’s not much vintage about it.
#26 by Rick on 01.30.08 9:20 am |
OSU looked nice, but I’m actually not a big fan of that little piece of grey (which looks like duct tape) on the top of the OSU jerseys. Yes, this pic is from last year.
http://msnbcmedia3.m...
#27 by Al on 01.30.08 9:21 am |
I kind of like it as opposed to the busy 1990 badge or the stylized USA or US of the past. That especially went for the 1991-1994 “US World Cup Team” or “US Olympic Team” writing. Not a proper shield.
But when Ante Razov kissed the badge after a goal in a 2000 qualifier in Foxboro against, I think, the Bahamas, that was a defining moment for me.
The blue shirt has been on bigsoccer a while, and it’s solid blue.
That being said, doesn’t the front of our jersey violate the “solid body” rule that they’ve been bugging some of the European clubs about?
Also, is it my imagination, or do the white panels alternate between differing shades of white?
#28 by Rick on 01.30.08 9:21 am |
“Did Vrabel fart again?”
#29 by Saru on 01.30.08 9:24 am |
Yesterday’s column referred to the curling outtifs as “1950s vintage sweaters”, but the inner label has a woolmark which wasn’t created until 1964 (as far as I can tell).
#30 by LI Phil on 01.30.08 9:29 am |
“hey rocket…check the tranny fluid while you’re down there”
#31 by Skooter on 01.30.08 9:30 am |
King Kaufman from Salon has a segment on Super Bowl logos today. Nut uni-related, but within the same ballpark.
#32 by DJ on 01.30.08 9:31 am |
That being said, doesn’t the front of our jersey violate the “solid body” rule that they’ve been bugging some of the European clubs about?
Also, is it my imagination, or do the white panels alternate between differing shades of white?
The “solid body” rule applies to the back of the jersey, so that the player’s name and number appear on a solid color, per the rules of the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. It makes less sense when you have a team like Inter which has royal blue and black stripes and white numbers (a very good contrast), or Milan (red and black, white numbers), or Barcelona (claret and royal blue, yellow numbers). But if you see some of Newcastle United’s jerseys, the numbers would be lost in the black and white stripes.
And yes, it seems that the US jersey has white and a pearl-gray striping, with thin red pinstriping in between. If the corresponding socks follow this, with navy shorts, that could be a really sharp kit.
#33 by tedkerwin on 01.30.08 9:35 am |
I second the point about the Giants wearing non-game jerseys, I own a Game Issued jersey and without pads they look silly, the shoulders have extra material that bunch up and the stretch fabric shrinks down to form fitting on medium people even if it is xxxl. Based on that I think the Pats are wearing non-game jerseys as well.
#34 by Christopher on 01.30.08 9:36 am |
Urine?! I love cream-colored home unis (usually). Especially if paired with a simple, solid, dark color.
Hey- there’s a lot worse out there.
#35 by Mark D on 01.30.08 9:38 am |
The ST. Louis Blues almost had to go without there All-Star Goalie last night due to a lost in transportation moment with his pads-
http://www.stltoday....
#36 by Duckstyle on 01.30.08 9:43 am |
The new US Soccer jersey looks pretty decent. Although I really like the last white jersey, I was always bothered with the stripes always being on only one sock and on the back of one of the legs on the shorts, weird. Hopefully this design will only carry over to the socks, which should look pretty sharp. I’d love if they keep this and maybe that blue pin-striped jersey they wore last year, at least they’re different. They really do need an identity, kit-wise, that could be it. With yearly updates from Nike of course.
#37 by Paul Lukas on 01.30.08 9:51 am |
So do I — SF Giants, e.g. But this isn’t cream; it’s that yellow-ish tone that the Padres use. I stick to my urine comparison.
#38 by dm00n [Doug] on 01.30.08 9:52 am |
He has the top of the bat tipped back, like any normal batter.
#39 by Taylor on 01.30.08 9:52 am |
The soccer jersey? Looks like a Nike shirt with the US soccer logo on it. Could the swoosh be any *bigger*!?!
#40 by dm00n [Doug] on 01.30.08 9:56 am |
I like the new Beavers logo a lot. Finally we may be getting away from the angry mascot/pointy edges/thick strokes and bevels look that every team seems to use in new logos.
In the minors I really dig the Beavers and the Spokane Indians.
#41 by Duckstyle on 01.30.08 9:59 am |
In case you’re wondering, the jersey does have a pretty blank back, no stripes to accommodate nunbers.
#42 by MPowers1634 on 01.30.08 9:59 am |
It is my belief that the grey 3M piece that’s visible is part of Oden’s Nike Pro gear worn underneath.
#43 by daverak@comcast.net on 01.30.08 10:00 am |
If anyone gets the chance to visit the Bergen County area of northern NJ, try to go to a beefsteak. Awesome!!!!
#44 by MPowers1634 on 01.30.08 10:03 am |
That’s aight, we can do better…Phil, I’m waiting
#45 by Stuby on 01.30.08 10:05 am |
Why does the inside of the collar have “Don’t Tread on Me” written in cursive?
#46 by al on 01.30.08 10:10 am |
check out the photoshop on the back of the post.
#47 by al on 01.30.08 10:10 am |
check out the photoshop on the back of the post.
#48 by Jeff F on 01.30.08 10:14 am |
Even so, I still don’t think it’s correct. A tipped back bat would fall behind the entire top of the circle - not just the letters. Unless we are to assume some major depth to the entire logo. If that’s the case then the letters would be in front of the beaver and the circle which the letters rest upon would be behind the beaver (assuming the beaver has normal beaver thickness).
Picking at nits, I know, but isn’t that what we do here?
#49 by Ad Designer on 01.30.08 10:18 am |
That Super Bow patch would’ve looked pretty bad on the Green Bay Packers’ jerseys, but pretty good on the Chargers’ revamped powder blues. -Joba.
#50 by Robb on 01.30.08 10:21 am |
wow, that didnt take long
#51 by dm00n [Doug] on 01.30.08 10:22 am |
That beefsteak article was awesome Paul. Sounds like my kind of thing.
- Time Magazine, July 9, 1924
Beefsteak dinners were also given for returning Olympic athletes, according to Time, “to which all rushed hungrily.”
- Time Magazine, November 7, 1949
Apparently the National Press Club also used to give beefsteaks in Washington. I wonder if it had anything to do with New York reporters, and how long the practice lasted there.
#52 by dm00n [Doug] on 01.30.08 10:26 am |
I think it gives the logo a little depth, with the knob of the bat in front of the text and the top behind it suggests the lean of the bat. I like the logo, but I think a flat beaver/text/background would work too.
#53 by Jake Pride on 01.30.08 10:29 am |
Loved the link to the No Mas article on Super Bowl XXIX. They missed the obvious uni connection, though; 1994 was NFL’s throwback year. The 49ers loved their throwbacks so much, they continued to wear them for the rest of the season (and the Super Bowl). The Chargers, who had rolled out their fantastic sky-blue unis for the first time in decades, strangely chose *not* to wear their throwbacks — preventing what would have been the most aesthetically pleasing Super Bowl uni matchup ever.
Interesting that both teams have, now in 2008, more or less settled back to those throwback uni designs as their standards.
#54 by Steve on 01.30.08 10:29 am |
My favorite part of the Portland Beavers’ new logo is the fact that he is CHOKING UP on the bat!! It’s a great look and the uniforms are great. I don’t necessarily LOVE the idea of the
“rusted cream” look for the home uni’s, but all the same, I think they did a solid job
#55 by Drew on 01.30.08 10:31 am |
Looking at the photos on the Beaver website, the home uniforms don’t appear to resemble Padres sand. They look more like the simulated natural wool color of Giants home uniforms. I like it.
#56 by KT on 01.30.08 10:32 am |
You mean what’s that all about, or why is it on the collar?
The “Don’t Tread on Me” thing was a Nike marketing tact taken for the 2006 World Cup.
Like most things that are just meant to build short-term results (like “The Best Team You’ve Never Heard Of”), the campaign wasn’t sustained long enough to have any real impact. Kinda like changing your shirts every year and not having a timeless look or trying to build a brand.
#57 by Ed R. on 01.30.08 10:33 am |
I love when they do this. It’s like maybe the readers won’t realize that he used to pitch for another team. I don’t mind still head stops with a photoshopped cap but is it really necessary to do this with action shots?
#58 by KT on 01.30.08 10:33 am |
“Marketing tack,” that should read. Which makes only slightly more sense anyway.
#59 by Duckstyle on 01.30.08 10:36 am |
Aparently they haven’t given up on the slogan they were using during the World Cup. Although I got emotionally caught up in the moment during the world cup, and thought the slogan was cool then, it just sounds played out now. Especially since the US got torched, and is sitting at about 20th in the FIFA rankings at the moment.
#60 by seattlematt on 01.30.08 10:39 am |
Very interesting article about the beefsteak. It sort of seems like a pseudo-counterargument to Mark Bittman’s recent NY Times article, Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler. Is it just a coincidence that these ran 3 days apart?
#61 by Paul Lukas on 01.30.08 10:40 am |
You’re right — my bad. Thumbs up to this uni set!
#62 by Pretty Boy Paulie on 01.30.08 10:40 am |
The 3M strip is part of the jersey…
Home
Road
Just about every team that wears the “System of Dress” uni’s has the 3M strip on the shoulder.
Syracuse incorporates it on the numbers for the home jerseys…
..and road jerseys.
#63 by ginsk on 01.30.08 10:41 am |
I despise the new US soccer kit. I really liked the previous style, with the stripes on one side. But i would have been happy with the away kit style for both (with the red stripes going across the chest.
those look like ones you can get team bulk specials on at a discount sports store
#64 by Paul Lukas on 01.30.08 10:43 am |
I just about died when I saw that article on Sunday, because I knew my own article would run just three days later. I suspect we’ll get a few letters about the juxtaposition….
#65 by Pretty Boy Paulie on 01.30.08 10:43 am |
I strongly agree with you guys about the signature look. Otherwise I LOVE the new jerseys, I wouldn’t change a thing.
#66 by MPowers1634 on 01.30.08 10:43 am |
Good work, thanks Paulie
#67 by Brian from Short Island on 01.30.08 10:46 am |
Our signature look is a white shirt with navy blue shorts, and save for 1994, it’s always been that. What else do you want? England gets different Umbro patterns on their trademark white shirt every few years, why can’t we? The only country with a trademark other than color that comes to mind is Argentina with their vertical white and sky blue stripes. Brazil’s trademark is just a color. So is ours.
#68 by Pretty Boy Paulie on 01.30.08 10:50 am |
Put me into the “Like It” group, I think the Beavers uni’s look better than the Padre’s (quite rare that a Minor League’s uni’s look better than the Majors). I dig the cream/natural wool color.
#69 by MPowers1634 on 01.30.08 10:52 am |
Sneaker Technology Post
Feel Free to bypass if totally disinterested!
Question for Todd K. or any other Nikehead.
This morning, I wore these to the gym.
The difference in “zoom” cushioning between any shoe of the late 90’s, Flightposites, Penny 2’s for example, and those now like the Huarache Elites is palpable.
What’s up with that…Are the older ones DOuble Stacked Zoom?
#70 by Al Gruwell on 01.30.08 11:00 am |
Glad to see you came around on the Beavers’ jerseys, Paulie.
No love for the old-school wide piping and down the shoulder stripes. Lawd almighty, I like that.
This is just a hunch, but with Seau having (or did have) his own line of beach apparel (Say-Ow I believe it was called), he could be doing a plug? Or, he just like flip-flops. What looks dorkier, the tights in Arizona, or wearing flip-flops with socks?
#71 by Bill on 01.30.08 11:02 am |
Excellent beefstake article, Paul. I’m a vegetarian, but it made my mouth water!
#72 by Stuby on 01.30.08 11:03 am |
Yeah, I meant “Why the hell are they using the motto from the Navy Jack?” But I am curious why they would put it where almost no one would see it.
#73 by Joe H on 01.30.08 11:07 am |
Here ya go….discuss.
I could go either way with it.
#74 by todd krevanchi on 01.30.08 11:07 am |
my estimation is that your air zoom turf’s are retros. in which the quality and comfort wont even touch the original.
#75 by David T on 01.30.08 11:07 am |
Paul,
Great slice of life (and meat) writing. Never having been to (or heard of) a beefsteak before, I’ll keep an eye out for one next time I’m in your neck of the woods. I think your video is essential watching too–a bunch of Jersey guys enjoying mass quantities of beef. Perfect. Congrats on another writing success.
#76 by LI Phil on 01.30.08 11:07 am |
shockingly, the mets have picked the g-men to win the big one
#77 by Mark in Shiga on 01.30.08 11:12 am |
I do hope the Mets assign him a number lower than that egregious 57 he had with the Twins. I’ve always liked how the Mets assign numbers in the low 50s to coaches who don’t often step on to the field. Not so high that they look weird when you do see them, but at the same time they leave more “regular” numbers open for the players.
#78 by MPowers1634 on 01.30.08 11:15 am |
You are correct, and I am absolutely certain that they pale in comparison, but the retros are still much more cushioned,(zoom is mushy) than present zoom enhanced shoes. I still have my Air Zoom Jet Turfs from college, the ones Brett Favre used to wear, and they are incredibly cushioned and one year younger than the original Zomm Turfs.
#79 by Ash on 01.30.08 11:17 am |
DC to north Jersey is what? 4 hours? I need to go to a beefsteak.
#80 by Adam on 01.30.08 11:23 am |
Uh, I’m pretty sure that if he wanted a different number with the Twins (after his rookie year, at least), they’d probably have given it to him. I’m just as sure that the Mets won’t “assign” him anything, he’ll choose what he wants (taking into account what he can’t have, of course).
#81 by david goodfriend on 01.30.08 11:23 am |
Hi Paul
if that was your piece on “beefsteak” in todays nyt….I loved it!
#82 by KT on 01.30.08 11:25 am |
The slogan still exists. But Nike hasn’t been making a push with it in any ads or anything that I’ve seen since Germany. If “Don’t Tread on Me” on the collar is their idea of continuing with a campaign, it seems kind of underground to me.
As for our “signature look,” it’s hard to call something a “signature look” when they keep futzing with it. It’s not just the details…it’s hard to say it’s “white shirt, blue shorts” when in major competitions over the years we’ve worn other things. I think there are those of us who would prefer if US Soccer would just get an iconic look and make minor modifications over time.
This look was in when we re-appeared on the World Cup stage in 1990 (the mullet was part of the kit then).
We wore white on white and the denim look with red shorts in the 1994 World Cup.
This was one look in 2002 in Korea and this was another.
In 1998, this was the white-on-white look and this the blue-on-blue.
Brian McBride spilled his own blood on this one in 2006 (I was at that game!), and this was the blue model that bore no resemblance in style to the white.
Since then they’ve brought out the stupid “number in a circle on the front” shirts in white and in blue the very cool 1950s-inspired red sash kit, a red shirt with blue shorts number and the baseball-looking all blue with white pinstripes that make them look like Bill Buckner.
Point is this: US Soccer changes its look more than a teenage girl. If white over blue is a “signature look,” they sure sign their names very differently over the course of time. That ain’t a signature look to me.
#83 by Shaftman on 01.30.08 11:26 am |
Joe, I like yours better except…
It could almost look like it’s spelling “PORTDAND”. The “L” that is now being partially hidden looks similar to the “D” at the end of the word. Otherwise, beautiful.