Rob Ullman likes to draw girls. Slinky girls, hipster girls, rocker girls, hairy girls. Tough girls, nasty girls, superheroine girls, naked girls.
All of which is great, but it wouldn’t much matter from a Uni Watch perspective if not for a unique sub-niche that Ullman’s developed along the way: He specializes in drawing pin-up girls wearing hockey jerseys.
Ullman’s hockey girls are sexy, for sure. But like most classic pin-up art, they’re fun, playful girl-next-door cuties, not sex-bomb porno vixen types. The key element: They’re always smiling, which usually makes them look endearingly wholesome. And yes, their charms are definitely enhanced by the jerseys they’re wearing.
Ullman, who works as an illustrator and cartoonist, has been a Uni Watch reader for some time, but I only became aware of his sports-themed cheesecake material a few weeks ago. If you’re a comics or illustration fan, you’ll spot lots of classic and contemporary influences in his work; if you don’t know anything about that world, that’s a pity, but Rob’s jersey-clad gals are an ideal introduction. Cheesecake and uniforms: two great tastes that taste great together.
Rob recently stepped away from his drafting board long enough to chat about his work. Here’s the scoop:
Uni Watch: How old are you, and where do you live?
Rob Ullman: I’m 36, and I live in Richmond, Virginia, with my wife and our baby daughter.
UW: Where’d you grow up?
RU: In northeast Ohio, around the Akron area, about halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
UW: And how long have you been an illustrator?
RU: I’ve been drawing forever. I’ve been doing professional illustration for about 10 years now, and I’ve been working at it full-time for about four years.
UW: So you make a living at it?
RU: Pretty much, yeah.
UW: What kind of sports fan are you?
RU: I’m a big NFL fan, big hockey fan. I always get excited about Opening Day for baseball, and I’ll watch a little bit of the NBA playoffs. My favorite part of the year is probably the NHL playoffs.
UW: Have you always been into uniforms?
RU: Pretty much, yeah. I still have an old Lynn Swann jersey I had when I was a little kid. And I was always fascinated by football helmets, and I’d draw them, draw the logos.
UW: That was my next question: Were you doodling logos in the margins of your notebooks and stuff like that?
RU: Yeah, always, always. The Steelers’ hypocycloids were especially hard to master, but I eventually did. The Pirates’ “P” was a lot easier.
UW: Did you save that stuff?
RU: Some of it, yeah. In 1989, when I was in high school, the Steelers finally got back to the playoffs for the first time in years, and I was so jazzed that I made a little Steelers-vs.-Oilers sign that I hung in my room [Rob couldn’t find that one, but he did turn up a similar piece from his youth — PL]. I drew the helmets all meticulously, drew the logos exactly how they were supposed to look — so, uh, yeah, I guess I was a little obsessive.
UW: In addition to liking uniforms, you also clearly have a fondness for classic girlie pin-up art. How’d you get into that specialty niche?
RU: It was an aptitude that just sort of developed. There’s this sex advice column by Dan Savage, called “Savage Love,” which runs in a lot of alt-weeklies, and I started illustrating that for City Paper in Washington, D.C. in 2000 or so…
UW: Here in New York, “Savage Love” runs in the Village Voice, but they don’t run any illustrations with it.
RU: It’s so much better with illustrations — not necessarily mine, but anyone’s, just to provide some visual interest. Anyway, if you’re familiar with the column, it tends to be pretty raw, and it basically gave me the opportunity to draw lots of women in various ridiculous situations.
UW: Okay, but there are lots of different ways to draw women. How’d you come up with that classic pin-up style? Were you consciously patterning your work on that look?
RU: Kind of. I’ve always described my style as Archie Comics gone bad. Dan DeCarlo, who was an Archie Comics artist for years and years [and who also did lots of pin-up work of his own — PL], my style sort of went that way. It wasn’t really a conscious choice. It’s just sort of the way it developed.
UW: Are there any other artists who’ve been particularly big influences on you, like Vargas or anyone like that?
RU: Gil Elvgren is my favorite of those guys. Fritz Willis is another one whose style I always liked. There are also a couple of comic artists, like Bruce Timm — he developed the look of the Batman cartoon from around 1992. Real simple, kinda Art Deco cartoon-y sort of style. Another guy who worked on that show, named Shane Glines — I like him too. Oh, and I should probably mention Coop.
UW: Yeah, I was gonna ask if he was on your list.
RU: Definitely.
UW: So how did you hit upon the notion of combining your artwork with your passion for sports and uniforms?
RU: I’m not sure exactly, but at some point I just thought that a girl wearing a hockey sweater, and very little else, seemed very appealing to me.
UW: As it might be to many of us.
RU: Right. It seems kind of, uh, obvious, I guess. So I drew that. And as an artist, your first attempt at something is usually pretty rough, and you say, “Okay, I’ll try it again and do better this time, and do better the time after that,” and I just kept on going back to it.
UW: Do you recall when that first one was?
RU: Yeah, back around 1993 or so. I just saw that Devils jersey and thought of the whole concept of the devil, and being sinful, being lustful, that sort of thing — it just seemed like a no-brainer. I’ve gone back to that Devils idea several times. And it’s a good way to keep people interested if I want to talk about hockey on my blog, since most of the people who come to my site probably haven’t watched a hockey game in their entire lives. But they’ll stay for the cheesecake pictures and maybe end up reading my little Western Conference preview or whatever.
UW: You’ve just touched upon something I’ve written about before, namely that most artists and creative people and alterna-people, or whatever you want to call them, aren’t into sports at all.
RU: Exactly.
UW: So do you, as an artist and a sports fan, sometimes feel a bit isolated in that regard?
RU: Sometimes. In high school, I ran with the arty crowd, and those people all hated jocks, hated sports. … Recently I was posting a bunch of knocks on the Patriots on my blog, and a lot of people were saying, “Okay, enough of that. Enough pigskin — more skin.” That sort of thing.
UW: So it’s been about 15 years now — do you have any idea how many of these uniform-related cheesecake pieces you’ve done?
RU: I’ve probably done a girl in a hockey sweater at least 30 times.
UW: Do you know how many teams you’ve depicted?
RU: Maybe half the league. It pretty much comes down to the fact that there are certain logos I like better, that are more fun to draw.
UW: Which logos are your favorites?
RU: I think the Devils have a great logo. Same goes for the Bruins and the Penguins — love that skatin’ penguin.
UW: Are there any that you particularly dislike?
RU: Being from Ohio, I really want to like the Columbus Blue Jackets, but they just cannot seem to get it together with their logo. The one they have now is an improvement over their first one, but there’s still nothing I really like about it. Florida is another one that seems very forgettable, nothing special. That seems to be the case with most new logos over the past 10 years or so. They just don’t have that iconic quality.
UW: What about other sports? You sent me two versions of a girl wearing an Indians jersey, but have you done many other non-hockey pieces?
RU: Not many. I’ve done a couple of football ones, including one that was a commission for a fan — he’s a graduate of Vanderbilt and wanted a girl dressed in a Vanderbilt jersey. And I’ve done a few baseball pieces — that Indians one is the most successful example. But hockey seems to be the one that gets the most play.
UW: Whatever the sport, do you try to get the uniform details exactly right, or do you tend to take some liberties?
RU: I try to get them as right as I can. I probably wouldn’t sacrifice an artistic choice just for the sake of some little detail, but I try to be as accurate as possible in terms of piping, logos, and all that.
UW: Like that NHL Winter Classic patch that you included on that Penguins jersey.
RU: Yeah, exactly.
UW: But on that Indians illustration, it appears that you depicted the jersey as zipper-front, and I don’t think the Indians ever had a zip-front jersey with that logo on it.
RU: Actually, that was more a matter of just leaving the buttons out. It’s supposed to be a button-front. I did consider all of that, and I basically decided that including the buttons would get in the way of the pleasing lines of the jersey. So that was a case of artistic license. The buttons are more implied.
UW: When you’re doing these, do you use actual jerseys on a live model?
RU: No. I pretty much draw ’em out of my head. Sometimes I’ll use some visual reference for the figure, but about 80% of the time I just come up with a pose and then try to drape the jersey onto it. It’s tough, because a real hockey jersey probably wouldn’t sit on a woman’s body the way I draw it.
UW: So you’re not using a live model, and you’re also not using a real jersey on a mannequin or something like that?
RU: Right. Just out of my head, and matching the jersey to what’s shown on NFLshop.com or some place like that.
UW: Have you ever tried to depict an older vintage design with more textured fabric, back from the days when hockey sweaters really were sweaters?
RU: I did a comic a few years ago called Old-Timey Hockey Tales, and in that I tried to go for a tighter-fitting, woolen jersey.
UW: But have you ever tried to get that effect with the pin-up art?
RU: Not so much, no.
UW: Have you done any other sports-oriented comics?
RU: A couple summers ago I did a piece called “Brave Old World” for Richmond magazine. Basically, I can’t stand the shape that baseball’s in here in Richmond, and I wanted to vent about it. Our stadium is ugly and our team looks exactly like the Atlanta Braves, which strikes me as preposterous for a city with Richmond’s identity. A few weeks ago, the R-Braves announced that they’re moving after this season, but I don’t think my comic had anything to do with it.
UW: I know you are the perfect person for me to pose this question to: Would you care to hold forth on the greatness of striped socks?
RU: Things are so much more visually interesting when they have stripes on them. You can’t go wrong with them. It says sports.
UW: Plus a sexy girl looks even sexier with striped socks.
RU: That’s something I just recently added to the girl in a hockey shirt paradigm — to put the socks on her. And let me tell you, man, it makes all the difference. It’s too much. I actually bought some striped socks for my wife — she was going to her office Halloween party as Poison Ivy, the Batman villain. So I got her these long striped socks from American Apparel, thigh-high. And they’re, like, kelly green with white stripes — they just look awesome. It’s just the coolest thing. It’s kinda weird, taking something that looks good on a really tough-ass hockey player and putting in a more feminine context. I don’t know why it works both ways, but it really does.
=======
Of course, Poison Ivy doesn’t actually wear striped socks, but chalk that up to artistic license.
Postscript: Shortly after our interview, Rob surprised me by whipping up a special baseball-themed illo that he knew I’d like. Interested in commissioning him to give the pin-up treatment to your favorite team? Contact him here.
It sucks that I even have to say this… but don’t interpret today’s mildly racy content as an excuse (much less an invitation) for an outbreak of the stupids in the comments section. If the discussion takes a turn for the juvenile, I’ll simply turn off the commenting function. Maybe for a few days. But I’m sure that won’t be necessary because you’ll all keep things on an intelligent level, right? Right.
Uni Watch Travel Update: Looks like the the Uni Watch party in Seattle will take place on the night of March 14th. Time and place details to follow shortly.
Meanwhile, here’s a little nugget for you to chew on: Imagine if a minor league team held a Uni Watch Night promotion, with the home team wearing stirrups and yours truly throwing out the first pitch. Sound preposterous? Actually, yeah, it does, but it’s in the works anyway. Still very provisional at this point, but the wheels are turning. Stay tuned.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Joe Skiba’s upcoming live chat on Giants.com is next Friday, March 7th (not this Friday, as I initially reported yesterday before correcting the text). You still have to register here. … Yesterday I wondered aloud whether Yankee Stadium vendors actually wore this thing in the 1970s. Now Todd Radom has provided this photo of Jackie O at the ballpark in 1967– note the vendor behind the usher behind Jackie. … New baseball uniforms this season for the Florida Gators, plus an ice cream man alternate cap (with thanks to Josh Coney). … “During the the Mets’ spring game versus the U of Michigan on Tuesday, I noticed that the Michigan catcher had the school’s standard ‘wings’ logo on his catcher’s helmet,” writes Cork Gaines. “What’s great about is that the wings are facing forward even though he’s wearing the helmet backwards.” … ” I’ve noticed that teams across D1 NCAA lacrosse are wearing bright green shoelaces,” writes Andrew Matthews. “Is this part of the whole ‘going green’ phenomenon? What’s the deal?” Anyone..? … Jere Smith has stumbled upon an oddity: According to this page, the Cincy Reds’ uni numbers in 1938 were all 35 or higher. “Everything was normal the years before and after,” he writes. “I came across this because I’ve been trying to figure out why no Reds players wore Nos. 1 through 4, from basically the ’40s to the ’90s. And they’re not retired. I figure they may have been reserved for coaches.” Anyone know more about either of these mysteries? … Interesting note from Ariel Shosan, who writes: “I just returned from a Cubs practice at Hohokam in Mesa. The main gate now features 6 ‘batting circles’ — one is a Cubs logo, and the others are Santo 10, Banks 14, Sandberg 23, Williams 26, and … Jenkins 31. The thing is, the Cubs haven’t retired Fergie Jenkins’ number. Fans have long thought that they would retire 31 for Fergie and Maddux when the time came, à la Berra and Dickey.” Hmmmm. … It’s no surprise that many teams still have old, gray-underbrimmed 5950s in stock. But check out Rajai Davis yesterday — he was wearing an old 5950 and a Russell jersey, which is several years out of date (great catch by Bryan). … Looks like the stirrups policy adopted by the Giants’ starting pitchers is trickling down to the club’s younger hurlers. Check out double-A prospect Eugene Espineli (with thanks to Jameson Costello). … Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope, inventor of the Terrible Towel, died yesterday. A memorial helmet decal seems likely, although I’m hoping for a towel-shaped jersey patch with “Myron” in stencil lettering (or, really, anything involving the word, “Myron,” which would be the single greatest word to adorn an NFL uni in league history). … The White Sox wore NIU caps yesterday.
#1 by JBees on 02.28.08 7:53 am |
Ullman’s hockey girls are sexy
“sexy” link is broken.
#2 by Mark MihaIik on 02.28.08 7:56 am |
The green lacrosse laces are part of the Headstrong Foundation’s “Laces for Lymphoma” campaign:
http://headstrongfou...
#3 by Tony in Erie on 02.28.08 8:22 am |
The women drawings are extremely interesting. But what I really enjoyed was the editorial about the Richmond Braves. Is that a weekly editorial comic strip that he does? Very, VERY cool.
#4 by Brendon on 02.28.08 8:27 am |
I agree striped socks make the pic so much better. Excellent article today!!!!
#5 by lwiedy on 02.28.08 8:29 am |
In reference to the Reds numerical item, #1 was worn by manager Fred Hutchison and retired shortly after he stepped down (1964?). Numbers 2-4 were worn by many coaches throughout the 1940’s to 1980’s.
#6 by Brendon on 02.28.08 8:30 am |
Looks the vendor behind herhas matching pants
#7 by Rick White in Cedar Park, TX on 02.28.08 8:41 am |
Great column today. Great artwork. Thank Rob and thanks Paul.
#8 by troy on 02.28.08 8:52 am |
I’ve live in a minor league city all my life. No promotion is too preposterous. Good luck with Stirrup Night.
#9 by LI Phil on 02.28.08 8:54 am |
pete carroll has his own clothing line
not sure if this was ever posted before…apologies in advance if it was
#10 by teamcinnamon on 02.28.08 8:54 am |
I agree. Great stuff!
#11 by Jason Gomez on 02.28.08 9:03 am |
WOW…I am impressed, no Nike put downs today! Although the Oregon uniforms are hard to read on TV, I commend Nike with trying to change and bring innovation to sports. While I agree that Oregon is a guinea pig school, could you just imagine being a student athlete there…what a cool place to go to school…wish I went there. If you think about it, Under Armour’s uniforms are getting VERY gaudy, if they havent already, they are eye sores.
Thanks as well for bringing attention to the Iowa Girls state basketball tournament. Its always a great time of year, although it never fails the first day of the tournament always brings crappy weather or a major storm.
#12 by Al on 02.28.08 9:07 am |
Any Myron Cope sticker needs just three letters:
“Yoi!”
#13 by Eriq Jaffe on 02.28.08 9:16 am |
It’s sad, of course, but the first thing I thought when I saw the Mets pin-up girl was, “Hey, he forgot to put a name on the back of the jersey.”
#14 by Jon on 02.28.08 9:17 am |
Dynamite interview! And great Richmond Braves cartoon.
My son (1.5 years old) saw the Mets model on the screen and said, “Mama?” I wish!
#15 by Rick White in Cedar Park, TX on 02.28.08 9:18 am |
Hey Phil, Have you noticed that we now aplologize in advance if we don’t know if something has been posted? Maybe too many people getting irate because a newbie or part time Watcher posts something that isn’t new? Maybe we need a little more compassion and respect for each other? Whadda ya think?
#16 by LI Phil on 02.28.08 9:30 am |
paul said:
rick said:
point taken on my end…im not gonna be responsible for the comments being turned off
i hope everyone else agrees
/peace yo
#17 by scott on 02.28.08 9:30 am |
Eugene Espineli wore real stirrups last year while playing for the Connecticut Defenders. So, if anything, the idea of the pitchers on the Giants wearing real stirrups is trickling UP.
#18 by Paul Lukas on 02.28.08 9:33 am |
That was intentional. It’s a 1969 Mets jersey — note the slightly off-white color, no drop shadow on the number, no MLB logo on the collar.
#19 by scott on 02.28.08 9:33 am |
Here’s a picture of Espineli from last season from the Connecticut Defenders blog:
http://bp3.blogger.c...
#20 by Mark in Shiga on 02.28.08 9:36 am |
That’s prety bizarre seeing all those high uniform numbers on the 1938 Reds — I’d had no idea!
The 1944 Cubs had something similar going as they had no single digits at all.
I also notice that in 1940, Cincinnati seems to have begun the semi-tradition that the Cubs also used on occasion: catchers and coaches wearing 1-9, infielders 10-19, outfielders 20-29, pitchers 30s and 40s. Normally I’m not a fan of regimentation like this, but if it’ll get those ugly 50+ numbers off people’s jerseys, I say bring it back.
Maybe the Reds made up 70 jerseys the previous season and wanted to make use of the ones that they’d designed but not used? Maybe the 1937 team’s jerseys were all weathered and torn, and the ‘38 team decided they’d rather wear less-used jerseys with weird numbers than the knocked-around uniforms from the previous season?
#21 by Jeff on 02.28.08 9:45 am |
I bet the Rajai Davis thing was from picture day, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the photo company just provided a jersey or whatever
#22 by Paul Lukas on 02.28.08 9:47 am |
Now fixed.
#23 by Rich on 02.28.08 9:49 am |
Great drawings Rob! That Met girl is now my new background.
#24 by lwiedy on 02.28.08 9:50 am |
Ok then. Anyone notice the green dots?
#25 by Mike V. on 02.28.08 9:51 am |
Wow, the redhead in the Pens powder blue is one of the coolest things ever. Great article and great art.
#26 by lwiedy on 02.28.08 9:54 am |
I’ve heard worse reasons for wanting to attend a school. On second thought, no I haven’t.
#27 by Rick on 02.28.08 9:57 am |
Shortly after our interview, Rob surprised me by whipping up a special baseball-themed illo that he knew I’d like
Boy Jose Reyes got a lot lighter…..and better looking…….
#28 by TOG on 02.28.08 9:57 am |
Great column today. Great artwork. Thank Rob and thanks Paul. I agree. Great stuff!
A great article on a great illustrator. UniWatch bloggers talents have no limit and we are reminded of that with Rob’s piece.
Rob’s work reminds me of another illustrator (who worked with me on the AFL Philadelphia Soul logo)… Scrojo. Great lines, colors and the ability to make womens’ drawings look HOT!!!
http://www.scrojo.co...
I selected Scrojo to illustrate the cover for this sensational book called: Art of Modern Rock, devoted to the best of the best rock poster artists since the early 70’s…a must read for any graphic designer…over 600 pages!!! Lavish!!!
http://www.artofmode...
Book jacket artwork//
Between heaven (angel girl) and hell (devil girl) there’s a little bit of rock and roll (spine)…
#29 by James Craven on 02.28.08 9:58 am |
Anyone notice that NFL Network has adapted the new shield lettering? Real quick work there in Lala Land, considering that they haven’t had a team since 1995.
#30 by Randy Miller on 02.28.08 10:00 am |
Reds numbers:
For a long time, 1-4 were mostly used by managers and coaches (Bill McKechnie, Bucky Walters, Birdie Tebbetts and Fred Hutchinson all wore 1) — or not used at all (Luke Sewell and Rogers Hornsby wore No. 50 and their coaches 51-53.) Sometimes though a player did sneak into those numbers.
The Reds did use that high series of numbers. My guess at an explanation is that at the time one school of thought in numbering sports teams was to issue them in a series. I remember reading a John R. Tunis basketball book from the ’30s or ’40s where a coach explained to a church’s ladies auxiliary to pick a series of numbers for the church’s basketball team…
Johnny VanderMeer threw his consecutive no-hitters wearing 57. And that year Bill McKechnie exchanged his No. 1 for No. 65…
#31 by TOG on 02.28.08 10:01 am |
Wow, the redhead in the Pens powder blue is one of the coolest things ever. Great article and great art.
Bettman might want to redo all his EDG Reebok Authentic jersey hang tags using Rob’s work in place of this?
http://usera.imageca...
#32 by KT on 02.28.08 10:01 am |
This is very cool. Rob’s a great illustrator. I like his work and his blog. Good stuff, Paul.
As for Florida’s baseball unis, are we sure those are new? Seems to me they’ve worn ones like that for a bit now. Looking over their site this morning, I see some of the styles I remember from days past and some really period-specific ones that mirrored what was going on in baseball fashion back in the 1970s and 1980s.
#33 by Jason G. on 02.28.08 10:01 am |
As an avid comic book reader and sports fan, today’s article is right up my alley. I love the art work and combining beautiful women with sports attire is over the top cool. I think most guys (at least most that read this blog) have a fantasy of their better half wearing nothing but their favorite teams jersey. Excellent work Paul and Rob.
P.S. Striped socks always make sexy women sexier.
#34 by MPowers1634 on 02.28.08 10:07 am |
I posted this last night but the link was bad:
Eastbay already has the new SOD stuff for:
Georgetown
West Virginia
K-State
and the
Oregon Blacks
Georgetown hasn’t even worn them yet!
#35 by Rick White in Cedar Park, TX on 02.28.08 10:07 am |
Funny guy! :)
Phil, I wasn’t meaning you when I made those comments. I’ve just noticed, in general, that when someone brings up a topic that they haven’t seen, but that has been discussed, they tend to get berated in general. I was more commenting on the need to apoligize ahead of time.
On a uni-note … striped knee socks and hockey sweaters … what could possibly be better?
#36 by Joey Guns on 02.28.08 10:13 am |
Here’s a Mets cartoon with the #5 on it, from his blog…….
http://bp2.blogger.c...
#37 by Joey Guns on 02.28.08 10:17 am |
Meanwhile, here’s a little nugget for you to chew on: Imagine if a minor league team held a Uni Watch Night promotion, with the home team wearing stirrups and yours truly throwing out the first pitch. Sound preposterous? Actually, yeah, it does, but it’s in the works anyway. Still very provisional at this point, but the wheels are turning. Stay tuned.
Paul, I love the idea! I’m guessing you’d go with the Brooklyn Cyclones?
You need to throw out the first pitch at Shea and get all of the Mets to wear stirrups! Maybe their bat boy (the one who’s a Uni Watch member) can hook you up!
#38 by Joey Guns on 02.28.08 10:22 am |
These cartoons remind me of one of my favorite Ashley Judd posters:
http://www.ukhockey....
#39 by Matt on 02.28.08 10:22 am |
Finally, some hockey love. Canada sends its thanks.
Keep that guy on speed dial, get a weekly drawing from him on here, eh?
#40 by Paul Lukas on 02.28.08 10:23 am |
That was the original version Rob sent me. I asked him to make a few changes, which is how we ended up with the version linked in the text.
#41 by Mike Engle on 02.28.08 10:23 am |
The real visual gem of this picture (featured in the ticker) isn’t the stirrups (though they are cool); check out the inconsistent “Giants” script!
#42 by bj in gainesville on 02.28.08 10:23 am |
Nick Colleluori, the Hofstra player who died due to Lymphoma, has a brother who’s still on the team. During fall ball, the Pride, who normally wear Blue and Yellow, wore green unis.
#43 by Greg on 02.28.08 10:26 am |
Couldn’t help think of this today…
Mariah Carey
#44 by Mike Engle on 02.28.08 10:30 am |
Party on March 14, eh? At that rate, consider members Ben Beck and Gregg Goletz guests of honor if they come.
#45 by Paul Lukas on 02.28.08 10:30 am |
I wish. But no, it’s not the Cyclones. And don’t bother going into a guessing game about which team it is — all I’m saying for now is that it’s not the Cyclones. Oh, and it’s not the Staten Island Yankees or Long Island Ducks (or any other NYC-area team) either.
#46 by AL on 02.28.08 10:31 am |
Kudos on the Great tangent today, Paul.
Steamy stuff…. indeed! :)
#47 by Graham on 02.28.08 10:32 am |
Paul, at risk of sounding juvenile about the issue myself, the threats of banishment over the weekend and now the threat of disabling the comments section come off as a little heavy-handed, and dare-I-say self-righteous. I’m usually a big fan of this blog, and still am, but the threats are rubbing me the wrong way.
#48 by LI Phil on 02.28.08 10:32 am |
any pics of the NOB?
/time to retire it
#49 by MPowers1634 on 02.28.08 10:33 am |
During the the Mets’ spring game versus the U of Michigan on Tuesday, I noticed that the Michigan catcher had the school’s standard ‘wings’ logo on his catcher’s helmet,” writes Cork Gaines. “What’s great about is that the wings are facing forward even though he’s wearing the helmet backwards.”
I was commenting on this last night. That means that the catcher’s helmet was made specifically for that as opposed to this goalie style catchers mask.
From last night’s comments”
Wouldn’t the Coolflo or that hideous design by Wilson be perfect for the Michigan baseball team?
Plus, check out this Winged hockey style catcher’s helmet.
By the way, check out this page. Schutt is now making DNA batting helmets!
#50 by MPowers1634 on 02.28.08 10:39 am |
I forgot to copy and paste this nugget as well:
To boot, Michigan doesn’t even use Winged batting helmets!
#51 by Gary on 02.28.08 10:43 am |
Not directed at you, but honestly, I think Paul has been extremely lenient with the comments section. Things have gotten out of hand a lot, and Paul just rolled with it. If we could all just behave like adults, it wouldn’t have to come to this….
#52 by lwiedy on 02.28.08 10:50 am |
“at risk of sounding juvenile….”
“Phil, I wasn’t meaning you…”
“Have you noticed…”
“not sure if this was ever posted before…”
“Not directed at you…”
Welcome to “Qualify Your Comments Day”
#53 by Graham on 02.28.08 10:52 am |
Oh, I realize this and appreciate it a lot, but preemptive threats sound a little Bush-administration to me. Just kidding, that would be mean to Paul, but at the same time you know what I’m saying.
#54 by Duckstyle on 02.28.08 10:55 am |
“Yea. He She must work out.”
#55 by Perry on 02.28.08 10:57 am |
Right. Dave Bristol, manager in the late 60s and Sparky’s predecessor, wore #4. I think Dick Sisler, who succeeded Hutchinson, wore #2. Sparky’s long-time lieutenant/3rd base coach Alex Grammas wore #2. Pitching coach Larry Shepard was #4, and first-base coach George Scherger was #3. Sparky’s successor John McNamara wore #3. And so on.
The Reds, in the 60s and 70s at least, had a fairly strict numbering system. Coaches/managers had low single digits, catchers higher single digits (Bench 5, Edwards 6, Corrales 7, Plummer 9), infielders 10-19, outfielders 20-29, pitchers 30-49. There were exceptions, but that was the basic system.
#56 by Duckstyle on 02.28.08 10:58 am |
You can’t let the inmates run the asylum. Some people do get a little out of hand and way off topic in the comments, myself included. I think Paul’s done a pretty good job of keeping it in check, his blog, his rules. Btw, not being able to check out the cartoons is killin me(at work).
#57 by johnny on 02.28.08 11:00 am |
For those of us who can’t email Rob right now, will you please provide his actual email? Thanks.
And Paul, you’ll be here in Seattle on a friday night? My gf is going to kill me…”You want to go to what?” Oi.
#58 by Duckstyle on 02.28.08 11:00 am |
Me and the strikethru function are gonna have words!
#59 by steve on 02.28.08 11:04 am |
All but one game at midnight!
#60 by Duckstyle on 02.28.08 11:05 am |
Btw, would this be considered FNOB, NOB, NOA’s?
#61 by JBees on 02.28.08 11:08 am |
I’m not trying to be too childish… but when I read this out of context it made me chuckle:
“RU: I’ve probably done a girl in a hockey sweater at least 30 times.”
#62 by Graham on 02.28.08 11:08 am |
All I was saying is that I generally don’t like running across threats that assume the reader is guilty before he/she has done anything. I know that that may sound irrational or whatever, but I know that there are others like me who feel the same way, and I was just letting Paul know that that kind of thing grinds my gears. Not an attack on him, I just thought perhaps it would be helpful to let him know.
#63 by LI Phil on 02.28.08 11:14 am |
there must be a bug…what you need to do is type “” whatever you wish to cross out, then “” to close the tags…to see this graphically…just hit the quote button and look at the following:
strike#64 by Minna H. on 02.28.08 11:14 am |
I am glad Paul said something because when I saw what the topic was for the day, I was hesitant to even read the comments. I don’t think it’s a threat; I think it’s a consequence. Given the assortment of crude comments posted with increasing frequency (and yes, I have been guilty of this myself a few times), it’s not a stretch to think that pictures of near-naked women will spur some less than savory comments.
As for a Myron Cope memorial–I go for a black terrible towel sticker with the initials MC in yellow/gold.
#65 by 9/9 on 02.28.08 11:15 am |
If it is the Durham Bulls, or anywhere else within driving distance, I would certainly get tickets.
#66 by MPowers1634 on 02.28.08 11:17 am |
The renderings are great. What I like about them is the wholesome yet barely perceptible hint towards naughty.
Their appeal is akin to older movies, no matter the content. The imagination was left to conjure what it would without being presented everything in High Definition!
#67 by Mike Engle on 02.28.08 11:18 am |
I hope this
doesn’twork…#68 by Jim on 02.28.08 11:19 am |
P.S. Striped socks always make sexy women sexier.
Indeed.
http://img469.images...
#69 by chance on 02.28.08 11:19 am |
And if it’s within relatively easy distance to NYC, I’ll get tickets.
#70 by Joey Guns on 02.28.08 11:21 am |
Not sure if anybody saw this, but President Bush ripped on Manny yesterday when he was a no show at the White House……
http://youtube.com/w...
http://sports.aol.co...
#71 by Joe Drennan on 02.28.08 11:23 am |
I love the hockey pinups. It makes me want to work out and get the kind of arms needed for a tattoo and have one commissioned to resemble my wife in my college sweater.
I was only able to see some of the photos as Im at work. I can’t wait to get home to see the rest of them.
#72 by lwiedy on 02.28.08 11:24 am |
Not an attack? If you feel the “threats” (as you yourself put it) were not appropriate, fine. But don’t try to paint yourself as the good guy by saying your expressions aren’t what they actually are. Your comments have consequences, live with them.
#73 by todd krevanchi on 02.28.08 11:27 am |
perhaps a uni watch pin up calendar using rob’s creations is in the works?
various sports peppered throughout the year…
i think id buy one.
#74 by Jason G. on 02.28.08 11:37 am |
I second this. You choose the sport for each month based on what season it is.
#75 by GC on 02.28.08 11:41 am |
Wow, great art, Rob. Right up my alley, I love the simpler, thicker lined styles of guys like Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke - yours fits right in with those.
And agreed with that redhead in the Pens jersey. Two of my absolute favorites right there, red hair and light blue.
#76 by Mike on 02.28.08 11:42 am |
*sigh*
#77 by Peter on 02.28.08 11:42 am |
I don’t know if this is a repost because I don’t read all the comments everday, but there is an article on espn about the upton brothers. I just thought it’s interesting because they play for the “Rays” and the “D-backs” and are among the worst dressed brothers in sports history (I’m not partial to either teams unis). Any other poorly clad brother combinations come to mind? I’m thinking at some point a couple of sutters might have laced up for ugly teams. Oh here is the link to the article.
#78 by Toddzilla on 02.28.08 11:47 am |
Great post today…combining two of my great loves: pinups and sports. Rob is probably the only person that could make my Cubs look good!
I’ll be enjoying some Atom-Bomb Bikinis today. Thanks for ruining my productivity.
#79 by Judd on 02.28.08 12:00 pm |
New schwag for POTUS.
#80 by MPowers1634 on 02.28.08 12:01 pm |
As will I.
#81 by MPowers1634 on 02.28.08 12:10 pm |
The renderings are great. What I like about them is the wholesome yet barely perceptible hint towards naughty.
Not exactly in the same ballpark. I think the “hint towards naughty” in the pic in the link is MUCH more than perceptible!!!
NTTAWWT
#82 by Graham on 02.28.08 12:11 pm |
Ok, perhaps you are correct. What I meant to say was that they were not an ad hominem attack on Paul. My comments were a complaint about one small aspect of his blog, not his person. If you remember, I said the “threats” (perhaps not the right word, perhaps it was, whatever) came off as heavy-handed, and I don’t back down from that. However, I also realize that the last thing Paul wanted his comments to result in is semantic debate, so I’ll put the issue to bed. I retract my complaint. I think I’ll go “deal with the consequences of my comments” whatever the hell that means lwiedy.
#83 by Graham on 02.28.08 12:14 pm |
edit: “Live with the consequences of my comments” - not “deal with the consequences of my coments”
#84 by Paul Lukas on 02.28.08 12:16 pm |
Let’s please stop the discussion of commenting protocol. I just wanted to head off any threads along the lines of “Boy, I’d love to fuck one of those hockey jersey girls right now!” If anyone thought my pre-emptive admonition was heavy-handed, we can agree to disagree.
Please don’t respond to this comment, or to other posting-protocol comments. Let’s move on.
#85 by James Craven on 02.28.08 12:23 pm |
One little prob with dat. NOB on a Red Sawx home jersey! SACRALIGE I TELL YA!
#86 by jere on 02.28.08 12:23 pm |
Something I learned from trying to figure out this number thing. Fred’s # 1 was retired in ‘65. He resigned in October ‘64, as he was dying, and would only live another three weeks. Thanks to everyone who shared theories on my little number question.
#87 by S.W.P. on 02.28.08 12:27 pm |
Rip Simonick fashioned a skate resistent AreBeeKay collar onto Hank Tallinder’s Nike undergarments. It was shown on the MSG broadcast last night.
#88 by Mets/Jets Fan in Chicagoland on 02.28.08 12:31 pm |
Kids - let’s play nice together
Has this been posted already?
#89 by Quint on 02.28.08 12:35 pm |
Shouldn’t the ‘69 jerrsey have the MLB patch on the left sleve?left sleve?
#90 by Mike Engle on 02.28.08 12:37 pm |
No, but it was referenced. Good job, super sleuth. Visual proof that Vieira had her jersey on backwards.
#91 by kgolrick on 02.28.08 12:41 pm |
The green shoelaces are part of a promotion for a cancer research charity named after or started by a lacrosse player.
- kyle golrick
#92 by Matt on 02.28.08 12:43 pm |
Good story on number selection for the Georgia football team:
http://www.ajc.com/s...
#93 by KT on 02.28.08 12:46 pm |
That is great, and started a great tradition.
Thing is, I don’t know if it was on that poster (originally) or one of the succeeding ones in the series, but one of them said “Lexinton” on it when it was originally printed.
And I think Ashley Judd is properly a “UK Alumna,” not an “alumnus.”