A while back I got a note from Tom Jacobsen, who collects game-used Denver Broncos gear and said a lot of his jerseys included special modifications that had been made by the players and/or equipment staff. It isn’t football season, but there’s never a bad time for good uni-mod photos, so here’s a sampling of Tom’s stuff, in his own words:
• “This John Elway jersey (worn 1983-86, cold-weather games only) has a sewn-in hand warmer. But they didn’t just add the pocket — a rectangle was cut out of the jersey front by the Broncos equipment staff and then this pre-fab hand warmer, made from some sort of insulated material, was sewn in from the inside, and it is warm!”
• “Ed McCaffrey made major modifications to his uniforms to give him more speed. For this 1995 jersey, he basically cut it to the length of a half shirt and then would tape it to his body to cut down on wind drag.”
• “A friend of mine has a pair of Eddie Mac’s cleats, and he actually wore them a size small and then cut a hole for the big toe because he thought they made him go faster. My friend also has these McCaffrey pants. ‘I love how he cut out almost all of the heavy, thick elastic band,’ he says. ‘He left just a few strips here and there. And you know, they actually do weigh 15 ounces less than a comparable pair of pants I had — maybe that DOES make him faster!’”
• “Dennis Smith wore vastly oversized shoulder pads. In order to fit them under his jersey, he had spandex inserts sewn under each arm, as seen in this 1994 jersey.”
• “This 1982-83 Billy Bryan jersey was a forerunner of the modern-day lineman’s style. He had the sleeves completely taken off then sewn back on at more of downward angle (similar to this 1996 Tommy Nalen model, but Tommy’s was manufactured that way to start with). He also had the sides taken in and a stretch panel added to both sides for a tighter fit.”
• “Remember how Bill Romanowski would add laces to his jerseys, to make them tighter? You can see where they added the eyelets here. Romo also had darts added to his shoulders. And note the adjustable crotch piece — ouch!”
It’s not clear if Romo also had a little inside pouch for stashing his, uh, vitamins, but I’m sure Tom would’ve mentioned that if it had been there. Big thanks to him for sharing his collection with us.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Japanese Olympic swimmers will be allowed to wear the LZR swimsuit (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … Rare sight here: Goose Gossage batting in pinstripes. This was during the 1981 World Series, when the DH was used in the World Series in alternating years, instead of depending on the home team’s rules. “I wonder if that was the only time he batted in home pinstripes,” says Eric Stengel. … Tim Stoops reports that his dad is volunteering as a marshal at the U.S. Open this weekend. Here’s a slideshow of the gear he’ll be wearing. … Fun “Twins by the Numbers” breakdown here (with thanks to Brinke Guthrie). … “I believe this is Alabama celebrating an Orange Bowl victory in 1953,” writes Travis Cuomo. “What really stuck out to me was the ‘MGR’ shirt the manager was wearing. Can’t remember ever seeing anything like that before.” Looks like they’re endorsing Coca-Cola, too. … Curt Schilling attended Game 2 of the NBA Finals and wore a Celtics jersey for the occasion (while his daughter apparently took dictation for his blog). … This page has short videos showing each of the national uniforms in the Euro 2008 tournament (with thanks to Greg DiLeo). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: According to the fifth-to-last entry on this Q&A page, the NFL is planning some sort of uni-based commemoration of the AFL’s 50th anniversary in 2009. … Also from yesterday: New 49ers unis in 2010. … I might have shown these before, but just in case: The excellent Fleer Sticker Project site has some awesome old NFL posters on display here and here. … Reprinted from last night’s comments: L.I. Phil notes that Todd Helton’s footwear has been alternating between Adidas and Nike lately. He used to wear fake Mizunos, as explained here. … Did you know the Giants were conducting spring training in Arizona while the team was still based in New York? I didn’t, until Kenn Tomasch sent me this and this. Both shots are from 1947. … Went out to catch Kung Fu Panda last night (pretty damn good) and saw the trailer for The Express, which looks like it has major uniform potential. … Ben Nickerson spent a good portion of last night obsessing over Kevin Garnett’s sneakers. “He’s got ‘The Finals’ and the championship trophy depicted on the inner,” he notes, and the outer is marked to denote Game 1, Game 2, Game 7 (if necessary), etc. Plus there’s a little red “KP 34″ notation on the back, which is a Kirby Puckett memorial (we can add this to the very short list of cross-sport memorial gestures). Further details here.
#1 by Alan #44 on 06.11.08 9:38 am |
I hate Schilling. I think he is a total asshole. But I dig the Bird jersey.
#2 by scott on 06.11.08 9:39 am |
According to Retrosheet, that is Gossage’s only at bat as a Yankee, home or away.
#3 by floormaster squeeze on 06.11.08 9:44 am |
Goose Gossage pitched for the Cubs in home pinstripes. He probably did not bat much but I am guessing he batted at home.
#4 by Mark on 06.11.08 9:48 am |
Somewhere on those KG special edition shoes is a tribute to Malik Sealy in addition to the one for Puckett.
#5 by Justin on 06.11.08 9:51 am |
And what reason do you have for hating him? Did he steal your girlfriend?
#6 by Steve on 06.11.08 9:51 am |
Yes, I think it’s near the tongue. They did a show bit about the shoes on “First Take” a few days back. Probably around the first game of the series.
#7 by Chris is Nashville on 06.11.08 9:53 am |
Is it just me or does Tim Stoops’ dad have a tiny little head? (check out the pic of Tim holding the hat in his fingers)
http://www.flickr.co...
#8 by Luther Mahoney on 06.11.08 9:54 am |
1) Tomorrow (Thursday June 12th),the Cubs and Braves will be wearing 1948 throwback uniforms
to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Cubs baseball
on WGN TV.
2)All of teams in Euro 2008 are wearing narrow
black patches with RESPECT in white lettering
on the left sleeves on their jerseys.
#9 by scott on 06.11.08 9:58 am |
Love how the team describes the Ed Nottle bobblehead as having “snappy stirrups”:
http://view.exacttar...
#10 by Eriq Jaffe on 06.11.08 9:59 am |
Gossage also probably pitched in 36 games with the White Sox in 1972, and he had 8 plate appearances at home…in red pinstripes.
#11 by Eriq Jaffe on 06.11.08 10:00 am |
Forgot to edit out the word “probably” in that last post…
#12 by Shaftman on 06.11.08 10:00 am |
This is a direct link to the pic that Chris is referring to.
#13 by Tim on 06.11.08 10:10 am |
That hat is an optional add on to a U.S. Open teddy bear in the merchandise tent. Much like the giant New Era hats in front of Angel Stadium, this little guy even had a size, which was 4 1/4″so it’s a shrunken 5950. Had it been $5 or less, I would have bought it.
#14 by The Ol Goaler on 06.11.08 10:13 am |
Today’s entry reminded me of just how much better the Broncos’ “Orange Crush” uniforms looked than their current unis…
The tighter the jersey, the harder it is for an opponent to grab it!
#15 by Duckstyle on 06.11.08 10:27 am |
I couldn’t agree more about their old uni’s looking way better that the NFL Europe dud’s they switched too. But every Broncos fan I meet seems to love them, it defies logic.
#16 by Stuby on 06.11.08 10:30 am |
Probably has something to do with the 2 Super Bowls won in the new unis, as opposed to the 4 SBs lost in the old ones.
#17 by Alan #44 on 06.11.08 10:32 am |
As a matter of fact, he did. How did you know?
#18 by LI Phil on 06.11.08 10:40 am |
or…it could just be that bronco’s fans don’t Get It ™
#19 by Dane on 06.11.08 10:40 am |
Re: 49ers uniform change
“When I’ve spoken with Jed York on the matter in the past, he’s said that previous focus groups have been split 50-50 between the old duds and the current ones.”
So if there’s no statistical difference between change and no change, then leave everything alone. Maybe for once have a uniform, be, uniform.
#20 by Tony Miller on 06.11.08 10:42 am |
Conveniently enough, KG’s socks in the Puckett tribute photo have been folded in a way that makes the NBA logo appear backward and upside-down.
Speaking of backward,
.nwod-edispu dna drawkcab raeppa ogol ABN eht sekam taht yaw a ni dedlof neeb evah otohp etubirt ttekcuP eht ni skcos s’GK ,hguone yltneinevnoC
#21 by Stuby on 06.11.08 10:44 am |
Yeah, that’s probably it. All in all, Denver has to be the crappiest city for sports unis.
#22 by Hank on 06.11.08 10:44 am |
Looking through the Fleer Sticker Project brought back the memories. Vividly recall buying a number of those posters through SI: Eagles, Vikings, Steelers, and Dolphins. The Raiders and Vikings posters maybe the best.
#23 by Jim on 06.11.08 10:52 am |
Agreed…
Avalanche = bad from day one, worse with the Bettman Stripes.
http://img524.images...
Rockies = Man do I hate vests as baseball unis…
http://mlb.imageg.ne...
Nuggets = So bright it hurts my eyes
http://www.dui.com/d...
Broncos = Why does the whole team have orange pit stains? What the hell do they drink before games?!?
http://cache.viewima...
#24 by Ricko on 06.11.08 11:04 am |
re: “The Express”. Ernie Davis was a helluva football player, and a class act. About time he story was told…so we don’t forget it.
#25 by Chris is Nashville on 06.11.08 11:05 am |
Okay, I got you now. I figured either it was a tiny hat or you had the biggest hands I’ve ever seen.
#26 by Roger Faso on 06.11.08 11:07 am |
I don’t know if anyone has posted this here, yet, but there is a great website of Sport Magazine archives …
http://www.thesportg...
#27 by Paul Lukas on 06.11.08 11:10 am |
Oooh, nice. I subscribed to Sport from about 1972 thru, oh, 1982ish. In 1977, I wrote a letter to the editor, which they printed — the first writing of mine that was ever published. Still have a soft spot in my heart for the mag. Wish I’d saved all my old copies….
#28 by Ben on 06.11.08 11:10 am |
NY Times has an interesting read for all the shoe folks here on UW.
http://www.nytimes.c...
#29 by MPowers1634 on 06.11.08 11:13 am |
Caught this in a pic from the CWS:
One of the Stanford infielders had a trubute on his wrist/forearm band: R.I.P. PQ
Any info?
http://i258.photobuc...
#30 by DenverGregg on 06.11.08 11:14 am |
Though I did get a new-style jersey to celebrate winning SB XXXII, I don’t like the new look excepting the helmet and the typefaces for names & numbers. I’d agree that the popularity of the new duds has to do with the now-distant successes of their first couple of years.
Among metro areas with all major sports, Denver unis overall aren’t as good as Chicago’s, but aren’t nearly as bad those for Miami or Phoenix.
#31 by MPowers1634 on 06.11.08 11:18 am |
Can someone explain how long, or why, Staubach’s helmet had the red stripe?
#32 by justin on 06.11.08 11:19 am |
I disagree. Huge Bronco fan here. I was so excited to see the great jerseys today.
I don’t hate the newer jerseys, but I do love the old orange ones. The Broncos have only worn them once as a throwback a few years ago against Dallas on Thanksgiving.
But Denver doesnt have terrible sports jerseys. Atlanta, Baltimore come to mind for worse jerseys.
#33 by Robert on 06.11.08 11:23 am |
I share the sentiment. As a youth, I could not afford Sports Illustrated, but both Sport and Baseball (which was not so long-lived) graced my mailbox each month. Great magazines for the time.
#34 by LI Phil on 06.11.08 11:23 am |
bicentennial
paul did a column for the mothership on this back in…im guessing october…awesome article on the ‘boys quirks and shit…required reading
#35 by sonofsokol on 06.11.08 11:24 am |
Gotta get one of these….
http://mixmakers.net...
#36 by Marty Met on 06.11.08 11:25 am |
Huh???
Coyotes’ sweaters are head and shoulders above the Avalanche. (although I hate both teams, they shouldn’t have been allowed to leave Canada)
Cardinals’ uniforms are way better than the Broncos’ uniforms
Suns’ uniforms suck but the Nuggets’ really really suck.
and baseball wise they both are dog vomit.
#37 by Robert on 06.11.08 11:27 am |
My all-time favorite Sport Magazine cover:
http://www.thesportg...
I actually held on to this one over the years, meaning to get it framed.
I love those uniforms, despite their non-traditional appearance, and Dave Parker was the man. I commit to both of these declarations, despite not being a Pirates fan at all.
#38 by simon on 06.11.08 11:31 am |
For anyone interested, I did a little NPB (Japanese baseball league) throwback uni wrap. The throwback craze has hit NPB over the last few seasons.
http://jhockey.wordp...
#39 by Kek on 06.11.08 11:31 am |
Funny this is brought up today because I was thinking of magazines yesterday. I got SI, Sport and Inside Sports back in the day and I liked Sport a lot.
The reason I was thinking of mags was I was recalling being fond of the Digests. I was a subscriber to Football Digest and I frequently purchased Hockey Digest. Before the Internet these were great resource tools because they had rosters in the back. I also loved the TV Guide (well, OLD TV Guide) size which made it easy to read, carry, etc. My junior high library had back issues of the baseball and basketball and I used to love checking out the old articles and photos.
I’m guessing these aren’t around anymore because I don’t recall seeing them lately. I know they were around as late as ‘99 or ‘00 because I remember receiving copies in the mail at my first apartment in Pittsburgh.
#40 by J-Dub (formerly Jets/Mets Fan in Chicagoland) on 06.11.08 11:32 am |
Phil - Apologies if it appeared that I was “throwing you under the bus” yestiddy - just wanted to “break in” the new handle with a time-honored comment - meant it in jest.
Now, back to uni’s
#41 by Duckstyle on 06.11.08 11:39 am |
The Cardinels uni’s are worse than the Broncos, IMO. Plus the Carinals had one of the best uni’s in the NFL before they ruined it, I like the Bronco’s old ones better, but they were’t great. And I kinda like the Nuggets jerseys, the sparkly satin blue just looks darling on them, really sets off teh tattoos.
#42 by JD on 06.11.08 11:42 am |
#19: I understand what you’re saying, but in this case a new uniform would evoke the 1980s, which is a good thing in SF, and would replace their increasingly dated current duds (drop-shadowed block numbers?). While I don’t believe in change for the sake of change, this is one situation where it makes sense.
My ideal uniform would be the 1980s uniform, but with true gold pants like they currently have, rather than those matte tan ones of the 80s.
#43 by Justin on 06.11.08 11:44 am |
Cause that’s one of the few reasons for truly hating a person. Especially a professional athlete who you have probably never met.
#44 by LI Phil on 06.11.08 11:44 am |
jd(fj/mfic)
yeah…j-dub’s much better…i knew ya was just havin’ fun ;)
and indeed, the new “handle” (did you happen to have a CB radio or something back in the day???-am i that old???) will be much easier for minna h and others to type (or abbreviate)
#45 by Justin on 06.11.08 11:46 am |
Found this pic (http://media.tumblr.com/3U5wfj1yYa0q77be0EtS2Z1x_500.jpg) on straightcashhomey.net Doesn’t the 8 on the spreewell jersey look upside down. Was this just the way they were?
#46 by Jim on 06.11.08 11:48 am |
Coyotes new unis are fantasic in my opinion, one of the best out of the recent exbansion teams.
http://getitnext.typ...
HUGE HUGE HUGE improvement over this P.O.S….
http://www.icejersey...
Still wish they were wearing these though…
http://www.jetsowner...
#47 by J-Dub (formerly Jets/Mets Fan in Chicagoland) on 06.11.08 11:48 am |
Amen, brother - Parker was The Man back in the day (mostly at the expense of my beloved Mets). I vaguely recall seeing a quote from one of the Mets catchers (Duffy Dyer, maybe?) describing Parker as “a building” - heckuva ballplayer.
And he looked good in yellow, too ;-)
#48 by Austin on 06.11.08 11:50 am |
I like these!
suns
http://www.distantre...
Coyotes
http://getitnext.typ...
Diamondbacks
http://www.insidesoc...
Cardinals
http://www.karlosdan...
#49 by Philly Al in NoCal on 06.11.08 11:51 am |
I hate Schilling. I think he is a total asshole. But I dig the Bird jersey.
And what reason do you have for hating him? Did he steal your girlfriend?
I gave Schilling a lot of slack because he was on the ‘93 Phils and once, when on the DL, led the charge from the dugout in a bean ball war w/ the Braves.
But the guy who called out Kobe for being a bad teammate is the same jerkoff who put a towel over his head when he left games in the ‘93 post season because he was afraid to look. Just go paint some more blood on a sock and shut up. Really
#50 by J-Dub on 06.11.08 11:52 am |
K….pitcher on my softball team christened me with the “J-Dub” moniker, so I’ll go with that.
Had CB back in HS (Bethpage)….and yes, you are that old. So how is that YOU get a mention in the ticker, and my contribution about the 49er’s new duds is referenced anonymoulsy? Hmmmm? ;-)
#51 by LI Phil on 06.11.08 11:56 am |
i can spell
#52 by Patrick on 06.11.08 11:57 am |
Just a beautiful football uniform…
http://www.sf49ers.c...
Clean, striking, and evocative of an era of greatness (and I am no fan of the Niners, either).
Seems like a pretty logical move to go back to these and undo the misguided 90’s tweaking.
#53 by J-Dub on 06.11.08 12:04 pm |
touche
#54 by MPowers1634 on 06.11.08 12:06 pm |
That’s right…I totally forgot…Thanks, Phil!
Check out this Sport cover of Rod Carew wearing the two-tone Twins helmet as well as that great supplemental logo that someone commented on yesterday:
http://www.thesportg...
#55 by J-Dub on 06.11.08 12:06 pm |
Phil - More to the point, I CAN spell, I just can’t type
…and in Uni news: http://www.kommersan...
#56 by Patrick on 06.11.08 12:10 pm |
Most bad uniform cities have at least one saving grace - Phoenix has the Coyotes, Minneapolis/St.P has the Wild (and sort of Twins), Philadelphia used to have the Flyers before RBK (and sort of Phillies), Atlanta has the Braves.
And some good uniform cities have a turd in the punch bowl - Los Angeles has the Kings, Boston has the Patriots, New York has the Mets in black, Bay Area has the Warriors…
Denver has no saving grace in their 4 teams, all of whom look pretty bad to me. And of cities with only a couple of teams, the two worst would be Nashville and San Diego. IMHO, of course.
#57 by scott on 06.11.08 12:12 pm |
Baseball Digest still exists… and in the same size, too.
#58 by J-Dub on 06.11.08 12:14 pm |
Our local United Way chapter does an auction every year of sculptures, and this year features “garden” stuff - check the 3rd from last photo in the following slideshow - the frog sporting the striped stirrups - some artist “Gets It”
http://www.napervill...
#59 by Kek on 06.11.08 12:19 pm |
…got mad hits like I was Rod Carew
#60 by Kek on 06.11.08 12:22 pm |
Is that the only one? When I google for football, basketball and hockey. Searches for hockey point to The Hockey News. Wiki says Football Digest stopped printing in ‘05. Can’t find anything but archives for basketball. I did notice baseball was still out there, I guess it’s not as readily availabe as it once was. Was that the flagship and the other sports started after that? That makes sense insofar as it being the only one left.
#61 by Jeff on 06.11.08 12:23 pm |
Oh, yeah, I remember that Jan Stephenson cover from May 1977.
I also have a Sport cover with Reggie Jackson of the A’s dressed as Gen. George Patton (then the hit film).
#62 by J-Dub on 06.11.08 12:28 pm |
Adding to the discussion:
Detroit should rank up there in the “good” category now that Los Leones have ditched the black. Add Washington to the “turd in the punch bowl” category for the Wizards gold/black disaster.
Re: cities with only a couple of teams - put Kansas City at the top of the “good” category.
#63 by liketheriver on 06.11.08 12:30 pm |
Watching the Portugal vs Czch game, does Cristiano Ronaldo have some kind of trashy euro mullet?
#64 by Jeff on 06.11.08 12:31 pm |
Custom fitting is why you may not want an authentic NFL jersey. My neighbor Marge, the Packers’ seamstress, says you will find authentic jerseys quite uncomfortable even if you’re in NFL shape. Most are fitted verrrrrry tightly to the body.
Most people are happier with the fit of a retail replica jersey.
#65 by J-Dub on 06.11.08 12:32 pm |
Ah, the 70’s - good times, bad hairdos
http://www.thesportg...
#66 by Marty Met on 06.11.08 12:34 pm |
Those Pirates uniforms were so SWEET. I wish they would go back to them.
#67 by Jim on 06.11.08 12:37 pm |
Yeah but these are beauties…….
http://www.authentic...
#68 by J-Dub on 06.11.08 12:40 pm |
A little foreshadowing here on the kid sitting in front?
http://www.thesportg...
#69 by Stuby on 06.11.08 12:42 pm |
And Buffalo would be at the bottom for cities that have only have a few teams.
#70 by Marty Met on 06.11.08 12:43 pm |
New York has that UGLY Yankees home pinstripe uniform. Worst logo in sports put on a B-O-R-I-N-G uniform.
#71 by Eric on 06.11.08 12:43 pm |
I don’t know if anyone is following Euro 2008, but I noticed Czech Republic’s unis had an interesting little thing on them. On the front, just beneath the collar, they have two small flag patches- their own and their opponent.
#72 by Korch on 06.11.08 12:45 pm |
Not sure if this has been posted but, here’s the 2008 World Series Logo:
http://en.wikipedia....
#73 by simon on 06.11.08 12:51 pm |
Yup, seems like a growing mullet, he’ll do Barry Melrose proud!
http://image.guim.co...
#74 by J-Dub on 06.11.08 12:56 pm |
Also in the “UGLY” pile for NY uniforms:
Knicks and Islanders
On top of the “BEST” pile:
J-E-T-S (IMHO)
#75 by LI Phil on 06.11.08 1:02 pm |
marty…you don’t like the yankees’ unis?
whoever would have known?
#76 by J-Dub on 06.11.08 1:03 pm |
Only thing keeping St. Louis out of that spot is the Cardinals. Rams = yuck, Blues = yikes
Although you would get a good argument for Nashville: Titans = yeesh, Predators = oh, please
#77 by Your Mom on 06.11.08 1:05 pm |
“Romo also had darts added to his shoulders. And note the adjustable crotch piece — ouch!”
When you balls are the size of peas, you don’t much have to worry about an uncomfortable crotch piece.
#78 by J-Dub on 06.11.08 1:07 pm |
Hey all, since the discussion regarding best and worst uniforms by city has many participants, what if we did a quantifiable analysis for each city? Send in your comments, listing each team in each city (major league baseball, football, basketball, hockey only - please) and your own personal ranking for each team (10 point scale, 10 = best, 0 = Islanders), and calculate the average. Who’s in?
#79 by Jim on 06.11.08 1:14 pm |
Every city that has a sports team? That’s a lot. Someone make a list…
#80 by Chad G on 06.11.08 1:18 pm |