Broadcasters usually don’t discuss uni-related matters unless they’re bored in the middle of a lopsided game. But Len Kasper and Bob Brenly were apparently in a Uni Watch state of mind right off the bat yesterday, holding forth on a wide range of topics in the top of the 1st. Let’s listen in:
Kasper: That brings up Doug Mientkiewicz. Mientkiewicz with 12 letters in his surname. Back in 1999, when he was with the Twins, they had Doug Mientkiewicz Night — anyone with a 12-letter last name got in for a dollar. [Camera shows front view of Mientkiewicz.] Oh, look, looks like he, uh, has — oh, no he doesn’t. Is it buttoned at the top?
Brenly: I think he might have one extra button done up today.
Kasper: He has a button [fastened] above the “Pittsburgh” on his jersey. That was not the case in the first two games [of this series].
Brenly: Makin’ a fashion statement today.
Kasper: Although he skipped one in the middle. I have no idea why we’ve been so fascinated with that, but you brought it up. And it’s been a little distracting, to be honest.
Brenly: Maybe get some Velcro on the front of that jersey.
Kasper: He obviously has problems with buttons. [Mientkiewicz flies out.] You never got the chance to wear vests. The Pirates wearing the vests, that’s kind of an old-school look.
Brenly: We had vests in Arizona that we would wear from time to time. But as a player, no, we were pretty traditional in San Francisco. I mean, other than the orange jerseys and orange sanitaries that we wore one year — that wasn’t quite traditional. But at least as far as the shirts themselves, we were traditional.
Kasper: It was traditional to 1981. Or so.
[By this time, two pitches have already been thrown to the next hitter, Nate McLouth. He eventually runs the count full and fouls off a pitch before walking, bringing Ryan Doumit to the plate. More than three minutes elapse during this span. Under normal circumstances, that would be all the uni-related chatter we’d hear — broadcasters almost never veer back into Uni Watch territory a second time. But as you’ll see, Kasper and Brenly were clearly loaded for uni-centric bear yesterday.]
Kasper: Doumit’s going with that unbuttoned look, too. I think the problem is that they need a button right in the middle of the letters. With the top two buttons it’s too buttoned up, and with the top two unbuttoned it’s too unbuttoned. See, they need one right in the middle of the “B.” Then I think everybody’d be happy. [Brenly cracks up.] That’s just me.
Brenly: Tim Gunn’ll be in later in the game to help analyze the various fashion statements.
Kasper: It — we’re getting to the point where it’s absurd, but you do wonder, at what point would Bob Watson make a phone call? Four buttons? That has been a big issue over the past few years, y’know, the pants too low, the shirts untucked…
Brenly: The fashion police. Yeah.
Kasper: Even the cleats that the players wear have to be at least 51% their team’s predominant color. You see some of the Cubs have have a little bit of white, a little bit of red, on their blue shoes, but they’d better be at least 51% blue.
And at that point the discussion turned to non-uniform matters.
A few thoughts:
• Brenly and Kasper are clearly unfamiliar with the “pro button style,” as the Pirates’ button spacing is known. They might find this column instructive.
• It’s interesting to hear Brenly — whose big league debut came in 1981 — referring to the Giants’ orange jerseys and sanitaries. According to Dressed to the Nines, the last season of the orange sanitaries was 1980. But you’d have to figure Brenly wouldn’t go out of his way to mention something like that unless he’d actually worn the orange hose. Sounds like another case of Okkonen/Nines not being quite accurate. And I don’t mean that in a “Gotcha!” kind of way — I’m simply mentioning it as another reminder that (a) we shouldn’t always take web-based databases (or books, or Uni Watch posts) as gospel, and (b) uniforms were rarely as standardized as database breakdowns make them seem.
Meanwhile, speaking of buttons, the Pedro porthole was on display once again on Friday night (plus it also appeared on Saturday, in the personage of Charlie Morton). Mark your calendars for September 22nd through 25th, when the Cubs visit Shea Stadium — if Pedro pitches in that series, Kasper may just go into buttonhole-induced apoplexy.
(Thanks to Andrew Joseph for alerting me to the Kasper/Brenly discussion, and to Robert Jones and Mike Chamernik for their screen grabs.)
Raffle Results: The winner of the Distant Replays raffle is Chris Scavo. Congrats to him, and my thanks to all who entered. I’ll be announcing another raffle tomorrow.
Uni Watch Road Trip Update: As some of you know, I’ll be in Oregon later this month and would like to convene a Uni Watch party in Portland. I’d originally planned to do this on Friday the 15th, but then I got an impassioned plea from Portland’s own Jeremy Brahm, informing me that he’d be out of town on the 15th but would be available on Sunday the 17th.
Now, I normally wouldn’t rejigger my schedule just to suit the whims of one reader. But anyone who’s read this site for any length of time knows that Jeremy is no ordinary Uni Watcher (and not just because he’s the only membership program enrollee with a kanji uniform number), so Sunday the 17th it shall be. Figure on 2pm, with the venue still to be determined. Further details forthcoming soon.
Uni Watch News Ticker: I didn’t watch the Hall of Fame Game, but several readers noted that the officials were wearing new pants with big-ass piping — ugh. An NFL contact confirms that these are the new pants for this season (big thanks to Phil Hecken for the screen grab). … Speaking of officiating attire, Collateral Gammage and I were at Coney Island on Saturday and stopped at the always-wonderful Ruby’s, where I noticed this Corona ad. … There’s a slideshow of Georgia Tech’s new football uniforms here. Amidst all the feedback I’ve heard (most of it negative), the best observation comes from Josh Nachtigal, who notes, “These uniforms are actually based on a template that Russell designed for the AFL” — not exactly the aesthetic heritage you want for your football program. As noted in yesterday’s comments, the design would look a lot better without that horizontal chest stripe. … The Hockey News has ranked all 30 NHL logos. … Big congrats to Uni Watch intern emeritus Vince Grzegorek, who’s going to be contributing to the new Sporting News blog, First Cuts, on a daily basis. … No FNOB action in Pittsburgh after all, as the Pirates decided from the start not to add initials or first names for the LaRoche brothers. … Charles Carter of the Ft. Worth Cats is a Uni Watch kind of guy (with thanks to Jeff Meyers. … Speaking of stirrups, check out this shot of Bert Blyleven. … Jared Wheeler sent along this amazing photo of Casey Stengel. That undershirt! That button fly! … Also from Jared: This 1930s shot of Philadelphia A’s catcher Frankie Hayes wearing an AJ Reach (Philly-based) mask -– “funny, since the team was once part-owned by Reach’s competitor, Ben Shibe,” notes Jared. … The Edmonton Eskimos saluted fallen teammate Jason Tucker the other day by wearing his uni number on their undershirts. … Green dot update: This 49ers blog page indicates that “the ‘dot’ that signifies who has the [radio] receiver [on the defensive side of the ball] will be red. The green ‘dot’ belongs to the offense.” Not clear if the writer meant that all teams will be using a red dot for the defensive radio helmet or just the Niners, so I asked Giants equipment director Joe Skiba. He quoted me the applicable rule: “Rule #6–All [radio-equipped] players must wear a green decal on the rear midline of their helmets to designate and identify them as having a radio helmet.” Not sure if the Niners plan to deviate from this or if the SF writer was mistaken — will investigate. … The Twins marked the one-year anniversary of the I-35W bridge collapse with a sleeve patch on Friday. … Here’s something you don’t often see: Rogie Vachon as a Canadien. That shot is part of Steve Dewing’s new hockey collection. And of course his baseball pics are as addictive as ever. … Speaking of great old baseball photos, Larry Wiederecht has turned up a killer collection. ” They’re all worth viewing,” he says, “but be sure to check out Catfish in black shoes (and not in spring training). Are these “workout shoes” or did they ‘go black’ every once in a while? And dig the lacing!” … Bo Baize sent along some scans from The Official Rules of Baseball Illustrated. The title’s a bit of a misnomer — it’s more annotated than illustrated, with an explanation of how each provision of the rulebook came about and historical examples of each section being enforced. The section on uniforms is worth reading. It begins here and continues here, here, here, and here. … Completely fascinating interactive media page here regarding the design history of the Olympic torch — high recommended. … Speaking of the Olympics, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington currently has an exhibit devoted to the Berlin Olympics of 1936. Michael Jaworski pointed me toward this excellent online version of the installation. … New football uniforms for Duke. Additional pics here (with thanks to Mark Williams). … Matt Lesser notes that the U. of Cincinnati is still using Nike practice jerseys, despite having signed a deal with Adidas. … Ken Clark says the Majestic outlet store in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, is a good source of uni bloopers. “I’ve seen home logos on road jerseys, wrong team sleeve patches, etc.,” he says. “I’ve come across four or five of those problems in six or seven trips out there.” … Great socks on display in the Japanese National High School tourney (with thanks to, of course, Jeremy Brahm). … Interesting question from Matt King: “How come the Angels never have to change dugout jackets? Majestic brings out new jackets every three years or so, but the Angels haven’t changed their two-models-old design (red striped-collared premier jacket that teams slapped American flags on after 9/11 and short-sleeve red gamer jacket with logo on right chest) in many years. Can you shed any light on this?” Anyone know more? … Robert Saietta has come up with an awesome eBay find: a game-worn Philadelphia Freedoms uni (that’s World Team Tennis from the ’70s, gang). … Robby Cano went high-cuffed yesterday — a new look for him. … Excellent article plus embedded video here about the Nebraska equipment staff. … Braves first base coach Glenn Hubbard has been risking a fine by wearing an American flag decal on his coaching helmet, plus it looks like he may have something written on the helmet as well (screen grab courtesy of Matt Hiett). … Matthew Kurs-Lasky notes that Willie Harris’s NOB has a first initial, even though there’s no other Harris on the Nats roster. I assume there must have been another Harris earlier this season, yes? … You don’t normally see NFL players wearing game socks during training camp, but look and Larry Johnson (with thanks to Greg Riffenburgh). … Anyone who thinks I’m the only one with logo creep issues should scroll down to the “My Two Cents” item at the very bottom of this page (with thanks to Orlando Rodriquez). … This really needs to stop. … Good observation from Lou Sherwood, who writes: “You’re always commenting on how artists still portray ballplayers with stirrups, even though just a few brave souls still wear them, but what about umpires? How many times do you see umpires being shown using the old outside mattress chest protector? I mean, the NL umps started using the inside protector a hundred years ago! It’s been almost 30 years since any MLB ump used the mattress, yet look at Sunday’s Beetle Bailey comic. I bet you can find a thousand such examples.” … Still more about the Celtics’ championship banners, courtesy of a reader who prefers to remain anonymous: “I have a friend whose brother works in the Celtics’ front office. He says the NBA has asked the Celtics to have the new banner (and ring) read, ‘2008 NBA Champions’ instead of ‘2008 World Champions.’ Wyc kindly told the NBA something to the effect of ‘I already have 16 banners that say “World Champions.” Enforce your rule with a team that doesn’t have a legacy.’” … According to this article, at least one university professor is concerned that Speedo’s LZR swimsuit is designed to be worn so snugly that it may pose a risk of circulatory disorders (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … Scott Mason sent along some pics from This book, two of which really stand out. First check out the astonishingly muddy conditions here (”football as it was meant to be played…in the mud left behind by a baseball field,” says Scott). And dig the gorgeous Yankee Stadium backdrop here. … Matt Powers spent the weekend in Cape Cod, where he caught some of the Pan-Mass Challenge. He spotted this rider wearing a jersey from the 2003 PMC, which was loosely patterned after a Red Sox jersey. … Reprinted from last night’s comments: Duke was doing the monochrome thing way back in 1962.
#1 by Kek on 08.04.08 8:10 am |
Paul, it appears you haven’t included the photo link in this entry of the ticker.
#2 by Paul Lukas on 08.04.08 8:24 am |
Thanks. Now fixed. Photo also viewable here:
http://farm4.static....
#3 by Billy on 08.04.08 8:27 am |
From the Baltimore Sun, Maryland might add achievement stickers to their helmets:
Other of Friedgen’s ideas are designed with team members in mind. The coach says he’s “kicking around” an idea to reward players’ athletic and academic achievements with Terps stickers to display on their helmets.
“I was thinking about a fighting Terp [decal]. I’d like to have an academic one and a football one. For example, if you don’t get to class, then I take the academic one off,” the coach said.
http://www.baltimore...
#4 by LI Phil on 08.04.08 8:32 am |
big congrats to vince!
g’luck with that
#5 by Kek on 08.04.08 8:33 am |
Cool. Outstanding photo… and yes, that’s clearly a zipper
#6 by LI Phil on 08.04.08 8:41 am |
hey manny…how do you really feel about sawks management?
#7 by Noah on 08.04.08 8:53 am |
Lenny Harris is the hitting coach for Les Nats.
http://www.dcpages.c...
#8 by Taylor on 08.04.08 9:06 am |
It’s the Duke Colts!
#9 by =bg= on 08.04.08 9:13 am |
http://msn.foxsports...
Maybe a patch issue here- they already have ‘Beach’ tho..
#10 by Ben on 08.04.08 9:14 am |
Paul- would you rather have the refs wearing pants with the big ass stripe, or shorts like they did at last nights Packers Family Night Scrimmage?
http://www.jsonline....
#11 by Sage Confucius on 08.04.08 9:30 am |
I had the exact same thought. The look just like the Colts. I wonder if they got a deal on the unis?
#12 by Stuby on 08.04.08 9:40 am |
Some observations about the Red Sox zippered jersey photo…
Going by the presence of bunting, it is most likely an opening day, all-star game or a World Series. Since everyone is wearing long sleeves, I would go with either an opening day or WS. That would also place it at Fenway Park. Since Ted Williams only played in 1 WS (against the Cards in ‘46), we can rule that out because that catcher does not look like a Cardinal (Cards had striped stirrups and a shoulder stripe at that time). Now we just need to figure out which AL team wore pocket flaps and pants piping during that era.
#13 by Milo on 08.04.08 9:45 am |
The Pedro Porthole sighting on Friday is a bit more nuanced than it may seem. Because of my UW conditioning, I took note that Pedro was fully buttoned during warm up and to start the game against Astros lead-off hitter Kaz Matsui. But then Matsui sent a (rare) dinger into the right field seats. By the time Pedro set his sights on number two batter Miguel Tejada, the porthole had presented itself.
#14 by Smed on 08.04.08 9:54 am |
As for Brenly and the orange - he may have worn that stuff in spring training. He was 27 when he first came up with the Giants, so it’s possible he was in spring training. Or in 1981 or 1982 wore them in the minors.
#15 by War Damn Eagle on 08.04.08 9:55 am |
“How come the Angels never have to change dugout jackets? Majestic brings out new jackets every three years or so, but the Angels haven’t changed their two-models-old design (red striped-collared premier jacket that teams slapped American flags on after 9/11 and short-sleeve red gamer jacket with logo on right chest) in many years. Can you shed any light on this?”
I think either Arte Moreno or Mike Scoscia refuses to change the jackets and stuff b/c they don’t like the new designs. They still use the old 3930 batting practice caps, the old windbreakers and cage shirts, and the older dugout jackets. I think it’s cool that they do this, but I wonder how they can get more each year for new players (or to replace wornout gear) if it’s an old design.
Recent acquisition Mark Teixeira wearing the old-model 3930 BP hat:
http://sports.yahoo....
Scioscia wearing the older model wind-breaker:
http://sports.yahoo....
#16 by Stephen on 08.04.08 9:56 am |
Ugh. I love my Yellow Jackets, and I am glad they are going back to the Old Gold, but those unis are just hideous! I had hoped for a more traditional look. About the only thing I do like about them is the yellow jacket logo on the collar.
~E~
#17 by Ricko on 08.04.08 10:00 am |
And it’s been the Iowa Steelers for, what, almost thirty years now?
College coaches have been known to do such things when trying to ressurrect a program. “Dress team like winners.” That’s how those Iowa uniforms came to be, anyway.
#18 by Chad Johnson on 08.04.08 10:01 am |
The Rangers announcers had a discussion last night about the different materials the jerseys are mad out of, and which ones would be cooler and why….
#19 by War Damn Eagle on 08.04.08 10:02 am |
Matthew Kurs-Lasky notes that Willie Harris’s NOB has a first initial, even though there’s no other Harris on the Nats roster. I assume there must have been another Harris earlier this season, yes?
Brendan Harris
#20 by Robert on 08.04.08 10:04 am |
Kudos to Moreno or Scioscia. It is nice to see that some folks won’t wear whatever is handed to them. Fight the power.
#21 by Ricko on 08.04.08 10:10 am |
Recent acquisition Mark Teixeira wearing the old-model 3930 BP hat:
http://sports.yahoo&....
Sure wish that was the color of the Angels game hats. Still having trouble getting used to them in red.
Those hats and navy sleeves. Yup, would like that.
#22 by chance on 08.04.08 10:14 am |
The Yankees did that for years - don’t know if it was Steinbrenner or Torre or a combination thereof, and now we’ll never know.
#23 by LI Phil on 08.04.08 10:15 am |
intersting…so…does he wear the FIOB because of coach lenny, or brendan harris, who last played for the nats in ‘06
i think the former, prolly
#24 by Scott on 08.04.08 10:16 am |
Watching end of Rays-Tigers yesterday and noticed that the Tigers pitcher who blew the game was wearing one of those titanium necklace things and it had an MLB logo attached to it. Have they always had the logo? It looked like a charm and was located behind his neck.
#25 by Karl J. Anderson on 08.04.08 10:24 am |
In regards to the Twins’ wearing the 35W patch on Friday night-I thought it was odd that the starting battery for the Twins (Joe Mauer and Nick Blackburn) were patchless. However, some players (Scott Baker) had the patch on his pull over and Ron Gardenhire had the patch on his pull over (ala the “34″ patch that was worn in 2006 for Kirby Puckett). No pictures as of yet. Also, last week both Brendan Harris and Carlos Gomez were wearing high socks with the dreaded phiten logos.
#26 by Matt McD. on 08.04.08 10:25 am |
That picture of “The Kid” is from Opening Day @ Fenway Park, 1947 vs. the Washington Senators. Sox won 7-6.
#27 by Karl J. Anderson on 08.04.08 10:27 am |
Here is a picture of Gomez with the socks…
http://www.startribu...
#28 by Karl J. Anderson on 08.04.08 10:29 am |
Mauer, without the 35W patch:
http://sports.yahoo....
#29 by Stuby on 08.04.08 10:34 am |
“Dressed to the Nines” clearly shows the Red Sox wearing a zipper-front as a home option in ‘47.
http://exhibits.base...
#30 by Helmets Match Pants on 08.04.08 10:35 am |
I was a bit disappointed in the Hall Of Fame Game.
I thought the Redskins might go with no logos on their helmets in honor of Jim Zorn since the Seahawks didn’t have any logos on their helmet in their first season.
#31 by Kek on 08.04.08 10:44 am |
really? That’s news to me. Do you mean just in training camp?
I’m looking on that Seahawk history page linked on the right side of the page and I don’t see any evidence of a logo-less Seahawk helmet.
#32 by Ricko on 08.04.08 10:45 am |
Not being contrary. Honest. This says ‘48, but could be the PRODUCT is from ‘48 using a ‘47 photo.
Just trying to help get it figured out.
http://cgi.ebay.com/...
#33 by Giancarlo on 08.04.08 10:47 am |
This is the first I’ve heard that. Not the way I remember it.
#34 by Kerry P on 08.04.08 10:48 am |
I doubt it has anything to do with wanting to look like the Colts. The new coach at Duke is David Cutcliffe, who coached Eli Manning at Ole Miss. Notice any similarities with the Duke unis?
Also, just look at the last link in the ticker today, look familiar? Yes there are similarities, but I’m not too sure he was thinking, “Hey, let’s look like the Colts and maybe we’ll play better!”
#35 by Ricko on 08.04.08 10:52 am |
Seems like Indians changed hats about every year in early 50s. Here’s a ‘53 card. probably showing ‘52 hat, which is identical to the Reds’ at the time.
http://cgi.ebay.com/...
Always thought there was a period when Indians and Reds must have bought gear from same Ohio supplier or something cuz their hats leaped about from navy with red wishbone, navy with red wisbone and red visor, navy with red wishbone edged in white with red visor..etc., etc.
Look through Reds and Indians baseball cards of that era sometime. Will drive you crazy trying to figure out what was what for what year. I know. I tried.
#36 by Ricko on 08.04.08 11:02 am |
i agree. I was just pointing out I know that’s why Iowa went to the unis they still wear today. Hayden Fry said he wanted the kids to feel like winners, so he dressed them like winners.
As to Duke, yeah, they’ve worn shoulder loops before. That’s why I posted that old S&S cover. Love that helmet (yuk). My high school team wore something like that. So did Ohio State and the original NY Titans.
#37 by LarenR on 08.04.08 11:04 am |
I watched some of that game. Why did some of the players have a green dot on the back of their helmet? And what was the smudge in the middle of it?
sorry…just kidding. I couldn’t resist starting off the football-on-tv season…
#38 by joe on 08.04.08 11:09 am |
the really odd part is the photo itself as a 1946 date on it.
#39 by Ricko on 08.04.08 11:11 am |
btw, and I know I’m probably almost alone in this, but I frickin’ LOVE the Ole Miss’ football unis. The Navy jersey, not so much the red one.
Was so nicely quirky that for many, many years, they wore a royal blue helmet with that ensemble (see Archie Manning era).
http://www.victoryco...
http://vault.sportsi...
Later helmet, when figure added (like the huge numbers?)…
http://img458.images...
#40 by Sarah on 08.04.08 11:13 am |
The reason Andy LaRoche might not have FNOB on his jersey is because his brother Adam is currently on the DL, and if I am not mistaken might be on it for the rest of the season, therefore having no need for FNOB for the remainder of the season. (It is Steelers season in Pittsburgh, the Pirates are lucky to have the final score covered…)
#41 by Andy--01 on 08.04.08 11:14 am |
Looks like Glen Hubbard’s helmet says “HUSTLE” to me. Sounds like something that a coach would write on his helmet.
#42 by Paul Lukas on 08.04.08 11:15 am |
’48, too. Not sure how I missed this. Thought I checked closely. Obviously, I did not.
#43 by Ricko on 08.04.08 11:15 am |
Let’s readdress something here…why does anything think the Seahawks had no logos on helmets their first season?
Maybe, yes, as someone noted, in training camp but…
(Anyone remember that Ahmad Rashad was an original Seahawk? Was in camp with them–have no idea what number he wore, had been 27 with Bills–but was traded to Vikings because Seahawk offensive genius Jerry Rhome said Rashad, “Wasn’t the kind of receiver who’d fit in with our offense.”)
#44 by LI Phil on 08.04.08 11:21 am |
you’re not alone in that, ricko…i love them too…more so the blue jersey than the red…too much crapola on the red one (bowl game?)…perhaps eli’s current team could take a pointer from that
…don’t get me wrong, i think the g-men’s gray pants are wonderfully quirky, but as mr. lukas pointed out so well in an earlier espn column, the g-men could do so much more with just a few tweaks…
anyone who didn’t read that article, i highly recomend it…even if you only look at the pics
#45 by KT on 08.04.08 11:28 am |
I know that we all here enjoy a good uni-related digression between a play-by-play guy and an analyst, but, seriously, if you watch the Cubs enough, you come to realize that Kasper and Brenly talk about extraneous shit all the time and ad nauseum.
1-1 game in the 8th and they’re off on a tangent. And when Brenly can use 12 words, he uses 24 as if he gets a bulk discount. It’s just annoying as all hell.
/rant
#46 by Ricko on 08.04.08 11:31 am |
Didn’t early 50’s Giants wear red jerseys with those blue helmets? I alwas figured the red road trim harked back to that, even after they went to royal at home.
Current Giants gray pants are two different time periods, aren’t they? Three narrow stripes with white jerseys are late 50s, and royal-around-red tricolor band with royal jerseys is early to mid-60s style pants.
I guess I like the red-trimmed white just cuz is so true to that era…and is a uniform few of us ever got to see in color on TV.
#47 by KT on 08.04.08 11:35 am |
You know why? Topps cards of that era didn’t show helmet logos.
Zorn’s rookie card (I think that’s his rookie card, that’s the first year I ever collected sports cards) doesn’t show him without a helmet, but this Steve Largent from the same era (not the same year) shows a blank helmet.
So it’s possible that if you weren’t around in 1976 and have only seen football cards from that year, you’d think the Seahawks didn’t have a helmet logo then. But they did.
#48 by Taylor on 08.04.08 11:35 am |
Me too. I think the Ole Miss football jerseys are the best in college football. They are simple yet modern. Just classy all the way around. Definately underrated.
#49 by Ricko on 08.04.08 11:36 am |
Ohmylord, something just occured to me.
If Favre ends up with Vikings…
Bret Favre in black shoes.
That might be a first for entire football career.
#50 by Ricko on 08.04.08 11:40 am |
Check other cards from that set. Now that the subject comes up, seems to me there was a set where all helmet logos (or at least some of the teams) were airbrushed out.
#51 by Ricko on 08.04.08 11:42 am |
sorry, KT, we said same thing.
—Ricko
#52 by Ricko on 08.04.08 11:43 am |
Ah, the first year Bucs with their light orange numbers edge in red. That was flipflopped for second season.
http://bucpower.com/...
#53 by Ricko on 08.04.08 11:46 am |
a better look…
http://vault.sportsi...
#54 by Stuby on 08.04.08 11:48 am |
Here’s a shot of the red numbers edged in orange…
http://www.bucpower....
#55 by Chad on 08.04.08 11:50 am |
love the socks here really shows how much soccer is growing in the US
#56 by Giancarlo on 08.04.08 11:50 am |
ALL sets from the ’70s did this for all teams. It really bugged me as a junior uni-watcher at the time.
#57 by LI Phil on 08.04.08 11:54 am |
not sure if we covered this way back when, but has anyone seen the ‘possible’ tampa bay ray alt uni top for ‘09?
better than that batting practice shit they’ve worn at least twice (prolly more) this season
#58 by Stuby on 08.04.08 11:57 am |
That color scheme and hat immediately brought to mind the new Days Inn logo:
http://www.wyndhamwo...
#59 by Dana on 08.04.08 11:59 am |
Paul,
Will you be doing a college football preview this season in your ESPN column, where you detail all of the uni changes that each team makes?
#60 by Ed on 08.04.08 12:12 pm |
Good article from 2/1. As a Giants fan, I like the red numbers and sleeve stripes because they stand out better. However, I think the \”NY,\” the Reebok Logo, and the NOB should be in blue, keeping traditional elements as-is and providing a nice contrast and some actual azure in Big Blue\’s road jersey. Also, the home pants should always be worn since that stripe matches the helmet color and stripe design.
That\’s my $0.02. Maybe some photoshop mock-ups will follow… Truthfully, I don\’t think their road uni will change for a while. After all, they won a Lombardi wearing it.
18-1!
#61 by Kek on 08.04.08 12:24 pm |
I think this was covered here before, but I don’t think that’s the case if you look at this post: http://community.pos...
#62 by Greg V. on 08.04.08 12:25 pm |
It is just as boring as their current uniforms, but I like it. Would this be the first baseball uniform to feature a geographical location that is neither a city nor a state? I can’t think of any, but it’s monday and I could be missing a really obvious one.
#63 by Tom on 08.04.08 12:26 pm |
Not uni related, but I was driving through Tampa yesterday, and apparently The NYY “Legends Field” is now “George Steinbrenner Field”?
Beleive it or not, they spelled out the entire name on the green highway sign too, the sign must have been 30 feet long.
#64 by Ricko on 08.04.08 12:27 pm |
Unfortunately, nothing looks good on that crappy sketch. That figure has the body of 50 year old biology teacher.
But, either way, that’s a bad looking uni.
Raise your hand now: Who’s sick of this damn “alternates” busines, especially when includes some spazzy special hat? I mean, maybe a home hat and a road hat, and one dark colored jersey for a change of pace. But that’s enough.
For example, Twins, please oh please burn those sleveless things? Okay?
And Texans (NFL not immune to this epidemic of haphazardness)…all red? Um…no. Please, no. Win some frickin’ games first.
#65 by Don on 08.04.08 12:28 pm |
IIRC, this was because Topps only had rights to the players and team names, but not to the logos. The Fleer sets from those years had the rights to the logos, but did not hold the Player’s Association rights. That’s why the Topps sets did not show helmet logos (until the Rams players in 79 and all teams sometime in the early 80s) and the Fleer sets showed team “highlights”. I don’t know why the Rams all had helmet logos in the 79 set.
#66 by Jim on 08.04.08 12:32 pm |
Are you talking about having ‘Tampa Bay’ on a uni? Because the lightning have it on theirs as well.
http://www.sportsboo...
#67 by KT on 08.04.08 12:38 pm |
Yeah, it was strange. For a time towards the end of that era, they did show like half the Rams’ logo (as you see here).
But probably the worst one was when they turned a member of the chain gang into a New England Patriot with some not-so-subtle image retouching (I’d say Photoshopping, but that didn’t exist then).
#68 by Chad on 08.04.08 12:39 pm |
doc ellis’ no hitter gets #2 on this list http://www.cracked.c...
#69 by Stuby on 08.04.08 12:40 pm |
Well, Greg was talking about baseball uniforms specifically. I can’t think of any Major League teams that do it, but there are probably a few Minor League teams.
#70 by KT on 08.04.08 12:41 pm |
First Major League one, maybe.
Not the first one in sports, I don’t think. If the New England Whalers, Revolution or Tea Men ever had “New England” on their shirts.
The CBA had a team in Massachusetts called the “Bay State Bombardiers,” so they may have had “Bay State” in there somewhere. Which is a state, but not the official name of a state. Or the Golden State Warriors.
#71 by Giancarlo on 08.04.08 12:44 pm |
Yes. That (in my opinion awful) Rays’ design always makes me think of a corporate motel chain. Similarly, the D-Backs’ wordmark always brings to mind a family-oriented theme restaurant and sometimes the Indians’ wordmark evokes an old-timey gas station.
#72 by Ricko on 08.04.08 12:44 pm |
I assume u mean other than when Tampa Bay did it in the past
http://exhibits.base...
#73 by Marty Met on 08.04.08 12:47 pm |
Southern California Sun of the WFL in 1974 and 1975.
Memphis Tams of the ABA. Tams stood for Tennesse, Arkansas, Mississippi.
#74 by Ricko on 08.04.08 12:47 pm |
A quick addendum to Ole Miss football unis discussion…
Those royal helmets were so light, that watching on B&W TV back then I was thinking maybe they were red.
Here you’ll see what I mean…
http://www.mmbolding...
—Ricko
#75 by Billy on 08.04.08 12:48 pm |
They had “Tampa Bay” on their roads from ‘98 to last year.
#76 by Jim on 08.04.08 12:52 pm |
Oops, he did say ‘baseball uniform’. Guess I should read a little slower… my bad.
#77 by hott rodd on 08.04.08 12:52 pm |
Do team names count?
The ‘Rockies’ ?
#78 by Ricko on 08.04.08 12:53 pm |
One of the players pictured on this page made a key play in one of the most famous(”infamous”) pro football games ever.
Who…and what game?
http://www.mmbolding...
#79 by Mark W on 08.04.08 12:54 pm |
Willie Harris wears the “W. Harris” on his jersey because the Nats battng coach is Lenny Harris.
Brendan Harris last played for the Nats in 2006; he was sent to Cincy in a mid season deal (the Nats got Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez and Ryan Wagner; the Red got Bill Bray, Gary Majewski, Harris, Royce Clayton and Daryl Rasner).
Willie Harris was playng for Boston in 2006, and played in Atlanta in 2007. He signed with the Nats this past winter.
Lenny Harris is the Nats hitting coach who was not a player in 2006. He retired after the 2005 season and became the Nats hitting coach in 2007 after Mitchell Page left the job because of personal reasons.
#80 by Jake on 08.04.08 12:55 pm |
What about the twins? Have their uniforms ever read twin cities before?
#8