The big surprise about Portland, at least for me, is that it turned out to be the best neon signage town I’ve encountered in years, or maybe ever. Everything was beautifully, magically aglow and awash in deco details — not just the stuff you’d expect, like coffee shops, pizzerias and other eateries (also look here, here, here, here, here, and here), theaters (see also here and here), bars (also here, here, here, and here), arcades, bowling alleys, motels (here’s another, and wait until you see the one I stayed in), and hotels (one more here), but also less obvious candidates like bakeries, florists, pharmacies, vacuum cleaner shops, car services, the Salvation Army, the local homeless shelter, hardware stores, rug stores, paint stores (here’s another), sportswear shops, apartment houses, and dry cleaners. Anchoring all of this is the magnificent “Made in Oregon” sign, which stands sentry over the Burnside Bridge (for further details on this sign, look here; to see literally thousands of additional Portland neon photos, look here).
I don’t mind saying, however, that Collateral Gammage and I chose arguably the best neon sign in town for our motel: Behold the Palms. Is that totally the shit or what? And dig that crazy monkey! Go, monkey, go!
Kay’s is also no slouch in the neon department, and that’s where a contingent of Uni Watch readers gathered two Sundays ago. Here’s a quick recap:
• The suggestion to use Kay’s as our venue came my ESPN.com colleague Rob Neyer, who lives just a few blocks away. He wore a Benny Distefano jersey — supposedly game-used, although Rob said he was somewhat dubious of that, since it fits him so well (he’s a small-ish fella, much like myself). Thanks again for choosing such an ideal venue, Rob — much obliged.
• The man, the myth — ladies and gentlemen, this is Jeremy Brahm, and I can honestly say it was a thrill to meet him. He said he wore the Rangers jersey as a welcoming gesture to his NYC guest (i.e., me) — isn’t that nice? He also brought along a ton of Japanese baseball literature, as well as his college volleyball jersey (rear view here). Thanks for everything you do, Jeremy — you make Uni Watch a better place on a near-daily basis.
• Matthew Lindley wore a Spokane Chiefs jersey, flashed his Washington State logo tattoo, and displayed a keen knack for the well-time punchline.
• That wasn’t the only logo tat on display, as Travis Demers lifted up his 1995 Braves jersey (complete with Pedro porthole action!) to reveal a Yankees mark. Travis had interviewed me on his local radio show a few weeks prior to my visit, and it was a treat to meet him in person.
• Jeff Anderson and Keith LaFortune both had the guts to show up wearing regular clothes instead of jerseys — good for them.
• Here’s Ryan Wantland, co-principal of the excellent Pennant Race Gear T-shirt operation, one of Uni Watch’s new sponsors. I invited him to bring some tees along to sell if he wanted, but he declined, explaining that he didn’t want to turn the party into a sales pitch. Classy move, Ryan.
• Matt Parker wore an Ivory Coast soccer shirt because, as he explained, it’s hard not to root for a country that suspends its own civil war for a soccer match.
• This is Rian Davis, wearing a Seattle Rainiers cap.
• These were all really great people, but the star of the show was unquestionably Scott Little, who drove down from Longview, Washington. He supplemented his pillbox Angels cap and U. of Oregon bowling shirt with a No Mas tee, plus he brought along a big box of show-and-tell goodies (see also here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). And here’s the kicker: As we all kept asking, “Whoa, where’d you get that?,” his answer was always the same: “Thrift store. Paid about six bucks for it.” I was a little skeptical about this claim, but I had a follow-up rendezvous with Scott a few days later, and now I’m a believer. More details on that in a subsequent blog installment, probably later this week.
As always, it was a kick and a privilege to be able to meet my readers. Big thanks to all who came out, and for all the kind words — much appreciated.
Duck Season: Speaking of the Pacific Northwest, yesterday I received this photo from reader Matt Dorsch, who said he found it on a Washington Huskies fan site. “Whoa,” I thought, “the diamondplate is now reflective!” Matt said the NOB lettering was supposedly reflective as well. Intriguing, but I hadn’t heard anything about this, so I called Oregon’s athletic dept., where media relations rep Andy McNamara told me the shoulder trim and NOB lettering on this uni design have always been reflective. “Nothing new about it,” he said. “But it usually doesn’t show up unless the light is hitting it just right.”
Hmmmmm. Everything about this feels fishy. On the one hand, I don’t recall seeing or hearing anything about the Oregon uniforms being reflective. Could this be a big surprise they were planning to unveil on Saturday, and now that it’s leaked they’re trying to deny it, just to preserve the surprise? On the other hand, I repeatedly asked Matt to give me the URL of the page where he first saw the photo, and he hasn’t responded, which makes me question the photo’s authenticity. If anyone knows more about any of this, let’s hear it. (Update: Several readers have now confirmed that the jerseys have always been reflective. My bad for not having realized this.)
Uni Watch News Ticker: This has to be filed in the “Rumor” category for now, but Chris Josephson, who’s part of the Rangers’ TV crew in Arlington, checked in last night with the following: “I’ve heard from a few different people in the press box that the Rangers will have a few jersey changes next year. First off, none of the jerseys will say ‘Rangers’ anymore — every jersey will have ‘Texas,’ just like the current road grays and blue alternates. There’s also talk of a red alternate being thrown into the rotation. No word on what it will look like. I personally hate the idea of a red jersey, but fans have been calling for red’s return because the Rangers haven’t made the playoffs since the team got rid of the red about 10 years ago.” … You can see a short video clip of the Twins’ “Minnestoa” typo here. … Odd scene last night in Baltimore: Before the start of the Orioles/Chisox game, the two teams picked up a suspended game from April 28th — except the first 11 innings of that game had been played in Chicago. So the O’s were technically still the road team, but they wore their home uniforms, and the Sox wore their black alts. The two teams wore those same uniforms again for the regularly scheduled game. … This shot shows John McCain and Olympic gold-medalist Misty-May Treanor at Sunday night’s Marlins/Diamondbacks game in Arizona. The weird thing, as Corey Zoldan points out, is that May-Treanor is married to Marlins catcher Matt Treanor, yet she gladly donned the home team’s jersey instead of wearing her hubby’s colors. Pretty weak. … Latest Nike conspiracy theory can be found here (with thanks to Matt Shevin). … Next time you’re pissed off at the postal service, just blame Flying Elvis (great find by Adam Hutchison). … James Blake is a big Mets fan, so he wore this warm-up top while entering the court for his U.S. Open match yesterday and then wore this shirt, complete with a sleeve logo, during the match itself. Very nice, but it’d be even nicer if Blake would ditch the black (big thanks to Brinke Guthrie and Jonee Eisen for the screen shots). … Meanwhile, Blake’s opponent, Donald Young, used a Sharpie to black out a swoosh on his cap (credit L.I. Phil). … Some cheerleading uniforms at an Ohio high school violate the school’s dress code (with thanks once again to Brinke).
#1 by Jim MI on 08.26.08 8:51 am |
Montreal Canadiens have a logo for their 100th season.
http://canadiens.nhl...
Pretty good as logos go. Simple, that’s good. Also like how they used the font from their away jerseys. It is going to be weird seeing that at center ice for a whole season rather than one of my favorite logos…
#2 by LI Phil on 08.26.08 9:07 am |
nice photos from the northwest trip…any ladies make the trek?
and i know it’s a bowling shirt, but the funny fold makes it look like mr. little is a member of another team…heh
#3 by Kevin M. on 08.26.08 9:07 am |
Why is he blacking out the swoosh on his hat when you can see the swoosh on his shirt?
http://farm4.static....
#4 by Kek on 08.26.08 9:10 am |
Regarding the Oregon Ducks and the reflective jersey, I know nothin of that situation specifically but I want to counter with another case of reflective gear.
The sneakerheads in here may be able to back me up on this but I had this pair of Air Jordan XIII (http://www.deadstocked.com/shoes/136002062.htm).
You can’t tell in that photo but the entire side of that sneaker, save the red suede parts, is reflective. When I had those shoes, there were photos of me and the shoe looked completely different because of it. I’m assuming the reflection came from the way the camera flash hit the shoe and I’m wondering if that’s the case with this Oregon photo (although it looks REALLY bright on that jersey).
I don’t ever recall any of the lead up to that sneaker release mentioning the reflective nature of the side and at that time, my college years, I was much more of a sneakerhead than I am now and I really kept track of trends, releases, etc. I’m sure I could be forgetting but who knows.
#5 by Peter Wunsch on 08.26.08 9:12 am |
Re: O’s-Sox suspended game:
All of today’s standings show the O’s as a one-game losing streakj (they won the suspended game). Don’t the stats for the suspended game count as 4/28 and therefore the O’s have lost at least the last 4?
#6 by House on 08.26.08 9:14 am |
Why would Misty May-Treanor wear the jersey from her husbands team when she was invited to throw out the first pitch by the D-backs. Common sense please.
#7 by Kek on 08.26.08 9:18 am |
A few notes about Distefano.
1. I’m not sure how big Neyer is, but that jersey is obviously from an era when the gear fit a little more snug. That coupled by the case that Distefano was pretty much an average sized guy, I think it is possible but who knows. That whole “game worn” line of business is suspect.
2. Paul, since you’re a lefty, I’m surprised you didn’t mention something very unique about Distefano’s career.
#8 by LI Phil on 08.26.08 9:19 am |
great catch…but it depends on which standings you look at…
they even said on SC that since the o’s “won” the game on 4/28 (suspended make-up), they were, at that time, .5 games up in the ALeast…so, by that logic, the game should count for 4/28 (and not 8/25), and therefore, as you deduced, should be on a 4 game losing streak attm (as shown in the espn standings linked above)…i guess your local paper (or wherever you saw the 1 game losing streak) isn’t “up” on the scoring of a suspended game
#9 by Billy on 08.26.08 9:21 am |
I can’t find a picture, but I can verify that the diamond plating and the NOB on the Oregon uniforms have been reflective for a while now.
#10 by Chris in Nashville on 08.26.08 9:29 am |
I am still trying to figure out Young did that. I watched it live and he was blacking out the Dri-Fit logo on the bill and not the Swoosh on the front. I thought maybe it was because that Dri-Fit logo is reflective and maybe other players complain about the glare.
#11 by Chris in Nashville on 08.26.08 9:30 am |
Am I the only one who thinks that Misty May-Treanor would win any bar fight? That chick looks tough.
#12 by BuckeyeMark on 08.26.08 9:30 am |
am with Billy. got no picture but the diamondplate has always been that way - the last several years at least. whenever Oregon is on and I’m complaining about those horrible unis and I mention the diamond plate people say “what diamondplate?” and have to watch a couple of plays before a player turns just so and the sunlight hits it and makes it show up.
#13 by who cares on 08.26.08 9:30 am |
This article from August 2006 mentions the reflective diamond-plating in Oregon’s unis.
http://www.post-gaze...
#14 by =bg= on 08.26.08 9:33 am |
Yes, a busy night last nite, but can’t take cred for that Young Sharpie cap.
#15 by Chris in Nashville on 08.26.08 9:33 am |
I’m with Kek on this one. I had the blue version
http://www.deadstock...
On Senior Night during high school it looks like my feet are glowing in every picture. It’s crazy looking.
#16 by Billy on 08.26.08 9:33 am |
Found two pics that sorta show the reflection:
http://farm3.static....
http://farm2.static....
#17 by Original Jim on 08.26.08 9:35 am |
The diamond plating on Oregon’s football uniforms is indeed reflective. Again, it’s tough to tell unless you catch the light at the correct angle.
Another team with reflective decorations is Colorado. I found a number of pictures on Flickr where the numbers and pants striping were ultrabright from the camera flash reflecting off them.
#18 by Taha on 08.26.08 9:36 am |
that would be jersey number 520 in your programs!
#19 by Jim MI on 08.26.08 9:38 am |
About all the neon signs… you sure there’s not a city or township policy where your store sign HAS TO BE neon? Becuase in a Detroit suburb called Bloomfield Hills, all signage at the road has to be in black and gold.
http://www.mpadvisin...
That’s an actual sign off of Woodward Ave in Bloomfield Hills.
#20 by u2-horn on 08.26.08 9:40 am |
420, 520…whatever it takes
#21 by Taha on 08.26.08 9:42 am |
Why is John McCain’s hand below his heart? Is he using his hand to cover up the place where his American flag lapel pin should be but he didn’t wear it? I smell a conspiracy!
(please, it’s a joke)
#22 by chance on 08.26.08 9:46 am |
Thanks for the pics, Paul - I miss Portland.
Your photo of Kay’s sums up my memories of the city pretty well - pretty girl having a smoke, wet streets reflecting all that neon. Ah, college.
I’m a little disappointed that it appears nobody showed up in Portland Beavers gear - they have one of the best looks in the minors, and in the dugout could easily pass for a major league team.
#23 by who cares on 08.26.08 9:51 am |
Based on this Orlando Sentinel College Football preview I’d say he’s generally pretty perplexed when it comes to sporting events.
http://deadspin.com/...
#24 by Jim MI on 08.26.08 9:53 am |
Hell, they look better than half of the MLB…
#25 by u2-horn on 08.26.08 9:58 am |
His hand is closer to his heart than the other two.
#26 by Dan on 08.26.08 10:00 am |
I did notice the reflective diamond-plating on the Ducks last year. I generally only catch them when they play late, because those games are on FSN here on the East Coast…and it seems the night games, under the lights, are when I noticed it.
#27 by LI Phil on 08.26.08 10:17 am |
well…not to turn this into Poli Watch, but im pretty sure the folks who ran those two covers took more than one shot of each candidate, and im also quite certain there were some better pictures of both…
remember this gem?
….
/k…done w/pw
#28 by Teebz on 08.26.08 10:20 am |
That bar you guys were in looks remarkable like the one in Minnesota that we were at.
Did they have the Polish fare and polka tunes as well? ;o)
Looked like a great time, and I would have loved to be there!
#29 by Teebz on 08.26.08 10:21 am |
I need coffee before reading Uni Watch.
#30 by Matt B on 08.26.08 10:49 am |
Holy cats, I’ve stayed at the Palms, and was also mighty impressed by the sign. Too bad the sign is 10x better than the rest of the motel…
#31 by Kerry P on 08.26.08 10:51 am |
A friend of mine sent me a write-up someone did entitled “10 Things to Look Forward to for Football Season” and the #2 thing on the list I just have to share: #2 Chastising Wal-Mart Jerseys
Spot on!
#32 by Justin in AR on 08.26.08 11:00 am |
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! So awesome and very well said.
#33 by jh on 08.26.08 11:02 am |
To veer a bit off topic. What have the Bears done to allow Devin Hester to keep his #23? To refer to the case of Reggie Bush, the NFL has been particularly strict regarding it’s numbering policy. It Hester’s case, since he is now on the depth chart as a WR, shouldn’t he be required to wear a number in the 80’s or 10-19?
#34 by Juan Grande on 08.26.08 11:11 am |
If he’s still primarily listed as a defensive back (for special teams duties) then he should be able to avoid the receiver number. Since he’s not “first string” then he may be able to get away with it.
#35 by Kek on 08.26.08 11:12 am |
In a rare case, this might be the NFL making the right call when it comes to uniform numbers.
Rememember when the Steelers’ Ryan Clark was denied the right to switch to #21 to honor Sean Taylor because he was hurt during the last year and missed out on the tributes? We might have a similar case here, in that Hester has an established number that he’s worn for a few seasons. Hence, there is merchandise out there. By letting him keep #23, the NFL is avoiding the situation that would happen if, say, he switched to another number in that fans might feel the need to buy the correct jersey and us here in UW would spout our cynical diatribes about the league fleecing the fans.
To cite Reggie Bush is an apples and oranges comparison IN THIS CASE. Bush was an incoming rookie trying to change the system and the league denied. Sure, he wore #5 at USC and everyone knew that but as a pro, he had no brand equity (not sure that’s the right term but you get my point) in that number as he hadn’t played a game yet.
#36 by Surly on 08.26.08 11:13 am |
What I want to know is did Matthew in the Spokane jersey accidentally drop a pitcher of beer or anything, just for nostalgia?
#37 by Stuby on 08.26.08 11:14 am |
Maybe he got grandfathered in. They probably sell alot of merch. with the #23 on it.
The Reggie Bush comment got me thinking of all the other #5 RBs in college and how they have had to come up with a different number in the NFL. They all seem to go a different route…
Reggie Bush #25
Darren McFadden #20
Rashard Mendenhall #34
Edgerrin James #32
LaDainian Tomlinson #21
Garrison Hearst #23/#20
Larry Johnson #27
#38 by jh on 08.26.08 11:14 am |
There is no suggestion on any information release by the Bears that would include him anywhere on a defensive depth chart. He is officially listed as “co-first string” WR with Rasheed Davis.
#39 by Juan Grande on 08.26.08 11:14 am |
Turner Classic Movies channel is currectly (11:10 EDT) showing the original “Angels in the Outfield”. Lots of fantastic shots of old Forbes Field and old-school uniforms.
#40 by Mark N on 08.26.08 11:19 am |
For some weird reason, I believe that there is a rule that headwear worn during ATP events is not allowed to have any type of writing on them. Just a company logo that cannot exceed a certain size. Since Dri Fit is a corporate trademark, it must be removed. John Isner does the same black out job on his hats as well. I’ll have to dig to find the exact rule…
#41 by Jim MI on 08.26.08 11:21 am |
Wait, the NFL passing up an oportunity to have fans spend money on getting new jerseys? Doesn’t sound like the NFL I know….
#42 by Ricko on 08.26.08 11:24 am |
Players playing a position eligible to handle the ball aren’t required to change numbers because of position change. If they moved him to offensive tackle, then yeah.
The rule applies to the number a player is assigned when he first makes the club’s regular season roster. Technically, as a kick returner, Hester could have been assigned virtually any number under 50 his rookie year…and it wouldn’t change even some time later the Bears made him their starting quarterback. Now, if he WANTED to change it, that’s a different story.
—Ricko
#43 by Kek on 08.26.08 11:25 am |
Before I made my post on Hester I hadn’t thought of whether or not he was still listed as a DB. Of course they could mess with that and he could keep his number.
also, jh, you made the original post and you started with “To veer a bit off topic”. I didn’t think there was anything off topic with your question and as you can see it spawned some good responses. I just wanted to put that out there because we’ve been told about off-topic posting in the past few weeks. I would feel talking about uniform numbers is totally ON topic.
#44 by Banker Bill on 08.26.08 11:25 am |
Seeing that sign just gave me flashbacks to watching “8 Mile” - anyone see it and know what I’m talking about?
#45 by MPowers1634 on 08.26.08 11:27 am |
Sneakerhead Rebuttal:
For years, Nike has been using 3M material, originally with running gear and shoes. Over the years, thay have begun adding it to many different types of products, including Basketball kicks and football jerseys, remember Colorado last year?
#46 by interlockingtc on 08.26.08 11:28 am |
Ahh, Portland. I ended up in Seattle, but I remember when I drove up the west coast for the first time and came upon the Rose City, I thought, “I am supposed to live here.” Something about the place…: the way the light plays on the buildings, the pedestrian-friendly downtown, the greenery and, of course, the abundance of neon…Well, I still romanticize the western outpost that is Portland.
That “Pacific Coast Paints” photo is just loaded with rich imagery.
Nicely captured.
#47 by Mark N on 08.26.08 11:28 am |
I found it! http://www.atptennis...
Page 220
Allows only *one* corporate logo not exceeding 2 sq. inches on headwear. May Include writing.
#48 by Kek on 08.26.08 11:30 am |
Also, on number changes in the NFL, the only place it might make sense for the league to force the switch could be if a player changed from say a offensive lineman to a fullback or tight end. Sure they could report eligible but having to do that every play would become real tedious. I’m not talking about situations like how Vrabel plays on goal line situations, I’m speaking of the rare occasion when a player might make a permanent position change and normally this doesn’t happen at the NFL level.
Obviously the switch back to the O-line from a FB or TE position would probably require a switch back. I don’t think the league would want interior linemen wearing numbers in the 20s, 30s or 40s.
But to let Hester play WR with #23, I see no harm no foul.
#49 by Jim MI on 08.26.08 11:31 am |
FYI, Watched NHL network last night and saw North Stars vs Blues play. Thing of uni beauty.
This:
http://www.hockeyfor...
Versus This:
http://nhluniforms.c...
Made my day…
#50 by MPowers1634 on 08.26.08 11:32 am |
Another interesting bit about Hester:
For years, he was a Nike guy…This year, he signed with UA!
http://www.bizjourna...
#51 by Eriq Jaffe on 08.26.08 11:33 am |
According to the roster on the Bears\’ web site, he\’s listed as a PR/KR.
#52 by Kek on 08.26.08 11:34 am |
Paul, or anyone else, photography question:
How are you getting such good shots of neon signs at night? What settings are you using? Flash or not? Close and no zoom or farther back and zooming in?
I tried to take a photo of a sign recently and took several shots and just couldn’t get it to come out right.
#53 by Stuby on 08.26.08 11:34 am |
I think it was Aundray Bruce that once had to switch from #93 to #83 (with the Raiders, I think?) because he washed out as a defensive player and they moved him to TE. The permanent position changes do happen, but they are rare. Even more rare when it is a #1 overall draft pick like Bruce.
#54 by Paul Lukas on 08.26.08 11:34 am |
Agreed. Anything uni-related is on-topic, even if it doesn’t relate to the lead entry of the day or the current discussion in the comments.
#55 by GoGoSox on 08.26.08 11:35 am |
Does anybody remember some time ago in the ticker there was mention of a high school kid in Arizona who got his high school to wear the Indiana candy-stripe pants. I ask because IU just signed a kid from Arizona who said he was a big IU fan from way back. Wondering if it is the same kid.
#56 by MPowers1634 on 08.26.08 11:45 am |
and computers:
http://www.huffingto...
#57 by MPowers1634 on 08.26.08 11:48 am |
Almost as good as softball guy!
http://www.youtube.c...
#58 by Kek on 08.26.08 11:53 am |
Wow Stuby, I honestly did not know that (in my best Johnny Carson voice!)
In another direction, what about Jim Jenson? He played a long time with the Dolphins, wearing #11 and this well pre-dated the liberalization of the WR numbering. Wasn’t he drafted as a QB but played just about every position but that? I recall him primarily as a WR but also and RB and a special teamer. But as long as Miami listed him as a QB (and I’m sure he could play in an emergency role) he could wear #11.
#59 by Kek on 08.26.08 11:58 am |
Another point, when did numbers in the 90s come into play, or maybe a better question is: where the 90s used in the NFL prior to the numbering rules?
I ask because at every level of football other than the NFL, numbers in the 90s are eligible for receivers. Some schools use the 90s to denote Tight Ends.
Also, in the days of old, numbers in the 80s were used more to denote defensive linemen. Some colleges, notably PSU and Bama, still issue DL 80s from time to time.
#60 by LI Phil on 08.26.08 12:01 pm |
very true, angry young guy…but…at least mccain can SPELL ;)
#61 by Ricko on 08.26.08 12:02 pm |
One more time. A veteran player who has been rightly assigned a number for an “eligible” position won’t be asked to change it because of a change to another “eligible” position. Not while he’s with the team that assigned him the number. If he changes teams, that would be different.
Had the Falcons moved Micheal Vick to running back or wide receiver he would not have been required to change his #7 while with the Falcons. Not by the Falcons, not by the league.
Jets could move Favre to tight end, and league would let him stay #4…while with the Jets, anyway.
Has nothing to do with being assigned the number before the new numbering codes. Has to do with it being “your” number once it’s been properly assigned.
#62 by MPowers1634 on 08.26.08 12:09 pm |
Nike Dunks:
http://www.skiptomys...
Air Max ‘97:
http://images.niceki...
Air Jordan V:
http://www.pickyours...
Air Max ‘95:
http://i259.photobuc...
When Colorado played FSU last year, great pics were taken that show the 3M reflective material:
http://www.youtube.c...
http://seminoles.cst...
#63 by Ronnie Poore on 08.26.08 12:15 pm |
i remember back in the ’60s Fred Biletnikoff was #25 and Don Maynard of the Jets was #13…these guys were what we today refer to as wide receivers, but if you look on a roster from 1968 it’ll list these guys as “FLANKER”. maybe the Bears are bringing back that old position.
#64 by JeffB on 08.26.08 12:16 pm |
I always really enjoy the reports from the road trips and seeing the unique things people choose to wear.
Teebz, Kay’s did look like Nye’s, didn’t it? I thought the same thing even before reading your comment.
I hope there’s another Minneapolis meeting in the not too distant future. I really enjoyed the last one.
#65 by Ricko on 08.26.08 12:24 pm |
Back then an eligible number was good about anywere. Dan Abramowicz was 46, Lennie Moore 24, Bobby Mitchell 49, Tommy McDonald wore 25, 29, 8 and 9, Paul Warfield 42, Reggie Rucker 33, Ahmad Rashad 28, Lance Alworth 19, Elmo Wright 17, Gene Washington 18, Kyle Rote 44…wide recievers all of them. Bob Tucker was a tight end, 36. QB John Hadl 21, QB Charlie Connerly 42. All over the map.
#66 by chance on 08.26.08 12:30 pm |
The NFL didn’t formally cofify the number-by-position system until 1973.
#67 by chance on 08.26.08 12:31 pm |
Ugh.
Make that “The NFL didn’t formally codify the number-by-position system until 1973.”
#68 by Kek on 08.26.08 12:32 pm |
It’s a shortened form of flankerback, and can be used to describe the WR, in a traditional two back, two receiver, one TE set, that is OFF the line of scrimmage (and hence, can go in motion). The WR on the line, that cannot motion would be referred to as the “Split End”.
I think FLANKER is still used for termonology purposes but not as a descriptor of the position. For example, I think some systems use X, Y and Z to describe the flanker, tight end and split end (in old terms). I guess you hear the term “slot receiver” but that’s used more with three WR sets.
I guess for the media, fan purposes, etc, a WR is a WR but folks that know football know that the two are very different positions.
On a related note, I love watching old NFL Films shows where the receivers still get into three-point stances at the line. I think FSU did this on the college level relatively recently.
#69 by Ricko on 08.26.08 12:33 pm |
You had a meeting at Nye’s? Sorry I wasn’t around for that. Drove right past Nye’s Sunday around noon after softball. Decided to head downtown and check progress on Twins’ and Gophers’ new faciltities. Looking forward to both.
—Ricko
#70 by Kek on 08.26.08 12:41 pm |
[blockquote]One more time.[/blockquote]
Sorry Ricko, as one of the primary posters on this topic, I wasn’t aware this was addressed before.
[blockquote]Had the Falcons moved Micheal Vick to running back or wide receiver he would not have been required to change his #7 while with the Falcons. Not by the Falcons, not by the league.
Jets could move Favre to tight end, and league would let him stay #4…while with the Jets, anyway.
Has nothing to do with being assigned the number before the new numbering codes. Has to do with it being “your” number once it’s been properly assigned.[/blockquote]
Wow…I’d love to see that officially in writing somewhere from the league. Ricko, you’ve forgotten more unis than I could ever wish to know but in some cases, I just can’t see that being true.
Maybe in a case like Vick, he’d be allowed to keep #7 as a WR/RB. But the rare cases where a skill player might go to the line, I can’t see that happening.
For instance, if the Giants would have said to Lorenzen, “OK, you’re too big for QB, you’re a guard now” I can’t see the NFL being OK with him wearing #12 in the interior line.
I guess these cases would rarely, if ever happen so maybe the rule is written without considering this type of situation.
Also, the team and/or player might use common sense and make the number change on their own.
#71 by Kek on 08.26.08 12:45 pm |
#72 by Paul Lukas on 08.26.08 12:48 pm |
And how:
http://www.uniwatchb...
#73 by Ricko on 08.26.08 12:48 pm |
And it wasn’t as rigid as today’s. A wideout (esp. if—but not necessarily—playing flankerback; the first of which was #47, btw, Elroy Hirsh) still could wear pretty much any number 1-49 or 80 to 89 cuz was technically a running back. That’s why you’d still see things like Biletnikoff (25) and Cliff Branch (21) in same starting lineup)…or both SE and FL wearing numbers in the 80s (Swann, 88; Stallworth 82).
#74 by chance on 08.26.08 12:51 pm |
In that situation, Lorenzen would be moving from an eligible position to an ineligible one. So in Ricko’s scenario, he would be required to change his number.
#75 by Jim MI on 08.26.08 12:54 pm |
Hey no fair! Detroit hasn’t had one yet!!! :)
#76 by Beeker on 08.26.08 12:54 pm |
Interesting - it also says that on the bag, towel and other equipment \”Standard manufacturer\’s logo plus 2 separate commercial I.D.\’s each not to exceed 4 sq.in.(25.8 sq.cm)\”.
So how do they get away with the oversized te