|
|
Archive for December, 2008
Got a note the other day from reader Mike Williams (that’s him at right), who informed me a of a fun DIY project he’d recently undertaken:
I had read early last summer that the Twins’ base coaches had been wearing throwback helmets while on the field. I loved the concept and decided it’d be great if my hometown Pittsburgh Pirates adopted a similar look. But I wanted something a bit different, something less average, something less commercially available — something more pillbox-y.
I started by taking some head measurements and hat measurements using my replica pillbox cap. From those, I made a pattern, which I used to cut out a styrofoam mold. The mold was then covered with plastic wrap and petroleum jelly (as a mold release). I applied six or so layers of automotive fiberglass and polyester resin over the mold, one at a time. After everything cured, I pulled the helmet shell off of the mold, cut off the rough edges, and ground the edges into shape. Next came sanding and adding a little body putty to achieve a smooth finish.
After that I primed and painted the helmet — first yellow, then black (I used masking tape to mask the areas that would stay yellow). Several coats of clear followed. Lastly, I added interior padding, using double-stick carpet tape and some foam stolen from an old hockey helmet. Voilà!
I’m sorry I don’t have many step-by-step process photos. At the time I was doing this, I didn’t think it would be of any interest to anybody.
Great stuff. The final stage of the project, says Mike is “to get these things into the hands of the Pirates organization. Little effort and no progress have been made to date.” And that’s where Uni Watch comes in, because I know there are people in the Pirates’ PR office who follow this site. Hey, Dan Hart, these lids look pretty cool, don’tcha think? Let’s arrange to have your coaches wearing them in 2009.
Uni Watch News Ticker: While the rest of you were watching the second half of Sunday night’s Giants/Panthers game, I gathered with 10 friends for a major feast: the Bo Ssam dinner at Momofuku Ssam Bar. Lots of great food and drink, happy people, and good times, plus my friend Victoria Rich wore these awesome gloves, plus-plus she had these amazing Bettie Page buttons on her cardigan. Plenty of additional pics here. … Tremendous letterman sweater worn by the guy in the center of this photo. That’s the 1914 Jefferson School baseball team (courtesy of David Hill). … Jack Krabbe attended Saturday’s Cowboys/Ravens game in Dallas and documented one of history’s most disturbing displays of fandom. … According to this passage from Roy Blount Jr.’s book Three Bricks Shy of a Load, Dock Ellis “was once called upon suddenly to pinch-run. He ran out of the dugout wearing a Steelers warmup jacket. An umpire told he couldn’t run the bases dressed like that. So Ellis took off the warmup jacket and had nothing on underneath.” Sounds apocryphal to me, but a fun story nonetheless (with thanks to Joe Carney). … I have a feeling this is very old news for most of you, but I wasn’t aware that Dr Pepper was using a football-themed can design (with a reverse-field version for their diet product). … “After the WHL’s Portland Winter Hawks scored their first goal, fans tossed teddy bears onto the ice as part of a toy drive,” writes Dave Medina. “If you’ll notice they’re playing The Seattle Thunderbirds, and three of the four Seattle players have the same jersey, but the fourth (in the middle of the pic) is wearing a jersey seemingly featuring the team mascot.” Anyone know what that’s about? … Bizarre discovery by Matt Harris, who writes: “I was on the Jets web site, looking at illustrations of how the new stadium will look, and one view of the concourse area shows mock fans in jerseys and whatnot — including someone in green Strahan jersey.” Seems like way too many Pennington jerseys too, no? Must be an old illo, but that still doesn’t explain the Strahan thing. … Little-known fact about the Winter Classic jerseys: They make excellent cat pillows. Lots more “Awwww..!”-inducing photos here. … Now there’s an unusual helmet design. That’s Rancho Cordova High in California (as spotted by Scott Hansen). … Is Teemu Selanne’s injury due to Reebok’s excessively thin NHL socks? Yes, at least according to this article (with thanks to Paul Richard Cook). … “My grandfather, Joe Robson, loved his scotch and always kept it in this bottle, which is sterling silver on glass,” writes Justin Rectenwald. “He always told us that the bottle was stolen from the New York Athletic Club during Prohibition by his father, Earnest Walton Robson, a prominent NYC osteopath who was apparently a member of the ‘private club’ at that time. When my grandfather died, I got the bottle. I never did any research to confirm the story, but the bottom of the bottle has an etched logo similar to the one shown on the NYAC web site, which is good enough for me.” … Good catch by Jonathan Kinney, who spotted Adrian Peterson wearing an unusual mouthguard holder on Sunday (here’s another shot). Never seen this accessory before. Anyone..? … Remember how I mentioned this Cavs uni yesterday? Joshua Exline figures these shoes must but part of the package. … Cheesecake artist extraordinaire Rob Ullman’s latest masterpiece is this treatment of Eric Braun’s wife, Jinelle. … Anyone out there remember that some NFL players used to wear downhill skiing suits under their jerseys? I didn’t, until John Lesnick reminded me. … Very odd scene at Sammy Baugh’s funeral, where his football and ranching careers were represented sartorially (with thanks to Jason Brown). … Larry Johnson lost a shoe on Sunday (with thanks to Greg Riffenburgh). … The always-interesting Fleer Sticker Project devoted its Dec. 21st entry to this 1966 Browns/Redskins program. Note the stylized NFL logo at lower left — a major find! But that’s just the cover of the program. The interior pages feartured this Coke ad and two ads showing the Browns’ phantom “CB” helmet logo. Additional details, and many other treasures from the pages of this program, here. … Decal malfunctions last night for Lance Briggs and Roberto Garza (screen grabs courtesy of Tony Caliguiri). … Color-on-color games are becoming so common in college hoops that soon I’m gonna stop listing them — but not yet. That’s Vanderbilt and Furman from last night (thanks, Phil). … The 49ers will be wearing throwback uniforms and moustaches this weekend (thanks to Roger Faso).
December 23rd, 2008
Whatever issues you may have with the game of football — and I have quite a few myself — there’s no denying the one thing that elevates this sport above the others: No matter what the weather is, the game goes on. And thanks to the nasty weather blanketing the country yesterday, we were treated to some great cold-weather gridiron action, including a pair of snow games (additional pics here and here; seriously, is there anything as glorious-looking as a football game being played in the snow?) and several more games in frigid cold. Not quite the Ice Bowl or the Snowplow Game, but I’ll take it.
In other weekend developments:
• The EagleBank Bowl was doubly uni-notable, as Navy wore their newfangled uniforms (the ones that debuted in the Army/Navy game) and Wake Forest wore gold. Lots of photos here.
• USF went with white helmets for the St. Pete Bowl (additional pics here).
• Coupla notes from Aaron Wiens regarding the New Mexico Bowl: First, Dion Morton (who has a very odd NOB, despite being the only Morton on the roster) had his nameplate coming loose. And second, the officials were using red beanbags. “I have never seen this before,” says Aaron. “I don’t know if this is something new, something being tested or something just being tested during this bowl.” Anyone..?
• Also from the New Mexico Bowl: Several readers noted that this may have been the first instance of BLOB — bowl logo on back.
• The Cowboys wore this logo as a jersey patch on Saturday (and good for them for only using it for the last game, instead of all season long). They also had a ceremony featuring lots of former stars, but Mel Renfro’s jersey was clearly different from everyone else’s.
• Speaking of the Cowboys, Terrell Owens showed up for the postgame press conference wearing this cap. Anyone know what that logo is?
• The Redskins wore a “33″ hemet decal in memory of the late Sammy Baugh.
• Surprisingly, readers reported no significant helmet decal malfunctions yesterday, except for Mathias Kiwanuka losing one of his front helmet numerals (with thanks to Michael Romero for the screen grab).
• Color-on-color Condiment-on-condiment alert from last night’s New Orleans bowl, as Troy and Southern Miss created a ketchup vs. mustard tableaux (additional pics here). Southern Miss was actually penalized for wearing their solid yellows, because they were the road team and should have been wearing white.
Uni Watch Extracurricular Calendar: I’ll be making several live appearances early in the new year, all of them in Brooklyn and none of them uni-related. Here’s what’s on tap:
• Friday, January 16th, 8pm: The Forewords (my lecture/slideshow collaboration with Liz Clayton) will be performing at Cabinet magazine’s event space. For reasons not worth explaining, the room happens to be equipped with two very tall chairs, so Liz and I will have the fun of doing our thing from a lofty perch and you’ll have the fun of developing a crick in your neck — a win-win! Admission will be free; beer will cost money.
• Friday, January 30th, 8pm: Another Forewords gig, this time at the Sound Fix Records Lounge. We will not have tall chairs this time, but we may have a band performing either before or after us — not sure yet. Admission will once again be free, and there’s be a full bar, so you can buy us lots of drinks.
• Tuesday, February 3rd, 8pm: I’ll be one of the featured lecturers at the latest installment of Adult Education, the monthly-ish series of presentations on eccentric topics at Union Hall. The theme du jour this time around is “How To,” which I will address by talking about mousetraps — or, more specifically, the illustrations and other graphics on mousetrap packaging. Other speakers will include my longtime pal and Adult Ed curator Carrie McLaren (talking about how to raise an ape in your home), the very wonderful Mikki Halpin (how to be a super-fan), and some guy I don’t know at all named Eliot Glazer (how to read a Long Island high school yearbook, although I could tell you how to do that myself), plus there may be someone from the Graffiti Research Lab. Admission is $5.
Plus I’d like to convene a Uni Watch gathering in Brooklyn at some point in January. The dates I’m currently considering are the 17th, 24th, 25th, and 31st. Details to follow shortly.
Raffle Update: I’ve added two new prizes to the holiday raffle (plus I’ve changed the entry deadline from 10pm Wednesday night to 7pm). The updated prize listings, along with all other raffle-related details, are here.
Uni Watch News Ticker: TCU will be wearing a “45″ memorial decal tomorrow night in the Poinsettia Bowl, in memory of Sammy Baugh. … Good article here about how Jets center Nick Mangold plays without gloves. … The current issue of SABR’s Baseball Research Journal includes a good article on the history of MLB players who wear glasses. I’ve scanned the five pages and put them here. To read the article, click on the thumbnails and then click on “All Sizes” to get the pages at a legible size. … Very nice basketball patch available here. … Navy wore their newfangled uni and Wake Forest wore gold in the EagleBank Bowl (with thanks to Kevin Whisman). … Lots of points of interest in this old Raiders photo (with thanks to Greg Riffenburgh). … Kevin McMahon found a bunch of cool memorabilia from his dad’s days playing football at Wisconsin, including some ticket stubs, a shot showing Notre Dame’s shamrock decal, and a shot of his father making a tackle while wearing a primitive facemask. … Color-on-color alert: That’s St. Thomas Aquinas H.S. vs. Lakeland H.S. in the Florida Class 5A state football championship Friday night (with thanks to Wayne Koehler). … Check this out: Joe D. as a Brewer! “I’m guessing it was an offseason barnstorming tour in the late ’30s,” says Bruce Menard. … If you care about women’s soccer logos (don’t all jump at once), you’ll want to see this page (thanks to Mark McGinnis). … RIP, Dock. … OK, so I still can’t show you what the Mets’ Citi Field sleeve patch will look like. But there’s no reason I can’t show you this MLB 09 screen shot that someone else posted on the Chris Creamer boards. … Similarly, when I did my NBA season-preview column on Page 2 back in late October, I mentioned that there was “a very odd uni-based promotion from the Cavs” coming up but that I wasn’t allowed to discuss it yet. I still haven’t been officially green-lighted to talk about it, but now Michael Curry has spotted this bobblehead at the Cavs’ team shop, so I think it’s OK for me to tell you that the Cavs will be wearing this outfit (which, as you can see, combines elements from several designs from the team’s past) for one game this spring. It’s part of a fan-appreciation promotion called “Fan-Tastic,” or something like that. I don’t have the exact date when the uni will be worn, but I think it’s in March. … Jeff Katz sent along some scans of 3-D football cards from the 1970 Kellogg’s series. … Looks like Bobby Grich’s pants came unsnapped here. … Here’s an odd helmet design. That’s Centennial High, from California (with thanks to Damon Hirschensohn, who also scanned a bunch of cool old photos from a 1934 issue of The Record, the magazine of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity). … The Ravens don’t use first initials for Jameel McClain and Le’Ron McClain, but the first “c” is styled differently for the two players (big thanks to Ben Kelly). … Evander Holyfield and Nikolai Valuev both wore Adidas gloves for their heavyweight “fight” on Saturday. … NY1 is an all-news cable channel here in NYC. Like most news outlets, they put their logo on their reporters’ hand-held microphones. But Marc Beck noticed that one of their reporters appeared to have a DIY hand-drawn logo box the other day.
December 22nd, 2008
By Phil Hecken (with a Huge Assist from Teebz)
Quick NFL Uni Note: The Redskins will be wearing a “33″ patch today in memory of “Slingin’” Sammy Baugh
And so, today we continue with our ranking of the Best 9 new “Third” Hockey Uniforms. If you missed yesterday’s column ranking the worst new uniforms, click here. Let’s see what you think.
#9: New York Islanders: If there is a team whose fall from the top has been more painful, I’d like to meet them. The Islanders decided to bring back the look that carried them to four straight Stanley Cups, and it’s a good look. Except for the poorly-designed socks and off-colour pants. Ok, the jersey is nice. Johnny Flannagan thinks these have a “Nice look, great logo. A clean design, that I think should be the base for the Isles full-time jerseys.” Jay Palmer concurs, “Damn, these look good. While not exactly like the 1972 uni’s that they were supposed to represent; changing the numbers from orange with a white border to white with an orange border certainly improved the look of the uni. The whole uniform lost MAJOR points though with the socks. How hard is it to have the stripe completely go around the sock?” (Scroll down to see 360 degree overview.) Luke Mohammed agrees with the socks: “Not too bad, but why do the stripes on the socks just stop at the back?”
#8: Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks brought back a highly-popular look with the stink-in-rink jersey. However, they did alter the logo slightly. The jersey itself looks good, though, and the re-introduction of Johnny Canuck on the shoulder is an excellent look back at the team’s history before they arrived on the NHL scene. Sammy Barbour thinks that “On the Canucks, the blue and green colors look good, and the stick-in-rink logo is simple, but effective. “C” for Canucks, right? Add the shoulder logo with Johnny Canuck’s head and this is really cool.” Jim Thorburn feels they “Should have switched to this uni years ago instead of going with Shamu the Whale. Very nicely done, colorful, and unlike Toronto, they know how match logos on their pants. Glad to see Johnny Canuck makes an appearance on the shoulders as he is always welcome to show his face. Seeing they use these colors in their normal unis, they should have paid homage to another era of their history and made a third of the flying skate days and brought back the black, red, and yellow. I would have loved to see the ‘Flying V‘ jersey, but I think I am the only person on the face of the earth to be a fan of those.” Matthew Lepke concedes “Vancouver has always had loud unis, so this just harkened back (with slight tweaks) to the team’s early days at Pacific Coliseum. What I love about this sweater is the return of the Johnny Canuck character, featured on the shoulders inside the letter ‘V.’ Not only is this a nod to the city’s pre-NHL days, it’s a great alternate logo. You get the city name, a character associated with the team name (and Canadians, to some degree as well), and he’s even wearing a toque! I’m glad this is on the shoulders rather than as the main logo, though — perfect.”
#7: St. Louis Blues: Teebz really likes these jerseys. They have that same potential that Edmonton’s alternates had from a few years ago. The new logo has that old-time hockey feel, and the incorporation of the St. Louis Arch into the logo really gives it a distinct St. Louis feeling. As an alternate, this is the standard in which other teams should look to when they are designing something new. Jim Borwick feels St. Louis has a “Nice classy uniform that eschewed all the gawdy doo-dads that festoon most new Edge jerseys. However, if they wanted to pay homage to the arch why couldn’t that have been the whole crest? You don’t need the word mark (home fans generally know who they’re cheering for) and they already got a blue note on each shoulder. Overkill.” Andrew Merritt feels “Using the arch was an absolute coup. With the Blues’ resume of disastrous looks, this is the easy winner for all-time best Blues jersey. It’ll be the home sweater soon, I feel. Great touches, like the subtle color of the arch behind the logo to keep it from overwhelming it, and great, small uses of the yellow to give the sweater some vibrance.” Daniel McCue adds that “The Blues already have an iconic sweater, the featured eighth note (technically it’s a sixty-fourth note). While past prototypes echo the Ducks’ disastrous third sweater from 1995, the crest look is iconic and classy. I like incorporating the arch, though it makes me want McDonalds.”
#6: Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers already had a black home jersey, so they had to go back to the orange. Selecting the orange jersey from the Broadstreet Bullies’ days was a step that was unexpected. However, it’s a great step, and a good look for this team rich in history. Keeping the white nameplates like they did in the 1970s is an amazing addition to the historical aspects of these jerseys, but the Flyers need to decide on a font and stick with it. Jim Wooley says you “Gotta love the fact that they actually went FROM black TO orange — added marks for the white nameplate.” Sammy Barbour feels “Philly’s biggest mistake was choosing black uniforms to be their primary during the Edge transition. The orange is far superior, and the black should be their alt. As for these, I’m not a fan of the white nameplate. It’s not endearingly dorky or cool in a kitschy kind of way to me, just kinda stupid. It would be cool for a game or two, but over the course of a season, or multiple seasons, if this design sticks, people will probably get tired of it.” Luke Mohammed thinks it’s a “Great throwback, nice to see the orange back. But they look too new age/silly. I don’t know why. When I pictured the Broad Street Bullies, I think of big heavy orange sweaters, not thin, somewhat shiny jerseys. Nothing the flyers could do about that, though.”
#5: Edmonton Oilers: Edmonton gradually transitioned themselves away from the blue-and-orange of the 1980s into a blue-and-copper look by the mid-1990s. They had an extremely popular alternate uniform at the turn of the century, but the Oilers decided to stick with tradition on their new alternate jersey and go back to the look they wore in the 1980s. High marks for tradition and colour in this new alternate, and this new alternate jersey is nearly identical to what was worn by Gretzky in Edmonton. Jim Borwick objectively states that “Having grown up in Calgary watching Gretzky and his boys wear these to beat my Flames, I can’t help but hate them.” Jay Palmer also has memories of the Great One: “This brings back memories of watching Gretzky make his appearance at the Nassau Coliseum. This is back when I was young and stupid enough to think he wore ‘99‘ because his contract ran through 1999 (yes, I was young and stupid.)” Andrew Merritt loves them, stating, “You don’t mess with history, and when your history is particularly spectacular, you hold on to it. Beautiful colors, perfect hockey font, an absolutely great look, top to bottom. The Oil’s home and away sweaters are among the prettiest in the league, and this provides a perfect complement.”
#4: Chicago Blackhawks: They’ve worn a black alternate jersey before, so the Blackhawks went down the safe path and reproduced that look again. There have been other examples of black sweaters/jerseys worn by the ‘Hawks throughout their history, so they do have tradition on their side. The didn’t mess with their timeless logo either, and that’s huge. Overall, simple is better than tacky. Sammy Barbour feels “They didn’t take too much of a risk here. Black uniform, as they had before the Edge, symmetric to their red and white uniforms. Still, they look sharp. The primary logo is always great, and I’m a big fan of the shoulder logos — a “C” with crossed tomahawks.” Daniel McCue agrees: “Another classic sweater, Chicago commits to the Indian. It would have been interesting to see that as a shield (like St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Minnesota), but that might be sacrilege. It’s good to see the NHL back in Chicago again.” Matthew Lepke feels “The black alternate has been a staple since the heady days of the mid-90s when Starter and Nike roared into the game and started encouraging teams to go new directions with their sweaters, even if it just meant slightly different materials. I don’t consider Chicago to be on the black bad-boy bandwagon of the early 90s because black has long been one of their colors. The Indian Head will always be a classic, even if I grew up a North Stars fan hating Roenick and Belfour.”
#3: Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto has worn these alternates before, and, like Chicago, they went down the safe route with their new alternate jerseys. But to be honest, these are timeless as well. Teams with a rich history such as the Leafs should bring back their older jerseys for new fans to enjoy. Jay Palmer feels the Leafs are “PERFECT!!! The socks, the laces, the modern leaf on the pants (breezers) with the retro leaf as the crest is all great. When you pair that with a shoulder yolk (sic) and horizontal arm and waist stripes…it’s a thing of beauty.” Jim Wooley is a “Big fan of the retro style crest and this is a step up from the bland current style.” Jim Thorburn says “They have always used this version of a third so it was no big surprise when they released the design. One of only two teams to have only two colors on their unis and their third jersey is no different. Once again, the classic shoulder yokes make for a very easy uni to look at and I love that they stuck with the menage a trois of stripes on their socks. Little annoyed that they have a historic logo on the jersey but still have the modern logo on the pants. Wake up people; it’s a fashion faux pas not to match!”
#2: Montreal Canadiens: The number of historical jerseys worn by the Canadiens this season can be summed up with one word: beautiful. These jerseys are precisely how hockey uniforms should look, and the Canadiens have always had a classy, timeless look. Montreal has certainly earned their place on this list. Matthew Lepke asks, “Has Montreal ever had a sweater that wasn’t classy? I can’t remember any. They’re ultra-clean, the rouge numerals stand out with the bleu/blanc outlines, and there aren’t any weird, out-of-place adonrments on the breezers or socks that don’t look traditional. In short, they’re everything we’ve ever expected from a Habs sweater.” Sammy Barbour agrees that “Pretty much any uniform that this team wears is classic and beautiful. It’s hard to go wrong with red, white and blue along with a legendary logo, and all the throwbacks are good to see. A historic team, and historic uniform.” Likewise, Jim Thorburn states, “I swear your put that logo on a tree stump and I’d buy it. Such a classic and historic organization when I heard they were coming out with a line of jerseys for their 100th season celebration I had no worries because you know they’d go historic and they would be done accurately and beautifully. All the thirds were done so nicely that it makes me want to tune into every MON game to make sure I don’t miss any action.”
#1: Pittsburgh Penguins: Another team that has used history to their advantage. The Penguins were nothing more than an easy two points when these jerseys were worn in late 1960s, but they were resurrected at last season’s Winter Classic, and they have been flying off the racks in Pittsburgh stores ever since. They are gorgeous, and completely different than Pittsburgh’s normal black-and-Vegas-gold look. As an alternate jersey, the votes in the informal poll show that this jersey is the winner. Well done, Penguins! Luke Mohammed loves them, but “Being a Pens fan I’m a little biased, but these jerseys are perfect. They represent such a different third look for the team (hence the name, third jersey) and they reflect their history. The baby blue is sharp and as much as the joke of a franchise Atlanta Thrashers would like to think so, baby blue belongs to the Penguins. However, I hope this stays only a third jersey and black and gold remains the primary.” Jim Borwick feels that “Even though they went retro they made a gutsy move by sticking with a decidedly unmanly colour. Just try selling a batch of baby blue in this day and age.” Johnny Flanagan says, “I love this jersey. If I didn’t hate some of the current cast members of the team, I might even purchase one. When I first heard “baby blue,” I wasn’t so sure how well it would look. However, this jersey is an absolute home run. I generally like classic-looking circle shield logos.”
OK. That’s it. Let’s hear your thoughts. And tell us what you really think!
December 21st, 2008
By Phil Hecken (with a Huge Assist from Teebz)
A few weeks ago, Sports Illustrated came out with a “ranking” of the new NHL third (alternate) uniforms. Many of us, particularly members of the UW Hockey Wing, disagreed with those assessments. With that in mind, I sought out members of that forgotten branch of the UW world, along with Hockey Wing President, Teebz, to compile a much more accurate listing of those thirds. The rankings have been derived by taking the responses I received to my survey, and averaged to come up with a rank. We’ll list them in reverse chronological order (worst to first) over the weekend, beginning with 19-10 on Saturday, and 9-1 on Sunday, along with comments from those who participated in the survey. Big thanks to everyone who submitted their lists! If I somehow forgot you, I apologize. And be sure to check out Teebz’ blog if you get the chance. Absolutely amazing stuff there! — Phil
First, I want to say thanks to Phil for putting this whole thing together. While I know some of you cringe whenever the hockey wing starts blabbing, I’ve always maintained that hockey sweaters/jerseys are the best uniforms in sports. However, as we’ve seen over the last few years with the introduction of Reebok’s designs, there have been some very questionable and very poor designs that have been put out on the ice. Thanks to Phil’s yeoman work, the hockey wing has tabulated the results of some informal polling, and we present to you the 19 alternate uniforms that the NHL unveiled this season from worst to first. I’ll be making a number of comments throughout the article, so please be gentle in destroying my credibility. Enjoy, and I look forward to the comments! – Teebz
And with that, President Teebz and Phil give you…the Worst Alternates of 2008-09. Agree? Disagree? Think we’re full of shit? Be sure to let us know what YOU think!
#19: San Jose Sharks: The blackest of the black jerseys was showcased by the San Jose Sharks. The black jersey doesn’t bother Teebz, as seen before on the Sharks, but the complete sell-out of an entire uniform set does. Naming these uniforms “BlackArmor” to help promote a portable hard drive made by Seagate, a partner with the Sharks, is the equivalent to European hockey jerseys. Why not just sublimate “Seagate Systems” on the back hem? As a North American professional sports team, selling an entire set of uniforms to a company is the lowest move one can make, and San Jose gets the lowest position for it. Jim Thorburn weighs in with this: “Pretty sure how the brainstorming for this uni went: Guy #1: SHIT! We forgot to make our third jersey for this year and the design is due in 30 seconds. Guy #2: QUICK! Just take our current jersey, make it black and add a tail to our logo! BAM! Done!” Not everyone hates the new Sharks unis, however. Matthew Lepke lets it be known that, “The BlackArmour thing never bothered me. It’s Silicon Valley, and I write this at a computer set up with three Seagate drives — so maybe my brand loyalty is blinding me. I really liked the original black alternate — the teal and white offset the black body well. Not having a stripe at the hem has always bugged me with this uni, though — it leaves the sweater looking unbalanced, especially when worn by anyone off-ice.”
#18: Atlanta Thrashers: The University of Atlanta Thrashers really went for a collegiate look. Not only does it appear that they’re using basketball jerseys, but there are almost no design aspects that anyone can work with. Simply put – horrible. Why couldn’t they do something like this? (credit Teebz for that mockup!) UW reviewers were not kind. Jay Palmer states, “Do I really need to tell you why this is possibly the ugliest uniform of all time (in ANY sport)? I don’t even know where to begin (other than firing the designer)…so use your imagination and pretend that each player is skating in their underwear; at least that would be an improvement.” Daniel McCue agrees, “I think this sweater is a metaphor for the franchise. Atlanta and hockey fans deserve better.” Johnny Flanagan hates it as well, “This is awful. Simply awful. The shoulder logos are stupid, the chest logo looks awful, the sleeves look ridiculous, and the colors are simply not nice to look at. How did this happen!??! I’m surprised they didn’t make this jersey black. Imagine that!”
#17: Carolina Hurricanes: Red and white? Ok. A touch of black? No problem. But to go completely black and incorporate gray as a secondary colour? Epic fail. Anyone who blacks out their primary logo deserves a failing mark, and that’s exactly what Carolina has earned with this alternate jersey. Oh, and try using a little colour (Teebz’ rendering again). Johnny Flanagan opines, “This jersey wins the prize, for being the worst alternate in all of hockey. First, it’s black. Secondly, I understand what they are trying to do with the main logo, but what’s the point in the triangle behind it? Thirdly, you can’t really see the shoulder logos…Looks like bird shit. The design across the bottom is ridiculous…There is no silver square hurricane flag. It looks like a Mexican Indian design, not the bottom of an NHL hockey jersey. Awful, awful, awful.” A little kinder was Jim Wooley, who simply states, “Apparently they should have two flags as the logo, but still, it’s a bit of a bore.” Jim Thorburn, however, was not: “Carolina Tropical Storms! If you’re going to use a flag as your secondary logo at least make sure it’s the RIGHT FUCKING FLAG! And did they run out of red dye for the bottom? The gray squares just seems out of place to me…Should have thrown Hartford a bone and did a Whalers throwback, but coming from an organzation that uses the wrong flag, they probably would have used a dolphin and not even noticed…”
#16: Ottawa Senators: A nickname? Really? That’s the best the Senators could do? For a team with a rich history of prominent sweaters, why not use their secondary logo of the “O” like they did in the 1930s? Or perhaps one of the logo patents they registered in Canada? Nothing says “beer league” like a nickname. Sam Barbour feels “It’s black. It has a lot of random color blocking in red and white, creating a random whirl of colors on the ice. The crest is a boring wordmark, and it’s an abbreviation of the team name. Ottawa has two perfectly good Senator logos — use them.” Andrew Merritt was more emphatic in his description: “Worst. Decision. Ever. The Sen’s have such a great color scheme, and a mascot that lends to plenty of great options — hell, even setting up a contract with Warner Brothers and going with a black-crimson-white Marvin the Martian would have been cool. Instead, we get what looks at best like one of those knockoff ‘fan jerseys‘ clueless parents buy for their kids because ‘it looks sharp.’ Hey Sens, you see that flag you’ve got on the shoulders? Next time, USE THAT!”
#15: Phoenix Coyotes: Teebz is a fan of the sand and brick red colours they have in their colour scheme, so someone needs to explain to him why they went black. The new shoulder patch is alright, but what is that thing on the front? Border collie? A rabid animal? A Red fox? Luke Mohammed remarks, “An ugly logo, as well as going black for the sake of black = ugly. Plus, two different shoulder patches, come on. They also wear it with their red helmets.” Jim Borwick agrees with the anti-black sentiment, “‘Hey, lets use black and a logo that kinda looks like our primary logo but is a bit different.’ Bad idea.” Jim Wooley simply asks, “Is that roadkill on the front?”
#14: Tampa Bay Lightning: The good on this jersey is the return to the blue colour. The bad is the nickname. The Tampa Bay Bolts? We’re sorry, but the franchise is called the “Lightning“. Always has been. Always will be. Whoever thought putting “Bolts” on the jersey needs a kick in the nuts-and-bolts. Matthew Lepke states, “Ugh. Lee. Ugly. This is what casual hockey fans and other non-initiates think of when they think Florida hockey? It’s too bad; I liked the updated logo. How much does one venture to guess that the same designers on this project were given the Ottawa job? This sweater wouldn’t pass for a senior league team, let alone an NHL club. I really don’t like the half-moon stripes on either side of the chest; will someone please make them go away? The stripes on the sleeves don’t match the body hem stripes, and this looks dumb. I’m glad Melrose doesn’t have to coach a team that occasionally looks this bad.” Less effusive in his praise was Daniel McCue, who remarks “‘BOLTS’ Really? Maybe they blew their design budget on Mike Smith’s new ‘Saw‘ helmet.” Finally, some good news, as Jim Borwick feels “This uni had the most imagination put into it. Team nickname, new colour — too bad they used such a cartooney typeface. Why not lose the side piping and put a bolt down the front? Shazam! That’d be nice.”
#13: Dallas Stars: We’re almost certain that if you create a white jersey in the same design as your home jersey, you have a road jersey. But Dallas calls it their “alternate jersey“. Wouldn’t this jersey be an alternate since it, y’know, looks different than the other two? Sam Barbour feels “SI put these at the bottom of their list, and I’ll admit that they are pretty boring. But it’s white: plain and refreshing. They could have done worse. I’ve always liked the Stars’ colors and striping pattern, and I do here as well.” Luke Mohammed doesn’t understand “Why people hate this jersey. Here are their complaints: ‘It’s boring‘…ok, the other end of the spectrum is to be busy/ugly. ‘They’re white’…if they weren’t white they could be black; wait, everyone hates black jerseys though. ‘They’re made for the road, which is bad marketing’…Shame on them for not doing everything for money. What type of asshole in this day and age doesn’t do something to maximize their money? These jerseys are simple, sharp and classy.”
#12: Los Angeles Kings: Instead of playing like a good team, the Kings decided to pretend to dress like one. This is a great uniform. This is a cheap, $1-bargain-bin knock-off. See the difference? Bonus marks, however, for bringing back the mid-90s helmet stickers. Jay Palmer thinks “Maybe the Kings will win games because opponents will fear being touched by the repulsiveness that is this jersey. Shoulder yolks (sic) should end at the shoulders…not go all the way down to the wrist. The crest doesn’t work at all and quite frankly the rest of the uniform is just ‘blah.’” Andrew Merritt thinks “The Kings have sucked pretty hard since switching to the purple, so I don’t have a problem with harkening back to the Gretzky-era colors. The front crest is a little blah, but it still mostly works. It could have been a lot worse, and it doesn’t use any obvious purple, which is a huge plus.” Johnny Flanagan isn’t enamored with the “Stupid, boring logo. Who’s idea was it to have the letters ‘L.A.’ and a crown, inside home plate??? They were trying to have a clean, strong ’shield’ type of design. It came out looking simply stupid. The only way it could be worse is if they loaded it up with a bunch of purple.”
#11: Buffalo Sabres: Does it bother anyone else that the Sabres took a classic jersey from the 1980s, and replaced it with a hybrid of their new garbage? Bring back the royal blue and yellow! That’s how the Sabres should look – not this garbage with the navy and gray piping! Andrew Merritt likes them: “About as perfect as you’re going to see. The old logo and jersey never should have gone anywhere, and while the Buffa-Slug is still a disgrace, at least there’s some solace to be had in the Sabres’ classic third. My bet is that within two years, the third takes over as the home sweater, and with it comes a Stanley Cup. OK, the cup may take three years.” Matthew Lepke is amazed “How much Buffalonians have adopted the Buffa-Slug. On a recent trip to the city, I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people wore their team’s colors about town and on gameday, even if the new logo seems sub-par. Perhaps it’s a cathartic thing, as everyone looks to forget the dark days when the team was in bankruptcy after the Rigas family disaster, and a new look signifies the breath of life owner Tom Golisano brought to WNY (Western New York). Regardless, I’ve always been a big fan of the classic swords-and-charging-buffalo logo, and this is a solid update to that icon. I really dislike the strange silver half-circles at either side of the chest, and feel the same for the silver under the armpits, but barring these facets, I’m happy to see the Sabres once more wearing the blue and gold.” Jim Borwick feels the Sabres “coulda been a contender but adding the side piping and the ridiculous upper jersey number wrecks this one for me. Why do you need another small number less than 6 inches from the one on the sleeve?”
#10: Boston Bruins: Why do teams with black jerseys introduce black alternate jerseys? The Bruins could have done so much more with all the past jerseys they’ve had. We’re not saying they should have gone yellow like they did once, but why not a hybrid of a Bobby Orr/Cam Neely white jersey with an angry bear? (mockup: credit Teebz) Daniel McCue thinks there’s “Too much black. A yellow yoke (like the kid in the left side of the frame of the header) would move this up. I’m okay with a deviation from the ‘Spoked B.’ The NHL needs New England to care about hockey again.” Jim Thorburn opines, “If I saw the bear head make a reappearance on a BOS uni this year, I probably would have shot my TV every time I saw it. When organizations use logos they have in the past (plus it’s on their shoulders currently) show they are proud of their history. This is one of the few teams I give a ‘pass’ to for using a black third because they have always used black as one of their primary colors. Good uni, and glad they kept the ‘Spoked B’ within eyes reach and placed it on the shoulder. Maybe they could have used striping on the bottom hemline but I am happy the way it is now.” Jim Wooley was somewhat non-plussed: “I would have preferred a late 60s/early 70s throwback, but this is a nice look.”
Well, that’s the first batch. Let’s have at it!
December 20th, 2008
Big news on the Ricko front is that ESPN has given me the green light to do a video segment on our resident uniform archivist. Won’t happen until early next year, but until then he’s still got plenty of clippings to share. Por ejemplo:
• You probably know Wisconsin used to have that big “W” on the front of their helmet. But did you realize it was also on the back?
• More exterior-padded helmets, seen here worn by Baylor and Davidson.
• Here we see two different St. Olaf QBs wearing that odd facemask usually associated with Joe Perry.
• “Don’t know what kind of cleat this is,” says Ricko. “SpotBilt, maybe? From a 1969 Twin Cities area high school game.”
• Good view here of those oddly rounded Nebraksa uni numbers from the 1960s.
• I had no idea Miami once dressed like this — gorgeous! Let’s please see a throwback treatment of this asap.
• I also didn’t realize that Cal once wore Princeton-style sleeve stripes. That shot’s from 1961.
• Here’s color-on-color game from 1963. “That’s Navy at Minnesota, with Navy in navy, Gophers in maroon,” says Ricko. “I was at the game, by the way. Remember Carl Eller grabbing Roger Staubach by the facemask and flinging him like a rag doll (this was before the facemask rule).”
• Speaking of Staubach, here he is in solid gold (that shot’s from Army/Navy, 1962; note that neither team is wearing any white) and in the famous Jolly Roger game (more info here), along with Ricko’s index card from that game.
• I think we’ve discussed this uni element before, but it’s always worth taking another look at Ohio State’s very odd late-1960s TV numbers (also note the helmet numbers for Michigan). And hey, speaking of OSU, check out the uni number typeface here.
• And we conclude this round of Rickosity with a bunch of great shoulder yoke treatments: Ohio State, 1964, Purdue, 1968, Texas A&M, 1974, Tennessee, 1973, and Kansas, 1973.
Raffle Reminder: I’ve added an additional prize to the holiday raffle. The updated listing of prize offerings, along with all other raffle details, can be found here.
Uni Watch News Ticker: There’s a really thorough — like, really thorough — treatment of the Redskins’ recent jersey history here. You have to register for the site, but it’s free and totally worth it (with thanks to Brandon Diamond). … In the same vein as the 1972 Sunoco football stamp books, there’s this 1975 NHL stamp book. “In Philadelphia they were issued at Acme, and in Canada by Loblaw’s,” writes Mike Hersh. “Not sure where they were available in other markets.” … New logo and uni set for the Charlotte Stone Crabs. If any of the logos look familiar, Paul Barrett thinks it’s because the designs are cribbed from the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. … For years I’ve used this photo to show Kevin Seitzer’s facemask-equipped batting helmet, but now Andy Chalifour has found a much better view. Plus it turns out Seitzer wore the mask during his days with the Brewers, which I hadn’t been aware of. … Nice article here about the Winter Classic equipment managers (with thanks to Dan McCue). … Looks like the Washington Huskies may have new uniforms next season. … The Iolani Classic, a high school hoops tourney in Hawaii, has its own shoe (with thanks to Bill Sodeman). … Jennifer Muller attended the New Jersey Ironmen home opener and noted some very odd rear-jersey typography for the visiting Chicago Storm. “After the game,” she adds, “teams from the Jersey City Fire and Police Departments played in something called the Heroes Cup. The teams had ‘The Bravest’ and ‘The Finest’ as their NOBs. … Major douchebaggery news here. … Alan Borock points out that if Nick Swisher’s gonna Photoshop himself into a Yankees uniform, he should have erased the chin whiskers while he was at it. … Loads of old Packers/Bears photos now available on the Green Bay Press-Gazette site. These are from the 1940s, these are from the ’50s and ’60s, and this batch is from the ’80s (and includes the classic shot of Chester Marcol in glasses; all this courtesy of Jeff Ash). … Not sports-related, but this is some uni photo. … Check this out. That’s Habs netminder Carey Price test-driving some very old-school gear. Full details here, and lots of additional pics here (big thanks to Casey Barcomb). … This article about the Lions’ misfortunes was featured on ESPN’s home page last, night, accompanied by this photo. … Unusual scene last night in DC, as the Caps and Blues both started rookie goaltenders wearing plain white masks (with thanks to Joe Barker). … The Redskins will be wearing a “33″ memorial decal this Sunday for Sammy Baugh (as reported by Chris Willis).
December 19th, 2008
We’re all familiar with the Billy Ripken “Fuck Face” card. There’s a whole web site devoted to it, it’s the basis of a great No Mas T-shirt, and it was in the news again just last week.
Now reader Ryan Barto has found something similar on the knob of another player’s bat. He was recently looking through some photos he took prior to a Braves/Nats game last summer and noticed something he’d previously overlooked in a photo of Brian McCann. Here, take a look — classy.
Naturally, I went looking for other photos of McCann to see if this same inscription was visible during game action, but all I could find on the knob of McCann’s bats was his uni number. My hunch is that the bat with the anatomical graffiti was McCann’s BP bat. Anyone know if there’s some precedent for a player referring to his BP stick as his “dick bat,” or something to that effect?
Of course, the McCann photo isn’t appearing on a baseball card, so it’ll never become as legendary as the Ripken shot. But as of right now, it’s our own little Uni Watch “Fuck Face” moment.
Holiday Raffle: In the spirit of the holidays, and in an attempt to give something back to as many of you as possible, I’m doing a big holiday raffle with lots of prizes. Here’s what’s available:
• Lot 1: A free Uni Watch membership.
• Lot 2: A free Uni Watch T-shirt, your choice of size, color, and style.
• Lot 3: A Havana Sugar Kings T-shirt from Ebbets Field Flannels (here’s a closer look). Tagged as a medium, but it’s 22″ from pit to pit, which means it’s really a large.
• Lot 4: A copy of Benchclearing: Baseball’s Greatest Brawls by Spike Vrusho.
• Lot 5: A copy of Gameface, Hank Young’s book of gorgeous Kansas City Chiefs portraits (further details here).
• Lot 6: An official MLB Mother’s Day pink wristband.
• Lot 7: A pink Phiten titanium necklace (with Japanese packaging!).
• Lot 8: Six helmet decals from Athletic Decals, Inc. The set includes the official NFL memorial decals for Hank Stram, Pat Tillman, and Tex Schramm.
• Lots 9 through 12: Four retro-styled pennants from Mitchell & Ness. One pennant per raffle winner — choose from Reds, Tigers, Browns (the background is brown, not black), or Dodgers (that one’s black). Very soft felt with raised flocking — really nice.
• Lot 13: A pair of vintage cotton-flannel baseball pants, complete with really nice belt tunnels and patch pockets. Ricko gave these to me a few months back, but they’re too big in the waist for me, so they really should belong to someone who can wear them on the softball field (or just around the house).
• Lot 14: A tin of Farkas Original Eye Black.
• Lots 15 through 29: Thanks to an inside connection, I happen to be in possession of 30 pairs of Easton batting gloves. Most of them were manufactured for specific MLB players and feature embroidered names, numbers, or both. I’ve got 10 pairs of extra-large (including two with purple, which I can’t wait to get out of my house), 18 large, and two mediums, and I’ll offer them in 15 lots of two pairs each — your choice of sizes and designs. (And no, I’m not gonna list which name or number is embroidered on each glove, so please don’t ask.)
Lot 30: A “Trajan Sucks” T-shirt, size large.
Lot 31: A 2000 National Championship Game bean-bag teddy bear that erroneously lists Florida State as the national champs (FSU lost to Oklahoma in that game). “I used to work for the Collegiate Licensing Company, and this sample bear was sent to our office prior to the game,” explains the anonymous reader who donated this item. “Material like this isn’t supposed to kept by employees but I could not resist.”
Lot 32: Another “phantom” piece of national championship merch: a 2003 Oklahoma cap erroneously listing the Sooners as the champs (they lost to LSU). The cap was destroyed via a quick snip of the scissors, but that just adds to its backstory.
So there you have it — 32 prizes to choose from (and I may add a few more to the mix in the next couple of days). To enter, send a blank e-mail with your name in the subject line to the raffle address (not to the regular Uni Watch e-mail address, please) by 10pm 7pm eastern next Wednesday, December 24th. One entry per person, except for enrollees of the Uni Watch membership program, who can send four entries. I’ll announce the 32 winners on Christmas Day.
Uni Watch News Ticker: One of those Lou Dorfsman-designed Yankee Stadium vendor uniforms is available here (great find by Mike Hersh). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Wouldn’t it be ridiculous great if sensors could be embedded inside a football, or inside players’ gloves, so we could track the spot of the ball more accurately? Someone’s actually working on that, as seen in this video report. … Check out what the Winter Classic tickets look like. Love the die-cut top edge. … Did you know that the Akron Zips have separate corporate names for their stadium and for the field itself? I didn’t, until Nicholas Popczun told me. … Now that’s a lot of pinstripes. The jersey did not include the Citi Field right-sleeve patch, which will presumably be officially unveiled later on (trust me, you’re better off not seeing it until it’s absolutely necessary). I hate baseball uni numbers in the 70s, but I gather K-Rod chose 75 because his usual 57 is already spoken for. Nice to see that they used this cap for the press conference, though. Also, note K-Rod’s customized French cuffs. … Meanwhile, Mike Pelfrey had a new alternate uniform (and thanks to the beard, we didn’t have to see his tongue sticking out like he’s always doing on the mound). … “The Sunoco stamp entry reminded me of the McDonald’s Super Bowl series I used to have as a kid,” writes Todd Davis. “Big, huge photos, stats, recaps, and either rosters or lineups from each game in a glossy color booklet with awesome artwork. Don’t have them anymore, but I found one of the sets on eBay.” … The new Oregon football uniform has leaked (genius contribution from Luke Mohamed). … Alternates and throwbacks are both on the upcoming calendar for Dayton (thanks, Phil) … Catherine Reeder found an old photo of herself, circa 1976. Love those socks! … I don’t know what to say about this video of 1970s soccer fashions, except that it’s probably the video contribution of the year (big thanks to Dan Erhardt). … Several readers have already debunked the Wikipedia speculation that the Bills’ uniforms were based on a CFL design, but now an alternate theory has been put forward by a reader who prefers to remain anonymous: “I worked for the Bills during the 2000 and 2001 seasons when the team was in the midst of redesigning their uniform, and the person in charge of the uniform’s redesign was Julie Regan, who was the team’s director of marketing. Before Regan worked for the Bills, she was in charge of the Sabres’ merchandising — and was also in charge of that team’s uniform redesign in 1996. If you compare the old Sabres home jersey and the Bills’ white jersey, they both have the shoulder element, along with the alternate color nameplate and lettering over a different color number. The dark uniforms are both the same color in terms of lettering and numbering. The common thread is the same person was put in charge of the design, and so it’s not surprising they were trying to go for a similar look as the Sabres.”
December 18th, 2008
A few weeks ago, during my interview with Andy Hyman, there was a brief discussion of those old Sunoco NFL stamp albums from 1972, and I mentioned how I wished I’d kept mine. That wistful sentiment apparently struck a chord with reader George Fetkovich, who sent me a package that arrived on Monday. Inside was the album shown above (here’s a larger view), complete with the wrapararound cover illo and all of the stamps in place (some of them reinforced with endearingly yellowed tape).
“Your mention of the Sunoco stamp books motivated me to do battle with the myriad boxes of collectibles in my basement, where I found not one but two of the aforementioned treasures,” wrote George, who works as the art director for a Pennsylvania-based design firm. “’Tis better to share these homages to our youth than to let them gather dust, I say, so here it is. I was reluctant to peel off the label with my name, for fear it would do some serious damage to the front cover, but feel free to make it your own by trying yourself (or by covering it with one of your own, etc.).”
Actually, I’m glad George left the label on, and there’s no way I’d remove it — it’s part of the album’s story, part of its character. Same goes for the last page, where George filled in most of the NFL playoff grid that the Sunoco folks helpfully provided (although he left the Super Bowl entry blank, because he was so depressed after his beloved Steelers had lost in the conference championship round).
As I explained to George when I called to thank him, this is just the latest of many, many generous gifts that Uni Watch readers have given me. I’ll attempt to repay that generosity, or at least some of it, with a special holiday raffle later this week. Details in a day or two.
Meanwhile: New ESPN column today — enjoy.
Uni Watch News Ticker: New football helmet and logo next season for Mississippi State (with thanks to Prentice James). … What’s even worse than a stadium with a corporate name? An architectural rendering of a proposed stadium with “Naming Rights” on the exterior. Details here (great find by Brad Sillanpa). … Speaking of naming right: “Consol Energy will sponsor the new Penguins arena,” reports Chris Hilf. “This somehow earned them a jersey.” … Additional views of Japan’s WBC uniforms here (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … Lots of great sleeve stripes and other interesting details (including a positively surreal Labatt’s commercial) in this video clip of the 1967 Grey Cup player introductions. More good stuff in this 1971 Grey Cup highlight clip, including a sewn-on hand-warmer pocket and some shots of Joe Theisman playing QB for the Toronto Argonauts (all this courtesy of Eric Bangeman). … Remember when that construction worker buried a Bosox jersey inside the new Yankee Stadium? We now appear to have a copycat prank (with thanks to Patrick Truby). … Good article here on ice maintenance (with thanks to Jason Hillyer). … Check this out: Orioles uniform cookies! That’s from a Christmas card sent out by the Orioles’ Dugout Club, a local kids’ program (with thanks to Marc Nelson Jr.). … What’s that patch on the Eagles’ mascot’s shoulder? Chris Ashworth reports that it’s the logo for Acme Markets, a Philly-area supermarket. Do other NFL mascots wear advertising patches? … Interesting piece here about the IU logo being used in bars around Bloomington (with thanks to Christopher Falvey). … Lotsa stuff from Phil: Women’s Professional Soccer has inked a deal with Puma; the Buffalo Bisons, now Mets-affiliated, have a new color scheme and logo; some rinky-dink hockey league you never heard of is holding a logo contest; Vandy and USF went color-on-color last night; and Scottish officials have banned the traditional white medical coat. … Didn’t take long for that new Red Sox logo to make an impact (with thanks to Dan Lamothe). … Man, those Bulls alts sure are shiny (and as Phil points out, let’s hear it for that big Charlotte crowd). … Need some holiday cheer? Eric Borer has just the thing for you: a Dallas Cowboys holiday LP from the late 1960s. Details and downloadable zip files here (although Eric cautions, “I’ve downloaded the album and, frankly, the concept is a lot more entertaining than the actual music is”). … Reprinted from last night’s comments: The UTEP women’s hoops team has some seriously weird side panels. Those aren’t stars — they’re pick axes.
December 17th, 2008
Got a note the other day from reader Casey Lute, as follows:
I was leaving the Oregon State men’s basketball game this evening when I walked by their sports workout facility, only to see this sign that I snapped a photo of. In case you can’t make out the words, it says, “Official Apparel Must Be Worn at All Times,” followed by Nike, Diadora, and Asics logos. I’m sure this is probably commonplace among sports teams and colleges, but I’d never seen such a sign before and thought I’d pass it along.
That was particularly interesting in light of a note I’d recently received from another reader, who wishes to remain nameless:
I worked for Adidas over the summer, teaching at a sponsored sports camp, and one of my co-workers was a Notre Dame athlete. Most large universities have exclusive workout facilities for their varsity athletes that are not accessible to the general public or the general student population, and Notre Dame is no exception. He and another of my colleagues, who was an athlete at Minnesota, were having a discussion about the dress codes in theese private athlete weight rooms.
Apparently at Minnesota, each article of clothing being worn in the varsity weight room must bear either an approved school logo OR a Nike swoosh. This includes shirts, shorts, shoes and socks, plus any wristbands, headbands, etc. A fairly ridiculous policy for a facility that’s off-limits to the public. Now apparently, at Notre Dame, each article of clothing must display both a Notre Dame logo AND an Adidas logo, with the exception of shoes and socks, which do not require an ND logo. My co-worker was telling me that he has actually been asked to leave the varsity lockerroom and change because he was wearing a Notre Dame shirt (in the Notre Dame varsity weight room, as a Notre Dame athlete) that did not have an Adidas logo on it.
Again, this commitment to branding came in an environment that was completely closed off to the public, and where Adidas therefore derives almost literally zero advertising benefit, since anyone allowed in would already be a Notre Dame employee or a Notre Dame athlete (and thus would already be the beneficiary of hundreds and hundreds of dollars’ worth of free Adidas gear).
I could go on a long rant here about precisely what degree of corporate bullshit this all represents, but let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?
Oh, and it’s good to see that Notre Dame’s devotion to Adidas even extends to mascot hosiery. Whoo-hoo, great branding job, big Christmas bonuses for everyone, wheeeee!
Uni Watch News Ticker: Interesting Wikipedia note on the Bills’ uniforms: “[I]n 2002, the Bills’ white uniforms went through a radical change. The white uniforms include a red stripe on the sides and are dark blue along the shoulders of the uniforms, likely to mimic CFL uniforms designed in a similar manner due to the team’s large fan base in Canada as a result of Buffalo’s proximity to Canada.” As Austin Gillis notes, unattributed Wikipedia quotes are suspect by definition, but the CFL connection at least sounds plausible, no? … Japan’s uniforms in the World Baseball Classic will look like this (with thanks to, of course, Jeremy Brahm). … Now that’s a basketball uniform. Mike Burke found that photo while skimming through the L.A. Library photo archive. … According to a small item buried in the dot-dot-dot section of this article, LeBron James “was called for delay of game [on Saturday] because he was wearing three undershirts that he had to take off when checking into the game” (thanks, Vince). … Is Nike making slingshot attire now? Nope — that’s a protester from the recent riots in Greece. Full gallery here (with thanks to Harold Mellor). … Here’s something you don’t often see: a Cincinnati Swords sighting (with thanks to Adam Pratt). … The football team at Escondido High School in California wears black helmets — except for a designated “team leader,” who gets to wear an orange helmet. Details here (with thanks to Mike Hersh). … Pretty damn thorough video treatment of Orioles jersey history here, with the team’s cap history covered here (big thanks to Jack Krabbe). … Good spot by Doug Keklak, who notes that Petr Sykora apparently wears his wedding ring under his glove. Is this common among hockey players? … Tons of great vintage print ads on display here (with thanks to Carrie Klein). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: The “A” designation on the Flyers’ third jersey has changed typefaces. … Someone needs a sports bra. … Reprinted from last night’s comments: Instead of color-on-color, how about gray vs. white? That’s O’Connell and Bishop Ireton in DC high school basketball action.
December 16th, 2008
|
|
