I don’t often write about boxing, even though I’m a fairly big fight fan. But as you may be aware, HBO is running a documentary tomorrow night about the third Ali/Frazier fight, and I was able to get a DVD screener of the film, so that’s what we’re going to talk about today.
Let me get the yea-or-nay verdict out of the way right at the start: It’s a good film — you should see it. It captures many of Ali’s flaws (his womanizing, his truly reprehensible race-baiting, his constant need for attention, his casual cruelty, etc.) and provides some sad evidence of how Ali is still under Frazier’s skin today. There’s one scene toward the end that’s flat-out shocking.
But the film also falls prey to some pervasive problems that tend to afflict boxing coverage in general and Ali/Frazier coverage in particular. The biggest of these is what I call the “epic factor,” by which I mean the lazy tendency to fall back on melodramatic language like “epic battle,” “gladiator,” “battle of wills,” “heroic effort,” “punishing punches,” and so on. The HBO film is full of overheated clichés like this (although they don’t sound quite so bad because the narrator is Lieb Schreiber).
Boxing writers love to use terms like these, dressing the sport in the language of literary theatrics. They do this in part because boxing is high drama but also, I think, because it’s easier to ignore boxing’s inevitable moral questions if you drape it in grandiose language. Or to put it another way, if you express yourself in the most highly civilized manner, it’s easier to rationalize the fact that boxing really has no place in a civilized society. That’s why everyone loves it when bigshot intellectuals like George Plimpton or Joyce Carol Oates write about boxing — if they’re into it, it basically gives the rest of us tacit permission to be into it. That’s why the producers chose Schreiber, a well-regarded stage actor, as the narrator here: His job is to provide the moral cover, the artistic seal of approval, that lets the rest of us enjoy the guilty pleasure of watching two naked guys punching the shit out of each other.
This leads us to another problem with boxing coverage: “facts” that aren’t always so factual. Because boxing people love to create heroic, Homeric storylines, they tend to embellish things. Toss in the fact that the boxing world isn’t exactly full of the most honest or reliable people (or as Bob Arum once said, with a straight face, “Yesterday I was lying; today I’m telling the truth”) and you end up with a lot of myths, misinformation, exaggerations, and flat-out lies, the most prosaic of which get repeated and entrenched as part of the sport’s lore.
The Thrilla in Manila is a particularly rich source of such lore, much of which is parroted in the HBO production. I want to address two things mentioned in the film — one large, one small:
The party line: The Thrilla was a very close fight. In fact, when Frazier’s corner stopped the bout after the 14th, Frazier might have been ahead on points. The HBO film quotes several observers who say that if Frazier had gotten through the final round, the final result could easily have been a draw.
The lure of the lore: A close fight makes for a better legend. And remember, this was the third Ali/Frazier fight, and they had split the first two, so this was the “tiebreaker.” As dramatic storylines go, what could be better than a tiebreaker that could end in a tie? Makes for great theater.
The truth: Have you ever watched this fight? I have, many times, and I watched it again on Wednesday afternoon (if you don’t have it on tape or DVD, it’s easy to find on YouTube; here are the first two rounds, and the remaining rounds can be found in the “related videos” listing on the right). And this time, just to make sure my memory was accurate, I scored it. Now, Frazier was always a tough fighter to score, because he did so much body work, and body punches aren’t as visually evident or dramatic as head punches, so I made sure to pay extra attention to Frazier’s body shots while watching the bout this time around. Even so, I still gave only three rounds to Frazier — the sixth, ninth, and tenth. You could also make a case for Frazier, or at least for an even round, in the fifth and eighth. But Ali clearly won at least nine rounds. And two of those rounds — the 13th and 14th — were arguably two-point rounds, because Ali dominated so thoroughly. In short: This was not a close fight.
That’s the big issue. Here’s a small one:
The party line: By the end of the fight, Frazier was “fighting blind.” He’d suffered a training accident in 1964 that resulted in a cataract and had never gotten corrective eye surgery, so he’d always had very limited vision in that eye, and his good eye was swollen shut toward the end of the fight. That’s why he was staggered so badly in the 13th and 14th rounds — he couldn’t see. And that’s why his corner stopped the fight.
The lure of the lore: Obviously, the notion of Frazier gamely fighting on, despite not being able to see, makes for an extremely compelling narrative.
The truth: The cataract in Frazier’s left eye was real (it’s mentioned in this article and this article, among many other places). One reason he developed his big left hook, in fact, was to keep opponents from moving to his left, where he’d have a harder time seeing them. But take a look at these shots of Frazier immediately after the Thrilla. Which eye is swollen shut and which eye looks okay, at least by comparison? As you can see, it was Frazier’s left eye — the one that already had very limited vision — that swelled shut. His good eye was okay. Either way, his vision was compromised during the fight, but the truth of the matter has been embellished and exaggerated over the years, because a guy “fighting blind” makes for a better story than a guy “fighting half-blind.”
Just once, I’d like to see some boxing coverage that debunks the lore instead of reinforcing it. But hey, at least this HBO film didn’t have lots of face time from Bert Sugar, so I guess I should be happy.
Okay, now that I’ve got all of that off my chest, let’s check out some uni-related tidbits from the film (with apologies for the crappy image quality):
• You probably know that Frazier wore green trunks in his first fight against Ali. But you might not know that he also had a green robe, green-shirted cornermen, and was even draped in a green towel at the fight’s conclusion.
• But in their second fight, Ali and Frazier both wore white trunks — very unusual.
• I knew Ali had constantly called Frazier a gorilla and even carried around a little toy gorilla prop. I didn’t know, however, that Ali and his entourage wore this T-shirt.
• I’d forgotten that the pre-Thrilla festivities included the presentation of a trophy, which would be awarded to the winner of the fight. As you might expect, Ali tried to make off with it before the fight even started.
• What’s “Cloverlay Inc.”? It was the management group that bankrolled Frazier. Man, look at all those middle-aged white guys.
• One of the film’s biggest coups is that the producers got Imelda Marcos to speak on camera. She’s, uh, still Imelda.
• Frazier’s former cornerman George Benton is one suave dude. I found it somewhat poignant that he got all dressed up to be interviewed in his own kitchen yet left a battered saucepan and this note within the camera’s view.
• Here’s something I didn’t know: The Nation of Islam (which Ali was a part of, natch) and the Ku Klux Klan used to maintain back-channel communications, because they both believed in ethnic purity and racial separatism. Ali even spoke at a Klan rally! So the film includes some footage of this uniform. Isn’t this about the saddest, scariest thing you’ve ever seen?
• Hard to imagine an odder couple than Frazier and Nixon.
• Eagles great Chuck Bednarik comes up in the film, because he was on the Pennsylvania athletic commission and was under pressure to grant Ali a boxing license during his exile (he refused). They show two shots of him: a standard file photo and a bizarre shot that shows him smoking and smoking.
And so on. The most surreal thing in the film is a running series of shots of Frazier, now in his 60s, wearing one of his old robes, complete with NOB. They even have him work the speed bag. I understand the rationale — it’s still in his blood, he’s still a warrior, blah-blah-blah — but it’s a little sad.
Uni Watch News Ticker (mostly compiled by Phil, with some stuff toward the end from Paul): FIFA just released the new logo for the Club World Cup, writes Jeremy Brahm. The press release states, “The newly unveiled FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 Official Emblem features authentic Arabic calligraphy of the words The Emirates contained within a dome of red and orange hues to symbolically represent the combination of football with the warmth of the Arabian sun and the nation’s celebrated heritage.” … John Muir states Ryan Miller debuted a new mask for the Sabres’ 3rd jersey, but it looks like he’s breaking it in on the road in the regular white … Dan Snyder writes, “As I was watching the Yanks v Orioles this afternoon I came upon Nick Markakis’ personalized batting gloves. They are a little subdued with the NM21 on the inside of the wrist instead of the outside.” … This funny NOB mistake was pointed out by Michael Lipinski … Interesting and kind of funny, points out Alex Willis, that an SI host follows around the equipment manager all day … Whhhhaaaaaaa? The heck is this about? asks Jan Dambom — Good question … Spin Hansen saw someone linked to the awful mixed-typography logo of the new AAA baseball club in his area, the Gwinnett Braves. Spin just saw their uniforms and he thinks they look like complete dogs, “at least paired with the undershirts that they are wearing. But that might just be the traditionalist in me, seeing the Braves tomahawk with a block-print typeface.” … Stewart Joyner notes there is logo creep at the Masters — even on the leaderboard — he just wants to see scores, not whether or not they play Titleist … David Pickett didn’t like the Rangers’ mixed red-blue look, but explains: (1) They wore red during the division championship days of the late 90s, so many fans have long been clamoring for a return to red, and (2) they are now 3-0 with red caps this season. … Speaking of which, for now the plan is for the team not to wear red on the road — maybe. For details, see the 1:27 entry in Evan Grant’s game blog … Hockey Wing President Teebz is covering this event on his blog the next two weekends. He’ll grab some photos for us, but for now here’s a sneak peek at Team Canada … Brock Towler is a big bobblehead guy, so he was perusing the new offerings on the mlb.com shop. Amazingly, the Mets decided to further immortalize the abomination that is their Inaugural Citi Field Patch (the Domino’s sleeve version) on every last new bobblehead they are releasing for 2009. So, if you love Johan, David Wright, Frankie, or Jo-se Jo-se Jo-se Jo-se, you can purchase not only a representation of your team spirit, but also a little piece of history — the worst patch in history cast in ceramic. Even the Mr. Met bobblehead has the sleeve patch … Did you know Walter Johnson had four arms? (With thanks to John Muir.) … Now that the Albuquerque Isotopes are affiliated with the Dodgers again, they have a new Dodgers-themed Sunday jersey (with thanks to Steve Silva). … The Bowie Baysox’s jersey appear to be leftover MLB BP jerseys from several years ago (as spotted by Zac Neubauer). … Yesterday’s Ticker included a link to this logo quiz by Joe DeAngelis. As promised, here’s the answer key. … Major douchebaggery at the Garden, where a very annoying ad is now appearing on the glass behind each goal and between the benches (screen shots courtesy of Terence Kearns). … Bill Jones may be the undisputed king of gumball helmets, but he’s not the only DIY gumballer out there, as you can see in this story by Jim Ransdell. … Latest NBA team to wear green Earth Week uniforms: the Bulls. But wouldn’t it have made more sense if they’d recycled these green uniforms? … Last night was Don Koharski’s final game as an NHL official. He was working the Caps/Lightning game, and all the other officials in his crew wore his number 12. “He was interviewed on the ice after the game and said he didn’t even notice the other guys were wearing 12 until about five minutes into the game,” says AJ Brandt. … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Chris Falvey provided us all with a better look at A.J. Pierzynski’s vented helmet, which isn’t exactly a Cool-Flo — never seen that vent design before. Jonathon Binet says it appears to be a Wilson model (apparently this one), not a Rawlings. Wonder if that’s kosher, as Rawlings is MLB’s official helmet brand. … The Pirates will wear Pittsburgh Police caps at their home opener on Monday, in honor of the three Pittsburgh cops recently killed in the line of duty. … DIY note from Mark Collins, who writes: “Wednesday’s post on the backyard football league was interesting because my younger brother and I did the same thing. But our big sport was baseball, and we went so far as to make uniforms we could actually wear. They weren’t anything special — just a logo drawn on a rec league cap that we got that summer. That team was called the Charleston Shockwaves. (They were originally called the Waves, but during one of our seasons they came under new ownership and went through a name change.)” … Lots more stuff from Jeremy Brahm, including new logos for beach handball (details here) and women’s handball (details here), a cheerleader controversy in Israel, and a new branding campaign for Basketball Australia (download their new style guide, which covers everything from uniforms to letterhead, here). … Dig this: Footage of Wilt Chamberlain in high school (big thanks to my ESPN editor Dave Schoenfield). … Faaaaascintating find by Nicholas Roznovsky, who writes: “My son and I went to the Texas A&M vs. Univ. of Houston baseball game this past Tuesday and I saw something I hadn’t seen before: the Cougars’ catcher (Chris Wallace) was wearing a Rip Hamilton-esque clear plastic face shield underneath his regular catcher’s mask.” That’s a new one for me. Anyone else ever seen this?
#1 by Bill on 04.10.09 8:09 am |
FYI…Red Sox will debut their new navy road alternates and “hanging sox” cap tonight vs. Anaheim.
#2 by odessasteps magazine on 04.10.09 8:21 am |
The “double ticker” (some with links, some without) made me do a double take this early in the morning.
#3 by Mike on 04.10.09 8:25 am |
Angels will be doing a special patch or “something” as the local news radio said it this morning. I would imagine a jersey patch.
#4 by Peter Wunsch on 04.10.09 8:28 am |
The Subway ads at MSG are onlt on the MSG network telecast. They are green-screened in. They started during period 3 of the Tues Ranger/Montreal game. (If you watch the highlights on the Rangers web-site you can see that they were not there during the first two periods.)
At some point in last nights game the ad was moved and was shown n the stands on top of the glass at the 8th Avenue end.
#5 by Robert in Dallas on 04.10.09 8:29 am |
The double ticker had me thinking that I was losing my mind for a minute there.
#6 by Peter Wunsch on 04.10.09 8:31 am |
If you go the Rangers website and watch the highlights of last night’s game the ads are not there because they are showing the Philly feed.
#7 by Paul Lukas on 04.10.09 8:37 am |
Robert in Dallas said:
Actually I’M the one losing his mind. Now fixed.
#8 by jesse on 04.10.09 8:40 am |
no doubt that hbo using Schreiber as narrator adds “cred” to the program, but if you weren’t aware paul, he is basically the voice of hbo sports. he voices most of their sports programming, particularly the documentaries. he’s excellent.
#9 by Dave on 04.10.09 9:00 am |
Re: the Astros majestic blue version of their “tequila sunrise” unis, we had the exact same shirts for our Little League All-Star team back around 1985. I loved them. (side note: I’m also one of those people who actually digs the orange and yellow uni. I don’t get what the fuss is all about, especially when there were much gaudier things done in the 70s — e.g., the Padres brown and yellows.) I’ll send a scan of the LL uni to Paul and maybe he’ll share it.
#10 by Namhob on 04.10.09 9:11 am |
Fenway to host the next Winter Classic?
http://news.yahoo.co...
#11 by EL on 04.10.09 9:12 am |
Dave said:
My travelling all star team had the exact same jerseys one year as well!!!
#12 by Bob A on 04.10.09 9:12 am |
UH catcher Chris Wallace is wearing that shield as a result of a beaning he took not long agao. It’s actually a pretty remarkable story which can be read here.
I was going to post yesterday about the Cougars battleship grey unis. About the ugliest we’ve had… and our baseball team has had some doozies. Scroll down some in this gallery for several more shots. Just don’t do it right after you’ve eaten. But the swoosh might explain quite a bit, no?
As much as I hate to admit the the Ags baseball team looks pretty sharp, especially next to my Coogs (correct spelling of the shorthand). I won’t comment on the pink clad ground crew assistants!
#13 by James P. on 04.10.09 9:14 am |
Those blue Astros “rainbow guts” jerseys are nothing more than jerseys meant for urban sale. When I lived in Houston, I remember seeing one that was in Oakland A’s green and yellow, and also one that was red and black, on sale at shop that catered to wannabe gangstas and rappers.
#14 by Bob A on 04.10.09 9:19 am |
re: my previous UH/A&M photo gallery:
1) sorry for the typos
2) the more I looked at the A&M jerseys the more I dislike those side panels. Dump those and the rest is a classy look.
3) apparently the pink shirted girls are the Aggie softball team.
#15 by Mark on 04.10.09 9:19 am |
The Baysox orange jerseys, despite appearances, are NOT recycled Orioles BPs. For whatever reason, that template is somewhat popular in the minor leagues. IIRC, those are Rawlings mesh jerseys, not Majestic coolbase.
#16 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 9:24 am |
The lettering and layout on the Gwinnett jerseys is atrocious. I like the Isotopes jersey except was a split “t” really necessary? Same with the Nats road jersey, don’t like the split “h”.
#17 by Glen on 04.10.09 9:29 am |
The best of the TAMU vs. UH game
http://i635.photobuc...
Check out her face!! HAHAHA
#18 by Nolan on 04.10.09 9:31 am |
I don’t think catcher’s masks/helmets fall under Rawlings jurisdiction. Most (if not all I’m not sure) of the hockey style masks are All-Star, so a Wilson branded helmet/mask combo would be fine.
#19 by Kim on 04.10.09 9:33 am |
Peter Wunsch said:
I have Center Ice, and had to call my Dad in Central NJ, and we must have spent 10 minutes on the phone watching the game trying to determine if it was superimposed or real. You can tell it’s superimposed when A) Someone gets checked into the boards, and the boards shake and the ad doesn’t. B) When a replay goes to a different camera angle and you can see the glass without the ad.
Also, there wasn’t a riot of New Yorkers who paid big money to sit down close only to find a huge douchebag ad in their view.
#20 by Steppy on 04.10.09 9:37 am |
Donuts Koharski didn’t notice something on the ice? Now there’s a real shocker.
#21 by War Damn Eagle on 04.10.09 9:38 am |
Here’s a photo gallery with the G-Braves’ red BP jerseys and BP caps.
http://projects.ajc....
It’s a tough sell trying to put “Gwinnett” on the jerseys, especially when the typeface looks so awkward, and pretty much dwarfs the tomahawk.
I’d stick with the pattern for the other Braves’ farm teams: “Braves” on all the jerseys, but a different cap denoting the minor league city. Double-A Mississippi gets it right, especially b/c it somewhat embraces the franchise’s time in Milwaukee:
Home:
http://aardvarktradi...
Alt Red:
http://www.minorleag...
Road:
http://farm2.static....
Alt Blue:
http://snapshots.mlb...
#22 by interlockingtc on 04.10.09 9:40 am |
What a beautifully written post today.
#23 by Lomion on 04.10.09 9:41 am |
Bob A said:
In high school I had a friend on the softball team who was always complaining about how much better the baseball team was treated, but at least they didn’t have to serve as the ground crew at the boys’ games!
#24 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 9:41 am |
I realize I’ll probably get destroyed for this, but I’m amazed at how universally loved Ali is today. I was 11 when the “Thrilla” went down and aside from Cosell, there was no more polarizing individual in sports. Paul touched on several reasons why. I can understand why he was/is popular but almost all of his boorish and/or questionable behavior is now portrayed as colorful and/or courageous. Maybe I just need to watch less ESPN.
#25 by Paul Lukas on 04.10.09 9:44 am |
Nolan said:
Good point.
#26 by War Damn Eagle on 04.10.09 9:46 am |
War Damn Eagle said:
An interesting thing to note in that AJC gallery is the fact that there are 4 different jackets used. Glavine is wearing the current Majestic jacket. But you also see G-Braves players and coaches wearing the previous 2 versions (the one with the big red stripes down the sleeve) (the one with the striped collars and cuffs). There’s also a pic of a club official wearing the old satin version, too. The Braves definitely have a hand-me-down system for some of their Majestic gear.
#27 by Hott Rodd on 04.10.09 9:49 am |
“One of the film’s biggest coups in the film”
Small typo Paul.
#28 by Ducksfan4-LIFE on 04.10.09 9:50 am |
That Chamberlain clip was AWESOME!!!
I’ve been a huge Wilt fan my whole life. I’ve never seen footage of that era before. Thank you.
#29 by Peter Wunsch on 04.10.09 9:51 am |
If this starts a political discussion, I apologize in advance, but there are plenty of us who are the same age as Ali who revered that he took a stance and was willing to go to jail not to fight in a stupid, useless war.
Plus, there are certain sports figures that draw you to them (Like or hate) like moths to a flame. Ali was one; Reggie Jackson was another.
#30 by Anthony Verna on 04.10.09 9:52 am |
Kim said:
I was going to say. . . I was at the game last night and didn’t see ads, so they had to be “virtual.”
#31 by Paul Lukas on 04.10.09 9:52 am |
Hott Rodd said:
Thanks! Will fix now.
#32 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 9:53 am |
Few weeks back, Paul posted a 1950 Steelers program cover with a primitive NFL logo. Let’s take that two years further back:
http://www.auctiva.c...
#33 by Ricko on 04.10.09 9:54 am |
War Damn Eagle said:
Show me a team that DOESN’T use hand-me-downs or reworked gear, especially for its lower affiliates. MLB teams make a ton of money, yes, but they aren’t gonna throw away gear that perfectly usable in their farm system. They don’t think like women who will, y’know, make you drive to the next gas station cuz the bathrooms in this one are “icky.”
—Ricko
#34 by We Got Ns In The Backfield on 04.10.09 9:54 am |
Shouldn’t the Pirates be more worried about changing their insensitive mascot than making special caps?
#35 by Hott Rodd on 04.10.09 9:55 am |
“As you might expect, tried to make off with it before the fight even started.”
Sorry, thought I had pointed this out as well.
I can’t see flickr, so was it Ali?
#36 by Flip on 04.10.09 9:57 am |
Yanks play in debut of Royals’ new digs.
http://sports.yahoo....
#37 by War Damn Eagle on 04.10.09 9:58 am |
Ricko said:
I’m with ya, Ricko. I’m not surprised that it happens. Just interesting to see it in pics, that’s all. It’s easy for the Braves, because they keep things the same, uni-wise, throughout their organization. I don’t imagine the Durham Bulls have much use for hand-me-down Rays gear, however.
#38 by Eric Romain on 04.10.09 9:59 am |
Steppy said:
Haha! comment of the month!
#39 by Johnny O on 04.10.09 9:59 am |
Re: Logo creep on the Masters Leaderboard.
This is very common on pgatour.com. They do this for almost every tournament, including majors. They do this, or put a banner ad at the the top 10. Like this example with TaylorMade:
http://www.pgatour.c...
Aside from the small AT&T ad in the top right corner, you can enjoy your Masters leaderboard without seeing who plays Titleist here:
http://www.masters.c...
Also, it is the home opener for the Brewers today! If history is any indication, they will not be wearing their Retro Alts today like they normally do on a Friday. They said last year they “respect opening day” and will wear home whites. Go Crew!
#40 by Paul Lukas on 04.10.09 10:00 am |
Peter Wunsch said:
Ali was a complicated figure. And he was very good at basically playing the role of Bugs Bunny (loose, charismatic, cool) and making the rest of the world be Daffy Duck (uptight, frustrated, uncool). But I don’t think there’s any question that some of his racial taunting of Frazier — and of others — was very, very offensive. Calling a black man a “gorilla,” regardless of whether you’re black yourself, is a hateful, unacceptable thing to do, not least because it helps reinforce WHITE stereotypes about blacks.
And for a guy who talked a lot about respecting women, Ali showed very little respect for his own wife. In the HBO film, Ferdie Pachecho says the Thrilla was basically “a pussy fight” — i.e., a way for Ali to go halfway around the world, far away from his wife, so he could have plenty of sex with his mistress. Lots of guys cheat on their spouses, of course. But not so many of them are revered as paragons of virtue.
And son on. The race thing is the most loaded, complicated issue regarding Ali, because race was such a huge part of his persona…. I could go on and on, but luckily for all concerned, I have to run to Manhattan now. Carry on.
#41 by James Craven on 04.10.09 10:04 am |
Steppy said:
Jim Schonfeld approves.
#42 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 10:05 am |
Ricko said:
Definitely, but it’s less and less each year. With the “game used” market being what it is these days, it’s a better bottom line move to sell all the big league stuff than hand it down. I know at the Phils lowest levels just the pants are recycled.
When the minor league players (all levels) are at Spring Training, they all get their own Phillies top.
#43 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 10:14 am |
Paul Lukas said:
You can usually count on HBO to give a “both sides of the coin” look as opposed to the agenda-driven World Wide Leader.
#44 by Mike Edgerly on 04.10.09 10:17 am |
Paul Lukas said:
Paul,
Excellent, excellent analysis this morning. A point of reference in my mind is the Oscar winning documentary “When We Were Kings” about the Ali-Foreman fight. Between your commentary and other material I’ve read about Ali lately, I realize how much was left out of that film. There was hint of Ali’s womanizing and the film only playfully highlighted Ali’s narcissism, and the Race angle was non-existent because 1) the fight was in Zaire and 2) George Foreman was a real a__hole back then, so Ali could only look good in comparison. Still I now look at “When we were Kings” now as a somewhat flawed piece of work. Thanks again for enlightening us.
#45 by Lee on 04.10.09 10:18 am |
No stirrups yet, but the Nashville Sounds are all going with the high cuff look this season
http://www.tennessea...
New manager also has banned facial hair
#46 by Joe Hilseberg on 04.10.09 10:20 am |
“As I was watching the Yanks v Orioles this afternoon I came upon Nick Markakis’ personalized batting gloves. They are a little subdued with the NM21 on the inside of the wrist instead of the outside.”
If you go to the Under Armour factory store in Baltimore you can sometimes buy the player’s extra/reject gloves. I used a pair of Larry Bigbie’s old gloves I got there for $15. They had the same type of personalization with “LB 3″ on the inside of each.
#47 by Rick Chaney on 04.10.09 10:21 am |
Orioles pitcher Koji Uehara has a custom fielding glove with a silhouette of himself in his pitching windup in the material of the webbing of his glove. It was pointed out by MASN announcers Jim Palmer and Gary Thorne during his MLB debut on Wednesday. They showed a close up of it during the game, but I couldn’t find any images of it online. I’m not sure if he used this glove in Japan or if it is new for this year.
#48 by Glen on 04.10.09 10:21 am |
Glen said:
I think he is an overhyped SOB. I dont understand the universal idolization of him either
#49 by LI Phil on 04.10.09 10:25 am |
Flip said:
from the article:
LI Phil said:
whose money is on don denkinger?
#50 by chance on 04.10.09 10:25 am |
Lee said:
Excellent. Let’s hope those kids take the look with them to Milwaukee when they join the big club.
#51 by Stuby on 04.10.09 10:26 am |
Paul/Phil, is the narrator of the Ali film Liev Schreiber, not Lieb? Maybe it’s an entirely different dude.
#52 by Ricko on 04.10.09 10:28 am |
Calling someone a “gorilla” is only racist if he’s black, apparently. I seem to have heard a lot of white guys described “gorillas” over the years and no one thought it was racist.
So the way it works is, if I say a kid climbs a jungle gym like a monkey I’m okay as long as the kid is white, but if he’s black I’m a candidate for Klan membership?
Well, we’d better get those disgusting Curious George books off the shelves right now, then.
#53 by LI Phil on 04.10.09 10:35 am |
Stuby said:
i donno, stu, it’s paul’s piece — but i’ll drop him a note to check on it when he next gains access to the interwebs
#54 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 10:35 am |
LI Phil said:
Actually, it’ll be Jack Clark and Todd Worell. Clark will screw up the first pitch by flipping the ball so far behind Worell that is would be far too difficult for anyone to tell (without replay) where Worell’s foot is when he has to pratically jump to complete what should have been a routine play.
Don’t that sound better?
#55 by chance on 04.10.09 10:35 am |
Ricko said:
Ricko, I love you, but there’s a difference in the way language has been used against white people and black people. We can’t ignore centuries of history. If monkey imagery had been used to strip generations of white men of their very humanity, then the comparison would hold.
I can call one of my son’s white friends “a monkey” as he scampers up the jungle gym, but I wouldn’t dare use the same word to describe one of his black friends, because that word has been so hurtful, so harmful, when so applied in the past. Now, are we responsible for the past evils of others? Of course not. But we ought to be sensitive to the impact those evils caused.
We’ve come a long way. A very long way. But we’re not so far removed from those days that we can pretend that they don’t inform our society at all, or that they didn’t happen.
And you’re right – there is something just a little bit creepy about the Man in the Yellow Hat.
#56 by Geeman on 04.10.09 10:37 am |
Ricko said:
Yes, there is a double standard, but only because our history has created one, sadly. I’m optimistic that our society is growing out of this, however. Last fall’s election, whatever your political views, was some evidence of that, and even people who voted the other way have taken solace in that.
#57 by coach on 04.10.09 10:38 am |
ricko,
please. Stop. use common sense.
#58 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 10:38 am |
Lwiedy said:
Oh yeah, then they will throw Clark a pop-up and he will drop it. Unfortunately Darrell Porter is no longer with us or he could box a pitch right down the middle.
#59 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 10:38 am |
Paul Lukas said:
Yes, other than the young guy in the second row, they’re all old.
And other than the woman touching the number 6 on the counter, they’re all men. Oh wait, a woman in the second row too.
And besides the black guy to Frazier’s immediate left, they’re all white.
But it’s nice to know that you aren’t going to let accuracy stand in the way of your preferred cliche. :-(
#60 by Juke Early on 04.10.09 10:40 am |
Stuby is correct—it is L I E V. And his gf is the mighty fine Naomi Watts.
Someday, I’d like to know how otherwise intelligent people, can say they are fans of boxing. There is no doubt it requires skill. But it is now 2009 and along with parades, zoos, circuses & public hangings should be relegated to a past when civilized life was evolving & most humans had the sensibilities of dirt clump.
#61 by steve on 04.10.09 10:41 am |
HBO Sports did not produce this doc. It was done in England and purchased by HBO. The only two changes for the States were substituting Liev’s voice as the narrator and using the HBO Sports graphics.
#62 by War Damn Eagle on 04.10.09 10:43 am |
According to Jaguars.com, the new Jax unis will be unveiled April 22.
#63 by RedWing in Colorado on 04.10.09 10:46 am |
1890’s “cartoon” which should help to explain the problem with Ali calling Frazier a gorilla
I think that Ali is a great figure, but I’m a history teacher, and anyone who can so clearly illustrate the divisiveness of his era, is a great person to use when teaching kids who, in many cases, view the 60s and 70s as ancient history. The shirt that is in the upper right ad all the time is the center of one of my favorite essay prompts.
“I ain’t got no quarrel with the Viet Cong”
#64 by Broadway Connie on 04.10.09 10:48 am |
chance said:
Chance, you are eloquently correct. And Ricko, you’re still great.
Speaking of great, the whole Thrilla piece was superb and… QED … provocative. Thanks!
#65 by LI Phil on 04.10.09 10:49 am |
in case anyone wasn’t aware of this (about my extent of boxing knowledge)…
what’s my name?
nice little interview in the beginning with
cassiusali and ernie terrell — leading up to what follows in the ring#66 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 10:49 am |
Ricko said:
There is certainly an irony in that the man who most championed the career of Ali was done in just for that, but he was.
#67 by LI Phil on 04.10.09 10:57 am |
LI Phil said:
did he say “look at that little monkey run” or “that little monkey gets loose”? or both?
and didn’t howard have several cocktails in him at the time?
#68 by JTH on 04.10.09 10:57 am |
James P. said:
I served on a jury about six years ago with a guy who was wearing one of those. It didn’t have an Astros wordmark on it, though. (I can’t really remember what, if any, wordmark it had). The colors were like navy blue and gold or something.
At any rate, I’m fairly certain my co-juror was neither a wannabe gangsta nor rapper.
#69 by Beardface on 04.10.09 10:58 am |
I’m sorry, but I can’t help but to laugh at this…
http://www.gwinnettd...
followed by a four-game trip to Durham – but they should expect strong support on the road swing since Durham was home of a Braves affiliate from 1980 to 1997.
Do they really think an established fanbase of >100 years is going to cheer for a brand new team just because they are affiliated with the Braves? Sorry, not happening.
#70 by Teebz on 04.10.09 11:02 am |
Checking in from the tournament.
Russia leads 9-0 over Slovakia after one period. The first period took an hour to play. Yes, it’s 9-0 as I sit here in the first intermission.
This might be a long day. Finland-USA is the next game on the sked.
#71 by Ricko on 04.10.09 11:04 am |
Lwiedy said:
That, I’m glad someone picked up on, is what I was getting at.
And also was asking, honestly, if Curious George is perpetuating the stereotype or moving us away from it.
(My new son’s father is a native of Ghana, btw, so please don’t be quick to think of me as something I’m not. But I do love stirring things up for discussion’s sake.)
—Ricko
#72 by Ricko on 04.10.09 11:09 am |
I know I’ve mentioned here that I think I original KING KONG is one of the most blatantly racist fims of all time, yet somehow no one in “moviedom” ever has the gonads to mention it.
—Ricko
#73 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 11:10 am |
Broadway Connie said:
I’m with the Ricko thoughts on this one. (And BTW, that original post doesn’t have Ricko’s typical signature, so lets not go overboard and say it’s definitely our longtime poster friend.) There was an interesting commentary on the Tribune editorial pages yesterday. Someone who is half-black, half-white (and self-identifies as black) was mistaken for being white: he attributes this to his light skin tone and the fact that he was sitting in a car next to his (white) mother.
Does that man get to say the word monkey? Does he get to be offended if someone else says it?
No, I’m sorry. Either a word is offensive or its not. You can’t make exceptions because you think someone is “entitled” to say it.
In the end, either the person himself is offensive or not: his language is irrelevant.
If Mother Thersa came to America and viewed a jungle gym, would she suddenly be rude if SHE said something like “monkey”? No, I think not.
#74 by Johnny O on 04.10.09 11:11 am |
Johnny O said:
Here is a better link for the non logo creep Master leaderboard:
http://www.masters.c...
#75 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 11:11 am |
Ricko said:
Oh heavens yes. The Trib’s (post-Siskel) film critic has said this on a number of occasions. He specifically points out the “Fay Wray in Kong’s hand” scene.
#76 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 11:12 am |
LI Phil said:
Not sure about the exact phrase but I really think he would have said that even sober and that’s not a bad thing. Two things are clear, Cosell meant no malice toward Alvin Garrett and he pissed so many people off over the years that given the slightest opportunity they were going to nail him for it.
#77 by Matt on 04.10.09 11:12 am |
Not sure if this was posted yet or not, but the Pittsburgh Penguins had a fan appreciation night list night and all the players gave their jerseys to a fan. And all the Penguins were wearing t-shirts commemorating the fallen Pittsburgh Police offericers underneath their jerseys.
http://penguins.nhl....
see the ‘Shirts Off Our Backs’ link.
Matt
#78 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 11:15 am |
anotherguy said:
Ah, if only reality was that simple. Should be, but it’s not.
#79 by JTH on 04.10.09 11:16 am |
…and speaking of Ali vs. a “Gorilla”:
“This guy doesn’t know a wristlock from a wristwatch!”
#80 by Beardface on 04.10.09 11:17 am |
Ricko said:
Durham Bulls don’t, but thats mainly because their color scheme and just about everything to do with them doesn’t mesh with the Rays…
#81 by LI Phil on 04.10.09 11:21 am |
JTH said:
holy shit…and here i was under the impression wrasslin’ was fake!
#82 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 11:24 am |
Beardface said:
Without going into the well established reasons, I’m sure the Braves have a very strong following throughout the Carolinas. So it would be difficult to say whether a seventeen year affiliation would be part of that. Maybe the fans hate the Rays soooo much for strong-arming their logo on the uniforms they will long for the good old days.
#83 by JTH on 04.10.09 11:27 am |
LI Phil said:
TMYK
#84 by union jack on 04.10.09 11:31 am |
“douchebaggery at the Garden?”
That pretty-much starts as soon as the first home-town fan comes through the gates.
#85 by Ricko on 04.10.09 11:31 am |
I guess what I also was thinking about, sorta, is that if we’re gonna find offensive a person calling an African-American a “gorilla”, we sure also ought to be first in line demanding a change in the name of the Washington NFL team (btw, isn’t it ironic that Cosell got in trouble for a remark made about a member of that particular team. Seemed a little “double standardish”).
Anyway, shouldn’t we find “Redskin” equally, if not more, offensive? It is, after all, specifically ethnically aimed. “Gorilla”, being an animal kingdom reference, is at least once-removed, y’know?
I don’t remember hearing repeated ad nauseum in movies, “The only good gorilla…”
—Ricko
#86 by Beardface on 04.10.09 11:32 am |
Geeman said:
I’m the exactly opposite thinking in this one. I think last year’s election showed just how racist this country still is. When you have 95% of one race voting for a person of their own color, that speaks volumes to why they voted. Black people voted for Obama because he was black. Now, nobody is going to mention this because its not politically correct to say, but voting for someone because of their race is racist.
For the most part (yes, I know there are areas where it is still there) racism from whites to blacks has died down. Yes, there are many wacko organizations and wacko individuals who still think that way, but its dying. It is nowhere near as bad as it was 50 years ago. However, racism from blacks toward whites has only grown and grown stronger, and not only that, its being reinforced by the media and many of the prominent blacks in entertainment. Rappers, Stephen A Smith, multiple athletes, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, etc reinforce the idea that its perfectly acceptable to never trust someone because their white. And whenever something happens to a black man, its always racist, but whenever a black person does something to a white person, racism will never be mentioned.
Yes, racism is still alive and thriving in America, but just not in the way people traditionally think.
#87 by Beardface on 04.10.09 11:35 am |
Lwiedy said:
Yeah, people don’t give a shit about the Rays in this area. Even when they went to the World Series last year, the news was buried in the middle pages of the local Sports Section of the newspapers.
#88 by Ry Co 40 on 04.10.09 11:36 am |
We Got Ns In The Backfield said:
huh??? please explain… thanks!
#89 by chance on 04.10.09 11:38 am |
Ricko said:
Really? I thought that was commonly acknowledged. Sure was in my film classes.
#90 by LI Phil on 04.10.09 11:39 am |
LI Phil said:
what area is that, sun city?
#91 by Hurnf on 04.10.09 11:39 am |
Dave said:
I have one of those blue Rainbow Guts Astros replicas. They came out three or four years ago, made by Majestic. The stripes, however, are screened on and not woven in like the Majestic UltraStripe jerseys of the 70s.
#92 by James Craven on 04.10.09 11:41 am |
Teebz said:
*Patrick Star impression from SpongeBob SquarePants episode “FrankenDoodle”*
FIN-LAND!
#93 by chance on 04.10.09 11:41 am |
Beardface said:
Support that statement, please.
Expecially in context – conventional wisdom was that Obama would not be able to wrangle the black vote away from Hillary Clinto – Obama didn’t get their primary votes automatically, he had to work for them.
#94 by Hurnf on 04.10.09 11:41 am |
Mark said:
Bowie has always had those block-lettered uniforms — either black or orange. I don’t remember them ever having a gray road uniform.
#95 by chance on 04.10.09 11:42 am |
Ricko said:
FWIW, I think “Redskins” is an incredibly offensive name.
But that doesn’t diminish the historical impact of calling a black man a monkey. It’s not some zero-sum game.
#96 by Hurnf on 04.10.09 11:42 am |
Steppy said:
Beat me to it.
He’ll be doing Tim Horton’s commercials until he’s 90.
#97 by Hurnf on 04.10.09 11:44 am |
Hurnf said:
We\’ll see the word \”Mississippi\” on the Braves\’ jerseys when we see \”Philadelphia\” on the Phillies\’ roadies.
In other words: Na. Ga. Da.
#98 by concealed78 on 04.10.09 11:46 am |
Man that is one dark shade of green for the Bulls. I noticed in the paper today while barely awake and they had a Bulls pic on Page 1 in color and I thought, “Man that black looks green”. Sure enough. I once drew up a concept when the Bulls first green jersey came out, and everyone commented “It looks like Christmas”.
#99 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 11:46 am |
Beardface said:
I guess the other 5% all live in my neighborhood.
#100 by Jeff P on 04.10.09 11:49 am |
Lwiedy said:
Really not that strong in some areas, stronger in others. The braves don’t have much of a presence in NC at all, just occasional games on SportsSouth that are kind of unpredictable. In fact, I think we get more cubs games from WGN then we get braves ones.
A lot of people are loyal to just their minor league teams or their current or past affiliates. It’s really not that unreasonable for the Braves to expect support for that reason, a lot of people in Greensboro remain Yankee fans from when we had guys like Jeter, Posada and Pettite come through.
I honestly don’t think they’ll get much support though. The Bulls are closer to a major league team in terms of how the fans support them and who they root for then a standard minor league one. Really, if NC ever gets a MLB team, they could do pretty darn well just by promoting the Bulls.
#101 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 11:49 am |
Beardface said:
Well, then it would seem possible the Braves would see some support in Durham, wouldn’t it?
#102 by Carl Dagger on 04.10.09 11:49 am |
paul, fyi if you want to take screenshots on a mac all you have to do is hold down command, shift, and 4 at the same time, and crosshairs should come up as the cursor. then, all you have to do is press spacebar and a camera icon will replace the crosshairs as the cursor. then just click and the full screenshot will appear on the desktop
#103 by RedWing in Colorado on 04.10.09 11:50 am |
Ricko said:
Gregg Easterbrook (Tuesday Morning Quarterback over at TWWL)has been on this for years. He has referrenced, pretty much continuously, the fact that the Washington mascot would be utterly unacceptable were it directed at another ethnic group. There woudl be public outcry over the LA Wetbacks, but Washington can still be the Redskins? And the side that cries out about tradition should get their facts straight; there were Native Americans in the Potomic Basin 10,000 years before Dan Snyder’s team moved into town.
#104 by Beardface on 04.10.09 11:51 am |
chance said:
Would you be requesting support if 95% of whites voted for McCain and someone said whites voted for him because he was white? No, didn’t think so, because that would be accepted as truth.
The fact nobody is talking about this shows another accepted double-standard at work. It’s acceptable to yell racism with no evidence when a white is in question, but you better back that shit up if you’re talking about a black.
Duke lacrosse is a perfect example.
#105 by concealed78 on 04.10.09 11:55 am |
Small pet peeve: on those new Isotopes Dodgers theme duds: the flourish not extending the full-length of the script. The Royals do it, the Nats roads do it. Why? What’s the point? It just looks incomplete. Really like those blue Isotopes caps rendering. It’s like it’s detailed but simple, and provides good contrast.
#106 by chance on 04.10.09 12:00 pm |
Beardface said:
Al Gore got 90% of the black vote in 2000. Was that “black racism” at work as well?
Black voters tend to lean overwhemlingly Democratic regardless of the race of the candidate. So yes, if you’re going to claim that the voting pattern in this one election is racist, you need to “back that shit up”.
#107 by Beardface on 04.10.09 12:01 pm |
Lwiedy said:
http://www.dailymail...
http://election.cbsn...
Must be, cause goodness knows its impossible that 95% of one race could vote along race barriers…
#108 by chance on 04.10.09 12:02 pm |
concealed78 said:
I’m with you – the short tail has always bothered me on the Brewers’ jerseys as well.
#109 by Beardface on 04.10.09 12:03 pm |
chance said:
Voting by race…
Whites – 43% for Obama
Hispanics – 67% for Obama
Asian – 62% for Obama
Other – 66% for Obama
Blacks – 95% for Obama
Yeah, race had nothing to do with the election… not at all…
#110 by chance on 04.10.09 12:05 pm |
Beardface said:
Nobody’s disputing the numbers, only your insistence that the solid-block voting patterns were racist in 2008 but somehow not in all previous elections.
#111 by LI Phil on 04.10.09 12:07 pm |
LI Phil said:
there are lies, damn lies, and statistics
100% of all blacks voted for a white person for president in 2000 and 2004…as did 100% of all whites
so i guess you could find racism in that too?
beardface…lets bring this back to uniforms now
(and everyone else too)
k? thanks
#112 by Ricko on 04.10.09 12:10 pm |
chance said:
Good to know things have changed. Been a while since I was in film classes. Actually, there weren’t many/any. (Please, no, “old” jokes, LOL). Back then if I brought up the racist elements of KING KONG my friends (virtually all of them white, of course) thought I was nuts. Imagining things, etc., etc.
—Ricko
#113 by scott on 04.10.09 12:12 pm |
Bowie Baysox have been wearing those orange jerseys for a while now.
#114 by chance on 04.10.09 12:13 pm |
Ricko said:
Even when he paws at her and sniffs his fingers?! Sheesh.
#115 by pflava on 04.10.09 12:14 pm |
Taking a break from today’s discussion of race…
Anyone else notice how that thick (and unnecessary) black outline on the Nashville Sounds wordmark makes it completely illegible?
http://www.tennessea...
#116 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 12:14 pm |
Beardface said:
Perfect example? Yeah, the Duke Alter Boys were all nestled in their little beds when that naughty girl broke showed up uninvited and broke their solitude.
Doesn’t make them rapists, doesn’t make them innocent as the statement implies.
#117 by LarryB on 04.10.09 12:14 pm |
Here is a bigger picture of Bednarik in Eagles uniform. Smoking and smoking.
http://img.photobuck...
#118 by chance on 04.10.09 12:14 pm |
scott said:
So maybe they’re hand-me-downs, but rather they bought the same style when the big club did and, unlike the big club, haven’t yet dropped it?
#119 by chance on 04.10.09 12:16 pm |
LarryB said:
Was this something he did often?
#120 by chance on 04.10.09 12:17 pm |
pflava said:
Good point. I really hate thick outlines and drop-shadows that make uniforms harder to read.
#121 by Ricko on 04.10.09 12:18 pm |
Back to a concept I’ve mentioned before…
Love or hate the new Pirates unis, it’s fun to see a look (like Clemente’s first Pirate uni) that almost certainly has never been seen on color TV until this year.
So for old duffers like me…it’s pretty cool.
Oh, speaking of such “vintage” things, was thinking about the Brewers unis of a few years back…the ones with the really wide navy piping and the rather simple “M” on the hat. Remember them? They don’t get much mention here, and i’d think they would. Was a very vintage-inspired look.
–Ricko
#122 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 12:20 pm |
LI Phil said:
Sorry Phil, no more I promise. A little disingenuous, of course since I posted what I posted. You can blast it if you wish.
#123 by LarryB on 04.10.09 12:20 pm |
HBO does a great job on its sports documentaries. I did read the comment that they did not actually do this one, Still I look forward to watching it.
I am not a huge boxing fan. I do watch most of the big name fights now if I can. Kelly Pavlik the middleweight champion is from my area. Youngstown, Ohio. We went to AC and saw his loss to Hopkins. Also Bomm Boom Mancini was champ from Youngstown. We saw him fight at Warren Harding.
My dad was a huge boxing fan and when he lived in NY would go to Stillmans Gym and watch guys train. He knew a lot about boxing. As kid I remember the Gillete fights and yes I followed Ali and the Frazier fights. ANother guy from my Area was The Acorn Earnie Shaver. One of boxing’s hardest punchers.
Actually glad to see the column about this documentary since I had not checked HBO and will now dvr it.
#124 by LI Phil on 04.10.09 12:23 pm |
what th…
when did the braves wear this?
(early sunday red prototype? – i keed, i keed)
/but would it have been worse than their blue of that same era?
#125 by LarryB on 04.10.09 12:25 pm |
chance said:
HAHA I dont know He was featured on one of the dvds i was doing grabs from. He was a tough SOB for sure. An iron man too. I think they said he played 59minutes in the 1960 Eagle NFL championship over Green Bay.
Heck even in his later interviews he sounds like a guy I would be afraid to piss off.
#126 by Beardface on 04.10.09 12:26 pm |
Lwiedy said:
Considering all charges were dropped after the prosecution could not find one shred of evidence to support they did anything to the girl long after they had been labled racists and publicly dragged through the mud by Al Sharpton, yea, its a good example.
And back to unis, anyone have any knowledge of new college football unis for this upcoming season? Never too early to get started on that
#127 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 12:27 pm |
LarryB said:
Agreed, I never get the feeling that I’m being sold something.
My fav is one they did on Oakland sports in the early 1970’s. Very cool hearing Tom Hanks talk about the A’s & Raiders. A UW dream, too.
#128 by Beardface on 04.10.09 12:27 pm |
LI Phil said:
As long as its not a blue-d out logo on a red jersey, it would be better than their reds now…
yuck
#129 by LarryB on 04.10.09 12:28 pm |
And I just se my DVR on HBO for the Thrilla and hooray I see LeatherHeads is on tomorrow. I saw it when it came out and got the dvd. But will watch it in HD tommorow.
I know there was debate about it here before. But since I love old time football. I enjoyed it.
#130 by guy on 04.10.09 12:35 pm |
as a couple people have pointed out, the real masters.com leaderboard is sans-titleist logo creep
also, there is essentially zero logo creep at augusta (besides their own, of course) anywhere – no corporate logos, nothing on the leaderboard, and starting last year, you couldn’t even get a bag of “lays” or a “snickers” – it would be the equivalent product but in mostly green and white wrapping and a masters logo – awesome.
#131 by Paul Lukas on 04.10.09 12:52 pm |
Mike Edgerly said:
When We Were Kings was veeerrry flawed on several levels.
I don’t have time to get into all of it, but the race angle was big in that fight too. The fight was in Africa, and Ali essentially portrayed himself as the “real” African. To hear Ali tell it, you would’ve thought Foreman was white.
#132 by muddlehead on 04.10.09 1:02 pm |
ali. maybe it’s in this blog somewhere. if so, worth repeating. is there a better line about race in america? “”I got nothing against no Viet Cong. No Vietnamese ever called me a ‘n***er.”"
#133 by JeffM on 04.10.09 1:14 pm |
Rangers are sans red today, i guess the “no red on the road” thing worked at least for today
#134 by Alex on 04.10.09 1:19 pm |
Carl Dagger said:
ATTENTION MAC USERS (Paul included):
Shift+Command+3 = Capture Full Screen Snapshot.
Shift+Command+4 = Capture User-Selectable Screen Region By “Click-And-Drag.”
Try it, it’s fun!
#135 by Dane on 04.10.09 1:21 pm |
How did we miss this piece of bad marketing? Can we call it WLOB for Wrong Language On Back? A t-shirt being sold in North American for a North American sports team, but since the player is from Russia, let’s write his name in Russian!
http://shop.nhl.com/...
http://shop.nhl.com/...
I usually think Reebok gets too much abuse on this site, but for this, release the hounds!
#136 by LI Phil on 04.10.09 1:22 pm |
JeffM said:
dammit — a team on a streak has to respect the streak….you know why? they don’t happen very often
/if you believe you’re playing well because you’re getting laid, or because you’re wearing red on the road, or because you wear women’s underwear, then you ARE! and the rangers should know that!
*edit…i just realized they’re actually, you know, ON THE ROAD for the first time…so they have no streak
/carry on
#137 by JTH on 04.10.09 1:29 pm |
Dane said:
I’ll see yer Reebok and raise you an “authentic” Majestic.
#138 by JTH on 04.10.09 1:30 pm |
LI Phil said:
Showoff.
#139 by Ricko on 04.10.09 1:32 pm |
“FUKUDOME”
Too bad Twins didn’t sign him. Damn, it would be fun to have seen that on the back of a Twins player in the Dome last year and this.
—Ricko
#140 by Doug in GA on 04.10.09 1:33 pm |
Beardface said:
You ask, I deliver. Mississippi State has gone back to the maroon helmet.
http://www.secfanati...
#141 by JTH on 04.10.09 1:37 pm |
Ricko said:
And the Cubs are playing the Twins this year. Too bad the game’s not in Minneapolis.
#142 by JTH on 04.10.09 1:39 pm |
JTH said:
Er, make that “too bad the games aren’t in Minneapolis.”
#143 by Stuby on 04.10.09 1:42 pm |
Dane said:
Do they have a Crosby shirt written in Canadian then?
#144 by Mike Engle on 04.10.09 1:43 pm |
Stuby said:
No, because he’s the captain. No ‘A’ in sight.
#145 by JeffM on 04.10.09 1:44 pm |
LI Phil said:
you’re right. A streak is a streak is a streak is a streak…that could go one all day long… but leave it to the Little Rangers to screw up something so simple
#146 by rpm on 04.10.09 1:46 pm |
hey dickie dunn, that was some good writtin’ today, you really captured the spirit of the thing. seriously, i love today’s entry, a great read.
______________________________________________
jth & chicago
i am not trying to sell anything, so i am going to say this here… it’s open studio in my pilsen neighborhood(i am on the 5th floor of the 1932 s. halsted building right off the ryan) tonight from 6 to 10. my art does not apply to anyone reading this blog, so i am not selling anything, but if you want free diy advise, or just want to make me happy by playing some hockey on the caps/stars game, c’mon down, i will have wine for the artsy types. just thought i would throw this out there, because i have been working on some more hockey teams for the family(12 actually), and it has wet my appetite, i really want to play some table hockey.
#147 by JeffM on 04.10.09 1:51 pm |
it also appears Saltalamachia is going with the brim forward look again today so maybe it is a day game thing
#148 by JeffM on 04.10.09 1:53 pm |
JeffM said:
sorry its Saltalamacchia….i guess thats why they invented nick names
#149 by odessasteps magazine on 04.10.09 1:55 pm |
LI Phil said:
Speaking of Ali and rasslin’, a number of people that the damage that Ali took from Antonio Inoki in their 1976 MMA fight hastened the end of his career.
Ali was also the guest referee at the first Wrestlemania.
#150 by JTH on 04.10.09 1:55 pm |
rpm said:
I’m definitely planning on checking out your place tonight. And if we can get a babysitter, my wife will be there with me.
#151 by Ricko on 04.10.09 1:57 pm |
I think this would be a great DIY project….
May have to be my first. I have blank navy pin jersey. Doubleknit, but still would be fun.
http://www.ebbets.co...
–Ricko
#152 by Ricko on 04.10.09 1:58 pm |
Ricko said:
For you RPM? After all, an Alouette IS a lark.
#153 by Flip on 04.10.09 2:01 pm |
I pass along a KC Star slide show of Royals opening days over the years.
http://www.kansascit...
#154 by Flip on 04.10.09 2:05 pm |
Flip said:
I can’t believe how unbelievably ugly those drop shadows were. Anything other than home whites is inappropriate.
#155 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 2:06 pm |
Lwiedy said:
And of course, everyone gets to define the words “reality” and “simple” as they see fit, and dismiss everyone else’s “reality” and “simple” as racist, sexist, ageist, etc.
This contributes to the continued blurring of right and wrong IMHO: but then again, none of these arguments are going to be resolved in the comments section of sports blog, are they? :-)
Re: Obama and the “black” vote: as a veteran of the Harold Washington era in Chicago, I think that you not only need to look at voting margins, you also need to look at the turnout percentages. And with that said, most everyone has a hotbutton issue. Greek candidates will fire up the ethnic Greek base; Jewish, female, etc. JMHO, but these types of “born” characteristics overwhelm the actual issues. That’s a layman’s opinion, of course.
Bringing this back to sports: ex-Bear was just elected mayor of his suburb this week. Do you think he got the Bear fan-vote? :-)
#156 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 2:08 pm |
JTH said:
The wife doesn’t read this blog, does she?
:-)
#157 by Flip on 04.10.09 2:10 pm |
Doug in GA said:
You ask, I deliver. Mississippi State has gone back to the maroon helmet.
http://www.secfanati...
Personally, I liked the MSU look Sylvester Croom introduced. Nice, clean, elegant. The maroon helmet might be OK, but the panel on those pants look awful.
#158 by rpm on 04.10.09 2:10 pm |
cleaning the studio for tonight, will be in and out.
____________
jth~
bring the wife!
_____________
ricko~
that is a great jersey, and you have totally inspired something for this years softball team!!!!
#159 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 2:11 pm |
Lomion said:
At a high school in the Chicago area, a baseball booster club raised enough money to have an irrigation system installed on the baseball diamond.
And it was installed.
And before the baseall season started, it was ripped out: the school administration decided that since the softball team didn’t have a system, the baseball team shouldn’t have one either.
#160 by JTH on 04.10.09 2:18 pm |
Flip said:
Absolutely adorable.
Yes, I’m referring to the jorts.
#161 by JTH on 04.10.09 2:22 pm |
anotherguy said:
Well, from time to time, I’ll point stuff out to her that I think she might find amusing.
She was mentioned in the ticker once, so I made sure she saw that.
And of course, I sent her the link to the RPM/DIY/OCD entry.
#162 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 2:22 pm |
JTH said:
I always appreciate the idea of correctly proportioning & placing the logos on the childrens’ clothes. But I wonder why no one has ever thought of downsizing the #1 foam finger?
#163 by Jeff P on 04.10.09 2:27 pm |
anotherguy said:
I hope the booster club sued for it’s money back.
#164 by monochrome sucks on 04.10.09 2:31 pm |
I just love the fact that Albuquerque changed their nickname to that of a fictional team that was almost fictionally relocated to Albuquerque. Please tell me they serve their dogs with southwestern ingredients like mesquite grilled onions, jalapeno relish and mango-lime salsa. you know, the kind of bold flavors they enjoy in albuquerque.
were there any rights issues with matt groening over the name?
im conflicted, i always thought the albuquerque dukes were a pretty iconic a minor league team. was the renaming due to copyright issues (like the texas rangers preventing washiington from using senators)?
#165 by War Damn Eagle on 04.10.09 2:39 pm |
JTH said:
Nice stirrups on Mike McFarlane in pic #3
#166 by LI Phil on 04.10.09 2:40 pm |
LI Phil said:
is that a threat or an invite ;)
have fun there james —
/hopefully someone in attendance brings a cam…might make a good weekend piece, knowaimean?
#167 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 2:40 pm |
Jeff P said:
While I only read about this, if I had been involved I know I sure would have been that much LESS eager to come out in the rain and the cold on a Saturday morning to sit in a cramped little trailer selling overpriced hot chocolate and popcorn.
#168 by rpm on 04.10.09 2:41 pm |
oooo, a link revisit, that was a fun day.
btw jth, we can talk about the glass painting diy you want to do.
#169 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 2:42 pm |
LI Phil said:
Different answer from the bachelors vs. the married guys, no?
:-)
#170 by JeffM on 04.10.09 2:44 pm |
Rangers feeling the wrath of the baseball gods for not wearing the red…down 8-0 in the bottom of the 5th
#171 by JTH on 04.10.09 2:45 pm |
LI Phil said:
Someone who isn’t me, you mean? Y’know, given my track record when it comes to bringing my camera to take some photos for a Uni Watch post…
#172 by chance on 04.10.09 2:57 pm |
Ricko said:
A great uniform which had the misfortune of being introduced at the very beginning of a long slide into mediocrity and which, therefore, never got the admiration it deserved.
Not perfect (could have dropped the green), but the best thing they ever wore. Hands-down.
#173 by chance on 04.10.09 3:03 pm |
monochrome sucks said:
You got any evidence to support your assertion?
I suspect that the new team could have bought the name, were they so interested. The name and logo seems to still garner some interest in the city.
#174 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 3:08 pm |
chance said:
I always like the block-esqe “M” that the Brewers brought with them from Seattle. (I don’t know if its more of a “like” for this particular style as much as its a definite dislike for what they’re using now.)
#175 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 3:16 pm |
JTH said:
Okay, now that you pointed that out, you have to report back on Monday and tell us if she was the one impatiently waiting on you to leave for the open house tonight; or if she said “gee honey, I’d LOVE to go with you-really I would. But I’m looking forward to removing wallpaper with nothing more than a rusty spoon and cold water this evening.”
:-)))
#176 by Mark Collins on 04.10.09 3:20 pm |
anotherguy said:
I found one of these Brewers hats last night. That was a good look for them.
#177 by dgc on 04.10.09 3:20 pm |
chance said:
Bud wanted to call the Nats the Senators. The mayor and city council wanted Grays because “DC has no Senators”. Nationals was the compromise choice (was also another name for the Senators).
#178 by monochrome sucks on 04.10.09 3:22 pm |
chance said:
what assertion? it was an actual (and not rhetorical) question. the only assertion i made (which is common knowledge) was that the rangers (in part) prevented the nats from being called the senators.
#179 by Paul Lukas on 04.10.09 3:22 pm |
Carl Dagger said:
Yes, duh, but the screen shot function disabled when the DVD player is operating.
#180 by Marcus Ramsey on 04.10.09 3:23 pm |
The Rangers right fielder, Nelson Cruz, is wearing the Elmer Fudd hat today against Detroit. No pics yet.
#181 by Marcus Ramsey on 04.10.09 3:25 pm |
Paul, the VLC media player will let you take screen shots from DVDs.
http://www.videolan....
BTW, The Rangers should not have stopped with the red.
#182 by Paul Lukas on 04.10.09 3:27 pm |
Marcus Ramsey said:
Oooh, thank you!
#183 by chance on 04.10.09 3:27 pm |
monochrome sucks said:
“Common knowledge” is frequently wrong. That’s what I was questioning.
#184 by War Damn Eagle on 04.10.09 3:33 pm |
Don’t know if this ever made the Ticker at some point, but new unis for the Birmingham Barons, AA team for the White Sox.
http://blog.al.com/s...
A better shot of the alt-cap logo:
http://barons.milbst...
#185 by monochrome sucks on 04.10.09 3:34 pm |
dgc said:
there were also pretty clear at the time that the rangers owned the trademarks for use of the name “senators” in baseball (with harrisburg having some sort of special dispensation) and that the name was a non-starter. williams’ remark was clever (and provided cover for not naming them the senators) but it was not the reason behind the name. senators was never seriously considered because of the trademark issue.
all of this was talked about relatively openly back in those heady days before we realized how much baseball and the lerners have taken us for a ride.
#186 by tom farley on 04.10.09 3:35 pm |
did he say “look at that little monkey run” or “that little monkey gets loose”? or both?
and didn’t howard have several cocktails in him at the time?
I think Howard had several cocktails in him most of the time.
Speaking of HBO sports specials (love ‘em) and Liev Schreiber (he’s great, isn’t he? And his taste in women is unsurpassed), they did a great one on Cosell about 10 years ago. Including footage from a MNF game in 1970, Giants vs. Eagles at Franklin Field, where Cosell got so liquored up at halftime that he was slurring his words on air and didn’t finish the game.
Cosell was a self-aggrandizing, button-pushing a-hole, but he was not a racist, IMO. He idolized Jackie Robinson, for example. The “monkey” comment toward … Alvin somebody, right? … was not about race. It was about size.
To prove its point, HBO played a clip from ABC’s coverage of the 1972 Hall of Fame Game, where Cosell described a 5-foot-9 running back for the Chiefs as a “little monkey.”
That back? The decidely Caucasian Mike Adamle.
#187 by monochrome sucks on 04.10.09 3:38 pm |
if you want your so called proof for a non-controversial statement then feel free to use some search string jujitsu on the Post’s archives. just dont feed me patently obvious bs spin. sure maybe they could have bought the rights to the mark and were just being cheap (which current circumstantial evidence might support) but the fact remains that is was not pursued because of the possibility of trademark issue.
#188 by chance on 04.10.09 3:38 pm |
monochrome sucks said:
The Rangers might have owned the name, but there were also many reports at the time that they would have sold it, and not exactly at a premium (not a huge revenue stream for them).
That’s why I ask – internet whispers are plentiful but hardly reliable.
#189 by Johnny O on 04.10.09 3:49 pm |
Goodness gracious I love Brewer fans!
http://i147.photobuc...
P.S. As expected, the Crew are in their home whites even though it is “Retro Friday”. The Brewers get it for sure.
#190 by Mary on 04.10.09 3:51 pm |
Didn’t see it in the previous comments, but here is the Halo’s new patch, to be worn on the left breast of each player.
http://www.ocregiste...
#191 by Wes on 04.10.09 3:52 pm |
Interesting post today, Paul, and interesting discussions, everyone. My only quarrel with Ali is I see him as the inventor of the “look at me” attitude that has now become the norm in sports, to pretty much everyone’s chagrin. That is why I’ve never understood the worship of him. I realize that is a simplified take, but I was not alive for the Viet Nam war or the 60’s racial equality movement. Although I do understand why a black man who had the cajones to be so bold and charismatic in that era should be admired.
#192 by Beardface on 04.10.09 3:53 pm |
War Damn Eagle said:
Gotta love it when the cap on the logo is different from any cap the team currently wears…
#193 by Wes on 04.10.09 3:58 pm |
I have a Cooperstown Collection desk calendar – each day features a picture of someone’s Hall of Fame plaque or some piece of baseball memorabilia. Today’s picture is of the patch the Tigers wore during their last season in Tiger Stadium. I didn’t remember seeing it before. Interesting that the intersection on which the stadium was located is featured more than the stadium itself. I can’t think of another example where that would be done!
You can see the patch here, in the “did you know” box on theh left side of the page…
http://www.logoserve...
#194 by Johnny O on 04.10.09 4:00 pm |
Johnny O said:
People on here will be glad to know that the pennant the Brewers have to honor their playoff appearance last year says, “2008 N.L. Wild Card”. No mention of “champs” or “champions” or “winners” on it.
Also, their “Opening” logo on the field says “Opening Week”.
#195 by rpm on 04.10.09 4:12 pm |
JTH said:
people don’t want to see my work except the sports stuff anyway, but you will get a preview of things to come, like the hockey player colour theory, etc.
also, i just opened up a window for the first time in 5 months, it is quite a procedure, so today is a red letter day. wait til you see the view.
#196 by Hott Rodd on 04.10.09 4:18 pm |
rpm said:
I can honestly say, that comments like this keep me coming back as much as or more than the uni talk..
#197 by Squiddie on 04.10.09 4:27 pm |
The other way to capture images from the DVD player on a Mac is the instruction screencapture. You can either use it in an Applescript or in the terminal window.
#198 by Flip on 04.10.09 4:36 pm |
I’m just here to say the Royals in white look terrific. Kauffman Stadium on the tube looks great, too.
#199 by jesse on 04.10.09 4:45 pm |
I want to say I agree with chance re:the Senators. Also, the original Washington team was officially known as the Nationals, however the name never stuck, and the media of the day refered to the team as the Senators. Once they left, and D.C. was given an expansion team, they were officially the Senators. Would have liked to see the current incarnation called the Senators as well. I also heard the Rangers would have given up the rights relatively cheaply.
#200 by monochrome sucks on 04.10.09 4:45 pm |
monochrome sucks said:
it\’s an undisputable fact that the Rangers own the mark and have been active about protecting the mark.
what i said was not based on internet whispers but actual reports and statements made at the time in mainstream news sources like the Washington Post.
on the other hand there were no reports (in the washington press at least) or statements about the rangers willingness to transfer the mark (at either a nominal, reasonable or exorbitant cost). if (as you seem to imply) there were reports in dallas (at least) of the willingness of the rangers to work with the former expos on the mark issue then i would be interested in seeing those. it seems like quite the oversight if the former expos did not pursue the possibility (and at the very least acquire the mark (without naming the team the senators) so they could realize the profits from the sale of washington senators merchandise).
for the moment im just going to assume you\’re right and chalk it up to one more thing wrong with the lerners and the horrendous fiasco the nats (and im not even talkin on the field) have been.
#201 by Flip on 04.10.09 4:48 pm |
jesse said:
That ship has sailed. Too bad “Nationals” doesn’t work quite as nicely in that same script. The “Washington” and “W” scripts are keepers. They need to lose the beveled numbers.
#202 by Flip on 04.10.09 5:01 pm |
I’m no fan the beveled craze, and criticized the Royals “40th anniversary” patch http://royals.mlblog...
But it looks fine on the uniform.
#203 by Sean on 04.10.09 5:02 pm |
The Rangers broadcasters mentioned on the air last night that equipment manager Zack Minasian told the team before the game on Thursday that he was only packing blues for the road and they’d have the road greys and blue alternates to choose from only.
Now that they got absolutely blown out, I wonder if they’ll have the reds overnighted.
#204 by Ricko on 04.10.09 5:04 pm |
Squiddie said:
I’m told by the art directors at work that there is a program what will allow you to do that “shift +4″ sort of thing business to capture still images from your screen on a PC. It’s called “Snag-It”. Been meaning to look into it (not talking screen grabs per se; maybe it would work, dunno). I think they said it costs about $30.
—Ricko
#205 by Teebz on 04.10.09 5:06 pm |
Game finals from the World Deaf Hockey Championships:
Morning draw – Slovakia vs. Russia
Russia wins 21-2. No, that’s not a typo.
Afternoon draw – USA vs. Finland
Finland defeats Team USA by a 6-2 score.
#206 by mike 2 on 04.10.09 5:07 pm |
monochrome sucks said:
I’ll dispute it.
Search “washington senators” on TESS and you get a variety of dead trademarks, either cancelled or abandoned. The only live “washington senators” trademark is registered to the Washington Nationals. (registration 78831761)
TESS isn’t determinative of ownership or validity of trademark, but its not as cut and dried as you suggest either.
http://tess2.uspto.g...
(if the link doesn’t work, its tess at the us patent and trademark office)
As an aside, TESS is another database in which its easy to kill hours and hours looking through the various unused designs that teams have trademarked. Its also a great place to get early looks at redesigns that sometimes get registered before the teams are ready to publicly release them.
#207 by Teebz on 04.10.09 5:08 pm |
Ricko said:
Or you culd simply download and install a program called ZAPGRAB. It’s shareware, and it’s free. It copies anything you have on your screen at the time. All you do is click, drag, and highlight.
Paste it into any paint/drawing program and you have yourself a picture. I constantly use this program to capture images I want from a variety of sources.
#208 by KW on 04.10.09 5:09 pm |
Why are the Batting Gloves pictured that out of the ordinary? That is the same location where most players have their numbers/initials/nicknames.
The skull cap that AJ is wearing is allowed by MLB standards because as of last year Wilson is the official catchers gear of MLB and that is considered part of the catchers gear package.
The hockey style helmet was supposed to switch over from exclusive All Star to exclusive Wilson as well but MLB catcher’s revolted against the change as the helmet is terrible and players refused. The compromise is that MLB allows the All Star helmets but they cannot display logos for either All Star or carry any team/personal branding.
Only Wilson helmets can have team branding or be customized.
#209 by Bernard on 04.10.09 5:10 pm |
Flip said:
Separated at birth?
http://www.globalpac...
#210 by Ricko on 04.10.09 5:10 pm |
Free is even better.
Thanks, Teebz.
#211 by Hott Rodd on 04.10.09 5:15 pm |
This just in…
Phoenix to host 2011 MLB A.S. Game. Can’t wait to see the crappy logo they come up with.. And to see it lambasted on this blog :-)
A.S. Game when it’s 120 out.. sweeet!
#212 by Beardface on 04.10.09 5:18 pm |
Hott Rodd said:
Good thing they have that roof and AC, right?
#213 by Teebz on 04.10.09 5:18 pm |
Ricko said:
When you blog for free, free is the only price I’ll pay for tools. LOL
You’re welcome, Ricko!
#214 by Ricko on 04.10.09 5:20 pm |
Honesty, I never thought the new Washington team would consider using “Senators,” the nickname’s history being so closely associated with the American League. I figured they’d want their own identity as a National League team. I reasoned that after all was said and done they’d be the “Nationals”. Don’t know if it was that obvious, or I thought they’d be that unimaginative, but I figured it was pretty much a lock from the beginning.
—Ricko
#215 by =bg= on 04.10.09 5:22 pm |
Wikipedia:
Cosell drew criticism during one Monday Night Football telecast in September 1983, for stating “that little monkey gets loose, doesn’t he?”, when he referred to a play by wide receiver Alvin Garrett of the Washington Redskins. While some saw “little monkey” as a racial slur, televised footage shows that Cosell routinely used this phrase in an approving way to describe quicker, smaller players of all ethnicities.
#216 by LI Phil on 04.10.09 5:24 pm |
Hott Rodd said:
sweeet indeed
so, if the d-bax get 2011 (with the halo’s having already secured 2010)…does that set up the fens in 2012 (for the 100th anniversary of the park) and assuming the world doesn’t end on 12/21/12 …
sheaciti field in 2013 and target field in 2014?#217 by Ricko on 04.10.09 5:28 pm |
You think the years don’t go by faster than you realize?
This guy (shown here in SMU monochrome red)…
http://farm4.static....
…turned 71 today.
Rick
#218 by rpm on 04.10.09 5:38 pm |
jth~
had to go out and get the wine for tonight, so i swung by chinatown, because i am out of chili-galic sauce, and picked you up my favourite while i was there, a good ol fashion sarsparilla. who’da thunk you have to go to chinatown for such things.
#219 by Flip on 04.10.09 5:40 pm |
Ricko said:
“Good night, the party’s over.”
#220 by Joe Barrie on 04.10.09 6:02 pm |
Ricko said:
Only a racist could think this way. I am a child of the 30s, and I think you are wrong about this.
#221 by monochrome sucks on 04.10.09 6:04 pm |
monochrome sucks said:
hmm… you\’re right. last time i looked it up maybe 2 years ago), it was still owned by the rangers (and done during their bush era lol)
if you look at the one for \”senators\”
http://tess2.uspto.g...
it shows that it was registered by the rangers but that the current owner is the nats. the history shows that it was assigned in late november of 2005. but looking at the case file it doesnt show any assignment of ownership document. so they probably just took awhile to update the database.
oh well it seems they did transfer the mark. kudos to the rangers for doing what\’s right. shame on the nats for continuing to be idiots and trademarking the names \”Mt. Crushmore\” and \”the rushmores\”.
#222 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 6:19 pm |
Flip said:
Flip, thanks for the opening day slide show. Would have liked to have seen a couple more from years when OD was something to look forward to as a KC fan but nonetheless terrific.
BTW, if you or anyone is recording today’s NY-KC game and would have the time rip a copy to DVD I would be more than happy to compensate for time & materials. Thanks!!!
#223 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 6:24 pm |
Lwiedy said:
I also didn’t know the Royals had Sid the Pig (Ponson). If we’re going to lose, can’t we lose with dignity?
#224 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 6:34 pm |
Geeks of the world have lost their leader:
http://news.yahoo.co...
#225 by jesse on 04.10.09 6:35 pm |
If the Nats own the Senators rights, then why did the Rangers wear Senators throwbacks last season? There was a debate on this site regarding what a “Senators” W on the cap looks like. However, I did pick up a Senators t-shirt at Nats Park last summer, so I don’t know.
#226 by Mike Hawk on 04.10.09 6:39 pm |
Ali / Frasier:
We heard this story a week ago when Frasier was on Howard Stern….yawn
#227 by jesse on 04.10.09 6:41 pm |
The Rangers wore Senators throwbacks last season, so it doesn’t make sense for the Nats to own the TM. If anything they (the Nats) would be using it to generate Senators throwback merchandise.
#228 by Paul Lukas on 04.10.09 6:47 pm |
Mike Hawk said:
Oh, right… Because everyone here listens to Howard Stern. Thanks for that trenchant analysis.
#229 by Ricko on 04.10.09 6:59 pm |
Joe Barrie said:
So all those who agreed with me—and mentioned film classes that agreed with me—would be racists, too?
(Just want to make sure that all the others you accuse of something, based solely on their opinions regarding one particular film, know about it).
—Ricko
#230 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 7:02 pm |
Paul Lukas said:
Well then thanks for Paul from everyone who doesn’t pay for radio.
#231 by Perry on 04.10.09 7:03 pm |
Beardface said:
Ah, but didn’t 90% or so of blacks also vote for Clinton, Gore, and Kerry?
#232 by Perry on 04.10.09 7:08 pm |
Lwiedy said:
IIRC, he called him a “tough little monkey,” which was not racist, just old fashioned. Ernest Borgnine’s character used the exact same term to refer to Frank Sinatra’s character several times in (1950’s) “From Here to Eternity.” No racial connotation whatsoever.
#233 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 7:24 pm |
Nice one for Johnny O, Chance et al. Lou took that better than I thought he would.
#234 by rpm on 04.10.09 7:52 pm |
Lwiedy said:
paul died?!!?!!???!!!
#235 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 7:56 pm |
Perry said:
I have the HBO Cosell program and here it is: “That little monkey gets loose, doesn’t he?” It still pains me to watch. Not because of Cosell but the ‘Skins were about to blow a 23-3 lead to the Cowpukes.
#236 by Lwiedy on 04.10.09 7:59 pm |
Perry said:
IIRC, Jerry Seinfeld call Bookman the library cop “one tough monkey”
#237 by Johnny O on 04.10.09 8:40 pm |
Lwiedy said:
Clearly safe:
http://a.espncdn.com...
Time to un-tuck ‘em:
http://a.espncdn.com...
I love opening day in Milwaukee!
#238 by Eddie on 04.10.09 8:40 pm |
Oh no… the Isotopes jersey has a Dodgers patch on it!!! haha
#239 by Johnny O on 04.10.09 8:41 pm |
rpm said:
This comment is clearly not only “comment of the day”, but I’m gonna say “comment of the month”. I literally laughed out loud. Well played.
#240 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 8:58 pm |
Johnny O said:
Some of the screen-grab gurus here may want to try and capture the shot from the opposite direction a few seconds later: Weeks throws off his helmet, and he seems to be wearing a stocking cap (or a Manny-style nylon cap)
Johnny O said:
Oh, just a typical Friday night in Milwaukee. They’re not celebrating opening day or anything. :-)
(PS: I love the guy with the foam keg on his head. Remind me to get one of those for my next trip up there.)
#241 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 9:02 pm |
tom farley said:
And Mike is doing local sports in Chicago to this day.
Every time he stumbles over the script or mangles a name, Northwestern must collectively cringe.
#242 by LarryB on 04.10.09 9:44 pm |
I have Time Warner Cable. At this time of year they are giving the NHL and MLB games for free. I wish I knew when they started the NHL ones. I am Blue Jackets fan but in my area they are blacked out on Fox Ohio since the Penguins are close.
Even if I do not sit and watch the baseball games I enjoy checking them out.
One other good thing on HBO is the 24/7 Pacquiao?Hatton. Those are good shows which the intent is to make you want to buy PPV which I wii not do.
ANd Congratulations to Columbus for finally making the playoffs. I was at the very first game they played vs Blackhawks.
#243 by James Craven on 04.10.09 10:04 pm |
The Angels are wearing as small black circle over their hearts with Nick Adyenhart’s name and number in a black circle.
#244 by skott daltonic on 04.10.09 10:09 pm |
very nice moment in Anaheim. very simple and nice.
red sox are wearing blue sox w/ the blue jerseys.
#245 by Johnny O on 04.10.09 10:10 pm |
anotherguy said:
Weeks has been wearing that “doo rag” thing on and off for the past few seasons. Here is a screen grab from Brewers.com for ya “anotherguy”:
http://i147.photobuc...
Here are a few more reasons why Opening Day in Milwaukee (and Milwaukee in general) is awesome:
http://d.yimg.com/a/...
http://d.yimg.com/a/...
http://d.yimg.com/a/...
http://d.yimg.com/a/...
http://d.yimg.com/a/...
It is supposed to be sunny and high 50’s in “The Good Land” this weekend… so I am sure there will be a lot more tailgating pics from the Crew/Cubs series. Enjoy the weekend series if you are going! And be safe! (I had tickets to the game on Sunday, but alas, no rest for a golf pro this time of year. Not even on Easter)
P.S. I hope people turn into The Masters this weekend as well. Should be a great time as it always is. Anyone see Japan’s Shingo Katayama today? Here is what he was wearing:
http://d.yimg.com/a/...
Here is a full view…he’s got nice kicks on too. I think those have to be Asics, no?
http://d.yimg.com/a/...
#246 by Paul Lukas on 04.10.09 10:15 pm |
James Craven said:
Screen shots:
http://farm4.static....
http://farm4.static....
They’ve also put his number on the back of the mound:
http://farm4.static....
Better view of patch design:
http://www.ocregiste...
Meanwhile, the Red Sox are debuting their navy road alt (hate it, looks like a BP jersey) and hanging-sox alt cap (not sure what I think yet). No alt helmet — just the standard “B” helmet. And in a move that hadn’t been previously apparent, they’re also wearing navy socks. Wonder if this means they’ll also be wearing navy hose with their standard road grays — hope not, but it’d make sense, since the gray jersey now has navy lettering.
So it has come to this: The Red Sox are wearing navy sox.
#247 by Paul Lukas on 04.10.09 10:22 pm |
Johnny O said:
I almost never watch golf, so it’s surprising for me to see a golfer wearing a Phiten necklace. Are they common on the links now?
#248 by Johnny O on 04.10.09 10:24 pm |
ATTENTION DIRECTV USERS!!
I don’t know if this has been mentioned, or if maybe it is a trial period, or if it is a mistake on my satellite provider’s part… but right now I am able to get MLB Extra Innings for free. I do not subscribe to it or anything. Can any other DrecTV users check this out for me? Like I said, it might be a free trail run. DirecTV does this soemtimes for a few things. Thanks in advance!
#249 by anotherguy on 04.10.09 10:24 pm |
Johnny O said:
Thanks!! I saw that pic on the official website but I don’t have the technology to get it over here.
When I saw the televison highlights I was trying to see if it was a backwards cap, a do-rag, a stocking cap… but there wasn’t a tight enough shot.
Johnny O said:
Oh heavens yes. :-) I try to get up there for at least one game per year. The tailgating of a football game, yet you have the weather of a (midsummer) baseball game: (plus the uh, male/female ratio of baseball too. Can’t beat it.)
I tailgated at County YEARS ago, long before you could legally do it at Comiskey; and one of my favorite stories was the fight that broke out at the very top of the bleachers in LF. The Milwaukee cops were facing that way, resting their butts on the railing at the very bottom of the bleachers. They didn’t make a move to break it up. And those two women were really beating on each other too. (I know it sounds like I made that up: It’s true.)
Johnny O said:
Ah, no tickets for me. But I’m trying to work my connections for some tickets for the June 12-14 series. :-)
#250 by scott on 04.10.09 10:30 pm |
Red Sox softball uniforms look terrible.
#251 by Kevin Z. on 04.10.09 10:39 pm |
Not sure if anyone is watching the Red Sox-Angels game with Boston in their new jerseys with navy socks, but in the top of the first inning the announcers talked a little about all the new uniforms. Not sure it’s worth transcribing, but the navy jerseys are to be worn every Friday. I’m assuming that means the red jerseys on Fridays at home. The fill-in announcer, Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal, said that the navy lettering on the road grays helps distinguish the Red Sox from the Angels since all the red made each of their jerseys look pretty similar. I never thought about this. It’s probably kind of true, but the Red Sox always wore navy hats and belts. Also, he told a bad joke about how Red Sox equipment manager must have a “2-point conversion” type chart to determine which uniforms to wear when.
#252 by Johnny O on 04.10.09 10:46 pm |
Paul Lukas said:
Absolutly not. I have seen golfers wear the Phiten bracelets:
http://lib.store.yah...
And I have even seen them wear these things called “Tornado bracelets”…which may be what Shingo is wearing:
http://www.go-titani...
Loosening up agents have been popular for golfers for a long time. The first big craze was the Chi Chi Rodriguez Energy Band:
http://i.somethingaw...
A few years ago there was this thing called the Q-Link, which was supposed to calm the golfer’s nerves, and you wore it around your neck close to your sternum:
http://g-images.amaz...
http://shop.odemagaz...
A quick search of Shingo tells me that he has been wearing those Phiten necklaces for a while:
http://images.quickb...
http://www.beauprodu...
This pic. shows a sponsor ad of Phiten on his hat:
http://www.nikkeibp....
http://cache.daylife...
Another oddity about Shingo, or rather his equiptment, is that he uses grips called “Ion”. They are huuuuuuuuge in Japan, and VERY expensive. Evidently they have specifically charged ions in the grip that relax your body when you grip them by shooting charges of ions into you. They are also popular because they come in a plethora of colors. Here is info on the Ion grips:
http://www.max5sport...
http://www.tourspecg...
#253 by James Craven on 04.10.09 10:50 pm |
Johnny O said:
Yes it is a trial period. They – and cable systems with digital capacity – do this twice a year as well…
#254 by Johnny O on 04.10.09 10:59 pm |
Johnny O said:
Never mind…just looked online and found out it is indeed a free trial DirecTV is running between April 6-12. So if you have DirecTV you can get MLB Extra Innings (even in HD) free for another day.
#255 by Chris on 04.10.09 11:12 pm |
Paul Lukas said:
Hold on, I’m almost done throwing up.
#256 by Priest on 04.10.09 11:20 pm |
A couple of things from the Jays/Indians game today…
- The Maple Leaf sleeve patch on the Jays’ road greys does not have the blue outline on it… even less less blue
- I think it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, but it appeared a couple times that the TED patch on some of the players have a white oval around it
- The Indians pitcher in the 9th (never caught his name, I was talking rather than listening, #30) had a glove with a hole for his index finger, as is common. However, he then had another piece of leather to cover his finger (which he didn’t appear to have outside of the glove anyways). I’ve never seen anything like it, are these common?
#257 by Chris on 04.10.09 11:21 pm |
How often are MLB team logos on garter belts and pantyhose? http://tess2.uspto.g...
#258 by Mike Engle on 04.10.09 11:26 pm |
Priest said:
For pitchers, yes, because the leather strip covers the finger. Not mandatory, and not a protective measure, but as a way to hide the glove-hand index finger so that the pitcher doesn’t tip his pitches.
#259 by JIMC on 04.10.09 11:34 pm |
Johnny O said:
Comcast digital/Chicago-area’s had this all week – wife’s not happy I’ve been uni-researching parts of about 60 games already this wk! – It’s like taking a fat guy like me to an all-u-can eat buffet & he’s full every day, but, can’t wait to do it again 2morrow!
#260 by LI Phil on 04.11.09 12:00 am |
well EFF me…i just this minute figured out im getting the free extra innings trial … would have been nice to know before midnight on friday … oh well, i’ll enjoy it while it lasts
#261 by James Craven on 04.11.09 12:08 am |
Ah, don’t worry, Lawn Guyland Philip. Another preview follows the All-Star Break.
#262 by Johnny O on 04.11.09 12:14 am |
LI Phil said:
You and me both, Phil. Found out 1 day before it expires. Sons of bitches.
#263 by BuckeyeMark on 04.11.09 12:19 am |
Brendan Ryan (2B) wore striped stirrups for the Cards tonight. It looked awesome!!! Caught the last inning and suddenly realized I was seeing a baseball player who LOOKED like a ball player. incredible. Cards beat the Astros – the highlights on ESPN show the last out which Ryan made – you can clearly see them in the clip! STIRRUPS ARE BACK!
#264 by BuckeyeMark on 04.11.09 12:23 am |
photo confirmation of Brendan Ryan in stirrups:
http://stltoday.myca...
the stripes appear to definitely be navy. uh-mazing.
#265 by Terry Mark on 04.11.09 12:32 am |
It bears repeating, since it looks so beautiful: Brendan Ryan rocks the St. Louis Cardinals’ striped stirrups. I caught a glimpse of him tonight and those stirrups were perfection.
#266 by LI Phil on 04.11.09 12:34 am |
agreed on ryan … he’s been doing it for a while (nice gallery/montage in link)
#267 by Wollen1 on 04.11.09 1:09 am |
Gotta say it, the new alts my beloved Red Sox wore tonight looked lame and bush league. If it can even be said, they look worse than spring training unis. I hope those things go away, but MLB needs to sell about a million of the caps before that will happen. Boo!
#268 by Johnny O on 04.11.09 1:34 am |
Johnny O said:
I would like to add to my pics of opening day at Miller Park:
When you run out of Klemets, you run out of taste:
http://d.yimg.com/a/...
Another pic. of Rickie scoring the winning run:
http://d.yimg.com/a/...
Rickie and his “doo rag” again:
http://d.yimg.com/a/...
Great tasting, less filling… Miller Park!
http://d.yimg.com/a/...
#269 by Johnny O on 04.11.09 1:36 am |
Johnny O said:
Damn… my “when you run out of Klemets” line should of course be before the pic of the brat… my bad.
#270 by LI Phil on 04.11.09 1:40 am |
i fixed it for ya johnny…you want i should delete your last comment?
#271 by Traxel on 04.11.09 1:49 am |
Went to the Royals/Yankees gmae today. A few observations – Both teams looked very nice, top to toe. Disappointed with the stadium renovations. More novelties, wider concourses, yeah okay, but when walking up to it, it looked like that 70’s addition to Yankee Stadium. Just didn’t fit the original architectural style. Fountains are no longer symetrical in a stadium that focuses completely on symetry. I-70 is still a major focal point, though I don’t quite understand what it’s original draw was. The stadium stares directly at it for some reason as if to say nothing says KC better than a damn interstate. Overall big crowd, good looking teams, lots of cheap replicas walking around, and Ponson still sucks.
#272 by rpm on 04.11.09 4:02 am |
Johnny O said:
it nods it’s head in thanks for the honour.
i love when “we” make fun of geeks when “we” are obviously geeks, pot/kettle a bit, no? we are uni trek. live it, love it, own it.