Posts filed under 'Collectibles/Memorabilia'
As you may have noticed, Grey Flannel Auctions recently signed on as a sponsor — a nice partnership, since I’ve been reporting on their auction items for years. Here are some of the more interesting items from their current auction catalog:
• My favorite item in the entire action, hands down, is this awesome Babe Ruth Mutoscope. Further details in the auction listing.
• On second thought, maybe my favorite item is this old Schaefer ad (full listing).
• Totally digging these Indians pencil clips (full listing).
• Once upon a time, the Yankees gave away really cool trinkets for Mother’s Day (full listing).
• Man, remember when the Kentucky Colonels used this NOB font? (Full listing.)
• Speaking of NOB lettering, there’s soooo much to like here (full listing).
• I saw this gorgeous Spirits of St. Louis jersey at the Grey Flannel booth at the National Sports Collectors Convention last summer, and it was a sight to behold (full listing).
• Who did these amazing stirrups and shorts belong to? The All-American Redheads (full listing, plus you can learn more about the Redheads here).
• Several very cool Globetrotters lots here, here (love the globe on the back of the jersey), and here.
• It’s rare to see a zebra-striped NBA ref’s jersey, and even rarer to see one with this incredible chest patch. That gold trim looks chain-stitched, too (full listing).
• Granted, I’m not the biggest NBA fan, but I don’t think I’d ever seen this Spurs insignia before (full listing).
• Nice pair of sub-script NOBs here and here. The second one is particularly interesting because the NOB is on a nameplate, something you rarely see on a basketball uni.
• I’ve always said that the ugliest jerseys make the coolest Uni Watch membership card designs, so someone really ought to sign up and go with this motif. Or maybe this one.
• Okay, so we all know the Eagles used some unusual sleeve stripes in the early 1970s, but the striping somehow looks even weirder when the jersey is viewed all by itself (full listing).
• Old sideline capes are always cool, even if they’re from the NFL’s most annoying team.
If you want to check out additional items, the full auction catalog is here.
The Proctor Files, Continued: Yesterday I mentioned that the Rochester Lancers used different uni number fonts for the front and back of their jersey. That prompted the following note from sporting goods maven Terry Proctor:
I’m partially responsible for the Lancers using two different numeral fonts. We (Ruby’s Sporting Goods) sold the Lancers those striped jerseys in 1968 when they were still in the old American Soccer League. Dick Howard, the goalie at the time, came into our store to order the Lancers’ uniforms. Dick was from England and liked the Bukta jersey style with the stripes. So we contacted the U.S.A. distributor for Bukta, the Peter Green Co. Ltd of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and placed the order for the knit-in striped jerseys, royal blue nylon soccer shorts, and solid athletic gold soccer socks.
The special-order uniforms came in to us directly from England. We had them lettered in Rochester by the Holley-Messner Corp.. who did most of the screen-printing and tackle twill for the Rochester market. The Lancers, who were always a seat-of-the-pants organization, could only afford one-color numbers on the back and no logo for the ’68 season. It was my idea to have the numbers sewn on with black thread to give them a little contrast. H-M used Stahls Pro Block, which is basically plain block, for the back numbers.
When the Lancers joined the NASL in 1970, they decided to spruce up the old striped shirts with the logo patch and front numbers, instead of buying new jerseys. We ordered the embroidered logo patches from Voyager Emblems in Canada through their U.S. broker. Then we had Rose Yacuzzo, our own seamstress, add the front numbers. Rose used Stahls Varsity Block font as her stock style, and that’s the reason for the different fonts.
The Greatest Achievement in Human History, Update: Remember those 1956 Portland Beavers undersleeve stripes, which I was so excited about a few days ago? Dave Eskenazi, who provided me with those photos, has now come up with seven additional pics that show the sleeve stripes. Oh man, does that look awesome or what? And Dave says he probably has more photos buried in his archive, including some action shots. “Coming your way as I excavate them,” he says — can’t wait.
The funny thing about all this is that Dave has apparently known about the sleeve stripes for ages but never thought to mention them to me. The main reason he sent me those first two photos — the ones that formed the basis of my Wednesday post — is that they were in color. Color PCL photos from the 1940s and ’50s are rare, so he was excited to share them with me. He mentioned the sleeve stripes in his e-mail, but he was clearly jazzed about the color, not the stripes. Makes you wonder how many other amazing uni-related tidbits have fallen through the cracks because nobody thought they were noteworthy.
Meanwhile, as you may recall, Jerry Cohen of Ebbets Field Flannels said the striped shirts couldn’t be reproduced in small quantities. But I got a note last night from Bob Halfacre — formerly of AIS Sports and now running his own Bobcat Athletic operation — as follows:
I am pretty sure we can make these in smaller lots. Maybe 100 pieces? We use a local knitter that can knit the striped sleeve panels, it’s just a question of their minimum. I’ll ask, and in the next week or so I’ll try and figure out what these would cost to do.
It would be good to gauge the readership’s interest in a shirt like the one in the Beavers photos. Would you consider buying one for the right price? If so, let me know.
Uni Watch News Ticker: That new powder blue Royals cap, aka the worst-kept secret of the off-season, has now officially been unveiled. … What’s worse than unveiling a really ugly new rugby kit? Unveiling a really ugly new rugby kit and bragging about it. … Here’s a weird one: an old shirt collar with a little bats/ball logo and a “Red Sox” imprint. … Other good eBay finds: a gorgeous rawlings undershirt, an interesting baseball cap, a really nice 1960s baseball jersey (way overpriced, though), a seriously old wool jersey, an Ohio State baseball jersey, a really nice jersey script, a baseball jersey made by Everlast (!), a seriously garish 49ers tee, a simple but very classy cycling jersey, etc. … Jacoby Ellsbury is changing his uni number from 46 to 2. … Check out the awesome maple leaf sleeve patch worn by the 1915 Victoria Bees (typically awesome contribution from Dave Eskenazi). … The Florida Panthers will finally unveil their alternate jersey on Monday evening. I’ll have an insta-review here on the site, much like what I did for the Mardi Gras design on ESPN, at 7:30pm Monday. … Nice visual timeline of Virginia Tech helmet history here (with thanks to Mike Kennedy). … Alberto Rodriguez-Baez sent along some great photos from his mid-1980s youth football team in Monterrey, Mexico. I didn’t realize there was such a football youth culture in Mexico, but Alberto says, “The football tradition [in Monterrey] is h-u-g-e! Growing up in Mexico, my favorite sport wasn’t soccer, but football. Football is still my favorite sport by far.” … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Tremendous color footage from the 1957 NFL championship game (Browns vs. Lions) here and here. … UC-Irvine now wearing yellow at home (with thanks to Nick Fox). … DIY news from Joe DeAngelis, who writes: “I had an annoying vacant spot in my sports room that called for some décor. I didn’t want to place a generic poster or photo but wanted something unique to display. So, after a trip to the local arts and crafts store and spending approximately $25 on supplies, I created a piece I’m very proud of. Granted, it’s no Picasso, especially up-close, but it’s created directly from my eyes and hands, and it’s become a nice conversation piece.” … Oh Dear. Full details here (with thanks to Ethan Hagen). … Will DeFord’s wife has been making Chargers-themed cupcakes. … That was some bright game last night at the Garden. …
November 20th, 2009
Back around 2002, I wrote a column about collectibles for a magazine too embarrassing to mention. The column was eventually discontinued because the editor felt I wasn’t coming up with enough “found in the attic” stories — i.e., stories about amazingly valuable collectibles that had been gathering dust in someone’s attic until they were discovered and then sold for many thousands of dollars. I tried to explain to the editor that stories like those don’t grow on trees, but somehow he was unmoved, and that was the end of the column.
Too bad I didn’t know about this game-worn Jim Brown Syracuse helmet back then. Here’s the deal: The helmet was originally given to the father of a young Syracuse family by a close friend of former Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder shortly after the 1956 season. It was a gift to an expectant father, who put it away for what he was sure would be his new son. When his wife gave birth to a girl instead, the helmet stayed tucked away in the family attic, where it remained until the daughter, now grown and caring for her elderly father, discovered it more than four decades later.
The helmet was eventually acquired in 2001 by Curtis Worrell and Jim Parker of Helmet Hut. It was the crown jewel in their helmet collection, but with Parker’s recent death, Worrell has decided to sell the helmet and give the proceeds to Parker’s widow. It’s currently up for auction at Game Used Universe (which, as you may have noticed, is a new Uni Watch sponsor, although that’s not why I’m writing this piece — the helmet is a great story, and the Helmet Hut folks are great people).
The auction runs through this Thursday, just in case you have an extra 30 grand burning a hole in your pocket. And even if you don’t end up bidding, you can check out these great Jim Brown pics here.
New ESPN column today — my annual college hoops season preview, and it’s a doozy, with coverage of over 50 teams. Major thanks to all of you who provided info. Here’s the link.
Raffle Reminder: Today’s the last day for the poster raffle. Details here.
What’s it worth to ya?: Remember last Wednesday’s discussion of the value of design? Scott Misner, whose comment a few days earlier prompted that discussion (but who did not participate in the Wednesday dialogue — he was busy with work-related stuff) has checked in with a lengthy essay in which he expands on his original comment and responds to some of the points made in Wednesday’s comments. Check it out here.
Mooooo!: Yesterday’s Brooklyn Beefsteak was a smashing, gut-busting success. Thanks to all the Uni Watch readers who said hello! I’ll post my photos tomorrow, so send me yours if you want them to be included.
Your productive day is now over: Dave Holz sent me a link to some absolutely stunning 1930s color photography from the Library of Congress. It’s not uni-related, but it’s flat-out the most compelling imagery I’ve seen in ages. Be warned — once you click on this link, you won’t get anything else accomplished all day. Enjoy.
Uni Watch News Ticker: In case you were under a rock for the past 72 hours, we now know what a bunch of the Nike rivalry revelry riflery designs look like, including the full Ohio State uni, the Virginia Tech jersey, the TCU uni, most of the gloves, and probably a lot more stuff that I’ve missed. Oh, and each riflery school gets its own stupid-ass comic book slogan, and Nike helped prime the pump for today’s Virginia Tech uni unveiling by parking this unassuming little buggy on campus. Nicely done. … Now that’s a uniform, as worn by Jon Solomonson, circa 1973. The other kids’ helmets had only one stripe, but they had to find a smaller lid to fit Jon’s noggin, and it had three stripes. He says he later removed the extraneous striping so he could match his teammates. … Now that the Yanks have won their 27th title, Joe Girardi plans to change his uni number. … Best Twitter feed ever (thanks, Kirsten). … 11/11 isn’t just Veterans Day — it’s also “the date that most closely resembles corduroy,” at least according to these folks, who’ll be holding their annual Grand Meeting on Wednesday right down the avenue from my house. … Nice story about a Sidney Crosby jersey here (with thanks to Nate Budziszewski) …. Jay Danbom lives in Dickinson, North Dakota, where those college softball players recently drowned. He responded to the tragedy by designing a memorial ribbon (”Ashely Neufeld’s initials are in red because she was from Canada,” he explains), which was worn by his rec hockey team. … Bit of a poppy controversy in Old Blighty (with thanks to Mark Coale). … Okay, so this is pretty damn cool. Details here (with thanks to Braden Lerwill). … Check out the major helmet-stripe damage on Alphonso Carreker’s helmet, circa 1988. … Many college football refs wore blue sleeves on Saturday, for prostate cancer awareness. … There’s gotta be an easier way to represent your team on your goalie pads than this (with thanks to Laura Pond). … Bruce Menard was looking through an auction site and turned up a really nice 1911 Cubs jersey and an even nicer 1920s Cubs jacket. … This is a gown made of Arizona Cardinals jerseys. Lots of additional details here (with thanks to Chad Todd). … Interesting discussion on the Chris Creamer board: Someone pointed out that the far-right Lightning player in this photo isn’t wearing the the NHL collar logo. That prompted someone else to post that Robyn Regehr has never had the NHL logo on his collar since the league went to the Edge template. … The Japanese women’s volleyball team will be wearing new uniforms — including a very odd upside-down pouch design — at the Grand Champions Cup next week (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … Super-cool collection of bicycle chain guards here (great find, Kirsten). … More excellent info on the nature of flannel fabrics here (with thanks to Dave Grob). … Double sock stripes! Additional creamsicle pics here. … New soccer kit for Argentina (with thanks to Tomas Abrate). … Torn helmet decal yesterday for DeAngelo Williams (screen shot courtesy of Corey Davis). … “Jesuit High School of Portland, Oregon, has a successful cross country team that has the athletes put a cross on their face,” reports Jeremy Brahm. … Sorry there’s so little NFL info in today’s entry. I was off the grid all day yesterday due to the beefsteak. Priorities, priorities…..
November 9th, 2009
Back in January, reader Warren Humphrey pointed me toward this page, which features lots of interesting Seattle Chieftains uniforms. I linked to it in the Ticker and that was the end of that.
But if I had bothered to click around on the site where that page was hosted (which I’ve now finally done, thanks to a tip from Dave Hembree), I would have found a ton additional material. The site is Both Teams Played Hard, and it’s amazing. It’s run by Warren, who describes himself as “a collector,” although I think “historian” might be just as apt a title for him. His strongest suit appears to be basketball, mostly non-NBA stuff, although he has at least a few jerseys from all the major (and some minor) sports. Here’s a small sampling of what you can find once you start clicking through his site:
• Totally digging this Knicks warm-up pullover and this snap-front design.
• The front of this Kentucky State shooting shirt is nice, but the real prize is the design on the back — check it out.
• Here’s a doozy: tequila sunrise and sunset!
• I’d never seen a basketball jersey with the school name in between the two uni number numerals before. How did they handle the design for jerseys with single-digit numbers?
• Awesome 1960s Cleveland Barons hockey jersey here.
• You can really see how the Jets’ shade of green has changed over the years when you look at this old salesman’s sample.
• Love the chunky Phillies script seen in this 1948 batboy jersey.
• Good thing Warren already sold this 1930s football jersey, or else I’d be reaching for the checkbook right now.
• We all know that the Cubs’ mid-century road design has also been used by minor league teams, but I’d never seen this version before.
• OK, so we all know how I feel about purple, but I might make an exception for this jersey.
• You also know how I feel about the combination of green and gold, and that goes double for this uni. GodDAMN that’s gorgeous!
• Greatest rear-jacket design ever? Could be, could be.
• The Globetrotters weren’t the only show team playing in Harlem back in the day. There were also the Harlem Travelers.
• Rare to see a shooting shirt with a big design on the front.
• It’s hard to imagine a jersey that screams “early 1970s!” more than this one does. Here’s the road version.
• I know there have been teams called the Quakers, but I’ve never seen one called the Quaker Oats. Must have been a factory team.
• Magnificent satin jersey here.
• Warren also has a huge page devoted to old photos, ranging from the gorgeous to the bizarre. Too many notable pics to list here, so let’s just say I strongly, strongly recommend scrolling through the entire set.
• Last but absolutely not least, Warren has also been compiling a tagging archive. Click on the individual brands to see loads of great tag designs.
And there’s more — a lot more. Good luck getting anything else done once you start poking around through Warren’s collection.
Great Seven-Inch Sell-Off, Continued: I’ve put yet another batch of old indie singles up for sale on eBay. Start biddin’!
Uni Watch News Ticker: Some really nice old baseball program and yearbook covers on display here. “My favorite is this one, for obvious reasons,” says Ray Barrington). … Oooh, check this out: Prior to Saturday’s Blackhawks/Avalanche game, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Denis Savard, and Tony Esposito took the ice in period-appropriate uniforms. “Note the NNOB and older crest on Mikita and Hull and the gold trim on the crest with the sans-serif C on the shoulder patches for Esposito,” says James Huening. “Dunno why Savard had to wear an Edge jersey, though. And I’m pretty sure the numbers weren’t positioned so low on the back during the NNOB days.” … “Clemson football player Stanley Hunter was forced to quit the team right before the season started because of his ongoing problems with epileptic seizures,” says Benji Boyter. “As a tribute to him, a different player on the team is wearing his No. 17 for each game.” … You know how turf fields typically include those little pieces of ground-up tires? Turns out they could be toxic. … Good spot by Teebz, who notes that Chicago Wolves goalie Drew MacIntyre was still wearing his blue Predators pants the other day, instead of black like his teammates. … The Penguins will wear their blue throwbacks this Saturday. The full schedule for wearing them this season can be found here (thanks, Kek). … Good spot by Jesse Buckner, who notes that the Rangers have been wearing navy gloves, instead of royal. Is that a new thing? … Best news of the week! … USC is adding a helmet decal this weekend for Stafon Johnson, who suffered a serious training injury. … New logos and colors for the New Orleans Zephyrs (with thanks to Bruce Richards). … Todd Usher notes that Maurice Creek is shown wearing a numberless Indiana jersey on this page. “I’d never seen an Indiana head shot that didn’t include the number,” he says. … Great story about an old Arkansas pennant here (nice find by Charlie Shields). … FNOB alert from the late ’80s. That’s Kerry Cash of the 1989 Longhorns (as noted by Gordon Reid). … Look at this: Nike is selling Oregon State replica jerseys with different TV numbers on the two sleeves. “It’s so people don’t have to choose between the two best players on the team, brothers Jacquizz (#1) and James (#8) Rodgers,” says Malcolm Byers.
October 14th, 2009
[Editor's Note: Today we have a guest entry from Matt King -- that's him at right -- who's tackling a thorny issue head-on. -- PL]
By Matt King
My wife and I met Paul at the Uni Watch gathering on July 30th. I wore my 1987 Indians authentic jersey to the event, and she wore my 2000 Browns authentic. These are the only two authentic shirts I own, as I am not a collector.
When Paul began photographing everyone at the party, he photographed us from the front and then asked us to turn around. I hesitated for a moment, as thoughts of this article rushed through my head (see the fifth item under “Honorable Mention”). But we went ahead with it anyway and let Paul take the rear-view photo. Then, the very next day, this article ran (see item No. 1), and I knew I had to prevent that photo from gracing this site.
Yes, it’s true: My authentics have my name on the back (let’s call it ONOB, for own name on back). I know that’s a no-no for many people, and I didn’t want to get crucified in the comments section, so I asked Paul to refrain from linking to that rear-view photo when he wrote about the Cleveland party. You’re not going to see the photo running with this article, either — I don’t want to be the poster child for ONOB. But I do want to give my reasons for it.
The 1987 Indians jersey that I wore is not a throwback — it’s an original, which was not an easy item to acquire such an item back in the late 1980s (sometimes the Indians would make game-used equipment and uniforms available at their team shop on Euclid Avenue, but new authentic items were not readily available). Back around that time, however, a few friends and I were lucky enough to sell programs at Cleveland Stadium, and we learned that the Indians’ outfitter was a place called Cleveland Sporting Goods in Parma. We went there one day, only to find one jersey available, three sizes too small and at an outrageous cost of $75. Of course, I bought it anyway.
Since they did the lettering for the team, they asked what name and number I would like. Here’s the Indians’ 1987 roster — whose name and number would you take? So I chose my name and my high school football number, 61. I figured nobody would ever wear a number that high in a real game, so it became a running joke between my buddies and me that I was the first player cut during spring training but that the team let me keep my jersey.
The point is this: Prior to the widespread availability of mass-produced authentic sportswear, no rules had been established for this kind of thing. So I propose the following grandfather clause: Any authentic item purchased before January 1, 2000 is exempt from debate by either side of the ONOB argument. My Browns jersey — the one my wife wore to the Uni Watch party — fails this test by a few months, but it is 51 because of many cold days in the real Dawg Pound watching Eddie Johnson.
There’s another point to consider here: Even if we never get to wear a real uniform with our name on the back, we can still be loyal fans, and fans can be as important as players. The loyal fan never had the athletic ability to earn the ONOB jersey, but he can earn the right to wear the uniform through years of supporting that very same uniform. In the grand scheme of things, a loyal fan of, say, the Kansas City Royals is more important to the team’s well- being than some guy who got a September cup of coffee in 1990. If that fan wants his name on the shirt, I say he deserves it.
My own sons, although heavily involved in athletics, are not big fans of pro sports. But if they were, maybe at some point they’d want the $300 Indians jersey. Now, there’s no way we’re buying that shirt for them, but if they wanted to earn and save toward that goal, we wouldn’t stop them. What if they thought ONOB was only for the “doofus” crowd — what would their other options be? Here’s what’s been most widely available over the past few seasons: CC Sabathia, Fausto Carmona, Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore, Casey Blake, and Travis Hafner. Four of those guys are gone and the other three aren’t exactly tearing up the league. Is a Sabathia jersey retro-cool yet? I think not. That’s a lot of lawn cutting and Little League umpiring for something that’s only going to remind you of a player who’s no longer on your team. $300 is a lot to spend on a temporary tattoo.
But your own name doesn’t sign a free agent contract with another team. Your own name doesn’t get traded. Your own name doesn’t get farmed out. Your own name doesn’t instruct your agent to not return phone calls from the Cleveland Indians (I’m looking at you, Brett Butler). The ONOB shirt never was on the team, so the ONOB shirt can never leave the team.
I have no desire to become the champion of the ONOB cause, but I do hope I’ve helped explain why ONOB shouldn’t be viewed as the mark of the beast. And for the record, I have never, ever once referred to a Cleveland sports team as “we,” but that’s a whole different essay.
=========
Paul here. Personally, I’ve never had any problem with ONOB. Then again, I don’t own any jerseys with any names on them (yes, I know, many of you still can’t fathom that; for more details, look here), so maybe I’m not a good judge of such protocols.
Coupla Reminders: I’m currently raffling off a jacket from SoccerPro.com. Details here. (And as an aside, the SoccerPro folks are also selling a limited-edition tee for the Homeless World Cup.)
I’m also trying to help a good friend with his job hunt. In case you missed that on Wednesday, look here.
Who are those masked men?: I’m trying to keep track of new NHL goalie masks. I currently have Varlamov, Price, Lundqvist, Emery, Leclaire, Khabibulin, Anderson, and Rinne (those last two are new; the others have been Ticker-linked over the past few weeks), but I’m sure there are others. If you know of more — with photos, natch — send ’em this-a-way. Thanks.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Suns are the latest NBA team to add ads to their practice jerseys. Further details here (with thanks to Brooks Simpson). … Oh wait, the Mavericks are doing it too (courtesy of Mitch Goodman). … Check out this A. J. Foyt/Gilmore Racing pit crew shirt that Jeff Barak recently picked up on eBay. “It’s a lighter weight, with snaps instead of buttons with that ‘western’ shirt cut,” he writes. “It might be a bit hard to see the details with the two patches on the front, but it looks like this shirt would be more at home at a square dance than pit road. The two sponsor patches on the front are so minimal as be almost ineffective, but the real treat of this shirt is on the back, with the ‘Valvoline’ and ‘Gilmore’ names chain-stitched, giving this more of a bowling shirt feel.” … “I recently attended Continental Indoor Football League game here in Chicago,” writes Chris Rhode. “The Chicago Slaughter were playing a team from Wheeling, West Virginia, and the Wheeling team apparently did not have enough uniforms for their team, which explains why you see three different uni styles in this photo Also note the electrical-taped ‘1′ on the player on the right. But they forgot to tape the other side.” . … Here’s another great shot of the Bills’ old two-man mascot (with thanks to Bill Kellick). … Good to see the Red Wings are doing their usual straight block-letter NOBs for preseason games. They do this every year; the vertically arched NOBs will return when the regular season starts. … Dunta Robinson got hit with a footwear fine, but not by the league — by his own team. … The Preds third jersey has finally been modeled by someone other than Taylor Swift. … The Mavs will unveil an alternate jersey on Monday. … And the Sixers will have an unveiling on Wednesday. … New basketball uniforms for Iowa State (with thanks to Corey Munson). … Steve Mandich has posted his pocket schedule collections for the Huskies and the Sonics.
September 18th, 2009
Bruce Menard recently informed me that the folks at Heritage Auction Galleries have a ton of good stuff in their current auction catalog. Here’s a sampling:
• According to the auction listing, Robin Roberts wore this throwback replica while throwing out the first pitch at the 1976 All-Star Game. I’ve never heard about this before. Anyone know more?
• Totally digging the typography on this 1929 World Series program cover. And dig that little bear!
• And speaking of World Series programs, here’s a doozy.
• Here’s a rarity: A Pro Bowl helmet from the days when the players wore conference-specific headgear.
• Love all the quote-marked nicknames in this poster.
• I’m always a sucker for these college all-star uniforms. Rare to see one that includes the pants and the helmet. And man, those “4″s!
• Oh man, check out these killer Giants programs. Interesting uni note: Check out the shin of the Jints player in the lower-right illo — looks like he has a pad under his sock.
• Oh, for the days when the Bears played a beer-sponsored team.
• When I was at the National in Cleveland a few months ago, one of the most drool-inducing items I saw was this Tulsa Oilers hockey jersey. Here it is, up for auction.
• Never seen anything like this Ottawa Senators jacket or this Blackhawks jacket.
• Also new to me: This amazing Red Wings cardigan, with a white version to boot. Looks like they have the American flag facing the wrong way on the left sleeve, though.
• Remember the barber pole design that the Blackhawks wore in the Winter Classic? Here’s the original. But I think I like this design even better.
• If you’ve been wondering what to get me for my half-birthday (coming up next Monday, don’tcha know), this jacket wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
• Worst hockey jersey ever? Eh, close enough.
• Best hockey program cover ever? Eh, close enough.
• Lots of great ticket stubs on offer, including tix from the 1971 World Series, the ’51 Series, the ’57 Series, the 1962 Mets home opener, and more.
• Gorgeous hockey officiating sweaters here and here
• Not sure what this has to do with sports, but it sure is purty.
Want to see more? You can download the auction catalog as a PDF here.
And look, there are still a few hairs I haven’t pulled out: My Earthlink e-mail finally appears to be behaving, so forget about the alternate address I’ve been using for the past few days and go back to my usual addresses. And please keep your fingers crossed.
About Time: Big congrats to Jerry Dior, who’s finally been recognized as the designer of the MLB logo. He’ll be honored on the field at Yankee Stadium today and at Shea on Friday. I’ve written about Jerry several times (to see those columns, look here and here) and have always been impressed by what a gentleman he is — a class act all the way. I’m glad he’s finally gotten the recognition he deserves.
Research Reminder: My thanks to everyone who contributed thoughts, anecdotes, and historical notes regarding football gloves yesterday. If you have anything to contribute that would help document the history and culture of this largely overlooked uni element, don’t be shy.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Hadn’t noticed until now that Wisconsin is using those rounded-corner nameplates. Good view of them in the next-to-last photo in this gallery (as spotted by Ben Simon). … According to the fourth graf of this story, the Predators’ new alt jersey includes “a dark checkerboard pattern that can only be seen at close range” (with thanks to Nick Church). … You may know that Chad Ochocinco wore gold shoes and gold gloves on Sunday, but did you know he also had two fingers taped together? Never seen a receiver do that before. Anyone have any insights? (As spotted by Bob Wilzbach.) … Lenny Dykstra, financial genius. … A freelance designer is suing NYU for allegedly stealing her logo design. … Now that’s a helmet (with thanks to David Cline). … New Irish national rugby kit (with thanks to Joe Alvernaz). … Colorado will be wearing 1937 throwbacks this weekend. Additional info here, and there’s a photo gallery here. … Dave Forbes notes that Jeff Garcia previously wore No. 7 with the Eagles but will have to take a different number in Philly this time around because Michael Vick is now wearing No. 7. … Corey Zoldan reports that the following note appeared in the U. of Maryland school paper: “The [baseball] team will be ditching its red and yellow jerseys in favor of pinstripes, because [coach] Bakich wants to be able to sell future recruits on the opportunity to ‘play in the Terrapin pinstripes.’” Uh, right. … What’s worse than an Argentine soccer team with Walmart-sponsored jerseys? An Argentine soccer team with Walmart-sponsored socks, which must surely qualify as a new low for civilization (with thanks to Dario Moretti, writing all the way from South America). … We’ve talked several times over the years about the ribbed seams found on some Bears’ linemen’s shoulder areas. Now Aaron Schlesinger notes that the Eagles appear to be doing something similar. … Hey look, it’s minor league hockey. And the refs are wearing those stupid orange sleeve stripes that debuted during last season’s all-star game. … Good article about Vanderbilt’s merit decals here (with thanks to Lee Wilds). … Last week’s New Yorker featured two cartoons — appearing on facing pages! — that were very Ticker-worthy.
Highest Recommendation: I have a good friend — let’s call him Jim — who I’ve known for over a decade. Jim is a trained engineer and an experienced manager who’s particularly strong on strategy, marketing, product development, and finance. I’ve never met Jim’s parents, but they sure must have raised him right, because Jim is — and I’m not exaggerating here — the nicest, most congenial, most stand-up guy I’ve ever known. Really. In other words, he’s as much of an asset in the clubhouse as his is on the field.
Jim is currently between jobs. I can say with absolute certainty that he’d be a major plus for any company. If you’d like to see his résumé and some position papers he’s written, please get in touch and I’ll send them to you. Thanks.
September 16th, 2009
When I attended the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland earlier this summer, I spent plenty of time lingering over the basketball jerseys shown at the Grey Flannel Auctions booth. Now a lot of those jerseys — along with a bunch of other good stuff — have shown up in Grey Flannel’s latest auction, which is tied to the upcoming inductions at the Basketball Hall of Fame. Here’s a rundown of some of the more notable items:
• Never knew the ABA’s iconic striped basketball was once depicted on a championship ring (here’s the full listing, which has additional photos and info).
• So much to like about this James “Fly” Williams jersey, including the nickNOB (full listing).
• I spent a few minutes fondling this old USC jersey at the National. The photos I took at the time do a better job of showing the lettering’s gorgeous texture (full listing).
• I suspect a closer view would also show some nice textural details in this old Philly Warriors jersey (full listing).
• If you’re a fan of the Nuggets’ old rainbow jerseys, you can get the original design and the late-’80s update in this auction (full listings here and here, respectively).
• A Globetrotters jersey is always fun, but this warm-up jacket is even better (full listings here and here, respectively).
• I looooove this 1970-71 Sixers design. Dig the Pearson tag, too (full listing).
• Speaking of tags, look at this! Not sure what “Minnesota inspired” means, but it’s an awesome tag design. It’s from this old St. Louis Bombers jacket from the late 1940s (full listing).
• Finally, I was intrigued by this listing of signed checks from Hall of Famer Cliff Hagan. Check out his handwriting — it’s impeccable! Looks more like checks from an elementary school teacher, not an athlete. Interesting.
Discount Reminder: Remember, Bill Henderson is offering his latest MLB jersey reference guide at a $5 discount to Uni Watch readers. Just go to the Bill’s store and use the discount code “paulhatespurple” when checking out.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Speaking of auctions, here’s a pretty rare item (with thanks to Bruce Menard). … Awesome yard sale find by Craig Bates, who came across this Japanese baseball jersey. Nice tag, too. Jeremy, can you shed any light on this one? … Notice anything different about these uniforms? That’s Crown College, a D3 school, and Eric Bangeman notes that their uni appears to be completely free of manufacturers’ logos. … What kind of socks was Pacman Jones wearing here? (As spotted by Kenneth Ritz.) … Kudos to the folks at The Oregonian, who’ve created a Ducks mix-and-match uni page. … Well, that didn’t take long. … Who’s that holding up the ball? It’s Ted Kennedy, believe it or not. But of greater interest for our purposes is the fact that the Yale players have Northwestern-striped sleeves while others have triple-stripes (good spot by Dan Cichalski). … As expected, David Wright wore the new S100 helmet after coming off the DL last night. Despite all the chatter about the helmet looking too big (including some excruciating exchanges between Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez on TV), I think it looks fine. … Luis Castillo tried the S100 during BP but went with his usual Cool-Flo lid during the game. … OK, maybe it looks a little big, but it kinda depends on the angle at which you’re viewing it. In case you missed my ESPN column about all of this, look here. … Jon Strauss was at Gillette Stadium for the New England Revolution’s annual “Meet the Revs” event the other day and got pics of some really great stuff on the wall…. Robert Marshall’s latest project: painting this 1960s Orioles helmet for reader David Reeder. “He was putting together an authentic ’60’s O’s flannel uniform to play ball in,” Robert explains. “The snag: Rawlings was going to make him buy 50 Orioles helmets to get one. He had done me a favour, so I offered to paint it for him. Spent 13 hours painting and sanding, painting and sanding. Then I topped it off with the same varnish they used on the cows that lined Chicago a few years ago.”
September 2nd, 2009
In late July I got a note from longtime reader Richard Craig, who’d stumbled upon an interesting uni-related attraction in an unlikely place:
Last weekend I was cruising through the wine country out here in California, doing a few tastings but mostly just enjoying the scenery. Driving along the Silverado Trail in Calistoga, I was just about to sail on past the Silver Rose Winery when at the last moment I noticed a little sign near the driveway. I did a double-take, hit the brakes and went inside.
It turns out that the guy who runs the winery has a private collection of football helmets that he’s recently put on display in the lobby of the winery. He’s got old leather helmets and NFL “helmet evolution” sets (check out the Redskins, Eagles, and Giants progressions at left). He also has helmets from the USFL, the CFL, the Arena league, even the XFL.
It was a surprise to find this in a winery (though if you own a winery, I’m sure you can afford a helmet collection). I got the guy’s contact info in case you’re interested in talking to him.
And that’s how I recently found myself speaking with Derrick Dumont, who, I think it’s safe to say, is the only vintner in America who also has a world-class football helmet collection. Here’s how our discussion went down:
Uni Watch: You’re obviously a football fan. Did you play football when you were younger?
Derrick Dumont: I did play Division II college, back I the early ’80s. Always loved the sport.
UW: What position?
DD: I was a receiver. Even after college, I was always looking for flag football leagues to play in. I think the last time I played in an organized flag league was about 12 years ago, when I was 37.
UW: How long have you been in the winery biz?
DD: We’ve had the property since 1985, and I joined the family business in ’93. We’re what you call a resort winery — we have a small hotel on-site with 20 guestrooms, as well as a small winery where we produce less than 2000 cases a year.
UW: And how’d you get into the helmet thing?
DD: Prior to joining the family business, I had another job that involved a lot of travel, and — well, actually, to tell the story properly, you have go back to fourth grade, when I was on my first team and my dad helped me paint all the helmets so they all matched.
UW: A Pop Warner team?
DD: This was actually just organizing our own little group to play against another elementary school. Even in our pick-up games when I was a little kid, I’d paint my own jersey out of a T-shirt so I could pretend to be a particular player.
UW: So you were thinking in uni-related terms very early on. Was that important to you, to have your helmet be just so?
DD: Yes, definitely.
UW: And when your dad helped you paint your team’s helmets, did you ask him to help you, or was it his idea? Like, was he saying that you kids needed to look good out there?
DD: No, it was me asking for his help, because I wasn’t very good at spray-painting. I designed a little “A” for our logo, because our school was called Addison. So we made a stencil, sprayed it on, and sprayed a stripe. He showed me how to do that.
UW: It must have killed you when the paint got chipped or got dirty during the game, right?
DD: No, it held up fine. Our collisions weren’t that intense.
UW: Do you still have that original helmet?
DD: No. But that’s how I got started.
UW: Did you also collect the little mini gumball helmets?
DD: Yeah, I had those for a while. And football cards. I don’t know what happened to all that stuff. Then, a few years after I got out of college, I went to visit one of my old roommates. And he had his high school helmet, plus our college helmet. And I said, “Wow, how did you get that? That is so cool!” And I thought, “I’ve gotta do that. I need to make replica helmets for all the teams I played for.”
UW: So he had made these helmets himself? He hadn’t gotten them from the schools?
DD: Exactly, he did it himself. And I thought that was the greatest thing, so I started with that, making my Pop Warner, high school junior college, and college helmets, and from there it just kinda went crazy.
UW: So all the helmets that you have displayed at the winery — you made all of those?
DD: A few of them were bought. But 95% of them I’ve made. Some of them were beat-up old helmets I found garage sales and flea markets. And when I was traveling for my old job, whenever I was in a town I’d look up the oldest sporting goods store, tell them about my project, and we’d go down in the basement and find these brand-new helmets that were 20, 30 years old.
UW: And you’d buy those?
DD: Sometimes they just gave them to me! Most of the time they’d charge me a little, almost nothing, because they didn’t know what to do with ’em. And they knew I wasn’t going to be using them on my head, or on anyone else’s head, so they felt comfortable letting them go like that. So then I’d sand them down, repaint them, and then I either painted the logo, made the logo, or was able to obtain the logo.
UW: When you say “obtain,” you mean you got a decal?
DD: Yeah. Because those are usually pretty readily available. And I’ve always tried to keep things matched up, so that I’m using the right helmet for the era of a particular logo.
UW: In other words, you wouldn’t use a 1990s Riddell helmet for a 1960s Redskins design.
DD: Exactly.
UW: And I can see from the photos that you obviously keep the facemasks era-appropriate as well.
DD: Yes. So, slowly but surely, I’ve been able to keep the collection growing, adding the USFL designs, and then the WFL from the ’70s, and the XFL. And since I was born in Canada, I’ve added the Canadian Football League, back to the ’60s. Now I’ve gotta look at this new UFL. I haven’t done any of the girls’ leagues yet.
UW: I’ve gotta get you talking with Bill Jones. He’s this guy in Texas who’s the king of gumball helmets — he makes them himself, and he’s found every obscure league you can imagine. Like, if there’s a women’s over-50 league in Australia, he’s done their helmets. And he’s always looking for more — it’s like an addiction with him. I think that’s where you’re headed.
DD: Possibly, yeah.
UW: How many helmets do you have displayed there at the winery?
DD: About 250. And I have a few hundred helmets on hand that I can make into new designs. I still have some gaps to fill — I don’t have all of the 1960 designs from the AFL, for example, and I’ve only done about half of the arena league. So it’s still a work in progress.
UW: What’s the story with the leather helmets?
DD: Those aren’t replicas — those are old, original helmets that I’ve managed to acquire. I’ve got one for every decade that leather helmets were used.
UW: When did you start displaying your helmets at the winery?
DD: In early June.
UW: Oh, so it’s a very new thing.
DD: Yes.
UW: So up until now, you’ve just been pursuing this privately, in your basement or whatever.
DD: Exactly.
UW: Did you have them displayed, like in your rec room or something like that?
DD: Some of them. But most of them were just sitting in boxes until we decided, “Well, we need something to attract people to our winery.” You know, we’re a small operation here in Napa Valley, and we need a reason for people to come to our tasting room instead of all the other ones out there.
UW: So you saw a way for your collector obsession to be put to use as a bit of marketing.
DD: Yeah, that’s what we’re hoping. Actually, we’re going through a bit of a transition here, because our goal is to become more of a wine sports bar.
UW: Does your helmet museum have an official name?
DD: Right now we’re just saying, “Silver Rose Presents 100 Years of Pro Football History.”
UW: You don’t charge admission for this, do you?
DD: No.
UW: Have you tried to promote via the local media?
DD: One of the local papers wrote something, but I haven’t really had a chance yet to publicize it. But we’ve updated our sign out front — originally it just said, “Football Helmet Museum,” but now it includes a blue helmet.
UW: So how has the response been so far? Has anyone come in specifically to see the helmets?
DD: There have definitely been people who’ve come in because they saw the sign. And a few of the locals came by when that article ran in the local paper.
UW: What about people who were coming for the wine and didn’t realize that they’d be surrounded by all these football helmets?
DD: It’s been amazingly great. People are pretty impressed — they think it’s cool. Some of them are a bit confused, they’ll say, “Why football helmets?” And we’ll just say, “Well, we want to be different than everyone else.” Other wineries might have some fancy artwork or Ansel Adams photos, but we’re kind of bucking the trend with our sweaty football helmets.
UW: I guess it really is bucking the trend, or even somewhat counterintuitive, because the standard perception is that the intersection of football and alcohol begins and ends with beer. You think of football fans drinking beer, sports bars serving beer, and obviously there’s lots of beer advertising during NFL games. When you think about football fans, you don’t usually think about wine. For that matter, when you think of wine, you don’t generally think about football.
DD: We haven’t had any problem in that regard. When people see how many helmets we have and the history behind them, they appreciate it. And I’ve put together a catalog that has a picture of every helmet on our wall, the story behind it, what style it is…
UW: Oh, you’ve put together a guide to the museum, sort of a program?
DD: Right. I’ve put together a catalog, in a binder, so people can take a look and get more information about the helmets.
UW: What about women? I’d think that the wine demographic has a higher concentration of women than you’d normally find among football fans. If a couple comes in, does the guy get all excited when he sees the helmets and then the woman is sitting there rolling her eyes?
DD: Not really. I mean, maybe a couple of times, but overall it’s been really well received. A lot better than I expected, in fact. That’s what’s been so exciting.
UW: You were worried it might not go over so well?
DD: I wasn’t 100% sure how people would take it. But I’ve been very pleasantly surprised. It’s made me proud of what I’ve accomplished.
UW: You should be! What about your family, what do they think? Are you married?
DD: Yes, and I have four boys. They all play football. In fact, everyone in the family is a football fan, including my wife.
UW: And what has she thought of your hobby over the years?
DD: She’s been pretty supportive. She’s just glad to have a little more room in the house now that I’ve moved the helmets over to the winery.
UW: What about your kids? Do they share your passion for getting a uniform just right?
DD: Yeah, when they’re getting ready for game, they have their little rituals, just like I did when I played.
UW: What sort of rituals did you have?
DD: When I was in high school, I always had to tape my shoes so they looked nice and white. I’d tape ’em up and then repaint the stripes on ’em. And I always used knee pads for my hip pads, before they got a little stricter about the padding. If I could’ve gone without padding, I probably would have.
UW: How much money would you estimate you’ve spent on this hobby over the years?
DD: Hmmmm… [Long pause.]
UW: Ballpark.
DD: I’d say I average about $30 a helmet. So that figure, times 250 helmets, means about $7500. Actually, it could have been a lot more — I’m kind of a stickler about price, so I’ve turned down some helmets that I’ve seen for sale, because I thought they were overpriced.
UW: And do those helmets now haunt your memory?
DD: Yeah. I passed up some beat-up old Riddell helmets, and now you don’t see those anymore, even on eBay.
UW: What about college football helmets? You have lots of pro leagues represented in your collection, but not much in the way of college.
DD: I’ve done a few college helmets, but only ones were I really liked the logo or the history, like the Michigan and Texas. Air Force, too. But I’ve really concentrated on pro football.
UW: What if you want to expand the museum? How much more room for on the walls do you have?
DD: I still have some open hooks…
UW: Yeah, how’d you come up with that hook system? It looks ingeniously simple.
DD: I saw something similar somewhere — where was that? Anyway, I saw something where they just had the hook in the earhole, and it gives it just a little tip especially when you’re looking up, so it works really well. I haven’t counted exactly how many open hooks I still have, but my guess would be about 20 or so.
UW: And you mentioned that you wanted to have a wine sports bar. Would that be in this same space, where the helmets are now?
DD: Yeah.
UW: And do you envision expanding that concept, where you’d have maybe a chain of these wine sports bars or something ike that?
DD: That is a possibility — replicating this concept. Especially when you have companies like Helmet Hut creating such amazing helmet product. I think I’m pretty fussy, but I think the Helmet Hut product is absolutely perfect.
UW: Do you know those guys personally?
DD: No.
UW: They’re really amazing people, and they’re such sticklers for historical details.
DD: Yeah, I’ve bought some of their helmets and have really been blown away by how authentic they are. And it’s great that they sell the old facemasks, and even the old clips for the facemasks, because those can get brittle and break, so it’s great to have a place to buy those. For someone like me, it’s a dream come true. And, actually, it’s helped me start my own custom-helmet business, which is called Your Helmet Your Way.
UW: And how is that different from Gridiron Memories?
DD: They aren’t taking the logo thing as far as I am. If someone wants to do a replica of their high school or Pop Warner helmet, I’m willing to do just one, as long as they can get me a photo. No one was really doing that, so I’ve got a little niche there. I started that a little over a year ago.
UW: And how has that gone?
DD: Surprisingly well, considering how the economy has gone. Some corporations have actually hired me to do helmets for them.
UW: You mean, like a company’s logo on a football helmet, as a promotional item, even if they never had anything to do with football?
DD: Right.
UW: Wow, you’re gonna be way past the wine business before you know it. That’s really interesting. And do you promote this operation of yours within the museum at the winery?
DD: I do have one small display for the business, yes.
========
Faaaaascinating. Big thanks to Derrick for sharing his collection, and to Richard Craig for tipping me wise to this great story. But I’m still sticking with beer.
Uni Watch Stirrup Club Update: Comrade Robert Marshall has just returned from the front lines of the stirrup revolution. He offers this report of the proceedings:
1) Our third-party supplier fed me some misinformation. Turns out the cardinal stirrup is not a “standard” design but a special order, and as such it takes four weeks to produce, not two. When this is coupled with the upcoming Uni Watch vacation, we need to offer up the next selection before our current order arrives in order to stay on our monthly schedule.
2) My disappointment with our previous dealer (for numerous reasons) has led me to take steps to ensure we have a direct connection with Twin City Knitting. How will that affect things? First and foremost, it means cheaper hosiery for all, and I should also be able to accommodate a wider variation of size requests. But most importantly, it means I now have TCK’s ear, and I am already trying to work on new offerings to better satisfy the people. No matter how abstract the message may sometimes be here, do not doubt my commitment to the spread of right proper hosiery through direct action.
3) This months choices are pure chicago, with four separate offerings. That’s right, we were able to handle two, so I am going to try to offer four per month from now on. So what with the increased choices, and the previously stated changes, I beg of you, even if you think you know what to do, please read the abbreviated instructions carefully, and follow the directions precisely.
Raffle Results: The 10 winners of the Bill Henderson MLB jersey guide are Brennan Barber, Eric Buettner, Bryan Duklewski, David Frost, Rob Ullman, Chris Stoppel, Bill Sour, Chris Milea, David Jackson, and Jerry Meyerowitz. All of you should contact me asap with your shipping addresses. Thanks!
Uni Watch News Ticker: A New Jersey politician doesn’t like the Nets’ new road jersey (with thanks to Timothy Collins). … Oooh, check out the cool cartoon on the cover of this year’s Patriots media guide (with thanks to Yancy Yeater). … New Bobcats unis visible in this video clip. Apparently they’ll have pinstripes. … New logo for the 2009 FIVB Men’s Club World Volleyball Championship, to be played in Qatar in November (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … The Red Sox had to buy a vowel over the weekend (great find by Tom Mulgrew). … More slop from the UFL here (with thanks to Marc Altieri). … It’s tough to see for sure, but Gabe Greenbaum says this minor leaguer is wearing stirrups with no sannies! … Are you an artist? Wanna create something for the Marlins’ new ballpark? Then you’ll wanna take a look at this page (thanks, Kirsten). … Ray Emery’s new mask is a tribute to Philadelphia boxing (with thanks to Enrico Campitelli Jr.). … Great article saluting single-bar facemasks here (big thanks to Larry Kurtze). … Here’s one guy’s assessment of the best Steelers by uni number (with thanks to David Potter). … The saga of the A’s helmet decals continues. Looks like Adam Kennedy is back to the old helmet style, plus his decal appears to be sitting a bit low (good spot by Brandon Davis). … The Massachusetts lottery has introduced a new Patriots-themed scratch-off ticket, and Bob Kraft presented a jersey to Massachusetts State Treasurer Timothy Cahill with a “Massachusetts” NOB and the number 351, for all of the cities and towns in the state (with thanks to Scott Davis). … Excellent spot from Brent Hardman, who notes that Bengie Molina appears to have a small pocket, or something like that, sewn into the chest of his jersey. … Brent also sent along this great shot of himself and his son at Falcons training camp. “One fan dressed in full uniform (old logo) in the 90-degree heat, while the actual team was practicing in helmets and shorts,” he says.
Nineteen days isn’t so long: Beginning tomorrow, Uni Watch will go on summer hiatus through the end of August. We’ll be open for business again on September 1st. No need to send Ticker contributions during this period, although college football news is very welcome. I’ll have at least two ESPN columns running while the blog is inactive. If you want to stay up to date, sign up for my mailing list, which will keep you in the loop.
Enjoy the break — see you in a few weeks.
August 12th, 2009
by Phil Hecken and Jim Vilk
I’m joined this fine Friday by DIYer and memorabilia collector Jim Vilk, who’s about to regale us with a fascinating story of his days working at the Richfield Coliseum, the Coliseum’s subsequent demise, and the trove of treasure Jim and his brother were able to secure in the hours prior the wrecking ball felling that once-proud structure. Fittingly, with Paul visiting The Mistake By The Lake The Forest City this weekend, Jim will take us inside (literally) the Coliseum and, after a quick history lesson, show us some of the things left behind, for the taking.
* * … Train wheels runnin’ through the back of my memory … * *
So, then, with that brief intro, here’s Jim:
With Paul coming to Cleveland this week, I did some math and realized he is here during a milestone year in Northeast Ohio sports history. The upcoming 2009-10 NBA season will be the 40th for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The year 2009 also marks 15 years of Cavs basketball at Quicken Loans Arena, or “The Q” (formerly Gund Arena) and 15 years of Indians baseball at Progressive Field (formerly Jacobs Field, or “The Jake,” as some of us still call it). Not only that, but 2009 marks 10 years of the new and not-so-improved Browns playing football at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Browns’ last title was 45 years ago, but it wasn’t the city’s last. The Cleveland Crunch won the National Professional Soccer League title 15 years ago at Cleveland State’s Convocation Center. Take what you can get C-town, it counts.
That’s nice, I suppose. I’m a Pittsburgh fan, though, so most of it means bubkes to me. I do like the Cavs, but not nearly as much as I did when they spent 20 years playing ball amidst the serene, pastoral landscape of Richfield, far from the bright lights of the big city. Nestled in northern Summit County, the Richfield Coliseum was located almost halfway between Cleveland and the Akron-Canton area. I say “was,” because it’s been 10 years since they tore it down — but not before my brother Tom and I got a lot of great memorabilia.
The milestones continue. It’s been 35 years since the building opened with a Frank Sinatra concert, 30 years since Sports Illustrated said, “No arena was more beautiful than The Coliseum, a magnificent structure in Richfield, Ohio,” 20 years since “The Shot” by Michael Jordan and 15 years since the place closed with a Roger Daltrey concert. In between were many more concerts, truck pulls and rodeos, circuses and ice shows, boxing and wrestling matches, hockey and arena football games, some great indoor soccer (as we talked about recently) and of course, the good, bad and ugly years of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Tom and I worked as vendors there, and even shared a souvenir stand for a few years. He started a year after the building opened, so he was there for “The Miracle of Richfield.” I officially started in 1983. Unofficially, I got to work the 1981 NBA All-Star Game, which was cool. Tom stayed at the Coliseum all the way to the end, and even works at “The Q” to this day. I quit in 1992 to get on with my life’s work, but asked to come back in 1994 to work the Cavs’ playoff run. I lost my seniority but gladly sold soda in the seats for the final games.
When the building closed it sat for five years while they figured out what to do with it. There was talk of it becoming an outlet mall, a prison, a workout facility, you name it. Finally, the Gund brothers sold it and the surrounding land to what is now the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. They didn’t implode the building. Rather, they gutted the interior, then took a wrecking ball to the exterior.
A day before the wreckers came, my brother got a call. We knew one of the guys doing the interior work, and he said we could come in and take anything we could fit into our vehicles. Everything that was left would be buried on site. Tom hopped in his pickup and I got in my station wagon (if that’s what you want to call a Saturn SW1). When we got there, it took a few minutes to get over seeing the gutted remains. Memories came back and flooded our minds. Once we started finding things, though, our reaction quickly turned to joy; we were like kids on Christmas morning.
The first items we found (by the way, the items you’ve seen so far are things Tom and I bought or received as giveaways) were in the employee locker rooms. We took two types of patches from the ushers’ and security guards’ uniforms. I liked the ushers’ patches, which were issued when the Coliseum was ten years old. The blue and gray depiction of the building was a definite alternative to the simple blue-and-green patch. Both were good in their own way, though.
Next, we snagged some warm and toasty dark blue coats the parking lot attendants wore. I wore mine as my winter coat for a few years before I had to retire it. The simple design made it go with almost anything. The big white Coliseum logo on the back sure started a lot of conversations in public. I lost count how many times strangers started reminiscing with me when they saw it. Then we found a brown coat worn by the ticket takers. The brown welcome patch harkened back to the original logo.
Speaking of uniforms, the vendors had a few nice ones. Unfortunately, I don’t have those anymore. The only one I still have is the ugliest of the set — a red-and-green-striped bowling shirt with a horizontal strip of black thrown in for bad measure. We had a cool yellow polo shirt before that and a nice blue-white-and-orange rugby shirt afterward, but those are gone for some reason. Tom still has his rugby shirt, though.
* * … Ancient footprints are everywhere … * *
Anyway, on to the good stuff. We went out to the arena floor and grabbed a few sections of floor seats. My set actually gets some use in our basement. Tom has the rest tucked away in the bowels of his home. Then, we headed to a storage area, where we found a giant NBA logo and some floor stickers for the playoffs. We almost left the room, until we saw some rolled up fabric. Good thing we were curious, because we ended up finding the banner for the scorers table, as well as the banner for the Cavaliers’ 75-76 division title.
After that, we went up to the main concourse and stopped at our old location between sections 208 and 209. Tom grabbed the sign for it, while I took the “Drive Safely” sign above the exit. I like to keep it in my garage as a reminder to, you know, drive safely.
Finally, we headed up to the infamous loge area. The Coliseum was one of the first arenas to have a set of luxury boxes. Problem is, they put them way at the top of the building. That turned out to be the reason for the building’s early demise — the corporate types ended up with the worst view of the game. Whatever. We didn’t find much up there, until we got to a meeting room which contained a scale model of “The Q.” Well, if it was a full scale model, someone got to it before us and dismantled it. We found almost half of the seating area, which makes it kind of worthless. That didn’t matter to my brother, who never met a piece of memorabilia he didn’t like. Actually, with a little creativity some DIYer could turn it into a retro-looking baseball stadium. (Ah, if I had the time…)
By this time, our vehicles were filled beyond capacity. We left the building for the absolute last time, and I saluted as I drove out of the parking lot. It wasn’t the last time I’ve been on the site, however. The national park was just going to let trees grow naturally, but someone noticed birds were starting to use the land as a migratory pit stop. Now they keep the area trimmed for birds and bird watchers alike. You can walk around there, but the ground settled where the arena was, so that’s fenced off for safety. The small threat of poison ivy was enough to keep me from venturing around … until this past winter. We had lots of snow, so I put on my big rubber boots and hiked from the road to the fence (quite a feat in shin-deep snow over tall grass). I got to the approximate area outside of sections 208-209, noticed the calm around me, then closed my eyes and listened for the distant echoes of cheering fans. I think I heard a few — if nothing else I felt them.
Okay, what’s a Jim Vilk story without a little DIY? Most of you have seen my Lego tribute to the Miracle of Richfield and my latest indoor soccer game, but very few people have seen my first attempt at a Coliseum/Cleveland Force tribute. I made this from an old table hockey game, using cardboard cutouts for the players and clothes pins covered in hockey tape for the bases. It’s a bit primitive, but I thought I should dig it out of the closet and share it with you anyway.
Oh, and you hockey fans – that inflatable Cleveland Crusaders guy was goalie Gerry Cheevers, in case you were wondering.
* * … Yes, it sure has been a long, hard climb … * *
Thanks, Jim, for that trip down memory lane. You got some great stuff out of that old place. And thanks for the brief history lesson too — like many readers, I’m sure we weren’t aware of the great events hosted inside the Coliseum. And I, for one, wholeheartedly express support for a future DIY of turning that scale model of the Q into a retro baseball park. Maybe next spring?
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 Guess The Game From The Scoreboard: OK…there’s going to be a theme with today’s post, starting with the scoreboard. So, right off the bat, in case you don’t recognize the stadium, there’s your hint. That’s the only hint you should need, since this one is probably pretty easy, especially if you know how to cheat. Try not to, OK? Ready? Guess The Game. As always, date, location and final score, and let us know how you came about your answer.
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 Did I mention there’s a bit of a theme today? Well, even today’s Benchies plays along with that theme. Ricko did this one a long time ago (notice the stirrups on Ozzie), so take it for what it’s worth. And it’s pretty funny. So, on that note, enjoy a special Friday edition of Benchies.
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 Uni Watch News Ticker: Uni Watch Prexy Paul Lukas checks in first with this, heads up from the Buccaneers, who will be unveiling their 1976 throwback uniforms at 11:00 am today … Also noticing this was Wayne Edward Koehler who provides the “heads up” from The St. Pete Times … Mr. Lukas also notes these pics from Pats practice, ad patches everywhere … In a related story, Tom Adjemian checks in with this little story on the Pat’s Jersey Ads, with another pic. … Northwest UW correspondent Jeremy Brahm notes “The Japan Volleyball Federation (JVA) has just released logos for their men’s and women’s national teams. The women’s logo is on the left ‘Hinotori (Phoenix) Nippon (Japan)’ and the men’s is on the right ‘Ryuujin (Dragon King) Nippon (Japan).’ This is in collaboration with Tezuka Productions or the company that owns the rights to the Seibu Lions logo.” … More jersey sponsor news comes from Nick Houser who advises that the Cincinnati Bengals have signed a practice jersey deal with SpongeTech Delivery Systems according to the Cincinnati Enquirer (via twitter) … Ribby Paultz found this interesting article in which Russian airline “Aeroflot ditches ‘revolting’ hostess uniforms and reveals: ‘We will only hire attractive girls’.” Says Ribby, “‘Bout time.” … Following up upon a ticker item yesterday about Tadahito Iguchi’s batting gloves, Robert Steinau produced a picture of him from his days as a member of the Phillies … In addition, Jeremy has also supplied pics of him as a member of the White Sox, and also his current team, the Chiba Lotte Marines … Sneakerhead Matt Powers called me from Fenway Park yesterday to report that Rajai Davis is still wearing the logoed stirrups (here’s a better view from a different game) … Aaron Bolerjack writes: “I’ve been a Manchester United fan for a long time, and a Uni Watch supporter since the Page 2 days. Can’t believe that nobody from one camp or the other hasn’t jumped on this yet — A few weeks ago, Man U announced their new 09/10 home uniform, which they claimed was ‘reminiscent of the shirt worn by Manchester United’s 1909 FA Cup-winning team. This new design features a similar sash across the front. The club has used the same design components to honor that historic accomplishment of 100 years ago, the first of its eleven Cup titles.’” Here’s the problem, according to Aaron: The 1909 shirts looked like this (WHITE shirt, LONG sleeves, RED chevron and cuffs); The 2009/2010 shirts look like this (RED shirt, SHORT sleeves, BLACK chevron, BLACK neck ring, NO cuffs). “Ironically, the 2009/2010 goalkeeper’s jerseys (designed to CONTRAST with their teammates) are a LOT closer to the original design,” he continues. “Please help me bring attention to this travesty.” … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: reader Brian makes an astute observation — Is a commemorative bat really a the right type of memorabilia to celebrate a perfect game? … Jake Elwell found this bit about “These blogging sisters were featured in the Times style section today. I note they recently posted some fun uni-related stuff your readers might like (scroll down a bit).” … Zac Neubauer was fortunate enough to go to the Giants game on Monday night and got an up close look at the Sue Burns patch. Sadly, the ones on the ushers were either stapled or safety pinned on … Bill Scrowther notes, “I noticed during Wednesday night’s MLS All-Star game that each MLS player had their team’s crest on their left sleeve, which can be seen here.” Bill adds, “However, the second goalkeeper (Zach Thornton) for the MLS side had his crest on the front of his jersey, right chest. What made him so special? My only thought is maybe it has to do with him only being added to the roster on Monday.” … Check out this collection of old baseball photographs from the University of California Library system (with thanks to Robert Ruszczyk … Jim Zorn “lays down the law,” according to Alain Nana-Sinkam, who notes that in the last graf of the Chris Cooley blog, there are to be no cutoff sweats. “We have retained a seamstress to take care of that for you,” he states. … Hayden Jackson thinks, we “might enjoy this photo set of a book my grandfather owned about Babe Ruth called ‘Babe Ruth: The Idol of an American Boy’.” I’d say so … Chris Hodge found this incredibly cool gallery of old photos of the Bears at Wrigley Field. … Reprinted from last night’s comments: the Buffalo Bills have “officially” unveiled their throwback uniforms for next season (thanks TJ), and they’re already on sale — although there is some question as to the actual sleeve striping (if they’ll even have noticeable sleeves, that is) … OCD DIYer Robert Marshall, whose team apparently won their softball game yesterday, sent this awesome pic of his hosiery (at least I think that’s his legs) … Matthew Dubroff, Philly fan, loves his Phillies — but “then I saw this t shirt that is embarrassingly stupid. If this starts a trend if nickname jersey/shirts … god help us all.” And finally, the previously mentioned Matt Powers sent along the following: DWade has decided to join the mothership. Matt continues, “And for a sneakerhead, this news is like winning the lottery, going out with Kim Kardashian, and dunking on Gheorge Muresan after coming home from Spring Break and watching Sixth Sense for the first time.” He explains that these are often thought of as the best of all 23 Jordan signatures. And finally, a super rare retro. Thanks Matt, I don’t know what we’d do with out you.
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Hope everyone who was able to attend the UW gathering in Cleveland had a great time. Thanks to Paul for letting me steer the ship in his stead yesterday and today. Of course, you’re stuck with me for the weekend too. Be sure to check back Sunday for a couple of announcements on “uni tweaks” and “uni tracking” and a bit of potpourri. Have a great Friday everyone. — Phil
July 31st, 2009
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