Relatively quiet day in the NFL yesterday, but there were still a few noteworthy items. To wit:

• Joe Skiba had promised me that the Giants would wear their road gray pants if forced to wear their blue jerseys on the road this year, and sure enough, that’s what they did last night. Personally, I like it.

• Brandon Jacobs’s left-shoulder Reebok logo was sort of ghosted last night. The entire Giants team wore those sotto voce logos in the first preseason game last month, but since then the logos have been white. Not sure that’s all about — I’ll ask Skeebs, but he probably won’t tell me (at least not on the record), because anything involving Reebok is super-touchy.

• It’s official: The Giants’ new jerseys, with their fancy high-tech fabric, are a disaster. (For details on the fabric, look here.) I don’t know if they’re too stretchy or what, but there were all sorts of situations like this and this. Those two shots are both of Jacobs, but I noticed similar problems with other players. A bad scene. (Screen shots courtesy of Phil — thanks, buddy.)

• Meanwhile, the Cowboys unexpectedly (to me, at least) wore a stadium patch, based on this logo. Not sure if they’ll be wearing it at home all season or if it was just a one-game thing — will investigate.

• Those Falcons throwbacks were the bomb, no? Additional images here and here.

• NFL nameplates usually run the full shoulder-to-shoulder wingspan, even for short surnames. But not in San Francisco, where the Niners are using short nameplates for short names.

• Speaking of the Niners, here’s a small detail I’ve been meaning to mention: For the past several years, the Reebok logo on their pants has been black, but now it’s white — much nicer.

• Anyone know what that logo is on Maurice Stovall’s sock?

• Chris Johnson had his belt unbuckled.

• Stupidest move of the day: Many of the coaches were wearing polo shirts with their division noted along the sleeve or shoulder (on the left side for NFC coaches, on the right for AFC coaches). Because hey, nothing says cool like “NFC West” or “AFC West,” right? What a load of crap.

• Even weirder: Jim Zorn’s shirt wasn’t division-specific — it was conference-specific.

• And speaking of coaches, Brad Childress was wearing this rinky-dink headset instead of the usual Motorola rig. Anyone know what that was about?

Raffle Reminder: Today’s the last day for the SoccerPro.com raffle. Details here.

Just Sayin’: Awesome work by Phil over the weekend. In case you missed it, he’s running a cap design contest, plus he and Ricko have proposed an innovative solution to the NFL’s sleeve problem. Great stuff.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Buried on this page is the news that the Browns are going with the chocolate pants on the road all season. Interestingly, the lack of a stripe is cited as a comfort issue (with thanks to Charles Ryals). … New hoops uniforms for Nebraska (with thanks to David McGee). … New mask for Steve Mason (with thanks to Matt Lesser). … Also from Matt: Former Penguins goalie Mathieu Garon is now with Columbus, but he’s still wearing his Pens mask, at least for now. New design presumably forthcoming. … More new NHL masks, this time for Vesa Toskala and Chris Mason (courtesy of Matthew Gahm). … Good observation from Ben Beattie, who writes: “Georgia Tech’s Demaryius Thomas is using a ‘B’ first initial. According to his profile on the GT athletic site, his nickname is Bay-Bay, though he could be doing some sort of dedication to his father, who is named Bobby. Last year he had no initial.” … Got a spare five grand laying around? You can buy yourself over 50 old jerseys. … Other good eBay stuff: a tennis jacket, bowling sweater, basketball warm-up shirt (additional hoops warm-ups here, here, and here), track and field jacket, and baseball jersey (here’s one more). … Wait, here’s one more basketball warm-up. Look at that chest logo! … New hoops uni for Cincinnati. Here’s the rear view. … Those were some weird-ass trunks that Floyd Mayweather wore on Saturday night — fuzzy on the sides and dimpled in the front. … New AHL uniforms for the Texas Stars, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and Abbortsford Heat (with thanks to Kevin Wright). … Now that’s a geeky look for tossing out a first pitch. “I think it was a game-used Bob Gibson jersey,” says Elena Elms. … Steve Johnston was at Comiskey on Saturday night and spotted this kid with a converted Joe Crede tee. “His sister did the same thing with her Nick Swisher T-shirt but she taped over the whole thing to turn it into a #15 Gordon Beckham tee, but I didn’t get a photo of that one,” says Steve. … Oh man, check out all these awesome NFL lunchboxes! … Steve Mandich has posted more pocket schedules from the Seahawks and Mariners, plus he’s begun compiling paperback book cover designs from a seminal category I’d forgotten all about: Bill Gutman’s sports biographies. … Reprinted from last night’s comments: According to this interview with Jeffrey Loria, the Marlins will have new uniforms and colors for their new stadium in 2012.

Last Thursday I drove out to the Meadowlands to see Giants equipment director Joe Skiba, who wanted to show me a bunch of new gear and give me a tour of the team’s brand-new training facility. And lemme tell ya, he showed me some eye-opening stuff — almost none of which I’m allowed to share with you.

I know, nobody likes a tease, but Joe swore me to secrecy. Plus he bought me lunch. Plus-plus, no joke, he showed me this dumping ground near the training site and made lots of chatter about how “you could easily leave a body here and nobody would ever know.” Yikes — message received.

Here’s what I’ve been permitted to say:

• The red alternate jersey has been retired. The Giants will not be wearing any alternates or throwbacks in 2009 or 2010, but they have a doozy of a throwback slated for 2011 — which I can’t describe.

• Remember how some Giants players had a different jersey cut last season (no nameplate, lower placement of the NFL Equipment logo, etc.)? All Giants jerseys this season will feature that cut. One problem last year was that some players’ sleeve stripes looked sort of curvy instead of straight, but that has been addressed and should no longer be an issue.

• These new jerseys will be made of a new high-tech fabric. I usually roll my eyes at this kind of thing, but the new fabric really does look and feel different than the standard NFL material (or at least it does in person — I doubt you’ll be able to tell the difference on TV). Interestingly, the fabric is being made is Israel, which means the team’s game jerseys will carry “Made in Israel” tags — probably a first for an American pro sports team. And that’s all I can say about it for now.

• When the Giants wear blue jerseys on the road (in Dallas, say), Skiba plans to have them wear these pants (which are normally worn only with the white jersey), instead of these pants (which are normally worn with the blue jersey, whether at home or on the road). I like this idea.

• Skiba continues to tinker with the nose bumpers. Here’s what he has in mind for this season.

OK, I better stop there before Skeebs drives out and throttles me for giving too much away.

Fortunately, I have full clearance to show photos of the new training site, which is located maybe half a mile from Giants Stadium and looks pretty damn swank. Among the highlights:

• When the players enter the facility, this is the first thing they see. Too bad about the logo (a major turd in the punchbowl, no?), but that photo is a gem.

• There are also classic photos in the cafeteria and outside the film screening room (each of those photos represents one of the team’s championships; I didn’t have room to include the one for Super Bowl XLII).

• Speaking of the screening room, it’s basically a small theater. As you might expect, the seats are very wide. And hey, no cup holders!

• There’s a huge photo montage that was too big for me to capture. Skeebs was all excited to show me the last photo in the sequence, just to see if my head would explode.

• The “ny” logo is everywhere — on walls, on trash cans, even on this drainage plate.

• The new locker room is really nice. It’s shaped like a football, with a ring of honor along the top molding.

• The old practice bubble has been dismantled and replaced by a fancy new practice hangar. Interestingly, the goalposts are suspended from the ceiling by cables, so there’s no anchor post connected to the crossbar. Maybe that’s common for indoor practice fields, but I’d never seen it before and thought it was really neat.

That’s most of it. At one point we hopped in a high-tech vehicle and scooted back over to Giants Stadium, where Joe wanted to show me a few additional things. The best part: this impromptu photo gallery. Recognize anyone in those photos? According to Skeebs, this is Tom Coughlin and this is Jeff Feagles. And this? That’s a young Joe Skiba on the right, with his brother Ed (who works with Joe in the Giants’ equipment room) on the left. Look at those perfectly positioned pads and wristbands — no wonder they got into the equipment game.

Membership Update: Kudos to Jason Bernard, who requested one of the coolest membership card treatments we’ve had so far: the Steelers’ “golden triangle” design. That’s one of several new designs you can see in the membership card gallery. As always, you can make the membership scene by signing up here.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Now that’s a tattoo (awesome find by Kirsten). … Decent article on MLB cap styles here (with thanks to Matt Shevin). … Brazilian soccer uni history broken down here (with thanks to Brett Fujisaki). … Doug McConnell was shopping for fetishwear innocently browsing at the mall and spotted these Phillies shirts being sold at Victoria’s Secret. “Is this specific to the Phillies or does Victoria’s Secret have an MLB-wide deal?” he asks. … New football uniforms for Baylor. … Some very nice vintage CFL video and photos (with thanks to Richard Musterer and Jim Vilk, respectively). … What’s worse than a soccer team with a Burger King-sponsored jersey? The underside of the jersey. Depressing details here (with thanks to Dave Tyrrell). … New jerseys for the Quad City Mallards of the IHL (with thanks to Matt Linder). … David Beckham wore short sleeves last night. “That’s notable because he NEVER wears short sleeves, no matter the weather,” notes Kenn Tomasch. “Don’t know if it was too hot, if the kit man didn’t bring a long sleeve shirt, or what.” … Colt Brennan of the Redskins is helping to provide uniforms for a Pop Warner team in Hawaii (with thanks to William P. Barrett). … God, I really hate those filled-in NOB letters. … Want to see just how far triple-A baseball is from the big leagues? The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are the Phillies’ top affiliate and dressed their players in tuxedo jerseys for last night’s game (with thanks to Ryan Harrington and Dan Stahl). … Very cool slideshow of Google logos here (nice find by Matt Carlson).

I’m sure something stupider than the following statement will be uttered at some point this year. I just can’t imagine what it could be. Check this out:

[T]he decision to go back to a jersey with sleeves was again part of the effort to identify with the uniform style of the most successful Pirates teams in the organization’s history. Four of the five world championships won by the Pirates were won by players that had sleeved jerseys.

Yeah, and all of the Pirates’ championship teams wore stirrups, so I suppose you’re gonna go back to those too, right? While you’re at it, go back and see what brand of jockstrap all the players on the ’71 and ’79 World Series teams were wearing.

And people wonder why fans get cynical. I don’t have much of a problem with the Pirates ditching their vests and going back to sleeves (except for the pinstriped vest, which will still be worn for Sunday home games), but c’mon, stop coming up with asinine rationales and just say that you did it change things up a bit and increase merch sales. I’m sure most fans would rather buy a sleeved jersey instead of a vest, so you could say, “We doing it for our fans” and you wouldn’t even be lying.

Anyway, my take on the Buccos’ new uni set breaks down like this:

• New home and road jerseys: Personally, I always liked the Pirates in vests and wish they’d stuck with them, but the addition of sleeves still looks fine, and now at least we won’t have the problems with some players wearing the official patch-inclusive undersleeves and others wearing unofficial patch-free sleeves. (One tangential point of concern: Very disturbing to see Nyjer Morgan wearing solid black socks instead of stirrups. Let’s hope this was just a photo-op shortcut and not a harbinger of a change in Morgan’s hosiery habits.) Good or stupid? Good enough.

• New black alternate jersey and cap: Hate it. If you must have a black jersey, and if you really want to hearken back to your championship heritage, why not go with something like this? Plus I can’t stand that format where the insignia and the uni number don’t vertically align. Plus-plus the new alt cap so similar to the regular cap as to make no difference. Stupid.

• Keeping the pinstriped vest for Sundays: Wait, I thought the whole point of this new set was that sleeves = championships. Whatever — vests and pinstripes are a bad mix. I have a feeling this jersey will be gone for good by 2010, and they should have just gone ahead and retired it now. Stupid.

• Ditching the red vest: Addition by subtraction. Very, very good.

A team source who was present for Friday’s unveiling festivities relayed the following info to me:

Most players I spoke with liked the idea of having sleeves and said with the way each uniform can be tailored to fit, there is no loss of mobility as opposed to the free range of motion associated with the sleeveless design.

The fabric is interesting. It has a mesh texture not unlike your old-school football jerseys. It’s very stretchable and looks like it’ll breath much better than the traditional poly fabric. By the way, the fabric did not match the pants, which were traditional poly. Strange when viewed up close.

Team President Frank Connelly was very tongue-in-cheek with his introductory comments regarding the uniform change, saying (I’m paraphrasing here) “While our red vest design was extremely popular with our fans and players …” That comment got a laugh out of closer Matt Capps and others.

As you can see, there’s gonna be a lot more Cool Base fabrications this season. We’ll address the full implications of that at another time. (Additional Pirates uni info here, and there’s video of the unveiling here.)

Meanwhile, while the Pirates were unveiling their new uniforms, the Rangers were showcasing their new set (full info here, video here): One at a time:

• New letters and numbers: Overlooked in all the hubbub about the new jerseys and caps (which I’ll get to in a sec), the Rangers have introduced a new custom font that’s total shite. NOBs are gonna be illegible on the home and road jerseys, and the numerals look like they’ve got warts. All the jerseys will now use this typography. Seriously stupid.

• New home jersey: Do these Texans have an inferiority complex or what? OK, we get it, you’re from Lone Star country. Jeez. Seriously, a home jersey that doesn’t include the team name or logo is pretty weak. Stupid.

• New road jersey: Fine from the front, but you’ve got that nasty font on the back. Good tempered with a side of stupid.

• New blue alt jersey: Looks just like last year’s blue alt, right? Almost: Last year’s chest insignia had silver-gray outlining, while the new version has MLB’s favorite new design effect, beveling. Plus it’s got the same crummy typography on the back. Stupid.

• New red alt jersey and cap: Jesus H. Christ, would you people please PICK A COLOR AND STICK WITH IT?! Either your primary team color is blue or else it’s red, but it can’t be both. Just start over and use chartreuse or orange or mustard or something. Stupid.

• Ditching the alt home vest and alt road vest: Never liked the home version. Rather enjoyed the road version, but the Rangers just don’t feel like a vest-ish team, so they’re probably better off without both of these. Good.

• Changing the shoes from blue to black: You know the only reason they did this is because the blue spikes wouldn’t work with the red alt jersey. Still, whatever motives, black spikes are always the way to go (Oakland excepted, natch). Good.

• Changing the belts from blue to black: Another change that was no doubt necessitated by the introduction of the red uni set. And it’s too bad, because a blue belt would look better with all their other combos — yes, even with black spikes. Belts and shoes should always match at the office, but that rule doesn’t hold at the ballpark. Stupid.

• New batting helmet: Hahahahahahahahahaha! The great thing about this is that the Mets’ sleeve patch is no longer the worst uni element introduced this winter. I’ll have an entire ESPN column on this helmet later today (look here). Beyond stupid, more like imbecilic.

Fortunately, I was having too much fun at Saturday’s Uni Watch party to get too worked up over any of this. Speaking of which…

Party Update: Saturday’s shindig at Sheep Station was really swell — best Uni Watch party ever, I’d say. Big thanks to all who showed up (especially Ed Hahn, who came all the way from DC and took some photos that you can see here). I’ll have a full report, with lots more pictures, ether tomorrow or Wednesday.

Speaking of this week’s schedule, I’ve got three ESPN columns in the hopper (one today, a really interesting surprise topic for Wednesday, and my annual Super Bowl preview column on Friday), so I may cut back a little here on the blog — not sure yet. In any event, we’ll definitely have regular content tomorrow.

Uni Watch News Ticker: I’ve previously run photos of Richard “Batman” Wood, who got his nickname because of the logo he wore on his pads. But now Chris Markham has found a shot indicating that Wood also wore a Batman helmet decal. … Also from Chris: USFL officials wore really awful Pony-branded socks. … “Southern California” is a lot of letters to fit on a basketball jersey (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … According to this story, the Sixers will be switching to their 1982-83 uni design next season. But I’ve seen next season’s Sixers jersey, and I can tell you that it’s not quite as simple as an ’82-’83 throwback. Sorry, can’t tell you more, but I just wanted to say that the story as stated on that page isn’t quite accurate. … The Bobcats wore their checkerboard uniforms on Friday, forcing the Suns to wear white on the road. … Color vs. color: Marquette vs. DePaul on Saturday. “I had it on in the background and it took me about five minutes to look up and realize that the team in blue wasn’t Marquette — and I’m from Milwaukee,” says Karl Vierthaler. … Last Monday I linked to this article about Nile Kinnick’s old football gear. But the web version of the article didn’t include this great photo of the jersey’s inner tag (big thanks to Brad Eenhuis for mailing me the newspaper version). … Similarly, yesterday’s New York Times featured this article about the 1959 all-star benefit game for Bill Dobbyn, but the web version doesn’t include this great photo that ran in the print version. … A high school goalie in New Hampshire is trying to trick shooters by having a new pattern printed on his pads (with thanks to Justine DeCotis). … According to this column, one of the first things Eric Mangini did after being hired by the Browns was “to tear down a huge mural of the team’s Hall of Famers, a list that includes Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Paul Brown, Dante Lavelli, Marion Motley, Lou Groza and Leroy Kelly. … That wall is now painted white.” What a moron. … UNC’s women’s hoops team wore pink uniforms yesterday, in memory of Kay Yow. … And officials working the Longwood/Va.Tech game wore pink whistles (with thanks to Clark Ruhland). … Yesterday’s post included this shot of the 1950 NHL all-star jersey design, which, as Dan Richardson points out, appears to have been the inspiration for the New Westminster Salmonbellies lacrosse team’s jersey design. … “Our local high school is Georgetown-Ridge Farm High School in Illinois,” writes Joel Hackler. “For our non-major sports, the high school co-ops with another local town, Chrisman. Our mascot is the Buffalo and our colors are purple and gold, while Chrisman is the Cardinals and their colors are red and black. Since we co-op for track and cross country, our coach decided to create a new uniform. As you can see, they stick out. The logo on the front includes ‘CHS’ (for Chrisman high school) and ‘GRF’ (Georgetown-Ridge Farm). It’s hard to see, but the two sets of letters are connected with a white chain symbolizing that the two schools are connected.” That’s Joel at far left in the photo, running in the 4×100 relay. … If you go to this page and scroll down about halfway down the menu on the right, you’ll find an excellent video on how a football helmet is manufactured (with thanks to David Soline). … Badly botched NOB during Saturday’s NBA D-League game between the Anaheim Arsenal and L.A. D-Fenders: Ryan Forehan-Kelly was missing an “e” and a hyphen (good catch by Daniel Peterson). … Kari Lehtonen isn’t the first Thrashers goalie to have a Batman-themed mask. Pasi Nurminen wore Batman and the Joker on his mask in 2003-04 (thanks, Teebz). … If you start at this page from a 1967 issue of Baseball Digest and start scrolling down, you’ll see some unusual (and, I think, very unofficial) MLB team logos (with thanks to Gordon Reid). … Tris Wykes sent along some interesting scans, including Doug Flutie with his mouthguard tucked into his sock, Duane and Brent Sutter in a 1986 photo they probably regret, Bobby Orr wearing No. 27, and Chris Chelios wearing lace-up gloves and rubber bumpers on his helmet. … Kyle Oen — the man behind the awesome Vintage Minnesota Hockey site — reports a hockey/baseball crossover promotion in the offing: “This coming summer we have agreed to do a St. Paul Saints baseball jersey that celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Minnesota Fighting Saints hockey team.” No images yet. … U.S. Pond Hockey Championships report from Jeff Barak, who writes: “Here’s a Men’s Senior team wearing old IHL Minnesota Moose jerseys. This team won the “Golden Shovel” a couple of years back as division champions. Next we have the Pond Scum, showing some of the unique numbering treatments you sometimes see (I recall a team last year that had fractions, decimals, roman numerals and even π on one of their jerseys). And then there’s District 5, wearing their plaid lumberjack flannels. I did see a few other teams wearing Ottawa 67’s barberpole-style jerseys, 1980 U.S. Olympic jerseys, AHL Iowa Stars, and some with the 1932 Boston Bruins striping pattern, plus more than one tweed jacket, but unfortunately no photos — the combination of 13º weather and a -7º wind-chill made for an unhappy five-year-old son and sucked the life out of my camera batteries.” … Reprinted from last night’s comments: In 1985, Bill Bidwill had the Cardinals wear solid-red hose (no whites), and the players protested. … Here’s something you don’t often see: the towel literally being thrown in at the conclusion of Saturday’s Mosley/Margarito bout. … Dayton wore throwbacks yesterday (with thanks to John Cristiano). … Teal vs. maroon on Saturday, as Coastal Carolina played Winthrop (with thanks to Mike Miller). … Also from Mike: “What’s wrong with this photo? That’s UW-Milwaukee wearing gold vs. Valparaiso in white. Nothing unusual, right? Except that the game is in Milwaukee (check the Brewers ads). Valpo has gold road uniforms and Milwaukee has gold home uniforms, so Valpo had to wear white on the road.” … Adam Telischak was attending the NFL Experience in Tampa sent along some shots of vintage NFL sweatshirts and this program. One thing I hadn’t noticed before: Brownie the elf has five fingers — unusual (and unacceptable!) for a cartoon character. … Lots of NHL all-star pics here. … This is pretty funny (with thanks to Ken Ocker). … Coupla Super Bowl screen grabs from Doug Keklak: First, when Jim O’Brien kicked the game-winning field goal in SB V, his chin strap was unbuckled. Anyone know if he always did this? Also, why did Jim Otto have a first initial in SB II? Was there another Otto on the Raiders? … Rafael Nadal has been wearing some brutal color combos down in Oz.

Last fall I ran a rundown of old uni-related New York Times articles, which made it clear that uniform coverage was alive and well decades before the advent of Uni Watch. Now Doug Mooney, who did the archival research for that piece, has come up with a bunch of additional old articles from a variety of newspaper sources. There’s some great stuff in this batch — here’s a chronological breakdown:

• October 18, 1931, The New York Times, John Kieran’s “Sports of the Times” column: This column is a hodgepodge of disparate items, the first of which is about the Army football team’s uniforms (the practice unis were heavier than the game-day attire, so the team would feel lighter and faster) and footwear. Details here.

• January 24, 1937, The New York Times, “First Basketball Game of 1892 to Be Reproduced at the Garden”: Could this have been the first throwback game? The story describes plans to celebrate basketball’s 45th anniversary by staging a re-enactment of the first game ever played. According to the article, “The players will be garbed just as they were first that first game — turtle-neck sweaters, handle-bar mustaches, shin guards and the like, while peach baskets will serve as the targets.” Full text here.

• July 30, 1943, The Sheboygan Press, “Sports Uniforms of Nylon Will Be Used After War”: Nylon was hard to come by during World War II, because most of it was reserved for making parachutes, tents, ropes, and other military provisions. In this article, the DuPont company, which developed nylon, forecasts that the material will become common in sports uniforms once the war is over — a prediction that turned out to be correct.

• December 14, 1946, The New York Times, “Expanding Demand Seen for Uniforms”: This article describes a speech given at the annual dinner of the National Association of Uniform Manufacturers (could someone please build me a time machine, so I can attend?), where an industry executive predicted that uniforms would gain great prominence in coming years. He was mostly talking about service uniforms, for repairmen and the like, not sports unis, but it’s still pretty interesting. Look here.

• August 30, 1959, The New York Times, Letter to the Editor: Hilarious letter from a recent immigrant who “[can't] help wondering why the umpires are forced to carry out their respective duties dressed in black suits that look heavy, uncomfortable and — pardon me — somewhat silly in the grueling heat of a three-hour game.” It would be another decade before umps stopped wearing neckties, and much longer before the letter-writer’s suggestion (”a lightweight, loose-weave shirt and summer slacks”) became the standard that we now see today. Full text of the letter is here.

• January 11, 1961, Ironwood Daily Globe, “Tigers Change Uniform Style”: We’ve discussed several times how the Cardinals’ birds-on-the-bat logo took a one-year hiatus in 1956. A similar situation unfolded in Detroit in 1960, when the Tigers replaced their old English “D” with a “Tigers” insignia. That experiment lasted only one year, and this article describes the move back to the “D” logo. Look here.

• July 30, 1972, The Odessa American, “Bellard Here to Charge Aggie Batteries”: This article is about Emory Ballard, then the new football coach at Texas A&M. Amidst lots of other Aggie chatter, there are two paragraphs devoted to the team’s new uniforms, including news that the team would be wearing white helmets, because “maroon is a hard color to duplicate.” Full text here.

• February 7, 1973, Sheboygan Press, “Football Uniforms Fashion Items”: Fun article about the latest in “modern” football attire. Key quote: “Striped kneesocks are big, and so are terrycloth wrist bands, originally intended to just soak up sweat.” Full amusing details here.

• February 5, 1974, Winnipeg Free Press, “Als Will Try Popular Colors”: Really interesting article about how the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes planned to switch their color scheme to red, white, and blue, because that’s what the city’s more popular teams — the Canadiens and Expos — were wearing. Kind of amazing to think that the Expos were more popular than, uh, anything. Also discussed in the article: the Als’ new logo (apparently this one). Full text here.

My continued thanks to Doug for all his great archival research.

Seattle Update: Next week’s Uni Watch gathering in Seattle will take place on Friday, March 14th, 7:30pm, at the Pyramid Alehouse. Looking forward to meeting lots of you there.

In other administrative news, you may have noticed that we have a new advertiser at the top of the page: Black Fives. In what I consider to be very classy move, Black Fives prexy Claude Johnson has configured the ad to link to the company’s home page, not to its merch page, so he’s looking to spread awareness, not just to sell stuff (although he’s certainly got plenty of stuff to sell). Claude’s Black Fives blog is a consistently good read, and I’ve been very impressed by my interactions with him. He’s documenting an important and overlooked chapter in sports history, and I hope more people will get hip to what he’s doing.

Uni Watch News Ticker: The Brett Favre tribute-a-thon has spun so far out of control that I’m half-expecting the Packers to be wearing a memorial patch for him next season. … Fun rumination on NFL typography here … A Cleveland inventor has come up with a visor designed to keep your eyes focused on the rim, not on the ball. Details here, and the inventor’s site is here (thanks, Vince). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Is a Colts soap dispenser the one thing that’s really been missing from your life? Then the NFL Hardlines VI Trade Show is for you. Details here, and there’s a photo gallery of dubious products here. … Stirrups alert from Yankees camp: Ian Kennedy. … Speaking of the Yankees, they played a navy-vs.-navy game against the Twins yesterday, while the Rockies and Chisox went black vs. black. … If you don’t like mandatory helmets for baseball coaches, you might not like this either (with thanks to Ryan Connelly). … “I received an e-mail today telling me I could order a commemorative jersey for the 20th anniversary of the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA),” writes David Ballenger. “I don’t even know where to start with this horrid design. How long do you have to be riding directly behind someone to have the time to read a paragraph on the back?” … Good video here on the Canadiens’ equipment manager and arena staff. Only catch: It’s in French. Still, there’s some pretty cool visual footage (with thanks to Jean Gagnier). … align=”right” padding-left=”10px” FREE!: this and this. Naturally, I approve of all the green, although I kinda miss the silver. Additional details here and here. … This year’s MLB undershirt template from Nike will apparently look like this. … According to this page, “[Tiger] Woods donned a batting helmet and Braves jersey (tucked into shorts) and stepped into the batter’s box when [John] Smoltz threw three simulated innings at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.” No word on whether Woods insisted on a swoosh-emblazoned helmet. … Nick Waters took some photos of Georgetown’s new SOD uni (additional pics here). “Not sure if they’ll debut them on Saturday or at the Big East Tournament next week,” he writes. … Minna H. reports that the Minnesota high school state hockey tourney is underway, with plenty of interesting uni designs. There’s a full gallery here. … Yee-IKES (horrifying find by David Sonny). … Shorpy continues to delivery the goods. Note the lack of uni numbers and the ump’s backwards cap. … Reprinted from last night’s comments: The Yankees’ official retired numbers page shows Yogi Berra wearing a Mets cap (which of course pleases me no end).

When the Packers play the Seahawks tomorrow, one observer will be watching the events with particularly keen interest. That’s Marge Switzer, the Pack’s seamstress. In this high-tech football era, Marge is almost too perfect to be true: a sweet, smiling lady bent over a sewing machine. She recently made time in her busy schedule to chat about her job.

Uni Watch: What exactly is your job title there?

Marge Switzer: I’m an independent contractor, not a team employee, but I’m considered the Packers’ seamstress.

UW: How and when did you start working for the Packers, and what were you doing before that?

MS: I owned a monogramming and embroidery company, called Threads. I started that in 1985 and closed it in 2001. Prior to that I was a professional seamstress, doing alterations for clothing stores. And I did some work for our local college here, St. Norbert’s, repairing their athletic apparel — football pants, jerseys, whatever. I was approached by the Packers’ equipment manager, Red Batty, to do some embroidery for them — primarily numbers, so clothing could be designated for a player.

UW: You mean as an internal identification system?

MS: Right. That would have been in 1996, when I still had Threads. And then closed Threads and came here full-time around 2001. To be perfectly honest, I couldn’t balance the two. You can’t run a business and do this job. And I have to tell you, I love this job.

UW: Are you the only seamstress there, or are you part of a sewing department, or what?

MS: I have an associate named Penny who’s been with me since 1985. We’ve been friends, actually, since second grade. So she knows my style, she knows what I need, and so on. She does all my prep work — if a pattern needs to be cut out, or a hem taken out, that’s her responsibility.

UW: Do you have your own office near the locker room?

MS: The Packers provide us with a sewing room, our own space, across from the locker room.

UW: What sorts of things do you typically have to do to a jersey?

MS: Primarily mend it.

UW: What sorts of things need to be mended?

MS: Like if there’s a rip or tear, I take care of that after a game. Once the jerseys have been prepped for the game — in other words, the threads have been clipped around the tackle twill and so forth — if anything needs to be shortened, they’re shortened, because players come in all different heights.

UW: Have there been players who’ve liked to have certain details custom-tailored?

MS: Not really.

UW: Nobody has said, “I want my hem a certain way,” or “I want my sleeves like this”?

MS: No. And even if they did, the player has to go through the equipment manager.

UW: So the players don’t approach you directly.

MS: No. I rely on the equipment manager to give me guidance.

UW: It gets pretty cold in Green Bay. Do you sew those little pockets into the jersey, which we sometimes see?

MS: No, because they wear the little pouches.

UW: Yeah, but I’ve seen Brett Favre wearing the pockets sewn into the belly of his jersey on lots of occasions.

MS: Oh, you mean when it’s actually part of the jersey — yes, I’ve done that.

UW: When you’re working on something like that, are you thinking, “God, I just wish he’d wear the little pouch instead so I would have to do this”?

MS: No. Being a seamstress is just like any other job: You enjoy the challenge.

UW: For those pockets, do you have to line them with some sort of special thermal fabric?

MS: No, just fleece, like you’d buy at any fabric store.

UW: Any other cold-weather provisions that you’ve had to work on, like maybe on the interior lining or something like that?

MS: No, because the players layer, or at least I assume they do. Frankly, I don’t dress ’em, Paul, so I don’t know what they’ve got under there!

UW: Now some players, like linemen, are, shall we say, robust individuals.

MS: Yes.

UW: So a player like Gilbert Brown, when he was with the Packers, he’s obviously a very large man. Did you have to do anything special for his jersey?

MS: No. The equipment manager orders the proper size from the manufacturer.

UW: Obviously, sure, but you’ve never had to make any special custom alterations to allow for this or that?

MS: No.

UW: What about when we sometime see elastic in a sleeve cuff or at the hemline? Is that something you do, or does Reebok do it?

MS: If it’s in the sleeve, it comes that way from the manufacturer. But if it’s in the hem, that’s something I do.

UW: Speaking of sleeves, what do you think of how sleeves have essentially vanished over the past decade or so?

MS: I guess that’s just a reflection of what the players like.

UW: But that actually affected the team’s uniform design, because the Packers went from five sleeve stripes to three, because there wasn’t enough room on the linemen’s sleeves.

MS: That’s something I can’t really comment on, because we would have had Starter as our manufacturer, and then Nike, and now Reebok, so I’m not sure exactly when that happened.

UW: Actually, that brings up an interesting point regarding the different manufacturers. When the team switches suppliers, is there a substantive change that you can see and feel, or is it essentially the same garment with a different logo on the sleeve?

MS: I’ve never noticed a change. It’s the same garment.

UW: How beaten up or damaged does a jersey have to be before you or Red or whomever says, “Okay, this is beyond repair — we’ll just toss it out instead of fixing it.”

MS: We have never thrown away a jersey.

UW: Well, okay, but even if you don’t throw it away, how damaged does it have to be before it’s “retired”?

MS: That never happens.

UW: Really?!

MS: It will be retired at the end of the season. We will mend it, because that is the player’s personal jersey. The scuffs and dings mean something to them.

UW: So if a jersey had a big gash — not just a little nick, but a serious tear — that would just be stitched back up and put back into circulation?

MS: Absolutely.

UW: What about on game day — are you on hand for last-minute adjustments, and do you travel with the team for road games?

MS: I do not travel with the team, but I am here on game day for home games. Maybe a player would want his undershirt sleeve shortened a bit, or something like that, or a coach might need the hem repaired on his pant cuffs.

UW: Oh, so you work on the coaches’ apparel as well.

MS: Mm-hmm.

UW: And what about during the game — are you on hand to repair things during halftime?

MS: No. There’s always a back-up jersey they can switch to.

UW: So once the game starts, do you go home to watch it?

MS: I do.

UW: And while you’re watching the game, do you notice lots of little things that maybe the average fan would miss?

MS: I think the average fan misses about 90% of what I see.

UW: Can you give me an example?

MS: When you watch other teams, you can see where there’s a rip that wasn’t fixed, or where there are loose threads hanging out. You can tell when the jersey has been taped down to the pads — the jersey should fit, not be distorted.

UW: Do you ever spot something you could have done better and think, “Darn, if only I had…”? Not to imply that you make mistakes, of course.

MS: Well, we all make mistakes, and there have been times when I’m watching the game and I’ll go, “Uhhhhh [deep gasp of shock], we missed a thread there!” So I do see that sometimes, and the average person, I’m sure, wouldn’t have a clue.

UW: Do you think the players themselves care about these sorts of details?

MS: I think Green Bay, as an organization, has a tremendous amount of pride, and our players are fussy about their uniforms. I’ve never heard that a player complained about anything, but I think they expect that everything will look professional.

UW: Speaking of small details, I’m told that the uniform number on one of Brett Favre’s jerseys was slightly off-center earlier this season.

MS [softly]: Mm-hmm.

UW: So it came that way, from Reebok?

MS: It actually came that way, yes.

UW: Was it the front number or the back?

MS: I think it was the front.

UW: Was that something you noticed during the game?

MS: After the game, when the jersey came out of the laundry.

UW: So in that case, would that jersey be retired, because it was essentially defective?

MS: I think we probably would, yes.

UW: So that’s what happened?

MS: I brought it to the equipment manager’s attention, but I don’t actually know what happened to it after that.

UW: Does it ever bug you when you work to get Al Harris’s nameplate just right and then nobody can even see it because it’s covered up by his hair?

MS [laughing]: That doesn’t bother me at all! Because that’s just his look.

UW: But you could have “Smith” or “Jones” under there, instead of “Harris,” and nobody would know.

MS: I sure wouldn’t try it! That might be the day he had his hair pulled back.

UW: Al Harris is also one of the players who’ve been a little creative with their socks this year. Do you work on the hosiery, too?

MS: No, that’s not part of my job at all.

UW: I know some teams actually sew the socks into the cuffs of the pants — do you do that?

MS: I have heard about that, but I haven’t done that here.

UW: The Packers aren’t wearing those captaincy patches that most other NFL teams are wearing, so I guess that’s one job you didn’t have to do.

MS: Yes. Some teams have the same captains week after week, but the Packers select their captains before each game. The “C” patches did arrive in the sewing room at the start of the season, but then we were asked to return them to the equipment room.

UW: Speaking of patches, there was that one game where the team played in Dallas, and the Cowboys usually wear white at home, which means the Packers would have worn green, and I read that all the Lambeau Field anniversary patches on the green jerseys would have had to be removed for that game, and then restored for the next home game, because the patch can only be worn at home. But then the Cowboys ended up wearing blue throwback jerseys for that game, so the Packers wore white after all, and the patches didn’t have to be taken off and then put back on. So that saved you a lot of work too.

MS: Yes.

UW: So you — or maybe Penny — would have had to use a seam ripper to remove all those patches?

MS: Yes. And it would have been a joint effort, believe me.

UW: What sort of sewing machine do you use? Is it an industrial model, or is it pretty similar to what a home sewer would have?

MS: It’s just a basic sewing machine — not industrial.

UW: These fabrics you’re working with, they’re high-tech, high-performance textiles, which is obviously very different than normal apparel. Is that a challenge? Does the material react differently in your hands, or under the needle?

MS: No, it really doesn’t, as long as I use the right needle. In other words, you don’t use the same needle to mend a jersey that you would to hem a pair of jeans.

UW: But the fabric essentially behaves the same way?

MS: Absolutely.

UW: If you could change anything about football uniforms, what would it be?

MS: Hmmmm. If you had asked me that 10 years ago, I would have said get rid of the screened-on numbers. But now they’re tackle twill, which is so much better — it gives a sense of dimension, and they don’t crack or peel. It’s a much more professional look. Aside from that, I can’t think of anything.

UW: Any good stories to share, any anecdotes involving unusual situations or challenges?

MS: Unfortunately, I can’t take things out of here — it’s confidential. Mostly, I forget what goes on here. I can’t take stories home, I can’t take the risk that my husband will pass them on at his job. So I honest to God wish I had something I could tell you that would just be hilarious, but I can’t.

UW: Speaking of your husband, I assume he’s a big Packers fan?

MS: He is.

UW: So it must be exciting for him to have his wife working for the team.

MS: Well, it is. I mean, let’s look at the big picture, Paul: There are only so many teams in the NFL, and only so many people who sew for the NFL. That’s what makes it such a privilege.

======

Big thanks to Marge for her time and expertise, and to reader Jeff Ash, who’s Marge’s neighbor and lay the groundwork for this interview.

Raffle Reminder: Today’s the last day to enter the raffle for the $100 NFLshop.com gift card (or to get three bonus entries by joining the Uni Watch membership program). To enter, send an e-mail to uniraffle at earthlink dot net (not to the usual Uni Watch address) by 10 p.m. eastern tonight. One e-mail per person, plus all membership enrollees will automatically get three bonus entries. I’ll announce the winner on Monday. And in a special bonus development, look for another raffle next week.

Speaking of membership, there are some new cards up in the design gallery, including today’s showcase design, which is based on the 1926-27 Ottawa Sentators. Also, I mailed out about a dozen membership kits yesterday, so watch your mailboxes.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Lots of uni-related info in this PDF of Tony Romo’s locker (with thanks to Brian Thompson). … We all know about Pete Gray, Modecai Brown, Jim Abbott, and Tom Dempsey, but the latest news regarding Oscar Pistorius (the sprinter who wear prosthetics) led New York Times columnist George Vescey to recall the case of a disabled athlete I hadn’t previously been aware of: Bert Shepard, who lost a leg during World War II and later pitched one game for the Senators. Vescey’s column was accompanied by this photo, and I’ve been unable to find any others. If anyone has a shot of Shepard in action, I’d love to see it. … Odd coincidence spotted by birthday boy Marty Buccafusco, who first noticed an eBay auction for a Brett Favre Falcons jersey with what appears to be a slightly off-center nameplate and was then watching some 1999 NFL playoff footage and saw Favre exhibiting the same problem. Seems especially odd in light of the off-center number discussed above with Marge Switzer. … The latest installment of “Equipped with Joe Skiba” is available on the Giants’ home page. … FNOB alert from John English, who writes: “The ’83 Angels sported both Reggie Jackson and Ron Jackson at one point. Their solution? Reggie remained just ‘Jackson,’ while Ron wore his full name.” … We’ve discussed lots of occasions when umpires have been forced to wear makeshift gear because their luggage was lost. Turns out Michael James attended one such a game in 1991, and he just found some photos he took that afternoon. “The umps dressed in what appeared to be Brewers warm-up gear,” he says. … Nathan Evans says this reminds him of this. … While researching something else, I came across this shot of a less than full moon. … This week’s New Yorker includes this photo from a Rangers practice session. Forgive my ignorance here, but what is the purpose of having three separate uniform sets on the ice at one time?

[Editor's Note: Although intern emeritus Vince Grzegorek has moved on to greener pastures, he's still going to contribute occasional entries -- like today's, for example.]

By Vince Grzegorek

A few weeks ago, there was a mention in the Ticker of the Slipstream cycling team’s search for a new uniform for next season. They invited fans to submit designs, leading to over 600 entries, including some, er, interesting versions (Drew McKay’s favorite). The important thing here is that Slipstream is pretty famous for its use of argyle patterns, going so far as to call their fanbase the Argyle Armada, so almost all of the proposed versions included variations on this design motif.

All of which got me thinking: How often does argyle show up in uniforms? As Slipstream shows, it can look pretty sharp. I figured there had to be some great examples in other sports.

First, a word on the origins of the pattern itself. According to Wikipedia, “The argyle pattern is said to have been derived from the tartan of Clan Campbell, of Argyll in western Scotland.” It was basically a re-appropriation of the pattern that gave birth to argyle socks and, in turn, argyle sweaters, hats, vests, and the whole preppy wardrobe. The elite began to wear the style in their leisure activities, which included sitting around at their clubs, watching horses, and playing golf, marking the evolution of argyle from casual dress to (somewhat) active dress.

When it comes to uniforms, golf is a great place to start, since it that was the sport that brought argyle into the mainstream in America. According to legend, the president of Brooks Brothers saw golfers in Scotland wearing argyle socks and began selling them back on our side of the pond. Argyle socks went from fashionable links attire to a trendy and dressy hosiery option for the masses.

Of course, argyle is still a common sight in golf today (although not as common as it once was). It’s also made its mark in a variety of other sports — and not just in predictable country club pursuits like tennis and horse racing.

In fact, it seems that virtually every sport has dallied with argyle at one time or another. Given all the emphasis on handsome hosiery during the early period of baseball, for example, it’s no surprise that this 1874 Ontario team was sporting argyle hose.

Over on the soccer field, we’re all probably familiar with this example of argyle socks, thanks to a concerted effort by Boca Juniors to bring back classy. But would you guess that argyle socks also showed up in track and field? American sprinter DeAna Carson wore argyle socks while running the 200-meter dash at the Simplot Games in 2006, garnering my nomination for Best Dressed Female Athlete of the Year (the ESPY’s should include this, no?).

On the hardcourt, the most obvious example is the UNC basketball uniform, which in 2000 began featuring an argyle pattern running down the sides — a classic look. While looking for UNC photos, I stumbled upon this gallery — check out Shaw University’s uniforms! More argyle!

I couldn’t find a football example, but I’m betting there’s got to be one out there waiting to be found. I think there’s another database in our future. Post any suggestions in the comments section or e-mail them our way.

Unfinished Business: (Shivering) Working for Paul Lukas has been good. He is a nice man. Um. I never felt overworked. And every task he assigned me was worthwhile and rewarding. Yeah. The last year has felt like being imprisoned in research hell it went by in the blink of an eye. (Nervously looking over shoulder.)

Seriously, everything was great — Paul was a blast to work for on every project, I loved what I was doing, and whether he admits it or not, he had a lot to do with the progress I made over the last year that has now translated into a full-time writing job. Due to the new employment, the holidays, and an ill-timed and lengthy internet outage at my house, I never got a chance to say that. One other thing I never got to say was congrats to Bryan, who is obviously filling my massive size 10s quite well.

I’m not going anywhere, and as you can see I’ll still be contributing material, at least as much as I can. You guys have been too great and this has been too fun to just stop all together. So, consider me your Senior Assistant Editor (at least that’s the title I’m going to demand if Paul asks). In short, or, at this point, long — thank you for all the support and patience you’ve shown me over the past year.

Call for Research: I’m working on a piece about CFL uniforms and would welcome any suggestions on what to cover. Neither Paul nor I have much expertise in that domain, so any input would be appreciated. One specific question: Anyone know when and why the Canadian flag started showing up as a helmet decal? Pre/post 9/11? E-mail all contributions to me at vincegrzegorek [at] gmail [dot] com. Thanks.

And now over to Paul for the rest of today’s material….

Pennant Grace: Victory Pennants, one of the fine vendors hyped in yesterday’s ESPN column, is offering a 15% discount to readers of this site from now through next Friday, the 14th. When checking out, use the coupon code “UNIWATCH001.” Big thanks to company prexy Morris Levin for extending this benefit to Uni Watch readers.

Boston Reminder: Remember, Uni Watch party tonight, 8:30 p.m., at the Boston Beer Works.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Check out what Mississippi State’s football uniform used to look like (great find by Scott Turner). … The Mets and White Sox will be playing the Civil Rights game next March 29th. Let’s hope the uniforms are better than last time around. … Big package on goalie masks in yesteray’s USA Today. Look here, here, and here. … Tons of great old White Sox photos here (with thanks to Eriq Jaffe). … Excellent question from Jon Blake, who writes: “This article ranks Floyd Mayweather’s ‘five key fights.’ For his 1998 matchup with Genaro Hernandez, it says, ‘Mayweather, at 17-0, was challenging for his first world title (WBC super featherweight) and was so cocky that he wore a WBC championship patch on his trunks into the ring.’ My question is, who else has worn something commemorating an achievement yet to happen? My friend and I recalled Clemens wearing the ‘300 Wins’ patch against Boston when he got yanked in the 3rd, but who else has done something similar?” Please, let’s not have a jillion comments about “Buffalo Bills Super Bowl Champions” post-game T-shirts and the like — this question is about things worn during the game or match. Anyone..? … The Celtics and Sixers wore throwbacks last night. Note that Boston appeared to have matte jerseys and shiny shorts, just like back in the day. Plus there were retro shooting shirts (complete with retro Adidas logo) and championship patches on their warm-up jackets. … Double play from Frank Mercogliano, who writes: “Pocatello High School [in Idaho] is wearing new racer-back jerseys from Russell, so I snapped a picture of #4 on the bench, who has a horrible off-center number. Sorta like killing two birds with one stone. The JV game was funnier because one of the girls attempted to iron her shorts and burned a huge imprint of the iron on the back of her red shorts. It was priceless.” … The Royals will unveil their powder blue alternate jersey today.

Housekeeping Note: I’ll be off the grid for most of today and tomorrow. If you have any site-related issues (abusive comments, spam filter problems, etc.), please e-mail Bryan. Ticker contributions can still come to me.

I’m probably the first writer to cover the sports uniform beat on a regular basis — or even to conceive of uniforms as a legitimate sports beat to begin with — but that’s not to say uniform coverage didn’t exist prior to the advent of Uni Watch (indeed, I cited a key 1970s example just the other day). Reader Doug Mooney recently found a bunch of uni-related articles in the archives of the New York Times, and they clearly show that uniform coverage was alive and well in the 1950s. Here they are, listed chronologically:

• April 2nd, 1950: “Hollywood Sets New Baseball Fad; Players Wear Shorts, Rayon Shirts.” This article is about, of course, the Hollywood Stars, who wore shorts in 1950 (additional info here). Key quote, from one of the Stars’ players: “Let ’em razz us, they’ll all be wearing them in another year or so.” Uh, right. Full text available here and here.

• February 26th, 1956: “Cards Redesign Suits.” This short AP item is of particular interest, because it refers to the uniforms that the Cardinals unveiled in this photo. As you may recall, the road jersey shown in that shot — the one with the “St. L.” insignia — was never used, and the circumstances surrounding it have never been fully explained. I devoted a blog entry to that subject about a year ago.

• August 12th, 1956: “What’s a Man to Wear Afield?” The subheading of this article, which ran in the paper’s Sunday magazine section, reads, “If he is a member of the Cincinnati Redlegs, he wears a vest instead of a shirt and pants with built-in knee pads,” which gives you an idea of the subject at hand. To provide some context, this was the season when Cincy’s uniforms changed from this to this. Key quotes: “The Redlegs’ new uniforms are as spectacular, in terms of costume, as the rabbit ball was in terms of window-breakage when Babe Ruth single-handedly revised baseball” and “The pitchers, whose arms supposedly so exceptionally precious, of course, are expected to wear their [under]sleeves long, to avoid chills, vapors or other calamities.” Lots of other good details regarding fabrics, tailoring, performance features, and more. And here’s a tantalizing tidbit: At one point the article mentions that Branch Rickey “attempted to put the Pittsburgh team into shorts, like lady softball players.” I’d never heard about that one before. Anyone else? Essential reading, available here.

• February 24th, 1958: “Giants Favor New Slim Look for Men in Gray Flannel Suits.” This item — written by Gay Talese, no less! — is one of those filler stories that writers come up with on slow days during spring training. Of course, one man’s filler is another man’s front-page news, and this article does not disappoint. Key quote: “[Ray] Kolas, who works for Wilson Sporting Goods, twirls his tape measure around 600 players each season. He keeps a measurement chart report on each player that would do credit to Brooks Brothers. For instance, on his chart of the Detroit pitcher Jim Bunning, Kolas noted: ‘Taper shirt — has small hips (no seat).’ ” Several other gems too, all available here.

• February 1st, 1959: “Major League Fashion Note: New Flannel; Nylon-Wool Fabric Reduces Uniform Weight by Half.” We all know that the Pirates were the first team to switch to solid-polyester double-knits, in 1970. But when did synthetic fibers first start being incorporated into MLB uniforms? According to this article, it was in 1959, when most teams went from solid wool to a 60/40 wool/nylon blend. The article also includes loads of uni-related ephemera, including this classic: “Yogi Berra, Yankee catcher and a dude, tops the best-dressed players with eight pairs of pants. Relief pitchers and bullpen catchers are not hard on clothes, except pants seats.” Get the full scoop here and here.

I know that’s a lot of material to read. But trust me — these are all well worth your time.

Alpha-Numeric Update: On Monday I wrote about this unusual uniform number (details here). That led to this note from Bob Jaye, which ran in Tuesday’s Ticker:

In a college all-star game following the 1971 season (Senior Bowl, perhaps), the South team had two quarterbacks who’d both worn No. 7 during their stellar careers. So Florida’s John Reaves wore 7R and Auburn’s Pat Sullivan wore 7S, respectively. Unfortunately, I can’t find a photo.

Intriguing, right? I didn’t have time this week to go hunting for a photo. But Bob’s brother, Davis Jaye, did. He contacted the Senior Bowl, whose offices were only too happy to provide him with these pics of Sullivan and Reaves. Big thanks to both Jaye brothers for their stellar contributions to the historical record.

Roster Restoration Update: We’re still missing 17 names from the membership roster (in case you’ve missed it, about 90 names were wiped off the list by a software glitch, and I’ve been trying to get everything back to normal). So if you haven’t already done so, all enrolled members should PLEASE check the roster listing. If you don’t see your name there, e-mail me your name, membership uni number, membership level, and why you chose your number. If your name linked to a photo, please re-send it. And if you’d like to help speed up the process a bit more, pick out your card from the design gallery and send me its URL. Big thanks for everyone’s help.

Meanwhile, anyone recognize today’s showcase card? It’s from the Arena League’s Colorado Crush.

Uni Watch News Ticker: My article on bullpen buggy history, which was posted yesterday on ESPN, is here. … Big kerfuffle in Florida over the proposed new uniforms for workers at Miami-Dade International Airport. Full details, plus an amusingly worded reader poll, here (nice find by Jonah Bamel). … Bowling Green’s athletic director discusses why the school changed its helmet design this season here (with thanks to Tom Konecny). … If you’ve ever wanted to dress up Steve Spurrier, here’s your chance (with thanks to Ronnie Poore). … I did a blog entry on World Series press pins about a year ago, but now Zach Siron has found a bunch of them for sale on eBay. Some real beauties, too. Look here, here, here, here, here, and here. Plus Zach also found an All-Star Game press pin and Gabby Hartnett’s lifetime pass (”which were apparently given out to players who had retired with much acclaim, local sportswriters, or other similar stars,” says Zach). Great stuff. … Florida State will be wearing their black uniforms against Duke next weekend. … The Green Bay Press-Gazette just posted a small gallery of Packers photos from 1942. Of particular interest: The ref’s beret (note the separate stripe pattern on the sleeve cuff, too), the uniforms being worn by the Western Army All-Stars (they’re the ones with the stripes), and these totally cool dusters.

By Vince Grzegorek

While my esteemed boss used up all the Uni Watch frequent flier miles on trips to St. Louis, Toronto, and his vacation, I was left in charge of the blog and with the task of foraging for stories only as far as my trusty Dodge Stratus would carry me. That didn’t turn out to be a bad thing, though, since I ended up hot on the trail of some archived uniforms nearby at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland.

A quick backstory: While browsing through the searchable collection of the WRHS, I came across nine uniforms from around 1920 that weren’t on display. There were no pictures, just a short description of the color and text on each one. My interest piqued, I got in touch with Scott Longert, Associate Curator for Sports History, and asked if I could come down and have a look. He was gracious enough to say yes and spend some time with me last Friday. (All photos courtesy of the Western Reserve Historical Society, of course.)

I wasn’t sure what I was going to find when I got down there. These jerseys were close to 90 years-old and were from amateur sports leagues, so it was possible that I would walk in to discover torn and tattered pieces of fabric, or faded remnants of what had once been great uniforms. All I had were the brief descriptions and the fact that the pieces were made by the Favorite Knitting Mills, a company that produced a ton of uniforms during the period and sponsored many more amateur teams, including the Favorite-Knits, a powerhouse of early-1920s football.

My worries were soon assuaged as Scott unveiled the collection donated by George and Ann Yanda in 1999. The jerseys, which belonged to George’s father, also named George, were in outstanding condition and provided a brief survey of early semi-pro and amateur attire for both basketball and football.

In almost every case, the team was either playing for or sponsored by a local Cleveland company. There was the “Fry Marvel” jersey, which had a nice little twist with inverted coloring on the letters and background on the front; the “Meter Lab” jersey, which looked almost as sharp as any sweater you would buy in the mall these days; the “Victory Auto Service” jersey, which almost screamed “Badass”; , the “Illuminating” jersey, the most boring example of the bunch; the “ChaLmps” jersey, which had a gorgeous design; the “Circles” jersey, which was the only one to have a last name on the back (as you can see in the lead photo); and the “Suchan Alleys” jersey, which had a beautiful-looking font on the front and back.

The prize was to be found, however, with two inconspicuous but beautiful football jerseys that had just a simple “I” on the front. After chatting with George Yanda about his father’s career, I found out that George Sr. played for the Cleveland Indians football team, which played in both the early NFL and the American Association of Professional Football. So these jerseys were probably worn sometime around 1922 or later when the Indians merged with the Canton Bulldogs to become the Cleveland Bulldogs.

As I chatted with George about his father’s playing days, times of little pay and a lot of travel, times detailed in books like Pro Football’s Rag Days, it was amazing to know I had seen the uniforms sitting right in front of me, and it was even more amazing to see how incredibly well-preserved they were. Stored in a basement for decades, and then stored at the Historical Society for the last 8 years, the jerseys can now see the light of day, and we can get a full-color glimpse into those Rag Days.

Tangential Bonus Material: Unfortunately, the jerseys I viewed are not on public display, but the WRHS still has plenty of amazing things, including the restored Chief Wahoo from the top of old Municipal Stadium (with beautiful striped stirrups just for Paul). Also, Scott tells me that there will be a major Cleveland Indians exhibition next summer that will collect photos, uniforms, and artifacts from the team’s extensive and storied history. Stay tuned for details. And finally, the Western Reserve Historical Society has a baseball speaker series running in August that will include talks by Cleveland’s VP of Public Relations, Bob Dibiasio, and former sportswriter, Burt Graeff.

Uni Watch News Ticker: That mysterious guy Paul has sent along a couple more contributions: First, my Ohio State Buckeyes beat Michigan again in this rating of college football uniforms; and second, the Long Beach Armada had planned a Michael Vick jersey bonfire, but had to cancel. Now, you can exchange a Michael Vick jersey for a free ticket on Animal Awareness Day, and then use the jersey as a pooper scooper or wee-wee pad… Curtis Granderson respects uniform history (thanks to Bill, no last names, please)… How often do you see an athlete advertise for another sport? Well, Ben Curtis just might be the most blatant example ever. “Go NFL!” (a teal deal thanks to Alexander Collazo)…Roger Faso passed on a great photo gallery of a game played to historically accurate uniform standards (except for the shoes)… A nice piece on Manny’s barber and the “LMontro 99″ wristbands sent along by Chris Flinn… The new 125th anniversary logo for the International League looks very spiffy, and very Scott Turner-esque (solid assist by Doug Brei)… An article on South Africa’s new Rugby World Cup jerseys can be found here (hard-hitting thanks to Josh Rubin)… Majestic will become the official outfitter of Minor League Baseball starting at the beginning of the 2008 season according to Matt Hoffman… A Uni Watch shout out to Ryan Finley, who gave a nice shout out to Uni Watch in this azstarnet.com blog entry about Arizona’s uniforms (thanks to Chris Pastore)… Matthew Linder alerted me to this Ebay listing for a Cleveland Lumberjacks jersey that he called “amazing”. I can think of a few other descriptions as well.

At the recent Uni Watch party in San Francisco, I met reader Al Cummings, who mentioned that his daughter works as a colorist for a major sportswear company. I said I’d be very interested in interviewing her, so he promised to point her in my direction. Sure enough, a few days later I got an e-mail from P.K. Cummings.

P.K. (which is what everyone calls her — it’s not an alias or anything like that) turned out to be quite a character. As you’ll see, she’s not exactly shy with her opinions. But you’ll also see that she’s a highly skilled professional with a lot of specialized technical expertise. That combination makes for a very, very good interview.

P.K. asked that I not name the company she works for, so the firm is referred to as “Company X” in the transcript that follows, even though it’s pretty obvious which company it is. Just keep that to yourself, OK? OK.

Uni Watch: How long have you worked at Company X, and what’s your title there?

P.K. Cummings: I’ve been there almost a year, and I’m a textile color specialist.

UW: How’d you end up with that job?

PKC: It was pretty serendipitous — it kinda fell into my lap. I’d worked in fashion and gone to school for textiles. I saw a post on Monster.com and responded.

UW: Where did you study textiles?

PKC: At the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, in Los Angeles. I studied textile design. We didn’t have any sports teams, so now, whenever we have “Wear Your School Day” at work, I just come in all black.

UW: What are favorite team uniforms, in terms of color?

PKC: I’m a fan of most throwbacks due to the simplicity. The old Celtics, when they wore satin shorts, are decent. And I have a locational and occupational bias towards the Raiders — silver and black always look good as clothing and face paint.

UW: Do you have a favorite color?

PKC: Green. Kelly green. Actually, there’s this gridiron green that we’re using now — it’s like a kelly, but not quite as springy. A bit olive.

UW: What about a least favorite color?

PKC: I don’t have one of those. [Switching to mock-flowery tone.] They’re all my favorites!

UW: Hmmmm…

PKC: Except for Vegas gold, which is just fucking hideous.

UW: So many people seem to hate that color. Why is that?

PKC: It’s like what you look like after a night of gambling in Vegas — jaundiced, drunk. Plus it’s really hard to match, it’s hard for mills to get right.

UW: So what does your job actually entail? You just mentioned fabric mills…

PKC: I work with all our sourced mills — there are over 40 of them. We have a set of in-house color standards on little placards, so the mills send me little samples of what their huge production lot will be like…

UW: Like a swatch?

PKC: Yeah. They send that to me, and then I read it on a spectrophotometer, which reads pure light, so I can see where it is, numerically, compared to our standards.

UW: These placards of yours, they probably have to be replaced from time to time, because they fade, right?

PKC: We keep them in a controlled environment. Our lab is conditioned…

UW: What does that mean?

PKC [after long pause]: Sorry, I just looked at MySpace and saw a picture of my brother’s butt — ugh! Fuck him, y’know? Wait, where were we?

UW: What does “conditioned” mean?

PKC: It’s maintained at a stable temperature and humidity. We like to keep it between 68 and 72 degrees, and 21.3% humidity. That’s the optimum.

UW: What sorts of Company X products do you deal with?

PKC: Everything, from the Dri-Power to the AFL uniforms, to selecting the threads to match with it.

UW: Like, the threads for seam stitching and embroidery?

PKC: Yeah. I just had this super drama today with the Philadelphia Soul.

UW: Um, is that an AFL team?

PKC: Yeah. The coolest thing I’ve gotten to do for the AFL is that the color we’re using for the Philadelphia Soul jersey, I got to name it Jon Bon Jovi.

UW: That’s the name of the color?

PKC: Well, it’s officially Soul Blue, but we reference it internally by a three-letter code, so it’s going to be JB — wait a minute, “Jon Bon Jovi,” okay, so it’s JBJ.

UW: What other leagues do you work with?

PKC: We do Little League Baseball.

UW: So the Little League World Series uniforms..?

PKC: Yeah, we do those.

UW: Any other leagues?

PKC: Company X lost most of their league contracts over the past few years, but they’re hoping to get a lot of them back.

UW: You mentioned to me in an e-mail yesterday that you hate how the gold on the Saints’ helmet doesn’t match the gold on their collar trim.

PKC: Oh, I hate that. I would be, like, fired if I did that. The closest thing we’ve had to that was a mismatch with Washington State — the silver on their pants didn’t match the silver on the helmet. So I had to read the helmet [on the spectrophotometer], redo everything, and then they actually ended up putting these horrible jerseys on the field. It was the saddest thing ever. It wasn’t my fault!

UW: Isn’t it hard matching fabric to plastic, though?

PKC: It can be, yeah. You just have work with the best dye materials. A lot of mills are pretty hesitant to spend the money on something they’re only gonna use once.

UW: Are you aware that the Cowboys have two different blues, and three different silvers?

PKC: Yes. It makes me crazy.

UW: If you could talk to the management of these teams, what would you say to them?

PKC: Look at the jerseys before you put them on the field! Or at least have a woman look at them.

UW: I’ve been told Jerry Jones, who owns the Cowboys, is actually colorblind.

PKC: Well, one of every 12 males is.

UW: What about women?

PKC: I think we’re up in the 200s.

UW: Wouldn’t life be easier, in some ways, if we were all colorblind?

PKC: I suppose, yeah.

UW: But you’d be out of a job.

PKC: Yeah, that would be a bummer. What would I do with my more-than-perfect vision?

UW: Your vision is better than perfect?

PKC: Yes.

UW: What is it, like, 20/15?

PKC: Yes.

UW: That’s pretty good.

PKC: I know.

UW: But wait a minute, you just sent me a photo of yourself wearing glasses.

PKC: I have a slight astigmatism, and my glasses have a glare reducer for the friggin’ computer screen and night driving. That and I take them off to emphasize a point every once in a while.

UW: When you’re dealing with mills and dye manufacturers and such, do you actually travel to the factories?

PKC: I do a little bit of traveling, but not too much. Mostly I work in-house.

UW: Do you communicate directly with any of the teams or leagues?

PKC: Personally? No. But I hear John Elway really liked one of the colors I worked on.

UW: Is he the owner of one of the teams?

PKC: I think he’s involved with the Philly Soul — I think it’s Jon Bon Jovi, Horse Teeth, and someone else. [Actually, Elway is part-owner of the Colorado Crush. -- PL]

UW: Do you use Pantone samples?

PKC: We try not to. It’s really hard to get super-accurate color readings, because the piece of fabric is mounted on a white backing, and that makes it hard to get the density of the color. Also, there are optical brighteners in the glue, which can affect the purity of the color.

UW: So do you use something else, instead of Pantone?

PKC: CSI — Color Solutions International. They’re another widely accepted standard within the industry. They work mostly with fabric — they have this color wall that’s, like, the Wonka-land for color. God, it’s amazing.

UW: Where are they headquartered?

PKC: North Carolina.

UW: Have you been there?

PKC: Mmmmm — I can picture it. But I haven’t been.

UW: You fantasize about it!

PKC: I do — it’s really lame. You know, I was e-mailing with my dad about a CD that he invested for me, and I wrote, “Yeah, just let it accrue a little.” But instead of “accrue,” I wrote “ecru,” the color. I didn’t even realize I did it, but he wrote back, “I can tell you’re a colorist.” And I’m like, aw jeez…

UW: You’re a color geek! That’s cool. Do you use one of those special viewing boxes with the special industry-standard lighting?

PKC: Yeah. UV 65 is the industry-wide standard, and then cool-white is another, because that’s similar to retail lighting. So yeah, we all have our light boxes, and our lab coats…

UW: You wear a lab coat?

PKC: Yes, I do. I look very official.

UW: Is it white?

PKC: No, it’s gray. White would reflect and then adulterate your viewing of the color. So it’s a very mellow gray. Our whole lab — everything in it is gray.

UW: Does your lab coat have a little name patch on it?

PKC: No, nothing cool like that.

UW [terribly disappointed]: So it’s sort of a uniform, but it’s not a cool uniform.

PKC: It’s just a boring lab coat, like your science teacher would wear.

UW: Any other rules in terms of what you have to wear?

PKC: No. And we can wear Company X product. Like, you can be super scumbagged-out, but as long as you’re wearing Company X sweats, you’re good to go. So I stocked up on sweats.

UW: What if you show up wearing, say, Nike sweats?

PKC: Hmmm. If someone’s lame enough to say something, you just say you got it at a sample sale so you could knock it off.

UW: Researching the competition, right?

PKC: Exactly. I got a bunch of Quicksilver stuff from one of the women in the graphics department…

UW: What’s Quicksilver?

PKC: They do surfwear stuff. They’re just another company, but someone bought a bunch of their stuff to knock ‘em off.

UW: We see sports design go through lots of color cycles. Like, purple and teal were really popular, and now red seems to be on the rise. How do these cycles come about? Do people like you sit around in a big room somewhere and decide all of this stuff?

PKC: Everything is pretty much decided two years in advance. There are trend operations that put out trend books.

UW: And do you participate in creating those trends, or do you just respond to them?

PKC: I respond to them, because I don’t have any say-so in the design process, as of yet.

UW: But it sounds like you have a world-domination scheme that will eventually call for you to make those decisions.

PKC: Yes, definitely.

UW: Do you belong any professional organizations?

PKC: I’m a member of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. There’s also the CPMA — that’s the Color, uh, something or other. I don’t know, it came free with another membership. [She's apparently referring to this. -- PL]

UW: What do you think are the best and worst trends in sports color?

PKC: Hmmm. I think the yellows never work out. They don’t televise well.

UW: Is that something you’re always thinking about? Like, you have to consider how it’ll look at retail, and then on TV, and then in high-def.

PKC: I do, yeah.

UW: Do you videotape things and then see how they look on TV?

PKC: I’ll do that with my digital camera. I’ll take something outside, film it from different light sources, that sort of thing.

UW: What about good trends?

PKC: I don’t know. You know, I think football uniforms in general are kind of ridiculous. I don’t think they match the current needs of football. Back in the day, it was a sweater or a sweatshirt, but now it’s graduated to this insane microfiber — like, the pants we’re doing for the AFL, it’s crazy. It’s so tight, but it stretches. The designer picked it on purpose, ’cause she’s kind of a pervert.

UW: So it’ll show off the players’ butts, or outline their packages?

PKC: Yeah, that kind of thing. She was like, “Ooh, it’s gonna be so tight on them!”

UW: Any predictions for future trends?

PKC: Well, I know that throwbacks are so much more prevalent now, so people are going with the more standard looks. I think it’s gonna segue into different kind of cut-outs. I don’t think colors per se are gonna change much.

UW: What does the average sports fan not understand about color?

PKC: That there are actually people working to make it happen correctly. Things don’t just show up matching — there’s a lot of work to make it all go together, especially since the fabric that you use for the pants may be different than the fabric for the shirt. And the mesh inserts are different from the dazzle fabric. So there’s a lot that goes into making it a cohesive unit.

UW: It sounds like you’re an actual sports fan yourself.

PKC: I had no choice, really.

UW: You mean it was a prerequisite for the job?

PKC: No, I mean growing up with my father and brother.

UW: Oh! Well, is it a prerequisite for the job? Can you work for Company X if you’re not a sports fan?

PKC: Yeah, you can. We have a lot of overweight people who work there, too. I mean, come on, we make athletic apparel…

UW: How has the job affected how you watch sports?

PKC: I’m way more hyper-critical of what they look like. I’m always looking to see if the socks match, or making sure the numbers and trim match up.

UW: So it’s basically ruined your sports viewing experience?

PKC: No, after about two beers I’m able to put all that aside, and then I could care less.

UW: Do you prefer a team that has only two colors, like the Colts or the Red Wings or the Jets, or a team with a lot of colors?

PKC: Hmmm. [Long pause of consideration.] You know, it doesn’t really matter. I like both approaches. The multiple colors are fun, because it adds more variety to what you can paint your face with.

——–

Well put. Über-thanks to P.K. for an interview as entertaining as it was informative.

I love trade magazines. American Funeral Director, Hay and Forage Grower, Elevator World, Demolition, American Jails — each of these very real magazines provides a peek into a previously unseen and largely unimagined world. The best part is the ads, which provide solutions for problems you never thought of before (prison furniture, for example, needs to be very sturdy, in case some violent felon starts tossing it against a wall).

I have copies of all the above-mentioned mags, and many more (including several copies of Referee, “The Magazine for Sports Officials,” which has lots of ads for whistles). Until recently, however, I hadn’t been aware of the trade mag I most needed to know about. That would be Coach and Athletic Director (or, as it used to be known, Scholastic Coach), where a lot of the ads are for uniforms and related equipment.

Uni Watch design director Scott M.X. Turner collects old issues of Scholastic Coach and recently stopped by Uni Watch HQ with a bunch of copies from the 1950s-’70s. The ads provide some interesting windows into the state of uniform and equipment design during that period. First, here are some comments from Scott:

• Although the baseball world was “surprised” when the Pirates switched from flannels to polyester doubleknits in the middle of the 1970 season, this Sand-Knit ad appeared in the fall of 1969. Any high-school/amateur coach would’ve known about doubleknits from this ad. [As an aside, Sand-Knit appears to have had consistently high production values in its Scholastic Coach advertising. Great stuff, as you can see here, here, here, here, here. -- PL]

• Here’s an amazing 1957 advert from Spanjian. They were revolutionizing baseball fabric more than a decade before the doubleknit revolution (or so they hoped) — cotton/nylon blend, with hopes of phasing out wool flannel.

• There are all sorts of titillating possibilities here and here.

• Not an ad, but there are some great grouch-old-coach tips from a guy who’d probably slit his wrists if he saw what was going on today. Start reading halfway down the right-hand column on this page.

And now some thoughts from me:

• When you see three stripes today, you instantly think, “Adidas.” So it’s surprising to see how many non-Adidas brands used to put three stripes on their sneakers and cleats, as seen here, here, and here.

• How many kids do you think learned to dribble a basketball using this?

• I’ve written in the past about how old basketball cards often depicted players wearing their jerseys backwards, because the card companies weren’t allowed to reproduce the NBA’s trademarks. Turns out the same protocol was used for ads.

• Today we generally think of Rawlings as a company that makes equipment, not apparel. And judging from this 1970 ad, it’s easy to see why.

• Never seen a pad setup quite like the one shown on the left side of this ad.

• If I’d been a coach in the late 1960s, I’d have bought my undershirts from these guys just because of their vertically and negatively arched lettering.

• I love how this company was trying to double-dip into the uniform and varsity blazer markets.

• How come this never caught on?

• Did they draw these templates on a napkin during lunch or what?

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to catch up on the lastest issue of National Hog Farmer.

In Case You Missed It: If you didn’t see yesterday’s post, scroll down to the “NHL All-Star Raffle” section for news on the latest Uni Watch giveaway.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Spot-on analysis by Mark Yacovetta, who writes: “With the Patriots’ loss on Sunday, Belichick will be the coach of the AFC team in the Pro Bowl. You know what this means: the Hood wearing a Hawaiian shirt. I never watch the Pro Bowl, but this may make me tune in.” … Interesting logo-litigation article here. … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Check out Dave Meggett’s unusual chinstrap style. … Rugby note from Daniel Brown, who’s intrigued by this practice session photo of the England International Rugby Team. “I’ve seen the NFL practices where the QBs wear red jerseys, so the defense knows not to hit them,” he writes. “But I don’t think I ever seen a jersey with that message actually written on it.” … Uni Watch intern Vince Grzegorek reports that Antonio Pittman was wearing LaCoste clothing when he declared for the NFL draft last week. “One columnist from the Cleveland Plain Dealer actually wondered why Pittman couldn’t just get dressed up in a bunch of Nike stuff like everybody else,” says Vince. “And especially after OSU got trounced by the Florida Gators the week before, was a crocodile logo really the best fashion choice?”