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Posts filed under 'Helmets'
For most of the baseball world, Dock Ellis is “that guy who threw a no-hitter on acid.” Here at Uni Watch, he’s “that guy who wore curlers” (more on that here). But to Jay Kaplan, Ellis is a lot more.
Kaplan (who I learned about from reader Matthew Ronay) is the man behind “Ellis, D.: The Dock Ellis Experience,” a group of 15 amazing poured resin paintings based on Ellis’s life, many of them featuring some awesome uni-related content. It’s a really interesting project for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is this: If you start with one of the paintings and then click on it, you get a bunch of thumbnails showing Kaplan’s source material and visual references. It’s like getting a peek inside his creative process.
Kaplan was already planning a trip to NYC when I contacted him last month, so I got to interview him in person instead of over the phone. Even better, he brought several of the paintings with him, and they’re even more impressive in person than they are on the web, full of depth and saturation and texture. It also becomes much more apparent that the paintings’ dimensions are the same proportions as a baseball card.
Those photos were taken on June 6th, shortly after Jay and I spent some time chatting over a few beers in my back yard. Here’s what we talked about.
Uni Watch: Let’s start with you. How old are you, and where do you live?
Jay Kaplan: I’m 35, and I live in Sudbury, Massachusetts. But I’ve only been there for a year. Before that I lived here in Brooklyn for 14 years.
UW: Why’d you move?
JK: We have two kids, and it was getting tricky. I was getting sidetracked from doing my art. So now I’m, like, in the woods.
UW: Do you make a living as an artist?
JK: I’ve done so many different things to make a living — art’s been one of them.
UW: I know you grew up in Port Washington [Long Island]. Were you a sports fan growing up?
JK: Yeah. And I still am.
UW: Did you play sports?
JK: I played Little League and played baseball up through my junior year in high school. And I played soccer and a little hockey. Some basketball, but I wasn’t very good.
UW: Were you interested in art back then as well?
JK: I played music, and yeah, I did some art. We had a lot of art in our house. My great-grandmother was an interior designer, so she had bought a lot of stuff, and my parents hung work, like, salon-style, so there was art everywhere. And my grandfather was a painter.
UW: And did your interests in art and sports ever overlap, like they have with this Dock Ellis project?
JK: Here and there. When I was about 12, I took an oil painting class and I made a painting of Denis Potvin. I was a big Islanders fan, and that was right in their heyday.
UW: Have you done other sports-oriented art projects as an adult, prior to the Dock Ellis work?
JK: I did a silly thing. I really got into art in college. In high school, I’d been into writing, but then in college I took an elective — a welding elective. It was actually an African-American Studies welding class. And in that class I made a giant sculpture of Patrick Ewing. So that one and the Potvin painting were probably my two sports pieces.
UW: What led you to do that?
JK: At the time, I was so into just the act of welding, and I didn’t really know much about art, so I’d just weld anything that popped into my head. And I was really into the Knicks at the time. It’s at my parents’ house now, along with a lot of my work. The Ewing is a source of embarrassment for me now. A lot of my friends really like it, but I don’t know if they’re just making fun of me.
UW: Okay, so tell me about your fascination with Dock Ellis, and how that fascination led to this project.
JK: I was doing a lot of self-referential art…
UW: How do you mean?
JK: I used to do these performance pieces and photograph them. I made a piñata in my own likeness, and I hung it from a tree and had someone take pictures of me beating it while wearing the same clothes as the piñata, with red paper on the inside. Another time, I ate a box of crayons. And I took a Krazy Glue dropper and basically had a drop of Krazy Glue about to go into my eye.
UW: Was it actually, like, real Krazy Glue?
JK: It was, yeah.
UW: Did it go into your eye?
JK: No. I just kept it right there for the shot. Another time I filled a bottle of Glass Plus with blue Gatorade, went to a supermarket, and placed it on the shelf. Then I took it off the shelf and chugged it. So I’d done all these pieces with me in them, and I was looking for something with more of a narrative, a story. And I remembered this urban legend that someone had taken LSD and pitched a no-hitter. Then I did some research and learned that there was so much more to Dock.
UW: When was this that you began this process?
JK: Probably two and a half years ago. I’d started making these paintings using resin. I started with abstract stuff, geometric shapes. Then I went to the next logical place, naked women. And that’s when I decided to do the narrative. It took me a year to do the whole series.
UW: You said that you learned there was so much more to Dock Ellis than just “the guy who pitched a no-hitter while doing LSD.” Such as..?
JK: He was almost a black activist. He was outspoken, he had this lively personality. He was a character. He was controversial.
UW: The poured resin seems so particularly well-suited to someone who was tripping on acid, and also for the colors and design style of that time period. Was that one reason you thought he’d be a good match for this medium?
JK: Yeah, definitely. It all seemed to fit together so well. [You can see a slideshow documenting the making of this painting here. — PL]
UW: Have you done LSD yourself?
JK: Um… I, uh … No comment.
UW: Did you do LSD specifically as “research” for this project, in the course of making the art?
JK: No.
UW: You’ve got some great uniform depictions in there. When I saw the Reggie Jackson painting, with that Oakland A’s uniform, that’s when I knew I had to get in touch with you. And hey, did you know that those early-’70s Pirates pullovers were the first pullovers ever worn in major league baseball?
JK: No.
UW: Yeah. Whether you realized it or not, you were documenting a really transformative period in baseball — striped waistbands replacing belts, pullovers replacing button-fronts, polyester replacing flannel. Were you aware of any of that?
JK: Not really, no. But I did do a lot of research to make it somewhat accurate to the era. I was hoping to capture the ’70s, when he pitched.
UW: What sort of research?
JK: Just looking at tons of pictures. There’s so much on the web now.
UW: Did you collect baseball cards as a kid, and did you go back and look at them?
JK: I did, yeah.
UW: I’m a little older than you, and I got interested in baseball around 1971, ’72, so I grew up watching precisely this period we’re talking about. Like, I remember watching Dock Ellis pitch. But you grew up after this period. So as you were doing all this research, were thinking, “Damn, I wish I’d been around to see that”?
JK: I have a lot of ’70s nostalgia in me, because the house I grew up in was really tricked out ’70s-style. So I sort of feel like I was there for it.
UW: You also have a piece showing Ellis in his curlers. When did you learn about that episode?
JK: There this great book, Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball…
UW: Right.
JK: So I read about it there, and in other articles about him. I just thought it was an interesting thing to do, to wear curlers on the field. And he even used that to show racial bias, because the commissioner said, “You can’t do that, can’t wear curlers,” but he let white ballplayers wear wigs or hairpieces.
UW: I love how, if you click on one of the paintings, you get all those smaller images. Are those the source images?
JK: Those are some of the inspiration behind each painting. Sometimes I feel like maybe it gives away too much. But at the same time, I don’t know — if you just see the paintings, you might not get as much of the story.
UW: So it’s sort of like footnotes.
JK: Yeah.
UW: And for the painting called Side Show, the source images are mostly these mustachioed ballplayers. What was that all about?
JK: Well, he pitched the no-hitter against the Padres. So the main image was based on the original San Diego Chicken, which was a radio gimmick. I wanted to draw a parallel between the chicken, which was a side show to the game, and a mustache, which I think of as a side show to a face. And mustaches were so prevalent back in that period.
UW: Right, because the A’s started that whole thing. And of course they also started the Technicolor-uniform trend.
JK: Yeah, I was so excited to do that Reggie Jackson piece, just to match that green and that yellow. I knew that in the resin, it would really pop.
UW: You nailed it, too.
JK: You probably can’t tell from the image on the web, but I actually did his glasses frames in inlaid metal, to accentuate them.
UW: Yeah, I noticed you used some unusual media, like Ping Pong balls. What’s that about?
JK: The Ping Pong balls were from this story when Dock fell from grace and drugs kind of overtook him later in his career. He finally went to rehab, and he was in such a bad state that he would actually sniff Ping Pong balls to try to get high.
UW: Really? What did he think he was gonna get out of that?
JK: I don’t know, but when I drilled holes in them and filled them with resin to make the eyeballs for that painting, they were really stinky. I think they’re made out of some kind of crazy plastic.
UW: No no no, they’re made out of reed or something, aren’t they? Definitely something organic.
JK: Really? Huh. [Actually, Jay was right: They’re made of celluloid, which is a thermoplastic. — PL]
UW: Anyway, so you did that not just because it was visually appropriate, but you were referencing an incident from his life.
JK: Yeah, I just took all this information about him and processed it through my head and tried to come up with images to go with them, and tried to make it work. But it didn’t have to be super-precise or literal.
UW: Let’s get back to the Reggie Jackson piece for a second. Why did you include him?
JK: Dock had a little history with Reggie in, I think, the ’76 All-Star Game [actually 1971 — PL]. At mid-season he had a really good record. Like he was 11-0 or something, and Vida Blue was having a great year too, and Dock said, “They’ll never start two black pitchers, two brothers in this All-Star Game.” And it became a big thing in the press, and it turned out that they both did start. And during that game, Reggie Jackson hit that famous home run off of Dock, the moonshot that hit the light tower in Detroit.
UW: But Reggie wasn’t wearing that green jersey in that game — he was wearing a vest.
JK [sheepishly]: There might be a few, uh, holes in the story.
UW: Well, that’s OK — artistic license and all. Didn’t mean to be such a stickler. I was just sayin’.
JK: Yeah, my audience is an art world audience. They’d never know the difference. Anyway, Reggie stood there watching the home run, which infuriated Dock.
UW: Nowadays, it happens practically every game. I mean, Manny Ramirez does it twice a week. I guess Reggie was kind of a pioneer there.
JK: But it really pissed off Dock.
UW: Which is kind of interesting. Because culturally speaking, the whole “standing and admiring your home run” thing is part of a demonstrative or hot dog-ish approach to sports that’s very black, very much part of the black approach to sports. And the people who don’t like it and criticize it are almost invariably white fans and white media people. So it’s interesting that Dock Ellis, being a very racially aware athlete, frowned upon something that was, in essence, very black.
JK: I don’t think he judged people based on color. He loved Pete Rose, for example. I think he just didn’t like being shown up, by anyone.
UW: Yeah, but what I mean is, you and I say, “showing him up,” but a lot of black fans and athletes would say, “That’s not showing anyone up — that’s just my style, that’s being an entertainer,” blah-blah-blah. And what white fans call “classy,” black fans often consider just “boring.” I’m not coming down on either side; I’m just saying the same thing can be perceived differently by different groups. It definitely speaks to a cultural gap.
JK: Yeah.
UW: Anyway, that soured him on Reggie?
JK: Definitely. At one point a bunch of major leaguers were going to do a tour of Viet Nam, and Dock didn’t wanna go because Reggie was going. The next time he faced Reggie again [which was several years later, because Ellis didn’t pitch in the American League until 1976 — PL], he hit him in the face. Intentionally. Broke his glasses and I think broke his jaw.
UW: And that was years after! Wow, note to self: Don’t cross Dock Ellis.
JK: Exactly.
UW: Have these pieces been shown in a gallery yet?
JK: No, I’m trying to find a place for them now. I’ve got some hopefuls. I’m feeling positive about it.
UW: Assuming you find a gallery, will you show the source images, the backstory, the way you have on the web?
JK: I don’t think I would, unless I maybe did it in the catalog.
UW: So it’s a very different kind of exhibition on the web than it would be in person. I mean, obviously, duh, everything’s different on the web, but what I mean is that the quantitative amount of material you’d be showing would be different.
JK: Yeah. At one point I wanted to get video of the no-hitter, and I contact all these different people, but it turns out that game wasn’t televised. There was some home video that someone shot from the stands — Bob Costas showed some of it on his show one time — and I tried to get that, but I couldn’t. The Hall of Fame sent me some other footage of Dock pitching, and I thought of doing something with that, but I decided not to.
UW: In the course of this project, did you make any attempts to contact Dock himself?
JK: I didn’t. I thought about it, but I wanted it to be based on just the story. Like I said before, at first I kind of treated it like an urban legend. I didn’t want to get too close to it.
UW: Did you contact Donald Hall, who wrote Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball?
JK: No.
UW: If this project eventually ends up in a gallery and gets some media, it’s certainly conceivable that Dock Ellis could become aware of its existence. If he were to come into a gallery, or even just visit your web site, what do you think he’d make of all this?
JK: I don’t know. It’s an interesting question, because I spent so much time thinking about him. I was completely absorbed by him — it’s like he’s become a big part of my life somehow. I’d hope he would like it. I know he has a good sense of humor. I read something where he was signing baseballs with some sort of LSD reference. I’d hope he wouldn’t be offended, and that he’d be happy that someone was glorifying his life and accomplishments.
UW: Let’s say you get a gallery, and they do a big opening reception. Would you want Dock to attend the opening?
JK: That would be great, yeah — I’d be into that. He’s actually a drug counselor now, in California, and one of the galleries I’m looking at is in L.A., so yeah, that would be cool.
UW: I know artists hate to be asked this type of question, but do you have a favorite piece among the 15?
JK: I like Kool-Aid and Kools. It’s so iconic, and the idea is so clear to me. It sort of expresses this contradiction that was a big part of Dock’s personality, that he could be angry and loving. Dock smoked Kools, and Kool-Aid can be spiked with acid, so it all kind of fit together.
[That was all the questions I had, so I turned off the tape recorder. But we kept on chatting and drinking, and at some point the talk turned back to sports, so I turned the tape back on. — PL]
JK: Lately I’ve gotten into NASCAR.
UW: Interesting. Do you know any other artists who are into it?
JK: Actually, I’ve got two friends who started their careers based on their interest in NASCAR.
UW: How so?
JK: They were both interested in the aesthetics of it. This one guy, my friend Nathan, he did a lot work that almost looked like the way the patches are everywhere [on the jumpsuits]. And this girl Kristin Baker, she was into the way a car looks when it’s crashed, and her paintings were abstract, but they kind of had this crashing vibe. This was back in the ’90s — I think they’ve both gotten away from it now.
UW: Have you ever thought of a NASCAR-related project?
JK: There’s this one driver, Travis Kvapil, who drives the No. 28 car. For a while he didn’t have a sponsor, so he just put “11 million” on the hood of the car, because that’s what it would cost to sponsor him.
UW: Sort of like “Your Ad Here.”
JK: Exactly. So I saw that, and I thought that would be great if I, as an artist, could sponsor that car and just do some artwork on that car.
UW: So let’s say you’re a gazillionaire and you go ahead and do this. What would you put on the car?
JK: Maybe some kind of op-art thing that’s forms a vibrating pattern, so other drivers get mesmerized and crash when they’re coming up behind you. Or you could just do a minimalist thing, or just something ridiculous, like popcorn all over the car. And at the end of the race, the drivers always mention the sponsor — like, “Yeah, this Office Depot car really came through for me today.” So it would be incredible to hear them say, “This Jay Kaplan art car was was just great.” It would be a great juxtaposition between corporate America and art.
UW: Have you ever discussed this idea with anyone?
JK: I did work for Jeff Koons at one point…
UW: Well, he certainly has enough money to do it.
JK: Definitely. And it was so great when he put a float of his rabbit sculpture in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. I still know him and his wife, so I mentioned the idea to his wife. I e-mailed her about it, thinking maybe she’d tell him and he’d do it.
UW: Any response?
JK [laughing]: No response.
UW: Are you aware of the recent taxi art project here in New York?
JK: No.
UW: It started last year, I think. Lots of New York cabs got outfitted with these big floral decals. It’s not quite the same thing as what you’re talking about, but it was an interesting project.
JK: Was it cool?
UW: I didn’t like the designs, frankly, but I really liked the idea of using taxis as a means of creating public art, especially since so many taxis also carry advertising.
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And that’s where we left it. Jay hasn’t yet found a gallery for the full 15-painting set, but he’ll be showing four of the pieces, along with some non-Dock artwork, in this group show, which will have an opening reception this Saturday from 6pm-10pm. He’ll be on hand, and I’ll be swinging by as well.
Uni Watch News Ticker: New York’s sanitation workers are getting new uniforms (with thanks to Neil Berger). … The Arkansas Travelers, double-A affiliate of the Angels, are changing from blue caps to red after winning the first-half division title (with thanks to John Evans). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Novak Djokovic, an Adidas-sponsored athlete, wore Nike sneakers at Wimbledon and whited-out the swooshes. Details here. … While looking for something else, I came across this photo Ted Williams and Dom DiMaggio. Note the connective strap on Ted’s stirrup. … Also came across this shot. Look closely and you’ll see that the ump is wearing his cap backwards, even though it has a abbreviated brim. Not sure I’ve ever seen that before. … Super-detailed guide to spotting fake NFL “authentics” here (nice find by Drew Wagner). … Good photos here, here, and hereof the Tigers’ one-year tiger-head style from 1927 (with thanks to Doug Mooney). … Early Astros prototype? Marc Swanson isn’t saying. … Thinnest stirrups ever? … Slow news day in Denver. … Chris Flinn reports that baseball-snagging guru Zack Hample snared a few BP balls at Shea a few days ago and was surprised to discover to find that they were All-Star Game balls. (As an aside, I had no idea there was a “baseball-snagging guru” out there, but the guy actually has a blog devoted to the topic — cool.) … “Many UFC fighters have started wearing tape wraps around their gloves to match the corner they’re assigned (blue corner has blue tape, red corner has red tape),” reports Mike Miller. “Probably helps the judges tell the fighters apart for scoring.” … Good gallery of USA Olympic basketball jereys here (with thanks to Erkki Corpuz). … Did you know the MLB logo was designed by DC Comics artist Jim Sherman? That’s what this page claims (with thanks to Dave Sikula). … Pesky Pirates patch problem persist for Jack Wilson. He must really love that one undershirt (with thanks to Bill Blevins). … Kudos to the U. of Minnesota, who’ve told Victoria’s Secret not to include them in Vicky’s pink collegiate product line. Details here (and nobody’s happier about this than Minnesota resident and scourge of all things pink Minna H.). … Mariners and Padres will be wearing 1978 throwbacks tomorrow night. … Nice photo gallery here of Cal football uni history — a history to which these are now being added. … I’m an architectural intern in Philadelphia and each summer there is a softball league comprised of architecture firms, contractors, and real estate firms,” writes Eddie Layton. “In general the league is very laid back and unorganized, although a few teams do have a semblance of uniforms or others (like ours) just try to all wear the same color T-shirt. This past week, however, we played a firm that had some pretty classic uniforms. I’ve attached a couple of pictures that my fiance took while we were playing.” … Reprinted from last night’s comments: Why did Bruce Boisclair (one of the least baseball-y names ever, by the way) pose for a photo with an aluminum bat?
June 26th, 2008
Back in the late ’90s, it was common for MLB players to salute their injured teammates with handwritten uni-number cap inscriptions (and occasionally non-teammates, too — lots of Venezuelan players added a little “14″ to their caps when Andres Galarraga was being treated for cancer). But like so many things that start out small and harmless, this one quickly got out of control, and the MLB office soon banned it.
But Manny Ramirez has never been accused of caring what the suits in the commissioner’s office think. With teammate David Ortiz out for at least a month with a wrist injury, Manny has revived the tradition of the hand-inscribed headwear salute. But in classic Manny fashion, he’s taken it a step further: Instead of putting Ortiz’s number on his cap, he’s put it on his batting helmet. Actually, he may have it on his cap too, and maybe even on his tam/snood thingie, but I haven’t gotten good looks at those. (Anyone..?) Meanwhile, let’s hear it for the Sharpie that was tough enough to penetrate all the gunked-up pine tar on Manny’s lid.
And that’s not all: Manny usually wears a “24″ sweatband on each arm, but on Tuesday night he had Ortiz’s “34″ on his right arm. Last night the “34″ had moved to the left side. This isn’t the first time Manny’s worn Papi’s armbands — they’ve periodically swapped and worn each other’s numbers on their arms — but I’m pretty sure this is the first time he’s done it as an injury shout-out.
I’ll be off the grid for most of this afternoon and this evening. Looking forward to seeing some you in Camden.
(Special thanks to reader Randy Williams for bringing Manny’s latest antics to my attention.)
Uni Watch News Ticker: More helmet-insert info, this time from Richard Stover: “I spoke with Bob Montgomery about the insert last season at Fenway Park. He seemed proud to be the last not to wear a helmet, yet puzzled that anyone would be interested in the details of such trivia. Then he added, ‘It’s in the Hall of Fame.’ ” … Meanwhile, here’s a somewhat misguided assessment of a modern helmet insert (courtesy of Brandon Davis). … Steve Dewing ran this on his excellent baseball photo site yesterday. A close-up of the glove reveals that it had been marked as “A genuine Steve Hamilton model.” … Jared Wheeler sent along this gorgeous team portrait of the 1946 Phillies. “This stirrups style was used for one season before they went to a white/red/white scheme. Also interesting is how the braid around the neck abruptly stops at the start of the button placket. I also found this shot of the 1949 Phillies wearing the white/red/white stirrups. Dressed to the Nines has them as solid royal, but this looks like a spring training shot, so it’s possible they could be wearing the 1948 stirrups. I will have to get some verification on that. Also, see how the braid around the neck differs from the 1946 version. Finally, here’s a picture of the PHIL-harmaniacs, who seem to have been Philadelphia’s version of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Sym-Phony.” … “Saw an article today on the new underwear that Asics has made for the Japanese men’s national volleyball team,” writes Jeremy Brahm. “I wish this was a joke.” … “The London Wasps (who have my favorite rugby socks) have an interesting NOB practice,” writes Caleb Borchers. “All of the starters, numbered 1 through 15, have their NOB, but the reserves, beginning with No. 16, only have ‘Wasps.’” … Footwear note from Greg Riffenburgh, who writes: “On Monday you showed Cristiano Ronaldo’s cleats in the Champion’s League final. The reason they didn’t have a lace cover is here, and a link to an article and video about the specific shoes is here.” … Fraud alert in Pittsburgh (with thanks to Tom Konecny). … Not uni-related, but this is high-freakin’-larious. … A small setback for logo creep (good find by Rob B.). … Erkki Corpuz notes that Bob McAdoo’s jersey doesn’t match the ones worn by his teammates in this team portrait. … Ryan Connelly was looking at aerial pics of PNC Park on Google Maps and MSN Maps and found that the field appears to have McDonald’s logo tarps on the mound and over home plate. … Interesting video clip here about the special baseballs being used as Junior Griffey approaches his 600th home run (with thanks to Brad Smith). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Pedro Martinez wore David Wright’s batting gloves (note the “5,” and compare to this) on Tuesday night. … Bit commentary here about Leeann Rimes wearing — well, see for yourself (with thanks to Scott Sargent). … Saw this 1962 photo in the paper yesterday. When did NBA refs stop wearing stripes? Also, at the risk of exposing my NBA ignorance, what are the numerical notations along the edge of the court? … Fascinating NOB factoid here — check out the last sentence (good spot by Nick Hanson). … The last bullet point on this page contains a really interesting tidbit about the Giants’ Super Bowl ring design, plus it confirms something I’ve always maintained about their road uniforms (with thanks to Robert Tusso). … “This site has a collection of photos from this year’s Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association’s National Championships,” writes Doug Steffenson. “The photos show the trend for college sailing teams to use ‘pinnies’ as team uniforms during regattas. They are, in essence, a cover over a sailor’s life jacket and reflect the school’s colors and graphic identity. It’s a long way from what many probably consider standard sailing attire.” … This has gotten seriously out of hand (with thanks to John Okray). … Fun comparison of Shea and Yankee Stadiums here (as forwarded by Paul Wiederecht). … Interesting question from Greg Gorham, who writes: “I recently saw an Arkansas Travelers [Texas League] game and noticed the Travs’ road unis said ‘North Little Rock’ across the chest. Considering they do play in Little Rock, I guess it makes sense, but I thought it was really weird, since they’re the Arkansas Travelers. Do you know of any other instances, in baseball or otherwise, where teams would have a different city/state name on their jerseys than what their official name is?” Good question. Anyone..? … Good catch by Matt Rothenberg, who notes that the Red Wings’ championship caps have a depiction of the Stanley Cup on the underbill. … “It had slipped my mind completely that Deacon Jones even played for the Chargers, let alone that he had ‘Deacon’ on his nameplate rather than ‘Jones,’ ” writes Doug Keklak. Actually, Jim Wooley notes that he also wore “D. Jones” during his Chargers tenure. Anyone know which came first? … One of the banner ad slots at the top of the page is about to open up. Interested in becoming a Uni Watch advertiser? Get in touch.
June 5th, 2008
An early Uni Watch moment for me came in 1975 or so, when I was watching an NBC Saturday Game of the Week broadcast. Red Sox backup catcher Bob Montgomery was hitting, and one of the announcers (probably Joe Garagiola, but I don’t recall) mentioned that Monty was the last remaining player not to wear a batting helmet. Instead, he wore a plastic insert under his cap, as was his grandfather-claused right as a player already in the bigs when batting helmets became mandatory in 1971.
Montgomery, who retired after the ’79 season, has since become famous (well, at least on this site) as the last non-helmeted hitter. Two related issues have always bugged me, though: First, were there any other grandfathered players who wore the insert in the early 1970s? And more to the point, just what did these inserts look like? I’d never seen one.
Thanks to reader Brandon Davis, we now have our answer to the second question. He found this eBay auction for an insert that was purportedly used by the Cleveland Indians. As you can see, it’s open on top, which surprised me a little — flimsy protection is one thing, but flimsy partial protection is pushing it.
Not sure what’s up with that tape-wrapped section. Was it meant to repair a break in the front-top section, or was that section supposed to be broken/unattached/etc., to make the insert adjustable and one-size-fits-all? An inside view is inconclusive. Anyone know more about these doohickeys?
Inserts are apparently still in use, or they were until very recently. Last November, when MLB announced that base coaches would have to wear helmets in 2008, Larry Bowa said, “I prefer to wear an insert.” According to this story, Bowa “wore a cap lined on the inside with thin plastic” for the Dodgers’ spring training opener back in February. So does Bowa have his own personal insert that he takes with him from team to team? Or is someone still making these things?
Uni Watch News Ticker: Good game-used jersey site here (with thanks to Mike Verna). … Yowza! … Big Brown jockey Kent Desormeaux wore a Mets jersey — complete with NOB — to throw out the first pitch at Shea Stadium on Sunday night. The uni number matched the number he wore in the Kentucky Derby. … Amusing collection of Oriole Bird mascot video footage here (with thanks to Bryan Long). … Bizarre eBay find here (big thanks to our own Scott M.X. Turner). … Did you know that the player sliding into home plate on this baseball card is actually Willie Mays, not Hank Aaron? I didn’t, until James Yeh pointed me toward this really good rundown of error-laden baseball cards. … “The University of New Orleans baseball team had an interesting uniform this weekend in their Baton Rouge regional,” writes Chad Thompson. “On Friday night, their jerseys said ‘N’awlins,’ and then on Saturday they wore ‘NOLA,’ and on Sunday it was ‘Privateers.’ ” … “Thought you might be interested in these throwback uniforms worn last Saturday by the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox in Marysville, California,” writes John Saiz. “They’re modeled after the Hub City (also Yuba-Sutter) Merchants, who were the first baseball club to travel by airplane. Of added interest, they were playing the Redding Colt .45’s, who were wearing their home whites (the Gold Sox play only two of their 46 games on the road, so they switch between their whites, grays, and BP jerseys every homestand).” … It’s horribly written, and even more horribly narrated, but this video critique of softball uniforms is largely on the money (with thanks to Randy Swanson). … Decent story here about NHL playoff beards (with thanks to Alan Kreit). … Someone has decided that Alfonso Soriano has MLB’s tightest pants (courtesy of Kevin Walsh). … Creative NOB use here (with thanks to Doug Keklak). … RIP, Bo.
June 3rd, 2008
Last month I ran an entry about Michael Princip and his clear-shell helmet tribute to Joe Washington. That piece was of particular interest to reader Jeff Fedenko, who wrote in to let me know that he has a big collection of clear-shells. Even better, Jeff lives in Brooklyn, just a few miles from my apartment, so a few weeks ago I went over to his place, where he and his daughters (that’s Micah on the left and Taitu on the right) welcomed me for a very enlightening evening of football helmet show-and-tell.
Clear-shell helmets are painted and decaled from the inside. The original idea was that they wouldn’t need to be repainted so often, although they turned out to be susceptible to other problems, like scuffing and breakage. Jeff has collected lots of them (that’s just a sampling of his collection) and says he can spot them a mile away, although I found it difficult to get a photo that captures their visual distinctiveness. Jeff also creates his own custom helmets by stripping the paint off of old-clear shell models and then adding his own paint and decals. This one will be a Rice design, and he’s prepping this one for a UMich paint job.
Jeff, who works as a phys ed teacher in the New York City school system (and is also a big NBA jersey collector), also has a massive library of football-related books, magazines, and catalogs. I could spend hours poring over his stuff, and he’s invited me to do just that at a later date — an invitation I will certainly accept. For now, though, here’s a look at a few things I documented during last week’s visit:
• This book is a treasure trove of great photos (the caption reads, “Fur-bearing businessmen rom Oshkosh check their fuel supplies before entering City Stadium for the Championship Game”) and illustrations (here’s another). Here’s a rare shot of the Vikings’ seldom-seen purple pants, and check out all the different goalpost striping patterns here, here, and here. Also, a small mystery: Jeff grew up in Wisconsin but isn’t sure why the scoreboard at City Stadium (Lambeau’s predecessor) featured two feathers. Anyone know?
• Here’s another one of those padded-cown helmets (and a closer view). According to this catalog, MacGregor’s version was called the Absorblo.
• Here’s another MacGregor catalog, with a good explanation of the clear-shell product.
• I never found the helmet section of this catalog, because I got distracted along the way.
Major, major thanks to Jeff for graciously welcoming me into his home and sharing his wonderful collection with me. I think we’ll be featuring him again in the not-too-distant future.
Yo buddy, ya want a cheap watch?: I’ve got a couple of electronics-y items to sell — one old, one new, both functional. I could put them on Craigslist, but I want to give Uni Watch readers first crack at them. Here’s the inventory:
• Epson C120 ink-jet printer: Basic ink-jet printer. Mac- and Windows-compatible. Still in box, never opened (got it as a freebie for buying something else, but I have no need for it). Lists for $90, sells on Amazon for $40. Yours for $35 if you want to show up at my door and pick it up; if you want me to ship it, you’ll have to pay the freight (the box weighs 11 pounds). Oh, and in addition to the ink cartridges that come with the printer, I’ve got an extra black cartridge that fits this printer, so I’ll throw that in too.
• Apple eMac computer: Purchased in 2004, used heavily up until a few months ago, but still works fine (I just wanted to upgrade). This machine produced most of the material on this site, so think of it as the blogging equivalent of a game-used jersey (I’ll even autograph it if you want). … Specs: Mac OS 10.3.9; 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor; 512 MB memory; 40 GB hard drive; optical drive plays and burns CDs and DVDs but burns CDs only; MS Office 2004 and Photoshop Elements are installed, along with all the usual Mac stuff; does not have a wireless card; power cord, keyboard, and mouse included (duh). … Way too bulky and heavy for me to ship (I don’t feel like finding a box, wrestling with an acre of bubble wrap, etc.), so this one is a pickup-only deal — swing by Uni Watch HQ, slip a cool C-note into my hands, and it’s yours.
If you’re interested in either of these, please get in touch pronto.
Santana Update: No word yet from Russ Gompers regarding Johan Santana’s sleeve piping. Several readers have pointed out that lots of players have frayed piping (indeed, Steve Hicks notes that Prince Fielder was allowed to wear remarkably shoddy piping for a Sporting News cover shoot just a few weeks ago), but I’m not yet convinced that Santana’s piping was frayed — this looks like extra stitching to me, esp. on the right sleeve. Bryan found this and this look like fraying, but I’m not sold on that — I think they could be those little extra-embroidered spangle thingies. Still hoping Russ can provide us with the definitive word soon.
Uni Watch News Ticker: “You’ve probably already seen this article about the VW ads on DC United jerseys,” writes Matthew Algeo (actually, no, I hadn’t). “It made me think of another soccer team that had ads on their jerseys: the Pennsylvania Stoners of the American Soccer League. Back in 1980, the Allentown-based team wore jerseys with the name of a local business on the front: Alpo, the dog-food maker. It made for a lot of bad jokes, which was ironic, because the Stoners were good — they won the ASL championship that year. The Stoners (love that name) were one of the first U.S. pro sports teams to do this. (I think the only one that did it before was that minor league hockey team in Buffalo that incorporated a Pepsi logo into their uniform design.) Also, I’d forgotten — or maybe never realized — that all the jerseys had ‘Stoners’ on the back, instead of player names.” … “I followed a link off of Shorpy that lead me to this vintage poster site,” writes John Ervin. “This crew poster might be of particular Uni Watch relevance.” … Don Cherry is fighting breast cancer (great find by John Muir). … Look at the thumbnails on this page to see a good video about how the Cowboys assign uni numbers and equipmenet to rookies. “In case you hadn’t heard, Mike Jenkins is taking over Roy Williams’s 31,” says Stu Taylor, who brought the video to my attention. “It will be weird to see #31 actually covering somebody.” … It’s been reported for years that Dontrelle Willis has “Have Fun” and “Joyce” (his mother’s name) written on his underbill, but until now the only photos I had were this (hard to see) and this (easier to see, but not on his head). Now I also have this, which I found in a 2006 Rawlings catalog. … Jared Wheeler sent along this awesome 1939 photo of (L to R) Pepper Martin, Mickey Owen. and Lon Warneke chewing tobacco “Pepper Martin seems to be preparing to let out a bee line of spit,” he notes. … We often talk about players with long surnames. But the Indians have just signed a minor leaguer with a real mouthful of a middle name (thanks, Vince). … Some cool old USFL footage here, including some shots of refs in shorts (with thanks to Doug Keklak). … Lots of great old A’s mustache footage — and a bit of commentary from me (misidentified as “Paul Lucas,” but it’s hardly the first time that’s happened) here. … “Hiroshima Toyo Carp player Go Kida is going FNOB, even though there are no other Kidas on the team,” reports Jeremy Brahm. … Numerological note from Adam deNobriga, who writes: “On Monday Night’s Sports South coverage of the Braves/Padres game, the Braves announcers were discussing Mark Kotsay’s number choice, and they mentioned that he likes to wear increments of 7. He was 21 in Oakland, 14 in San Diego, 7 in Florida, and even 7 at Cal State. When he came to Atlanta, he wanted 28. However, he saw a picture of Darren Bragg wearing #28 ‘crumpled against the wall in center field’ and decided he didn’t want to wear 28. So he went to two guys (I’m guessing the equipment managers) to decide on a number. They recommended #11 based on the fact that two former Braves, who were also former Marlins, had success in Atlanta wearing that number: Edgar renteria and Gary Sheffield (even though I’m finding pictures of Sheffield wearing 10 in Florida). Therefore, Kotsay chose #11.”
May 7th, 2008
Sometimes fate lobs you a softball. I was wondering what I’d write for today, especially since my brain’s still kinda in vacation mode, and then there it was: yesterday’s A’s/Rangers throwback game (with the teams dressed as the 1968 A’s and the 1968 Senators, respectively). And this wasn’t just any throwback game — mere hours after Bryan had griped about teams not going the extra mile to wear throwback helmets, the A’s and Rangers went that extra mile. If you look at that last photo, you’ll see that Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki even had a throwback catcher’s helmet — a nice touch. (And speaking of helmets, Jack Cust’s lid still had a sticker on the underbill.)
Other notes from the game:
• Naturally, I loved the hot stirrup action, complete with yellow sanitaries for the A’s. While I don’t approve of the low-cut variety, it’s hard to argue with those stripes.
• Just once, I’d like to see throwback vests with old-school tailoring. Back in the day, vests were tailored narrow across the shoulders, almost like basketball tank tops; nowadays (and in yesterday’s throwback game), they’re just sleeveless jerseys, with too much shoulder coverage.
• I guess asking the Rangers to wear black cleats, instead of their usual blue, would’ve been too much. Still, the footwear is definitely the fly in this otherwise pleasing ointment.
• Speaking of footwear, this design really doesn’t belong in a throwback game.
• Too bad about the Majestic shoulder logo and rear-collar MLB logo, both of which should have taken a holiday.
• Also too bad about the modern dugout jackets, although it’s nice to see that the A’s coaching staff wore white caps — with white underbills! And the Oakland players had green underbills. The Rangers, however, had black underbills, which brings me to the most interesting element of the game…
• That is not a throwback cap — it’s just a current Nationals cap. But isn’t the Nats’ “W” subtly different from the one the Sens used to wear? That’s what I thought, and the Nats’ own web site seems to confirm this: They sell this as the team’s current cap and this a 1968-71 Sens throwback — note the blunt end on the right tip of the W. Then there’s this, which is also supposedly a Sens throwack cap — the W isn’t blunt-tipped, but it’s more flat-sitting, less italic-ish than the Nats version. But then I did a little photo research and turned up this, this, this, and this. And frankly, those all look more like the Nats’ cap than they do like either of those Sens throwback caps. Todd Radom, if you’re reading this, could you fill me in on the distinctions between the old Sens W and the newer Nats version you rendered? (And if Todd isn’t reading this, I’ll check in with him myself and report back in a day or two.).
OK, that’s enough for the first day back. Mega-thanks to Bryan and Vince for minding the store in my absence — you guys rock. Speaking of Vince, he’ll be in NYC this Wednesday, which means we’ll finally get to meet in person, a mere year and a half after he started working for me. Looking forward to it, bud — travel safe.
Incidentally, I’m well aware that the site has been behaving sluggishly in recent days. We’re working on it. Should be fixed soon. Yes, I know that’s what we always say. We’ll say it next time, too. Patience, please.
Research Request: I’ve always wanted to do an ESPN column about horse racing jockey silks, but it’s a subject I don’t know a whole lot about. If anyone out there could give me a crash course on this topic’s history and current state, please get in touch.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Good times last week in New Orleans, what with all the crawfish, beignets, cool neon signage, evocative graffiti, and awesome music. There was also a great Uni Watch moment on Wednesday afternoon, as I was having drinks on the porch of the Columns Hotel and found myself sharing a table with Cindy Hart, who happens to be Director of Suite Sales for the Saints. If you look closely at that pendant on her necklace, you’ll see that it’s the Saints’ original cartoon logo character. “His official name is Sir Saint,” Cindy explained. “We’re bringing him back into circulation.” Indeed, I saw the Leno-chinned character on a few window decals around town. I always loved Sir Saint (even if I didn’t know his name until now), and it’s great to see him back on active duty. … Also want to thank reader Chris Falvey and his wife Sue for sharing New Orleans drinks and advice. Much obliged. … Someone has put together a site devoted to the Diamondbacks’ uniforms. Among the interesting photos: a prototype sleeve patch (never actually worn on the field) and a great action shot of the 1999 futuristic design. … Robert Steinau notes that Jim Edmonds was up to his old windbreaker tricks in at least two games early last month. Longtime readers will recall that he also did this during the 2006 World Series. … According to this article, Georgia Tech will wear white jerseys at home this fall (with thanks to Jeff Parker). … Shorpy scores again. … This vintage jersey doesn’t look like much — until you take a closer look at the shoulder embroidery. … Expect to see this logo on lots of Wake Forest corporate merch this summer, although it won’t replace the school’s athletic logos (as reported by Dennis Reid). … Looks like we may soon be seeing more MLB mustaches (with thanks to Fred Worth). … Mustaches have also hit the volleyball scene. Photos here (thanks, Bryan). … “As you may have known, the Rockies brass were in a frantic rush after their World Series run to trademark the term ‘Rocktober,’ ” writes Reid Tynan. “Based upon their performance so far this year I’d say this shirt I designed features a much more fitting slogan.” … According to this article, Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne “was offended when [a] Nike official told him, ‘You’re not as good as [Texas] and you’re probably never going to be.’ That blunt assessment, Byrne said, made his move [from Nike] to Adidas easier. The Adidas deal also provides more money for A&M than their Nike offer, Byrne said” (with thanks to Glenn Stern). … Anyone know why the Red Sox have a jolly roger flag hanging in their bullpen? (As spotted by Randy Williams.) … New uni number, of sorts, for John Smoltz. … Ryan Clark wanted to switch uni numbers to honor Sean Taylor, but his request has been disallowed. So he’ll switch numbers for practices, but not for games. Details about halfway down this page (with thanks to Daniel Weimann). … Matt Cain went low-cuffed on Saturday night. “Not sure, but I believe this was the first time a Giants starter didn’t wear stirrups since the staff decided they would do so in spring training.” Might this be related to Barry Zito’s demotion to the bullpen? … Scott Springer notes that Erik Ainge is still wearing his Tennessee Adidas cleats. … Dig this 1962 Wilson uni catalog I won on eBay the other day. … Ryan Howard scored the winning run for the Phillies yesterday. How’d he do it? According to a quote in this story, “I got a good jump, and I think that was because of the shoes. I wore lighter-colored shoes today, and that might have made me look faster” (as reported by Bernie Langer). … Memo to the Yankees: Instead of bringing up Darrell Rasner or Kai Igawa, please promote Chase Wright instead, for obvious reasons (big thanks to Eddie Brewer). … here. … “If you look closely at this photo, you’ll notice a half-inch of dark stitching just outside Anthony Kim’s shoulder blade, in the shadowed area,” writes Fred Haumesser. “It was very noticable on TV that he had pleats stitched into the back of his shirt to help keep it from tugging on his shoulders. Tiger used to have a habit of pulling his shoulders up on each side prior to a shot but doesn’t do it anymore. Must be able to afford a better tailor these days.”
May 5th, 2008
By Bryan Redemske
It’s springtime in Nebraska, which can mean only one thing: football. Actually, every season — and every situation you could possibly encounter in Nebraska — means football. I’m not kidding.
The big news of the past five months has been Bill Callahan’s firing and Bo Pelini’s return as the head coach of the Huskers. Big changes have come with Pelini, including reviving the tradition of not pissing off everybody in the entire state on a daily basis. But what about uniform changes? I originally called Nebraska equipment manager Jay Terry to see if anything different was planned, starting with the spring game, but ended up with something else entirely. First, though, here’s the deal at the dawn of the Pelini era:
• Up until 2005, Nebraska wore practice jerseys and pants for the spring game. That year, the Huskers went with game jerseys. The change came from Callahan’s practice regimen: offense in white, defense in red. Always. None of the offensive players had red jerseys anymore, so game jerseys had to be used to facilitate the random switching of sides that are a hallmark of spring scrimmages. “There’s no need to order a white jersey for someone who might never use it,” Terry explained. This year, they’ll still wear game jerseys but Pelini will go back to standard clothing procedure in the fall. The offense will wear either home or away practice jerseys each week.
• Pre-2006, helmets and decals for the spring game were pretty random. Some were completely blank, some had stripes but no N (almost all from 2005 were like this), some had it all. Since then, they’ve all been game-ready. This year, the Huskers spent the first week of spring practice breaking in new helmets, decals and all. They were collected at the end of the week and will be used in the spring game. In the fall, those helmets will be the practice set. “We’ll be scrubbing them for the game, and then they’ll be ready to go for the fall,” Terry said.
• Everybody wears white pants for the scrimmage. Again, it’s for easy switches during the game.
• Notice how some jerseys still have the bowl patches? There’s a reason for that. “I keep all of the players’ jerseys, and once they graduate, they get all of them,” Terry said. “So when they’re done they have their Cotton Bowl or Alamo Bowl jerseys. They’d rather have that patch than have us strip them off for a spring game.”
Of course, most schools probably do something similar, but imagine being in a program for four or five years and leaving with all of your jerseys. That’s pretty cool.
But this is where things take a detour. That’s Jammal Lord from 2001, and that’s a lot of numbers. The 201 on the right side is the area code of his hometown, Bayonne, N.J. The 10 above that is his jersey number. The 19 above his eyes actually wraps around to say 1981, which is the year he was born. Sadly, I can’t find any pics of the left side of the helmet. I’m sure there’s something going on there, too.
But what’s stumping both Terry and myself is the blue-and-red sticker above the 2 in 201. We’ve figured out what it isn’t. It’s not an Alamo Bowl sticker — they didn’t have them for the 2000 game. It’s not the NCAA pennant logo — Nebraska wore all-red pennant logos in 2000 and 2001. So what is it? And as a bonus, here are two more Huskers with extra helmet adornment, both from 2001. Wild times in Lincoln. Wild times, indeed.
Other quick spring practice things:
• Iowa State still has the old logo on its helmets. It will change to this theme in the fall.
• Both Auburn and Missisippi State have already had spring games — both wore game uniforms.
• Penn State really, really would like you to not hit some of its players, though I guess it’s possible those are special prayer jerseys.
• Word on the street in Minneapolis is that the Golden Gophers will break out their new uniforms during the April 25 spring game.
• Contrary to what most people seem to think, Michigan is still a Nike school, at least until the end of the current academic year, so don’t let the occasional omnipresent swoosh throw you off.
Why is this ad different from all other ads?: Paul here. As baseball and Passover approach their annual confluence, my heart is heavy with grief: The fabled Streit’s factory is shutting down, Manischewitz is facing a Tam Tam shortage (which could prompt the Jewish version of the Irish Potato Famine), and MLB’s longtime reigning Hebe, Shawn Green, got no contract offers over the winter and has chosen to hang up his spikes (mainly so he won’t track mud on his mother’s nice clean floor — such a good boy).
But all is not lost, my children. As you can see to the right of today’s headline, our friends at PopJudaica.com are celebrating the holy commingling of the chosen game and the chosen people with their swanky Jews for Jeter T-shirt (available here, and don’t forget their other sports-related products). Now, granted, as all New Yorkers know, the Yankees are actually the Catholic team in this town (think about it: DiMaggio, Rizzuto, Crosetti, Lazzeri, Pepitone, Cerone, Righetti, Torre, Martin, Girardi, Giuliani, Francessa, etc., plus the Pope held mass at Yankee Stadium and even has a plaque in Monument Park), while the Jewish fan base leans more toward the Mets (do a yarmulke count at Shea and compare it to what you’d see in the Bronx — no contest), but hey, I’d happily make a batch of matzo brei for Derek Jeter anytime. Just don’t push it by asking me to make an extra batch for A-Rod.
Anyway: Cool shirt, cool company, really cool that they’re celebrating the season by advertising with Uni Watch. Please give them a look.
NCAA Contest Update: At this very moment, Vince is hard at work, tabulating the results of the college hoops tourney contest. Winners to be announced tomorrow.
Uni Watch News Ticker: “I wanted to send you some pics of the Cup Stacking Championship [which is actually called the World Sport Stacking Championships — PL],” writes David Chisholm. “Teams wear jerseys or T-shirts. Also note the eye black being worn by one of the teams, and while this team had logo creep, an American flag, and the Texas state flag. The referees wear yellow T-shirts with zebra-striped bibs. The cups themselves have the Speed Stacks logo on them.” Looks like these kids all have bright futures as waitresses, busboys, and the like, which works out perfectly, since that’s the only kind of job our service-oriented economy creates anymore. … The mystery of the Rangers’ red-T road cap, which is never worn even though it’s still listed as the team’s official road headwear, deepens: Yesterday I quoted a source saying that the team doesn’t even bother to keep any of the red-T caps on hand. But now Bryan has come up with this shot, taken during the press conference to announce the signing of pitcher Kazuo Fukumori. So apparently they had at least one road cap lying around. But why would they use that design to introduce their latest acquisition? … And then there’s this, from Jeff Brantley (no, not that Jeff Brantley): “The Rangers have had serious ‘T’ issues for years. Back in the ’90s when the Texas Rangers first switched from blue to red, I went to the store to get one of the new caps. The first ones available were red with a blue T shadowed in white. But the team was actually using a white T shadowed in blue, and they never used the blue T. After I realized that, I took it back to Foot Locker and they gave me my money back.” The bigger story here, of course, is that Jeff actually admits to having shopped at Foot Locker. … Bryan also confirms that the Twins’ navy alts did indeed have red outlining around the nameplate lettering on Sunday. … A few people complained that the photo of me at the pig-butchery class was too small, so here’s full-size version. … Really interesting query from Brian Carroll, who writes: “I’m watching highlights of the Houston Cougars teams of the ’80s, which reminds me that the uniform numbers on their red away uniforms were one higher than the ones on their white home uniforms. So Akeem (as it was spelled then) was 34 at home and 35 on the road. Do you know why that was, and whether any other teams have done that?” Actually, I was unaware of this (as many of you know, college hoops isn’t my strong suit). Anyone know more? … The White Sox and Blackhawks have formed a marketing partnership, and check out the photo accompanying the announcement (nice find by Sam McCullough). … Seattle’s new MLS team is up and running: Ladies and gentlemen, your Seattle Sounders. … Comments section stalwart Teebz has an NHL playoff pool running on his blog. Details here. … Word I’m hearing is that the Phillies may wear green BP jerseys for Earth Day. As you may recall, the Astros have already announced that they’ll be wearing green caps that day. … The Pirates waited until yesterday to announce that they’ll be wearing a jersey patch to celebrate Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary. … Meanwhile, Pirtes catcher Ronnie Paulino has become a Power Ranger. … Brilliant connect-the-dots work by Steven Brown, who was looking through this book and stumbled upon the apparent inspiration for Oregon’s uniforms. … Interesting custom figurine site here, featuring several rather atypical designs (nice find by Casey Bloom). … Ever wonder about that patch being worn by the San Francisco Seals soccer team? Yeah, me neither, but here’s lot of info about it anyway (with thanks to the self-exiled Kenn Tomasch). … Some more pics of those awesome NC State baseball unis here, here, and here (courtesy of the team’s equipment director, Jodie Cahoon). … Joseph Marchio was inspired by yesterday’s mashup entry to create an all-purpose Cleveland sports logo. “The ‘Cleveland’ wordmark is from the Indians, 1944-1957,” he writes. “The sword in the Dawg’s mouth is a combination of two current alternate Cavs logos. Obviously, the Dawg is a current alternate logo for the Browns, although I did add the teeth to it. And the 10 stars represent the Cleveland championships — eight for the Browns (four AAFC, four NFL) and two for the Indians.” But shouldn’t the Dawg have a black collar or something in memory of the Barons? … I don’t much care about the current league calling itself the ABA, and you probably don’t either. Fortunately, Kris Fulton does: “On March 14th/15th, Halifax had two home games against the Bahama All-Pro Show to close out their inaugural ABA season. The day before the first game, the visiting team cancelled, so the Halifax owner called Atlanta and flew in their team for the two-game set (at his own expense), rescheduling for Saturday/Sunday instead of Friday/Saturday. Naturally, bags get lost on the short-notice trip, and Atlanta ended up taking the floor in black Team Canada hockey T-shirts [and mismatched shorts — PL] with masking tape numbers [my favorite of which is this — PL]. Predictably, the numbers began falling off as the game went on. The team was properly equipped the following night for the second game. Shortly thereafter, Halifax’s owner announced that the team is leaving the ABA and is looking for another league, with his sights set on the D-League.” Lots of additional info and photos here. … Steve Johnston was at yesterday’s White Sox game and snapped this shot. “Obviously homemade,” notes Steve. “He said he’d been to all the places on the jacket.” … Assuming the combined forces of the Secret Service, the bouncers from Irving Plaza, and Superman can protect the Olympic flame from being extinguished, the American team will be outfitted by Ralph Lauren, whose concept sketch looks like this. Note that the shorts are slightly above the knee, which should be a revelation for most of the American basketball players (as forwarded by Nick Waters). … Speaking of the Olympic torch, some French participants in the torch relay may have broken the rules regarding attire. … Cool photo gallery here of the Georgia Dome being repainted (with thanks to Brent Hardman). … OK, that’s it: I am sick of seeing the noble sport of bowling repeatedly besmirched by Presidential politics. Memo to all candidates: You are not worthy of the lanes. Please stick to cup stacking.
April 8th, 2008
I generally don’t like the term mashup, which has become so ridiculously overused that it’s been rendered almost meaningless. But it occurred to me the other day when I received the following note from Michael Princip:
I love clear shell-type football helmets, the Seattle Seahawks, and Joe Washington’s style (running and uniform). So what did I do about it? I developed the Joe Washington tribute Seahawks clear-shell helmet. The notion of this project was so eccentric, I had to see it through to fruition.
For those who aren’t aware of the uniqueness of a Macgregor/Kelley clear-shell helmet: All of the decals, as well as the paint, were applied from the inside (note the rivets on top of the decal). These helmets were truly unique because logo and paint were permanently protected by the outside surface of the clear plastic shell.
For this custom project, I got the clear-shell helmet through a Yahoo helmet collectors group, where I sent out an e-mail request. I got one reply from someone who had two shells, which he sold me. Only thing is, one shell had paint still applied on both sides, and the other had paint recently removed, leaving cloudiness from the paint remover. So I had to put a lot of work into sanding/polishing and taking the cloudiness out of that shell. Never really got it crystal clear, just good enough.
I developed the Seahawks logo decal using clear waterslide paper (think model kit decals). White paint was applied on the back (non-adhesive) side of the decals, to fill out and solidify the colors. Also, I used clear acrylic paint for added strength on the very delicate waterslide paper. I then applied the silver paint from the inside of the shell and finished with a nice gray flexible primer.
Other notable players who wore clear-shell helmets: Billy Sims, Roger Staubach, Charlie Waters, Archie Manning, and various Steelers players back in the 1970s. One of the most interesting clear shell helmets I’ve ever seen would have to be John Simmons’s Bengals helmet.
Thanks, Michael, for the excellent primer on clear-shell helmets, and kudos on your cool art project. At the risk of opening a Pandora’s Box of major silliness, are there other good uni mashups (for lack of a better term) waiting to happen? I’ll set one basic rule: Keep all the elements within a given sport, as Michael did (i.e., don’t propose a Brett Favre Dodgers jersey with a fight strap). Or if you insist on mixing sports, keep them all within a given city, as Roger Faso has done with his all-purpose Oakland sports logo (see comment No. 7 for details). OK? Let’s hear — or, better yet, see — whatcha got.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Faaaascinating article here about Japanese school uniforms (courtesy of, of course, Jeremy Brahm). … Also from Jeremy: The Seibu Lions will wear this design for their Japanese interleague games this season. The wording on the back of the jersey reads, “No Limit 2008, Aim for the Championship Again.” … Check out this video clip of Roger Goodell, and note the difference between the NFL logos in the background and the one on his microphone (good catch by Brian Corbett). … More on the Twins’ base coaches wearing the 1970s helmets: First read this, then read the first graf of this, and then the third graf of this (great work by Karl G. Anderson). … Last Friday I asked why the Rangers never wear their official road cap. Got the following response from someone connected to the team (who prefers to remain nameless): “We haven’t worn that cap since I started working for the team in 2003. I’m not sure who effectively eliminated it, but we keep no inventory of them.” Wow, you mean the team couldn’t wear the official road cap even if they wanted to, because there’s literally no such cap kept on hand? “Correct, which is why I would assume someone decided that we would stop wearing them, since we stopped ordering them from New Era. Definitely agree that it’s weird MLB still lists it as the official road cap. Also note that the Rangers used to have a black-billed alternate cap with a white T, which we also no longer wear, not sure if that cap is still official also [it is — PL].” This same source also weighed in on the Rangers’ seemingly endless red-vs.-blue debate: “Most people involved in the organization preferred the red, but owner Tom Hicks doesn’t like red, so he encouraged the switch to blue. Some fans think that switch has cursed the team, since we haven’t been to the playoffs since the switch! Personally, I preferred the red, but switching back would look awkward now that the Angels wear very similar jerseys to the old reds.” … Excellent overview of the Brewers’ racing sausages here (with thanks to Dana “It’s Just Business” Prey). … My friend Steve Heller has an interesting piece here about political campaign typography (thanks, Kirsten). … Bruce Menard found this great shot of Casey Stengel during the 1955 Goodwill Tour of Japan. Dig that patch! … Speaking of patches, several French athletes want to wear a protest patch at the Olympics (with thanks to Jonathon Binet). … The Titans have unveiled a really weak 10th-season logo, which will be worn as a jersey patch next season. Details here. … Several people told me that John Danks wore his undershirt backwards last Thursday, but David Chisholm is the only one who came up with a good screen shot. … We’ve all seen the 1976 pillbox caps that several National League teams wore. But Aaron Steele found something I hadn’t noticed before: Ted Simmons wearing one of the pillbox caps under his catcher’s mask. … Good article here about attire at the Masters (with thanks to Mark Coale). … Next year’s NHL All-Star Game logo looks like this. … Tyson Moll reports that Cyprus High in Magna, Utah, wear some awesome striped stirrups. … Interesting photo here of BYU’s 1951 NIT championship team during a preseason tour of Brazil. Dig those “Mormons” warm-ups! Additional info in this PDF file (with thanks to Spencer Hall). … Toronto native Chris Creamer notes that the Blue Jays’ retro helmets use a uni number font that’s never been part of the team’s design scheme. And although it doesn’t really look that way in the photo, he says the left portion of the helmet’s MLB logo decal is graphite, not red. … Speaking of Chris, someone over on his board noted that the Texans are starting to make more frequent use of the “HT” logo seen at the bottom of this page. I had literally never seen that logo before. … Bobby Cox has been managing the Braves forever, but don’t tell that to Fox (good catch by Zack Bennett). … Lots of 1983 Phillies commercials compiled in this YouTube video (nice find by Morris Levin). … Richard Giron noticed another example of co-branded boxing gloves during Saturday’s Felix Sturm/Jamie Pittman bout. “Paffen Sport makes its own gloves in Germany,” he writes. “But their logo is partially covering a pair of Grant Gloves. It doesn’t happen anywhere else except in Germany and England. Lonsdale, Paffen Sport, Top Ten, and Adidas slap their logos on top of existing brands such as Reyes, Everlast, or Grant.” … The Johns Hopkins lacrosse teams wore 1980s throwbacks on Saturday (with thanks to Michael Brand). … Amidst all the other birthday presents I recently received, I’ve shamefully neglected to mention that Scott Turner and Diane George generously gave me a gorgeous old hooded varsity volleyball jacket, with a chenille volleyball on one sleeve, a uni number on the other sleeve, and nice “Army” lettering on the back. This jacket kept me toasty yesterday morning as I shopped through a cold, blustery flea market, where I found, among other treasures, this TruByte sample kit, filled with artificial teeth and super-cool labels. … Reprinted from Sunday’s comments: Good article here about the Jazz’s uni numbers. … Also from Sunday: Brinke Guthrie noted that Barry Zito was having some undershirt tag issues, which led Nicole Haase to respond, “I was at the game and you could see the tag from the seats. And when they showed replays and close-ups on the video screen at Miller Park — ARG! I pointed it out to my boyfriend, who just looked at me.” … The Altoona Curve wore very old-school throwbacks for last Thursday’s home opener. Additional views here, here, here, and here, plus there’s a dozen pages of photo galleries here (with thanks to Timothy Welsh). … Curiouser and curiouser: The front uni numbers on the Twins’ navy jerseys, which unexpectedly switched from white to red last week, were white again yesterday. But I’m not sure if the NOB lettering, which had gone from white outlined in red to just white, has also changed back. Take a look here and |
