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Posts filed under 'Tennis'
By Phil Hecken, with doubles partner Brinke Guthrie
Last week I threatened promised you I’d be back with my doubles partner, UW West Coast Correspondent Brinke Guthrie, who’ll be joining me today for our “take” on the French Open, the tennis tournament beginning in Paris this coming Monday. This marks our third post together, so I thought you’d like to know a bit more about =bg=. Here’s a brief look at the gentleman who’s playing the ad-court for this post.
Phil Hecken: So, how you did you become interested in uniforms?
Brinke Guthrie: I would think it was due to the KC Chiefs and the Vikings. Loved the Chiefs look, (this was when I was about 8 or 9 growing up in Louisville, Kentucky) and the Vikings helmet. I didn’t know for years that was a Viking helmet horn on the side, but I did go and get Vikings PJ’s and a hoodie (the exact styles shown) from Sears. I then moved to Dallas, walked into the new Texas Stadium, and “How ’bout them Cowboys.” One of those Field of Dreams moments with trumpets and angels.
PH: And how did you find Uni Watch?
BG: I think ’cause some bozo at Creamer’s site got on me about something.
PH: And finally, what are your uni-related or sports-related interests?
BG: Well, the Giants and 49ers, and Cowboys. The A’s are in there a little bit. I used to have real game jerseys of Troy Aikman from Nike and also Apex (the double-star,) and I sold them on eBay. I have probably done stupider things in my life, but right now I can’t think of any.
PH: Heh. Thanks, =bg=.
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And now, we begin with Brinke’s portion of the post:
Ah, springtime in Paris. (No, not that Paris.)
When young men and women’s thoughts turn to…………..clay.
Yup, it’s Grand Slam #2. First, they sweat it out in January on the pavement down under, now a test of endurance on the slow red dirt of Stad Roland Garros.*
French tennis has been something of a non sequitur. They’ve had a good player here or there, (the ‘83 Noah win practically shut down the country due to the national hysteria) but French tennis is forever defined by the Four Musketeers and that preeminent French style icon, Rene Lacoste. Lacoste was part of the aforementioned French tennis dynasty in the 20’s and 30’s. Yes, it’s been that long.
What did Lacoste do? Besides being a dandy tennis player, he turned the crocodile (or alligator) into a global status symbol. As in La Société Chemise Lacoste. He also happened to invent the famous Jimmy Connors T2000 Wilson frame.
So let’s compare three-time singles champ Lacoste to current four-time defending champ Rafael Nadal.
Coolness of name:
Advantage: Lacoste. I don’t think we need to explain that point. His name is the shirt.
Coolness of attire:
Advantage: Lacoste. It’s a timeless look (though a bit impractical these days) to come out wearing long creme colored trousers and a cap. With a wood racket. Meanwhile, Nadal is known for the clam-digger shorts and tank top. Nike has shoved him into more of a conventional polo shirt look … but the damage has been done. The clam diggers live on forever in Google Images. (Don’t forget the ‘bull’ logo on the shoes.) Plus … Lacoste never got the staredown from Borg: “I still have more titles than you, junior. Six. Count ‘em. SIX.”
Ubiquity of logo:
Tie. The alligator and the swoosh are everywhere.
Bizarre uni-habit:
Advantage Nadal. No “ifs”, “ands”, or, um, “butts.”
In all seriousness, you cannot compare the vintage to the modern game. Back then, it was finesse, skill, and touch. Today, it’s sheer power, and Nadal would destroy anyone from back then. It’s a completely different game today in many ways. But one thing remains — for the men, ya still gotta win best of five on the final day, baby.
*And who or what is Roland Garros? Glad you asked.
Some things are just wrong. This is one of them.
Recent past looks in Paris? Well, my favorite look would be the 1980 final. Classic Fila vs. classic Sergio Tacchini. Borg (in a terry-cloth Bj signature shirt and shorts) and the late Vitas Gerulaitis. Current fashion in Paris- nothing too special … except for defending champ Ana, who doesn’t have a chance. Take a look back at French Open fashion trends here.
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Thanks Brinke.
While they don’t wear “uniforms” per se at the French — they wear “outfits” — there has always been a staid quality to most of the participants … although one of Nike’s original poster boys for outlandish fashion can be somewhat excused. After all, with Agassi, image was everything. A few of today’s stars flaunt flamboyant outfits, like the aforementioned Rafael Nadal. But, as Brinke points out, even he has toned it down a tad.
While bright colors still dominate, it wasn’t always that way. Growing up, the guy who always won the French Open, Bjorn Borg had that look, that style, that clothing line that just seemed so classic, so perfect. Of course, it was so expensive too — so although I wanted to look like Borg, I couldn’t afford the Fila line, so I would up in some cut-rate garbage known as “Todd1″. (Of course, when Borg was either still an amateur, or not the established Fila stud, he sported some, shall we say, more familiar clothing lines.
But I love the French Open for the same reason I hate it — it’s played on red clay, a slow, particularly TV unfriendly surface, and one where lesser men (and women) blessed with more stamina than talent can defeat a stronger opponent. Matches can last 4 or 5 hours easily. If you’re not a fan of tennis, the last tournament I’d suggest you watch if you wanted to “get into” the game would be the French Open. But it’s still one of the “Grand Slams,” and it’s still hugely important. It’s often the tournament the BEST players can’t win — Connors never did, McEnroe never did, Sampras never did, and it doesn’t look like Federer ever will. Winning the French Open means something, because it means you’re not only the best player that two weeks, but it means you conquered the clay.
The heat and necessary stamina to play long gruelling matches means that even better — far better — players have to be in top physical shape. You will often see players chowing down bananas during changeovers, and seeking other remedies like bags of ice and lots of water (but not TOO much, don’t wanna cramp). I recall one five setter between Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe in the mid-80’s when McEnroe had his opponent dead to rights, up two sets to none, with Lendl puking his guts out on the court, only to have Lendl gut it out and win in five. At that time, McEnroe was the better player, but not on that particular day.
So, as you watch (or don’t — I’m pretty sure the majority of you UWers don’t like tennis) the French, remember that the better player doesn’t always win, but if you aren’t sure about checking it out, or need a reason to — I’ll give you one: Ana Ivanovic, defending Ladies champion.
And lest we forget, Maria is back.
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 From The Squiddie Files: Today the Indy 500 is being run. Lance Smith (aka “Squiddie”) checks in with this:
The 1950 race was shortened due to rain. The winner was Johnnie Parsons. (Here Parsons signs a pith helmet.) Check out this excellent group photo of the teams on the celebrated bricks. Apparently, there weren’t any restrictions about smoking in the pits.
Sam Hanks won in 1957 on his thirteenth try. He announced his retirement in victory lane. Shame because those Belond Special crew unis were tops.
In 1961, Australian Jack Brabham brought the rear engine Cooper to Indianapolis. While he only finished ninth, he looked good doing it.
Is purple evil? In 1972, a puncture forced Jerry Grant to pit late in the race. He “overshot” his stall and wound up in the pits of team mate Bobby Unser. Unser’s crew replaced the tire and fueled his purple Mystery Eagle and Grant finished second. However, the USAC decided that Grant’s race ended with the illegal pit stop and he drops to 12th. Mark Donohue wins in the blue and yellow Sunoco Penske.
While he had a very successful career, Mario Andretti only won the Indianapolis 500 once in twenty-nine attempts. He did get a kiss from Andy Granatelli in 1969.
Thanks Lance! That’s awesome. You lucky readers can look forward to more editions of “From The Squiddie Files” sporadically over the weekends. Be sure to tip him on your way out. Finally, Lance asked me if I “could justify running this photo of Linda Vaughn in 1969, go right ahead. That’s a lot of hair.” Yep, Lance — I think we can do that.
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 Guess The Game From the Scoreboard: Here ya go … no clues … it’s all right there. Difficulty: Medium-Easy
I found this one myself, but if you folks enjoy this game and want to send me a few scoreboards (easy, medium or hard) so we can have this little “game” every weekend, I’ll post em!
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 Just in case you missed yesterday’s post, next weekend, I plan to run a (possibly two day, depending upon the response) article highlighting the “uniform record” of the team you’ve been tracking. A number of you (I’d conservatively say 20) have already contacted me to indicate you’re tracking your team and there may be others out there who are also doing this. I think I “flagged” everyone’s email who has contacted me, but just to be on the safe side, I’d ask that you all please contact me again this early this week (say, Monday-Tuesday, if possible) — I will be sending out an as-yet-to-be-determined “questionnaire” on your tracking technique, team record wearing such-and-such uniform, etc., and I’d hope you could take a moment to answer. I’ll try to include everyone’s responses in next weekend’s “2 month track”. If you aren’t aware of the tracking of which I speak, I direct you to the third section of last Sunday’s post, which explains it. Anyone who has been keeping that uni-record, please send me an e-mail so I can post your efforts as we begin the third month of the MLB campaign. I’m sure there will be some interesting trends emerging, and we can “see” if teams start “shifting” to certain uniform combinations because of their successes (or away from them because of their failures) … or whether the decision to wear a uniform is completely random, based on a day or days of the week, starting pitcher (for those tracking that stat) and so on. Looking forward to everyone’s results.
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This and That: OH MY FUCKING GOD … The appearance of the New York Mets’ blue and orange trimmed uniforms at Fenway Park still brings back painful memories of what transpired between New York and Boston during the 1986 World Series … Did the dude in the middle of this photograph actually go to the game with the other four? Or did he just randomly step into some gathering … Here’s something I bet 99.99% of you don’t know — Indy racing has an official clothing brand — and it’s IZOD … What’s the best way to keep fans interest and intensity after the NHL’s finalists are set? How about take 10 days off before starting the finals … Old Time Hockey? … “Dude, be my wingman tonight?” … I love oxymoronic headlines … Hey look! Beardface was at the Canes game … I love pics of Big Klu … but dude, wear some kind of sleeves … Robbie Cano — Don’t ya know! … Hmm–do they use the Natinals signmaker? … And what, is this soccer’s version of Jackie Robinson Day? … This is why I love “Wiki Answers” … As bad as Majestic may be, this is why we cannot entrust MLB unis to Nike, adidas, Rbk or UA … Thankfully the Reds decided to hold Bring your pooch to the Park Night later in the season … If they only knew what made his hair look like that … I honestly feel this is the worst uniform in baseball — how much will he need to give Tatis for that number? … Guess they don’t care if he’s tipping his pitches anymore … They say this like it’s a good thing … Seems I’m not alone in my complete hatred of interplague.
Enjoy the 500. Get ready for the French. The red caps are coming. Have a great Sunday.
May 24th, 2009
By Phil Hecken (teamed up with doubles partner, Brinke Guthrie, aka “=bg=”, Uni Watch West Coast Associate and Jr. Bureau Chief)
G’day. This evening (or tomorrow, for you living Down Under) marks the beginning of the 2009 Australian Open, the first “major” of the tennis calendar, played in Melbourne, Australia. It’s nice and warm there, and sometimes it can get downright hot. Good thing they have a climate controlled retractable-roof stadium in which to play feature matches. Here’s the top three Seeds in the mens’ and womens’ draws. And here’s what to look for at the Open.
The season’s first Grand Slam tourney is always a great way to begin the year, and it’s a fun time for crazy fans and players alike. Good times abound in Oz. They have special balls with racket smashing powers down there. Well, not really, but the players and fans can get a tad out of control down there in Australia. But look for a bit more restraint this year than usual…the economy has forced Serena to cut down on the bling.
Fashion (also called “tennis outfits”) at the Open is usually a big deal. Last year, Nike stablemare Maria Sharapova had her own special “cocktail” dress made up all special-like. The beautiful Maria, who is defending champion, will not play in this year’s Open, hobbled by injury. Not to worry, the equally beautiful and last year’s runner-up, Ana Ivanovic, is playing. (Brinke will have more on her 2009 outfits below.) Even the practice gear is special for this event.
Nike and adidas dominate the tennis world, but Fila continues to push ahead (here’s Anna Chakvetadze [previously with adidas] who should be sporting pieces from the company’s Baseline collection [along with Alfa shoes]). James Blake, formerly with Nike, has also signed on with Fila. adidas will be big on the neon yellow this year, as seen on Caroline Wozniacki, Mario Ancic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, last year’s mens’ runner-up. Brinke will comment on this below as well.
In a major sea change in men’s fashion, it is possible we will see Rafael Nadal in sleeves, as evidenced by this and this look in yesterday’s practice session. As you know, Raffa is well known for showing off his guns and wearing “clamdigger” shorts (he must be really happy to see someone, eh?). Raffa’s fellow Nike stablemate Roger Federer will continue to sport his own Nike line. And by the way, Roger is not happy with his draw. But at least Fed’s fans will be pulling for him.
Defending champion Novac Djokovic may be sporting some lime green trou and accented shirts. If Lleyton Hewitt’s cap is any indicator, lime green may be the hot new color this year. Yes, lime green. Hooray for the lime green. Marat Safin, as is his wont, will apparently play naked. Much to the ladies’ delight, Andy Roddick will continue to practice shirtless. Fernando Verdasco may attempt to blind us all (or is that the new “court camouflage”?). Ivan Ljubicic may sport another retina searing sunburst orange. Did we say lime green will be popular this year?
Although the Open is a chance to sport the newest outfits, some players seem to dress without mirrors, or go to great lengths to support their country. Looks like Venus Williams is sticking with her Steve & Barry “11″ line. Aussie native Lleyton Hewitt has been known to dress in Down Under color, while others, like former champ Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva went more colorful routes. And, be careful of how short you wear those dresses, ladies. The cameras are always watching. In fact, those skimpy dresses are actually banned this year!
Look for David Nalbandian to make a run, having just won a key lead-in tourney in Sydney. R-Fed also just won a lead-up tourney in Kooyong, hoping to reclaim the number one spot and surpass Pete Sampras’ grand slam record this year. Another one to watch is Juan Martin Del Potro who just took the Mens final match in Auckland, NZ.
What was that about lime green being the hot color again?
I’ll now turn the piece over to Brinke Guthrie, who has some final thoughts on the Aussie Open:
G’day! The Australian Open is still a bit of a “weak sister” when lined up against the other majors. Europeans care about the French Open and Wimbledon, and Americans care about the U.S. Open and Wimbledon. The Aussie Open is, really, for the local blokes and sheilas. (I kid.)
The first major of the year can be held in blazingly hot weather. (Ask Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.) Your sneakers can actually stick to the hard court. Players want to win it, but they admit it’s a tough trip due to the travel involved. Some would like the date moved.
The Aussie is also when some players will debut new tennis fashion and gear, though the U.S. Open is the true showcase for new tennis fashion. Top men’s player James Blake has just switched from Nike shoes/clothing to Fila. Top women’s player Jelena Jankovic is currently without a clothing, shoe, or racquet deal, since her Reebok and Prince deals have expired. (Notice the logo-less strings and lack of label on shirt.) Adidas is also returning to the frame game soon.
Other Observations from Brinke: *** No Maria due to injury. But, let’s not forget Adidas’s flagship star, who even has her own logo. *** UK star Andy Murray and Carrotop — separated at birth? *** Black shoes on court look really bad. The Man didn’t do it that way.
And finally, NFL Championship Picks: Having gone 3-5 so far with the “old-school” method, I’m hoping to finish 3 for 3 for a winning (6-5) post-season record. Gimme the birds in the NFC championship and the team with the really good defense in the AFC. What’s that? I gotta narrow it down more? OK. All Penna. Super Bowl. And if that happens, I want all Philly fans and all Pitty fans to contact me for a possible SB post for a uni-retrospective — including the Steagles. More to come on that one. G’luck to all teams left.
January 18th, 2009
[Editor's Note: Tennis coverage has become so indistinguishable from People magazine that I now find it largely unwatchable, even with the U.S. Open taking place in my back yard. Fortunately, reader Brinke Guthrie has volunteered to offer some thoughts on tennis attire, past and present. -- PL]
By Brinke Guthrie
As the U.S. Open wraps, let’s take a look at where tennis fashion has been, and where it’s headed.
In the Beginning, there was Lacoste, Fred Perry as worn by Rod Laver, Slazenger, etc., and it was good. But there was no alternative to speak of — just lots of polo shirts and plain shorts.
Things started changing in the mid-’70s, when Fila signed Bjorn Borg as their first poster boy and created a line called White Line Fila. They had signed Italian matinee idol Adriano Panatta (who would move to his own line), but Borg was their choice for global assimilation. Oops, wrong Borg, but you get the idea. Fila also had climbing and skiing gear (called White Rock Fila), and there was a swimming line (Aqua Time Fila, I believe).
Borg was also one of the first guys — or maybe the first — to wear sponsor patches on his sleeves and even his headband (now a no-no). These days he sells underwear — a far cry from the days when he’d hang out in front of his Monte Carlo sports store.
Next: Guillermo Vilas. Whereas Borg’s Fila line had the now-famous F/Bj patch, Vilas’s line had the “F” logo on the chest and “Vilas” on his sleeve and shorts. Willy must have been jealous, because a “GV” patch soon appeared on his shorts, but it always looked like it was added on after the fact. He eventually switched to Ellesse clothing (stands for L.S., or Leonardo Servadio, the founder).
Moving to the ’80s, some of Ivan Lendl’s Adidas gear was cool, and some was downright awful. He would later move to Mizuno for rackets, clothing, and shoes, and it got worse. Much worse.
John McEnroe wore Fila in his college days (dig the groovy Hang Ten socks on Connors). But when he went pro, he signed with Sergio Tacchini (whose name sounds like a 1980s designer jeans label, but he was actually an Italian Davis Cup player) before ending up as a Nike symbol.
Martina Navratilova has been all over the place, and at one time was with a minor Italian company called Kim Top Line. Truly horrible — their only color scheme was orange and yellow, and it reminded me a little of this guy.
Andre Agassi was a true rock n’ roller. Nike knew what they had and marketed him like a star. Whether you liked his image or not, there was no mistaking him.
Reebok joined the fray as well, but Michael Chang (who started off a as a mini-Borg) seemed to wear this shirt for years. These didn’t exactly help Reebok’s court cred either.
Present day? The worst. Except for this guy. Or maybe this guy. Note the logo on the shirt — it’s also his height. Points for originality.
Most of the players these days wear the muscle T-shirt look, which is OK for the playground rec league … maybe. I mean, look at these guys today — no style, no nothing. Well, maybe Roddick.
You also have Venus and her budget Eleven line (which she’s sticking with despite the Steve & Barry’s mess), Rafael Nadal growing up, the style hysteria with Maria Sharapova, and fashion disasters like this and this. And don’t even get me started on those cheap logo patches that show up just for the Open.
Little Bit: Paul here. Remember last Friday’s entry on Scott Little and his big jersey and sneaker collection? One thing I neglected to mention: At one point Scott told me, “I don’t know what to do with all this stuff. A shop would be cool, except I don’t wanna be a shopkeeper. Maybe a museum..?” I urged him to go ahead with that (he could start with a little display space at the bowling center he co-owns), but he was sorta stand-off-ish about it. “C’mon,” I insisted, “there are all sorts of quirky little museums these days. People would LOVE it!”
Somehow he remained unmoved, but I meant to include all of that in my original post about Scott, because I figured there’d be an outpouring of support for his museum concept. Since I forgot, I wrote to him a few days later and said, “Wanna whip up a little something about your collection quandary?” Here’s what he sent back:
Hmmm, a uniform museum. Is there such a thing out there? I’m not talking one sport, because of course you can go to the whatever hall of fame and see plenty of unis for that sport. But where does it all come together under one roof? The uniqueness of each sport’s uniform, each sport’s shoes, each sport’s clothing timeline, and maybe even uniforms of sports beyond the big four here in the U.S.
Maybe a better question is, is it feasible? Is a jersey and shoe museum something the public would even care about? Yes, there are plenty of jersey and shoe buffs out there that would surely come check it out (like that like-minded weirdo who recently visited my house), but are there ENOUGH of them?
Also: If such a museum existed, would it need to be in New York or Los Angeles? Maybe Portland, due to the Nike connection?
As I ponder such a project, these are the questions I think about the most. I’m interested in what the Uni Watch audience thinks. Not interested in generic comments like, “I guess it depends on how much work/money you’d want to put into it” — give me some specifics.
So there you go. Wanna offer feedback to Scott? Feel free to contact him here.
Raffle Reminder: Today’s the last day for the $100 SoccerPro.com gift card raffle. For details, look here.
At least I remembered to feed the cats: Crazy afternoon yesterday. About halfway through my live web chat over on that other web site, the phone rang. Although it was hard to tear myself away from compelling questions like “Are there any new NFL uni changes this year?” and “Have you seen that new OKC logo yet?,” I somehow forced myself to pick up the receiver. It was the Bengals PR office, informing me that they’d decided to let Chad Johnson wear “Ocho Cinco” on his jersey.
This was kinda fun, because it allowed me to break the news right there in the middle of the chat — “You heard it here first!” and all that. But I knew I’d have to rewrite the first portion of yesterday’s ESPN column as soon as the chat was over, since the column had just gone live a few hours before the Bengals’ announcement.
Then, about 45 seconds after sending that rewrite off to my editors, I got word that Idaho had decided to scrap that butt logo that had caused so much controversy over the past few days, which meant I had to rewrite another part of the column. And then, just as I was sending that in, someone informed me that the Niners had announced their throwback dates, so I figured we might as well add that to the column as well, because nothing makes my editors happier than when I keep sending them revisions late in the day.
So: Then a quick bike ride, during which I got a flat, then off to Manhattan for a friend’s gallery opening (awesome show — highly recommended to all NYCers), then back home to Brooklyn, where I was relieved not to find anything else in my in-box that would require a rewrite. It occurred to me that I hadn’t given any thought to dinner, so I sautéed some tomatoes from my garden. As I sat down to eat them, I suddenly realized I’d missed the first half of the Giants/’Skins game.
So how was your day?
Uni Watch News Ticker: FIFA has put a new patch on Italy’s soccer jersey. “The Squadra Azzurra are the first national team to receive this badge, which from now on will be awarded after every FIFA World Cup finals competition,” writes Jeremy Brahm. “The reigning world champions will be able to wear the badge until the next FIFA World Cup.” Details and additional pics here. … Yesterday I mentioned a great video clip of a h.s. football team “earning” its helmet decals. But in a really brilliant move, I forgot to include the link until now (with apologies to Steve Johnston). … When I say that companies like Nike and Reebok are ruining sports, I obviously don’t know what I’m talking about. … Best commentary yet on the new OKC logo (courtesy of John Lesnik). … Latest problem for the Cool Base jerseys: The gussets appear to be yellowing as the season wears on (thanks to Jeff Scott). … The Canucks are going to retire Trevor Linden’s number. … Good interview here with the Blackhawks’ equipment manager (with thanks to Rick Welker). … I don’t mean to mention Sarah Palin every day, honest, but it’s worth noting that the only photo I’ve seen of her daughter’s husband-to-be shows him wearing a hockey uniform. … David Pegram notes that prior to 1975, the “5″ used by the Steelers looked like this, but then it changed to this. “Sometimes after the older 5 would reappear, as with Terry Hanratty in SB X,” he adds. “Hanratty would have an old 5 on the chest and back and a new 5 on the shoulders.” … Did you know motorcycle daredevils used to wear leather football helmets? It’s true (great find by Ryan Rice). … Subtle. … Well, that didn’t take long. … Even if you don’t care about the CFL (I certainly don’t), you should check out this Q&A with Edmonton Eskimos wide receiver Kamau Peterson, in which he talks about his uniform and the detail that goes into it on game day. Good stuff (with thanks to Glenn Cook). … Reprinted from last night’s comments: There was a decal malfunction for the ages during a high school game last night (ace screen-grab work by Doug Keklak). … Does this look like something you’d wanna wear? Yeah, me neither. Fortunately, we don’t play for the Rays (with thanks to Brinke Guthrie). … Yesterday’s mention of that NFL/Sears bedsheet that I scored in an upstate Salvo led Scott Mason to break out his old, faded blanket of similar vintage. The fadedness enhances the nostalgic effect, and I really like how the logos overlap. … Surely there’s a foam-finger joke just waiting to be made here. … I love the color green — but I don’t know if I love it this much. … You’d think Joe Skiba would have been out celebrating after last night’s Giants win, but instead he was e-mailing to tell me that Chris Cooley’s new helmet is the latest version of the Riddell Revolution, the Revolution Speed. … Really great post here about the evolution of brand logos (big thanks to Mike Etheridge). … While looking for something else, I came across this — nice. … Mike Cooperman has posted photos of his pennant collection. … As for today’s headline, I was referring, of course, to Jen’s shoplifting mug shot.
September 5th, 2008
We’ve been so busy with team sports over the past month or so (stretch-run baseball, the start of the NFL and college football seasons, the relentless flood of new NHL designs) that I completely ignored the U.S. Open tennis tourney. And that’s a shame, because we happen to have a bona fide Open operative right here in our midst: Gabe Ganot, who’s been working as a ballboy — okay, ballperson — at the Open since 1999, giving him an ideal vantage point for uni-watching. That’s him in the photo shown above.
Gabe sent me a good rundown of observations a few weeks ago, which I’m finally getting around to sharing with the rest of you. Check it out:
Almost all players wear one outfit per tournament. But Federer this year had two — a “day” and “night” selection. The night attire featured the “Man in Black” look with a black headband, black shirt, shorts, socks and sneakers. This as opposed to the day outfit, with a blue shirt, white shorts, white sneakers, and a blue headband. People were wondering what he was going to do for the final, because it was scheduled to start in the late afternoon and it was still light out. I think he was quoted as saying since the lights would eventually be on, he would go with the Johnny Cash look. Note that his sneakers have the three Swiss flags commemorating his three U.S. Open wins the last three years (I think it also says something on the tongue). Roger also has the tendency to constantly brush imaginary hair from his forehead and adjust his headband.
Nadal, I’m pretty sure, has the worst OCD of anyone on the tour, and not just uni related. Before he serves, just about every point, he has the David Wright-esque habit of picking his wedgie. The other ballpersons and I wonder why he continues to wear the capris if he has to adjust his pants every point. He also adjusts his hair/headband with the same frequency. Other examples of his OCD include placing his drink on the same exact spot during every changeover, and sprinting out to the baseline for warm-ups.
You’d think that the folks at Lacoste would make Andy Roddick a nice-fitting shirt. Instead he has to constantly adjust it, nearly every point, to make the shoulders drape correctly (similar to the way most volleyball players do). This has been happening for several years now. He also has taken a liking to wearing his hat a little sideways, à la Pokey Reese or Mike Cameron. It’s not an accident — I’ve seen him take it off and be very particular about the way he puts it back on.
Its also interesting see how doubles teams dress. Sometimes, teams go all out and match every single part of their outfits, down to the sneakers, like the Bryan brothers. Other teams wear what they would normally wear if they were playing singles, while others come up with a completely different outfit, like Justin Gimelstob in his mixed doubles team with Ashely Harkleroad. Speaking of Gimelstob, he apparently sweats like there’s no tomorrow, so he tends to change shirts around five or six times a match. And speaking of sweating, some players are obsessed with the towel. Nadal, for instance, asks for it pretty frequently on a hot day, and Roddick can be the worst. This ballboy would like to see some sort of integrated towel technology, like certain wide receivers have.
The women have different issues than the men. For starters, many of them wear makeup and jewelry while on the court. I think Jelena Jenkovic even puts her watch on before playing.
It’s also been interesting to note the ball-holding technology for women over the last decade (insert sex joke here). When I first started being a ballboy, most women just asked for one ball to serve instead of two like the men (men have pockets, so they usually ask for two and put one in their pocket in case they fault on their first serve). Some women would ask for two and just shove one of them into the bottom of their underwear, and after a game I’d have to go pick up a slightly damp ball. Others went with the plastic ball holder (famous example: Arantxa Sanchez Vicario), which was essentially a belt that had a little plastic thingie that sat right on top of the butt. These days, the women have slightly longer undergarments, kind of like the compression shorts basketball players wear. These have pockets, so that makes my job a little easier.
When I first started, almost all women wore the simple tennis skirt and some sort of top. Then Serena hit the scene, and now we get horror stories, like look at Bethanie Mattek’s outfit from this year’s Open. She does something like this at every tournament. It also seems like the ladies have a contest to see who can wear the shortest skirt and the like.
It’s also kind of weird to see some players who aren’t sponsored and end up having different parts of their outfits from several manufacturers. I forget who, but someone this year had something like an Adidas shirt, Nike shorts, and Champion socks.
With regards to equipment, there’s nothing too crazy, but some funny stuff. For instance, instead of the traditional shock absorber that most players have on their racket, some players use an ordinary rubber band. Not sure why. No player I saw wore regular glasses, only a handful had sunglasses on (Arnaud Clement and Alexa Glatch come to mind), and a few went with the bright sunscreen on the nose. Also, while most players bring at least five or six rackets with them to the court, I noticed that Mark Knowles liked to just tape on a new grip instead of going with a new racket. Not sure the reasoning for that.
As for our Polo-brand ballperson uniforms, they’re a welcome change from the Fila garbage we had several years ago, which were in outlandish colors and make us look ridiculous (plus you try running around in 90-degree heat in a thick cotton polo that’s too large, shorts that are too tight, and sneakers that can literally blow up if you plant too hard). The new ones are a nice moisture-wicking material with a good form-fitting shape (we don’t have to tuck in anymore!). But we are essentially walking advertisements — in addition to the 6-inch Polo logo on the chest area, we have a full 12-inch logo on the back, making us look like real product whores. Additionally, with around five days to go in the tournament we were mandated to begin wearing Polo wristbands, which was odd, because they never told us to where on the arm to wear them, unlike everything else which is by the book. The only change the Polo unis have had over the years is that they change the color of the vertical striping on the shirt and and shorts (this year it was yellow; in the past it’s been red and white).
Big thanks to Gabe for all that info. Still want more? Vince (who provided several of the photos links above) notes that this tennis blog has lots of fashion coverage.
Research Reqeust Request: I’m working on a column devoted to uni-related typos. I’ve got all the classics covered (Angees, Torotno, Nayv, Nigger Ilsand, etc.), along with the assorted nameplate misspellings that have periodically been called out here on the blog. If you know of any others, old or now, that we haven’t discussed, please let me know. Thanks.
Fall Back (into bed): The annual moving of the clocks is still a month away, but Uni Watch likes to be ahead of the curve, so…. As those of you in the Eastern Time Zone are well aware, I usually get the day’s entry up by 9 a.m., which is an arbitrary deadline that I set back in the site’s early days. Well, not completely arbitrary — I was trying to (a) motivate myself and (b) get you folks used to the idea that you could depend on fresh content being ready for you at the start of each day.
After a year and a half of this, during which it’s now become routine for me to be eating my breakfast in front of the computer while frantically making last-minute changes to the Ticker, I’d like to reclaim a bit of breathing room for my mornings (and, by extension, for my late-night hours). So beginning next week, my new arbitrary self-imposed daily deadline will be 10:15 a.m. Among other things, this should make it much easier for me to catch up on the previous night’s comments, deal with Ticker contributions that come in overnight, and so on.
I know some of you eastern folks have grown accustomed to starting your day (read: goofing off at work) with Uni Watch, but I have faith in your abilities to find other productive uses for the 75-minute window that fate has just handed you. Just pretend I moved to Chicago or something, OK? OK.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Lots of good stuff currently available on eBay, including this patch, this ad, this uniform, and this jersey. … Latest schools to go with the System of Dress: Maryland and Miami (with thanks to Jose Frontanes and Mike Alper, respectively). … Another new NHL mask: Marc Andre Fleury. … Good overview of the NFL captains’ patches — including a shout-out to Uni Watch — here. … Interesting article here about the Rochester Amerks new uniforms. Key quote, from team prexy Steve Donner: “RBK is integrating vertical striping into the jersey, and they wanted to do away with all horizontal striping. It wasn’t our suggestion to remove the stripes.” … Bizarre purple/green/yellow color scheme exhibited by Waukegan High in Illinois (with thanks to AJ Brandt). … Ouch. … Tons of old high school team photos, from a wide range of sports, here (with thanks to Brendon Yarian). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: The LPGA has changed its logo from this to this, which strikes me as a major improvement. Details here. … Also from yesterday: The NHL and Reebok held a conference call on Tuesday to address the growing chorus of player complaints about the new uniforms (the latest of which can be found in the middle of this article). Details here. … Good article here about the Sharks’ goalie masks. … Still more All Blacks soap operatics (with thanks to Caleb Borchers). … Reprinted from last night’s comments: The people at New Era are really, uh, outdoing themselves. … Dan Schulman, who’s doing ESPN Radio’s play-by-play for the Bosox/Angels series, mistakenly stated during last night’s game that Jason Varitek is the only current MLB captain to wear a “C.” Schulman forgot about Mike Sweeney.
October 4th, 2007
I could probably do an entire entry just on this photo. Where to begin? The upturned collar, the number on the sleeve, the vertical placket insignia, the amazing crest, the off-center belt buckle, the striped undersleeves — it’s a visual feast.
That shot (along with this one, which shows the same player with a different uni number) was turned up by reader Jeff Lindquist, who found it while poking around the Library of Congress’s George Grantham Bain Collection, a mother lode of old news agency pics. I’ve always meant to spend more time exploring the LoC’s archive, but it’s a daunting task, because the collection is so big that it can seem overwhelming. So it’s nice when someone else sifts through everything and comes up with some gems, as Lindquist has done. Here are some more pics he turned up:
• Another great vertical insignia here.
• Always good to see more shots of the Giants’ plaid uniforms from 1916.
• Here’s a player from the St. Louis Terriers, one of the early Federal League teams. Note the Federal League logo on the sleeve — “kinda reminds you of a recently redesigned logo from some other league, doesn’t it?” notes Lindquist. Interestingly, the league logo was similar to the team’s logo, which is visible on this sweater. Not sure if all the other Federal League teams had similar logos.
• Speaking of sweaters: As many of you know, I have a serious thing for old baseball sweaters, so I’m totally drooling over this, this, this, and this.
• I’d previously seen this Cubs logo in the Dressed to the Nines templates but never in an actual photo — nice.
• Here’s something from our old uniform cameo project: Babe Ruth as a New York Giant, from an off-season exhibition.
• Check out the American flag patch that the Dodgers wore in 1917, to support the war effort.
• The Yankees didn’t start wearing pinstriped uniforms until 1912, but they appear to have had a pinstriped jacket of some sort in 1909.
• Here’s a Chinese baseball team, from 1910. Almost looks like they’re wearing conventional collared business shirts.
• Bizarre shots here of the Yankees and Tigers doing drill exercises — with rifles!
Uni Watch News Ticker: I’ve recently made the acquaintance of the thoroughly enjoyable Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co., whose frontman, Michael McMahon, was kind enough to loan me a pair of gorgeous vintage baseball pants (which didn’t have that big grass stain when he last saw them — oops), complete with nice side piping, even nicer belt tunnels and flap pockets, and — my favorite detail — gold braid on the inner waistband. I paired the pants with a chromatically compatible vintage jersey for my Sunday softball game, where my buddy Joel Wilhelmi snapped some fore and aft shots. The grass stains were the result of two sliding catches in left field (one of which shouldn’t have necessitated a slide — I got a really bad jump). … Reader Ryan Goldstein, who plays club tennis at Georgetown, recently asked me for advice about having an “MEJ” notation added to the club’s shirt sleeves, in memory of former teammate MIke Jurist. Since Georgetown is in DC, I put Ryan in touch with Baltimore’s Joe Hilseberg, who fixed them up right. “We were able to wear them at a tournament two weekends ago in NYC at the National Tennis Center, as well as last weekend at the University of Maryland Invitational,” writes Ryan. … The family that plays together stays together — especially if they’re wearing stirrups. That’s the message from Paul Wiederecht, who sent along a veritable family albums of pics of his father (here and here), his brothers (here, here, and here), and himself (here and here). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: The Reds played a pants prank on Norris Hopper the other day. … Also from yesterday: Scott Player’s famously loose-bolted single-bar facemask (which has resulted in a good nickname) was seriously askew on the last play of Sunday’s Browns/Raiders game (something that’s happened to him before). … Eric Westover was at Utah/UNLV game the other day and got a shot of Eddie Wide III, whose nameplate includes a roman-numeral ordinal. … Rob Montoya notes that DeSean Jackson had his jersey tucked into his belt the other day. … Laura Frye reports that the Missouri women’s soccer team wore pink jerseys (for breast cancer research) and black wristbands (in memory of former teammate Meggie Malm, who’d been killed in a car accident the night before) on Friday. … LSU will be wearing special Katrina uniforms on Saturday against Tulane (which will mark their first use of white helmets since the 1997 Independence Bowl). Lots of additional images here, full details are here, and there’s a video report here. … According to a small entry buried on this Q&A page, the Patriots will ditch their silver alternate jersey in 2009 and go with a red throwback jersey instead (with thanks to Ryan Van Buskirk). … I’m going to be visiting the ESPN mother ship up in Bristol for most of today, so talk among yourselves and play nice. Meanwhile, I have something very special planned for tomorrow — see you then.
September 25th, 2007
My NFL season-preview column is now up on ESPN — here’s the link.
Meanwhile, let’s talk about the new NFL logo. By now you’ve all seen the new version, which will go into effect next year (and has already inspired several parodies). Let’s examine the changes and some of the league’s stated reasons for them:
• The old typeface was dated. Yeah, it probably was. It’s always felt very 1970s to me, and the curlicue on the end of the L has generally struck me as more kitschy than elegant. A modest tweak would have been fine by me.
That said, the new type treatment is a disaster. Remember how the Cardinals’ Turn Ahead the Clock insignia featured robotic birds? That’s how this type feels to me — a clunky, robotic take on the previous version. And as a few jillion people have already noted, the old lettering matched the contours of the shield, but the new version doesn’t even try. C’mon, people — even Larry Johnson’s tattoo does a better job of matching type to its surrounding environment than this new logo does.
• The 25 stars were too many for licensees to reproduce on a patch. Then maybe you should have your licensees talk to the people who make American flag patches. Fifty stars, easy as pie. And here’s a thought: Maybe you’d have more room to depict the stars if you didn’t devote so much of the neckline patch to the word Equipment.
• Yeah, but the eight stars represent the eight divisions — the old 25 stars didn’t stand for anything. Oh, please. The NFL didn’t even go to the eight-division format until 2002, so it’s not exactly a time-honored institution. In this era of expansion and relocation and reconfiguration, the lifespan of a given league format is about 15 years. Does anyone really doubt that they’ll be tinkering with the division structure again before long? And what will they do then — change the league logo again? (As an aside, do the stars in the NFC and AFC logos “stand for anything”? Quick, redesign those with four stars each, one for each division, before someone notices!)
My favorite thing about the outgoing logo is how the football is positioned over the stars, partially obscuring some of them. It creates a sense of lots of stars, almost like a waving flag — very spangle-y, almost glittery, like fireworks. But the new football just sits in between the two quartets of stars, and you can almost feel the dull thud that resulted when they put it there. Again, it feels robotically club-footed compared to the previous version.
• The new football is more realistic, plus it evokes the Lombardi Trophy. Oh really? The actual Lombardi Trophy shows eight laces on the ball — same as on a real football. The ball in the old logo also has eight laces. But the new logo shows a ball with five laces, which means it’s not true to the trophy or to a real-life football. Minor point? Maybe, but it speaks to the heavy-handedness and lack of fine detail in this new design.
So let’s ask the standard Uni Watch question: Is it good or is it stupid? I think it’s clear where I’m coming down on that one.
And please, I don’t want to hear anyone saying how I’m resistant to chnage, how I hate anything new, blah-blah-blah. Like I said, I’ve never been in love with the old logo’s typography and definitely think it offers room for improvement. But this ain’t it.
OK? Good. Now get off my lawn.
O Canada: Anyone else getting exhausted by all these NHL unveilings? Just when you think you’ve caught up, they throw a few more at you. I’m tempted to call it Sisyphean (in part because it’s true, but mainly because I just like saying, “Sisyphean”).
Quickly, then: The Canadiens have gotten it right. My only two concerns: (1) The white jersey’s hemline stripes look a bit thinner than before. (2) As someone astutely noted in yesterday’s comments, the Habs created the illusion of a straight hemline by positioning the new jerseys on a flat surface, thereby hiding Reebok’s new shirttail-style hem, which continues to be the problematic. (Additional pics are here, and additional info is here.)
The Flames have gotten it wrong. Seriously, what the hell is this? And this? And while I’m generally in favor of flags on uniforms, the Alberta flag’s color scheme looks awful on the home jersey. What a mess. They did get one thing right, however: I think the rounded shirttail hem is better suited for stripes that are flush against the edge, instead of floating a few inches above the hemline.
Mail Call: Several people have mentioned to me that they’re no longer receiving e-mail notifications when a new ESPN column goes up, even though they’re on the mailing list. Of course, the blog itself functions as a notification system, since I always link to new ESPN columns from this site, but still, I want the mailing list to function properly. If you’re on the list and haven’t been getting notices lately (or if you’re not on the list but want to join), let me know and I’ll make sure you’re signed up.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Contrary to some rumors that were floating around last week, the 49ers will not be wearing their Montana-era throwbacks for the entire season. They’ll still wear them for their first game, as has been the plan all along, but that’s it. … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Burger King is giving away mini-jerseys. … That Nike commercial featuring LaDainian Tomlinson running wild on the Bears’ defense wasn’t received very well in Chicago. … Kris McInnis sent along three excellent Auburn pics: this shot of the school’s infamous orange jersey, which was worn one time apiece in 1978 (against Georgia), ’79 (Miss. State), and ’80 (Georgia again); this shot of Shug Jordan in an Alabama Poly. Tech. practice jersey with painted on letters and numbers, taken two years before the school officially changed its name to Auburn; and this shot of a tearaway jersey from 1980, plus a rare glimpse of Auburn using merit decals. … According to this article in the Charlotte Business Journal, the Bobcats’ navy uniform will be worn 20 time this season (up from 12 in 2006-07) and will eventually become the team’s primary design, and the franchise emphasizes blue and reduces the role of orange. … You have got to be kidding me (blame Vince). … Ethan Rowley and his wife were recently at a Nebraska volleyball game, where Mrs. Ethan noted that many of the ’Huskers had their shorts tags sticking out. Upon going home and doing a bit of investigative work, Team Rowley discovered that this had happened before — several times, in fact. And other schools do it too! Could some volleyball-savvy reader please fill us in on this highly disturbing trend? … Speaking of volleyball, let’s go out on a high note: Cory Wright reports that the girls’ volleyball team at Sullivan Central High in Blountville, Tennessee, has been wearing some completely amazing socks.
September 5th, 2007
Scott Turner and I took an upstate road trip last Thursday, capped off by a double-A ballgame between the Binghamton Mets and the New Britain Rock Cats. And therein lies a tale.
The Mets are one of those franchises that require all their minor league affiliates to hike up their pant cuffs, so we enjoyed the sight of the B-Mets in all their navy-socked glory. But then I noticed something odd about third baseman Vince Harrison: His pants weren’t just hiked up to his calves — they were above his knees, like a baseball version of Dre Bly’s biker shorts. I’d never seen anything like it on a baseball diamond.
My camera’s batteries had gone dead earlier in the day, but Scott pointed out that I could probably still get some decent pics with my cell phone if I got right next to Harrison while he was on deck. So when Harrison’s next turn in the on-deck circle came up, I scooted down to the front row (ah, the pleasures of a double-A ballpark) and snapped a bunch of shots, which I’ve gathered into a slide show here.
Unfortunately, Harrison wouldn’t turn around while he was on deck, so I couldn’t get a decent photo from the front, where the effect was much more pronounced (best I could do was this this). But at one point I yelled, “Hey, Harrison, what’s the deal with the super-high cuffs?” and he quickly turned his head and said, “Just changin’ it up. Tryin’ somethin’ new, y’know.” And that was that.
My feelings about high-cuffed baseball pants are well-documented. But if you made me choose between Harrison’s look and the pajama style, I’d be hard-pressed to say which was worse. Seeing a ballplayer’s knees just doesn’t feel right. It also appeared to be a high-maintenance operation, because he was fidgeting with his pant cuffs all night. Manwhile, just how long were his socks? Like, was he wearing thigh-high stockings, or pantyhose, or what?
In an apparently unrelated development, there was a bat — the kind with wings and teeth — flying around the field the entire night. It mostly stayed near the field’s perimeter, but every now and then it would dart toward an ump or a player (it almost made one of the New Britain pitchers balk). At one point the bat flitted right past Harrison while I was photographing him in the on deck circle. He damn near jumped out of those super-short pants — and then he readjusted them one more time.
Mariners Mystery Solved: Last week I ran the following note from Jon Buerstatte:
In 1992, when the new owners completed their purchase [of the Mariners] in mid-season, the M’s had an “opening day” celebration. To mark the occasion, the M’s wore their usual white home uniforms, but with “Seattle” on the jerseys instead of “Mariners.” That had great significance at the time, because the team was constantly the subject of relocation rumors and the new ownership wanted to send a strong message that the team was the Seattle Mariners, not just the Mariners.
Unfortunately, Buerstatte didn’t have any photos from this game, and I wasn’t able to come up with one either. But then Mariners marketing VP Kevin Martinez got in touch and provided me with this and this. Big thanks to Kevin, and to everyone else who provided tips and leads on this one.
C-ing Stars: An NFL spokesman told me on Friday that the new captains’ patches (first discussed here) would feature “a C with some stars underneath.” And now, thanks to an item on the Lions’ web site, we finally have our first look at what that means, as seen here (and you can sort of see the jersey placement here). As I understand it, each team’s patches will be color-coordinated — i.e., the Lions’ version is blue, but the Cardinals’ will be red, and so on. Not sure why there are four stars, or why one of them is gold, but I’m hoping to get more info today. Update: According to the Detroit Free Press, “The first star is gold. A player will get a gold star for each year he is a captain in the future.” (Thanks to Mike Schmansky for that info.)
Personally, I wish they’d let the teams come up with their own “C” styles, like the NHL and MLB do, instead of imposing a league-wide protocol. But I’m surprised — and relieved — to see that the patch doesn’t include the NFL logo, or a little Lombardi Trophy graphic, or anything else that smells like corporate branding. Verdict: Silly but harmless. Prediction: A one-year experiment that ends up being abandoned next season.
Incidentally, someone over on the Creamer boards said that the Bucs used to designate their captains via shoulder “netting.” I’d never heard this before. Can anyone confirm?
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Penguins will unveil their new uniforms on Wednesday. Details here. … Mike Nolan’s and Jack Del Rio’s sideline suits will be designed by Joseph Abboud. … This eBay auction has ended, but check out those illustrations — great stuff. Anyone ever seen those before? (Nice find by Roger Faso.) … Speaking of eBay, check out this bizarre AHL all-star jersey that Stuart Greenlee found. Never mind the Blues-ish diagonal number — what’s with that misplaced star? … This has resulted in this (with thanks to Chris Flinn). … Did you know that one Vanderbilt player — and only one — wears a special memorial patch every year, in memory of former tailback Kwane Doster? Details here (with thanks to Daniel Brown). … Liverpool FC played a champions league game last Tuesday and they wore a black armband in memory of 11 year old Rhys Jones, who was killed last week,” reports Ed Rickert. “Does the armband look like black duct tape, or is it just me?” … Some uni-related MLB chatter in the seventh question of this Q&A session (with thanks to Laura Koenig). … Marcus Ramsey notes that Brad Johnson’s preseason sleeve stylings have ranged from no stripes to two stripes to one stripe. … As they’ve frequently done for early-season games in recent years, the Chargers will wear white at home for Week 1, to help beat the heat. … Pat Kelly has noticed something interesting about the Redskins: The sleeve numbers for eligible receivers are much thicker than the ones used for linemen and linebackers. “I’ve noticed it for a while,” says Pat, “and a little checking shows that it’s been going on at least as far back as ’03 [thin numbers, thick numbers], and maybe ‘02. That’s the year Reebok began making the unis for every team, and is also when the ’Skins went from screen-printed numbers to sewn numbers, so it may have something to do with that.” I’m fairly certain it also has something to do with sleeve tailoring for players who handle the ball vs. those who don’t. … Here’s something interesting: You probably know that all National League teams wore this sleeve patch design in 1976. But Braden Wheeler recently sent me a bunch of patches, and I was surprised to find that the N.L. centennial patch included a tone-on-tone copyright line. … Everyone talks about the Celtics’ parquet floor as the gold standard for classic inlaid-wood court designs. But check out this 1928 photo of a game between Princeton and West Point — now that’s a floor design. … Marquette is switching to Converse’s Dwyane Wade sneakers. … “English Championship soccer side Queens Park Rangers played Saturday’s game with all players having the name ‘Ray Jones’ on their back,” writes Florian Zenger. “This was in tribute to QPR’s youth international, who died last week in a car crash.” … Uni Watch founding girlfriend Alleen Barber notes that James Blake and Stefan Koubek were wearing the exact shame shirt while playing each other on Saturday night. “It looks like they’re on the same team!” says Alleen. “That’s fucked.” … Michael Romero provided a good screen grab of USC’s Mario Danelo memorial decal. … Elena Elms notes that Jim Edmonds has added a “43″ wristband (in addition to his own No. 15) for injured teammate Juan Encarnacion. … Now there’s a nameplate. … Best. Haircut. Ever. (Thanks, Vince.) … New UConn hoops uniforms on the way. Details here. … While researching something else, I came across this photo of Ozzie Guillen wearing a photo of his former teammate Jerry Royster, who’d just been traded. … William F. Yurasko notes that Florida International uses two different kinds of “2″s on their jerseys: this kind on the front and back, and this kind on the sleeves. Odd. … Good point by Gale Reed, who writes: “With 99.9999% of NFL games being viewed on color TVs, why does one team still need to wear white jerseys? Okay, if, say, the Eagles were playing the Jets, the home team would get first dibs on wearing their color, but why can’t the Giants wear their blue jerseys against the 49ers in their red?” … Alan Kreit was recently up in Cooperstown, where he took lots of cool uniform photos. From there he went to the New York State Fair in Syracuse, where he documented uniforms of a different sort: “At the State Troopers exhibition, a trooper was kind enough to show me his personal collection, including a 1940s uniform. This included a purple tie, vintage pants, and the manufacturer’s label. These were all wool and probably were brutally hot during the summer.” You can see all of Alan’s photos here. … Jay Braiman has been obsessively research the history of the Jets’ logo. Among many other interesting finds, he’s come up with this awesome yearbook cover. … Jim Mellett notes that the drop shadows on Pitt’s new jersey are in the uncommon down and to the left configuration. … Nice to see that the halftime entertainment at last night’s Clemson/FSU game included a taffy pull. … Royce Clayton has changed his uni number to 11, to mark his 11th major league stop. … Interesting find by Chris Manes, who writes: “According to a Spirit Magazine pic I found a few months back, Phil White of the Giants was the first to wear No. zero in 1925.” Slight bit of additional info here. … That’s enough for today. I’ll save my comments on the new NFL logo for tomorrow.
September 4th, 2007
Wednesday’s comments section featured a really great discussion about a 1981 contest sponsored by the White Sox, who invited fans to submit design proposals for the team’s 1982 uniforms. Some of these ideas were produced as prototypes and modeled. That led to further discussion of other MLB prototypes that were produced but never made it onto the field of play, and soon people were saying, “Paul, this would make a great column topic.”
I agree, and now I’m planning to write about this for ESPN. If you know of other prototypes — not just drawings or Photoshop concepts, but actual uniforms that were manufactured with an eye toward potential use — speak up. And don’t limit yourself to baseball, since prototypes have also existed in other sports. For example:
• NFL: The most famous NFL prototype is probably this, which the 49ers introduced at a press conference in 1991. Fan reaction was so intensely negative that the design was withdrawn after one day. There’s a decent roundup of other football helmet prototypes here, but I don’t have any images of full-uniform prototypes. Anyone..?
• NHL: The Blues were ready to roll out this design as an alternate jersey in 1996, until coach Mike Keenan put his foot down. More recently, the Caps were reportedly close to going with this. Anyone got better images of that one, and/or any other team protos?
• NBA: Sigh. As usual, basketball is the least-documented sport here. I can’t think of any NBA prototypes. Little help..?
Should be a great topic — my thanks to everyone who got the ball rolling during the comments thread.
Membership Update: Big arts and crafts day yesterday at Uni Watch HQ, as I trimmed, laminated, and mailed out several dozen membership kits. I’ll do some more today and should be completely caught up by Monday.
Today, incidentally, marks four weeks since the membership program opened for business. In that time, the active roster has swelled to 191 members, and our design gallery is now starting to look like a really cool stamp collection. My continued thanks for all the support — I’m really pleased with how the first month of this project has played out.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Yesterday’s entry about Ted Lilly being AWOL when he was due to bat prompted the following from ballpark historian and longtime Uni Watch pal Todd Radom: “This is DIRECTLY adjacent to the Cubs’ home dugout, literally three steps away. Does it solve the mystery? No, but I needed some rationalization to have taken this photo last year.” … Dubya’s latest jersey: a University of Arizona softball. “Not quite sure why he got the number 7,” writes Chris Falvey. “This is Arizona’s 8th national championship.” … Not uni-related but still plenty interesting. … Roush Racing and the Red Sox ownership group have marked their new partnership with a really pathetic-looking “baseball-themed” car. Look closely and you’ll see that they didn’t even get the 9s right. … Truly insipid 1980s Cabbage Patch Kids commercial viewable here, notable for the fact that the doll has a fairly legit-looking uniform but the players are wearing nausea-inducing knockoffs. … Uni Watch-esque assessment of Wimbledon attire here. … Eric Bangeman reports that Australia’s World Cup unis will look like this (here’s the previous design). “These are made by Canterbury and have grip panels like the new Nike jerseys from England and France, although the Australian jerseys will reportedly have the grip panels in position-specific places,” says Eric.
June 29th, 2007
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