Uni Watch

Auction Action

As you’ve probably noticed via the ad just to the left of this text, our friends at Grey Flannel Auctions are running their annual Basketball Hall of Fame induction auction. I always look forward to this sale because, as I’ve been pointing out lately, basketball is by far the worst-documented of the major . . . → Read More: Auction Action

Sweet 16

Got a package in the mail yesterday from A’s equipment manager Steve Vucinich. Inside was the nameplate you see above, which clocks in at 16 letters — that’s two letters longer than Salty (and, as you can see, a few inches longer than Tucker).

The player in question was Eric Stuckenschneider, a Dodgers . . . → Read More: Sweet 16

In Which the Casual Friday-ization of the Entire Freakin’ World Reaches Its Logical Conclusion

When it comes to invasive species, things like kudzu and the Asian carp have nothing on the baseball cap, which has expanded far, far beyond its natural habitat. I could riff on all the ways in which the baseball cap has been culturally ubiquitous around the globe, but I already did that in . . . → Read More: In Which the Casual Friday-ization of the Entire Freakin’ World Reaches Its Logical Conclusion

The Robert Harvell Files, Vol. 6

Robert Harvell’s photo archive continues to be a bottomless source of gridiron goodness. Here’s the latest batch from his collection:

• A wordmark on the sleeve is never a good idea.

• Ah, but how about a wordmark on the shoulders? Not sure I’ve ever seen that before.

• Something else I don’t . . . → Read More: The Robert Harvell Files, Vol. 6

Lance Gets Lanced

Bigtime jersey snafu at the start of the final Tour de France stage yesterday, as Lance Armstrong’s RadioShack team planned to wear black jerseys, all with the number 28, as a tribute to the 28 million people living with cancer. But Tour officials were not amused and insisted that the cyclists wear their . . . → Read More: Lance Gets Lanced

It’s A Rup-a-licous Day at Uni Watch

By Phil Hecken, with Comrade Robert Marshall

You have been asking about this one for a while, and now it’s here. Time to hear from Comrade Robert Marshall who, amongst all his other Revolutionary Stirrup Party duties, is here to bring us the results from the “Design A Stirrup” contest. To refresh, the . . . → Read More: It’s A Rup-a-licous Day at Uni Watch

Monochrome in Baseball, Part IV

By Phil Hecken

A short while ago, we looked at the first seven American League teams were they to try “monochrome”. A couple of them, maybe, might be worth pursuing, should teams wish to pursue such a sartorial statement.

Shortly after that article appeared, reader Chris Powers sent me a few of . . . → Read More: Monochrome in Baseball, Part IV

Let’s Hope Yogi Recovers from That Fall

By adding a black armband for Ralph Houk, I believe the Yankees have now become the first MLB team — and maybe the first North American sports team, period — to commemorate three different people with three different memorial gestures.

To be sure, this is not the first time a team has honored . . . → Read More: Let’s Hope Yogi Recovers from That Fall

How Hard Can It Be to Measure Ten Yards?

Last Friday I wrote about a 1950s gadget designed to more accurately measure first downs. It turns out that reader Mako Mameli is interested in such devices, so he shared some of his research with me. I’ve put together a timeline based largely on his findings:

1954: Lou Peresenyi invents the Pere-Scope, which . . . → Read More: How Hard Can It Be to Measure Ten Yards?

Uni Watch Book Club: Basketball — The American Game

Two weeks ago I linked to two images of the Buffalo Braves’ inaugural road uniform. That prompted reader Johnny Woods to send me this action shot. He said it was from a 1971 book called Basketball: The American Game, which I hadn’t heard of before. So I found a copy for one whole . . . → Read More: Uni Watch Book Club: Basketball — The American Game