Two significant Uni Watch developments today, starting with the annual college football roundup over on ESPN — here’s the link. Thanks to everyone who let me know about this year’s uniform changes.
The other big news is that we’ve finally got Uni Watch merchandise for sale. Just coffee mugs and T-shirts for now (although we may expand the offerings later on) — scroll down a bit and look in the left sidebar and take a look. The merch is being handled by Zazzle, an on-demand fulfillment company that produces really high-quality stuff. I can say with some confidence that you will not be disappointed.
Two people deserve big shout-outs here: The first is Scott M.X. Turner, who designed a logo for the Uni Watch Athletics Aesthetics Party six months ago (without even being asked — he just e-mailed it to me out of the blue) and has been extremely gracious about letting me plaster it wherever I like. Thanks, bud.
The other all-star here is Uni Watch webmaster John Ekdahl, who set up our Zazzle store (along with the site’s RSS feed, the Google ads, the new mailing list system, and about a jillion other technical things I wouldn’t know how to do by myself). He also puts up with a bunch of pesky requests from me on an all too frequent basis, with nary a complaint. Like most behind-the-scenes types, he deserves a lot more credit than he gets. Thanks, John — next round’s on me.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Shaun Marcum was smote by the cross — literally — last night. … A soccer player in the English Premier League has been reprimanded for adding his dead son’s first initial to the back of his jersey. Full details here (with thanks to Matthew Bonnett). … Is this the second coming of Eddie Gaedel or what? … Underbill Update: Mark Mulder’s got something (like maybe “Thank god my contract is guaranteed”) written under there. … Joe Mauer’s been wearing that 1970s-style helmet for a while now, but it looks particularly odd when he wears it with the Twins’ blue alternate jersey. … Although my TV sound was muted because I was on the phone, it looked like the Mets TV broadcast team was paying some serious attention to the wristband on Colorado pitcher Ramon Ramirez’s glove (very similar to this) during the top of the 2nd last night. Unfortunately, the MLB.TV game video is taken from the Rockies’ broadcast feed, not the Mets’, so I can’t go back and hear the discussion. Did anyone catch it? … I’m heading upstate today to see these guys and eat this stuff (I’ll be at Sharkey’s from about 4:30pm to 6pm, if any Binghamtonians want to say hi), so talk amongst yourselves and all that. I’ll be back tomorrow.
Those spiedies sound like they’re good eatin’. I just love regaional food, especially if the region is small.
Those Mets broadcasters seems to enjoy talking about uniforms, don’t they? Gotta make sure that piping lines up!
“Regional”. Damn my morning typing…
Our first stop, of course, is in Oregon, where Nike once again has used the Ducks as a design laboratory, with predictably laughable results. Uni Watch knows better by now than to attempt any rational critique of this school’s attire, especially as these aren’t really uniforms — they’re costumes.
Paul & the UniWatch Nation: Maybe during Nikes’ “Bring your daugther’s and son’s to work day” they have a contest for the young EKIN’s to design the following seasons Oregon Ducks
uniforms?
And as not to offend any of the losing kids efforts— they jsut select all the designs and put them into production?
My goodness. Dri Fit this.
T.
Shoot! I can’t get a purple Uniwatch shirt!
*sorry couldn’t resist.
Wow, that soccer story is terrible. I can’t believe they hid his son’s death from him and made him miss the funeral all in the name of a game of soccer. What a joke, makes me even more glad I live in a civilized country.
The Nike template is not just a D-I problem. Look what they’ve done to my Division II school:
link
link
Spiedies are awesome, which makes it all the more perplexing why they haven’t caught on past Broome County. They are too good to be kept secret…
Mets encore at 2:00 this afternoon on SNY. Set your DVR/VCR from 2-5. I’ll watch what I can, but I’m at work.
No Pac-10 section in the ESPN article. I know you covered Oregon and UCLA in the header, but nothing’s changing on the other teams, or did they leave that out by mistake?
[quote comment=”7158″]No Pac-10 section in the ESPN article. I know you covered Oregon and UCLA in the header, but nothing’s changing on the other teams, or did they leave that out by mistake?[/quote]
Nothing else changing that I’m aware of (although it’s entirely possible that I may have missed something).
I order the NY State Fair Spiede sauce & marinade my chicken in it. Nothing better than Spiede chicken on the grill.
I actually like those St. Cloud State unis.
From the Rawlings link page:
Same model worn by Brad Lidge and Carl Pavano
I was unaware Pavano wore a baseball glove while sitting on his couch. It might make it hard for him to count all the money he’s making doing nothing. Or maybe thats why he crashed his car, he was wearing the glove and couldn’t steer properly with it.
Back when I was 13, I bought a set of the lobster style shinguards when they first came out. They were a little bit more comfortable when they were brand new and all 24 hinges were oiled up but as soon as you got into a couple games and got those hinges full of dirt, you sounded like a creaky door when you ran. They also looked good only when brand new, to say the least they didnt wear well at all. AFter that season, I moved on to the All Star catchers gear seen link.
Is that other helmet that Mauer is wearing an Orioles helmet? Does he have a rotation of helmets? How is he allowed to do this? Isn’t he being fined?
[quote comment=”7155″]The Nike template is not just a D-I problem. Look what they’ve done to my Division II school:
link
link[/quote]
The helmet looks cooler than it did before, but the jerseys don’t. If the put the new helmet with the old jersey it would look the best.
Has anyone else noticed what Virgina has done to the linkon their jerseys? It drives me crazy every time I see them.
How about offering a long sleeve version UniWatch shirt to go along with the short sleeve version?
–but please use a Nike brand shirt with those awesome spots or whatever they are on the elbows that you love so much.
Mauer and Redmond wear the old-school (three-tone) helmets at home and the solid-blue ones on the road.
[quote comment=”7159″]Nothing else changing that I’m aware of (although it’s entirely possible that I may have missed something).[/quote]
Ah, well here’s the update on Washington. I can see how you may have missed tehm because we SUCK, though we hope for better things in ’06.
I’ve been extremely excited to see the new Washington Huskies uniforms. Unfortunately, after being led to believe they were going to be “NEW” (add rah-rah music here) they have only, truthfully been revised. It looks like they have darkened the purple on the shirts and tweaked the gold pants. (You can see photos at link from the Huskies’ picture day.) The numeral font is still the same (ugh) and they still have no name on the back.
There’s a better take from someone who was there here: link
The Huskies appeared at Picture Day on Saturday wearing their “new” home uniforms. I put the quotes around “new” because most casual fans probably wouldn’t notice any change.
However, I’m pretty fanatical when it comes to football uniforms, so here are the details:
The jerseys appear the same: purple, no striping or piping. I am told that there is a different cut to the sleeves, but I didn’t notice anything. It might have possibly been a slightly different purple — maybe more like navy blue — but I wouldn’t swear to it.
The difference most obvious to me was the pants. They don’t have the shiny look of last season, and the color is different. Rather than that pale, pale gold of last season, these are a hard-to-describe color of maybe halfway between butter and khaki … if you can imagine such a thing. … You’ll see Sept. 2.
They are still SUPER wrong in NCAA Football ’07, with a completely incorrect numeral font. That bugs me all the time.
[quote comment=”7167″]Has anyone else noticed what Virgina has done to the linkon their jerseys? It drives me crazy every time I see them.[/quote]
are you sure thats not a 6?
[quote comment=”7161″]
I was unaware Pavano wore a baseball glove while sitting on his couch. It might make it hard for him to count all the money he’s making doing nothing. Or maybe thats why he crashed his car, he was wearing the glove and couldn’t steer properly with it.[/quote]
seriously laughed at that one! with the 4 yr 39 million dollar deal he signed, with 2 years of the 4 already booked, and with the 100 inning piched in those 2 years, CARL PAVANO HAS MADE $195,000 PER INNING PITCHED or $65,000 PER OUT OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS!!!
from dot com…
these retro purdue uni’s are so classy… love the simplicity…
link
but i hate it when the typography is inconsistent when using numeral 2
link
the 1983 sixers had this problem…
on the home uni’s
see row 1- earl cureton vs…
see row 2- moses malone and andrew toney
on the away uni’s
link
accordingly mitchell and ness is accurate in their replications…
link
link
link
link
that always did and still does bug me…
here is that home uni link for the above
link
So the D-Backs are waiving goodbye to the purple and going with a “sandy type of red with black trim”….good ridance. Are they purposely trying to copy the Astros? And if I recall, someone a month or so ago posted that they were working on a new red color scheme for an MLB team. Now it all makes sense.
[quote comment=”7155″]The Nike template is not just a D-I problem. Look what they’ve done to my Division II school:
link
link[/quote]
Also forgot to mention that it looks like St Cloud couldn’t figure out in the before shot if they wanted to be a Reebok or Russell branded team.
[quote comment=”7168″]How about offering a long sleeve version UniWatch shirt to go along with the short sleeve version?
–but please use a Nike brand shirt with those awesome spots or whatever they are on the elbows that you love so much.[/quote]
That’s a good idea. I’ll put them up. I’ll do sweatshirts as well.
[quote comment=”7180″][quote comment=”7168″]How about offering a long sleeve version UniWatch shirt to go along with the short sleeve version?
–but please use a Nike brand shirt with those awesome spots or whatever they are on the elbows that you love so much.[/quote]
That’s a good idea. I’ll put them up. I’ll do sweatshirts as well.[/quote]
I’m thinkin’ mouse pads – since this is where I spend half of my computer time anyway….
[quote comment=”7181″]I’m thinkin’ mouse pads – since this is where I spend half of my computer time anyway….[/quote]
I don’t think they do that yet, but I’m sure they will soon. They actually do postage stamps which is something I’ve never seen. I think most people wouldn’t want to broadcast their uniform obsession by using “Uni Watch” stamps, though.
Did anyone notice the ECU Uni’s from espn look like the new Vikings uni’s? did Ziggy go to ECU or what?
Lids must have gotten the word on the D-Backs change too
link
Why else would they be half off?
Lat night Brad Hennessey pitched for the Giants and his light tan glove was out in full force, and Kruk and Kuip had a conversation about it on the air. On a completely unrelated note, Jeff Franceour hit a foul ball and shattered a camera lens. The footage is awesome. I’m hoping for youtube status in the next week.
[quote comment=”7175″][quote comment=”7167″]Has anyone else noticed what Virgina has done to the linkon their jerseys? It drives me crazy every time I see them.[/quote]
are you sure thats not a 6?[/quote]
This should clear it up…
link
link
Did anyone watch the US open last night? Sharapova looked like she stopped in on her way to the prom. Nothing says power tennis like a little black dress.
paul and john,
its a good thing you didnt work with cafepress.com… im not sure i would be too curious to see who bucks up for the uniwatch thong that they would offer… however, if it was the individual mentioned in post #31, then i’m all for it!
stunning
link
During the second game of yesterday’s Tigers-Yankees doubleheader, I noticed that Ron Villone’s back collar MLB logo looked extremely faded. Shouln’t they put a fresh, new one on every once in a while? Or with every new jersey? How often to relief pitchers get new jerseys anyway?
Todd you should see the front. Does NIKE make 6inch sneaker heels to go with the dress?
Paul,
The Mets announcers last night didn’t say much about that. I rewound it on my DVR during the game to make sure. Keith basically said he didn’t know what it was, surmised that it was a wristband, and then said “No importa.” Which for those who took French in high school means “It’s not important” in Spanish. (Keith admittedly does not know Spanish despite his heritage, so I guess he was trying to be funny.) Then Gary said, “No?” He was trying to get Keith to talk about it more, but something else happened and they didn’t mention it anymore.
The wristband in the shot looked exactly like the link you provided, except there was no logo on it. Just black. I think maybe it was an attempt to cover the logo on his glove, whatever company made it. The replay is on in about 15 minutes, so someone can catch it.
[quote comment=”7192″]paul and john,
its a good thing you didnt work with cafepress.com… im not sure i would be too curious to see who bucks up for the uniwatch thong that they would offer… however, if it was the individual mentioned in post #31, then i’m all for it![/quote]
I decided not to go with cafepress, because they basically just suck. Really bad quality, etc. I’m also not thrilled with the possibility of “uni watch” thongs. I assume most of us don’t look like Hawaiian Tropic models.
“I work for the Arizona Diamondbacks Team Shop, and I’ve got a juicy tidbit I know you’ll be interested in: The DBacks are losing the purple for 2007. Their color scheme is apparently going to be a sandy type of red with black trim. Former DBack Matt Williams (who’s now with the front office) modeled the new uniforms for a group of season ticket holders. They were told to keep it under their hats, but I guess they have as hard a time keeping their mouths shut as I do.”
Brick red in the desert…makes a lot of sense.
Me thinks we’ve sprung a leak.
T.
[quote comment=”7194″]stunning
link
link
Note to the English Football Association. That’s just freakin’ wrong. Portsmouth just became my new “root for them except when playing Liverpool” team.
[quote comment=”7179″][quote comment=”7155″]The Nike template is not just a D-I problem. Look what they’ve done to my Division II school:
link
link[/quote]
Also forgot to mention that it looks like St Cloud couldn’t figure out in the before shot if they wanted to be a Reebok or Russell branded team.[/quote]
St. Cloud State is not a school! THIS is a link And this is a real link Better hope they don’t turn over your hockey program to Nike too. GO SEAWOLVES!!!
[quote comment=”7196″]Todd you should see the front. Does NIKE make 6inch sneaker heels to go with the dress?[/quote]
interesting you ask
link
[quote comment=”7190″][quote comment=”7175″][quote comment=”7167″]Has anyone else noticed what Virgina has done to the linkon their jerseys? It drives me crazy every time I see them.[/quote]
are you sure thats not a 6?[/quote]
This should clear it up…
link
link[/quote]
This should really clear it up:
link
Can’t Zazzle put some stipes on the sleeves or something? You’re killing me Smalls!
Or how about some uniwatch stirrups? Seems only natural…
TBDRO, both the 3 and the 8 look perfectly normal in your photo, but the 3 in Todd’s first post (#23 pulling the ball-carrier’s shirt) looks freakish.
Are these the same jerseys?
The Premier League can be pretty strict about numbers and names. They made Patrick Mboma switch from #70 to #7 when he played with Sunderland a few years ago, though I can’t remember why.
Don’t know if there are any WHL fans out there, but the Moose Jaw Warriors just introduced a third jersey, and it just cracks me up…
link
Texas Tech, who also signed to Under Armour just like Auburn over the offseason has some new uniforms.
Going from link and link to link.
[quote comment=”7177″]So the D-Backs are waiving goodbye to the purple and going with a “sandy type of red with black trim”….good ridance. Are they purposely trying to copy the Astros? And if I recall, someone a month or so ago posted that they were working on a new red color scheme for an MLB team. Now it all makes sense.[/quote]
Actually, it wasn’t the Astros but the Phoenix Coyotes who I thought of after hearing this. It reminded me of when they went from their vomit-inspired motif to the red & black that they have now. That just leaves the Suns–if they abandon the bizarre purple/orange/gray thing they’ve got going on now, all 4 Phoenix teams will have basically the same color scheme.
[quote comment=”7213″]Texas Tech, who also signed to Under Armour just like Auburn over the offseason has some new uniforms.
Going from link and link to link.[/quote]
I thought Tech uniforms were previously made by the company with the cingular looking logo. (their name escapes me)
Oh soccer/football and their lovely rules. I remember the Italian FA made a keeper (Buffon I think) change his number from 88 due to links with hardcore facists, and Ivan Zamarano put a little + symbol between his 18 jersey after his 9 number was taken away. Also, the numbers in soccer/football have never been positionally strict as they are in American football. 1 is always given to the goalkeeper as he’s the first player on the teamsheet then they went from right to left across positions from 2 to 11. As far as names go, I think that whatever the players surname is registered with the FA (or a shortened version for Brazilians) is the name which has to go on the shirt. I think he could have come up with a sleeve or chest patch, but then again the FA have been pretty Draconian about that in the past – Robbie Fowler got fined for wearing a doCKers T-shirt in support of striking Liverpool dock workers and now all messages on undershirts have been banned.
So, open question….
I was reading the ESPN article today and noticed that “Mom’s” (or perhaps a “Super Senior Sorority Girl), NCAA patch seems to have been covered over: link
I know the NCAA has all kinds of weird rules. What, was she out of eligibility?
[quote comment=”7213″]Texas Tech, who also signed to Under Armour just like Auburn over the offseason has some new uniforms.
Going from link and link to link.[/quote]
Those are really bad, please take the time to go through the photo gallery. You’ll be sorry you did.
Did they need to trick up that team more? I guess the offense just wasn’t tricked up enough.
[quote comment=”7222″]So, open question….
I was reading the ESPN article today and noticed that “Mom’s” (or perhaps a “Super Senior Sorority Girl), NCAA patch seems to have been covered over: link
I know the NCAA has all kinds of weird rules. What, was she out of eligibility?[/quote]
It looks like its just a name tag. You know, “Hello, my name is Luka”.
[quote comment=”7222″]So, open question….
I was reading the ESPN article today and noticed that “Mom’s” (or perhaps a “Super Senior Sorority Girl), NCAA patch seems to have been covered over: link
I know the NCAA has all kinds of weird rules. What, was she out of eligibility?[/quote]
I’m pretty sure it’s just a random sticker. Nike doesn’t put the NCAA patch on link, only link. (sorry, I know it’s Bama, I couldn’t find an authentic A&M jersey for sale).
[quote comment=”7194″]stunning
link
My favorite link.
i hate to be the bearer of bad news but it seems as if Michael Wilbon from PTI is wearing a purple football jersey *sigh* link…
i know it his alma-mater(w/e) but still when u have the respect of millions who watch your show you could not wear it. today Tony has truly whooped Wilbon
hate that damn security code this is the third time i’ve tried to fix this link but i keep forgetting the code anyways…….link
here it is sorry it’s off of my phone
Paul, just finished up your ESPN column and I too was enthused to hear that the Dbacks are updating their look.
I’ve avoided asking you this because I didn’t want to have to hear you skewer my alma mater and you always seem to pick on the Vikes, but what do you have to say about the University of Washington unis? Purple abounds, obviously.
But what’s worse, a college team changing decades old tradition or just the color purple? Try to set aside your hatred for a few moments and share with me your intelligent thoughts, if only so I don’t have to feel so bad about the fact that come Saturday, as a dedicated alum, I will be draping myself in a plethora of purple for our home opener. I’m interested in your thoughts. (Basketball too!)
[quote comment=”7226″][quote comment=”7222″]So, open question….
I was reading the ESPN article today and noticed that “Mom’s” (or perhaps a “Super Senior Sorority Girl), NCAA patch seems to have been covered over: link
I know the NCAA has all kinds of weird rules. What, was she out of eligibility?[/quote]
I’m pretty sure it’s just a random sticker. Nike doesn’t put the NCAA patch on link, only link. (sorry, I know it’s Bama, I couldn’t find an authentic A&M jersey for sale).
[quote comment=”7194″]stunning
link
My favorite link.[/quote]
Holy Cameltoesis Batman.
[quote comment=”7212″]Don’t know if there are any WHL fans out there, but the Moose Jaw Warriors just introduced a third jersey, and it just cracks me up…
link
The word Moose Jaw cracks me up more than the jersey. Is there a town near by called Moose Knuckle?
The D’back’s new color scheme is great, but dropping the home “A” with the diamond pattern and tongue? Awful, just awful. It’s a great logo, and caps should have the first letter of the home on them, not the first letter of the team name. Real pity if this is true.
[quote comment=”7226″]My favorite link.[/quote]
Beats the hell out of Reggie Bush’s cameltoe, that’s for damn sure……
About those lobster shin guards, i remember a good while ago, watching a Braves Pirates game and Jason Kendall was wearing some of those. Skip Carey made the comparison to “rolly-pollys” Can’t find any pics though
A few college football things:
Love the fact that Mississippi State is wearing striped socks over the calf.
Central Michigan’s New Balance uni wouldn’t look so bad if the damn nameplate didn’t cover the piping in the back.
Some of the Boston College coaches had an NFL sheild on their jacket sleeve. Does BC have an arrangement with the NFL or can Reebok put the NFL shield on any of their apparel? Or, worse yet, is Reebok using leftover NFL duds and just slapping a Boston College logo on it?
In the latest SI, there is a photo of Willis McGahee wearing his Bills pants and shoulder pads sans jersey. The shoulder pads have orange and green lining. Are these leftover from his Miami days?
although no one will look at this i’d still like to post it….link young petey rose with the stirrups but it seems like he forgot about it in the majors link
How about a black Uni-Watch T-shirt, please? Or a black tank. I know you don’t like black for unis, but it’s my favorite color.
Oh, and for the ladies out there (and alternative guys), I present to you
link
I never got the whole spiedie thing. I never thought they were that good, but I only lived in Binghamton for 6 months, and I figure it is an acquired taste. I DID like the spiedie chicken pizza that JC/Binghamton Pizza Huts make.
I’m all about the B-Mets too. I’m not for sure, but I believe that summer I saw Jason Tyner play there, who is now Rockin’ it for my Minnesota Twins.
Lame stories, but they make me feel special
link (Western Washington University) HUGE LETTERING is never a good idea.
[quote comment=”7252″]link (Western Washington University) HUGE LETTERING is never a good idea.[/quote]
is it just me, or do those uni’s look like the start of a website’s address? link
just my thought
k, thats not what that was supposed to be the WWW was like that, and i threw in the wowthosesuck just for effect sorry dont click on it
Are Mississippi State’s red pants new? I had never seen them before, at least not under the Croom-era uniform design (the one with the white helmets with the M-State logo).
Raiders return man, Chris Carr, took one to the house, but he only had one sock up. Not like the black was up not the white, like you could see link
not to mention, it looks like he’s wearing no leg pads what so ever. hmmm, pretty crazy if you ask me.
[quote comment=”7203″][quote comment=”7179″][quote comment=”7155″]The Nike template is not just a D-I problem. Look what they’ve done to my Division II school:
link
link[/quote]
Also forgot to mention that it looks like St Cloud couldn’t figure out in the before shot if they wanted to be a Reebok or Russell branded team.[/quote]
St. Cloud State is not a school! THIS is a link And this is a real link Better hope they don’t turn over your hockey program to Nike too. GO SEAWOLVES!!![/quote]
Fairbanks has won the Goveners Cup 5 years in a row. And has cooler uniforms.
link
the worst case of logo creep I’ve seen so far… tiny little Nike logos, which NONE of these players ever wore on their jerseys
link
Woody is turning in his grave right now
Horrible news from Miami of Ohio. Besides a dsimal performance last night, the team has switched tot he reverse bib nike template, and went red jerseys with with pants last night.
[quote comment=”7222″]So, open question….
I was reading the ESPN article today and noticed that “Mom’s” (or perhaps a “Super Senior Sorority Girl), NCAA patch seems to have been covered over: link
I know the NCAA has all kinds of weird rules. What, was she out of eligibility?[/quote]
‘Mom’ is wearing an off-the-rack jersey from the team store. Notice that that sleeves are loose and there’s the manufacturer’s tag on her hip.
Huh. I don’t hear anyone complaining about the logo creep on Maria’s outfit…
[quote comment=”7278″]Huh. I don’t hear anyone complaining about the logo creep on Maria’s outfit…[/quote]
Maria had logo creep? i hadn’t noticed, i was falling in love with her……..tennis game. yeah thats it
[quote comment=”7177″]So the D-Backs are waiving goodbye to the purple and going with a “sandy type of red with black trim”….good ridance. Are they purposely trying to copy the Astros? And if I recall, someone a month or so ago posted that they were working on a new red color scheme for an MLB team. Now it all makes sense.[/quote]
I don’t care if it mirrors the Astros stitch for stitch – one less garishly dressed expansion team makes it well worth it. Though it wasn’t THAT long ago, I think it stands as a sign of those times that the D’backs, Marlins, Rockies and D’rays all were born dressed like clowns (and I’d like to think that it stands as a sign of THESE times that the Nationals were born into quite dapper and tasteful unis). Though most of them have come a little way toward fixing those mistakes (the solid black Marlins top, for example, is a step in the right direction – now if they can only see the obvious and do something about that teal….), I’m thrilled to see an organization coming face-to-face with the aesthetic disasters of it’s past by starting fresh.
Now, while you’re at it, ditch the pin stripes (home AND away – don’t try to be sneaky about it), sew some sleeves onto the tops (that goes for every one of those misguided teams who somehow muster the dignity to run out onto the field wearing those potato sacks – I’m lookin’ at YOU, Cincinnati!) and dump the campy southwest design in the “A.”
After these requirements have been met, then you can get to work trying to build something that resembles a real life big league bullpen.