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Block That Kick Puck!

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Greetings from San Francisco, where I’ll be spending the next coupla days. Had a classic Uni Watch moment on the way out here yesterday: I was flying JetBlue out of JFK, and my plane’s previous stop had been Miami — or so I surmised from all the goobers who spilled out into the concourse wearing and carrying every manner of Super Bowl XLI gear you can imagine. T-shirts, sweatshirts, pullovers, jackets, caps, ski caps, jogging suits, seat cushions, plush toys, you name it. It was like this parade of consumer idiocy (nicely compounded by the knowledge that these people had all paid a jillion bucks to sit in the rain for most of the previous day). Good thing I’m leaving San Francisco before this weekend — I wouldn’t want to cross paths with a plane full of people coming back from the Pro Bowl.

Anyway. Last week I asked why hockey goalies’ blockers used have that waffle-print pattern. As several readers helpfully explained, it was to ventilate the old leather blockers and keep them from absorbing too much water during the game. Today’s models are much more lightweight and waterproof, so the cutouts aren’t needed.

Blockers hold a bit of a mystique for me, because I really wanted to be a goalie when I was eight or nine years old. But there were no youth leagues on Long Island at the time (we just played pond hockey), and the local sporting goods stores didn’t carry much gear. There was also a major complicating factor: I’m left-handed. I could use a first baseman’s glove as my catching mitt, natch, but nobody carried a genuine left-handed blocker. My father said he’d look for one during one of his periodic business trips to Manhattan, but he always came back empty-handed (although, in retrospect, I have a feeling he didn’t want to encourage my goalie fantasy too much and may not have looked very hard, if at all, for the blocker).

When you think about it, the blocker is a really odd, almost arbitrary piece of equipment. Early goaltenders didn’t wear them, as you can see here, here, here, and here. According to this blocker history page (brought to my attention by reader Matt French), several goalies experimented with padded stick-hand gloves, but the modern blocker’s genesis began with Frank Brimsek, who at one point reinforced his stick glove with bamboo cane. Then, according to the history page:

[O]ne night during the 1944-45 season, he came to the rink with an 8″ x 16″ rectangular piece of plywood taped to the back of his glove: this was to be the first of a long series of rigid rectangular blocker designs that would become the new standard for blockers for the next 55 years or so.

That history page, incidentally, is part of the this site, which is devoted to a hinged blocker called the Martin PaddleFlex. The idea behind it is that because standard blockers are rigid, the pad’s lower edge can prevent a goalie from getting his stick flush against the ice. But the flexible blocker supposedly solves this problem. The web site looks like it hasn’t been updated in a while, which leads me to think this idea never caught on (maybe because today’s blockers appear to be less rigid than the older ones). Anyone know more about it?

I’m definitely not knowledgeable enough to provide a comprehensive rundown of blocker history. But I know this much: Bill Durnan never wore a blocker. That’s because he was ambidextrous, switching his stick back and forth from one hand to the other, thanks to a pair of specially designed gloves. (He was also that rarest of species: a goalie who at various points wore the alternate’s “A” and the captain’s “C.”)

Then there’s former Rangers goalie Dan Blackburn. After suffering nerve damage that forced him to retire after the 2003-04 season, he briefly attempted a minor league comeback wearing two blockers (here’s another view), because he no longer had the motor control to manipulate a catching mitt.

Uni Watch News Ticker: A Mets source confirms that the team’s batting helmets will indeed have a metallic finish this season. ”¦ Matt Porges notes that Yadier Molina appears to be wearing brother Jose’s mask in the Caribbean World Series. ”¦ Jeff Dennison turned up this photo of the 1911 Portage Lake hockey team. As you can imagine, I rather like the jersey insignia.

 
  
 
Comments (106)

    i think my opinion of the salmon kings’ sweater changes every time i see it, generally swaying back and forth from “that’s the best logo ever and i should buy one of those” to “jesus that thing is goofy, look at that fish! how does it keep the crown on its head?”

    A nice early post for us overseas readers, and on the subject of hockey goalie gear no less! this has the makings of a good day.

    Dan Blackburn’s left blocker actually had a mini-web in it so he could catch dump ins and “pop-ups”. Couln’t find pics. Anyone…?

    Hi

    Mets with metallic batting helmets huh, not a major change given those new ones last year ,but hows this for a idea , Mets wear the snow white jerseys at home with blue caps for day games and black/blue at night, Black (if we really must) on Friday night games, white pinstipe blue cap on Saturday and Sunday maybe even 86 throwbacks for Sundays.

    regards
    Les

    I’d rather not see it be so regimented. And four home uniforms (snow white, black, pinstripe, ’86 pinstripe) is too many. Just wear white or pinstripe at home and gray or black on the road.

    When we played street hockey, we used a first baseman’s mitt/baseball glove to catch and a home-made blocker. Usually, a glove, with a towel wrapped license plate strapped to it.

    If you look at the older blockers, the blocker is straight. But modern blockers have a curve or an angle to them (as the Olie Kolzig picture showed). Over time, as an older blocker got broken in, they would also develop a curve. Now they just come from the factory that way.

    A plane full of fans returning from the Pro Bowl? That would represent the entire paid attendance for the game.

    I was at my local Dunham’s sports yesterday when I spied the Pro Jersey Replica section. While most of the stuff there were either bottom of the line football jerseys, there was this awesome looking CCM Osgood Red Wings jersey… I almost fell in love with the quality of it right then and there, stitched numbers and not one ounce of screenprint. Sadly, the cost was just too high ($120) for this college student to splurge on.

    Talon, be glad you’re a Wings fan and can enjoy single-layered, normal-font jersey lettering. A team like the Avalanche (three layers and a weird font) or the old Islanders (with that freaky curve in the name and numbers) would cost much more.

    Only the Maple Leafs (anybody else?) would have such a low-cost, simple design.

    [quote comment=”51775″]Talon, be glad you’re a Wings fan and can enjoy single-layered, normal-font jersey lettering. A team like the Avalanche (three layers and a weird font) or the old Islanders (with that freaky curve in the name and numbers) would cost much more.

    Only the Maple Leafs (anybody else?) would have such a low-cost, simple design.[/quote]

    Nobody else has a single colour number, and the leafs use three-colour (white/blue/silver) on the home and away. Single colour only for the third jersey.

    According to the World Series DVD Yadier Molina’s mask was one of several items sent to the Hall of Fame after the Cardinals’ championship, so maybe he’s still waiting for a new mask and had to borrow another.

    I don’t think the ’86 throwback is a 4th home jersey for the 07 season, just wore during that one series against the Rockies to commerate the 20th anniversery of the 86 team…

    [quote comment=”51783″]Nobody else has a single colour number, and the leafs use three-colour (white/blue/silver) on the home and away. Single colour only for the third jersey.[/quote]

    You’re forgetting the Coyotes. Lettering & numbers are one color, either maroon or white.

    [quote comment=”51775″]Talon, be glad you’re a Wings fan and can enjoy single-layered, normal-font jersey lettering. A team like the Avalanche (three layers and a weird font) or the old Islanders (with that freaky curve in the name and numbers) would cost much more.

    Only the Maple Leafs (anybody else?) would have such a low-cost, simple design.[/quote]

    The Maple Leafs jersey isn’t as cheap as one thinks. They have a triple-layer for their numbering, link. The Red Wings, however, only use link.

    The cost of the Maple Laughs (yes, that’s right) custom work normally ran in around $80 CDN while the Red Wings custom work ran around $60 CDN.

    Paul I think your assumption about your Dad not looking too hard for a blocker is correct. Gerry Cosby’s store, always located near MSG, back in the day had all kinds of goalie gear. Thats where I got my stuff.
    I made a pilgrimage last November back to see it and there wasn’t as much equipment on display as I remember there being but they said they could get me anything I wanted.

    Crazy number font for the Puerto Rico team at the Carib World Series. Also, anyone wanting to know why ads on baseball unis are a bad idea – watch the Carib World Series. It’s beyond tacky.

    link

    [quote comment=”51796″]Crazy number font for the Puerto Rico team at the Carib World Series. Also, anyone wanting to know why ads on baseball unis are a bad idea – watch the Carib World Series. It’s beyond tacky.

    link
    how do you spell the ESPN ditty? dun-dun-dun, DUN-DUN-DUN.

    [quote comment=”51759″]The mask Yadier Molina is wearing is either link or it could be an old link model from his days in Anaheim.[/quote]

    Forget the mask. Was that Luis Polonia?! Why isn’t the carribean world series nationally televised? Didn’t the WBC teach us anything? Baseball outside the US and MLB is passionate and exciting to watch. It’s no wonder MLB lags behind the NFL. Whether we like it or not, NFL Europe is on TV. Heck, so is the WNBA. MLB can be so frustrating. I want to see the Japanese league, too.

    [quote comment=”51796″]Crazy number font for the Puerto Rico team at the Carib World Series. Also, anyone wanting to know why ads on baseball unis are a bad idea – watch the Carib World Series. It’s beyond tacky.

    link

    My favorite thing about the Caribbean World Series: I live in a neighborhood with a lot of Hispanic residents, so the newsstands all carry at least one Spanish-language newspaper. A few days ago I noticed that one of the Spanish papers was touting one of that day’s Caribbean pitching matchups as a “clash of titans” (I forget the exact Spanish wording, but I understand enough Spanish to have gotten the gist). One of the “titans” was Jose Lima.

    Jet-lagged,
    Paul

    [quote comment=”51796″]Crazy number font for the Puerto Rico team at the Carib World Series. Also, anyone wanting to know why ads on baseball unis are a bad idea – watch the Carib World Series. It’s beyond tacky.

    link
    am I the only one thinks that EPSN must have paid for thise uni’s?

    When we played hockey as kids, whether it was indoors (mom hated us after those days) or outdoors (the best, STREET HOCKEY!) we would use a square pillow that we found in the basement and tied it around our right hand. But when we would hit the local pond for some real hockey, we eventually purchased a ‘real’ blocker,..cause we would use a puck. Believe me, we tried our best to see if it would hurt through the real blocker, we took slapshots from hell, and even swung our sticks at them while the goalie (my brother) wore it. Everybody played better when the ‘real’ blocker arrived.

    as a goalie, i have to say the flex blocker seems a bit cheap, i’d be surprised if they ever let it in an nhl that they’re trying to increase scoring in. therefore, at younger levels, goalies would be ill advised to wear it if they had hopes of playing in higher levels. paddle down has lost precedence as well to a new thing of one pad up against the post to enable sliding, which leaves the stick hanging limply, as opposed to the old half butterfly with the paddle down. i’d also have some worries about jamming fingers, catching deflections on my fingers etc. an interesting idea though.

    That Portage Lake PL logo is exquisite. Imagine a team introducing something like that today. I believe it’s bold simplicity–so uncharacteristic today–would make it desirable, a best seller.

    Welcome to the Bay Area, Paul! I really want to make it to Lefty’s on Thursday, but I just don’t think I’ll have the time. Have a drink for me, and please have everyone bash the Vikings’ horrible uniforms.

    Do you know which area/district of The City you’re staying in?

    Paul, you referring to “Hoy”, as one of the spanish newspapers? I see them on the subway all the time :)

    Regarding street hockey, who out there could forget Mylec as the producer of choice for all street hockey needs. Growing up, I know I went through a lot of Mylec pads (both the white and brown versions) and blockers. I, like Paul, always used my first baseman’s glove as my catch glove.

    [quote comment=”51798″][quote comment=”51759″]The mask Yadier Molina is wearing is either link or it could be an old link model from his days in Anaheim.[/quote]

    Forget the mask. Was that Luis Polonia?! Why isn’t the carribean world series nationally televised? Didn’t the WBC teach us anything? Baseball outside the US and MLB is passionate and exciting to watch. It’s no wonder MLB lags behind the NFL. Whether we like it or not, NFL Europe is on TV. Heck, so is the WNBA. MLB can be so frustrating. I want to see the Japanese league, too.[/quote]

    I caught the Mexico/Puerto Rico game on MASN here in the DC area. It was many things, but passionate was not one of them. Stadium was nearly empty. I love baseball, and watching this game was still better than UConn/Syracuse, but it was not like watching Venezuela vs. the Dominicans. Mexico is terrible. Also, their uniforms are significantly worse than the versions they wore during the WBC.

    Carib Series version:
    link

    WBC version (font is way better):
    link

    Venezuela updated their cap logo. More in tune with their national flag. Similar to the WBC logo, but now it incorporates more colors, and the stars.

    WBC logo:
    link

    Carib Series logo:
    link

    The stars represent the provinces of Venezuela. There were 7 stars until 2006, but Hugo Chavez added the 8th star to represent Guayana, a region now under the administrative control of the Venezuelan government. Simon Bolivar originally proposed the 8th star in 1817 for Guayana. The 8th star is now referred to as the “Bolivar Star.”

    on another uni subject
    I live in the DC area and yesterday I found a store that has the new nats bp hats. They did not have the new game ones.

    I am a hat collector. And I like the bp hats cause they are comfortable. For me not to buy the new nats hat takes some doing and it was just done.

    The extra “flap” by the ear appears to be made of the material used for the jackets. And it really sticks out alot when you wear it. It looks terrible. I tried on about 7 of them and could not find one that looked decent.

    A New Era insider and Angels fan has posted this link of the Authentic 6200 Model of the new Red Angels Alternate Jersey. There has been much link about whether this would be used solely for Away games or Home games or both, and the person says that as it stands now, it would be used for Away games, but this is subject to change. Also in the details here, is that the jersey will be available for purchase soon.

    [quote comment=”51814″]Welcome to the Bay Area, Paul! I really want to make it to Lefty’s on Thursday, but I just don’t think I’ll have the time. Have a drink for me, and please have everyone bash the Vikings’ horrible uniforms.

    Do you know which area/district of The City you’re staying in?[/quote]

    The Lefty O’Doul’s party is on Wednesday, not Thursday — hope you can make it.

    My hotel is in Pacific Heights, but I have a car and will be all over the place.

    linkhas all the new 2007 5950 Hats. Prices are good ($24) and you can pre-order for the 3/31/2007 release of the new hats.

    Of note, the “paddle down”style of play has been forgotten to a degree with the “Butterfly” style that everyone uses.

    Also the need for a hinged blocker, while novel, was killed by the tapered board that has been used since this hinged idea was launched. Also, more companies have switched to an ultra thin board that is less than an inch thick.

    Having a problem with the whiffle print pattern picture at the beginning of the post.

    AS for the flex blocker. Its a great idea but I doubt it will catch on. RBK would not allow it. But it is well protected and on that site he says that you can actually pound your fist into the ice since that part is so well protected and touts it as a feature.

    [quote comment=”51824″]A New Era insider and Angels fan has posted this link of the Authentic 6200 Model of the new Red Angels Alternate Jersey. There has been much link about whether this would be used solely for Away games or Home games or both, and the person says that as it stands now, it would be used for Away games, but this is subject to change. Also in the details here, is that the jersey will be available for purchase soon.[/quote]

    You can order it link.

    As kids playing pond hockey in Chicago, we always referred to the goalie blocker as the “waffle” because it’s appearance does mimic a waffle.

    One of the interesting points of a hockey goalies left/right shot orientation is that if you shot the puck right handed you have a helluva time handling the puck because your catching glove would have to go on top of the stick…

    Check out a shot of Cesare Maniago and the clumsy stick handling dilemna his right handed shot orientation causes.

    link

    Ref: 000013-000003636
    Leaf goalie Cesare Maniago shoots the puck away from Gordie Howe in the 1961 semi-finals.

    Weird.

    [quote comment=”51788″][quote comment=”51783″]Nobody else has a single colour number, and the leafs use three-colour (white/blue/silver) on the home and away. Single colour only for the third jersey.[/quote]

    You’re forgetting the Coyotes. Lettering & numbers are one color, either maroon or white.[/quote]

    I somehow missed this one. I was going through a file of number templates I have and skipped right over Phoenix.

    [quote comment=”51833″]
    One of the interesting points of a hockey goalies left/right shot orientation is that if you shot the puck right handed you have a helluva time handling the puck because your catching glove would have to go on top of the stick…
    [/quote]

    I always had that problem as a kid – and an adult on my rec ball hockey team. Right handed shot, and all the blockers/trappers were made for left handed shots. I was lucky enough to find a set of goalie gloves at Canadian Tire not long ago with the trapper on the right hand, a la link or more recently, link

    Here’s my question about the new 5950s. Will they be like the wool hats, where the fits were inconsistent b/c the company used different machines to build the hats? It was tough to buy the hat off the web, b/c sometimes the 7 1/4 fit great, and sometimes it cut off blood flow to my brain. I had to go to the hat store and try the whole rack to find one that fit correctly. Will that be the case with these? Because, if they don’t shrink like the wool version, then you’d better find a good fit up front, b/c it’s not going to change by sweating in it a few times.

    Also, I think the WBC hats were made of this new technology, and I found that the hats were larger than their wool counterparts. A 7 1/4 USA hat from the WBC was extremely loose, and I knew that no amount of sweat would shrink it down. I love that website’s discounted price, but I’m going to have to go try them on at the store to make sure, which sucks.

    [quote comment=”51834″][quote comment=”51788″][quote comment=”51783″]Nobody else has a single colour number, and the leafs use three-colour (white/blue/silver) on the home and away. Single colour only for the third jersey.[/quote]

    You’re forgetting the Coyotes. Lettering & numbers are one color, either maroon or white.[/quote]

    I somehow missed this one. I was going through a file of number templates I have and skipped right over Phoenix.[/quote]

    File of number templates? Is this on the internet, or something you’ve got on paper?

    And I hadn’t noticed that the Leafs had gone to triple-layer lettering. Is it three layers, or is the middle white layer just embroidered into a single blue layer? I have a game used Bruins jersey where the black-yellow-black numbers are actually one black layer with yellow lines sewn in; you can’t tell at all from a distance.

    had some very good seats for a Blackhawks game a few weeks back and, having played goalie for many years, I was shocked at how thin Khabibulin’s blocker was. As can be seen link, the Nike Bauer blockers are crazy thin, I can’t imagine having to stop a hard shot with that thing.

    [quote comment=”51840″][quote comment=”51834″][quote comment=”51788″][quote comment=”51783″]Nobody else has a single colour number, and the leafs use three-colour (white/blue/silver) on the home and away. Single colour only for the third jersey.[/quote]

    You’re forgetting the Coyotes. Lettering & numbers are one color, either maroon or white.[/quote]

    I somehow missed this one. I was going through a file of number templates I have and skipped right over Phoenix.[/quote]

    File of number templates? Is this on the internet, or something you’ve got on paper?

    And I hadn’t noticed that the Leafs had gone to triple-layer lettering. Is it three layers, or is the middle white layer just embroidered into a single blue layer? I have a game used Bruins jersey where the black-yellow-black numbers are actually one black layer with yellow lines sewn in; you can’t tell at all from a distance.[/quote]

    The Leafs use three layers, at least the one in my closet does.

    I found the number templates while procrastinating on Chris Creamer’s logo forums. Fellow Nova Scotian “Roger Clemente” has done some great work on Design-Your-Own-Jersey templates, including numbersets and striping templates for all 30 NHL teams.

    Looking at the Portage Lake team photo – great sweaters no doubt – I am struck by the fact that it is a 1911 photo and they are playing indoors. I wonder if technology had advanced to a point where they could actually refrigerate a rink, or if they had to build the structure in a way so that it could be ventilated properly to let the chilled air outside freeze the rink inside. Anybody know anything about the advent of indoor ice hockey? Anyway, it looks like a fun arena to play and spectate in – I imagine the acoustics allowed for a noisy time.

    Why has the AFC team worn their road white uni for the last three Super Bowls? I thought they rotated every year.

    Ahhh, the joys of being a “wrong handed” goalie. In goalie equipment parlance, the term to designate gear for a person who catches with the right hand and holds the stick with the left is “full right” (as opposed to “regular”, which is when the stick is held in the right hand and the trapper is on the left hand). I’m naturally right handed, although for whatever reason when I first started playing goalie many many moons ago, it just seemed right to have the trapper on my right hand and the blocker on the left. Wasn’t too long before I realized that playing “full right” seriously limited what gloves and sticks I could buy “off the rack”, as most shops carry only a token selection of full right gear. At this point (since I’m long past depending on the kindness of my parents when it comes to getting new gear), I always special order my gloves and sticks to make sure I get exactly the model I want in the colors I want (and with any particular modifications I want)…

    link

    -Ricardo

    “Back in the day” (more specifically the 70s), many goalies used to shape the blocker, adding a vertical curve to it. Sorry, no visual evidence for this, but it was very common. Really. Trust me.

    This was like a precursor to the hinged blocker, as it allowed goalies to get their stick flush to the ice and, in theory, let them control rebounds better. It also, however, created the problem of leaving the fingers on the stick hand exposed at certain angles. Ouch.

    I remember some guys taking to extremes, which was a bit of a fashion statement. I’ll see if I can find any uni-worthy examples.

    The steelers, as home team lst year, had the uniform choice. They chose white since they had won 3 straight road games to get to the SB.

    [quote comment=”51855″]Why has the AFC team worn their road white uni for the last three Super Bowls? I thought they rotated every year.[/quote]

    They rotate who picks every year, not the actual color. The NFC picked this year and two years ago. The Steelers picked White last year, because they had won all of their previous playoff games in White, and they figured they were on a roll.

    [quote comment=”51855″]Why has the AFC team worn their road white uni for the last three Super Bowls? I thought they rotated every year.[/quote]

    Pittsburgh was the home team last year but chose to wear white because they were the 6th seed in the AFC and played every game in the playoffs on the road in the whites. They wanted to keep a good thing going.

    Hey Paul I would love to see a Uni Watch article about the goal equipment in todays NHL / World Hockey. There are so many great colorways that goalies use, and there are some not-so-hot ones that do not match at all

    ever since i started playing goalie, I have been matching my equipment with my team colors…

    also, that is some nice gear you have there Ricardo…do you have a link to your teams colors?

    My 7 year old son is very much into designing helmets, caps, jerseys, etc. Does anybody know where I can download blank templates which would have just the outlines of the uniforms?

    Thanks.

    Is it just me or is Alex Cora wearing a Red’s batting helmet in this link?

    Also, coaches always tell you to play for the name on the front of the uniform instead of the back. I guess by putting ads on the back where the nameplate should go it doesnt leave you much of a choice unless you really want to play for MCS.

    Mere moments ago, ESPN.com changed that horizontal menu of sports at the top of the main page from silver buttons to black tabs.

    Ditch the black?

    [quote comment=”51874″]Mere moments ago, ESPN.com changed that horizontal menu of sports at the top of the main page from silver buttons to black tabs.

    Ditch the black?[/quote]

    or more new formatting – like when Page 2 got the upgrade last week

    [quote comment=”51829″]linkhas all the new 2007 5950 Hats. Prices are good ($24) and you can pre-order for the 3/31/2007 release of the new hats.

    Of note, the “paddle down”style of play has been forgotten to a degree with the “Butterfly” style that everyone uses.

    Also the need for a hinged blocker, while novel, was killed by the tapered board that has been used since this hinged idea was launched. Also, more companies have switched to an ultra thin board that is less than an inch thick.[/quote]

    Thanks so much, I’ve been wondering for while how long it was going to take before they were mass released (a few sneaked out here in Michigan after the world series, my brother bought a new Tigers one (no patch) at a lids outlet in November).

    “The idea behind it is that because standard blockers are rigid, the pad’s lower edge can prevent a goalie from getting his stick flush against the ice. But the flexible blocker supposedly solves this problem.”

    Paul,
    The company designing this failed to realize that it is actually not hard to get your stick fluch to the ice. The angle that your blocker is on is enough so that you can get your stick flat. In addition many goalies such as myself bend our blockers so they are more curved, making it easy to get your stick flat on the ice (now a days a piece of plastic is inside the blocker).

    [quote comment=”51862″]ever since i started playing goalie, I have been matching my equipment with my team colors…

    also, that is some nice gear you have there Ricardo…do you have a link to your teams colors?[/quote]
    I kind of stumbled backwards into my colors. The team I play for in fall/winter wears blue jerseys, the team I play for in winter/spring wears red, so I typically just got black/white/silver gear (goes with everything, as they say. Plus since I hate both the Habs and the Rangers, I just couldn’t bring myself to go for a set of red and blue pads to match both my teams). Then a couple years back I bought a pair of legpads off a goalie from link and they wear green and yellow (sport gold). Those colors also happen to be the colors of my alma mater link, so I already had an affinity for the colors. When it came time to get new gloves, I decided to match them to the pads, then the helmet, then when I replaced the pads (replaced the V1s with V2s), etc. So now I guess I’m fixed on green and gold. The only time I truly match head to toe is in my Monday night pick-up league when I can wear a green and gold jersey…

    -Ricardo

    Anyone know of a site for Minor League Baseball unis?
    Every MiLB city has collectors or historians with unis or photos of unis. Sacramento was the PCL’s smallest market and the Solons were one of the less successful teams, but most of the unis are well documented by local collectors and SABR historians. I’m sure this is true all over the country.
    I’m not suggesting anything as elegant as “Dressed to the Nines”, but at least a website where photos and documentation of colors and years could be accumulated. Perhaps Ebbets Field Flannels would be willing to provide some photos and documentation, and be a sponsor. This site would never be complete, but it would sure to be fun to look at. Is there a website person out there willing to set this up?

    Hoping to be at O’Doul’s tomorrow.

    [quote comment=”51881″][quote comment=”51829″]linkhas all the new 2007 5950 Hats. Prices are good ($24) and you can pre-order for the 3/31/2007 release of the new hats.

    Of note, the “paddle down”style of play has been forgotten to a degree with the “Butterfly” style that everyone uses.

    Also the need for a hinged blocker, while novel, was killed by the tapered board that has been used since this hinged idea was launched. Also, more companies have switched to an ultra thin board that is less than an inch thick.[/quote]

    Thanks so much, I’ve been wondering for while how long it was going to take before they were mass released (a few sneaked out here in Michigan after the world series, my brother bought a new Tigers one (no patch) at a lids outlet in November).[/quote]

    Just went to this site. My least favorite caps ever – black on black!!! What is the purpose of the team colors if not used!!!!

    Okay, I was looking around on the college jersey site and noticed this linkjersey. It looks like an infant outfit. It seems ‘diaper’ shorts are attached to the jersey. Anyone know what this is all about? I’ve played football and seen many game jerseys in my time and have never seen anything like this. Am I’m looking at it wrong??? Someone please help me out.

    [quote comment=”51912″]Okay, I was looking around on the college jersey site and noticed this linkjersey. It looks like an infant outfit. It seems ‘diaper’ shorts are attached to the jersey. Anyone know what this is all about? I’ve played football and seen many game jerseys in my time and have never seen anything like this. Am I’m looking at it wrong??? Someone please help me out.[/quote]
    Paul wrote about these a couple of months ago I think. I mean I know Paul wrote about them I just can’t remember exactly when. The jersey snaps under the crotch to keep it tucked in, less fabris to grab, etc.

    [quote comment=”51917″][quote comment=”51912″]Okay, I was looking around on the college jersey site and noticed this linkjersey. It looks like an infant outfit. It seems ‘diaper’ shorts are attached to the jersey. Anyone know what this is all about? I’ve played football and seen many game jerseys in my time and have never seen anything like this. Am I’m looking at it wrong??? Someone please help me out.[/quote]
    Paul wrote about these a couple of months ago I think. I mean I know Paul wrote about them I just can’t remember exactly when. The jersey snaps under the crotch to keep it tucked in, less fabris to grab, etc.[/quote]
    fabric, Metsfan AZ – proving my idiocy one post at a time.

    I found two more (link & link), these are whites for San Diego State. I see buttons leading me to believe they are ‘diaper’ like jerseys. Interesting.

    Thanks, I figured they served that purpose I just thought it was interesting. I’m just thinking it might feel weird playing like that. I would think they would treat it like hockey and use velcro or snaps on the inside of the pants and jerseys. Thanks for the info.

    HEY PAUL>>>
    In SF, but won’t, unfortunately, make the party at Leftys… wanna meet for a beer earlier (I work in the city not far from there, and can meet as early as 3…)….

    drop a line, and GO SHARKS!

    [quote comment=”51870″]Is it just me or is Alex Cora wearing a Red’s batting helmet in this link?

    Also, coaches always tell you to play for the name on the front of the uniform instead of the back. I guess by putting ads on the back where the nameplate should go it doesnt leave you much of a choice unless you really want to play for MCS.[/quote]

    Its not a Red’s helmet is a Criollos de Caguas helmet, a team from the Puerto Rican baseball league.

    [quote comment=”51798″][quote comment=”51759″]The mask Yadier Molina is wearing is either link or it could be an old link model from his days in Anaheim.[/quote]

    Forget the mask. Was that Luis Polonia?! Why isn’t the carribean world series nationally televised? Didn’t the WBC teach us anything? Baseball outside the US and MLB is passionate and exciting to watch. It’s no wonder MLB lags behind the NFL. Whether we like it or not, NFL Europe is on TV. Heck, so is the WNBA. MLB can be so frustrating. I want to see the Japanese league, too.[/quote]

    yeah thats Luis Polonia right there. And Paul they reffer to Jose Lima as a titan because he played like one in the Dominican Winter League.
    Im also agree with you that it should be televised everywhere because its an event very interesting and full of emotions.

    A Super Bowl XLII logo is on link. Is this the actual logo? I couldn’t find it on the host committee web site: link

    I can’t think of any uniform on which that will look good.

    [quote comment=”51839″]Also, I think the WBC hats were made of this new technology, and I found that the hats were larger than their wool counterparts. A 7 1/4 USA hat from the WBC was extremely loose, and I knew that no amount of sweat would shrink it down. I love that website’s discounted price, but I’m going to have to go try them on at the store to make sure, which sucks.[/quote]

    I worked at the WBC games in Scottsdale and I got a USA hat. It seems just like all the other wool 5950’s that I own. It shrank just like normal MLB caps (pre 2007)

    [quote comment=”51784″]According to the World Series DVD Yadier Molina’s mask was one of several items sent to the Hall of Fame after the Cardinals’ championship, so maybe he’s still waiting for a new mask and had to borrow another.[/quote]

    Yadi has two Cardinals masks, a navy one for road games and a red one for home games. It may have just been the case of forgetting to pack his own.
    I don’t think the HOF took both masks.

    [quote comment=”51950″]A Super Bowl XLII logo is on link. Is this the actual logo? I couldn’t find it on the host committee web site: link

    I can’t think of any uniform on which that will look good.[/quote]

    San Francisco and Tennessee?

    [quote comment=”51950″]A Super Bowl XLII logo is on link. Is this the actual logo? I couldn’t find it on the host committee web site: link

    I can’t think of any uniform on which that will look good.[/quote]

    has some carolina blue in it. or maybe the lions. but detroit has NO shot.

    No link and not really uni-related, but the Kalamazoo Wings will play their Feb. 14 game on pink ice … a seven-year tradition now, according to today’s Detroit Free Press.

    what about the beautiful powder blues from the chargers? Too bad they cant wear them in the superbowl…

    [quote comment=”51950″]A Super Bowl XLII logo is on link. Is this the actual logo? I couldn’t find it on the host committee web site: link

    I can’t think of any uniform on which that will look good.[/quote]
    Just because it’s not on the host committee’s webpage doesn’t mean that it’s not the logo. link only uses the official XLI logo at the very bottom of the page as a link to Superbowl.com

    For the record, Super Bowl seat cushions are on every seat in the stadium, so they’re the “giveaway” item.

    Totally just realized that the Super Bowl 42 logo has the outline of the state of Arizona.

    Thinking about it know, I have no idea what else that thing in the background could possibly be. Don’t know why I didn’t spot it earlier.

    [quote comment=”51987″]Has anyone seen the link?

    I actually like the Saints shirt…simple.[/quote]

    alas (for me) no cowboys merch

    [quote comment=”51994″]Totally just realized that the Super Bowl 42 logo has the outline of the state of Arizona.

    Thinking about it know, I have no idea what else that thing in the background could possibly be. Don’t know why I didn’t spot it earlier.[/quote]
    Someone brought this logo topic up over the weekend. I know that its supposed to be Arizona, but the curvature makes it look like a car-door to me. That’s what I am always going to see when I look at that logo. Car-Door.

    relating to Prince’s do-rag (somewhat) from Sunday– I thought this very thing when I was watching. “oh no, let’s go!!”

    link

    [quote comment=”51866″]My 7 year old son is very much into designing helmets, caps, jerseys, etc. Does anybody know where I can download blank templates which would have just the outlines of the uniforms?

    Thanks.[/quote]

    The bulletin boards on link are filled with people who are interested in that stuff and there are sections for templates. You should be able to most of what you’re looking for on there.

    Here are some pictures of the Indiana Ice’s “kids jerseys” that are designed by kids in a children’s hospital that are auctioned off every year.

    link

    link

    link

    link

    You can probably notice, since it was the night before the Super Bowl, they honored the Colts by wearing Colts helmet decals on their helmets. They even took the ice for link.

    [quote comment=”51894″]Anyone know of a site for Minor League Baseball unis?
    Every MiLB city has collectors or historians with unis or photos of unis. Sacramento was the PCL’s smallest market and the Solons were one of the less successful teams, but most of the unis are well documented by local collectors and SABR historians. I’m sure this is true all over the country.
    I’m not suggesting anything as elegant as “Dressed to the Nines”, but at least a website where photos and documentation of colors and years could be accumulated. Perhaps Ebbets Field Flannels would be willing to provide some photos and documentation, and be a sponsor. This site would never be complete, but it would sure to be fun to look at. Is there a website person out there willing to set this up?

    Hoping to be at O’Doul’s tomorrow.[/quote]

    This site that I am linking is great for Minor League Baeball stuff. I know most of the teams have a jerseys on the site, I don’t know about full unis though. It’s worth a check, however.

    Star Struck

    You cannot tell me that link did not know this already. Read the last bullet point. We actually knew something before he did? What are the odds?

    Here is an addition to the goalie-chatter. In the effort to allow to the goal stock to be completely along the ice, Christian (the company, not the religion) created a goal stick which bent just after where the goalie held on. Therefore the stick could be laid flat on the ice. link

    I LOVE THE COLTS UNIFORMS! I THINK THEY ARE SO SEXY AND I’M GLAD THEY WON!!!!!!!!!!

    [quote comment=”52100″]Here is an addition to the goalie-chatter. In the effort to allow to the goal stock to be completely along the ice, Christian (the company, not the religion) created a goal stick which bent just after where the goalie held on. Therefore the stick could be laid flat on the ice. link[/quote]

    Ahhh the “link” (This is Eagle’s version, but the Christian design was the same). Invented by Canadian Marin Curtis, it also has a link to make it easier to pick up the stick when you drop it. The shaft is very odd in that it is curved on two different planes. I’m actually surprised its legal.
    link is a good break down of all the different aspects of a stick. Scroll down to see coments on the curtis curve.

    The only NHL goalie I can think of who used it was link.

    Also, how about link as a possibility for the stars new uniform design for the rbk jerseys…

    [quote comment=”51848″]Looking at the Portage Lake team photo – great sweaters no doubt – I am struck by the fact that it is a 1911 photo and they are playing indoors. I wonder if technology had advanced to a point where they could actually refrigerate a rink, or if they had to build the structure in a way so that it could be ventilated properly to let the chilled air outside freeze the rink inside. Anybody know anything about the advent of indoor ice hockey? Anyway, it looks like a fun arena to play and spectate in – I imagine the acoustics allowed for a noisy time.[/quote]

    That’s “natural” ice. The building pictured burned down in the 20s and it’s replacement, Dee Stadium, still stands. It added icemaking capabilities in 1953. More info at cchockeyhistory.org.

    D’oh! The building pictured burned down in the 20s and its replacement, Dee Stadium, still stands.

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