The term we all hear tossed around this time of year is “pitchers and catchers,” but let’s be honest: The catchers are mostly incidental. The only reason they’re there is that the pitchers need someone to throw to. Or as Casey Stengel famously put it, “You gotta have a catcher, otherwise you’re gonna have a lot of passed balls.”
So far, though, the catchers are the big spring training story, uni-wise. Yesterday I reported that Ramon Castro had switched from wearing TPX gear to Rawlings (and, as was noted in yesterday’s comments, the Rawlings folks seem to have used the wrong tone of blue). In addition, Jose Molina has switched from All-Star to Nike (check out the relatively restrained swoosh on the chest protector — a big improvement over this model), and Doug Mirabelli appears to have switched from Mizuno to Reebok (note the logo on the back) — first time I’ve ever seen an MLB backstop wearing that brand. Adidas appears to be getting into the act, too (now that’s an unnecessarily large logo).
Ugliest chest protector I’ve seen so far: Javy Lopez’s Easton model. Why couldn’t they have kept him wearing black-on-black, like they did last year?
And I Hear the Diamondbacks Have New Unis, Too: One of the most annoying aspects of spring training this year has been the repetitious cry of alarm as one media outlet after another breaks the news about their team’s new BP caps and jerseys. Of course, all the teams have new BP caps and jerseys, and we’ve known about the new designs for months — just as all these other ignorami could have known, if they simply read Uni Watch.
The latest media geniuses to weigh in on this hot story are New York broadcast bullies Mike Francessa and Chris Russo, who addressed the new BP attire yesterday. I wasn’t listening, but reader Mike from Queens was. Here’s his transcription (with bracketed comments from Mike, not from me):
Francessa: And the Yankees are wearing this weird hat in spring training. Did you notice this? With the white thing on it? It’s driving me crazy.
Russo: I didn’t see it.
Francessa: Why does it have that white line on it in spring Training? They using a spring training hat this year–
Russo: Oh, so now the Yankees have gone the way that everyone else has gone.
Francessa: I don’t like it. I don’t like it. I don’t like it. Why do they have that white thing on the hat?
[After a bit of a break, the commentary continued.]
Francessa: Is this just a spring training hat? It better be. They better have not changed the hat for the regular season. It’s nonsense. It’s a disgrace. The Yankees have never ever bastardized their uniform. Not like these teams with 42 different softball uniforms. Now the Yankees are starting to bail out. … [Having a special hat for spring training] is the Yankees ripping people off, though. They’re just trying to find a way to sell it. The Yankees should be embarrassed to do that. You’re the Yankees. You don’t do that.
[And then, somewhere in the middle of all of this ranting, Russo came out with this gem. I quote directly:]
Russo: Even wearing that apparel for spring training to sell — to sell money is…that’s a Yankees. How could you do that?
Remember, kids, it’s brilliant analysis like this that makes New York the media capital of the world.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Blue Jays gave John Gibbons a one-year contract extension yesterday, which means another year of looking at that lame-ass smock he always wears. … Mitchell & Ness has struck new deals with Nike/Jordan and with the Cowboys. The Reds are supposedly using red undershirts, instead of black, with their home and road uniforms this year — but they’re still using black sleeves in spring training. Speaking of spring training, Eric Gagne has been wearing a regular game cap, instead of the Rangers’ BP cap (presumably part of his “wear one cap all season long” protocol). Good article here about a guy in Idaho who collects hockey jerseys (with thanks to Mark Snider). I was poking around on eBay and stumbled across this. An old Johnny U. helmet is being auctioned off for charity. “I was at the NBA All-Star festivities,” writes Ben Kramer. “There was an exhibit on uniforms at the Jam Session, so I thought I’d send along some photos.” You can access his pics here. … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Apparently David Weathers is a NASCAR fan. … Also from yesterday: Oh. My. God. … Remember those Wake Forest throwbacks I wrote about last week? They wore them again on Saturday. …
Hopefully, the Reds’ black undershirts will be tossed aside on Opening Day, along with last year’s pants that they have been wearing.
Would Gagne be allowed to wear that hat. It has a gray underbill? Will we be seeing a combination of black and gray underbills until all of the grays are gone?
You should have heard Mike and Chris rant on the new MLB deal with DirecTV… they had it in their head for a while that you could no longer see out of market games ever. It got to the point where they were convinced that Yanks fans in CT wouldn’t be able to watch the Yankees anymore…. even though they’ve alway been in the broadcast area (west and central ct anyway). What blowhards.
link I thought of when I saw Javy Lopez’s link.
From the “Oh. My. God.” Department, high school division… Here in Arkansas, the “Sportsmanship Policy” bans “unusual clothing and/or unusual face or body paint.”
Okaaay… so could somebody here give me a clue as to what usual face or body paint might be??? The only time I ever went to work wearing face paint was one All Hallow’s Eve, when the staff was encouraged to come to work in a Halloween costume. As a proud alum of Ol’ Mizzou, I painted my face to resemble Truman the Tiger! (My job was at a radio station, so no listeners were harmed by my… “different” appearence.)
For what it’s worth, the students at Nettleton High in Jonesboro, Ark., like to sit along the baseline. Since NHS is the “Raiders,” they’ve taken to wearing T-shirts labeled (what else?) “The Black Hole.” However, they eschew the spiked shoulderpads, Darth Vader masks, and the other paraphenalia of the better-known “Black Hole” in Oakland…
In fairness to Mike and the Mad Dog, I did read here about the spring training uniforms, but I somehow managed to repress the knowledge that the Yankees were participating in the stupidity this year. As well I should have. That thing looks horrific. Honestly, what were they going for with that ugly template this year? Do they hate the residents of Florida and Arizona or something? Isn’t it bad enough that they have to endure the D-Backs, D-Rays, and D-Marlins during the regular season?
The catchers are mostly incidental. The only reason they’re there is that the pitchers need someone to throw to.
Obviously written by someone who never played catcher.
[quote comment=”57002″]The catchers are mostly incidental. The only reason they’re there is that the pitchers need someone to throw to.
Obviously written by someone who never played catcher.[/quote]
Paul is a left-hander and thus has never had the opportunity above perhaps Little League. This Unofficial segregation in baseball still has not been eradicated! No justice, no peace! ^_^;
Does anyone else love how the kid on the right of the “OH MY God” link is trying to look jaked but doesnt have the goods to flaunt?
More spring training tidbits… Does Pudge Rodriguez have link? The image is a little too small to be sure… Similar to Eric Gagne, several Dodgers pitchers have been wearing their regular game caps instead of the BP caps, including link, link, link, and link… Many players who previously wore link, knock-offs of link, are now wearing the link, likely because they have the same outsole and actually look like baseball cleats instead of sneakers. These players include link, link, and link… Unfortunately, Jose Reyes is still wearing Levi’s Wide Leg link.
[quote comment=”57000″]From the “Oh. My. God.” Department, high school division… Here in Arkansas, the “Sportsmanship Policy” bans “unusual clothing and/or unusual face or body paint.”
Okaaay… so could somebody here give me a clue as to what usual face or body paint might be???[/quote]
I guess that depends on the area…
The Michigan High School Athletic Association also link “extreme/unusual clothing or excessive face or body painting which detracts from the action on the playing surface.” I guess “excessive” is a little more informative than “unusual,” but it’s still a judgment call.
On another note, the MHSAA also discourages fans from trying to distract players when they’re shooting free throws. I photograph high school sports, and I see problematic behavior from some of the spectators, but I can’t say I ever considered that specific behavior to be problematic. I mean, as long as they’re not being criminal about it, I’m not sure what the problem is there.
Or as Casey Stengel famously put it, “You gotta have a catcher, otherwise you’re gonna have a lot of passed balls.â€Â
As an official scorer, I rarely if ever give a passed ball to a catcher if he doesn’t touch the ball. That would make all of those wild pitches. Just sayin’:)
I believe Pudge’s mit says #7 MVP (either an ode to past award, or the name of the mit).
link about the MLB new caps….
That sucks that Majestic took the elephant with sunglasses off the A’s BP hats. That was a great tongue and cheek logo for spring training in Arizona. I know it still gets some play as a sleeve patch, but that’s secondary to being on a cap. The A’s have 3 other hats with the “A” on it – why not have at least one hat with an alt. logo.
[quote comment=”57010″]link about the MLB new caps….[/quote]
So why does the photo to that article have hats with the gray underbills (aka – the old wool hats)?
[quote comment=”57009″]I believe Pudge’s mit says #7 MVP (either an ode to past award, or the name of the mit).[/quote]
This was mentioned in the comments section yesterday. It appears to be either “#7 MVP” or “07 MVP” (cocky). Additional pictures will solve this mystery.
Yeah, Mike and Chris are constantly mocked here in the NYC area. Writer Phil Mushnick of the NY Post makes it a weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) task to rip on these guys for obvious errors or oversights that they’ve made in the previous week.
I’m rather certain that Castro’s gear is not his. Here’s my reasoning
-Rawlings doesn’t make catcher’s equipment with the red patch logo on it anymore.
-Mike Piazza used to wear that model when he was with the mets, in that style. The logo says it’s Piazza-era. I even remember the blue on his looking washed out..
-Castro is still using a TPX glove.
Likely his equipment was lost in transit, and he’s borrowing from the team stash, which includes Piazza’s old “alternate” (read: Blue) gear.
Article link from USA Today about the new polyester New Era game caps for this season, as well as a slight touch on the *cough* hideous *cough* new batting practice/spring hats.
[quote comment=”57018″]Article link from USA Today about the new polyester New Era game caps for this season, as well as a slight touch on the *cough* hideous *cough* new batting practice/spring hats.[/quote]
Hey, next time I’ll read all the previous posts before rehashing. :P
[quote comment=”57013″][quote comment=”57010″]link about the MLB new caps….[/quote]
So why does the photo to that article have hats with the gray underbills (aka – the old wool hats)?[/quote]
The picture in the article was used to show the differences between the new model with the black underbill and the old light gray version (although we all know that some of the teams already used a black underbill–the article doesn’t mention that).
Nice little link of O’s clubhouse attendants cleaning players spikes…you can see the new Under Armour cleats.
And speaking of Under Armour, I know it’s old news to us, but the Sun is just now link on the Cubs wall advertising.
As a current Wake Forest student, I love the fact that the Deacs are sporting the throw-backs. If I had to guess as to why they were worn a second game, it’s because the team won with them! It’s been another up and down year for Wake, so maybe they figured they’d wear them to keep winning – which worked, Wake beat Miami by 5 with the throwbacks on.
[quote comment=”57005″]More spring training tidbits… Does Pudge Rodriguez have link? The image is a little too small to be sure… Similar to Eric Gagne, several Dodgers pitchers have been wearing their regular game caps instead of the BP caps, including link, link, link, and link… Many players who previously wore link, knock-offs of link, are now wearing the link, likely because they have the same outsole and actually look like baseball cleats instead of sneakers. These players include link, link, and link… Unfortunately, Jose Reyes is still wearing Levi’s Wide Leg link.[/quote]
I think Jonathan Broxton and Brad Penny are of the same school as Gagne, wearing the same hat all year. I don’t think Schmidt did that with SF, and I don’t know about Matt White. But if you look at the link, it appears the pitcher in the background is wearing the BP hat. It’s blurry, but you can make out some white above his ears.
did i miss something or….
link
is that a long sleeve jersey??
[quote comment=”57001″]In fairness to Mike and the Mad Dog, I did read here about the spring training uniforms, but I somehow managed to repress the knowledge that the Yankees were participating in the stupidity this year. As well I should have. That thing looks horrific. Honestly, what were they going for with that ugly template this year? Do they hate the residents of Florida and Arizona or something? Isn’t it bad enough that they have to endure the D-Backs, D-Rays, and D-Marlins during the regular season?[/quote]
Forget about fairness to Mike and the Mad Dog. Yesterday they sounded like two people who have pretty much never followed sports in their life. For a while, Mad Dog was pretty much just making unintelligible grunting noises. Or maybe those were words?
did i miss something or….
link…
is that a long sleeve jersey??
upon further review, im an idiot, but you can see why i thought that??
I find it mildly ironic that Gagne is wearing the game cap during Spring Training and last year during the Dodgers stretch run and into the playoffs he was often shown with a BP cap. Couldn’t find a pic
After losing three straight Big East games, the Marquette men’s basketball team finally won again last night, against Villanova. Marquette coach Tom Crean is quoted as saying: “I think the win can totally be attributed to the players making the executive decision to wear the white uniforms”, instead of Marquette’s usual golden home unis.
Looking at the photo of Reds pitcher David Weathers with the DE Jr #8 above the ear, re-enforces my first impression of the new BP cap look. The ear is a tire, with the fender above. Just think, coming soon to a ballpark near you –logo creep NASCAR style on the cap. Can’t wait!!!
[quote comment=”57061″]Looking at the photo of Reds pitcher David Weathers with the DE Jr #8 above the ear, re-enforces my first impression of the new BP cap look. The ear is a tire, with the fender above. Just think, coming soon to a ballpark near you –logo creep NASCAR style on the cap. Can’t wait!!![/quote]
hoping to be the first to make a Good”ears” joke. Wish I had photoshop skills to go along with my lightning wit.
Speaking of basketball unis, there are plenty on display in Springfield as well, and the All-Star display may have come from there.
link.
Someone a while ago posted that a picture on the New Era website revealed the Angels had not switched to the new BP cap, but then we all said it was a mistake because another website had the new Angels BP Cap. I’m curious if the Angels have actually switched to it because the various pictures coming from Tempe show the old style link. (We also know this is from this year because Franky has showed up late for the past several years.) And it’s not just him, link is another picture, with a much better angle showing the side profile of the cap. Also the Angels Shop website has the 39THIRTY cap, but only as the older link. So it would appear the Angels are not switching to the new caps, or have yet to at least. I’m unsure if any other team has not switched to the new design, almost every image from the other camps I’ve seen has the new designs. Does anyone know why the Angels didn’t switch?
I believe that Pudge’s mitt says “MVP” because they are the maker, not because he is predicting he’ll win…
link
I’m not at all surprised that Gagne is wearing a game hat from last year. The whole reason Gagne wears the same hat is because he gets it a 1/2 size too big and gets it to shrink around the goggle apparatus he wears on the mound. Not only would a BP hat probably be rather uncomfortable for this purpose, the new polyester game hats (with the black underbills) won’t shrink around his goggles. Can’t remember if we’ve covered this before (if so, my apologies). In any case, here is the quote to back it up from link (scroll way down to Aug. 2):
“My hat size is right between sizes,” Gagne explains. “And I have trouble finding hats that fit with my glasses. So I get a hat one-half size too big, then I shrink it down. That’s why it gets stained. If I use a big one, the glasses don’t fit right. And once I get the hat just right, I don’t want to change it because it’s a hassle. Then it gets dirty.”
link and the other Cardinals coaches are not wearing the BP hats but the link are. Pujols is celebrating his freedom of being an American citizen by link the BP cap as well. Thankfully the powers that be didn’t screw around with link
My favorite spring training pic: You put your left foot in, your left foot out, you put your left foot in and link.
[quote comment=”57066″]Someone a while ago posted that a picture on the New Era website revealed the Angels had not switched to the new BP cap, but then we all said it was a mistake because another website had the new Angels BP Cap. I’m curious if the Angels have actually switched to it because the various pictures coming from Tempe show the old style link. (We also know this is from this year because Franky has showed up late for the past several years.) And it’s not just him, link is another picture, with a much better angle showing the side profile of the cap. Also the Angels Shop website has the 39THIRTY cap, but only as the older link. So it would appear the Angels are not switching to the new caps, or have yet to at least. I’m unsure if any other team has not switched to the new design, almost every image from the other camps I’ve seen has the new designs. Does anyone know why the Angels didn’t switch?[/quote]
That was me yesterday. link is a picture of the hat with the new sticker but no mushroom ear things. As well, you’re right; all photos out of Tempe have had them wearing the same hats. The Angels rarely like to change things very much. The link have no contrasting side panels and look eerily like the link (only difference: new fabric, and one less button). As well the Angels have still not switched to the new template for thelink like most of the link (whom now have the lower alternate logo and have dropped the flag altogether)
Mark Prior appears to have abandoned his stirrups, at least for now.
link
[quote comment=”57072″][quote comment=”57066″]Someone a while ago posted that a picture on the New Era website revealed the Angels had not switched to the new BP cap, but then we all said it was a mistake because another website had the new Angels BP Cap. I’m curious if the Angels have actually switched to it because the various pictures coming from Tempe show the old style link. (We also know this is from this year because Franky has showed up late for the past several years.) And it’s not just him, link is another picture, with a much better angle showing the side profile of the cap. Also the Angels Shop website has the 39THIRTY cap, but only as the older link. So it would appear the Angels are not switching to the new caps, or have yet to at least. I’m unsure if any other team has not switched to the new design, almost every image from the other camps I’ve seen has the new designs. Does anyone know why the Angels didn’t switch?[/quote]
That was me yesterday. link is a picture of the hat with the new sticker but no mushroom ear things. As well, you’re right; all photos out of Tempe have had them wearing the same hats. The Angels rarely like to change things very much. The link have no contrasting side panels and look eerily like the link (only difference: new fabric, and one less button). As well the Angels have still not switched to the new template for thelink like most of the link (whom now have the lower alternate logo and have dropped the flag altogether)[/quote]
The Angels rarely like to change things much? Are you freakin’ kidding me? I haven’t done any research to check on it but they’ve changed their jerseys multiple times in the past 15~ years. And they’ve done one thing that VERY few teams have… change their location in the team name, without actually moving. Twice!
[quote comment=”57070″]I’m not at all surprised that Gagne is wearing a game hat from last year. The whole reason Gagne wears the same hat is because he gets it a 1/2 size too big and gets it to shrink around the goggle apparatus he wears on the mound. Not only would a BP hat probably be rather uncomfortable for this purpose, the new polyester game hats (with the black underbills) won’t shrink around his goggles. Can’t remember if we’ve covered this before (if so, my apologies). In any case, here is the quote to back it up from link (scroll way down to Aug. 2):
“My hat size is right between sizes,” Gagne explains. “And I have trouble finding hats that fit with my glasses. So I get a hat one-half size too big, then I shrink it down. That’s why it gets stained. If I use a big one, the glasses don’t fit right. And once I get the hat just right, I don’t want to change it because it’s a hassle. Then it gets dirty.”[/quote]
I wasn’t aware of that quote — thanks for posting it!
Major logo creep from Bob Huggins of K-State last night. I don’t know if this has been mentioned before or if he is be doing it all season but, the nike lapel pin totally caught my eye. Still looking for pictures…..
[quote comment=”57012″]That sucks that Majestic took the elephant with sunglasses off the A’s BP hats. That was a great tongue and cheek logo for spring training in Arizona. I know it still gets some play as a sleeve patch, but that’s secondary to being on a cap. The A’s have 3 other hats with the “A” on it – why not have at least one hat with an alt. logo.[/quote]
I agree with you 100 percent. The elephant will be missed on the A’s caps. Of the three A’s caps I own, the BP cap with the elephant was my favorite, even over the authentic one I bought back in the mid-1980s. (The fact that the old cap has shrunk, or my head has gotten bigger, plays a part, too.)
However, in fairness to Majestic, it is New Era that makes the caps, and I would assume the clubs have some say-so in the design process, so boo to the A’s front office flunky who ditched the elephant.
[quote comment=”57074″][quote comment=”57072″][quote comment=”57066″]Someone a while ago posted that a picture on the New Era website revealed the Angels had not switched to the new BP cap, but then we all said it was a mistake because another website had the new Angels BP Cap. I’m curious if the Angels have actually switched to it because the various pictures coming from Tempe show the old style link. (We also know this is from this year because Franky has showed up late for the past several years.) And it’s not just him, link is another picture, with a much better angle showing the side profile of the cap. Also the Angels Shop website has the 39THIRTY cap, but only as the older link. So it would appear the Angels are not switching to the new caps, or have yet to at least. I’m unsure if any other team has not switched to the new design, almost every image from the other camps I’ve seen has the new designs. Does anyone know why the Angels didn’t switch?[/quote]
That was me yesterday. link is a picture of the hat with the new sticker but no mushroom ear things. As well, you’re right; all photos out of Tempe have had them wearing the same hats. The Angels rarely like to change things very much. The link have no contrasting side panels and look eerily like the link (only difference: new fabric, and one less button). As well the Angels have still not switched to the new template for thelink like most of the link (whom now have the lower alternate logo and have dropped the flag altogether)[/quote]
The Angels rarely like to change things much? Are you freakin’ kidding me? I haven’t done any research to check on it but they’ve changed their jerseys multiple times in the past 15~ years. And they’ve done one thing that VERY few teams have… change their location in the team name, without actually moving. Twice![/quote]
I was also going to point out the multitude of hats (Red A, Blue A with wings, CA, etc), jerseys, et al.
Not to mention the city name:
Los Angeles Angels
California Angels
Anaheim Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
If the original comment was about the Angels prior to, say 1994, then it’s correct. But they’ve been a mess ever since. Gene Autry’s turning in his grave……
Has any body noticed the new bp spring training hats the players are wearing? I’ll try and find some pictures for everybody to look at.
Bob Huggins’s lapels have been Nike billboards for a long time. He has been wearing the Nike pin since his early years here in Cincinnati. He also wore the Jordan Jumpman pin for awhile.
[quote comment=”57084″][quote comment=”57074″][quote comment=”57072″][quote comment=”57066″]Someone a while ago posted that a picture on the New Era website revealed the Angels had not switched to the new BP cap, but then we all said it was a mistake because another website had the new Angels BP Cap. I’m curious if the Angels have actually switched to it because the various pictures coming from Tempe show the old style link. (We also know this is from this year because Franky has showed up late for the past several years.) And it’s not just him, link is another picture, with a much better angle showing the side profile of the cap. Also the Angels Shop website has the 39THIRTY cap, but only as the older link. So it would appear the Angels are not switching to the new caps, or have yet to at least. I’m unsure if any other team has not switched to the new design, almost every image from the other camps I’ve seen has the new designs. Does anyone know why the Angels didn’t switch?[/quote]
That was me yesterday. link is a picture of the hat with the new sticker but no mushroom ear things. As well, you’re right; all photos out of Tempe have had them wearing the same hats. The Angels rarely like to change things very much. The link have no contrasting side panels and look eerily like the link (only difference: new fabric, and one less button). As well the Angels have still not switched to the new template for thelink like most of the link (whom now have the lower alternate logo and have dropped the flag altogether)[/quote]
The Angels rarely like to change things much? Are you freakin’ kidding me? I haven’t done any research to check on it but they’ve changed their jerseys multiple times in the past 15~ years. And they’ve done one thing that VERY few teams have… change their location in the team name, without actually moving. Twice![/quote]
I was also going to point out the multitude of hats (Red A, Blue A with wings, CA, etc), jerseys, et al.
Not to mention the city name:
Los Angeles Angels
California Angels
Anaheim Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
If the original comment was about the Angels prior to, say 1994, then it’s correct. But they’ve been a mess ever since. Gene Autry’s turning in his grave……[/quote]
I just wrote this huge long thing and I forgot to put the security code in and lost the whole post. I’ll quickly recap what I just wrote, Arte Moreno, since becoming team owner has refused to change their uniforms with exception to two things. One, he took the Anaheim off the away jerseys because he wants the team to be known as the Angels and not by their location. Two, he insists that he will never put “Los Angeles” on their away jerseys for the same reason. This year they get the new Red Alternates, but that is no surprise considering how is trying to brand the team with the color Red, the “Angels” name, and the A with the halo. Moreno made his money in advertising, so he insists upon the things he’s doing. I think he really likes the Angels font and logo, and for that reason, I think this uniform and logo will stick for a much longer time than the uni’s of the past.
[quote comment=”57085″]Has any body noticed the new bp spring training hats the players are wearing? I’ll try and find some pictures for everybody to look at.[/quote]
ballfan, this has been a big part of the comments section for probably the past week. check out some older comment threads. just about every team and their new bp hats has been posted at one point or another.
I’ve got a small piece about the BP caps on today’s Page 2 index page. Nothing new in it — just a little commentary was asked to whip up. If you’re curious, look link.
[quote comment=”57090″]I’ve got a small piece about the BP caps on today’s Page 2 index page. Nothing new in it — just a little commentary was asked to whip up. If you’re curious, look link.[/quote]
In this piece it talks about how the players and teams don’t like the new hats. My question is, then how come certain teams like the Angels can choose not to switch to it (wisely), when other teams that aren’t happy about them did switch to it? I would think it would ultimately be up to the team themselves but perhaps I am wrong. Does MLB issue the caps to each team?
“The catchers are mostly incidental. The only reason they’re there is that the pitchers need someone to throw to.”
Surprisingly disrespectful, not to mention completely incorrect statement, coming from you, Paul. Let us know if you ever want to actually try to play the position to find out the facts.
That said, Javy Lopez looks like a complete dink in that new chest protector. That could just about kill my cruch on him.
[quote comment=”57093″]”The catchers are mostly incidental. The only reason they’re there is that the pitchers need someone to throw to.”
Surprisingly disrespectful, not to mention completely incorrect statement, coming from you, Paul. Let us know if you ever want to actually try to play the position to find out the facts.
[/quote]
Amen! I mean, jeez … the catcher is pretty much analogous to the quarterback. They’ve got to study hitters as exhaustively as pitchers do, plus they have to know the capabilities of each pitcher on the staff. There aren’t many guys on the field that are MORE indispensable than the catcher. Not much surprises me on this board anymore, but that ignorant statement did.
[quote comment=”57096″][quote comment=”57093″]”The catchers are mostly incidental. The only reason they’re there is that the pitchers need someone to throw to.”
Surprisingly disrespectful, not to mention completely incorrect statement, coming from you, Paul. Let us know if you ever want to actually try to play the position to find out the facts.
[/quote]
Amen! I mean, jeez … the catcher is pretty much analogous to the quarterback. They’ve got to study hitters as exhaustively as pitchers do, plus they have to know the capabilities of each pitcher on the staff. There aren’t many guys on the field that are MORE indispensable than the catcher. Not much surprises me on this board anymore, but that ignorant statement did.[/quote]
Everyone calm down. Of course catchers are important. And so are shortstops and centerfielders, etc. All I meant was that there’s no reason for catchers to report to camp ahead of everyone else except that they have to catch the pitchers. Or at least that’s always been my impression. No offense intended.
Surprisingly disrespectful, not to mention completely incorrect statement, coming from you, Paul. Let us know if you ever want to actually try to play the position to find out the facts.
Lighten up, people. Can’t a guy make a joke. You know, “tools of ignorance”, that whole thing. Remember, it’s about what they’re wearing, not what they’re doing.
Javy Lopez reminds me way too much of the Purple Cobras in link
[quote comment=”57096″][quote comment=”57093″]”The catchers are mostly incidental. The only reason they’re there is that the pitchers need someone to throw to.”
Surprisingly disrespectful, not to mention completely incorrect statement, coming from you, Paul. Let us know if you ever want to actually try to play the position to find out the facts.
[/quote]
Amen! I mean, jeez … the catcher is pretty much analogous to the quarterback. They’ve got to study hitters as exhaustively as pitchers do, plus they have to know the capabilities of each pitcher on the staff. There aren’t many guys on the field that are MORE indispensable than the catcher. Not much surprises me on this board anymore, but that ignorant statement did.[/quote]
Paul, the catchers are important to the game FYI. You must plead ignorance to baseball too.
I caught the gold Nike pin as well on Coach Bob Huggins as well.
More information here about the Mitchell and Ness Jordan Jersey. Crazy packaging and a $400 dollar price tag if you can get your hands on one.
link
Of course catchers are important but I really don’t think they need to show up so early to get ready for the season like pitchers do. If for some reasons pitchers did not need the extra time, it is not like catchers would have to start before everyone else. Sure it is a demanding position and you have to know a lot but physically there is no reason to start so early.
[quote comment=”57103″]Of course catchers are important but I really don’t think they need to show up so early to get ready for the season like pitchers do. If for some reasons pitchers did not need the extra time, it is not like catchers would have to start before everyone else. Sure it is a demanding position and you have to know a lot but physically there is no reason to start so early.[/quote]
While its not necessary for them to get ready physically, they are also down in spring training early to start getting to know their pitchers. Would it make sense for Jason Varitek to stay at home because he doesn’t need to get ready “physically” when he could start communicating and feeling out Daisuke Matsuzaka? Of course not.
Yet, at the same time, I feel somewhat ridiculous even getting involved in this conversation, because Paul was clearly being humorous.
[quote comment=”57085″]Has any body noticed the new bp spring training hats the players are wearing? I’ll try and find some pictures for everybody to look at.[/quote]
I truly hope that was sarcasm
[quote comment=”57101″][quote comment=”57096″][quote comment=”57093″]”The catchers are mostly incidental. The only reason they’re there is that the pitchers need someone to throw to.”
Surprisingly disrespectful, not to mention completely incorrect statement, coming from you, Paul. Let us know if you ever want to actually try to play the position to find out the facts.
[/quote]
Amen! I mean, jeez … the catcher is pretty much analogous to the quarterback. They’ve got to study hitters as exhaustively as pitchers do, plus they have to know the capabilities of each pitcher on the staff. There aren’t many guys on the field that are MORE indispensable than the catcher. Not much surprises me on this board anymore, but that ignorant statement did.[/quote]
Paul, the catchers are important to the game FYI. You must plead ignorance to baseball too.[/quote]
If your first comment was not sarcasm, you are the King of A Day Late and a Dollar Short
[quote comment=”57102″]I caught the gold Nike pin as well on Coach Bob Huggins as well.
More information here about the Mitchell and Ness Jordan Jersey. Crazy packaging and a $400 dollar price tag if you can get your hands on one.
link
It’s nice to see they are making the jersey with heat applied numbers just the way it was in 97!
Acie Law from Texas A&M explains why he wears a roman numeral on his jersey:
“AL: It’s my name. I’m Acie Law the fourth. When I first got to A&M I wanted to put my whole name on there, and that’s what it is.”
link
Re: the Mitchell & Ness Jordan Throwback—I always liked the plain white letters used for the players’ names on the back of the Bulls’ road jerseys better than the black letters trimmed in white that they currently wear. That was the style when Jordan went for 63 against the Celtics, when he hit that shot to beat the Cavs, when the Bulls won their first title . . . such memories
[quote comment=”57099″]Javy Lopez reminds me way too much of the Purple Cobras in link
[/quote]
That is seriously funny. Post of the day.
Just a quick thought. On the pic of the catchers on today’s post. It seems like the 3 catchers are tracking a simulated pop-up. Doesn’t this seem at least a little dangerous? Three 200+ lb. guys running in the same general area wearing helmets and shinguards without looking at each other? Is this a common drill? I was never a catcher always an infielder.
The meat collision treehouse against Anaheim Dodgers is two. Extreme and commute jerseys? When’s is that he expresses usually. Everybody? or maybe determines on the company..or limited.
[quote comment=”57133″]The meat collision treehouse against Anaheim Dodgers is two. Extreme and commute jerseys? When’s is that he expresses usually. Everybody? or maybe determines on the company..or limited.[/quote]
What the hell are you talking about?
[quote comment=”57133″]The meat collision treehouse against Anaheim Dodgers is two. Extreme and commute jerseys? When’s is that he expresses usually. Everybody? or maybe determines on the company..or limited.[/quote]
May I also add…
HUH!?!? (and hopefully closing italics…)
[/quote][/quote][/quote]trying
[quote comment=”57136″][quote comment=”57133″]The meat collision treehouse against Anaheim Dodgers is two. Extreme and commute jerseys? When’s is that he expresses usually. Everybody? or maybe determines on the company..or limited.[/quote]
What the hell are you talking about?[/quote]
Officer Rocket broke with the field and an opening quarter-mile in command of the: “Today, we took the hope for that post,” Requested past two offseasons against Northeastern University.
[quote comment=”57142″][quote comment=”57136″][quote comment=”57133″]The meat collision treehouse against Anaheim Dodgers is two. Extreme and commute jerseys? When’s is that he expresses usually. Everybody? or maybe determines on the company..or limited.[/quote]
What the hell are you talking about?[/quote]
Officer Rocket broke with the field and an opening quarter-mile in command of the: “Today, we took the hope for that post,” Requested past two offseasons against Northeastern University.[/quote]
Don’t drink and type
It is a pretty common catchers drill the balls are not thrown too far side to side (if at all) so they dont have to worry about running into each other. And pudge has his own line of Wilson gloves in the A2000 and A2K series. So I am going to go out on a limb that that is not an MVP glove and rather the Wilson glove baring his name that can be bought in any baseball store or any site.
i think this ends the italics. btw, i’ve known about the BP caps for a long time…i’m here daily…just informing ballfan. and yes, a 5 year old should know that that’s not a Pirates BP hat although after what the Pirates did to their new uni’s they deserve to wear those travesties (sp?) everyday
Mirabelli looks like a sunburned Ninja turtle.
All he needs now are a pair of red tinted link to complete the ensemble.
[quote comment=”57111″][quote comment=”57102″]I caught the gold Nike pin as well on Coach Bob Huggins as well.
More information here about the Mitchell and Ness Jordan Jersey. Crazy packaging and a $400 dollar price tag if you can get your hands on one.
link
It’s nice to see they are making the jersey with heat applied numbers just the way it was in 97![/quote]
87, right? By 97 they had ditched the screen print i think…
Barry Bonds and Barry Zito pulled off a nice little gimmick wearing link today.
I noticed the other day that Terry Francona was wearing last year’s model of the Red Sox navy cap in lieu of the red BP cap that the team is wearing.
I originally thought it was Tito just doing as he pleases (like not wearing his jersey top) but in this photo it shows bench coach Brad Mills wearing the same hat. It doesnt look to have the stretchy side panel to it, either.
link
link
(also italics should have closed)
[quote comment=”57159″][quote comment=”57130″][quote comment=”57125″][quote comment=”57121″]still trying to find those pics of the new bp spring training hats…sorry people..can’t seem to find them anywhere…[/quote]
link
[/quote]
– Hello?
– A subscription to “Behind the Times”?
– No thanks, I’m already getting “Yesterday’s News”.[/quote]
Oh one other thing,
I noticed that last year Kenny Rogers from the tigs wasn’t wearing the normal hat when he pitched. I think he was wearing the old BP bap, but I am not sure how he could have. They have a stripe across the brim, unless that mad amount of money they pay players today allowed him a way to color it in, like with a marker or something. Let’s see if we can find a pic of that. thanks[/quote]
HAHA! Hey ladies and gents, lets hear it for Ballfan/Broker75/Buckeye Mike the comedian… Remember to tip your waitress and drive home safely. Good Night!
Also, did ya notice that since his first post things have been displaying screwy on the board? Everything is italicized, the title for each entry gets smaller and smaller… interesting…
so in response to the person who feels like they kicked a 12 year old uniwatcher in the shins, keep kicking.
I’m sure Paul would have been the only one to predict PSV Eindhoven’s win over Arsenal today, based on link.
I will try to head over to Tigertown and figure out what’s up with Pudge’s mett and the pitcher’s hats. Yesterday when I stopped by during lunch, they were wearing regular season road jerseys.
Just found this on the Miami Herald website…no pictures that I could find.
The Dolphins are making a slight alteration to their uniforms to make the numbers more distinguishable. Dear Dolphins: Forget the uniforms. How about making the number on the scoreboard more distinguishable?
[quote comment=”57101″][quote comment=”57096″][quote comment=”57093″]”The catchers are mostly incidental. The only reason they’re there is that the pitchers need someone to throw to.”
Surprisingly disrespectful, not to mention completely incorrect statement, coming from you, Paul. Let us know if you ever want to actually try to play the position to find out the facts.
[/quote]
Amen! I mean, jeez … the catcher is pretty much analogous to the quarterback. They’ve got to study hitters as exhaustively as pitchers do, plus they have to know the capabilities of each pitcher on the staff. There aren’t many guys on the field that are MORE indispensable than the catcher. Not much surprises me on this board anymore, but that ignorant statement did.[/quote]
Paul, the catchers are important to the game FYI. You must plead ignorance to baseball too.[/quote]
As someone who grew up going to Big Red Machine games @ Riverfront, I promise you that catchers are important. At least ours was.
shot of the miami hockey team wearing the slim fit nike uniform.
My girl and I were discussing those ugly-arse bp caps that new era has busted out for ’07. I asked her what in the world those things on the side would be for. Then we figured it out-they are workout hats, maybe it is a performance issue (and cosmetic). Perhaps it rubs less on he ears while moving, reduces friction, fits a little more comfortably around the ears, etc… New Era did say they were under a Selig mandate to improve performance! Y’all agree with us? Otherwise, that is sure an ugly ass hat. I doubt many people plan on buyin’ ’em! Shiza, I’ll take one of those performance 5950s!!!
[quote comment=”57074″][quote comment=”57072″][quote comment=”57066″]Someone a while ago posted that a picture on the New Era website revealed the Angels had not switched to the new BP cap, but then we all said it was a mistake because another website had the new Angels BP Cap. I’m curious if the Angels have actually switched to it because the various pictures coming from Tempe show the old style link. (We also know this is from this year because Franky has showed up late for the past several years.) And it’s not just him, link is another picture, with a much better angle showing the side profile of the cap. Also the Angels Shop website has the 39THIRTY cap, but only as the older link. So it would appear the Angels are not switching to the new caps, or have yet to at least. I’m unsure if any other team has not switched to the new design, almost every image from the other camps I’ve seen has the new designs. Does anyone know why the Angels didn’t switch?[/quote]
That was me yesterday. link is a picture of the hat with the new sticker but no mushroom ear things. As well, you’re right; all photos out of Tempe have had them wearing the same hats. The Angels rarely like to change things very much. The link have no contrasting side panels and look eerily like the link (only difference: new fabric, and one less button). As well the Angels have still not switched to the new template for thelink like most of the link (whom now have the lower alternate logo and have dropped the flag altogether)[/quote]
The Angels rarely like to change things much? Are you freakin’ kidding me? I haven’t done any research to check on it but they’ve changed their jerseys multiple times in the past 15~ years. And they’ve done one thing that VERY few teams have… change their location in the team name, without actually moving. Twice![/quote]
I meant recently under the charge of owner, Arte Moreno. He doesn’t like uniform things to be changed. He also doesn’t like the Angels in any color other than red, so it surprised me a little that he didn’t take the BP hat change as an opportunity to change to a red BP hat.
PS. I’ll also add a close italics so we don’t all have to continue craning our heads a few degrees to the right.
oh yeah, my main punta about the bp hats… the panel probalaly absorbs sweat and keeps it, and your sun block/masgara from running into your eyes.
[quote comment=”57178″]
shot of the miami hockey team wearing the slim fit nike uniform.[/quote]
looks like that’s all the higher the player’s arms will go with a jersey that tight.
I’m anxiously awaiting tomorrow. Because these damn italics will be gone.
AHHHH! Someone forgot to close their links!
Paul, please honor us with your link and italic ending powers.
link screencap from the Xbox version of MLB 2k7 shows an underline on the Phillies jersey, which they don’t have in real life.
WHAT?! I read Uni Watch daily. I’m a uni psycho like everyone else. So how can it be I had no idea THIS was happening?
link
For those of us who’ve rocked their share of New Era hats, I’m guardedly optimistic that I can actually wear these hats in the summer without passing out from heat exhaustion and without these things shrinking up. You know how many times I bought a 7 1/8 that shrunk within a week and got stuck with a useless hat? Then I switched to the 7 1/4, which was of course too big, even after I soaked it in my sink. Ahh, good times. It’s no wonder I switched back to ugly adjustable hats early this decade. I know I’m not the only one either. For all the foolishness with the BP hats, let’s hope the official ones are for real.
“I’m telling you right now. link!”
hopefully this will close the italics
[quote comment=”57192″]WHAT?! I read Uni Watch daily. I’m a uni psycho like everyone else. So how can it be I had no idea THIS was happening?
link
For those of us who’ve rocked their share of New Era hats, I’m guardedly optimistic that I can actually wear these hats in the summer without passing out from heat exhaustion and without these things shrinking up. You know how many times I bought a 7 1/8 that shrunk within a week and got stuck with a useless hat? Then I switched to the 7 1/4, which was of course too big, even after I soaked it in my sink. Ahh, good times. It’s no wonder I switched back to ugly adjustable hats early this decade. I know I’m not the only one either. For all the foolishness with the BP hats, let’s hope the official ones are for real.[/quote]
What? first the deal with Kenny Rogers last year, then they whole new BP caps that noone on here bothered to tell us about, and now the no wool in the regular hats. Paul, some help here, why haven’t you told us about this yet?
come on, how does yahoo, which is becoming a good info center not report this sometime around when it came out, which was what, years ago. before long, they may put up an article about the new BP shirts too(not uni’s most of them are ugly!)
[quote comment=”57113″]Acie Law from Texas A&M explains why he wears a roman numeral on his jersey:
“AL: It’s my name. I’m Acie Law the fourth. When I first got to A&M I wanted to put my whole name on there, and that’s what it is.”
link[/quote]
Law is one of my favorite college players. I would love to see T A&M make the final four. Their unis would be welcome – among the best among Texas schools.
Just a comment on the great pb hat blurb on Page 2 today…clicking on the “do-rag” link made me think:
A: Hey, it’s a Mariner’s player!
B: Who is that guy anyway?
C: Look, he flubbed the play, looks like it’s the cellar again…
D: Is that a cigarette stuck behind his ear?
It’s going to be one of those years! Go M’s!
From the front page of NYTimes.com: link
Pinnies are definately the uniform in its most basic form.
(Italics gone?)
Almost the whole page is italic for me.
Let me put some HTML in. …
…
…
How about now?