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Uni Watch

You’re Embarrassing Me, Dad

By
hat

Fun fact: I spent three years as the head varsity baseball coach at a high school in Iowa, back in the days when I wanted to be a teacher/baseball coach. During that time, which also included one season as the freshman coach, I witnessed plenty of crazy parental behavior.

There was the lady who determined her son (hitting .196) should be the DH over the kid hitting .302. The rationale? He has more power. Ooookay. I also was screamed at by a dad whose kid — an all-state catcher — was used as the DH in the second game of a doubleheader after catching in 97-degree heat. A college coach was coming to watch the kid behind the plate in the second game. Both father and son had failed to mention that. My bad, apparently.

So I’ve seen some crazy in my time. Jack Hall, father of Boston College guard Ty Hall, might out-crazy them all. What the hell makes you (1) build that thing and (2) wear it in public? The mini-helmets, the whirligigs on each corner, the lights, the pennants … the crazy-ass look in his eyes … yikes.

In related bonus coverage, this was the photo I was originally going to use. Note the use of both shiny and dull helmets, as well as the pants from Oregon’s last uniform set.

In completely non-related bonus coverage, this photo makes me laugh. It’s a nose bidet, and it’s apparently quite fun to use. Here’s more info. Think of it as a reminder to keep your nose clean this weekend. — Bryan

 
  
 
Comments (79)

    My problem with Jack Hall’s head gear, is not that it makes him seem like a crazy, rabid fan (which it does), but that he is blocking the view of several of the people sitting behind him.

    As a Packers fan (and my Dad being a Green Bay season ticket holder), I feel it my obligation not to wear such head gear (yes I refuse to even wear a cheesehead). Because, I feel if someone is going to pay good money to see a game, the last thing they want to miss a play for is the guy ahead of them wearing sight line blocking head gear. Sadly, my dads tickets are two sections away from this:

    link

    Here’s another brief article from today’s Pittsburgh Post Gazette on the Penguins’ uniforms for Tuesday’s game against Buffalo.

    link

    The gray beard somehow makes Jack seem both dedicated and dangerous. Facial hair really pulls together the “rabid fan” image.

    Do you suppose that thing is heavy? Has it compressed his spine? Was he three inches taller at the beginning of the season?

    Did anyone else notice the Maryland player wearing a yamulkah under his helmet in the Emerald Bowl? I believe it was the punter, #35 Travis Baltz.

    Ahhhh, the good old days. My dad was my coach in Little League. He got thrown out of almost every other game for arguing calls.

    We had fairly boring unis, too. Dark green t-shirts with gold lettering.

    How the hell did that “Proud Papa” get that monstrosity through security? Then again, he looks to be wearing a lanyard to which a press pass (or something similar) might be attached. Either way, I got a good laugh out of it.

    link…although a) he’s NOT wearing it at a game, and b) look at that arm candy; however c) he is wearing a purse; but d) look at that arm candy

    i hope osi breaks his arm today

    He should really have his chinstrap buckled. Seems to me that thing would flip right off your head. I mean aside from the shameful factor, its ridiculously tacky.

    errr… Make that Ray Rices mom looking ridiculous. (P.S. Sorry, Ray Rhodes mom you are not ridiculous, as far as I know.)

    [quote comment=”194485″]Anyone know why Oregon was using it’s pants from the ’05 season in practice?[/quote]

    You usually don’t use current game pants in practice – they probably decided they were still in good enough condition to reuse for practice

    Not uni-related, (tho I think in the commercial they block out all the NFL logos, so maybe it is)

    THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE

    link

    [quote comment=”194438″]link… c) he is wearing a purse[/quote]

    oh my gosh, he is carrying a purse! Does he do this often? Do the people at Stetson cologne know he does this? Who do we need to e-mail???

    I didn’t mind the Patriots before, but now… GO GIANTS.

    [quote comment=”194320″]My problem with Jack Hall’s head gear, is not that it makes him seem like a crazy, rabid fan (which it does), but that he is blocking the view of several of the people sitting behind him.

    As a Packers fan (and my Dad being a Green Bay season ticket holder), I feel it my obligation not to wear such head gear (yes I refuse to even wear a cheesehead). Because, I feel if someone is going to pay good money to see a game, the last thing they want to miss a play for is the guy ahead of them wearing sight line blocking head gear. Sadly, my dads tickets are two sections away from this:

    link

    Hmmm… don’t know about the GB stadium, but at the Superdome here in NOLA, the person’s head in the row in front of you is at your knees. No way you’d ever block someone’s view unless your hat was 3 feet tall.

    So I’m watching the Meineke Car Care Bowl, and I was wondering, where exactly does does Wake Forest where their VT tribute on their home (all black) jerseys?

    [quote comment=”194526″]It’s really impressive..but scary as shit.

    Are those little helmets the teams BC beat?[/quote]
    Either that or just the other ACC teams.

    What is Kentucky’s Derrick Jasper (#5) wearing? My first guess is just a T-shirt under the jersey, as unnecessary as I find that look…but when they showed him close up, I couldn’t see the jersey shoulders. Is there something here we should know about?

    I remember some crazy headwear from back in my HS days, and I myself have been known to link link, but Mr Hall’s takes the cake. Of course, if I were Ty I’d be telling everyone “That’s my Dad right there!” My philosophy is simple: better to go over the top in the name of school spirit than to come up short.

    [quote comment=”194526″]Are those little helmets the teams BC beat?[/quote]

    can’t be–bc lost to fsu, and their speared helmet is clearly visible on that…monstrosity.

    as a side note, i saw this fool, when bc came to blacksburg to play my hokies. the wings on the birds move. you can see the little eagles’ spinny-wings, but the one on top–his flaps, also. oh, and the little led scroll-text sign on the front. dude clearly needs another hobby. bowl. hunt. golf. do something.

    *gag*

    [quote comment=”194432″]How the hell did that “Proud Papa” get that monstrosity through security? Then again, he looks to be wearing a lanyard to which a press pass (or something similar) might be attached. Either way, I got a good laugh out of it.[/quote]

    I attended the Motor City Bowl a couple days ago and the security at the gate asked me to remove my Purdue hardhat so they could see inside….and it’s a regular hardhat–not a helmet without three levels of adornments. :P

    Many bowls sell patches (same as sewn onto the players’ jerseys) which have a hole punched in them and are sold on a lanyard. Going to the Champs Sports Bowl last year with Purdue, I bought such a patch and it came on a FCSports lanyard just like in the photo above. He might also have a plastic ticket/credential protector on it for his ticket; those are popular too.

    At the Motor City Bowl on Wednesday night, link most of the time so that people behind me wouldn’t have to deal with it; I’m 6’5″ already so the hardhat’s extra height seems unfair.

    [quote comment=”194561″][quote comment=”194526″]Are those little helmets the teams BC beat?[/quote]

    can’t be–bc lost to fsu, and their speared helmet is clearly visible on that…monstrosity.

    as a side note, i saw this fool, when bc came to blacksburg to play my hokies. the wings on the birds move. you can see the little eagles’ spinny-wings, but the one on top–his flaps, also. oh, and the little led scroll-text sign on the front. dude clearly needs another hobby. bowl. hunt. golf. do something.

    *gag*[/quote]

    Yeah, isn’t it such a drag when parents go overboard to support their son’s team?

    How dare you make fun of that innocent father Seriously, that was a great post, Bryan. …When I saw the nose bidet, I thought she had discovered the quickest way to get gravy in her bloodstream.

    I recently graduated from BC, and Jack Hall and his ever growing headgear are pretty well known around campus so he shouldn’t have much trouble getting it thru security.

    This past year I also had season tickets in his section and he sits in the front row, at the end of an aisle. The section is angled so his hat only blocks the view of people standing in the aisle.

    [quote comment=”194569″]I recently graduated from BC, and Jack Hall and his ever growing headgear are pretty well known around campus so he shouldn’t have much trouble getting it thru security.

    This past year I also had season tickets in his section and he sits in the front row, at the end of an aisle. The section is angled so his hat only blocks the view of people standing in the aisle.[/quote]

    He may not have a problem getting it into Alumni Stadium, but he’s probably not as well known by the staff at Citrus Bowl Stadium. Though I guess it is possible that the good people in Chesnut Hill called ahead for him.

    [quote comment=”194550″]So I’m watching the Meineke Car Care Bowl, and I was wondering, where exactly does does Wake Forest where their VT tribute on their home (all black) jerseys?[/quote]

    Right above the ACC patch.

    [quote comment=”194583″][quote comment=”194550″]So I’m watching the Meineke Car Care Bowl, and I was wondering, where exactly does does Wake Forest where their VT tribute on their home (all black) jerseys?[/quote]

    Right above the ACC patch.[/quote]

    How do you know the black strip’s there if the entire jersey is black?

    The black VT Memorial patch is on the players right shoulder above the ACC patch as stated. You can only tell at the right angle.

    As for the Oregon situation, my best guess is that difference between helmets are the level at which the players are at. I’m not too familiar with D I ball but I’m assuming it’s kinda like the pro’s where they’re practice players and therefore don’t get all the frills of the travel squad, or the same exact stuff.

    [quote comment=”194592″]UCF and Mississippi State are both wearing their home unis in the Liberty Bowl[/quote]
    It is a very sharp looking game IMHO also. The all maroon looks great on MSU and both teams’ white helmets look crisp.

    I still like the Jackie Sherill-era “MSU” helmet better than the one Sly has the team wearing. The style is very similar to what UCF is wearing.

    Either way, it’s a good looking game.

    [quote comment=”194594″][quote comment=”194592″]UCF and Mississippi State are both wearing their home unis in the Liberty Bowl[/quote]
    It is a very sharp looking game IMHO also. The all maroon looks great on MSU and both teams’ white helmets look crisp.

    I still like the Jackie Sherill-era “MSU” helmet better than the one Sly has the team wearing. The style is very similar to what UCF is wearing.

    Either way, it’s a good looking game.[/quote]
    Sorry to quote my post, but I forgot to mention the super cool socks MSU has on. Not sure if they wore them all year or not.

    2 years ago i was given a neti pot by a family friend who knew i had a history of nasal congestion, so i actually OWN one.

    i used it exactly 2 times, and since september of 05 i have had absolutely no nasal congestion at all.

    i dont care what the thing looks like when i administer it, i just know that i like to breathe through my nose and the neti pot has allowed uninterupted decongestion.

    the thing works… well, the mix you add to the water does…

    This is one case where being female gives you an advantage, as people see your crazy headwear and might say “awwww,” instead of running away. (link)

    UCF #41 has his C-USA patch missing above the bowl game patch. no screen shot, but it happened at about the 12:00 minute mark in the 2nd.

    [quote comment=”194617″]Oklahoma men’s basketball is on ESPN2 right now wearing an overwhelming gray color combo.[/quote]

    link. Coupled with the WVU yellow……yuck

    [quote comment=”194618″]I can’t wait to see what the Oregon Ducks will be wearing Monday for the Sun Bowl. Bars open at 10:00 am in Portland, by the way.[/quote]

    10:00am? That is late in Wisconsin.

    [quote comment=”194618″]I can’t wait to see what the Oregon Ducks will be wearing Monday for the Sun Bowl. Bars open at 10:00 am in Portland, by the way.[/quote]

    I’m pulling for white helmets and all black uniforms.

    Syracuse is link (thankfully). Also, the uni will be tweaked for next season and may be totally new come 2009.

    Expect more tweaking of the uniforms in 2008. White will be re-introduced on the numbers of the blue jerseys and down the blue stripe of the orange pants. Gotta have some relief from the color saturation of the home ensemble. That’s really why the team wore the white jerseys for the final home game of the season against Cincinnati. The Orange jerseys, which were total duds, are done. Enjoy this look while you can because a full redesign could be coming in 2009. Me, I’d like to see the Orange pull out the 1959 style uniform, especially with The Express coming out this year.

    [quote comment=”194719″]nice to see the link in knicks tonight[/quote]

    True that – but the black slacks wouldn’t look so bad to me if it weren’t for the white stripe

    RE: The Oregon picture featuring both shiny and dull helmets.

    More likely than not, the guys with the “dull” helmets have helmets specifically for use in practice and also have a “shiny”, fully decaled helmet for games. On our football team, guys whose helmets get really banged up and scratched heavily are given a helmet for practice and one for games that is cleaner and doesn’t have as many scratches.

    Nothing to do with unis,but what purpose do the yellow bars under the time on the nfl networks score serve?

    The Giants have a major deal with Schutt to wear the Optimus Prime helmets as do the Lions and Packers. David Diehl is wearing it too, but for some reason, Brandon Jacobs isn’t, yet he wore it all preseason.

    Wait a minute, Oregon is the home team in the Sun Bowl, so they can wear whatever they damn well please. I’m guessing they’ll wear mostly gold since USF has that gawdawful gold helmet/white jersey/dark green pants (almost black) combo. I would go with black helmets/gold jerseys/white pants to differentiate.

    [quote comment=”194726″]Nothing to do with unis,but what purpose do the yellow bars under the time on the nfl networks score serve?[/quote]

    identifies what quarter the game is in

    The yellow bars under the score represent the quarter of play. Personally i hate this way instead of useing the numbers. FOX tryed something like that in the preseason either this season or last with four dots in a square.

    [quote comment=”194726″]Nothing to do with unis,but what purpose do the yellow bars under the time on the nfl networks score serve?[/quote]

    It denotes what quarter it is.

    Yeah, it’s lame. They should at least change it to # of timeouts left when a half gets within 3-4 mintues remaining.

    Oh yeah….It was driving me crazy and thats the last thing I would have thought of. Thanks.
    What a silly grafic

    [quote comment=”194738″]Oh yeah….It was driving me crazy and thats the last thing I would have thought of. Thanks.
    What a silly grafic[/quote]

    may as well use this as the link

    Can’t stand Bryant Gumbel, but at least CC is on this game. The only other NFLN game I saw, it was Gumbal, Faulk, Deion, and someone else- just awful beyond imagination. I turned down the sound and listened on the radio.

    [quote comment=”194736″]Yeah, it’s lame. They should at least change it to # of timeouts left when a half gets within 3-4 mintues remaining.[/quote]

    it really would be nice right about now with 1:08 left to know who has time outs left

    First post and long time reader. I was looking around si.com and came across an intersting video from the post game on the field from the BYU bowl game. The kicker peeled the sticker off his helmet to give to a fan 56 sec in until the end.

    link

    Did Paul have any inside info? Evansville broke out the sleeves tonight for the conference opener. They were v-neck in style with purple trim and purple side panels with EVANSVILLE across the chest. Sadly no pics at this time. Not sure if they will see the light of day again after the 14 point loss to Indiana State.

    [quote comment=”194766″]Did Paul have any inside info? Evansville broke out the sleeves tonight for the conference opener. They were v-neck in style with purple trim and purple side panels with EVANSVILLE across the chest. Sadly no pics at this time. Not sure if they will see the light of day again after the 14 point loss to Indiana State.[/quote]

    They always wear sleaves

    [quote comment=”194750″]Can’t stand Bryant Gumbel, but at least CC is on this game. The only other NFLN game I saw, it was Gumbal, Faulk, Deion, and someone else- just awful beyond imagination. I turned down the sound and listened on the radio.[/quote]
    what?? hey, you gotta give Faulk and Deoin some credit.

    What was up with the hat Deion Sanders was wearing during the half time show tonight? I think he borrowed it from a detective from a film noir film.

    [quote comment=”194778″]What was up with the hat Deion Sanders was wearing during the half time show tonight? I think he borrowed it from a detective from a film noir film.[/quote]
    I didn’t watch the game the tonight, company,, but I’ve watched every other and I send my compliments to Marshall and Deion. Speaking of commentating,Tony Kornsnisher is sounding a lot better on Monday nights.

    When I’m King of the Uniform World…

    The uniforms worn by Oregon will be limited to a green helmet, the home uniforms being a green jersey with gold numbers, the road uniforms white jerseys green numbers, both worn with gold pants, green socks with white bottoms and black shoes. In addition, Oregon State will have black jerseys with white numbers trimed in orange at home, white jerseys with black numbers trimmed in orange on the road, orange pants, blck topped socks and black shoes and helmets.

    No damn gazillion combos, no “sports bras”, just plain uniforms.

    [quote comment=”194768″][quote comment=”194766″]Did Paul have any inside info? Evansville broke out the sleeves tonight for the conference opener. They were v-neck in style with purple trim and purple side panels with EVANSVILLE across the chest. Sadly no pics at this time. Not sure if they will see the light of day again after the 14 point loss to Indiana State.[/quote]

    They always wear sleaves[/quote]

    Actually they haven’t worn them since 01-02. First year coach Marty Simmons brought them out tonight. Simmons played at Evansville and wore the sleeves during the late 80s.

    link

    [quote comment=”194778″]What was up with the hat Deion Sanders was wearing during the half time show tonight? I think he borrowed it from a detective from a film noir film.[/quote]

    My wife said “Who is that and why’s he dressed like that?” I told her “He’s Deion Sanders and he’s dressed that way because he’s Deion Sanders.”

    Syracuse is done with the orange football jerseys (thankfully). Also, the uni will be tweaked for next season and may be totally new come 2009.

    Cause it would be down right silly for a team nicknamed the ORANGE to wear an orange colored jersey.

    BTW the golden gophers wore gold at home against orange-clad RIT tonight in hockey. They lost…

    [quote comment=”194618″]“I can’t wait to see what the Oregon Ducks will be wearing Monday for the Sun Bowl. Bars open at 10:00 11 am in Portland, by the way.”[/quote]

    Pacific Time, my friend.

    I don’t think someone said it already, but the gold, box-like structure on Jack Hall’s headpiece is actually a stadium. It has the stands and a painted field (with painted endzones) on it too.
    I saw it in Blacksburg as well; I was on the level above him on one of the exit ramps. I could see it from above in all of its glory.

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