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Going for Broke

capt.b5a308db62964acb829893acdc10934f.braves_nationals_baseball_nat111.jpg

It’s pretty simple, or at least it should be: You don’t wear an alternate uniform for the first game of the season. And that goes double when you’re playing the very first game at a brand-new ballpark.

But the Braves were more interested in selling a few shirts and caps than in having any respect for the game or for their hosts, so they chose Opening Night to unveil their new blue alternate road jerseys and solid blue caps. Nice going, John Schuerholz. Maybe at your home opener you can announce that you’ve sold the stadium’s naming rights to Coca-Cola.

Such unseemly breaches of protocol notwithstanding, how did the new togs look? Well, they’re waaaaay better than the red alt jersey (which, sadly, will still be worn for Sunday home games). The big problem is that the blue script and, especially, the blue uni numbers look sooooo Little League, like they didn’t have enough $$$ to shell out for an additional color or something. I never thought I’d ever be using a BP jersey to make a favorable comparison, but compare the BP shirt’s red lettering and numbering to the new gamers and it’s no contest. As someone on Chris Creamer’s site pointed out, the blue-on-blue uni numbers are very reminiscent of this and this, neither of which is the kind of thing you’d wanna be associated with. The jersey needs some red.

As for the navy-brimmed cap, I don’t mind that so much, esp. since it harkens back to an earlier era. But a spot of red would’ve been nice, even if only on the top cap button. And hey, how come they didn’t have solid navy batting helmets?

Other notes from the game:

• That little left-sleeve patch says, “Beach,” a memorial tribute to coach Jim Beauchamp.

• I didn’t realize that the Nats’ stadium sleeve patch was gonna be reprised as a cap patch. Let’s hope this is just just for the first game or first series of the season.1

• Odalis Perez had major undershirt-tag problems early in the game.

• Fans of double-flap helmets will be happy to hear that Willie Harris is still wearing one, just as he’s done earlier in his career. In addition, Brayan Pena wore one, something he has not previously done.

• I understand that stuff like this is unavoidable these days. But seriously, I am so sick of these mound logos. The mound is a place for serious work, not a billboard for you to tell people something they already know anyway.

• Speaking of Ws on the mound, we’ll never have to see this again, and that’s more than dandy with me. Go back to sleep, George.

Simple Rule: If someone posts a photo of an attractive female athlete — or just an attractive female, period — and if you respond by posting a dick-for-brains comment like, “Uniform? I don’t see any uniform!” or something of a similar ilk, my new policy as of right now is that you will be blocked from making any further comments on the site. This is not because such comments are offensive, but because they’re so totally lazy, stupid, and depressingly predictable. If you need to convince everyone that you’re heterosexual, at least come up with a more creative way of doing it, like by running for governor of New York or something. Thanks.

Uni Watch News Ticker: I hadn’t spent any time poking around Steve Dewing’s completely addictive photo site for a while, so I checked in the other day and, as usual, got completely sucked into the gorgeous imagery. Among the new finds: Keith Hernandez in white shoes (clearly from the 1987 All-Star Game) and this shot, which appears to show a Dodgers catcher wearing either a front-facing helmet or a brimless helmet. The thing is, this photo is almost certainly from 1969 (as evidenced by the MLB 100th-anniversary patch on Tony Perez’s sleeve), and I wasn’t aware of catchers going front-brimmed or brimless that early. ”¦ Chris Burris notes that Orlando Mendez-Valdez has been wearing the Western Kentucky logo on his socks. ”¦ Nice historical rundown of Coastal Carolina logos here (with thanks to Greg Sharp). ”¦ While looking for something else, I came across this 1988 photo. Check out that amazing American League umpire’s cap! ”¦ The Brooklyn Cyclones are planning to wear Hebrew uniforms for Jewish Heritage Night in a few months. Details here (with thanks to Mike Stutzman). ”¦ Good Converse article here. ”¦ David Stern floated a trial balloon the other day about possible uniform advertising for NBA preseason games overseas (a particularly disappointing prospect when you consider how interesting some of the country-based preseason designs have been over the past two years). If you’d like to help shoot that balloon down, you can contact the NBA here. ”¦ Reprinted from Friday’s comments: Outstanding article about Rawlings gloves — highly recommended. ”¦ Remember Rob Ullman and his uni-themed cheesecake illustrations? Kent Foster certainly does: “Took your advice and had Rob create a hockey pin-up girl for me,” he writes. “The team is the University of Richmond Spiders and the girl is my wife, Monica. I actually got it for her for her birthday, although it was probably more of a present for me.” ”¦ “I think this is my favorite picture so far from the SI vault,” writes Jesse Spector. “I think you’ll really enjoy it too, for the little details like the red shoes, the sock stripes, and the Baltimore Clippers championship banner.” Indeed. ”¦ Padres news from Brian Hilemon, who writes: “CEO Sandy Alderson stated during his weekly radio chat that next season the Pads will have uniform designs to honor not only the Marines but other branches of the military as well.” Jesus Christ, why don’t they just put mosquito netting over the stadium, make fans salute when they go through the turnstiles, and install David Petraeus in the manager’s office already. ”¦ Headband or wannabe-monk? (As forwarded by Greg Riffenburgh.) ”¦ “I went to the games in Tokyo last week and got some cool shots of the unis in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and at the game,” writes Mark Bittick. “The Hall is mostly about uniforms (there’s something um, unsettling about the Hiroshima Carp’s sleeve patch), and the beer girls at the stadium are straight out of anime. They even wear stirrups!” ”¦ Good close-ups here of David Beckham’s 100th-match golden cleats, jersey, and cap (big thanks to Dana Prey). ”¦ Cool video segment about our friends at Distant Replays here. ”¦ Thoughts on the Civil Rights Game: Overall, the uniforms were really lame (duh), but the orange trim on the Mets’ attire looked really good (although it would’ve looked a lot better if they’d worn blue sleeves and caps, to match the chest insignia, instead of going with black). Interesting that the Mets had special pants made for the occasion, while the Sox just wore their regular road pants. Also interesting that both teams wore their regular caps (well, except for that little “Civil Rights Game” embroidery on the side), while the Cards and Indians wore specially designed caps (and helmets!) last year. ”¦ Strange boxing phenomenon the other night: Arthur Abraham was wearing Adidas gloves, or so it appeared during his bout with Elvin Ayala (in fact, Ayala had Adidas gloves too). But when the tape came off the gloves after the fight, it turned out Abraham’s gloves were also Everlast-branded — what gives? I have a friend at Everlast and hope to have an answer soon (big thanks to Richard Giron for spotting this one). ”¦ According to the little “Did You Know?” squib in the right-hand column of this page, the Sean Taylor memorial movement is alive and well (good catch by Daniel Weimann). ”¦ Really nice old baseball uniform available here. I’d bid on this one myself, but the seller says the jersey is 22 inches from pit to pit (i.e., a size 44), which means it’s too big for me. Dang. ”¦ Really, really good article here about rugby sponsorships, logo creep, and related issues (with thanks to Caleb Borchers). ”¦ Great article and audio slide show about some interesting behind-the-scenes details at Yankee Stadium. ”¦ Good catch by Brian Russ, who writes: “When CBS showed the brackets after the Memphis/Texas game, they misspelled Xavier on the screen.” ”¦ Jeremy Brahm notes that the Romanian women’s handball team has off-center uni numbers. ”¦ Jon Chin reports that New Era is now selling fitted MLB caps for women. The sales copy says they’re “fit for a woman!” (not sure if this refers to the cap’s tailoring or if they mean it in the “fit for a king” sense) and adds that the caps have a “re-designed fit with a re-sculpted crown and trimmed visor.” Not sure how this makes them more “woman”-ly. Anyone..? ”¦ At first I got all excited when Scott Marcusky sent me these awesome photos of a Pirates farmhand from Saturday’s Bucs/Twins spring training game. “Ah,” I thought, “Nyjer Mogan‘s hosiery influence is spreading!” But then I checked the Pittsburgh roster and found that No. 79 is Luis Munoz, who (a) is a pitcher, (b) isn’t listed in Saturday’s box score, and (c) looks like this (tough to say for sure, but that doesn’t look like this fella). Now I’m inclined to think that the player in question might actually be Morgan himself wearing someone else’s jersey, as occasionally happens in spring training. If anyone can help confirm or refute my theory, I’m all ears. ”¦ As many readers have noted, the new NFL logo is now being featured on NFL.com. ”¦ Contrary to what I wrote a few days ago, the Dodgers never intended to wear throwback flannels for Saturday’s game at the L.A. Colisseum. Instead, a bunch of 1958 old-timers will wear the flannels during today’s Opening Day ceremonies at Dodger Stadium. Sorry to have gotten the two events mixed up. ”¦ Reprinted from last night’s comments: Vince Young has a nameplate tattoo. ”¦ The Hershey Bears wore 1938-39 throwbacks on Saturday night. Additional pics here (courtesy of Mark Coale). … Check this out: baseball stadiums made out of Lego, plus an interview with the guy who designs them.

 
  
 
Comments (283)

    You seriously think that unveiling an alternate uniform on opening day took something away from the fan experience in Nationals Park? Oh, that evil Schuerholz is up to his ol’ tricks again! I have a hard time believing that anyone cared that much.

    If anyone who reads this blog was at the Nationals game last night, or are Nationals fans who were watching from home, and you were offended in some way by those dastardly Braves, please prove me wrong.

    I think that teams are wearing their alternate jerseys too often, and I think that was the point Paul is trying to make. The alternate jerseys are becoming the norm. :(

    [quote comment=”244626″]You seriously think that unveiling an alternate uniform on opening day took something away from the fan experience in Nationals Park? Oh, that evil Schuerholz is up to his ol’ tricks again! I have a hard time believing that anyone cared that much.

    If anyone who reads this blog was at the Nationals game last night, or are Nationals fans who were watching from home, and you were offended in some way by those dastardly Braves, please prove me wrong.[/quote]
    It just seems bizarre that they would wear their alternate jerseys before they wear their primary jerseys.

    BTW, Anyone know which teams will be wearing road unis in the Final four? I’m hoping for UCLA and Carolina.

    Jeremy Brahm notes that the Romanian women’s handball team has off-center uni numbers.

    WOW! I am totally impressed. Jeremy, how did you know that there was a Romanian women’s handball team in the first place?

    [quote comment=”244632″]Oye. More Bush-bashing. Gee, you don’t get enough of that these days.[/quote]

    Me, I can’t get enough!

    I applaud you for your stance banning people who make asinine/sexist comments about female athletes and uniforms. But I wish you had followed that rule a few weeks ago when you commented on the soon-to-be-banned new Speedo swimsuits. To review, when commenting on the whole fact that the suits are so tight that nothing is left to the imagination, the author said something to the effect of “Amanda Beard isn’t living up to her name.” Puerile comments don’t affect me all that much, but double standards do.

    I actually liked the blue lettering on the Atlanta jerseys, but the numbers really bothered me. I might not have minded if they had both been solid white. And I personally would tend to agree that wearing the alternate on the first friggen game is weird, and off-putting. The all bue cap is a major upgrade IMO. I’ve never liked the two-toned look.

    Attended the Women’s regional semifinal yesterday in OKC and saw something I had never seen before, Becca Bruszewski, No. 24 for Notre Dame against Tennessee, had her Ring and Middle fingers taped together, and was wearing a GLOVE on her hand under the tape with the pinky and thumb cut out. Very strange sight…..

    link

    Looks like the “NFL” part of the NFL Network logo was updated to match the new NFL logo too.

    link

    May have to hit your Refresh button on your browser to see it.

    John Schuerholz stepped down right after last season and was replaced by Frank Wren. Blame him.

    With all four number-one seeds in the Final Four for the first time, I hope the NCAA tournament committee puts some stock in its ranking of the teams 1-65 (which produces the final bracket) when it comes to the uniforms on Sat. and Monday night. Instead of flipping a coin, which has been done previously when number-one seeds have met in the semi-finals and championship game, with North Carolina the number-one, number-one seed, it should wear white in all its games (Kansas in blue in the semi-finals). Memphis, as the 2nd number-one seed, should wear white against UCLA. Memphis or UCLA would wear white if either met Kansas in the title game.

    Did anybody notice that the bungee cord looking necklace Chipper Jones was wearing had an MLB logo on it? Do they now have officially licensed necklaces for the players? Does anybody have a screen grab of Chipper from last night’s game?

    [quote comment=”244648″]Did anybody notice that the bungee cord looking necklace Chipper Jones was wearing had an MLB logo on it? Do they now have officially licensed necklaces for the players? Does anybody have a screen grab of Chipper from last night’s game?[/quote]

    Phiten — the company that makes the titanium necklaces — now has a licensing deal with MLB.

    What’s with the scheduling of having the Braves come in to play 1 game at the Nats?

    I got the feeling that game was kind of just thrown onto the schedule so they could put the 1st game at the park on tv.

    [quote comment=”244637″]I applaud you for your stance banning people who make asinine/sexist comments about female athletes and uniforms. But I wish you had followed that rule a few weeks ago when you commented on the soon-to-be-banned new Speedo swimsuits. To review, when commenting on the whole fact that the suits are so tight that nothing is left to the imagination, the author said something to the effect of “Amanda Beard isn’t living up to her name.” Puerile comments don’t affect me all that much, but double standards do.[/quote]

    That was simply an observation (one of many vaguely sexual observations in that piece — comes with the territory when you’re writing about skintight, semi-transparent swimwear), not a “Look, a real live girl!” comment. But if the “double-standard” really offends you, you are, as always, free to go read something else.

    I just kind of figured that the Braves alts were blue-on-blue because the BPs are red-on-blue. Don’t want them to look too similar, as more people might buy one of each if they have distinct color combos.

    I would like to read an interview with Jeremy Brahm some day. By now, we are all well aware of and appreciate his Japancentric submissions, but now he is providing photos from Romanian womens handball games? How does a person come to find such photos, and why?

    Jeremy may belong in some kind of Uni Hall of Fame, along with the guy who loves wearing socks.

    “I think this is my favorite picture so far from the SI vault,” writes Jesse Spector. “I think you’ll really enjoy it too, for the little details like the red shoes, the sock stripes, and the Baltimore Clippers championship banner.”

    The worst part is that the Baltimore Arena still looks EXACTLY as it does in that photo…it’s an awful place.

    those mets jerseys look like the Giants home jerseys just without the giants logo and the words new york instead. anyone else think it looks like the mets may have just done that?

    “If you need to convince everyone that you’re heterosexual, at least come up with a more creative way of doing it, like by running for governor of New York or something. Thanks.”

    And if you need to convince everyone that you’re homosexual, run for governor of New Jersey!

    The Nats have sad to see Georgie in his final year as POTUS, at least they knew they were good for an opening day W each year.

    As far as the mound logo, with their starters it’s they only way they can be certain to get some W’s from the mound!

    Thank you, tip your waitresses and drive safe…

    [quote comment=”244653″][quote comment=”244637″]I applaud you for your stance banning people who make asinine/sexist comments about female athletes and uniforms. But I wish you had followed that rule a few weeks ago when you commented on the soon-to-be-banned new Speedo swimsuits. To review, when commenting on the whole fact that the suits are so tight that nothing is left to the imagination, the author said something to the effect of “Amanda Beard isn’t living up to her name.” Puerile comments don’t affect me all that much, but double standards do.[/quote]

    That was simply an observation (one of many vaguely sexual observations in that piece — comes with the territory when you’re writing about skintight, semi-transparent swimwear), not a “Look, a real live girl!” comment. But if the “double-standard” really offends you, you are, as always, free to go read something else.[/quote]

    All right, two months later I still don’t get it. Was it because you could see that Amanda is not a man? Some sort of weird “beard” reference? Help me out.

    [quote comment=”244666″]All right, two months later I still don’t get it. Was it because you could see that Amanda is not a man? Some sort of weird “beard” reference? Help me out.[/quote]

    As you can clearly tell from the accompanying photo, she’s, ah, clean-shaven.

    [quote comment=”244652″]What’s with the scheduling of having the Braves come in to play 1 game at the Nats?

    I got the feeling that game was kind of just thrown onto the schedule so they could put the 1st game at the park on tv.[/quote]

    On the radio last night Pete Van Wieren said that the game was originally the Mets vs the Nationals but due to the fact that the Mets played in the Civil Rights game, they (ie the Mets) thougt it would be too much travel in 3 days. So they backed out and the Braves volunteered to open the park. So basically yes it was kind of thrown together and for the purpose of having it on tv.

    Paul,

    I keep visiting daily expecting this to be the day you you shut down. Since you made you announcement, you have not missed a day (I think). So when might your newer schedule start?

    Being a Braves fan I love the old/new hats but I wasn’t really a fan of the blue numbers on the back but I’ll live. Anyways, ive searched mlb.com and other places but can’t find the new hats. I know the braves postponed the release of the catalog but anybody seen where they are for sale yet?

    [quote comment=”244668″][quote comment=”244666″]All right, two months later I still don’t get it. Was it because you could see that Amanda is not a man? Some sort of weird “beard” reference? Help me out.[/quote]

    As you can clearly tell from the accompanying photo, she’s, ah, clean-shaven.[/quote]

    So it was a “beard” refrence then.

    Paul: Love your site. But honoring the military services in San Diego is proper. There is a great in San Diego link between the city and the services (especially the Navy and Marines). This transcends politics. Perhaps alternate jerseys have gone too far in general, but if you’re going to do them, and you live in San Diego, why not honor the military?

    The best part of the Presidential first pitch was the Nats “link” as part of the President’s coat personalization!

    Bought my first jersey a few days ago, a black Baltimore Orioles at a second hand store for $6.00, but I’m not sure of its year. It’s in GREAT condition for being in a second hand store, made by majestic, with the “MLB Genuine Merchandice” logo on it. There’s no name nor number on it too, which is good since I am not a Ripken fan. I’m having trouble pinning down its year because my sleeves has a small orange stripe around it like link, but none of the Dressed to the Nine’s jerseys have that same stripe on it. Does anyone know of an approximate year of the jersey?

    [quote comment=”244670″]Paul,

    I keep visiting daily expecting this to be the day you you shut down. Since you made you announcement, you have not missed a day (I think). So when might your newer schedule start?[/quote]

    Well, it’s only been 10 days since I made that announcement! Like I said at the time, I’ll be taking a day off here and there, but not, like, all the time. Also, I’m no longer doing full blog entries on days when I have an ESPN column running (which has already happened once, and will happen again later this week).

    [quote comment=”244671″]Being a Braves fan I love the old/new hats but I wasn’t really a fan of the blue numbers on the back but I’ll live. Anyways, ive searched mlb.com and other places but can’t find the new hats. I know the braves postponed the release of the catalog but anybody seen where they are for sale yet?[/quote]

    Interestingly, link includes the following: “Beginning Monday, fans will be able to purchase these special navy jerseys and cap through the Braves Catalog and at the Braves Clubhouse Stores at CNN Center and Turner Field.” No mention of them being available on MLB.com, which seems very odd.

    Also, after having checked Distant Replays, it isn’t their newest one, as mine is a cursive orange layed upon a eighth-inch thick white boarder.

    I really liked the new Braves jerseys. I love that shade of blue. It’s different than just plain navy and looks similar to the color of the Indians alternate jerseys. I liked the logo because it was different than their normal logo. I loved the little red accent rather than their normal color scheme.

    [quote comment=”244675″]The best part of the Presidential first pitch was the Nats “link” as part of the President’s coat personalization![/quote]

    Awesome catch! Nice touch by the Nationals.

    Regarding women’s hats…we have smaller noggins in general. I have a very small hat size (6 3/4) and absolutely cannot wear any regular fitted hat. The crown is way too high and looks very goofy. I usually end up buying a large kid’s size if it’s something I really want. I would guess New Era sees a market for women who don’t want to wear a hat large enough to house small nesting animals.

    I was more bothererd by the Nats choice of link.

    Why go with black cleats, a la the Angels, when red is such a dominant color within your uniform, even Navy for that matter?

    [quote]At first I got all excited when Scott Marcusky sent me these awesome photos of a Priates farmhand from Saturday’s Bucs/Twins spring training game. “Ah,” I thought, “Nyjer Mogan’s hosiery influence is spreading!” But then I checked the Pittsburgh roster and found that No. 79 is Luis Munoz, who (a) is a pitcher, (b) isn’t listed in Saturday’s box score, and (c) looks like this (tough to say for sure, but that doesn’t look like this fella). Now I’m inclined to think that the player in question might actually be Morgan himself wearing someone else’s jersey, as occasionally happens in spring training. If anyone can help confirm or refute my theory, I’m all ears.[/quote]

    If it is Morgan wearing someone else’s jersey, he’s wearing someone else’s cleats, too. Morgan has always worn Nike Clippers, and the player in question is in Reeboks there.

    The only Nats home opener that the visiting team didn’t wear a dark alternate was 2006 when the Mets visited. They wore their stupid black caps though.

    2005: Diamondbacks (black)
    2007: Marlins (black)
    2008: Braves (navy)

    If it were up to me, alternates would not be worn on Opening Day/Night, day games, holidays, or Sundays.

    [quote comment=”244632″]Oye. More Bush-bashing. Gee, you don’t get enough of that these days.[/quote]
    Too bad. Only 9 1/2 more months and you won’t have to hear it any more.

    How is nobody mentioning that Bush got mercilessly booed?

    Johnny Miller and Joe Morgan still instinctively kissed his ass, though…

    See, I love the new Braves alternates, and I even liked the blue lettering and numbers. It would have been nice to have red numbers, yeah, but the uni overall looks great.

    And I didn’t have a problem with them unveiling them on opening night. I mean, they wanted to unveil their new road alternate. Why not do it on the first road game of the year. It just so happens, MLB decided to let ESPN dictate the schedule this year. So the Braves, instead of opening at home, like they were originally supposed to, had a 1-gamer in D.C. to start the season. One-off game, perfect to release the jersey. Just my opinion.

    ~E~

    Will the Braves wear these caps as their road caps for the rest of the season, or are they just “alternative caps”? Hoping it’s the former.

    I know that the Packers seamstress said they only get 2 jerseys per player a year, usually. Anyone know how many jerseys baseball players get on average? Or better yet, how may pairs of pants? Seems like once a game you see a nice big hole in a pair of pants, I can’t imagine they just keep sewing them up.

    Is is sad that my first thoughts when watching both the Civil Rights Game and Opening Night were, “I can’t wait to see what UniWatch has to say about this?”

    I agree with the assessment: Atlanta’s hats, not bad; alt unis, pretty awful.

    Observations from last night:

    I love the new Nationals Park. It looks like a real baseball stadium and apparently has a great view of DC.

    Braves Blue Alts look like crap! It’s sad really. As soon as the game started, and I saw what the Braves were wearing, I turned to my wife and said “Yeah, they’ll talk about how bad those uniforms are in that uniform blog I read.” She pointed out that they needed “red or something in the numbers and the logo so you can read it better.” Man, I love her! I did like the new caps, though.

    Chipper’s Titanium necklace looked gay. I assumed it was one of the Titanium things, but it looked more like a wire dog collar.

    Ok, we get it. Not everyone likes the President. At least he loves baseball and knows the game. He was in Little League and – though I can’t remember where I saw he quoted as saying such – he likes stirrups!

    Pitching Mound Logos need to go! Wasn’t it the Angels that started all this? Lord, I hope the Astros don’t do this when they open the season at home next week…

    Perhaps next year, instead of throwing out the first pitch in Washington, the President should do it in Baltimore, so the Orioles can wear their “O” alternate hats to mark the occasion. Or, he should arrange to throw out the first pitch back home in Chicago and arrange to have the Sox play the Orioles (who can wear their O hats) on opening day.

    [quote comment=”244675″]The best part of the Presidential first pitch was the Nats “link” as part of the President’s coat personalization![/quote]

    That is cool. They won’t be able to do that for, at least, the next four years. I don’t know what Mr. McCain’s middle name is, but, I don’t think either of the democrat candidates has a ‘W’ anywhere in their name.

    [quote comment=”244688″]I was more bothererd by the Nats choice of link.

    Why go with black cleats, a la the Angels, when red is such a dominant color within your uniform, even Navy for that matter?[/quote]

    Maybe they wanted a more timeless look.

    Then again, the Nats obviously feel that matching everything is over-rated, since their cap logo is at odds with everything else in their set.

    [quote comment=”244677″]Bought my first jersey a few days ago, a black Baltimore Orioles at a second hand store for $6.00, but I’m not sure of its year. It’s in GREAT condition for being in a second hand store, made by majestic, with the “MLB Genuine Merchandice” logo on it. There’s no name nor number on it too, which is good since I am not a Ripken fan. I’m having trouble pinning down its year because my sleeves has a small orange stripe around it like link, but none of the Dressed to the Nine’s jerseys have that same stripe on it. Does anyone know of an approximate year of the jersey?[/quote]

    Sounds like you got alink.

    I prefer the red Atlanta alts, but that should come as no surprise. I am torn about the blue-on-blues, though, because while they are bland an forgettable, there is also something strangely soothing about them.

    Paul, does the rule apply to me, too? Not that I would ever use such a cliche, but if I did, it wouldn’t be to prove my heterosexuality.

    As for the fitted hats, I’m guessing that they’re just a bit more snug, like fitted t-shirts. Like Sage Confucius said, we generally have smaller heads than men.

    I LOVE the Miller Park Lego stadium. What attention to detail! You should interview that guy, Paul.

    Finally, while I appreciate a mention of my favorite team ever (The All-Blacks), I am disheartened to know that they will soon have a log marring the perfection of the black jerseys. Sigh.

    P.S. Slightly off topic: Toriiiii Hunter is coming to the Dome in his first series against the Twins. I think I will be rooting for him to beat the Twins.

    The thing with the Romanian woman’s team handball team was that I’m just going through my normal daily sources and the Japanese team was making their final attempt to qualify for the Olympics, which for us would not be news, and also for me, no news. But I just saw the picture and said, it looks strange. I’m looking at baseball and soccer in Japan at more depth, but sometimes these catch your eye.

    As for the Carp jersey at the Japanese baseball hall of fame, it actually is an old uniform. Their current uniform has a different patch that says ALL IN. I can’t find any close-up shots for it other than this.
    link

    link

    [quote comment=”244701″][quote comment=”244675″]The best part of the Presidential first pitch was the Nats “link” as part of the President’s coat personalization![/quote]

    That is cool. They won’t be able to do that for, at least, the next four years. I don’t know what Mr. McCain’s middle name is, but, I don’t think either of the democrat candidates has a ‘W’ anywhere in their name.[/quote]

    Sidney.

    You’re right – no Ws in the Democratic candidates.

    [quote comment=”244674″]Paul: Love your site. But honoring the military services in San Diego is proper. There is a great in San Diego link between the city and the services (especially the Navy and Marines). This transcends politics. Perhaps alternate jerseys have gone too far in general, but if you’re going to do them, and you live in San Diego, why not honor the military?[/quote]
    Paul’s the wrong guy to convince of this …..I agree 500% myself

    P.P.S. I love the off-centered numbers on the Romanian women’s handball team (!). It’s funky!

    [quote comment=”244626″]You seriously think that unveiling an alternate uniform on opening day took something away from the fan experience in Nationals Park? Oh, that evil Schuerholz is up to his ol’ tricks again! I have a hard time believing that anyone cared that much.

    If anyone who reads this blog was at the Nationals game last night, or are Nationals fans who were watching from home, and you were offended in some way by those dastardly Braves, please prove me wrong.[/quote]

    The point is, and always will be, that alt unis are nothing but a $$ grab. A traditionalist such as myself is offended by the third, fourth, fifth (etc) jersey concept. I agree with this: if you are playing on opening day on the road, in the first game of the opponent’s new ballpark, show up in your road grays – you’ll have plenty of time to sell the blue alts later.

    [quote comment=”244674″]Paul: Love your site. But honoring the military services in San Diego is proper. There is a great in San Diego link between the city and the services (especially the Navy and Marines). This transcends politics. Perhaps alternate jerseys have gone too far in general, but if you’re going to do them, and you live in San Diego, why not honor the military?[/quote]

    I’ve heard this point made a million times, assuming it’s true (which I’ll grant you), and that it’s that damn important to the military (which I won’t), either change the name of the team or change the uniform to incorporate some sort of “tribute” year round.

    My call is that this is the exact same thing as “los Lakers”; some guy in marketing decided that there is an interest group in town that they could make some money appealing to, so they devise a promotion to make those people feel special so they come to the park, but beer, nachos etc.

    It’s patronizing, it looks awful, and it’s so bush league I can’t stand it.

    [quote comment=”244664″]”If you need to convince everyone that you’re heterosexual, at least come up with a more creative way of doing it, like by running for governor of New York or something. Thanks.”

    And if you need to convince everyone that you’re homosexual, run for governor of New Jersey![/quote]

    corzine’s a homo?

    [quote comment=”244700″]Perhaps next year, instead of throwing out the first pitch in Washington, the President should do it in Baltimore, so the Orioles can wear their “O” alternate hats to mark the occasion. Or, he should arrange to throw out the first pitch back home in Chicago and arrange to have the Sox play the Orioles (who can wear their O hats) on opening day.[/quote]

    why would mccain want to go to baltimore?

    [quote comment=”244715″][quote comment=”244664″]”If you need to convince everyone that you’re heterosexual, at least come up with a more creative way of doing it, like by running for governor of New York or something. Thanks.”

    And if you need to convince everyone that you’re homosexual, run for governor of New Jersey![/quote]

    corzine’s a homo?

    [quote comment=”244700″]Perhaps next year, instead of throwing out the first pitch in Washington, the President should do it in Baltimore, so the Orioles can wear their “O” alternate hats to mark the occasion. Or, he should arrange to throw out the first pitch back home in Chicago and arrange to have the Sox play the Orioles (who can wear their O hats) on opening day.[/quote]

    why would mccain want to go to baltimore?[/quote]
    CLASSIC

    [quote comment=”244706″][quote comment=”244677″]Bought my first jersey a few days ago, a black Baltimore Orioles at a second hand store for $6.00, but I’m not sure of its year. It’s in GREAT condition for being in a second hand store, made by majestic, with the “MLB Genuine Merchandice” logo on it. There’s no name nor number on it too, which is good since I am not a Ripken fan. I’m having trouble pinning down its year because my sleeves has a small orange stripe around it like link, but none of the Dressed to the Nine’s jerseys have that same stripe on it. Does anyone know of an approximate year of the jersey?[/quote]

    Sounds like you got alink.[/quote]

    Could be, though my jersey has a white outline under the script. Not that I mind any, it’s a nice jersey, and a STEAL at $6.00

    I don’t mind the Braves’ jerseys. They remind me of the link. I like the outline-only look and think that the Giants should start wearing those again.

    The Chiba Lotte Marines are showing off some really nutty practice uniforms this year. They’ve got one with a black-to-white gradation, which I can’t find a picture of, but here’s the link, plus link (yes, that’s Bobby V in the photo), and a link.

    The gradient jerseys really have to be seen to be believed. I can’t find them yet, but to get a feel for their outlandishness, check out Chiba’s link!

    [quote comment=”244688″]I was more bothererd by the Nats choice of link.

    Why go with black cleats, a la the Angels, when red is such a dominant color within your uniform, even Navy for that matter?[/quote]

    To me, in a perfect world, all baseball spikes would be black. It’s the classic look.

    [quote comment=”244710″][quote comment=”244701″][quote comment=”244675″]The best part of the Presidential first pitch was the Nats “link” as part of the President’s coat personalization![/quote]

    That is cool. They won’t be able to do that for, at least, the next four years. I don’t know what Mr. McCain’s middle name is, but, I don’t think either of the democrat candidates has a ‘W’ anywhere in their name.[/quote]

    Sidney.

    You’re right – no Ws in the Democratic candidates.[/quote]

    Caught that did you? I’m just having a little fun. No offense intended.

    [quote comment=”244716″][quote comment=”244715″][quote comment=”244664″]”If you need to convince everyone that you’re heterosexual, at least come up with a more creative way of doing it, like by running for governor of New York or something. Thanks.”

    And if you need to convince everyone that you’re homosexual, run for governor of New Jersey![/quote]

    corzine’s a homo?

    [quote comment=”244700″]Perhaps next year, instead of throwing out the first pitch in Washington, the President should do it in Baltimore, so the Orioles can wear their “O” alternate hats to mark the occasion. Or, he should arrange to throw out the first pitch back home in Chicago and arrange to have the Sox play the Orioles (who can wear their O hats) on opening day.[/quote]

    why would mccain want to go to baltimore?[/quote]
    CLASSIC[/quote]

    Good one LI Phil.

    Barack Obama visited PSU yesterday and was presented with a #1 PSU football jersey by PSU football player Lydell Sargeant. That definitely looks like it’s a game ready jersey, based on the shape of it. I hope there was NNOB!!!

    link

    Ok, we get it. Not everyone likes the President. At least he loves baseball and knows the game. He was in Little League and – though I can’t remember where I saw he quoted as saying such – he likes stirrups!

    Great Point. As much as people don’t like him, he is still the leader of The United States of America.

    He also participated in something that we all aspire to do, in throwing out the first pitch at a MLB game with some really cool duds on.

    I don’t think Morgan and Miller were “kissing” his ass but being respectful and admiring of a fellow baseball fan, American, and leader.

    [quote comment=”244707″]…Paul, does the rule apply to me, too? Not that I would ever use such a cliche, but if I did, it wouldn’t be to prove my heterosexuality…[/quote]

    As far as I’m concerned Minna, you can say whatever you like. I don’t think we need to censor the ladies here because they are all … well … ladies. And I think the rest of us should remember that there are ladies present (myself included of course).

    If your April travels bring you into midtown Manhattan, the New York Public Library has their link on public display until May 3.

    [quote comment=”244724″]Ok, we get it. Not everyone likes the President. At least he loves baseball and knows the game. He was in Little League and – though I can’t remember where I saw he quoted as saying such – he likes stirrups!

    Great Point. As much as people don’t like him, he is still the leader of The United States of America.

    He also participated in something that we all aspire to do, in throwing out the first pitch at a MLB game with some really cool duds on.

    I don’t think Morgan and Miller were “kissing” his ass but being respectful and admiring of a fellow baseball fan, American, and leader.[/quote]

    lest this denegrate into an anti-W thread, i agree wholeheartedly with matt…i hated..HATED…former governor mario cuomo’s POLITICS, but the man was one of the most engaging and entertaining speakers ever (just as bill clinton is)…and i had the pleasure of attending an event with him waaaaaay back in 1988…and let me tell you, he was as pleasant and rapier in his wit as anyone i’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with

    y’all may not like w’s politics, but respect the position (i’d never boo clinton or bush (or mccain in 09)–they’re the friggin president, fer chrissakes)…show some respect

    and his interview with miller & morgan wasn’t that horrible…certainly better than some MNF nightmares…they weren’t ‘kissing ass’…they were respecting the office of the president…something many national fans CLEARLY didn’t

    [quote comment=”244696″]I know that the Packers seamstress said they only get 2 jerseys per player a year, usually. Anyone know how many jerseys baseball players get on average? Or better yet, how may pairs of pants? Seems like once a game you see a nice big hole in a pair of pants, I can’t imagine they just keep sewing them up.[/quote]
    Dunno what they do these days, but back when link broke Maury Wills’ single-season stolen base record, the Cardinals displayed Brock’s uniform at Busch Stadium. Those pants had been stitched and re-stitched so many times, they looked like a bad quilt!

    I suspect MLB just replaces torn pants these days, unless some player is superstitious about a particular pair.

    [quote comment=”244730″][quote comment=”244724″]Ok, we get it. Not everyone likes the President. At least he loves baseball and knows the game. He was in Little League and – though I can’t remember where I saw he quoted as saying such – he likes stirrups!

    Great Point. As much as people don’t like him, he is still the leader of The United States of America.

    He also participated in something that we all aspire to do, in throwing out the first pitch at a MLB game with some really cool duds on.

    I don’t think Morgan and Miller were “kissing” his ass but being respectful and admiring of a fellow baseball fan, American, and leader.[/quote]

    lest this denegrate into an anti-W thread, i agree wholeheartedly with matt…i hated..HATED…former governor mario cuomo’s POLITICS, but the man was one of the most engaging and entertaining speakers ever (just as bill clinton is)…and i had the pleasure of attending an event with him waaaaaay back in 1988…and let me tell you, he was as pleasant and rapier in his wit as anyone i’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with

    y’all may not like w’s politics, but respect the position (i’d never boo clinton or bush (or mccain in 09)–they’re the friggin president, fer chrissakes)…show some respect

    and his interview with miller & morgan wasn’t that horrible…certainly better than some MNF nightmares…they weren’t ‘kissing ass’…they were respecting the office of the president…something many national fans CLEARLY didn’t[/quote]

    I’m gonna half to completly disagree with with not booing someone, just because they hold a high ranking positon. This isn’t a communist state, people should feel free to boo whoever they want. If someone’s doing a terrible job, boo em. Boo the hell out of em. In fact, I’m considering walking over to the finance department at work, right now, and start booing them.

    Was kinda funny that the only time W wasn’t completly at ease in the booth was when they asked one question with politics in mind, about steriods. Then the um’s and stutters come out. But I have to admitt, dude seems to know his baseball.

    That photo from the SI Vault is the most luscious example of ’70’s cool. Look at it: Earl Monroe. (I mean, Earl Monroe–come on!) Archie Clark and his shoes. The Big E. Gianelli’s sideburns. John Tresvant. DeBusschere back there. And of course, the brilliant Knicks uniforms. But mostly: the sweetest basketball uniform in history, the uniform that cemented my interest in sports design, the bold, colorful, too cool pop of the Baltimore Bullets fat swirls sans wordmark. Wow.

    [quote comment=”244731″]Here’s a cool shot from the Dodgers game on Saturday at the LA Colisseum:

    link

    Thank you! I had hoped at least one of these games would have been on ESPN. Memorial Colisseum really should never had baseball played there…but, aside from the on field ads, it looks like an old school game with the fans sitting so close to the field and the outfield not having odd angles.

    Concerning the picture of the Dodgers catcher wearing the brimless helmet, that looks like it could be an old Rawlings skullcap
    link
    I think they would have been around in the late 60s. The only catcher I can remember wearing one of those off the top of my head was Alex Trevino of the Mets and the Reds.

    [quote comment=”244740″]Concerning the picture of the Dodgers catcher wearing the brimless helmet, that looks like it could be an old Rawlings skullcap
    link
    I think they would have been around in the late 60s. The only catcher I can remember wearing one of those off the top of my head was Alex Trevino of the Mets and the Reds.[/quote]

    Lots of catchers wore those (Jim Sundberg comes to mind), but I didn’t realize they existed as early as 1969. Earliest photos I previously knew of are early ’70s.

    [quote comment=”244663″]“I think this is my favorite picture so far from the SI vault,” writes Jesse Spector. “I think you’ll really enjoy it too, for the little details like the red shoes, the sock stripes, and the Baltimore Clippers championship banner.”

    The worst part is that the Baltimore Arena still looks EXACTLY as it does in that photo…it’s an awful place.[/quote]
    I think that they still have the original scoreboard as well. I haven’t been there for over a decade, it was a dump then, its got to be even worse now.

    [quote comment=”244721″][quote comment=”244710″][quote comment=”244701″][quote comment=”244675″]The best part of the Presidential first pitch was the Nats “link” as part of the President’s coat personalization![/quote]

    That is cool. They won’t be able to do that for, at least, the next four years. I don’t know what Mr. McCain’s middle name is, but, I don’t think either of the democrat candidates has a ‘W’ anywhere in their name.[/quote]

    Sidney.

    You’re right – no Ws in the Democratic candidates.[/quote]

    Caught that did you? I’m just having a little fun. No offense intended.[/quote]

    Sure, I caught it. Childish namecalling always rings out loud and clear, even when you try to hide it in the guise of a joke.

    No offense intended, of course.

    [quote comment=”244737″]
    Was kinda funny that the only time W wasn’t completly at ease in the booth was when they asked one question with politics in mind, about steriods. Then the um’s and stutters come out. But I have to admitt, dude seems to know his baseball.[/quote]

    I noticed that. He actually sounded like the Commish. when he was talking about roids and when he mentioned the MLB Inner City program. I think he surprised Miller when he said that he was still a Rangers/Astros fan, and that Joe Morgan was one of his favorate Astros.

    As for those running for their party’s nomonation for President, we’ve seen McCain and Obama sporting their favort team jerseys, but we have only seen Clinton wearing Cubs and Yankees hats.

    [quote comment=”244714″][quote comment=”244674″]Paul: Love your site. But honoring the military services in San Diego is proper. There is a great in San Diego link between the city and the services (especially the Navy and Marines). This transcends politics. Perhaps alternate jerseys have gone too far in general, but if you’re going to do them, and you live in San Diego, why not honor the military?[/quote]

    I’ve heard this point made a million times, assuming it’s true (which I’ll grant you), and that it’s that damn important to the military (which I won’t), either change the name of the team or change the uniform to incorporate some sort of “tribute” year round.

    My call is that this is the exact same thing as “los Lakers”; some guy in marketing decided that there is an interest group in town that they could make some money appealing to, so they devise a promotion to make those people feel special so they come to the park, but beer, nachos etc.

    It’s patronizing, it looks awful, and it’s so bush league I can’t stand it.[/quote]
    Bingo.

    Nobody has ever been able to provide a compelling explanation as to how a bunch of millionaires playing dress-up is somehow “honoring” anybody.

    Does anybody know where I can get the exact same pair of shoes Joe Paterno is wearing in the first picture on this website.

    link

    Hey, can we get an update on the Uniwatch NCAA Tourney contest? I am guessing the highest scorer picked Davidson, Western Kentucky, Villanova, and San Diego

    [quote comment=”244751″]Does anybody know where I can get the exact same pair of shoes Joe Paterno is wearing in the first picture on this website.

    link

    One has to wonder whether once Paterno is gone (and it could be next year; perhaps the university won’t renew his contract, which is up at the end of this year), the nittany lion mascot will stop wearing black shoes and instead start wearing cat feet.

    [quote comment=”244725″]Found a picture of the Chiba gradient uniform — it’s their official road uniform this year.

    link[/quote]

    It seems to have been inspired by link character’s wardrobe!

    [quote comment=”244743″][quote comment=”244663″]“I think this is my favorite picture so far from the SI vault,” writes Jesse Spector. “I think you’ll really enjoy it too, for the little details like the red shoes, the sock stripes, and the Baltimore Clippers championship banner.”

    The worst part is that the Baltimore Arena still looks EXACTLY as it does in that photo…it’s an awful place.[/quote]
    I think that they still have the original scoreboard as well. I haven’t been there for over a decade, it was a dump then, its got to be even worse now.[/quote]
    Look, I’ve never been in the place (I’ve never been to Baltimore) but there is something I love about those old utilitarian barns–Civic Arena was built in 1961. I find great pleasure in the stadiums which have some character, some personality, some history. Sure maybe they’re a little uncomfortable, dusty, and lack contemporary conveniences, but they were built in a time when stadiums didn’t necessarily cater to corporate funders. Step into an old armory sometimes (which is what the Arena pictured reminds me of) and you get get a palpable sense of its history.

    MLK Jr. gave a speech there. The Beatles played there. As did Elvis. And Led Zep.

    I have a couple of differing opinions on the Braves’ alternates. First of all, I like them! I like the classic dark blue cap, and the the dark blue jersey (not quite navy, but a richer and deeper blue). I thought the matching-colored numbers worked in that blue color with the white trim (although I don’t like red on red, or black on black, no matter what color the trim). Just personal preference.

    Second, I will admit that the first thing I said was “Man, I gotta go get me one of them new hats!” I am an MLB marketing target, for sure …

    Third, I think there is more to the alternate uniform trend than the desire to make a buck. Traditionalists say that DiMaggio played in two uniforms, home and away. But what if he had the choice of a navy alternate jersey on Sundays, just to change things up a little bit? I daresay that none of us want to wear the same thing every day, or even every other day. Maybe the alternates are just a way to bring a little more variety into a long season.

    Was I the only one who noticed the Geico caveman was at the Nats game last night? He was sitting behind the plate for the first 3 innings or so. Anyone have a screen cap? He was about 3 or 4 rows up behind the left handed batters box

    [quote comment=”244755″][quote comment=”244751″]Does anybody know where I can get the exact same pair of shoes Joe Paterno is wearing in the first picture on this website.

    link

    One has to wonder whether once Paterno is gone (and it could be next year; perhaps the university won’t renew his contract, which is up at the end of this year), the nittany lion mascot will stop wearing black shoes and instead start wearing cat feet.[/quote]

    NEVER!

    Ok so we all know that Gordie Howe is number 9 and will always be number 9. If that is so, why did the Red Wings give him a link for his 80th birthday celebration? (I do understand it was the number he had as a rookie, but why not rededicate 9?

    And nice job by the Wings to give him a CCM jersey rather than the new Reeboks.

    [quote comment=”244760″]I have a couple of differing opinions on the Braves’ alternates. First of all, I like them! I like the classic dark blue cap, and the the dark blue jersey (not quite navy, but a richer and deeper blue). I thought the matching-colored numbers worked in that blue color with the white trim (although I don’t like red on red, or black on black, no matter what color the trim). Just personal preference.

    Second, I will admit that the first thing I said was “Man, I gotta go get me one of them new hats!” I am an MLB marketing target, for sure …

    Third, I think there is more to the alternate uniform trend than the desire to make a buck. Traditionalists say that DiMaggio played in two uniforms, home and away. But what if he had the choice of a navy alternate jersey on Sundays, just to change things up a little bit? I daresay that none of us want to wear the same thing every day, or even every other day. Maybe the alternates are just a way to bring a little more variety into a long season.[/quote]

    I appreciate the thought, but once your uniform isn’t, well, uniform, is it still a uniform, or is it just the outfit your team chose to wear that day?

    I found it odd that the Braves alts lacked the piping that all 3 of their other jerseys have. I think it makes them look kind of cheap and unofficial.

    [quote comment=”244765″]
    I appreciate the thought, but once your uniform isn’t, well, uniform, is it still a uniform, or is it just the outfit your team chose to wear that day?[/quote]

    That’s always been my thought.

    The Yankeees in navy blue on Sundays? What was I thinking?? NEVER MESS WITH THE YANKEE PINSTRIPES!!!

    mea culpa …

    [quote comment=”244757″][quote comment=”244743″][quote comment=”244663″]“I think this is my favorite picture so far from the SI vault,” writes Jesse Spector. “I think you’ll really enjoy it too, for the little details like the red shoes, the sock stripes, and the Baltimore Clippers championship banner.”

    The worst part is that the Baltimore Arena still looks EXACTLY as it does in that photo…it’s an awful place.[/quote]
    I think that they still have the original scoreboard as well. I haven’t been there for over a decade, it was a dump then, its got to be even worse now.[/quote]
    Look, I’ve never been in the place (I’ve never been to Baltimore) but there is something I love about those old utilitarian barns–Civic Arena was built in 1961. I find great pleasure in the stadiums which have some character, some personality, some history. Sure maybe they’re a little uncomfortable, dusty, and lack contemporary conveniences, but they were built in a time when stadiums didn’t necessarily cater to corporate funders. Step into an old armory sometimes (which is what the Arena pictured reminds me of) and you get get a palpable sense of its history.

    MLK Jr. gave a speech there. The Beatles played there. As did Elvis. And Led Zep.[/quote]

    I could not agree more with this!

    Old Civic Arena’s were usually flawed, sometimes deeply. But they had character and were always immediately recognizable. I appreciate the modern arena’s and their better sight lines and conveniences, but I miss old barns like Chicago Stadium, Boston Garden, Hemisfair Arena, the Mid South Coliseum (which is still around), the Checkerdome, etc.

    Am I the only one who thinks the interlocking DC is far superior to the Wario W?

    [quote comment=”244751″]Does anybody know where I can get the exact same pair of shoes Joe Paterno is wearing in the first picture on this website.

    link

    You can get a pair if you back to 1962.

    [quote comment=”244700″]Perhaps next year, instead of throwing out the first pitch in Washington, the President should do it in Baltimore, so the Orioles can wear their “O” alternate hats to mark the occasion. Or, he should arrange to throw out the first pitch back home in Chicago and arrange to have the Sox play the Orioles (who can wear their O hats) on opening day.[/quote]

    Speaking of Obama, I was at the NY Auto Show yesterday, and I saw a kid with a t-shirt from obamaofdreams. He should’ve put that on Ebay!

    [quote comment=”244764″]Ok so we all know that Gordie Howe is number 9 and will always be number 9. If that is so, why did the Red Wings give him a link for his 80th birthday celebration? (I do understand it was the number he had as a rookie, but why not rededicate 9?

    And nice job by the Wings to give him a CCM jersey rather than the new Reeboks.[/quote]

    They presented him with the gamesheet from his first NHL game under the jersey (which you can see below the jersey). He wore #17 in his rookie season, and is listed as #17 on the gamesheet.

    [quote comment=”244760″]Maybe the alternates are just a way to bring a little more variety into a long season.[/quote]

    Or maybe they’re just about moving some product at the cash register. C’mon, hasn’t it occurred to you that the rise of alt uniforms corresponds with the rise of the licensed merchandise?

    And here’s something to consider: For the most part, the people who buy jerseys are young-ish — the 35-and-under demographic. So when a team introduces a new jersey in the hopes of moving some product, it’s basically tailoring its look to appeal to only a certain subset of its fan base. I think that’s really sad. THere’s nothing wrong with youth appeal, natch, but baseball is supposed to be for EVERYONE….

    Ironically, after calling out CBS for misspelling Xavier, you misspelled Pirates in the blurb about the Pirates/Twins spring training game.

    But I think that the point of a uniform is to look uniform as a team, and not necessarily to look uniform from game to game. I think alts should adhere to a team “style.” The Atlanta A on the cap is recognizable and almost iconic. The Atlanta script across the front of the jersey fits the tradition, even though it was in blue and not red or white. And of course the iconic tomahawk emphatically says “Braves baseball.”

    Hey, look at that, a properly done heritage day. If the Pistons were to honor their (significant) Jewish fanbase, we’d probably just get “HaPistons”. I have no idea what the hebrew for Pistons is (there’s a decent chance it’s Pistons, but with a long o (Hebrew as a conversational language basically began (for the first time in the post-biblical age anyways) not too long after the birth of the Zionist movement, and really after the birth of Israel, so, many words like that are just borrowed from English), but, I can’t imagine a team in a major league actually changing the character set their jerseys are in.

    On second thought, its Probably “Pistoneem”, much like Cyclones becomes “Tzycloneem”.

    Sorry about the triple post, but, now that I look at it, I’m a little disappointed to report that that hat just looks like a Hebrew-looking B as opposed to a Bet.

    Many uniwatchers will delight that the boys in Oregon got tweaked yesterday. Darren Rovell reports in his sports biz column that Tyler Hansbrough appeared in a post game interview wearing an Under Armour shirt! Since Nike only has NC in the Final Four they probably weren’t too happy about that.

    Here’s the blurb from his column and the link:

    “Nike has one school–North Carolina (Jordan Brand)–of the four Final Four teams, with Kansas, UCLA and Memphis wearing the adidas logo.

    So there had to be some pretty crazy e-mails going around Beaverton, Ore., yesterday when North Carolina’s star center Tyler Hansbrough appeared on an interview that aired at halftime of the Kansas-Davidson game on CBS last night. Hansbrough was somehow wearing an UnderArmor shirt. The university is in the midst of a eight-year contract that runs through the 2009-10 season that compensates the school $28.3 million (about $18 million of the deal is the amount of gear the company gives them). So how did Hansbrough ever show up with an Under Armour shirt?

    Well, we have no idea how any North Carolina official ever allowed the junior to actually sit in front of a camera with the shirt on–it’s idiocy considering that it’s Michael Jordan’s school and it’s Final Four time. We do know, however, how Hansbrough got his hand on the shirt. You see, the good old guerilla marketers at Under Armour did a sponsorship deal with the ACC. Any championship team of the ACC got a championship T-shirt courtesy of Under Armour.

    So when North Carolina beat Clemson on March 16, Tyler Hansbrough got his spanking new Under Armour ACC championship T-shirt. Given how business is these days, you’d think the folks at UNC would remind these guys to keep shirts like these to wear with their pajamas or give them to their college friends who are not on the basketball team. But to break them out for national television interviews? And for it to slip through the cracks? We bet someone is hearing it today.

    Link: link

    It’d be dandy if the Washington Nationals alternated primary uniform between red and blue, depending on which party is currently holding the Presidency.

    [quote comment=”244720″][quote comment=”244688″]I was more bothererd by the Nats choice of link.

    Why go with black cleats, a la the Angels, when red is such a dominant color within your uniform, even Navy for that matter?[/quote]

    To me, in a perfect world, all baseball spikes would be black. It’s the classic look.[/quote]

    And it’s only been semi-recently (since Marge Schott) that the Reds had a policy that shoes had to be all black, with the white stripes (i.e., Adidas, Puma, et. al.) blacked out as well.

    Ah, the good ol’ days. Now what channel is Matlock on?

    [quote comment=”244778″]But I think that the point of a uniform is to look uniform as a team, and not necessarily to look uniform from game to game. I think alts should adhere to a team “style.” The Atlanta A on the cap is recognizable and almost iconic. The Atlanta script across the front of the jersey fits the tradition, even though it was in blue and not red or white. And of course the iconic tomahawk emphatically says “Braves baseball.”[/quote]

    i totally agree with you on the “uniform” sentiment, although some feel that one alt is one too many

    i may be in the minority in THIS belief, however, that despite the tops matching the bottoms, that does NOT A UNIFORM make…

    i feel (and again, i’ll get beat up for this) that the team should pick ONE STYLE, whether it be high pants with socks (or god forbid real stirrups-that would be asking too much)…low pants (which i hate)…baggy (also hate) or tight fitting…whatever…and have EVERYONE wear the uniform of that day THAT WAY…

    none of this some guys with the high pant, some mannyish…some tight and some baggy…to me…THAT looks ragtag…and NOT uniform

    as for the alts…gotta agree with those who feel it’s “just a marketing ploy” but one which i’ve come to accept (although not one with which i necessary agree)…but also…DON’T WEAR YOUR ALTS at your opponent’s home opener in a nationally televised game in a brand spanking new stadium…just…don’t

    [quote comment=”244784″]It’d be dandy if the Washington Nationals alternated primary uniform between red and blue, depending on which party is currently holding the Presidency.[/quote]

    So you don’t like the red ones much and expect to not be seeing them again for a long time?

    [quote comment=”244766″]I found it odd that the Braves alts lacked the piping that all 3 of their other jerseys have. I think it makes them look kind of cheap and unofficial.[/quote]

    The lack of their unattractive usual piping is what i dug about the new threads. the blue on blue looked good, without the red…no stripes on the sleeve, perfect. it was a good looking jersey. and the hat is far superior to the two toner. i hope they wear the blue alts often.

    [quote comment=”244662″]those mets jerseys look like the Giants home jerseys just without the giants logo and the words new york instead. anyone else think it looks like the mets may have just done that?[/quote]

    Nah, The Giants piping is link, not single stripe. Plus the Giants jerseys have piping at the neck and on the edge of the sleeve cuff, linkwere wearing.

    [quote comment=”244795″]NFL.com still uses the old logo for their favicon.[/quote]

    And in the scouting combine logo, and in the NFL Network logo on the league’s main page. So I guess they have some loose ends on the re-branding.

    [quote comment=”244693″][quote comment=”244632″]Oye. More Bush-bashing. Gee, you don’t get enough of that these days.[/quote]
    Too bad. Only 9 1/2 more months and you won’t have to hear it any more.

    How is nobody mentioning that Bush got mercilessly booed?

    Johnny Miller and Joe Morgan still instinctively kissed his ass, though…[/quote]

    Well, the Prez’ approval rating is still hanging around 24 percent … almost Spitzeresque!

    [quote comment=”244727″]Wait, I linked the wrong one.

    link[/quote]

    Holy kronk!

    This one should go in The Panthon Of Ugly!

    Those Lego baseball stadiums are sick.
    If anyone is interested in my uni-watching from an amateur, please check out my column link. This week I am talking about those new U.S. soccer road jerseys. Go link to find my archive of previous columns and feel free to troll around our site, it would help out some college kids trying to write about sports.

    [quote comment=”244730″][quote comment=”244724″]Ok, we get it. Not everyone likes the President. At least he loves baseball and knows the game. He was in Little League and – though I can’t remember where I saw he quoted as saying such – he likes stirrups!

    Great Point. As much as people don’t like him, he is still the leader of The United States of America.

    He also participated in something that we all aspire to do, in throwing out the first pitch at a MLB game with some really cool duds on.

    I don’t think Morgan and Miller were “kissing” his ass but being respectful and admiring of a fellow baseball fan, American, and leader.[/quote]

    lest this denegrate into an anti-W thread, i agree wholeheartedly with matt…i hated..HATED…former governor mario cuomo’s POLITICS, but the man was one of the most engaging and entertaining speakers ever (just as bill clinton is)…and i had the pleasure of attending an event with him waaaaaay back in 1988…and let me tell you, he was as pleasant and rapier in his wit as anyone i’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with

    y’all may not like w’s politics, but respect the position (i’d never boo clinton or bush (or mccain in 09)–they’re the friggin president, fer chrissakes)…show some respect

    and his interview with miller & morgan wasn’t that horrible…certainly better than some MNF nightmares…they weren’t ‘kissing ass’…they were respecting the office of the president…something many national fans CLEARLY didn’t[/quote]

    Well said.

    And can I just say that I love the delicious irony that the day Paul instructs us to avoid “totally lazy, stupid, and depressingly predictable” comments (at the risk of being banished — banished! — from UniWatch) he liberally takes a few depressingly predictable shots at the president and San Diego’s military tributes.

    Yeah, yeah, I know: his blog, I’m free to read elsewhere, blah, blah, blah. At least I didn’t mention the swimsuits.

    [quote comment=”244714″][quote comment=”244674″]Paul: Love your site. But honoring the military services in San Diego is proper. There is a great in San Diego link between the city and the services (especially the Navy and Marines). This transcends politics. Perhaps alternate jerseys have gone too far in general, but if you’re going to do them, and you live in San Diego, why not honor the military?[/quote]

    I’ve heard this point made a million times, assuming it’s true (which I’ll grant you), and that it’s that damn important to the military (which I won’t), either change the name of the team or change the uniform to incorporate some sort of “tribute” year round.

    My call is that this is the exact same thing as “los Lakers”; some guy in marketing decided that there is an interest group in town that they could make some money appealing to, so they devise a promotion to make those people feel special so they come to the park, but beer, nachos etc.

    It’s patronizing, it looks awful, and it’s so bush league I can’t stand it.[/quote]

    Actually you would be wrong…the group they are appealing to receives free tickets and refreshments for the games. This is a great tribute…couldnt disagree with you more.

    [quote comment=”244730″][quote comment=”244724″]Ok, we get it. Not everyone likes the President. At least he loves baseball and knows the game. He was in Little League and – though I can’t remember where I saw he quoted as saying such – he likes stirrups!

    Great Point. As much as people don’t like him, he is still the leader of The United States of America.

    He also participated in something that we all aspire to do, in throwing out the first pitch at a MLB game with some really cool duds on.

    I don’t think Morgan and Miller were “kissing” his ass but being respectful and admiring of a fellow baseball fan, American, and leader.[/quote]

    lest this denegrate into an anti-W thread, i agree wholeheartedly with matt…i hated..HATED…former governor mario cuomo’s POLITICS, but the man was one of the most engaging and entertaining speakers ever (just as bill clinton is)…and i had the pleasure of attending an event with him waaaaaay back in 1988…and let me tell you, he was as pleasant and rapier in his wit as anyone i’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with

    y’all may not like w’s politics, but respect the position (i’d never boo clinton or bush (or mccain in 09)–they’re the friggin president, fer chrissakes)…show some respect

    and his interview with miller & morgan wasn’t that horrible…certainly better than some MNF nightmares…they weren’t ‘kissing ass’…they were respecting the office of the president…something many national fans CLEARLY didn’t[/quote]
    I think that people of importance and in power should be in the BIGGEST position to get booed. If they’re doing a bang up job, it’s one of our ways of letting them know (since we’re obviously too stupid to vote him out after a first term). I have no respect for a man that has severely damaged the country in many ways.

    However, he does know baseball, and like has been said before I think he could have been a MLB commish. It’s too bad he didn’t stick with that…then we could have a smart man (Al Gore) running the nation, and a un-polarizing figure (when it comes to baseball) running the MLB.

    All it takes is one visiting pitcher to “doctor up” that mound logo and they’ll probably go away for good.

    [quote comment=”244776″][quote comment=”244760″]Maybe the alternates are just a way to bring a little more variety into a long season.[/quote]

    Or maybe they’re just about moving some product at the cash register. C’mon, hasn’t it occurred to you that the rise of alt uniforms corresponds with the rise of the licensed merchandise?

    And here’s something to consider: For the most part, the people who buy jerseys are young-ish — the 35-and-under demographic. So when a team introduces a new jersey in the hopes of moving some product, it’s basically tailoring its look to appeal to only a certain subset of its fan base. I think that’s really sad. THere’s nothing wrong with youth appeal, natch, but baseball is supposed to be for EVERYONE….[/quote]

    I agree, Mr. Lukas. I think the primary purpose IS to garner more lucre for the MLB (can you imagine? were it not for the sales of alternate Sunday throwback caps and home alternate 5th-Saturday of the month jersies, some poor third string catcher might have to settle for only $5.5M per year rather than $6M!)

    But I think the alternates bring a little more variety into the game for the players as well as the fans. I have been around high school baseball for years now as a coach and assistant coach. The kids really enjoy putting on the “other jersies”. Maybe the big league kids do, too!

    And another thing … have there been any studies on the effects of wearing alternate jersies on winning percentages? Do the Mets win more in traditional unis or the blacks? I know the Rockies last year almost refused to change out of their black jersies last fall when they went on their tear through October. Any other teams that play better in their alts than their traditionals?

    [quote comment=”244813″][quote comment=”244714″][quote comment=”244674″]Paul: Love your site. But honoring the military services in San Diego is proper. There is a great in San Diego link between the city and the services (especially the Navy and Marines). This transcends politics. Perhaps alternate jerseys have gone too far in general, but if you’re going to do them, and you live in San Diego, why not honor the military?[/quote]

    I’ve heard this point made a million times, assuming it’s true (which I’ll grant you), and that it’s that damn important to the military (which I won’t), either change the name of the team or change the uniform to incorporate some sort of “tribute” year round.

    My call is that this is the exact same thing as “los Lakers”; some guy in marketing decided that there is an interest group in town that they could make some money appealing to, so they devise a promotion to make those people feel special so they come to the park, but beer, nachos etc.

    It’s patronizing, it looks awful, and it’s so bush league I can’t stand it.[/quote]

    Actually you would be wrong…the group they are appealing to receives free tickets and refreshments for the games. This is a great tribute…couldnt disagree with you more.[/quote]

    A lot of teams have days when veterans get in free, etc etc, they’re called promotions, there’s a different one every day. Doens’t mean they need to make their uniforms ugly, just another stupid excuse to sell more jerseys to idiots that like wearing camo on a daily basis. Camo isn’t a good look, it’s menat to help conceal you in combat(or hunting, if you’re into that sorta thing), it’s utilitarian. Hopefully I’ll have some great party to go to on the 4th so I won’t have to watch the White Sox look equally ridiculous. As a bonus I’ll get to hear Stoney call the game, take that Cubs fans!

    [quote comment=”244813″][quote comment=”244714″][quote comment=”244674″]Paul: Love your site. But honoring the military services in San Diego is proper. There is a great in San Diego link between the city and the services (especially the Navy and Marines). This transcends politics. Perhaps alternate jerseys have gone too far in general, but if you’re going to do them, and you live in San Diego, why not honor the military?[/quote]

    I’ve heard this point made a million times, assuming it’s true (which I’ll grant you), and that it’s that damn important to the military (which I won’t), either change the name of the team or change the uniform to incorporate some sort of “tribute” year round.

    My call is that this is the exact same thing as “los Lakers”; some guy in marketing decided that there is an interest group in town that they could make some money appealing to, so they devise a promotion to make those people feel special so they come to the park, but beer, nachos etc.

    It’s patronizing, it looks awful, and it’s so bush league I can’t stand it.[/quote]

    Actually you would be wrong…the group they are appealing to receives free tickets and refreshments for the games. This is a great tribute…couldnt disagree with you more.[/quote]

    Let’s assume for a second your right, and the entire Navy Yard gets iin for free one night. What’s the need for the ugly jersey? Isn’t the gesture sufficient without superficially calling attention to it?

    [quote comment=”244815″][quote comment=”244730″][quote comment=”244724″]Ok, we get it. Not everyone likes the President. At least he loves baseball and knows the game. He was in Little League and – though I can’t remember where I saw he quoted as saying such – he likes stirrups!

    Great Point. As much as people don’t like him, he is still the leader of The United States of America.

    He also participated in something that we all aspire to do, in throwing out the first pitch at a MLB game with some really cool duds on.

    I don’t think Morgan and Miller were “kissing” his ass but being respectful and admiring of a fellow baseball fan, American, and leader.[/quote]

    lest this denegrate into an anti-W thread, i agree wholeheartedly with matt…i hated..HATED…former governor mario cuomo’s POLITICS, but the man was one of the most engaging and entertaining speakers ever (just as bill clinton is)…and i had the pleasure of attending an event with him waaaaaay back in 1988…and let me tell you, he was as pleasant and rapier in his wit as anyone i’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with

    y’all may not like w’s politics, but respect the position (i’d never boo clinton or bush (or mccain in 09)–they’re the friggin president, fer chrissakes)…show some respect

    and his interview with miller & morgan wasn’t that horrible…certainly better than some MNF nightmares…they weren’t ‘kissing ass’…they were respecting the office of the president…something many national fans CLEARLY didn’t[/quote]
    I think that people of importance and in power should be in the BIGGEST position to get booed. If they’re doing a bang up job, it’s one of our ways of letting them know (since we’re obviously too stupid to vote him out after a first term). I have no respect for a man that has severely damaged the country in many ways.

    However, he does know baseball, and like has been said before I think he could have been a MLB commish. It’s too bad he didn’t stick with that…then we could have a smart man (Al Gore) running the nation, and a un-polarizing figure (when it comes to baseball) running the MLB.[/quote]

    Where is that global warming Al. It’s 10 degrees under the normal here. I want warmth I hate the cold. That is the inconvenient truth.

    [quote comment=”244823″]
    Where is that global warming Al. It’s 10 degrees under the normal here. I want warmth I hate the cold. That is the inconvenient truth.[/quote]

    Political shots are fair game, but if anything “10 degrees below normal” does more to bolster Gore’s claims than yours….

    So I was thinking about yesterday’s topic about the winners of final four getting those god awful t-shirts and hats. Now I know the reason why they have BASEBALL hats for the champions for any sport is to sell them to their fans, but this weekend the NCAA had the perfect chance to do something different and special.
    How about instead of going to with the same old ‘I’ll wear it once and put it on a shelf’ final four baseball hat, the winners received t-shirts and cowboy hats! Because after all they are headed to San Antonio. Sure people would be less likely to wear the them, but they would be for sure a collectors item.

    [quote comment=”244825″][quote comment=”244823″]
    Where is that global warming Al. It’s 10 degrees under the normal here. I want warmth I hate the cold. That is the inconvenient truth.[/quote]

    Political shots are fair game, but if anything “10 degrees below normal” does more to bolster Gore’s claims than yours….[/quote]

    Global warming is makes it warmer not colder

    [quote comment=”244811″]I love the delicious irony that the day Paul instructs us to avoid “totally lazy, stupid, and depressingly predictable” comments (at the risk of being banished — banished! — from UniWatch) he liberally takes a few depressingly predictable shots at the president and San Diego’s military tributes.[/quote]

    Maybe I’m missing something (wouldn’t be the first time), but did I mention anything at all today about San Diego, the military, camouflage, etc.? I’m not joking — is there something buried in the Ticker that I forgot about?

    Or is someone just trying to pick a fight based on nothing at all?

    [quote comment=”244827″][quote comment=”244825″][quote comment=”244823″]
    Where is that global warming Al. It’s 10 degrees under the normal here. I want warmth I hate the cold. That is the inconvenient truth.[/quote]

    Political shots are fair game, but if anything “10 degrees below normal” does more to bolster Gore’s claims than yours….[/quote]

    Global warming is makes it warmer not colder[/quote]
    “Global warming” is poor layman’s shorthand for climate change, which includes swings both ways.

    Even if you want to disagree that link, you can’t pretend that it doesn’t exist.

    [quote comment=”244823″][quote comment=”244815″][quote comment=”244730″][quote comment=”244724″]Ok, we get it. Not everyone likes the President. At least he loves baseball and knows the game. He was in Little League and – though I can’t remember where I saw he quoted as saying such – he likes stirrups!

    Great Point. As much as people don’t like him, he is still the leader of The United States of America.

    He also participated in something that we all aspire to do, in throwing out the first pitch at a MLB game with some really cool duds on.

    I don’t think Morgan and Miller were “kissing” his ass but being respectful and admiring of a fellow baseball fan, American, and leader.[/quote]

    lest this denegrate into an anti-W thread, i agree wholeheartedly with matt…i hated..HATED…former governor mario cuomo’s POLITICS, but the man was one of the most engaging and entertaining speakers ever (just as bill clinton is)…and i had the pleasure of attending an event with him waaaaaay back in 1988…and let me tell you, he was as pleasant and rapier in his wit as anyone i’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with

    y’all may not like w’s politics, but respect the position (i’d never boo clinton or bush (or mccain in 09)–they’re the friggin president, fer chrissakes)…show some respect

    and his interview with miller & morgan wasn’t that horrible…certainly better than some MNF nightmares…they weren’t ‘kissing ass’…they were respecting the office of the president…something many national fans CLEARLY didn’t[/quote]
    I think that people of importance and in power should be in the BIGGEST position to get booed. If they’re doing a bang up job, it’s one of our ways of letting them know (since we’re obviously too stupid to vote him out after a first term). I have no respect for a man that has severely damaged the country in many ways.

    However, he does know baseball, and like has been said before I think he could have been a MLB commish. It’s too bad he didn’t stick with that…then we could have a smart man (Al Gore) running the nation, and a un-polarizing figure (when it comes to baseball) running the MLB.[/quote]

    Where is that global warming Al. It’s 10 degrees under the normal here. I want warmth I hate the cold. That is the inconvenient truth.[/quote]

    Thanks for the comments, Carl Evert…..enlighten us more.

    I actually liked the Braves solid color hat, however, I agree that the jerseys were ugly. For whatever reason they looked like pajamas to me.

    I’m really not a fan of alternate jerseys at all though and am glad my team (the Cubs) decided to get rid of them before the 2007 season. All they are is a way for teams to make a few extra dollars. Whites at home and grays on the road. Timeless.

    [quote comment=”244726″][quote comment=”244707″]…Paul, does the rule apply to me, too? Not that I would ever use such a cliche, but if I did, it wouldn’t be to prove my heterosexuality…[/quote]

    As far as I’m concerned Minna, you can say whatever you like. I don’t think we need to censor the ladies here because they are all … well … ladies. And I think the rest of us should remember that there are ladies present (myself included of course).[/quote]

    Ahem….. DOUBLE STANDARD

    From the ticker:
    “Padres news from Brian Hilemon, who writes: ‘CEO Sandy Alderson stated during his weekly radio chat that next season the Pads will have uniform designs to honor not only the Marines but other branches of the military as well.’ Jesus Christ, why don’t they just put mosquito netting over the stadium, make fans salute when they go through the turnstiles, and install David Petraeus in the manager’s office already.

    how surprising, a mets fan bashing the braves (of course i’m joking)..but as a lifelong braves fan i loved the new alts. the blue on blue “atlanta” script looks great, however i think solid white numbers would have looked better.

    Slight change to the Royals unis for 2008. The logo patch is no longer on a white background, but cut to the shape of the logo. I’m not completely sure, but I think they had nameplates last year and they are gone.

    No cool-flow (yea!), blue shoes & belts (we knew that) but I am a little disappointed the same old, make-up-our-own New Era cap logo is still around after the BP caps changed to the more logo consistent mark. The New Era logo inconsistency always bugged me and now so much more that they proved that they know the difference.

    [quote comment=”244834″][quote comment=”244726″][quote comment=”244707″]…Paul, does the rule apply to me, too? Not that I would ever use such a cliche, but if I did, it wouldn’t be to prove my heterosexuality…[/quote]

    As far as I’m concerned Minna, you can say whatever you like. I don’t think we need to censor the ladies here because they are all … well … ladies. And I think the rest of us should remember that there are ladies present (myself included of course).[/quote]

    Ahem….. DOUBLE STANDARD[/quote]

    On a page that is read by considerably more males than females on any given day, I’ll point out that there were no comments or dog-whistles made by the women on the male Speedo model’s rather obvious showcase.

    While I tend to scoff at those who allow double standards, I suggest being more mature than you let on.

    Or, in other words, follow the female lead in here. Otherwise, don’t read and don’t comment.

    [quote comment=”244833″]I actually liked the Braves solid color hat, however, I agree that the jerseys were ugly. For whatever reason they looked like pajamas to me.

    I’m really not a fan of alternate jerseys at all though and am glad my team (the Cubs) decided to get rid of them before the 2007 season. All they are is a way for teams to make a few extra dollars. Whites at home and grays on the road. Timeless.[/quote]

    I’d agree…..mostly. The White Sox have thrown in their Black alternate for years, and I’ve always liked it. But, that being said, it wouldn’t break my heart to see it go. Especially since the they have the best gray’s in the league.

    I’m kind of surprised that Paul doesn’t seem to like alternate uniforms. I guess I can understand why, but if every team only had 2 uniforms there would sure be a lot less to write about…

    [quote comment=”244835″]From the ticker:
    “Padres news from Brian Hilemon, who writes: ‘CEO Sandy Alderson stated during his weekly radio chat that next season the Pads will have uniform designs to honor not only the Marines but other branches of the military as well.’ Jesus Christ, why don’t they just put mosquito netting over the stadium, make fans salute when they go through the turnstiles, and install David Petraeus in the manager’s office already.[/quote]

    Oh, that. See, that’s what happens sometimes during weekends — I added that to my Ticker file on Friday and had forgotten all about it by today (somewhat embarrassing, but it happens). Thanks for the reminder.

    [quote comment=”244837″]Slight change to the Royals unis for 2008. The logo patch is no longer on a white background, but cut to the shape of the logo. I’m not completely sure, but I think they had nameplates last year and they are gone.[/quote]

    Good eye! I had heard something was up with the patch this year but hadn’t figured out what it was.

    [quote comment=”244771″][quote comment=”244757″][quote comment=”244743″][quote comment=”244663″]“I think this is my favorite picture so far from the SI vault,” writes Jesse Spector. “I think you’ll really enjoy it too, for the little details like the red shoes, the sock stripes, and the Baltimore Clippers championship banner.”

    The worst part is that the Baltimore Arena still looks EXACTLY as it does in that photo…it’s an awful place.[/quote]
    I think that they still have the original scoreboard as well. I haven’t been there for over a decade, it was a dump then, its got to be even worse now.[/quote]
    Look, I’ve never been in the place (I’ve never been to Baltimore) but there is something I love about those old utilitarian barns–Civic Arena was built in 1961. I find great pleasure in the stadiums which have some character, some personality, some history. Sure maybe they’re a little uncomfortable, dusty, and lack contemporary conveniences, but they were built in a time when stadiums didn’t necessarily cater to corporate funders. Step into an old armory sometimes (which is what the Arena pictured reminds me of) and you get get a palpable sense of its history.

    MLK Jr. gave a speech there. The Beatles played there. As did Elvis. And Led Zep.[/quote]

    I could not agree more with this!

    Old Civic Arena’s were usually flawed, sometimes deeply. But they had character and were always immediately recognizable. I appreciate the modern arena’s and their better sight lines and conveniences, but I miss old barns like Chicago Stadium, Boston Garden, Hemisfair Arena, the Mid South Coliseum (which is still around), the Checkerdome, etc.[/quote]

    I really think it is a case by case situation.

    Example – Cole Field house…built in 1955 and when it saw it’s final year (2002) the bathrooms were atrocious and it would get to be at least 110 degrees in there, but all of the sight-lines were magnificent, you felt on top of the action and it was deafly loud when the Terps played. They replaced it with Comcast Center and while it is a beautiful place, it has no character at all. I wish they would have put the money back into Cole.

    The Baltimore Arena however…when it opened in 1962 it was already a dinosaur. It truly is a miserable place to view an event..I grew up watching the Baltimore Blast there, and I’ve seen concerts, wrestling, hockey and indoor football there, so I know the place like the back of my hand. Unless you have a centered section seat you will be facing the complete wrong direction of any of the action forcing you to have to look over rows of people…terrible sigh-lines. Events have stopped coming there and new events will not consider coming. The Bullets used to play a game there every year that I would always go to, but the place is such a dump that they haven’t been back in years. It needs to go.

    Trust me, with Romanian women, the more logos on the uni the better. Please don’t ban me!

    [quote comment=”244680″][quote comment=”244671″]Being a Braves fan I love the old/new hats but I wasn’t really a fan of the blue numbers on the back but I’ll live. Anyways, ive searched mlb.com and other places but can’t find the new hats. I know the braves postponed the release of the catalog but anybody seen where they are for sale yet?[/quote]

    Interestingly, link includes the following: “Beginning Monday, fans will be able to purchase these special navy jerseys and cap through the Braves Catalog and at the Braves Clubhouse Stores at CNN Center and Turner Field.” No mention of them being available on MLB.com, which seems very odd.[/quote]

    Yeah, that’s crap. Not all Braves fans live in Atlanta (or even downtown Atlanta). To promote a mail-order catalog over the internet seems like a not-so-smart idea. Guys, the internet, it’s kind of a big deal, and it’s kinda the way people, uh, buy stuff, like sports merchandise, ya know.

    All Reds players and coaches are wearing jersey #41 with the name Nuxhall on the back for the team introductions at Opening Day. Aaron Harang will be the only one wearing it during the game. The rest of the team will change to their own numbers. No pics yet, but I will keep looking.

    Just heard on the radio that the Reds are paying tribute to Joe Nuxhall on Opening Day by having every person in uniform wear Joe’s name and number 41 on their backs.

    The jerseys will be auctioned off to benefit the Nuxhall Foundation for the Young.

    Great tribute to a great man.

    I don’t think that MLB is going to allow the Reds to wear them during the game however. Figures.

    The Brewers are trying to do link to keep warm in the rainy/windy city this afternoon. And on a day when it is about 50 degrees, why in the world are the Crew wearing link

    I think people missed the part of my post that said “Not that I would ever use such a cliche,” in my little joke at Paul about me being able to comment on the lack of a uniform on a comely female athlete and whether it would be an attempt to prove my masculinity (or not).

    I have read this blog since the inception, and I cannot recall any women making crude comments–all five or ten of us who post. Granted, I will make a mildly risque post about the pulchritude of, say, Ed Hochulis or Troy P., but it’s usually with more panache than just saying, “Ooooooh, big ones!” I highly doubt anyone has to worry about the distaff members of the blog getting all raunchy–we save that for when you guys are not around.

    I think the alternative jerseys are popping up so frequently because there are people who HAVE to have every uni of their favorite team, no matter how silly. More money for the corporate coffers. I think all the ‘honorings’ that go on in sports are basically well-meaning in theory, but cold, hard, money-grabbing schemes in reality. One home, one road, one alt. That is what I would prefer.

    As for booing the president–we, as common people have limited ways to show our displeasure for those running our country. While I probably wouldn’t boo the president (because I am not a big booer), I would CERTAINLY hold a sign in a protest against him–which is essentially the same thing. I don’t agree that we have to respect the president because of his position–we live in a theoretically democratic country in which people nominally have to earn respect. At least, that’s what I was taught in school (which was eons ago). Maybe it’s different now.

    Had to comment on what happened at the L.A. Coliseum on Saturday. I thought it was as awesome as the “Civil Rights” Game was disappointing. Just the thought of the logistics in making the modern Coliseum a reproduction of the 1958 Coliseum made it a tough project and the Dodgers and MLB pulled it off with a lot of class and a bit of much needed spontaneity. Thumbs up MLB! Now for Christ’s sake, make plans for the teams playing in the 2009 Civil Rights game to wear some kick ass Negro League unis. Ebbets Field Flannels is very good at this. Give them a call.

    that new ballpark looks awesome. i like the new blue alts for atlanta. Maybe it should be white script with red around it? check out my website on hockey uniforms here (ITS NOT DONE!):

    [quote comment=”244858″]Just heard on the radio that the Reds are paying tribute to Joe Nuxhall on Opening Day by having every person in uniform wear Joe’s name and number 41 on their backs.

    The jerseys will be auctioned off to benefit the Nuxhall Foundation for the Young.

    Great tribute to a great man.

    I don’t think that MLB is going to allow the Reds to wear them during the game however. Figures.[/quote]

    He might have been a great man, but I think this is a lousy tribute. Numbers are there for a reason. Not to make a statement.

    Good for baseball if they put a stop to this.

    Or maybe they’re just about moving some product at the cash register. C’mon, hasn’t it occurred to you that the rise of alt uniforms corresponds with the rise of the licensed merchandise?

    If we assume that’s the case… Would you say the alternate jerseys of the 70’s were about moving a product? Actual opinion of those jerseys put aside, I have to think back then it was as a genuine attempt then to have some difference.

    I’m sure this has probably been mentioned already so hopefully no one will get worked up about it, but has anyone purchased MLB 2K8 and downloaded the CoolBase uniforms? Huge disappointment, on the Mets side anyway.

    The game defaults with the Mets home unis (pinstripes with blue caps; Paul should be pleased) and road grays. They also have the alternate black home tops and two unlockables: 1983 home unis (with the racing stripes on the sides) and 1983 alternate road unis (the blue tops with gray-ish “Mets” on the front).

    You can go on XBox Live and download additional unis for free, so I did. Here’s what they offered on the Mets: their spring-training/batting practice unis. The caps, though, don’t have the side “vents” that are hated by so many (it’s hit and miss; I played one game against the Yankees with their batting practice unis and their caps did have the vents), and the CoolBase uniform is a huge clusterf- – -:Their black road tops (which is correct), but paired with pinstriped pants, blue belts, and blue caps, a combination the Mets have never worn. To top it off, the “snow white” unis (which José Reyes is pictured wearing on the front) are nowhere to be found in the game, and the two-tone batting helmets have an orange NY on the front instead of the correct tri-color logo.

    Now I know there are going to be some folks out there who are probably going to say “it’s the Mets, who cares?” or “those black jerseys are hideous; who cares?”, but this could just as easily be any team, and I think that if you’re going to have a license for a game, you need to make sure that certain areas are taken care of, like correct uniforms for every team.

    [quote comment=”244871″]Or maybe they’re just about moving some product at the cash register. C’mon, hasn’t it occurred to you that the rise of alt uniforms corresponds with the rise of the licensed merchandise?

    If we assume that’s the case… Would you say the alternate jerseys of the 70’s were about moving a product? Actual opinion of those jerseys put aside, I have to think back then it was as a genuine attempt then to have some difference.[/quote]
    Maybe then it was. But how many teams actually had alternate jerseys in the 1970s?

    [quote]I think the alternative jerseys are popping up so frequently because there are people who HAVE to have every uni of their favorite team, no matter how silly.[/quote]

    or perhaps because of their alternative lifestyles?

    ;)

    anyhoo…i should perhaps amend my earlier comment about ‘respect the office’ (in regard to not ‘booing’ the president)…thank god (small g) we live in a country where such a thing is tolerated and more than within our rights

    i still feel it is disrespectful to boo a president (or similar person of authority), just as i feel it is disrespectful NOT to remove one’s cap during the playing of the national anthem

    but that’s just me…YMMV

    I’m not as put off by the pajama pants look as most, but I’ll make an exception in the case of Ben Sheets. Flip on ESPN2, the guy looks ridiculous.

    I have been a Braves fan for years. I totally dig the new uni’s. The blue on blue might be a little much. But, I’ve felt for years that changing to blue text and tomahawk would be a good look. I thought the old Milwaukee Braves uni’s with the blue script were totally classy. I think the normal uni’s need a bit of refreshing. I feel it’s time to break out of the 90’s. I think maybe that was the idea last night. This is the dawning of a new era. A new run of titles, sorry Mets (Paul).

    [quote comment=”244874″][quote]I think the alternative jerseys are popping up so frequently because there are people who HAVE to have every uni of their favorite team, no matter how silly.[/quote]

    or perhaps because of their alternative lifestyles?

    ;)

    anyhoo…i should perhaps amend my earlier comment about ‘respect the office’ (in regard to not ‘booing’ the president)…thank god (small g) we live in a country where such a thing is tolerated and more than within our rights

    i still feel it is disrespectful to boo a president (or similar person of authority), just as i feel it is disrespectful NOT to remove one’s cap during the playing of the national anthem

    but that’s just me…YMMV[/quote]

    I agree with the cap removal, mainly because I respect what that amthem stands for. I’d boo W because I hate what he stands for. But my dad feels the same way you do, so I respect your opinion, even though I’d boo it. That makes sense, I swear.

    Ione of its boldest moves yet to build corporate support around its television broadcasts, the NHL will test virtual advertising for the first time during the Stanley Cup playoff broadcasts on its national TV partners.

    The virtual advertising plan, which still has to be approved by Commissioner Gary Bettman and team owners, is patterned after the same type of advertising behind home plate during televised baseball games.

    Hockey’s version will superimpose ads on the glass above dasherboards that protect spectators. The ads, which will not be visible in the arena, will not affect camera angles or live TV shots.

    link

    [quote comment=”244870″][quote comment=”244858″]Just heard on the radio that the Reds are paying tribute to Joe Nuxhall on Opening Day by having every person in uniform wear Joe’s name and number 41 on their backs.

    The jerseys will be auctioned off to benefit the Nuxhall Foundation for the Young.

    Great tribute to a great man.

    I don’t think that MLB is going to allow the Reds to wear them during the game however. Figures.[/quote]

    He might have been a great man, but I think this is a lousy tribute. Numbers are there for a reason. Not to make a statement.

    Good for baseball if they put a stop to this.[/quote]

    chance, the players wore their own numbers on the front, so I don’t think there would’ve been a scoring issue.

    It’s my personal feeling that this is yet another in a long line of bush league moves by MLB.

    Best professional sport in North America, but the most poorly run.

    The Tokyo Dome beer girls rock!! I am still shooting film and will contribute some scanned Tokyo pics later this week. Oh, and…Uniform?? What uniform??

    Speaking of those mound logos, does anyone know how they are make? If it were dirt, it would get smeared around during the game. Is it maybe a rubber logo planted in the dirt? Personally, I don’t mind them much. As long as it’s the team’s logo, it doesn’t bother me. But I wonder how long until that team logo on the mound becomes a corporate sponsor’s logo…

    [quote comment=”244888″][quote comment=”244870″][quote comment=”244858″]Just heard on the radio that the Reds are paying tribute to Joe Nuxhall on Opening Day by having every person in uniform wear Joe’s name and number 41 on their backs.

    The jerseys will be auctioned off to benefit the Nuxhall Foundation for the Young.

    Great tribute to a great man.

    I don’t think that MLB is going to allow the Reds to wear them during the game however. Figures.[/quote]

    He might have been a great man, but I think this is a lousy tribute. Numbers are there for a reason. Not to make a statement.

    Good for baseball if they put a stop to this.[/quote]

    chance, the players wore their own numbers on the front, so I don’t think there would’ve been a scoring issue.

    It’s my personal feeling that this is yet another in a long line of bush league moves by MLB.

    Best professional sport in North America, but the most poorly run.[/quote]

    Reds took the field in their own jerseys, except for pitcher Aaron Harang, who wore #41 on front and back, with “Nuxhall” as N.O.B.

    Tony Gwynn Jr. is wearing a beanie over his cap in the outfield against the Cubs today.

    do you all really need an MBA to explain this whole Braves alternate jersey issue? ;)

    The Braves are a business. It’s all about the bottom line. If you’re gonna spend the time and resources to develop new products (ie alternate unis), you want as much visibility as possible, leading to max sales. What better exposure than the opening day of a brand new ballpark on a nationally televised game? You may hate it, but it’s reality. From a business perspective, it’s brilliant.

    And for the record, I actually like them (WAY better than those red disasters). I’ve always liked the solid cap look. Though, I think white numbers would have been better. Keeps things simple and clean — a huge change from the recent alt trends.

    John Schuerholz doesn’t make the decisions for the Atlanta Braves anymore, that would be Frank Wren if you are talking about a GM position,.

    [quote comment=”244863″]The Brewers are trying to do link to keep warm in the rainy/windy city this afternoon. And on a day when it is about 50 degrees, why in the world are the Crew wearing link[/quote]
    link also getting in on the winter cap over baseball cap look today.

    [quote comment=”244879″]I’m not as put off by the pajama pants look as most, but I’ll make an exception in the case of Ben Sheets. Flip on ESPN2, the guy looks ridiculous.[/quote]

    That’s why I am put off by the pajama pants, beause some joker (Manny) always takes it too far.

    [quote comment=”244888″]
    chance, the players wore their own numbers on the front, so I don’t think there would’ve been a scoring issue.

    It’s my personal feeling that this is yet another in a long line of bush league moves by MLB.
    [/quote]

    If there wouldn’t have been a scoring issue, then we don’t need names or numbers on the back.

    I might buy this if we were talking about replacing the small number on the front of the jersey, which is of relatively little help in identifying a player. And I’m one of those who believes if you’re going to have any name on the back, it ought to be the player’s own name.

    The Reds’ stunt is what’s “Bush League” about this situation. MLB holding them to, you know, the rules is the professional response.

    Guess Rod Smart should have claimed that “HE HATE ME” was a beloved former coach. ;)

    [quote comment=”244830″][quote comment=”244827″][quote comment=”244825″][quote comment=”244823″]
    Where is that global warming Al. It’s 10 degrees under the normal here. I want warmth I hate the cold. That is the inconvenient truth.[/quote]

    Political shots are fair game, but if anything “10 degrees below normal” does more to bolster Gore’s claims than yours….[/quote]

    Global warming is makes it warmer not colder[/quote]
    “Global warming” is poor layman’s shorthand for climate change, which includes swings both ways.

    Even if you want to disagree that link, you can’t pretend that it doesn’t exist.[/quote]

    Global Warming is the religion that beliefs humans are destroying the Earth by producing “greenhouse gases”. “Climate change” is the natural behavior of the planet’s environmental system that is the result of forces greater than mankind. “Climate Change” can, indeed, produce higher and/or lower global temperatures over a larger span of time than we humans have been accurately (as defined by today’s accuracy standards) recorded.

    [quote comment=”244898″][quote comment=”244879″]I’m not as put off by the pajama pants look as most, but I’ll make an exception in the case of Ben Sheets. Flip on ESPN2, the guy looks ridiculous.[/quote]

    That’s why I am put off by the pajama pants, beause some joker (Manny) always takes it too far.[/quote]

    im extremely put off by the pajama pants…i don’t consider it ‘stylin’…but i guess some younger posters are seemingly off-put by stirrups and tighter fitting unis

    to each his or her own…but

    i hate when manram does it, and i hate when hose-a reyes does it, so it’s not an anti-sox or anti-manny sentiment…it’s just…i donno…not right

    [quote comment=”244895″]do you all really need an MBA to explain this whole Braves alternate jersey issue? ;)

    The Braves are a business.[/quote]

    As I’ve said a jillion times, sports teams may be business entities, but they’re also CIVIC entities. It’s not as simple as saying, “It’s just business, duh, get used to it.”

    White Sox in their black alts, Indians in their new “retro” alts for opening day.

    I agree with Paul… don’t wear alts on opening day!

    My thoughts on the last few days…

    Civil Rights Game:
    1) White Sox looked fine, but a tad boring.
    2) The Mets had, what I think was, a very good start to a real alternate.
    a) I dug the orange piping and have always felt that orange has always taken too big of a back seat to the blue in the scheme.
    b) I would have liked the rear numbers to be a little thicker and a littler further up on the uni (if they aren’t going to have names).
    c) I really liked the off white base.
    d) I really wished that they had worn their blue undies and cap. (Even my wife said “Why would they wear the black caps with no black in the uniform?”)
    e) Obviously replace the word mark with either the link script or the link block letters.
    f) It should go without saying that the numbers and fonts should have no drop shadow.
    g) Stirrups would be blue with orange (outlined in white) stripes

    Braves Alts:
    a) I really wish that they had used a red piping on the sleeves and the neck/button line.
    b) The players should have worn red undershirts since, not only do I not dig the mono-chromatic look, but they (uni’s and undies) were two different colors of blue.
    c) I LOVED the caps. It was great for them to not only be simplistic but also have a piece of their history embedded.
    d) Yes, in a perfect world, alts should only be worn sporadically but we live in a world of merchandising and that being the case, I think we should at least focus on have the alts look as good as they can instead of fighting an uphill battle by trying to eliminate them.

    Padres use of multiple alts
    a) I don’t feel that it’s a farce to try and honor the military through an alt uniform
    b) Don’t go and add more alts to the mix. I strongly feel that all teams should be limited to a maximum of one home alt and one road alt (ideally, I would love to see one alt PERIOD). It bothers the hell out of me that teams like the Mets, Astros, Padres, D-Baaacks… all have to enlarge their lockers to fit all of their unis in them.

    [quote comment=”244900″][quote comment=”244830″][quote comment=”244827″][quote comment=”244825″][quote comment=”244823″]
    Where is that global warming Al. It’s 10 degrees under the normal here. I want warmth I hate the cold. That is the inconvenient truth.[/quote]

    Political shots are fair game, but if anything “10 degrees below normal” does more to bolster Gore’s claims than yours….[/quote]

    Global warming is makes it warmer not colder[/quote]
    “Global warming” is poor layman’s shorthand for climate change, which includes swings both ways.

    Even if you want to disagree that link, you can’t pretend that it doesn’t exist.[/quote]

    Global Warming is the religion that beliefs humans are destroying the Earth by producing “greenhouse gases”. “Climate change” is the natural behavior of the planet’s environmental system that is the result of forces greater than mankind. “Climate Change” can, indeed, produce higher and/or lower global temperatures over a larger span of time than we humans have been accurately (as defined by today’s accuracy standards) recorded.[/quote]

    And since I can’t prove the Easter Bunny isn’t real, we’ll just assume he is, eh?

    Todd Jones (Tigers) is wearing a cap with a grey underbill, anything unusual abouth this or do they still mix them up?

    [quote comment=”244855″]All Reds players and coaches are wearing jersey #41 with the name Nuxhall on the back for the team introductions at Opening Day. Aaron Harang will be the only one wearing it during the game. The rest of the team will change to their own numbers. No pics yet, but I will keep looking.[/quote]
    [quote comment=”244858″]Just heard on the radio that the Reds are paying tribute to Joe Nuxhall on Opening Day by having every person in uniform wear Joe’s name and number 41 on their backs.

    The jerseys will be auctioned off to benefit the Nuxhall Foundation for the Young.

    Great tribute to a great man.

    I don’t think that MLB is going to allow the Reds to wear them during the game however. Figures.[/quote]
    [quote comment=”244906″]Aaron Harang wearing a #41 Nuxhall Jersey?

    What’s That About?[/quote]

    link

    Still looking for pics.

    [quote comment=”244811″]
    Well said.

    And can I just say that I love the delicious irony that the day Paul instructs us to avoid “totally lazy, stupid, and depressingly predictable” comments (at the risk of being banished — banished! — from UniWatch) he liberally takes a few depressingly predictable shots at the president and San Diego’s military tributes.

    Yeah, yeah, I know: his blog, I’m free to read elsewhere, blah, blah, blah. At least I didn’t mention the swimsuits.[/quote]

    Well, I said pretty much the same thing you did – right down to using the comments on the women being lazy et.al. and applying them to Bush. I’m pretty sure that Paul deleted them. Of course the three or four people who continue to make comments on Bush haven’t had their comments touched.

    Help! Help! I’m being repressed! ;-)

    I’m surprised no one has mentioned the NCAA basketball setups in Detroit and Houston. Football stadiums have always been hit-and-miss for basketball, but the elevated floor with a “dugout” for the bench players and coaches was very very odd…

    link

    Not to mention the horrific dark-blue-on-black paint scheme, and the giant word “BASKETBALL” at midcourt. As if we need to be reminded what sport we’re playing.

    [quote comment=”244818″][quote comment=”244776″][quote comment=”244760″]Maybe the alternates are just a way to bring a little more variety into a long season.[/quote]

    And another thing … have there been any studies on the effects of wearing alternate jersies on winning percentages? Do the Mets win more in traditional unis or the blacks? I know the Rockies last year almost refused to change out of their black jersies last fall when they went on their tear through October. Any other teams that play better in their alts than their traditionals?[/quote]

    I can’t find the stats now, but the Brewers record in the Blue Alts was significantly better than the road greys, some better than the home whites. And the Brewers for the past two years have played hideously in their retro throwbacks (which I love, bring back memories from my youth and are classics). So for one team anyway, either by coinsidence or players superstition or whatever, the alts brought alot of good luck.

    I generally don’t like Alts, but I like the Brewers, the D-Backs brick shirts, and the Rockies Purples. And the A’s green alts, and the Pirates pinstipes alts. Then again, the A’s and Pirates are basically the Alternate uni inventors. Oh, and I almost forgot, LOVE the Royals new Powder jerseys. Then again, the Royals were one of THE best original powder unis, their new ones IMO are a new take on a traditional idea.

    The Braves were far better than their red alts (which are probably the leagues worst along with the A’s blacks), but still were not as good as the Braves whites and greys.

    [quote comment=”244914″]I’m surprised no one has mentioned the NCAA basketball setups in Detroit and Houston. Football stadiums have always been hit-and-miss for basketball, but the elevated floor with a “dugout” for the bench players and coaches was very very odd…

    link

    Not to mention the horrific dark-blue-on-black paint scheme, and the giant word “BASKETBALL” at midcourt. As if we need to be reminded what sport we’re playing.[/quote]

    I didn’t like it at all. From the color scheme, to the players being lower and having to almost jump up to the floor level, to the distance from the floor to the fans. I know the NCAA wouldn’t make as much money (and neither would the scalpe… oh, excuse me, ticket brokers), but I would much rather see them go back to the days when the final four and regionals were in an arena built for basketball instead of football.
    I have a lot of other wishes that won’t ever see the light of day either.

    [quote comment=”244912″]
    Help! Help! I’m being repressed! ;-)[/quote]

    The complaint department can be found under Alt+F4 if you like being “repressed”.

    [quote comment=”244923″][quote comment=”244914″]I’m surprised no one has mentioned the NCAA basketball setups in Detroit and Houston. Football stadiums have always been hit-and-miss for basketball, but the elevated floor with a “dugout” for the bench players and coaches was very very odd…

    link

    Not to mention the horrific dark-blue-on-black paint scheme, and the giant word “BASKETBALL” at midcourt. As if we need to be reminded what sport we’re playing.[/quote]

    I didn’t like it at all. From the color scheme, to the players being lower and having to almost jump up to the floor level, to the distance from the floor to the fans. I know the NCAA wouldn’t make as much money (and neither would the scalpe… oh, excuse me, ticket brokers), but I would much rather see them go back to the days when the final four and regionals were in an arena built for basketball instead of football.
    I have a lot of other wishes that won’t ever see the light of day either.[/quote]

    I had no problem with the raised floors, they kinda reminded me of the U. of Minnesota’s gym (are there others with raised floors?).

    I griped last week about the “uniform” floors at all regionals. Not only are they for the Men, but the Women as well!

    I’m resigned to the fact that the regionals are held in big pro basketball, hockey and football arenas with little connection with the so called “host” school. NCAA wants to override the symbols of the “home” pro teams with these dull floors with the big blue NCAA blob in the middle. Follow the money….

    [quote comment=”244900″]Global Warming is the religion that beliefs humans are destroying the Earth by producing “greenhouse gases”. “Climate change” is the natural behavior of the planet’s environmental system that is the result of forces greater than mankind. [/quote]

    The link disagrees with you.

    If you think you hate the mound logos now, just wait until some team starts selling the mound space for corporate advertising logos.

    Only a matter of time…

    [quote comment=”244931″]If you think you hate the mound logos now, just wait until some team starts selling the mound space for corporate advertising logos.

    Only a matter of time…[/quote]
    Interesting thought.

    Outfield walls are in the field of play, but teams can sell that space. So why not the back of the mound?

    Does anybody know the actual MLB regulations?

    [quote comment=”244932″][quote comment=”244931″]If you think you hate the mound logos now, just wait until some team starts selling the mound space for corporate advertising logos.

    Only a matter of time…[/quote]
    Interesting thought.

    Outfield walls are in the field of play, but teams can sell that space. So why not the back of the mound?

    Does anybody know the actual MLB regulations?[/quote]

    don’t have time to research it now, but what was the deal with spiderman 2 on the bags…i know mlb ended up NOT doing it, but i don’t think it was because of any rule violation (rather, the people wouldn’t stand for it…and mlb actually listened)…i could be wrong tho

    seems to me to be similar to mound space…

    anyone?

    not gonna search 200+ comments to see if anyone wrote this already – but lo duca wearing a red nat’s helmet with the away uni looks terrible

    [quote comment=”244910″]Todd Jones (Tigers) is wearing a cap with a grey underbill, anything unusual abouth this or do they still mix them up?[/quote]
    I actually called New Era to see if there was any way/any place to still get a 100% wool 5950 instead of the new moisture wicking material.
    They said that since it isn’t “official on field” gear they can no longer sell the old version. I mentioned that there still seem to be a few floating around on the field, ie, Paplebon and Todd Jones. New Era said they still make every effort to accomidate the athlete with what ever headwear the like to wear.

    I have a potential Uni Investigation. Someone on the Motownsports.com message board posted an ugly dark blue alternate that the Detroit Tigers wore for a few games in the mid 90s. That led to me finding this picture of me from 93 or 94. This a mystery Blue Jays player wearing 24, and what looks to be Cecil for the Tigers. WHY THE HELL IS HE WEARING ORANGE? is this a spring training game? what gives?

    [quote comment=”244942″]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i140/KDoogie24/tigersgame.jpg

    link for pic[/quote]

    How about we investigate the dead body in the box?

    I actually dug the Braves’ mostly monotone unis, certainly a pleasant contrast to the gaudy red ones that I’d hoped, to no avail, that they’d trashed.

    [quote comment=”244942″]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i140/KDoogie24/tigersgame.jpg

    link for pic[/quote]

    nice legs

    seriously tho…even now link have an orange bp jersey…although i can’t remember fat cecil’s tigers having one…but i guess it’s possible it’s a ST game

    [quote comment=”244948″][quote comment=”244942″]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i140/KDoogie24/tigersgame.jpg

    link for pic[/quote]

    nice legs

    seriously tho…even now link have an orange bp jersey…although i can’t remember fat cecil’s tigers having one…but i guess it’s possible it’s a ST game[/quote]

    The Blue Jays player is Turner Ward (TOR 1991-1993).

    The location is a real tough one. If the colored stripe is the edge of the outfield wall, it wouldn’t be Dunedin or Lakeland. A wild stab in the dark, did these players/teams participate at that time in some sort of tour (Japan) or an alternate site game?

    [quote comment=”244832″][quote comment=”244823″][quote comment=”244815″][quote comment=”244730″][quote comment=”244724″]Ok, we get it. Not everyone likes the President. At least he loves baseball and knows the game. He was in Little League and – though I can’t remember where I saw he quoted as saying such – he likes stirrups!

    Great Point. As much as people don’t like him, he is still the leader of The United States of America.

    He also participated in something that we all aspire to do, in throwing out the first pitch at a MLB game with some really cool duds on.

    I don’t think Morgan and Miller were “kissing” his ass but being respectful and admiring of a fellow baseball fan, American, and leader.[/quote]

    lest this denegrate into an anti-W thread, i agree wholeheartedly with matt…i hated..HATED…former governor mario cuomo’s POLITICS, but the man was one of the most engaging and entertaining speakers ever (just as bill clinton is)…and i had the pleasure of attending an event with him waaaaaay back in 1988…and let me tell you, he was as pleasant and rapier in his wit as anyone i’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with

    y’all may not like w’s politics, but respect the position (i’d never boo clinton or bush (or mccain in 09)–they’re the friggin president, fer chrissakes)…show some respect

    and his interview with miller & morgan wasn’t that horrible…certainly better than some MNF nightmares…they weren’t ‘kissing ass’…they were respecting the office of the president…something many national fans CLEARLY didn’t[/quote]
    I think that people of importance and in power should be in the BIGGEST position to get booed. If they’re doing a bang up job, it’s one of our ways of letting them know (since we’re obviously too stupid to vote him out after a first term). I have no respect for a man that has severely damaged the country in many ways.

    However, he does know baseball, and like has been said before I think he could have been a MLB commish. It’s too bad he didn’t stick with that…then we could have a smart man (Al Gore) running the nation, and a un-polarizing figure (when it comes to baseball) running the MLB.[/quote]

    Where is that global warming Al. It’s 10 degrees under the normal here. I want warmth I hate the cold. That is the inconvenient truth.[/quote]
    Maybe the ice shelf the size of Connecticut that just broke off the Ross Ice Shelf (previously thought to be very stable) in Antarctica. That can’t be good, eh? Or the sea ice in the Arctic that has retreated hundreds of miles in the past couple years, stranding thousands of walrus on the shore and depriving polar bears of food. Yeah, that sounds like global warming damage.

    [quote comment=”244943″][quote comment=”244942″]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i140/KDoogie24/tigersgame.jpg

    link for pic[/quote]

    How about we investigate the dead body in the box?[/quote]

    hahaha i have no idea why i decided to pass out in a box, or even why i would ever put anything on with flames and leafs logos on it!

    its clearly not the skydome or tiger stadium…

    I’m pretty sure that Vanderbilt had a raised floor AND the benches at the baselines.
    As far as wool caps go. The last time i looked, (two weeks ago maybe), They sold them on their site.

    [quote comment=”244903″][quote comment=”244898″][quote comment=”244879″]I’m not as put off by the pajama pants look as most, but I’ll make an exception in the case of Ben Sheets. Flip on ESPN2, the guy looks ridiculous.[/quote]

    That’s why I am put off by the pajama pants, beause some joker (Manny) always takes it too far.[/quote]

    im extremely put off by the pajama pants…i don’t consider it ‘stylin’…but i guess some younger posters are seemingly off-put by stirrups and tighter fitting unis

    to each his or her own…but

    i hate when manram does it, and i hate when hose-a reyes does it, so it’s not an anti-sox or anti-manny sentiment…it’s just…i donno…not right[/quote]

    Speaking of clown pants, Eric Gagne is pitching.

    [quote comment=”244961″]I’m pretty sure that Vanderbilt had a raised floor AND the benches at the baselines.
    As far as wool caps go. The last time i looked, (two weeks ago maybe), They sold them on their site.[/quote]
    They are selling what they have left. There is not a very large selection of sizes of the wool available. The wool will not be made available agin is what I was told.

    [quote comment=”244966″][quote comment=”244961″]I’m pretty sure that Vanderbilt had a raised floor AND the benches at the baselines.
    As far as wool caps go. The last time i looked, (two weeks ago maybe), They sold them on their site.[/quote]
    They are selling what they have left. There is not a very large selection of sizes of the wool available. The wool will not be made available agin is what I was told.[/quote]
    Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like Borat.

    [quote comment=”244963″][quote comment=”244903″][quote comment=”244898″][quote comment=”244879″]I’m not as put off by the pajama pants look as most, but I’ll make an exception in the case of Ben Sheets. Flip on ESPN2, the guy looks ridiculous.[/quote]

    That’s why I am put off by the pajama pants, beause some joker (Manny) always takes it too far.[/quote]

    im extremely put off by the pajama pants…i don’t consider it ‘stylin’…but i guess some younger posters are seemingly off-put by stirrups and tighter fitting unis

    to each his or her own…but

    i hate when manram does it, and i hate when hose-a reyes does it, so it’s not an anti-sox or anti-manny sentiment…it’s just…i donno…not right[/quote]

    Speaking of clown pants, Eric Gagne is pitching.[/quote]

    cubs broadcasters Len Kasper and Bob Brenley used Gagne’s appearance to rip the clown pants – Gagne’s and Prince Fielder’s.

    [quote comment=”244968″][quote comment=”244963″][quote comment=”244903″][quote comment=”244898″][quote comment=”244879″]I’m not as put off by the pajama pants look as most, but I’ll make an exception in the case of Ben Sheets. Flip on ESPN2, the guy looks ridiculous.[/quote]

    That’s why I am put off by the pajama pants, beause some joker (Manny) always takes it too far.[/quote]

    im extremely put off by the pajama pants…i don’t consider it ‘stylin’…but i guess some younger posters are seemingly off-put by stirrups and tighter fitting unis

    to each his or her own…but

    i hate when manram does it, and i hate when hose-a reyes does it, so it’s not an anti-sox or anti-manny sentiment…it’s just…i donno…not right[/quote]

    Speaking of clown pants, Eric Gagne is pitching.[/quote]

    cubs broadcasters Len Kasper and Bob Brenley used Gagne’s appearance to rip the clown pants – Gagne’s and Prince Fielder’s.[/quote]

    The umpire just has to tell Gagne to tuck in his shirt, just pathetic!

    [quote]Speaking of clown pants, Eric Gagne is pitching[/quote]

    may as well dress the part

    [quote comment=”244966″][quote comment=”244961″]I’m pretty sure that Vanderbilt had a raised floor AND the benches at the baselines.
    As far as wool caps go. The last time i looked, (two weeks ago maybe), They sold them on their site.[/quote]
    They are selling what they have left. There is not a very large selection of sizes of the wool available. The wool will not be made available agin is what I was told.[/quote]
    yup, just checked again, they only have Bonds’ sizes left. or maybe pea-heads. I see your point now.

    [quote comment=”244626″]You seriously think that unveiling an alternate uniform on opening day took something away from the fan experience in Nationals Park? Oh, that evil Schuerholz is up to his ol’ tricks again! I have a hard time believing that anyone cared that much.

    If anyone who reads this blog was at the Nationals game last night, or are Nationals fans who were watching from home, and you were offended in some way by those dastardly Braves, please prove me wrong.[/quote]

    My thoughts exactly! JEEEZ! if anything it ADDED to the experience.

    My two cents on the new Alternates: I like them…BUT, I would like to see a red cap button and maybe some red trim on the numbers or just red numbers with white trim. I thought they were getting rid of the Red alts…dammit.

    [quote comment=”244973″][quote]Speaking of clown pants, Eric Gagne is pitching[/quote]

    may as well dress the part[/quote]

    The ump stopped the game to make Gagne tuck in his jersey and adjust his pants. Probably the worst I’ve seen to date.

    [quote comment=”244785″][quote comment=”244720″][quote comment=”244688″]I was more bothererd by the Nats choice of link.

    Why go with black cleats, a la the Angels, when red is such a dominant color within your uniform, even Navy for that matter?[/quote]

    To me, in a perfect world, all baseball spikes would be black. It’s the classic look.[/quote]

    And it’s only been semi-recently (since Marge Schott) that the Reds had a policy that shoes had to be all black, with the white stripes (i.e., Adidas, Puma, et. al.) blacked out as well.

    Ah, the good ol’ days. Now what channel is Matlock on?[/quote]

    Recently? Try 1983/1984.

    [quote comment=”244977″]You seriously think that unveiling an alternate uniform on opening day took something away from the fan experience in Nationals Park?[/quote]

    no…not in the least

    i don’t want to speak for PL, but i don’t think that was his point either

    maybe it’s ‘tradition’ or ‘old school’ or something else i can’t put my finger on…at least in my book

    you don’t steal when you’re up 8 runs, you don’t leave your shirt untucked, you don’t talk to your teammate during the national anthem, and you don’t wear your alts on opening day night…especially in your opponent’s (brand new) ballpark, in the FIRST GAME (in the states anyway) of the new season

    [quote comment=”244870″][quote comment=”244858″]Just heard on the radio that the Reds are paying tribute to Joe Nuxhall on Opening Day by having every person in uniform wear Joe’s name and number 41 on their backs.

    The jerseys will be auctioned off to benefit the Nuxhall Foundation for the Young.

    Great tribute to a great man.

    I don’t think that MLB is going to allow the Reds to wear them during the game however. Figures.[/quote]

    He might have been a great man, but I think this is a lousy tribute. Numbers are there for a reason. Not to make a statement.

    Good for baseball if they put a stop to this.[/quote]

    You have never been to Cincinnati, have you?

    BTW, why is it lousy? I think it is rather fitting for the Ol’ Lefthander.

    If numbers are there for a reason and to not make a statement, lets just un-retire every number, Gehrig, Ruth, Clemente, Robinson, et al.

    Especially Jackie Robinson’s #42.

    Eric m.f..ing Gagne (shakes head)

    Anyway, did he have the accent aigu over the E on his Rangers jersey last year?

    [quote comment=”244987″]Eric m.f..ing Gagne (shakes head)

    Anyway, did he have the accent aigu over the E on his Rangers jersey last year?[/quote]

    never mind, just googled it and it looks like he did…I must have never noticed it

    [quote comment=”244985″][quote comment=”244977″]You seriously think that unveiling an alternate uniform on opening day took something away from the fan experience in Nationals Park?[/quote]

    no…not in the least

    i don’t want to speak for PL, but i don’t think that was his point either

    maybe it’s ‘tradition’ or ‘old school’ or something else i can’t put my finger on…at least in my book

    you don’t steal when you’re up 8 runs, you don’t leave your shirt untucked, you don’t talk to your teammate during the national anthem, and you don’t wear your alts on opening day night…especially in your opponent’s (brand new) ballpark, in the FIRST GAME (in the states anyway) of the new season[/quote]

    Phil just said it much better than I did. It may not be against the rules, but that doesn’t make it right. It just doesn’t sit well.

    [quote comment=”244725″]“Found a picture of the Chiba gradient uniform — it’s their official road uniform this year.

    link[/quote]

    Fixed.

    Sorry, but the red Braves jerseys — while still bad — are better than the blue. But the point is, they shouldn’t have worn them on Opening Night.

    Who said coaching helmets were bad? The Twins coaches are wearing the Navy, Red & White combo from the late 70’s. I know know it has been worn as a catcher’s helmet recently but it looks great “out there”.

    [quote comment=”244632″]Oye. More Bush-bashing. Gee, you don’t get enough of that these days.[/quote]

    Oh it’s it’s just a childish quote from someone with very little class or itelligence. Did you expect better from this guy?

    Watching the Braves on Peachtree TV now and Adam LaRoche’s “Angry Pirate” logo on his left sleeve is halfway missing. Sorry no screen grabs maybe some pics later.

    Looking at the Angels tonight, I can go either way on the shoes (black/red), but the black belts are just wrong.

    [quote comment=”244985″][quote comment=”244977″]You seriously think that unveiling an alternate uniform on opening day took something away from the fan experience in Nationals Park?[/quote]

    no…not in the least

    i don’t want to speak for PL, but i don’t think that was his point either

    maybe it’s ‘tradition’ or ‘old school’ or something else i can’t put my finger on…at least in my book

    you don’t steal when you’re up 8 runs, you don’t leave your shirt untucked, you don’t talk to your teammate during the national anthem, and you don’t wear your alts on opening day night…especially in your opponent’s (brand new) ballpark, in the FIRST GAME (in the states anyway) of the new season[/quote]

    I am often tickled my the frequent posts, full of sarcasm, crafted by my friend Phil.

    However, concerning the four short paragraphs quoted above, only one other author, by the name of Kinsella, has ever crafted words more true and dear to me, regarding the GAME of baseball!

    Bravo!

    [quote comment=”245005″]Looking at the Angels tonight, I can go either way on the shoes (black/red), but the black belts are just wrong.[/quote]

    IMO, the black HAS got to go, in both cases!

    [quote comment=”244671″]Being a Braves fan I love the old/new hats but I wasn’t really a fan of the blue numbers on the back but I’ll live. Anyways, ive searched mlb.com and other places but can’t find the new hats. I know the braves postponed the release of the catalog but anybody seen where they are for sale yet?[/quote]

    Here ya go.

    link

    That looks to be it.

    Did anyone else notice during the Yankee Stadium slide show that the stained glass windows featuring Yankee players were all wearing Adidas cleats?

    The retroish helmets that the base coaches in minnesota are wearing (like the ones minnesota catchers have been wearing) are freaking sweet.

    Nuxhall tribute:
    link

    Lived in Cinti for 27 years..there was NO ONE who was a more-loved figure than Joe.

    Indians: (these are their new unis’s? classic!)
    link

    [quote comment=”244931″]If you think you hate the mound logos now, just wait until some team starts selling the mound space for corporate advertising logos.

    Only a matter of time…[/quote]

    No way. Remember what happened when they wanted to put Spiderman on the bases?

    If any of you were at the game you’d know it was a very loud response for the President that was more support than negative. There were sections chanting for him. Not that it really relates to uniforms. The Braves alts were fine and used on a special night. No need to whine. If you didn’t like it turn the game off, right? ;)

    [quote comment=”245013″]Did anyone else notice during the Yankee Stadium slide show that the stained glass windows featuring Yankee players were all wearing Adidas cleats?[/quote]

    You’re not kidding…

    [quote comment=”245024″]The Braves alts were fine and used on a special night. No need to whine. If you didn’t like it turn the game off, right? ;)[/quote]

    Dude – you just don’t get it!

    And to quote Joe Simpson “Anyone who still wears old time stirrups is OK by me.”

    [quote comment=”244986″][quote c
    You have never been to Cincinnati, have you?

    BTW, why is it lousy? I think it is rather fitting for the Ol’ Lefthander.

    If numbers are there for a reason and to not make a statement, lets just un-retire every number, Gehrig, Ruth, Clemente, Robinson, et al.

    Especially Jackie Robinson’s #42.[/quote]
    I have, born raised there, moved away 12 years ago. I agree this tribute was way overdone. I cried at my desk at work when I heard the Old Lefthander passed away, because he was the voice of the Redlegs, and a memory of my childhood. Listening to him, He didn’t win 3 World Championships, he told us about them. There are plenty of tributes to Nuxy, including the sleeve patch, the logo on the stadium under the radio booth, and his signature sign off permanently on the outside of the stadium. The truth of the matter was that he wasn’t that good of a player to be honored with this number and jersey ceremony today. Even if his name and number is up there for only a year, it tarnishes the retired numbers of Anderson, Hutchinson, Bench, Morgan,Perez,and Concepcion.

    A moment of silence would have been fitting, since we know Joe was famous for the dead air during an at bat.

    From an outsider perspective, Cincinnati tries so hard to be Major League and do what everyone else does, but in this case it was over done, and looked foolish. I watched the game with two friends not from there and had to explain the whole story to them.

    I know, everyone from Cincinnati will fire back with, “we don’t care what the east coast says” I’m just saying it looked overdone, and not classy.

    Here are Nuxhall’s career stats
    link

    I’m not doubting his contributions to the Cincinnati Reds, I’m just pointing out his contributions mostly came off the field. That’s where his memorials should be.

    Don’t mistake me for a ‘Nati hater. I ache every summer for a UDF strawberry Shake and Marty and Joe on Reds Radio.

    stanford women are wearing black away uniforms against Maryland tonight on espn…I don’t think I’ve seen them before. They usually wear cardinal red away jerseys I thought? Strange

    [quote comment=”245020″]The retroish helmets that the base coaches in minnesota are wearing (like the ones minnesota catchers have been wearing) are freaking sweet.[/quote]

    I have begun scouring the Internet for the cap version as soon as I turned the game on!

    the new NFL font hasn’t made its way into the NFL draft logo, or the little icon that loads in your web browser, yet.

    [quote comment=”245042″]I know, everyone from Cincinnati will fire back with, “we don’t care what the east coast says” I’m just saying it looked overdone, and not classy.[/quote]

    OK smartass, what would you have done?

    [quote comment=”245032″][quote comment=”245024″]The Braves alts were fine and used on a special night. No need to whine. If you didn’t like it turn the game off, right? ;)[/quote]

    Dude – you just don’t get it![/quote]

    Nothing to get. Debut the new unis on national TV instead of a meaningless midweek game. It’s all about pride, more than greed.

    [

    From an outsider perspective, Cincinnati tries so hard to be Major League and do what everyone else does, but in this case it was over done, and looked foolish. I watched the game with two friends not from there and had to explain the whole story to them.

    I know, everyone from Cincinnati will fire back with, “we don’t care what the east coast says” I’m just saying it looked overdone, and not classy.[/quote]

    Cincinnati doesn’t have to “try” to be major league. They have been around longer than any other team in the majors. It still ticks me off that the traditional Opening Game every season was taken away from Cincy (now it’s even on another continent, which is a thread unto itself). I know tradition can’t carry you forever, but baseball is losing some of the traditions that gave each city and it’s fans part of their identity and a sense of civic pride. As a lifelong Reds fan who has never even set foot in Cincinnati, I have no idea what Nuxy meant to the town or team. They should honor him in whatever manner they choose.

    [quote comment=”245062″][

    From an outsider perspective, Cincinnati tries so hard to be Major League and do what everyone else does, but in this case it was over done, and looked foolish. I watched the game with two friends not from there and had to explain the whole story to them.

    I know, everyone from Cincinnati will fire back with, “we don’t care what the east coast says” I’m just saying it looked overdone, and not classy.[/quote]

    Cincinnati doesn’t have to “try” to be major league. They have been around longer than any other team in the majors. It still ticks me off that the traditional Opening Game every season was taken away from Cincy (now it’s even on another continent, which is a thread unto itself). I know tradition can’t carry you forever, but baseball is losing some of the traditions that gave each city and it’s fans part of their identity and a sense of civic pride. As a lifelong Reds fan who has never even set foot in Cincinnati, I have no idea what Nuxy meant to the town or team. They should honor him in whatever manner they choose.[/quote]
    messed up the quote thing, but my words begin with “cincinnati doesn’t have to “try”…

    At least the Braves don’t wear black!

    I believe Schuerholz, now the team president, commented on the new jerseys, as opposed to new GM Wren.

    [quote comment=”245057″][quote comment=”245032″][quote comment=”245024″]The Braves alts were fine and used on a special night. No need to whine. If you didn’t like it turn the game off, right? ;)[/quote]

    Dude – you just don’t get it![/quote]

    Nothing to get. Debut the new unis on national TV instead of a meaningless midweek game. It’s all about pride, more than greed.[/quote]

    debut them on national tv…absolutely

    don’t do it opening night

    period

    I actually really like the Braves blue jerseys with blue lettering. I’m not sure if it would look as good in the day light but at night, under the lights they looked beautiful.

    Stumbled across a neat gallery on NFL.com of old AFL photos. Most black and white, but some cool shots. Notice that Jack Kemp and Don Maynard both aren’t wearing chin straps. What would possess a guy to do that?
    Also, loved those old Baltimore Bullets unis. Why hasn’t Mitchell & Ness reproduced that one?

    [quote]
    It still ticks me off that the traditional Opening Game every season was taken away from Cincy (now it’s even on another continent, which is a thread unto itself). I know tradition can’t carry you forever, but baseball is losing some of the traditions that gave each city and it’s fans part of their identity and a sense of civic pride. [/quote]

    there’s the crux of the issue – MLB is not only losing tradition, it’s whoring it out. So why is everyone dumping on a great looking Braves uni?

    People essentially call it a blasphemous introduction… “un-traditional” … MLB threw away it’s opening day traditions and protocols years ago. Screw them.

    SB

    Geeman (#143),

    Thanks for grabbing that.

    Paul,

    Sorry you didn’t have more of a response than “thanks for the reminder.” I do endeavor to avoid picking fights over nothing and your comments about San Diego’s military tributes seemed more than a bit cheeky. Of course it’s your blog and you can complain about anything you don’t like and ban whomever you wish. Might I suggest that your rather sensible wish to ban misogynist nitwits be based on their lack of maturity and respect? Called them out as “lazy, stupid, and … predictable”, in my humble estimation, catches a few too many fish in the net.

    [quote comment=”245082″]Geeman (#143),

    Thanks for grabbing that.

    Paul,

    Sorry you didn’t have more of a response than “thanks for the reminder.” I do endeavor to avoid picking fights over nothing and your comments about San Diego’s military tributes seemed more than a bit cheeky. Of course it’s your blog and you can complain about anything you don’t like and ban whomever you wish. Might I suggest that your rather sensible wish to ban misogynist nitwits be based on their lack of maturity and respect? Called them out as “lazy, stupid, and … predictable”, in my humble estimation, catches a few too many fish in the net.[/quote]

    Wish you hadn’t posted that under a phony email address, or else I’d respond to you privately….

    But OK, publicly: If you’re suggesting that my objections to the Padres’ military tributes “lack maturity and respect,” that’s fine. But to equate that with the puerile low-grade misogyny that sometimes gets tossed around this board is the very definition of apples vs. oranges. Many people — myself among them — have well-considered concerns about the camou uniforms. Among them: They unnecessarily glorify militarism; they equate make it all too easy to equate support for the military with patriotism; they are essentially a big wet kiss to the industry that supports the San Diego economy (imagine if the Tigers routinely wore automotive-based uniforms — well, maybe that’s not the best example, since the Detroit economy and American auto industry are both in the toilet, but I trust you get my point); there’s something unseemly about asking a team with so many foreign-born players to wear something that honors the American military (imagine if American players in, say, Venezuela were asked to do the same thing); and — last but certainly not least — it makes NO SENSE to dress a baseball team in a uniform that’s designed to make people HARD TO SEE.

    If the way I gave voice to these concerns in today’s Ticker wasn’t to your liking, well, I think we’ll both sleep alright tonight. But if you think the concerns underlying today’s Ticker mention are petty or groundless or “lack[ing] maturity and respect,” I’m afraid you’re simply not living on the same planet as I am.

    [quote comment=”244693″]Johnny Miller and Joe Morgan still instinctively kissed his ass, though…[/quote]

    Is the play-by-play team required to trash the President on national TV? What the hell did you expect? This is real life, not some fantasy world where internet people think anything goes.

    i’m new so go easy on me… but does the Nats “w” resemble a lowercase “e”? as in the first letter of Expos

    On Roy Firestone’s old Up Close talk show on ESPN, Don Drysdale was once asked about the significance of “tradition” in baseball. One of Drysdale’s comments stuck with me: “Tradition is sixty feet, six inches, and ninety feet.” Things change in life, and even in baseball, and thank goodness they do. Like the alternates or not (I like the Angels’ and Giants’, but not the Braves – not enough outline on the monochromatic stuff), the fact that we are talking about them at all makes sites like these vital!

    [quote comment=”244632″]Oye. More Bush-bashing. Gee, you don’t get enough of that these days.[/quote]

    Yep, that was uncalled for and quite annoying to have to read more anti-Bush comments on the front page of a blog I read often.

    Lot of respect points lost there Paul. Doubt it matters much, but you may have one less reader now.

    [quote comment=”245098″]i’m new so go easy on me… but does the Nats “w” resemble a lowercase “e”? as in the first letter of Expos[/quote]
    The W is actually the same one worn by the last two incarnations of the Washington Senators. It also looks alot like the link logo. Anyway, it predates the existence of the Expos.

    This has probably been reported already, but if not:
    The base coaches for the Twins are wearing the same helmet with the white front panel that the catchers are wearing.

    [quote comment=”245090″][quote comment=”245082″]Geeman (#143),

    Thanks for grabbing that.

    Paul,

    Sorry you didn’t have more of a response than “thanks for the reminder.” I do endeavor to avoid picking fights over nothing and your comments about San Diego’s military tributes seemed more than a bit cheeky. Of course it’s your blog and you can complain about anything you don’t like and ban whomever you wish. Might I suggest that your rather sensible wish to ban misogynist nitwits be based on their lack of maturity and respect? Called them out as “lazy, stupid, and … predictable”, in my humble estimation, catches a few too many fish in the net.[/quote]

    Wish you hadn’t posted that under a phony email address, or else I’d respond to you privately….

    But OK, publicly: If you’re suggesting that my objections to the Padres’ military tributes “lack maturity and respect,” that’s fine. But to equate that with the puerile low-grade misogyny that sometimes gets tossed around this board is the very definition of apples vs. oranges. Many people — myself among them — have well-considered concerns about the camou uniforms. Among them: They unnecessarily glorify militarism; they equate make it all too easy to equate support for the military with patriotism; they are essentially a big wet kiss to the industry that supports the San Diego economy (imagine if the Tigers routinely wore automotive-based uniforms — well, maybe that’s not the best example, since the Detroit economy and American auto industry are both in the toilet, but I trust you get my point); there’s something unseemly about asking a team with so many foreign-born players to wear something that honors the American military (imagine if American players in, say, Venezuela were asked to do the same thing); and — last but certainly not least — it makes NO SENSE to dress a baseball team in a uniform that’s designed to make people HARD TO SEE.

    If the way I gave voice to these concerns in today’s Ticker wasn’t to your liking, well, I think we’ll both sleep alright tonight. But if you think the concerns underlying today’s Ticker mention are petty or groundless or “lack[ing] maturity and respect,” I’m afraid you’re simply not living on the same planet as I am.[/quote]

    OK, thanks for writing back. I now agree this is apples and oranges, as you say. I was really taking your “lazy … predictable” language to heart — thus my comparison — but since you now note the women’s uni comments (which I’ve really not much seen) to be “puerile low-grade misogyny” that’s obviously another kettle of fish. I hope your writing about this has clarified your thinking as it has mine.

    Sorry about the email, BTW — I actually thought it was still active, and used it for several blogs (thus the name). I’ll certainly use something more accessible in the future.

    Notice that the Rangers have removed the red outline around the word “Texas.” I tried to paste in from Yahoo Sports (the photo), but it did not work, so someone with more computer skills than me will have to link to it.

    You may be the biggest idiot on the planet. You would not know a good uniform if it bit you in the @$$.

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