It all started yesterday afternoon. I was just sitting down to a spot of tea when reader Josh Miller, who makes the announcements on the loudspeaker system at the Giants’ spring training facility in Arizona, sent me this phone-camera shot from the Giants/A’s game he was working. Even from a distance, the focal point of the tableau was so clear that a blind man could have seen it with a cane: The batter was wearing near-perfect stirrups, complete with Oakland’s yellow sanitaries. Who was this sultan of sock, this hero of hosiery, this stalwart of shinwear? I quickly dispatched a carrier pigeon to Josh with the following message: “Tell me, I prithee — who is this paragon of all that is just and noble? Tell me, I bid thee now!”
The pigeon soon returned with a tiny scroll bearing the following words: “Corey Wimberly.”
Ah, Wimberly — Corey Wimberly. So this was the shining light who would lead us out of the darkness, just as the legends had long foretold. Wimberly, Wimberly. It very nearly had the ring of the greatness.
At that point I had to dash out and run some errands (getting the carriage horses reshod, a quick fox hunt, that sort of thing), but I don’t mind telling you that the name Corey Wimberly was dancing through my head the entire time.
When I returned, there was a communiqué from Master Phil, who was certain I would want to see this. When I regained my bearings a few minutes later, I determined to learn all I could about this Wimberly chap.
So here is the dossier I was able to assemble with the assistance of the computational aparatus: Corey Wimberley is a prospect in the A’s system. He played college ball at Alcorn State, where his lower-leg stylings were disappointing. He was indentured by the Colourado Rockies Ltd. and has spent the past several years apprenticing in their minour league fiefdom, where he’s gone from Not Getting It to Getting There to rather completely Getting Itâ„¢ (additional daguerreotypes displayed for your entertainment here, here and here).
Young Wimberly’s services were transferred to the Oakland Athletics Base Ball Concern two fortnights ago in return for two casks of mead and a like number of oxen, no doubt because the lords and ladies in Colourado wisely recognized that a man of his hosiery acumen could never flourish to his fullest potential without the benefit of coloured understockings. His status in A’s camp is that of “non-roster invitee,” which I believe means he’s permitted to own a small parcel of dirt but most surrender half of his potato harvest to the King, or something like that. In any event, he is unlikely to ascend to full nobleman status this annum.
Still, the mere knowledge that we have a champion representing us, even if only among the lower castes for the nonce, is cause for celebration. Let us wish Wimberly well — godspeed, good sir!
Raffle Reminder: Today’s the last day for the soccer jersey raffle. For details, look here.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Lions won’t let anyone else wear No. 93 next season, but they’re not planning a Corey Smith memorial patch just yet (with thanks to Jay Winkler). ”¦ Eeewwwww. ”¦ Tris Wykes recently got this book, scanned a bunch of its pages, and added good captions. Check out the results here. ”¦ Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Very Tron-ish kenesio tape job here. ”¦ Ben Hendel reports that the new MLB 09 Road to Show’s create-a-character mode now offers the following sock options: low, high, long pants, baggy pants, and — apparently for the first time — stirrups. ”¦ A little birdie tells me that the NHL has finally green-lighted the production of Hartford Whalers merch, and that several teams, including the Flames, Panthers, and Avs, will have third jerseys next season. ”¦ Okay, stop what you’re doing, sit down, take a deep breath, and then try to explain to me what the hell this is (if you’d like to blame the messenger, it’s Dustin Kline). ”¦ Red meat and uniforms: two great tastes that taste great together. That comes from this page (via Jonathan Poplack). ”¦ College hockey note from John Muir, who writes: “A few nights ago I caught the Miami (OH)/Ohio State hockey game and noticed that the MoO arena has the center-ice logo positioned north/south, instead of the standard east/west.” ”¦ Lots of Davis Cup warm-up outfits shown here (with thanks to Brinke Guthrie).
Looks like Dustin Kline has sent you notice of a sock/spat hybrid. About as useful as a combination sock/jockstrap.
Not only is Wimberly rocking the sweet stirrups he also went no batting gloves!!
would the link from Dustin Kline be considered like a reverse stirrup, or a Bizarro Stirrup?
I wonder whether Wimberly’s teammates:
(a) Ignore his socks/stirrups altogether;
(b) Look on him with quiet curiosity;
(c) Gaze at his stylings with envy; or
(d) Mock him openly and often.
After link did the guy with the towel on the mop-stick come out and wipe up the slobber like they do for sweat when somebody goes down on the court??
Todays post start off so great with those nice stirups,and then i just about lost my breakfast when seeing those “splacked-up” socks!
[quote comment=”317273″]Todays post start off so great with those nice stirups,and then i just about lost my breakfast when seeing those “splacked-up” socks![/quote]
Well, the white ones would save the Northwestern football team a lot of money on tape, that’s for sure.
—Ricko
“Splacked-up Socks” view at your own risk: link
1. what’s with the undershirt? looks upside down and backwards or something…
2. these have to be for football, no? so as to eliminate the need for spatting?
3. i dare say, old chap, exquisite dossier-assemblage on UW’s new favourite squire, young wimberly…were he in my service, i would recommend his dispatch to yon majour leagues forthwith, insofar as his lower leg stylings deem him most deserving of such great honour
link
hahahahahaha the yellow booties on the home page picture is hilarious. Now doubt he thought they were bad ass. It makes him look like a clown!
I hope when they roll out the neo-vintage Whalers merch that they don’t use the early 90’s navy blue/silver color set for the aways, and instead go with the early 80s predominantly green road sweater.
Also reproduce the Cooperalls and I’m all over that like Brass Bonanza.
Speaking of red meat and uniforms, I just snagged this:
link
Love the socks, but my eyes are drawn to a big spot of ugliness that all teams seem to go in for these days: the number is way too far down poor Corey Wimberly’s back. God forbid a player should be under about 6’4″, because that’s what today’s number-centering seems to presuppose.
By far, my favorite read on this blog and I’ve been here since day one. Love it Paul, love it dearly.
That cycling shirt reminds me of this picture, which is a tad more brazen.
link
I’ve always been curious about the history of the image because I have an old beach towel (late 60’s to mid 70’s) with a similar image and the same text. My wife’s family used to own a Mom and Pop grocery/deli and the assumption is they received it from a supplier. I know Paul has an interest in meat and butchery, so I wonder if you have run across this.
love the intro today!
Great pics from Tris Wykes – but I see an error in the book.
link
That is Gary Smith – but that’s when he was with the Seals (the Canucks never used two or three colour numbers in the 70’s). Also Smith never wore number 1 for the Canucks.
It looks like it’s from the 68-69 or 69-70 Season link
link
It’s a shame the book authors don’t run their new books past a Uni-watch fact checker – it could save them some embarrassment.
Ugg- morning head – I meant to say Smith never wore “30” for the Canucks – he always word “1”
I might actually bid on this…..would look cool for our weekly floor hockey games….
link
My first boy crush: the Minnesota North Stars of the early ’70’s.
I’ve enjoyed watching Wimberley’s socks develop over the last few years. He has been a bright spot for the Tulsa drillers, at least as far as stirrups go (which is all that really matters). I was sorely disappointed when the Rockies sent him packing. We will miss him here in Tulsa.
Rochester Institute of Technology’s Ritter Arena also has the center ice logo facing the end of the rink…
link
Wow, love the proud wearing of the stirrups, but I have to say that I’ve always preferred the ratio of stirrup:sanitary that prevailed in the 50s and earlier.
Nice that the NHL and state of CT are making it official, but the NHL store on 47th Street in NYC has been carrying Whalers t-shirts for months.
Maybe this means they’ll be expanding the offerings?
[quote comment=\”317286\”]Ugg- morning head – I meant to say Smith never wore \”30\” for the Canucks – he always word \”1\”[/quote]
you should run your posts past a Uni-watch fact checker!
HAHA! TOTALLY KIDDING!!!
really good observations though steve!
So just saying, I love the feudal lord tone.
But it’s the kind of thing I would say while blazed.
But I love the yellow sanitaries, so it’s all good.
Well, here’s hoping he makes my beloved A’s (little chance of that) since the closest thing we have to one who understands how a player of ball should look, Bobby Crosby, is on his way out of town
link
[quote comment=”317276″]1. what’s with the link? looks upside down and backwards or something…[/quote]
Isn’t that just the interior of his jersey showing through the arm hole?
[quote comment=”317293″][quote comment=\”317286\”]Ugg- morning head – I meant to say Smith never wore \”30\” for the Canucks – he always word \”1\”[/quote]
you should run your posts past a Uni-watch fact checker!
HAHA! TOTALLY KIDDING!!!
really good observations though steve![/quote]
Tell me about it – but it’s a two way street – I can check for uni-correctness – they can check for spelling!
[quote comment=”317291″]Wow, love the proud wearing of the stirrups, but I have to say that I’ve always preferred the ratio of stirrup:sanitary that prevailed in the 50s and earlier.[/quote]
Yeah, Wimberly’s look is a bit too ’80s-ish for me. I much prefer the way Jamie Moyer wears his stirrups.
To all ye lovers of stirrup socks, did you know hockey used to used them too? Here is what the hockey version looked like: link
No body wears those anymore, because they now are made like this: link
I used to hate the old hockey stirrups and would cut the stirrup off. It may be baseball sacrilege, but I hated how the stirrup felt in my skates. It was a real pain in the arch!
A little birdie tells me that the NHL has finally green-lighted the production of Hartford Whalers merch
FINALLY.
[quote comment=”317278″]http://www.fgathletics.com/fggallery.swf
hahahahahaha the yellow booties on the home page picture is hilarious. Now doubt he thought they were bad ass. It makes him look like a clown![/quote]
Oregon should wear those. Look like Donald Duck feet.
Oh, wait a sec….
Never mind. Would cover the Nike logo.
—Ricko
I thought we’d never see the famed Athletics stir-ups again….*sniff* Its just so beautiful!
Does anyone know a good place to find early 1900s wool? I am working on a DIY project and I am looking for some gray wool for the jersey. Thanks!
Excellent Breaking News!
Rangers scrap the two-toned helmets!
link
Unfortunately though, I noticed earlier this week that regardless of whether they ever take the field, the helmets will be immortalized by their May 16th promotion barring a last minute touch-up:
link
Hopefully this means you’ll be able to select the Whalers unis when you are the Hurricanes in NHL10
[quote comment=”317305″]Excellent Breaking News!
Rangers scrap the two-toned helmets!
link
dammit…
the worst helmets in MLB title remains in ny…*sigh*
/kudos to lukas and his legions for their inevitable influence in scrapping the clown helmets…if only the ‘ditch the black’ campaign were as successful
I’ve always been a strong believer in the concept of leaving a teams logo and history in it’s original city, despite the movement of that franchise to another location. Usually, the logos and nicknames for the replacement teams are poor.
For example, the North Stars should have stayed in Minnesota, and the Oilers should have been used by the present Houston NFL franchise. Also, the old NBA Jazz name should have been left in New Orleans.
feeble attempt at a Yankees jersey on link today. I’m glad the only comment (so far) calls out NOB
[quote comment=”317307″][quote comment=”317305″]Excellent Breaking News!
Rangers scrap the two-toned helmets!
link
dammit…
the worst helmets in MLB title remains in ny…*sigh*
/kudos to lukas and his legions for their inevitable influence in scrapping the clown helmets…if only the ‘ditch the black’ campaign were as successful[/quote]
Forgot to mention that the helmets will also be immortalized in video games:
link
WOW! I never expected top billing when I sent that…At most I thought I’d get a mention in the ticker!
I have a small piece on the WBC currently appearing on the Page 2 index page. Mostly stuff we’ve already discussed here. But still:
link
I just caught wind that not only is VT implementing the maroon ‘throwbacks’ full-time and scrapping the designer look they had last year, but the team is also going to have new helmets to go with the full-time throwbacks.
No word on what changes will be made, but I figured I’d pass it along
Count me with the folks who like the pre 70’s/80/s style of less sanitary showing through the stirrup…
link
link
[quote comment=”317315″]Count me with the folks who like the pre 70’s/80/s style of less sanitary showing through the stirrup…
link
I agree that’s better than Wimberly. But Wimberly’s still on the outer edge of excellent.
[quote comment=”317313″]I have a small piece on the WBC currently appearing on the Page 2 index page. Mostly stuff we’ve already discussed here. But still:
link
OK, what am I missing? I see your write-up about the Rangers shitcanning the clown helmets and I see a WBC-themed comic next to it, but I don’t see anything written by you about the WBC.
By the way, today’s post is terrific.
Nice to see all the Drillers photos making on here. It’s weird seeing them in their road unis after being used to only seeing them in home whites.
[quote comment=”317301″]A little birdie tells me that the NHL has finally green-lighted the production of Hartford Whalers merch
FINALLY.[/quote]
What? You mean the Carolina Hurricanes jerseys aren’t selling like the proverbial hotcakes?
:-)
[quote comment=”317320″][quote comment=”317301″]A little birdie tells me that the NHL has finally green-lighted the production of Hartford Whalers merch
FINALLY.[/quote]
What? You mean the Carolina Hurricanes jerseys aren’t selling like the proverbial hotcakes?
:-)[/quote]
Hartford is already infinitely better. Not because of the awesome logo and the great colour scheme, but because they NEVER used a black uniform.
Well done, Karmanos. Jackass.
[quote comment=”317304″]Does anyone know a good place to find early 1900s wool? [/quote]
On a really old sheep?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
What’s the reason for link, anyway?
It reminds me of link after the last basketball game ever played there (Scottie Pippen’s charity game).
[quote comment=”317275″]”Splacked-up Socks” view at your own risk: link
WTF is with the vintage porn soundtrack on that page?
[quote comment=”317308″]I’ve always been a strong believer in the concept of leaving a teams logo and history in it’s original city, despite the movement of that franchise to another location. Usually, the logos and nicknames for the replacement teams are poor.
For example, the North Stars should have stayed in Minnesota, and the Oilers should have been used by the present Houston NFL franchise. Also, the old NBA Jazz name should have been left in New Orleans.[/quote]
Total of the Stimulus Bill percent agreement here! One other glaring miscarriage of fan justice is the Indianapolis Colts. Give the Colts name/logo back to Baltimore, just as the Browns were ceded to Cleveland.
I know everyone thinks that history began with them so I know some here will disagree, but I’d also give St. Louis the NFL Cardinals and keep the Rams nickname suspended until/unless LA gets another team.
It would be great to see the Washington Senators again. (And I know the jokes are coming.)
Overall, I would prefer to see the Houston NFL team be the Oilers-but the Texans are one of the very few expansion/replacements that did it right IMHO.
[quote comment=\”317311\”]WOW! I never expected top billing when I sent that…At most I thought I\’d get a mention in the ticker![/quote]
Great work Josh! Glad to know there are other UniWatchers here in Phoenix.
[quote comment=”317321″]Hartford is already infinitely better. Not because of the awesome logo and the great colour scheme, but because they NEVER used a black uniform.[/quote]
The Whalers have a warm spot in this Blackhawks fan’s heart for personal reasons. :-) But in addition to that, I like the blue/green color scheme: your team name is all about the sea, and those are colors that reference that area.
[quote] I’d also give St. Louis the NFL Cardinals and keep the Rams nickname suspended until/unless LA gets another team[/quote]
might wanna think about giving the cardinals name back to chicago, first…come to think of it…
maybe racine deserves it more ;)
[quote comment=”317320″][quote comment=”317301″]A little birdie tells me that the NHL has finally green-lighted the production of Hartford Whalers merch
FINALLY.[/quote]
What? You mean the Carolina Hurricanes jerseys aren’t selling like the proverbial hotcakes?
:-)[/quote]
I HIGHLY doubt Carolina will see anything from the sales other than league-shared profits…
Carolina doesn’t own any part of the Whaler organization other than the players, staff, and Khalenberg T-3 they use as a goal horn.
And actually, the black jersey has been a very hot seller in the area and nationwide. Actually sells better than any of their other jerseys ever did, so there!
[quote comment=”317323″]What’s the reason for link, anyway?
It reminds me of link after the last basketball game ever played there (Scottie Pippen’s charity game).[/quote]
I would assume it was Senior Night at Freedom Hall and will be his last game at Louisville.
[quote comment=”317328″]might wanna think about giving the cardinals name back to chicago, first…come to think of it…
maybe racine deserves it more ;)[/quote]
Sure, I know that I opened up a can of worms: that’s why I said that like most other fans history begins with my own memories.
So for me, it’s Cleveland Browns and not Cleveland Rams, and St Louis Cardinals and not the Chicago Cards.
(Besides, new Comiskey was specifically designed so that a football field couldn’t be fit in.) :-)
But in that case I’ve got a question for the New York crowd: what’s the name of your National League team, the Dodgers or Giants? ;-)
[quote comment=”317329″]
And actually, the black jersey has been a very hot seller in the area and nationwide. Actually sells better than any of their other jerseys ever did, so there![/quote]
Nationwide? My ass.
Unless you’re counting the 500 or so in your region as a “nation”, you’re sorely mistaken.
[quote comment=”317321″][quote comment=”317320″][quote comment=”317301″]A little birdie tells me that the NHL has finally green-lighted the production of Hartford Whalers merch
FINALLY.[/quote]
What? You mean the Carolina Hurricanes jerseys aren’t selling like the proverbial hotcakes?
:-)[/quote]
Hartford is already infinitely better. Not because of the awesome logo and the great colour scheme, but because they NEVER used a black uniform.
Well done, Karmanos. Jackass.[/quote]
Its not Karmanos’ fault the Whalers fanbase couldn’t sell-out a 14,000 seat arena. The area was too saturated with teams, one had to go. And in reality, with the Isles, Devils, and Rags all right there, its still too saturated.
[quote comment=”317332″][quote comment=”317329″]
And actually, the black jersey has been a very hot seller in the area and nationwide. Actually sells better than any of their other jerseys ever did, so there![/quote]
Nationwide? My ass.
Unless you’re counting the 500 or so in your region as a “nation”, you’re sorely mistaken.[/quote]
It sells better than the others.
Just because they don’t sell like a RedWings or Flyers jersey does not make them a failure.
[quote comment=”317333″]
Its not Karmanos’ fault the Whalers fanbase couldn’t sell-out a 14,000 seat arena. The area was too saturated with teams, one had to go. And in reality, with the Isles, Devils, and Rags all right there, its still too saturated.[/quote]
It’s entirely his fault for moving the team to an area that has never had hockey in it, and still struggles at the gate.
It’s entirely his fault that they introduced an unnecessary black alternate jersey.
It’s entirely his fault for demanding idiotic things while in Hartford while icing a pathetic team.
It’s entirely his fault. Period.
[quote comment=”317334″][quote comment=”317332″][quote comment=”317329″]
And actually, the black jersey has been a very hot seller in the area and nationwide. Actually sells better than any of their other jerseys ever did, so there![/quote]
Nationwide? My ass.
Unless you’re counting the 500 or so in your region as a “nation”, you’re sorely mistaken.[/quote]
It sells better than the others.
Just because they don’t sell like a RedWings or Flyers jersey does not make them a failure.[/quote]
Prove it. What “others” are you referring to?
The Sabres? The Bruins? The Penguins?
Drop the argument before I start dropping sales figures for each team. Carolina’s black uniform sells in your region because the fans in that region want to stay current.
Everyone else in the USA barely knows you have a team.
[quote comment=”317322″][quote comment=”317304″]Does anyone know a good place to find early 1900s wool? [/quote]
On a really old sheep?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.[/quote]
Actually, the NHL Store in Manhattan has been selling Whalers t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats for about a year now. The store personnel have indicated to me that Mitchell and Ness Whalers jerseys are due to be released sometime this month. They also told me a great story. NHL headquarters is in the same building as the store. Apparently one day Karmanos stopped in the store after a meeting upstairs and complained to the staff that there was too much Whalers merchandise out for display and not enough Hurricanes merchandise. The response: Hurricanes merchandise doesn’t sell and Whalers merchandise is among their biggest sellers.
[quote comment=”317337″][quote comment=”317322″][quote comment=”317304″]Does anyone know a good place to find early 1900s wool? [/quote]
On a really old sheep?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.[/quote]
Actually, the NHL Store in Manhattan has been selling Whalers t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats for about a year now. The store personnel have indicated to me that Mitchell and Ness Whalers jerseys are due to be released sometime this month. They also told me a great story. NHL headquarters is in the same building as the store. Apparently one day Karmanos stopped in the store after a meeting upstairs and complained to the staff that there was too much Whalers merchandise out for display and not enough Hurricanes merchandise. The response: Hurricanes merchandise doesn’t sell and Whalers merchandise is among their biggest sellers.[/quote]
Just remember, though… we’re wrong. NHL HQ is entirely wrong.
Hurricanes jerseys are “a very hot seller in the area and nationwide”.
Frigging tool.
[quote comment=”317335″][quote comment=”317333″]
Its not Karmanos’ fault the Whalers fanbase couldn’t sell-out a 14,000 seat arena. The area was too saturated with teams, one had to go. And in reality, with the Isles, Devils, and Rags all right there, its still too saturated.[/quote]
It’s entirely his fault for moving the team to an area that has never had hockey in it, and still struggles at the gate.
It’s entirely his fault that they introduced an unnecessary black alternate jersey.
It’s entirely his fault for demanding idiotic things while in Hartford while icing a pathetic team.
It’s entirely his fault. Period.[/quote]
Wow… Its almost comical about how biased and hateful those things are, yet with nothing of real value to back it up.
The Canes average more fans now than the Whalers ever did. They couldn’t fill a 14,000 seat arena, and they deserved to move. Only an idiot would think otherwise.
The move to Carolina has been one of the few successful moves in the NHL. Sure, they don’t get the return in sales they would hope for, but the fanbase has caught on and has stuck. Thats a result of the area being built on transplants from the northern cities of NY, Philly, Boston, and Pittsburgh moving down and adopting the team. They’ll always be a regional team, but thats nothing different than what the Whalers were. You’re just upset because one of your beloved teams were moved to an area ripe for growth. Boo hoo.
Pitt Uni Party follow-up: If Max’s was good enough for the Candy Man (a Brooklyn native, Paul), it was good enough for Uniwatchers! From Si June 14, 1982. candelaria.jpg
[quote comment=”317337″][quote comment=”317322″][quote comment=”317304″]Does anyone know a good place to find early 1900s wool? [/quote]
On a really old sheep?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.[/quote]
Actually, the NHL Store in Manhattan has been selling Whalers t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats for about a year now. The store personnel have indicated to me that Mitchell and Ness Whalers jerseys are due to be released sometime this month. They also told me a great story. NHL headquarters is in the same building as the store. Apparently one day Karmanos stopped in the store after a meeting upstairs and complained to the staff that there was too much Whalers merchandise out for display and not enough Hurricanes merchandise. The response: Hurricanes merchandise doesn’t sell and Whalers merchandise is among their biggest sellers.[/quote]
Well gee… I wonder the fuck why the Whalers merchandise sells in Manhattan… Could it be that Hartford is only an hours train ride from Grand Central?
Naaaaaaaah, that couldn’t possibly be it
Nobody is arguing that the Canes aren’t a regional team. Of course they are. But don’t sit back and argue that the Whalers were this broad national brand when clearly they weren’t. And the fact that you’re using sales in their region to boast that the Whalers merchandise is more popular than the Canes is comical at best.
In defense of the spat-sock, it does keep mud and gravel from a baseball infield out of your shoe.
I think it is also going to wind up being mandatory equipment in sports where shoe and sock colors are heavily regulated, like field hockey and football. I think refs would like to have a colored spat over a white shoe to help them make a sideline call; remember when the WLAF mandated a yellow sideline and goal line instead of a white one?
Field hockey (international) doesn’t allow green or white shoes, leg guards, or socks so players can’t hide the ball.
[quote comment=”317338″][quote comment=”317337″][quote comment=”317322″][quote comment=”317304″]Does anyone know a good place to find early 1900s wool? [/quote]
On a really old sheep?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.[/quote]
Actually, the NHL Store in Manhattan has been selling Whalers t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats for about a year now. The store personnel have indicated to me that Mitchell and Ness Whalers jerseys are due to be released sometime this month. They also told me a great story. NHL headquarters is in the same building as the store. Apparently one day Karmanos stopped in the store after a meeting upstairs and complained to the staff that there was too much Whalers merchandise out for display and not enough Hurricanes merchandise. The response: Hurricanes merchandise doesn’t sell and Whalers merchandise is among their biggest sellers.[/quote]
Just remember, though… we’re wrong. NHL HQ is entirely wrong.
Hurricanes jerseys are “a very hot seller in the area and nationwide”.
Frigging tool.[/quote]
LOL!
Wow, way to distort that quote for your own personal gain. You must be a Democrat. Anyway, I meant the black sells better than the other Canes jerseys, but hey, continue to read what you want to read.
[quote comment=”317339″][quote comment=”317335″][quote comment=”317333″]
Its not Karmanos’ fault the Whalers fanbase couldn’t sell-out a 14,000 seat arena. The area was too saturated with teams, one had to go. And in reality, with the Isles, Devils, and Rags all right there, its still too saturated.[/quote]
It’s entirely his fault for moving the team to an area that has never had hockey in it, and still struggles at the gate.
It’s entirely his fault that they introduced an unnecessary black alternate jersey.
It’s entirely his fault for demanding idiotic things while in Hartford while icing a pathetic team.
It’s entirely his fault. Period.[/quote]
Wow… Its almost comical about how biased and hateful those things are, yet with nothing of real value to back it up.
The Canes average more fans now than the Whalers ever did. They couldn’t fill a 14,000 seat arena, and they deserved to move. Only an idiot would think otherwise.
The move to Carolina has been one of the few successful moves in the NHL. Sure, they don’t get the return in sales they would hope for, but the fanbase has caught on and has stuck. Thats a result of the area being built on transplants from the northern cities of NY, Philly, Boston, and Pittsburgh moving down and adopting the team. They’ll always be a regional team, but thats nothing different than what the Whalers were. You’re just upset because one of your beloved teams were moved to an area ripe for growth. Boo hoo.[/quote]
Ok, Beardface, you want it? You got it.
Carolina currently plays to 85.5% capacity which ranks them 27th out of 30 NHL teams this year. They average 16,015 people – 23rd-best – in an 18,370-seat arena. Real effing successful there, bud.
That’s down from 88.8% capacity last season, down from 94.7% in 2007, and only slightly up from the return of hockey in 2006 at 83.3%. They have never been out of the bottom-half of total annual attendance in their history despite having the league’s 12th-largest building in terms of seating capacity, and they rank a whopping 25th in total attendance this season. Real bloody successful there. You keep drinking the Kool-Aid that Karmanos is force-feeding you and we’ll ignore the red ink he deals with whenever the ‘Canes miss the playoffs.
But you have to lose to win, right?
Because Karmanos couldn’t find a way to keep talent in Hartford (being as notoriously cheap as he is), the Whalers suffered every year. As a result, fans stop showing up to games. You know, kinda what happened in 2001 when the Hurricanes averaged 13,355 per game (29th). Or 2002 when they averaged 15,508 (24th). Or 2003 when they averaged 15,682 (19th). Or 2004 when they averaged 12,330 per game (29th).
When your team sucks, it’s hard to attract people. People like a winner. People in Hartford are no different.
Success? Yeah, you won a Stanley Cup. But if you’re making no money, you’re offering a lesson in futility. It’s the same reason why the Leafs haven’t won since 1967.
At least they sellout their monsterous new building, though.
[quote comment=”317341″][quote comment=”317337″][quote comment=”317322″][quote comment=”317304″]Does anyone know a good place to find early 1900s wool? [/quote]
On a really old sheep?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.[/quote]
Actually, the NHL Store in Manhattan has been selling Whalers t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats for about a year now. The store personnel have indicated to me that Mitchell and Ness Whalers jerseys are due to be released sometime this month. They also told me a great story. NHL headquarters is in the same building as the store. Apparently one day Karmanos stopped in the store after a meeting upstairs and complained to the staff that there was too much Whalers merchandise out for display and not enough Hurricanes merchandise. The response: Hurricanes merchandise doesn’t sell and Whalers merchandise is among their biggest sellers.[/quote]
Well gee… I wonder the fuck why the Whalers merchandise sells in Manhattan… Could it be that Hartford is only an hours train ride from Grand Central?
Naaaaaaaah, that couldn’t possibly be it
Nobody is arguing that the Canes aren’t a regional team. Of course they are. But don’t sit back and argue that the Whalers were this broad national brand when clearly they weren’t. And the fact that you’re using sales in their region to boast that the Whalers merchandise is more popular than the Canes is comical at best.[/quote]
Your team is irrelevant. Get over it. Your claims of “nationwide sales”, which is exactly what I touched on, hold no water.
Does nationwide not include the sprawling metropolis of New York City?
[quote comment=”317341″][quote comment=”317337″][quote comment=”317322″][quote comment=”317304″]Does anyone know a good place to find early 1900s wool? [/quote]
On a really old sheep?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.[/quote]
Actually, the NHL Store in Manhattan has been selling Whalers t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats for about a year now. The store personnel have indicated to me that Mitchell and Ness Whalers jerseys are due to be released sometime this month. They also told me a great story. NHL headquarters is in the same building as the store. Apparently one day Karmanos stopped in the store after a meeting upstairs and complained to the staff that there was too much Whalers merchandise out for display and not enough Hurricanes merchandise. The response: Hurricanes merchandise doesn’t sell and Whalers merchandise is among their biggest sellers.[/quote]
Well gee… I wonder the fuck why the Whalers merchandise sells in Manhattan… Could it be that Hartford is only an hours train ride from Grand Central?
Naaaaaaaah, that couldn’t possibly be it
Nobody is arguing that the Canes aren’t a regional team. Of course they are. But don’t sit back and argue that the Whalers were this broad national brand when clearly they weren’t. And the fact that you’re using sales in their region to boast that the Whalers merchandise is more popular than the Canes is comical at best.[/quote]
quit being such a homer. the whalers would easily outsell the hurricanes in merchandise
[quote comment=”317343″][quote comment=”317338″]
Frigging tool.[/quote]
LOL!
Wow, way to distort that quote for your own personal gain. You must be a Democrat. Anyway, I meant the black sells better than the other Canes jerseys, but hey, continue to read what you want to read.[/quote]
They weren’t even in the Top Six alternate jersey sales at Christmas this past year. And if you had a brain in your head, you’d know that I’m not American. But I’m guessing that sales figures for the ENTIRE NATION can be understood by both Democrats and Republicans alike.
Top six were: Penguins, Sabres, Flyers, Bruins, Oilers, and Islanders.
That’s right – you’re team’s alternate is being OUTSOLD by the worst NHL team’s alternate jersey. And no one considers the Islanders “lovable losers”.
They’re simply losers (sorry, Phil).
Face it: Hurricanes’ black jerseys are link.
[quote comment=”317328″][quote] I’d also give St. Louis the NFL Cardinals and keep the Rams nickname suspended until/unless LA gets another team[/quote]
might wanna think about giving the cardinals name back to chicago, first…come to think of it…
maybe racine deserves it more ;)[/quote]
Phil, you do realize that the Racine Normals/Cardinals played link, right?
[quote comment=”317267″]Looks like Dustin Kline has sent you notice of a sock/spat hybrid. About as useful as a combination sock/jockstrap.[/quote]
sockstrap?
You have to love a blog where two people argue about alternate jersey sales to a point where people are being called “tools” and “democrats”
Just sayin’….
[quote comment=”317348″][quote comment=”317328″][quote] I’d also give St. Louis the NFL Cardinals and keep the Rams nickname suspended until/unless LA gets another team[/quote]
might wanna think about giving the cardinals name back to chicago, first…come to think of it…
maybe racine deserves it more ;)[/quote]
Phil, you do realize that the Racine Normals/Cardinals played link, right?[/quote]
yeah…perhaps i worded that poorly…prior to being known as the chicago cards, they were the racine cards (which you know)…i guess by wording it the way i did i implied they played in racine, WI
/my bad, sir…carry on
[quote comment=”317315″]Count me with the folks who like the pre 70’s/80/s style of less sanitary showing through the stirrup…
link
Wouldn’t you think a team with a name like “Red Sox” would make it mandatory for their players to actually show some red sock instead of link?
[quote comment=”317347″][quote comment=”317343″][quote comment=”317338″]
Frigging tool.[/quote]
LOL!
Wow, way to distort that quote for your own personal gain. You must be a Democrat. Anyway, I meant the black sells better than the other Canes jerseys, but hey, continue to read what you want to read.[/quote]
They weren’t even in the Top Six alternate jersey sales at Christmas this past year. And if you had a brain in your head, you’d know that I’m not American. But I’m guessing that sales figures for the ENTIRE NATION can be understood by both Democrats and Republicans alike.
Top six were: Penguins, Sabres, Flyers, Bruins, Oilers, and Islanders.
That’s right – you’re team’s alternate is being OUTSOLD by the worst NHL team’s alternate jersey. And no one considers the Islanders “lovable losers”.
They’re simply losers (sorry, Phil).
Face it: Hurricanes’ black jerseys are link.[/quote]
LOL!
The Islanders are practically selling Stanley Cup throwback jerseys to their NYC fanbase and you’re bragging that they are doing better than the Canes. Newsflash, I would HOPE those outsell any Canes jersey because of 1) Location and 2) the history associated with the design. Just like Philly’s jersey. I would hope those would outsell just about everyone, even if the team was challenging the early ’90s Flyers for futility. The history alone makes them an easy sell.
The bottom-line is that you’re still sore that the Whalers were rightly moved out of town. Period, end of story. Of course the Whalers are going to sell merchandise in New York City when Harford is practically a suburb of it. Its like saying the Royals are more of a national team than the Rays because they sell more merchandise in Kansas City. While the fact they sell more merchandise is true, the premise is absurd.
[quote comment=”317313″]I have a small piece on the WBC currently appearing on the Page 2 index page. Mostly stuff we’ve already discussed here. But still:
link
I see something on the Texas helmets not WBC?
Still- interesting breaking news that the Rangers are ditching the two-tone.
I really did want to see them at least once, if only to tell my kids I witnessed such a monstrosity…
[quote comment=”317351″][quote comment=”317348″][quote comment=”317328″][quote] I’d also give St. Louis the NFL Cardinals and keep the Rams nickname suspended until/unless LA gets another team[/quote]
might wanna think about giving the cardinals name back to chicago, first…come to think of it…
maybe racine deserves it more ;)[/quote]
Phil, you do realize that the Racine Normals/Cardinals played link, right?[/quote]
yeah…perhaps i worded that poorly…prior to being known as the chicago cards, they were the racine cards (which you know)…i guess by wording it the way i did i implied they played in link
/my bad, sir…carry on[/quote]
seems someone forgot the rams started in cleveland… tsk tsk.
[quote]the Whalers are going to sell merchandise in New York City when Harford is practically a suburb of it.[/quote]
newsflash:
hartford is not, REPEAT, not a suburb of nyc, practically or otherwise; the hartford jerseys will sell because they are, in a word, link (cooperalls notwithstanding)…
you could make a better argument that hartford is a suburb of boston, but you’d be wrong there too…since both cities are roughly equidistant from hartford
[quote comment=”317356″][quote]the Whalers are going to sell merchandise in New York City when Harford is practically a suburb of it.[/quote]
newsflash:
hartford is not, REPEAT, not a suburb on nyc, practically or otherwise; the hartford jerseys will sell because they are, in a word, link (cooperalls notwithstanding)…
you could make a better argument that hartford is a suburb or boston, but you’d be wrong there too…since both cities are roughly equidistant from hartford[/quote]
quick question: were the whalers the only modern pro team located in CT?
[quote comment=”317353″]
The bottom-line is that you’re still sore that the Whalers were rightly moved out of town. Period, end of story. Of course the Whalers are going to sell merchandise in New York City when Harford is practically a suburb of it. Its like saying the Royals are more of a national team than the Rays because they sell more merchandise in Kansas City. While the fact they sell more merchandise is true, the premise is absurd.[/quote]
I cant believe I have to point this out, but…
That’s precisely the argument you made!
I quote, “actually, the black jersey has been a very hot seller in the area and nationwide”.
If you can account for NYI being #6 because of New Yorkers, does that mean that Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Boston, Philly, and Edmonton are part of the NYC-area too? Give me a break.
By the way, Edmonton’s surrounding “metropolis” population is less than half of your region’s population. So your theory of this “regional buying” baloney is like the Hurricanes’ alternate: absolute crap.
Your team is irrelevant. More so than they were when they played in Hartford. You need to face that fact.
[quote]were the whalers the only modern pro team located in CT?[/quote]
no
[quote comment=”317348″]Phil, you do realize that the Racine Normals/Cardinals played in Chicago, right?[/quote]Wow, does that bring back memories. Long ago and far away I attended the Normal Theater. :-) I hadn’t thought about that in YEARS.
I wonder if any NFL team has a reference to Chelten? :-)
[quote comment=”317359″][quote]were the whalers the only modern pro team located in CT?[/quote]
link[/quote]
thank ya, sir! ever since the rockers left cleveland, i know nothing about the wnba.
[quote comment=”317355″]seems someone forgot the rams started in cleveland… tsk tsk.[/quote]
Not me! Scroll up to comment #61. ;-)
[quote comment=”317362″][quote comment=”317355″]seems someone forgot the rams started in cleveland… tsk tsk.[/quote]
Not me! Scroll up to comment #61. ;-)[/quote]
OOP! Sorry, anotherguy. Glad I’m not the only one recognizing my hometown.
[quote comment=”317347″]
They weren’t even in the Top Six alternate jersey sales at Christmas this past year. And if you had a brain in your head, you’d know that I’m not American. But I’m guessing that sales figures for the ENTIRE NATION can be understood by both Democrats and Republicans alike.
Top six were: Penguins, Sabres, Flyers, Bruins, Oilers, and Islanders.
That’s right – you’re team’s alternate is being OUTSOLD by the worst NHL team’s alternate jersey. And no one considers the Islanders “lovable losers”.
They’re simply losers (sorry, Phil).
Face it: Hurricanes’ black jerseys are link.[/quote]
I think part of the appeal of the Whale is that they’re a defunct franchise and, as such, fondly remembered by real hockey fans. I wear my Whalers hoodie and people come up and hum Brass Bonanza or make a Pucky the Whale joke or say “Hey, the Whalers!” Same thing happens to a lesser extent when I rock a Nordiques or Winnipeg Jets sweater, or the Minnesota North Stars sweater I wore to work today. Read Proust–people like to remember things from a bygone era.
Also, I take serious umbrage to your characterization of the Islanders as “simply losers.” If you’re narrowly looking at this year, sure. Take your shots.
But this franchise has four Cups and has made the playoffs 21 times out of 35 seasons, a success rate that surpasses a certain franchise across the river.
I completely agree with you, however, that the Canes’ black jerseys are total shit. They remind me of the ugly black Sabres jersey of the late 90s.
So as a long time A’s fan…here’s the response I got from them when I emailed them about Corey and today’s post….bummer :-(
Thank you for your interest in the Oakland Athletics and Corey Wimberly.
Unfortunately A’s players and coaches are unable to receive emails.
To contact Wimberly please send a letter to:
Oakland A’s
Attn: (player/coaches name)
P.O. Box 2220
Oakland, CA 94621
The A’s do not encourage mailing items to be autographed. The A’s staff is not responsible for items that are not autographed or returned.
Hope this information helps.
GO A’s!!!
[quote comment=”317364″]I think part of the appeal of the Whale is that they’re a defunct franchise and, as such, fondly remembered by real hockey fans.[/quote]
I think the appeal is mainly the GREATEST LOGO EVER.
[quote comment=”317363″]OOP! Sorry, anotherguy. Glad I’m not the only one recognizing my hometown.[/quote]No need to apologize, IMHO it’s all part of the fun around here! ;-)
For that matter, I’m glad I’m not the only one recognizing Chicago-now I just need to find someone from the old neighborhood, hence the references to the Chelten and the Normal. :-)
[quote comment=”317364″][quote comment=”317347″]
They weren’t even in the Top Six alternate jersey sales at Christmas this past year. And if you had a brain in your head, you’d know that I’m not American. But I’m guessing that sales figures for the ENTIRE NATION can be understood by both Democrats and Republicans alike.
Top six were: Penguins, Sabres, Flyers, Bruins, Oilers, and Islanders.
That’s right – you’re team’s alternate is being OUTSOLD by the worst NHL team’s alternate jersey. And no one considers the Islanders “lovable losers”.
They’re simply losers (sorry, Phil).
Face it: Hurricanes’ black jerseys are link.[/quote]
I think part of the appeal of the Whale is that they’re a defunct franchise and, as such, fondly remembered by real hockey fans. I wear my Whalers hoodie and people come up and hum Brass Bonanza or make a Pucky the Whale joke or say “Hey, the Whalers!” Same thing happens to a lesser extent when I rock a Nordiques or Winnipeg Jets sweater, or the Minnesota North Stars sweater I wore to work today. Read Proust–people like to remember things from a bygone era.
Also, I take serious umbrage to your characterization of the Islanders as “simply losers.” If you’re narrowly looking at this year, sure. Take your shots.
But this franchise has four Cups and has made the playoffs 21 times out of 35 seasons, a success rate that surpasses a certain franchise across the river.
I completely agree with you, however, that the Canes’ black jerseys are total shit. They remind me of the ugly black Sabres jersey of the late 90s.[/quote]
teebz is well aware of their history… but… they’re losers (sorry phil).
in fairness, i love the buccos, i’m from pittsburgh, they have a great history… but… they’re losers.
when i wear my winnipeg jersey out to a pens game or somewhere, my brother and i play an “over/under” game on how many compliments i’ll get. at pens games, the over/under is set at 4.5. out in public, it’s 3.5. all it takes is one lap around the mellon and i hit the over almost everytime.
same probably goes (if not more), for the whalers. that’s just a classic jersey, and a classic city and team name!
The Toledo Mudhens will have new sunday uni’s this season… See them in link.
I have to say the a big part of the reason Whalers merchandise reportedly sells so well is that freaking KILLER logo. Any Carolina homer could admit as much.
And I’m not sure how anyone in their right mind could think Hartford is in any way a suburb of NYC.
[quote comment=”317364″]
Also, I take serious umbrage to your characterization of the Islanders as “simply losers.” If you’re narrowly looking at this year, sure. Take your shots.
But this franchise has four Cups and has made the playoffs 21 times out of 35 seasons, a success rate that surpasses a certain franchise across the river.
I completely agree with you, however, that the Canes’ black jerseys are total shit. They remind me of the ugly black Sabres jersey of the late 90s.[/quote]
Since 1993, the Islanders have had serious problems. In that timeframe, they have had 13 picks in the first ten draft positions. Of those 13 picks, only three are still with the team – DiPietro, Okposo, and Bailey.
The Mike Milbury years combined with the fraudulent handling of the team by a number of owners have turned a once-proud dynasty into the league’s doormat for the better part of two decades. Since 1994, they have appeared in the playoffs only 4 times, winning only six games (half of those against Toronto in the 2002 series).
The Islanders have a deep and rich history. The first 20 years? One of the best runs of a franchise ever. But the last 15 years have been nothing short of ineptitude and futility.
The Islanders took their team photo today, and decided to wear the third “throwback” jerseys instead of their regular home unis. (Per link.)
[quote comment=”317373″]The Islanders took their team photo today, and decided to wear the third “throwback” jerseys instead of their regular home unis. (Per link.)[/quote]
The throwback is reportedly going to be their standard home uniform next year based upon – ready for this, Beardface? – SALES FIGURES.
Wow! Charles Wang must be a Democrat!
Beardface may be the most inflammatory person around this blog that doesn’t have posting rights here.
[/token non-jersey comment of the day]
dipietro is still on the team?
/who knew?
[quote comment=”317374″][quote comment=”317373″]The Islanders took their team photo today, and decided to wear the third “throwback” jerseys instead of their regular home unis. (Per link.)[/quote]
The throwback is reportedly going to be their standard home uniform next year based upon – ready for this, Beardface? – SALES FIGURES.
Wow! Charles Wang must be a Democrat![/quote]
No, he’s a tool.
[quote comment=”317372″]
The Islanders have a deep and rich history. The first 20 years? One of the best runs of a franchise ever. But the last 15 years have been nothing short of ineptitude and futility.[/quote]
I’m not going to get in a pissing match over this, for sure…I know what the Isles’ history has been since David Volek scored to bounce the Penguins in ’93. I know it all too well.
But for comparison, the Devils were pathetic for their first ten seasons and since then have had success arguably equal to that of the Islanders in the late ’70s and throughout the ’80s. Are they winners or are they losers?
You can’t tar an entire franchise without taking history into account.
Matt, the Islanders would be the team I’d least like to take over in the NHL. I’d rather have the Coyotes, because at least I could take them back to Winnipeg.
[quote comment=”317378″][quote comment=”317372″]
The Islanders have a deep and rich history. The first 20 years? One of the best runs of a franchise ever. But the last 15 years have been nothing short of ineptitude and futility.[/quote]
I’m not going to get in a pissing match over this, for sure…I know what the Isles’ history has been since David Volek scored to bounce the Penguins in ’93. I know it all too well.
But for comparison, the Devils were pathetic for their first ten seasons and since then have had success arguably equal to that of the Islanders in the late ’70s and throughout the ’80s. Are they winners or are they losers?
You can’t tar an entire franchise without taking history into account.[/quote]
Still a Mickey Mouse franchise. I’m with Gretzky on that one.
Everyone remembers recent history. It’s fresh in everyone’s mind.
[quote comment=”317356″][quote]the Whalers are going to sell merchandise in New York City when Harford is practically a suburb of it.[/quote]
newsflash:
hartford is not, REPEAT, not a suburb of nyc, practically or otherwise; the hartford jerseys will sell because they are, in a word, link (cooperalls notwithstanding)…
you could make a better argument that hartford is a suburb of boston, but you’d be wrong there too…since both cities are roughly equidistant from hartford[/quote]
There’s another flaw in his logic. Even if Hartford was an outer suburb of NYC, New Yorkers aren’t overly disposed to identify with the far outer burbs, much less drop lots of money to look like they live there.
It’s a bad argument on two fronts. One might as well argue that Milwaukee Brewers jerseys ought to be hot sellers in Chicago.
If Hartford Whalers merchandise sells well, it’s own its own merits and not because of some Gotham provincialism.
[quote comment=”317379″]Matt, the Islanders would be the team I’d least like to take over in the NHL. I’d rather have the Coyotes, because at least I could take them back to Winnipeg.[/quote]
Well, no-brainer on taking the Jets back to Peg City where they belong…but the Islanders have the foundation of what could be a remarkably successful team over the next five seasons. They need to complete this total organ-eye-zational philosophy change, basically to air out the stink of the Spano-Fishsticks-Milbury-Yashin years.
Once they get the ship righted in the front office, the Isles will be in good shape. Getting the new arena built would be a great victory and a shot in the arm for the team…part of the problem is that FAs won’t play in the decrepit Coliseum.
I’d rather helm the Isles than the two Florida franchises.
[quote comment=”317350″]You have to love a blog where two people argue about alternate jersey sales to a point where people are being called “tools” and “democrats”
Just sayin’….[/quote]
Well put. I know everyone’s upset about the Rangers scrapping their two-tone helmet, but dial down the temperature a bit, OK? OK.
This Teebz guy and Beardface guy need to realize something: This is the internet. No matter what you say, the other guy will never believe you. So why don’t you just give it a rest?
Thanks.
link, adidas. Should sell great with millionaire athletes and Russian hockey players who defected. Douchebag of the day nominee.
The hat is no longer on the adidas site. Out of stock, they say. Ironic?
I have been doing some screengrabs from 1940’s football dvds. Here are 2 color pics from Illinois vs UCLA Rosebowl. 1947.
UCLA at the time had the dark blue and white uniforms
link
link
Verily I say unto thee, those words which have been displayed upon my Magic Tome this day have filled my heart with the purest of joys. Lukas, Duke of Uniforms, I shall toast thee with a flagon of my heartiest mulled wine.
[quote comment=”317385″]link, adidas. Should sell great with millionaire athletes and Russian hockey players who defected. Douchebag of the day nominee.
The hat is no longer on the adidas site. Out of stock, they say. Ironic?[/quote]
What’s even more ironic is that they named the cap “Marx”. Old Karl would surely have a laugh at this bourgeous bullshit.
From Wikipedia, the source of undoubted accuracy, “In 1994, Compuware founder Peter Karmanos purchased the Whalers and pledged to keep them in Hartford for four years. However, two years later, frustrated with lackluster attendance and little corporate support, he announced that if the Whalers were unable to sell at least 11,000 season tickets for the 1996—97 season, he would likely move the team. Furthermore, ownership only made season tickets available in full-season (41-game) packages, eliminating the popular five- and ten-game “mini plans,” in a strategy largely designed to spur purchases from wealthier corporations and individuals. Sales were underwhelming at the beginning of the campaign, and at the end of the 1995—96 season it was still unknown whether the Whalers would stay in Connecticut or move. However, thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign, and the creative efforts of many fans (who pooled together resources to purchase some of the full-season packages collectively) the Whalers announced that they would stay in Connecticut through at least 1997.
In early 1996, negotiations between the Whalers and Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland to build a new $147.5 million arena seemed to be going well. However, talks fell apart when Rowland and the state refused Karmanos’ demand to reimburse the Whalers for up to $45 million in losses during the three years the new arena was to be built. As a result, on March 26, 1997, the team announced that it would be leaving Hartford, one of the few times that a team announced it would leave its current city without having already selected a new city. Many suspect that Rowland never had any intention of building a new arena for the Whalers, as he harbored hopes of instead luring the New England Patriots to Connecticut. Those talks also fell apart after the state and the Patriots ownership failed to reach an agreement on a new stadium. [1][2][3]”
Hartford lost the Whalers due to mismanagement and banking on wrangling another team instead of supporting one that they had.
Never heard of this Wimberly guy before today, but I’ll bet he’ll be a household name around here. Judging by his number in the lead photo (it looks like #26, low enough not to be too “happy to be here”), I’d like to think he has a chance to make the club.
Just out of curiosity, can we construct a present-day team of stirrup wearers? Wimberly’s somewhere in the infield, Pittsburgh’s Nyjer Morgan in the outfield, Jamie Moyer the ace of the staff, Ubaldo Jimenez a solid #2…
[quote comment=”317389″]From Wikipedia, the source of “undoubted accuracy”…[/quote]
Since the deal fell apart AFTER Karmanos demanded $45 million along with a new arena, do you think that Rowland and the state had any interest in keeping him in town?
It wasn’t mismanagement or wrangling of other teams. It was the city of Hartford walking away from a ludicrous and insane demand.
Again, Karmanos is entirely to blame.
[quote comment=”317390″]Never heard of this Wimberly guy before today, but I’ll bet he’ll be a household name around here. Judging by his number in the lead photo (it looks like #26, low enough not to be too “happy to be here”), I’d like to think he has a chance to make the club.
Just out of curiosity, can we construct a present-day team of stirrup wearers? Wimberly’s somewhere in the infield, Pittsburgh’s Nyjer Morgan in the outfield, Jamie Moyer the ace of the staff, Ubaldo Jimenez a solid #2…[/quote]
Two more outfielders: link and link
If he ever pitches again, link.
Uh… link.
let us not forget cy lince, barry and reyes
[quote comment=”317301″]“A little birdie tells me that the NHL has finally green-lighted the production of Hartford Whalers merch.”[/quote]
link
[quote comment=”317393″]let us not forget link, link and link[/quote]
Are any of those guys still wearing stirrups?
Since he’s been with Cleveland, I’ve only seen Reyes in link. I don’t remember Lincecum in anything but link last year. And it looks like Zito switched over to link at some point last year.
Just heard from someone who saw the new Adidas catalog for retailers. New jerseys next season for the Bobcats, 76ers, and Warriors, and an alternate for the Hawks.
The Warriors need a new logo, the Rocketman thing is a joke….
BTW, comparing Canes jersey sales vs teams in major cities is just stupid. Teams in big cities, no matter how bad, are going to out-sell teams in small cities, especially if they are bad-mediocre.
Whalers jerseys will outsell them just because it’s a throwback.
They need to fix the logo, from a tropical storm warning to hurricane.
I would buy an old-school New England Whalers WHA jersey (harpoon, whale logo)any day. The NHL version of the jersey was nice, but not my favourite.
But if I was going to buy the NHL version, it would have to be the original green, not the blue disasters they wore the last few years.
[quote comment=”317317″][quote comment=”317315″]Count me with the folks who like the pre 70’s/80/s style of less sanitary showing through the stirrup…
link
I agree that’s better than Wimberly. But Wimberly’s still on the outer edge of excellent.[/quote]
Agree, but well done, Mr. Wimberly, well done. Now perhaps the A’s will spring for some stripes.
link
[quote comment=”317386″]I have been doing some screengrabs from 1940’s football dvds. Here are 2 color pics from Illinois vs UCLA Rosebowl. 1947.[/quote]
It’s very hard to accurately capture orange on film. :-)
One thing I love is the ref’s hats: I would describe them as a cabdriver hat but I’m sure there’s a more accurate term.
[quote comment=”317383″][quote comment=”317350″]You have to love a blog where two people argue about alternate jersey sales to a point where people are being called “tools” and “democrats”
Just sayin’….[/quote]
Well put. I know everyone’s upset about the Rangers scrapping their two-tone helmet, but dial down the temperature a bit, OK? OK.[/quote]
That scrapped that thing? Really?
I should have a bunch of color on color grabs in the next few days.
Here is one from 1940 and 1941. Michigan vs Michigan State when the Spartans wore black and gold. Because of the coach Charlie Bachman a former ND player. The one year MSU wore black and gold vs Michigan blue. The other year they wore white. And there is one with the refs hat.
link
link
Good to hear that the NHL is allowing Whaler merch. On the topic of third jerseys…good news for traditionalists, the Islanders took their official team photo today wearin their…1970’s third jersey! As a season ticket holder, I notice they market the heck out of the jersey and the center ice logo at the Coliseum is royal blue instead of the standard navy that is worn at home. Chris Botta has reported numerous times that the Isles are talking with the NHL to see when the earliest possible date is to bring the retro’s back full time! That also means a dynasty-style white on the road to match the style…
I also heard rumors that the Flyers are interested in going back to orange at home and the Oilers want to follow the Isles lead and go retro full time as well. Add the above to the fact the Hawks are ditching their black thirds in favor of a Winter Classic style third, and the NHL has improved it’s style factor for 2009-10 bigtime!
[quote comment=”317402″]Good to hear that the NHL is allowing Whaler merch. On the topic of third jerseys…good news for traditionalists, the Islanders took their official team photo today wearin their…1970’s third jersey! As a season ticket holder, I notice they market the heck out of the jersey and the center ice logo at the Coliseum is royal blue instead of the standard navy that is worn at home. Chris Botta has reported numerous times that the Isles are talking with the NHL to see when the earliest possible date is to bring the retro’s back full time! That also means a dynasty-style white on the road to match the style…
I also heard rumors that the Flyers are interested in going back to orange at home and the Oilers want to follow the Isles lead and go retro full time as well. Add the above to the fact the Hawks are ditching their black thirds in favor of a Winter Classic style third, and the NHL has improved it’s style factor for 2009-10 bigtime![/quote]
The Flyers info is true. They have asked the NHL to allow them to flip-flop their current black home uniforms with the alternates.
The Oilers rumour is unconfirmed by me right now, but I’ll check into that.
I was somewhat shocked when the carrier pigeon made its way into the Scottsdale Stadium pressbox!
[quote comment=”317403″][quote comment=”317402″]Good to hear that the NHL is allowing Whaler merch. On the topic of third jerseys…good news for traditionalists, the Islanders took their official team photo today wearin their…1970’s third jersey! As a season ticket holder, I notice they market the heck out of the jersey and the center ice logo at the Coliseum is royal blue instead of the standard navy that is worn at home. Chris Botta has reported numerous times that the Isles are talking with the NHL to see when the earliest possible date is to bring the retro’s back full time! That also means a dynasty-style white on the road to match the style…
I also heard rumors that the Flyers are interested in going back to orange at home and the Oilers want to follow the Isles lead and go retro full time as well. Add the above to the fact the Hawks are ditching their black thirds in favor of a Winter Classic style third, and the NHL has improved it’s style factor for 2009-10 bigtime![/quote]
The Flyers info is true. They have asked the NHL to allow them to flip-flop their current black home uniforms with the alternates.
The Oilers rumour is unconfirmed by me right now, but I’ll check into that.[/quote]
Good news with Philly. I’m interested to see what the Islanders do with their jersey situation. In a year or two, when the alt. is the primary home and something along the lines of a ’70s-’80s white jersey as the primary road, where do they go with a third jersey. Do the Isles wear their current home’s as thirds, do they go back to orange? fishsticks?…lol, new design? none? Time will tell.
Does the NHL allow teams that have re-located to wear previous incarnations of said club’s sweater ?(Ex.Carolina wearing the Whalers sweaters)
[quote comment=”317406″]Does the NHL allow teams that have re-located to wear previous incarnations of said club’s sweater ?(Ex.Carolina wearing the Whalers sweaters)[/quote]
Not too sure. I’d love to see Phoenix wearing Winnipeg jerseys as alts or Colorado rockin the ol’ Nordiques’ jersey. I like to see teams honor their past.
On that note, at the New York Islanders “Core of the Four” ceremony, all the former players wore Mitchell and Ness ’79-’80 vintage jerseys, complete with the 1980 Winter Olympic games patch on the shoulder. After the ceremony, the Organist played “We are the Champions” and the current team skated out onto the ice wearing the same M&N jerseys, but with former players names/#’s on the back. (eg. Richard Park wore Dave Langivin jersey, Hunter-Persson, Satan-Bossy, etc etc. They only wore that jersey for the pregame skate, but my impulse got in the way and I dropped $200 for the M&N jersey. It gave me a preview of what to come and damn, i’m excited!
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A link to the Core of the Four jereys and our future road jerseys!
Larry B.
Where are you pulling those color clips from? What college football DVD?
Steve
[quote comment=”317391″][quote comment=”317389″]From Wikipedia, the source of “undoubted accuracy”…[/quote]
Since the deal fell apart AFTER Karmanos demanded $45 million along with a new arena, do you think that Rowland and the state had any interest in keeping him in town?
It wasn’t mismanagement or wrangling of other teams. It was the city of Hartford walking away from a ludicrous and insane demand.
Again, Karmanos is entirely to blame.[/quote]
Couldn’t have said it better. And don’t forget, linking the Whalers departure to luring the Patriots doesn’t know history – the Whale left in 1997, the Pats attempt was in 1999-2000. In short, losing the Whale forced the ill-fated attempt to draw the Pats here. (And that only failed because the NFL freaked out about losing Boston as a TV market.)
And it’s not just Ponytail Pete who’s to blame for the death of the Whale, though he did have a lot to do with it. Richard Gordon (who Whale fans will remember owned the team before Karmanos did) was equally cheap and was at the helm when the infamous Ron Francis-Ulf Samuelsson-for-Zarley Zalapski deal went down (there was another player or two involved in the deal, but I can’t remember who at the moment).
Oh, and there are green NE Whalers jerseys for sale here.
Can that link in my last post be fixed? Apparently I’m not as smart as I think I am. :)
[quote comment=”317411″]Can that link in my last post be fixed? Apparently I’m not as smart as I think I am. :)[/quote]
yes ;)
[quote comment=”317288″]My first boy crush: the Minnesota North Stars of the early ’70’s.[/quote]
Fantastic scans from the book. I gotta find a copy – and put my chunk of concrete from the Met next to it. link. I love the pic of Herb in his “M” twins cap.
Not uni related, but maybe someone can answer me this: In a college game I’m watching a batter got hurt with a 2-2 count and left the game. His replacement came in and struck out 2 pitches later. Which player is given the strikeout?
[quote comment=”317409″]Larry B.
Where are you pulling those color clips from? What college football DVD?
Steve[/quote]
My brother and I have a nice collection of old games and team histories. The Illinois vs UCLA was from an Illinois history dvd and the Michigan vs MSU color ones we got in a trade.
As I said I just learned how to do the screengrab and have been having fun the last 3 days. I plan on doing old color grabs for now from both college and NFL.
Some color and quality is good and some not so good. And dont forget these are not taken from games with tons of cameras and closeups. But I think other siwll enjoy seeing late 1930’s action and 1940 in color.
Larry,
Thanks for the reply. I have some color film of that era too, mainly home movies. I’ve noticed there was plenty of color on color back then.
steve
[quote comment=”317295″]Well, here’s hoping he makes my beloved A’s (little chance of that) since the closest thing we have to one who understands how a player of ball should look, Bobby Crosby, is on his way out of town
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Ellis used to suit up acceptably as well, but unfortunately a season or two ago he started wearing his pants long and never went back.
Stev, You are right about the color on color. And it seems like 1939 was a great year for color film in football games.
2 of my favorite things I have seen here were early 1930’s color pictures of Wisconsin vs Marquette and Green Bay vs Chicago Cardinals. From the Milwaukee paper that somebody found and shared.
Here are 2 grabs from 1960’s Wisconisn entering the filed before USC Rosebowl in 1962-63. And Ohio state practice in mid to late 1960’sBuckeyes had red helmets. But the surprise to me is the khaki color pants from practice.
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[quote comment=”317357″][quote comment=”317356″][quote]the Whalers are going to sell merchandise in New York City when Harford is practically a suburb of it.[/quote]
newsflash:
hartford is not, REPEAT, not a suburb on nyc, practically or otherwise; the hartford jerseys will sell because they are, in a word, link (cooperalls notwithstanding)…
you could make a better argument that hartford is a suburb or boston, but you’d be wrong there too…since both cities are roughly equidistant from hartford[/quote]
quick question: were the whalers the only modern pro team located in CT?[/quote]
Sorry in advance for the nitpick, but CT has had a number of “pro” teams. I think the term you’re looking for is “major league” teams.
[quote comment=”317356″][quote]the Whalers are going to sell merchandise in New York City when Harford is practically a suburb of it.[/quote]
newsflash:
hartford is not, REPEAT, not a suburb of nyc, practically or otherwise; the hartford jerseys will sell because they are, in a word, link (cooperalls notwithstanding)…
you could make a better argument that hartford is a suburb of boston, but you’d be wrong there too…since both cities are roughly equidistant from hartford[/quote]
I realize this point has been affirmed by several others as well, but I’d like to reiterate just how stupid the premise of Hartford’s suburban status (to NYC) is.
[quote comment=”317419″][quote comment=”317357″][quote comment=”317356″][quote]the Whalers are going to sell merchandise in New York City when Harford is practically a suburb of it.[/quote]
newsflash:
hartford is not, REPEAT, not a suburb on nyc, practically or otherwise; the hartford jerseys will sell because they are, in a word, link (cooperalls notwithstanding)…
you could make a better argument that hartford is a suburb or boston, but you’d be wrong there too…since both cities are roughly equidistant from hartford[/quote]
quick question: were the whalers the only modern pro team located in CT?[/quote]
Sorry in advance for the nitpick, but CT has had a number of “pro” teams. I think the term you’re looking for is “major league” teams.[/quote]
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Larry,
In that I make my living producing sports documentaries, I pride myself in finding unique and interesting footage. I didn’t think there was much I haven’t seen, but that Wisconsin shot looks pretty unique to me. Where is it from?
Steve
[quote comment=”317422″]Larry,
In that I make my living producing sports documentaries, I pride myself in finding unique and interesting footage. I didn’t think there was much I haven’t seen, but that Wisconsin shot looks pretty unique to me. Where is it from?
Steve[/quote]
It was when Wisconisn played USC in the 1963 Rosebowl. It is from a USC dvd we have. It had some color footage of that game. I have seen black and white footage mostly from that game but once in a while color.
I admire what you do in the documentaries.
Thanks,
I try.
[quote comment=”317419″][quote comment=”317357″][quote comment=”317356″][quote]the Whalers are going to sell merchandise in New York City when Harford is practically a suburb of it.[/quote]
newsflash:
hartford is not, REPEAT, not a suburb on nyc, practically or otherwise; the hartford jerseys will sell because they are, in a word, link (cooperalls notwithstanding)…
you could make a better argument that hartford is a suburb or boston, but you’d be wrong there too…since both cities are roughly equidistant from hartford[/quote]
quick question: were the whalers the only modern pro team located in CT?[/quote]
Sorry in advance for the nitpick, but CT has had a number of “pro” teams. I think the term you’re looking for is “major league” teams.[/quote]
For what it’s worth, the Hartford Dark Blues were a charter member of the National League.
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[quote comment=”317414″]Not uni related, but maybe someone can answer me this: In a college game I’m watching a batter got hurt with a 2-2 count and left the game. His replacement came in and struck out 2 pitches later. Which player is given the strikeout?[/quote]
The player that actually struck out – meaning the pinch hitter. He still could have gotten a hit and the original batter wouldn’t have been credited with a hit – so he’s the one that struck out -even though he did it on two pitches.