By Phil Hecken, with Special Guest Larry Wiederecht
This fine day, I’m joined by one of UW’s finest contributors, Larry Wiederecht. Better known to you all as “Lwiedy,” Larry’s extensive knowledge of uniforms and sports history is the equal of many, if not all, of the Uni Watch family. Whether it be his early loves, the Kansas City Royals, the Kansas City New York Islanders or the Washington Redskins, or his more current favorites and ‘home’ teams, Larry’s keen eye, intricate nose for detail, and general disdain for the current direction of uniforms and uniform design provide us all with a fantastic perspective and is a welcome addition to any uniform discussion.
You all know Larry from his posting, but let’s take a minute to meet Larry the man:
Phil Hecken: You’ve been into baseball forever. Can you elaborate a bit?
Larry Wiederecht: I’ve been involved in organization baseball every year (except 1986) since 1972. ’86 was spent finishing school and working for Tampa Bay’s CBA club, the Thrillers. Played through 1985 in college (Eckerd), when it was pretty obvious I had completely “mined the ore” of my ability which was far less than originally anticipated.
PH: What do you do now?
LW: Although I’m now in hotel management/accounting, I have been associated with a half-dozen baseball organizations since 1987. Mostly in the Florida State League, sometime with the office staff but mostly as an official scorer. Cardinals, MiLB, Blue Jays, Phillies/Threshers, Phillies (rookie) and for the past two years with Rays as the back-up to the back-up official scorer. That has amounted to about two dozen games since 2007. This year I can add NCAA to the scoring resume as I will be handling the Big East Tournament in a couple of weeks. It usually adds up to about 100 games each year.
PH: I love that you’re the official scorer for the Rays. That made for some interesting comments during the season and World Series.
LW: Well, let’s not over do it, a scorer for the Rays. It’s certainly a departure from Class-A ball. I did miss doing the division clincher last year by just one game.
PH: How’d you find UW?
LW: A fellow with the Threshers turned me on to UW in 2007 and I can recall really beginning to participate in January 2008. My biggest UW regret was messing with Teebz over Islanders jerseys. Didn’t know just whom I was dealing with and got crushed. Never made a hockey comment since.
PH: So, UW’s right up your alley, then?
LW: I guess I’m lucky that UW is primarily a product of a pair of 40-somethings like Paul and you (with contributions from many others). Just a bunch of grumpy old men bitching about the good old days. Seriously, it’s remarkable how often they come up stuff that right up my alley. For years, I thought I was the only one who obsessed over vertical-arched lettering on nameplates.
PH: You’re not alone Larry. But don’t give me any credit for UW. That’s Paul’s baby. I’m just happy he lets me share in this wonderful obsession. I’ve been trying to get you to work with me for ages, and I’m just happy this is the first of our collaborations. Want to let the readers know what’s in store?
LW: I do have a couple of projects that I’d like to share with UW audience, one being this All-Star bit. I have every program back to 1969, because that’s when baseball really started (or so says a Royals fan). But it’s really what my budget has allowed. I do have a fairly extensive collection of collectables but most rarely have too much interest because the scope is pretty narrow to what I like (which as most know, is not much). Anyhow, I hope the readers enjoy the selections we are planning of the next couple months leading up to the game this year in St. Louis and feel free to let us know what could make them better.
Thanks, Larry. As he said, we plan to corroborate on a series of posts dealing with All Star Games past, leading up to the Mid-Summer Classic. For this edition, Larry has scored an original 1972 All Star Game program, and has scanned several of the pages for our enjoyment. We begin with the cover. What a beautiful piece of art, huh? And I love that pure-70’s font that was so common (actually, I think it was just becoming common at that time). As we take a look inside, some bullets:
* Larry asks, “Who’s that fellow on the right?
* Larry’s not sure, “but I think this was Sand-Knit’s first venture into MLB unis. Also the illustrations make some references to some not so obvious players.”
* A look at the 1972 AS ring.
* Who says Ty Cobb hated all that was good in the world.
* Recognize anyone on this page?
* Larry’s personal favorite. Full page love for official scorers. There was a time when doing that was a big deal, obviously not so much these days!
* I’m guessing this is an ad but no print of any kind, but it’s great! Anyone going to the game will know exactly where to get a late night stack of pancakes.
* BTW, for those too young to recognize the sign, it was this (a great logo they never should have dropped).
Great stuff Larry, and thanks for sharing! I’ll be back again with Mr. Wiederecht from time to time as the 2009 All Star Game nears with more excellent bits from him.
The 1972 All Star Game itself was a pretty good affair, going into extra innings before the National League ultimately prevailed. The box score and more can be found here, and an additional write up is here. Hammerin’ Hank, playing in front of the hometown fans, gave them all a real thrill when he slugged a home run in the sixth inning of the contest off of Cleveland’s Gaylord Perry, (a shot he called his “most dramatic” of his career — of course that was before he hit #715). Here’s one more shot of the shot.
Nice little writeup of the game is also found on MLB.com:
The All-Star Game came to the South in 1972 as Atlanta hosted its first Midsummer Classic. Hometown hero Hank Aaron pleased the crowd with a two-run homer to left in the sixth inning, which gave the NL a 2-1 lead. In the eighth, the AL got some power from an unexpected source as Kansas City’s Cookie Rojas teed off on Expo hurler Bill Stoneman with a runner on, putting the AL back on top at 3-2. But Wilbur Wood of the Chisox couldn’t hold the lead in the ninth, as the NL managed to scrape out a run to tie the game and send it to extra innings. In the 10th, Mets relief specialist Tug McGraw put down the AL 1-2-3, and in the bottom of the inning, Baltimore’s Dave McNally allowed a lead-off walk to Nate Colbert of the Padres, who was bunted over to second by Chris Speier of the Giants. That brought up Joe Morgan and the Reds’ second baseman drove the first pitch into center on a line, scoring Colbert with the game-winning run.
The Mets own Tug McGraw ended up being the winning pitcher in the game, and he is shown here with his National League teammates, Cincinnati’s Joe Morgan (#8), Chicago’s Ron Santo and Pittsburgh’s Manny Sanguillen.
The “official logo” of the contest mirrored the typography of the All Star Game program. Nolan Ryan, who at this time was pitching for the California Angels (and who was selected to the game), is featured on this baseball card, which shows the ‘historical commemorative patch’ for the game.
Typically, photos from this game are somewhat difficult to find. However, the amazing Steve’s Baseball Photography Pages, hosted by Steve Dewing (and which have been linked numerous times on UW, and have been undergoing a recent update), has some fantastic pics from that 1972 game. In no particular order, here are some of those shots:
* Several members of the AL squad, many of whom would later become HOFers … From the end of that line, here’s Rod Carew & Reggie Jackson chatting.
* Not a bad group: Johnny Bench, Willie Stargell, Hank Aaron & Willie Mays … Bench would later take the mic for NBC.
* Pretty good arms here: Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan, former teammates and current HOFers … Picking up the hardware: Joe Morgan and Joe Torre, and is that Danny Murtaugh? And who’s that behind them? Is that Clemente, Aaron & Pops?
* Couple action shots: Dick Allen manning first … Al Oliver pops up and Pops lets fly the bat … Here’s a great one: Carlton Fisk and Chris Speier (with Speier wearing an Astros helmet) … Sweet Lou Pinella taking his licks … Manny Sanguillen behind the dish (and I’m pretty sure that’s Cookie Rojas at bat) … finally, the Post Game Celebration with Tug, Manny and Cesar Cedeno.
* Bonus pic (which entered the comments a short time ago): did we ever conclusively figure out who this guy was?
OK…that’s it for the main article. Thanks again to Larry for those program grabs. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to find one or more photos from Steve’s website and to find one (or more) uniform you love … and just say why. You can literally get lost on that site for hours, and the shots are pure gold! In addition, there are a number of photographs where the player(s) is not identified. If you have questions about a certain player, or the year of a uni, or something, post ’em! I’m not even sure I got all the players correct from the 1972 ASG pics I linked to. Happy hunting!
What about Bob(ble)? Our OCD DIYer, Robert Marshall has been furiously working on the first batch of custom bobbleheads. Here’s an “in progress” peek. On Friday, Robert reported to me, “it is a dusty nightmare, and am going to start the painting tonight, should be sending these out mid to late next week.” Freakin’ sweet. The man is an incredibly talented artist (he shared with me a bunch of his stuff, including some absolutely amazing stained glass, which I hope to feature, along with some of his other art, in a future post). If you haven’t yet ordered a bobble, you need to seriously consider it. I’m sure either Paul or I will have early reports from the first batch of bobble-recipients when they arrive. Great stuff, Robert!
And now, a call to those keeping track of “their” team and the records for the different uniform variations your team has been wearing. I had originally planned on having those keeping track sharing their findings around the All Star Break, but let’s do this twice during the season, and once at season’s end. If you guys who are keeping track of such things can report to me (in whatever form you’ve been keeping it and however you’re deciding to do it) in the next week or two (actually, I’d like to post on this the weekend of May 30-31). Feel free to contact me directly and I’ll discuss the column with you. I’d like to include some of your thoughts along with your ‘unikeeping.’
As you are all no doubt aware, I’ve been tracking the Mets and their myriad uniform combinations. Although there is a possibility of eight different uniform combinations, as of Saturday, they have worn six. Because I am a lunatic, I’m keeping track of this two ways: graphically*, with a big chart, as well as in an Excel spreadsheet. (I actually write it all down first onto a steno pad, because, ya know, I’m insane old school).
* (graphic up to date as of their last home stand)
Currently, the Mets record in the snow whites with blue caps has been 5-1; the record in snow whites with black/blue caps is 4-4; donning the actual “official” home uniform of pinstripes with blue caps they sport a 1-2 record; fortunately, they have NOT worn the pinstripes with black/blue caps thus far, but they have worn the even more awful home black jersey & cap with white pants three times, going 2-1 in that combo. On the road, the Mets have three possible uniform combinations, although one of the three is extremely unlikely to be seen. In their standard gray jersey and black/blue cap, the Mets sport a 7-4 record. In the road black jersey & cap with gray pants they are 2-3. They have not worn the gray jersey with blue cap thus far this season.
So…what do the uniforms say about the records? It’s too early to tell, but it’s obvious there are certain combinations in which the Mets have a better record than others. Do the uniforms have any effect on that record? Who knows. When we do our two-month review, I’ll update the Mets records and further elaborate on their uniform preferences. Like many teams, the Mets tend to wear certain uniform variants on certain days of the week, breaking out their pinstripes on Sundays, and there seems to be a preference for “black Fridays,” (although they’ve worn black on other days of the week) so, given another two or so weeks to get a better perspective, we can delve further into the uni-combos and resultant records, and try to draw conclusions from there.
So any of you who’ve been doing the same (in whatever fashion you’ve been doing it) … if you can please contact me within the next two weeks, I’d like to include your findings in a column.
And today marks the Third Anniversary of the launch of the Uni Watch blog. Wow. To borrow a line from Robert Hunter, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” To see how it all began, check out the First Pitch Paul ever tossed. I’d like to be the first of many to offer my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Mr. Lukas for embarking on this venture, for providing us all with our daily dose of uniform news, notes and quotes, and for sharing his own obsessive study of athletics aesthetics (and he’s obviously not the only one). It’s been a great and fun ride so far, Paul.
All the best to you and your many wonderful readers who make this blog such a unique and wonderful place! Congrats on your first three years!
This and That: For some reason, the writers of this article feel that NASCAR has the ‘best’ All Star ‘game’ — as a bonus, you get to see a pic of MJ in this getup … Seriously, I know it’s a “team” thing, but please, for the love of god, PLEASE STOP THIS … Beantown favorite Jim Rice recently toured the HOF in preparation for his July induction, and he learned something about uniform numbers: “Babe Ruth wore No. 3 and Lou Gehrig wore No. 4, and that’s because of where they were in the batting order” … I’m sure this has been mentioned before, but adidas makes catchers gear? … Pink may be the “new red” but it’d be hard to imagine AJ Foyt parading around Indy in a pink car … Art imitates life? Does this remind you of this? OK, me neither, but still … OK — what exactly are those two things on either side of “BACK” supposed to be? Bats? Syringes? Something else? … Philllies … “You throw like a girl!” is not only not an insult, it’s a compliment in this league where one girl shuns softball because “I don’t like the chanting and the uniforms they wear.” … Which way did they go? They went that way … Oh how I wish the Mets could play all their games during the day — how great will those look in blue? And not a bad day at the dish either (3-5, 3 RBI) — Even Johan is checkin’ out the ‘rups … The weathervane has been painted, and the lady is a champ, which is great, because only the usual degenerate gamblers and assorted lowlifes will be at the Belmont now … This is a perfect example of how to ruin a beautiful uniform with piping and striping … Ever wonder what happened to Bjorn Borg? Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore … The Phillies and Nationals played their Jackie Robinson tribute game last night … Wow…is this kid even old enough to have a drivers’ license? … You don’t think bobbleheads are powerful? Well, the Pirates had Nate McLouth bobblehead night yesterday, and guess who went deep? … Anyone know what those things at the base of the numbers on the MLS jerseys are? Looks like all the teams have it. — And apparently it’s not exclusive to the MLS — Other teams from different leagues seem to have some symbol at the base of their numerals. Are those all logos or adverts? I never noticed that before.
NFL Rookie Trading Card Pics were taken yesterday. Couple pics made the wire: Pat White, Miami Dolphins … Derrick Williams, Brandon Pettigrew & Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions … Mark Sanchez, New York Jets … and finally, from the You Cannot Be Serious File, while finding the NFL rookie pics, I came across this story on the AFP wire: “Aspiring players for the Lingerie Football League (LFL) relax after taking part in training drills during an open tryout
session by the New York Majesty team in Freeport, New York, May 14, 2009. The LFL, a 10-team nationwide American football league, featuring women playing football in their underwear, will start in September 2009 for a 20-week season.” Are they serious? WTF? Apparently, they have uniforms. Jeebus.
Have a super Sunday. Happy Birthday UW!
Re the MLS (and other soccer) number logos:
Almost every league places their league logo at the bottom of the uniform numbers on jerseys. This, for example, is a Ronaldo jersey with the Barclays Premier League logo on the number: link
here’s are fairly good examples of it from the MLS: link link
And even the US Soccer Federation does it, as seen on this replica Obama jersey: link
Perhaps those things on the A-Rod sign are representations of the nails that have been used to crucify poor Mr. Rodriguez by the media and fans.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, and you’re forgetting one Mets uni combo in your graphical representation, Jackie Robinson Day: NNOB and everyone in #42. You really can’t say it’s represented well by the generic #97 and “PLAYER” NOB pic. (I mean, if you’re gonna track all the combos, track ALL the combos.)
Oh, and it’s funny that you linked a link today. I was wearing a Pumas jersey yesterday and as I was filling up my beverage cup at Chipotle, one of the employees started asking me what I thought of their chances and whatnot.
Since pretty much the only thing I know about the club is that they play their home games in Mexico City, the conversation didn’t go very far.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hasn’t Paul mentioned the Lingerie Football League before? Maybe I’m thinking of Elliott Harris’ link. I know he’s mentioned the link several times.
Those Sand Knit Braves link uniforms were among my favorites. Too bad they had to be wasted on a team that replaced them with the best in the business.link
Scrolling through Steve’s photos, I was reminded of how much I loved and still love those Pirates vests from the ’60s. Willie Stargell looks so great in that outfit.
The main things with the logos on the bottom of the numbers is three fold.
1. If the league has a single font for the entire league.
This would be the English Premier League and MLS and therefore it is the league logo.
2. Without the single font for the entire league, teams have their own individual fonts and therefore have their team logo at the bottom.
So when Manchester United play in the UEFA Champions League, they have their logo at the bottom of the number.
link
Or Real Madrid,
link
Or AC Milan,
link
3. The logo for the manufacturer may be used if it is the same style for numerous teams.
Such as Kappa in this photo.
link
Also, Phil you missed Udinese on the socks in their win over AC Milan in that shot. I didn’t notice it either until I looked again at the photo.
link
link
Is it a big rusty nail?
excellent post today, had to wake up early for work, and got a nice little all-star treatment with my morning joe, and i still have a snack for later. look forward to finishing it. thanks for the contribution larry. seriously phil, the work you put into the weekends is obvious.
as for your mystery oriole, the names being bantered around were so absurd, that i cried a little for the uw family. joe hilsberg had it nailed.
I’m willing to bet that the Baltimore Oriole wearing 29 is Ken Singleton.
[quote comment=”329605″]Those Sand Knit Braves link uniforms were among my favorites. Too bad they had to be wasted on a team that replaced them with the best in the business .link
OK, I slipped away. I should have clarified that. The Sand Knits that the Braves wore were the best of the pullover era. Their bold design stood out, yet honored the traditional Braves logo.
They didn’t overdo it; the Braves still wore belted pants. It was still a good look, though probably not up to MLB standards. (What was it about Sand Knit that just looked richer than other uniforms, be it baseball, basketball, football.)
I understand the Braves didn’t trade in the feathered unis for their classic look. They went through those awful powder blue, nondescript outfits. Still, the feathers deserve a shout-out (though it could be argued — successfully — they’re still pretty un PC.)
looks like Don Buford in the Orioles uniform
[quote comment=”329611″][quote comment=”329605″]Those Sand Knit Braves link uniforms were among my favorites. Too bad they had to be wasted on a team that replaced them with the best in the business. link
OK, I slipped away. I should have clarified that. The Sand Knits that the Braves wore were the best of the pullover era. Their bold design stood out, yet honored the traditional Braves logo.
They didn’t overdo it; the Braves still wore belted pants. It was still a good look, though probably not up to MLB standards. (What was it about Sand Knit that just looked richer than other uniforms, be it baseball, basketball, football.)
I understand the Braves didn’t trade in the feathered unis for their classic look. They went through those awful powder blue, nondescript outfits. Still, the feathers deserve a shout-out (though it could be argued — successfully — they’re still pretty un PC.)[/quote]
Second link should be fixed.
[quote comment=”329603″]Oh, and you’re forgetting one Mets uni combo in your graphical representation, Jackie Robinson Day: NNOB and everyone in #42. You really can’t say it’s represented well by the generic #97 and “PLAYER” NOB pic. (I mean, if you’re gonna track all the combos, track ALL the combos.)[/quote]
interesting point there, james…i was considering the JRR trib to be “black/blue cap, snow white uniform” since it’s technically the combo they were wearing … but i spose it should be considered separately…since i guess it is indeed a different uniform (albeit different only in NNOB and #OB, not in color scheme or combination)
/hmmmmm…
link
illegal pine tar!
Interesting post about the All-Star game. Just a few questions for Larry:
1. Does Eckerd still use that giant E logo on the cap? I love it! It’s just so…1985.
2. I never knew the ASG gave out rings. Was this only for the winning team? When did they start doing that and do they still give out the rings? I think that would make a nice weekend post.
This may be a dopey post, but I am wondering, who are the offical game ball/object for each of these leagues? I will fill in those I know:
NFL: Wilson
MLB: Rawlings
NBA: Spalding
NHL: InGlasCo (I think)
MLS: ?
EPL: Nike
Bundesliga: None (though I think that will change soon for 2009-10)
Serie A: Diadors (??)
La Liga: ??
NPB: ??
AFL (Aussie rules): Sherrin
FIFA World Cup: Adidas
NRL (Aussie Rugby league): ??
Thanks in advance!
You can chime in with others leagues if you wish.
Happy Birthday to my FAVORITE website.
Phil, your weekend entries are OUTSTANDING.
Thank god we’re in a capitalist society, maybe you’ll start pushing the weekday guy to quit slacking off!
BTW, is it just me or did the Texas Rangers actually look pretty good yesterday?
link
[quote comment=”329610″]I’m willing to bet that the Baltimore Oriole wearing 29 is Ken Singleton.[/quote]
I’d take that bet, Singleton didn’t become an Oriole until 2 years later. Buford wore #9. It’s none other than Don Baylor.
Great to see work-in-progress pic of the bobblehead! I’ve been plotting photos to send in.
There was a TV feature a couple of weeks ago about the lingerie football tryouts. The local squad won’t play at Mile High, but at link rather unfortunately-named alternative.
it s not Baylor,maybe Grant Jackson in the pic.
[quote comment=”329618″]Happy Birthday to my FAVORITE website.
Phil, your weekend entries are OUTSTANDING.
Thank god we’re in a capitalist society, maybe you’ll start pushing the weekday guy to quit slacking off![/quote]
thanks matt (though im not quite sure what you mean by that “capitalist society” part)
[quote]BTW, is it just me or did the Texas Rangers actually look pretty good yesterday?
link
it’s funny, i said (sorta) the same thing in my “This and That” section yesterday: “Although I’m not a fan of any alternate jersey, I gotta admit, the link are growing on me”
i may be in the minority, but i feel the texases look much better in their red than the blue (especially the link period)
[quote comment=”329614″][quote comment=”329603″]Oh, and you’re forgetting one Mets uni combo in your graphical representation, Jackie Robinson Day: NNOB and everyone in #42. You really can’t say it’s represented well by the generic #97 and “PLAYER” NOB pic. (I mean, if you’re gonna track all the combos, track ALL the combos.)[/quote]
interesting point there, james…i was considering the JRR trib to be “black/blue cap, snow white uniform” since it’s technically the combo they were wearing … but i spose it should be considered separately…since i guess it is indeed a different uniform (albeit different only in NNOB and #OB, not in color scheme or combination)
/hmmmmm…[/quote]
And I wasn’t ballbusting. If those little jersey pics had only been the fronts, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it. It’s just my
attention to detailnature as a nitpicking bastard that made me call attention to it.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And you people are all insane. That mystery Oriole is clearly link.
Larry, I whole-heartedly can say that I have no recollection of “crushing” you, but you are a solid commentor, and today’s work was fabulous. Love the baseball comments you make because I don’t pay enough attention to baseball until jockey’s Holy Grail is given out. :o)
If there was any offence taken, I humbly apologize and encourage you to come back to the The Puck Side. We can use all the supporters we can drum up! LOL
Keep up the good work, lweidy!
[quote comment=”329622″][quote comment=”329618″]Happy Birthday to my FAVORITE website.
Phil, your weekend entries are OUTSTANDING.
Thank god we’re in a capitalist society, maybe you’ll start pushing the weekday guy to quit slacking off![/quote]
thanks matt (though im not quite sure what you mean by that “capitalist society” part)
[quote]BTW, is it just me or did the Texas Rangers actually look pretty good yesterday?
link
it’s funny, i said (sorta) the same thing in my “This and That” section yesterday: “Although I’m not a fan of any alternate jersey, I gotta admit, the link are growing on me”
i may be in the minority, but i feel the texases look much better in their red than the blue (especially the link period)[/quote]
As long as they keep playing the way they have been for the last two weeks, they could wear purple and turquoise paisley for all I care
:-)
I’m looking for that baseball uniform history site that has been linked here many times.
Can anyone help me out???
Thanks!
Happy Birthday Uni Watch! It is only fitting that the Red Wings will play the Blackhawks today! Uni Watch perfection here!
[quote comment=”329626″]I’m looking for that baseball uniform history site that has been linked here many times.
Can anyone help me out???
Thanks![/quote]
i assume you’re talking about dressed to the nines? … just follow the clicks to the uniform database
[quote comment=”329624″]I don’t pay enough attention to baseball until jockey’s Holy Grail is given out.[/quote]
ah yes, the george woolf memorial
I’ve loved the alternative baseball unis and wondered if someone has the pattern which the designers have been using so other aspiring uni artists (me for instance) can try their hand and play.
[quote comment=”329628″][quote comment=”329626″]I’m looking for that baseball uniform history site that has been linked here many times.
Can anyone help me out???
Thanks![/quote]
i assume you’re talking about link? … just follow the clicks to the link[/quote]
Yes, that’s it. Thanks!
It’s 100% official…
link
[quote comment=”329617″]This may be a dopey post, but I am wondering, who are the offical game ball/object for each of these leagues? I will fill in those I know:
NFL: Wilson
MLB: Rawlings
NBA: Spalding
NHL: InGlasCo (I think)
MLS: ?
EPL: Nike
Bundesliga: None (though I think that will change soon for 2009-10)
Serie A: Diadors (??)
La Liga: ??
NPB: ??
AFL (Aussie rules): Sherrin
FIFA World Cup: Adidas
NRL (Aussie Rugby league): ??
Thanks in advance!
You can chime in with others leagues if you wish.[/quote]
Good question. All I know is MLS is adidas and La Liga is Nike
[quote comment=”329633″]It’s 100% official…
link
Oh boy.
On one hand, this should look a LOT better than last year. (But that’s not saying much.) Last year’s “Old Glory Blue” caps didn’t match anybody’s navy. The red should go well with several teams’ uniforms, but I’m a Yankees fan, and I do NOT want to see my team wear red hats.
(And to think I haven’t even mentioned yet the money-grabbing douche-baggery of which this stunt reeks…)
link
link
link
link
Man, I just LOVE those ’69 Senators uniforms. So simple (no stripes, no NOB), but so elegant – I’ve decided I prefer red to blue as a primary baseball uni color. And stirrups!
I was hoping to find a shot of the ’71 (i.e., pre-elastic waistband) Astros home unis (which rank right up there with the ’69 Senators on my all-time scale) on there too, but could only find this one of the Rooster in the roadies: link. No arched shooting star, alas.
Serie A, I meant to say Diadora instead of “Diadors”.
Mamma Mia!!
link
Logano won’t be 19 for another few weeks. Kinda scary when you think about it
BTW Phil, I don’t know if anyone else is tracking the Rangers uni results, but I will send you my report tonight.
Athletics wearing their green alt AGAIN at Detroit. I swear, why don’t they just cut down on uniform costs and wear them 162 times a year…
When will MLB crack down on the use of alts?
[quote comment=”329610″]I’m willing to bet that the Baltimore Oriole wearing 29 is Ken Singleton.[/quote]
you said that just to make me mad didn’t you? there is no way that is ken singleton, who was a met or an expo in 72. not to mention ken was a thin young man at the time, not a fat olde coach.
[quote comment=”329612″]looks like Don Buford in the Orioles uniform[/quote]
buford wore 9, and there is noooo way that is buford, next.
don’t make me cry again my brothers
[quote comment=”329619″][quote comment=”329610″]I’m willing to bet that the Baltimore Oriole wearing 29 is Ken Singleton.[/quote]
I’d take that bet, Singleton didn’t become an Oriole until 2 years later. Buford wore #9. It’s none other than Don Baylor.[/quote]
don baylor?! baylor was maybe 23 in 72, next!!!!
[quote comment=”329623″][quote comment=”329614″][quote comment=”329603″]Oh, and you’re forgetting one Mets uni combo in your graphical representation, Jackie Robinson Day: NNOB and everyone in #42. You really can’t say it’s represented well by the generic #97 and “PLAYER” NOB pic. (I mean, if you’re gonna track all the combos, track ALL the combos.)[/quote]
interesting point there, james…i was considering the JRR trib to be “black/blue cap, snow white uniform” since it’s technically the combo they were wearing … but i spose it should be considered separately…since i guess it is indeed a different uniform (albeit different only in NNOB and #OB, not in color scheme or combination)
/hmmmmm…[/quote]
And I wasn’t ballbusting. If those little jersey pics had only been the fronts, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it. It’s just my
attention to detailnature as a nitpicking bastard that made me call attention to it.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And you people are all insane. That mystery Oriole is clearly link.[/quote]
at least you are kidding. someone did suggest tom shopay this week in a serious manner. but like palmer, shopay was a white boy. next
It’s Celebrity Softball Season.
A couple pics from Kevin Faulk’s United Way bash last night in Brockton (where the numbers 49 and 62 are retired, do you know why?)
link
link
Those “things” at the bottom of the MLS numbers are the league logo. The U.S. national teams have the U.S. Soccer logo, teams in the English Premier League have the EPL logo, etc. You can see them on the Uni-Sport.com link by zooming in on the numerals.
link
Betcha Prez didn’t pay for the jacket, either.
Sorry if this has been posted already, but I noticed that Chelsea (of the English Premier League) is wearing some weird zip-up jerseys today.
link,,12306~1660152,00.html
Anybody have any ideas why?
[quote comment=”329648″]Sorry if this has been posted already, but I noticed that Chelsea (of the English Premier League) is wearing some weird zip-up jerseys today.
link,,12306~1660152,00.html
Anybody have any ideas why?[/quote]
It’s the new kit. They’ve broken them out today to get a head start on summer sales.
BTW, it’s a faux zip. New York Red Bull wear the same template.
SB
Anybody else notice in that Braves picture that on the Braves cap, the blue & red colors of the “a” are reversed?
[quote comment=”329616″]Interesting post about the All-Star game. Just a few questions for Larry:
1. Does Eckerd still use that giant E logo on the cap? I love it! It’s just so…1985.
2. I never knew the ASG gave out rings. Was this only for the winning team? When did they start doing that and do they still give out the rings? I think that would make a nice weekend post.[/quote]
Sorry for the late reply, I guess I should have been on duty for questions ;-)
Anyhow, yes everyone participating in the ASG received rings. And that goes way back and I guess it’s still done today.
As for the “Big E”, it was born in 1983 and died sometime in the late 1980’s. Still have one. We had three jerseys that year. The “1982 White Sox” top (because of the horizontal stripes) you saw, A black “1983 Padres” top, and “1980’s Orioles” road grey button-down top.
[quote comment=”329624″]Larry, I whole-heartedly can say that I have no recollection of “crushing” you, but you are a solid commentor, and today’s work was fabulous. Love the baseball comments you make because I don’t pay enough attention to baseball until jockey’s Holy Grail is given out. :o)
If there was any offence taken, I humbly apologize and encourage you to come back to the The Puck Side. We can use all the supporters we can drum up! LOL
Keep up the good work, lweidy![/quote]
Oh man, I’m so sorry you took that comment that way. By “crushed”, I’m meant I came with a take and you (with facts) blasted it out of the water. It was 100% complimentary and I just used it as an example of how each one of us with our “specialties” always get the story right.
Thank you Phil for you treatment of the stuff I sent you and the chance to share. It may not be obvious, but I really didn’t provide all that much material and he turned it into this “mega-weekend post”. Must be his political talent at work!
In rugby union, Gilbert is an official sponsor of the Guinness Premiership. I’m not 100% sure, but I think they’re the official game ball.
as much as it made me laugh to read the al bumbry, link, paul blair, link, link, chico salmon, link, link and the others in the crazy list of possibilities, both today and the other day, master joe hilsberg got it right. if it was the 72 all star game, and the dude in the pixture is a fat olde man, then it stands to reason it was probably one of earl’s coach’s. if it was one of earl’s coach’s it was probably the first african american to dial long distance for the o’s, joe durham. durham was a coach in 72, and would go on to coach for the o’s for a long time. anyway, from his playing days link or as a long time coach
if you can do better then joe’s suggestion, bring it, but if i hear another lee may, mike cuellar, jim gentile, pat kelly, or dave skaggs, my brain pan is going to ‘splode.
oh, and…go hawks!!!
link
Aye, sir. Did someone mention Lingerie Football?
Ready to beam up, Mt. Scott.
Have any of you noticed that the Twins batting helmets have the Red Sox home uni numbers on them? Sorry no screen shots.
DAMMIT JIM.
Here’s a better link.
link
(Can we ever get an ‘edit link’ function?’)
[quote comment=”329609″]excellent post today, had to wake up early for work, and got a nice little all-star treatment with my morning joe, and i still have a snack for later. look forward to finishing it. thanks for the contribution larry. seriously phil, the work you put into the weekends is obvious.
as for your mystery oriole, the names being bantered around were so absurd, that i cried a little for the uw family. joe hilsberg had it nailed.[/quote]
Was this the guy Joe referenced: link
It’s funny, that’s what made me pull the program. After checking the roster (he was on it as BP pitcher but with #43), I started leafing through and thought there is some good stuff here!
Not exactly uni-related, but I’m watching the Phillies vs. Nationals game, and Nick Johnson is batting:
(No pic) – Johnson has a rediculous amount of eye black on his face; it looks more like a piece of black tape because of how thick it is. I swear it probably went from the flap of his helmet all the way to the side of his nose.
Plus its cloudy (although that doesn’t really mean much – a lot of fans have sunglasses on).
Still, I’ve never seen that much eye black before, haha.
What I don’t understand about soccer is why all the teams force the goalies to purchase their own uniforms. You’d think there’d be something lying around that roughly matches what the rest of the team is wearing, but no- the goalies always look like some hooligan that got past security.
[quote comment=”329658″][quote comment=”329609″]excellent post today, had to wake up early for work, and got a nice little all-star treatment with my morning joe, and i still have a snack for later. look forward to finishing it. thanks for the contribution larry. seriously phil, the work you put into the weekends is obvious.
as for your mystery oriole, the names being bantered around were so absurd, that i cried a little for the uw family. joe hilsberg had it nailed.[/quote]
Was this the guy Joe referenced: link
It’s funny, that’s what made me pull the program. After checking the roster (he was on it as BP pitcher but with #43), I started leafing through and thought there is some good stuff here![/quote]
yeah, that’s the guy. are you sure about the number for 72? you know how coaches change numbers fairly often, even within a year to accommodate players. maybe not managers so much, but for sure coaches.
[quote comment=”329660″]Not exactly uni-related, but I’m watching the Phillies vs. Nationals game, and Nick Johnson is batting:
(No pic) – Johnson has a rediculous amount of eye black on his face; it looks more like a piece of black tape because of how thick it is. I swear it probably went from the flap of his helmet all the way to the side of his nose.
Plus its cloudy (although that doesn’t really mean much – a lot of fans have sunglasses on).
Still, I’ve never seen that much eye black before, haha.[/quote]
Edit: Willingham also has a ton of eye black too (and sunglasses). I figured out why Johnson’s looks so thick: his eye black stretches farther, but it’s not as thick vertically. Therefore, it may just be an illusion type thing. It still is extremely noticable though – anyone else see this today/before?
dont know if this has been posted before, but being a huge bundesliga fan, I was excited to see next years kits posted on the internet link
1. Schalke’s going to the adidas sports bra look, as is Leverkusen. ugh
2. Dortmund is switching from Nike to Kappa, and Werder Bremen vice versa
3. Puma is bringing back the lines on the upper chest for Hoffenheim and stuttgart, kind of like how Bordeauxs jerseys were/possibly still are
4. My favorite club, Vfl Wolfsburg, still has some of the most simple, best looking kits, and they are going back to the VW logo after donating space to the “Ein Herz fuer Kinder” charity the first half of the season, and advertising the VW Polo the second half of the season
[quote comment=”329664″]dont know if this has been posted before, but being a huge bundesliga fan, I was excited to see next years kits posted on the internet link
1. Schalke’s going to the adidas sports bra look, as is Leverkusen. ugh
2. Dortmund is switching from Nike to Kappa, and Werder Bremen vice versa
3. Puma is bringing back the lines on the upper chest for Hoffenheim and stuttgart, kind of like how Bordeauxs jerseys were/possibly still are
4. My favorite club, Vfl Wolfsburg, still has some of the most simple, best looking kits, and they are going back to the VW logo after donating space to the “Ein Herz fuer Kinder” charity the first half of the season, and advertising the VW Polo the second half of the season[/quote]
nevermind, just noticed in the comments those are unoffical…sigh…
[quote comment=”329660″]Not exactly uni-related, but I’m watching the Phillies vs. Nationals game, and Nick Johnson is batting:
(No pic) – Johnson has a rediculous amount of eye black on his face; it looks more like a piece of black tape because of how thick it is. I swear it probably went from the flap of his helmet all the way to the side of his nose.
Plus its cloudy (although that doesn’t really mean much – a lot of fans have sunglasses on).
Still, I’ve never seen that much eye black before, haha.[/quote]
I have…
on a clown…
who didn’t play football very well.
[quote comment=”329666″][quote comment=”329660″]Not exactly uni-related, but I’m watching the Phillies vs. Nationals game, and Nick Johnson is batting:
(No pic) – Johnson has a rediculous amount of eye black on his face; it looks more like a piece of black tape because of how thick it is. I swear it probably went from the flap of his helmet all the way to the side of his nose.
Plus its cloudy (although that doesn’t really mean much – a lot of fans have sunglasses on).
Still, I’ve never seen that much eye black before, haha.[/quote]
I have…
on a clown…
who didn’t play football very well.[/quote]
*sigh*
I am amazed by some of the guys here recall ability. Or the attention to detail that a few here have like Larry Wiederecht.
And congratulations on the 3rd anniversary of Uniwatch. I found out about it later than most. Paul and Phil do a lot of work for guys like us that appreciate it very much.
Uniwatch is a fun and educational way to learn about uniforms and their histories.
Are those oversized logos on the stars and stripes caps? They look ridiculously huge
Don’t know if this is old news, but here’s Corky Miler wearing stirrups (a la Pete Rose, I might add)
link
link
To be fair, this jersey oughta go to W.
2. Without the single font for the entire league, teams have their own individual fonts and therefore have their team logo at the bottom.
So when Manchester United play in the UEFA Champions League, they have their logo at the bottom of the number.
Some of the teams in the Champions League (Chelsea and Arsenal, for example) used a sort of “UEFA font” for their games (all lower-case letters for the names, numbers with the Champions League logo on them). Manchester United’s numbers (and the all-blue change uniform) are reminiscent of their 1968 uniforms. I think Barcelona will use the same letter font that they use in domestic play.
Wait, could that be link Jeff Hornacek on the link? I’m link it is.
[quote comment=”329671″]http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Charlie-and-the-Phillies-go-to-Washington-for-pr?urn=mlb,163751
To be fair, this jersey oughta go to W.[/quote]
Did 2000 champion teams give jerseys to Clinton after he left office? I’m thinking its just kinda how this stuff works.
Also, I had no idea there was a NASCAR All-Star race until today. So thanks UW.
I’m pretty sure that’s him, and that’s a great spot.
Can’t say i’m suprised to see horny be multi-talented
[quote comment=”329675″]
I’m pretty sure that’s him, and that’s a great spot.
Can’t say i’m suprised to see horny be multi-talented[/quote]
wow, that was some pretty slick work there kid’o. impressive, and i’ll bet you’re right.
[quote comment=”329664″]dont know if this has been posted before, but being a huge bundesliga fan, I was excited to see next years kits posted on the internet link
1. Schalke’s going to the adidas sports bra look, as is Leverkusen. ugh
2. Dortmund is switching from Nike to Kappa, and Werder Bremen vice versa
3. Puma is bringing back the lines on the upper chest for Hoffenheim and stuttgart, kind of like how Bordeauxs jerseys were/possibly still are
4. My favorite club, Vfl Wolfsburg, still has some of the most simple, best looking kits, and they are going back to the VW logo after donating space to the “Ein Herz fuer Kinder” charity the first half of the season, and advertising the VW Polo the second half of the season[/quote]
Dortmund (my side) going with black and yellow hoops for the main shirt??? Whoa!
Hoping “die Wolfen” nail down the Bundesliga next week. Just draw with Bremen and it will all be good. Would HATE to see FC Bayern sneak another title out of nowhere.
I see Freiburg will be up next season.
I’m also a big Bundesliga fan myself. I Buy that Kicker Bundesliga Sonderheft every year myself, even though I can read German on a four year old’s level.
May I add to the UW birthday wishes. I have learned soooooooo much here from some amazing contributors.
Thank you all.
So I didn’t go to Lincecum Bobble night cause I didn’t want to sit there and freeze.
Temp @ first pitch..IN SF…90 degrees. Unheard of.
And here I see Jon Miller on ESPN with a yellow tie on a yellow shirt.
[quote comment=”329679″]I see Jon Miller on ESPN with a yellow tie on a yellow shirt.[/quote]
he never wears that
Chalk up a STEELERS 44 jersey for BO on Thurs.
link
[quote comment=”329680″][quote comment=”329679″]I see Jon Miller on ESPN with a yellow tie on a yellow shirt.[/quote]
he never wears that[/quote]
Yeah that’s what he has on. Button-down has a white collar, yellow body, and a gold/yellow tie. Hope he isn’t wearing that on his bobble.
NFL: Wilson
MLB: Rawlings
NBA: Spalding
NHL: InGlasCo (I think)
MLS: ?
EPL: Nike
Bundesliga: None. Teams wear balls provided by their kit makers, or some oher brand, sometimes Molten, adidas or Mikasa. (if the kit maker is small
Serie A: Nike/same case as Bundesliga. Not sure.
La Liga: Nike
NPB: NONE
AFL (Aussie rules): Sherrin
FIFA World Cup: Adidas
NRL (Aussie Rugby league): Mitre or Avaro
Mexico Football: Voit Tribu
England lower leagues: Mitre
But it does remind me of link.
I’ve also seen many a Derby Star ball in the Bundesliga. Thanks for the assistance, Kabe.
So NO official NPB baseball? If I may do you (or anyone) know the ball of choice for the PL & CL??
The CFL official ball is now a Wilson, IIRC. For ages was a Spalding.
[quote comment=”329649″]“It’s a faux zip MANZIERE.”[/quote]
Fixed.
Congrats to Paul on the anniversary. Also to Ek, Phil, Vince, and everyone who has contributed. I couldn’t begin to express how much I enjoy the site and the people. Thank you.
[quote comment=”329676″][quote comment=”329675″]
I’m pretty sure that’s him, and that’s a great spot.
Can’t say i’m suprised to see horny be multi-talented[/quote]
wow, that was some pretty slick work there kid’o. impressive, and i’ll bet you’re right.[/quote]
Stop the crazy talk. The Jeff Hornacek in the ASG program is from North Riverside, IL. The Jeff Hornacek that played in the NBA went to Lyons Township HS. That’s in LaGrange. It’s like 5 miles away from North Riverside.
It can’t possibly be the same guy. I mean, come on. Does link look anything like link?
Here’s what I have:
NFL: Wilson
MLB: Rawlings
NBA: Spalding
NCAA: Rawlings (baseball); Wilson (basketball, football, soccer as of ’09).
NHL: InGlasCo
MLS: adidas
EPL: Nike
Bundesliga: None. Teams balls provided by their kit makers, or some oher brand, sometimes Molten, adidas or Mikasa (if the kit maker is small)
Serie A: Nike
La Liga: Nike
NPB: NONE
AFL (Aussie rules): Sherrin
FIFA and UEFA: adidas
NRL (Aussie Rugby league): Mitre or Avaro
Mexico Football: Voit Tribu
England lower leagues: Mitre
So did anyone get the survey from the Mets asking if they should ditch black and have uniforms with an interlocking NY on the chest?
[quote comment=”329690″]So did anyone get the survey from the Mets asking if they should ditch black and have uniforms with an interlocking NY on the chest?[/quote]
It was posted here yesterday or the day before, it’s already been flooded by Uni Watch voters.
The Rays’ blue alts have blue numbers?
Not good.
[quote comment=”329692″]The Rays’ blue alts have blue numbers?
Not good.[/quote]
do these remind you of these?
link.
[quote comment=”329693″][quote comment=”329692″]The Rays’ blue alts have blue numbers?
Not good.[/quote]
do link remind you of link?[/quote]
Yes, because they’re both totally lame.
“Looks like some hooligan that got past security” would be a reasonably accurate description of most goalkeepers I’ve known. Even before they get dressed for a game. (I kid. A little. But most of them are a different breed of cat.)
Seriously, keepers wear colors that contrast from both teams so the official will immediately know that it’s ok for “that guy” to pick up the ball. And they wear the long sleeves and long pants to save the abrasions that come from diving on the ground all day.
[quote comment=”329661″]What I don’t understand about soccer is why all the teams force the goalies to purchase their own uniforms. You’d think there’d be something lying around that roughly matches what the rest of the team is wearing, but no- the goalies always look like some hooligan that got past security.[/quote]
JTH, now i’m not saying you’re stupid i’m just saying what you said is idiotic. You do realize that high schools cover areas. I know my high school covered lots of space, if two towns are 5-6 miles apart that high school’ll take em in.
And that Jeff Hornacek looks just like the real deal. It’s def him.
[quote comment=”329697″]
JTH, now i’m not saying you’re stupid i’m just saying what you said is idiotic. You do realize that high schools cover areas. I know my high school covered lots of space, if two towns are 5-6 miles apart that high school’ll take em in.
And that Jeff Hornacek looks just like the real deal. It’s def him.[/quote]
*places fingers in ears and begins yelling loudly “La la la la la la la!*
Nope. Not possible. Promising young athletes ALWAYS attend their designated public schools and never go out of district boundaries. And families never move to different houses.
Oh Phil… ‘rups? That made my brain hurt. Excellent post otherwise!
Happy B-Day UniWatch!
man that Lingerie football league is hilarious. Similar team colors and number styles as their respective home town teams and the Dallas one even has the same star in their logo.
I’m shocked at least one of the Nats’ Jackie Robinson Day unis didn’t read “24”.
PS: The Mystery Oriole: John Lowenstein. Book it.
Is it just me or is Eddie Matthews wear a hat with a blue “a” trimmed in white and red instead of the proper color scheme?
I don’t know if anyone has already said this, but the logo at the base of the numbers is a one-color version of the MLS logo. They are on the Beckham LA Galaxy T-shirt jersey that I have.
[quote comment=”329633″]It’s 100% official…
link
And conspicuous in their absence? The Boston Red Sox.