Skip to content
 
Uni Watch

Oh, the Hours I Spent Inside the Coliseum

By
coliseum header

by Phil Hecken and Jim Vilk

I’m joined this fine Friday by DIYer and memorabilia collector Jim Vilk, who’s about to regale us with a fascinating story of his days working at the Richfield Coliseum, the Coliseum’s subsequent demise, and the trove of treasure Jim and his brother were able to secure in the hours prior the wrecking ball felling that once-proud structure. Fittingly, with Paul visiting The Mistake By The Lake The Forest City this weekend, Jim will take us inside (literally) the Coliseum and, after a quick history lesson, show us some of the things left behind, for the taking.

* * … Train wheels runnin’ through the back of my memory … * *

So, then, with that brief intro, here’s Jim:

With Paul coming to Cleveland this week, I did some math and realized he is here during a milestone year in Northeast Ohio sports history. The upcoming 2009-10 NBA season will be the 40th for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The year 2009 also marks 15 years of Cavs basketball at Quicken Loans Arena, or “The Q” (formerly Gund Arena) and 15 years of Indians baseball at Progressive Field (formerly Jacobs Field, or “The Jake,” as some of us still call it). Not only that, but 2009 marks 10 years of the new and not-so-improved Browns playing football at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Browns’ last title was 45 years ago, but it wasn’t the city’s last. The Cleveland Crunch won the National Professional Soccer League title 15 years ago at Cleveland State’s Convocation Center. Take what you can get C-town, it counts.

That’s nice, I suppose. I’m a Pittsburgh fan, though, so most of it means bubkes to me. I do like the Cavs, but not nearly as much as I did when they spent 20 years playing ball amidst the serene, pastoral landscape of Richfield, far from the bright lights of the big city. Nestled in northern Summit County, the Richfield Coliseum was located almost halfway between Cleveland and the Akron-Canton area. I say “was,” because it’s been 10 years since they tore it down — but not before my brother Tom and I got a lot of great memorabilia.

The milestones continue. It’s been 35 years since the building opened with a Frank Sinatra concert, 30 years since Sports Illustrated said, “No arena was more beautiful than The Coliseum, a magnificent structure in Richfield, Ohio,” 20 years since “The Shot” by Michael Jordan and 15 years since the place closed with a Roger Daltrey concert. In between were many more concerts, truck pulls and rodeos, circuses and ice shows, boxing and wrestling matches, hockey and arena football games, some great indoor soccer (as we talked about recently) and of course, the good, bad and ugly years of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tom and I worked as vendors there, and even shared a souvenir stand for a few years. He started a year after the building opened, so he was there for “The Miracle of Richfield.” I officially started in 1983. Unofficially, I got to work the 1981 NBA All-Star Game, which was cool. Tom stayed at the Coliseum all the way to the end, and even works at “The Q” to this day. I quit in 1992 to get on with my life’s work, but asked to come back in 1994 to work the Cavs’ playoff run. I lost my seniority but gladly sold soda in the seats for the final games.

When the building closed it sat for five years while they figured out what to do with it. There was talk of it becoming an outlet mall, a prison, a workout facility, you name it. Finally, the Gund brothers sold it and the surrounding land to what is now the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. They didn’t implode the building. Rather, they gutted the interior, then took a wrecking ball to the exterior.

A day before the wreckers came, my brother got a call. We knew one of the guys doing the interior work, and he said we could come in and take anything we could fit into our vehicles. Everything that was left would be buried on site. Tom hopped in his pickup and I got in my station wagon (if that’s what you want to call a Saturn SW1). When we got there, it took a few minutes to get over seeing the gutted remains. Memories came back and flooded our minds. Once we started finding things, though, our reaction quickly turned to joy; we were like kids on Christmas morning.

The first items we found (by the way, the items you’ve seen so far are things Tom and I bought or received as giveaways) were in the employee locker rooms. We took two types of patches from the ushers’ and security guards’ uniforms. I liked the ushers’ patches, which were issued when the Coliseum was ten years old. The blue and gray depiction of the building was a definite alternative to the simple blue-and-green patch. Both were good in their own way, though.

Next, we snagged some warm and toasty dark blue coats the parking lot attendants wore. I wore mine as my winter coat for a few years before I had to retire it. The simple design made it go with almost anything. The big white Coliseum logo on the back sure started a lot of conversations in public. I lost count how many times strangers started reminiscing with me when they saw it. Then we found a brown coat worn by the ticket takers. The brown welcome patch harkened back to the original logo.

Speaking of uniforms, the vendors had a few nice ones. Unfortunately, I don’t have those anymore. The only one I still have is the ugliest of the set — a red-and-green-striped bowling shirt with a horizontal strip of black thrown in for bad measure. We had a cool yellow polo shirt before that and a nice blue-white-and-orange rugby shirt afterward, but those are gone for some reason. Tom still has his rugby shirt, though.

* * … Ancient footprints are everywhere … * *

Anyway, on to the good stuff. We went out to the arena floor and grabbed a few sections of floor seats. My set actually gets some use in our basement. Tom has the rest tucked away in the bowels of his home. Then, we headed to a storage area, where we found a giant NBA logo and some floor stickers for the playoffs. We almost left the room, until we saw some rolled up fabric. Good thing we were curious, because we ended up finding the banner for the scorers table, as well as the banner for the Cavaliers’ 75-76 division title.

After that, we went up to the main concourse and stopped at our old location between sections 208 and 209. Tom grabbed the sign for it, while I took the “Drive Safely” sign above the exit. I like to keep it in my garage as a reminder to, you know, drive safely.

Finally, we headed up to the infamous loge area. The Coliseum was one of the first arenas to have a set of luxury boxes. Problem is, they put them way at the top of the building. That turned out to be the reason for the building’s early demise — the corporate types ended up with the worst view of the game. Whatever. We didn’t find much up there, until we got to a meeting room which contained a scale model of “The Q.” Well, if it was a full scale model, someone got to it before us and dismantled it. We found almost half of the seating area, which makes it kind of worthless. That didn’t matter to my brother, who never met a piece of memorabilia he didn’t like. Actually, with a little creativity some DIYer could turn it into a retro-looking baseball stadium. (Ah, if I had the time…)

By this time, our vehicles were filled beyond capacity. We left the building for the absolute last time, and I saluted as I drove out of the parking lot. It wasn’t the last time I’ve been on the site, however. The national park was just going to let trees grow naturally, but someone noticed birds were starting to use the land as a migratory pit stop. Now they keep the area trimmed for birds and bird watchers alike. You can walk around there, but the ground settled where the arena was, so that’s fenced off for safety. The small threat of poison ivy was enough to keep me from venturing around … until this past winter. We had lots of snow, so I put on my big rubber boots and hiked from the road to the fence (quite a feat in shin-deep snow over tall grass). I got to the approximate area outside of sections 208-209, noticed the calm around me, then closed my eyes and listened for the distant echoes of cheering fans. I think I heard a few — if nothing else I felt them.

Okay, what’s a Jim Vilk story without a little DIY? Most of you have seen my Lego tribute to the Miracle of Richfield and my latest indoor soccer game, but very few people have seen my first attempt at a Coliseum/Cleveland Force tribute. I made this from an old table hockey game, using cardboard cutouts for the players and clothes pins covered in hockey tape for the bases. It’s a bit primitive, but I thought I should dig it out of the closet and share it with you anyway.

Oh, and you hockey fans – that inflatable Cleveland Crusaders guy was goalie Gerry Cheevers, in case you were wondering.

* * … Yes, it sure has been a long, hard climb … * *

Thanks, Jim, for that trip down memory lane. You got some great stuff out of that old place. And thanks for the brief history lesson too — like many readers, I’m sure we weren’t aware of the great events hosted inside the Coliseum. And I, for one, wholeheartedly express support for a future DIY of turning that scale model of the Q into a retro baseball park. Maybe next spring?

~~~~~~~~~~

scoreboard

Guess The Game From The Scoreboard: OK…there’s going to be a theme with today’s post, starting with the scoreboard. So, right off the bat, in case you don’t recognize the stadium, there’s your hint. That’s the only hint you should need, since this one is probably pretty easy, especially if you know how to cheat. Try not to, OK? Ready? Guess The Game. As always, date, location and final score, and let us know how you came about your answer.

~~~~~~~~~~

benchies header

Did I mention there’s a bit of a theme today? Well, even today’s Benchies plays along with that theme. Ricko did this one a long time ago (notice the stirrups on Ozzie), so take it for what it’s worth. And it’s pretty funny. So, on that note, enjoy a special Friday edition of Benchies.

~~~~~~~~~~

ticker 2

Uni Watch News Ticker: Uni Watch Prexy Paul Lukas checks in first with this, heads up from the Buccaneers, who will be unveiling their 1976 throwback uniforms at 11:00 am today … Also noticing this was Wayne Edward Koehler who provides the “heads up” from The St. Pete Times … Mr. Lukas also notes these pics from Pats practice, ad patches everywhere … In a related story, Tom Adjemian checks in with this little story on the Pat’s Jersey Ads, with another pic. … Northwest UW correspondent Jeremy Brahm notes “The Japan Volleyball Federation (JVA) has just released logos for their men’s and women’s national teams. The women’s logo is on the left ‘Hinotori (Phoenix) Nippon (Japan)’ and the men’s is on the right ‘Ryuujin (Dragon King) Nippon (Japan).’ This is in collaboration with Tezuka Productions or the company that owns the rights to the Seibu Lions logo.” … More jersey sponsor news comes from Nick Houser who advises that the Cincinnati Bengals have signed a practice jersey deal with SpongeTech Delivery Systems according to the Cincinnati Enquirer (via twitter) … Ribby Paultz found this interesting article in which Russian airline “Aeroflot ditches ‘revolting’ hostess uniforms and reveals: ‘We will only hire attractive girls’.” Says Ribby, “‘Bout time.” … Following up upon a ticker item yesterday about Tadahito Iguchi’s batting gloves, Robert Steinau produced a picture of him from his days as a member of the Phillies … In addition, Jeremy has also supplied pics of him as a member of the White Sox, and also his current team, the Chiba Lotte Marines … Sneakerhead Matt Powers called me from Fenway Park yesterday to report that Rajai Davis is still wearing the logoed stirrups (here’s a better view from a different game) … Aaron Bolerjack writes: “I’ve been a Manchester United fan for a long time, and a Uni Watch supporter since the Page 2 days. Can’t believe that nobody from one camp or the other hasn’t jumped on this yet — A few weeks ago, Man U announced their new 09/10 home uniform, which they claimed was ‘reminiscent of the shirt worn by Manchester United’s 1909 FA Cup-winning team. This new design features a similar sash across the front. The club has used the same design components to honor that historic accomplishment of 100 years ago, the first of its eleven Cup titles.'” Here’s the problem, according to Aaron: The 1909 shirts looked like this (WHITE shirt, LONG sleeves, RED chevron and cuffs); The 2009/2010 shirts look like this (RED shirt, SHORT sleeves, BLACK chevron, BLACK neck ring, NO cuffs). “Ironically, the 2009/2010 goalkeeper’s jerseys (designed to CONTRAST with their teammates) are a LOT closer to the original design,” he continues. “Please help me bring attention to this travesty.” … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: reader Brian makes an astute observation — Is a commemorative bat really a the right type of memorabilia to celebrate a perfect game? … Jake Elwell found this bit about “These blogging sisters were featured in the Times style section today. I note they recently posted some fun uni-related stuff your readers might like (scroll down a bit).” … Zac Neubauer was fortunate enough to go to the Giants game on Monday night and got an up close look at the Sue Burns patch. Sadly, the ones on the ushers were either stapled or safety pinned on … Bill Scrowther notes, “I noticed during Wednesday night’s MLS All-Star game that each MLS player had their team’s crest on their left sleeve, which can be seen here.” Bill adds, “However, the second goalkeeper (Zach Thornton) for the MLS side had his crest on the front of his jersey, right chest. What made him so special? My only thought is maybe it has to do with him only being added to the roster on Monday.” … Check out this collection of old baseball photographs from the University of California Library system (with thanks to Robert Ruszczyk … Jim Zorn “lays down the law,” according to Alain Nana-Sinkam, who notes that in the last graf of the Chris Cooley blog, there are to be no cutoff sweats. “We have retained a seamstress to take care of that for you,” he states. … Hayden Jackson thinks, we “might enjoy this photo set of a book my grandfather owned about Babe Ruth called ‘Babe Ruth: The Idol of an American Boy’.” I’d say so … Chris Hodge found this incredibly cool gallery of old photos of the Bears at Wrigley Field. … Reprinted from last night’s comments: the Buffalo Bills have “officially” unveiled their throwback uniforms for next season (thanks TJ), and they’re already on sale — although there is some question as to the actual sleeve striping (if they’ll even have noticeable sleeves, that is) … OCD DIYer Robert Marshall, whose team apparently won their softball game yesterday, sent this awesome pic of his hosiery (at least I think that’s his legs) … Matthew Dubroff, Philly fan, loves his Phillies — but “then I saw this t shirt that is embarrassingly stupid. If this starts a trend if nickname jersey/shirts … god help us all.” And finally, the previously mentioned Matt Powers sent along the following: DWade has decided to join the mothership. Matt continues, “And for a sneakerhead, this news is like winning the lottery, going out with Kim Kardashian, and dunking on Gheorge Muresan after coming home from Spring Break and watching Sixth Sense for the first time.” He explains that these are often thought of as the best of all 23 Jordan signatures. And finally, a super rare retro. Thanks Matt, I don’t know what we’d do with out you.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hope everyone who was able to attend the UW gathering in Cleveland had a great time. Thanks to Paul for letting me steer the ship in his stead yesterday and today. Of course, you’re stuck with me for the weekend too. Be sure to check back Sunday for a couple of announcements on “uni tweaks” and “uni tracking” and a bit of potpourri. Have a great Friday everyone. — Phil

 
  
 
Comments (182)

    One of the joys of living in Northeast Ohio is getting to listen to Joe Tait call a Cavaliers game on the radio. He’s the voice on the Miracle of Richfield clip (interspersed with the Bullets announcers, for some reason). He’s still calling games today. If you’re in town and there’s a Cavs game on TV, do yourself a favor – turn down the TV sound and let Joe call the action.

    When I was a student at the Univ. of MN, I got to play in a pickup hockey game on the very last sheet of ice at the old Mariucci Arena. It slowly melted under us as we played past midnight. Upon my exit from the building (which they converted into a non-revenue sports pavilion) I managed to abscond with a gold and maroon metal sign for one of the seating sections. It’s fairly small but seems to be made of lead and is incredibly heavy. We’ve moved about six times since then, but it comes with me on every trek. One day, I’ll get around to hanging it somewhere. A great souvenir.

    SOME question about Bills striping?
    NO question.
    This is wrong. Error. Fiction.
    link
    Bills have it wrong. All web sites linked so far have it wrong.

    What’s right? There was a thin red border on all sleeve stripes (except for when, well past 1964) they flipflopped royal and red on the white jerseys when blue pants came along. Home jersye never changed during the run of that uni set.

    Photographic evidence? Hmmm, let’s see…(these are large, need to be to see the details)…
    O.J. in home jersey that remained unchanged.
    link
    Billy Shaw in road whites…
    link
    Cookie Gilchrist in first year of that set (’63) with white road socks…
    link
    Jack Kemp in ’64 title game (the specific uni supposedly replicated)…
    link
    Much later, road sleeves stripes flip-flopped the colors….
    link

    On all jerseys, all stripes were same color and edged in contrasting color. No, zip, nada one-color stripes with that uni.

    —Ricko

    I too am an Manchester United supporter. While I agree that they didn’t really accurately reproduce the jersey, who cares? Just be glad they didn’t reproduce the material from the original. What is that? Leather? Sheep’s wool? Point being that it pays homage to the original without copying. I think it’s nice. Now if we could only get rid of that sponsor on the front…

    Also, they wear read as their 1st choice always now. They already have another white one also as their 3rd, and the 2nd is black.

    Interesting story about Richfield Coliseum, can’t imagine being a Cleveland sports fan right now, no major sports titles since 1964. When you compare overall success of sports franchises between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, it’s a total mismatch.

    Pens vs. Cavaliers: Huge advantage to the reigning Stanley Cup World Champs. Cavs have never even reached an NBA final, while the Pens are among the upper tier franchises in the entire NHL. Only 7 other NHL clubs have actually won more Cups than the Pens, and five of those teams were original six clubs, who had the big advantage of a roughly 40 year head start as franchises. Also, it was easier to win Cups in those days, losing teams actually did so twice in that weaker era.

    Pirates vs. Indians: Another mismatch in favor of Pittsburgh. Despite the Pirates’ recent struggles, only three clubs have won more world titles in the game. Cleveland has only won two, and the Bucs have had greater players overall than the Tribe.

    Steelers vs. Browns: This is a closer competition, but the Browns’ four NFL titles cannot match the historic six Super Bowl wins for the Steel City. Nearly all Cleveland’s great players played in the 1950s and 1960s, while the Steelers have hall of famers since the early 70’s and there’s no end in sight. Hines Ward is a virtual lock for Canton, and Big Ben has been superior to John Elway at this point in their respective careers.

    Mike Greenburg quoted Tyler Kepner this a.m, btw, regarding whether championships are “tainted” during the Steroid Era (strangely, “Dead Ball Era” might also be accurate…but who cares about side effects).

    Ortiz was juicing? Tell any serious baseball fan in Minnesota something he didn’t already know.

    Borderline hitter goes to Boston, becomes premier slugger.

    Yeah, it was the sea air, that’s what it was.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”343181″]Pens vs. Cavaliers: Huge advantage to the reigning Stanley Cup World Champs. Cavs have never even reached an NBA final, while the Pens are among the upper tier franchises in the entire NHL. Only 7 other NHL clubs have actually won more Cups than the Pens, and five of those teams were original six clubs, who had the big advantage of a roughly 40 year head start as franchises. Also, it was easier to win Cups in those days, losing teams actually did so twice in that weaker era.[/quote]

    Oh, we’ve been to the Finals before. We were swept by the Spurs once reaching them though.

    I really enjoyed seeing The Coliseum stuff, spent alot of time there over the years. My sister’s college graduation was there (University of Akron, 1976).Very cool to see the Miracle of Richfield again. Dick Snyder is a native of my hometown, North Canton, OH. He was also a great HS quarterback at North Canton Hoover (member of the Stark County HS Football Hall of Fame). To Jim, Doug, Brian, Vince, Paul, Matt, and all the other Uni Watchers I met at the gathering last night, it was great to meet everybody and now be able to put a face to the names I read. Had a great time, best wishes and safe traveling to everybody. – Dan

    [quote comment=”343185″]To “Gusto”:

    Easy big fella…[/quote]

    Hey, with the exception of the mistake I made about the Cavs, I was just stating the facts.

    Apparently, a brick wall covered by ivy is padded enough for baseball players running at full speed…but inadequate for fully padded football players

    link

    “Dead Ball Era”…. Took me a minute. I was focusing on riffing about “tainted” and almost missed it. This swine enjoys all pearls.

    This reminded me of when Fran Tarkenton hosted SNL and admonished that steroids would “turn your grapes into raisins”.

    good stuff

    OK… I will set the over/under at six bids for MPowers on those Retro Jordans:

    link

    Just playing with you Matt. Hope all is well out East.

    PHILADELPHIA EAGLES JIM JOHNSON MEMORIAL

    Sticker on helmets at training camp in photo link below. Patch (similar to GU patches from last year) will be on left shoulder of game jerseys according to Eagles Front Office.

    link

    Well, I guess the Coliseum talk was timely. Nicely done, Jim – thanks for the article. Also, nice score with the pre-demolition walk-thru. I’ll bet if you could do it over again, you and Tom would have rented a semi instead of the daily drivers!! Great to meet everyone last night.

    Matt & Amy

    That coliseum stuff was superb. Love the drive safely sign in your garage. well done.

    Nice stadiums. Nice uniforms.

    Two of the world’s most famous athletes in the world (for now).

    Cleveland needs a championship. Perhaps the NFL’s parity will get the Browns to the Super Bowl (two words, not one).

    ‘When I paaaaaaaaaint my masterpiece’. Appreciated the Dylan lyrics sprinkled throughout the Coliseum story.

    Bucs wearing the Orange and Cream. I likes…I likes. It’s to bad it was coincidentally synonymous with losing. Personally, i think it has nothing to do with the uniform but I do like these better than the pewter stuff.

    As for the Bills….I’d like to see 1983 uniforms with the white helmet and current Bill logo. Those are nice!

    regarding the buffalo bills throwbacks, a reader just sent this story in

    note the second paragraph:

    [quote]For the record, the striping on the sleeves is not identical to the striping on the jerseys of the ’60s, whereas the sleeve striping on the blue throwbacks is the same as in the old days.[/quote]

    ricko can come off the ledge now ;)

    “Having rushed to the game directly from choir practice, Robert pulled his stirrups over his street socks, saying, ‘Hey, it’s what Lyle from accounting does’.”
    link

    –Ricko

    I wish the Bills would lose their current uniforms, possibly the worst in NFL history, and return to either the 1960s or 1970s version. Also, they need to ditch the red helmet, and return to the white.

    [quote comment=”343200″]regarding the buffalo bills throwbacks, a reader just sent link in

    note the second paragraph:

    [quote]For the record, the striping on the sleeves is not identical to the striping on the jerseys of the ’60s, whereas the sleeve striping on the blue throwbacks is the same as in the old days.[/quote]

    ricko can come off the ledge now ;)[/quote]

    Was gonna mention in my post that the throwbacks were more accurate.
    But it still begs the question…”If you’re gonna just make up a uniform, why bother?”

    “As a tribute to Stan Musial, I’ll bat right-handed and wear white cleats.” Huh?

    —Ricko

    As a Phils fan, I like the Ibanez shirt. But I’m biased.

    Man U kits; I like the design but hate the squad. If I was a fan, I would buy the keeper shirt in a heartbeat. Might get the socks anyway. Even as a Nike hater in all forms, and being a complete adidas whore, I gotta give them credit.

    OK, I give up: Why was the “guess the game” from yesterday (Thur 7/30) so historic?

    On the Mets radio broadcast last night, Howie Rose was getting pretty exercised about how the Rockies were wearing the road pinstripes, and that the Mets decided to wear black/black/white. He specifically mentioned that the Mets’ home pinstripes had only been worn 5 times so far this year.

    Is Howie a UW reader? He was reporting these facts with great gusto.

    Thanks for the gallery of old photos of the Bears at Wrigley Field. Particularly enjoyed the one of “The Giffer” hauling in a touchdown pass while wearing tennis shoes.

    [quote comment=”343202″]”Having rushed to the game directly from choir practice, Robert pulled his stirrups over his street socks, saying, ‘Hey, it’s what Lyle from accounting does’.”
    link

    –Ricko[/quote]

    I know, I know, all bets off for softball.
    :)

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”343181″]
    Steelers vs. Browns: This is a closer competition, but the Browns’ four NFL titles cannot match the historic six Super Bowl wins for the Steel City. Nearly all Cleveland’s great players played in the 1950s and 1960s, while the Steelers have hall of famers since the early 70’s and there’s no end in sight. Hines Ward is a virtual lock for Canton, and Big Ben has been superior to John Elway at this point in their respective careers.[/quote]

    Just for the record Cleveland has won 6 NFL championships and 10 pro football titles.

    NFL: 1925 (Indians), 1945 (Rams) & Browns (4)
    AAFC: Browns 1946-1949.

    If you’re going to count them, count them right!

    [quote comment=”343209″]On the Mets radio broadcast last night, Howie Rose was getting pretty exercised about how the Rockies were wearing the road pinstripes, and that the Mets decided to wear black/black/white. He specifically mentioned that the Mets’ home pinstripes had only been worn 5 times so far this year.

    Is Howie a UW reader? He was reporting these facts with great gusto.[/quote]

    howie is actually incorrect, but close

    they’ve worn the home pins only SIX times (four times with blue caps/sleeves, twice with black/blue caps & black sleeves)

    their last two home sunday dates, one a ESPN night game vs. the yanks and the last one, the sunday before the ASG break, they STOPPED wearing the pins…i thought maybe the yankee game was an aberration, being a national tv night game, but the sunday game with the reds before break was a normal afternoon game

    which is now possibly a “trend” … are they dropping the pins altogether? i guess we’ll find out this sunday when they play the d-bags

    (and i know howie and paul text [or email] each other, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s a reader, btw)

    had a great time last nite meeting paul and fellow uni-watchers in cleveland (i was the guy who showed up after 9, btw). conversation ran the gamut from the ongoing link to the late, great “link.” thanks again, paul, for getting us all together!

    ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE richfield coliseum content today, guys! i have many fond memories of being there… from the “link” (got to see the cavs defeat the bullets), to my very first concert (link in ’79), to my high school graduation in ’85. great venue, great location (albeit a bit off the beaten path and in the heart of the snow belt) and a lot of great events. r.i.p. coliseum!

    [quote comment=”343208″]OK, I give up: Why was the “guess the game” from yesterday (Thur 7/30) so historic?[/quote]

    I’m guessing it was Fisk’s first home game as a White Sock.

    Great stuff about Richfield.

    Interesting side-note – the seats from the Coliseum were actually purchased, refurbished, and installed in the Blue Cross Arena (former War Memorial) in Rochester, NY.

    Why would the Mets want to dress like this anyway?
    link

    They ever do anything memorable in that uni?
    (eyeroll)

    To follow up on yesterday’s guess the game from the scoreboard, the game was the link I’ve seen the link may times before, including as part of the upper deck concourse murals at The Cell.

    The game itself was the first home game for Jerry Reinsdorf’s new ownership group, which made a huge splash signing Carlton Fisk and Greg Luzinski, the first credible free agent signings by the White Sox since 1977. Fisk was already my new hero (I was 10) for hitting a 3 run homer on opening day in Boston. For the home opener, he hit a grand slam as part of a 6 run 4th. Three games into the new season, a culture of losing had been replaced by legitimate playoff hopes.

    “sisters chicken and biscuits.”

    Ironically, there are no sisters in any of the photos.

    :)

    [quote] i guess we’ll find out this sunday when they play the d-bags
    [/quote]

    Ugh… we’re playing the Muts this weekend? Blah.

    [quote comment=”343217″]Just for the record Cleveland has won 6 NFL championships and 10 pro football titles.

    NFL: 1925 (Indians), 1945 (Rams) & Browns (4)
    AAFC: Browns 1946-1949.

    If you’re going to count them, count them right![/quote]

    i completely forgot the rams (’45) and (not the football indians, but…) bulldogs (’24) won titles. great catch!!! you also might be able to technically include the canton bulldogs’ championships from ’22 and ’23 as well — them being awfully close to the greater cleveland area and all — but i don’t think that’d sit too well with the folks in canton!

    [quote comment=”343180″]I too am an Manchester United supporter. While I agree that they didn’t really accurately reproduce the jersey, who cares? Just be glad they didn’t reproduce the material from the original. What is that? Leather? Sheep’s wool? Point being that it pays homage to the original without copying. I think it’s nice. Now if we could only get rid of that sponsor on the front…

    Also, they wear read as their 1st choice always now. They already have another white one also as their 3rd, and the 2nd is black.[/quote]

    As a follower of the Toffees, I will take Man U’s jersey over the abymsmal additions that Everton put out this year.

     Everton Home Kit

    Everton Away Kit

    [quote comment=”343228″][quote comment=”343217″]Just for the record Cleveland has won 6 NFL championships and 10 pro football titles.

    NFL: 1925 (Indians), 1945 (Rams) & Browns (4)
    AAFC: Browns 1946-1949.

    If you’re going to count them, count them right![/quote]

    i completely forgot the rams (’45) and (not the football indians, but…) bulldogs (’24) won titles. great catch!!! you also might be able to technically include the canton bulldogs’ championships from ’22 and ’23 as well — them being awfully close to the greater cleveland area and all — but i don’t think that’d sit too well with the folks in canton![/quote]

    You’re right about it being the 1924 Indians and not 1925. That’s what happens when you’re in too big a hurry to correct someone else- you inevitably make a mistake yourself! :)

    Canton’s titles are Canton’s, not Cleveland’s, of that there is no doubt!

    [quote comment=”343214″]Jim Riggleman wearing faux stirrups? link

    Naturally. They do things right in D.C.

    [quote comment=”343186″]I really enjoyed seeing The Coliseum stuff, spent alot of time there over the years. My sister’s college graduation was there (University of Akron, 1976).Very cool to see the Miracle of Richfield again. Dick Snyder is a native of my hometown, North Canton, OH. He was also a great HS quarterback at North Canton Hoover (member of the Stark County HS Football Hall of Fame). To Jim, Doug, Brian, Vince, Paul, Matt, and all the other Uni Watchers I met at the gathering last night, it was great to meet everybody and now be able to put a face to the names I read. Had a great time, best wishes and safe traveling to everybody. – Dan[/quote]

    Great to meet you too, Dan!

    They did high school graduations there as well, including mine. Didn’t get my cap and gown order placed in time, though, so I couldn’t take part. Oh well.

    [quote comment=”343206″]Found moments after I posted:
    link

    A Cleveland Force longsleeve jersey if the link fails.[/quote]

    Darn! It’s a small, or else that would have been nice. Hope it goes to a good home.

    Re: The “Rauuuuuuuuulll” jersey-t-shirt: The cat’s been out of the bag for a while now. I’ve seen Yankees “A-ROD” and “JOBA” and Mets “K-ROD” jersey-t-shirts, all by Majestic. I’ve yet to see a similar Red Sox “BIG PAPI” however.
    Opinion time: on these jersey-t-shirts, NOB’s other than LNOB’s (e.g.: “A-ROD” instead of “RODRIGUEZ”) look the least stupid on Yankees shirts. This could mean I am subconsciously allowing NOB artistic liberty on Yankees shirts (which should be NNOB, but no doubt the MLBPA has something to say about that).

    So, did you manage to avoid mentioning V— or F—- at the UW get-together last night?

    (“Yes” or “No” will suffice; no sense getting started again, LOL)

    [quote comment=”343227″][quote] i guess we’ll find out this sunday when they play the d-bags
    [/quote]

    Ugh… we’re playing the Muts this weekend? Blah.[/quote]

    The Snakes can beat the Mets. Just need some mistake-free play. I hope it happens.

    Those Air Jordan Space Jam black sneakers are very nice and understated. I’d like a pair.

    [quote]Those Air Jordan Space Jam black sneakers are very nice and understated.[/quote]

    you forgot the [sarcasm][/sarcasm] tags, didn’t you ;)

    [quote comment=”343225″]The game itself was the first home game for Jerry Reinsdorf’s new ownership group, which made a huge splash signing Carlton Fisk and Greg Luzinski, the first credible free agent signings by the White Sox since 1977. [/quote]
    That’s about what I was going to say when someone asked why the game was “iconic”. Coming out of the Veeck era with his rent-a-players such as Zisk and Gamble, this was a new way of thinking for Sox fans.

    [quote comment=”343220″][quote comment=”343209″]On the Mets radio broadcast last night, Howie Rose was getting pretty exercised about how the Rockies were wearing the road pinstripes, and that the Mets decided to wear black/black/white. He specifically mentioned that the Mets’ home pinstripes had only been worn 5 times so far this year.

    Is Howie a UW reader? He was reporting these facts with great gusto.[/quote]

    howie is actually incorrect, but close

    they’ve worn the home pins only SIX times (four times with blue caps/sleeves, twice with black/blue caps & black sleeves)

    their last two home sunday dates, one a ESPN night game vs. the yanks and the last one, the sunday before the ASG break, they STOPPED wearing the pins…i thought maybe the yankee game was an aberration, being a national tv night game, but the sunday game with the reds before break was a normal afternoon game

    which is now possibly a “trend” … are they dropping the pins altogether?[/quote]

    FWIW, the official photos displayed on scoreboards at home and on the road when a player comes to bat show the Mets in snow white jerseys with traditional blue caps.

    [quote comment=”343220″][quote comment=”343209″]On the Mets radio broadcast last night, Howie Rose was getting pretty exercised about how the Rockies were wearing the road pinstripes, and that the Mets decided to wear black/black/white. He specifically mentioned that the Mets’ home pinstripes had only been worn 5 times so far this year.

    Is Howie a UW reader? He was reporting these facts with great gusto.[/quote]

    howie is actually incorrect, but close

    they’ve worn the home pins only SIX times (four times with blue caps/sleeves, twice with black/blue caps & black sleeves)

    their last two home sunday dates, one a ESPN night game vs. the yanks and the last one, the sunday before the ASG break, they STOPPED wearing the pins…i thought maybe the yankee game was an aberration, being a national tv night game, but the sunday game with the reds before break was a normal afternoon game

    which is now possibly a “trend” … are they dropping the pins altogether? i guess we’ll find out this sunday when they play the d-bags

    (and i know howie and paul text [or email] each other, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s a reader, btw)[/quote]
    Have the Mets ever worn black tops over pinstripes? Or have they ever worn a hat other than the all-black with the black tops? Just curious to see how atrocious those combos would be if they exist.

    [quote comment=”343229″][quote comment=”343180″]I too am an Manchester United supporter. While I agree that they didn’t really accurately reproduce the jersey, who cares? Just be glad they didn’t reproduce the material from the original. What is that? Leather? Sheep’s wool? Point being that it pays homage to the original without copying. I think it’s nice. Now if we could only get rid of that sponsor on the front…

    Also, they wear read as their 1st choice always now. They already have another white one also as their 3rd, and the 2nd is black.[/quote]

    As a follower of the Toffees, I will take Man U’s jersey over the abymsmal additions that Everton put out this year.

    link

    link[/quote]

    Yikes!

    By the way, that’s definitely not “powder red” stripes on the away kit…

    “… OCD DIYer Robert Marshall, whose team apparently won their softball game yesterday, sent this awesome pic of his hosiery (at least I think that’s his legs) …”

    *****

    Not only does RM boast spectacularly well-hosed calves. His proposal for new ChiSox unis a couple of days ago was, imho, the best of the bunch by far. And every morning (for the rest of my life) I greet the RM custom-made bobblehead atop my dresser. I am deep in his debt.

    Though I think I paid him for the bobblehead.

    [quote]Have the Mets ever worn black tops over pinstripes?[/quote]

    to my knowledge, no

    [quote]Or have they ever worn a hat other than the all-black with the black tops? Just curious to see how atrocious those combos would be if they exist.[/quote]

    again, i do not believe so…and i will NOT be mocking those up either

    [quote comment=”343236″]So, did you manage to avoid mentioning V— or F—- at the UW get-together last night?

    (“Yes” or “No” will suffice; no sense getting started again, LOL)[/quote]

    Yes, thankfully. :)

    [quote comment=”343195″]Well, I guess the Coliseum talk was timely. Nicely done, Jim – thanks for the article. Also, nice score with the pre-demolition walk-thru. I’ll bet if you could do it over again, you and Tom would have rented a semi instead of the daily drivers!! Great to meet everyone last night.

    Matt & Amy[/quote]

    Yeah, I shudder to think what’s buried out there. Would have been great to have a real truck. Great to meet you.

    How ’bout this as suggested rule change for MLB?
    “Pantlegs, including any bloused fabric, shall extend no lower than mid-calf.”

    Right. Probably end up with the Players Association filing a suit about “freedom of expression” or somethig.

    [quote comment=”343221″]had a great time last nite meeting paul and fellow uni-watchers in cleveland (i was the guy who showed up after 9, btw). conversation ran the gamut from the ongoing link to the late, great “link.” thanks again, paul, for getting us all together!

    ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE richfield coliseum content today, guys! i have many fond memories of being there… from the “link” (got to see the cavs defeat the bullets), to my very first concert (link in ’79), to my high school graduation in ’85. great venue, great location (albeit a bit off the beaten path and in the heart of the snow belt) and a lot of great events. r.i.p. coliseum![/quote]

    Glad to see you at the gathering. I missed out on the chicken and biscuits discussion, though. That’s right up my alley. A sign I saw while driving through SE Ohio fits me perfectly: “Where I come from, gravy is considered a beverage.”

    [quote comment=”343246″][quote]Have the Mets ever worn black tops over pinstripes?[/quote]

    to my knowledge, no

    [quote]Or have they ever worn a hat other than the all-black with the black tops? Just curious to see how atrocious those combos would be if they exist.[/quote]

    again, i do not believe so…and i will NOT be mocking those up either[/quote]

    y’know…damn you engle…

    i just had to see for myself…

    black top over pins

    black top w/black crown/blue bill

    ugh…let us never speak of this again

    [quote comment=”343238″][quote]Those Air Jordan Space Jam black sneakers are very nice and understated.[/quote]

    you forgot the [sarcasm][/sarcasm] tags, didn’t you ;)[/quote]

    Not at all. Almost all black, with a little white and blue looks nice. And, they look like normal laces and materials, not the odd variations that many Jordans have. The toe looks a little shiny though.

    After finally reading the main Richfield article, I’d love to have “looted” an arena like that. I’d try to get all I could. Good writings.

    [quote comment=”343181″]…can’t imagine being a Cleveland sports fan right now, no major sports titles since 1964.[/quote]

    it ain’t good, brother. it. ain’t. good. link, link, link, link, link, link, link… where there’s pain as sports fans, we have a name for it… and a wiki entry.

    lebron and shaq have given us much to hope for which is awesome… but my dirty little secret — and i’m willing to bet it’s the same for a lot of cleveland sports fans — is it won’t be the real deal till the link makes an appearance. now, don’t get me wrong… i’ll be more than ecstatic with an nba or mlb championship, but my heart’s shaped like an link, so i won’t be completely satisfied until the town is painted brown and orange in february.

    There were a lot of wicked mullets in that Crunch footage. Despite Jagr’s efforts, no sport sported that look better than indoor soccer.

    [quote comment=”343187″][quote comment=”343185″]To “Gusto”:

    Easy big fella…[/quote]

    Hey, with the exception of the mistake I made about the Cavs, I was just stating the facts.[/quote]

    How is it a fact when you wrote:

    [quote comment=”343187″]”Also, it was easier to win Cups in those days, losing teams actually did so twice in that weaker era.”[/quote]

    I’m quite certain it was not easier to win a Stanley Cup when there were six teams. The teams were stacked top to bottom with talent, and all of them could play. Just because there’s less teams doesn’t make it easier to win the Stanley Cup. Your chances go up, but you still have to win.

    Jim, love the old stadium stuff. My dream is to have a man-cave full of that kind of stuff. You, sir, are an inspiration.

    [quote comment=”343235″]Re: The “Rauuuuuuuuulll” jersey-t-shirt: The cat’s been out of the bag for a while now. I’ve seen Yankees “A-ROD” and “JOBA” and Mets “K-ROD” jersey-t-shirts, all by Majestic. I’ve yet to see a similar Red Sox “BIG PAPI” however.
    Opinion time: on these jersey-t-shirts, NOB’s other than LNOB’s (e.g.: “A-ROD” instead of “RODRIGUEZ”) look the least stupid on Yankees shirts. This could mean I am subconsciously allowing NOB artistic liberty on Yankees shirts (which should be NNOB, but no doubt the MLBPA has something to say about that).[/quote]

    Wish I knew how to post it on here, but a friend of mine on Facebook has a rendering of an Indians jersey-t with TRADEMENEXT as the NOB and 09 as the number. I’m normally not into goofy NOBs, but I’d get a Pirates version of that one.

    [quote comment=”343249″]
    “Pantlegs, including any bloused fabric, shall extend no lower than mid-calf.”

    Right. Probably end up with the Players Association filing a suit about “freedom of expression” or somethig.[/quote]Plus the inevitable lawsuit over what constitutes “mid” calf.

    Love the creamsicle unis! Just ordered a Ward jersey, the only one still left in 3-extra fat.

    Sorry, Marc
    Gonna have to get all geometrical with you.
    According to the Doc (and he oughta know).

    An Americal football is a prolate spheroid. This means that its axis of
    symmetry is longer than its other axes. Am M&M candy, on the other hand, is
    an oblate spheroid. Its axis of symmetry is shorter than its other axes.

    courtesy:
    Richard E. Barrans Jr., Ph.D.
    Assistant Director
    PG Research Foundation, Darien, Illinois

    And the stripes are all wrong, too. The Bills never—repeat, never–wore that jersey.

    –Ricko

    You’re right Ricko… of course… so, why, why would the do this? Instead of this:
    link…

    So I joined the discussion late last night and added the comment above to follow up on Ricko’s post.

    It just seems odd to me that the Bills would put this together, call it a throwback and charge people $80 for a replica of something that never existed before. Too me it’s outrageous. It’s too bad, considering their blue throwbacks were the absolute best jersey worn in the NFL last year.

    I’ve come to love the misguided efforts of Chris Creamer and UniWatchblog.com’ers who continually criticize team uniforms—and then decide to do their “own” versions, in this case the Bengals.

    link

    The end results reminds and reinforms us why professional teams turn to real design firms to create the uniforms/logos?

    Why? Because the amateurs submitted work always sucks.

    [quote comment=”343265″]I’ve come to love the misguided efforts of Chris Creamer and UniWatchblog.com’ers who continually criticize team uniforms—and then decide to do their “own” versions, in this case the Bengals.

    link

    The end results reminds and reinforms us why professional teams turn to real design firms to create the uniforms/logos?

    Why? Because the amateurs submitted work always sucks.[/quote]

    And the current Bengals’ unis don’t?

    I’ve got nothing to add on the Richfield Coliseum other than to mention that it also hosted the NHL, the late unlamented Cleveland Barons. Two years and done.

    [quote comment=”343234″]Darn! It’s a small, or else that would have been nice. Hope it goes to a good home.[/quote]

    At least you have self control. I have about 3 or 4 jerseys in my vintage soccer collection that don’t fit, that I still bought. “Of course I’ll fit into that extra small Germany 1994 World Cup shirt!”

    [quote comment=”343265″]I’ve come to love the misguided efforts of Chris Creamer and UniWatchblog.com’ers who continually criticize team uniforms—and then decide to do their “own” versions, in this case the Bengals.

    link

    The end results reminds and reinforms us why professional teams turn to real design firms to create the uniforms/logos?

    Why? Because the amateurs submitted work always sucks.[/quote]

    To be honest, I can’t help but agree a little. Maybe not with the “always” part (Mike Hass’s, Andrew Greenwood’s, and Michael Schwartz’s are pretty decent, the rest are rather boring minimilist stuffs), but the two sites seem to have a very strong bias torwards “Old is Awesome, New Sucks” groupthink. Not that the above is always wrong, but I have noticed that people here tend to confuse “Simple” with “Classic”, and reject anything with individuality or flair.

    Not all, of course, it’s just a trend I noticed. Nothing wrong with thinking that way, but it’s just starting to feel that the community expects EVERYONE here to feel that way. I hope I am wrong, though.

    [quote comment=”343265″]I’ve come to love the misguided efforts of Chris Creamer and UniWatchblog.com’ers who continually criticize team uniforms—and then decide to do their “own” versions, in this case the Bengals.

    link

    The end results reminds and reinforms us why professional teams turn to real design firms to create the uniforms/logos?

    Why? Because the amateurs submitted work always sucks.[/quote]

    I’ve come to love the misguided efforts of people who read this blog that shouldn’t. There are plenty of other reinformative sites.

    [quote comment=”343269″][quote comment=”343265″]I’ve come to love the misguided efforts of Chris Creamer and UniWatchblog.com’ers who continually criticize team uniforms—and then decide to do their “own” versions, in this case the Bengals.

    link

    The end results reminds and reinforms us why professional teams turn to real design firms to create the uniforms/logos?

    Why? Because the amateurs submitted work always sucks.[/quote]

    To be honest, I can’t help but agree a little. Maybe not with the “always” part (Mike Hass’s, Andrew Greenwood’s, and Michael Schwartz’s are pretty decent, the rest are rather boring minimilist stuffs), but the two sites seem to have a very strong bias torwards “Old is Awesome, New Sucks” groupthink. Not that the above is always wrong, but I have noticed that people here tend to confuse “Simple” with “Classic”, and reject anything with individuality or flair.

    Not all, of course, it’s just a trend I noticed. Nothing wrong with thinking that way, but it’s just starting to feel that the community expects EVERYONE here to feel that way. I hope I am wrong, though.[/quote]

    I agree with this comment, but that earlier one was mean.

    [quote comment=”343271″][quote comment=”343269″][quote comment=”343265″]I’ve come to love the misguided efforts of Chris Creamer and UniWatchblog.com’ers who continually criticize team uniforms—and then decide to do their “own” versions, in this case the Bengals.

    link

    The end results reminds and reinforms us why professional teams turn to real design firms to create the uniforms/logos?

    Why? Because the amateurs submitted work always sucks.[/quote]

    To be honest, I can’t help but agree a little. Maybe not with the “always” part (Mike Hass’s, Andrew Greenwood’s, and Michael Schwartz’s are pretty decent, the rest are rather boring minimilist stuffs), but the two sites seem to have a very strong bias torwards “Old is Awesome, New Sucks” groupthink. Not that the above is always wrong, but I have noticed that people here tend to confuse “Simple” with “Classic”, and reject anything with individuality or flair.

    Not all, of course, it’s just a trend I noticed. Nothing wrong with thinking that way, but it’s just starting to feel that the community expects EVERYONE here to feel that way. I hope I am wrong, though.[/quote]

    I agree with this comment, but that earlier one was mean.[/quote]

    Plus, it pre-supposed all who submit are “amateurs.” Many of them are professional designers who simply have never been selected to work on an NFL project. At the same time, we all have seen some some okay stuff come from Nike, for example, as well some horrendous work…and that’s the work of “professionals”.

    Really is a case-by-case thing.

    (Although, I also will admit a lotta times it DOES feel a little like we’re designing new uniforms for Star Fleet. LOL)

    —Ricko

    Plus, it pre-supposed all who submit are “amateurs.” Many of them are professional designers who simply have never been selected to work on an NFL project. At the same time, we all have seen some some okay stuff come from Nike, for example, as well some horrendous work…and that’s the work of “professionals”.

    It’s fine to redesign a team’s uniforms for the sheer fun of doing it but the thread regularly starts with… Oh the Wizards jerseys suck and here’s designs that are better… and rarely are they anywhere near as good… and this is with no millionaire owner having his wife try to tell you “why fuschia is the new black”…

    Those that can do… those that can’t criticize. Period.

    More info from this morning on Bucs creamsicle throwbacks. Also the normal “skirting” along the sideline walls in the RayJay will be creamsicle on November 8.

    link

    [quote comment=\”343198\”]\’When I paaaaaaaaaint my masterpiece\’. Appreciated the Dylan lyrics sprinkled throughout the Coliseum story.[/quote]

    I immediately thought of Bob Weir, leaning back, belting out that line! One of my favorite GD covers. Thanks for putting a good tune in my head for the rest of the afternoon.

    [quote comment=”343274″]Plus, it pre-supposed all who submit are “amateurs.” Many of them are professional designers who simply have never been selected to work on an NFL project. At the same time, we all have seen some some okay stuff come from Nike, for example, as well some horrendous work…and that’s the work of “professionals”.

    It’s fine to redesign a team’s uniforms for the sheer fun of doing it but the thread regularly starts with… Oh the Wizards jerseys suck and here’s designs that are better… and rarely are they anywhere near as good… and this is with no millionaire owner having his wife try to tell you “why fuschia is the new black”…

    Those that can do… those that can’t criticize. Period.[/quote]

    I’ve always heard that we teach.

    [quote comment=”343277″][quote comment=”343274″]Plus, it pre-supposed all who submit are “amateurs.” Many of them are professional designers who simply have never been selected to work on an NFL project. At the same time, we all have seen some some okay stuff come from Nike, for example, as well some horrendous work…and that’s the work of “professionals”.

    It’s fine to redesign a team’s uniforms for the sheer fun of doing it but the thread regularly starts with… Oh the Wizards jerseys suck and here’s designs that are better… and rarely are they anywhere near as good… and this is with no millionaire owner having his wife try to tell you “why fuschia is the new black”…

    Those that can do… those that can’t criticize. Period.[/quote]

    I’ve always heard that we teach.[/quote]
    OK, next time I’m in a restaurant, when the waitress comes over and asks how the meal is, I’ll offer this in response: “Seeing as how I’m not a professional chef, I am not qualified to tell you that.” rather than mentioning that perhaps the meal could be improved if the chicken were fully cooked.

    [quote comment=”343274″]Plus, it pre-supposed all who submit are “amateurs.” Many of them are professional designers who simply have never been selected to work on an NFL project. At the same time, we all have seen some some okay stuff come from Nike, for example, as well some horrendous work…and that’s the work of “professionals”.

    It’s fine to redesign a team’s uniforms for the sheer fun of doing it but the thread regularly starts with… Oh the Wizards jerseys suck and here’s designs that are better… and rarely are they anywhere near as good… and this is with no millionaire owner having his wife try to tell you “why fuschia is the new black”…

    Those that can do… those that can’t criticize. Period.[/quote]

    So does that mean you can’t do redesigns?

    “Savelyev also announced a change to the blue-and-orange uniforms.

    ‘Psychologists have told us that the current colour evokes revulsion”

    Ouch, sorry Mets fans. But maybe it explains some things.

    Saying “The amateurs’ submitted work always sucks” sounds like a criticism…
    It’s fine to say thanks but no thanks, I like the original better. It’s also fine to offer your own design instead. You did neither. I have no problem with your opinion, just the way you state it. And remember, some of these designs may be serious proposals, while others are just for fun. Organized sports sometimes sucks the fun out of things – let’s not do that here.

    Game, set and match, JTH.

    [quote comment=”343282″]Saying “The amateurs’ submitted work always sucks” sounds like a criticism…
    It’s fine to say thanks but no thanks, I like the original better. It’s also fine to offer your own design instead. You did neither. I have no problem with your opinion, just the way you state it. And remember, some of these designs may be serious proposals, while others are just for fun. Organized sports sometimes sucks the fun out of things – let’s not do that here.

    Game, set and match, JTH.[/quote]

    I had a quote from JTH that reinforced my point but it vanished. That’s why the last sentence was there. Those who can’t do simple keying…

    [quote comment=”343262″]

    courtesy:
    Richard E. Barrans Jr., Ph.D.
    Assistant Director
    PG Research Foundation, Darien, Illinois[/quote]
    I didn’t know Proctor and Gamble moved to Darien.

    Practically neighbors with Bo Jackson!

    [quote comment=”343277″][quote comment=”343274″]Plus, it pre-supposed all who submit are “amateurs.” Many of them are professional designers who simply have never been selected to work on an NFL project. At the same time, we all have seen some some okay stuff come from Nike, for example, as well some horrendous work…and that’s the work of “professionals”.

    It’s fine to redesign a team’s uniforms for the sheer fun of doing it but the thread regularly starts with… Oh the Wizards jerseys suck and here’s designs that are better… and rarely are they anywhere near as good… and this is with no millionaire owner having his wife try to tell you “why fuschia is the new black”…

    Those that can do… those that can’t criticize. Period.[/quote]

    I’ve always heard that we teach.[/quote]

    That old saw doesn’t always hold up. Don’t have to be a great player to e a great coach. There have been, and are, some legendary coaches whose mental grasp of the game, and their ability to teach the game, far exceeded their physical skills at playing it.

    Tiger Woods goes to swing coaches who couldn’t beat him getting 10 strokes a side.

    But I will agree with “Leaky” that this site is, and always has been, about more than griping about unis and suggesting alternatives.

    Problem is, it’s the Dog Day of Summer here, too. Not a helluva lot going on uni-wise, till we start checking out the football season.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”343248″]
    Yeah, I shudder to think what’s buried out there. [/quote] What and/or who is buried out there…

    [quote comment=”343272″]

    Really is a case-by-case thing.
    [/quote]
    That’s the long and short of it for me.

    Yesterday there was a focus on my team, I fired off many a post. Today, I’m not posting so much; I defer to the Cleveland crowd here.

    I didn’t like every redesign yesterday: those which I liked, I said I liked and I tried to ignore the rest.

    those were my pineapples legs, i don’t wear silver soccer spikes, i wear black baseball spikes, and put brand new white laces in them per ricko’s rules for the playoffs. and yes, we finally won a game this year 12-2 against a team of clowns who like to heckle girls, it was more then satisfying. we lost game 2 something like 27-2, but it didn’t matter. we also had uw reader mathew “shaggy” robins(who already had a pair of the teams stirrups) fill in as our illegal ringer.

    but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk. i always knew i liked the cut of his jib, but jim you worked at the coliseum eh? i lived no more then 2 minutes down route 303 near it’s intersection with olde 91. in 1986/7(the 2 years i lived there)i would have been in high school, used to go to games almost nightly in the 4th quarter when you could get in for free, would go to puffers, and load up free food too. and i never met a beer vendor who would card me, there was never anybody in the brown yellow and orange seats, so everyone welcomed the sales, even to a minor(it was a different day too). but if you sold beer, you sold beer to me, i guarantee. how about those apples jim vilk? i could get into stories, but better not. and by the way jim vilk, i want link coliseum usher’s patch more then my next breath! seriously.

    working out the kinks on the curling adaptations. if it goes well, i will let you know.

    didn’t realize i had not changed my name back to rpm. how long have i been doing this?

    [quote comment=”343290″]didn’t realize i had not changed my name back to rpm. how long have i been doing this?[/quote]

    A couple days at least. I was kind of wondering about the change but I figured you had your reasons.

    “put brand new white laces in them per ricko’s rules for the playoffs. and yes, we finally won a game this yea, 12-2”

    It’s the laces.
    ; )

    —Ricko

    Minnesota Vikings vs Wiscons Badgers
    link
    That is a pic from my NFHS high school football preseason guide showing two blatant uniform rip-offs. The stole the logos and uniforms and didn’t even bother using different colors. Sad, really. If I have to ref either of those teams I’m throwing a penalty flag out of principle.

    [quote comment=”343291″][quote comment=”343290″]didn’t realize i had not changed my name back to rpm. how long have i been doing this?[/quote]

    A couple days at least. I was kind of wondering about the change but I figured you had your reasons.[/quote]
    if only i had some powder blue panatloons.

    In regards to those city flags jerseys by HHH, I got kinda bored (at work) and played around with the Reds jersey and Cincinnati’s flag link to come up with this link

    [quote comment=”343291″][quote comment=”343290″]didn’t realize i had not changed my name back to rpm. how long have i been doing this?[/quote]

    A couple days at least. I was kind of wondering about the change but I figured you had your reasons.[/quote]
    it was from when phil was teasing me for my writing, and someone suggested that there be a glossary term for assclowner’s disseased people like me. sgalob referred to Spelling Grammar And Lack Of B??? or something like that. either way, i am an idiot, but everyone already knows that.

    [quote comment=”343289″]those were my pineapples legs, i don’t wear silver soccer spikes, i wear black baseball spikes, and put brand new white laces in them per ricko’s rules for the playoffs. and yes, we finally won a game this year 12-2 against a team of clowns who like to heckle girls, it was more then satisfying. we lost game 2 something like 27-2, but it didn’t matter. we also had uw reader mathew “shaggy” robins(who already had a pair of the teams stirrups) fill in as our illegal ringer.

    but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk. i always knew i liked the cut of his jib, but jim you worked at the coliseum eh? i lived no more then 2 minutes down route 303 near it’s intersection with olde 91. in 1986/7(the 2 years i lived there)i would have been in high school, used to go to games almost nightly in the 4th quarter when you could get in for free, would go to puffers, and load up free food too. and i never met a beer vendor who would card me, there was never anybody in the brown yellow and orange seats, so everyone welcomed the sales, even to a minor(it was a different day too). but if you sold beer, you sold beer to me, i guarantee. how about those apples jim vilk? i could get into stories, but better not. and by the way jim vilk, i want link coliseum usher’s patch more then my next breath! seriously.

    working out the kinks on the curling adaptations. if it goes well, i will let you know.[/quote]

    Send me an email with your address. If I don’t have a spare patch lying around here then my brother does.

    I did indeed sell beer. Not often, usually for the big games. Towards the end of my time we had to card, but yeah, I think we eyeballed it for a while. Wow, small world…

    I got in free to a couple of games as a kid. Tom dated an usherette (yep, that’s what we called the ladies), so even when I bought a $2.50 ticket (the one advantage of the Ted Stepien era) she’d get me a floor seat if one was available.

    It wouldn’t quite work to make an “I’m Calling It The Coliseum” shirt for “the Q,” but I’d like an “I’d Rather See ’em at The Coliseum” shirt…

    [quote comment=”343296″][quote comment=”343291″][quote comment=”343290″]didn’t realize i had not changed my name back to rpm. how long have i been doing this?[/quote]

    A couple days at least. I was kind of wondering about the change but I figured you had your reasons.[/quote]
    it was from when phil was teasing me for my writing, and someone suggested that there be a glossary term for assclowner’s disseased people like me. sgalob referred to Spelling Grammar And Lack Of B??? or something like that. either way, i am an idiot, but everyone already knows that.[/quote]
    I think it was originally “sgalop” with the P for “puctuation” Somewhere in the last week or so, you went back to rpm, then I think there was something else and then to “sgalob”. We know better than to ask why.

    [quote comment=”343295″]In regards to those city flags jerseys by HHH, I got kinda bored (at work) and played around with the Reds jersey and Cincinnati’s flag link to come up with this link
    Though, I’m not saying it’s any good and apparently since I don’t do this for a living, it already carries the criticism of “it sucks”

    [quote comment=”343296″][quote comment=”343291″][quote comment=”343290″]didn’t realize i had not changed my name back to rpm. how long have i been doing this?[/quote]

    A couple days at least. I was kind of wondering about the change but I figured you had your reasons.[/quote]
    it was from when phil was teasing me for my writing, and someone suggested that there be a glossary term for assclowner’s disseased people like me. sgalob referred to Spelling Grammar And Lack Of B??? or something like that. either way, i am an idiot, but everyone already knows that.[/quote]

    It was supposed to be sgalop (…Lack Of Punctuation). I had suggested dropping the S and calling you galop, but you misspelled your own nickname. Those who can’t spell…make excellent stirrup choices and bobbleheads. Hey, no one can be perfect, right? ;)

    [quote comment=”343295″]In regards to those city flags jerseys by HHH, I got kinda bored (at work) and played around with the Reds jersey and Cincinnati’s flag link to come up with this link

    nice

    you may (or may not) want to check back tomorrow

    [quote comment=”343298″][quote comment=”343296″][quote comment=”343291″][quote comment=”343290″]didn’t realize i had not changed my name back to rpm. how long have i been doing this?[/quote]

    A couple days at least. I was kind of wondering about the change but I figured you had your reasons.[/quote]
    it was from when phil was teasing me for my writing, and someone suggested that there be a glossary term for assclowner’s disseased people like me. sgalob referred to Spelling Grammar And Lack Of B??? or something like that. either way, i am an idiot, but everyone already knows that.[/quote]
    I think it was originally “sgalop” with the P for “puctuation” Somewhere in the last week or so, you went back to rpm, then I think there was something else and then to “sgalob”. We know better than to ask why.[/quote]
    Yikes.

    S.G.A.L.O.P indeed.

    [quote comment=”343295″]In regards to those city flags jerseys by HHH, I got kinda bored (at work) and played around with the Reds jersey and Cincinnati’s flag link to come up with this link

    That would make an excellent indoor soccer jersey! Not too bad for baseball, either…

    [quote comment=”343289″]but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk.[/quote]
    Chorus!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!

    OK, away for a while, back for some quality time with my vibraphone.

    [quote comment=”343304″][quote comment=”343289″]but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk.[/quote]
    Chorus!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!

    OK, away for a while, back for some quality time with my vibraphone.[/quote]
    I envy everyone who has a vibraphone. If ever I get rich, I’m getting a good one and a 52 long (or size-of-the-day) jade colored zoot suit to wear while playing it.

    [quote comment=”343304″][quote comment=”343289″]but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk.[/quote]
    Chorus!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!

    OK, away for a while, back for some quality time with my vibraphone.[/quote]

    Ah, you remembered!

    Vibraphone, huh? Can you play the solo from Moonlight Feels Right? If I had to have one song from the 70s, that’s the one.

    Uniwatch got a plug today from Donna Bowman of the Onion’s AV Club. Each staffer listed the web sites they visit while wasting time at work. Given the number of comments that show up on this site during business hours (this one included), I’d say Donna is not alone.

    Here’s her quote: “And professional packaging noticer Paul Lukas dissects all the sports-uniform trends you never thought you needed to know at Uni Watch.”

    Never heard that particular job description before!

    And the link:
    link

    [quote comment=”343306″][quote comment=”343304″][quote comment=”343289″]but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk.[/quote]
    Chorus!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!

    OK, away for a while, back for some quality time with my vibraphone.[/quote]

    Ah, you remembered!

    Vibraphone, huh? Can you play the solo from Moonlight Feels Right? If I had to have one song from the 70s, that’s the one.[/quote]

    ha ha ha ha

    if this was a family bbq, and not a blog, sometimes i think you guys treat me like your 1/2 wit family member who puts buckets on his head and runs into walls, and may or may not boggar eating prollem. you guys are all standing around chatting like right proper adults, perhaps eating a hamburger sandwich, and i go zooming by and smash my head, you don’t flinch, that’s just rpm you think without batting an eye. but then there is the love, someone remembers the jim vilk song, like bringing me an ice cold beer after i wake up from knocking myself out. what a family!

    how did i misspell disease when i am referring to a misspelling deisease? oops.

    i once built a theremin, i know it is no vibraphone, but the name is almost as groovy.

    [quote comment=”343309″]Heard it was a slow day out there-here’s one for you, JimV19

    link

    Nice find! Thanks.

    Before I was an Oiler fan (until they diched the blue helmets and I went to the Stillers), my two favorites were the Vikes and Bears. Wonder if I watched that game.

    Now if I could just get a photo of David Lee as well…

    [quote comment=”343313″][quote comment=”343309″]Heard it was a slow day out there-here’s one for you, JimV19

    link

    Nice find! Thanks.

    Before I was an Oiler fan (until they diched the blue helmets and I went to the Stillers), my two favorites were the Vikes and Bears. Wonder if I watched that game.

    Now if I could just get a photo of David Lee as well…[/quote]

    And they’re wearing white shoelaces, Ricko!

    [quote comment=”343314″][quote comment=”343313″][quote comment=”343309″]Heard it was a slow day out there-here’s one for you, JimV19

    link

    Nice find! Thanks.

    Before I was an Oiler fan (until they diched the blue helmets and I went to the Stillers), my two favorites were the Vikes and Bears. Wonder if I watched that game.

    Now if I could just get a photo of David Lee as well…[/quote]

    And they’re wearing white shoelaces, Ricko![/quote]

    That’s the way they came out of the box back then (meaning white laces were standard).

    —Ricko

    Wow, Twins trade for Orlando Cabrera. First trading deadline deal since they got Shannon Stewart in 2003.

    The Indians should just go with no NOB from now on. Even with a program, no one’s going to know who’s playing for them. link
    No truth to the rumor that Slider the mascot is being shopped around for three minor league mascots…

    [quote comment=”343317″]The Indians should just go with no NOB from now on. Even with a program, no one’s going to know who’s playing for them. link
    No truth to the rumor that Slider the mascot is being shopped around for three minor league mascots…[/quote]

    Ditto for Pirates.

    [quote comment=”343297″][quote comment=”343289″]those were my pineapples legs, i don’t wear silver soccer spikes, i wear black baseball spikes, and put brand new white laces in them per ricko’s rules for the playoffs. and yes, we finally won a game this year 12-2 against a team of clowns who like to heckle girls, it was more then satisfying. we lost game 2 something like 27-2, but it didn’t matter. we also had uw reader mathew “shaggy” robins(who already had a pair of the teams stirrups) fill in as our illegal ringer.

    but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk. i always knew i liked the cut of his jib, but jim you worked at the coliseum eh? i lived no more then 2 minutes down route 303 near it’s intersection with olde 91. in 1986/7(the 2 years i lived there)i would have been in high school, used to go to games almost nightly in the 4th quarter when you could get in for free, would go to puffers, and load up free food too. and i never met a beer vendor who would card me, there was never anybody in the brown yellow and orange seats, so everyone welcomed the sales, even to a minor(it was a different day too). but if you sold beer, you sold beer to me, i guarantee. how about those apples jim vilk? i could get into stories, but better not. and by the way jim vilk, i want link coliseum usher’s patch more then my next breath! seriously.

    working out the kinks on the curling adaptations. if it goes well, i will let you know.[/quote]

    Send me an email with your address. If I don’t have a spare patch lying around here then my brother does.

    I did indeed sell beer. Not often, usually for the big games. Towards the end of my time we had to card, but yeah, I think we eyeballed it for a while. Wow, small world…

    I got in free to a couple of games as a kid. Tom dated an usherette (yep, that’s what we called the ladies), so even when I bought a $2.50 ticket (the one advantage of the Ted Stepien era) she’d get me a floor seat if one was available.

    It wouldn’t quite work to make an “I’m Calling It The Coliseum” shirt for “the Q,” but I’d like an “I’d Rather See ’em at The Coliseum” shirt…[/quote]

    Aw man. I wish you had 2. I was taken with that patch as well. Kind of Canuckish.
    Is that a brown one on the tan usher’s jacket?
    Very Dee.

    Built a theremin? Really?

    One more post before I go tackle my acre and a half of grass: link
    Chad hasn’t been in the news lately, so I’ve had to sit on this idea for a while – how about an orange and black t-shirt with “I’m Calling Him Chad Johnson” on it?

    [quote comment=”343320″]One more post before I go tackle my acre and a half of grass: link
    Chad hasn’t been in the news lately, so I’ve had to sit on this idea for a while – how about an orange and black t-shirt with “I’m Calling Him Chad Johnson” on it?[/quote]

    How ’bout…?
    I say he’s still a Johnson.

    [quote comment=”343319″][quote comment=”343297″][quote comment=”343289″]those were my pineapples legs, i don’t wear silver soccer spikes, i wear black baseball spikes, and put brand new white laces in them per ricko’s rules for the playoffs. and yes, we finally won a game this year 12-2 against a team of clowns who like to heckle girls, it was more then satisfying. we lost game 2 something like 27-2, but it didn’t matter. we also had uw reader mathew “shaggy” robins(who already had a pair of the teams stirrups) fill in as our illegal ringer.

    but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk. i always knew i liked the cut of his jib, but jim you worked at the coliseum eh? i lived no more then 2 minutes down route 303 near it’s intersection with olde 91. in 1986/7(the 2 years i lived there)i would have been in high school, used to go to games almost nightly in the 4th quarter when you could get in for free, would go to puffers, and load up free food too. and i never met a beer vendor who would card me, there was never anybody in the brown yellow and orange seats, so everyone welcomed the sales, even to a minor(it was a different day too). but if you sold beer, you sold beer to me, i guarantee. how about those apples jim vilk? i could get into stories, but better not. and by the way jim vilk, i want link coliseum usher’s patch more then my next breath! seriously.

    working out the kinks on the curling adaptations. if it goes well, i will let you know.[/quote]

    Send me an email with your address. If I don’t have a spare patch lying around here then my brother does.

    I did indeed sell beer. Not often, usually for the big games. Towards the end of my time we had to card, but yeah, I think we eyeballed it for a while. Wow, small world…

    I got in free to a couple of games as a kid. Tom dated an usherette (yep, that’s what we called the ladies), so even when I bought a $2.50 ticket (the one advantage of the Ted Stepien era) she’d get me a floor seat if one was available.

    It wouldn’t quite work to make an “I’m Calling It The Coliseum” shirt for “the Q,” but I’d like an “I’d Rather See ’em at The Coliseum” shirt…[/quote]

    Aw man. I wish you had 2. I was taken with that patch as well. Kind of Canuckish.
    Is that a brown one on the tan usher’s jacket?
    Very Dee.

    Built a theremin? Really?[/quote]
    yup. soldered togehter the circuitboard and all that shiznat.

    jim, i can just post my addy…
    1932 s. halsted st #507
    chicago 60608

    On the subject of the Bills, this one-year wonder (’62) doesn’t get mentioned much.
    Sort of “Colts with red added” or “reverse-Patriots”.
    link
    link
    And the roads in black and white (why is #27’s number red with a royal edge? I have NO idea)…
    link

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”343320″]One more post before I go tackle my acre and a half of grass: link
    Chad hasn’t been in the news lately, so I’ve had to sit on this idea for a while – how about an orange and black t-shirt with “I’m Calling Him Chad Johnson” on it?[/quote]

    Ha! Love this idea! I would definitely wear that if I were a Bengals fan. But thankfully I’m not.

    Just occured to me (after all these years, LOL) that #27 almost looks like home numbers (white edged in red). Now THAT would have look weird in person.

    [quote comment=”343292″]It’s the laces.[/quote]
    Money, it’s GOTTA be the shoes! It’s the shoes!

    [quote comment=”343221″]had a great time last nite meeting paul and fellow uni-watchers in cleveland (i was the guy who showed up after 9, btw). conversation ran the gamut from the ongoing link to the late, great “link.” thanks again, paul, for getting us all together!

    ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE richfield coliseum content today, guys! i have many fond memories of being there… from the “link” (got to see the cavs defeat the bullets), to my very first concert (link in ’79), to my high school graduation in ’85. great venue, great location (albeit a bit off the beaten path and in the heart of the snow belt) and a lot of great events. r.i.p. coliseum![/quote]
    I had a blast last night also! Paul went around and chatted one on one to everyone who showed up. Very classy!

    [quote comment=”343324″][quote comment=”343320″]One more post before I go tackle my acre and a half of grass: link
    Chad hasn’t been in the news lately, so I’ve had to sit on this idea for a while – how about an orange and black t-shirt with “I’m Calling Him Chad Johnson” on it?[/quote]

    Ha! Love this idea! I would definitely wear that if I were a Bengals fan. But thankfully I’m not.[/quote]

    Maybe this…?
    A JOHNSON BY
    ANY OTHER NAME…

    (Very Shakespearean)

    jim, i meant to ask earlier…
    how come you have not incorporated that stadium replica into one of your pieces?

    Attention, Stirrup Society members…
    When you get your socks, you also can call them “Beaver socks”…if you want.
    link

    [quote comment=”343265″]I’ve come to love the misguided efforts of Chris Creamer and UniWatchblog.com’ers who continually criticize team uniforms—and then decide to do their “own” versions, in this case the Bengals.

    link

    The end results reminds and reinforms us why professional teams turn to real design firms to create the uniforms/logos?

    Why? Because the amateurs submitted work always sucks.[/quote]

    I applaud creativity. Meanwhile, all you do is cut people down for their interest. Yeah, your opinion carries a lot of weight with me, alright.

    it appears as though i spoke to soon about the mets in pins

    because tonight is latin appreciation night

    which means

    los pinstripes

    [quote comment=”343334″]it appears as though i spoke to soon about the mets in pins

    because tonight is latin appreciation night

    which means

    los pinstripes[/quote]
    And el worst Latino special jersey in the bigs. The Cerveceros and the Gigantes obviously take the time to make special jerseys, as did Los Rangers in their “old-school script meets double-decker nightmare on front” jerseys. The Los Mets jerseys look like regular Mets jersey with “Los” slapped on and squeezed in five minutes ago. Just looks lame.
    And in off-the-field hi-jinks, two days ago, I was at “Shea” to see the Mets and Rockies get rained out before the first pitch. I saw a fan wear the worst jersey I’ve ever seen. An authentic modern gray Mets roadie with the Inaugural Season pizza patch on the right sleeve. Now we all know the pizza patch doesn’t go on the gray tops, but to add insult to injury, this fan’s pizza patch was straight up and down, not on the diagonal like it should be. Just terrible.

    [quote comment=”343329″]
    A JOHNSON BY
    ANY OTHER NAME…
    [/quote]
    Ricko, on behalf of the entire blog I want to say that no, we have no interest in seeing your “Magic Johnson”.

    Excellent post today about the Richfield Coliseum and the treasures you got from it, Jim. I always thought it was an odd place for an arena, so far out in the sticks. And speaking of Cleveland, I’m watching the Indians game right now and can see the “one cap per inning guy” in the crowd. I know this was covered in the past but I’m too lazy (and I’m getting ready to leave) to look it up.

    [quote comment=”343318″][quote comment=”343317″]The Indians should just go with no NOB from now on. Even with a program, no one’s going to know who’s playing for them. link
    No truth to the rumor that Slider the mascot is being shopped around for three minor league mascots…[/quote]

    Ditto for Pirates.[/quote]

    The latest rumor here in the Burgh is the Pirates are working on a deal to send PNC Park to Minnesota for three rows of Metrodome seats and a gallon of Kool-Aid. The major hang-up is “grape” vs. “cherry”…

    [quote comment=”343338″]
    The latest rumor here in the Burgh is the Pirates are working on a deal to send PNC Park to Minnesota for three rows of Metrodome seats and a gallon of Kool-Aid. The major hang-up is “grape” vs. “cherry”…[/quote]
    Hold out for the Baggie.

    Wow, the two games I’m getting tonight—Yanks at White Sox, Angels at Twins—both have the home team in all white (with pins, obviously) and the visiting team in all gray.

    Looks weird.
    Good, but weird.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”343323″]On the subject of the Bills, this one-year wonder (’62) doesn’t get mentioned much.
    Sort of “Colts with red added” or “reverse-Patriots”.
    link
    link
    And the roads in black and white (why is #27’s number red with a royal edge? I have NO idea)…
    link

    —Ricko[/quote]

    I like! Now that’s a throwback I doubt anyone could mess up…

    [quote comment=”343317″]The Indians should just go with no NOB from now on. Even with a program, no one’s going to know who’s playing for them. link
    No truth to the rumor that Slider the mascot is being shopped around for three minor league mascots…[/quote]

    But they are still beating the Tigers

    [quote comment=”343330″]jim, i meant to ask earlier…
    how come you have not incorporated that stadium replica into one of your pieces?[/quote]

    That was the first thing I thought of when I saw it. If it were a model of the Coliseum instead of the Q I would have done more than think. Took me a few years to accept reality and go to a game at the Q, but I still have issues with the place. Also, the model is freakin’ heavy.

    While writing this article I got the idea that I could make it into a baseball stadium. That never occured to me before, but I think that’s more do-able.

    According to the graphics they keep showing on the screen during the Tigers game, Washburn will wear number 57.

    [quote comment=”343306″][quote comment=”343304″][quote comment=”343289″]but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk.[/quote]
    Chorus!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!

    OK, away for a while, back for some quality time with my vibraphone.[/quote]

    Ah, you remembered!

    Vibraphone, huh? Can you play the solo from Moonlight Feels Right? If I had to have one song from the 70s, that’s the one.[/quote]
    Sorry Jim, have no idea what song you’re talking about. Remember, I’m so young, Ricko was born older than my current age. ;-)

    Cabrera will join Twins in time for tomorrow’s game and, according to the team’s website, keep his #18.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”343332″]jim~
    maybe we can team up, and make one of link. give the video some time, you get a good look.[/quote]

    THAT just blew my mind. WOW. Puts the ol’ curling game to shame. I had ideas of building a combination stereo/scale model of the Coliseum (pretend the music or sporting event is coming from inside), but to combine a keyboard and a hockey game – genius.

    How’d you say it before…my head just essploded!

    [quote comment=”343346″]Cabrera will join Twins in time for tomorrow’s game and, according to the team’s website, keep his #18.

    —Ricko[/quote]
    I wouldn’t be so sure. Those team websites are generally slow to change certain “unknown” characteristics. Don’t know how to properly articulate this thought, but basically, don’t count on Hal Gill wearing #2 and Scott Gomez wearing #19 for the Habs as each did with another team last year. The team website WILL be wrong on those examples because #2 and #19 are both retired numbers.
    (Unless the Twins had no #18 and Cabrera could just take it without a problem. Then everything I just said would be a moot point.)

    [quote comment=”343345″][quote comment=”343306″][quote comment=”343304″][quote comment=”343289″]Vibraphone, huh? Can you play the solo from Moonlight Feels Right? If I had to have one song from the 70s, that’s the one.[/quote]
    Sorry Jim, have no idea what song you’re talking about. Remember, I’m so young, Ricko was born older than my current age. ;-)[/quote]

    Enjoy: link
    Solo comes at the 2-minute mark.

    Makes me want to get on Rt. 40 and head east everytime I hear it.

    Anti-spam word says it best – “fine.”

    Last one to this party, I see…

    link

    Yeah, the batter is how I figured out the year. I’m not that great at this, but that was pretty fun.

    [quote comment=”343348″][quote comment=”343346″]Cabrera will join Twins in time for tomorrow’s game and, according to the team’s website, keep his #18.

    —Ricko[/quote]
    I wouldn’t be so sure. Those team websites are generally slow to change certain “unknown” characteristics. Don’t know how to properly articulate this thought, but basically, don’t count on Hal Gill wearing #2 and Scott Gomez wearing #19 for the Habs as each did with another team last year. The team website WILL be wrong on those examples because #2 and #19 are both retired numbers.
    (Unless the Twins had no #18 and Cabrera could just take it without a problem. Then everything I just said would be a moot point.)[/quote]

    Twins don’t have a #18, and he’s already listed on the 40-man roster as #18….at the site.

    [quote comment=”343341″][quote comment=”343323″]On the subject of the Bills, this one-year wonder (’62) doesn’t get mentioned much.
    Sort of “Colts with red added” or “reverse-Patriots”.
    link
    link
    And the roads in black and white (why is #27’s number red with a royal edge? I have NO idea)…
    link

    —Ricko[/quote]

    I like! Now that’s a throwback I doubt anyone could mess up…[/quote]

    I dunno. Probably end up looking like this…
    link

    [quote comment=”343345″][quote comment=”343306″][quote comment=”343304″][quote comment=”343289″]but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk.[/quote]
    Chorus!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!

    OK, away for a while, back for some quality time with my vibraphone.[/quote]

    Ah, you remembered!

    Vibraphone, huh? Can you play the solo from Moonlight Feels Right? If I had to have one song from the 70s, that’s the one.[/quote]
    Sorry Jim, have no idea what song you’re talking about. Remember, I’m so young, Ricko was born older than my current age. ;-)[/quote]

    Yeah, just noticed you were born when Jordan’s shot beat the Cavs at the Coliseum. Ping! Another gray hair just popped up on my head…

    Listening to your stuff right now – outstanding!

    Guys, check out Mike: link

    By the way, thanks to everyone who liked the article. It was fun to write, and it was fun digging through Tom’s stuff. One side benefit: while going through his boxes, I found a bag with some other sports items…and something shiny. I looked at him and asked, “Is that a ring?” “Yeah…that was my wedding ring. I was just wondering the other day where that went.”

    Oh, and Ricko, a big “Woof woof woof!” for the Benchies. Keep ’em coming.

    Thanks, Phil and Paul.

    [quote comment=”343355″]Guys, check out Mike: link…

    Have I a cd we can get hold of, Mike?

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Not yet. Need more original compositions. :-/

    [quote comment=”343356″][quote comment=”343355″]Guys, check out Mike: link…

    Have I a cd we can get hold of, Mike?

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Not yet. Need more original compositions. :-/[/quote]
    PS: There’s more stuff…just click on my name right by the comment number. I always keep the URI set to my MySpace.

    [quote comment=”343347″][quote comment=”343332″]jim~
    maybe we can team up, and make one of link. give the video some time, you get a good look.[/quote]

    THAT just blew my mind. WOW. Puts the ol’ curling game to shame. I had ideas of building a combination stereo/scale model of the Coliseum (pretend the music or sporting event is coming from inside), but to combine a keyboard and a hockey game – genius.

    How’d you say it before…my head just essploded![/quote]
    ha, yes, essplode, but this guy’s work might even dedserve one more s’s and o’s… esssplooode

    [quote comment=”343353″][quote comment=”343345″][quote comment=”343306″][quote comment=”343304″][quote comment=”343289″]but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk.[/quote]
    Chorus!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!

    OK, away for a while, back for some quality time with my vibraphone.[/quote]

    Ah, you remembered!

    Vibraphone, huh? Can you play the solo from Moonlight Feels Right? If I had to have one song from the 70s, that’s the one.[/quote]
    Sorry Jim, have no idea what song you’re talking about. Remember, I’m so young, Ricko was born older than my current age. ;-)[/quote]

    Yeah, just noticed you were born when Jordan’s shot beat the Cavs at the Coliseum. Ping! Another gray hair just popped up on my head…

    Listening to your stuff right now – outstanding!

    Guys, check out Mike: link
    mike! that is awesome. you are not anywhere near chicago are you? if so, i need a band for an art show, would you be interested? are you familiar with a band that i don’t think is around anymore called 5 style?

    [quote comment=”343359″][quote comment=”343353″][quote comment=”343345″][quote comment=”343306″][quote comment=”343304″][quote comment=”343289″]but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk.[/quote]
    Chorus!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!

    OK, away for a while, back for some quality time with my vibraphone.[/quote]

    Ah, you remembered!

    Vibraphone, huh? Can you play the solo from Moonlight Feels Right? If I had to have one song from the 70s, that’s the one.[/quote]
    Sorry Jim, have no idea what song you’re talking about. Remember, I’m so young, Ricko was born older than my current age. ;-)[/quote]

    Yeah, just noticed you were born when Jordan’s shot beat the Cavs at the Coliseum. Ping! Another gray hair just popped up on my head…

    Listening to your stuff right now – outstanding!

    Guys, check out Mike: link
    mike! that is awesome. you are not anywhere near chicago are you? if so, i need a band for an art show, would you be interested? are you familiar with a band that i don’t think is around anymore called 5 style?[/quote]
    Unfortunately, Robert, I’m not even in your time zone. I live in NYC and study in Montreal, so I can’t do your art show.

    [quote comment=”343360″][quote comment=”343359″][quote comment=”343353″][quote comment=”343345″][quote comment=”343306″][quote comment=”343304″][quote comment=”343289″]but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk.[/quote]
    Chorus!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!

    OK, away for a while, back for some quality time with my vibraphone.[/quote]

    Ah, you remembered!

    Vibraphone, huh? Can you play the solo from Moonlight Feels Right? If I had to have one song from the 70s, that’s the one.[/quote]
    Sorry Jim, have no idea what song you’re talking about. Remember, I’m so young, Ricko was born older than my current age. ;-)[/quote]

    Yeah, just noticed you were born when Jordan’s shot beat the Cavs at the Coliseum. Ping! Another gray hair just popped up on my head…

    Listening to your stuff right now – outstanding!

    Guys, check out Mike: link
    mike! that is awesome. you are not anywhere near chicago are you? if so, i need a band for an art show, would you be interested? are you familiar with a band that i don’t think is around anymore called 5 style?[/quote]
    Unfortunately, Robert, I’m not even in your time zone. I live in NYC and study in Montreal, so I can’t do your art show.[/quote]
    Did you ever run into a musical group, works out of Kansas City, calls themselves Four Jacks and a Jill?

    They’ve been at a Ramada Inn there for about 18 months. If you’re ever in Kansas City and you want to hear some good music you might want to drop by.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    You live in New York but you study in Montreal? And I thought my daily commute was a bitch.

    [quote comment=”343361″][quote comment=”343360″][quote comment=”343359″][quote comment=”343353″][quote comment=”343345″][quote comment=”343306″][quote comment=”343304″][quote comment=”343289″]but more importantly, i loooooooooved todays column, and i link jim vilk.[/quote]
    Chorus!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!
    Jim Vilk!
    Motherf*cker!

    OK, away for a while, back for some quality time with my vibraphone.[/quote]

    Ah, you remembered!

    Vibraphone, huh? Can you play the solo from Moonlight Feels Right? If I had to have one song from the 70s, that’s the one.[/quote]
    Sorry Jim, have no idea what song you’re talking about. Remember, I’m so young, Ricko was born older than my current age. ;-)[/quote]

    Yeah, just noticed you were born when Jordan’s shot beat the Cavs at the Coliseum. Ping! Another gray hair just popped up on my head…

    Listening to your stuff right now – outstanding!

    Guys, check out Mike: link
    mike! that is awesome. you are not anywhere near chicago are you? if so, i need a band for an art show, would you be interested? are you familiar with a band that i don’t think is around anymore called 5 style?[/quote]
    Unfortunately, Robert, I’m not even in your time zone. I live in NYC and study in Montreal, so I can’t do your art show.[/quote]
    Did you ever run into a musical group, works out of Kansas City, calls themselves Four Jacks and a Jill?

    They’ve been at a Ramada Inn there for about 18 months. If you’re ever in Kansas City and you want to hear some good music you might want to drop by.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    You live in New York but you study in Montreal? And I thought my daily commute was a bitch.[/quote]

    may i start by saying how thrilled we are to have mike here…we are such fans of his music and all of his records…i’m not speaking of his personally, but the whole genre of the rock and roll

    I went to the Cardinals’ game tonight.
    Man.
    I don’t like going to sporting events.
    They are boring.
    Big time boring.
    We left early to hang out with friends, and hanging out with friends was infinitely better.
    My attention span is shit.

    J Roc and the Roc Pile? See what sayin? Know what I’m sayin? See what I’m sayin?

    Went to Arlington Hardware to buy some electrical tape.
    It’s all down hill from here.

    Fuck DIY

    We jam econo.

    I am a Bowling Green State University grad and the old score board from the Richfield Colisem is now in Anderson Arena. Here is a link with an image of it. You can see it at the bottom of the page.

    link

Comments are closed.