By Phil Hecken, with assists from Thomas Clark & Teebz
Last New Year’s Day, the NHL held it’s third annual Winter Classic, a pairing of the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers in Historic Fenway Park in Boston. Building upon the successes of the previous two matchups (the inaugural Winter Classic, held in Orchard Park’s Ralph Wilson Stadium and the second Winter Classic, staged in classic Wrigley Field in Chicago).
The first matchup featured the Pittsburgh Penguins, sporting their gorgeous powder-blue throwbacks versus the Buffalo Sabres, also sporting vintage inspired uniforms. The return engagement seemed even better for uni-enthusiasts, pairing the hometown Chicago Blackhawks (again, in vintage-inspired unis) and the Detroit Cougars (wearing this gorgeous getup).
Ratings for the first two Classics were, relatively speaking, quite good, since both games were played on New Year’s Day and were up against Bowl Games. Hoping to fill a void in it’s programming black hole, NBC (which owns the rights to NHL games along with Versus) rolled the dice and decided viewers (especially casual viewers who might not otherwise care about hockey) would be thrilled with the premise — outdoor hockey (old school) with teams wearing throwback (or vintage inspired) uniforms. Great idea — a uni watcher’s dream — but was it a gimmick or a well planned and executed alternative to viewers accustomed to nothing but football at the mid-day hour? The early ‘success’ led us to believe that the Winter Classic was destined to become a New Year’s Day staple for years to come. Surely, the third Winter Classic would eclipse the first two, at least in the only important demographic to network executives — the Nielsen ratings.
Well, the results are in, and as I had predicted and feared — they’re NOT good. But really, is the Classic losing steam, was this just a one-year blip, or were there other factors that had viewers seeking alternatives to hockey on January 1? Is there a crack in the ice?
I’m going to be joined by Thomas Clark, who has at least two passions in life, both of which are pertinent here: he loves hockey and he follows (and has been following) the Nielsen ratings for the game for years. I’ll also be joined by Hockey Wing President Teebz, with whom I worked diligently on last year’s Winter Classic article, and who I had asked to do a write up on this year’s contest while I handled the Rose Bowl with Larry Bodnovich and Michael Princip. They will offer their analysis and opinion on this year’s Classic, and to help us judge if the event is as strong as ever, if it’s dying (so to speak), and what the NHL and NBC can do to bring it back stronger than ever next year. With that, I’ll turn it over to Thomas:
First, an explanation of the Nielsen Ratings (Not to be confused with the Leslie Neilsen Ratings) and then a direct analysis of the numbers:
Rating = 1% of all televisions owned in US.
Share = % of all televisions in use during the time of broadcast tuned to that broadcast
2008 Winter Classic: National 2.6 rating/5 share.
Buffalo Local 38.2/58
Pitts Local 17.7/30
2009 Winter Classic: National 2.9 rating/6 share.
Detroit Local 10.5/21
Chicago Local 11.8/21
(Of note these two ratings were the highest Local DMA’s nationally)
2010 Winter Classic: National 2.6/? share
Boston Local 14.4/29
Philly Local 6/11
As far as personal opinion/observation on the 3 WC’s here’s my take:
2008 – You had the novelty of the outdoor game, people were excited at the mere idea of an outdoor professional game in the US. You had star power in Crosby and you had two very supportive hockey cities. For a local share it was perfect, there were no other games involving local teams on the same day. Though the Michigan-Florida game was a marquee matchup with large alumni bases that drove the ratings in the time slot.
2009 – Though the novelty of the game itself had worn off we got two big draws, this year the game was at Wrigley and it featured a rivalry. Detroit and Chicago are large cities relatively supportive of hockey. Arguably this is the best pairing possible for a WC without including Canadian teams or a repeat team (Crosby/Ovechkin is still likely the best layman’s draw). The numbers showed either the strength of the matchup or the relative weakness of the bowl games on the day. Michigan State did play Georgia in the Capital One Bowl, which again won the time slot.
2010 – A relatively weak matchup on several levels. The Flyers-Bruins is not viewed by most of the country as a rivalry, neither team has a truly marketable star for the average joe, and a baseball field had been done before. Fenway was a big draw, and did help pull some people in and you had two very large TV markets (both Top 6) that would help carry the national share based on the local share. Both are relatively supportive, though I would argue that both are merely sports towns vs being highly supportive of either individual club.
Thanks Thomas, and with his follow up, here’s Teebz:
This year’s Winter Classic was accurately described by Thomas above, but that doesn’t mean that there was any reason for the numbers to drop. And, in fact, losing 10% of the overall viewership doesn’t do the NHL a whole lot of favors.
However, there are reasons why they didn’t generate the same television numbers as the Chicago-Detroit game, and most of those reasons have to do with the state of Pennsylvania. Or rather, Penn State.
Football is the top dog in the sporting world in the US. There’s no denying this. Penn State was playing in the Capital One Bowl at the same time as the Flyers were playing the Bruins, so something had to give. Being that the Flyers are somewhat horrible this season, it seems reasonable to suggest that only the hardcore Flyers fans tuned in from the “City of Brotherly Love”. And even some of those people may have decided to watch Penn State play LSU.
Looking at the numbers, the Flyers-Bruins game had lower numbers in Philly than the Capital One Bowl game, but that was to be expected. But why are we focusing solely on the TV numbers as a negative when this game was the second biggest TV draw for hockey on NBC in the last decade?
If you want to measure success, things need to be kept in context. This was still the second-best showing for the NHL in the last decade on US television, and that says a lot. For a “realtively weak matchup” and a game that featured no truly marketable stars, the 2.6 says a heck of a lot of people outside of Philly tuned in watch. Had the Philly numbers not been so low, we might be talking about a 2.9 again.
Perhaps the NHL should have told NBC that Washington is a better choice when it comes to ratings. Alex Ovechkin‘s high-flying offence probably would have been more fun than the NBC ratings-induced choice of Philadelphia. However, NBC learned from this, and there is no doubt that Alexander Ovechkin will be playing on New Year’s Day within two years.
The Nielsens ratings also don’t take into account the number of people in Philly and elsewhere across the US that may have DVRed, PVRed, or TiVoed the game. As reported in the New York Times, ratings of a show can actually increase between 7% and 12% with some “increasing by as much as 20%”. The average increase seen by the networks was approximately 10% when DVR numbers are factored in – the same amount the NHL lost on this game. So while Penn State was battling LSU, there may have been a number of people in Philadelphia and elsewhere across the USA recording the Winter Classic in order to watch it after the Capital One Bowl game. Since this game was on a Friday and on a holiday where some people tend to overdo their social imbibing, the chance of this game being recorded is very high. The chance of Nielsens factoring in the DVR factor? Very low.
Secondly, the NHL made the most money it has ever seen off a Winter Classic this season. With over $8 million generated in ticket sales and over $3 million generated in television advertising, this was the best Winter Classic financially for the NHL since they started. And that includes 71,000 people that packed into Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. In fact, this year’s Winter Classic had the lowest attendance total of the three games, yet the NHL still made the most money off ticket sales. 38,112 fans packed Fenway as compared to the 41,818 fans in Wrigley Field and the 71,217 fans in Ralph Wilson Stadium. That has to be a sign of success, no?
When the NHL begins losing money off this venture, then we’ll talk about changing the event. If they make 10.3% less next year than they did this year, we have a reason to examine the viability of the Winter Classic.
Finally, we need to view this from a marketing perspective, and the NHL reportedly did very well on that front in Boston this year. The fans at Fenway Park had rave reviews of the event, the media were enamoured with Fenway’s history and nostalgia, and the NBC broadcast was good if not great. Overall, things were done well, and, after three shots by the NHL at this outdoor game stuff, this one should run like clockwork. For everything said about it, the glitz and the glamour did not tarnish once people stepped through the gates at Fenway or turned on NBC at home. And that’s exactly what the NHL wants.
While there are still things that the NHL needs to improve – finding a better matchup, perhaps – this game was an overall success. If you’re interested in just the TV numbers, the overall number is disappointing when compared to previous years, but that’s due to a large number of people in Pennsylvania watching Penn State in the Capital One Bowl. Of course, the NHL cannot predict which NCAA team will be playing in which bowl, so we’ll call this a case of bad luck, not bad planning.
However, if you look at the money that was made, the numbers don’t lie. This game was a resounding success. And to be honest, the NHL cannot be unhappy with 2.6. It is, after all, the second-best hockey telecast in the USA in the last decade.
That’s gotta be a sign of success, isn’t it?
Thank you both gentlemen. We’ll have some parting words from both Thomas and Teebz momentarily. I realize the 2010 Winter Classic could be considered a major step back for the NHL, but I want this to succeed — I’ve really enjoyed the past three Classics, and I’m hoping to enjoy many more in the future. I don’t necessarily fault the NHL or NBC for picking the locale or the two teams — they were hoping to catch lightning in a bottle a second time by repeating the formula for the highly successful second classic…old baseball stadium, throwbackish uniforms, one of the “Original Six” teams…hell, they even jettisoned the ridiculous “Where’s Waldo” contest they had last year. Unfortunately for them, possibly due to the factors mentioned above, this one was a step back. Certainly not enough of a step back to warrant scrapping the game, but if the downward trend in the Nielsen’s continues, 2011 could be the last game.
Ah, but it doesn’t have to be. Looking forward, I’ve asked Teebz and Thomas to suggest a game and location for next year, as well as possible throwback uniforms for the teams to wear. If the NHL can really make the Winter Classic a New Year’s tradition, they’d better pick it up a notch in 2011. (As a side note, the following three “predictions” for 2011 were made completely independently from one another — so if they look alike, that’s purely coindidental.) Now then, here is Thomas with his vision for next year:
2011 and Beyond:
There are two things that are certainties for the future of the Winter Classic: The NHL wants one in New York and Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will be involved somehow. The creation of the Yankee Bowl for the 2010-2011 bowl season has really thrown a wrench in any plans the NHL had of hosting the Winter Classic at New Yankee Stadium for the next few years. It is still possible for it to happen if the Yankee Bowl is played on Christmas Day, but that is a stretch. If the NHL is merely concerned about the host city going forward and not the venue we could very likely see a game at the new Giants Stadium (which would cause some scheduling headaches for sure) or Citi Field. The game would most likely feature the Rangers vs the Capitals.
Two other options that I can see happening is a Penguins vs Capitals game most likely hosted at Beaver Stadium. The other possibility is a game hosted by the Minnesota Wild. The issue with Minnesota is that their national brand isn’t very strong so the opposing team would have to have a strong pull which would make finding a logical opponent difficult, but the Wild are pushing the NHL very hard on this. Colorado, Washington, or Dallas would probably have to suffice.
For our Canadian friends I suspect you can look forward to a Winter Classic (Heritage Classic) of your own in the next two years, most likely anchoring Hockey Day in Canada on CBC. This would of course feature two of the six Canadian teams.
I’m a bit young to have a good handle on throwbacks, but here’s my best educated guesses for possibilities:
Rangers (this or this): These two designs are different enough from their current sweaters to drive sales.
Capitals: I would actually expect a fauxback in this case. Most likely this would allow the Caps to create an alternate jersey and debut it on a national stage so Ovechkin can drive sales.
Wild: Either a variation of their current third or a pre-black North Stars sweater.
Thanks again Thomas. And now, here’s Teebz with his parting shot:
Personally, if the NHL has gone through Boston, New York City has to be thrown into the mix. The problem is that there aren’t any places of history that the NHL can use to its advantage. Old Yankee Stadium is done. New Yankee Stadium hosts an NCAA Bowl game. Rockefeller Centre just won’t hold 40,000 people. So where do you put the game?
My choice? The brand-new Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The surface is FieldTurf and it will still be brand-new. That means there will be no middle hump in the field like the ice-makers had in Buffalo. Secondly, it will hold 82,500 people, creating the opportunity for the largest crowd ever to take in an NHL game. Lastly, you provide the opportunity for all Americans to take part in something they are used to at football stadiums: tailgating. They did it in Buffalo, and it was a huge success, so why not bring it back? Get NBC out there in the parking lot, and show off how much fun the EVENT portion of the game is, and stop worrying about the game so much. I truly believe this is entirely why the NFL is so popular – it’s an entire event, not just a regular season football game between 2-12 and 4-10 teams.
I’d like to see the Washington Capitals in their old white uniforms take to the ice in the game. The Rangers, while remaining fairly constant in their look, should use a look from their historic past. While the 1946-47 look would be neat to see, the Rangers should use their look from 1994 with the vertically-arched names.
Capitals vs. Rangers from the Meadowlands with 82,000 other people? That’s a heckuva New Year’s Day party if you ask me!
Thanks Teebz. And now, here’s my parting shot:
The Rangers (and the New York market, which is generally devoid of a ‘hometown’ football team) would seem a logical choice to play in, if not host, the fourth Winter Classic — one of the “original six,” great tradition (if not cups) and one of the most recognizable sweaters in the game. I would think the NHL would jump at the chance to get both the Rangers and New York in the next game.
Were they to select the Rangers, I would love to seem them “throwback” to this vintage 1932 sweater, featuring the iconic diagonal wordmark that still exists today. If that’s not “far removed” enough to move merch, they could always don this 1946 vintage beauty, with the radially arched wordmark. Either one of these would be a fine uniform selection.
If the Rangers are selected to host (which, although not my personal choice, not that I’d want the Isles in their Fisherman unis either), then there isn’t an “obvious” venue — NYS (New Yankee Stadium) may be out, due to it’s probable hosting of the “Yankee Bowl” for college football, OYS (Old Yankee Stadium) met the fate of the wrecking ball, which leaves New Shea or either Giants Stadium or Meadowlands Stadium (the new stadium is finished, btw, that’s an old photo); to my mind, none of these venues is perfect. Citi Field Shea would be a lousy place (no history, and baseball fields aren’t generally fan friendly for hockey games due to poor sightlines), and Meadowlands Stadium would likely not be available — the Jets and Giants may need it, but they would have to keep it available in any event; that leaves Giants Stadium, which might be the best venue, and it seats a boatload of people which would help with the NHL’s revenue stream. Is it ideal for an outdoor hockey game? Probably not, but it’d be no worse than Ralph Wilson Stadium, and (assuming there are no plans to dismantle it before New Year’s Day) it could be prepped and host several different hockey events (like Fenway Park has done) over a week or two.
Opponent? Hmmm. Despite the “star power” found in Ovechkin, I believe the NHL would be making a big mistake in trying to feature one player (who might be injured and not even play), and the Rangers versus Caps isn’t exactly hockey history at it’s best. Nay, I think the NHL should make the Original Six/Canada connection, and set up the Toronto Maple Leafs as the opponent. The Leafs also have a strong uniform history, and could sport a white version of this classic, or go waaaaaaay back and sport this 1927-28 gem, or throw even farther back and become the Toronto St. Pats (which has been done before — love the brown breezers). For you non-hockey history buffs, the Toronto St. Pats started as an amateur ice hockey organization. In 1919, the club purchased the Toronto National Hockey League (NHL) franchise from the Arena Company and the NHL. The club renamed the franchise the Toronto St. Patricks club and operated the franchise until 1927, when it was sold to a partnership of Conn Smythe and Toronto investors — the rest, as they say is history. If the NHL won’t allow for a color-on-color game, they could still wear this version.
Would a Rangers/Leafs Winter Classic be the best matchup? Probably not, from a pure hockey standpoint, but I would think it might be the best from a marketing standpoint, and really, for the Classic to remain a viable alternative on New Year’s Day, they need to try to bump their ratings back up to what they achieved in 2009. Alternative venues and teams will I am sure be discussed, but I think an outdoor game, in a large stadium with decent sitelines and a possibility for snow (but likely not EXTREMELY frigid temperatures) could lead to a huge gate…and the Rangers/Leafs with awesome throwbacks might just be the springboard the NHL needs to keep the Winter Classic going for years to come.
There you have it. A look at the past Winter Classics and three separate (but very similar as it turns out) visions for the 2011 edition. What say you, Uni Watchers? Where, whom, and what unis? Let’s hear your thoughts.
Because I inadvertently forgot to report on the greatest hockey uniform matchup in history yesterday, I humbly will do so belatedly today. On Friday, January 8, 2010, the last two men’s NCAA National Champions ”“ Boston College and Boston University ”“ battled it out on the frozen infield in historic Fenway Park. The game marked the 248th meeting of the historic rivalry between the Boston College Eagles and the Boston University Terriers, which dates back as far 1918. I have to admit, I didn’t see the game, and I was remiss in not mentioning it yesterday. But the uniforms were pretty sweet — although certainly nothing earth shattering. For your viewing pleasure, however late, here is a gallery of pics from that historic evening.
Guess The Game From The Scoreboard: Today’s Game comes from reader Steve Uhlmann, who’s got a bit of a setup for us today. “Its worth noting that (one team) had more errors than hits that night. Bonus points if they can name the obscure pitcher who had a no-hitter through 8 innings of this game.” So there you go. Ready? Guess The Game From The Scoreboard. Date, location and final score, please, and be sure to link to your answer. And, as always, if you enjoy the game, please send me some new scoreboards! Drop me a line. Thanks!
Ricko’s always trying to convince me to do on-line dating. Um, no. But if I ever were to do so, the ad might sound something like this. Here’s Rick with the setup:
You’d think it would be a piece of cake to find a female-type football fan to hang out with you at Bub’s to watch the Wild Card Games, right? Nah, life ain’t EVER easy…
And with that, here is your Sunday Benchies.
As we continue with the NFL playoffs, I bring you another set of NFL uniform tweaks/revisions/concepts from the readers.
Starting off today’s show is Jeff Shirley, who has four teams he’s tweaked:
Phil,
I really enjoy the blog, keep up the great work!
I really think the Cardinals need a redesign, so I incorporated black a little more into their color scheme. The white helmets in their current set tend to look like eggs, so I changed them to cardinal red with black stripes, which I really thought went well with the uniform. I added the Arizona flag to the shoulders, reminiscent of the Pat Tillman Days. I tried to leave as many of their current stripes as possible, although the pants needed a complete overhaul. And while I don’t think they’ll ever even consider the blue uniform tribute to the Arizona flag, I just threw that in for fun. The blackout uniform could be used as an alternate, although it would be difficult to have a black helmet just for the occasion. Overall, I think these adjustments would go well for the Cardinals and their team. Of course, I’m no graphic designer, and may get scoffed at for these designs, but it’s all in good fun.
My next is for Atlanta, with just a few tweaks that eliminate all the nonsense going on with their uniform. Next, is the Bills, with a return to the classic stripes along with the classic shade of blue. Lastly, I wanted to see what the Eagles would look like with a return to kelly green and silver. Just a note, I always loved seeing the Eagles with their black shoes, that’s why I included them along with the socks.
Thanks,
Jeff Shirley
Next up is the Former Dirt Dart, aka Walter Young, who’s taken quite a liking to this “redesign” thing. Here he is with a multitude of concepts:
Phil,
I’ve become addicted since my original Jets tweaks. Being a huge fan of Ricko’s “comp sleeves” I’m continuing to use them in my tweaks. Not being a huge fan of the monochrome uniform look, I prefer a single pants uniform color which doesn’t match either home or road jersey. I have no qualms about “violating” traditions, since all of these teams have done so at least once already. Maybe, by the start of spring training I’ll have wreaked havoc on all of the NFL teams.
Bengals: Pre-81 helmet, but with newer script logo, early jersey style and striping, with brown pants (lightened sienna) which seems to work well with the team orange.
Chargers: Old Chargers logo replaces helmet “Bolts”, home jersey in old powder blue w/ a twist on the “bolt” sleeve striping & current number font, old gold pants.
Dolphins: New helmet logo inspired by this Logo, home jersey in old aqua (pre-97) w/ early style sleeve striping, pants in current darker aqua.
Eagles: Old Kelly helmet w/ Eagles alternate logo, Old Kelly green jersey w/ current number font and mid-60’s sleeve striping, late 70’s ”“ early 90’s silver pants.
Falcons: Current helmet color w/ new logo and striping inspired by pre-black helmets, old red home jersey w/ 80’s inspired sleeve striping & current number font, pants in old silver
Jets: Been posted before but now combined in one picture, Tweaked logo on helmet, jersey loses shoulder stripes, olive/khaki pants.
Packers: Twist on the ’94 throwback w/ green rather than blue, and a colored road jersey
Rams: Return to old blue & gold, Rams head logo and stripes replace ram-horns motif on helmet, jerseys lose shoulder stripes but gain sleeve striping, pants in old gold w/ same helmet/sleeve striping
Ravens: helmet w/ winged “flag” shield and more traditional striping (from current pants striping), black home jersey replaces purple, pants in teams gold color.
Titans: Helmet w/ teams Sword logo, replaces flaming ball, and more traditional striping, shoulder tops color becomes solid yoke and sleeves, navy pants
Vikings: A return to dark Viking purple, Viking head profile replaces helmet horns, old style jerseys with old sleeve striping, pants in team gold.
Washington: Loses Redskins name and all native motif, TV numbers on helmet, jerseys w/ 70’s sleeve striping, pants in 60’s gold
Walt (FormerDirtDart)
Next up is another multiple team submitter, Tj Cunniff:
Got bored and did a bunch of them
Cowboys — wanted to make all of the blues match and make the road uniform the opposite of the home uniform instead of a different uniform
Vikings — never cared for purple doesn’t look to bad blue
Broncos — switched colors and uniforms
Browns — brought back the orange pants
Colts — lightened the blue brought back the blue facemasks and added another color
Eagles — changed one of the shoulder patches to the old logo — old colors in the current uniform
Falcons — black jersey replaces red — red helmet
Giants — tweaked the mid 70s helmet logo — added sleeve stripes to the blue jersey — got rid of the gray pants
Jets — found an old afl jets logo and used the yellow color on the 80s and 90s uniform
Rams — current colors on the old uniforms
Saints — changed the gold to the old shade
Seahawks — old colors on current unis
Redskins — yellow pants
Texans — curious to see what the Oilers colors would look like
thank you for looking at my tweaks
and thank you if you post them
(please do)
Our final submission, just one team, comes from Alex McIntire, who has a suggestion for the Patriots:
Hi Phil,
With the 50th anniversary of the AFL teams this year, the NFL subjected us to some classic looks, as well as some that were more debatable, I got to thinking about mixing past and present styles and colors. The Broncos were quite successful at the end of the 90’s at finding a great way to hold on to the orange and blue that kind of symbolized the John Elway period, but at the same time updated the look to something more modern and flashy. Being from New Hampshire, I’m naturally a Pats fan. While Pat the Patriot is timeless and remains everyone’s favorite, it is most likely gone forever as the main logo of the team. The Flying Elvis leaves little to get excited over in the way of design but has become the image of a dynasty and a symbol that has become synonymous with phrases like champions and winners.
So if they aren’t going to bring Pat back, there must be some way to bring another part of the past to today. My idea is basic at best, but I think that bringing red back as the main color, but with the same design as the current uni could look great and capture some of that nostalgic, classic Pats look. Other subtle but classic changes were adding the white red white red white strip pattern to the socks, and doing away with the silver on the pants and helmet and bring back the white and adding the double red stripe down the helmet. All the lines on the jersey and pants look great so I would keep those. Just some color change.
Keep up the good work,
Alex McIntire
OK, folks, another round of uniform tweaks, concepts and submissions in the books. If you have a suggestion, we’re going to be transitioning into the NBA and NHL, but we’re still open for NFL business. Send your stuff to me. Thanks.
Sunday Morning Uni Watch: No real uni surprises in either Wild Card game yesterday, with both teams opting for their standard gear. The Jets came out in their snow white ensemble (complete with the wrong socks), whilst the Bengals countered with their white over black — I mean black with REALLY WIDE white stripe over white unis. … It was quite cold in the Queen City yesterday — even some of the big burly men wore masks. But not T-Rex that is — he went with a white turtleneck & black vest. You can bet he’ll be wearing that next weekend in Indy (or San Diego). … Not much notable on the uni front EXCEPT TAFKAOC…who didn’t see many balls thrown his way…but was wearing the new fabric Rbk jersey (notice the different sleeve pattern, with Chad’s sporting orange bands around the biceps — also notice the Chris Henry tribute gloves). Bernard Scott was also wearing one. Here’s a closeup of the new jersey. Like the other new Rbk jerseys, “OCHOCINCO” appeared quite low on the back and was in much smaller fontsize than the ‘regular’ jerseys (sorry, no pics or screen grabs). … Oh well, sucks to be him — not only does 85 claim to have great moves, he got a really small truck for his birthday. … Wonder if either of these guys had a jersey that read “Dirty” underneath their ponchos.
The Cowboys and Eagles didn’t provide any real uni surprises (or drama, for that matter), with the Boys wearing white and the Eagles wearing shame green. … Fans inside of Jerryworld sure had lots to cheer, especially those in the good seats who took full advantage of the buy one get one free offer from Mr. Jones. … Like the coach of the other playoff team in green yesterday, Andy Reid wore black (see?). In Andy’s defense, it’s an official color and he always wears black. … But Jerry is a good owner who never shies from the camera, even letting the unemployed share his box. … The national anthem was performed by the NRA president. If you don’t recognize him, here’s another pic. Still no? How about now? … Anyway, the best uniforms of the night were not worn by either team — in Dallas, these are always the best unis. … Congrats to the Cowboys — the last time they won a playoff game, this guy was still in high school.
I ended the day with a 1-1 record — perhaps I should have picked the Cowboys (since it was a virtual uni-tossup), but I let my blind hatred of both teams cloud my uni selection judgment. Today will be better. I fully expect the Ravens (and they better NOT wear black leotards, or all bets will be off) and Packers to triumph.
Have a great Sunday, everyone. Enjoy the games.
Guess the score board: link
Yusmeiro Petit is the obscure pitcher.
I’m not sure a classic ballpark is the issue for the WC. Think it’s more a ballpark with a some kind of “mystique”, and “new” certainly would qualify, hence the possible attraction of Citi, Yankee, either of the two new venues in Minnesota and others.
Has anyone from NBC or the NHL called WC3 a “failure”? I’m sure they’re disappointed, but I’m also sure they know the reasons why the numbers dipped. It still did roughly 1/3 of what the evening’s highest-rated program (the Sugar Bowl) did. Rose Bowl won the entire day, of course. The WC was down, not broken.
Another thought…it snowed a lot on WC1, a little on WC2, and not at all on WC3. For curiosity seekers (and make no mistake about it, that’s part of the viewers’ reasons for checking it out), falling snow keeps them around longer because it’s part of the whole “winter outdoor” visual. I’ve watched all three, and from the standpoint of eye candy, WC1 delivered by far the most intriging and compelling images.
For those with no vested and/or rooting interest in any particular sport or event—those simply looking for something entertaining to watch early on NYD—the Penn State-LSU Mud Bowl was a much more fun place to settle for a while. WC3 got “out offbeat” by conditions in Orlando.
Not saying made a huge difference. But it is in the mix. What your “show” looks like also counts. For families and hungover channel surfers, anyway.
The most interesting element for me to ponder is what happens to the WC after NBC’s contract with the NHL expires?
—Ricko
Nice work Teebz, Thomas and Phil. Great points all around.
It was a bit nostalga vs. nostalga on New Year’s Day, in that true “mud bowls”, are a very rare occurence these days in football. While the NHL Winter Classic had a bit of a “been there , done that” feel – the Capital One Bpwl was providing a visual not seen in a long time.
I think the NHL winter classic still has a few years left – before it drifts down to regular NHL ratings – but they’ll have to get more creative. I think playing a game in Central Park in a temporary 5,000 stadium is a possibility – as well as having the Av
s play one in Aspen Co, with a beautiful mountain back-drop.
The one thing the NHL has not had to face – which will be a challenge – is the unusually mild Jan 1 – i.e. what if the game is in NY and it’s say 60 F – yikes in terms of atmosphere.
Good morning to all.
And, to all of the other realistic Jets fans, heres looking forward to at least one more “unexpected” week of Jets football. While having no expectation, I proudly sport my green Jets ball cap during my daily travels throughout Jacksonville FL. Every frown from disappointed Jaguar fans makes me smile.
I think one of the reasons fans are turning away from the WC is the way they drag it out. The game was scheduled for 1PM, but with all the pregame stuff (why were Dropkick Murphy performing) the game didn’t start until about 1:45. If I were at this game I would have been very upset (and cold), especially since they told everyone to get to the park at least an hour before the scheduled start of the game. That means you would have been there almost two hours before the real action started. I went to the college games at Fenway on Friday, I can easily say I had way more fun there than I would have at the Bruins game on New Years Day.
As a Bruins fan I was insulted by NBC trying to make a Bruins-Flyers rivalry exist where there isn’t one. The Bruins and Flyers aren’t even in the same division. Bruins’ top rivalry is with Montreal.
[quote comment=”371552″]The one thing the NHL has not had to face – which will be a challenge – is the unusually mild Jan 1 – i.e. what if the game is in NY and it’s say 60 F – yikes in terms of atmosphere.[/quote]
If we ever hit 60 degs. here on Jan. 1st, the Winter Classic will be the least of the reasons to say “Yikes.”
News item of sorts: This is the 200,000th comment posted on the site since its inception in May of 2006 — a testament to the quantity (and, I’d like to think, the quality) of the discussion here at Uni Watch. My thanks to all of you who make the dialogue here so vibrant and interesting.
[quote comment=”371554″]I think one of the reasons fans are turning away from the WC is the way they drag it out. The game was scheduled for 1PM, but with all the pregame stuff (why were Dropkick Murphy performing) the game didn’t start until about 1:45. If I were at this game I would have been very upset (and cold), especially since they told everyone to get to the park at least an hour before the scheduled start of the game. That means you would have been there almost two hours before the real action started. I went to the college games at Fenway on Friday, I can easily say I had way more fun there than I would have at the Bruins game on New Years Day.[/quote]
Fully agree – no more than a 5 minute pregame show.
Re:Playoffs
So far, I am 0-2. This is why I don’t gamble: a man’s got to recognize his limitations. However, I like to study the trends of why teams are successful or not. Not the usual stuff: who blocks and tackles the best, who has the best game plan, who exerts their collective will. I prefer the meaningless coincidence(s). Here are a few I noticed from yesterday that I’m hoping can be applied to today’s games and perhaps get some of us back to .500.
A. Both winning teams had head coaches who were the sons of former NFL head coaches. (The Jets had the added plus that their o-coordinator was also the son of a former head coach).
B. Both losing teams wore memorial decals on their helmets.
C. Both winning teams began play in 1960.
There are probably others, but these came to mind.
So for today:
A. No pro pedigree, but both head coaches in the Pats/Ravens games are the sons of college head coaches. Seemingly a tossup. However Harbaugh’s brother is a college head coach and his sister is married to Indiana’s b-ball coach. I believe Belechick is an only child. Advantage:Ravens.
A perusal of the coaching staffs of the Packers and Cardinals seemingly produced no evidence of coaching progeny. However, Both Russ Grimm and his son are on the Arizona staff. Avantage:Cards.
B. I am not aware of any memorial decals being worn by any of the 4 teams today. If any are, disadvantage them (they?).
C.The Patriots began play in 1960. The Ravens, earlier and later, depending on your perspective.
Advantage:Pats
The Pack and Cardinals are both way old. However, the Cards began their run as the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960. Advantage:Cards
There you have it. Not nearly as relevant as choices based on unis, but the power of synchronicity should not be devalued. Remember, these picks are for entertainment purposes only. Good luck!
I think it would be interesting to examine the ratings of all the sports events on Jan. 1. My hypothesis is that NBC does a terrible job of promoting the WC beforehand. Meanwhile, ESPN promotes the hell out of its football matchups … not to mention the Purdue v. West Virgina top 6 hoops matchup, which got a lot of air.
I saw no NBC ad in the sports section of USAToday, no banner ads on websites (like this one), no creative promotions announced beforehand (and no, that “waldo” thing from last year doesn’t count as a GOOD promotion).
Frankly, they’re getting it right with the merchandising aspect among hockey fans. But in terms of building overall awareness among casual sports fans … NBC is failing to drive viewership, particularly outside the two teams’ geographic regions.
A skit on SNL, some hockey guests on Leno, combined with a huge billboard ad campaign that goes out to all the NBC affiliates two weeks beforehand. (think about if it conjured up images of kids all across the country playing pond or street hockey) That kind of thing. Sure, it costs $$, but it takes money/strategy to get more than a 2.6 share. You don’t just book Fenway, show up in vintage unis, and expect people to tune in.
PS – I’m surprised Montreal and Toronto haven’t been in the discussion of locales … not like Buffalo was a big media market.
Rangers at Montreal
Pitt at Toronto
Pitt at Carolina/Florida/Atlanta/LA … now THOSE would be the intriguing matchups.
[quote comment=”371552″]It was a bit nostalga vs. nostalga on New Year’s Day, in that true “mud bowls”, are a very rare occurence these days in football.
While the NHL Winter Classic had a bit of a “been there , done that” feel – the Capital One Bpwl was providing a visual not seen in a long time.
I think the NHL winter classic still has a few years left – before it drifts down to regular NHL ratings – but they’ll have to get more creative. I think playing a game in Central Park in a temporary 5,000 stadium is a possibility – as well as having the Av
s play one in Aspen Co, with a beautiful mountain back-drop.
The one thing the NHL has not had to face – which will be a challenge – is the unusually mild Jan 1 – i.e. what if the game is in NY and it’s say 60 F – yikes in terms of atmosphere.[/quote]
Valid points all. WC could go on to be a huge annual success, but that is terribly reliant on the NHL’s US TV deal.
Another way I really could see it going is for the WC eventually to be negoiated outside the regular broadcast package, possibly becoming a staple of one of the cable network’s (USA?, TNT?, Spike?) NYD schedule every year with a sister network in Canada, with less seating capacity and unique winter-assured venues, more like the MYSTERY, ALASKA model, and much more built as a TV event.
Bruins vs. Rangers or Canadiens at Stowe?
THAT would be fun.
And visually spectacular.
—Ricko
Chad’s jersey yesterday looked terrible. In fact, there has not been one new jersey that has looked right. If this is the future of on-field apparel, it looks as if the NFL might need a league-wide redesign (like the NHL & the Edge)
[quote comment=”371560″]I think it would be interesting to examine the ratings of all the sports events on Jan. 1. My hypothesis is that NBC does a terrible job of promoting the WC beforehand. Meanwhile, ESPN promotes the hell out of its football matchups … not to mention the Purdue v. West Virgina top 6 hoops matchup, which got a lot of air.
I saw no NBC ad in the sports section of USAToday, no banner ads on websites (like this one), no creative promotions announced beforehand (and no, that “waldo” thing from last year doesn’t count as a GOOD promotion).
Frankly, they’re getting it right with the merchandising aspect among hockey fans. But in terms of building overall awareness among casual sports fans … NBC is failing to drive viewership, particularly outside the two teams’ geographic regions.
A skit on SNL, some hockey guests on Leno, combined with a huge billboard ad campaign that goes out to all the NBC affiliates two weeks beforehand. (think about if it conjured up images of kids all across the country playing pond or street hockey) That kind of thing. Sure, it costs $$, but it takes money/strategy to get more than a 2.6 share. You don’t just book Fenway, show up in vintage unis, and expect people to tune in.
PS – I’m surprised Montreal and Toronto haven’t been in the discussion of locales … not like Buffalo was a big media market.
Rangers at Montreal
Pitt at Toronto
Pitt at Carolina/Florida/Atlanta/LA … now THOSE would be the intriguing matchups.[/quote]
Canadian venues NOT in the mix. NBC doesn’t hold Canadian broadcast rights. They will stay focused on US TV markets in search of stateside numbers.
Which is exactly what they SHOULD do (seeing as we’re rightly noting a lot of things they HAVEN’T done…lol).
–Ricko
Wouldn’t any game involving the Rangers at the Meadowlands have to feature the Devils as the home team? I mean, are the Devils really going to allow the Rangers to host a game without them right in their back yard?
I know they play in Newark now, but they called the Brendan Byrne Arena/Continental Airlines Arena/Izod Center home for like 25 years or so.
[quote comment=”371559″]The Pack and Cardinals are both way old. However, the Cards began their run as the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960. [/quote]
leon…i never know when you’re joking, so im taking that delicious diatribe with a grain of salt…but surely you know that the cards are one of the oldest franchises in the game
they may have begun their run in st. looie in 1960, but their run as the cardinals began when ricko was still in diapers in racine…as a side note, see rick’s great contribution on the cards and stillers (second section) for some great history and pics
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
on another note…congrats on 200K paul!
[quote comment=”371565″]
they may have begun their run in st. looie in 1960, but their run as the cardinals began when ricko was still in diapers in racine[/quote]
Racine? No.
These are all the places they’ve called home since the late 19th Century:
Chicago (with a bit of Pittsburgh thrown in)
St. Louis
Tempe
Glendale
[quote comment=”371566″][quote comment=”371565″]
they may have begun their run in st. looie in 1960, but their run as the cardinals began when ricko was still in diapers in racine[/quote]
Racine? No.[/quote]
racine? yes
Bud Grant always said it didn’t matter so much who you played as when you played them.
Vikings running into a buzz saw in the Cowboys. Vikings’ weak link is at O-tackle. On both sides.
Uh-oh.
Lotta very worried Viking fans ’round here (if they’re honest about things, anyway).
—Ricko
does anyone know the font used for the names and numbers on the detroit red wings sweaters?
“leon said:
The Pack and Cardinals are both way old. However, the Cards began their run as the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960.
leon…i never know when you’re joking, so im taking that delicious diatribe with a grain of salt…but surely you know that the cards are one of the oldest franchises in the game”
I did know that: hence the term “way old”. Thought about using “incarnation” instead of “run”: guess I should have.
(And I will check out the link. Also, I avoided evoking Ricko when referencing the cards/pack as grandaddy franchises as a hopefully perceived show of respect to him).
Seriously!
[quote comment=”371567″][quote comment=”371566″][quote comment=”371565″]
they may have begun their run in st. looie in 1960, but their run as the cardinals began when ricko was still in diapers in racine[/quote]
Racine? No.[/quote]
link? yes[/quote]
Did you read that?
[quote comment=”371567″][quote comment=”371566″][quote comment=”371565″]
they may have begun their run in st. looie in 1960, but their run as the cardinals began when ricko was still in diapers in racine[/quote]
Racine? No.[/quote]
link? yes[/quote]
Cuz they played at a field on Racine Street (or something) in Chicago. Never did play in Wisconsin.
And I wasn’t in diapers in either place.
By then I went potty standing up, like a big boy.
—Ricko
No mention of the new SF Giants alternates that went up on their online shop last night?
link
[quote comment=”371562″]Chad’s jersey yesterday looked terrible. In fact, there has not been one new jersey that has looked right. If this is the future of on-field apparel, it looks as if the NFL might need a league-wide redesign (like the NHL & the Edge)[/quote]
I despise those new jerseys. The Giants and Jaguars looked absolutely disgusting this season. I couldn’t even watch the games.
The other players who have sampled the jersey have looked terrible as well, and it’s just getting worse.
They look feminine for goodness sake.
I will stop watching the NFL if they go to those across the league.
[quote comment=”371574″][quote comment=”371562″]Chad’s jersey yesterday looked terrible. In fact, there has not been one new jersey that has looked right. If this is the future of on-field apparel, it looks as if the NFL might need a league-wide redesign (like the NHL & the Edge)[/quote]
I despise those new jerseys. The Giants and Jaguars looked absolutely disgusting this season. I couldn’t even watch the games.
The other players who have sampled the jersey have looked terrible as well, and it’s just getting worse.
They look feminine for goodness sake.
I will stop watching the NFL if they go to those across the league.[/quote]
They need some of those Nike pants designed to focus on the players’ butts, too.
One note, the WC was scheduled to start at 1:30 not 1:00. NBC’s pregame started at one. They weren’t too far off.
[quote comment=”371571″]Did you read that?[/quote]
perhaps i should have been more specific…i never said “racine, wisconsin”
i meant they were called the “racine cardinals” before the “chicago cardinals”…
im still half asleep (or awake) and yes, mea maximus culpa for intimating they began somewhere other than chicago…i was going for the nomenclature and not location, but my bad
they began in the windy city in 1898, and joined the NFL in 1920 (still in chicago) but referred to as the Racine Cards
/i shall be sure to return all loaner brooms and sliders, tidy up the rocks, mop the ice and cover the hacks as punishment for my transgressions
[quote comment=”371573″]No mention of the new SF Giants alternates that went up on their online shop last night?
link
They have been mentioned in the comments section the last two nights.
Great points all around on the Winter Classic. But, I’ve been thinking why does it even need to be in a stadium. Keept the Ovechkin superstar aspect and feature a Capitals home game on the National Mall. Bring in portable bleachers. Capitol dome and Washington Memorial in the background. Firworks over the monuments as the sun goes down.
Was it revealed here a couple of weeks ago that the Penguins would be retiring their current throwback after this season? Hearing you guys mention the possibility of them playing in the next Winter Classic made me think about that and wonder what they are going to use as an alternate next season.
[quote comment=”371566″][quote comment=”371565″]
they may have begun their run in st. looie in 1960, but their run as the cardinals began when ricko was still in diapers in racine[/quote]
Racine? No.
These are all the places they’ve called home since the late 19th Century:
Chicago (with a bit of Pittsburgh thrown in)
St. Louis
Tempe
Glendale[/quote]
Some seriously hair-splitting there.
We could say the Twins have have played in two places, too…Bloomington and Minneapolis (technically the two northernmost cities ever to host a World Series, btw)…but it’s the same DMA.
As are Tempe and Glendale (or “Phoenix” and “Arizona”).
And Dallas and Arlington.
And Anaheim and Los Angeles.
And Pontiac and Detroit.
And so on.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”371581″]Was it revealed here a couple of weeks ago that the Penguins would be retiring their current throwback after this season? Hearing you guys mention the possibility of them playing in the next Winter Classic made me think about that and wonder what they are going to use as an alternate next season.[/quote]
I wouldn’t mind if they brought these back
link
[quote comment=”371577″][quote comment=”371571″]Did you read that?[/quote]
perhaps i should have been more specific…i never said “racine, wisconsin”
i meant they were called the “racine cardinals” before the “chicago cardinals”…
im still half asleep (or awake) and yes, mea maximus culpa for intimating they began somewhere other than chicago…i was going for the nomenclature and not location, but my bad
they began in the windy city in 1898, and joined the NFL in 1920 (still in chicago) but referred to as the Racine Cards
/i shall be sure to return all loaner brooms and sliders, tidy up the rocks, mop the ice and cover the hacks as punishment for my transgressions[/quote]
Ah, OK. I read “in Racine” to mean “in Racine” and my nitpicking nature took over.
Now when you’re done with all those chores, make sure you do one other thing.
Get your fucking shine box.Have yourself a wonderful day.Ricko, is it just me, or does Mike’s date look like Mick with big hair and a big…sweater?
For the next winter classic I would like to see New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils in a game in the New York Area.
As for the uniforms
New York Rangers in this
link
New Jersey Devils in this
link
I realize this runs counter to conventional UW thinking- but there is a huge gap in how RBK has handled jersey stripes for the NFL and the frequently good work Nike does with that design element in college. If the other aspects of their design habits can be surpressed, I’d say the NFL should go to Nike.
[quote comment=”371585″]Ricko, is it just me, or does Mike’s date look like Mick with big hair and a big…sweater?[/quote]
Guess I should have made her a brunette, huh.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”371581″]Was it revealed here a couple of weeks ago that the Penguins would be retiring their current throwback after this season? Hearing you guys mention the possibility of them playing in the next Winter Classic made me think about that and wonder what they are going to use as an alternate next season.[/quote]
Or any of the Pirate uniforms
link
link
link
[quote comment=”371584″]
Get your fucking shine box.Have yourself a wonderful day.[/quote]what’s right is right…you understand what i’m talking about
[quote comment=”371576″]One note, the WC was scheduled to start at 1:30 not 1:00. NBC’s pregame started at one. They weren’t too far off.[/quote]
I believe that, but the tickets had 1PM on them, that is my beef.
Alex: As I shuddered through the other tweak designs wondering “Why do I look through these every week?”, yours reminded me why. Every once someone has a great idea that makes me go, “YES! THAT SHOULD BE DONE!” I really enjoyed the red Patriot uniforms this year and am curious if the team will create an alternate based on that idea. I liked how you dropped the silver, that really made a huge difference and it would look great! Tweaks are whatever you want them to be, but I find that I appreciate people who think along the same lines that the people that originally designed them and just change suttle points. I guess I just hate people who send in tweaks for multiple teams and the tweaks make me think one of two things, “This is just change for change sake,” or, “They want every team to just have the IDENTICAL sleeve stripes and pant stripes in the old school style and nothing new or creative.”
All of this Racine-Chicago banter sent me exploring the inter-web, and left me wondering what the Arizona “Normals” might look today.
[quote comment=”371591″][quote comment=”371576″]One note, the WC was scheduled to start at 1:30 not 1:00. NBC’s pregame started at one. They weren’t too far off.[/quote]
I believe that, but the tickets had 1PM on them, that is my beef.[/quote]
Oh, had no idea about that. I would have a beef with that as well.
Here, based on my industy experience and more years of observation than I like to think about, is what seems likely for the Winter Classic…
All cold weather U.S. markets where there is at least SOME cultural tradition of pond hockey (for reasons so obvious they almost needn’t be discussed any further, is “Winter” Classic, not “Holiday” Classic), and no repeat teams or venues. Not yet, anyway.
2011: Capitals vs. Rangers at Yankee or Citi. Because of AO and need to generate big numbers…and NY is biggest market. A bit too east coast, maybe, as was Flyers-Bruins. But NY market just too damn big to ignore, especially after a dip in ratings this time around.
2012: Stars vs. Wild at TCF Bank or Target Field.
Talks already underway for 2012 with The Bank. And neither team will wear North Stars gear, unless Dallas gives Minnesota permission, which isn’t likely, or smart. Period. The Wild are not the N.Stars. Still too much bad blood about that in Minnesota to treat it lightly.
2012 (if numbers still good and there even IS a 2012 game): Devils vs. Avalanche at Coors Field.
Taps NY/NJ market to offset the western team. Picturesque venue. Teams have something of a connection, of couse, Devils having been the hockey Rockies, and both have relatively recent Stanley Cups.
(Now, the immergence of a new superstar somewhere could change things, of course).
—Ricko
Not sure if it’s been mentioned, or if it’s a part of their regular jersey, but Boston U had “Red Sox” sleeve patches, that were skates instead of sox. In my mind possibly one of the greatest looking sport cross-over designs I’ve seen, in my short time of Uni-watching.
[quote comment=”371596″]Not sure if it’s been mentioned, or if it’s a part of their regular jersey, but Boston U had “Red Sox” sleeve patches, that were skates instead of sox. In my mind possibly one of the greatest looking sport cross-over designs I’ve seen, in my short time of Uni-watching.[/quote]
I just noticed that they used the same “Boston” font on the front of their jerseys, too.
Sounds like we’re all pretty much in agreement where the WC will likely end up in the next few years. Which, of course, means that it will be the Blue Jackets vs the Predators at the Horseshoe just to throw us all for a loop.
With all the outdoor hockey hoopla going on…who’s excited for “The Cold War II” (if that’s what they decide to call it) this December at The Big House? 100,000 people at a hockey game?
Ricko,
The other bonus to the Capitals-Rangers matchup is there is very less chance of a bowl problem like Penn State this year. The only teams that could possibly make a new year’s day game that I see is Virginia Tech or Rutgers. Maryland and Virginia are a long shot to make a New Year’s Day game.
I also agree with you on the North Star thing and the no repeats on teams yet.
[quote comment=”371597″][quote comment=”371596″]Not sure if it’s been mentioned, or if it’s a part of their regular jersey, but Boston U had “Red Sox” sleeve patches, that were skates instead of sox. In my mind possibly one of the greatest looking sport cross-over designs I’ve seen, in my short time of Uni-watching.[/quote]
I just noticed that they used the same “Boston” font on the front of their jerseys, too.[/quote]
yah…here’s their normal unis
they won last year’s frozen four
first team in that article has four good looks at the BU unis (from 2009)
Does anyone know where I can get an authentic women’s Cowboy jersey (#82) for my wife?
All the women’s jerseys seem to be replicas or a cheaper silk screen version.
I am looking for a jersey fitted for a women, yet having all the authentic qualities of the real thing, to wit tackle twill numbers. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appriecated.
[quote comment=”371599″]Ricko,
The other bonus to the Capitals-Rangers matchup is there is very less chance of a bowl problem like Penn State this year. The only teams that could possibly make a new year’s day game that I see is Virginia Tech or Rutgers. Maryland and Virginia are a long shot to make a New Year’s Day game.
I also agree with you on the North Star thing and the no repeats on teams yet.[/quote]
Absolutely, on the no college conflict thing.
Oh, and this…
“2012 (if numbers still…”
obviously should be…
“2013 (if numbers still…”
—Ricko
Ricko,
If the Frozen Four is a success at Ford Field. Could you forsee the NHL playing games at Cowboy Stadium and The University of Phoenix Stadium in the future?
[quote comment=”371583″][quote comment=”371581″]Was it revealed here a couple of weeks ago that the Penguins would be retiring their current throwback after this season? Hearing you guys mention the possibility of them playing in the next Winter Classic made me think about that and wonder what they are going to use as an alternate next season.[/quote]
I wouldn’t mind if they brought these back
link
[quote comment=”371589″][quote comment=”371581″]Was it revealed here a couple of weeks ago that the Penguins would be retiring their current throwback after this season? Hearing you guys mention the possibility of them playing in the next Winter Classic made me think about that and wonder what they are going to use as an alternate next season.[/quote]
Or any of the Pirate uniforms
link
link
link
Yeah those were the 70’s uniforms I had in mind. Wouldn’t mind seeing their uniforms from the 91 cup team either. Those Pirate uniforms would be cool too even the last one despite the Flyers colors.
Jeff, please, no black Cardinals unis. Pretty please. I’d rather see the state-colored unis. Better yet, I’d rather they just went back to their St. Louie uni. I like your Bills tweak, and the Eagles do indeed look better in kelly green.
Walt, I dig the Packers uni. I’d wear the Rams and Vikings unis, too. Your Falcon logo, though, reminds me a little of the old arena league’s LA Avengers: link
TJ, interesting idea using the old Broncos uni with the new colors. Still like the Orange Crush, though. The red Falcons helmet makes them look like the Calgary Stampeders, but that’s a slight improvement over what they have now. Rams and Seahawks look cool. And yes, I’m curious to see what the Texans look like in Oilers colors, too. ;)
Alex, I like the idea of losing the silver on the Pats unis, but I’d keep the blue. If they won’t bring back Pat, I’d rather see the first-ever helmets link than Flying Elvis.
Thanks, guys!
Sorry, Ricko, but Coors Field probably wouldn’t work. Weather here is too variable. We hit 50 yesterday and are set to do so each of the next few days. That isn’t terribly unusual for early January here. The ice would be a mess if it were that warm of a day.
The Aspen suggestion is somewhat intriguing, but Aspen is at least a three hour drive from Denver in the winter and there are very few lodging options.
For the WC, we need to have two “demolition specials”. In no particular order, the Rangers need to play at Giants Stadium in one year, and the Capitals need to play at RFK in another. On January 2 each of those years, move the wrecking ball in and get those stadiums outta here. Both parks, while not the greatest in the world, have tremendous history and need to go out with a bang.
As a native DC-er, it pains me to see a place that used to sell out and ROCK for football games have its most recent memories be <15,000 for awful baseball games, soccer games that no one wants to go to, and a less-than-minor bowl game. Put 50,000 crazies in there for a hockey game, then tear the thing down.
[quote comment=”371603″]Ricko,
If the Frozen Four is a success at Ford Field. Could you forsee the NHL playing games at Cowboy Stadium and The University of Phoenix Stadium in the future?[/quote]
why would they play an “outdoor game” (evoking memories of “on frozen pond”) inside ford field…a dome which can’t be opened, or even a dome which only opens slightly?
if you want a WC in detroit, comerica would stand a better chance than ford
oh…tod
you said “frozen four”
shit, i REALLY need to get glasses
i have the WC on my mind now
apologies again…i’ll actually read before posting my next one
[quote comment=”371608″][quote comment=”371603″]Ricko,
If the Frozen Four is a success at Ford Field. Could you forsee the NHL playing games at Cowboy Stadium and The University of Phoenix Stadium in the future?[/quote]
why would they play an “outdoor game” (evoking memories of “on frozen pond”) inside ford field…a dome which can’t be opened, or even link which only link?
if you want a WC in detroit, comerica would stand a better chance than ford[/quote]
It was not about the Winter Classic in Detroit but sooner or later they will run out of cold weather venues. I was just thinking that the NCAA is holding the frozen four in a domed football stadium. Dallas and Phoenix being “warm weather” cities could host a game in their stadiums.
I agree with they ever have a Winter Classic in Detroit then Comerica is the place to hold it.
[quote comment=”371608″]
if you want a WC in detroit, comerica would stand a better chance than ford[/quote]
Two words: Michigan Stadium. If they could sell the tickets (which I think they can, and they could keep the costs down a bit, too) it would be completely awesome. Six-fig crowd for hockey? yes, please.
[quote comment=”371609″]oh…tod
you said “frozen four”
shit, i REALLY need to get glasses
i have the WC on my mind now
apologies again…i’ll actually read before posting my next one[/quote]
No problem. Just thinking outside the box.
[quote comment=”371601″]Does anyone know where I can get an authentic women’s Cowboy jersey (#82) for my wife?
All the women’s jerseys seem to be replicas or a cheaper silk screen version.
I am looking for a jersey fitted for a women, yet having all the authentic qualities of the real thing, to wit tackle twill numbers. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appriecated.[/quote]
These can be found in any current Cowboys locker.
^^^
There should be a “close italic” tag there. HTML fail…my comp-sci professor would be ashamed.
Very nice job with this Raven’s uniform Walter. Everything about that uni ensemble is simply awesome.
link
It’s obvious that TJ hates the Seahawks.
link
[quote comment=”371603″]Ricko,
If the Frozen Four is a success at Ford Field. Could you forsee the NHL playing games at Cowboy Stadium and The University of Phoenix Stadium in the future?[/quote]
Not for a long, long time. Maybe 10 years from now, if the the WC survives. For now, though, it isn’t about the gimmick of playing hockey in strange places. Is about that the game was INVENTED outdoors, in the snow and the cold and on the ice. Is about going back to its roots. Nobody learned to play hockey on the frozen rivers or flooded playgrounds of Santa Monica.
As I said, is the “Winter” Classic. They still want to attract a lot of people to ATEEND, too, and childhood memories are a much, much bigger draw than, “Hey, wanna skip the big NYD pool party/barbecue and go to that goofy indoor hockey game instead?”
—Ricko
[quote comment=”371611″][quote comment=”371608″]
if you want a WC in detroit, comerica would stand a better chance than ford[/quote]
Two words: Michigan Stadium. If they could sell the tickets (which I think they can, and they could keep the costs down a bit, too) it would be completely awesome. Six-fig crowd for hockey? yes, please.[/quote]
That would be great but with Ilitch owning both the Tigers and the Red Wings and Comerica just minutes from the Joe. Comerica would be the more logical choice. I think if anyone is going to play hockey in Michigan Stadium, it will be U of M.
[quote comment=”371605″]Jeff, please, no black Cardinals unis. Pretty please. I’d rather see the state-colored unis. Better yet, I’d rather they just went back to their St. Louie uni. I like your Bills tweak, and the Eagles do indeed look better in kelly green.
Walt, I dig the Packers uni. I’d wear the Rams and Vikings unis, too. Your Falcon logo, though, reminds me a little of the old arena league’s LA Avengers: link
TJ, interesting idea using the old Broncos uni with the new colors. Still like the Orange Crush, though. The red Falcons helmet makes them look like the Calgary Stampeders, but that’s a slight improvement over what they have now. Rams and Seahawks look cool. And yes, I’m curious to see what the Texans look like in Oilers colors, too. ;)
Alex, I like the idea of losing the silver on the Pats unis, but I’d keep the blue. If they won’t bring back Pat, I’d rather see the first-ever helmets link than Flying Elvis.
Thanks, guys![/quote]
Do the Cardinal wearing all black make you think of this?
link
IF (a huge, huge IF) the WC ever went to a southern city, it would almost certainly be Dallas and it would almost certainly be inside Cowboy Stadium. As for Denver being 50, that really isn’t a big problem for the ice makers these days, humidity is a far bigger issue than the temperature. Remember this isn’t just a spray and lay ice sheet…they are pumping in refrigerant to control the ice temperature. Denver would be easy if it were only 50 there.
Here’s a less-than-casual fan’s perspective on the Winter Classic: they lost me as soon as I knew the Flyers were fighting…I mean…playing. Don’t know about other non-rabid fans, but when I hear Flyers I think goons.
Plus as y’all have said, there was no star power in this one.
Invite either the star-studded teams, or the high-scoring teams, and you’ll get more viewers.
I’d prefer to keep the Classic outdoors, but don’t be surprised if Jerry Jones manages to get a game at his place. He seems to have Bob Costas enamored of him; I’m sure others at NBC are, too.
Just a thought: how about an NHL team against the US Olympic team?
[quote comment=”371618″][quote comment=”371605″]Jeff, please, no black Cardinals unis. Pretty please. I’d rather see the state-colored unis. Better yet, I’d rather they just went back to their St. Louie uni. I like your Bills tweak, and the Eagles do indeed look better in kelly green.
Walt, I dig the Packers uni. I’d wear the Rams and Vikings unis, too. Your Falcon logo, though, reminds me a little of the old arena league’s LA Avengers: link
TJ, interesting idea using the old Broncos uni with the new colors. Still like the Orange Crush, though. The red Falcons helmet makes them look like the Calgary Stampeders, but that’s a slight improvement over what they have now. Rams and Seahawks look cool. And yes, I’m curious to see what the Texans look like in Oilers colors, too. ;)
Alex, I like the idea of losing the silver on the Pats unis, but I’d keep the blue. If they won’t bring back Pat, I’d rather see the first-ever helmets link than Flying Elvis.
Thanks, guys![/quote]
Do the Cardinal wearing all black make you think of this?
link
A little. Actually, I liked your road version: link
As bad as their unis are now, I hope I never live to see the day the Bills wear red jerseys.
[quote comment=”371616″][quote comment=”371603″]Ricko,
If the Frozen Four is a success at Ford Field. Could you forsee the NHL playing games at Cowboy Stadium and The University of Phoenix Stadium in the future?[/quote]
Not for a long, long time. Maybe 10 years from now, if the the WC survives. For now, though, it isn’t about the gimmick of playing hockey in strange places. Is about that the game was INVENTED outdoors, in the snow and the cold and on the ice. Is about going back to its roots. Nobody learned to play hockey on the frozen rivers or flooded playgrounds of Santa Monica.
As I said, is the “Winter” Classic. They still want to attract a lot of people to ATEEND, too, and childhood memories are a much, much bigger draw than, “Hey, wanna skip the big NYD pool party/barbecue and go to that goofy indoor hockey game instead?”
—Ricko[/quote]
I wasn’t thinking just the Winter Classic but I could forsee Jerry Jones pushing to have a game on a holiday like Martin Luther King Jr. Day to fill his stadium on another date.
[quote comment=”371611″][quote comment=”371608″]
if you want a WC in detroit, comerica would stand a better chance than ford[/quote]
Two words: Michigan Stadium. If they could sell the tickets (which I think they can, and they could keep the costs down a bit, too) it would be completely awesome. Six-fig crowd for hockey? yes, please.[/quote]
I agree. Even though the Red Wings have been on already, they were the road team. This time, in Hockeytown (okay, NEAR Hockeytown), it would be a huge success. Get someone besides the Flyers to play them and I’d watch (as long as Penn State’s not playing in the mud at the same time).
[quote comment=”371624″][quote comment=”371611″][quote comment=”371608″]
if you want a WC in detroit, comerica would stand a better chance than ford[/quote]
Two words: Michigan Stadium. If they could sell the tickets (which I think they can, and they could keep the costs down a bit, too) it would be completely awesome. Six-fig crowd for hockey? yes, please.[/quote]
I agree. Even though the Red Wings have been on already, they were the road team. This time, in Hockeytown (okay, NEAR Hockeytown), it would be a huge success. Get someone besides the Flyers to play them and I’d watch (as long as Penn State’s not playing in the mud at the same time).[/quote]
I think the matchup the fans in Detroit would LOVE to see would be Toronto. Speaking as a Red Wing fan I miss the rivalry we had with the Leafs in the 80’s and early 90’s. Instead they are trying to shove Nashvile and Columbus down out throats as rivals and it just isn’t there. If it had to be a US team then bring St. Louis in.
idea for wc is devils rangers in new field and make it neutral cite half stadium rangers half devils plus one all blue side and one all red side would be cool to watch like bowl games look also have to go color on color jersey wise and also do a special seating closer to the boards rake in a few more bucks only like 2 or 3 rows but i think that would look awsome
also would like to remind people why the south the sec and bama are such douches
link
[quote comment=”371626″]idea for wc is devils rangers in new field and make it neutral cite half stadium rangers half devils plus one all blue side and one all red side would be cool to watch like bowl games look also have to go color on color jersey wise and also do a special seating closer to the boards rake in a few more bucks only like 2 or 3 rows but i think that would look awsome[/quote]
I like that idea! Do that next year, then do aflfan’s idea of Toronto/Detroit at the Big House.
[quote comment=”371628″][quote comment=”371626″]idea for wc is devils rangers in new field and make it neutral cite half stadium rangers half devils plus one all blue side and one all red side would be cool to watch like bowl games look also have to go color on color jersey wise and also do a special seating closer to the boards rake in a few more bucks only like 2 or 3 rows but i think that would look awsome[/quote]
I like that idea! Do that next year, then do aflfan’s idea of Toronto/Detroit at the Big House.[/quote]
Oh, right, after a dip in ratings they’ll pick a one-market game.
Don’t hold your breath on that one.
And again, no repeat markets, no Canadian teams. NBC rightly doesn’t give a rat’s ass about getting numbers in Toronto.
Okay, I guess there are two discussions here.
1. Figuring what they’ll likely do.
2. What would be fun to see.
Two completely different animals.
Me, I find #1 a lot more intriguing.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”371628″][quote comment=”371626″]idea for wc is devils rangers in new field and make it neutral cite half stadium rangers half devils plus one all blue side and one all red side would be cool to watch like bowl games look also have to go color on color jersey wise and also do a special seating closer to the boards rake in a few more bucks only like 2 or 3 rows but i think that would look awsome[/quote]
I like that idea! Do that next year, then do aflfan’s idea of Toronto/Detroit at the Big House.[/quote]
And I would DEFINITELY watch Canada vs. USA in a Winter Classic. If they meet in next month’s gold medal game, that would be a great rematch, eh?
[quote comment=”371627″]also would like to remind people why the south the sec and bama are such douches
link
why exactly does this make them douches?
[quote comment=”371631″][quote comment=”371627″]also would like to remind people why the south the sec and bama are such douches
link
why exactly does this make them douches?[/quote]
I think it’s great that they’re taking the trophy around to local cultural centers.
it was just an idea after hearing how much money was made by the game itself not ratings wise just the game tickets sold etc. i also still believe they are not putting it on the right day new years day there is still way too much to watch college football on everyone must watch list. put it as lead in to the superbowl captive audience and rating probably go up big.
cultural centers that is good….lol…
[quote comment=”371629″][quote comment=”371628″][quote comment=”371626″]idea for wc is devils rangers in new field and make it neutral cite half stadium rangers half devils plus one all blue side and one all red side would be cool to watch like bowl games look also have to go color on color jersey wise and also do a special seating closer to the boards rake in a few more bucks only like 2 or 3 rows but i think that would look awsome[/quote]
I like that idea! Do that next year, then do aflfan’s idea of Toronto/Detroit at the Big House.[/quote]
Oh, right, after a dip in ratings they’ll pick a one-market game.
Don’t hold your breath on that one.
And again, no repeat markets, no Canadian teams. NBC rightly doesn’t give a rat’s ass about getting numbers in Toronto.
Okay, I guess there are two discussions here.
1. Figuring what they’ll likely do.
2. What would be fun to see.
Two completely different animals.
Me, I find #1 a lot more intriguing.
—Ricko[/quote]
Ricko,
I was stating the IF Detroit were to host a WC (and I understanding they would not get one for a while because they were in last year’s), I was just stating as a Wings fan who I and (I believe) other Red Wings fans would like to see. I also said if it had to be a US team bring in St. Louis.
I understand NBC doesn’t give a rat’s butt about Canadian teams. I was just looking at if from a fan’s view.
I agree the Redskins needs to add gold pants to their uniforms when they wear the burgundy jerseys. I would keep the current white jerseys with the burgundy pants combination.
[quote comment=”371627″]also would like to remind people why the south the sec and bama are such douches
link
I’ll ask the same question I asked when you posted this the other day: No Wal Marts in Cleveland?
Like Ricko said, you likely won’t see a US/Canada WC so long as NBC is running it (Unless CBC or TSN were to pay NBC to cover what NBC would lose with that market going to Canada).
I think the NHL would like to keep it rotating to new teams as Ricko said, but, NBC has a big say in this and pretty soon they’re going to look at where they can make the most money and that will include going back to teams that have played in the game already. Besides, we’re pretty close to running out of money making prospects as far as unique matchups go.
You’ve got the 6 already used:
Pittsburg
Buffalo
Detroit
Chicago
Philadelphia
Boston
Remove the 6 Canadian Teams
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver
Ottawa
Toronto
Montreal
Remove the Weaker, Non-Traditional Markets:
Florida
Atlanta
Nashville
Phoenix
Tampa Bay
Carolina (Yes, they have been successful, but are losing steam)
The California clubs (Unlikely to happen)
Los Angeles
San Jose
Anaheim
That leaves us with 9 teams that we can break up into 3 catagories
Probable:
New York Rangers
Washington Capitals
Possible:
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Minnesota Wild
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Unlikely:
St. Louis Blues
Columbus Blue Jackets
At least that’s how I see it.
[quote comment=”371636″]cultural centers that is good….lol…[/quote]
cuz cleveland is the mecca of cultural centers?
is this guy a douche too?
missed the nhl wc. enraptured by bu-bc, however. not often way out here in northern california, snoopy’s rink area, santa rosa, do we get to see another riveting installment of my favorite sports rivalty. even turned the sound up on the tv. go terriers.
aflfan…
“I was stating the IF Detroit were to host a WC (and I understanding they would not get one for a while because they were in last year’s), I was just stating as a Wings fan who I and (I believe) other Red Wings fans would like to see. I also said if it had to be a US team bring in St. Louis.
“I understand NBC doesn’t give a rat’s butt about Canadian teams. I was just looking at if from a fan’s view.”
Oh, I realized that. That’s when it really crystalized for me that two different discussions were going on simultaneously. Wasn’t faulting anyone, was noting the distinction to avoid pissing contests in apples/oranges conversations.
And I thought about the Blues, too, but right now they are one of the many NHL nondescripts. I could list the others but…talk about pissing contests. lol
—Ricko
yes, yes there are walmarts in northern ohio. do i go to them no.. what i am saying is that i just hate walmart and the sec so putting the two together and i gotta comment on it…lol… i cant believe how long ago that sam wyche comment was. great sweater on the guy handing wyche the mic
[quote comment=”371611″][quote comment=”371608″]
if you want a WC in detroit, comerica would stand a better chance than ford[/quote]
Two words: Michigan Stadium. If they could sell the tickets (which I think they can, and they could keep the costs down a bit, too) it would be completely awesome. Six-fig crowd for hockey? yes, please.[/quote]
In the Great Lakes State I’m sure that they could sell the tickets, and it appears that link for college at least. The Wolverines and Spartans faced off in Spartan Stadium a number of years back (link) and everyone I’ve talked to about it, it was a huge success.
The Ravens have spoken
Bill Beli-cheat wearing the Pat Patriot toque today.
also how awsome would Wings Avalanche have been if they started the wc earlier. great throwback unis at tiger stadium big overhangs people would be alot closer to the rink and it would have looked awsome. and the teams hated one another!!!
sorry tried to find i cant believe i shook the fricken guys hand interview…
I know it would be difficult logicisticly and everything, but has anybody thought about playing a game in Central Park? It can hold 100,000 for concerts, so it would be possible to add grand stand around the rink and have a SRO sections behind surrounded by big screen tvs. It’s probably not practical, but it would be interesting.
[quote comment=”371649″]I know it would be difficult logicisticly and everything, but has anybody thought about playing a game in Central Park? It can hold 100,000 for concerts, so it would be possible to add grand stand around the rink and have a SRO sections behind surrounded by big screen tvs. It’s probably not practical, but it would be interesting.[/quote]
Like a game on the Capitol Mall, I think it goes in the to hard box
My Winter Classic thoughts:
1. NHL “Ice Guru” Dan Craig has said their new ice truck can work up to 55 degrees.
2. Comments by various NHL execs have indicated that they prefer the buzz generated by having the WC in a major city, so that may eliminate locations like Beaver Stadium, Michigan Stadium, or Lambeau Field.
3. The WC is meant to bring in casual viewers, not hockey fans, and networks feel casual fans are drawn in more by individual stars than teams. So Ovie will be in soon, and Sid will be back sooner than most hockey fans would think is fair.
4. With two NFL teams in New Meadowlands Stadium, there is no way the NHL could be ready for an Jan. 1 show.
5. Minnesota does have two outdoor locations now: Target Field and the U. of Minnesota football stadium. However, I have read that the football stadium is only allowed to have 4 non-football events per year, due to its location in a residental neighborhood.
6. Lastly, IMO, if you wanna be in a WC, you should at least sell out your own building on a regular basis (and keep the lights on for a full game). Sorry, Devils and Islanders, but stay home. At least until John Tavares gets up to superstar status.
It seems apparent that the Ravens are not overly concerned that the Patriots have never lost a home playoff game.
[quote comment=”371652″]It seems apparent that the Ravens are not overly concerned that the Patriots have never lost a home playoff game.[/quote]
or that the black leotards look awful
[quote comment=”371651″]My Winter Classic thoughts:
1. NHL “Ice Guru” Dan Craig has said their new ice truck can work up to 55 degrees.
2. Comments by various NHL execs have indicated that they prefer the buzz generated by having the WC in a major city, so that may eliminate locations like Beaver Stadium, Michigan Stadium, or Lambeau Field.
3. The WC is meant to bring in casual viewers, not hockey fans, and networks feel casual fans are drawn in more by individual stars than teams. So Ovie will be in soon, and Sid will be back sooner than most hockey fans would think is fair.
4. With two NFL teams in New Meadowlands Stadium, there is no way the NHL could be ready for an Jan. 1 show.
5. Minnesota does have two outdoor locations now: Target Field and the U. of Minnesota football stadium. However, I have read that the football stadium is only allowed to have 4 non-football events per year, due to its location in a residental neighborhood.
6. Lastly, IMO, if you wanna be in a WC, you should at least sell out your own building on a regular basis (and keep the lights on for a full game). Sorry, Devils and Islanders, but stay home. At least until John Tavares gets up to superstar status.[/quote]
1. Can’t disagree
2. These comments were in response to the first Winter Classic, hosted in Orchard Park. The issue here is that Orchard Park is a small suburb of a (relatively) small city. Ann Arbor, MI is more than half the size of Buffalo itself and is part of the massive Detroit Metro DMA. It would likely work much better than buffalo did. But I understand the issue here.
3. Agree
4. Jets and Giants on the road in the same week is not an uncommon practice. This would have to be the case.
5. If Minnesota were selected they would make whatever concessions necessary for an event like this.
6. Agree…sort of. But, this is more about TV ratings than anything so any team in the NY DMA is a draw for TV ratings.
you currently have TWO stadia in east rutherford
giants stadium, which still stands, and meadowlands stadium, which is already ready to host games
if you let giants stadium stand until NYD, you don’t have to worry about anything going on next door, as long as it’s not taking place at the same time (traffic and parking problems)
therefore, giants stadium COULD be a host site for the WC, and the meadowlands would be available to the jets/giants should they be in the playoffs (or if the regular season is still going on)
belicheck wants to hit the reset button quick someone stand infront the nintendo make him play it out!!!
3. The WC is meant to bring in casual viewers, not hockey fans, and networks feel casual fans are drawn in more by individual stars than teams. So Ovie will be in soon, and Sid will be back sooner than most hockey fans would think is fair.
…although this is a true, true fact (and the NHL needs to grow it’s fan base in the states outside of northern border states), not many things brought out the emotions of seeing a NHL game under the lights and outdoors. When dusk fell at Fenway this year it reminded me and undoubtedly many other puckheads of the good times that have rooted the game in fans minds.
[quote comment=”371655″]you currently have TWO stadia in east rutherford
giants stadium, which still stands, and meadowlands stadium, which is already ready to host games
if you let giants stadium stand until NYD, you don’t have to worry about anything going on next door, as long as it’s not taking place at the same time (traffic and parking problems)
therefore, giants stadium COULD be a host site for the WC, and the meadowlands would be available to the jets/giants should they be in the playoffs (or if the regular season is still going on)[/quote]
Giants Stadium will be a parking lot before the first 2010 pre-season game
[quote comment=”371658″][quote comment=”371655″]you currently have TWO stadia in east rutherford
giants stadium, which still stands, and meadowlands stadium, which is already ready to host games
if you let giants stadium stand until NYD, you don’t have to worry about anything going on next door, as long as it’s not taking place at the same time (traffic and parking problems)
therefore, giants stadium COULD be a host site for the WC, and the meadowlands would be available to the jets/giants should they be in the playoffs (or if the regular season is still going on)[/quote]
Giants Stadium will be a parking lot before the first 2010 pre-season game[/quote]
are you sure (i honestly don’t know the demo sked)…but if they got awarded a WC, im sure it could be arranged for it to stand (they handled parking issues for two years at the meadowlands already, they could do it again)
is the “parking lot” definitely a done deal???
[quote comment=”371654″]
4. Jets and Giants on the road in the same week is not an uncommon practice. This would have to be the case.
[/quote]
The stadium is in use for 16 out of 17 weeks. Each team has 8 home games and they don’t do double headers obviously. That one week with both teams on the road is never going to occur on the final week of the season.
[quote comment=”371655″]you currently have TWO stadia in east rutherford
giants stadium, which still stands, and meadowlands stadium, which is already ready to host games
if you let giants stadium stand until NYD, you don’t have to worry about anything going on next door, as long as it’s not taking place at the same time (traffic and parking problems)
therefore, giants stadium COULD be a host site for the WC, and the meadowlands would be available to the jets/giants should they be in the playoffs (or if the regular season is still going on)[/quote]
And Suzanne Stone Maretto could be entombed under the ice, you know, near Jimmy Hoffa. (Must be the season of the witch.)
[quote comment=”371626″]idea for wc is devils rangers in new field and make it neutral cite half stadium rangers half devils plus one all blue side and one all red side would be cool to watch like bowl games look also have to go color on color jersey wise and also do a special seating closer to the boards rake in a few more bucks only like 2 or 3 rows but i think that would look awsome[/quote]
Nobody gives a shit about the Devils.
About Yankee stadium:
The yankees have been pursuing the classic, and are pretty sure they can move the bowl game much earlier or later for one year- so they can have it before the rink is put up, or have the NHL take it down as quickly as possible. My bet would be on the former so they can leave it up for college games and renting out for a while.
However, the Yankees and ESPN have decided on a date for the 2010 bowl, so it’s very probable that it won’t happen this year. The rumor is that the Yanks still think they can move it if they get the classic, but the NHL apparently considers it a lost cause for this next season.
Oh, and I would love scenic vistas. Central park, the national mall (reflecting pool?), somewhere pretty in the Rockies, palm beach…
[quote comment=”371660″][quote comment=”371654″]
4. Jets and Giants on the road in the same week is not an uncommon practice. This would have to be the case.
[/quote]
The stadium is in use for 16 out of 17 weeks. Each team has 8 home games and they don’t do double headers obviously. That one week with both teams on the road is never going to occur on the final week of the season.[/quote]
Not to mention the NHL is going to want more then a week for setup. They had everything set up over a week before the classic and used that time to let the ice set up. You will never see it in an NFL stadium again. College stadiums are possible since they’re vacant, but remember all the ice problems in WCI?
Giants Stadium will be gone by April, if I remember correctly. In time for the summer concerts there. They need the parking space.
Any talk about a NY WC needs to include the Islanders, who have been working the NHL about this since before WC1. NYR/NYI @ City seems to the best fit in terms of teams and stadium, but I know NBC doesn’t want that.
Gotta admit, I really like Belichick wearing the Pat Patriot stocking cap (complete with poof-ball top) and his regular homeless-styled sweatshirt. Love the juxtaposition of old and new.
[quote comment=”371663″]
Oh, and I would love scenic vistas. Central park, the national mall (reflecting pool?), somewhere pretty in the Rockies, palm beach…[/quote]
It was cold enough down here in Florida for plenty of outdoor hockey! I would love to see the Panthers host/play in the outdoor game. I know the chances are approaching zero, but I’ll keep hoping.
As for the real prospects for the next game, I think it will be at NY, Minnesota, or Denver. I agree that repeat teams shouldn’t be allowed (particularly Pens!), since I want everyone to be able to eventually participate.
I do think the PSU/LSU Citrus Bowl was big competition for hockey, but the NHL can’t worry about who plays in that game. Their worst luck would be if the hockey participant mirrors one of the Big 10 schools in the Citrus Bowl (Wild/Gophers or Buckeyes/Blue Jackets).
[quote comment=”371667″][It was cold enough down here in Florida for plenty of outdoor hockey! I would love to see the Panthers host/play in the outdoor game. I know the chances are approaching zero, but I’ll keep hoping.[/quote]
the chances of hell freezing over are better
[quote comment=”371640″]Like Ricko said, you likely won’t see a US/Canada WC so long as NBC is running it (Unless CBC or TSN were to pay NBC to cover what NBC would lose with that market going to Canada).
I think the NHL would like to keep it rotating to new teams as Ricko said, but, NBC has a big say in this and pretty soon they’re going to look at where they can make the most money and that will include going back to teams that have played in the game already. Besides, we’re pretty close to running out of money making prospects as far as unique matchups go.
You’ve got the 6 already used:
Pittsburg
Buffalo
Detroit
Chicago
Philadelphia
Boston
Remove the 6 Canadian Teams
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver
Ottawa
Toronto
Montreal
Remove the Weaker, Non-Traditional Markets:
Florida
Atlanta
Nashville
Phoenix
Tampa Bay
Carolina (Yes, they have been successful, but are losing steam)
The California clubs (Unlikely to happen)
Los Angeles
San Jose
Anaheim
That leaves us with 9 teams that we can break up into 3 catagories
Probable:
New York Rangers
Washington Capitals
Possible:
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Minnesota Wild
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Unlikely:
St. Louis Blues
Columbus Blue Jackets
At least that’s how I see it.[/quote]
Here’s an idea:
How about having ALL Canadian teams, and changing the name back to the Heritage Classic, since basically nobody in the U.S. in great numbers gives a crap about the NHL, especially on New Years Day. And MAYBE invite Detroit to come up North to play Toronto, or have Boston go to Montreal…
[quote comment=”371669″][quote comment=”371640″]Like Ricko said, you likely won’t see a US/Canada WC so long as NBC is running it (Unless CBC or TSN were to pay NBC to cover what NBC would lose with that market going to Canada).
I think the NHL would like to keep it rotating to new teams as Ricko said, but, NBC has a big say in this and pretty soon they’re going to look at where they can make the most money and that will include going back to teams that have played in the game already. Besides, we’re pretty close to running out of money making prospects as far as unique matchups go.
You’ve got the 6 already used:
Pittsburg
Buffalo
Detroit
Chicago
Philadelphia
Boston
Remove the 6 Canadian Teams
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver
Ottawa
Toronto
Montreal
Remove the Weaker, Non-Traditional Markets:
Florida
Atlanta
Nashville
Phoenix
Tampa Bay
Carolina (Yes, they have been successful, but are losing steam)
The California clubs (Unlikely to happen)
Los Angeles
San Jose
Anaheim
That leaves us with 9 teams that we can break up into 3 catagories
Probable:
New York Rangers
Washington Capitals
Possible:
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Minnesota Wild
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Unlikely:
St. Louis Blues
Columbus Blue Jackets
At least that’s how I see it.[/quote]
Here’s an idea:
How about having ALL Canadian teams, and changing the name back to the Heritage Classic, since basically nobody in the U.S. in great numbers gives a crap about the NHL, especially on New Years Day. And MAYBE invite Detroit to come up North to play Toronto, or have Boston go to Montreal…[/quote]
Boston-Montreal would be awesome with Don Cherry and Scotty Bowman as honorary coaches.
And if the NHL wants to make a true event out of it. Why not an old-timers game before the regular game. Something like two 10 minute periods, since this is suppose to be tied in to going back in time.
Boy the Ravens came to play today. But why do their pants look like that? They look so leg-hugging, no pads.
Playoffs prediction, NFC:
Packers-Cards——–Pack wins.
Cowboys-Vikes——–Cowboys win.
Packers-Saints——-Pack wins. (Saints in a bad funk)
Cowboys-Packers——Cowboys win.
facing- who knows in the AFC. I still like the Chargers. Dallas and SD, two teams peaking right now.
My call for the next WC would be NYR vs. the Caps… I’m sure the NHL is itching to put Ovi in the spotlight. Hopefully he’ll be wearing this:
link
[quote comment=”371662″]
Nobody gives a shit about the Devils.[/quote]
you got that right
i hate the blueshirts, but they’re absolutely the team to have in the next WC
[quote comment=”371568″]Bud Grant always said it didn’t matter so much who you played as when you played them.
Vikings running into a buzz saw in the Cowboys. Vikings’ weak link is at O-tackle. On both sides.
Uh-oh.
Lotta very worried Viking fans ’round here (if they’re honest about things, anyway).
—Ricko[/quote]
The following was written about a certain Dallas/Minnesota match-up a few years back in Sport Illustrated:
“The ball sails high and far 50 yards into the frozen atmosphere, a silly object, it seems straining to be seen against the feeble lights that glow through the grey Minnesota sky. Now the ball is coming to earth as the scorecard flickers away the final seconds of the game”
Separate topic – while it’s a close call – with the slipping ratings – my bet is:
Washington at Pittsburgh – at PNC
[quote comment=”371673″]My call for the next WC would be NYR vs. the Caps… I’m sure the NHL is itching to put Ovi in the spotlight. Hopefully he’ll be wearing this:
link
The uniform or the mustache?
[quote comment=”371676″][quote comment=”371673″]My call for the next WC would be NYR vs. the Caps… I’m sure the NHL is itching to put Ovi in the spotlight. Hopefully he’ll be wearing this:
link
The uniform or the mustache?[/quote]
Hah! Both!
And that would be all for Angry Homeless Hoody Man.
[quote comment=”371675″][quote comment=”371568″]Bud Grant always said it didn’t matter so much who you played as when you played them.
Vikings running into a buzz saw in the Cowboys. Vikings’ weak link is at O-tackle. On both sides.
Uh-oh.
Lotta very worried Viking fans ’round here (if they’re honest about things, anyway).
—Ricko[/quote]
The following was written about a certain Dallas/Minnesota match-up a few years back in Sport Illustrated:
“The ball sails high and far 50 yards into the frozen atmosphere, a silly object, it seems straining to be seen against the feeble lights that glow through the grey Minnesota sky. Now the ball is coming to earth as the scorecard flickers away the final seconds of the game”
Separate topic – while it’s a close call – with the slipping ratings – my bet is:
Washington at Pittsburgh – at PNC[/quote]
The Penguins already played one. On the road, yes, but that kind of eliminates Pittsburgh for awhile.
Why? Because every owner wants national/international exposure for his team, so no matter how magnificently Crosby might play, repeats this early would be fought internally. And ferociously, I’d wager.
At this juncture, the size of the NY TV market is just too big to ignore. Call it hedging their bets.
And, honestly, given the way the New York media can be, waiting too much longer might generate a “You waited this long to think the world’s number one city was important enough for your game; screw you” backlash from them.
—Ricko
If Meadowlands doesn’t work, the new Red Bull Arena would be a viable stadium.
It’s partially roofed, but only seats about 25,000.
[quote comment=”371679″][quote comment=”371675″][quote comment=”371568″]Bud Grant always said it didn’t matter so much who you played as when you played them.
Vikings running into a buzz saw in the Cowboys. Vikings’ weak link is at O-tackle. On both sides.
Uh-oh.
Lotta very worried Viking fans ’round here (if they’re honest about things, anyway).
—Ricko[/quote]
The following was written about a certain Dallas/Minnesota match-up a few years back in Sport Illustrated:
“The ball sails high and far 50 yards into the frozen atmosphere, a silly object, it seems straining to be seen against the feeble lights that glow through the grey Minnesota sky. Now the ball is coming to earth as the scorecard flickers away the final seconds of the game”
Separate topic – while it’s a close call – with the slipping ratings – my bet is:
Washington at Pittsburgh – at PNC[/quote]
The Penguins already played one. On the road, yes, but that kind of eliminates Pittsburgh for awhile.
Why? Because every owner wants national/international exposure for his team, so no matter how magnificently Crosby might play, repeats this early would be fought internally. And ferociously, I’d wager.
At this juncture, the size of the NY TV market is just too big to ignore. Call it hedging their bets.
And, honestly, given the way the New York media can be, waiting too much longer might generate a “You waited this long to think the world’s number one city was important enough for your game; screw you” backlash from them.
—Ricko[/quote]
The NHL is never one to follow rules – especially when fear enters into the equation (fear being declining ratings – which were not helped by the Flyers discovering the trap a week before the game – so I don’t think Pittsburgh is necessarily disqualified.
New York is definitely a close second (and you could easily be right) – but a couple of things – New York never really gets particularly good ratings even when they stick the Rangers on (i.e. NBC normally gets a 2.0 in their market – on NBC) – so say it goes up to 6.0 – 8.0 for a winter classic – I think you’re better off by the combined effect of say a 30,0 televsion rating in Pittsburgh (granted a small market) and the overall bump across all hockey markets – as the game has more appeal. There are two things the NHL has going for it, that brings it slightly more attention, than normal 1. The winter classic 2. the Crosby/Ovechkin rilvary – combining the two will be hard to resist. Plus PNC has quite a nice back drop.
just a thought…. the Caps could wear throwbacks from the Washington Presidents of the old EHL
link
awww…
i was so hoping for a colts jets rematch next week
[quote comment=”371641″][quote comment=”371636″]cultural centers that is good….lol…[/quote]
cuz cleveland is the mecca of cultural centers?
is link too?[/quote]
No, he had a point. Throwing snowballs and dog biscuits was one thing – they also used to throw batteries from the Dawg Pound. Sam knew what he was doing. He just used the rivalry to appeal to the Cincy fans’ sense of decency.
And the Greater Cleveland area has its share of WalMarts, too. I don’t do all my shopping there, but occasionally I check them out. Great-tasting sub sandwiches, by the way. One can last you a couple of days.
you get your subs from wal mart?
and they stay with you for a couple of days?
why am i not surprised
thanks for the hockey feast today.
I’d like to see Rangers-Leafs in the next Winter Classic. Gotta stay with Original Sixers. But Rangers, puh-leeeze do not wear the 1976-1978 jerseys. Ugh. Let the Phoenix Coyotes wear Winnipeg Jets throwbacks if they want that look.
ANY of the Leafs throwbacks, including those wonderful St.Pats jerseys, would be a great look.
Man, those two Boston college teams look snappy. Wish some NHL team would adopt that beige/maroon combo although admittedly it does look “collegiate”
[quote comment=”371557″]News item of sorts: This is the 200,000th comment posted on the site since its inception in May of 2006 — a testament to the quantity (and, I’d like to think, the quality) of the discussion here at Uni Watch. My thanks to all of you who make the dialogue here so vibrant and interesting.[/quote]
You, sir, prime the pump. Well done.
[quote comment=”371686″]thanks for the hockey feast today.
I’d like to see Rangers-Leafs in the next Winter Classic. Gotta stay with Original Sixers. But Rangers, puh-leeeze do not wear the 1976-1978 jerseys. Ugh. Let the Phoenix Coyotes wear Winnipeg Jets throwbacks if they want that look.
ANY of the Leafs throwbacks, including those wonderful St.Pats jerseys, would be a great look.
Man, those two Boston college teams look snappy. Wish some NHL team would adopt that beige/maroon combo although admittedly it does look “collegiate”[/quote]
thanks jet!
FINALLY someone sees the light ;)
[quote comment=”371643″]
And I thought about the Blues, too, but right now they are one of the many NHL nondescripts. I could list the others but…talk about pissing contests. lol
—Ricko[/quote]
That’s the problem with having THIRTY FRICKIN’ TEAMS…
I’ve got to think that “Rangers vs. Whomever in Yankee Stadium” is the NHL’s ace-in-the-hole as far as “casual viewer ratings” go. A Ranger appearance in the WC would be wasted in Citi Field or the Meadowlands, etc. I’d think the NHL would hold out for maximum effect when they can get a date at Yankee Stadium.
My girlfriend commented earlier on the Ravens pants and said look like women’s running pants, not football pants because they’re “form fitting” and look like leotards.
I’ve never been more proud.
[quote comment=”371689″][quote comment=”371643″]
And I thought about the Blues, too, but right now they are one of the many NHL nondescripts. I could list the others but…talk about pissing contests. lol
—Ricko[/quote]
That’s the problem with having THIRTY FRICKIN’ TEAMS…[/quote]
WAY too many. 20 is all you need.
Can someone explain to me, why FOX’s superimposed yardage markers for Arizona is red and yellow – I never knew having a beak yellow on a logo – constitutes making it a team colour?
Looks like many of the Packers’ players are wearing the new RBK jerseys. Donald Driver and Nick Barnett are two that I have seen so far.
While watching the Ravens game, they were talking about the last time the Pats lost a home playoff game. Did I correctly see a Houston Oiler number 00 as a wide receiver?? I’ve been googling since I saw it
[quote comment=”371695″]While watching the Ravens game, they were talking about the last time the Pats lost a home playoff game. Did I correctly see a Houston Oiler number 00 as a wide receiver?? I’ve been googling since I saw it[/quote]
Ken Burroughs
[quote comment=”371696″][quote comment=”371695″]While watching the Ravens game, they were talking about the last time the Pats lost a home playoff game. Did I correctly see a Houston Oiler number 00 as a wide receiver?? I’ve been googling since I saw it[/quote]
Ken Burrough[/quote]
fixed
[quote comment=”371697″][quote comment=”371696″][quote comment=”371695″]While watching the Ravens game, they were talking about the last time the Pats lost a home playoff game. Did I correctly see a Houston Oiler number 00 as a wide receiver?? I’ve been googling since I saw it[/quote]
Ken Burrough[/quote]
fixed[/quote]
Burrough wore #00 with the Saints before that, too.
Saints also had a #0 for a time, DB Obert Logan.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”371675″][quote comment=”371568″]Bud Grant always said it didn’t matter so much who you played as when you played them.
Vikings running into a buzz saw in the Cowboys. Vikings’ weak link is at O-tackle. On both sides.
Uh-oh.
Lotta very worried Viking fans ’round here (if they’re honest about things, anyway).
—Ricko[/quote]
The following was written about a certain Dallas/Minnesota match-up a few years back in Sport Illustrated:
“The ball sails high and far 50 yards into the frozen atmosphere, a silly object, it seems straining to be seen against the feeble lights that glow through the grey Minnesota sky. Now the ball is coming to earth as the scorecard flickers away the final seconds of the game”
Separate topic – while it’s a close call – with the slipping ratings – my bet is:
Washington at Pittsburgh – at PNC[/quote]
You’re right on that. Wasn’t it the Giants a few years ago? I forget. They clearly weren’t, talent-wise, close to the best team..but they were hotter than a firecracker in the postseason. Hot you GET to be ‘hot’ is the question, but clearly, for the time being, the Cowboys have their swagger back. If the Vikes lose, and I think they will, I am gonna mark the time I see the very first “Will be be back in 2010” post.
Reporter:
So, Brett, obviously this season didn’t quite end the way you had hoped. What are your plans for the Vikings in 2010?
BF:
(Long, drawn-out sigh.) Man, I wish I knew. I…I..don’t know. Sometimes I…I..don’t know. If I needed to make a call right now, I’d be leaning towards..I..don’t know. I mean..I..don’t know. It’s just..you know? I..don’t know.
One of the Packer D-Linemen has had his shirt tail out the whole game. Is this because it’s some new fabric and is too large? Didn’t players used to get fined for that? I know some QBs wear a sort of “ban lon” jersey so they can have full range of motion to throw: is this what is supposed to be happening with this guy?
Cards’ Early Doucet appears to be going sorta old school. White tape around arch of black shoes.
Or maybe it’s just a wristband or something.
Anyway, is an old school look.
Fun.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”371698″][quote comment=”371697″][quote comment=”371696″][quote comment=”371695″]While watching the Ravens game, they were talking about the last time the Pats lost a home playoff game. Did I correctly see a Houston Oiler number 00 as a wide receiver?? I’ve been googling since I saw it[/quote]
Ken Burrough[/quote]
fixed[/quote]
Burrough wore #00 with the Saints before that, too.
Saints also had a #0 for a time, DB Obert Logan.
—Ricko[/quote]
Here you go.
Burrough with Saints…
link
Burrough with Oilers…
link
Obert Logan of the early Saints…
link
—Ricko
the packers’ ryan grant is wearing those adhesive sticker elbow pads again. i’ve never seen anyone else wear those.
Always liked Don Shy.
link
As was the case two years ago, GB breaks out the Captain’s C’s for the playoffs…
[quote comment=”371704″]Always liked Don Shy.
link
His brother, Les Shy, played for the Cowboys.
Always wondered if was, y’know, less shy.
(ba dum bum)
—Ricko
[quote comment=”371691″]My girlfriend commented earlier on the Ravens pants and said look like women’s running pants, not football pants because they’re “form fitting” and look like leotards.
I’ve never been more proud.[/quote]
She’s a keeper, Justin!!
[quote comment=”371706″][quote comment=”371704″]Always liked Don Shy.
link
His brother, Les Shy, played for the Cowboys.
Always wondered if was, y’know, less shy.
(ba dum bum)
—Ricko[/quote]
Wasn’t he short?
I know there’s basically no tradition (hockey-wise at least) and the team stinks, but the Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Winter Classic in Ohio Stadium would be pretty awesome. For jerseys, Columbus could throwback to any one of their many failed minor league hockey franchises (link, link, link). Or they could use something like link.
What is the “TD” sticker and patch for this week??
This was probably covered weeks ago, but what were the initials that Reid was wearing? I know the Jim Johnson one on the helmet, but the one he had on his shirt.
As for the Winter Classic, I just hope they don’t do, as floated, that NBC wants a weekly outdoor game for the second half of the season.
Another problem is that NBC wants the game in that early time slot, which might rule out Western teams.
[quote comment=”371709″]I know there’s basically no tradition (hockey-wise at least) and the team stinks, but the Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Winter Classic in Ohio Stadium would be pretty awesome. For jerseys, Columbus could throwback to any one of their many failed minor league hockey franchises (link, link, link). Or they could use something like link.[/quote]
OSU and the blue jackets do not get along. OSU screwed them over in building an arena much larger and much nicer then they had promised, in direct competition to nationwide rather then a 10K arena with no luxury boxes and such, for just school sports. Instead they built one that draws a lot of concerts and events away from nationwide, which is a big factor in some of the financial troubles the blue jackets have had.
Not gonna happen. Ever. They’ll play in the Soccer stadium there before they ever consider Ohio Stadium.
Yes, the name on the back is too small, etc… but I kinda think the reduced stripage on the link ALMOST makes this uni tolerable. From the front anyway.
And the white panel down the side is much cleaner looking. At least, where it meets the arm hole, anyway.
[quote comment=”371691″]My girlfriend commented earlier on the Ravens pants and said look like women’s running pants, not football pants because they’re “form fitting” and look like leotards.
I’ve never been more proud.[/quote]
In the shots of Flacco warming up before the game (in his pants and socks but just a t-shirt instead of a jersey) he did look like a girl jogging.
[quote comment=”371702″][quote comment=”371698″][quote comment=”371697″][quote comment=”371696″][quote comment=”371695″]While watching the Ravens game, they were talking about the last time the Pats lost a home playoff game. Did I correctly see a Houston Oiler number 00 as a wide receiver?? I’ve been googling since I saw it[/quote]
Ken Burrough[/quote]
fixed[/quote]
Burrough wore #00 with the Saints before that, too.
Saints also had a #0 for a time, DB Obert Logan.
—Ricko[/quote]
Here you go.
Burrough with Saints…
link
Burrough with Oilers…
link
Obert Logan of the early Saints…
link
—Ricko[/quote]
Beautiful. Thanks to The Kek and The Ricko
[quote comment=”371583″][quote comment=”371581″]Was it revealed here a couple of weeks ago that the Penguins would be retiring their current throwback after this season? Hearing you guys mention the possibility of them playing in the next Winter Classic made me think about that and wonder what they are going to use as an alternate next season.[/quote]
I wouldn’t mind if they brought these back
link
Very good site about the Hornets, and so on.
[quote comment=”371709″]I know there’s basically no tradition (hockey-wise at least) and the team stinks, but the Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Winter Classic in Ohio Stadium would be pretty awesome. For jerseys, Columbus could throwback to any one of their many failed minor league hockey franchises (link, link, link). Or they could use something like link.[/quote]
Those Checkers jerseys are sweet, but what’s the story behind that Chill link? There’s a bunch of thumbnail shots on the page and in one of them it shows a guy wearing a California Golden Seals throwback yellow jersey with matching sock, but black pants and helmet. Where was that from??
[quote comment=”371666″]Gotta admit, I really like Belichick wearing the Pat Patriot stocking cap (complete with poof-ball top) and his regular homeless-styled sweatshirt. Love the juxtaposition of old and new.[/quote]
That must have been what jinxed the Patriots today. Pat Patriot is bad luck.
OK…
From the world of cycling…This story comes from the team presentation of the footon-servetto team.
The story of the uni reveal, and the attached photos are worth the price of admission.
link
[quote comment=”371716″][quote comment=”371702″][quote comment=”371698″][quote comment=”371697″][quote comment=”371696″][quote comment=”371695″]While watching the Ravens game, they were talking about the last time the Pats lost a home playoff game. Did I correctly see a Houston Oiler number 00 as a wide receiver?? I’ve been googling since I saw it[/quote]
Ken Burrough[/quote]
fixed[/quote]
Burrough wore #00 with the Saints before that, too.
Saints also had a #0 for a time, DB Obert Logan.
—Ricko[/quote]
Here you go.
Burrough with Saints…
link
Burrough with Oilers…
link
Obert Logan of the early Saints…
link
—Ricko[/quote]
Beautiful. Thanks to The Kek and The Ricko[/quote]
No thing. I kind of wish we could get #0 and #00 back in the legal range of numbers for the NFL.
I’m not one of these folks that think the numbering system should be abolished. I think there is a certain amount of tradition and ease with not having things all willy-nilly but if I could make two changes, it would be #0 and #00 and also, letting WRs dip into the single digits.
[quote comment=”371719″][quote comment=”371666″]Gotta admit, I really like Belichick wearing the Pat Patriot stocking cap (complete with poof-ball top) and his regular homeless-styled sweatshirt. Love the juxtaposition of old and new.[/quote]
That must have been what jinxed the Patriots today. Pat Patriot is bad luck.[/quote]
Jinx or not, it may have been the first time I liked any gear that Belichik has worn!
[quote comment=”371718″][quote comment=”371709″]I know there’s basically no tradition (hockey-wise at least) and the team stinks, but the Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Winter Classic in Ohio Stadium would be pretty awesome. For jerseys, Columbus could throwback to any one of their many failed minor league hockey franchises (link, link, link). Or they could use something like link.[/quote]
Those Checkers jerseys are sweet, but what’s the story behind that Chill link? There’s a bunch of thumbnail shots on the page and in one of them it shows a guy wearing a California Golden Seals throwback yellow jersey with matching sock, but black pants and helmet. Where was that from??[/quote]
I don’t know the story behind the Seals, but I seem to recall there being a time when the Chill had the gray/silver jersey as their only jersey. They always so looked so dirty when they’d come to town.
Just from clicking around site, there’s some interesting stuff. Jim Ballantine wearing #101:
link
[quote comment=”371722″][quote comment=”371719″][quote comment=”371666″]Gotta admit, I really like Belichick wearing the Pat Patriot stocking cap (complete with poof-ball top) and his regular homeless-styled sweatshirt. Love the juxtaposition of old and new.[/quote]
That must have been what jinxed the Patriots today. Pat Patriot is bad luck.[/quote]
Jinx or not, it may have been the first time I liked any gear that Belichik has worn![/quote]
I remember a while back, I discussed my anti-uni secret with Phil here on the blog, i.e.: a uniform I don’t like, though most people do. The Patriots with Pat are definitely my football anti-uni secret. (I only gave hockey examples with Phil.) Pat Patriot, though kind of cute, doesn’t work for me as a helmet logo. A little too ornate to be really effective. It’s not bad as a sleeve patch, though. As presented by the AFL Legacy uniform, none of the stripes match. And though Ricko has explained why the Patriots might have had to settle for red jerseys, I still think it’s too stupid for the Patriots to wear Redcoat red. The best red Patriots uniform had the helmet TV numbers under the patriot hat. But it all went downhill from there.
[quote comment=”371721″][quote comment=”371716″][quote comment=”371702″][quote comment=”371698″][quote comment=”371697″][quote comment=”371696″][quote comment=”371695″]While watching the Ravens game, they were talking about the last time the Pats lost a home playoff game. Did I correctly see a Houston Oiler number 00 as a wide receiver?? I’ve been googling since I saw it[/quote]
Ken Burrough[/quote]
fixed[/quote]
Burrough wore #00 with the Saints before that, too.
Saints also had a #0 for a time, DB Obert Logan.
—Ricko[/quote]
Here you go.
Burrough with Saints…
link
Burrough with Oilers…
link
Obert Logan of the early Saints…
link
—Ricko[/quote]
Beautiful. Thanks to The Kek and The Ricko[/quote]
No thing. I kind of wish we could get #0 and #00 back in the legal range of numbers for the NFL.
I’m not one of these folks that think the numbering system should be abolished. I think there is a certain amount of tradition and ease with not having things all willy-nilly but if I could make two changes, it would be #0 and #00 and also, letting WRs dip into the single digits.[/quote]
Single-digit numbers for receivers needs to happen. I’ll go further.
Hell, I wouldn’t mind if 10-19 was disallowed for receivers. Exceptions would be permitted, of course, like if you wore one of those numbers in college. Cuz you’ve got to let Justin Gage wear #12 (for example).
[quote comment=”371724″][quote comment=”371722″][quote comment=”371719″][quote comment=”371666″]Gotta admit, I really like Belichick wearing the Pat Patriot stocking cap (complete with poof-ball top) and his regular homeless-styled sweatshirt. Love the juxtaposition of old and new.[/quote]
That must have been what jinxed the Patriots today. Pat Patriot is bad luck.[/quote]
Jinx or not, it may have been the first time I liked any gear that Belichik has worn![/quote]
I remember a while back, I discussed my anti-uni secret with Phil here on the blog, i.e.: a uniform I don’t like, though most people do. The Patriots with Pat are definitely my football anti-uni secret. (I only gave hockey examples with Phil.) Pat Patriot, though kind of cute, doesn’t work for me as a helmet logo. A little too ornate to be really effective. It’s not bad as a sleeve patch, though. As presented by the AFL Legacy uniform, none of the stripes match. And though Ricko has explained why the Patriots might have had to settle for red jerseys, I still think it’s too stupid for the Patriots to wear Redcoat red. The best red Patriots uniform had the helmet TV numbers under the patriot hat. But it all went downhill from there.[/quote]
And here I thought I was a voice in the wilderness. I never liked the Pat Patriot unis, either. Sure, I’ll take them over the Flying Elvis unis, but that’s one of those “death is not an option” choices.
How many bad field goal kicks have we seen this weekend?
This will fuel the argument that both teams should get at least one attempt with the ball.
link
I like the Central Park idea, as it may attract the casual fan or at least get their attention.
I also liked the Pats uni tweak above. Getting back to white helmets and red jerseys would be definite improvements in my mind. If today was the end of the dynasty years, then it might be a good idea to start with a new look next year.
Boy, for a few moments there, before the Cardinals got the overtime win, it looked like this weekend’s playoff games would all be won by the teams in the white jerseys. But I guess it may be enough either to be wearing white jerseys or a white helmet (and the Jets had both covered).
Will next weekend be all dark jerseys?
To Bob Loblaw:
Didn’t mean to get all pedantic. Just meant B-more (charm city, not Queen city, my bad) teams aren’t part of my nostalgia quotient. Anyway, I meant no disrespect and I agree about that being an iconic uni. Maybe you’ve already seen this but I was reminded of it by this photo today.
:)
link
[quote comment=”371716″][quote comment=”371702″][quote comment=”371698″][quote comment=”371697″][quote comment=”371696″][quote comment=”371695″]While watching the Ravens game, they were talking about the last time the Pats lost a home playoff game. Did I correctly see a Houston Oiler number 00 as a wide receiver?? I’ve been googling since I saw it[/quote]
Ken Burrough[/quote]
fixed[/quote]
Burrough wore #00 with the Saints before that, too.
Saints also had a #0 for a time, DB Obert Logan.
—Ricko[/quote]
Here you go.
Burrough with Saints…
link
Burrough with Oilers…
link
Obert Logan of the early Saints…
link
—Ricko[/quote]
Beautiful. Thanks to The Kek and The Ricko[/quote]
A note on the Burrough Saints photo:
You won’t see that anywhere else, because I took it in 1970. We had an extra sideline pass for the game, and on the way into the Met our photogapher handed me a Nikon and said, “Shoot whatever you want.” That’s the only print ever made, and I of course have no idea where the negative is.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”371722″][quote comment=”371719″][quote comment=”371666″]Gotta admit, I really like Belichick wearing the Pat Patriot stocking cap (complete with poof-ball top) and his regular homeless-styled sweatshirt. Love the juxtaposition of old and new.[/quote]
That must have been what jinxed the Patriots today. Pat Patriot is bad luck.[/quote]
Jinx or not, it may have been the first time I liked any gear that Belichik has worn![/quote]
Me too. My wife laughed at the “pom pom” cap, however, I applauded Bill’s choice of knitted lid.
[quote comment=”371709″]I know there’s basically no tradition (hockey-wise at least) and the team stinks, but the Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Winter Classic in Ohio Stadium would be pretty awesome. For jerseys, Columbus could throwback to any one of their many failed minor league hockey franchises (link, link, link). Or they could use something like link.[/quote]
just out of curiosity, ben, where do you live?
[quote comment=”371726″][quote comment=”371724″][quote comment=”371722″][quote comment=”371719″][quote comment=”371666″]Gotta admit, I really like Belichick wearing the Pat Patriot stocking cap (complete with poof-ball top) and his regular homeless-styled sweatshirt. Love the juxtaposition of old and new.[/quote]
That must have been what jinxed the Patriots today. Pat Patriot is bad luck.[/quote]
Jinx or not, it may have been the first time I liked any gear that Belichik has worn![/quote]
I remember a while back, I discussed my anti-uni secret with Phil here on the blog, i.e.: a uniform I don’t like, though most people do. The Patriots with Pat are definitely my football anti-uni secret. (I only gave hockey examples with Phil.) Pat Patriot, though kind of cute, doesn’t work for me as a helmet logo. A little too ornate to be really effective. It’s not bad as a sleeve patch, though. As presented by the AFL Legacy uniform, none of the stripes match. And though Ricko has explained why the Patriots might have had to settle for red jerseys, I still think it’s too stupid for the Patriots to wear Redcoat red. The best red Patriots uniform had the helmet TV numbers under the patriot hat. But it all went downhill from there.[/quote]
And here I thought I was a voice in the wilderness. I never liked the Pat Patriot unis, either. Sure, I’ll take them over the Flying Elvis unis, but that’s one of those “death is not an option” choices.[/quote]
I think it has less to do with Pat Patriot and more to do with the absence of Wes Welker.
[quote comment=”371721″]I’m not one of these folks that think the numbering system should be abolished. I think there is a certain amount of tradition and ease with not having things all willy-nilly but if I could make two changes, it would be #0 and #00 and also, letting WRs dip into the single digits.[/quote]
I say keep the 50s through 70s for lineman, but every other number is up for grabs. If all you need to know is who’s an eligible receiver, who cares if your RB, WR or QB is 2, 42, 82 or 92?
[quote comment=”371732″][quote comment=”371716″][quote comment=”371702″][quote comment=”371698″][quote comment=”371697″][quote comment=”371696″][quote comment=”371695″]While watching the Ravens game, they were talking about the last time the Pats lost a home playoff game. Did I correctly see a Houston Oiler number 00 as a wide receiver?? I’ve been googling since I saw it[/quote]
Ken Burrough[/quote]
fixed[/quote]
Burrough wore #00 with the Saints before that, too.
Saints also had a #0 for a time, DB Obert Logan.
—Ricko[/quote]
Here you go.
Burrough with Saints…
link
Burrough with Oilers…
link
Obert Logan of the early Saints…
link
—Ricko[/quote]
Beautiful. Thanks to The Kek and The Ricko[/quote]
A note on the Burrough Saints photo:
You won’t see that anywhere else, because I took it in 1970. We had an extra sideline pass for the game, and on the way into the Met our photogapher handed me a Nikon and said, “Shoot whatever you want.” That’s the only print ever made, and I of course have no idea where the negative is.
—Ricko[/quote]
Only you, Ricko! Awesome. I had completely forgotten that Burrough had played for the Saints too. Remember him well for the Oilers. That Obert Logan shot has too much to love going on in it.
[quote comment=”371736″][quote comment=”371721″]I’m not one of these folks that think the numbering system should be abolished. I think there is a certain amount of tradition and ease with not having things all willy-nilly but if I could make two changes, it would be #0 and #00 and also, letting WRs dip into the single digits.[/quote]
I say keep the 50s through 70s for lineman, but every other number is up for grabs. If all you need to know is who’s an eligible receiver, who cares if your RB, WR or QB is 2, 42, 82 or 92?[/quote]
I really like college kickers with big numbers.
link
[quote comment=”371738″][quote comment=”371736″][quote comment=”371721″]I’m not one of these folks that think the numbering system should be abolished. I think there is a certain amount of tradition and ease with not having things all willy-nilly but if I could make two changes, it would be #0 and #00 and also, letting WRs dip into the single digits.[/quote]
I say keep the 50s through 70s for lineman, but every other number is up for grabs. If all you need to know is who’s an eligible receiver, who cares if your RB, WR or QB is 2, 42, 82 or 92?[/quote]
I really like college kickers with big numbers.
link
I was going to say use the 90s for linemen as well, but I’ve grown to like college kickers and TEs wearing those numbers. Besides, I’d like to see a QB wear 92 like Sam “the rifle” Etcheverry: link
[quote comment=”371733″][quote comment=”371722″][quote comment=”371719″][quote comment=”371666″]Gotta admit, I really like Belichick wearing the Pat Patriot stocking cap (complete with poof-ball top) and his regular homeless-styled sweatshirt. Love the juxtaposition of old and new.[/quote]
That must have been what jinxed the Patriots today. Pat Patriot is bad luck.[/quote]
Jinx or not, it may have been the first time I liked any gear that Belichik has worn![/quote]
Me too. My wife laughed at the “pom pom” cap, however, I applauded Bill’s choice of knitted lid.[/quote]
My wife hates this Pitt hat:
link
so much that she actually bought me a different hat for christmas cause she’s tired of me wearing this one!
Hey, color-on-color in your neck of the woods for college hoops tonight. Oregon (yellow) vs. Oregon State (orange).
Why are they referring to this as the last Civil War basketball game?
[quote comment=”371740″][quote/]
Why are they referring to this as the last Civil War basketball game?[/quote]
It’s the last one at The Pit aka McArthur Court. The Ducks are moving to new digs next year.