Monday Morning Uni Watch

Wow, the first comment. I’m up too early. Those sports books for kids are great. I used to have a lot of those that my mom had gotten at garage sales and thrift stores.

If I’m not mistaken, the ‘Football Heroes’ book features Packer guard and Hall of Fame oversight Jerry Kramer kicking with Bart Starr holding. I think it’s in Yankee Stadium. Very unusual picture to be on the cover of such a book.

OK, supporting the Girls Scouts is great and all, but that just feels off a bit.
There may not be crying in baseball, but, apparently, there is cross dressing in hockey

If the Saints wear their gold pants, this is going to be a great looking Super Bowl.

Paul,
You have the same picture of Lance Moore and his one eye black posted twice.
Also, the ladies of Indiana and Ball State appear to be wearing their Adidas logos on opposite side of their shirts(or what ever the hell they are called in tennis)

Billy Martin photos:

Beautiful jerseys. Love the striping on the pants.

About the Motorola headset…yes we all get tired of the constant barage of advertising but how can you blame Motorola? It’s one of the biggest 3 NFL games of the year with many, many millions viewing on TV. Why wouldn’t you want to promote your brand? I’d say that good business and survival..not really “corporate douchebaggery”.

Did anybody catch Garcon’s mouthpiece yesterday? It was black and made him look like he had vampire fangs. I’ve been trying to find a pic of it and can’t find one.

[quote comment=”373895″]About the Motorola headset…yes we all get tired of the constant barage of advertising but how can you blame Motorola? It’s one of the biggest 3 NFL games of the year with many, many millions viewing on TV. Why wouldn’t you want to promote your brand? I’d say that good business and survival..not really “corporate douchebaggery”.[/quote]
I’m gonna have to go ahead and sort of disagree with you (yes, I watched Office Space over the weekend).

I’ve long been on opposite sides of corporate arguments with Paul, but in this case, I’m totally with him. Mainly because, correct me if I’m wrong, but Motorola did not make that headset.

I noticed this right away yesterday and was hoping someone would post last night but was pleased to see it be the lead photo in today’s post. Well done.

Good to see that NFL pencil set. Reminds me of mine … except I USED ’em.

Not to say I didn’t take special care of my Miami, Tampa, Denver, and San Diego pencils (my favorites back then).

Pittsburgh mascots on ice.

link

[quote comment=”373897″]Did anybody catch Garcon’s mouthpiece yesterday? It was black and made him look like he had vampire fangs. I’ve been trying to find a pic of it and can’t find one.[/quote]

You can make it out, barely, in this photo set[photo 108] link

[quote comment=”373902″][quote comment=”373896″]”Kinda weird that there was a guy in a Miami Hurricanes jersey lurking in the background during the AFC trophy presentation.”

Forget about him. Who was the smoking hot blonde in the hat standing next to him?[/quote]

Tuck, we’re going to need some more visuals to verify your observation.[/quote]

Second the motion. One photo she has a camera covering her face, the second, you only see a glimpse (though the glimpse can lead to a good inference.)

The guy in the Canes jersey is non other than Anthony Joseph Foyt IV. And the blonde next to him? His wife, Casey (Irsay) Foyt. Not sure why He would be wearing the Miami jersey though… Foyt is a Texas guy.

link

link

here’s the link with pictures of Lance Moore with one eye black throughout the season

link

[quote comment=”373892″]Today is the…
60th BIRTHDAY OF BUBBLE WRAP!!!

Get some. Pop some.

Perhaps with a friend?

–Ricko

P.S. Watched Jets-Colts at Cardinal Bar (which I knew would be quiet) because we were having brunch with Stew Thornley, a Minnesota sports historian who also is official scorer for the Twins.

Moved on to Bunny’s in St. Louis Park (which was packed) for Vikings-Saints).[/quote]

Not often I get to correct Ricko but it is only the 50th birthday of bubble wrap.

[quote comment=”373914″]Did anyone else think the Jets’ Jay Feely looked like an idiot yesterday with his hard-cup chinstrap, gloves and thin sweatbands on his elbows? YOU’RE A KICKER.[/quote]
Any more than ‘regular’ players wearing eye-black INDOORS? link

[quote comment=”373914″]Did anyone else think the Jets’ Jay Feely looked like an idiot yesterday with his hard-cup chinstrap, gloves and thin sweatbands on his elbows? YOU’RE A KICKER.[/quote]
Kickers are creatures of habit, and Feely has been wearing gloves throughout the Jets late season drive. It also appears he has been doing it for quite a while
link

[quote comment=”373892″]Today is the…
60th BIRTHDAY OF BUBBLE WRAP!!!

Get some. Pop some.

Perhaps with a friend?

–Ricko

P.S. Watched Jets-Colts at Cardinal Bar (which I knew would be quiet) because we were having brunch with Stew Thornley, a Minnesota sports historian who also is official scorer for the Twins.

Moved on to Bunny’s in St. Louis Park (which was packed) for Vikings-Saints).[/quote]

I seem to recall Bunny’s being Mike Tice’s bar of choice. Does he still live in the area, and if so, was he there?

Wish I could have been at this weekend gathering, but I only get back to Minneapolis once a year these days, generally in mid-March. Sounds like everyone had a blast.

Can’t wait to hear what Paul thought of Mariucci and the “X”. Two great places to watch hockey.

throwbacks for Ferris State hockey against Michigan last Friday. Too Iowa State for me, but an improvement over their normal uniforms.

Throwbacks:
link;
Normal Away:
link

[quote comment=”373889″]If the Saints wear their gold pants, this is going to be a great looking Super Bowl.[/quote]

Sorry, I gotta hope for black pants from the Saints. Their pants are so much lighter than their helmets it just ruins it for me. If their pants were darker, it would be outstanding. They’re almost Notre Dame-esque in the mismatch between helmets and pants.

[quote comment=”373923″][quote comment=”373889″]If the Saints wear their gold pants, this is going to be a great looking Super Bowl.[/quote]

Sorry, I gotta hope for black pants from the Saints. Their pants are so much lighter than their helmets it just ruins it for me. If their pants were darker, it would be outstanding. They’re almost Notre Dame-esque in the mismatch between helmets and pants.[/quote]

Sorry if I missed this somewhere, but I take it the Saints are wearing black jerseys and the Colts white for the game?

Sorry if this has been covered before, but can someone tell me why all the logos for the Super Bowl & the Pro Bowl say South Florida instead of Miami? Even the shot CBS had of the two potential balls that would be used in the Super Bowl (one with Colts vs. Vikes & one Colts vs. Saints) said “South Florida.” I realize the Stadium of Many Names isn’t technically in Miami, but it’s close enough.

[quote comment=”373927″]Sorry if this has been covered before, but can someone tell me why all the logos for the Super Bowl & the Pro Bowl say South Florida instead of Miami? Even the shot CBS had of the two potential balls that would be used in the Super Bowl (one with Colts vs. Vikes & one Colts vs. Saints) said “South Florida.” I realize the Stadium of Many Names isn’t technically in Miami, but it’s close enough.[/quote]
The stadium isn’t in Miami

If I’m not around much today, it’s because I’m using some flaky wireless Internet connection at some seedy Motel 66 in Drayton, ND.

The blizzard that North Dakota is experiencing right now forced me off the road around 8:00pm last night, and it isn’t letting up.

Cross your fingers, kids. I may not get home today either.

[quote comment=”373929″][quote comment=”373927″]Sorry if this has been covered before, but can someone tell me why all the logos for the Super Bowl & the Pro Bowl say South Florida instead of Miami? Even the shot CBS had of the two potential balls that would be used in the Super Bowl (one with Colts vs. Vikes & one Colts vs. Saints) said “South Florida.” I realize the Stadium of Many Names isn’t technically in Miami, but it’s close enough.[/quote]
The stadium isn’t in Miami[/quote]
hell, it isn’t even in Dade County

[quote comment=”373899″][quote comment=”373895″]About the Motorola headset…yes we all get tired of the constant barage of advertising but how can you blame Motorola? It’s one of the biggest 3 NFL games of the year with many, many millions viewing on TV. Why wouldn’t you want to promote your brand? I’d say that good business and survival..not really “corporate douchebaggery”.[/quote]
I’m gonna have to go ahead and sort of disagree with you (yes, I watched Office Space over the weekend).

I’ve long been on opposite sides of corporate arguments with Paul, but in this case, I’m totally with him. Mainly because, correct me if I’m wrong, but Motorola did not make that headset.

I noticed this right away yesterday and was hoping someone would post last night but was pleased to see it be the lead photo in today’s post. Well done.[/quote]

If I am not mistaken, what makes Motorola kinda douchey is that they don’t actually supply ANY service to the NFL. The communication service? Telex, with Motorola paying a license to paste their name on Telex gear.

Lee

It was great meeting several of you on Friday night. Hope all the out-of-towners enjoyed the rest of your stay despite the weird January weather, and hopefully you got out of here safely before the snow set in.

In honor of Super Bowl XLIV, I present to you these two pics:

link

link

Peter King going hogwild on the Favre idolization this am. It should be the last monday am we have to read about this– at least until the end of February….. sigh.

[quote comment=”373931″]If I’m not around much today, it’s because I’m using some flaky wireless Internet connection at some seedy Motel 66 in Drayton, ND.

The blizzard that North Dakota is experiencing right now forced me off the road around 8:00pm last night, and it isn’t letting up.

Cross your fingers, kids. I may not get home today either.[/quote]
Drive safe Teebz.

[quote comment=”373941″]Peter King going hogwild on the Favre idolization this am. It should be the last monday am we have to read about this– at least until the end of February….. sigh.[/quote]
Are you kidding? Favre Watch IV(or is it V?) officially began at 4 minutes and 42 seconds into overtime last night

[quote comment=”373931″]If I’m not around much today, it’s because I’m using some flaky wireless Internet connection at some seedy Motel 66 in Drayton, ND.

The blizzard that North Dakota is experiencing right now forced me off the road around 8:00pm last night, and it isn’t letting up.

Cross your fingers, kids. I may not get home today either.[/quote]

If you can make your way over to it, I’ve heard about this great place in Brainerd.
:)
Be safe.

[quote comment=”373939″]In honor of Super Bowl XLIV, I present to you these two pics:

link

link

Which reminds me…was thinking last night how much better the Saints helmets looked when the logo was larger. That thing looks almost tiny these days. By comparison, anyway.

—Ricko

Nothing to do with unis, but just have to post this.

Just now got this in my email at work. Especially love the last graf.

“SUBJECT: Squirrels

“It looks like our friendly neighborhood critters are at it again. An employee that got hit with damage on Friday shared this information from his mechanic: The mechanic at the Dodge dealership said to put moth ball in a stocking and put it under the hood. He said once they smell that they will not come anywhere near it.

“They seem to like SUV’s, vans and trucks the most so suggest backing your vehicles into the parking spot. Some employees have said that has worked.

“The landlords have researched a lot on this and have been told that the squirrels mostly like Honda’s because they use soy based products for wires and plugs overseas when building their cars. We are assuming this is probably the case for most foreign cars. It doesn’t help the situation but was informational.”

—Ricko

[quote comment=”373949″][quote comment=”373939″]In honor of Super Bowl XLIV, I present to you these two pics:

link

link

Which reminds me…was thinking last night how much better the Saints helmets looked when the logo was larger. That thing looks almost tiny these days. By comparison, anyway.

—Ricko[/quote]

I gotta say, that white over black looks sweet and the socks, well, those are stellar.

[quote comment=”373916″][quote comment=”373914″]Did anyone else think the Jets’ Jay Feely looked like an idiot yesterday with his hard-cup chinstrap, gloves and thin sweatbands on his elbows? YOU’RE A KICKER.[/quote]
True, but he’s also A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER.

Maybe sweatbands were over the top – I didn’t see the game – but how can you begrudge him the chinstrap? If a snap or kick is botched, wouldn’t you expect Feely to level the hardest hit he can to stop the Colt who gets the ball?

I get really tired of fans ragging on special teams, as though they somehow aren’t world-class athletes just because they play a very specialized position.[/quote]

Thank you. Good to see someone else standing up for special teamers. Now I can get back to the comments knowing their honor has been defended.

[quote comment=”373931″]If I’m not around much today, it’s because I’m using some flaky wireless Internet connection at some seedy Motel 66 in Drayton, ND.

The blizzard that North Dakota is experiencing right now forced me off the road around 8:00pm last night, and it isn’t letting up.

Cross your fingers, kids. I may not get home today either.[/quote]
Is that like a regular Motel 6, but operated by Mario Lemieux?

[quote comment=”373958″][quote comment=”373945″][quote comment=”373941″]Peter King going hogwild on the Favre idolization this am. It should be the last monday am we have to read about this– at least until the end of February….. sigh.[/quote]
Are you kidding? Favre Watch IV(or is it V?) officially began at 4 minutes and 42 seconds into overtime last night[/quote]

Everything else aside, personalities and any other crap…
Anyone really, truly think the Vikings would have been where they were with TJ or Sage? Those who do, don’t know squat about football. They should go sit at the end of the bar and pontificate.

Favre “jacked teams around,” someone wrote on some other website. Oooo…think teams never jack PLAYERS around?

Pro football is a business, and it’s about winning.
Favre made the Vikings better.
Was it perfect? Hell, no.
Did it END perfectly? Of course not.
But they WERE better. Immensely better.
That’s the benchmark, the bottom line…whatever you choose to call it.

And it was a great story. Twenty years from now, no matter who wins the Super Bowl, the lasting memory of the 2009 season, whether you like Favre or loathe him, will be the 40-year-old who came back to QB one of his former team’s arch-rivals to a division title and the NFC championship game. And had ferocious fun doing ti.

It’s like Tin Cup McAvoy’s 12.

—Ricko[/quote]
Good analogy… except they had 8 turnovers- not a dozen, right?

[quote comment=”373960″]http://creatingwell.com/sports/football-grosset-proquarterback.jpg

Johnny U. in a Jets uni?[/quote]

link

If anyone wants to see the live feed of the ice rink going up at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, WI you can do so here:

link

[quote comment=”373949″][quote comment=”373939″]In honor of Super Bowl XLIV, I present to you these two pics:

link

link

Which reminds me…was thinking last night how much better the Saints helmets looked when the logo was larger. That thing looks almost tiny these days. By comparison, anyway.

—Ricko[/quote]

The Seahawks did the same thing in the early 90s. Carried over into the new, just as small, decals of 2002.

[quote comment=”373964″][quote comment=”373961″][quote comment=”373960″]http://creatingwell.com/sports/football-grosset-proquarterback.jpg

Johnny U. in a Jets uni?[/quote]

link

“dick wood”

yeah…um

carry on[/quote]
I was going chime in w/ that… but thought the better of it as I didn’t want to be seen as too sophomeric. However, ‘I ams what I ams’ and was gladdened somethone picked up on it thou. :)

[quote comment=”373957″][quote comment=”373931″]If I’m not around much today, it’s because I’m using some flaky wireless Internet connection at some seedy Motel 66 in Drayton, ND.

The blizzard that North Dakota is experiencing right now forced me off the road around 8:00pm last night, and it isn’t letting up.

Cross your fingers, kids. I may not get home today either.[/quote]
Is that like a regular Motel 6, but operated by Mario Lemieux?[/quote]
Perhaps he’s staying link.

Godspeed, Teebz.

As if the owner of our favorite team wasn’t embarrassing enough, we get to share our fandom with dipshits like this …

link

go raiders?

[quote comment=”373972″]I grabbed a pencil to sharpen it for my daughter yesterday. Before I did, I looked at it & discovered that it was a “Los Angeles Raiders” pencil. I have no idea where it came from.
Couldn’t bring myself to sharpen it.[/quote]

Pencil fight that badboy!

Did anyone else notice the Colts fan waving the Cubs’ “W” flag at the end of the game yesterday? I’m not technically skilled enough to get a good picture of it from the TV. Nice cross-sports use of the flag…

[quote comment=”373969″]
Godspeed, Teebz.[/quote]

got a text from our man:

“Small farm town + blizzard = limited options

Otherwise, we’re just kicking back and relaxing :)”

hope paul makes it back — right now it’s pouring and about 50-60 MPH wind gusts

this can’t be good: “Due to WX / WIND, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving La Guardia Airport, New York, NY (LGA). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 5 hours and 33 minutes. To see if you may be affected, select your departure airport and check “Delays by Destination”.

to borrow a line from leon: “fuck”

[quote comment=”373976″][quote comment=”373927″]Sorry if this has been covered before, but can someone tell me why all the logos for the Super Bowl & the Pro Bowl say South Florida instead of Miami? Even the shot CBS had of the two potential balls that would be used in the Super Bowl (one with Colts vs. Vikes & one Colts vs. Saints) said “South Florida.” I realize the Stadium of Many Names isn’t technically in Miami, but it’s close enough.[/quote]
The NFL started this back in Super Bowl XLI in 2007. They went to more “regional” locations instead of a specific city. Also coincided with all of the logos looking extremely similar. I believe they’re being created in-house now. I miss the logos with character.

link instead of Miami.

link instead of Phoenix or Glendale.

link This one is debatable however, as many of you know, there is no city of Tampa Bay.

Super Bowl XLIV – South Florida instead of Miami.

Makes you wonder what they’re going to use for upcoming games in Arlington (2011), Indianapolis (2012) and New Orleans (2013). Will they call them “North Texas”, “Indiana” and “Louisiana” or “Gulf Coast”?[/quote]

Yes – 2011 is North Texas.

Stupid too.

[quote comment=”373964″][quote comment=”373961″][quote comment=”373960″]http://creatingwell.com/sports/football-grosset-proquarterback.jpg

Johnny U. in a Jets uni?[/quote]

link

“dick wood”

yeah…um

carry on[/quote]

At first I thought I had his card, but I realized it was Gary Wood: link

[quote comment=”373979″][quote comment=”373976″][quote comment=”373927″]Sorry if this has been covered before, but can someone tell me why all the logos for the Super Bowl & the Pro Bowl say South Florida instead of Miami? Even the shot CBS had of the two potential balls that would be used in the Super Bowl (one with Colts vs. Vikes & one Colts vs. Saints) said “South Florida.” I realize the Stadium of Many Names isn’t technically in Miami, but it’s close enough.[/quote]
The NFL started this back in Super Bowl XLI in 2007. They went to more “regional” locations instead of a specific city. Also coincided with all of the logos looking extremely similar. I believe they’re being created in-house now. I miss the logos with character.

link instead of Miami.

link instead of Phoenix or Glendale.

link This one is debatable however, as many of you know, there is no city of Tampa Bay.

Super Bowl XLIV – South Florida instead of Miami.

Makes you wonder what they’re going to use for upcoming games in Arlington (2011), Indianapolis (2012) and New Orleans (2013). Will they call them “North Texas”, “Indiana” and “Louisiana” or “Gulf Coast”?[/quote]

Yes – 2011 is North Texas.

Stupid too.[/quote]

Oh please let 2013 be “the Big Easy.”

[quote comment=”373981″][quote comment=”373964″][quote comment=”373961″][quote comment=”373960″]http://creatingwell.com/sports/football-grosset-proquarterback.jpg

Johnny U. in a Jets uni?[/quote]

link

“dick wood”

yeah…um

carry on[/quote]

At first I thought I had his card, but I realized it was Gary Wood: link

Of the New Yorkleans Siants

[quote comment=”373975″]Did anyone else notice the Colts fan waving the Cubs’ “W” flag at the end of the game yesterday? I’m not technically skilled enough to get a good picture of it from the TV. Nice cross-sports use of the flag…[/quote]

I also saw a “Terrific Towel” that one Colts fan was waving. Can they not come up with their own gimmick?

[quote comment=”373984″]Nothing particularly random about the Lake Erie Monsters giving away Shaq bobbleheads… since they both play at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena.[/quote]
Any particular reason the bobble looks more like a bald-headed Rick Fox than it does Shaq?

[quote comment=”373990″]Any particular reason the bobble looks more like a bald-headed Rick Fox than it does Shaq?[/quote]

no one touches the shaqtus

[quote comment=”373977″][quote comment=”373969″]
Godspeed, Teebz.[/quote]

got a text from our man:

“Small farm town + blizzard = limited options

Otherwise, we’re just kicking back and relaxing :)”

hope paul makes it back — right now it’s pouring and about 50-60 MPH wind gusts

link can’t be good: “Due to WX / WIND, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving La Guardia Airport, New York, NY (LGA). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 5 hours and 33 minutes. To see if you may be affected, select your departure airport and check “Delays by Destination”.

to borrow a line from leon: “fuck”[/quote]

Paul mentioned last night he was aware of some possibility of difficulty getting out of MSP due to weather in NY today.

So at least he was aware of it. Mental preparedness and all.

—Ricko

Another strange Pedro uni item that may be old news to some. But I noticed over the weekend that during the 1999 season, and possibly others, Pedro has cut his sleeves up the inside seem.

You can kinda see it in this game shot:
link

And this baseball card:
link

Anyone seen this before?

Congratulations to the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts, who failed to impress anyone in the originality department with their “Terrific Towel” in the stands this afternoon. And to add insult to injury, the creator of this even was as far as to use the same font as the Terrible Towel. I can only hope they know the address for the Allegheny Valley School.

link

[quote comment=”373991″][quote comment=”373989″]I want to say that Super Bowl XXX was referred to as simply being in “Arizona” and not “Tempe” or “Phoenix.”

I tried to look it up, but the stupid babysitter software thinks I’m looking for porn thanks to the “XXX” in my search terms.[/quote]

Try “Super Bowl 30.”[/quote]
That ship has sailed.

[quote comment=”374001″][quote comment=”373995″][quote comment=”373975″]Did anyone else notice the Colts fan waving the Cubs’ “W” flag at the end of the game yesterday? I’m not technically skilled enough to get a good picture of it from the TV. Nice cross-sports use of the flag…[/quote]
As a die hard Cubs/Bears fan, I was not happy about the flag being used.
It all stems from my perceived difference in the ideology of Cubs fans and Colts fans. While in Miami for Super Bowl XLI, I surveyed roughly 50 Colts fans (basically all of them) and only ONE guy could name a Colts qb other than Peyton Manning. I think that most Cubs fans who know about the W flag know some history of the Cubs.[/quote]
On the other hand, there are A LOT of Colts fans who are also Cubs fans. So this ties in nicely with the stereotypical “clueless Cubs fan” image.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
C’mon, people! Art Schlichter? Jack Trudeau? Jeff George? Jim Harbaugh?[/quote]

I agree that there are “fans” of both, but the degree of fans differs greatly. There is a big difference between “how are the Cubs doing this year” and “White flag time at Wrigley” fans. Those two dont intertwine.

Art Schlichter former Detroit Drive quaterback and the man who to this day I swear “threw” Arena Bowl V.

[quote comment=”374002″]I agree that there are “fans” of both, but the degree of fans differs greatly. There is a big difference between “how are the Cubs doing this year” and “White flag time at Wrigley” fans. Those two dont intertwine.[/quote]
5 years ago, I would have completely agreed with you. But now, look around the stands and you see so many flags/placards/t-shirts with the blue W that I think the line has become blurred.

I often wonder how many of those same people even know that link is the counterpart to the W flag.

[quote comment=”373958″][quote comment=”373945″][quote comment=”373941″]Peter King going hogwild on the Favre idolization this am. It should be the last monday am we have to read about this– at least until the end of February….. sigh.[/quote]
Are you kidding? Favre Watch IV(or is it V?) officially began at 4 minutes and 42 seconds into overtime last night[/quote]

Everything else aside, personalities and any other crap…
Anyone really, truly think the Vikings would have been where they were with TJ or Sage? Those who do, don’t know squat about football. They should go sit at the end of the bar and pontificate.

Favre “jacked teams around,” someone wrote on some other website. Oooo…think teams never jack PLAYERS around?

Pro football is a business, and it’s about winning.
Favre made the Vikings better.
Was it perfect? Hell, no.
Did it END perfectly? Of course not.
But they WERE better. Immensely better.
That’s the benchmark, the bottom line…whatever you choose to call it.

And it was a great story. Twenty years from now, no matter who wins the Super Bowl, the lasting memory of the 2009 season, whether you like Favre or loathe him, will be the 40-year-old who came back to QB one of his former team’s arch-rivals to a division title and the NFC championship game. And had ferocious fun doing ti.

It’s like Tin Cup McAvoy’s 12.

—Ricko[/quote]
Good points all Ricko, I’m not a big fan of Favre but admire what he did this year… however, the point is that there were so many storylines from the weekend, including the Saints finally going to a Super Bowl – and then you go to MMQB and there’s a picture of Favre… Geez.

[quote comment=”373938″][quote comment=”373919″]Can’t wait to hear what Paul thought of Mariucci and the “X”. Two great places to watch hockey.[/quote]

can’t speak for paul, but i was with him at both locales and yeah…gorgeous places to watch puck[/quote]

LI Phil – glad you enjoyed both games/venues. It was a pleasure/honor to finally connect the name and the face on Friday at Grumpy’s.

It was also a pleasure/honor to meet the man who started it all, Paul. Ricko – you are truly an encyclopedia of knowledge and, again, it was a pleasure/honor put a name with a face.

Nice to also meet fiesta/Mike, Teebz, Robert Marshall, Larry…and others who I can only recall descriptions – AHA hockey guy, guy with all the stripes, St Louis Browns sweater guy (truly a work of art), Packer and Viking jersey guys. I am forgetting others but thanks again to those that organized the Deep Freeze. Sorry we didn’t get the Freeze working for y’all but hope a good time was had by all.

[quote comment=”374006″]Like the Red Bulls, I have heard that the Coyotes, and probably some other teams, are using “smart cards” for season tickets, instead of the old style. I’m old school and would want the souvenir ticket, but it does make it easier for adding games and other modern options for updating.[/quote]

It seems like this would make it tough to sell your ticket if you can’t make it to a game. You certainly couldn’t lend your card to a stranger, and even lending it to a friend for a night would make me a little nervous (depending on the friend I guess). Maybe the team gives you an option to print a ticket in instances like that. Probably for a fee. On the face of it, this sounds convenient, but when I think about it more, it seems more like a way for teams to better control/limit the secondary ticket market. Maybe I’m just being cynical.

[quote comment=”374011″][quote comment=”373938″][quote comment=”373919″]Can’t wait to hear what Paul thought of Mariucci and the “X”. Two great places to watch hockey.[/quote]

can’t speak for paul, but i was with him at both locales and yeah…gorgeous places to watch puck[/quote]

LI Phil – glad you enjoyed both games/venues. It was a pleasure/honor to finally connect the name and the face on Friday at Grumpy’s.

It was also a pleasure/honor to meet the man who started it all, Paul. Ricko – you are truly an encyclopedia of knowledge and, again, it was a pleasure/honor put a name with a face.

Nice to also meet fiesta/Mike, Teebz, Robert Marshall, Larry…and others who I can only recall descriptions – AHA hockey guy, guy with all the stripes, St Louis Browns sweater guy (truly a work of art), Packer and Viking jersey guys. I am forgetting others but thanks again to those that organized the Deep Freeze. Sorry we didn’t get the Freeze working for y’all but hope a good time was had by all.[/quote]
I was wondering if you were there. There were so many people I talked to that I didn’t catch their screen name/handle. And there were lots of people I never got a chance to talk to at all.

So what was your distinguishing feature? (I’d be the “guy with all the stripes” you referred to.)

[quote comment=”374009″][quote comment=”373958″][quote comment=”373945″][quote comment=”373941″]Peter King going hogwild on the Favre idolization this am. It should be the last monday am we have to read about this– at least until the end of February….. sigh.[/quote]
Are you kidding? Favre Watch IV(or is it V?) officially began at 4 minutes and 42 seconds into overtime last night[/quote]

Everything else aside, personalities and any other crap…
Anyone really, truly think the Vikings would have been where they were with TJ or Sage? Those who do, don’t know squat about football. They should go sit at the end of the bar and pontificate.

Favre “jacked teams around,” someone wrote on some other website. Oooo…think teams never jack PLAYERS around?

Pro football is a business, and it’s about winning.
Favre made the Vikings better.
Was it perfect? Hell, no.
Did it END perfectly? Of course not.
But they WERE better. Immensely better.
That’s the benchmark, the bottom line…whatever you choose to call it.

And it was a great story. Twenty years from now, no matter who wins the Super Bowl, the lasting memory of the 2009 season, whether you like Favre or loathe him, will be the 40-year-old who came back to QB one of his former team’s arch-rivals to a division title and the NFC championship game. And had ferocious fun doing ti.

It’s like Tin Cup McAvoy’s 12.

—Ricko[/quote]
Good points all Ricko, I’m not a big fan of Favre but admire what he did this year… however, the point is that there were so many storylines from the weekend, including the Saints finally going to a Super Bowl – and then you go to MMQB and there’s a picture of Favre… Geez.[/quote]

And that sort of helps make my point. Long view, it IS the memorable story of the 2009 season…and it’s gonna spill over into today.

The TV ratings bear it out. Can’t say about yesterday, but last week’s Cowboys-Vikings game was the highest-rated football telecast since last year’s Super Bowl. And, for people without a dog in the fight, the end to Favre’s season is the story. For today, anyway.

Apologies to fans of Saints and Colts, but sometimes, for a day or two following the conference championships, the bigger story outside the winners’ markets is who lost, not who won. I realize that flies in the of provincialism, but it’s the reality of things.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”374015″][quote comment=”374011″][quote comment=”373938″][quote comment=”373919″]Can’t wait to hear what Paul thought of Mariucci and the “X”. Two great places to watch hockey.[/quote]

can’t speak for paul, but i was with him at both locales and yeah…gorgeous places to watch puck[/quote]

LI Phil – glad you enjoyed both games/venues. It was a pleasure/honor to finally connect the name and the face on Friday at Grumpy’s.

It was also a pleasure/honor to meet the man who started it all, Paul. Ricko – you are truly an encyclopedia of knowledge and, again, it was a pleasure/honor put a name with a face.

Nice to also meet fiesta/Mike, Teebz, Robert Marshall, Larry…and others who I can only recall descriptions – AHA hockey guy, guy with all the stripes, St Louis Browns sweater guy (truly a work of art), Packer and Viking jersey guys. I am forgetting others but thanks again to those that organized the Deep Freeze. Sorry we didn’t get the Freeze working for y’all but hope a good time was had by all.[/quote]
I was wondering if you were there. There were so many people I talked to that I didn’t catch their screen name/handle. And there were lots of people I never got a chance to talk to at all.

So what was your distinguishing feature? (I’d be the “guy with all the stripes” you referred to.)[/quote]

That’s right – James correct? Great jersey, cap, socks…or layers of socks.

Glasses, gray hair, I had on the retro script Twins T – lame but had planned to wear the new Twins retro jersey I got for Christmas. Took it in a month ago to get a number on the back and still don’t have it back! I will assume it is because they were inundated with orders for the new retros…which hopefully will lead to them adopting them as the new home uni in 2011.

[quote comment=”373999″][quote comment=”373895″]About the Motorola headset…yes we all get tired of the constant barage of advertising but how can you blame Motorola? It’s one of the biggest 3 NFL games of the year with many, many millions viewing on TV. Why wouldn’t you want to promote your brand? I’d say that good business and survival..not really “corporate douchebaggery”.[/quote]

I completely agree.
I don’t get Paul’s “corporate douchebaggery” comment at all.[/quote]
Smells like corporate douchebaggery to me.
Analogy: Riddell is the official helmet maker for the NFL. Players don’t have to wear Riddell helmets, but non-Riddells cannot have a “clashing” brand name visible. On the other hand, all Riddell helmets have visible Riddell decals, which is why Joe Skiba can’t give EVERYBODY NY nose bumpers to match.
So…Motorola can be as “official” as they want, yet they can’t seem to make a headset that works for Brad Childress. But only now, the after-the-fact creeping logos appear? Bull Crap.

“Strange But True Football Stories.” That was one of my favorite books when I was a kid! I must’ve read many times over.

[quote comment=”374001″]C’mon, people! Art Schlichter? Jack Trudeau? Jeff George? Jim Harbaugh?[/quote]

You forgot Mike Pagel.

[quote comment=”374021″][quote comment=”373999″][quote comment=”373895″]About the Motorola headset…yes we all get tired of the constant barage of advertising but how can you blame Motorola? It’s one of the biggest 3 NFL games of the year with many, many millions viewing on TV. Why wouldn’t you want to promote your brand? I’d say that good business and survival..not really “corporate douchebaggery”.[/quote]

I completely agree.
I don’t get Paul’s “corporate douchebaggery” comment at all.[/quote]
Smells like corporate douchebaggery to me.
Analogy: Riddell is the official helmet maker for the NFL. Players don’t have to wear Riddell helmets, but non-Riddells cannot have a “clashing” brand name visible. On the other hand, all Riddell helmets have visible Riddell decals, which is why Joe Skiba can’t give EVERYBODY NY nose bumpers to match.
So…Motorola can be as “official” as they want, yet they can’t seem to make a headset that works for Brad Childress. But only now, the after-the-fact creeping logos appear? Bull Crap.[/quote]

i have a question i don’t believe we have asked/answered…

is is POSSIBLE that motorola actually made the headset chilly wore yesterday? i know they couldn’t make it earlier, which is why he had the “non brand” to begin with

however, maybe they actually figured out how to steal acquire the technology he needs and this is, indeed, a motorola headset

/not saying it is — just saying, do we know that it’s not a motorola product now?

[quote comment=”373968″]So. East West Shrine Game. It was played on Saturday. One of the East players, I don’t remember who, did something kinda weird with his helmet. Instead of wearing his regular team helmet as is the practice, he had a white helmet adorned with various school decals from what I presume were schools represented on the East team. Does anyone have a screenshot? I wanna say he played defense (linebacker?) and special teams.[/quote]

I was looking through some game photos, but didn’t see it yet. Used to be pretty common in the old Blue-Gray all-star game for players to swap decals. I think they do it in the Senior Bowl as well.

[quote comment=”374019″]That’s right – James correct? Great jersey, cap, socks…or layers of socks.[/quote]
You got it.

And thanks.

[quote comment=”374016″]on a uni front super bowl uni go saints.. can not root for the colts knowing rb#29 is gonna have that stupid stretchy jersy on again. also after watching the nfc game how much of a hot ghetto mess are those vikings jerseys noone on that team can wear the damn thing straight ..lol

on comment #123 dont want to put all of that back down but….It’s like Tin Cup McAvoy’s 12.

wait a minute…

McAvoy was a good guy, a grinder, an enjoyable character and not a self serving unable to make his mind up douchebag. Also who doesn’t believe we will be on stupid farve watch until atleast week 5 next year.
one other thing kudos to espn for their great commentary about #4 in the game if it was Jackson who threw that pick they would have crusified him for it but to qoute tj ” brett farve isnt afraid to throw interceptions” damn right he isnt god knows he has thrown enough of them to be used to it…lol. u gotta be kidding me really impartial espn. also nice of farve to blame officials by bitching about the refs and “late” hits. #4 go away also go SAINTS[/quote]

You’re making value judgments about whether it SHOULD be the story of the year, whether it DESERVES to be. You’re also saying that the decision to end a long football career SHOULD be easy, cut and dried (for the the record, Pat Williams today said he’s only at 50/50 that he’ll come back next year. Well, obviously he’s some kind of jerk who can’t make up his mind, right? Shoulda just said he had it allllllll figured out one way or the other and not string it out on like that, right? C’mon, it’s a gut-wrenching piss-cutter of a decision for a lot of these guys. It’s life-changing to go from a team sport to mowing your lawn and playing golf to fill you days. But the view from the couch doesn’t see that, I guess).

Let’s deal with what IS. Favre’s return IS the ongoing compelling, memorable story of the season. Not my value judgement, or what I think. It’s what can be SEEN. Look at the coverage it’s received, the numbers Viking TV games have drawn. It’s gonna be the lead storyline for memories of the 2009 NFL season, now and 20 years from now. Shouldn’t need anyone to tell us that, just look.

Whether you or anyone think he’s a nice guy (or not) is 100% irrelevant to the story’s place in NFL lore.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”374034″][quote comment=\”374032\”][quote comment=\”374028\”]one thing from the afc game did anyone see the yoked up indy cheerleader? heard that gal is on the taxi squad…[/quote]

Didn\’t see her, but I thought this was a nice festive celebratory photo: link

lol yah cant find her on the colts website must be a b or c team cheerleader. but trust me that gal is jacked. it was like regular, regular, cutie, then boom huge ripped arms on this gal stuck out big time kinda scary…[/quote]

Okay, I was wondering what was meant by “yoked up”

i am not saying he is not a story believe me he is…my problem with it and the part that got me really fired up is the double standard of coverage that shmoes at espn give him like i said if jackson or whoever throw late against his body over the middle into coverage not needing that much yardage with a time out and atleast 5 yards of running room in front of him, which is what happened… they would have killed him in the post game but not #4

[quote comment=”373989″][quote comment=”373983″][quote comment=”373979″][quote comment=”373976″][quote comment=”373927″]Sorry if this has been covered before, but can someone tell me why all the logos for the Super Bowl & the Pro Bowl say South Florida instead of Miami? Even the shot CBS had of the two potential balls that would be used in the Super Bowl (one with Colts vs. Vikes & one Colts vs. Saints) said “South Florida.” I realize the Stadium of Many Names isn’t technically in Miami, but it’s close enough.[/quote]
The NFL started this back in Super Bowl XLI in 2007. They went to more “regional” locations instead of a specific city. Also coincided with all of the logos looking extremely similar. I believe they’re being created in-house now. I miss the logos with character.

link instead of Miami.

link instead of Phoenix or Glendale.

link This one is debatable however, as many of you know, there is no city of Tampa Bay.

Super Bowl XLIV – South Florida instead of Miami.

Makes you wonder what they’re going to use for upcoming games in Arlington (2011), Indianapolis (2012) and New Orleans (2013). Will they call them “North Texas”, “Indiana” and “Louisiana” or “Gulf Coast”?[/quote]

Yes – 2011 is North Texas.

Stupid too.[/quote]

Oh please let 2013 be “the Big Easy.”[/quote]
I want to say that Super Bowl XXX was referred to as simply being in “Arizona” and not “Tempe” or “Phoenix.”[/quote]
You are correct sir: link

think u r missing my point is not just about #4 more so the people covering it.

[quote comment=”374040″][quote comment=”374037″]i am not saying he is not a story believe me he is…my problem with it and the part that got me really fired up is the double standard of coverage that shmoes at espn give him like i said if jackson or whoever throw late against his body over the middle into coverage not needing that much yardage with a time out and atleast 5 yards of running room in front of him, which is what happened… they would have killed him in the post game but not #4[/quote]

He couldn’t run. Ankle. Taped. Remember?
In post-game, he did say “I was late” in reference to throwing that last ball, y’know; he took the wrap for it.
But, being a competitor, he was forcing something, trying to make something happen because of everything else that had been so screwed up all day.
Like, say, moments before.
12 men in the huddle?
Seriously? After a time out?
Nothing like making it tough on your quarterback.

—Ricko[/quote]

I said it at the time and am sticking with it. Even with the fumbles and the first interception they were in a position to win with a FG. The just needed to run one more play, get a yard or two or three, and the angle Longwell wanted. The 12 man penalty was inexcusable and forced them to pass to get the 5 yards back and maybe more. To his credit Favre noticed and tried to call timeout but was too late. The blame goes to coaching and not being on top of the situation…particularly after a timeout! No excuse and Childress (and staff) inexperience under pressure was glaring. Favre made it worse then by forcing a throw and trying to make up for the penalty…just like his younger days.

All in all plenty o’ blame to share on that one.

Not uni-related I know…I feel better anyway…now back to our regular programming.

I was at that Lake Erie (Cleveland) Monsters game Friday for the Shaq bobblehead, and it’s worth noting that there was a franchise record crowd of 18,656 for the AHL team. They usually close off the entire upper bowl of Quicken Loans Arena (like they do for Oakland A’s games) for the Monsters, but Friday it was open and packed. The Indians draw similar huge crowds when they have bobblehead giveaways. Just curious: do fans go crazy for bobbleheads all over the country?

Jheri curling:

link

[quote comment=”374045″]I was at that Lake Erie (Cleveland) Monsters game Friday for the Shaq bobblehead, and it’s worth noting that there was a franchise record crowd of 18,656 for the AHL team. They usually close off the entire upper bowl of Quicken Loans Arena (like they do for Oakland A’s games) for the Monsters, but Friday it was open and packed. The Indians draw similar huge crowds when they have bobblehead giveaways. Just curious: do fans go crazy for bobbleheads all over the country?[/quote]

Do they A’s often play at the Quicken Loans Arena?

(come on … you knew SOMEONE was going to ask)

[quote comment=”374020″]Did this get discussed on Friday?

link

It reminds of ‘Blades of Glory’ and I thought it was an Onion article when I first read it. Unbelievable.[/quote]
I heard their Olympic routine is in black face.

[quote comment=”374007″][quote comment=”374002″]I agree that there are “fans” of both, but the degree of fans differs greatly. There is a big difference between “how are the Cubs doing this year” and “White flag time at Wrigley” fans. Those two dont intertwine.[/quote]
5 years ago, I would have completely agreed with you. But now, look around the stands and you see so many flags/placards/t-shirts with the blue W that I think the line has become blurred.

I often wonder how many of those same people even know that link is the counterpart to the W flag.[/quote]

How would they not know about it? They see it often enough…

[quote comment=”374054″]they did cancel the Sunday games due to water on the ice. Anyone have any details on how they determine the champion in this type of situation?[/quote]

50 meter backstroke

[quote comment=”374026″]From this day forth, the act of killing a game-winning drive by throwing an interception shall be known as a Favre.[/quote]

Right. Of course, nothing else happened in the game before that moment.

Have you ever even HELD a football?

[quote comment=”373921″]throwbacks for Ferris State hockey against Michigan last Friday. Too Iowa State for me, but an improvement over their normal uniforms.

Throwbacks:
link;
Normal Away:
link
[quote comment=”373919″][quote comment=”373892″]

Except Iowa State doesn’t have a varsity Hockey Team, so wouldn’t it be the other way around, if the Cyclones came out with Hockey Jerseys that looked like the Bulldogs.

Where is travelgypsy. On Friday night, she said she would post. Come on, join us:)

Maybe Teebz will know this…

(I should know better than post a hockey question on a Monday after the NFL playoffs….)

That pic in todays ticker of Bobby Hull wearing a Dunguard football mask is the first one that I have seen a frontal shot off.

The one I have been looking for for 20 years is the one of Hull in The Hockey News wearing a CCM helmet, not a Mikita/Riddell helmet, and a Dunguard facemask.

It might have been from his Jets days. And it was a dark CCM helmet.

Anybody got that picture?

Don’t get mad at me if this doesn’t work.

Bengie Molina notes in his blog that switching equipment during the season messed up his legs:

link

[quote comment=”374068″][quote comment=”374060″][quote comment=”373988″]
I also saw a “Terrific Towel” that one Colts fan was waving. Can they not come up with their own gimmick?[/quote]

It is no worse than the Saints copying the Bengals “Who Dey” with that ridiculous, juvenile, moronic, uneducated “Who Dat”.[/quote]
Except that the Saints aren’t copying the Bengals at all. “Who Dat” has been around since the 1890s and the Saints adopted it years ago. It had nothing to do with the Bengals.[/quote]

Sure. I believe that.

[quote comment=”374061″]Where is travelgypsy. On Friday night, she said she would post. Come on, join us:)[/quote]

i think you skerred shanna away there, hugh

Depending on what site you look at, on this day in 1964, Nike was founded:

link

I am a bit surprised that there hasn’t been more mention about favre’s earholes being covered. Paul states that it is purple tape, but I rewound the footage during severals parts of the game and looked at the photos…It seems to me that the ear hoes were painted over to match the helmet. It just seems too shiny and blended very well to be tape.

Here’s a pic of Iowa State’s ACHA hockey teams road uniforms:

link

[quote comment=”374078″][quote comment=”374057″][quote comment=”374026″]From this day forth, the act of killing a game-winning drive by throwing an interception shall be known as a Favre.[/quote]

Right. Of course, nothing else happened in the game before that moment.

Have you ever even HELD a football?[/quote]

Favre trying to make a play, forcing a throw and getting picked off is an extremely common event over his career.

In fact if he retires now, his final pass with every team he’s played for will have been an interception.

I’ll make fun of that if I want to. Bite me.[/quote]

Yeah, he’s a piece of crap. Pretty sure that’s how pro football history will remember him.

When Babe Ruth retired he’d struck out more than anyone his history. Not saying Favre compares to Ruth, not at all. But if you swing hard, you’re gonna miss hard. Comes with the turf.

Just isn’t as simple as it looks on paper. Or on TV.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”374080″][quote comment=”374079″]Just isn’t as simple as it looks on paper. Or on TV.[/quote]
I bet that pass went for a game-winning TD on Madden last night.[/quote]

except the vikes were wearing purple and the saints in monochrome black

I sure hope Teebz put his time at the Motel 66 to good use and made a call to LV for one of those great Girl Scout sweaters.