Andre Ethier for President!

Woo hoo. First time ever in the ticker :)

The worst part about catching the apostrophe problem was that not a single other person I was with could figure out what about the sign got me fired up (aside from the 10 championships). I will be sending the Cardinals a strongly worded email today.

For Ethier’s removal, I propose the word deCRAPitation.

If I paid closer attention to the guy’s name… it’s Ethierase

easy on…ethier off

Into the Ethier

[quote comment=”385688″]I can’t believe the Braves are going to bring these back.

link

There was such a negative stigma attached to those jerseys b/c they stunk for most of the 1980s while wearing them. I guess enough time has passed that the team is willing to bring them back for a throwback game. Vey similar to Ricko’s hatred of the powder-blue Twins unis with red hats. Bad memories of bad teams.

link

Throwbacks don’t need to be to uniforms of GOOD teams, they just have to look cool and/or different. See NFL, Denver – 1960 or Tampa Bay – 1976.

[quote comment=”385690″]”In addition, the Braves and Padres will be wearing 1984 throwbacks today.”

Maybe, they’ll get into a throwback brawl like 1984 as well link

True story, I was at this game. I was 9, and it was first Braves game. My parents drove my brother and I to Atlanta for the weekend. The weather sucked. There was a huge rain delay before that game. It was emblematic of those Braves teams. But I got a plastic batting helmet out of it, so I was happy.

He is “Huffing the Ethier”.

Do you like the not-so-subtle drug reference?

I like Ethier getting credit but I like “Victory Chop!” better.

Ethier Me Or The Logo – but something’s got to give

(though, honestly, my vote so far goes to Ethierase)

[quote comment=”385700″]A pullover with a belt? No doubt there are many other examples, but I thought all ’80s pullovers were worn with drawstring pants.[/quote]

Then you have the opposite case, where the Orioles wore button-down jerseys, but elastic pants.

If I’m not mistaken, Andre Ethier has an endorsement deal with Easton (can someone double check if he still does?). If so, that should explain why the swoosh was removed from his undershirt.

[quote comment=”385691″][quote comment=”385688″]I can’t believe the Braves are going to bring these back.

link

There was such a negative stigma attached to those jerseys b/c they stunk for most of the 1980s while wearing them. I guess enough time has passed that the team is willing to bring them back for a throwback game. Vey similar to Ricko’s hatred of the powder-blue Twins unis with red hats. Bad memories of bad teams.

link

Throwbacks don’t need to be to uniforms of GOOD teams, they just have to look cool and/or different. See NFL, Denver – 1960 or Tampa Bay – 1976.[/quote]

Zackly. The idea is to get a look at ’em, warts and all. Sometimes butt-ugly is what it’s all about (add Canadiens’ barber pole and Eagles’ powder and light gold to The Jeff’s list of examples). Nothing wrong with eliciting a “My god, they used to wear THAT???”

Anyone really think someone in Montreal picked the stripeys because there were just some damn good lookin’? Seriously?

Now, if we were talking about wearing some team deciding to wear them REGULARLY, that would be whole different thing. Twins wanna wear the powder blues and red-crown hats once a a throwback, no prob. Revering them as something to brought back permanently? No frickin’ way.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”385703″]Today’s ESPN column is up:
link
Outstanding stuff. I wish teams would put that much thought into the players’ uniform design these days, much less the design for all the supporting staff.

And the more I see of those Astro uniforms, the more I want them back. They’re simple enough to work with a modern aesthetic, but actually reflect the team’s nickname.

[quote comment=”385701″][quote comment=”385700″]A pullover with a belt? No doubt there are many other examples, but I thought all ’80s pullovers were worn with drawstring pants.[/quote]

Then you have the opposite case, where the Orioles wore button-down jerseys, but elastic pants.[/quote]

But the orange jersey was a pullover.

NFL shop is selling Brandon Marshall jerseys today. But the picture is still #0 and it says they won’t ship until an official number is picked.

link

[quote comment=”385710″][quote comment=”385696″][quote comment=”385688″]I can’t believe the Braves are going to bring these back.

link

There was such a negative stigma attached to those jerseys b/c they stunk for most of the 1980s while wearing them. I guess enough time has passed that the team is willing to bring them back for a throwback game. Vey similar to Ricko’s hatred of the powder-blue Twins unis with red hats. Bad memories of bad teams.

link

it’s funny how “personal” we take the uniforms…bad teams could have great unis, but if the team stinks, then the fan of that team associates the uni with losing…and thus has a lower opinion of the uni

otoh, a good team can wear a really shitty uni and because a team is successful in it, the uniform is accorded more love than it would otherwise

witness the link…imho, other than the black travesty they currently sport, that was my least favorite uniform, but because they won a world series in it, it remains a fan favorite…but it was garishly ugly (again, my opinion)

i should have more on this subject this weekend…[/quote]

Those ’86 unis were fine except for the piping down the side. A modern belted, button-down version would look better than the snow whites and black unis they have now.

As for the Braves, they were good in 1982 and 1983, winning the division in 1982. T think they were nice unis.[/quote]
The Mets did wear button down versions of the “racing stripe” unis in ’91 & ’92
link

[quote comment=”385710″]

Those ’86 unis were fine except for the piping down the side..[/quote]

exactly

“… Several very well-conceived logos on display here (with thanks to Brinke Guthrie). …”

***

Excellent.

Check out the unis in this 1996 international hockey clip between USA and Canada. I didn’t remember Team USA wearing red pants and check out the gigantic swooshes. Team Canada has the maple leaf cutout design on the rear of the jersey.

link

I call it looking ragged in a cut Dri-Fit

[quote comment=”385705″]If I’m not mistaken, Andre Ethier has an endorsement deal with Easton (can someone double check if he still does?). If so, that should explain why the swoosh was removed from his undershirt.[/quote]

You mean like this: link

Yeah, let’s not give Ethier the credit here. I’m sure this is just another in the long history of athletes hiding/removing a logo so as not to piss of his corporate sponsor.

Although, wouldn’t it have been easier for him to just wear an Easton undershirt? Or is Nike the *exclusive* provider of MLB underwear these days?

My Ethier names (already submitted so you can’t steal them!):

Truth in Ethiertizing
Ethiering with Scissors
Ethier Done Than Said
Ethier’s Adage
Ethier’s Swoosh Adage
Ethier at the Cut
Ethier’s Cold Cuts
Safe T Scissors

[quote comment=”385720″]Interesting article about the Astros on the ESPN site. I don’t think you can find any wider contrast in imagery and identity than you find between the Colt .45’s and the Astros. They went from Wild West gunslingers to futuristic spacemen!
I think a problem the Astros face today, aesthetically, is that with their ballpark they’re trying to go with a retro look but it simply doesn’t work with a team named the ‘Astros’. Their uniforms recently had a picture of the Space Shuttle on them, while the park they played in has a little steam-engine choo-choo train running across the outfield. The pieces simply don’t fit. That, combined with their god-awful red-brick jerseys, and it’s difficult to watch an Astros game on TV.[/quote]

once they left the dome, it all went to hell. it’s like two guys, on their way to a meeting with the architects and designers, were carrying boxes of houston professional baseball history — one colt .45’s, the other astros — and they collided, thereby commingling the separate histories. the whole thing’s a dang train-wreck (pun intended)

[quote comment=”385728″]the Milwaukee Braves hold a pretty high position in baseball history.

Yet for all that, they called Milwaukee home for just 13 seasons.

—Ricko[/quote]

can anyone hip me as to why the milwaukee braves had such a short tenure? change in ownership? low attendance? desire by mlb to expand southward?

[quote comment=”385720″]Interesting article about the Astros on the ESPN site. I don’t think you can find any wider contrast in imagery and identity than you find between the Colt .45’s and the Astros. They went from Wild West gunslingers to futuristic spacemen!
I think a problem the Astros face today, aesthetically, is that with their ballpark they’re trying to go with a retro look but it simply doesn’t work with a team named the ‘Astros’. Their uniforms recently had a picture of the Space Shuttle on them, while the park they played in has a little steam-engine choo-choo train running across the outfield. The pieces simply don’t fit. That, combined with their god-awful red-brick jerseys, and it’s difficult to watch an Astros game on TV.[/quote]

Man, that’s a great point Frank. Something I’d never really thought about before, but that is a pretty big disconnect.

[quote comment=”385730″][quote comment=”385720″]Interesting article about the Astros on the ESPN site. I don’t think you can find any wider contrast in imagery and identity than you find between the Colt .45’s and the Astros. They went from Wild West gunslingers to futuristic spacemen!
I think a problem the Astros face today, aesthetically, is that with their ballpark they’re trying to go with a retro look but it simply doesn’t work with a team named the ‘Astros’. Their uniforms recently had a picture of the Space Shuttle on them, while the park they played in has a little steam-engine choo-choo train running across the outfield. The pieces simply don’t fit. That, combined with their god-awful red-brick jerseys, and it’s difficult to watch an Astros game on TV.[/quote]

once they left the dome, it all went to hell. it’s like two guys, on their way to a meeting with the architects and designers, were carrying boxes of houston professional baseball history — one colt .45’s, the other astros — and they collided, thereby commingling the separate histories. the whole thing’s a dang train-wreck (pun intended)[/quote]

The Astros, unfortunately, got stuck with a nickname that was, from a marketing standpoint, risky. It sprung from a current (at the time) cultural phenomenon: fascination with space and the space race. The country was still loving itself for rising to the challenge JFK had issued to put a man on the moon “by the end of decade”.

Wiser heads should have thought, “That has the potential to get dated; to lose it’s clout.”

I mean, come on, as it stands now, probably as many people think of the Jetsons’ dog as think of space exploration when they hear “Astro.”

Kinda like the Raptors falling over themselves to grab onto the Jurassic Park phenomenon. Oh, like THAT was gonna last forever.

You may hate “Thunder.” But thunder ain’t goin’ anywhere.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”385696″][quote comment=”385688″]I can’t believe the Braves are going to bring these back.

link

There was such a negative stigma attached to those jerseys b/c they stunk for most of the 1980s while wearing them. I guess enough time has passed that the team is willing to bring them back for a throwback game. Vey similar to Ricko’s hatred of the powder-blue Twins unis with red hats. Bad memories of bad teams.

link

it’s funny how “personal” we take the uniforms…bad teams could have great unis, but if the team stinks, then the fan of that team associates the uni with losing…and thus has a lower opinion of the uni

otoh, a good team can wear a really shitty uni and because a team is successful in it, the uniform is accorded more love than it would otherwise

witness the link…imho, other than the black travesty they currently sport, that was my least favorite uniform, but because they won a world series in it, it remains a fan favorite…but it was garishly ugly (again, my opinion)

i should have more on this subject this weekend…[/quote]

LI Phil – I respectfully disagree. Those of us old enough to appreciate the Boston/New England Patriots’ “Pat Patriot” logo and red jerseys, still much prefer it over the three or four blue so-called “Elvis” successor uni schemes. We all know, the Patriots only enjoyed a few very brief periods of success with the original uni schemes, compared to the, do I dare say, “dynasty” with the current versions.

Those Chargers, Bills and maybe Tampa Bucs fans, with some institutional memory, I’m guessing, may agree with me on this one as well.

The Angels, Astros and A’s had little success in their ’60s unis – but compared to what they wear today – even the yellow A’s unis, IMO, were things of beauty. What I enjoy collecting comes from the losing Red Sox teams of the mid-sixties – and yes, 1967.

My theory is that, generally, whatever image we grew up with, is the one we like the most. We opened up our baseball cards (which were better then, too!) and analyzed every detail of the unis. Any dichotomy in a turn-back-the-clock uni is instantly recognized.

Even with corporate logos – if you are in your fifties, which logo do you prefer to see: Esso or Exxon? Bell or Verizon? 60’s Pepsi or today’s Pepsi logo?

Much of what we like is simply a function of age. It’s “personal”, because for many of us, we liked those “old” days of being 10, 12, 15 years old. For some very fortunate readers, their “old” days were only ten years ago.

When was the last time YOUR team had a player wear 42 every day?

link

[quote comment=”385740″]When was the last time YOUR team had a player wear 42 every day?

link

Micheal Jackson with Twins.
Yeah, remember him.
Oddball.
Wore a glove on only one hand.
Stange dude.

[quote comment=”385736″]The Astros, unfortunately, got stuck with a nickname that was, from a marketing standpoint, risky. It sprung from a current (at the time) cultural phenomenon: fascination with space and the space race. The country was still loving itself for rising to the challenge JFK had issued to put a man on the moon “by the end of decade”.

Wiser heads should have thought, “That has the potential to get dated; to lose it’s clout.”

—Ricko[/quote]

True. I doubt many young fans outside of Houston even understand the meaning behind “Astros.” Then again, I doubt many fans of any age group are quite sure what a “Knickerbocker” is.

[quote comment=”385739″]…a team named “Stars” certainly wouldn’t have been out of place playing in the “Astrodome.”

—Ricko[/quote]

unless they’re link

[quote comment=”385733″][quote comment=”385732″][quote comment=”385728″]the Milwaukee Braves hold a pretty high position in baseball history.

Yet for all that, they called Milwaukee home for just 13 seasons.

—Ricko[/quote]

can anyone hip me as to why the milwaukee braves had such a short tenure? change in ownership? low attendance? desire by mlb to expand southward?[/quote]

Calling Chance Micheals…
Calling Chance Micheals…[/quote]
Yellllo?

I would have been here sooner, but it’s “a before e.” ;)

The Braves left for Atlanta in 1965 because Fred Miller, president of Miller Brewing, died in a plane crash in 1954.

No, I’m serious. Jolly Cholly Grimm said so in his autobiography.

Even after Lou Pirini moved the Braves to Milwaukee, he kept Boston as his home. He was seen in later years as distant and ineffective, especially when the team started to struggle after 1960. Pirini sold the team to a group of Chicago investors in 1962, and instantly rumors started about moving the Braves to Atlanta (or, alternately, San Diego).

Atlanta was seen as the hot prospect because they could claim the entire South as a television market.

Those relocation rumors hurt attendance (Milwaukee having set record after record not long before that), which would ultimately be given as the reason for moving. Then the city fathers sued, delaying the move and resulting in a lame-duck season with flat-out lousy attendance. I used to know a guy who went to the Braves’ last game at County Stadium – in his den he had the twenty-three foul balls he “caught” that day, largely because he didn’t have much competition scampering across the empty sections for them.

So basically, the Braves moved because their Chicago-based owners saw a larger profit in being the only game in a growing Southern region than one among many in the upper Midwest. That’s it in a nutshell.

Which brings us back to Jolly Cholly. He firmly believed that had Pirini sold to a Milwaukee owner, someone who was part of the community instead of another out-of-town investor only interested in the short-term profit statement, the Braves would have continued to thrive in the Cream City to this day.

[quote comment=”385742″][quote comment=”385740″]When was the last time YOUR team had a player wear 42 every day?

link

Micheal Jackson with Twins.
Yeah, remember him.
Oddball.
Wore a glove on only one hand.
Stange dude.[/quote]

A baseball player only wearing a glove on one hand? Bizarre indeed.

[quote comment=”385741″]Why is the Carndinals sign an apostrophe catastrophe? Apostrophes are used to indicate the omission of numbers such as: “The class of 1965 = the class of ’65.” or “World War II ended in 1945 = World War II ended in ’45.” Am I missing something?[/quote]
The problem isn’t with using apostrophes to indicate removed text, but the fact that the apostrophes on that sign are not apostrophes.

link

What on Earth is going on with the sleeves on Chelsea’s jersey for next year?

This past year’s jersey annoyed me because it had that ridiculous zipper thing and I just couldn’t buy a shirt like that and then I noticed this year’s and I was equally disgusted.

It’s like something Rafael Nadal might wear with his pants.

[quote comment=”385703″]Today’s ESPN column is up:
link

Paul,

When you propose an ESPN piece, what kind of feedback do you get from your editor? It seems that today’s entry is more of a traditional uniwatchblog entry compared the to the usual rundown of uniform changes in a league (which is a good thing). The only reason I ask is I remember the Cowboys article that received less-than-stellar comments from angry Cowboys fans. I didn’t know if ESPN is letting you venture further into the uniwatching world on the world wide leader.

[quote comment=”385746″][quote comment=”385739″]…a team named “Stars” certainly wouldn’t have been out of place playing in the “Astrodome.”

—Ricko[/quote]

unless they’re link[/quote]

Ah, see, there’s the beauty of choosing “Stars” in ’65…
Hollywood Stars were long gone.
Minnesota North Stars did not yet exist.
Neither did L.A./Utah Stars.

Other than, I suppose, concern over sounding presumptuous, there really wasn’t much working against “Stars” at the time.

Seems to me the uni ended up with a star on cap, home jersey, road jersey (Texas flag patch on sleeve) and stirrups, anyway.

As to Knickerbockers, that’s a bit different. Named after a historical figure. Not taken from a time the club was smackdab in the middle of…which can be risky because in a few years you may be real sorry you called your team the “Discos”.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”385736″][quote comment=”385730″][quote comment=”385720″]Interesting article about the Astros on the ESPN site. I don’t think you can find any wider contrast in imagery and identity than you find between the Colt .45’s and the Astros. They went from Wild West gunslingers to futuristic spacemen!
I think a problem the Astros face today, aesthetically, is that with their ballpark they’re trying to go with a retro look but it simply doesn’t work with a team named the ‘Astros’. Their uniforms recently had a picture of the Space Shuttle on them, while the park they played in has a little steam-engine choo-choo train running across the outfield. The pieces simply don’t fit. That, combined with their god-awful red-brick jerseys, and it’s difficult to watch an Astros game on TV.[/quote]

once they left the dome, it all went to hell. it’s like two guys, on their way to a meeting with the architects and designers, were carrying boxes of houston professional baseball history — one colt .45’s, the other astros — and they collided, thereby commingling the separate histories. the whole thing’s a dang train-wreck (pun intended)[/quote]

The Astros, unfortunately, got stuck with a nickname that was, from a marketing standpoint, risky. It sprung from a current (at the time) cultural phenomenon: fascination with space and the space race. The country was still loving itself for rising to the challenge JFK had issued to put a man on the moon “by the end of decade”.

Wiser heads should have thought, “That has the potential to get dated; to lose it’s clout.”

I mean, come on, as it stands now, probably as many people think of the Jetsons’ dog as think of space exploration when they hear “Astro.”

Kinda like the Raptors falling over themselves to grab onto the Jurassic Park phenomenon. Oh, like THAT was gonna last forever.

You may hate “Thunder.” But thunder ain’t goin’ anywhere.

—Ricko[/quote]

Agreed about the Astros identity crisis. Drayton McLane is a doofus.

As a nickname, Astros has been associated with the baseball team for so long that, to me, it’s kind of like the Dodgers – the first thing you think of when you hear it is baseball. That said, they should lose the choo choo (Please no history lessons – we all know why there’s a fucking train there!) and go back to the shooting star uniforms/original team colors that define them perfectly.

As to Mr. Ethier’s escapades:

Holy Shirt! (after the mods it looks to me like a roman collar);

Swooshectomy;

Cool base of the neck.

[quote comment=”385747″][quote comment=”385744″]True. I doubt many young fans outside of Houston even understand the meaning behind “Astros.” Then again, I doubt many fans of any age group are quite sure what a “Knickerbocker” is.[/quote]

What the hell is a Trolley Dodger, anyway?[/quote]

Better write fast before Chance comes back from his coffee break.

Origins of Knickerbocker. A bunch of witty young gentlemen of Anglo-Saxon descent in the New York of the early 19th Century used to entertain each other at a place called the Salmagundi Club. Leading light among them was one Washington Irving. He and his pals deplored the lack of a colorful folk history of New York, and so they made one up. Irving especially cared about the Dutch roots of Nieuw Amsterdam (blue-and-orange, remember?), but was frustrated by the lack of reliable historical data. From the little evidence that survived, he wrote a History of New York written by one Dietrich Knickerbocker. A funny “Dutch” name. Ditto Rip Van Winkle. All invention. Anyway, the Knickebocker name caught on as a kind of an NYC Uncle Sam-like symbol useful for editorial cartoons. This personage came to be known as “Father Knickerbocker,” usually dressed in 18th Century garb. Later, of course, he sold Knickerbocker Beer and can be seen dribbling a basketball in the early days of the Knicks.

A trolley dodger was a guy adept at navigating his way through the congested urban streets of the early 20th Century, and Brooklyn was full of ’em.

[quote comment=”385762″][quote comment=”385758″]As to Knickerbockers, that’s a bit different. Named after a historical figure. Not taken from a time the club was smackdab in the middle of… which can be risky because in a few years you may be real sorry you called your team the “Discos”.

—Ricko[/quote]

Good point. Similarly though, couldn’t one make the case that, unlike the Raptors, the Astros were named not only for a popular cultural event, but an historical event as well?[/quote]

What historical event? Opening the first domed stadium?
Ouch, not positive I’d wanted to hanging my identity/marketing hat on that twenty years hence.

Plus, they were still in the throes of the cultural phenomenon, and that’s the risky part. You just can’t tell how that phenomenon will be regarded in the future.

But something like “Knickerbocker” or “Thunder” (or “Stars”) for that matter, you can pretty much locate in the cultural scheme of things and figure they’ll stay in that general position. Overall point is that, all things considered, a generic or historic nickname generally is a far better bet than a trendy one.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”385688″]I can’t believe the Braves are going to bring these back.

link

There was such a negative stigma attached to those jerseys b/c they stunk for most of the 1980s while wearing them. I guess enough time has passed that the team is willing to bring them back for a throwback game. Vey similar to Ricko’s hatred of the powder-blue Twins unis with red hats. Bad memories of bad teams.

link
That’s awesome news!!!! Made my day–can’t wait for another lost decade for the Bravos!!!!! heeheeheehee

“Victory Chop!” is beyond brilliant.

Swooshectomy, as in “Andre Ethier went under the knife today, for a quick swooshectomy. The equipment manager reports he should be back on the field in three to four seconds.”

Andrescopy, as in, “Inspired by their teammate, several Dodgers underwent voluntary Andrescopes today.”

Etherizing — like Martinizing, only it doesn’t take 60 minutes, and you can actually see the results.

[quote comment=”385762″][quote comment=”385758″]As to Knickerbockers, that’s a bit different. Named after a historical figure. Not taken from a time the club was smackdab in the middle of… which can be risky because in a few years you may be real sorry you called your team the “Discos”.

—Ricko[/quote]

Good point. Similarly though, couldn’t one make the case that, unlike the Raptors, the Astros were named not only for a popular cultural event, but an historical event as well?[/quote]

AND a noteworthy regional industry, which is why I think Astros totally works for Houston. It wouldn’t work in, say, Omaha, but given Houston’s heavy connection to and reputation for the space program, I think it’s wholly appropriate.

Astros, to me, is just like Packers or Steelers.

[quote comment=”385767″]What historical event? Opening the first domed stadium?
Ouch, not positive I’d wanted to hanging my identity/marketing hat on that twenty years hence.

—Ricko[/quote]

LOL! Nah, that’d be like naming your team after BFBS unis. Sorry… I meant “Astros” as being an allusion to the space race.

[quote comment=”385767″]

What historical event? Opening the first domed stadium?
[/quote]

wouldn’t that be the rogers centre? ;) (or really, the roman colosseum?)

[quote comment=”385772″]Dodgers could mean “Freeway Dodgers,” too, providing the rationale for deeming it an appropriate L.A. nickname.

—Ricko[/quote]

Or “Drive-by Dodgers.”

[quote comment=”385764″]I see those 80s Braves unis as the end of a longer wilderness period where the team got away from it uni heritage. THE Braves uni started in 1946
link
and continued until 1962.

At first the change was subtle: removing the tomahawk from ’63 to ’67.
link

Then they introduced home pins and a road gray that had no tomahawk and no sleeve or placket piping.
link

Then they went berzerk in the 1970s with the abstract sleeve feather design, softball road uni, lowercase “a,” and permanent white pants.
link

Next was an awful red pinstripe uni at home:
link

The 80s saw an introduction of a templated home and road v-neck pullover scheme that was devoid of character or personality.
link

It wasn until 1987 that the francise finall “got it” and went back to the classic Braves uni.
link

And, yes, the 82 an 83 teams won their division, but the rest of the 80s were a disaster. My childhood was littered with crap like Rick Mahler, Bob Horner, Zane Smith, Rafael Ramirez, Gene Garber, Terry Forster, rickety Claudell Washington, and the like.

When the team’s fortunes turned around in 1991, an it was kind of a sign that winning and those classic unis go hand in hand. The Braves did not mess with those unis all through the 90s. It has only been in the past 5 or 6 years that alts have entered the picture.

I bet Rays fans feel the same way about their team’s uni switch.[/quote]

Nice history. I wonder if those looks (which at the time I thought were fine) were as jarring to traditionalists then as the new horns-and-stripes look of some of today’s uniforms are to us new traditionalists. All in all, there’s not a horrible uni in that bunch you showed, just more of a collection of uniforms representative of the eras.

Remember that Bob Horner was a rookie sensation and once hit four homers in a game, and Terry Garber broke Pete Rose’s 44-game hitting streak in summer 1978.

Andre is sponsored by Easton, Nike is the official provider of MLB baselayer gear, and everyone has some awfully good ideas for a name for this logo creep cut-out. Its on par with the Big Papi blacking out the swoosh and putting “Reebok” on the other side, lol.

[quote comment=”385780″][quote comment=”385773″][quote comment=”385762″][quote comment=”385758″]As to Knickerbockers, that’s a bit different. Named after a historical figure. Not taken from a time the club was smackdab in the middle of… which can be risky because in a few years you may be real sorry you called your team the “Discos”.

—Ricko[/quote]

Good point. Similarly though, couldn’t one make the case that, unlike the Raptors, the Astros were named not only for a popular cultural event, but an historical event as well?[/quote]

AND a noteworthy regional industry, which is why I think Astros totally works for Houston. It wouldn’t work in, say, Omaha, but given Houston’s heavy connection to and reputation for the space program, I think it’s wholly appropriate.

Astros, to me, is just like Packers or Steelers.[/quote]

Didn’t say was a bad nickname. Just saying if it’s lost any of its edge, here are the reasons.

And also that any nickname derived from current pop culture or mindset (and “Astros” was) has some inherent risks.

And the space program wasn’t–and still isn’t—so much a local Houston industry as it is the NATION’s space industry, located in Houston.

In that sense, it’s different from Packers and Steelers.

Again, is an okay name, but it does have just a bit of “big fins on cars” to it. There really is no denying that. Not if you were around in 1965 or before to realize it, of course. If you weren’t, then you can either argue, or accept the observations of those who were.

—Ricko[/quote]

Haha, jeez, Ricko, for someone who hates a young guy/old guy dynamic, you certainly like to go there, don’t you? ;)

I guess I can give you the “NATION’s space industry, located in Houston.” I didn’t mean to imply that the space program was Houston’s alone. I think it’s tough to deny, though, that Houston is one of very few US cities (Cape Canaveral is another) with clear assocations to the program. It definitely does have a “big fins on cars” ring, and I like the reference, since they were prevalent around the same time. But I think you might be able to say the same thing about “Steelers”, since the steel industry in Pittsburgh has all but dried up. Maybe not “big fins on cars”… maybe… oh, I’m not sure what a more era-appropriate reference would be for them. I wasn’t around then, so I’ll accept the observations of those who were. ;)

Pop culture AND an industry that, while not Houston’s alone, was certainly big there. I’m cool with that.

Awesome moment in last night’s Coyotes/Red Wings game, which I will YouTube when I get a chance.

PHX goes ahead in the 3rd (on the eventual game-winning goal). Analyst Tyson Nash starts to describe the play, the camera pans the crowd and someone in the front row is wearing a Kamloops Blazers jersey.

No exaggeration, Nash just drops a parenthetical, “Hey, look, a Blazers jersey!” and then just continues with his analysis of the goal. It was epic.

Bernard said…

“Pop culture AND an industry that, while not Houston’s alone, was certainly big there. I’m cool with that.”

Oh, me, too. This all started with a discussion of the convoluted and contradictory images at the stadium.

And I was only trying to point out that something more generic like “Stars” would have eliminated much of that contradiction.

So the REAL issue is, based on reality (not always the first consideration around here, I’ll admit), “Yeah, the train’s kinda quaint and historical and all…but maybe either it or all the other disjointed stuff there ought to go.”

—Ricko

Re: Jake Doyle’s visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I was there last summer & noticed the same Hendrix drawings that he reported on in today’s ticker. As I recall, they were very detailed, Ricko-esque illustrations.

When I got back home, I did some Googling, but was unable to find any images of the Hendrix uni sketches online — and the HOF has a “no photos” policy that precludes visitors from taking their own images. Too bad, cuz as I thought at the time, the exhibit would definitely be of interest to the UW crew.

Thanks, Paul & Jake, for a nice reminder of a great afternoon on the shores of Lake Erie :-)

[quote comment=”385774″]Or (Houston) Oilers.[/quote]

washington capitals… LOL

Astros is a ridiculous name, born of the fevered mind of Judge Roy Hofheinz, one of the last larger-than-life, mad genius political leaders Texas ever produced (today it’s all beady eyes and haircuts).

It is a name that begs to be associated with weirdness. The Dome was a weird place. A wonderful place, but so very weird. (Did you know that it had a private bowling alley? Or a German biergarten, called “Der Domeskeller”?) It needs tailfins, Ricko, and Protestant infielders in crewcuts and skinny ties, and a grounds crew dressed in faux spacegear. It needs to be serenaded by Dean Martin and early Herb Alpert and especially Juan Garcia Esquivel. And it needs to be splayed across a rainbow jersey, or at the very least the old “shooting star” togs.

That darn billionaire Sunday School teacher has taken all of the funkiness out of the team. The new stadium, despite its amazing Union Station entrance, has all the charm of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Craig Biggio was a great player, but he had all the charm, wit and flavor of a 55 gallon drum of Miracle Whip. Drayton built the Astros on Biggio’s personality.

And the uniforms, all pinstriped in their brick red, sand and charcoal finery, are about as interesting to look at as tollbooth operators’ smocks.

Houston is the weirdest city in North America, far weirder than Austin, which tries too hard. Why we refuse to embrace it, why we insist on being some bland wasteland, some greater Plano, is beyond me.

[quote comment=”385796″]IIRC this logo was slapped on a many a uniform as well.

link

…and they link too [eye-roll]

[quote comment=”385780″]Again, is an okay name, but it does have just a bit of “big fins on cars” to it. There really is no denying that. Not if you were around in 1965 or before to realize it, of course. If you weren’t, then you can either argue, or accept the observations of those who were.
[/quote]

And if anyone had any doubts that Paul’s making Ricko into a minor celebrity had gone to his head…your honor, Exhibit A.

Naming Suggestion: curethier

Reason: Combine the words “curet” and Ethier (worked out nicely – huh)

Definition of curet
Etymology: Fr, curette, scoop
1 n, a surgical instrument shaped like a spoon or scoop for scraping and removing material or tissue from an organ, cavity, or surface. A curet may be blunt or sharp and is designed in a shape and size appropriate to its use.
2 v, to remove tissue or debris with such a device

[quote comment=”385800″]but the point is this…i’d wager 85 or more percent of today’s baseball fans neither know or nor particularly associate space and astronauts with the houston ballclub[/quote]

And that brings it all back around to Frank’s original point of there being a HUGE disconnect with the design of the ballpark and uniforms with the history of the club. I don’t think Astros ownership missed the boat (train?) entirely since they tried to tie in Houston’s historical elements… they just used the wrong elements. They could have really played up the space-race aspect. They could have used rockets, space capsules, moon rovers, link…

Oh, but I should mention that I didn’t know that it came directly from “Astronaut”. I just thought it was supposed to reference space-y stuff. So to me, it doesn’t sound any stranger than a team name of “Stars”. Though if the were called the Houston Astronauts in everyday conversation, that would sound VERY outdated.

you forgot to mention the Utah Jazz named their court after the late Larry H. Miller. last week you mentioned they would announce that they would change jerseys let me know what happened?
Go JAZZ!!!!

[quote comment=”385806″]Packers, Steelers, Oilers etc., will be good even if the industry goes away, because it will always be about the town’s history. “Astros” is a kind of hip buzz word from a particular time frame (and if it’s meant to be short for “Astronauts” that’s even worse, because just going with Astronauts would have been better; at least we know what an Astronaut IS).

—Ricko[/quote]

Yes, but isn’t Astros a reference to Houston’s history as well? I see what you’re saying about it being a buzzword, but it carries historical as well as pop cultural significance. The Packers and Steelers were both named in the midst of their heyday if I’m not mistaken.

“houston…we’ve had a problem”

and how many of us ever heard that phrase before seeing the movie apollo 13?

i was a history major and grew up just after the first moon landing (born in 1966) and can barely remember watching some of the subsequent attempts on the television as a mere lad…so i was certainly aware of the importance of houston and space

i was also keenly aware of the astros…and the astrodome and astroturf…but i didn’t see that many games played there as a kid and even if i did…i likely didn’t see the groundskeepers in their astronaut suits during commerical breaks

maybe it’s just me being young and not making the connection…apparently it’s obvious to some, but seriously, i really just looked upon ‘astros’ as a teams’ name…i didn’t know what a padre or a phillie (still don’t) was either, but to me they were just names…obviously as i grew older, i made the connection, but i’d still be willing to be that for many, there is no association between the houston ballclub and mission control or the space race

[quote comment=”385799″][quote comment=”385780″]Again, is an okay name, but it does have just a bit of “big fins on cars” to it. There really is no denying that. Not if you were around in 1965 or before to realize it, of course. If you weren’t, then you can either argue, or accept the observations of those who were.
[/quote]

And if anyone had any doubts that Paul’s making Ricko into a minor celebrity had gone to his head…your honor, Exhibit A.[/quote]

Have you EVER seen me comment on how trends and public moods and such were in the ’30s and ’40s?

No. And you won’t. Because I have no frame of reference for them. I didn’t experience them.

That doesn’t seem to be a problem for some here, though, who are perfectly willing to debate how things were living in the ’50s and ’60s….even though they weren’t born until the ’70s (or later).

Guess there’s no value in turning to someone and saying, “You lived through it, what’s your take on it? What was it like?”

Better to just put your own spin on it and call it accurate, right? Why waste all that time LISTENING.

Or nitpick. Some live there. Makes ’em feel superior without contributing anything of value.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”385812″][quote comment=”385795″]Astros is a ridiculous name, born of the fevered mind of Judge Roy Hofheinz, one of the last larger-than-life, mad genius political leaders Texas ever produced (today it’s all beady eyes and haircuts).

It is a name that begs to be associated with weirdness. The Dome was a weird place. A wonderful place, but so very weird. (Did you know that it had a private bowling alley? Or a German biergarten, called “Der Domeskeller”?) It needs tailfins, Ricko, and Protestant infielders in crewcuts and skinny ties, and a grounds crew dressed in faux spacegear. It needs to be serenaded by Dean Martin and early Herb Alpert and especially Juan Garcia Esquivel. And it needs to be splayed across a rainbow jersey, or at the very least the old “shooting star” togs.

That darn billionaire Sunday School teacher has taken all of the funkiness out of the team. The new stadium, despite its amazing Union Station entrance, has all the charm of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Craig Biggio was a great player, but he had all the charm, wit and flavor of a 55 gallon drum of Miracle Whip. Drayton built the Astros on Biggio’s personality.

And the uniforms, all pinstriped in their brick red, sand and charcoal finery, are about as interesting to look at as tollbooth operators’ smocks.

Houston is the weirdest city in North America, far weirder than Austin, which tries too hard. Why we refuse to embrace it, why we insist on being some bland wasteland, some greater Plano, is beyond me.[/quote]

This, by the way, is an amazing post. An absolute pleasure to read![/quote]

Agreed. A pleasure to read. Fun.
And not just because it beautifully makes my point,
but because that there is some good writin’.

–Ricko

[quote comment=”385806″]”Astros” was just a flashy new prefix, a popular catch-all derived from astronomy and attached to all sorts of things: astronaut, astrophysics, astrobiology, etc., etc., etc.

—Ricko[/quote]

Was “Astros” really used that way by regular folks? That’s hilarious… and pretty dang corny too which, I take it, is the basis for your whole argument — cool then + cornball now = moniker without long legs.

I like the name, I just wish the team would acknowledge it’s past a little better. A return to Tequila Sunrise might help.

[quote comment=”385817″][quote comment=”385806″]”Astros” was just a flashy new prefix, a popular catch-all derived from astronomy and attached to all sorts of things: astronaut, astrophysics, astrobiology, etc., etc., etc.

—Ricko[/quote]

Was “Astros” really used that way by regular folks? That’s hilarious… and pretty dang corny too which, I take it, is the basis for your whole argument — cool then + cornball now = moniker without long legs.

I like the name, I just wish the team would acknowledge it’s past a little better. A return to Tequila Sunrise might help.[/quote]

Not so much by regular folks, but in advertising, media, etc. The AstroWorld amusement park was near the Astrodome, remember. And the AstroWorld Hotel, of course. And there IS that dog on the “The Jetsons”. And “Tom Corbett, Space Cadet”‘s best buddies were Roger and Astro. The name is a reflection of an attitude of the times, not an industry, not an occupation. And it NEVER was short for Astronaut. No, sir, owes directly to the stadium.

And again, I never said I don’t like the name, just that if it has a weaknesses it’s that it’s sorta campy, a bit like a team called the “23 Skidoos” would be. In the future, “Astros” may have that kind of charm. Right now it’s in that limbo between hip and “delightfully harking back to another place and time”. That’s all.

From a marketing standpoint, the team possibly might consider whether to have fun with it (as you and Cort have suggested) or to insist on continuing to try to neutralize it to the point is has NO meaning whatsoever and therefore doesn’t SEEM campy.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”385812″][quote comment=”385795″]Astros is a ridiculous name, born of the fevered mind of Judge Roy Hofheinz, one of the last larger-than-life, mad genius political leaders Texas ever produced (today it’s all beady eyes and haircuts).

It is a name that begs to be associated with weirdness. The Dome was a weird place. A wonderful place, but so very weird. (Did you know that it had a private bowling alley? Or a German biergarten, called “Der Domeskeller”?) It needs tailfins, Ricko, and Protestant infielders in crewcuts and skinny ties, and a grounds crew dressed in faux spacegear. It needs to be serenaded by Dean Martin and early Herb Alpert and especially Juan Garcia Esquivel. And it needs to be splayed across a rainbow jersey, or at the very least the old “shooting star” togs.

That darn billionaire Sunday School teacher has taken all of the funkiness out of the team. The new stadium, despite its amazing Union Station entrance, has all the charm of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Craig Biggio was a great player, but he had all the charm, wit and flavor of a 55 gallon drum of Miracle Whip. Drayton built the Astros on Biggio’s personality.

And the uniforms, all pinstriped in their brick red, sand and charcoal finery, are about as interesting to look at as tollbooth operators’ smocks.

Houston is the weirdest city in North America, far weirder than Austin, which tries too hard. Why we refuse to embrace it, why we insist on being some bland wasteland, some greater Plano, is beyond me.[/quote]

This, by the way, is an amazing post. An absolute pleasure to read![/quote]

“would you buy furniture from a store called Unpainted Huffheins?”

sorry… first thing that cropped up there… ignore me… carry on! lol

[quote comment=”385821″]”would you buy furniture from a store called Unpainted Huffheins?”[/quote]

LMAO! Not every day one comes across a “Raising Arizona” quote. OK, then.

Oh, and what’s not to love about Jackie Robinson Day? Zambrano’s pitching and the cubs are actually link.

I turned the game on as he was batting and not realizing what day it was, I assumed that he was pinch-hitting until I noticed the 42 on Jeff Suppan’s back.

Yeah, so I guess it’s time to read today’s post.

[quote comment=”385826″]C’mon, Phil. You’re not going to chime in with this?

“Incidentally, the Astros is short for “Astronauts” (although the team was never known by this name) and relates to their proximity to the Houston Space Center (since renamed the Johnson Space Center), from which the Apollo, Gemini and Mercury space flights originated.”[/quote]

you should see the emails im exchanging with ricko right now

[quote comment=”385811″]”houston…we’ve had a problem”

and how many of us ever heard that phrase before seeing the movie apollo 13?

i was a history major and grew up just after the first moon landing (born in 1966) and can barely remember watching some of the subsequent attempts on the television as a mere lad…so i was certainly aware of the importance of houston and space

i was also keenly aware of the astros…and the astrodome and astroturf…but i didn’t see that many games played there as a kid and even if i did…i likely didn’t see the groundskeepers in their astronaut suits during commerical breaks

maybe it’s just me being young and not making the connection…apparently it’s obvious to some, but seriously, i really just looked upon ‘astros’ as a teams’ name…i didn’t know what a padre or a phillie (still don’t) was either, but to me they were just names…obviously as i grew older, i made the connection, but i’d still be willing to be that for many, there is no association between the houston ballclub and mission control or the space race[/quote]

Born a year later than you, but even if I wasn’t such a space geek, I had the Tang commercials, link the Fisher Space Pen ads and the nightly news to remind me that we were still in the space age even in the early to mid 70s. Anyone who even casually watched the news (like me) back then knew Mission Control was located in Houston. That’s why I instantly connected Astros and the Astrodome with astronauts.

I’ll admit I wasn’t familiar with “Houston, we’ve had a problem” until the movie, but I knew about the mission well before that. My point in bringing that line up was: even those who only get their history from Hollywood know there’s a connection with Houston and the space program.

I’ll agree there are SOME out there who have no clue, but I think those are the same people who ask, “What’s a Sooner? Or a 49er?” I also think they’re in the minority, like those people Jay Leno finds on the street.

[quote comment=”385827″][quote comment=”385826″]C’mon, Phil. You’re not going to chime in with this?

“Incidentally, the Astros is short for “Astronauts” (although the team was never known by this name) and relates to their proximity to the Houston Space Center (since renamed the Johnson Space Center), from which the Apollo, Gemini and Mercury space flights originated.”[/quote]

you should see the emails im exchanging with ricko right now[/quote]

Got something you want to share with the rest of the class? ;)

[quote comment=”385832″]Besides, this is one of the all time great underrated baseball caps…

link

is it just me, or does terry puhl look an awful lot like link?

There was a local journalist, several decades ago, who wrote that Houston is “a whiskey and trombone town.” I have no idea what that means, but it makes perfect sense.

Hofheinz was an opportunist. He got his franchise by trading on the romantic notions of a bygone era: the Colt .45 players and staff were required to wear Stetsons while traveling on road trips, and the groundbreaking for the “Harris County Domed Stadium” was accomplished not by sliver plated shovels, but by a bunch of guys in business suits firing six-shooters into the dirt. He got his domed stadium by exploiting the two local mania: first, that we must, at any cost, Be Better Than Dallas; second, that this is Space City, U.S.A. (it even says so on our cops’ uniform patches).

They were called the Astros instead of the Astronauts, because Astros fit better in a headline, and the Judge was terrified that if they performed poorly, sportswriters would shorten the nickname to the ‘Nauts (‘nauts, naughts — you get the picture).

Everything that makes Houston Houston happened in a crazy, oil-soaked spasm between 1963 and 1984, the last year of Phi Slamma Jamma. The Astros were an important part of that. Today, in their pinstripe suits, they are just another bunch of disappointing millionaires, like R. Allen Sanford and his cronies, or the boys down the street at Enron. Drayton McLane deserves a swirly.

OK, enough. Sorry, boys — I do get riled sometimes. Serenity NOW!

[quote comment=”385835″]the Colt .45 players and staff were required to wear Stetsons while traveling on road trips[/quote]

LOL! All i can picture is George Costanza and the whiskey-swillin’ Astros’ execs trading barbs over the phone… “You tell that son of a bitch no Yankee is ever comin’ to Houston. Not as long as you bastards are running things.”

[quote comment=”385838″][quote comment=”385835″]the groundbreaking for the “Harris County Domed Stadium” was accomplished not by sliver plated shovels, but by a bunch of guys in business suits firing six-shooters into the dirt.[/quote]

F**king brilliant. Abso-f**king-lutely brilliant.[/quote]
Yes, if the six-shooters in question were Colt .45s. Otherwise, not so much.

Saw this 1908? Pitt Panther picture with pinned numbers on a Pitt site.

link

Not a huge deal… but officially, the Twins have their home-navy alternate listed as being paired with the old “M” cap. As I guessed, they immediately opted for the TC cap with it instead.

[quote comment=”385840″][quote comment=”385839″][quote comment=”385838″][quote comment=”385835″]the groundbreaking for the “Harris County Domed Stadium” was accomplished not by sliver plated shovels, but by a bunch of guys in business suits firing six-shooters into the dirt.[/quote]

F**king brilliant. Abso-f**king-lutely brilliant.[/quote]
Yes, if the six-shooters in question were Colt .45s. Otherwise, not so much.[/quote]

…or they coulda poured out a little colt .45 for their homies then taken a sip for themselves. it works every time.[/quote]
fo’ shizzle

With everyone wearing 42, it reminds me of that cartoon, “First base, Bugs Bunny….second base, Bugs Bunny……shortstop, Bugs Bunny…….”

Creep-ectomy.

[quote comment=”385844″]Here’s the best picture I could find of the “AstroTurf” wordmark on the field in Toronto:

link

Looks like complete crap![/quote]

Has there ever been corporate advertizing on a MLB playing field before this? I DON’T LIKE TRIAL BALLOONS!

(the Spiderman III bases come to mind … though if memory serves me correctly, those were 86’d before making into an actual game)

According to the Dodgers radio broadcast, the Dodgers are all “in ’47 style pants”, all with Stirrups. I don’t have video, so I’m not sure if that includes Manny as well.

[quote comment=”385853″]According to the Dodgers radio broadcast, the Dodgers are all “in ’47 style pants”, all with Stirrups. I don’t have video, so I’m not sure if that includes Manny as well.[/quote]

mlb network showing a clip of the game, and the batter, casey blake, is wearing pajamas, but the runner on first (not sure, he’s wearing 42 tho) has bloused pants and rups (ok, its loney)

manny on third base wearing HUGE ASS PAJAMAS (no rups)…also the third base coach has on pajamas as well…and the batboy

they just cut away, so that’s all i saw

but, so much for the team wide sportin’ of the rups

Orlando Hudson of the Twins went highcuffed today, but was wearing hightops that were virtually all white. Looked like he was part of a women’s phys. ed class in 1910.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”385853″]According to the Dodgers radio broadcast, the Dodgers are all “in ’47 style pants”, all with Stirrups. I don’t have video, so I’m not sure if that includes Manny as well.[/quote

most of the team are wearing the pajama pants, I guess it is too much work to apply stirrups!

I am in the minority here, but I love the name Astros. I wish they would bring back the space shuttle patch.

[quote comment=”385856″]and ugh…nice work by the stros today…wearing their link

they still lost[/quote]

Weren’t those the Astros regular brick red “alts”? Though in the case of the Astros, that has become their de facto road uniform, with the team only wearing the grays if their opponent is wearing red tops and in the ASG.