Another great batch, mostly courtesy of Mike Hersh, who by this point deserves a silver-plated teletype machine for his efforts. Here we go:
• Here’s Mr. May, as the Boss liked to call him, in his college days. Note the basketball-style centered uni number. I also like how the caption lists him as a “pitcher-left fielder.”
• Lots of weirdness in this 1943 shot. For starters, although the caption says the guy in the center is 7 feet tall, he doesn’t look nearly that big to me. Whatever his height, nobody by the name of Richard Ahrens is listed in the all-time registry of big-leaguers, so he never played. Also, note that the caption refers to the Senators as the “Nats,” as was common parlance in those days.
• Do pitchers still wear toe plates? If so, they certainly aren’t contrast-colored.
• Oh man, how soon can we get the Rays to wear this Tampa Tarpons uni as a throwback?
• Who’s that kid lurking in the doorway? Must’ve been Jeffrey Maier’s father. Also, note the stirrup star on the Astros outfielder.
• The thing that jumped out at me from this photo was the inconsistent sleeve patches (both of which are awesome, no?). Then I realized the guy on the right has no collar/placket piping, while the other two guys do. Which means we’re probably seeing a mix of the Cubbies’ 1929 and 1930 road uniforms.
• Quick, can you guess the colors of this Booklyn Dodgers uni design? I bet 99% of you will be surprised to learn the true hues. The caps in the photo don’t match the ones in the Okkonen template because the photo was taken in spring training of 1932 — they were wearing the previous season’s uniforms but the upcoming season’s cap.
• Speaking of the Dodgers (or the Robins, as they were known back then), here’s skipper Wilbert Robinson wearing one beauty of a sweater. Don’t think I’ve ever seen two-tone sleeves like those on a baseball sweater before. Note the tattersall uniforms on the flanking players, which means the photo was likely taken in 1916.
• And speaking of sweaters, you’d be hard-pressed to find a nicer one than this 1934 Cardinals model. That’s Dizzy Dean with the Pedro Porthole and brother Paul with the partially unbuckled belt.
• And speaking of the Cards, it’s always nice to see a good photo of their 1927 “Look at us!” uni.
• One last sweater shot: Who’s that? It’s none other than Shoeless Joe Jackson, playing for Savannah in 1908.
• Hey, who needs Jim Joyce when you can have a robotic umpire? Full explanation in this caption.
• Here’s a great shot of Eddie Gaedel that I’d never seen before. (That one’s from Ben Traxel, who also sent along these Gaedel shots.)
• And finally, a non-baseball shot, and it’s a doozy.
That’s it for this time. More wire service goodies coming soon.
World Cup Giveaway: The folks at Puma are making one of their Africa Unity jerseys available to a lucky Uni Watch reader (further info on the jersey is here). The jersey will be packaged in a special wooden box and will include a set of patches, so the winner can customize the shirt to his or her liking.
To enter, send an e-mail with your name, shipping address, and preferred shirt size (S, M, or L only) to the giveaway address by this Thursday, June 17th, 7pm eastern. One entry per person. I’ll announce the winner on Friday.
Uni Watch News Ticker: New logo for USA Ultimate (with thanks to Chris Ashworth). ”¦ “For the second year in a row, the Canadian team Cervelo has realized it gets pretty hot in July and is switching to a white kit for the Tour de France,” says Jeff Mayer. “They pulled the same trick last year.” ”¦ Here’s what this year’s World Series patch will look like (with thanks to Justin Kerr). ”¦ Gotta love this: a 1910 baseball team sponsored by a clothier. Dig that guy with his back to the camera! (Great find by Dave Eskenazi.) ”¦ Really cool World Cup interactive schedule here (with thanks to Brad Shannon). ”¦ And there’s a good visual timeline of soccer gear here (as forwarded by John Muir). ”¦ Lots of catcher’s have their names, nicknames, or uni numbers on their chest protector collars. But Joe Mauer appears to be the only one who has his own personal logo. And no, that’s not a Twins “M” — it’s Mauer’s own mark (with thanks to Willie Oelrich). ”¦ The Jazz will unveil their new logos, colors, etc. tomorrow morning. ”¦ New logo for the Portland Timbers. ”¦ Interesting clear facemask on this softball player (with thanks to Tris Wykes). ”¦ Anyone know what David Huff had written on his cap yesterday? (As noted by Alex Higley.) ”¦ Double-whammy for Jamie Moyer the other night: a Pedro porthole and an extra “el” (with thanks to Tom Adjemian). ”¦ Tim Lincecum was breathing Ethier on Friday night (screen shot provided by Laren Richardson. ”¦ Very interesting interview with the guy who designed the Big 10 logo (big thanks to Rachel Bicicchi). ”¦ In a related item, Chiraag Dharia has come up with a great logo design that will come in handy if the Big 10 ever expands to 16 teams. ”¦ What’s worse than a softball team wearing solid black? Two softball teams wearing solid black. That’s from the Utah state championship semi-finals (with thanks to Shane Jorgenson). ”¦ The White Sox wore this road uniform for only one season — 1926. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of it before. Love that cap! And man, those sneakers (awesome find by Bruce Menard). ”¦ Good video survey of English soccer jersey history on this page. It has a really annoying musical accompaniment, so hit the mute button before clicking on the video (with thanks to Greg Trandel). ”¦ Last week I mentioned that Nate Robinson was wearing a Livestrong-ish bracelet with the MLB logo. Now Jamie Hall informs me that the bracelet in question is actually this Phiten model, so at least it’s Boston-related. ”¦ I’m quoted fairly extensively in this article about the Blackhawks’ uniforms. ”¦ New basketball floor design for Auburn (with thanks to Jeff Hunter). ”¦ Who’s that wearing the Chelsea kit? None other than Raquel Welch (with thanks to Lance Smith). ”¦ Lots of good new additions to Michael Princip‘s Illustrated NFL site, including a rundown of players who wore glasses; some great Jack Davis illos of Errol Mann, Garo Yepremian, and Rich Szaro; and a sensational Chuck Ren portrait of George Kunz. ”¦ Check out the duds on Bucky Dent and Dick Howser in this Old Spice ad (with thanks to Bill Kellick). ”¦ As several readers have noted, many of the World Cup shirts have the team’s opponent listed just below the badge. ” I’m assuming it’s because the players trade uniforms after the game,” says Adam Yarnevich. ”¦ In a related item, here’s a good video clip showing England’s kits being prepared for their match against the USA. ”¦ Phil Amaya notes that most of the Arizona State caps have the outline of Arizona on the back, but third baseman Raoul Torrez has a pitchfork (or maybe a cactus). ”¦ Here’s a rarity: a St. Louis Stallions cap (nice find by Jeffrey Brand). ”¦ Matthew Hiett notes that the Baseball Tonight crew was using an outdated Twins jersey to introduce Braves/Twins highlights last night.
The player in question is David Huff for the Indians, not Aubrey.
“Rick Szaro; and a sensational Chuck Ren portrait of George Kunz.”
Should read Rich Szaro. Cutline on the portrait is correct, but your ticker text is not.
The Dent/Howser commercial looks like it was shot at Shea Stadium, pre early-1980s paint job.
The only reference I can find to Richard Ahrens is link. Probably the same person, but I can’t say definitely.
I’m not good on soccer tradition, but whats behind players trading jerseys? Is it a sign of respect?
Are those tiny little Dutch and Danish flags underneath the KNVB pentagonal logo on the Dutch soccer jerseys? If so, am I to assume they are one-time only use jerseys? Will they put the Dutch and Japanese flags on for their next game?
It looks like Richard Ahrens did briefly play minor league baseball.
link
What logo did the Big Ten use before adopting the current, negative-space-11 mark?
QPR – yes, the Dutch will have small flags on all their shirts. Here is the version from the USA friendly back in March: link
Also, I know it’s a small item in this Ticker, but the majority of fans of the Portland Timbers absolutely hate the new logo. The hope was for a new CREST and instead ownership hired RARE design, a firm who do mostly minor league sports logos.
This isn’t the last you’ll hear about Timbers’ logos.
Ebbets Field Flannels on The Today Show this morning just before 10:00am- gifts for Father’s Day.
Pitchers do still wear toe plates.
Paul is correct, though. They are made to match the base color of the cleat:
link
link
You may have noticed that you can no longer quote someone’s comment when posting a new comment. That’s because the comment-quote plug-in is no longer supported by WordPress (the software that forms the backbone of our site’s architecture). Webmaster Johnny Ek is looking for a replacement. Hang in there — we’ll get it fixed.
I can’t say that I watch a lot of Astro games, but is that brick red jersey their alternate or their regular road jersey. You would think for a 3 game set they would atleast have worn their greys once….
I really really like that Raquel Welch pic.
The flag patches are for at least a couple of reasons:
1. Players trade uniforms after the end of matches
2. Commemorating special events (playing in the world cup, a players 100th international match, etc.)
3. Confirmation of a uniform being used in a match (even the uniforms on the bench players have this mark as well)
Netherlands were doing this in 2006, but I’m pretty sure even before that. Other nations would usually put the text below their crest.
Now are these game worn uniforms if their on the bench? That would be a good question if they went up for sale.
Most collectors would consider them “game issued”.
link
Beautiful.
I wonder if that little door still exists?
That outdated Twins jersey is almost appropriate for the occasion in a way, since there’s been some to-do about the series being Bobby Cox’s last visit to Minnesota as Atlanta’s manager, and that’s the jersey script the Twins wore in 1991 when Cox’s Braves first played in Minnesota, during the 1991 Series.
I love the “Minnesota” Script on Winfield’s uni. I wish the Twins had gone with something more like that for their new roads.
Excellent piece on the Blackhawks sweaters. My wife and I had a funny little exchange as the Hawks were skating with the cup: I noted that the caps were made by New Era rather than Reebok…my wife, always a kidder, sadi “You are SO gay.” My subsequent observation of the beauty of the Hawks shoulder logos did nothing to change her mind.
Anyone know whether the “authentic” Chicago jerseys that are available for purchase have the chain stitched logos? Might actually be worth shelling out for something like that.
Have wee seen these new USA basketball unis?
link
link
Rob Ullman:
Yes, both the shoulder logos and the crests are chain-stitched on the authentics. The “Premier” jerseys have flat (heat-pressed?) logos.
(And the locker room t-shirts were made by Majestic.)
Well, as you can see, the quote functionality has now been restored — sort of. Still working out the kinks.
interesting…
*note to self:* don’t click on the green, bolded italics
… Working really, really hard to avoid the temptation … must … be … strong …
Nice. Thanks for the info! Great, another jersey to covet!
I noticed the locker room tees were Majestic…didn’t care for them too much. They reminded me of something from the early 90’s.
Just testing the quote function.
Agreed. The t-shirts, while not the worst I’ve seen, are link.
And I’ll be shocked if I don’t get one for Fathers’ Day.
Just read Sunday’s post. Nice work all around, Phil (but ease up on the softball tops soapbox — this is what keeps UniWatch breathing in the summer).
Love the Buc Tracker — but why not go through 1984? I swear you’ll find that pinstripes-against-pinstripes game at Shea from ’77 or ’78.
Now if we can only do trackers for the A’s, Giants, Indians, and Orioles, the other teams that mixed it up in that era.
Interesting. Looks like the quote functionality’s working for the tan box boys, but not yet for the rabble.
@ interlockingtc — That link? It link.
Was anyone able to record the MASN broadcast of the Nats/Indians game Sunday? In the bottom of the 5th (I think) inning, Rob Dibble went off on the lack of tailoring of throwback unis. He mentioned that he only blew 3 saves one year, and 2 were in retros. He even ripped off his jersey after a game vs. the Mets in disgust…
Astros always wear red brick jerseys on the road unless the home team is wearing red (so if the Astros are in Cincinnati for a day game, they’ll wear gray). The only other time an Astros player will wear gray jerseys will be in the All-Star Game.
test
Interesting note on the Wrigley Field left field corner pic …
link
(that there’s a link, in case you couldn’t tell)
Stop looking for Bartman and start looking at the foul pole for a moment. If you hit it about 20′ high and 2″ to the left of the foul line running from home plate, it’s foul. 20′ 3″, however, that same ball is now fair.
And it appears time hasn’t changed that anomoly.
link
(another link)
I’m surprised that they went with an axe. It kind of promotes deforestation. Doesn’t it?
It reminds me of the old Whalers logo with the harpoon going through the W.
There is no end to the awesomeness that is the wire service photo series. Just mind-boggling. I had always heard that Eddie Gaedel wore the number 1/8 but this is the first time I’ve seen a photo of it.
And that 1929/30 Cubs photo… link
Can you imagine if TV, the internet and UniWatch was around then? The discussion that would have ensued in the wake of that?? Whew…
-Jet
Yeah, but isn’t that what timber is — wood/trees suitable for building purposes, i.e., destined to be axed?
And a harpoon seems pretty appropriate for whalers, no?
Agreed.
That’s why the names suck, too.
I always thought that the Whalers should have gone by Hartford Whales. I never liked the fact that they were essentially the Hartford Whale Killers.
Come to think of it, Portland Trees has a nice ring to it. “High Times” magazine would be all over it.
Thanks, Jet — really glad you like. Believe me, I love this series too!
Today’s pic of the giant baseball player link reminds me of yesterday’s pic of England soccer player Peter Crouch: link
From that press release disguised as a blog post:
“Our research and exploration took us in a lot of directions, but we knew it was important to pay respect to the team’s history, the Portland region, the game of soccer, and the the embodiment that the Timbers stand tall in every situation and at each new juncture”
Stand tall? Doesn’t someone shout “timber” as a tree is falling down?
Hey, where’s my anti-spam word?
Anyway, right now Japan is playing Cameroon in the World Cup. Cameroon’s goalkeeper is wearing two shades of brown – kind of a coffee-colored shirt and chocolate-colored pants.
Which reminds me of my cheapo Culinary Corner contribution: take a handful of frozen chocolate chips and put them in your mouth, then take a sip of hot coffee. Mmmmmm…
i always thought this was a great use of an “axe” and, would those be ‘homophones’?
One, most timber these days is produced on tree farms, so it is essentially an agricultural product. Those companies (unscrupulous as they may be) don’t want to run out of product, after all.
Two, I usually just called the Hartford NHL team “the Whale.” Not for “green” reasons, but it sounded cool or something.
The Tim Lincecum photo confuses me. The screenshot is from NBC? I haven’t seen a MLB game on NBC in years.
Mark Clayton, still the smoothest with the shades ;)
link
The outdated Twins jersey is certainly outdated, but what is worse, when First Take makes a feeble attempt to talk hockey and they put a catchers mask (hockey style) on their coffee table. If a goaltender wore that, the puck would fit beautifully between the bars and destroy the goalie on the bridge of the nose, or knock out an eye, death may occur.
So you are saying that the Astro’s brick red jersey IS the ROAD jerseyl? The grey is the alternate?
The local Giant broadcasts are on the NBC affiliate.
Wow, if I were Jim Vilk, I’d pencil Japan/Cameroon in for “Color Palette Special of the Day.”
Speaking of which, I assume your internet’s back to normal? Too bad…I had a lot of fun impersonating you for the 4&1’s, as shown by my door frame picture.
The local NBC affiliate, NBC Bay Area, is a Giants’ broadcaster. Most games are on Comcast Sports Net-Bay Area, but a handful of non-cable games are on channel 3.
I didn’t expect seeing my old high school (Lehi, in the Girl’s Softball pic) mentioned in Uni Watch. It’s a bit jarring.
As several readers have noted, many of the World Cup shirts have the team’s opponent listed just below the badge.” I’m assuming it’s because the players trade uniforms after the game,” says Adam Yarnevich
the link doesnt work. i keep getting the address shown on the screen, not the image.
help please?
Hey Ray Barrington – I found a better copy of the photo you mentioned last week, of link.
I had been working on a review of the various pre-Opening Day 1970 Brewers prototypes, you inspired me to link.
sweet writeup there
chancedetective michaels!when (if) you find out more, please keep up apprised
Will do.
And I am SO commissioning one of those Brewers jerseys from Frosty….
The facemask is the EMask, developed for/by former olympian Sarah Fekete. link
I did do it for “green” reasons. And blue. And later… darker blue. And a little gray.
Yeah, I’m back, but you guys can fill in any time.
Now that you mention it, just realized that was a doorframe pic. Comes in handy for knowing where to stand in a self-portrait, eh?
Don’t like that new USA Ultimate logo.
link
I agree with the writer – why does everything have to have pointy points on it these days?
Rob
Got the same reaction from my “better half” when I these in the mail
link
for my Blackhawks DIY throwback varsity jacket
link
She doesn’t “get it” but, she gets why I “get it”…know what I mean?
Terence M.K.
Glad to see some kickers getting some love on Illustrated NFL, even if they’re caricature pics. Thanks, Mike!
Also, that St. Louis Stallions hat is WAY too 90s. I wouldn’t wear that. It did remind me, though, of my old Baltimore CFL Colts hat (which looked a lot better). They eventually became the Baltimore Stallions, at which point I got rid of my hat. Man, I coulda had quite the collectors item…
as long as you still get it, it’s all good, right?
Three games on me to the first person who can complete the ’60/’61 Stroh’s lineup:
Harnisch
Howard
Lindemann (misspelled on the doozy pic)
Schroeder
Strampe
and…
Bob Strampe was one of the big guns for the Twin Cities Skippers (National Bowling League, 1961-62)…he, Earl Anthony and Billy Golembieski (sp?).
Saw them and their teammates take on the black-clad Fort Worth Panthers and Carmen Salvino in the Skippers’ home opener.
—Ricko
In moving, I’ve found an excellent NBL article, I’ll have to scan it for ya Ricko (and the thousands others interested in the NBL). I’d love to go back in time and watch that Skippers/Panthers match!!!
Don Mattingly in a black jersey? Almost happened …
link
Only thing I have on the league is a lengthy article from SPORT magazine, which I scanned and sent to Paul a long, long time ago. Think all the photos are from the New York Gladiators’ home lanes in New Jersey.
You can’t believe how much I’d like to find a clean version of the logo (and get the team colors) of the NBL Fresno Bombers or Omaha Packers and have a tee-shirt made.
Actually, about 20 years ago I thought about scrounging up a bunch of that oddball stuff (such as the Florida Flamingos from World Team Tennis) and marketing those tees as the “LOST LOGOS Collection”. But, man, if they’re “unfindable” now (esp. the NBL material) even with the Internet and all, imagine what a daunting task it was back then.
—Rick
—Ricko
Well, here in Twin Cities, they’d actually built their own building especially for the Skippers. Theater-style seating, including a balcony. Six lanes, dramatic lighting and huge electric scoreboard above the pins. Was quite impressive, actually.
—Ricko
Damn, T…that’s awesome.
JTH: I got link last year…I was just so happy it existed at all that the graphics almost weren’t important!
That said…I think Reebok did a pretty good, mostly understated job on ’em!
Might have been only four lanes. Trying to recreate the image. I know the outermost one on each side was the “bullpen”, where subs could warm up.
Could have been six, though, to accommodate pre-game warmups, etc., with the middle one on either side unused during the actual match.
—Ricko
Italy and Paraguay just kicked off. Italy in blue over white and Paraguay in red & white stripes over clue shorts. On TV that sublimated stuff on Italy’s jerseys is practically invisible.
And yes, the vuvuzelas are blaring, and they’ll be blaring through the whole tournament:
link
Nice red horizontal stripes on Paraguay’s white socks, by the way.
Re: Stirrup design
I know a day late and a dollar short, but how about a purple stirrup with a green dot on the back? You could also include personalized numbers (you know the new numbers I heard the Tampa Bay Bucs were wearing this year…)
did i miss anything?
Re: embroidery on game issued cup jerseys
England stitches the name of their opponent in a link underneath the crest
France stitches link of the matchup “France v ___”, the date and something else underneath their crest.
I like the Dutch flag idea although I would’ve made them a little bit smaller.
(adding a more recent beaten to death subject matter)
Would those stirrups be button up or pullunder?
For the record, Italy’s jersey from link was much better than link.
… and let’s not forget to produce a black alternate that will be worn more often than the original purple stirrups …
Thank you, i almost forgot. The stirrup also needs a gaping hole in the middle (with a piece of velcro showing), a nike symbol on bottom and a breathing ethier cutout on top.
In fact, one of my favorite illos by Bart Forbes features Jan Stenerud: link
Speaking of Bart Forbes, I’m uploading another remarkable piece by him this week. Stay tuned.
So far, the traditional European powers link, link, and the link have looked best on the pitch.
…and of course link.
where’s the “21” patch go? front, back or side?
So someday when they hold the World Cup in Iraq or some other country where the people have a longstanding tradition of celebrating festive moments by firing their rifles into the air?
—Ricko
And no logo, so everyone will instantly think of the Seahawks’ first season.
But, please, NO FUCKING BROWN HORSEY.
—Ricko
Why do the new Leafs sweaters remind me of the Dallas Cowboys?
Naturally I would say all 3; front, back and side.
Paraguay with their traditional wide vertical jersey stripes. Adidas shoulder and short stripes. And horizontal sock strips. Is this stripe overload? Personally, I love it.
Apparently he went by Dick Ahrens. In an April 1, 1943 Reading Eagle article, Ahrens is described as a 6 foot, 10 inch tall pitcher for the Senators who was being sent down to the Utica farm club. Playing for Utica in 1943 is consistent with what baseball-reference has for Richard Ahrens.
I’m not aware of any country which has an accepted cultural heritage of doing that at soccer matches.
I hate those freaking horns, but you can’t compare the two.
dammit ricko…we still haven’t fixed the sarcasm tags
It’s common to link match details for important matches on shirts. Been that way link.
What’s unusual is that England made this a centerpiece of its design (the crest is slightly higher than it would ordinarily be, so to be balanced when the match details are added.
England’s scroll approach is a throwback to the link.
There was a “legends” game yesterday morning in St. Petersburg. Outside of family members there were only 7 of us so I’m probrably the only one reporting this. Dante Bichette wore his Turn Ahead the Clock uniform like he did back in March and Ron Leflore (just lost 45 pounds from a surgery) was wearing a St. Petersburg Pelicans jersey.
You going to start putting those in italics? ;)
Always loved that Stenerud one. I wish Forbes would have done another for Fred Cox or Tom Dempsey as well.
A friend of mine was in Istanbul when the local club, Besiktas, won the league. The celebration in the streets included many gunshots into the air.
Wasn’t the best atmosphere for a couple of slight English ladies to be caught up in.
Upon further review, maybe it wasn’t the league… but they won something.
To put the vuvuzelas into perspective, it’s still better than hearing the canned stuff they play at NBA games.
I would like to hear this after a goal, though:
link
Can someone more familiar with the customs and traditions of soccer tell me what the story is with the mini-banner being held by #5. I first noticed it during the pre-match meeting of England-USA.
Don’t know the tradition, but the captains exchange the banner before each match.
After they pose for the team pic, they give the banner to the other team when they exchange pleasantries at midfield. Then they sing the national anthems and proceed to the kickoff.
Along the same lines of banners being swapped:
In the formative years of baseball, only one ball was used for the whole game. At the end of the game, the winning team kept the ball as a trophy of their win.
Has Uni Watch lost its focus? This is one of the few blogs I check on a daily basis, but it seems like lately (past few months) the content has become intensely focused on a small handful of obscure fetishes while ignoring actual happenings in the world of sports uniforms. I realize that there are going to be slow days so it helps to have some fallback items, but it’s turning into navel-gazing.
Our lead story today is a bunch of 60-year-old photos, while buried in the ticker are new logos for teams in the NBA and MLS. Where are the priorities? The Timbers logo is worthy of some real discussion, particuarly since it’s a revision of an existing logo. Why isn’t Uni Watch asking “Is it good or is it stupid?”
There’s a throwaway comment about the listing of opponents and dates on World Cup jerseys, which goes wholly uninvestigated. This should be the sort of thing that UW goes crazy over. First, it’s not a new phenomenon, so why not take a look at its history in both international competition and important club matches? Some countries puts flags on the shirts, some embroider the name of the opponent, some do nothing. Why aren’t we taking a look at who does what? Are there trends among manufacturers or regions?
Instead we get (essentially)… new logo for the Timebers … Nate Robinson wore a bracelet … fascinating development at the World Cup … here’s a picture of Raquel Welch from the 70s
All of those are presented with an equal sense of importance. None of them have been given as much space as I would get if I sent in a poorly drawn sketch of a red Dallas Cowboys jersey idea I had when I was drunk. I feel like the amount of thought going into the posts is steadily decreasing. Am I alone in this? I’m interested in the topics the site purports to cover, but the disconnect between what I’m looking for and what I’m getting is getting to the point that I’m wondering if I should stop caring.
Dude, you should totally get your subscription fee refunded.
Thank you.
sounds like you and Eric Sermon have stopped making dollars.
How’s that for focus?
No, but they can stand 100% firmly on the platform of being to decide what’s best for their worldwide telecasts, and the experience of those attending the event itself.
And obviously I was exaggerating to make the point that, “Well, it’s local or cultural tradition” is not, in and of itself, reason to be forced to accept something that just isn’t good for the World Cup. The matches and the “show” do, in fact, belong to FIFA, not to the host nation. They are theirs to control…with reasonable judgement, of course. Problem is, there isn’t a long history of reciprocal reasonable judgement reliably being a component of a soccer crowd.
I mean, if it’s at the point where it has become, “We gotta let ’em do what they want or they’ll riot”…then they’ve got HUGE problems.
—Ricko
NBA doesn’t play that shit while the game is going on, though.
There’s no respite from that obnoxious droning. I’ve stopped watching the World Cup because of it…or I hit “MUTE” and rely on the closed captioning, even if it does lag a bit.
—Ricko
I’m not sure I agree with him, but I didn’t see his comment as mean spirited. Just a critique of the site, which i assume is always welcome here.
My opinion on this is somewhere in the middle. Valid points, but he used a tad bitter writer’s voice in the process.
That said, I’m looking forward to seeing the red Cowboys jersey on Sunday!!!!
StLMarty, I like your style.
Did StLMarty just throw out an EPMD reference? This Strong Island hip-hopper is impressed.
I never said it was mean-spirited. I’m not sure I’d even go so far as to say bitter. I just thought it was a bit off the mark and definitely high-handed, maybe even insolent.
To me, it would have come off much better if somewhere in the criticism was an offer of help, like maybe volunteering to do some research on these ticker items that are getting the short shrift. Or maybe he could have offered to guest-write a post.
Instead it was more like “You need to write what I want to read when I want to read it or I’m outta here.”
All I read in that entire comment was COWBOYS RED JERSEY……
and an Eric Sermon reference…..
yeah um…
no
Something that rare, you wouldn’t wear around anyway. I have a Blackhawks hat in the same style. If I recall they were either pretty popular at the time or the manufacturer forced millions on the populace.
And as far as those two softball teams both wearing solid black, you might have noticed both also had purple lettering. I thought I heard Paul’s head explode this morning when I read it.
Speaking of brown horses, I spent a chunk of this afternoon looking up Denver Broncos 1962 pics for the blue bronco. Unfortunately I still haven’t come up with anything that hasn’t already been discovered.
Hey all! My boss is holding an event for our work tomorrow that has a baseball theme, he wants me to dress up as an old school baseball vendor, any ideas of what to wear!! I’m on a budget!! I can’t believe my first post is about saomething so lame!
RE: Tampa Tarpons.
I actually grew up going to Tarpons’ games. By early 1980s, they were basically wearing Cincinnati Reds whites (at least at home, I never saw them play away) with the tarpon replacing the C. But the colors and cut and everything were Big Red Machine all the way. I believe the Rays have worn Tarpons’ unis for a throwback game, but don’t quote me on that.
In other news, has the anti-spam word gone away?
And does anyone else get a trojan horse warning when they come to this site? I get one every time.
Really? I kinda like it. Then again, it’s up to you lot whether it passes muster or not. Regardless of what people here think.
If I had the time or talent to contribute, I would certainly offer. I didn’t intend to come across as insolent, but if my comment was off the mark I can accept that. My opinion is mine alone, and I was curious if others shared it. If the bulk of readership is thrilled with the way posts are presented, then I’m wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time.
I should offer some suggestions, though. I think there’s a difference between news and ticker items. Raquel Welch in a Chelsea shirt is awesome, but is should be on a lower level than a new logo. If a topic is too new or out of the wheelhouse (such as the Timbers logo) perhaps a call for volunteers to submit a couple paragraphs on it or simply “analysis to follow in a day or two” would put me at ease that the topic is being paid attention to. When there is news like the Jazz announcement, I might like to see bulleted news items preceding the main entry with the Ticker trivia remaining the same. Don’t bury the lead, y’know.
Also, note that the caption refers to the Senators as the “Nats,” as was common parlance in those days.
Haven’t scrolled through all the responses but please tell me you know that Washington AL v1.0 was offically called the “Nationals” from 1905-56. Cal Griffith changed the nickname to “Senators” for 1957, which it remained for the rest of the franchise’s tenure in the District.
“Nats” was always the term I heard used for that team, likewise for Washington AL v2.0, which always had the official nickname “Senators.” I never heard either Washington AL franchises called the “Sens”; that only seems to apply to the modern Ottawa NHL club.
i do not wish to speak for paul, but you are probably not aware that sometime yesterday morning, there was some kind of malware attack on the site; you may have noticed (since i have a tan box, the anti-spam word doesn’t affect me), but apparently there is no need for it anymore, and the “quote” feature now works differently
since im pretty much technically retarded, paul and ek got the site back up any running (still some bugs) in time to recover yesterday’s post as well as to post one today…he may also have been busy with other things yesterday;
all of these things may have contributed to the topic of today’s post — which many of us DO like…personally, i could care less for the new soccer logos and basketball stuff, but that’s just me…others, like yourself, may not appreciate 60 year old uniforms, and that’s fine
i don’t think paul needs to justify what makes the lede for the day, and we’re all lucky to have daily content at all; considering the circumstances yesterday and today, extremely lucky
you make excellent points, and im sure paul will read them and take them to heart; when uni news breaks, this is obviously the place to come to get it…i don’t think paul has ever let us down in that regard
perhaps your comments may have been better served had they been sent via an email communicado to paul, but instead you, as is your wont and right, chose to voice them on the boards
im always looking for those who’d like to help with the weekend columns, and you’re more than welcome to provide some content for those
however, just know that what is important to you may not be that important to others, and if those particular topics you identified were not explored in greater detail, there may have been other reasons, such as having to deal with getting the site back in ship-shape order…i’d say that was more important than having an is it good or stupid test for the timbers new logo
just my two centivos
your thoughts are, as always, appreciated…just please don’t ever assume that things are always as they appear…i also think those are good suggestions and thank you for voicing them
You are correct, they’ve thrownback twice. Including the one shown in the picture.
The Cubs player on the right in the 1929/1930 uni pic is none other than Rogers Hornsby.
Did you find a color photo from 1962 of a brown horse? So far, no one’e been able to do that, either.
—Ricko
Watching the England shirt prep video, I’m just thinking “printed graphics: the Devil’s embellishment”. That being said, nice video.
KT – Are you of the opinion that only the fans of a particular team, or people who live in the team’s immediate vicinity, have the right to an opinion about that team or its uniforms? Or the right to voice such an opinion? This is at least the third time I’ve seen you indicate something to this effect.
Nope. Just black & white ones.
I was under the assumption that Hartford Whalers were “named after” (if you will) the WHA, therefore the WHAlers. It just also goes well with the maritime theme of the East Coast, in my opinion. Any truth to my assumption or is it just wishful thinking? Growing up, I was always confused about the Burger King Whaler sandwich: was it made with real whale? was it sponsored by the hockey team? ponderous, man
new Leafs jerseys: link SWEET!
Yeah, that Cubs picture is outta this world. The faces!
Also, I love those Jack Davis kicker illustrations. I remember him mostly from Mad magazine. He had a regular strip featuring the dismantling of celebrities and movies, I think.
Thanks, JTH, for evidence of little left field door’s continued existence. Yes!
In regards to the vuvuzela, I must be one of the few outside the Republic who actually doesn’t mind them. Dare I say I enjoy them? They remind me of celebration and jubilation, what the World Cup is about (IMO). Watching some futbol, coupled with enthusiastic Spanish commentators and an exciting South African crowd has been a sports highlight of 2010.
yeah…i’d say that’s pretty accurate
perhaps you enjoy the sound of an apiary in your abode, but that is the ONE THING that has really detracted from my viewing pleasure of the cup so far…so much so that i refuse to put the sound on anymore
perhaps some view it as “quaint” or a “south african thing” — but (and i made this comparison last evening), it makes the thunderstix actually sound pleasant
if they STFUed for a part of the time, like say, after a big goal, an injured player or a buckneresque save, i could maybe have more empathy for the kazooers…but it’s like 90 straight minutes of nothing but what i might imagine someone who’s had a beehive dropped atop their head would hear
seriously, i think i’d rather watch the chelsea dagger-blackhawks video, link, than to listen to another minute of that cacaphonous din
of course, YMMV
Add one more “I HATE THE VUVUZELAS” comment.
I was watching the Argentina/Nigeria game, and of course, I saw the incredible diving header by #6 for the goal. Now, we all know the telecasts have been tweaking the audio mix to lower the crowd noise in order to silence the damn kazoos. But Jesus Fuck, talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. The arena sounded DEAD, thanks to the muted crowd noise. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought Kobe scored in the Garden. I’m sorry, but World Cup soccer does not feature dead crowds.
anyone see number 38 for oklahoma with his first 3 buttons undone on his jersey?
and number 38 is doing the same. is the whole team have at least the top button undone?
i meant a different number for the second comment but i dont remember what number was now…
The NBA plays a lot of other canned crap, though.
Not all arenas are the same, but compare a Cavs game to a South African World Cup game and I’ll take the vuvuzelas.
It’s Sports For ADHD Sufferers 101. The second the opposing team gets a rebound, the computerized “DEEfense! DEEfense!” chant begins. It reminds me of the “Oh Wee Oh” chant from the Wizard of Oz. It seriously becomes unlistenable after a short while. And that’s just when I’m trying to listen on the radio. On offense, it’s a little better – different canned cheers – but I’d rather let the crowd cheer on their own without constantly being prodded. They try to mimic the energy of a game seven playoff game, every game.
In the NBA, the teams are saying the games aren’t compelling enough, so we’ll pump you up.
At the World Cup, the crowd is saying the games aren’t compelling enough, so we’ll blow these stupid horns to stay pumped up.
Translation: They BOTH suck.
—Ricko
I just finished watching today’s Italy match, and while they are nowhere near as perfect as their Euro2008 get up (the best they’ve worn in my opinion), I actually thought the new Azzurri kit actually looked pretty good on the pitch
Here is that Euro2008 kit they never should have gotten rid of (the gold trim is excellent):
link
i’ll agree entirely with your first point…
the attention span of someone watching the NBA must be about 12 seconds…in contrast, one needs the patience of a saint to watch a close soccer match or a good baseball game…
basketball requires constant stimulation, rapid movements, quick bursts of energy…why do they need a 24 second clock in hoops? i remember when they didn’t use one in college and, while it certainly could make for long periods of relative inaction, there wasn’t some ‘forced’ feel
i don’t feel the crowds at the world cup are saying the “games aren’t compelling enough” with their kazooing…the partisans who aren’t south african seem to be cheering and enjoying the action…it’s just that they keep getting droned out by the constant din…i can’t put my finger on it, but it’s like, “this is what we do, it’s a south african thing, you wouldn’t understand”
that may be so, and that’s fine…but im not watching two south african teams (or even one) square off…im watching the beautiful game on the world stage and the shit is so annoying…how the crowd can stand it is beyond me, but whatever
all i know is i am basically forced to watch with the sound off, which really sucks, because, for the most part, i’ve actually enjoyed the announcing teams
sorry south africa, huge fail
Hershey Bears win their 11th Calder Cup tonight with a 4-0 win over the Texas Stars. Now that hockey is over, I can focus squarely on the world’s game.
Honestly, I haven’t noticed the vuvuzula thingies, and I’ve been watching the games early in the morning before I leave for work.
It’s just background noise, like the snoring at NBA games.
Among other things (and admittedly I have a HUGE dead spot in my hearing) for me it makes the audio sound tinny and cheap, a combination of a 12-dollar reverb and the sound coming over a 1960s telephone line.
That’s at its best.
And it’s worst it is, as I said yesterday, like your next door neighbors endlessly flying their model airplanes while you’re trying to watch the World Cup.
—Ricko
I agree, it’s like background noise for me. Sometimes it bugs me, but other times I don’t notice it.
Good for the Bears! Think I’ll celebrate by eating some chocolate now…
Orioles are playing the Giants now. The Orioles are wearing their black tops and the Giants are wearing their orange tops.
The Giants wear their orange tops on Friday games. But for this game, the Giants encouraged the fans to wear orange (and the team did as well) to show the Orioles that the Giants are the only team that have the right to wear black and orange. Very strange.
I don’t mind the constant din of the vuvu horns, but I do mind that it drowns out the singing/chanting which should be reverberating throughout the stadiums. THAT is detracting from the games.
The sound itself? I tune it out.
The shot clock does help. Before it, some teams played an Italian-soccer like offense – lull you to sleep then score when you have to.
Me, I can enjoy a soccer or baseball game, and equally enjoy an NBA or IBL (minor-league hoops with a 22-second clock; every game is like the 80s Denver Nuggets) game.
Any more, I feel I need even more patience to watch an NFL game in person. Just WAY too much standing around waiting for the network to come back, then when they do the scoreboard prods the lemmings to cheer on command. It’s becoming a little too schizophrenic for me.
I just want to watch the games. I’ll cheer when it feels natural but you can’t make me cheer.
Unfortunately, the leagues cater to those with lower attention spans to broaden their audience. They know they already have me, but they want to hook others. That’s why I could never be a team owner. My motto would be, “If you’re not here to watch the game, get out.”
Looks like a softball game!
At least they’re not WooWooZelas…
link
I’ve been away from the site for most of the day and didn’t see this until just now. A few thoughts:
1) It’s mildly hilarious — and I mean that in the best way, not a snarky way — for someone to complain that Uni Watch is falling prey to “obscure fetishes.” Dude, Uni Watch IS a obscure fetish!
2) I love historical content (like the wire service pics and the Robert Harvell images), and Uni Watch has always been about documenting uniform history, so posts like today’s will always be a major component of the site. I realize that not everyone likes historical content, but I can’t please everyone and learned a long time ago not to try.
3) No offense, but a new logo for an expansion MLS team that hasn’t yet played a single game does not strike me as major news. On the contrary, it’s exactly what the Ticker is for.
4) I agree that the bit about the soccer badges would make a good lead entry. But I didn’t have time to research it.
5) In general, your larger point is well taken — there are times when breaking news ends up being reduced to a sentence or two in the Ticker, and there are also times when seemingly arcane historical details end up being fussed over endlessly. Some of this is a reflection of my tastes and priorities (which may not always match yours), and some of it is simply a matter of how many hours there are in a day. Although I would love for this site to be my full-time job, that is not the case. I have my ESPN column, I’m writing a book, and it’s nice to run around and have fun outside on weekends, y’know? So sometimes things that deserve more coverage end up not getting that coverage. It happens.
6) A few months ago I was talking to longtime reader Giancarlo, and I mentioned to him that I was worried that the Ticker had grown so big that I was basically listing information without providing any analysis of that information, which is sort of what you’re complaining about here. So, yes: I plead guilty. I’m aware of the problem. But it’s a tough situation, because I’ve sort of created a monster here — the more info I give you people, the more you give back. I try to strike a quantity/quality balance, but it’s tricky.
7) Fair warning: The Maple Leafs’ new jerseys, which were officially unveiled today, will get only a small Ticker mention tomorrow. That’s because (a) there was already a leak of the new design last week, (b) as redesigns go, this one is pretty minor, and (c) I have a time-sensitive topic that I want to run for tomorrow’s lead entry and don’t want to postpone. Misplaced sense of priorities? Maybe. It happens.
In general, I think this critique was excellent. Nobody should be giving this guy any shit over this commentary — it was thoughtful and well-stated. I don’t agree with all his points (like so many critiques of the site, it basically boils down to “Your idea of Uni Watch doesn’t match my idea of what I want Uni Watch to be”), but it’s a good reality check, good food for thought, etc. Thank you.
I read that it was a “Halloween in June” promo, and costumes were encouraged. Probably not the best idea, but I’ve seen worse.
$.10 beer night/disco demo night?
I think the historical content is great. It’s easy to think I’ve seen every uniform design, especially in baseball. Seeing something new, even if it’s just a small detail, re-ignites that elation I felt when I first began studying old photo’s and pouring over the uniform design changes. At least for a few moments.
And speaking of Wire Service- could the Cubs photo with the different jerseys be a spring training game? They look like they’re in a real dugout, so maybe not.
And the little left field door- for some reason I’m thinking that was the only way to the clubhouse, with another on the right field side. Was this ever the case at Wrigley?
I saw the clips of disco demolition night just the other day during the Marlins game. Always funny!
They showed it because once the Marlins score 10 runs, they’ll show random clips from baseball’s past as an incentive to keep watching.
A website called buyoutfootage.com had a listing for this piece of stock footage
WASH. PITCHING HOPES HIGH
COLLEGE PARK, MD.–Manager Ossie Bluege may be shy of infield and outfield class for the 1943 campaign–but he’s long on pitching talent in the person of 7-ft. Richard Ahrens, formerly of Long Island University–and winning or losing, there’s always comical Nick Altrock to make him smile.