The big news at last night’s MLB All-Star Game was that many of the players — more than half, I’d say — were test-driving Rawlings’ latest version of the S100 helmet. Francisco Cervelli’s been wearing this slightly slimmer edition of the Gazoo for a few weeks now, but this was its coming-out party, just as the 2005 All-Star Game was used to showcase the Cool-Flo helmet. In both instances, there was no advance word that this would be happening, which is surprising. A soft launch instead of a hype-o-rama.
Personally, I thought the new Gazoos looked fine. Check out this shot — the two Gazoo-clad players don’t look appreciably worse than the one non-Gazoo. I do wish they’d change the color of the black ear padding, which I can’t stand (just more BFBS, I say), but overall I have no problem with it. I’ll try to find out more details about the new design, and how it compares to the old, shortly.
The new helmets must have been prepped in Anaheim by the Angels’ equipment staff, because they were uni-numbered with decals in the Angels’ font. And as you can see in that second image, they also had the Rawlings logo, which is supposed to be verboten on MLB headwear. Meanwhile, non-Gazoo helmets had regular uni numbering. (Major kudos to Jason Greening for noticing the font and providing the screen shots.)
Oh, and even though the National League was the visiting team, they supplied Martin Prado with a red-brimmed home helmet. Brian McCann stuck with his regular non-Gazoo helmet, which was the proper road design.
In non-helmet observations:
• All the Yankees wore black armbands for the Boss. (They’ll be adding patches for him and for Bob Sheappard starting on Friday. More on that in a minute.)
• I think we can safely say that the white cleats thing is officially played out. Ivory-footed players included David Price, Ryan Braun, Cliff Lee (red undershirt, too), Torii Hunter, Josh Hamilton, Robinson Cano, Joe Mauer, Evan Longoria, Alex Rodriguez (who really needs to learn how to blouse his cuffs, no?), Phil Hughes (my god, do those pants look ridiculous or what?), John Buck, Matt Thornton, Ty Wigginton, Rafael Soriano, Vernon Wells, Chris Young, and a whole bunch more. Note that almost all those players were on the American League team. National Leaguers were more inclined to wear gray, but I really don’t feel like compiling all of those.
• At least two players wore silver cleats: Ichiro (he also went silver-shod in 2007, and probably in other years too) and Hanley Ramirez (another odd red undershirt choice, plus he was high-cuffed during the player intros but went pajama-pantsed once the game started).
• Triple-whammy for Ubaldo Jimenez: sneaker-esque cleats, purple shoelaces, and the laundry tag on his stirrups was showing. (Also: I thought it was odd that Jimenez wore his fielding glove during his pregame introduction. I wondered if anyone else would even notice that, but someone at Yahoo Sports actually wrote a little item about it.)
• Then there’s David Wright, who somehow let a douchebag Nike rep talk him into wearing orange cleats (plus I’ve noticed lately that he’s totally overtaken teammate Mike Pelfrey in the tongue-sticker-outer sweepstakes).
• But the worst look of the night belonged to Brian Wilson, who not only had orange cleats but also had an unbuttoned jersey, a ratty undershirt, and a mohawk (hard to see the mo from that angle, but it was painfully apparent on the teevee).
• The ASG sleeve patch forced some teams’ pre-existing patches to move way too far north.
• Anyone know the story behind the red strip on A-Rod’s undersleeve?
• I could’ve lived without the star design on the back of the mound (I don’t mean to sound like Dallas Braden, but I prefer the mound to remain pristine), although Phil tells me he really liked it.
• Here’s a weird one: Randy Wolf, whose brother is umpire Jim Wolf, was in the crowd — wearing his brother’s ump jersey. (Thanks to Dan Cichalski for that one.)
Okay, that’s enough coverage for one lousy exhibition game. But hey, a National League victory with a Yankee taking the loss — not too shabby.
Busy day yesterday: In case you missed it last night, the Yankees unveiled their memorial patches for George Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard. Earlier in the day, I had whipped up a quick ESPN piece in which I looked at how other teams have handled multiple-memorial situations. Phew!
Membership Update: Scott and I generally like to keep all the membership card designs horizontal, but we made a rare exception for Gordon Taylor’s Syracuse hoops treatment, because we wanted it to show as much of the mesh pattern as possible. I don’t really want to get in the habit of doing these vertical designs (or incorporating silly Nike mesh patterns), but it worked out really well in this case.
For those of you who’ve been waiting for your cards, I mailed out a batch of them yesterday. And for those of you who haven’t yet signed up, you can get in on the membership fun here.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Our recent discussion of the Wilmington Blue Rocks’ Mr. Celery mascot prompted Steve Johnston to inform me of the Scottsdale Community College Fighting Artichokes. ”¦ Someone has compiled a list of the worst new soccer kits of the season (with thanks to Chris Carr). ”¦ I knew there was a Texas buger chain called Whataburger. What I didn’t know, until Cort McMurray told me yesterday, is that many Whataburger outlets have this sensational photo hanging on the wall. ”¦ If you scroll about halfway down this page and look in the left sidebar, you’ll see some a photo of Rockies-logo stirrups, along with an interesting backstory. I don’t recall ever seeing the Rockies wearing logo-emblazoned stirrups, and a quick photo search has also come up empty. Did they ever actually wear these? I’m dubious. ”¦ But while fruitlessly searching for those Rockies-logo stirrups, I found something I’d forgotten about: Reds-logo stirrups! That’s from 1993. ”¦ Some dude in Minnesota broke his leg and painted his cast with a Vikings motif (with thanks to Tris Wykes). ”¦ Really fascinating article about a Massachusetts textiles company that made a new camo-patterned fabric for the U.S. military. Additional info here. Highly recommended reading (big thanks to Tom Mulgrew). ”¦ Very nice assortment of hand-painted signs here (thanks, Kirsten). ”¦ Joseph Newman notes that Santonio Holmes appears to be wearing his old Steelers cleats. ”¦ “My Mom was cleaning out some things today and brought over this clock,” writes Ben Traxel. “It was a kit — I stained it and added peel-and-stick numbers. Of course I picked out a sports theme to paint on the front. Probably did this project in the early ’80s.” ”¦ The Camden Riversharks have a new player, Vito Chiaravalotti, who’s going FiNOB. “It’s probably because the Sharks don’t radially arch and the kid’s considerable shoulders aren’t quite considerable enough,” says Adam Brodsky. ”¦ Absolutely the weirdest thing any of us will see today: a rap video about some sort of bike-share system in Montreal, with the rap group wearing Expos gear. Surreal, addictive, brilliant (major find by Ben Wideman). ”¦ Cutegasm alert: Tucker and Caitlin grooming each other, awwwww.
The Rox only wore the logo stirrups in their first several games. It didn’t take long for many players to start wearing the cuffs lower and the logo stirrups were discontinued. I remember both the season opener and home opener made a point to show the stirrups. If you’re really looking, April and maybe May of 1993 would be about it.
I was actually in attendance at their season opener (at Shea, vs. the Mets), but I wasn’t sitting in a good enough seat to spot at stirrup logos, even if they did exist.
I actually have a VHS tape of the Rockies inaugural season. Maybe I’ll hook it up tonight and try to get a screen grab.
Please do!
I’m jealous. My Rox 1993 opening day tapes (both Shea and Mile High) got taped over by a dumb-ass housesitter.
Absolutely the weirdest thing any of us will see today: a rap video about some sort of bike-share system in Montreal, with the rap group wearing Expos gear.
And one of them, if I’m not mistaken, is wearing a Montreal Royals hat.
At least two players wore silver cleats: Ichiro (he also went silver-shod in 2007, and probably in other years too
Ichiro refers to them as “platinum.”
That Expos cardigan = best thing ever.
A-Rod is wearing a Phiten arm sleeve, or something similar. Marlon Byrd wears a white/silver one. A-Rod just chose the dorkiest color possible. Par for the course, really.
So it’s a navy sleeve with a red strip??
Brandon Phillips usually wears one of these too. His is red/white at home and red/grey on the road. Monday during the Homerun Derby, he had a navy/red one that matched the National BP jersey. I’m guessing these sleeves were done just to match the All Star game colors.
It’s the same Nike shooting sleeve that was worn this past season in college basketball. John Wall wore one all the time. Brandon Phillips has worn a white/red one for the whole season so far.
Could it be that red undershirts (ARod, Cliff Lee, etc.)were worn b/c the players needed to borrow from the Angels?
Brian Wilson had “the worst look of the night”?? I loved his look. Pure rock and roll right there. The ASG (and MLB in general) could use a few more characters like him, as far as I’m concerned.
Yes, because baseball, as we all know, is all about rock and roll….
No, but I believe life is about being yourself and not comforming because someone else says you should, and I applaud Brian Wilson for sticking to that.
I mean, of course baseball is not about rock and roll. You know what else baseball is not about? The uniforms in general. I’m sorry to say this, but in truth, a guy wearing XXXL pajama pants can be just as much a baseball player as one with perfectly bloused ones over flawless stirrups.
But this isn’t a blog about what baseball is about. It’s about style. Sports style, baseball style, but style nonetheless. Personally I love Brian Wilson’s style. And, I don’t feel I need to worry myself with whether it aligns with what someone else thinks baseball is “about.” It’s clear that Brian Wilson doesn’t either, and I think he’s awesome for that. That, and his 99 mph fastball. But that’s another story.
“You know what else baseball is not about? The uniforms in general.”
wait…what?
you mean i’ve been posting on the wrong blog all these years?
“No, but I believe life is about being yourself and not comforming because someone else says you should”
True, but that doesn’t mean life is always about cries for attention. Which is how his look reads to me.
There’s a time and place for making a personal statement with your clothing. Rarely does that come when you’re wearing a uniform.
This is not really a defense of Wilson’s sartorial choices, but last night was pretty much the same as every night (aside from the orange shoes). Wilson has been sporting the mohawk for at least the last couple of seasons and always looks a bit ragged. So, while he looked ridiculous, at least it was his normal ridiculousness, not a grab-some-extra-attention-at-the-ASG ridiculousness.
If he’d worn a zoot suit, you could’ve said it was “pure jazz,” but that wouldn’t have anything to do with baseball either….
Brian Wilson does not normally look that bad. He does wear cleats that are mainly gray on the road and mainly white at home, and he has had a mohawk since last season, but i have never seen him with his jersey halfway unbottoned or with an undershirt that is that ragged. Is he a character? Yes, but last night was more than normal.
I’m pretty sure he wears black cleats at home. White would not look good with the Giants’ cream uniforms.
I stand corrected on his choice of cleats at home, but he does wear gray ones on the road. The caption says it’s from 2008 (no mohawk then), but here’s a picture:
link
Brian Wilson could wear a freakin’ banana costume and he’d still be hardcore and buzz a 99 MPH fastball down your ovaries and get you pregnant.
The baby would be born with a mohawk and kill you in labor.
But David Wright and Brian Wilson play for teams whose colors include orange. If Ryan Howard or Albert Pujols ever shows up wearing orange cleats, they should be shot. But Wright and Wilson wearing orange cleats? That’s beauty is what that is.
Oh, right, but Pujols won’t be shot if he shows up in yellow cleats, since that’s a Cardinals color. That’s beauty, right?
Please.
No, Pujols still gets shot for yellow. Red or blue cleats on Albert? Beauty. You’re not seriously arguing that orange in the Mets or Giants color schemes is equivalent to yellow in the Cardinals? Please.
I think I hate Nike and manufacturer templatization every bit as much as you do, but even the proverbial broken clock is right twice a day. Gratuitous orange cleats are a Very Bad Thing in general, but for teams that actually wear orange, they’re just fine. For example, bright orange cleats in the World Cup? Ugly on the feet of Americans or Brits. Beautiful on the feet of the Dutch. The problem isn’t orange specifically; the problem is colors that don’t match and thereby serve to draw attention to Nike as shoe-maker rather than to the team’s identity as a team.
You’re missing my point. Just because orange is a bigger part of the Mets’ color scheme doesn’t make it appropriate for footwear.
The ability to say “Hey, orange is a Mets [or Giants] color!” and then say, “So let’s make some shoes based on that color!” does not strike me as genius, and the results do not strike me as beauty. In fact, it strikes me as intellectual laziness (on Nike’s part, not yours), as if the notion that the shoes fit the team’s color scheme were somehow self-justifying and no further analysis were needed.
If I wear a blue suit, with a red tie, should I wear blue dress shoes with it? Or maybe red dress shoes? No — those are not appropriate colors for dress shoes, even if they “match” the rest of my attire. Similarly, orange cleats do not belong on a baseball player, even if they “match” the rest of his uniform.
Interesting theory, Paul, and it would be completely persuasive if baseball players wore suits and ties and worked in an office. But they don’t, and shoe colors are arbitrary. Perhaps some people have not spent as much time around livestock as others, so here’s the deal: animal hides do not naturally come in the colors of dress shoes. There are no shiny black or cordovan cows. Shoe leather acquires its color by dyeing during or after the tanning process.
So a black cleat is just as arbitrarily colored as a red one, or an orange one, or a white one. Unlike with dress shoes, where by deeply rooted social standards brown is appropriate with a few colors of suit, black with a larger but not entirely overlapping set of suit colors, and orange never, there are no externally valid standards for the appropriate color of sports footwear. Miss Manners will not help Mr. Pujols choose his shoes.
Now, as I’ve said, I think the problem is shoes whose colors draw attention to the shoes as distinct made objects, and therefore to the manufacturer – shoes that too forwardly advertise themselves for sale. No uniform element should make an observer think of the manufacturer rather than the team. And I suppose that if only one or two players on the Mets or Giants or Orioles wears orange shoes, the phenomenon I find objectionable will still apply. So the problem then boils down to two issues: Fitting within a team’s color scheme; and Uniformity. If both conditions are met – if a color of shoe fits with a team’s color scheme, and if shoes in that color are required to be worn by all players – then any color of cleat is fine. If not, then not.
Since the question of uniformity doesn’t apply in an All-Star game, where players on each team deliberately do not wear uniform uniforms, Wright’s orange cleats need only satisfy the first criterion of color-matching. Ergo, beauty!
Um, no.
Just because leather doesn’t naturally come in various hues, that does not mean footwear colors are “arbitrary.” There’s such a thing as design, there’s such a thing as taste. Orange cleats reflect neither.
There’s such a thing as design, there’s such a thing as taste. Orange cleats reflect neither.
There’s no arguing taste, but a categorical statement that orange cleats cannot “reflect design” is something no designer of any competence would ever say.
The thing is, considered objectively rather than at the subjective level of “I think purple doesn’t look pretty,” no cleats worn by any MLB player “reflect design” any more or less than do the orange cleats in question. Teams do not issue cleats; they are not designed as part of the uniform. Players choose their cleats just like they choose their gloves. Some teams have rules limiting color choice, but that’s not “design” any more than similar rules governing facial hair.
If a team chose to have its players wear orange cleats, that would “reflect design” exactly as much as would a team requirement that its players wear black cleats, or white.
I’d like to think that orange is a bigger part of the Mets’ and Giants’ color schemes than Yellow is of the Cardinals’ color scheme. These players wearing orange would be akin to Pujols wearing red, if you ask me. Personally, I think I prefer dark colored cleats.
MLBers wearing cleats that feature thier teams secondary or tertiary colors is no different than what NFL or NBA players have been doing for at least the past 5 years, since the companies really started creating “Player Exclusive” colorways.
I, for one, LOVE them. They do add a small bit of personality, albeit with team colored boundaries!
Was thinking that same sort of thing last night, but I suppose the swing factor is that the Giants actually have an orange jersey, and Mets have had at least an orange spring training jersey.
The Cards, of course, have never worn a yellow garment. Their yellow is an “incidental necessity”, used for the bat and the birds’ beaks…sorta like the kelly, brown and yellow gold on the Blackhawks’ unis.
Not saying I thought the orange shoes where really nifty. Just that they weren’t any more a stretch that Griffey’s teal cleats a few years ago.
Been figuring orange cleats would show up in the ASG “Shoepalooza” sooner or later, but was thinking it likely would be on an Oriole.
Now just waiting on (among current MLB team colors) purple, brick red, metallic gold, powder blue and, I suppose, sand. Dave Parker did yellow-gold back around 1980, the game in Cleveland following the strike, and again in Seattle.
—Ricko
Paul, those would sell like hotcakes here in St Louis as anything Albert touches is gold.
This has me thinking of what team has a 3rd color that would look good on a cleat.
The A’s — black!
The Reds were all wearing red cleats last night instead of the usual black and it looked fine. Of course, red is a more accepted footwear color than orange and some teams have it as their official shoe color.
The red cleats are also a Reds’ tradition for the ASG with the Big Red Machine, right? Or am I just imagining that I heard that somewhere?
Yeah, in fact, Reds players like Dave Concepcion going with red adidas in the ASG in the very early ’70s (because the Reds were mandated to wear solid black cleats) were among the first to practice “shoe variants” for the game.
Here’s a weird one…in ’74 or ’75 (in those years before the Padres went to the white shoes), OF Johnny Grubb wore brown adidas in an ASG. Now there’s a White Whale for ya.
—Ricko
Thanks for the confirmation Ricko, I thought that was the case. A couple of weeks ago, Joe Morgan sat in with the Reds’ broadcast team (I know, lucky us) and was talking about how the all stars used to get red cleats in their lockers. At least now I know I wasn’t hallucinating …
How do you know that a Nike employee talked David into wearing the orange cleats? Isn’t possible that he asked Nike for a pair of orange cleats?
Paul, are you okay with other non-black cleat colors?
Red: link
Blue: link
White: link
I didn’t particularly like the orange cleats, but I don’t see much of a difference between them and red, blue, or even white ones in terms of the argument you are making – that they don’t belong on a baseball player on a baseball field. Are you arguing that traditional black baseball cleats are the way to go? If not, and red/blue/white cleats are okay, then it seems like more of a personal preference argument about what is right or beautiful.
re: Yesterday’s post-’68 AFL All-Star Game photo of the Raiders’ George Blanda wearing #17 on his “West” jersey, someone late last night asked who could possibly have been senior to Blanda that would cause him to not wear his customary #16.
In ASG’s it isn’t about who’s been around the league, or the sport, the longer. It’s about seniority in the ASG itself and, sometimes, who was the first-team selection.
So the answer to the question almost certainly is:
Len Dawson. His Chiefs lost to the Jets in the AFC title game that year.
—Ricko
Here is a link to a website with pictures of Chelsea’s 2010 away jersey link
Here is one to the new Fulham home jersey: link
What is the fascination with white cleats? They look bad, as do the rumpled long pants without socks or stirrups. Ramirez of the Marlins is a great player who looked like he just fell off a turnip truck.
I’m not sure fans truly understand how much MLB players look forward to the All-Star break, whether playing in the game or not. It’s a welcome respite in what is, by far, the longest, and often tedious, grind in any U.S. team sport.
Those who are playing appreciate the honor, to be sure, but still sort of envy the guys who are able to just get away from baseball for three days.
Given that, the fact that they have a little fun with their shoes, or don’t wear their hats in the Home Run Hitting Contest, is just a way of lightening the hell up for a bit. They’re trying to get the feeling of a “break” even though they still have planes to catch, hotel rooms to stay in, and lots of places to be at specific times…compared to the guys at home fishing, hanging out with girlfriends or having a picnic with their kids.
So I get it and, taken in that context, it’s much more fun to play along than bitch about it.
—Ricko
to answer the question as to why players wear the most garish colored cleats in the ASG: because they can
That Expos cardigan is sweet!
Where do I find an A’s one?!
I have to agree with a bunch of the guys so far today. I consider myself a definite traditionalist but in the ASG I like the tradition of the white cleats (or the newer tradition of gray on the road team) and I think the orange/teal/other bright colors are fun. Not for everyday use, but I like guys pushing the envelope for the ASG, adds a little flair and fun.
As an aside, I’m a Mets fan and I hate that they wear black cleats all the time. Go back to blue, looks so much better. Color and shoes not a bad thing..
“I’m a Mets fan and I hate that they wear black cleats all the time. Go back to blue, looks so much better”
how bout they work on that for the caps, sleeves and socks first, then we’ll work on the shoes
Obviously.
This was a shoe-centric convo so I was just continuing the theme. Also, don’t forget belts. haha.
I really had hopes and dreams that the stadium switch would somehow be the end of the black/blue caps (at least at home). I haven’t checked any of the uni trackers lately, but it does seem that this year it has been worn less. Or I’m just convincing myself of that so that I don’t send Charlie Samuels any hate mail.
Absolutely less blue-black cap this season. A lot more blue at home.
more blue at home, to be sure, but that’s only because they have those swell new cream colored unis, which they wear more then they wore the pins last season, presumably to move more merch…and they’ve yet to pair them with the black/blue cap (fingers crossed)…and i’d venture to say they’ve worn the snow whites with blue caps more frequently than they have with the black/blue than in the past as well…
i keep my tracking sheet at the office…will take a look at the frequency today and report (if i remember)
look forward to seeing it. my perception (possibly fantasy) is that even with the ‘snow whites’ they are wearing the blue cap a lot more often.
i remember last year they did that online uniform survey. unfortunate that the only thing to come out of it (so far at least) is the cream pinstripe. wonder if theres more in the works. that said, with blue hats, belts, shoes, socks, etc, the snow whites have grown on me in a serious way and i think they are a great look.
The Braves player wearing the wrong version of the Gazoo helmet is Martin Prado, not Omar Infante. That they gave him a home-colored batting helmet bothered me immensely.
Correcto. My bad. Will fix now.
I guess I’m slightly biased as a Phillies Fan, but one set of these dual memorials is extremely well done, respectful and classy; and the other is a total train wreck. I’ll let you decide which is which…
link
link
I agree with your aesthetic assessment, but that’s a little unfair, because the circumstances are different: The Phillies had several months to come up with their memorial gesture, because Tugger and the Pope both died over the winter. The Yanks don’t have that luxury.
No disrespect meant, but I imagine the most talented graphic designers in the world work in Manhattan and are at the Yankees disposal… rushing something is no excuse for bad design.
On the other hand, Sheppard and Steinbrenner’s deaths were not unanticipated. Both were old men known to be in frail health. That’s the sort of thing professionals are supposed to prepare for. Plus, the timing, coming as it did just before the All-Star break, gave the Yankees at least 48 hours more than they chose to use. The Yanks were unprepared, and then they rushed the job. I have to believe that if Steinbrenner were still running the team, neither of these patches would have been approved.
do you think the yankees didn’t know these guys were old/in bad health? This wasn’t a rush job anymore than when I newspaper has obits ready for celebrities. Have the plan in place and just finalize the details when needed.
Love the site, check daily, but I rarely comment… today is a little more cranky than usual.
Come on, it’s the all star game, let them have a little fun. I’m a mets fan and I hate all the black, etc., but Wright’s shoes just looked flat-out cool last night.
Yea, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt: link
;o) heh heh
Man. I didn’t get to watch the game last night, but from photos Ubaldo looked like Ralphie in the bunny suit at the end of A Christmas Story – totally out of his comfort zone.
He hates pitching in jersey sleeves, and since the Rockies only road vest is the black alt he was forced to pitch in the grey. He usually wears the higher stirrups (completely by choice since there’s no hosiery mandate) but somehow got stuck in those low-riders. Lord knows about those cleats. He just looked like his mom dressed him. Or maybe Nike..
I said last night Jimenez looked like the famous Angel Macias, who was the pitching star for the 1955 Little League World Champions. He pitched wearing white tennies.
—Ricko
I believe they were New Balance.
Thank you so much for putting that picture and the scene with the Chinese restaurant in my head for the rest of the day. Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra, ra-ra, ra ra.
What’s wrong with a mohawk?
I’m with ya. Sloppy jersey and ragged undershirt, but why lump the mohawk in with that?
The inside (non-ear flap side) of the S100 helmets is ridiculous. There’s no cut-out for the ear, so the flat portion of the helmet was squishing/folding down most players’ ear. I can’t imagine that’s very comfortable.
Also from straight on, the S100 looked strange… something about the way the brim is shaped seemed very off.
The look a little different — slightly more bulbous, which means the brim seems slightly less prominent. Overall, though, I really do think they’re fine. And I’m the one who’s usually waving the traditionalist flag.
The Syracuse Membership card is bananas…
I might have to join the fray because of the Hoops bloodlines within the family… More on that to come soon.
It’s oranges!
From the desk of Andy:
link?
Umm… no. Wilson and Wright wearing orange shoes is more like Marlon Byrd wearing red ones. Yes, red is a major part of the Cubs’ color scheme, but should they wear red shoes? Not a chance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wilson: mohawk or mullhawk? I say mullhawk. (Full disclosure — it’s a look I sported briefly my freshman year of college.)
Wilson: mohawk or mullhawk? I say mullhawk. (Full disclosure – it’s a look I sported briefly my freshman year of college.)
And that’s exactly where it belongs.
My roommate thought it was cool. I’m fairly certain he was alone in that opinion.
very quick tracking update on the mets home uni combos:
blue cap/pinstripes: 11 times worn
black cap/black jersey: 5 times worn
blue cap/snow whites: 17 times worn
black&blue cap/snow whites: 13 times worn
~~~~~~~
definitely more blue this year than last, but still 18 times too few…if they want to wear the black&blue road cap on the road, fine, tho i’d prefer not…but since they don’t wear the blue HOME cap on the road, then they shouldn’t be wearing the road cap at home either
and don’t get me started on that stupid black
thanks, LIP. i would have thought more than 17 and less than 13. disappointing. oh well. as we said, though, a step in the right direction..
The Yankee organization does a lot of things right and a lot of things wrong. Not a fan of the patches and I am shocked they didn’t do something simple like just “The Boss” and a microphone outline….
However to say:
” I’d like to think they will be small and classy, but knowing the Yanks, they will be huge and gaudy.”
In particular in the context of uniforms, doesn’t really apply to this team or organization…..
Are you sure link?
oh no…they’d never have a huge gaudy patch
dammit james
Heh. I blame the new comments format.
Yes, not a fan of the new comments format.
Also, remember that the Yanks *invented* the concept of the now-rote stadium-anniversary patch way back in 1973. Not the kind of trend I’d want credit for starting.
Do the Yanks usually take a restrained approach to uni-related matters? Yes, absolutely. But the myth that they treat the uniform like a sacred canvas, never to be besmirched, is just that: a myth.
A parallel thought.
Because the Yankees don’t change their unis, their jackets, their hats, haven’t standardized the logo, etc., etc., doesn’t necessarily mean they have developed a great appreciation for design, but perhaps just the opposite: their corporate sense of good design has withered, atrophied, from lack of use.
They know all about packaging networks and all. But the actual artistic elements of physical packaging (which unis certainly are) have not exactly been their focus. They’ve had no need of “Art Direction” for decades.
So when they do something it usually hasn’t been really solid, artistically.
It comes off almost like, “We need a couple patches, anyone here ever even OPENED any of the design software on these computers?”
—Ricko
Hey Ricko….I have never really thought about IT from that point of view….but you are probably right. When you think about it, what’s really remarkable about the Yankee unis, logos, word mark etc,..is that it has not changed in so many years. None of is really graphically outstanding…so you figure that when they do need to create something new….it doesn’t really come off too hot….
I GET IT…..
And were one of the first teams to wear BP jerseys (1980 or so?). But, given the shennanigans in baseball uniforms over the last 40 years, the Yanks still hold steady to tradition for the most part, and this Red Sox fan appreciates that.
you could lump the new stadium in with Ricko’s comments…
“you could lump the new stadium in with Ricko’s comments…”
I’ve always found Citi Field is classier than the new stadium. The only thing remarkable about the new one, is it’s resemblance to old one…..except with too many bells and whistles…so I think you are right about that…
useless fact of the day.. The Camden Riversharks stadium (Campbell’s Field…a.k.a. the soup can) is located at the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge and is actually MUCH closer to center city Philadelphia than Citizens Bank Park is.
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No one mentioned those swell red-and-black cleats that Poppy wore to win the Home Run Derby, except for Joe Morgan, who mentioned them about five times on ESPN. Ah, I actually liked them. I don’t mind the different color shoes in the game, except white just looks dopey, and the long, baggy pants look worse.
That said, I would like to see a few teams wear a colored jerseys like in the 1970s games. (Easy, Phil.)
actually chris, you probably missed what i said last evening…still trying to figure out how exactly to link back to it:
so, for one night only, i’d say let them wear the stupid colored tops — but the clown shoes? now they’re REALLY pushing it
I hope for a few things. That next year there are 3 or 4 A’s players on the team, and that they do like in the 70’s and wear different unis, including the colors. Go with a gray, the yellow that’ll be back, and maybe even pull out the green they so seldom use now.
No black though.
Yes, those ’70s photos look good. Of course, they weren’t uniform (even among players from the same teams), but that’s one of the things I loved about the All-Star Game.
The shoes, on the other hand — yuk. For baseball and football, black shoes are the best.
So in 1976 the Red Sox wore white on the road…or is that the lighting…
Definitely the lighting. Those unis with “BOSTON” on them were grey. They wore white with “RED SOX” at home.
“The shoes, on the other hand – yuk. For baseball and football, black shoes are the best.”
Word!
You’re coming my way, Phil.
By the way — after watching highlights of the Rangers in red against the Orioles in black last week, I think I would prefer a rule that only one team at a time can wear colored jerseys.
But, of course, that would have ruined the ’79 World Series for me.
how many times did balto wear the orange tops? im pretty sure it was once, maybe twice — every other time they dressed in normal clothing
Games 1 and 7.
Been to Whataburger many times and have seen that picture over and over but I never thought “That is something I should send to PL”. I’ve seen a couple of Rockies games this year and noticed the purple laces but never thought to note it for UW.
I’ll be returning my membership card for dereliction of duty. ;-(
I miss What-A-Burger. Watching the Astros games on Direct TV has me wanting a burger every time that commercial comes on!
I remember that picture too, but it was long before I payed this close attention to anything uniform related.
On that note, at the Red Robin Burgers that we go to here in St Louis, they have a B&W picture on the wall of the Chicago Cubs in their vests with powder blue undershirts. I just have never thought to get a picture of it to post here.
I really fail to see the problem with orange cleats on a player whose team has orange as a team color.
Isn’t part of the point of socks/stirrups to bring some color to the lower part of the uniform, so the players aren’t just a big white or gray blob? If they aren’t going to have visible socks/stirrups, why not have colored shoes? Waaahhhh, they’re orange. If they match the team’s color scheme – quit whining.
When did Joe Girardi get braces on his teeth and why is he wearing those little colored things on them like a teenage girl?
I believe one of his daughters had to get braces, so he got them along with her.
If that is true, what will he do when she reaches puberty?
I understand that – as an adult, I wish that my teeth had been just a little bit more crooked, forcing me to get the braces I declined.
If one of my sons need braces, it’d be very tempting to join them.
NOTE: Placing this comment here because I find the later in the day a reply is placed, the less likely it is to be noticed with the new format
Paul –
What I’m starting to get from you is the only shoes that should be worn on a baseball diamond should be black (unless you have earthtones in your color scheme, then brown would be acceptable at times). Is this correct?
No red for the Cardinals? No blue for the Mets? Surely you wouldn’t wear those colors into a suit and tie office!
Know what you mean about comments getting lost.
I posted this kind of interesting tidbit up higher and I’ll bet it doesn’t get read much…
“In ’74 or ’75 (in those years before the Padres went to the white shoes), OF Johnny Grubb wore brown adidas in an ASG. Now there’s a White Whale for ya.”
—Ricko
Just checked. Must have been ’74, because Grubb was wearing the Padres’ home whites with his brown adidas.
–Ricko
Yup. Was this home uni. With the gold sanis, I believe (Padres seemed to wear them sometimes and other times the white)
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sayeth LI Phil:
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The Boss’ patch is just sad. It looks like something we came up with 30 minutes after discovering the “Word Art” function of Word.
The font used for the numbering on the back of the Gazoo helmets is the same font used on the AL and NL All Star jerseys worn during batting practice and the HR Derby.
It’s the same font as the Angels use, but I don’t think it’s on the back of the helmets due to any Angels-related reason.
I don’t mind the new S100 helmet. If every player adapted to it, I think we would forget about the change. It would probably end up being like the transition to the Cool-Flo for 2006. At first it was bizarre, but now in 2010 it looks goofy when players wear the old models.
Also, I think the pajama pants style with the white cleats looks pretty damn sharp. There…I said it.
So does the gray with gray. A helluva lot better than bloused pants and dark socks with white or gray shoes. Dark high socks and light shoes is the Boca Raton shuffleboard look. Or women’s phy. ed. circa 1910.
Trying to figure out how white shoes became inherently evil.
—Ricko
“I think the pajama pants style with the white cleats looks pretty damn sharp.”
i don’t think you’re alone…
one thing i’ve noticed with the pajamists is those who wear multi (or two) colored cleats tend to try to cover the “team” color with the baggy pants, leaving as much white of the cleat exposed —
noticing it on pujols, david wright and many others
and how stupid those same cleats look when worn with rups/socks
im convinced a part of the pajama pants phenomenon is the guys care way more about their fancy shoes than proper hosiery
At the risk of losing all credibility with the Uni Watch community, I have an odd question. Does anyone know what the infamous Nike “dot-matrix” shirts were actually called, and/or where one might (gasp!) get them? I am proudly (or sadly) one of the few who thought they looked decent and wouldn’t mind adding some to my collection.
Ben
the term “blight on humanity” springs to mind.
Just a thought…
This “winner gets home team in WORLD SERIES” thing just seems contradictory to what’s supposed to be something of a break in the season. Plus, the cause and effect are so far apart. Timewise, I mean. Win in July, get your prize in October?
Why not just have the team, or the league, with the better interleague record each year get home field advantage (assuming interleague is here to stay, which appears to be the case).
Then add a legitimate dose of good PR to the ALL-STAR GAME but getting Nike or someone (or MLB itself) to pony up $100,000 to the individual charity of choice for every player, manager and coach on the winning team, and nothing for the losers. A WINNER-TAKE-ALL thing. That’s only, what, $3-$4 million or so? Chump change these days. At least guys from teams that already are 15 games behind would be playing for something that actually affected them. And somebody gets a nice tax deduction. Or just says it’s a $5 million “pot” and the winning team divvies it up. Whatever.
It justifies continuing the “player from every team” stipulation, too. You’d want every market in both leagues to have someone with a shot at the money.
I dunno, that kind of thing seems far more interesting–and compelling—than the issue being something that eventually really matters to only two teams out of 30.
—Ricko
players already get bonuses for making the team; plus, what about injured guys who make the team but don’t play — and their replacements — do they split the take? does the injured guy get nothing? too many variables
as far as home field for the WS…what’s wrong with the team with the best record getting it? DON’T give me the “well they didn’t play the same teams, yada yada yada” argument…you win 99 games in the AL and 102 in the NL, the NL gets homefield
if the two WS participants have the identical record…THEN use better interleague record for the TEAM (not the league)…and if that’s identical, then give the homefield to the league with the better IL record
the pride that comes from merely being selected to the all star team should be enough to justify playing to win — don’t need to give these multi-millionaires (some of whom get HUGE bonuses for making the team) any more bank
they’ve basically already addressed the “tie” aspect by allowing plenty of extra players and pitchers be alloted, so we’re guaranteed a winner these days — if we didn’t have that embarassing tie all those years ago, we’d probably still be alternating AL/NL for homefield (which i never agreed with, but at least it was fair) in the world series
I said, “…$100,000 TO THE INDIVIDUAL CHARITY of choice for every player, manager and coach on the winning team, and nothing for the losers.” That applied to divvying up the $5 mil, too. Was saying the total amount to be divided for charity, not the per player figure, might be better for promotional purposes.
I’m with you. Who gives a shit about watching a bunch of millionaires pocket another 100-grand. Not me or anyone else I know.
Only suggested interleague record for W-S because MLB seems so bound and determined to give meaning to it, and that would take it well beyond just the ASG.
—Ricko
I asked this question late last night, not really expecting an answer due to it being so late, so I’ll repost today:
After the NCAA football 11 cover was brought up in a comment I looked for it and got what was mentioned, but while looking I came across something I’ve been meaning to ask but haven’t because I’d forgotten or just thought it didn’t fit, with it not being football season and all, but now’s as good a time as any I guess.
My question might have been answered here before but I’m not sure, and wasn’t able to find anything about it by searching the archives.
It has to do with the chin strap covers a lot of guys wear now a days, and something I’ve noticed Texas does. Does anybody know why a lot of the Texas players wear the covers inside out? I’ve never understood this, and you can clearly see in the photo linked to that Colt McCoy has it inside out in one pic (home uni) and outside out another time (away, background pic). Any reason for this that anyone knows about?
Also, another burning question, what’s with the screw in large plastic clips a lot of guys are now wearing, including McCoy? I’ve noticed it in college, but not so much in the NFL. Any answers/insight is much appreciated, thanks.
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The chin straps that many of the Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Cowboy players wear is called the Strap-Lok. It is a much more secure method of fastening the upper hook to the helmet.
As for the cup portion of the chinstrap, many players buy after-market covers that simply slip over the cup as to prevent chafing and discomfort.
The pic you provided might have had a nike swoosh photoshopped out of it!
Romo:
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Sam Bradford:
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Chin Strap covers:
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thanks for the info about the Strap-Lok, I’d been trying to find out for a while what that was for a while.
I know what the covers on the chin-strap are for, and have used them, but it’s definitely not photoshopped, it is inside out (the cover in the back has a swoosh on it also, so photoshopping nike wasnt a priority), as I’ve seen McCoy and other players live over the years do it. Vince Young did the same thing, and in the photos here you can even see the swoosh, but it’s backward, indicating its been turned inside out.
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UFL official’s shirts apparently have been leaked:
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Could do without the green.
Here’s last year’s:
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It’s been said on this site that ballclubs are not run like your typical businesses when we talk about stadium names, teams moving, players switching cities, etc.. Therefore, it seems inconsistent to be insistent on black shoes with a baseball uniform.
White shoes with white unis and gray shoes with gray unis? Nice idea. For some reason those make the pajama pants look less awful.
As for colored shoes? (full disclosure, and should be no surprise: at various times in life I have owned white/orange high tops, red wrestling shoes and teal high tops) If it’s a real team color, I don’t have a problem. Nothing against black shoes, by the way. There’s room for traditional and colorful in today’s majors.
Love those handpainted signs Kirsten shared. A lot of those are close to home, especially the first one from Tallmadge, OH.
The MD Garage in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park
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is actually a little art gallery now. It hasn’t been a working gas station for years.
“Someone has compiled a list of the worst new soccer kits of the season”
Nice to see, for the sake of perspective, they included shots of the worst of the 90’s. As bad as some of this year’s kits are, they pale in comparison.
Looking at the link I’m wondering if it originally just had the microphone inside the diamond with the text and someone looked at it and thought it was too close in appearance White Sox sleeve patch so it was “Yankeefied” by slapping the frieze on there.
Paul, how long after that video was taken did your cats go back to wrestling with each other?
Ben Traxel, there is something heartbreaking about that Cardinals clock. Wonderful.
Those hand painted signs are the best. Designing a new uniform? Look at those old signs for inspiration. The photographer won my heart (there’s that word again…) with this shot…
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Caps developmental team sweaters ready to go for their game this afternoon…. link
let me try this on for size…
let’s go royals(clap clap clap-clap-clap)let’s go royals (clap clap clap-clap-clap) let’s go royals(clap clap clap-clap-clap)
…this would be my 6th AL city of residence that i can think of off the top of my head, including all of the AL central, except the twink cities. i am saying this out loud in hopes that the cornmother hears me and lights a fire under some chicago based institutions, and fast. i guess i can get a bigger studio, and concentrate on my sports related work seeing as i would have no glass or painting contacts. but the devil’s jockstrap, rEaLLy?!?
Whaaaaaaaa…..what?! Is the natty bagger packing his shingle up and crusading west?
RE: The Yankees patches.
I’ve always wondered- do these teams ever start designing memorials when they know someone is in ill health. I was thinking this when Ernie Harwell came out and addressed his cancer.
Maybe that’s poor taste?
That’s no more poor taste than buying/selling life insurance. No more than making “final arrangements” for someone being taken off life support. No more than talking to organ donation teams … well, while things are still fresh.
I’m pretty sure I once heard that most major networks have a “death package” ready for all the major stars in Hollywood at any given time, no matter their age or condition – just in case. THAT, I believe, is in bad taste.
might be in “bad taste” as you put it…but it’s good journalism; and it’s not just the networks, every media outlet, from tv down to the papers (do they still put news in print) to the interwebs ALL have the “death package” (i believe the industry term is the “obit file” but i could be wrong) ready to go…and they do update them as the person is living to reflect the most recent news of the future departee
What is this “print media” of which you speaketh?
Do they still have news in print? Come on, now. Newspapers and magazines may be suffering, but there are a lot of them sold every day. The internet is great, but there’s nothing like cracking open your paper in the morning and reading it with a cup of coffee, and I read it before I read the internet.
Speaking of White Whale … a 1990 Nets road jersey is up for auction:
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Two things wrong here. The shorts should be part of it, since his only GU uniform from that year was sold as a set at a Gloria Rothstein show in the early 1990s at White Plains, N.Y.
Two, he ain’t size 46. He’s 7 feet tall. His pro cut should be 48 +2.
Article rating MLB broadcasters, from the sports critics at GQ. link
Hanley Ramirez started the game last night with socks high, then he lowered them
Hanley Ramirez’s cleats were made custom by Boombah. They are the Vengeance style cleats. And they are sweet.
I ,for one, love the Player Exclusive cleats.
bfs
there is a great ‘player exclusive’ baseball website out there- but I checked it and it hadn’t been updated in a couple years.
From the “UniNews of the Weird” department:
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Outstanding footage of the kitties. That’s a regular occurrence in my house, and I enjoy every minute of it.
That Expos cardigan is fft…fft…freshhh.
I’m not sure if this counts, but in 2001 the Los Angeles kings honored the passing of Garnet “Ace” Bailey and Mark Bavis, who were aboard UA175 on 9/11. link
FYI on the Scottsdale CC Artichokes, this was a result of a decision by the school to allow the students to come up with a new mascot many years ago. I went there in 1988, and they had been the Artichokes for a number of years before that. Anyway, the student body took a vote and the Artichoke was added to the ballot as a joke. The rest is history. They also have a HUGE silver statue of an artichoke in the center of campus. I heard recently that they were thinking of changing the mascot, but they decided against it. Good!
New timberwolves uniform leaked on team store site.
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It’s all a matter of taste, of course, but I have to agree that orange shoes on a Mets uniform look, well, not so good. I’d have no problem with blue, and I think the old Astros from the early 1970s with orange caps, sleeves and stirrups might have looked good with orange shoes, but not enough orange in the Mets uniforms to make orange shoes look like they belong. To my eye anyway. And orange is my favorite color.
Did anyone notice Jeter’s jersey after he was pulled from the game? He had a Gatorade “G” logo patch on the right shoulder. Maybe it was a towel, but it sure looked like a patch sewn onto his Yankees jersey.
i did. noticed it for a split second but wasnt able to rewind and take a closer look. at first it did look like a patch to me, but then i figured it had to have been a towel.
I’m not sure if the nhl network has a west coat time delay but right now they’re showing an old Canucks game with the ‘v’ jersey.
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If the Yankees really want to honor Steinbrenner, shouldn’t they just send everyone out in white turtlenecks?
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My issue with the patches for the Yankees is, as they are now, there is no way anyone could see the detail from tv or the stands. Simply ‘The Boss’ or GMS would stand out much more than what they have and a solitary microphone than the mess they came up with.
who does the patches- the clubs on their own or dictated by MLB? As mentioned earlier, Big Stein’s is…
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