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Uni Watch

There’s No Service Like Wire Service, Vol. 19

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After a long absence, Mike Hersh is back with a new batch of wire photo finds — of these are from him, except as noted. Lots to like here, so let’s dig in:

• Many of the photos in this batch are Reds-centric, beginning with this one from 1958. The guy in the center is Cincy scout Ward Lanier. Not sure I’ve ever seen someone wear a vest jersey with no undershirt like that. Of course, Big Klu would go without sleeves, but not without the entire shirt.

• Speaking of Big Klu, the caption to this 1956 shot reads as follows: “Gus Bell, Cincinnati Reds, and Dr. Wayne Anderson, club trainer, testing the elastic in the shirt Ted Kluszewski will wear.” So the Reds were testing a stretch-knit jersey 14 years before the Pirates debuted theirs — amazing!

• And as long as we’re talking about Big Klu, here’s something I’d never thought of: When he went sleeveless with the White Sox, that meant he didn’t have a sleeve number like everyone else. (That one’s from Mike Steiner.)

• Here’s another example of Reds experimentation. The caption: “Gus Bell, Cincinnati Reds, shows Bob Nieman, a Cincinnati boy now playing with the Chicago White Sox, the new helmet the Reds are wearing.”

• Here’s a Reds spring training shot from 1958. The thing that caught my eye on this one was the little white spot at ankle level on most of the stirrups. Might just be a spot that needed to be darned, but it’s odd that it happened so many times in the same area.

• According to the caption, Bill Henry was juggling these baseballs. Seems unlikely (how can you juggle with a glove on one hand?), but I’m more interested in the uni number on his left sleeve. Wish teams would go back to that format today.

• Speaking of numbers on jackets, check out the little “2” under the bottom snap of the guy on the left. Was that a uni number too?

• The gent on the right is Rogers Hornsby, during his brief managerial stint with the Browns. Not sure who the Tigers guy is, but I sure like his striped turtleneck collar.

• Speaking of the Raja, someone needed to tell him that stirrups and high-tops don’t mix.

• Here’s visual proof that the Tigers’ cap and jersey logos didn’t match even way back in the ’20s. Also, I love the subtle contrast provided by the cadet collar.

• Totally digging Papa Bear’s jacket patch. That shot’s from 1963. Interesting to see that one of assistants wearing a headset — when did that start?

• Best practice shirt ever? It’s certainly in the running. The photo is from ’68.

• Never knew there was a minor league hockey team called the Denver Spurs. Great sweater, no?

• Not sure where the Globe Glass & Trim company was located, but they sure had a kick-ass hockey uniform/

• Must ”¦ have ”¦ this ”¦ sweater. Seriously, is that a work of art of what? I especially love the stripes on the shawl collar — not sure I’ve ever seen that before.

• So much going on here. Love the jacket worn over the necktie and sweater vest. Not sure about that huge patch Eddie Shore is wearing, but I’m assuming that’s a practice jersey anyway. Small detail that’s easy to miss: Shore has a lace-up fly on his pants.

• You don’t often see photos of the A’s 1961 road uni, a one-year design.

• Plexiglass goalie mask! Really like the leather straps and the buckles.

• Here’s a weird one: According to the guy who’s selling this photo on eBay, that’s Jim Thorpe as a New York Giant, circa 1917. I think that’s wrong — the Giants never wore that design. Whatever team it was, they not only had a flag patch to mark America’s presence in the Great War, but a stars/stripes cap shield as well. Never seen that before.

• Another puzzler: This old-timey baseball shot is dated 1923. Now, teams no longer looked like that by the 1920s — they had knickers, no facial hair, no collars on their jerseys, etc. That shot is more like an 1860s team. At first I thought the photo was badly misdated, but look at the caps being held by the guys on the right side of the image — those do seem more like the caps you’d expect to see in the 1920s, not the 1860s. Could it be that this was an early example of a throwback game, like the “old-time base ball” games we see nowadays? Intriuging! (Either way, I love the formally attired umpire.)

•  This photo and the next two are from Mako Mameli. First up: That’s one huge-ass hoops jersey insignia. (That’s Sam Etcheverry, QB for the Montreal Alouettes.)

•  Next: Those are some huge-ass TV numbers

•  And one more from Mako: Jackie in white satins.

• I saved the best for last. I might watch more auto racing if it was always this visually entertaining.

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Collector’s Corner, by Brinke Guthrie

• This is Day 11 of Brinke’s HP PC being held hostage at Best Buy. It should be back a week from now, and that’s the last time I deal with the Geek Squad. Apple Store, here I come. [About freakin’ time. — PL] And now, we start off by visiting the reader mailbag:

• Reader Jon passes along this cool set of NFL bed sheets and curtainsone but two Sand Knit creations.

• Reader Jon Morris found a Seattle Pilots 45-rpm record.

• More from Sears: a Steelers bicycle.

• Even if you have no use for old Tudor NFL player figurines, look at this auction listing. Creative photo!

• And in honor of my Giants getting set to take on the Phils, I present a Giants KNBR bumper sticker from way back when.

Seen something on eBay that you think would make good Collector’s Corner fodder? Send your submissions here.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Interesting article about a guy who self-published a book about Tottenham’s kit history (with thanks to Morris Levin). ”¦ A very generous reader who prefers to remain anonymous was nice enough to donate this flannel jersey to my collection. Fits me like a glove! Thanks so much. ”¦ Ole Miss has finally chosen its new mascot. ”¦ Which is weirder: this NOB or this uni number? At first I figured the NOB was an abbreviation, but it’s his real name. As for the uni number the player is Dave Reid of E.V. München, a pro team in Munich, but that’s all I know. Anyone..? (Big thanks to Jim Wooley and Steven Junor, respectively.) ”¦ New hoops uniforms for South Carolina (with thanks to Joel Mathwig). ”¦ Did you know Nebraska went blood-clot way back in 1986? That’s from the game against Oklahoma. Here’s some video footage (nice finds by Taylor Schubauer). ”¦ New Ninja Turtle-themed mask for Rafael Khakimov. ”¦ Here’s a nice little ode to Iowa State’s old cyclone bird logo. ”¦ Totally digging the photo of this hockey-themed cigar box that Jake Doyle sent me. ”¦ Here’s Jeff Ash‘s latest gallery of old Packers pics. Among the highlights: Bart Starr wearing Lamar McHan’s warm-up pullover (note the No. 17 near the waist) and equipment manager Bob Noel installing a facemask. ”¦ I’ve written before about how the Cubs used to put the player’s uni number inside the batting helmet logo. But what was going on with Joe Wallis? That’s not a Photoshop job — his helmet really had a question mark (great find by Paul Kosman). ”¦ The mighty Fleer Sticker Project has a great post about some Kellogg’s NFL posters from 1982. “The most interesting thing about them is how uniform numbers were changed ever so slightly, because the posters were not licensed through the Players Association,” says Jon Helf. For example, this sure looks like Walter Payton, but they changed the uni number to 31, so I guess it must not be him, right? Uh, right. Similarly, I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that this guy looks an awful lot like Joe Montana. Note the NNOB jerseys, too — another way to avoid having to pay player royalties.

 
  
 
Comments (145)

    The article for the Bama unis is from 2006 – that was a one game jersey not seen since. Bama will be wearing their combat series unis versus MS St in a few weeks. Thanks

    The WHA version of the Spurs had the same logo, but they didn’t have contrasting shoulder yokes as in that picture. They were also in the old Western League and then the Central League before being “promoted” to the WHA in 1975.

    It’d be great if anyone could actually confirm the legend that the Spurs players only found out about the team being sold to Ottawa when “O Canada” was played for them in Cincinnati.

    That’d be the WHA Spurs moving to Ottawa. One of the all-time great franchise train wrecks.

    Denver wanted an NHL team, and with McNichols Arena open a year ahead of the planned 1976 expansion, they tried – and failed – to work a deal to move the Seals. Not willing to wait, the Spurs were promoted, but fans in Denver didn’t want the WHA. Combined with rumors of the Scouts relocating to Denver, the Spurs were sold off, and folded after just 7 games as the Ottawa Civics, just two of those at their new home, and 41 games total.

    I know the WHA was not a minor league. I was just pointing out I had the WHA puck with the same logo.

    The Spurs first wore that logo in the “old” Western Hockey League in the late 1960s. There are folks down in San Diego who still remember games between the Spurs and San Diego Gulls.

    …along with the Portland Buckaroos, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Roadrunners, Seattle Totems, and Salt Lake City Golden Eagles…

    More importantly on the #2 Indians jacket picture: why does the guy wearing it have 2 heads? Maybe that’s what the number is for :)

    Back in the late 1800’s, base ball (intentional space) teams did wear caps that were similar to today’s caps. The second picture on this page shows all of the different styles available at the time. The cap Paul is referencing is probably #11, the “jockey” cap.

    link

    gotta agree with JAson…

    that photo is most definitely NOT from the 1920’s…i’ve look at enough olde tyme base ball shots to know it’s probably circa civil war or maybe just after

    and yes, they did (albeit rarely) sport some more “modern” caps, as shown in that pic

    The date of 1923 refers to the publishing date from the news orginization that used the photo. The pic itself originates from the 1860’s.

    Definitely not 1920s. Phil’s probably correct in placing it “circa civil war or maybe just after…” 1880s, maybe. By the 1920s, men’s facial hair had changed, for sure, but men also didn’t stand and pose the way men stood and posed in the 1920s. Try to find a 19th Century photograph of a man smiling. Excellent find, though. And Paul, I’m still reeling from the majesty of yesterday’s bowling/flocking feature. One of the best ever.

    What we’re all looking at is a picture of the Brooklyn Excelsiors! Check out this photo …

    link

    The guy, 4th from the left, is the same fella standing next to the Abe Lincoln lookalike.

    Even more fascinating is the caps!

    The ones in the picture were known as “Brooklyn Style” caps, first worn by the Excelsiors! You can read about it here …

    link

    My work here is done.

    Not done, yet.

    Team on the right is the Excelsiors … team on the left is the Knickerbockers.

    link

    Run a google image search and that pic pops up all over the place.

    So it was an “E”, not a “C” on the jersey.
    I wonder what’s there in Hoboken now…

    “Photo taken by Brooklyn photographer Charles H. Williamson shows umpire Dr. J.B Jones (holding ball) and Excelsior player Henry D. Polhemus (Jones’s left), who was said to have used a 52-ounce bat. The picture was taken on September 3, 1859, at Elysian Fields, Hoboken, New Jersey.”

    well done roger!

    i didn’t blow up the photo to see…i just assumed (and you know what happens when we do that) it was a “C” and not an “E”

    and wow…pre civil war…

    this is why UW kicks ass…you get today’s gold star!

    “BruceM. | October 15, 2010 at 10:59 am |

    So it was an “E”, not a “C” on the jersey.
    I wonder what’s there in Hoboken now…”

    The intersection of Washington & 11th Streets is the approximate location of the baseball diamond from Elysian Fields. The streets and sidewalks were renovated with some brickwork to commemorate the site.

    link
    You can see the red brick baseball in the middle of the intersection. (And world-famous Maxwell’s on the corner.)
    link
    Home plate is on the sidewalk.

    And here’s a group shot of the team with “Mr. Lincoln”.
    link

    Been to Maxwells a million times…..didn’t know it was world famous….

    Oh, yeah. R.E.M, New Order, and Nirvana all played Maxwell’s early in their careers. The performance scenes in Springsteen’s video for Glory Days were shot there. My Chemical Romance and Meat Puppets have recorded live albums there.

    Just to add one more thing re: the photo. It appears the original photo is one of the items that has allegedly been stolen from the hall of fame.

    link

    See the top right pic on this page

    I remember seeing Nirvana there…seems like a lifetime ago….I wasn’t really into grunge, and didnt know who they were, but the name always stuck with me….

    Used to go to Maxwell’s a lot because right after college, my buddies and I had an apartement on the same block. Finding parking spots was a crazy experience, so we used to walk every where. Always started or ended the evening at Maxwell’s. Never really realized how famous a venue it was.

    But was always aware of Elysian Fields and we considered it hallowed grounds…..

    Little to add to the excellent analysis above, but what made this a single-glance ID for me was the belts. The wide belts that almost resemble a boxer’s championship belt were a hallmark of mid-19th-century ball. Some links:

    link

    link

    link

    link

    If it’s true about the radio station frequency, it would bring to mind the stunt when Ted Turner told Andy Messersmith to wear 17 and also decided that his newly fabricated nickname – “Channel” – would go on his back.

    Am I the only one who has never seen this helmet Jim Kelly is wearing in the ESPN article? With that striping and a blue facemask?

    link

    That was what they used for the first 3 seasons after ditching the white helmets.

    Jim Kelly only wore it for one year, so it’s a bit of an odd shot I suppose.

    Plus, the Bills were a combined 8-40 while wearing it… so it’s rather easy to forget about.

    It’s why you see it on a lot of Bills items from the late 80s and 90s. Flags, for instance- they always seemed to have the blue facemask on them even years after they made the change.

    Have to find it on the ‘net again, but I’ve heard the Seattle Pilots’ 1969 team song. It may be the most insipid composition ever….

    Nebraska in all-red: It was actually 1987, and that’s the only time I have ever seen them do it. They lost to Oklahoma for the right to be whipped by hated Miami in the Orange Bowl that year. They’ve worn all-white two or three times over the years too, and always lose, it seems.

    That song should have included a lyric about pounding that Budweiser, while going f***S*** or s***f***, or maybe asking, ‘Hey Blondie, hows your old tomato?’

    god bless Joe Schultz….

    New hoops unis for South Carolina again? Maybe they’ll actually have a uniform in their primary school color this year (garnet).

    the Gamecocks are finally going with Under Armor across the board. the basketball team had to let it’s contract with Nike expire so they could join the football and baseball teams who are already wearing UA apparel.

    I’d never seen that Denver Rockets logo before. I’m more used to link. That name and look went away when they were prepping the ABA/NBA merger due to the priority given the San Diego (or maybe it was Houston by then) Rockets.

    I was at the all-red Nebraska game. Tough day for the Cornhuskers. The entire crowd gasped when the team hit the field in those uniforms.

    Call me crazy, but in those days of non-shiny pants, and with the white stripes, they did not look all that bad. Such a look would never work in the NFL, but in college . . . I kind of liked it.

    I have a book at home with many photos taken at that game. Aside from the tear-away jerseys, the all-reds are one of my biggest Cornhusker obsessions.

    Part of what makes the all-reds appealing to me are the cropped jerseys with white t-shirts underneath. They really break up the red.

    They would never work in the NFL? Have you seen the garbage that NFL teams have worn lately? I don’t think they’re that bad, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them wear them again. Always loved Nebraska’s uniforms. For years they were the red version of Penn State in a lot of ways.

    I didn’t have my coffee yet, FSP’s banner is so huge I thought that was the image of the posters.

    On those white marks on the Reds socks. I blew the image up and found them all to be a square with a letter inside. In the 1950s the Reds uniforms were made locally by MacGregor Sporting Goods. So that could be the MacGregor “Script M” logo inside of the square. It’s only my guess, but what else could it be, given that all of the marks are the same.

    As far as the Eddie Shore photo. That’s Eddie in his Springfield Indians American Hockey League jersey. Eddie was player/owner of Springfield even as his NHL career wound down. He would play for the Tribe on nights when it didn’t conflict with his NHL team.

    On the jersey Eddie is wearing. The Indians jerseys never had any logo or team name from the 1930s when the notoriously cheap Shore bought them until 1967-68 when they became the Springfield Kings and wore LA Kings replicas. In mid-season of 1974-75 old Eddie kicked out the Kings, re-took control of the team and brought back the Indians nickname. Only then did he include the skating Indian-chief logo on the jersey front.

    That’s not a patch on Shore’s shoulder. It’s the shoulder cowl of the jersey. Good think the Swooshies or reetard were’nt around back then. I shudder to think of what they would have done with that sweater.

    A note on the Eddie Shore pic: Paul mentioned the lace-up front on the hockey pants – not really an unusual item but a standard feature. Playing hockey all through the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, my pants always had the front laces.

    -Jet

    link

    What a weird, compelling image. There’s Big Klu, of course, but what’s with the architecture here? Where are they going, what are they doing, what happens at the top of the stairs, how are the stairs and ramp related, look at the civilian walking down the stairs, why is the umpire leading the team, or is he?

    Also, look at that ump’s face. Classic. Would you argue a call with that guy? I think not.

    White Sox ore those white stirrups at home only for the first games of ’59 Series. By the time the Series returned to Chicago they’d gone back to their black. Hence, that would be in the bowels of Comiskey Park somewhere, prior to one of the W-S games there.

    —Ricko

    Not that anyone is reading this late…..but…..that is not ramp. It is an illusion. Notice the brick courses are continuous at the top of the wall next to the stair. With the large steel beam slanting down, likely these people are leaving the field and heading somewhere under the stands.

    The Jim Thorpe pic is from 1913. That uniform was used for the 1913-14 Baseball World Tour that the NY Giants and Chicago White Sox went on. I sent Paul some pics to back this up. The flags weren’t in reference to WWI either…they were just to denote the American ballcubs on tour.

    “stirrups and high-tops don’t mix.”

    It’s that sentiment, right there, that contributed to the decline and fall of stirrups and the rise of ankle length pants.

    Speaking of Nebraska uniforms, didn’t the Huskers have a monochrome option with the design they briefly introduced around 2001? Jamal Lord was playing QB for NU, and these uniforms had a huge side panel stripe, which extended to the pants. The stripe was either white or red, and I recall the Huskers wearing the all white version with the big red striping at a televised game at Penn State. I think this was only a one year experiment.

    That Ward Lanier picture is certainy goofy-looking without a T-shirt, but I’m wondering why a scout had a jersey number to begin with. Is that normal?

    Iowa State has had a slew of looks. link When you rebrand every three or four years, they kind of get all jumbled up. My favorite was the ’83 through ’86 look, but the new look is growing on me, especially the font. And the football unis are pretty boss.

    Regarding the Rogers Hornsby photo, the gentleman on the left bears a resemblance to Leo Durocher, at least to me, but I’m not aware of Durocher ever having coached/managed with the Tigers.

    I’m with you – that looks exactly like Leo. No idea why he would be in a Tigers uniform, though.

    Anyone who is annoyed with third jerseys, alternate colors, and so forth, here’s something to drive you nuts.

    The Florida Panthers home opener is Saturday night. Even though their primary color scheme is red & yellow, they are going with the blue third jerseys for the game, and have asked the fans for a “Blue-Out” and have everyone wearing blue.

    The problem? The opponent is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who’s main color IS BLUE!!! Who’s running this team? LeBron?

    link

    It doesn’t help that their home jersey has been primarily blue since 2003. In my opinion, they should never have relegated the red to third.

    Some fun pics from past Iowa basketball media days here, first few dozen are from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s:

    link

    Note pic #2 – belted shorts with huge block “I”, plus player #31 actually has an “I” instead of a “1”

    The “I” as a “1” is a really col subtle touch. I like that. So did they always use “I”s as “1”s on the other jerseys?

    Okay, it’s Friday.

    How ’bout the “ALL-MOOD SWINGS” Team?

    Dave Jolly (Braves pitcher, late ’50s)
    Happy Chandler
    Alvin Dark

    (I got more, but what fun is that)

    —Ricko

    Got to love those racing “uniforms” worn by Unser and Granatelli. I had pajamas exactly like that when I was a kid. Boy, I wish I still had them.

    Hey, it’s “Jolly” Jack Adams! Nice to see that his ego is in check there… wearing championship patches from his playing days on that shirt! The most prominent one, the 1926-27 patch, was from his final season, with the original Ottawa Senators.

    I don’t think Scotty Bowman ever rocked Montreal or Pittsburgh championship logos on his Red Wings practice jacket…

    The Globe Glass & Trim Co. was a Chicago-based automotive glass manufacturer, which after a series of mergers became part of SafeLite Auto Glass.

    Paul, Paul, Paul. Please tell me you’re not using wire hangers! That Wallington flannel jersey is on one. Dude, you’ve GOT to get some better hangers. Those things will ruin a shirt so fast!

    I think that’s a *little* overblown. But yeah, I generally agree that wire hangers aren’t ideal. The problem is that I live in a typically microscopic NYC apartment with very little closet space — wire hangers don’t take up as much space.

    you live in the most beautiful house in east st. looie and you don’t care if your clothes are stretched out from wire hangers…and your room looks like some two-dollar-a-week furnished room in some two-bit back street town in okalahoma

    That pic of Bill Henry “juggling” baseballs – that’s a fake. Those balls are superimposed onto the picture, look closely. They make an unnaturally dark shadow on his shirt.

    And once again, the wire service photo feature is an absolute mind-blower. I can’t get enough of this stuff. In nearly every picture, I just want to climb into the shot and be there in the presence of those amazing uniforms.

    -Jet

    Just wondering – was Big Klu considered a “look at me!” type of player? Because if someone did this now,
    link
    I’m sure that would be the assumption.

    “Even if you have no use for old Tudor NFL player figurines, look at this auction listing. Creative photo!”

    Indeed. And if anyone has no use for their old players, I’ll take them off your hands. They also make good indoor soccer players and ski jumpers. Just haven’t figured out how to make them into curlers yet…

    I loved them. I even remember the address, 176 Johnson St, Brooklyn. Didn’t use the metal field- I mean, they all ended up piled in the corner, right? And the one guy that ‘threw’ the misshapen cotton football once you cocked his arm- please.

    But I lined them up on the desktop in offense and defense formations, and I taught myself the ins and outs. Had about 15 teams, organized in a nice fishing tackle box.

    PS- PC Held Hostage Day 11:
    UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

    Ready for pickup tonight or tomorrow. Bad motherboard. Allegedly.

    nice job!

    i like how you even did the faces in the background…now that’s some patience!

    i set ya free, brinke

    “bad motherboard. allegedly”

    that’s a great name for a band

    Posada often wears white-out on his fingernails, to make his signals more visible. But tonight he also seems to have painted spots on his actual fingers, not just the nails. Could be white tape, but I don’t think so. Should be easier to tell when he bats.

    Teeny, tiny Nike swoosh on the side of Rangers manager Ron Washington’s eyeglasses. It’s located on the side of the temple, near the hinge, orange of red in color.
    Will try to get a photo.

    Lots of uniwatching on the telly tonight: ALCS on TBS (that still sounds weird), college pigskin on E(vil)SPN and of course CFL on NFL Network.

    You are now hearing from one member of the B flight winning 4 man scramble Boo Weekely charity Cornbread Classic. We each won a skillet.

    Dave Reid’s number is easy to explain: Germans use a comma for a decimal point. 95,5 = 95.5, as in 95.5 FM, which in Munich is a station called “Radio Charivari”. The player officially registers with the league as #95, so no rules broken.

    They aren’t the first to do this either. Augsburg’s Duanne Moeser shilled for “Hit-Radio rt1” from 2001-2005. Interestingly, in Augsburg, they worked this the other way around, turning #7 into #96,7.

    Evidence here: link

    Let’s see, a home team hasn’t won in a dark uniform this season, but the Rangers STILL decide to break them out tonight. Not smart.

    game’s not over, but i was just telling that to mr. vilk

    0-6 so far, and this could be (un)lucky number 7

    0-7. Sorta surprised that the Rangers would tempt fate when they lost both home games in the red tops against the Rays.

    I assume that the Texas equipment manager is adding some bleach and giving those home whites one more wash so they are extra bright tomorrow!!!

    Cincinnati unveiled their new super-adidas unis tonight. Not much difference, but the nameplate font went from the school font that matched the number font to a more standard block font. Serious downgrade in my opinion.

    link

    Cincinnati would have decent looking uniforms if not for those garish side stripe/panels on the pants.

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