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Who ARE These Guys?

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By Phil Hecken, with Rick Pearson

As we wrap up 2010, I’m joined by Ricko, as he and I join forces for our year-end quiz. It’s been a while since I worked with Rick, and as always, our sage uniform historian will both entertain and hopefully, enlighten us as he has broken into the Ricko Files to come up with a devilishly difficult “Who Are These Guys” challenge.

Time is running out on this year, so let’s get right to it. Here’s Rick:

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NOT the Dirty Dozen
by Ricko

Around here, the “Look At Me” aspect of big-time sports gets mentioned a lot. But let’s face it, there’s plenty of “ham” gene — lots of the performer chromosome — in most athletes. Almost has to be, doing what they do in front of huge live crowds and massive TV audiences game after game. Also they have to deal with high-profile failure. So do actors, every time they audition for a part and don’t get it.

From time to time, though, almost since the advent of “talkies,” name athletes have found their way onto the screen, first in movies and later on television.

So, just for fun of it on New Year’s Weekend, here’s a little quiz, the “NOT Dirty Dozen” … 12 jocks who’ve gone all thespian either during or after their athletic careers. For each, there’s a movie photo, a clue in the captions and a visual uni hint. In some instances their cinematic careers were brutally brief. Others managed to make quite a successful profession out of it.

Will anyone get them all right? Probably not likely. But there are some interesting tidbits here to be learned about the cross-pollination of big-time sports and show biz. Have fun with it.

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Thanks Rick. At the end of this article, I’ll post a link to the answers. Try your best to guess them without the cheat sheet. You won’t find many of these pics on the Interwebs, and googling may or may not help. Use any means at your disposal and see how you do.

For this quiz, you’ll be given a set of 12 photos of actor/athletes in a movie role. You’ll then be given an additional set of clues to help you identify the athlete. You need to come up with the names of the actors based on the photos and the clues. Sounds simple, right? Ready? Let’s go!

#1: “What exactly IS a flankerback?” And here is a closeup of the actor as athlete. Who am I?

#2: “I’ll clean up them owlhoots.” Photo clue. Who am I?

#3: “Me never dress like this in Pittsburgh.” Uniform hint. Who am I?

#4: “Someday I will fly with Eagles.” Photo closeup. Who am I?

#5: “Give that feller his quarter back.” Hint, hint. Who am I?

#6: “Okay, I’m acting, but I did have a friend who was a deacon.” Tight shot. Who am I?

#7: “Gee, I look just like me.” Really — do we even need a clue? Who am I?

#8: “Yes, Nurse, they ARE a girl’s best friend.” This might be a help. Who am I?

#9: “Hey, I carried a whole LEAGUE on my back.” Bear with us. Who am I?

#10: “My dad was ”˜Old 98’ and Ricky Nelson was my brother-in-law.” What, like you need a hint? Who am I?

#11: “Got some nuggets of wisdom for you, Son.” Here’s a skyline hint. Who am I?

#12: “Whaddya mean, ”˜Claw or Ball Peen’?” “Right”. Who am I?

~~~

OK, that will do it. Obviously, some of them are easier than others. List the actor’s name, and give yourself bonus points if you can identify the role and the name of the movie or TV show in which they appeared.

Big thanks to Ricko for coming up with the idea for the annual year-end quiz, and also for hunting down all the photos — and the clever clues. And you thought today’s athletes were actors. Ha! They got nothing on these guys.

Ready for those answers? See the bottom of the page…

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Let's Go Bowling

Halfway There…

…and next year, a different strategy.

The 2010-11 Bowl Season is now halfway complete, with the first 18 games in the books. Some good games, some stinkers, and some…somewhere in between. My technique of “picking the team with the best uniform” has taken a beating, especially since some of the matchups haven’t quite panned out the way I’d planned. Some teams decided to either break out their “worst” possible combinations, or their best — or something they’d never worn before. Had I known some of these matchups ahead of time, well…I might have chosen differently. But at the halfway point I’m being beaten like a rented mule. Maybe I can rally for a respectable record once the next 17 Bowls are mercifully over.

Lets see how they’ve stacked up so far:

New Mexico Bowl: BYU 52 – UTEP 24. No question the best dressed team won here. An easy pick got me off to a fast start. (Record 1-0)

Humanitarian Bowl: Northern Illinois 40 – Fresno State 17. Ugh. Both teams dressed like Division III schools, although I’d still say Fresno State had a slight edge in un-suckyness. On the smurf turf of Boise, the game was almost unwatchable, but at least both teams were visible. (Record 1-1)

New Orleans Bowl: Troy 48 – Ohio 21. In one of the prettiest matchups so far, and sure to make the Mothervilker 5 & 1 (coming Sunday), Troy took Ohio behind the woodshed. I still say Ohio looked better, but they both looked great. (Record 1-2)

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: Louisville 31 – Southern Miss 28. The ‘Ville has sported many awful looks this season, so I was anticipating their worst and they surprised me by looking better than So. Miss — definitely would have picked the Cardinals had I known of this hookup. But I didn’t. Slam. (Record 1-3)

Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State 26 – Utah 3. Boise came out in about the only look I could like, sporting their toy combat unis, and destroying Utah (which I expected). Like an idiot, I picked Utah fearing the Boise stripes and file folders. Utah still looked better, but with a spread of 17, I should have gone with the slam dunk. Another in the L column. (Record 1-4)

Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State 35 – Navy 14. Just one day before they played, the Murph was under 3 feet of water. Those may have been the only conditions under which the much better attired Middies had a chance. Alas, they did not. SDSU looked awful, but still won big. Ouch. Another loss. (Record 1-5)

Hawai’i Bowl: Tulsa 62 – Hawai’i 35. Neither team looks good, and Tulsa has waaaaaaaay to much crap on their uniform, but they do have great colors. Had I seen this one coming, I’d have taken Tulsa, but of course, their prior messes scared me off. Tulsa took Hawai’i behind the woodshed in their own stadium, too. Interesting uni quirk: Tulsa wore a floral print in their helmet stripe. (Record 1-6)

Little Caesar’s Bowl: Florida International 34 – Toledo 32. FINALLY, the uni gods decide to strike a blow for the “least poorly attired” team, as neither team sports anything particularly appealing, but Toledo may have the worst number font in all of football — and that includes Belotti. The only people who may like that font are the official scorekeepers, since you can see those things from the space shuttle. Finally, a win. (Record 2-6)

Independence Bowl: Air Force 14 – Georgia Tech 7. I wasn’t expecting AF to come out in a hybrid of their thunderbirds and stars & stripes helmet, but they did, and they looked outstanding. Wouldn’t have mattered, because anything they could have worn was better than anything the Ramblin’ Wreck would wear. Score another one for the better dressed team. (Record 3-6)

Champs Sports Bowl: North Carolina State 23 – West Virginia 7. Although NC State isn’t one of the prettier teams in their monochrome red, with a white lid and black socks, they were still better attired that WVU in their soot suits, also known as toy combat unis. I didn’t know going in WVU would wear them, but I had a hunch. The better attired team emerged victorious, once again. (Record 4-6)

Insight Bowl: Iowa 27 – Missouri 24. Mizzou could have a really outstanding uni if they’d ditch those stupid side panels, and stuck with the black and mustard scheme, but Iowa had the better uni regardless. This was a pretty game and a damn exciting one. (Record 5-6)

Military Bowl: Maryland 51 – East Carolina 20. This one was almost a tossup going in, but having seen the two combatants, I would have chosen the Terps. The uni gods chose wisely, even though I didn’t. (Record 5-7)

Texas Bowl: Illinois 38 – Baylor 14. Another one where I was hedging, and I eventually took Baylor because I preferred their colors. When all was said and done, I should have taken the Illini, as they were slightly better attired than the Bears. (Record 5-8)

Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma State 36 – Arizona 10. Going in I didn’t know Arizona would break out their seldom-worn blue tops and blue helmets, but it didn’t matter, I would have taken them over the Cowboys regardless. This turned out to be a pretty decent looking game, but OSU still has crummy unis. I don’t want to remember this Alamo Bowl. (Record 5-9)

Armed Forces Bowl: Army 16 – SMU 14. Slam dunk — Army couldn’t possibly look better than SMU, could they? I mean, SMU has one of the greatest uniform sets of all time. But when you go BFBS and piss off the uni gods, you get the short end of the score. Didn’t see this one, but apparently the announcers said SMU was paying tribute to Army. Nice move. You got what you deserved. (Record 5-10)

Pinstripe Bowl: Syracuse 36 – Kansas State 34. Another beauty of a game, and definitely one to watch for in the Mothervilker 5 & 1. I so wanted to take ‘Cuse, and of course, I should have. In a cold, gray, overcast day in Yankee Stadium, the Orange looked and played just slightly better. (Record 5-11)

Music City Bowl: North Carolina 30 – Tennessee 27. Woulda…coulda…shoulda. I knew Tennessee would be wearing their new “NFL” cut uniforms, which actually look better on them than some adidas-clad teams, due to their lack of jersey stripes, but I didn’t foresee their orange jerseys not matching the orange on their helmets. The uni gods noticed, and the ‘Heels won in a double OT squeaker, just to spite my pick. Or so it seems. Can it get any worse? Nebraska couldn’t possibly lose, could they? That’d be like the U-Conn women losing in hoops — it’ll never happen. (Record 5-12)

Holiday Bowl: Washington 19 – Nebraska 7. OK. Now the uni gods are just trying to piss me off. Full-BFBS Washington pulls off the biggest upset of the Bowl Season? Are you kidding me? Apparently not. At least I won’t be the only one who picked this one wrong. Ugh. (Record 5-13)

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Well. There you have your uni-wrap of the first 18 bowls. If you picked in the UW pool, you’re probably doing better than I. Let’s hope for a big turnaround as the bigger bowls get underway.

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Sun Bowl

Here Comes The Sun (Bowl)

Some time ago, everyone’s favorite college football uniform critic, Jim Vilk (yeah, bookmark that one for future photoshops, kids) mentioned in the comments that his favorite of all the bowls was the Sun Bowl. Really? I mean, it’s not like it’s the Sugar or the Orange or even the Granddaddy, but who picks the Sun Bowl as their favorite? Jim Mothersunbowlvilker, that’s who.

Well, the Sun Bowl is today, the last day of 2010, and it pits the U against the Fighting Irish. So it’s got that going for it, which is nice. Anyway, Jim’s love for the Sun Bowl can only be explained by Jim himself, so without further ado…here is Mr. 5 & 1â„¢ himself…

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Finally, a bowl I can see! That’s right, today features one of the three free-TV bowl games, and it just happens to be my favorite — the Sun Bowl. It’s not my favorite because of this year’s matchup, as I’m not fond of either team. It most certainly isn’t because of the uniform matchup, as the Sun Bowl web site suggests Miami’s normal orange vs. Notre Dame’s regular white. I’d be much happier with a retro matchup, or better yet, the Joe Montana look vs. the Hurricanes’ Toy Combat unis. It’s not so much the past matchups, either. There isn’t a Sun Bowl that ranks anywhere in my Top 5 favorite bowl games, but on the whole, it’s the game I look forward to the most each year.

Why? Well, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the Sun Bowl is the scenery. I love how the stadium is nestled between the mountains, which almost always means the camera crew will find a shot of someone who climbed up one of the hills to watch the game. The next thing I think of is the weather. As the name suggests, the Sun Bowl is usually sunny. There have been games, however, that were played in the fog and even in the snow. Basically, it’s not your typical bowl, which is why I always tune in, even if I just have it on in the background.

As I said, there isn’t a Sun Bowl in my best games list, but there have been some good matchups and memorable games. Probably the most memorable for me was the 2003 matchup between Minnesota and…Oregon? Yep, that was when the Ducks knew how to dress, plus it was a pretty good game that came down to the wire. You can read all about that game and others on Mark Bolding’s wonderful web site of his favorite bowls. Don’t do it during the game, though. Just sit back, relax and soak in the Sun Bowl, as I will be doing.

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Thanks, Jim. I’m sure we’ll all be thinking of how happy you’ll be today as you enjoy the sights, the sounds, and the smells of the Sun Bowl … while you’re out bowling.

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all sport uni tweaks

Uni Tweaks

Lots and lots of tweaks keep pouring in, so obviously this is a popular feature. A bunch new to get to today. If you have a tweak, change or concept for any sport, send them my way.

Remember, if possible, try to keep your descriptions to ~50 words (give or take) per tweak. You guys have been great a keeping to that, and it’s much appreciated!

Got a big set of tweaks today…so lets get right into it.

Now, on to today’s tweaks:

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Starting off the show is Mike Engle, everyone’s favorite crayola-artiste, who has some ideas for the Caunucks of Vancouver:

I’ve tweaked the Vancouver Canucks. Just three colors: royal, green, and white.

Blues and whites: Objective was to restore the stick and rink’s front and center glory. Stripes on the sleeves intentionally form a V.

Alternate greens: Clear cue from the ancient Millionaires on the front, so the other stripes are straight to keep it old-school. Captaincy on patch for an extra retro feel. Consistent color palette (yes, Florida), helmet, gloves, and breezers ensure that the Canucks’ identity remains.

And just for the heck of it, I threw the captaincy letters on the northwest corner, because Vancouver is the NHL team in the northwest. Yeah, change for change’s sake, but isn’t that what the tweak show is?

Sincèrement vôtre,

MIKE ENGLE

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Next up is W. Barrett, who thought the Seahawks look funny in their monochrome:

I’m tired of seeing Seattle wearing their awful monochrome look. So I put this together. I added sleeve stripes using the new logo with old colors, changed the helmet and pants to their old silver/gray look, and fixed the blue jersey to add green trim and sleeve caps.

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Next up is Jack Brudvig, who has a new combo for Oregon. Keep in mind, Jack is like 12 years old, so more power to him for submitting this:

Thought this up while watching their game against Oregon State. Hope you like!

Thanks,
Jack Brudvig

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And finally we have Brennan Keller, who has some Stanford concepts:

Hi my name’s Brennan, I’ve always been had an interest in sports uniforms, I went ahead and did a Stanford football Home and Away concept. I feel Stanford’s current uni set is very plain, and could use a remodel. I’m still learning to how to use Adobe Illustrator CS5, so on both the of the helmets imagine a “S” on each side, just like the current helmet.

Lemme know what you think?

Thanks, Brennan (from Kansas!)

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That’s it for the tweak show today. Check back tomorrow for more.

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Calling All Yinzers!

And now, a few words from everyone’s favorite Yinzer, Doug Keklak:

SECOND ANNUAL YINZER WATCH GATHERING: Saturday, January 8th, 2011 at the Fox and Hound on McKnight Road in Pittsburgh. Noon till whenever. The planning committee (aka, me, Ryan Connelly and Jason Bernard) at first thought we’d keep tradition and do it on the night of the BCS Championship Game but then we reconsidered for two reasons: Pitt’s bowl game will be on this date and we’d like to accommodate any readers that might want to come in from out of town. Native Pittsburgher? Displaced Pittsburgher? No ties at all to Pittsburgh? It doesn’t matter, ALL are welcome. Please RSVP to me at dkeklak(at)comcast.net if you are able to attend so that I can get a handle on how many folks we might get.

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And now…here are the answers to the Who Am I quiz.

Alrighty, everyone. That will do it for this last day of 2010. Hope everyone had a good year … and here’s to a better year next year, right?

Lots and lots of bowl games on tap today, (Meineke Bowl, Sun Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Chick-Fil-A Bowl), so there will be plenty to keep you entertained. If you’re going out tonight — remember, it’s “Amateur Night,” so please do be careful. We want all you Uni Watchers to be around for 2011.

Thanks to one an all for all your kind words and support! Happy New Year to one and all. See ya next year.

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Speaking of animals, there’s no getting around the fact that anything is cuter with a beaver on it. — Paul Lukas

Huskies are renowned for their vicious dispositions. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t read about a husky attack. Parents, if you love your children, then for God’s sake, keep them away from that Iditarod — James T. Huening

 
  
 
Comments (162)

    You should’ve waited till tomorrow or Sunday to post the answers… much more dramatic and suspenseful that way.

    First off, this will be my last day posting as “Terry D.” (“D” meaning “Duroncelet”). As of tomorrow, I will be posting as “Simply Moono”. Secondly, I like what I see here:

    link

    Looking back at the Seahawks tweak I did a while back
    link
    the one thing that I would change about it is to give it the Seahawk/sleeve stripe treatment of old. Sadly, I’m not that advanced =( Great job, W. Barrett =)

    Eh, the wrap-around logo really doesn’t work anymore. It looks ok in that picture because QBs typically still have sleeves, but put that on a D-linemen and it’s crappy. If they were going to bring back that element, it’d almost have to be with an undershirt.

    /what’s a moono?

    Thanks, I really like the seahawks look of old so this was my modern take on it.

    and to The Jeff, you’re right, the new jersey cuts kind of take away from the wrap around logo look. But I think it could work on an undersleeve or if you use the capped sleeve to your advantage.

    Thanks for the kind words

    Okay, number 10 is way too easy – Mark Harmon, shown portraying Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS.

    And numbers 6 and 8, interestingly enough, have both been riffed on Mystery Science Theater 3000 – 6, Merlin Olsen (shown as the eponymous Father Murphy) portrayed Martin Balsam’s butler/henchman Benton in episode 512: Mitchell, while 8, John Beradino, was featured portraying Dr. Steve Hardy in a circa-1963 clip of General Hospital shown in episode 413: Manhunt in Space. The picture is no doubt from the 70s, but Beradino would play Hardy for well over 30 years, until his death in 1996.

    Oh, and of course, 7 – Jackie Robinson as Jackie Robinson in The Jackie Robinson Story. Figure I’d get that out of the way now.

    No friggin’ clue on the others yet, though.

    Just to a add a few additional points to Jim’s Ode to the Sun Bowl:

    1. It’s one of the few remaining Bowl games, played in a Bowled-shaped stadium.

    2. The game comes accross as the Working Man’s Rose Bowl – colourful and sunny, with a minaturized Rose Bowl like stadium, but without that holier than thou feel that the Rose Bowl sometime envoke (we placed every single petal manually blah blah blah)

    I suggest CBS play-up the retro feel to the game. Maybe as they break for a commerical they can use those hunking font graphics they had in the late 1970’s to show the score?

    I like how you think, Mr. Endive.

    From what I heard, CBS is bringing its A-game to this one with Verne Lundquist. They don’t always use him here, but they should.

    I’ve seen MASH and didn’t get Fred Williamson, but if he’d shown a screencap from From Dusk Till Dawn, I would have gotten him right away. I should have gotten him from MASH though.

    Williamson’s first scene in M*A*S*H is pretty hilarious: giving a very short list of drawn-up (football) plays (“about all I figure this bunch can handle”) to Henry Blake (“oh these are good, very very good … what do the little arrows mean?”). Altman must have put him through some paces; yet another reason why his film completely dusts what TV did with it later.

    I seem to recall The Hammer spent a *very* abbreviated career as a link — I’d count that too.

    Going back to this shot:

    link

    Can someone tell me why Notre Dame’s road uni is rendered in the Nike Pro Combat template?

    Paul interviewed Marge Switzer a couple of years ago. She’s also my next-door neighbor. When they hang Christmas garland on the fence we share, she uses strips of old jersey material to tie it up.

    I might be the only one, but I wish the Canucks would go back to black/gold/red, the mid-90’s version – saw some footage of Kirk McLean in that (NHL 75th anniversary season), sweet threads…

    Those were the best of that color combination. Whatever you might think of the flying skate/”plate of spaghetti” logo, the 1989-97 home white and road black uniforms were pretty nice.

    That was John Beradino, but when he was playing baseball, it was John Berardino. He lost the second R when he went into acting.

    This is holier than thou Rose Bowl, ‘Jump Around’ will not be played at end of third quarter because Rose Bowl wants to honor their inducted Hall of Fame members. The Jump Around has personally gotten old for me, but they have all game to do that…

    Color Vs. Color Alert! The Penguins-Capitals alumni game going on momentarily is featuring the Pens alumni wearing the current powder-blue thirds (the 1968-72 design) against the Caps alumni wearing the current red uniforms.

    You would assume that, at least before the days of national media, most athletes that went into acting played for Los Angeles area teams….

    I know there is probably are more former Rams that became actors, than any other teams…but I would think there would have been more….

    Just re-read that paragraph…. well I think you know what I mean..

    Ok, so still feeling last night’s celebration….can someone please translate my post!!!

    Come on Phil you had the quote of the day yesterday

    at least nebraska over warshington is a lock, right?

    ref: Quote of the Day…

    One of my all-time favorite teeshirts…

    ALASKA.
    WHERE MEN ARE MEN
    AND WOMEN WIN
    THE IDITAROD.

    —Ricko

    The Sun Bowl was the first bowl to go with a corporate sponsor name, at least that I remember (John Hancock Sun Bowl in 1986, eventually just John Hancock Bowl and finally back to just Sun Bowl).

    I would be a bigger fan of the game if it were played on grass. Artificial turf in an outdoor stadium just does not work, sorry.

    Yeah, I wasn’t on speaking terms with the John Hancock Bowl. That might have been the only time I didn’t bother to watch. But when they brought the name back…even with Vitalis, Wells Fargo, Brut, Hyundai, whatever in front of it, then it went back to being my favorite.

    Although there was one Sun Bowl I just couldn’t bear to watch:
    link

    Jim Vilk, why did you have to post a video of 50/50?

    (Jaison Williams earned that nickname because it was a 50/50 proposition as to whether or not he was going to catch the ball once it hit his hands.)

    Try this

    link

    Tony Proudfoot played a pretty big part in a famous uni-related episode – he was the guy who got the idea to put staples in the Alouettes’ cleats during the frozen-over 1977 Grey Cup.

    link

    Regarding games played in fog:

    Two all-timers were 1981 Gator Bowl (UNC-Arkansas) and 1988 NFL playoff game of Chicago-Philadelphia.

    Was a mega foggy Grey Cup, too. 1962 or so. Hamilton and Winnipeg. Remember watching it live. Think it was on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, or something.

    —Ricko

    Yep, 1962.
    link

    “Jim McKay, host of ABC’s Wide World of Sports, which broadcast the game to Americans for the first time: ‘I’ve not seen hitting as hard as this in any game. What a pity the fog had to spoil it.'”

    And I got 10 out of 12 on your quiz, Ricko. Would have missed two others if I didn’t look up Tarzan and Dr. Hardy. Fun stuff!

    I was at that Bears/Eagles “Fog Bowl” (22 years ago to the day).

    It was crazy the way you could literally see the fog sweep over the stands and onto the field. It was not a gradual thing at all.

    Not sure if this site has been previously referenced, it’s an interesting view of Russian hockey uniforms (no oranges, light blue or any other potentially feminent colour allowed) – It’s also interesting to see what Canadians are brought over to do in the league (see stat page)

    link

    link

    ” but Toledo may have the worst number font in all of football – and that includes Belotti. The only people who may like that font are the official scorekeepers, since you can see those things from the space shuttle. ”

    Broadcasters, spotters and some fans like it, too. That’s why that font is way better than Bellotti.

    Not my favorite, mind you, but it serves its purpose unmistakeably well.

    Mike Engle’s Canucks concept is right on!

    One of you with skills beyond the crayon ought to transcribe that illustration onto some modern template. (Just make damn sure you use the original logo!)

    Douggie…you’re killing me. My boy has a hoops game on the 8th so I can’t make the Yinzer gathering. Oh well, make sure someone has a Duquesne and someone else has a Stoneys for me. Yinz have a good time n’at.

    OK, someone else can have an Iron City for me, too.

    Well . . . Carolina/Tenn was easy on the eyes and a decent game as well. Even with the Vols’ uni shenanigans, it was probably the best looking bowl game to date and could be the best uni matchup of the season.

    Always delightful to see the Bugeaters lose – even if it was to a team with an abominable BFBS look. Too bad it couldn’t have been by more than the mere 19-7 score.

    Love that powdery white sunshine! We’ve got a touch of that on the ground in the Mile High City for the first time since early November amid brisk single-digit temps. Probably for the best that there isn’t a local bowl game, although given the ubiquity of corporate sponsorships the Chipotle Burrito Bowl would be one of the better bowl names.

    I also hate the purple pants, especially with white jerseys. They do look better now that they’ve added stripes. Believe it or not, Clemson looks decent in orange over purple (or is it purple over orange?).

    ricko~ i did poorly, only 7, should have had a 9, can’t believe i swang and missed on crazy legs since that is what coach blackwell called me. and while i got it right, as i was reading 10’s clues, before i even clicked the pixture i was saying to myself tommy harmon is old 98’s son?! i had no idea. how could i have not known that? well done on the quiz sir.

    don’t beat yourself up over your picks there chimpy, the brass banana is within your sights, but i do have to correct you, it’s mothersunbowlker not mothersunbowlvilker. i know, 99% of the people don’t look at the comments and would probably get confrazed by the reference, i’m just sayin’. and on that note, by dec 21st there was a mothervilker silver bells finished. i still have not figured out how to publish it, but if you have my phone number still, i can play it for you over the phone. rainbow has a moustache is working on a whole uni-holiday album, so it will be officially “released” then.

    don’t have plans for new years in the kansas city area? stop on by, i’m pullin’ pork. and rumor has it stlmarty will be safely 5 blocks away. and on that note, i know i can be a pain in the arse, and i know we don’t always get along or agree, but in my best drunken idiot voice…i loooove you guuuuys. happy new year everybody!

    I knew most of the guess the guys except for the Steeler

    USF looks good today uni wise. Clemson uh not so much.

    Still wondering why San Diego State catches a lot of crap for its uniforms…they’ve been wearing red and black since the 1920s, and red helmets and black jerseys/pants since the Coryell years of the 1960s. Don’t confuse them with the BFBS crowd.

    When the Aztecs have tried to change, it hasn’t always worked out well. SDSU switched to black helmets, red jerseys and white pants back in 1980…started the season 1-8 (0-4 at home). In red/black/black, won their last 3 (2-0 at home). Tried again in ’83 with afternoon home games and switched to red helmets/black jerseys/white pants at home…went 2-9-1 (1-4 at home). And when Tom Craft took over as coach, he tried red jerseys with black shoulders and red helmets with black airbrushing on the edges…ugh. Almost as bad as the BYU “bibs.”

    FWIW, didn’t Oregon State wear black jerseys/pants when Terry Baker won the Heisman?

    Oregon State wore black pants home and road at least as far back as Baker’s sophomore season (’60) when he wore #47 as the tailbck in the Beavers’ single wing offense (Baker changed to #11 when they switched to the T-formation).
    link
    link
    link

    —Ricko

    got them all except Sammy Baugh and Crazy Legs….

    Mike Henry’s Tarzans are two of the worst ever – and not only that he almost DIED after the ‘Cheetah’ they were using attacked him, and gave him a nice case of monkey fever.

    Can anyone give me a link to the Bowl Pool? I accidentally deleted my confirming email…..thanks!

    Henry, of course, also was the idiot deputy son of Sheriff Buford T. Justice in SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT.

    “There is NO way you coulda come from MY loins!!!”

    —Ricko

    I actually like young Jack’s peapod Oregon uniform. It’s a lot of green, but I think the camouflage effect of a bunch of white helmets floating around the field could be cool.

    Car Care Bowl Breakdown:
    Mascot Edge: Bulls v Tigers
    finally a solid matchup. Tigers are big, strong, athletic and vicious, but have you ever seen a bull just going crazy. The horns would be a good offense/defense for the Bull buy he stands liitle to no chance against an animal that hints large prey. Advantage Tigers.
    Uni edge: both teams have a decent set. I give the slight edge to South Florida because their color scheme of green and gold looks slightly better than bright orange and purple.

    It could be worse. It could’ve been South Florida dealing with Adidas and Clemson in mono-purple.

    Notre Dame looking decent, sartorially speaking. White socks to match the jerseys, and a number of players wearing white long-sleeve spandex undershirts to stave off the cold (and prevent unsightly armpit exposure). Names on jerseys a bit warped and stretched (I’m an advocate of full-time use, not just for a bowl game).

    Sun Bowl Breakdown:
    Mascot edge: Fighting Irish v Hurricanes
    Ok so force of nature vs human pretty much always favors force of nature. However, the Irish are known for being very resilient. I give te advantage to the Irish because the Hurricane may be strong but would not be able to attack every Irishman before it ran out of steam.
    Uni Edge: Here is where I’ll get lambasted. I agree that the ND look is classic and clean, but I just like the U’s unis. Advantage Miami.

    Already like 10 flags in this game – holy moly

    anyone got that link to the UW bowl picking pool?

    After the hurricane there is a rainbow, and at the end of the rainbow is a pot o’ gold, and with the pot o’ gold there is a leprechaun. Advantage, Irish.

    At least the ‘Canes wore orange. This game could have looked a lot worse. Actually, it’s not that bad.

    i reeeeeeeeeaaaalllly need this one…

    help me fighting irish…you’re my only hope

    /it’s for a side pool with moose in which im chimp for the first time this season…please dear uni gods, do not fail me on this one

    Pat, Pat, Pat…

    The U used to look likeable, but those eyebrows above the numbers are just a dealbreaker for me. I won’t lambaste you, though, because I’m in a charitable mood during my favorite bowl.

    Right now we have two people with 14 picks right in the UniWatch Bowl Pool and three with 13 right. I have six. I am coming up with a new system next year, like letting my two year old nephew pick. He could not do any worse.

    9/18, some picked based on Unis, some based on what I expect and others on what I’d like to see. At least I got the Holiday Bowl right and am looking good for Sun Bowl. Here’s hoping success especially for the TicketCity, Capital One, Outback, Gator, Sugar and Rose.

    “Wake up the echoes…”

    Then again, they ARE playing Miami, which apparently doesn’t think football should be played in temps below 50 degrees.

    Hee, hee, kinda like when the L.A. Rams would attempt to play the Vikings at the old Met anytime after November 1. As I (ahem) once wrote, “The Rams, upon deplaning and seeing no palm trees, when directly face down in their hoagies.”

    —Ricko

    Was speaking only in the context of today re: Notre Dame.

    But, it ain’t over til it’s over, it is.

    So, is Montana’s kid destined to have a great second half in the Sun Bowl, maybe?…assuming the starter can’t finish things (SEE: Notre Dame vs. Houston, Sun Bowl).

    Anyone else here old enough to remember the years when Notre Dame wouldn’t play in bowl games?

    —Ricko

    I actually thought about saying that te Irish were too drunk to notice or that they were so drunk that they were lost somewhere in a ditch so that the Hurticane couldn’t find them but I decided against it. Either way the Irish were going to win the Mascot edge.

    And you thought the Packers throwbacks had small numbers:
    link
    Nike coming out with a Toy Ninja uniform next year?

    /by the way, it’s 36 degrees…suck it up, ‘Canes.

    I remember one weekend while I was in Boca there was a newscast from a station in West Palm when temps dipped into the 50s. The anchors were carrying on as if life was about to freeze over. They then threw it to a reporter for a live report from a beachside restaurant. The sum total of the guy’s cold weather gear was that he was wearing a scarf.

    Yeah, it was the freakin’ apocalypse, alright. Much like today in El Paso, I’m sure.

    —Ricko

    The White Ninja look for the U is justified, with them residing in balmy Florida. Not to demean you or anything, but put yourself in my shoes for a second (a 19-year-old drummer who was raised in the small desert town of Blythe, CA for nearly his entire life).

    You try playing in nearly freezing temperatures straight out of 61°F Southeastern California without trying to look like a thin-blooded weakling.

    Of course, it’s always fun to see people from San Diego complain in the Summertime about their weather. “OH, MY GOD! It’s so hot! it’s 82°! I’m FRYING!!!” I always have the urge to say “Come to Blythe sometime around late July, early August, when it’s 116°F on a cool day, and THEN talk to me about frying.” B)

    But, as Johnny Carson used to say, “There’s no huidity.” ;)

    I know, 116 is hot no matter what the moisture level is, so you’re one up on me.

    Here, we get everything from sub-zero to 90+ with oppressive humdity. 36 is downright balmy, especially with no wind or rain. Now you get into single digits and add wind, and I’d be dressing just like the ‘Canes.

    I just checked my picks for the first time and I only got 7. Shows how much I know about College Football. I’m 149-91 right now for my NFL picks this year which puts me one behind Golic, tied with Hoge and one up on Mortenson on ESPN. Although Jaws doesn’t pick Monday games so he’s ahead of all of us percentage wise. I beat the experts last year but it looks like Jaws will get me this year.

    Liberty Bowl Breakdown:
    Mascot Edge: Bulldogs v Knights
    I love bulldogs but they don’t have armor penetrating teeth. Advantage Knights.
    Uni Edge: Georgia look like they’re playing against a UFL team. Advantage UGA over the uglies.

    Definitely not UCF’s best combination.
    Not that the Vegas Gold over White is that much better, of course.

    They look like Wyoming if someone Simonized the pants.

    —Ricko

    UCF’s numbers on the front of their jerseys are about as low as I’ve seen. The bowl and conference patches are below where the collar, then the centered UCF patch is below that. Then the number (at least its large). Compare to UGA’s front, where the number starts just below the red collar.

    UCF’s helmets might look better if the U C F went UP left to right, on the right side of the helmet…just the opposite of the left side.

    I am getting grouchy in my old age (and I am only 45) but I hate that stripe under the numbers on UCF’s uniforms.

    And yes, get of my lawn!

    Remember the other day when we were talking about over used words.

    May I add…
    Redonkulous
    and
    Trickeration

    —Ricko

    How about “in space”?

    Reggie Bush is dangerous in space.

    What, Reggie’s feet never touch the ground?

    re: The Quiz.

    Yes, UNCHAINED is the film from whence cometh the theme, “Unchained Melody”.

    It’s never sung in the film, though. Only the instrumental.

    —Ricko

    One way to tell you’re a Uni Geek:
    You’re still watching the Sun Bowl, even though UGA/UCF is a better game…just because Notre Dame/Miami is more pleasing to look at.

    —Ricko

    I was watching the Liberty Bowl as well. They had it on at the bowling alley.

    I like how they keep using that style of end zone after all these years.

    I had not been watching all of the game very closely but just saw how goofy he looks.

    Those Miami players are such wimps. Heck they may as well bring back the old wool jerseys to maybe try and keep those wimpy Canes players warm when the temp is below 50

    Looks like UCF has their Liberty Bowl patch over their Nike swooshes on the jersey. Nike can’t be too pleased.

    just beat me to it, i would of gotten on here sooner but i was stealing some deviled eggs my girl’s making now. UCF needs to get it together uni wise next season. i read at season’s start that due to the short notice this season UCF is wearing a generic template jersey design (horn designs that the U use(d)).

    One of my enduring Bowl memories…

    January 1, 1965…
    First Orange Bowl at night (first major bowl game at night, in fact), 46 years ago.
    Alabama’s Joe Namath—knee-braced, soccer shoe-wearing, spatted up and for all the world almost introducing his trademark white cleats—lights up the Texas Longhorns, one of whom would later become one of his favorite targets with the Jets, George Sauer.

    Watercolor and tempera on gray cover stock from 1966 (jeez, I’ve been doing this uniwatching thing a long time).
    The “1964” is reference to his “look” that season, not the actual date of the game.
    link

    May I also note I miss fully striped footballs, especially in night games.

    —Ricko

    I don’t know but I remember we played football in the back yard with a fully striped football.

    Fully striped went to 3/4 striped when it was determined the stripe was slippery. Then it went to half striped when menufacturer’s remembered that 3/4 striped balls were still slippery for lefthanders. Surely you knew that, Ricko!

    First year of American Basketball Association, players complained that the novel new red, white and blue ball was slippery. League office got the supplier to release technical report indicating the formula was precisely the same as the traditional orange. Players never said another word about it.

    Source: My former partner. He was PR director for the original ABA.

    Just saying, there’s a good bet the claim of sipperiness was bogus. Most of these guys have humongous hands. Ever looked at how monstrous, say, Doug Williams’ hands are on a football?

    It’s like one of we normal people saying the small ball used in peewee football is slippery. Please.

    —Ricko

    There’s a first for big-time team sports.
    And the antithesis of Philadelphia last Sunday.
    “We can’t play at the scheduled time. The weather’s just too damned nice.”

    —Ricko

    Now, it it were Pond Hockey…

    No, wait, they eventually pulled the plug on that, too, didn’t they.

    —Ricko

    “I love how the stadium is nestled between the mountains, which almost always means the camera crew will find a shot of someone who climbed up one of the hills to watch the game.”

    This immediately reminds me of this memorable moment when Texas came to play UTEP in a non-conference game at the Sun Bowl: link

    From what I saw on ESPN when TCU was taking their Rose Bowl team photo, the Horny Toads will be wearing black jerseys and purple pants. Helmet remains to be seen.

    Chick-fil-a Bowl Breakdown:
    Mascot Edge: Seminoles v Gamecocks
    I’m pretty sure that spear at midfield could skewer a chicken. Advantage Florida State.
    Uni Edge: this isn’t even a contest. FSU all the way.

    The Seminole War Chant is seriously one of the coolest sounds in all of sports.

    So the no-no filter doesn’t like the South Carolina nickname?

    Or was it the Chick-fil-A slogan that sent me to the moderation queue?

    im guessing it was the former

    good thing i have no life whatsoever so im around to clean out the spam queue

    at least i didn’t get puked on tonight

    I really like FSU’s uniforms. THere was a team in the Michigan Football League (Detroit Seminoles) that had that exact same uniform.

    Me too.

    The 1991 Peach Bowl bewtween NC State and East Carolina is my 11th favorite bowl of all time.
    link
    I had been to ECU that year when they thrashed Akron 42-7 (fantastic hushpuppies in the press box, by the way…and in fact, today I’ve been drinking water out of the ECU cup I got that day). Jeff Blake impressed me a lot, so I was rooting for him and the Pirates. He had an arm that could throw a soap bubble through a brick wall.

    Under Armour and Nike definitely have different ideas of what color “garnet” really is, don’t they? USC’s pants are a shade or two darker than FSU’s jerseys.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    I had a friend on the IU football team. He was going to give me his jersey from the 1990 Peach Bowl. For a few reasons, I never took him up on that offer. It didn’t seem right to me.

    Me too. I especially fondly remember the game played on my 12th b-day, even though my Colorado Buffs lost to the Longhorns.

    That’s my #10 entry in my ten favorite bowl games. Don’t remember any details…except that Butch Woolfolk and Tom Ramsey played in it, and I was entertained.

    be nice if FSU can hang on to this one…i might actually go 2-2 today

    why FSU would ever mess with this fantastic uni is beyond me — so much better than anything BC trots out

    cocks have great colors, but UA never saw an amorphous stripe it didn’t like….seriously…do they need that much extra crap on there?

    “why FSU would ever mess with this fantastic uni is beyond me”

    Come on, a BFBS jersey and pants ensemble would be really trendy and great for FSU.

    Oh, my…did that sound disingenuous?

    —Ricko

    All right, folks…it’s getting close to Dick Clark time. Have a good rest of 2010, and see you next year.

    Happy New Year…eastern time zoners!

    i ALMOST felt like posting tomorrow’s post at midnight…but since im still working on it…that won’t be happening

    see you guys in the am

    Let the newest Olympic ridicule begin! As noted:

    link

    How many can you come up with?!
    1. Diagram of the urinary tract
    2. Fallopian tubes
    3. A pacifier
    4. Mushroom and/or a wine stopper (cross your eyes a little)
    5. FATMAN nuclear bomb
    6. An aerial view of a wadded-up, crotchless thong laying on the floor. Potentially during an inauspicious time of the month, judging by an unfortunate color placement choice

    Somewhere in all that “contagious energy, harmonious diversity, exuberant nature and Olympic spirit” are hidden. When someone finds them, please let everyone else know where to find them also. You know, like in the Waldo books.

    Well, compared to being on your knees like Lisa Simpson in the 2012 logo, the only way to go is up. So I guess the Rio 2016 logo is an upgrade.

    I was going to say I liked the thing.

    Then I read #6 on your list.

    What has been seen cannot be unseen.

    The Olympics in 2016 are going on down undies. I mean under.

    Happy new year to my fellow Central Time Zoners.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    In retrospect, maybe “renowned” wasn’t the best choice of words. I think “infamous” was the one I was looking for.

    I would like to say thanks for the time you took compiling this post. This has been an inspiration for me. I’ve passed this on to one of my friends.

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