I love baseball and I love bowling, so I was plenty stoked when reader Bruce Menard found a bunch of photos from a 1963 event called the NBC Major League All-Star Base/Bowl Championship. As you’ll see in a second, the photos offer a rare look at the tasty intersection of these two great sports.
Bruce and I have been able to identify many of the players in these shots, but not all of them. Maybe you can help fill in some of the blanks..? Let’s take a look:
• Here’s Stan the Man batting and Elston Howard catching, but I’m not sure who the pitcher is. I love that Elston isn’t behind the dish — he’s behind the dish towel.
• Frank Robinson showed good form on the lanes, and I totally want his shirt.
• Here’s Robbie again, with pitcher Jim O’Toole on the right (love the texture on his undershirt). I believe the guy in the center is Cincy skipper Fred Hutchinson.
• You recognize these guys, right? That’s Yaz and Ron Santo.
• All the recent Duke Snider obits somehow failed to include this photo. That’s Duke on the left (again, great texture on the ribbed sleeve cuff). Not 100%-positive who’s on the right, but I think it’s George Altman.
• I believe that’s Duke again at far right in this shot. Looks like Nellie Fox next to him, except Fox didn’t join the Colts until 1964, and these photos are supposedly from ’63. Hmmm. Not sure about the other players.
• Here we have a trio of kegglin’ Cardinals. From left to right, that’s Stan the Man, pitcher Ernie Broglio, and pitcher Curt Simmons (who has his uni number inscribed on his sneakers — cute). Note that their three undershirts feature three distinct sleeve cuff styles.
• Simmons apparently won the tournament, at least judging by this shot.
Bruce enjoyed our back-and-forth on this topic so much that he went digging in his photo archives and found a 1940s shot of Babe Ruth at the lanes, which in turn reminded me of a photo that showed the Babe engaging in duckpins (he was from Baltimore, after all). In fact, one long-accepted account — now disputed — is that duckpins was actually invented at a bowling center owned by future Baseball Hall of Famers John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson. Although the tale may be apocryphal, it still speaks to the natural overlap between baseball and bowling.
And then Bruce went a bit further: “I think Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto owned a bowling alley together in Clifton, New Jersey. Gotta be some good pics of that floating around.” Sure enough, an hour later he’d found that the book Yogi Berra: An American Original features a short chapter, including some photos, devoted to Yogi’s and Scooter’s pin-bashing palace.
Even better, Bruce found a 1970s commercial of Yogi shilling for an early AMF auto-scoring system. Dig:
The advent of auto-scoring, of course, was the beginning of the end for bowling as we know it, so it’s disappointing to see that Yogi (who was skippering the Mets around the time that commercial was shot) was advocating for something so antithetical to true bowling values. But hey, he was wrong about pitching Seaver and Matlack on three days’ rest in the ’73 Series, too. Even the all-time greats sometimes mess up.
Uni Watch News Ticker: My collection of mid-century tap knobs is currently being featured over at Design Observer. ”¦ Love all the stripes in this photo. “I found it glued to the bottom of a TV dinner tray in a thrift store in Clinton, Maryland,” says Timothy Steffes. ”¦ “Saw this article about a special Player Edition shoe made up for Shaq if Boston had made the NBA Finals,” writes Collin Wright. “I like the personal logo on the shoe — it looks like the Superman shield, but they’ve replaced the S with a shamrock.” ”¦ Speaking of Nike footwear, check out Jeremy Guthrie’s custom cleated Jordans (with thanks to Kory Jalowiec). ”¦ A Canadian chain called Boston Pizza is changing its name for the Stanley Cup Final(s), which explains their ad on the boards the other night (with thanks to Chris Hodge for the article and to Greg Michelena for the screen shot). ”¦ Nice hose! That’s from the annual Rickwood Classic game down in Alabama. Lots more pics here (with thanks to Mark McCollister). ”¦ Deadspin had an interesting piece yesterday on some prototype Heat logos that never came to fruition. ”¦ Latest evidence that anything is possible when you have no shame: The Indians have struck a corporate-douchebaggery deal with the world’s most notorious environmental criminals. The real gem is buried in the fourth graf, where we learn that BP now holds the naming rights to the team’s batting practice. “Really?” asks an exasperated Mike Meilhls. “Is this now ‘BP by BP’? What happens when the Reds come to town and Brandon Philips joins in — is it ‘BP by BP with BP’?” I have so far been unable to confirm whether shaving cream pies in the face will be replaced by a splash of crude oil. ”¦ When the Browns moved from St. Louis and became the Baltimore Orioles, someone must have thought their uniforms would feature birds on a bat, Cardinals-style. “That’s a Bowman baseball card from the franchise’s first year in Baltimore,” explains Alan Tompas. ”¦ Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: the best uniforms on a statue project ever! ”¦ New World Cup jersey for South Africa. Here’s the alternate. “The new jerseys do not feature the traditional springbok logo — a sad example of what happens when governments get involved with sports,” says Joe Alvernaz. ”¦ During yesterday’s Mets/Bucs broadcast on SNY, Ralph Kiner told a story about Ron Hunt that I’d never heard before: When Hunt was routinely leading the league in being hit by pitches — including in 1971, when he was hit 50 times — Hunt wore a wetsuit under his uniform, with the layer of rubber providing a layer of cushioning. Or at least that’s what Hunt told Kiner, and what Kiner then said on the air yesterday. Sounds like it might be a tall tale. ”¦ Kiner also offered a few choice remarks and historical details about batting helmets, which Tim Burke helpfully captured on video. ”¦ Hey, who’s that in the front row, third from the right, No. 41? As you can see in the caption, it’s Big Klu! “He played basketball at Indiana as a freshman, but only for two games,” says Jason Baker. And hey, no sleeves, true to form. ”¦ New alternate kit for Newcastle United (with thanks to Randy Williams). ”¦ On the subject of cap logos on Hall of Fame plaques, check out what Carlton Fisk had to say in this 1993 SI piece (sent our way by Joe Owen): “He is so bitter that, he says, when his plaque is being engraved for the Hall of Fame, he doesn’t want to be pictured in a White Sox hat, and he also doesn’t want to be pictured in a Red Sox hat.Is there any rule against being pictured ‘as a civilian with a Nike swoosh across the front of my hat?’ he asks.” ”¦ Looks like Towson’s new basketball court will feature tiger stripes (as noted by Joe Hilseberg). ”¦ Did you know that the Cubs have never lost while wearing throwbacks? It’s true! Here’s a game-by-game — and uni-by-uni — breakdown (with thanks to Eli Selzer). ”¦ Here’s a nice little video segment on the Packers’ helmets (big thanks to Alex Bauer). ”¦ The NASL’s San Antonion Scorpions have unveiled their uniforms (thanks, Kenn). ”¦ New logo for the Big Ten Network (with thanks to MJ Kurs-Lasky). ”¦ Jeremy Brahm reports that the Orix Buffaloes will be wearing “revenge red” jerseys with special patches for their series against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks on July 2 and 3. ”¦ Check out these baseball alphabet cards that Nicole Haase found. Very cool-looking illos. ”¦
Wow, that’s a serious apostrophe catastrophe on that old Orioles baseball card.
First thing I noticed, too.
ditto
Note the banner at the bowling event – “NBC Sports in Action” was the network’s answer to “ABC Wide World of Sports,” so the producers may have had a hand in setting this up…at least it may have been a National Broadcasting Company event, rather than a National Bowling Congress one.
And definitely not a National Biscuit Company one, right?
Pretty sure Musial is the Cardinal on the left.
So THATS how Broglio screwed up his arm!
Sure looks like Stan The Man, not Vern Benson.
Obviously yes, that’s Stan for sure.
My bad. Now fixed.
Researching the baseball/bowling connection (basebowl!)was tons of fun. I can’t believe how many ballplayers owned bowling lanes back in the day (including Nellie Fox, Gil Hodges etc.)
For that 1954 Bowman card, I’d guess that the artist used the minor league Orioles jersey (pre-1954) as a reference. Too bad the MLB Orioles didn’t use it too!
Great, great feature, Bruce and Paul.
Btw, who knows derivation of the old-sportswriter word “keglers”? Is it because the elves in the Catskills rolled their balls over little kegs of Dutch ale or something?
Boston’s Sammy White’s Brighton Bowl – just a cab ride away from – Chez Jean!
A well known Boston bowling alley, “Sammy White’s Brighton Bowl”, was owed and operated by Red Sox catcher Sammy White from sometime in the 1950s to 1985.
A couple of Wiki links:
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and a photo:
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Killed many an hour there.
Nellie Fox was from the Chambersburg, Pennsylvania area. There is a bowling alley bearing his name on U.S. Route 30 in Chambersburg.
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Nellie was traded to Houston on December 10, 1963 so when did the bowling show air?
Is that Phillie by any chance Johnny Callison?
I think that the event probably happened more than once in the early-mid 1960’s.
Definitely, Johnny Callison
I dig the mystery man’s jacket in photo #1.
What’s going on with Stan’s right sleeve? Is he wearing some sort of bandage?
It’s always nice to see Elston (Vashon High School).
You mean, “Hitting Rehearsal by Environmental Criminal”
Uh oh, typo in the url for the Design Observer link. Can you spot it?
Someone must have ASSumed the wrong spelling. I can only ASSume that it was a legitimate slip up and not a judgement of our esteemed leader. What an embarrASSing typo. (Subtlety, thy name is Craig D.)
Their software (like ours, incidentally) removes the punctuation marks from URLs. So “Lukas’s” reduced to “Lukass.” Not a typo, although it does bring back certain grade school insults….
What a catASStrophe…
Good to see a Rochester-made beer among you collection of knobs. Genesee Brewing Company used water from my hometown Hemlock Lake for their beer.
You ought to see if you can find knobs from two more old Rochester brews, Standard Dry Ale and Topper Beer. “Tip A Topper!” was their slogan.
Love the “People’s Beer” ball knob. Cool bullseye logo…plus it sounds vaguely Communist!
People’s Beer had the greatest graphics ever. Their secondary slogan (included on their cans and bottles but not on accessories like the tap knob) was, “Brewed to please YOU!”:
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I have one of their trays, same as this one (note the amazing dot on the exclamation point):
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I used to have a full, unopened bottle of People’s, but then someone broke it at one of my parties (grrrrr…). I managed to find another bottle (empty this time) and a cap. The glass is dark, like a Bud bottle, so you can’t really tell that it’s empty:
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I love the brand name, the graphics, the “Brewed to please YOU!” line… What I didn’t know until recently, however, is that People’s also became the nation’s first black-owned brewery in 1970. Details at the following links:
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The tap handles from link might work well for People’s Beer.
(If the cap’s still in good shape, you could always just put some colored water in the empty bottle and re-cap it.)
Great stuff! I can’t believe I’d never heard of them before. “Brewed to please YOU!” is such a great slogan.
I’ve always been partial to “Schaefer is the one beer to have when you’re having more than one.”
When did this air in 1963? According to Baseball Reference, Nellie Fox joined the Colts in December 1963 and that’s definitely him the photo.
December 10, 1963: Traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Houston Colt .45’s for Jim Golden, Danny Murphy and cash.
The Orioles International League team used the ‘birds on a bat’ logo for years prior to the Browns move. I’m not sure when it first appeared. Ebbets Field Flannels used to sell a repro of the jersey from the 30’s.
Did the Orioles International League team also feature a superfluous apostrophe on their jersey?
They did, and the orioles pictured looked like orange-tinged penguins.
“… Check out these baseball alphabet cards that Nicole Haase found. Very cool-looking illos.”
Just ordered a pack.
” … New logo for the Big Ten Network (with thanks to MJ Kurs-Lasky). …”
In perfect keeping with almost all recent graphic and nomenclatural products of this sprawling mess of a fallen conference. Banal, mechanical, souless.
The Big Ten was once everybody’s Platonic ideal of a conference: ten – count ’em, ten — teams, geographically cohesive, colorful traditions, keen rivalries, cool unis with a variety of colors and insignia. Great fans.
Just terrible what’s happened.
Looks as if Ralph Kiner was speaking the truth:
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Good work!
“Go ahead, Diane, try to miss me.”
—“Coach” on CHEERS, whose specality during his playing days was getting hit by a pitch.
My favorite scene in the history of the show –>
Coach: [answering the phone] Cheers. Ok, wait a minute, I’ll check. Is there an “Ernie Pantusso” here?
Sam: That’s YOU Coach.
Coach: Speaking.
from IMDB — link
i know that scene. Man he was good in that role.
In that Green Bay video, they actually confirmed the helmet that Aaron Rodgers chose. Schutt XP.
Yogi was *not* wrong for pitching Seaver in Game 6. He went for the kill against the better team. Even though it didn’t work out, that was the right call to make.
When you have a Seaver, or a Guidry, or a Gibson, you use him in that spot. Seaver wins that game (and the Series) 9 times out of 10.
There’s also nothing wrong with auto-scoring in bowling.
It’s a hell of a lot easier, and it’s not like the game itself is any less fun to play.
“There’s also nothing wrong with auto-scoring in bowling.”
~~~
no, nothing at all…
Double checking other people’s math and hidden pins (thought you hit 7… *roll, knock down 3, leave 1 standing* …where the hell did that pin come from?) are annoying. And you can put someone’s eye out with one of those little half-pencils.
Auto-scoring = no writing, no math, no accidentally spilling your drink on the scorecard, etc. Better.
The only reason to not want computer scoring is if you’re a horrible bowler and you don’t want your pathetic score up on a monitor for everyone in the alley to see.
/going out in a blaze of glory…
i actually fill out the “X” thusly — odd frames — left and right penciled in; even frames — top and bottom filled in; turkey = SOLID mark
and i donno about you THE, but there’s something much more personal, much more endearing about having one of these versus what you find easier
I guess I’m just not enough of a sentimental packrat to care.
I do agree on things like concert and sports tickets being printed rather than digital… but not a bowling score sheet.
That’s a glorious blaze you’ve got going there, The.
Wait a minute. Hey, Phil: So who and how are the two persons on your handwritten scorecard? Where’s the alley? What’s the year? Is it Sylvana (aka Syl) versus Hanes? … Hans?… who? H is clearly the better bowler (my gosh, over 200!) but S almost closes the gap in the third game. Maybe H had a few of the one beer to have when you’re having more than one…
Details, dammit!
no details, conn
that ain’t my scoresheet
and now, having bowled once in the last 10 years (and that was with herr huening, comrade marshall and teh boss in minnesota last year — marshall kicked ALL our asses, btw)…there wouldn’t be too many marks on my sheet
back in the day, however…i used to bowl better with a few (too many) pops in me…but those days are long behind me
Reasonable people can disagree on Game 6 of the ’73 Series.
But auto-scoring — no way. It makes the game more passive, less participatory, it eliminates the fun of personal scoring quirks (do you score a strike with an X or with a solid black box?), and has led to a generation of bowlers who don’t even know the rudiments of how scoring works because the machine does it for them.
Auto-scoring also effectively eliminated practice balls, because the computer starts scoring you from the very first ball you throw. Used to be that you could toss a few practice frames first, which was a fair a reasonable way to do business — your arm needs to get warmed up, you need to assess the lane conditions, etc. Now your first ball counts are the first frame of your game, which is total fucking bullshit.
Auto-scoring = death.
What kinda of lanes do you bowl on? All of the ones near me give you around 5 minutes of warm-up time per lane and has a button to extend it.
I agree about the scoring quirks, though. Nothing like walking around an alley on saturday night league night and looking at the mosaic of artwork projected on the wall through the dense haze of cigarette smoke.
Ok, maybe you have a point on the elimination of practice balls… but every time I’ve ever gone out bowling for fun, we always agree that the first game doesn’t really count because it’s all warmup time.
Heck… just run through 10 frames of a single player game as group before you enter in all the proper info for the real thing.
I agree that the auto-score is easier, but I also think that everyone should learn how to score a game manually. You can’t always rely on a computer to do your work (see any store when the computer system goes down). When I took phys-ed in high school (early 1990’s) over the summer we had to learn manual scoring during the week we bowled, but I already know. My grandfather would insist on manual scoring even if the lanes had the auto-scoring. One of my favorite memories was bowling with grandpa on Thursday during the summer and penciling in all the boxes.
Whilst I was in complete agreement with you yesterday, Paul (in regards to retiring numbers), today I’m taking the middle ground when it comes to auto-scoring. I think anyone who plays should know how to keep score (perhaps make it mandatory in junior leagues), but I can see a place for auto-scoring, especially for casual bowlers. Although entering the names or trying to change a score can be a bit of a hassle, depending on the computer. In short, I’m fine either way.
The lack of practice balls doesn’t bother me, because it’s the same for everyone. You’re not warmed up, but neither is your opponent.
Mr. mmwatkin reminds me of something I don’t miss at all – I’m so glad bowling alleys are smoke-free in Ohio.
I actually taught a student in college who had been on the (I think) third place state championship high school team, but didn’t know how to score a game. Ironic, given she became a Physical Education major…
And now I finally looked at that Yogi Berra video. Wow! That was the same Magic Score system we used in my league back in the 80s. THAT was a fine system – most of the newer ones are too complex, with a bunch of tutorials and videos. I suppose that stuff isn’t too bad, but I don’t need it. Plus it was a lot easier to fix a foul or reset a frame on the Magic Score. Ah, memories.
Auto-scoring also eliminated my income stream as a teenager, because I would make my spending money by keeping score in the adult leagues. A lot of newer bowlers don’t even know how to keep score because they’ve never needed to learn.
I was gonna weigh in on the side of The Jeff – sure, hand-churned butter tastes better than the sticks you buy at the store, but come on, life’s too short to have to churn butter every morning just to make a slice of toast – but then again, with auto-scoring, the best scene in modern cinema would make no sense.
“You mark that frame an 8, and you’re entering a world of pain. … Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules? Mark it zero! … It’s a league game, Smokey.”
all right, it’s fucking zero…. are you happy, you crazy fuck?
It’s a league game, this determines who enters the next round robin. Am I wrong?
Hilarious spoof on football helmet award decals at link.
This is a quote from Jim Caple’s Page 2 entry yesterday.
“Taps for caps: If baseball wants to honor veterans on Memorial Day, why does it make the players wear such ugly caps? Are there really people who buy these things? Wouldn’t a simple, understated U.S. flag on the side of the cap be more suitable?”
I’m sure Caple already knows the answer to that. There are obviously enough people who buy them to make money off the silly things, otherwise MLB would NOT be doing it. A simple flag on the side of the cap would be fine. Or hey, I don’t know… how about nothing at all, like the first 100+ years of the sport? And I’m in no way suggesting that we shouldn’t celebrate the holiday, but there are plenty of other things the teams can do to mark the occasion than adding superfluous logos to the uniforms. As Paul has said a few times, they’ve passed the point of no return now – the day they stop offering unique caps will be the day someone writes a column lambasting MLB for not being patriotic enough.
If baseball wants to honor veterans on Memorial Day … Wouldn’t a simple, understated U.S. flag on the side of the cap be more suitable?
1. We don’t honor veterans on Memorial Day, we honor war dead, and lately we also honor POW/MIAs and wounded vets. If baseball wants to honor veterans, it can arrange to play a game on November 11.
2. Putting a U.S. flag on the side of a cap is suitable if and only if the person wearing the cap will not play a game while wearing that cap. Flag etiquette, people!
As to the ratchet effect, I call bull. Of course Paul is right. And yes, a certain class of idiots will pretend to take umbrage that baseball is dishonoring America or whatever. [Cough cough Rush cough cough.] But they’ll do it once. It’ll be all the rage on talk radio and other precincts of easily ignorable stupidity for like three days. And in a week’s time, no one will remember it, at least no more than anyone remembers how, say, President Obama’s speech to elementary school kids in 2009 was going to indoctrinate America’s children into the Soviet Young Pioneers and destroy the republic forever, or any of the other fake-scandals-of-the-week that dominate that portion of our airwaves for a few hours and then disappear forever. If MLB feels itself ratcheted on this, the pressure is entirely self-applied. There is no external force to blame. Even if getting off the ratchet will cause a little bad publicity, you do it, you take your lumps, and you get on with your life.
“We don’t honor veterans on Memorial Day, we honor war dead, and lately we also honor POW/MIAs and wounded vets. If baseball wants to honor veterans, it can arrange to play a game on November 11.”
PRE-cisely. Memorial Day is about those who “gave the last full measure.”
And July 4th is about the beginning of the American Revolution, our birth as a nation.
If MLB wants to honor those currently serving, there’s Armed Forces Day (this year was Saturday, May 21), or pick any other day.
I have NOTHING but support for our troops. But remembering and recognizing them shouldn’t be at the expense of the proper and defined reasons for the other Holidays.
Although we are coming perilously close to “Generic Patriotic Holiday Celebrated with True Ballpark Patriotism.”
“What are we celebrating today?”
“I dunno. 9/11. War. Something patriotic. Where’s my hat?”
The 9/11 shit at ballparks needs to end after this year. Ten years is enough. Baseball, including the freakin’ Yankees, can continue commemorating 9/11 anniversaries only after it demonstrates its commitment to commemorating the anniversaries of the Battle of Shiloh, Pearl Harbor, the Haymarket bombing, Oklahoma City, and all other suchlike incidents. Maybe also Belleau Wood. Otherwise, let it rest. It’s just a thing that happened, and what commemoration is appropriate, is no longer appropriate on the professional field of play.
And in case it needs saying, lest I be accused of siding with the terrorists or whatever, Flight 77 flew low over my house on 9/11; I had good friends and colleagues in the Pentagon that day; I lost contact with my wife for several nerve-wracking hours when she was stuck in a part of downtown that was reported to be under attack. A later al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist attack struck even closer to home. I take 9/11 very seriously, and always will. I just don’t need – have never needed – a bunch of men wearing colorful costumes and playing a child’s game for money to help me do so. Time for them to stop trying. Play your game already. If I need organized commemoration of the day, I’ll seek it somewhere appropriate. If I need to put the memory aside and watch a ballgame that day, for God’s sake let me do so.
As I’ve mentioned, let’s remember tht FDR greenlighted MLB to help the nation FORGET such things.
Or, for those who don’t get THAT aspect of it, look at it this way: Since when do we celebrate and make de facto holidays of the anniversaries of the times we got the snot beat out of us?
“President Obama’s speech to elementary school kids in 2009 was going to indoctrinate America’s children into the Soviet Young Pioneers and destroy the republic forever”
~~~
Да
Paul — if you take Route 3 on your way to Paterson, you pass right by the old Rizzuto-Berra Bowling Lanes. Only a few minutes from my humble abode in Nutley.
I haven’t been there in years, but I remember Yogi’s museum over at Montclair State having some pictures and a few souvenirs (matchbook, coaster, etc).
Even has its own Facebook page –>
link
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I believe that is Johnny Callison in the center of the Snider/Fox photo. And the blond Twin looks like Jerry Zimmerman.
Look’s like it may be Maryland’s new uni’s.
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Sublimated turtle shell on the shoulders? Muy interesante…
I thought I heard they were taking “Terps” off the helmet and putting “Maryland” on or something to that effect
Always like “Terps.”
Reminds me of prostate surgery.
TURP…
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“
“We go in with an instrument like catheter tube, only it isn’t flexible…”
Whoa, hold on, Doc. TMI. Don’t really wanna know about the peniskabob.
I believe the player to the left of Johnny Callison (as you look at the photo) is Lee Stange of the Twins. No idea who the guy on the far left is.
I’m pretty sure the “pitcher” in the photo with Stan Musial and Elston Howard is Redleg/Pirate Bob Purkey.
re:fisk logoless hof cap. don’t get an a’s fan started on this. reggie in as a yankee. catfish logoless…
Here is a cool knob (with a great font) from Hudepohl Brewery out of Cincinnati. One of my dad’s favorites. They went out of business in the mid 1980s but I have heard they are making a comeback.
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I’ve followed this site on & off for a couple years, and I’ve never fully understand the vitriolic attitude towards corporate sponsorships. I can comprehend any aversion or dislike for aforesaid sponsorships. I personally don’t care for it, and I do feel it somewhat demeans the idea of being a “Major League.” However, if a corporate sponsorship means that money will be used to pay the Ticket Vault Services Representative and the Substance Prevention Educator among others, without increasing the price of my ticket, I can’t see the point of complaining too much.
They *do* have a way of taking over.
Hey, Doc —
Many of us do like to complain a lot, it’s true. And I certainly can’t and don’t speak for anybody else nettled by the growth of corporate namings.
But just for me, I mourn the steady erosion of civic space that does not call attention to an underwriter, especially an underwriter whose name is used as a merchandising strategy. I find corporate sponsorships the most insufferable of the many invasions of civic space, but I also can’t stand the silly tendencies of colleges and hospitals to sell naming-rights to buildings, rooms, beds, benches, and water coolers. The Jerry M and Susan F Wesienheimer Family Broom Closet. And they’re not even dead! You’re supposed to be dead to get things named after you.
Well, one might reply, that’s just the way it is. If a donor’s narcissism is how we get an new MRI facility, so be it. Always true in the particular, but, I would say, always bad in the aggregate. Common space is good. Common space brought to you by nobody in particular but by all of us acting as a citizenry is better. Central Park is a great name. I am amused by self-described patriots who want to sell off civic assets (and civic responsibilities) so as to lower their tax bills. It is true that I am a hopeless New Dealer, addicted to public properties, shared spaces, and those amazing CCC projects and WPA posters. Exhume FDR!
If we’re exhuming presidents, can’t we just go all the way back to Washington?
I’m not fond of corporate sponsorships either, but what annoys me even more are the projects where every little brick or chair or whatnot has someone’s name inscribed or engraved on it. Only the donor and two or three other people will ever notice or care that the name is there.
I find a nice plain brick wall or walkway soothing, but one with a cacophony of names on it makes me queasy.
You know…with all the money these teams pull in from their TV deals, the tickets, the concessions, the merchandize… if they still can’t afford to pay everyone without corporate sponsors… there’s a serious problem. Here’s a thought… maybe a guy should only be able to make 5 million a year to throw a ball instead of 10 million. Why the hell do athletes and entertainers get to make 10 times more money than normal people, anyway? What the hell is wrong with our society?
Supply and demand…
“Here’s a thought… maybe a guy should only be able to make 5 million a year to throw a ball instead of 10 million.”
~~~
holy shit, THE
way to avoid the banhammer
we don’t often agree 100%, but this is one of those rare times
well said…well said
Funny you say that… Are you familiar with a somewhat famous quote by Jerry Reinsdorf. I’m paraprasing here, but he essentially said that he has to pay his best employee what his “dumbest” competitor pays his best employee…
And to address Connie’s comments… I have no problem with the complaining. I just don’t understand the feminine hygiene implement descriptor. Maybe I’m getting old, but in my day we used to reserve that insult for a truely deserving individual (or group as the situation may have warrented). I dunno, maybe I’m worried that its overuse will depreciate the insult.
I thought it meant someone who ought to be left hanging from a showerhead.
if a corporate sponsorship means that money will be used to pay the Ticket Vault Services Representative and the Substance Prevention Educator among others, without increasing the price of my ticket, I can’t see the point of complaining too much.
Boldface emphasis added. Kinda sums up everything (well, many things) wrong with our culture today, no? Who cares if the name of my ballpark (or my bridge, or my public park) is essentially a corporate ad, as long as don’t have to pay an extra nickel. Who cares if all the businesses on Main St. go bust, as long as I save $1.37 by going to Walmart. Who cares if my school is sponsored by Pepsi, as long as you don’t raise my school taxes one thin dime.
And now, with all that money I’ve saved, I’m gonna go to Best Buy and get a 72″ plasma teevee. Ah, the American dream…..
Private opulence amid public squalor. Worked out so well for the Romans, who are we to argue? It’s not like the emperor or the barbarians will ever burn the place down, right? link.
“Who cares if all the businesses on Main St. go bust, as long as I save $1.37 by going to Walmart (which is a festering money-grubbing hole of shit, BTW).”
/Fixed ;)
Haha, not a stab at you Paul in any way, shape, or form. I just hate Walmart with every fiber of my being after seeing Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story. But I see your point on this topic.
I hate Walmart too. Um, that’s why I wrote what I wrote.
Understood. That place is just a damn shame.
Point taken Mr. Lukas…
However, I’m sure that there are more pressing problems with today’s culture. I hate to say it but a poorly educated public is one, maybe corporate sponsorships are way to help. Think about it, we’ve all met a moron or two who could get lost on a running track. Maybe by putting the Citibank or Target logo on the stadium these not-so-bright indivuduals will find the place. Then again, maybe they shouldn’t be attending if they need the billboard to find it.
I know you’re sorta/kinda kidding. But seriously, I think there are relatively few problems in our culture that are bigger than the increasing effects of corporate influence on our civic institutions, a problem that infects and intertwines with many of the other big problems we face.
The notion that everything can be reduced to free enterprise isn’t just wrong, it’s harmful. Also offensive. Certain things are not for sale. Our civic institutions should be at the top of the list.
I do respect your point of view. I suppose what it comes down to is that I don’t share the same sense of urgency that many do. My whole point was that when I think of a douchebag, my thoughts go to someone like Bernie Madoff, or this guy (whom I have the misfortune of knowing) who swindled his ill parents out of the family business leaving them pennyless when they were in their 70’s, or a person who beats his spouse or kids.
When it comes to corporate sponsorships I think of some schmuck in marketing or sales (whom I’ve also had the misfortune of knowing) who thinks they’re absolutely brilliant and wants to be the hero to upper management or even the board of directors by spearheading that move. A move which most likely is only popular in the board room.
I recently found out I was conceived after one of my parents bowling night and a healthy dose of vodka tonics and mini tacos. Kind of refreshing in contrast to todays world where people brag about the perfect environment and timing to conceive their child.
I probably should have been born with hooves
One of the most interesting comments ever on this site. Hysterical on many levels…
Just out of curiosity…Mom’s bowling night or Dad’s?
Vodka tonics and mini tacos. Perfect. Love that Russo/Mexican one-two.
So that means we can stay blizted May 1-5.
May Day through Cinco de Mayo?
The Russo/Mexican one through five.
Whom do we see about making this formal policy?
pretty safe bet that’s gonna appear at the bottom of tomorrow’s post
Please tell me you didn’t ask your parents that, and it only came up while they were perhaps again well-lubricated on the aforementioned vodka tonics? I don’t think, nay, I *know* I never want to hear my parents discussing my conception. Not at all.
I once asked my Dad, “How long were you home from WWII before Mom got pregnant with me?”
He smiled and said, “Near as we can figure, about 15 minutes.”
And that’s the way it was all across the U.S. at the leading edge of the Baby Boom.
hah…that’s almost the best COTD…so close
but you do win a parting gift from best buy
“The Indians have struck a corporate-douchebaggery deal with the world’s most notorious environmental criminals.”
BP is no stranger to sponsoring Cleveland sports. When the Cleveland Crunch moved from the MISL to the NPSL, they began to wear ads on the unis. For a couple of years in the 90s, the Crunch wore the BP logo.
link
(sorry, couldn’t find an actual photo at this time, but I’m looking)
They even switched from the team colors of red, yellow and black for the green and gold of BP. Then when they got a new sponsor they switched back.
Speaking of indoor soccer, hey Terry Proctor – did you know the Rochester Lancers are back?
link
I apologize if this was addressed before,but the other night against Chisox, Dan Wheeler was missing the bottom third of his pants piping.
Too bad he wasn’t missing the bottom third of his PANTS. Then you could see his socks!
Not to be a prude, but there probably should be some kind of warning about the Orix Buffaloes link. There were some pretty risque pictures on that page.
Other point, is there any way we can start a grass roots effort to get that Heat logo used? I would love to see that fleshed out just to mock them. Haha.
How many people have since gone back to click on that link?
From Deadspin:
“Wouldn’t it be so much cooler to have a flaming angry basketball gremlin dunking and clawing his way out of the toilet bowl? Yes, it would, especially if he were doing it on LeBron James’s chest.”
Best anti-HEAT comment ever.
Follow-up to Wednesday’s conversation about eating pizza with a fork. Jon Stewart calling Trump a POS is just fantastic.
link
link
Nice view of some great stirrups worn by Beckman High from Irvine, CA, who won the CIF-SS Div III Championship yesterday.
Okay, I’ll admit it, I’ve become a big fan of the WCWS (got hooked about four or five years ago).
I’ve always liked that (most, if not all) women’s college softball players wear hose/stirrups. And, I also like just looking at some of the players (because I’m a dude, and some of the girls are pretty smokin’).
Anyway, I’m no expert on women’s college softball unis, but noticed last night that Florida has their numbers in the dead center of their jersey, just below the “Florida”.
Maybe I’ve never paid attention, but I can’t think of any baseball/women’s softball jersey that has the number in the center. I’m sure if I’m overlooking a team that does this, one of you uni watchers will correct me. :)
Edit: I’m referring to the numbers on the front of the jersey.
Cubs did. For one year (1972).
And no, they weren’t powder blue. It’s the photo. They were gray.
link
Another shot…
link
that same season, many players chose to wear white basketball kicks (lo tops) because it was “cool”
/true story
More likely pre-game.
But, Phil, that lovable funster, is trying to start one of those Internet rumors that become truth.
Such a thing can happen.
Really.
Too bad Klu didn’t play for Evansville.
Genius comment.
“The new jerseys do not feature the traditional springbok logo – a sad example of what happens when governments get involved with sports,”
Not quite – the Springbok logo has been moved to the left sleeve. link
The IRB requires the RWC logo to appear on the right breast, where the Springbok has been placed the past 2 years, of all jerseys. This practice has been in place since 1995. Australia’s Wallaby logo has also had to move for this year competition, as it did in 2007.
The one design element that has disappeared from the 2011 RWC jersey (other than sponsor’s logo) is the South African flag.
re: WCWS.
Baylor vs. Alabama right now.
Baylor in mono forest green.
Not something we see often.
(‘Bama’s in all white)
Check out Stanford vs. Kansas State on ESPNU right now. Stanford’s pitcher doesn’t have his feet in his stirrups – the stirrup part is just hanging outside of his shoes on the back of his calves.
Looks ridiculous.
Indeed:
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I’m sure I did that playing Little League many moons ago…
Did anyone see this ranking on nfl.com?
He sounds very Uni Watchy.
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I’d love to see the Indians run with the BP idea. They have problems with gulls at Progressive Field. They should use a helicopter to dump oil on them during the game.
I was hoping the video would answer this, but when did the Packers go to the current shell paint job with the sparkling Gold?
Was there an in-between the ones they wore in the Super Bowls (looked pale yellow, were really obvious in the superdome) and what they wear today. Basically was there a gold paint job that didn’t have the sparkling effect between the pale yellow and today’s paint job?