One thing I love about Uni Watch is that I learn about stuff I never knew about before. Case in point: I got an interesting note the other day from reader Caleb James, as follows:
Many baseball players are “deepening” the pockets of their gloves by shifting their hand in their gloves. Instead of putting one digit in each of their gloves fingers, they put their ring and pinkie fingers in the glove’s pinkie compartment and then shift their other fingers over, so the middle finger is in the ring finger compartment and the index finger is in the middle finger compartment. This has the effect of making the glove’s pocket deeper.
As you know, some players like to wear their index finger sticking out of the back of the glove. But when the glove is worn as described above, these players keep their index finger on the outside now have it resting against the back of the glove’s middle finger (as opposed to its index finger).
This is nothing new, especially for outfielders, but the new wrinkle is that it’s now prompting manufacturers to alter how gloves are made. Manufacturers who in the past have put extra padding and/or finger pockets on the back of the glove’s index finger of the mitt are now placing them on the back of the middle finger. For example, this “glove-builder” app from Rawlings includes an option to put finger padding/pockets behind the middle finger.
I confess that I’m out of my league on this one. I recall noticing players with a finger sticking out over the middle finger of their gloves as far back as the late 1970s, but I always assumed it was just their middle finger sticking out — not a repositioned index finger. And it certainly never occurred to me that any of this had to do with “deepening the pocket” on the glove. Is that really true? I know a lot of you have much more experience playing ball than I do. Fill us in!
Meanwhile, a few other noteworthy things about that Rawlings glove-builder page: You can choose some pretty whacked-out color options for your glove’s laces. Also, there’s a drop-down menu that allows you to choose a little flag that can embroidered on the glove, and it’s fascinating to see which states and countries are and aren’t included. You want Alabama, Aruba, Australia, Delaware, Mississippi, Poland, Utah? No problem. Argentina, Austria, China, Florida, New York, Wisconsin? No dice. Odd.
Star me up ”¦ or better yet, don’t: MLB’s All-Star stars are proving to be somewhat less than universally popular. Here’s the latest:
• As I had already noted on Wednesday, the Yankees aren’t wearing the stars.
• On Wednesday I also reported that Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw had removed the stars from his cap and was looking to remove them from his jersey. Guess he never got around to that, because he did have the jersey stars last night, but no cap stars (and no stupid-ass ASG patch on the side of his cap, either).
• Now it turns out that the Cardinals have chosen not to wear the stars.
• And reader Al Stone reports that the Orioles’ lone All-Star representative, Matt Wieters, has decided not to wear the star patches either. “According to Buck Showalter on a local Baltimore radio show, he did it as a team gesture,” says Al.
We often chide players for engaging in various “Look at me!” antics, so let’s give these players credit for not wanting to stand out from their peers. Let’s also hope these small gestures of non-compliance are enough to get MLB to scrap this program next year.
Invaders reminder: Don’t forget to vote for Ryan Connelly’s Invaders jersey in the Dayton Gems’ Beer League Night fan voting. Details here.
Summer break reminder: I’m going on summer break starting Monday (but will be covering for Phil this weekend), which has a few implications for the site. Details here.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Yesterday I mentioned that it looked like the Reebok logo creep on NHL jerseys was changing from the vector to the wordmark. That is now confirmed. That shot is from yesterday’s press conference introducing new Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov. This will probably mean even bigger Ree-boxes, since the wordmark is wider than the logo. It also means that with the exception of the NOBs, the only word spelled out on most NHL jerseys will now be “Reebok,” which is all kinds of fucked up (big thanks to Dan Winkler for the photo). ”¦ The Rangers only wear their red caps, undersleeves, socks, and catcher’s gear with their red jerseys — except for last night. Not a good look, but we’ll probably be stuck seeing it again, because they won 6-0. ”¦ Derek Jeter wore special gold-accented batting gloves and spikes last night. He also wore — get this these sock liners (further details on all the scribbling here). No word on whether Jeter was also wearing a gold-plated jockstrap. ”¦ New rugby kits for Ulster (with thanks to Colm Heaney). ”¦ The mighty Fleer Sticker Project just posted a bunch of screen shots from the 1968 MLB All-Star Game (big thanks to Sam Shipley). ”¦ New uniforms for the Fayetteville Fire Antz. “The waist area of the jersey features a local architectural landmark,” explains Gerry Dincher. ”¦ Nebraska-Omaha’s new logo is apparently a big hit (with thanks to Patrick Runge). ”¦ Did you know there’s something called the Boot Throwing World Championships? There is! And they’ve got some, uh, highly inspiring uniforms (with thanks to Tom Hamann). ”¦ “My buddy Dave texted me this picture of a Steelers Super Bowl XLV Champions T-shirt,” writes Brent Jensen. “He found it in a Milwaukee-area (of all places!) Marshall’s just a few days ago, for I think $9.99. I went to go buy it a little later and it was gone. Don’t these usually all get sent to Third World countries or something?” ”¦ Julio Jerez asked if I could add “Culinary Corner” as one of the site’s searchable/sortable categories. Good idea — done. ”¦ I think we may have seen this before, but it bears repeating: The WFL didn’t look quite as professional as the NFL back in the day. Alan Kreit took that shot in Canton the other day. ”¦ Speaking of Canton, the city is getting a D-League team. G.R. Brackle thinks we should have a design contest, but c’mon, it’s the freakin’ D-League. ”¦ Speaking of contests involving Ohio teams, Mary Lynn Delfino reports that the Akron Aeros are letting fans vote for a new team name (Several readers have noted that the L.A. Galaxy’s alternate kit, worn on July 4, took some chromatic liberties with the U.S. flag. “How is this acceptable on any day, much less Independence Day?” asks Markus Kamp. “The Galaxy, MLS, and Adidas should be ashamed of themselves.” ”¦ Prince William will be wearing a special polo jersey this weekend (thanks, Brinke). ”¦ New home soccer kit for Ireland (with thanks to Kenny Loo). ”¦ Matt Ryburn was watching a DVD of the 1988 World Series and noticed that the gold visor on some of the A’s batting helmets didn’t come to a point, and on others it looked fine. Meanwhile, what’s that decal on the back of Dave Parker’s helmet? ”¦ Nick Hanson notes that Lightning draftee Vladimir Namestnikov was sporting a badly overmatched nameplate in his first practice with the team yesterday. ”¦ It turns out that the color purple is the real Amityville horror (with thanks to Sean Caruana). ”¦ Eagle-eyed catch by Peter Fahey, who notes that Blake Davis has been wearing an upside-down 8. ”¦ As you may recall, my last ESPN column included a sidebar item about former Bills QB Joe Ferguson. Some folks have said his interception woes were due to his being colorblind, but he told me he’s never colorblind. That prompted the following note from Daryle Pompeo: “You should know that in 1988, when Vinny Testaverde threw 35 interceptions and claimed he was colorblind, his QB coach was Joe Ferguson. Coincidence?” ”¦ Red Wings defenseman Mike Commodore may change his uni number to 64. For those of you who are less than 87 years old, here’s why that would be awesome.
I’ve been doing the modification for as long as I can remember, and yes, it’s due to a deeper pocket. There are other advantages, too. For example, (as a first baseman), those hard throws don’t bother me, because there’s no finger that’s in the way.
Definitely an improvement.
I played Little League ball (1975-77) with a small Rawlings glove in which I did exactly what is shown in post. I first noticed my dad did this when he used our gloves (I think it was to protect his fingers) and then I followed suit. Kept right on doing it playing Babe Ruth and high school, right up to this day. I had the imprint of my index finger on the back of middle finger slot.
(BTW, form-fitting your glove like this was great for keeping people away from wanting to use your glove. When they would put it on, they would complain about how ill-fitting it was and they wouldn’t want to use it. Always hated getting my glove back from somebody and it would be sweaty and icky.)
Nowadays when I grab one of my kids gloves, the back is enclosed in such a way where it is difficult to use this way.
I was sitting in my dorm room one day and some guys walked by and threw in an old beat up Rawlings baseball glove. A couple of laces were broken and missing and the padding was shot, but it had been a pretty good glove at one time. I fixed it up with some string and found if I put my fingers in using the method described in Paul’s post today, it still had a nice softball-sized pocket. I used it for years.
Maybe Texas won’t consider those uniforms lucky, after that fan died during the game.
Which did get me to wonder…
Has a team ever worn a commemorate patch/ribbon for a fan that died at a game? Did the Blue Jackets wear anything on their sweaters when the little girl was killed by a puck a few years ago?
I seem to recall that futbol clubs sometimes do it, usually on anniversaries for stadium tragedies like Hillsborough or Heysel.
Not quite the same thing, but the Brewers wore that ironworkers patch in 1999, for the workers who died while building Miller Park:
link
Here is an image of the patch on a Brewer jersey:
link
What about the Little Leaguers that are wearing a special patch for Christina Green this season? Or — although way out of left field — the song “Detroit Rock City” by KISS, which was about a fan that died on his way to a KISS concert?
The Jackets wore a helmet decal for Brittanie Cecil
link
Has a team ever worn a commemorate patch/ribbon for a fan that died at a game? Did the Blue Jackets wear anything on their sweaters when the little girl was killed by a puck a few years ago?
Helmets yes, sweaters no.
link
Those unis are almost like the red shoed Rangers wore back when the Ballpark in Arlington opened.
Both the A’s and Rangers will be wearing black ribbons for the rest of the series after last night’s tragedy. Flags at the park will also be flown at half staff.
that’s kinda odd that the Fireantz choose to use that building on their unis being that it was once the slave market area of Fayetteville.
I hope Mike Commodore has a relative named Vic (who wears #20).
Is link on the helmet? Did they do that sort of thing in ’88?
re: “gold-plated jockstrap”.
Thong, man. Thong.
link
ed
I used to wear my glove like that, too. I’m only a beer-league softball player, but I kept getting hot shots at third, and with my fingers further out of the way, it didn’t hurt as often.
I haven’t done it in a while, but probably because I forgot about it (I’ve only recently picked it back up. I might have to try it again…)
Enjoy your vacation Paul.
Brown-nose.
Connie let me know when you’re gonna go on vacation and I’ll tell you to enjoy it also.
You’re too damn nice, Hersh.
A lot of us did that finger placement in our mitts back in 1960. I can’t remember who showed me how – but we did it to soften the impact of a hard. I had one of the first Rawlings 6 finger gloves & I’d change where I put fingers depending on whether I was pitching or playing CF.
The NYY aren’t wearing those “stars.” Nor are they playing them. . ..
Time for a long vacation or nap… above that should read hard shot. And yeah, like the other guys said here – it worked.
dear mom,
i want to be a boot thrower. tell pops i’m sorry.
love,
son
The whole pinky-and-ring-finger in the pinky part of the glove thing doesn’t make sense to me. Instead of putting the finger pocket in back of the middle finger to accommodate this trend, why wouldn’t or couldn’t the glove manufacturers simply make gloves with wider pockets?
Also, does anyone know WHY players keep their index finger outside the glove? I always did it as a kid in little league, because it was simply the thing to do, but I never understood the logic behind it, if there ever was any.
so you don’t break your digit/double padding/it pulls your palm off the pocket. i nary met an infielder who kept his index inside the mit that i didn’t laugh at.
and i want paid for this double outside idea. 25 years ago, i not only kept my lil two tucked to the left, but my big two outside the mit. and yes i split the leather to accomodate this. sure it was as much because mizuno made cheap leather back in the day as anything else, but i can prove by the finger burns on my 11″ , and the cut cow that this is in fact the case mr. judge who decides my retroactive patent.
is it me or does everyone else have to spend extra time trying to figure out what moose means in each post?
His ramblings make more sense if you’ve had a few drinks before trying to read them.
/most of us just ignore him most of the time anyway ;)
Them’s fightin’ words, Definite Article. The Moose makes sense when I’m stone sober or high as a kite. Or when he is, for that matter. For corn’s sake.
Fred, the fact that you can’t immediately pick up what Robert is laying down is a good thing.
It’s folks who instantly understand (like yours truly) that need to worry.
do i ignore winks as just kidding? or is the backslash what we mean to say? i am not up on this gamer age language, it totally dents my brain-pan. guess that means it’s stupid since i don’t comprehend. so as far as ignoring and not taking seriously, i am guessing we would be the same then jeff? olde schule!
yes spanks, it is much more of inditement of those understand. i should send you and the connie some sort of stirrup-gram through the poney express.
I always just thought it looked better, but the more I think about it I guess it’s just a way to get a little extra padding.
It also causes the glove to close over the ball quicker.
the first time i broke that long bone at the base my nose picking finger is the last time i kept it neath the leather. my pops told me so before that, but i didn’t listen. same as when we moved back form the east germany and i put on a ball-cap for the first time and i tucked my ears. looking back, he was blowing a gasket, but he didn’t make a big deal. then in my first at bat as an american i ran to second base, in hindsight, that was a mistake. but i took off my hat, and hid my head, and when i put it pack on to strike out, or drop a ball, i played left-out that first year for eastman party store don’t ya know, my ears were showing. what i am saying is i learned my lesson. and from there the rest of my baseball “career” was pretty much the same through the jays and spos saying, really? we invited you for whaaaa? you suck, learn a trade.
The decal on Parker’s helmet looks like the ’88 World Series logo. Not clear enough to tell for sure though.
I would concur that it’s the 1988 logo for the Fall Classic.
Yes, you are correct.
It is in fact the World Series logo. I saw it very clearly on the helmets as I was watching the DVD last night. I had no clue they did the helmet thing back then. But I did know the jersey sleeve’s had it.
Yes, that’s what it is.
link
Dodgers had it too, though look at the border on the decal!
link
Not quite sure what the deal is with that first link, but the second one of the Dodgers helmet is all that really matters I guess.
The red caps with white uniforms worn by the Rangers is a much better look than the red caps with a red uniform.
Braves All-Stars have been wearing the stars on their jerseys, but the hats are completely normal–no patch or anything.
“Matt Ryburn was watching a DVD of the 1988 World Series and noticed that some of the gold visor on some of the A’s batting helmets didn’t come to a point, and on others it looked fine.”
It’s 2 different style helmets. The companies must have just treated them different during production. I was a huge A’s fan in the 80’s and always hated McGwire’s helmet style early in his career. He switched back to the normal style in the 90’s.
link
McGwire was wearing a Rawlings helmet back then – and they were a lot boxier than the ABC helmets – where the ABC helmets were round, and actually allowed your ear some space, the Rawlings helmets were square on the sides and crushed up against your ear.
The brims on the ABC helmets were curved, more like a ballcap, the Rawlings helmets, it was basically a piece of plastic that jutted out.
I hated wearing those Rawlings helmets back then, you couldn’t stick the cap inside them too – which I did more for superstition more than anything.
IIRC, the Indians, Twins and A’s were the teams that used Rawlings helmets along with the ABCs. Everyone else is pretty much still the ABC style – unless they’re using the Coolflo helmets. Especially since Rawlings bought ABC early in the 2000s I think.
Dont you think the FireAntz’s new uniforms are almost too close to the Carolina Hurricane’s jersey? (link)
Think that’s the point being that the Raleigh is only about an hour and a half away from Fayetteville
Re: Jeter’s gear. Nothing says “baseball” or “3,000” like a Jumpman, no? I can’t stand seeing that logo in other sports.
Re: LA Galaxy flag. Isn’t that similar to what the Army is wearing in the desert? This isn’t a great pic, but I know I’ve seen them up close in person. The Galaxy, you know, have to stay as discreet as possible when battling the Dynamo and Real Salt Lake. :\
link
As for the 88 A’s helmet, I’d venture a guess that it’s a Rawlings helmet. I remember Albert Bell always had that look. I think it has to do with the non-earflap cutout being extra high on those helmets. Not super clear here, but you get the idea:
link
Here’s a game view:
link
besides mcgwire, i remember canseco and belle wearing that style as well. they looked horrible, the earlap went straight down.
also, the sticker on dave parker’s helmet i believe was the world series logo.
I believe that Mac’s helmet was a Rawlings helmet with an ABC bill decal on it. Where Parker’s is an ABC helmet with an ABC decal.
In regards to Mike Commodore and 64, Andrei Kirilenko wears 47 in reference to the AK-47 assault rifle. What other players have a number that correlates to their name?
Favre = Four. (j/k)
Not a “name” correlation, but Shawn Bradley was 7’6″ and wore number 76. He also happened to play for the 76ers.
Wasn’t link also a height reference?
oh yeah, Ocho Cinco.
Gilbert Arenas IS a big ZERO!!
andy messersmith wore channel 17 to…
wait, that was just a ted turner gimmick
Another gun reference: link.
For the third time…
Steve Heinz
link
Steve Heinz
link
Steve Heinz #57
link
Jordin Tootoo
link
TECHNICALLY Jordin Tootoo wears #22 in honor of his brother Terence who wore #22 when he played in the ECHL and later committed suicide. So in essence Tootoo wears #22 as both a tribute AND a play on words.
Jim Otto wore 00 as in “aught-o”
The Reebok logo won’t be unique on the back of a hockey jersey… when Starter was the outfitter for the NHL, they alternated between an S-star logo next to the NHL logo and the Starter wordmark next to the NHL logo… and Gretzky used to have double Starter wordmarks and double NHL logos on the back…. granted those were usually on the hemline not the back of the neck.
Koho also used to have a wordmark at the top of the jersey (as did CCM… but that is arguably more logo than wordwork) where the Vector and now Reebok wordmark will go.
So it’s a change, but not one without precedent in the NHL over the last decade.
The helmet manufacturers have always had big honkin’ visible wordmarks, haven’t they? Or at least they used to?
Yep, Koho had done this 10 years ago
link
Not only that, the “Targeting Reticle” logo was combo’d with the “KOHO” wordmark along the neckline AND on the (right…?) cuff.
So make that:
– 2 logos and a wordmark for Koho
– either 2 logos or logo/wordmark combo for Reebok
So, who’s more egregious?
The KOHO logo on the sleeve was only on replica jerseys. Also, the KOHO wordmark is KOHO’s logo. KOHO was bought by CCM, and they used the home and alternate jerseys to help promote that brand. Of course, all of the CCM’s companies were then bought by Reebok.
The Starter logos were on jerseys where the team had a deal with Starter. The Starter wordmarks appeared on jerseys where players had a deal with the company to represent Starter. That’s why Gretzky has the Starter name on his jersey – he did advertising for them.
Hate to correct you, Teebz, but actually, for two seasons (1997-99), the Starter teams wore the S-star (without “Starter” beneath it) on their home and third jerseys, and the Starter wordmark on their road jerseys. It had nothing to do with individual players.
Gretzky only had duplicate logos in the 90s because he always tucked the right side of his uniform in, so CCM (Kings and Blues) and Starter (Rangers) duplicated them so they’d still show. (When he was with the Oilers and Nike was branding the jerseys, they simply put the brand on the left side by default, leaving the right side blank.)
Here’s some comparative footage:
link (Rangers in white, with S-star logo)
link (Rangers wore blue at home, with Starter wordmark).
And, to pander to the fight-lovers:
link (Hurricanes @ Rangers)
link (Hurricanes @ Rangers, but with New York wearing their thirds)
The last one also has a flashback to a Grimson-Langdon fight from 1996-97, when all Starter jerseys had the combined logo (the S-star over “Starter”), as well as Grimson as a Whaler.
You’re right, Rob. I just checked my jerseys, and the Avs jerseys with the darker burgundy is definitely a “Starter” wordmarked jersey.
The final two years of Starter road jerseys switched to Starter text without the Starter logo, while the home & alternate jerseys maintained the logo and wordmark text as in 96-97.
I’m off for more coffee. It’s been 15 years since I worried about Starter in the NHL. I need to head back to my jersey history class. LOL
Could it be that the wordmark will just be appearing on the home (dark) jerseys and the vector logo on the away (white) jerseys?
Doubtful. Reebok would want brand continuity across its product line(s).
I played ball with the same mitt from age 12 to 20-something … outfield, infield, you name it.
I was doing the “finger shift” to deepen the pocket way back in the early-to-late 80s. Also did it with the team-assigned catcher’s mitt.
In either case, it makes a huge difference and helps to avoid bruises on your palm from the occasional scorcher. It simply feels better to catch the ball in the pocket/webbing.
So I noticed the Brewers have worn their throwback uniforms for two days in a row now. Sign of things to come of a ball-and-glove takeover, or just coincidence?
Rumor is that if they keep winning, they will keep wearing the retros. Expect to see them tonight, as well, since this would of been the regularly schedule night for them anyways.
Thing is, they haven’t been wearing the retros at home on Fridays on a regular basis this year. The retros just seem to randomly appear when they feel like wearing them this season.
I believe the plan for this season was to wear them one Friday game a month. I’m guessing the decision to wear the retros on Wednesday might have come out of Tuesday’s closed-door meeting. Whatever it takes boys!
“Retro Fridays” were relegated to the first Friday home game of each month a few years ago. I liked it better when they wore the alternates for all Sunday home games. Nothing beats Bill Hall’s walk-off homer on Mother’s day in ’06 while wearing the retro pinstripes.
“I’m guessing the decision to wear the retros on Wednesday might have come out of Tuesday’s closed-door meeting.” Can’t confirm, but that’s my suspicion. Anything that gets ’em wearing the retro jerseys more often is a good move in my opinion!
After their closed door meeting on Tuesday night, Tom Haudricourt tweeted that Yovani Gallardo decided to wear the retro uniforms to break out of their slump.
“It has become “Retro Wednesday” at Miller Park. #Brewers wearing retro uniforms, at request of Gallardo, to try to change their luck.”
There was also a confirmation of this on yesterday’s post game show with Corey Provus talking with Chris Narveson. Narveson confirmed that he also decided to wear the retro threads because of superstition.
And yes, it was a few years ago that the Brewers decided to wear the retro uniforms on the first Friday home game of each month. Which they have done without any hiccups until a few days ago.
PS, that FireAntz uniform is certainly “borrowing” from the Hurricanes. Not to mention, to all sports teams, using a “Z” on the end of your name is flat out cheesy.
As in 80s bad hair metal cheesy: Tiger Tailz, Sleeze Beez, that kind of thing.
Why bother?
New footie uni for Ireland is actually pretty good. But could somebody please tell me what’s going on inside the numwerals?
Tanks mooch.
that’s their sponsor. just happens to have that “3” as a logo
Here’s an link, from the Football Association of Ireland website.
Such a damn shame that Ireland has (long had) a kit sponsor for replica and training kits (not allowed to use a shirt sponsor when competing in FIFA events). That’s a nice shirt and I’d probably buy it sans-ad.
Egad, you’re right. That odd-looking 3 isn’t a numeral, it’s a commercial logo.
“…3, Ireland’s largest high speed network…”
Thanks for the tip. I agree with you, Kevin, both that it’s a damn shame and that it’s still a good-looking shirt. Those two frisky young ladies modeling the kit are wearing green-and-white striped socks, and they look good, too.
“Speaking of contests involving Ohio teams, Mary Lynn Delfino reports that the Akron Aeros are letting fans vote for a new team name”
-At a quick glance, I 100% truthfully thought the second option was “Anal Diggers”.
Jeter DID NOT wear the black/gold batting gloves last night:
link
He did wear the cleats though.
He’ll probably start wearing the special gloves once he gets to 2999. That he can switch easily mid-game. Cleats, not so much.
Unless he goes spatted, changing shoes between at-bats is really not that difficult.
It’s no surprise that Nike is provided Jeter with these pimped out (do the kids still say that?) version of the cleats and gloves…they are planning on those items being in the HOF.
As for the contract on his shoe liner, I can’t decide if I think it’s really cool, or really weird.
Yes, kids still say “pimped out”. At least, my nephews did Thursday night when they saw a couple of modded vehicles on the road (one of which was a 40s-50s era pickup).
I’m from Akron. Please help make the Akron Rubber Ducks a reality.
Done.
That’s Rubber DUCKS, in case Tim O’Brien is glancing at this quickly…
LULZ, good one XD
link was link‘s backup, not his QB coach, in 1988.
Oh, please please PLEASE let the Aeros change their name to the Devil Strips. Team names don’t get much more geographically specific than that.
if the royals change their name to devil’s jock strap all will be right with the world, even if it is singular. i swear it is as hot as the devil’s jock strap here on most days. pineapple coined that one, but dang-nabit if it ain’t true. come to think of it short-pants would work too, i nary seen so many adults in short-pants .or at least i forgot adults wore them casually. it’s kind of creepy, and i wear rastlin’ masks and stirrups.
I read your posts, and laugh. Not sure if I’m laughing with you, or AT you. But laughing nontheless.
is that a crack? i can’t TELL. either way it is no skin off my teeth keith, i am here to have some fun now and again, and you can dig that or not, there are plenty on both sides of that enchilada. but the bottom line, since i don’t really know you, and you don’t really know me, i honestly don’t care if i am viewed as someone with a bucket on my head running into walls, or an eccentric. to be honest, i am both, and i am fine with that, but i still know the stripe spacing on a packer jersey from 1956, and 2006 as much as anyone here, and that’s a fact jack.
moose, view it as a term of endearment. The only reason I come here is to have fun. You add to that, and not in a “bucket head” kind of way. There seems to be a comedic undertone to a lot of your posts…not sure if it’s intentional, but I like reading what you post. So, in other words, No, it wasn’t meant as a crack. It was meant to be sarcastic and fun. I try to never get too serious here.
i have a concussion so i am having some troubles in the old noodle right now. but i did get that you were saying both, i guess i was just generally commenting on it’s okay if you(not specifically you) like what i write or don’t. but but you have to give me this, even with only partial cranial support i’m not phoning it in.
…not to mention i deserve to take some crap from time to time. the difference betwixt me and some others around here, i know that’s a fact.
“i have a concussion so i am having some troubles in the old noodle right now.”
~~~
actually you make more sense now
For those of you who don’t live in NE Ohio:
link
I’d rather call them the Rubber Ducks, but only if they don’t give the mascot a mean scowling face.
I live in SE Michigan and I use the phrase “Devil Strip” as well. I’ve only been living in the city for 8 years though, I grew up in a rural suburb on a dirt road and no sidewalks in sight.
First time I’ve ever heard that, and up until moving into an apartment two years ago, I’ve always had a sidewalk out front.
As one who has applied a lot of heat-sealed vinyl names to jerseys over the years I think that Jim Kiick’s all-White NOB letters are the base color for a Black-on-White name ala Zonk’s.
The White letters are slightly out-of-proportion to be a name by themselves. The crotch area of the “Ks” looks too “muddy” to be a stand-alone letter. The “I” is a bit too tall and the “C” looks too “fat.”
What probably happened is one or more of the top-layer Black letters became loose or fell off completely and someone just removed the remaining letters for a consistant look. This is a common occurrance if you don’t heat the letters hot enough or don’t “rub them out” so that all of the corners seal down before removing your cover sheet.
A couple of notes:
* I don’t believe Joe Ferguson was the Bucs QB coach in 1988, since he was a active player in 1989 for Tampa Bay.
* The Dressed to the Nines site is down, but we know there are occasional omissions on that site anyway. Stumbled across a 1986 Donruss baseball card of Jason Thompson of the Pirates, and he was wearing a strange uniform combination I never saw the Bucs wear. Even assuming the picture isn’t from the 1985 season, it was unusual. Thompson was wearing black pants with a regular white jersey(not gold pinstripes). Maybe it was just a 1985 spring training game, but I never saw that combo before. In 1985, the Pirates departed from the 1977-84 multicolored look for more traditional white and grey road and home uniforms.
Here’s a link to the card for you:
link
Wasn’t there something on this site a year or so ago that unearthed this hybrid uniform that we thought did not existed, kind of like the Caveman unis of white top and red pants from ’77?
The more I look at that Thompson card, it appears the fans are located behind a fence, so this unusual uniform may have been used only for spring training, 1985.
Wasn’t timmy B doing a comprehensive survey of the Bucs’ uniforms during the bumblebee era? He may know the answer.
“Wasn’t timmy B doing a comprehensive survey of the Bucs’ uniforms during the bumblebee era? He may know the answer.”
~~~
no, that’s jerry wolper (burghfan)…although it wouldn’t surprise me if timmy has some knowledge of that as well…but most definitely jerry is the expert on this one
Has to be spring training. The only real game where they wore an unstriped white shirt with black pants was 9/22/80, which was before Thompson was a Pirate. (The players convinced the equipment manager to mix and match at home that September.)
All the questions about whether or not it’s appropriate to have a flag on an athletic uniform, flag patches are for sale from outfitters in many different colorways, including:
Full color
Tonal greys
Tonal olives
Tonal browns
I’ve definitely seen military uniforms with the greyscale and green flags on them.
The recolored flags on the military unis serve a purpose that isn’t just related to matching a color scheme.
Right, a camo colored flag patch makes sense. A monochromed out flag patch makes no sense.
Unless you may find yourself playing a game in a Vegas nightclub, and you need to blend into your surroundings…then it makes perfect sense.
I wish MLB just went with the stars on the jerseys. Those are actually a pretty cool way to recognize the All Stars. The hat stars are monstrosities though.
on the glove – seems this is another example of “history” beginning 30 years ago. That “finger shift” has been going on for at least 45 years, which is about the time I got the first Rawlings Mickey Mantle Fastback glove. And that one also had an index finger hole, because the practice of putting your index finger outside the glove was very established, even with eight-year-olds.
At least in the time immediately following WWII, many professional gloves had four fingers, which required you to put the fourth and third fingers in the “pinky” compartment.
“Its the freaking D-League.”
Yep, it is. And as far as I know, every team has the Reebok stripes down the sides of the jersey and the Cavs will probably make them as close as they can to their own uni’s as possible. (See Austin Toros, who are owned by the Spurs)
The Erie Bayhawks had been affiliated with Cleveland the last few seasons and they were red, gold, black and white. Haven’t heard if Erie’s new affiliation with the Knicks will include a color and/or uniform change.
I like the Akron Akorns. (you heard it here first!!)
Hey, DG, just curious. But how did you happen to settle on “Dumb Guy” as your moniker?
“connie” was already taken ;)
Ha!
The Aeros were originally going to be named the Blast by team owner Mike Agganis following the move at the end of the 1996 season from Canton to Akron. But according to newspaper articles at the time, Blast had to be scrapped as the name because residents were uncomfortable with a name possibly being insensitive to the memory of Challenger astronaut Judith Resnik. Aeros then got chosen over Spirit and Quest.
I remember Spirit being a ‘revised’ runner up name but didn’t remember Quest. Either way, they had to pick a 5 letter name in order to fit the logo. I guess the uniforms and identity package were too far along to change dramatically. Or owner Mike Agganis was too cheap to pay for it. So wanted a 5 letter name that they could fit in to replace ‘Blast’. Hence, Aeros, Spirit and Quest.
Although, now I realize Spirit has 6 letter… duh, but I guess the i’s take up less space.
I’m hoping for (and submitted) the Canton Bulldogs.
Speaking of gloves, interesting item about some being recalled because of mold… link
And by the way, if you need little stars on your clothes to remind people you are a FAN VOTED All Star, then you’re not much of an All Star, are you?
how else are they voted in?
Except that some of them are picked by the managers not teh fans.
Hey i was watching the space shuttle get prepped for launch and the guys had numbers on their prep uniforms.
link
This is my first post in the comments but longtime reader.
I just thought this was cool
Nice find!
***wordmark creep on NHL jerseys***
So now it looks like every player in the NHL has the first name “REEBOK”.
Hey, that “Reebok Jagr” really adapted well to the Flyers system.
I think the deal with the difference in the A’s batting helmets has to do with the type of helmet. McGwire always wore the helmet with the flat ear guard as opposed to the more traditional rounded helmets that most players wear.
Not that that really explains why it’s different — I mean they could’ve just painted it at a point, but I think it accounts for the difference. Maybe where the brim met the crown there was a line that was easy to paint along?
I always had the ring finger in with the middle finger in my ball glove. It’s the same overall effect as the pinky-ring combo, but I find wearing glove is more comfortable this way.
Who knows where there is a good collection of old MLB all-star team pics? I did a little search on Google images, but really didn’t have much luck…..
Anyone? Anyone?
Cooperstown?
I play CF in college, and since i can remember I’ve always put both my pinkie and ring finger in the last finger slot. All of my outfield teammates do too. The strange thing is none of our infielders try it and I don’t think I’ve ever had an infield teammate that used their glove that way. The only other thing that is strange to me is having the index finger out of the glove after I have shifted my hand. I’ve never done that and have never seen anyone on any of my teams do that.
I can see where it migth aid an outfielder but it traps the ball too deeply in the glove for an infielder to remove and throw it quickly.
Remember there are rules for the size and shapes of gloves, even specific to the catcher’s mitt and first baseman’s mitt. You really cannot do much to alter the gloves as well, so using them creatively is what the guys who work with them every day would do.
Also, Joe Morgan (whom so many people love on this site) used to wear a really small glove. (Check out page 60 on this issue of link to see a comparison. Also, here is the best link from a Google search showing him in action using that small glove.)
(Hopefully the tags were done right. I miss the “old” preview window you had a while back.)
BTW, the Joe Morgan SI piece is entitled “Glove Story.” Thought Paul would appreciate that.
If you take a look at the Amityville-related video linked to in the ticker, at one point they interview the mayor. He’s wearing a shirt that makes Jeter’s Trenton Thunder jersey look tame. It’s about 1:15 in.
Agreed. I was going to point out that the REAL horror is his garish shirt.
Yeah, because that shirt is really subdued…
Gah!
Wow. Not only am I old enough to get the Commodore 64 reference, I can also identify the picture you used to lead the post. That must make me, what, 102?
Paul’s just trying to make us all feel old today.
Happy Stirrup Friday! link
Brought my son home from the hospital and these were in my mailbox.
The local newspaper that covers University of Massachusetts football is considering new concepts for the team’s helmets when the move to Division 1 occurs:
link
Thanks for this, Scott. I had no idea that the UMass football move to Div I brought with it a commitment to play five home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro and only one in Amherst. That sucks big time! Foxboro is a far drive from campus (2 hours, I’d say), and there isn’t much in the way of public transport. If a school wants to go big-time, well, whatever. But to play the games so far from campus, so far from the students and the faithful of the Connecticut River Valley, is a terrible step. An outrage, in fact.
/s/ Used to teach and live and run stuff up there.
Would that be done until their on-campus stadium is upgraded, or something? If not, that sounds REALLY counter-productive. I used to hate having to go to Bama games at Legion Field in Birmingham. Not necessarily because of the drive (they are only 45 minutes apart), but part of the “gameday experience” is being on campus. Seems like that would take most of the fun out of a move to D1, despite playing games in an NFL stadium.
I know nothing about UMass, really, but I have always liked the “Minutemen” nickname.
There is no commitment to constructing an on-campus facility to house the upgraded team. So, for the indefinite future, the team would be playing “home” games about two hours from campus. The university’s logic is that tons of alumni live much closer to Gillette than to Amherst and that students can be easily bused to Foxborough.
That’s a shame. Students can be “easily” bused to the games? Even being just two hours apart, I have to wonder about the logic there. Though having a basic knowledge on the population trends in Massachusetts, they probably are correct about where most alumni are. Still…
The UMass campus may be 2 hours from Foxboro, but when the news originally was reported, the school said that 75% of its alumni live within 45 minutes of Gillette Stadium.
The school figures the alumni are the ones spending money to attend the game, not the current students, so to them, this is an acceptable temporary solution until the construction at UMass is completed.
It has always been the index finger that was placed outside the glove, the middle would be quite uncomfortable. The new system just moves it ove the middle finger slot. I have tried the new way and don’t like it. It makes every glove a first baseman’s mitt.It’s unatural and an abomination, in keeping with everything else these idiots think is cool.
Who knew that the Patriots – like the San Diego Padres – must’ve almost moved to Washington?
link
The seller didn’t even bother naming the team on link (that’d be the Detroit Lions, by the way…).
That one is vintage AND retro!!!!
…and since when does a 7 year old screen printed replica count as a vintage jersey?
when vintage reminds you of being 12 you’re old jeff. welcome to the bigs.
Or a 3 year old Reebok Premier jersey of a current player on his current team? (There was a Datsyuk jersey in there when I looked up that store earlier, but I don’t feel like going back to find the link right now.)
Then there was the Star Trek: The Next Generation T-shirt with “Nerd” sizing… WTF? We nerds come in all shapes and sizes just like everybody else!
Basically, I’ve just come to the conclusion that the guy running this store is pretty much clueless, and is probably the type of guy who genuinely likes black in the Mets’ color scheme.
Paul’s boy Darren Rovell tweeted Under Armour’s All Star cleats for Berkman, Hanrahan, Phillips, Gallardo, Kershaw, Konerko, Jurrgens & Reyes
link
link
I like ’em.
A good column about the KC Royals going the cheap-o route on Negro League throwback unis.
link
Had the Royals been planning all along to wear Negro League uniforms and then chose not to at the last minute? I know the Mets have done some Negro League recognition days where they give out caps to fans, but don’t don replica uniforms during the games. The idea of giving out a pennant to fans sounds kind of similar.
Not sure if the plan was to wear them all along, but I believe that KC was one of the first MLB clubs to do the Negro League throwback thing, as the KC Monarchs are one of the more reknown clubs. Also, the Negro League Baseball Museum is in KC.
The museum is terrific. I hope it can overcome its financial challenges and remain a vital part of the Kansas City scene.
The Dave Parker WS helmet reminded me of another interesting Dave Parker helmet I saw recently.
And my apologies if this is already well known, but I haven’t seen numbers like this on the side of a Pirates batting helmet before:
link
Neither have I, Scott. It seems those are the type of numbers affixed to a player just up for a cup of coffee in the majors as opposed to a highly touted prospect like Parker. My guess is that photo is from 1973-75. Before that, Parker was with the Pirates in spring training and practiced with Roberto Clemente for at least one spring. Not sure if Parker teamed with Clemente in any exhibition games.
Realized at work that I – personally – can’t complain about baseball players’ collar logo creep.
link
Nike got to me.
Forget the swoosh. What the fuck is that thing on your head?
Hopefully you’re talking about the hideous Zepher hat – link – and not my, “I haven’t shaved in a few days,” ‘beard’. Haha
I know it’s ugly but it reps IU and I work for an industrial roofing contractor in their yard so I get anything a wear filthy or destroyed. Hence the crappy Nike Tee and Zepher hat (the polo is just for when I drop off forms at customer’s offices).
Please share the love! I am a faithfull UW reader and a goalie for the Home Plate Cafe Beer Kings from Pittsfield Mass. Our jersey is also in the finals of the Dayton Gems beer-league contest and we could use some votes. Best of luck Ryan.
done
Paul,
Sorry for the late question. The rub you introduced in Culinary Corner 2-3 days ago… would you recommend that for a steak? I generally don’t use rubs, but sometimes I want to spice it up (no pun intended).
Refresher for anyone else reading this, here’s the rub:
1/3 cup garlic powder
1-1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
2-1/3 cups dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
2 cups ground coffee (espresso grind)
2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup ground black pepper
Personally, I wouldn’t use it for a steak, no. I don’t think it’s necessarily a good direct-heat/grilling rub; it’s an outstanding INdirect-heat/smoking/low-and-slow rub.
Now, a really good steak doesn’t need ANY rub besides salt and pepper. But if you really want one, I like this southwestern-style mix:
2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp chile powder
2 teaspoons cayenne
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp mustard powder
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup salt
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
You can also make a really good paste out of this rub by adding some olive oil, rosemary, and thyme.
Also, Moose recently sent me a really good rub that I’ll be trying this weekend…..
if i was a gambler, i would have put the over/under at 30 minutes until you got to this one. and i would have hammered the under on how long it took you to straighten out the whole rub only on slow cooked issue. i guess i didn’t calculate the cycle ride. drat.
i used the very rub on the 4th, and that sucker went a looooooong way after you add the salt, sugar, and extra pepper. obviously i made two jars to make sure it was okay, and it is a decent starter, but it is packed pretty tight, you’ll need to break up the garlic and onion powders. double drat.
by the way, there is a big stink in kc about how the royals are not honouring the negro leagues because it costs too much. the number the royals are throwing around is something like 12,000+ clams. so for 30 peeps that is 400 per person. i guess they don’t get a discount from anyone.
Wasn’t the bike ride (it’s pouring here). I was busy — wait for it — working.
Cool! Thanks Paul. Yeah, I’m of the mindset that steak only needs salt and pepper too. But its nice to mix it up… especially since I don’t grill much other than chicken, steak, and burgers.
well, that’s the rub, isn’t it
I’m looking for a quick response on this one. Figured you guys would know.
If a MLB wants to wear throw back jerseys for a game, who pays for those?
Also, how much do you think it would cost to make uniforms for all the players, coaches, ball boys, etc.
Thanks!
let me guess, you live in kc and want to respond to the why the royals are not wearing negro league uni discussion that is going on around here? the teams pay, doesn’t matter who is home. and what is being quoted locally seems waaaay high if you ask me. bottom line, no matter the costs the royals should wear monarchs this(?) weekend, there is not a more fitting town to pay the tribute on that one.
If you really want to know what it costs, why don’t you just call AIS or Bobcat? Not that hard.
According to Nolan Ryan press conference, Rangers and A’s are both set to wear black ribbons or armbands tonight in honor of the fan who died at the game last night.
I’m in love with those Jeter gloves!
(link)
I would be a fan of those spikes as well…
(link)
…but I’m anti hi-top unless they involve hi-top football cleats or Chucks.
Did anyone else, while growing up, think the movie was Amit-EVIL Horror? (much like the mayor’s shirt)
no
I only remembered it as Calamityville Horror.
link
I hope that’s a Commodore 64C (and not a 128) in the background of the Commodore picture. They should done it right and found an original, classic C64.
Every now and then my fingers still try to hit the left shift key in an attempt to use the two cursor key (one horizontal, one vertical) configuration from the C64.
I loved that thing – even used it for papers my first year in college. With a word processor typed in from the back of a magazine, no less!
That brings back some very fond memories. My brother and I used our C64 so much that the (external, of course) floppy drive (for those old 5″ disks) would get so hot that you thought it would start a fire…we’d have to give it a break, because it would start having trouble reading the disks when it was so hot.
The funny thing about the magazine mention, is that we used to do our own “programming” from a magazine…Do you remember the name of the one you used? I can’t remember it, that was a looong time ago.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers look great tonight. They have one of the few new uniforms that I don’t mind, but their retro uni of tonight looks absolutely awesome – a terrific shade of blue.
On the other hand, the Stampeders look like shit in their new black road helmets.
I don’t see stars on the Phillies All Stars, either.
There’s gonna be a team in Canton? You gotta call ’em link