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Uni Watch

Funk in the Trunks

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After Joe Frazier’s recent death, I mentioned Frazier’s flashy trunks in the first Ali fight and his orange gloves with green thumbs in his first bout with George Foreman.

That prompted a wonderful response from boxing researcher/historian Sunni Khalid, who provided a primer on Frazier’s stylings in the squared circle, along with some notes on related issues. I’ve decided to run it today as a guest-written entry. Enjoy.

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Funk in the Trunks

By Sunni Khalid

For the first Ali fight, Joe was originally going to wear solid green trunks with black stripes. But his contract was owned by the Cloverlay syndicate, and they asked Everlast to come up with a design for the trunks, which ended up being the distinctive green-and-gold brocade.

For the 1973 fight against Foreman, Joe chose the gold gloves with green thumbs because the fight took place in Jamaica and he wanted his gloves to match the national colors. It was the first heavyweight title fight to feature multi-colored gloves. He had originally intended to wear the same green-and-gold brocade trunks that he’d worn in his first fight against Ali but was asked by closed-circuit TV producers to change. So he wore white trunks -”“ the first time he had done so in seven years -”“ with gold trim.

Similarly, for the Thrilla In Manila, Joe’s combination of blue and white trunks and white Adidas ring boots with red stripes was in honor of the Philippine flag. Cornermen Eddie Futch, Georgie Benton, Milt Bailey, and Hedgemon Lewis, all wore short-sleeved, dark-blue Filipino barongs, also in honor of the Philippines. This endeared Joe to many fans there.

Joe wore a range of other colors over the years: red trunks against Buster Mathis; purple trunks against Terry Daniels [and green trunks for the program cover photo ”” PL]; pink trunks (!) against Joe Bugner; and peach trunks in the second Quarry fight.

Also, starting with his first fight, Joe popularized the use of longer trunks. He started wearing trunks that had the hem at the mid-thigh before gradually dropping them to just above the knee. He also was the first fighter to use the so-called fashion-slit on the side, which was done to accommodate his large thighs.

Joe was heavyweight champ when Philadelphia was essentially the boxing capital of the world. Many of the top fighters from that era, like Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts, Bennie Briscoe, Willie “The Worm” Monroe, Gypsy Joe Harris (who used to enter the ring with bells on his boots!), and others, were also colorful in the ring, introducing trunks in velvet, as opposed to satin, with colors and color combinations ranging across the spectrum.

As for Ali, the red-and-white velvet trunks he wore for that first fight against Frazier were not his first choice. He was originally going to wear white trunks with silver stripes. Once TV producers saw the trunks at the Everlast factory, they asked Ali to pick another combination, because the bright trunks would have caused troublesome glare. Ali ended up wearing those trunks in his next fight, against Jimmy Ellis.

Interestingly enough, Ali’s second wife, Khalilah, thought it was a bad omen for Ali to wear red. She may have been right, because Ali wore red only three times: against Henry Cooper in ’63 (he was knocked down), against Oscar Bonavena in ’70 (a very difficult fight), and, of course, when suffering his first professional loss at the hands of Joe Frazier in 1971.

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Great stuff, Sunni. Thanks so much for all the great info from the golden age of heavyweights.

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Blue Jay Way: The Jays will unveil their 2012 uniforms today at noon. As you may recall, we already know what the logo will look like, but I haven’t seen the uniforms, so I’m as curious as everyone else. The event will be live-streamed here.

I’ll provide some quick reaction at 2pm (not 1:15pm, as I had originally posted here), when I’ll be appearing on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto (you can stream the live audio here). Phil will have full coverage tomorrow, and I’ll add my own thoughts on Monday.

Meanwhile, an absolutely epic examination of the first 20 years of Blue Jays uni history can be found here.

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Notre Dame auction update: The auction for the Notre Dame promo box is continuing. No bids were submitted yesterday, so the high bid is still $4301 and the minimum bid for today is now $4501. If nobody bids today, the minimum bid will increase to $4601 tomorrow.

Full details on how to bid, and everything else regarding the auction, can be found here.

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Uni Watch News Ticker: Yesterday I mentioned that the Mariners had announced a 35th-anniversary patch. What I didn’t mention is that they also unveiled a teal-brimmed cap, which will be paired with the teal alternate jersey for Monday and Friday home games. Also: The insignia on the navy alternate jersey will now say, “Seattle,” which makes sense, since they only wear it on the road. … So many great mascot illos on this absolutely sensational program cover (wonderful find by Mike Hersh). … Chris Falvey found a site with some spectacular rare footage of the 1917 World Series. This clip is from Game 1 at Comiskey, and this one is from is from Games 3 and 4 at the Polo Grounds. Tons of other good stuff on that site, too. … NSFW: Breast cancer is not a pink ribbon (thanks, Kirsten). … Mmmm, stripe-a-licious (from Frank Bitzer). … Looks like Rex Grossman has been wearing either no-show socks or maybe no socks at all, just like Clinton Portis used to do (good spot by Jesse Agler). … That photo, incidentally, really shows how the NFL’s sock regulations have no connection to reality, because today’s players don’t wear football socks. Look at Grossman: burgundy calf-warmers over white tights. … Now here’s a good local sponsor. It’s from this jersey. … From this Pitt chat: “Question: Did Pitt do away with the blue pants? Answer: No they still have them, but from what I understand, unlike Adidas uniforms, which were sharp, the blue in the blue pants in these Nike uniforms doesn’t match the blue in the blue shirts, if that makes any sense. The colors are just a little bit off” (from Jeff Flynn). … Interesting look for Virginia Tech last night: orange jerseys with maroon helmets.

 
  
 
Comments (221)

    Wish VaTech would’ve worn the maroon pants.. but that games gotta be up there in Vilks 5 right?? It was ‘Hot’ vs. ‘Cold’.. superior contrast!

    That Hornets program brings back some memories. Sharp-eyed readers will notice that the Civic Arena was called the “Big Igloo” in the Pleasure Bar ad, which was usually the nickname in Hornet programs.

    And, Paul, yesterday’s Catch of the Day made me feel almost as old.

    Also of interest in that program: The Chrysler/Plymouth ad intentionally misspells “Barracuda” as “Backaruda”, presumably inspired by link for the car.

    The game is against my Amerks (this club was one of the best A.H.L. teams in history, bar none. Look at the roster)who would go on to win their second consecutive Calder Cup that year. One name is missing from the Amerks’ roster this night. One Donald Stewart Cherry, Number 2 was playing for the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League at this point in the season.

    Grapes would return to Rochester after 17 games with Tulsa and help lead the Amerks to the Cup.

    The Pittsburgh cover art logos are cute but never were used by any A.H.L. team, contrary to what the folks at link would have you believe.

    And we at Ruby’s Sporting Goods outfitted the Amerks for the 1965-66 season in uniforms made by General Athletic of Greenville, Ohio.

    The photo of Ichiro reminded me to ask something I’ve wondered for a while.. with the new Nike undershirts MLB players wear now, how many still wear those turtlenecks (or the mock- version like Chipper Jones has always worn.. see below)? Just curious as to how many opt not to wear the moisture-wicking material and go ‘old-school’ under the jerseys..

    Did we ever find out why the NFL Equipment patch was taken off practice jerseys? Watching SportsCenter this week, I’ve noticed a pattern. The teams that don’t have the NFL patch do have a sponsor patch.

    Apropos of nothing, I just heard a great turn of phrase. The local NPR news reader described the Caps as losing last night to “the newly reconstituted Winnipeg Jets.” That’s a great description for dead-team resurrections like the Jets or the Browns.

    I’m expecting the Toronto unveil to be closer to the Padres than to the Mets. Somehow the Blue Jays always seem to make the least of good ideas and designs. Even their current MLB-worst unis are a failure of execution, not concept. Black and royal can be a great combo, and the Jays – named for birds whose colors are black and royal – are just the team to use it. Their classic unis were also always just a bit off for me, perhaps a victim of the team’s longstanding failure to decide whether to be a Toronto team or a Canada team. I hope I’m wrong, though; it’s a good club that deserves good unis.

    “Black and royal can be a great combo”

    ~~~

    apparently so can racing stripes on pins

    the racing stripes are awful on any uniform…add pins to them and you’ve created a hot mess of epic proportions

    as to black& royal, what you showed was a white uniform with a mostly royal wordmark, outlined in black…which is not really what i think of when i think black & royal…even when reversed, it’s still awful

    the two are simply not complementary colors…however, what you showed, which is predominantly white, is fine

    I think Duke does it about as well as you can, but it’s still not one of my favorite color combos. I’m on a team that uses black and royal, and I’m always struggling to find new ways to make it look good. Lightening the blue a small amount worked wonders. Blue jays are a little lighter than royal, aren’t they, almost like the Chargers or Air Force Academy?

    Nah, the point isn’t the predominance of white, since (A) those Saints unis are cream and (B) white is the predominant color of all baseball unis. It would be as meaningful to say that royal and black work just so long as they’re viewed through a gaseous medium consisting mainly of nitrogen and oxygen. It’s true, but meaningless, since nobody plays ballgames underwater or on Mars. Rather, the point is that the relative proportions in play here – predominant royal with black as a secondary accent color – can and do work. There’s not a lot of margin of error for this color scheme, as there is for, say, red and navy or green and yellow, but if you get it right, it’s a terrific combo.

    And you know who else gets the proportions right besides the St. Paul Saints? link. So there was never any excuse for Toronto to have screwed it up as badly as they did.

    Also, you’re really on the record saying the 1986 Mets were an epic hot mess? Man, I thought you had some taste! If the Mets were fugly, then so was link and link and link and link, and so you’re going somewhere I just can’t follow. Madness, I say, madness!

    Baseball racing stripes = hideous. Compared to placket piping, it’s just a way too thick of a shot of striping (and look truncated on a jersey) – and that includes both versions of the Astros Tequila Sunrise on the jersey or shoulders.

    How does this uniform waver between being a Toronto team or a Canada team?

    link

    Even with the pullovers with the bird on the stomach, I don’t think it’s unclear. The maple leaf isn’t equal to the bird, as it was in later years.

    re: VT, any thoughts/opionions on why they removed the helmet stripes from the maroon helmets? that would have been sharper (more sharp?). and the pants need striping as well IMHO.

    Yea, I was about to comment on VT’s removal of the stripes from their maroon helmets. I guess they liked the stripes when they exactly matched the stripes on their maroon jerseys…not so much when the stripes changed on the orange jerseys. I dunno…I sorta like it when helmets remain fairly consistent throughout a season. But it’s a whole new ballgame today…

    BTW, I like VT’s choice of stripeless white pants with their striped jerseys. It gives the uniform a simplified collegiate look.

    I’m sort of a VT homer, so I think the uniforms looked great. I wonder how the helmet would have looked with a white/orange/white stripe pattern? I think the jersey itself looked great. The pants could be striped in a similar fashion, but I’m fine with them being stripe-less.

    On a slightly unrelated topic, is it just me, or is Tech the king of Thursday night football games? Seems like they have 3 or 4 every year.

    VT’s color combination remains awful. To me, they are a bizarre choice for the school because the maroon and orange don’t work together. That being said, last night’s uniform wasn’t the worst of their uniforms.

    I couldn’t disagree more, It’s the most unique color combination in sports, and I think those colors work wonderfully together. It’s just the Kansas City Chiefs color scheme shifted a little darker and redder.

    I agree. Although maroon and orange would probably be among the last color schemes I would consider if starting from scratch it works for Virginia Tech…kind of like Thanksgiving colors for a team whose mascot is a turkey. It’s a unique color scheme that makes VT distinctive.

    The Chiefs’ red and gold is a great combo. Love the stripes. If scarlet and gold works for the Marines, and cardinal and gold for USC, it should work for a lot of teams. I don’t know why more teams don’t just pick one color and gold (whether it’s blue, green, etc.).

    Fun Fact of the day: Virginia Tech introduced the official school colors of Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange in 1896 because they discovered that no other school had that color combo. Personally I think it’s one of the more classic looks in college football.

    VT does have a unique color scheme when done right (like royal & kelly), can look really nice, and I think it works. It always made me think of Dr Pepper, even tho that scheme is crimson & red.

    Actually the Ichiro picture is from his game in Seattle when he broke the # of hits in a season record.

    The midnight blue alternates have been worn at home a lot in the years that they have had it.

    What is it this winter? So far we’ve had the Padres making their unis only a little bit worse, the Marlins launching a perfectly fine uni set, the Dodgers making outstanding tweaks to their logos, the Mets getting their unis just about perfectly right, the Royals threatening a very positive minor tweak, the Jays likely to unveil hugely improved unis, and the Mariners also making systematic small improvements. Has baseball ever had a uni season with so much change and so much of it positive, none of it bad?

    I’m calling it now. Toothfairy necklaces may not do anything for the players, but all that magical aura-altering titanium wandering around every ballpark is, like, totally liberating the creative chakras of team executives, man.

    I’m wondering what the rationale is in the Mariners wearing the teal alts for home games on Mondays and Fridays?

    What still bugs me about that Mariners teal-brimmed cap, it’s still way too teal & doesn’t match the Northwest Green. Major oversight IMO.

    I’m glad the M’s are bringing back the teal brimmed caps to go with the teal alts as an homage to the 1995 season that very likely kept the Mariners from moving to Tampa. The colors on the jersey and cap are still not quite the same as the old era, but I like the sentimental value they bring when I see them.

    If the Blue Jays deliver, this will have been truly a spectacular week for uniforms buffs, akin to a great stock market rally, with the only miss the Islanders mess (but who cares about them). Keeping fingers crossed here in T.O., about a par 4 hole away from “call it” the Sky Dome.

    “…Meanwhile, an absolutely epic examination of the first 20 years of Blue Jays uni history can be found here…”

    Oooh, good tip, Paul. Toronto sure could use a winner, so I’m a little worried that revival of classy old-time unis (eg, Mets) may be a harbinger of a bad year on the diamond. But then, I’m always a little worried.

    I guess I’m showing my age, but I looked at that probram and realized I could name all of those teams in the AHL. from the blade of the Hornet hockey stick, clockwise: Baltimore Clippers, Springfield Indians, Hershey Bears, Rochester Americans, Providence Reds (Rhode Island Reds), Quebec Aces, Buffalo Bisons (with the Pepsi bottle cap logo), Cleveland Barons.

    The Scar Project link was shocking, unexpected, and very powerful to view. How you could anyone not be moved by the strength in those women’s faces? Makes the pink ribbon crap the NFL wears in October look even more like just a gimmick. Thank you for the link, Paul!

    Agreed. Every woman in those slides has tremendous balls! Very powerful. And, indeed, it does make the pink socks and gloves seem insignificant.

    I get that it is powerful and all that, but a little warning before a naked lady pops up on my screen would be nice.

    Love the clips of the 1917 WS. The quality is astounding. The thing that jumped out at me from the first clip taken from game 1 at Comisky was a shot of the White Sox dug out. There is a black gentleman in dugout. He wasn’t a player (obviously) but had a sweater and bow tie on. I am very curious as to his role with the team. Maybe he was an equipment guy or something. Seems to be too old for a ball boy. I know that Charles Comisky was a legendary asshole in terms of dealing with his players. I have no idea if he was racist too (not uncommon with owners of the day) but having am African American in any capacity with the team seems to suggest he wasn’t. Lots of fascinating stories with those old clips.

    I didn’t see a black man in the White Sox dugout. What is the time frame of the footage? However there was one in the Giants dugout. You can see him from 1:02 to 1:06. I did a google search and it seems his name was Ed (or J.L.)Mackal. He provided testimony about the game fixing activities of Hal Chase and others. link

    Interestingly, the White Sox did have a black trainer named William Buckner in 1917. Here is a webpage that tells some of his story: link.

    I was watching the VT game last night, and it suddenly became clear why the NFL just made alternate uniform rules: to protect the brand.

    VT has worn a dif jersey/helmet scheme almost every game i’ve seen them on tv. it’s such a shame too b/c they were one of the football programs that built a “brand”.

    imagine if the colts came out w/ black, blue, purple, white helmets….it’s ridiculous.

    i’m a huge fan of uniforms (obviously) but the mixing & matching for 13 games is too much. i love the special rivalry unis and the pro-combat 1 time deals, but the teams just need to protect their identity.

    Here here. You have identified with precision the craziness going on in college football right now, except for Alabama, Penn State, USC, and a few others. I don’t even know who is playing anymore; they’re all in black.

    The difference is, VT has kept to school colors this year…and every single combo has been fantastic. The other mix and matchers can’t say that.

    It’s pronounced “Swane”, though when he coached third in Boston, we pronounced it “godfuckingdammit”.

    Okie State WBB Coach & Assistant died in plane crash this morning.. memorial patch(es) soon to follow..

    Thanks for posting that breast cancer page..my sister is a survivor. She has always told me nobody really knows what she is going through. After seeing those photos, I can understand why. What I love about your blog is you always throw a curve here and there..a bit of a reality check is a great thing.

    Minnesota NOB news:

    Freshman G Andre Hollins NOB reads Dre Hollins, because there is already an A. Hollins on the team (Austin).

    RS Freshman F Oto Osenieks has an accent over the s.

    Austin Hollins wears just “Hollins” on his back, same uni as last year. Don’t know why Andre Hollins went “Dre Hollins”, other than his nickname, of course. And Ralph Sampson III sports “Sampson III” even though he’s the third Ralph, not the third Sampson.

    Agreed. I particularly like the off-center “Toronto.”

    I do wish they’d connected the stem of the leaf to the red circle, like it used to be, however. Always thought that looked slick. Don’t care for the leaf just floating there now.

    Not as perfect as the original ’77 version, but darn good, and 1,347 times better than the most recent model.

    As a Torontonian I dislike the new logo & can’t understand the fascination with the original 70’s look. The Orioles & Cardinals have both shown how great a bird logo can look.

    Hmmm, two different styled fonts on the primary logo. Just like the old Red Sox logo, and very modest & almost unnecessary serifs.

    They did refine the blue jay with the update, tho the logo on the cap & uni does seem slightly unbalanced – tho probably done to be different enough for the sake of being different. The Blue Jays finally look like the Blue Jays again. The split royal trim on the logo & sleeves is a nice consistent touch, tho they did go from the old light blue & royal scheme to royal & navy with royal as the main color.

    Don’t know what the hell this is:

    “The Blue Jays also will be the first team in Major League Baseball to use the Puff Patch from Majestic Athletic on their uniforms. The purpose is to lift the logo off the polyester jersey and give the bird head a more realistic look.”

    link

    **facepalm** They’re putting 3-D embroidery on the Blue Jay uniform logos. While I like the texture & deeper colors embroidery brings over tackle twill, that & the cap logo would be better if it was flat embroidered for cleanness & undistorted viewing angles.

    Hmmm, just noticed the navy trim around the royal on the “TORONTO” roads. Another different perk to be different. I’m surprised they went with plain block NOB, that has to be a franchise first.

    Iain,

    I think the fascination with the original 70s logo is that it is a successful brand. It’s still the logo most people see and think “Blue Jays,” just like when you see the Old English D and think “Tigers”.

    The heretofore current logo was kind of amorphous, and never really successfully “re-branded” the Blue Jays. If anything, it made people say “why’d they do that?”

    Winter, do you think the original Mariners cap trident-M was superior in design to its predecessor, or the current S-compass logo? I’m wondering if the Mariners are missing out a great color scheme & original look solely because the team was awful during that era.

    I wonder if the Blue Jays stunk from 1977-1993, if today they would be on an ornithologically correct bird like the Orioles went through.

    I actually like the compass rose S, myself, but I do think that for whatever reason the Mariners’ trident didn’t register as a brand as much as the Blue Jay did, and now, looking back at them, they’re kind of kitsch. It may very well have to do with the fact that those teams rarely won. The Mariners also diluted the branding somewhat by the rather generic yellow S logo they had during the early Griffey years.

    I also think the Jays benefited from from playing in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox. The names of their players during the earlier eras, be it Dave Stieb, Jesse Barfield, Lloyd Moseby, etc., are much better known to the majority of baseball fans than the members of early Mariners teams because they did play the East Coast teams and played them well.

    So the piping on the new Marlins unis wasn’t as bad as I feared based on blurry leaked photos. But i

    … But it still wasn’t good. The piping on the new Blue Jays unis? That’s how you do it. Toronto for the win, and another total victory in the fight against BFBS.

    The only question is what took them so long?

    Afterall, they were the BLUE Jays, and BFBS was really played out by the time they decided to ditch the blue.

    Also applies to my belief about uni changes… change for a reason and upgrade…. not just for the sake of something different. Have a purpose for the change.

    Does anybody know where, on LI or in NYC, I can get tackle-twill numbers sewn on a jersey? I’m thinking of getting a replica Mets road gray, adding the Mets patch to the sleeve myself and getting my number (but no name) on the front & back, but I don’t think the Mets online shop personalizes the replicas, and if they do it’s the cheap one-color numerals. Gerry Cosby’s in Westbury used to do this, but I think they’re long gone now.

    Any help would be appreciated. Thx.

    This is the shop that does the Mets’ stitching. They also do tons of work for local softball teams, etc. Not sure if they take small walk-in jobs, but they might. The owner’s name is Russ Gompers.
    link

    Gerry Cosby still has a shop outside of MSG in Manhattan. I’ve gotten two diff DIY jerseys of mine all stitched up there.

    They actually went above and beyond for me.

    All signs are pointing towards the Blue Jays trotting out a slightly modified version of their classic uni’s. If so, what a great capper to a great week in the uni-verse!

    Also, as much as I like Virginia Tech’s uni’s, those white pants need some stripes. Otherwise they give off a just-got-these-at-Sports-Authority vibe.

    This is in response to “Pat” yesterday who was responding to my “I hate Tebow” comment.

    **Why do you hate Tebow? I ask because I’ve yet to find a real rational reason why anyone does hate him, unless of course you were like a huge fan of another SEC team or hate the Broncos or something. I’m not asking to get on you, although personally I like the guy. I’m actually asking because I want to hear a rational reason.**

    While I do not like the SEC, what I really hate about Tebow is that he’s bad at quarterback. His fans love to frame it that he’s just despised because there’s some anti-christian movement out there, but that is the dumbest fucking shit I’ve ever heard.

    According to a 2007 survey, 78.4% of adult Americans identified themselves as Christian. Boo hoo, poor downtrodden 4/5s of us.

    Tebow sucks at his job but is winning because the other 21 starters are willing that team to victories in spite of his play, not because of it. That defense is playing outside it’s mind.

    This is the exact same reason (especially as a Bears fan) I hated the, “Kyle Orton just wins games,” bullshit back in 2009. He won six games and all of the sudden he was the best QB ever.

    How did that work out again? Oh yeah, he’s so bad, Tebow took over his job. At least Bears fans knew our shitty QBs were shitty, Denver doesn’t deserve a good QB until they learn to evaluate talent as a fan base. They have a FB playing QB and couldn’t be happier.

    Way to play your way out of Luck contention, idiots.

    _________
    and that is Tim’s Rant O’ the Day.

    I completely agree with this rant. I’m one of those pesky non-Christians, and I don’t really care what religion he is, he’s a shitty QB who gets far too much media attention. His ultra religiousness is just a few sprinkles on top of the hatred sundae.

    Thank’s for the support, although – while we agree fairly often considering you’re “THE Jeff” – I’m not sure your support ever bolsters my claims/opinions, so much as allows people to dismiss them, but I guess that’s true for everything you write here. Sad really, haha.

    but yeah, these Tebow idiots would rather see this – link – than actually admit that he can’t throw a consistent ball or manage any semi-complex timing route.

    bottom line in the NFL;

    is it a W or an L?

    I promise you they’d rather win with Tim than lose with Kyle.
    You don’t get style points, you know. He’s 4-1.

    I’m a Christian and I appreciate his message and how he conducts himself as a person.

    I also am a football fan, and if I’m a Bronco fan, I see he’s 4-1 in his last 5, and went thru Rexie’s D like a knife thru butter on that last drive.

    Bottom line.

    My problem with Tebow isn’t his religious stance, but how when the running game fails (and give it time; it will), you will have to put the game on Tebow’s left arm. He made two passes against Kansas City out of eight. That is 25% of your throws, although, that 25% was the most vital throws he needed to make.

    It’s a quarterback driven league (or so I’ve been told by the NFL network), and if your QB can’t throw, there are only so many wins you can churn out. What happens when Tebow runs in for an umpteenth touchdown and gets the shit knocked out of him by a defender? Then, he should have thrown more.

    However, he wins without too many throws. That’s actually kind of cool, but it won’t last. If the Bronco’s make the playoffs (still picking Oakland), I doubt they’ll get past Wild Card.

    =bg= you’re an idiot.

    Kyle Orton won 6 in a row. In Denver. And one of those was against a GREAT Patriots team.

    Pick any or all of those sentences because Tebow will NEVER – in his career – accomplish any of those feats. Do you know why? BECAUSE HE CAN’T THROW A FOOTBALL THAT ISN’T A DUCKSNORT.

    If you actually like football, you should hate Tebow, because his passes are an affront to good QB play.

    HATE is a powerful word. I have been telling my children this for a long time. I can understand if you disagree with his beliefs or think he is a bad QB, but to hate him? Did he do wrong by you? Did he kill your dog?

    Why does this world have to hate?

    This would be a better world with less hate.

    PS- BLACK is beautiful.

    I hate this argument.

    I am not a child, don’t tell/ask me to censor myself. I have strong feelings and will not dilute them because some people can’t see or choose to ignore the difference of words in logical context. I will not play to the dumbest common denominator.

    I hate Tim Tebow does not mean I want to do him any physical or psychological harm. More or less, is means that I loath the hyperbole the media, “Christians” and – more specifically – Denver fans have placed upon Tebow while ignoring cold hard facts, like that he sucks at his job.

    It angers me to see a bad player raised to a level of greatness just because of his personal beliefs rather than his actual play.

    ______
    And what THE HELL does “PS- BLACK is beautiful” have anything to do with anything?

    “hate”, or “cursing” in a general sense is NOT as big of a deal, as some people seem to make it a huge federal case over it. Some select people seem to make mountains out of molehills to take issue that most people really don’t care about, by making it a *problem*. “Hate” and cursing can/are just forms of language slang. “Man I hate that incessantly perky annoying shitty Kelly Ripa”.

    And I have to say, when Tebow advertises himself as thoroughly and openly as he does, he brings it on himself & it’s bound to lure critics, because that’s what kind of effect large egos have on people.

    And no, for the most part, black is not beautiful on a uniform or cap. Sounds like some hippie sentiment to sound abroad and for the most part, it doesn’t apply here.

    I am not censoring you. I am asking a question. You started the post.

    My PS was merely a sign off tag I am now going to use … I will miss the black components of the Mets uniform, yes I LIKE BLACK UNIFORMS. I’m feeling a little misty eyed… Instead of PS do you want X’s and O’s? How about this-

    X O X O – Black Mets jerseys are beautiful. Better?

    Don’t back off your holier than though, “I don’t use ‘hate’ because world peace BLAH BLAH BLAH,” bullshit. Stick to your guns. Your stupid, ammo-less guns. I started a post about Tebow, you started a conversation about how mean words make you cry tears.

    You know what kids shouldn’t do other than swear and hate things? Have sex. But that doesn’t mean adults shouldn’t.

    And if you have two different and non-related comments, don’t post them in the same comment.

    Ok that is totally a fair reason to not like him. I do agree with Jack that hate is a strong word to use. I mean the guy is not your stereotypical QB at all. I like the toughness and will to win that he brings to the game. I would disagree that the other 21 guys are winning in spite of him. The reality is that he’s a great leader and guys want to follow him. Without that leadership they probably wouldn’t win those games. As for Kyle Orton, he can make all the throws but he can’t win games because he is not a good leader. Does he need to improve his ability to throw the football. 100% yes he does.

    As for 78% percent of adults identifying themselves as Christians that seems a bit bogus. As a Christian, I can tell you that number is quite a bit lower than that. Maybe closer to the 50% range. Not saying that as a slight to those 28%, but growing up in a household where you kind of adhere to Christian values and go to church on Christmas and Easter doesn’t really make you a Christian. Having a personal relationship with Jesus makes you a Christian, but I’m not going to continue on that topic because I don’t want to come off as preachy. It’d be the same as a Muslim or Buddhist saying they were those religions because their parents were even if they don’t practice that belief system. I do think that some of the negativity that Tebow gets directed at him is because of his beliefs. However, I feel like he has handled himself in a way that is not holier than thou and has been completely genuine. I mean just look at the whole “Tebowing” thing and how he handled that by saying it was no big deal that the other team was mocking him. I don’t think it’s ok to hate anyone because of their beliefs regardless of what those might be.

    I agree about the SEC, totally overrated. LSU-Bama was a joke. All I will say is that no matter how good your defense is that if you can’t score a touchdown in a game and your ranked 1 and 2 in the country then something is not right there.

    So I’m glad to see you that you have a genuine reason for not liking him. That you think he is a crappy QB. I would say that at this point in his career, he is definitely an incomplete QB and has a lot to work on.

    Ah, the no true scotsman fallacy. If somebody identifies as Christian, they are. Why? Because in matters of religion, there’s no objective, verifiable anything.

    And as a Christian myself, I have a big problem with him because of his beliefs. Reread Matthew chapter 6 (or perhaps read for the first time) and you might see where I’m coming from.

    Thank God someone else pointed to Matthew 6. (Verse 6, for those who need to look it up.) Jesus was pretty clear about how his followers should pray, and “make sure millions of people are watching you play a child’s game for money” wasn’t his instruction. The command to “strike a pose” came from link than the one in the Gospels.

    “I do think that some of the negativity that Tebow gets directed at him is because of his beliefs.”

    ~~~

    i’d say 99% of the negativity he gets is because of his beliefs

    he was born?

    do you hate michael vick? surely there is some professional athlete you detest, no?

    tebow’s my personal un-favorite

    To be fair, Michael Vick deserves more hate than Tim Tebow. Vick ranks as my personal un-favorite, but Tebow is pretty close.

    Also, if we get Jesus Tebow jerseys, then I want a link.

    “Michael Vick deserves more hate than Tim Tebow.”

    ~~~

    why?

    at least mike vick seems to be genuniely born again

    For the whole dogfighting thing. I helped break up a dog fight this summer(a bunch of bulldogs were attacking one bulldog my girlfriend, my friend and I had to help fight ’em off of her–and then we rescued the dog) and it’s something I don’t wanna be a part of. I personally find it wrong that people would actually partake in something of that nature. Sure, Vick served time, is giving back to the community, keeping his nose clean, etc., but that will be the one thing I–and many people–will remember of him, whether it’s right or not.

    Tebow is an upstanding gentleman (as far as we know right now), and reading my comment, maybe deserves isn’t the right word, but a lot of people do hate Vick for that reason; the dogfighting ring. People do hate Tebow for his ultra-religiousness, so it’s kinda similar (although comparing ultra-religiousness to dogfighting is like comparing a broken nail to amputation: there is none).

    tl;dr Vick is hated more for dogfighting than Tebow is for being…Tebow-ish.

    do you think tebow would forgive vick for what he’s done? isn’t that the christian thing to do?

    has he not redeemed himself in christ’s eyes? as you say, he’s done his time, is giving back to the community and genuinely leading an upstanding life now…perhaps he’s even found christ

    what makes tebow any worse or better than vick?

    are you perfect? should you be casting any stones? who are you to compare the two left-handed quarterbacks? surely, christ would forgive and forget mr. vick’s transgressions, no?

    Phil already said the reason to forgive Vick, he actually seems reborn. You go to prison for 2 years and see if you come out as grateful and dedicated as Vick. Doubtful.

    What he did was heinous. his punishment was severe. Everyone deserves second chances, no one deserves second comings.

    “what makes tebow any worse or better than vick?”

    Here’s what makes him worse, HIS QUARTERBACK PLAY! HE, IRREFUTABLY, STATISTICALLY SUCKS DONKEY DICK.

    lol’d hard at Tim E. over here.

    Anyway, Tebow and Christ can forgive Vick all they want. Yeah, you are right, people do deserve second chances, and Vick is getting one right now in the NFL. It’s a great thing to see someone who screws up can still play.

    But Vick didn’t “screw up” in the traditional sense. He was involved fully knowing what was at stake and what he was doing, and that makes me sick. If he killed people as opposed to dogs I’d still feel the same way. You can forgive him for what he did (and to some degree I do, or else I wouldn’t root for the Eagles on Sunday), but forgiveness doesn’t change the past. What he did will still be there to haunt not only him but all of those involved.

    Phil is right; Vick is pretty much reborn, and it’s amazing. Too bad the Eagles aren’t reborn along side him and winning more than three games.

    You’re turn Phil. Why do you hate Tebow?

    i hate a lot of people, and he’s one among many

    i just find it hypocritical that people who claim to have the same values and beliefs as tebow can also condemn vick…after all, isn’t it the christian way to forgive?

    and while we’re at it, i don’t see any tebow supporters condemning jerry sandusky

    quite frankly, i think what he’s (allegedly done) to be far more heinous than what vick did (and i’m a dog lover)

    do you think sandusky is deserving of our praise (or at least forgiveness) or our condemnation?

    **”But Vick didn’t “screw up” in the traditional sense. He was involved fully knowing what was at stake and what he was doing, and that makes me sick.”

    You ever had to put down a dog for it’s own good? Look a puppy in they eyes and say goodbye before a vet put it to sleep?

    I have. At age 6.

    It’s sad and it’s tragic. But it’s also completely illegal to do to a human.

    In NO WAY are dogs and humans on ANYWHERE CLOSE to the same level so don’t even bother comparing the two.

    Phil: I’ve never said I have the same beliefs as Tebow (nor am I a Tebow supporter; I just like Vick less). I consider myself non-religious, but I do have some Christian values and morals. What Vick did was wrong. What Sandusky was wrong, and I agree with you what he was was far more heinous than what Vick did, especially since link while Vick actually served time (although whether it was long enough time or not is a different subject entirely).

    Also, Tim, I have put down two dogs in my lifetime (well, I personally haven’t, but you get the point) and it sucks. I wasn’t trying to imply that killing a dog is more of a heinous crime than killing a person, but re-reading what I typed made it seem like that. Sorry.

    The 1917 WS footage nearly brought tears to my eyes.

    But hey, I’m still giddy over the Mets’ black-less uniforms!!

    -Jet

    KBO’s newest team, the NC Dinos, unveiled their uniforms for the 2012 season.

    link

    NC will play in the KBO minor leagues for 2012, before joining the KBO in 2013.

    Story: link

    Those are some nice unis. It’s a nice, subtle evolution from their 1993-96 uniforms – a few steps up from the 1997-2003 era, and light years ahead of their 2004-2011 Dork Age.

    About the Chris Falvey suggested site, too bad they don’t have any footage of the 1919 World Series. We’d be able to see the fix first-hand.

    link
    L->R Home, Road, Home Alt, Home, BP, Road Alt

    Not sure if it’s just me or the Undershirts, but the two home jerseys look different, Bautista’s looks semi transparent (Is that the Cool Base?).

    I agree, whats weird is they have 2 shades of blue represented in their logo but decided they should go with slightly lighter royal than bring back the powder/sky blue.

    They did a good job except excluding the powder, the uniforms look extremely bland with just the 2 colors, the other 2 uniform updates leave this one in the dust

    The only thing that bugs me about that video is that they all seem to be pulling the jerseys on over their heads, like they’re already buttoned up. Just seems a little wonky to me.

    Three unveilings, not a hint of a stirrup anywhere…how is that terrific? That being said, love new Blue Jays, Orioles, and yes, even the Mets, new unis

    I like them all except the blue jersey with just the bird head on the left side. That one looks… unfinished? Like it’s missing something. I don’t know. Everything else is great. Now I’ll have nightmares again of the ’92 World Series.

    Upon further review, I guess that jersey I mentioned is the BP jersey? If so, then no big deal. It’s an A+ change no matter what.

    like i said earlier this week, the Blue Jays have the best upgrade to their uniforms this off-season.

    I’ve been a Blue Jays fan for 30 years and lived and died with this team through good and bad, and I couldn’t be happier. They delivered nearly everything. (Would’ve liked a white panel home cap or a powder blue alt, but that is SO minor. And who knows, it may happen in a year or two anyway.) Everything else is perfect. From some of the worst unis and maybe worst logo in the league to the best instantly. Can I just forward the Jays Shop my next few paychecks?

    Everyone was saying how the Marlins’ cap logo was too big, but the Jays’ cap logo looks *really* big, at least to me. That’s my only quibble.

    Screen shots:
    link

    I had that same thought when Bautista walked out. What really bothers me about it is that the BP cap logo is a little smaller, and IMO, just right. Here’s to hoping that everything else that’s great about this set helps keep focus off the size issue.

    Perhaps it’s a nod to the oversized logo fashion, most obviously represented by the big-ass Polo logos?

    Padres: Not much of a change. More bland than ever. Meh.

    Marlins: Better than expected. Preferred the old ones.

    Orioles: Awesome.

    Blue Jays: Oh yeah baby!

    I think the Blue Jays should have went powder blue instead of gray.

    Ah well.

    /and they really don’t need the maple leaf, but I guess that can’t be helped

    I wouldn’t put it past some people’s minimal grasp of geography to need the clue.

    Then again, you might have to tell them maple leaf means Canada.

    If Montreal still had a team, I don’t think the maple leaf would be appropriate. But as it stands, with Toronto being the only Canadian team, I think it makes sense. They are “Canada’s team”, I ‘spose.

    Overall love the “new” Blue Jay look. Would have liked an alternate cap (a powder blue or white insert).

    Is it me, or does the logo font look similar to another Toronto team?

    link

    link

    OK, the Blue Jay logo is serifed, Maple Leafs are not, but other than that.

    I can agree, but I really dig that they went with a uniform look with the cap, rather than let merchandising take over and have 162 different caps for each game of the season.

    That actually shocked me when I saw it. Caps are probably the biggest sellers in terms of uniform elements, because they’re cheaper and you can wear them with anything. An actual jersey is too expensive for most people.

    I wonder if some PR guy is really pissed.

    I don’t think the fonts look particularly alike, no. Some of the letterforms aren’t even close to matching.

    With all the David Ortiz to Toronto rumors I’ve heard, it wouldn’t be totally devastating to see him wearing those uniforms. I’ll give ’em an A-.

    Wait… the Blue Jays are now blue, the Mets are slowly ditching the black, the Orioles have a two-toned cap with a nod to tradition, and the Marlins come out with a unique non-trendy color scheme (I’m pretending they don’t have a black alternate)? Am I in an bizarro universe?

    This has to be one of the more bizarre weeks in uni history, agree?

    Seriously- over the past few years about all I’ve been excited for is one- or two-off throwbacks. I can’t think of one new *offical* uni combo I’ve really been excited for in years!

    I’m just waiting for the Padres to say they were just kidding about their new unis, and come out in mustard and brown on opening day as a surprise.

    Padres could be the last team not to “get it” about reclaiming their brand, rather like the White Sox weren’t clued to the cresting wave of retro-designed ballparks in ’91.

    Hope so, anyway.

    When word came that Toronto would be reaching back to their origins for their new uniform set, I was concerned. When they played in them, to me they always looked “not right”. Too 1980s. Too VH1.

    The new uniforms aren’t much different. But they’re different enough. As much as I hated the originals, I actually like these. They were updated beautifully and modernized appropriately to represent Toronto. Well done, and I double-like the 3D stitching.

    Only quibble I have about the new Blue Jays uniforms: I just don’t care for an insignia in that place. IMO, that is where numbers should go, if anything at all. (Yes, I know it’s a Jays tradition to put the logo there, but I still don’t like it.) But if that logo HAS to be there, then the set is freaking A+ awesome. Great reinvention of the number font: they kept the lines in the middle as always, but now the font is really classy and more legible. All of a sudden, the old “electric stove top” font that I used to like has become really dated. Strong identity finally brought into the 21st century: EPIC WIN. Raise those Labatts!

    My thoughts word for word. Never liked the placement of a logo there, though better there than dead bellybutton center like on the old powder blues. But aside from that, Toronto just put on an absolute clinic in how to modernize a dated identity. Team just absolutely nailed which elements of the old identity were core and which were changeable, and used fairly light changes to bring the core elements absolutely up to date. This is a harder design challenge than what the Mets or Marlins attempted, so I’m calling the Blue Jays the best uni redesign of the season. The new Blue Jays unis aren’t my favorites of the new sets we’ve seen, but they’re the most successful bit of design.

    Toronto just put on an absolute clinic onhow to modernize a dated identity.

    Very well put.

    I’d say the logo on the jersey front under the wordmark is the *definitive* Blue Jays uniform element. Nobody else does it (as far as I know, only the 1983 Rangers did and it didn’t stick) and it’s a unique qualifying uniform element, and something the Blue Jays had done since their beginning and for most of their history. I’d say it works for them.

    Well, that’s really more of a general shape than a logo. I guess it could count, tho that specific would-be-number-placement graphic was on the 1975-93 Astros only.

    Well the Mets moved from 26th to 12th on my MLB uni rankings and the Jays an even bigger leap from 29th to 9th.

    I’d like to hear to your bottom to 10 MLB rankings.

    I think I have a general idea what the bottom 5 are now.

    Bottom 10

    20 Los Angeles Angels
    21 Seattle Mariners
    22 Texas Rangers
    23 Cincinnati Reds
    24 Washington Nationals
    25 Miami Marlins
    26 San Diego Padres
    27 Colorado Rockies
    28 Milwaukee Brewers
    29 Houston Astros
    30 Arizona Diamondbacks

    …and the amazing thing is, none of these uniforms are really that bad-looking. The worst eyesores in the league, IMO, were the Blue Jays and the Mets, and not only have both been fixed but spectacularly so. I agree the D’Backs’ design is pretty bad but if you exclude the softball tops they’re not egregiously bad; same goes for the Rockies, Brewers and Astros. All of the non-softball unis worn by the teams on this list look like baseball uniforms, and that’s a good thing. The issues are mostly with typefaces, color use, trim, and the existence of needless and unsightly “alternates.”

    2012 is going to be a very, very good-looking year in baseball, even with the Mets in last place.

    I agree for the most part the MLB has solid unis. I mean the difference in the middle of the rankings really all comes down to my personal preference, but I wouldn’t say anyone from top to bottom is ridiculously worse than the others.

    I disagree with most of these as “bottom 10” teams, but with the changes we’ve already seen, the worst grade I’d give any MLB team’s current unis is a C-minus. It’s almost to the point where I could make a “top 10” list, and then just call everyone else tied for 11th.

    2012 does look to be a banner uni year for baseball!

    It would be an even better looking year if MLB would finally impose a rule that two teams can’t wear dark jerseys in the same game.

    Can we please just pick a freakin’ design and stick with it for a couple of decades? The navy/white thing with diagonal sash of the last few years was working for me. But I don’t care if it’s red and white stripes or giant gold stars on blue or what, I just want USA soccer to settle on one general look and stick with it long enough so that everyone in the world knows what Team USA looks like. It’s way past time for USA soccer to start acting like the world-class national team it actually is.

    I’m with ya. I loved the sashes. This one stinks. ‘Russian Sailor’ springs to mind. I guess they were going for the stripes of the flag, but it’s way, way too much in that direction. Can you use patriotic colors while crafting a coherent, distinctive, unique and lasting identity? Pretty please?

    As a Torontonian and a baseball fan it has been extremely hard over the past decade to cheer for the Blue Jays because of their terrible look.
    Today this black jersey wrong has been made right. This is a look that all of Toronto can be proud of. Well played AA.

    Wow. I actually like everything about the new Jays unis. Even that number font looks cool. I always hated their “classic” number.

    In fact, aside from the caps, I never have liked anything they’ve ever worn.

    I could not be happier for my own team, the Blue Jays, then I am now. Perfect rebrand. Solid A for the jerseys. Only quibbles would be that the red line doesn’t match the leaf stem and the logo is too big on the cap, but otherwise it’s solid. My girlfriend is at Yonge & Dundas right now getting me some merch signed by some players right now for my birthday.

    As for the others:

    San Diego: Lame. D+

    Miami: I don’t think I’ll get over the colourful bevels on the logo or the huge cap logo, but the softball colours are nice. ‘Miami’ on the home jersey still looks weird, but I’ll get used to it. Should have used ‘Miami’ on all the jerseys if they wanted to go that route. C

    Mets: Almost perfect. They should have gotten rid of the black alternates for this season, too. Otherwise, big step in the right direction. A-

    Orioles: I was a fan of the ornithologically-correct bird, but I’m not an O’s fan. The actual fans should get what they want, so a return of the cartoon bird is good. The “O’s” hat SHOULD have been ditched completely, so that is wrong to keep it on the black alternate. Orange alternate is awesome though. B+

    Jays nailed it.

    Minor quibble – I don’t love the serif font on the split letters – it looks good on the “toronto” in the main logo where the letters aren’t split, but it looks odd on the split letters. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

    The colour is perfect. I love that they went back to royal rather than some midnight near-black blue. Bright colours are coming back!

    Blue shoes – also perfect.

    The best compliment you can pay to a uniform – and I’d say this about both the Jays and the Mets – they instantly make you forget that they used to wear something else. Well done.

    “Blue shoes — also perfect.”

    I used to say that 29 of MLB’s 30 teams need to wear black spikes (the one exception being the A’s). Now I say that 28 of MLB’s 30 teams need to wear black spikes. Blue spikes look so freaking RIGHT for the Blue Jays. A job well done.

    USC is maybe my second favorite college uniform So is Iowa State 3rd?

    Maybe not but I do like the Cyclones unis.

    Until this year, I said that Iowa State looked better than USC. This year they messed with the number font, but overall they still look good.

    ? If you’ll dig for some older pics, you’ll see ISU’s number font (shared by all ISU sports) is the same as the last few years when this uni set was introduced. Only change for this year (so far at least) has been white road pants instead of red.

    As a Yankee fan, what is great about this week’s MLB announcements is that the three best changes (Mets, Orioles. Blue Jays) are all teams that they play regularly, and every single one of those games will be classic and classy looking on both sides. Now….if somehow the Sox could get rid of those awful red alternates, and someone implodes the Rays unis, we would be in heaven.

    I also have to admit I was a Met fan growing up, and when I saw the new/old unis, I almost cried…

    Damn, what a great week for baseball unis – time to celebrate!

    Reference yesterday’s ticker link about the London (Ontario) Rippers baseball team name issue – “London Rippers” sounds like a Pro Thunderball team from Upright Citizens Brigade:

    link

    No pic, but BYU senior forward Charles Abouo wore his shorts backwards tonight. In the postgame interview he said he didn’t realize it until the guys on the bench were laughing. He was having a good game, though, so he decided to leave them the way they were.

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