The Rangers finally unveiled their Winter Classic jersey yesterday. Kinda odd that they waited until after Black Friday, but whatever. Can’t say I’m in love with the heavy red stripes on the shoulders, but that’s my only quibble. Aside from that, this one is very easy on the eyes. You can see some screen shots from the unveiling video in this slideshow:
Incidentally, goalie Henrik Lundqvist said during the unveiling that his Winter Classic mask will “look like it has been my closet for 40 years.” Hope he goes with the old-style brown pads, too.
Meanwhile: New ESPN column today, about a guy whose job is heavily dependant on certain aspects of college football uniform designs. I think you’ll find it very interesting.
Tribe update: In case you missed it last Friday, the Indians made a few adjustments to their home and navy alternate jerseys. Now reader Mike Andrews has some additional Indians news:
• Last year the Indians wore their cream-colored alternate uniform with a red cap and blue socks and sleeves. But a small item in the middle of this column indicates that they’ll be switching to red socks and sleeves in 2012, to better coordinate with the red cap.
• Speaking of the cream alternate, this article says there “will be a slight reduction in font size of the block ‘Cleveland’ lettering” on that jersey.
• At first glance, the main change to the home jersey chest insignia is the elimination of the white outlining. But upon closer inspection, the script itself has been tweaked (especially the transition from the s to the swash). It now matches the official club logo, which had been inexplicably distinct from the jersey logo.
Collector’s Corner
By Brinke Guthrie
Nicholas Volpe cups are just… cool. They take you right back, don’t they? Here’s a great selection for you to click through: We have a 1965 Cleveland Browns cup with a painting of Frank Ryan. Here’s baseball great Bob Gibson cup from 1968. The cup featuring Red Wings hockey legend Gordie Howe was issued in 1971. Finally, we have ABA star Dan Issel of the Kentucky Colonels, also from 1971.
But man cannot live on Volpe cups alone. So:
• Here’s a great 1970s Green Bay Packers poster.
• This 1967 NY Giants football bobble is absolutely terrific. Looks pristine, which is amazing considering it’s 44 years old.
• The perfect Christmas gift for the hockey fan on your list: a pair of 1960s Toronto Maple Leafs gloves from Cooper.
• Reader Mike Dean checks in with this totally excellent 1960s St. Louis Cardinals jacket.
• Reader Mike Clary wants to know why this Florida Marlins cap has an “E” on the front. Maybe a minor league affiliate? Mike also provides us with a great 1960s Washington Senators jacket.
• Two good items from Mike Hersh: a basketball flooring salesman’s sample and a great set of 1960s NFL booster pins.
• And we conclude with a great find by James Poisso: a salesman sample of the original Astros jersey design. The NOB refers to Judge Roy Hofeinz, who was instrumental in bringing big league baseball to Houston.
Seen something on eBay that you think would make good Collector’s Corner fodder? Send your submissions here, or tweet them here.
With the holidays looming, here are some friendly reminders:
• If you want to buy someone a Uni Watch membership as a gift, full details on how to do that are available here.
• From now through the end of the year, if you order two sheets of stickers based on your membership card design (that costs $26), you’ll also get a free sheet of Uni Watch logo stickers (a mix of all three colors). Instrux for ordering stickers can be found here.
• Speaking of the Uni Watch logo stickers, my recent offer still stands: If you want three of these stickers (one of each color), send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Paul Lukas, 671 DeGraw St., Brooklyn, NY 11217. If you want to enclose a coupla bucks or a barter offering, that’d be nice, although it isn’t required. And my easily confused post office would prefer that you please send things to Paul Lukas, not to Uni Watch, okay? Okay.
• I’m still taking submissions and suggestions for my annual Uni Watch Holiday Gift Guide column, which will run next month on ESPN. If you have any tips, send them here. Thanks.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Good slideshow tribute to the late, lamented Cooperstown Ball Cap Co. … Here’s something you’ll rarely see: Babe Ruth giving expert instruction on bunting. Nice uniforms, too (from Rex Henry). … Also from Rex: a phantom Kentucky championship T-shirt. “I got it from a street vendor after Arizona won the 1997 championship,” he says. … Here’s an article about the original cartoon Oriole bird (from John Kimmerlein). … New kits for the Columbus Crew. … College football news from last weekend that we all missed: Arkansas tight end Garrett Uekman abruptly passed away on Nov. 20 due to an undiagnosed enlarged heart. On Friday, the team saluted him with a variety of memorial gestures, plus sophomore Austin Tate, who was one of Uekman’s closest friends and high school teammate, wore Uekman’s No. 88 with NNOB. … This is odd: a team pride slogan written on a piece of tape applied to the helmet. “I think ‘LPD’ stands for ‘Lonesome Pine District,'” says Josh Artrip. … If you like meat as much as I do (okay, that’s unlikely, but you get the idea), you’ll want to see the details of this insidious new meat marketing plan (big thanks to my pal Janie Heath). … New uniforms for Australian Rugby Sevens (from Rob Leavell). … Cal softball will be wearing pink Pac 12 patches for a game or two next season. “They’ll also have special jerseys, though it’s not been decided yet if they’re going to be pink or another color with pink accents (school name, number, etc.),” says Kyle Mackie. “Apparently Nike doesn’t make pink jerseys, so they’ll need to go with another manufacturer if they use pink jerseys.” … There’s a new book about cycling jerseys. I should have a copy in a few days — will advise (big thanks to Dan Budak for the tip). … More MLB news: Look for the Giants to introduce an alternate road uni soon. ”¦ I love this old Orioles pin. ”¦ Aaron Ross of the Giants will presumably be fined for wearing black tights with red spatting last night. ”¦ Last item on this page indicates that Missouri will have new football uniforms next season (from Terry Wehrend). ”¦ Michael Stoudt notes that all NFL home teams wore dark/colored jerseys in Week 12. ”¦ Looks like Nike is putting its sweatback patterns on the white portion of its arm sleeves (from Chris Cocuzza). ”¦ Looks like someone was wearing John Randle-style war paint way back in 1939 (thanks, Teebz).
I love how the scooped waist hem is gone on that Rangers jersey. All Reebok NHL jerseys need to do that, pronto.
(Was initially confused by the lead image, but I’m 99.9% sure the scoop is gone).
Michael Stoudt notes that all NFL home teams wore dark/colored jerseys in Week 12
…as God intended.
i’ll give you that as long as you agree that in baseball and hockey, you wear white at home, as god intended
I’ll let you have baseball.
Most of the Original Six teams didn’t even have a white jersey for the first 15-25 years of their existence, how is white at home divine intervention?
YOUR CHILDHOOD WAS A LIE PHIL! haha
I don’t agree at all. Your colors are what make you stand out, so to speak. You should wear your colors at home and then white, like everyone else, on the road.
I prefer for the visitors to “stand out” rather than look generic.
So, you’d rather all home teams look generic?
Unless you’re the Cowboys or Redskins. Look at the Browns; they’re wearing white, and they’re link.
No, the Redskins don’t need to wear white at home if they’re wearing the cheddar pants.
I’ll let the Cowboys slide… but the navy jerseys they never wear are better than the white ones. (and they need to pick one damn shade of blue)
No way. The Cowboys navy jerseys are an ugly mess – clunky double number trim, subcollar wordmark, secondary color of navy blue, a dated & cluttered stripe & logo sleeve and a 2nd silver pant. It is just too inconsistent with the white set. Besides, the white jersey is the Cowboys trademark.
And NHL: white at home. Always.
The white jersey and silver-blue/green pants have the completely pointless black trim on the sleeve stripes, and use royal blue when the helmet stripes and star are navy.
The Cowboys are a mess.
Then make the white jerseys match the navy ones. Not hard.
I say make the blue jerseys match the white ones.
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The current blue ones are a mess…
“Cowboys wear white at home ’cause it’s their trademark. The Redskins wear white at home because they want the Cowboys to wear their color.”
Simple. But also, the Redskins are yellow-inconsistent, and I always liked their white jersey as opposed to Cowboys (#Eagles Fan)
Here’s a good compromise ….
All NFL teams wear White at home to allow home fans to experience the Visiting Teams’ colored /dark jerseys, but Home teams wear their Dark jerseys at home vs. Divisional foes due to; 1.) The fans’ familiarity of the divisional foes’ uniforms, and 2.) To break the monotony of any team always wearing the same uniform at home.
This allows for the best of both worlds ….
NO. Team colors should mean something. I’m a fan of the Silver & Black. If I ever get the chance to go to a Raiders home game, I do NOT want to see them in white jerseys.
Monotony my ass, they only play 8 home games. It ain’t the NBA or MLB with a metric crapload of games.
All NFL teams wear White at home to allow home fans to experience the Visiting Teams’ colored /dark jerseys
With the abundance of television coverage of the NFL (game broadcasts, in-game highlights, RedZone, post-game highlight shows), fans experience other teams’ jerseys quite nicely as is.
Exactly DJ. Thank you.
A fan doesn’t go to a game to look at the other team’s uniform. They go to watch their team (hopefully) kick the other team’s ass. There’s enough media coverage of all the major sports that “letting the fans see the rest of the league’s uniforms” isn’t necessary anymore. Prior to the internet that approach made sense. Not anymore.
Nike doesn’t make pink jerseys? Guess they had to draw the line somewhere of being whores
Nike had some pink fabric lying around in Austin at one time:
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Hopefully, the new Mizzou uniforms will have either Athletic Gold (Yellow) or some varient of Old Gold, and not te current combination of both on the same football uniform …. Either works, both together are a needless mess
I guess being in SEC country I’ll have to familiarize myself with Mizzou now. Are they still wearing the uniforms that a lot of people have called the “Missouri template”? I’ve seen it used on schools around the country (including my D2 alma mater). I just hope they don’t use black pants. I don’t like one-color uniforms.
Also, something I took away from that article… the use of “MU” for the school abbreviation (even though they are the University of Missouri), which seems to be prevalent especially in the Big 12 and Big 10. Wonder if SEC writers will do that? Does the university actively promote themselves as “MU”?
Yes. Very well known as MU. I’d say it’s about half and half – MU to Mizzou – of the daily references of what I usually hear.
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And it will be a blessing to see the Missouri template retired. Those sleeve patches have been sliding forward all season.
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Growing up in Missouri, I remember there was a story, probably apocryphal, about Doug Smith, former MU basketball player, being confused between MU (Missouri) and U of M (Michigan)during his recruiting.
I think they were close enough to Big Ten country that they took on MU to differentiate themselves, or it was just done to them. I’m not sure.
Thanks to both of you. Interesting how some schools have always chosen to go by the inverse of their initials. I didn’t even realize Missouri does. I think the ones that jump out are Oklahoma and Kansas (OU and KU). I’m sure there are logical explanations, I’ve just never taken the time to research it.
Colorado goes by CU, even though they’re the University of Colorado. No logical reason that I know of.
Probably to differentiate them from other noteworthy institutions. UO is associated with oregon, UK with Kentucky, UC with Cincinnati, etc. OSU-type confusion is avoided this way.
Actually, Andy, you say UC anywhere in California, most people are going to think Berkeley, not Cincinnati.
Best. News. Ever. Really tired of MIZZOU being worst looking team in CFB. Agree w/ NickV, hope they go w/ athletic gold, but being consistent is key. Gut is they will go w/ Old Gold as that’s the helmet logo.
So if the Giants are unveiling a road alt, it’s gotta be black, right? I mean, they’re not going to introduce anything that might be creative in any way, like something that might hearken back to the Will Clark-era gray jersey with an “SF” on the chest.
My first thought was Clark-era “SF” as well, but they seemed to have moved that to “cap only” status. Maybe they’ll throw the script link on the chest. That would be pretty.
re: Marlins “E” cap
A quick check to baseball-reference.com, shows this list of Marlins minor league affiliates:
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Class-AAA Edmonton Trappers – 1993-94
I guess they’ll trap anything up in Edmonton….even Marlins! ???
Well, it turns out that it was actually an Elmira Pioneers cap from 1993, as the Trappers, as far as I can tell, never sported that hat. But a quick Google image search turns up some cards of Elmira players in that exact cap.
Elmira-ah-oom-pah-pah-oom-pah-pah-Mar-lins!
When the Saints wear the black unitards they are right up there with the Seahawks for ungliest uniform in the NFL. They look like a well-funded high school team.
*ugliest*
as long as the NFL still has that anachronistic low-whites rule, absolutely
let them go full-on ninja (and swap in their *never worn* black lid), and they wouldn’t look as bad…stupid, yes, because their black over gold is a great look…but better than gold/black/black/black tights/white lows/black shoes
As a lifelong Saints fan, I say the Black leotards ARE the worst in the NFL (Certain Cincy combinations excepted – the White sidewalls on the dark jerseys put them over by a nose ….).
It is heartbreaking that with so many great and decent unis in the Saints’ past, that the Saints wait until they are finally good enough to validate 40+ years of diehard fan support to now regularly present the team in the absolute WORST uni (when the Black leotards are worn) ever worn by the franchise …
That said, if they were to wear ANY uniformed and presentable set of SOCKS, the Black leotard uni – however horrible – would improve 200%. Every game displays each and every ndividual player wearing his “interpretation” of how the Saints should dress. Long White socks for some, four inches of White socks for another, all ranges and lengths in between. Blsck cleats, or White cleats, or multi-colored cleats. It is a freaking MESS. And there is ALWAYS NFL Uniform Cop Gary Barbaro hanging out on the sidelines to “monitor” the presentability of the teams’ unis. What a friggin joke.
Pick a set of socks that are NOT all black as the Leotards are (even ONE Gold stripe, maybe?), pick a uniform length of White sock to go with it, and pick ONE COLOR of shoes to wear to have the team match.
This is not too much to ask of an NFL team …
While you’re at it, get rid of the saints’ Black jersey Athletic Gold colors that have plagued the team since about 1975. If the Athlete’s Foot can sell $39.99 replica jerseys with Gold collars, then Ripon/Nike/Berlin Whatever can do the same on the gamers …. Enough Already !!!
It’s not the socks (though they should be striped), it’s the lack of pants striping. A gold-white-gold or even a solid wide gold stripe would make that uniform work.
/and matching the golds, of course
That damn off-color collar on the black jersey is what bugs the sh*t out of me. I know it’s only a minor detail but with the amount of money that team has you would think they they could correct such a small detail. Come on, man…!
Technically speaking, the Saints pants are actually black with a black stripe…the stripe panel being exactly like the one on the gold pants. Good idea to have uniforms that fit exactly the same every week regardless of color.
Anyway, when the Saints first introduced the leotard look I (and a lot of other New Orleanians) absolutely hated them. Now they’ve grown on me and I like the look a lot…it’s our look.
What I can’t stand, however, are the black pants and white jersey combo. White socks with black and gold stripes might help…but I dunno.
Sorry, Pierre, but I’ll NEVER accept that as “our look”.
First, it looks horrible, and unprofessional. The purpose of chosing a uniform and colors should present to the world that “This is the BEST we want to attempt to do with the colors and logos and traditions that we have. Can one honestly say that this is the BEST the Saints can do with their uniforms? NO, NOT BY A LONGSHOT. It at best reminds me of the mediocre Kordell Stewart Colorado Buffs, and at worst perhaps an East Mississippi Panhandle State Junior College, or a bantam team playing underneath the interstate.
Second, it is unworthy of a professional team and violates the traditions of the Saints’ original uniform template – that is, Gold pants and helmet, Black and White jerseys. These were patterned after the Packers and Browns’ templates, and they are a clean and sharp look. It is a PROFESSIONAL look, not a cheap joke as the current unis too often are. Do you ever believe that the Cowboys would come out in Blue over Blue, or that the Packers would run out of the chute in Green Pants over White jerseys? Even the real BadA$$es of the NFL, the Raiders, never sported All Black unis, or, Black leotrards over White jerseys. I dare say they never will. Why – because it is a cheap, unprofessional look and an abandonment of a history and a professional uniform template that looks, well, professional..
Third, it simply denigrates whatever tradition and following that links the generations and linear connection of the teams’ fandom. It is the equivilent of the 40 minutes of insane horrible rap music blarred out in the Superdome prior to many kickoffs – Hip Hop trash that would not be allowed on any commercial “urban” radio station. That music, and the Black leotards, are, and it is, some 24 year old PR Assistant’s idea of how he might finally get laid by impressing some idiot girl that he is adept at “being “down” with the “street”. It says to people of a certain age and loyalty to the team and their years of following the Saints – to Hell with your sensibilities, to hell with your patronage, to hell with you.
It is the equivilent of playing “Back That Ass Up” at your ten year old’s dance recital – becuse that is what would make it “cool” …
That’s it, I’m sorry to vent, but I feel a bit of a hard opinion on the subject.
Wow, I’m not even a Saints fan, but… bravo, sir.
The Ravens wear the same all-black dance tights that the Saints sometimes wear. And it looks just as terrible on them.
Come on, Nick, tell us what you REALLY think! ;>)
I agree with a lot of what you’re saying. The current Saints uniform isn’t exactly what I would come up with, either. Nevertheless, it is what it is and I’ve gotten used to them.
As for the atmosphere in the Dome, I like all the energy. Again, while I agree with some of your observations, the atmosphere wasn’t crerated for old farts like you and me. There’s a young crowd that goes to Saints games. I gave up my ticket to the Saints game last night…still emotionally spent from the LSU game. But it looked like the place was rockin’. Lighten up, man… ;>)
If I am not mistaken, the Saints began wearing the “Gold” collars after moving into the Superdome in 1975 – and in the years since have ALWAYS worn that off-colored collar.
Makes absolutely no sense. I would prefer they just wear solid Black collars if they can’t get it right – It’s a cleaner and more consistent look anyway – particularly if you aren’t going to bother with detail or stripes on the pants or socks anyway?
Well, the collar matches the numerals pretty well, but neither the helmet nor the pants match the yellowy gold of the collar and numbers, which is the problem. It’s all moot for me, though, because I don’t like colored collar and sleeve cuffs on a football jersey. It works on a t-shirt or soccer jersey, but because football collars are so big and thick, it looks cheap to me. Sometimes it works for me when there’s a design to it, but if it gets too complex, like the Packers’ collar, it looks just as bad. I like thin piping on a collar and sleeve end, like a baseball jersey, but as a general rule, I’d rather just see a collar that matches the jersey and go with some sleeve stripes instead.
I accept one *and only one* all-black team: San Diego State. All the others are copiers.
True.
Its only ugly because they don’t have black hats. If they had black hats with a gold fluer-de-lis. and the black on black, now that would be pure greatness.
I have a couple of the 1969 black helmets that were worn in the Preseason prior to the NFL forcing the Saints to go back to their Gold helmets – because Saints ownership neglected to ask permission to change and the NFL had a rule requiring notice to the league of 12-18 months in order to sell off old stock merchandise and to conform all advertizing/licensing with any uniform changes.
The Black Saints helmet looks great on a mantle piece or in a barroom, but looks horrible when worn inside of a dome stadium or under the lights. It is simply too dark and you really lose the detail that the logo has to offer. Great concept, not good in practicality …
As it is , Old Gold is not done justice in a dome or under lights. It simply looks 400% better when seen outdoors in the sunlight at a day game ….
I have finally figured out why my beloved NFL Saints wear their Black Leotard Pants – the Ten-Years-Too-Late-trendy, Thug Wannabee, Unfit for Professionals, Jackass Mississippi Panhandle State Junior College-looking Black Leotard Pants …. The Saints players (who get to chose such abominations to wear on certain gamedays) want to wear unis that appear as if they were dressed by the Kahardashian Sister Goldigger crew in hopes of being the latest to be able to “date” them ….
That’s it !!!! They look like the Khardashian Sisters dressed for a “workout” ….
Oh Yeah, those Black thug-wannabee pants make the Saints look “tough” – in much the same way that playing the hip-hop ‘classic’ song “Back That Ass Up” at your kids’ 10 year old Dance Recital makes the program “cool” ….
The Marlins cap with the E is from their original Triple A team which, unbelievably, was in Edmonton.
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But did the Trappers ever wear that “E” cap? Maybe they did, but I’d love to see an image as proof.
I don’t know why it’s “unbelievable” that the Marlins Triple-A affiliate was in Edmonton. Even now, the Blue Jays’ Triple-A team is in Las Vegas, and for a while the Marlim’s Triple-A team was in Albuquerque.
Actually, the Marlins “E” hat was for one of their A affiliates the Elmira (NY) Pioneers. I had the hat in the early/mid-90’s.
Got it from an old Manny’s Baseball Land catalog. If anyone still has those, they can prove it.
Yes, Elmira is the team that wore that cap, not Edmonton.
Elmira Pioneers “Marlins” hat in action:
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This one’s even better, it has the uniform as well.
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And here’s a look at a ’93 Edmonton Trappers uni.
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They were wearing the teal and black, but the logo seems to be a cartoon trapper. Maybe like the one on this page, with his raccoon cap and snowshoes.
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Can’t believe the Elmira team continued to be called “Pioneers” even while wearing “Marlins” across their chest. That just seems wrong.
* My comment was awaiting “moderation, so, I moderated it ….
I have finally figured out why my beloved NFL Saints wear their Black Leotard Pants — the Ten-Years-Too-Late-trendy, Thug Wannabee, Unfit for Professionals, Central Mississippi Panhandle State Jackass Junior College-looking Black Leotard Pants …. The Saints players (who get to chose such abominations to wear on certain gamedays) want to wear unis that appear as if they were dressed by the Kahardashian Sister Goldigger crew in hopes of being the latest to be able to “date” them ….
That’s it !!!! They look like the Khardashian Sisters dressed for a “workout” ….
Oh Yeah, those Black thug-wannabee pants make the Saints look “tough” — in much the same way that playing the hip-hop ‘classic’ song “Back That A$$ Up” at your kids’ 10 year old Dance Recital makes the program “cool” ….
Do you think that any of today’s baseball big-hitters could give expert instructions on bunting?
Maybe Pujols? Anyone else?
prince
That purple guy?
The artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince?
The Artist Formerly Known as The Houston Oilers?
Gatorade sponsors sideline whiz:
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Lemon-lime Gatorade looks like piss anyway.
I think you may be dehydrated, Kyle.
The Chargers really ARE piss poor this season…
I don’t know whether I was pleased or disappointed that Ian Eagle & Dan Fouts didn’t comment on what was going on. I can only imagine what other announcers might have said. Buck/Aikman? Michaels/Collinsworth? Tirico/Gruden/Jaworski? How about Dennis Miller — he would’ve had a field day with that.
I was pleased with the announcers, but extremely disappointed with the producer. Gee, when they’re holding up a towel like that, don’t you think that’s a good sign to switch to another camera? Took you how long to realize what he was doing?
Never a more appropriate time to say this:
The state of broadcasting is in the terlet.
Producer…director…the guy in the truck who tells them to switch to another camera.
“I love this old Orioles pin”
So the seller can research the history of that awesome pin, but he can’t research how to spell Ripken correctly?
Misspelled Ripken is a huge pet peeve of mine!
How do you misspell Ripken? It’s not like it’s Garagiola or Wambsganss.
How do you misspell Ripken? It’s not like it’s Garagiola or Wambsganss.
Because the English language is goofy and with it’s pronunciation, it could easily be spelled Ripkin.
Ask the Washington Natinals how you can misspell a simple name. They’ll have plenty of insight on that.
How do you misspell Ripken? It’s not like it’s Garagiola or Wambsganss.
“It’s ‘foo-koo-DOME-ay’. What are you guys, twelve?”
True story: When my wife and I named our dog after our favorite soccer player back in ’02, we accidentally misspelled it Foudi instead of Foudy.
Seeing as how everyone pronounces it “RIP-kin,” I’m surprised it’s not misspelled more often. It may not be Garagiola or Wambsganss, but it’s not Smith or Jackson either. It’s not like there are a lot of Ripkens walking around so that everyone grew up having to spell the name in school or something.
Point being that with any name one hears more often than one sees, and that one doesn’t have any personal connection to, is as likely to be misspelled as not, no matter how bleedingly obvious it seems to someone who’s familiar with it.
The NHL’s “official” display jersey (top two pics in today’s lede) doesn’t look as good as the jerseys on the players’ backs, specifically because of some horrible cresting. The NOB looks too small and too low, and the numbers even lower.
Compare to the backs of the jerseys as worn by Lundqvist and company, link… look like direct-sewn NOBs instead of nameplates, for one, and just all-around better-looking.
I’m still not crazy about the not-actual-white… but all in all, it’s not bad.
Anyway, it looks like something that they could’ve worn in the 1930s, if they hadn’t waited until 1951 to finally introduce a white jersey.
Yeah, the display jersey looks pretty awful, positioning-wise, and the real one isn’t much better.
It goes without saying that that stupid manufacturer name is throwing everything off balance. With that red stripe across the shoulders, this would have been a perfect opportunity to go NNOB or maybe try the rarely used name-under-the-number look. Either would be even better than what they’ve got now.
Or pull the red stripe down a few inches and put the NOB between the blue part and the red stripe, with the number below that.
There are lots of things they could do — but I’ve got to give them credit for the front of the jersey; that’s a timeless classic.
That Rangers jersey is magnificent! Wow!
Only problem is… on the sample jersey, the blue sleeve numbers appear bolder, making them more distinguishable with the red outline. However on the actual jerseys the players are wearing, the blue portion of the numbers look thinner and become blurred by the red outline, making them hard to distinguish. Anyone else see that?
-Jet
Jet,
I think the NOB and numbering on the sample jersey above are graphically represented, like in online shop where you add customization to a blank template jersey. That explains the color mismatch…
Form the eBay listings: Is that Cardinals jacket truly a baseball item? I’ve never seen a short-sleeved baseball warmup jacket; that one wouldn’t even cover the sleeves of the flannel jerseys of that period. Cut and materials suggest a basketball warmup top; U of Louisville maybe?
You nailed it, Teenchy. No way is that a baseball jacket. It is a basketball warm-up made of Nylon Fleece which was “the” fabric for those garments back then. And in the ’60s the Redbirds bought everything from hometown Rawlings. No way would they buy from Chicago-based Wilson. Univ. of Louisville is a possibility, but it also could be from a high school. Caveat emptor.
Thanks, Terry, for the validation.
Something looks purr-fectly disgusting… in a good way, of course.
I’m glad someone’s clicking on that Catch link….
I think we need a smiling oriole or something… I keep forgetting to check it!
Great googly-moogly… I think I just lost my appetite.
Is it sponsored by “Litter Critters”?
They had me with the Joy Division reference at the top.
Sorry Captain and Tannille.
The U.S. Attorney General doesn’t think that Americans can figure out that a $20 NFL jersey sold by a homeless man a mile away from the stadium may not be legit, so our tax dollars are going to be used to launch an awareness campaign on the subject.
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Maybe they should sell the official gear for less, eh?
No one’s buying those knock-off jerseys thinking they’re legit. They’re buying them because they’re actually affordable and “close enough”.
My 2c (as a somewhat libertarian guy who knows something about trademarks):
Trademark is essentially a private right. If I’m (say) the New York Rangers, my trademark is valuable property and I have the absolute right to use it and protect it.
But I don’t see where this is a federal criminal matter.
The feds can dress it up by talking about the dangers of counterfeit drugs and counterfeit electronics – I get the role of the feds in protecting us from fake pharmaceuticals – but they’re using that danger to extend their role to protecting us from shirts not authorized by the owner of the trademark.
If you’re an average schmuck, try getting the feds to enforce your economic rights for you. Fat chance.
This is the economic equivalent of getting the feds to chase people down for late fees at Blockbuster.
The Feds get involved because selling fake jerseys means you don’t pay taxes on your profits, and that makes the government sad.
well, seeing as 47% of the country doesn’t pay taxes on their income, you gotta start somewhere
Somehow I think if I set up a stand in front of the arena selling fake jerseys, kept perfect records and remitted the right amount of taxes, the feds would still come after me.
This just bugs me because the RCMP are making a big show out of seizing jerseys coming into Canada – displaying their seizures like they’d just nailed a truck full of guns
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” but the colours and the quality are poor, said RCMP spokesman Cpl. Miles Hiebert.”
Well, I guess there’s your federal crime right there – poor colour quality.
No..by selling a fake jersey, you are breaking copyright…which falls under federal jurisdiction. Poor “colour” quality is only a federal crime in Canadia, unfortunately.
kyle…are you and tim e related?
Now if only the Indians would do something to make that blue C more distinguishable from the red hat those uniforms would be near-perfect. Plus, Sizemore’s back o show off those red legs.
You mean like throw the red hat in the trash and only wear the blue one?
I’m the only one who likes that damn hat, I swear. I find it refreshing in a uni-world with way too much outlining/beveling and too much 3D madness.
I hate this trend of teams mixing a classy “cream” uni with a jiveassed 2000s model in alteration. Block letters….script….red….blue….5 hats….the Indians should pick a brand and stick with it. Or admit to money-grubbing whoredom and add two pinstripe models, one red and one blue, to their gallery for 2013.
Those Rangers Jersey’s are damn near identical to the white ones my beer league squad has. Only we use the original Rangers crest.
I have some additional thoughts on the sample Astros jersey I found on eBay:
It says it is a salesman sample of the original Astros jersey. The seller does correctly mention that the name on the jersey is for Judge Hofheinz. The Astros were not the 32nd team, so if I were to guess why #32 was used, I would say it was because Judge Roy Hofeinz was a 1932 graduate of Rice University. I’d also go so far as to speculate if this was the salemen’s sample used to sell the Judge on this uniform, it was paired with the “transitional” cap that the Astros wore early on in Spring Training 1965–the H-cap which was replaced at the start of the season by the cap with the “H” in the orange star. If what what I am thinking about this jersey is correct, the Astros organization should probably place a bid.
That jersey is not the “original” Astros jersey. The lettering on the original was navy with an orange outline with a navy star. That jersey is the 1971 jersey when they changed the jersey colors to orange with a navy outline, with orange caps.
Missed the Cleveland tweaks from Friday. Bravo, the white outlines made the jersey look childish. Now just get rid of Wahoo already, dammit.
Is it possible that this MLB offseason could go down as the best in uni-history?
If San Diego had not denied their historical identity, yes.
I nominate 1986-87 as the best off-season in MLB uni-history. I don’t have the exact number, but a bunch of teams ditched pullovers and sansabelts and brought back belts and buttons, and generally embraced long-disused symbols like the A’s elephant, etc.
Jeff Moorad has such conservative tastes, he probably thinks cucumbers are spicy. But the buck stops with him, and he wants to see his team in blue and grey uniforms. Bummer.
The only way this off-season could be better is if some of these back-to-the-roots jerseys didn’t stop short of going full-throwback and add names to the backs, like the Jays and Mets.
(And I still want to see the Cubs return to NNOB, as they should be.)
I love that brown-oriented Padres tweak that was up here a while ago. What a great look.
The clean curves of that unique Cubs’ font is damaged by cluttering the back with names.
My favorite years were 1990-92 when they were button-up and NNOB with those sleek numbers looking even sharper without the red outline.
mark
is there ANY team you don’t want to see in NNOB?
More MLB news: Look for the Giants to introduce an alternate road uni soon
Huh?
What’s the 411 on this?
I haven’t seen it. But some trustworthy people on the Creamer board have confirmed that it exists.
The Giants will have a grand opening for their newest Dugout Store Saturday morning in Walnut Creek, Ca. Perhaps the new jersey would be introduced then? link
“Michael Stoudt notes that all NFL home teams wore dark/colored jerseys in Week 12”
Michael Stoudt is wrong, assuming the Thanksgiving Day games count as week 12… in which the Cowboys wore white at home.
nope. cowboys wore blue.
link
Uh, the Cowboys wore their blue throwback jerseys on Turkey Day. What game were you watching?
dyck
Mizzoue will have all new Nike (football) uniforms for 2012
3 key words: NEW NIKE UNIFORMS
Not a fan of the crest on the Rangers’ jersey but kudos to them for having the Winter Classic patch on the shoulder (as opposed to the chest – too busy!). Great jersey overall.
Since I’m at work and can’t do the research I’m going from memeory. Usually the NYR’s put special patches on the sholders. Which I think is a good look ~ but doesn’t work for all teams
True, but Philly’s wearing theirs on the shoulder as well.
A part of my heart broke when Cooperstown Ball Company closed.
Me too. I hope it wasn’t litigation/Majestic/Selig that did them in.
The website said it was the economics of producing the one-of-a-kind hats domestically, which I fully believe. I’m surprised they lasted as long as they did. Thankfully I got the hats I wanted (40’s and 60’s era Yankees hats) along with a few that I utterly did not need. I’m good as long as my head doesn’t swell. Ebbets Field Flannels is a decent substitute but does not carry nearly, remotely as big a selection, nor are they as “on demand.” But if you’re just in the mood to grab an old hat for the heck of it, their hats are top notch.
The red stripe on the shoulder is what makes the Rangers WC sweater for me. Without the symmetry of the red stripe at the top and bottom of the body, the sleeve stripe wouldn’t work. Thanks to the red stripe below the shoulder, the blue-red-blue pattern is repeated on sleeves and body.
Not that I’d ever root for a Philadelphia team in any sport – seriously, just thinking about Philly fans has me cheering on frostbite and the British at Valley Forge – but the relative uni qualities make the WC a no-brainer. I like to root for the better uni, and that’s what the Rangers will have by a big margin. A Quakers-inspired script was really the only way the Flyers were ever going to compete with this Rangers sweater.
At it’s core, it’s essentially the same as the Flyers WC jersey. The sleeve striping is the same, the unbalanced hem striping is very similar and the shoulder yoke is the same + the added red stripe. Reebok made the same basic template and tweaked it just a little.
But that added stripe below the yoke makes all the difference. Without that stripe up top, the hem stripe is all wrong next to the sleeve stripes. With the stripe below the yoke, the whole thing balances for me.
I’m not saying that I disagree with you. I’m just a little disappointed that Reebok put very little effort in differentiating the jersey for each team. It’s just a template design, when they could have easily made two very distinct looks. But I guess when they’re designing them and mass producing them, they’re going to make them as easy as possible to pump out.
I can’t help but shake the impression that the media is made up of a bunch of 13 year olds. What’s the big fascination with Novak relieving himself on the sideline? Happens all the time in football. News flash: Sometimes the lineman don’t even bother leaving the field.
I remember watching the NFL Network, and they did America’s Game when the Bronco’s won their first Super Bowl, and one of the linemen openly said he would piss himself during games.
I hope this isn’t the start of a gross trend in sports media.
That’s nothing. I remember hearing a story about an NFL lineman who accidentally went #2 in his pants early in the 1st quarter and had to play the ENTIRE first half with that just sitting there in his pants. He couldn’t change his pants until halftime.
In regard to the Saints look last night, when on the national stage, one should look their best.
Players are asked to wear suits to the game, suits on the plane etc, but when it comes to what they wear on the field, wearing the “black track pants” look suffices? I think there’s a massive contradiction.
Nick V should send his compassionate complain to the Saints organization
Today’s ESPN column is up:
link
Another great column, PL. Good to know it’s not just us uni-nerds who cringe at some of these ridiculous looks in the NCAA.
CD: That was the other thing I told the guy at Nike. I said, “You know, these fonts you’re using are really cool, but they’re so wacky that they’re hard to read.” Oregon is a really good example — you look at some of their numbers and you’re thinking, “Is that a 1 or a 7? Is that an 8 or a 0?” And again, the Nike guy basically digested all of that and said, “Hmmm, we hadn’t thought of that.”
THANK YOU!!
Maybe Nike could use the link Clint Deans uses on his lineup boards. Functional, yet stylish.
Spotters do a lot of work, and a good one makes the announcers look good, so it’s nice to see one of these guys get some publicity. Thanks, Paul.
“
THANFUCK YOU!!“fixed
There there…easy, big fella.
See, now you know the real reason behind my not-so-quixotic quest to rid the world of Bellotti Bold. It was never about just me…it’s always been for the Clint Deanses of the world…for all the behind-the-scenes guys whose jobs are made more difficult because someone thought artsy/superhero/stealth fonts were more important than functional fonts.
Stay strong, Clint!
I’m shocked a human can even read TV numbers from a press box, especially those that are really high up, given the size of some college stadiums. Or are they watching on a TV monitor as well?
I’ve seen some guys use binoculars. Depending on the height of the press box, sometimes you can eyeball it.
Not every place has monitors, especially for the radio guys and stats people. Even those who have a monitor are at the mercy of what the cameraperson is focusing on. If you want to see something away from the ball, most of the time the monitor can’t help you there.
Well NASCAR spotters have binoculars, I assume football spotters do also. Or, really good eyes.
At a Mizzou QB Club luncheon on Monday, HC Gary Pinkel reportedly mentioned that MU will have new uniforms for their inaugural season in the SEC next year. I’m still looking for more verification.
That block M better not be going anywhere.
Hope not, the Tigers made a mistake about twenty years ago by placing a football in the middle of the “M”
Heard rumblings about something like this:
link
Following the Blue Jays, Orioles, Mets, Royals, and Indians changes, isn’t time for the Seattle Mariners to go back to the trident logo and the royal blue and gold colors? I mean those colors look so much better than navy blue and teal (It’s not Northwest green. Nothing in the Northwest has that color except the Mariners). Who’s with me for a Mariners uniform update?
I’d love for them to bring back the trident and the gold… but I don’t have any real problems with the navy or teal. Something similar to the latest link could work.
Maybe I’m just a child of the 90’s, but I love the baseball-compass-S look. Sharp, distinct, and classically modern. (I’m indifferent about the teal brim, just a teal hat button would be fine. And I think the matching fonts on the navy jersey is a little too cute–the traditional block is fine!) And I HIGHLY doubt the trident look is ever coming back. I think there’s too much good karma from the 1995 series (and really, the first non-mediocre Mariners team ever) to ever move away from what they have now.
Now if you want to put the Mariners in kelly and royal (as the Canucks are and the Seahawks should be), that might look cool. But a green brim on a blue hat would not work for me.
I’m with Mike. Seattle *would* be ripe for an update if the current uniforms were the suck, but there’s nothing wrong with what the M’s wear.
I actually wouldn’t mind a combination of the trident and the compass rose. That could be pretty snazzy.
Maybe put the trident on the back? As long as the compass rose goes in the front, big guy…
Nice.
No way! The Mariners have a good, distinct look that doesn’t need change.
Nice that they find the Giants player for the black tights/red spatting, but what about the Saints player for wearing bike shorts?
Love the article Paul. It really makes you think if Nike (or any other manufacturer) really do take TV numbers, or legibility into consideration when designing uniforms. Or maybe they consider them and just say “screw it”.
One question I do have though… If TV numbers are mandatory in the NFL, how can the Packers get away with going sans-TV numbers for their 1929 Acme Packer throwbacks?
link
They make exceptions for certain throwbacks (like the Niners in 1994-95).
Ahhhh. There are always exceptions for every rule I guess. Thanks for the clarification.
If they can make exceptions for TV numbers then they should be able to make exceptions for NOBs too.
Re: the placement of the red striping on the Rangers’ Winter Classic jersey, what it brings to mind for me is an international sweater from the 1970s or ’80s. In other words, there’s something “not of the NHL” about it. That’s not a criticism, mind you. Just that, where past efforts have been “fauxbacks,” this seems like something else.
I think the reason why the trend of new/old jerseys work so well is because the only people left watching the NHL are 40-60 year old men. And everybody knows that 40-60 year old men like dingy, clunky objects.
This isn’t a criticism, especially coming from a 40-year-old guy who likes the new trend.
I’m not even close to 40-60, but I actually think these Rangers uniforms are a step back. They could have done much better than the above.
“I’m not even close to 40-60,”
Same. 24. Love Hockey. NFL > NHL > NBA > MLB > MLS
“…but I actually think these Rangers uniforms are a step back. They could have done much better than the above.”
Agreed. the cut, sleeve stipes and waist/hem stripes are basically the same as the Flyers made up shitty jerseys.
What’s wrong with just taking an actual uniform from your teams history and doing something like NNOB and/or vintage white ala – link
Maybe you’d like them if you were 40-60. :)
“The only people left watching the NHL are 40-60 year old men.”
I’m looking at the Chicago Blackhawks 2011-12 Sponsorship Brochure, which cites demographics indicating that the average age of an NHL fan is 44.9, younger than baseball (47.6), the NBA (45.6), NFL (47.2) or NASCAR (47.0). Now, an average isn’t a median, so we can’t conclude that half the fans are 45 or younger, but there must be a significant number of younger fans to offset the old farts you’re talking about.
Also, the brochure indicates that 61.4 percent of fans are in the 18-to-49 age group. I’ve seen other studies that suggest about 27 percent of the fan base is between 18 and 34, which isn’t inconsistent with the population at large.
What does it take to get a shout-out for my boy Ethan F. for his Arkansas news yesterday in the comments?
Creamer just leaked it on Twitter, and they say the SF Giants will be reprising the 80’s uniforms.
link
Swate. Would be even better if they pair it with the orange-billed hat, though.
Nope, orange bill goes with the 77-82 pullover jerseys and Sansabelts. That script would make for an interesting button-front jersey, though.
This is more of a note on yesterday’s post but I just noticed it…
It’s always bugged me that most Blackhawks jerseys you can buy always have the incorrect “C” shoulder patch which doesn’t match what the players wear. The players have a slightly serifed “C”. Luckily I have an old Starter jersey from the 90s that’s correct. However, the NHL style guide that was uploaded and referenced in the last post has this incorrect patch. Just found it strange that the style guide doesn’t even match what they wear.
That’s not the most glaring mistake by a long shot. That same style guide book shows the 1910 maple leaf (that’s the one with just the Olde English ‘C,’ and NOT the CAC maple leaf) in blue! As we all know, that maple leaf is green, to go with the red and green jerseys worn for one particular home game vs. Calgary. How did they get that one wrong? (Though on a related side note, backup goalie Alex Auld threw a blue-but-should-be-green maple leaf on the chin of one of his masks because he liked the look of the leaf, but wanted it blue to match the normal uniforms.)
I’m gonna have to check that out. I’ve been on overload since I’ve seen that since I’ve never gotten to check out a style guide in depth other than the snippets I see here and there.
I go to Blackhawks games regularly and I get so peeved when I see almost everyone walk around that place in replica jerseys with the wrong “C” on the shoulder.
Just took a look at some Hawks jerseys on the NHL Shop website, and both the Reebok Premier and authentic versions have the feature you’re talking about. However, the CCM Vintage jerseys (I’m seeing a Mikita and a Bobby Hull on offer) do not.
Check the tags – maybe you’re seeing a bunch of old CCMs?
When the Golden Jet was on the link in 1972, he was wearing a sweater with no shoulder flashes. Probably a store-bought replica.
All of this talk about football players urinating reminds me of one of my favourite players from the early Blue Jays – Rick Bosetti. A completely unremarkable player on a bad team, he made it his goal to urinate in the outfield of every park he played in.
link
link
In that last photo: Rick Bosetti is wearing Bauer cleats.
Fun trivia: Bosetti used to be mayor of Redding, California!
Watching Purdue vs. Miami college hoops. Assuming there’s no foul lighting in play, it looks like Purdue has moved under the grey cloud, but I can’t remember if this was mentioned in Parts 1 and 2 of this year’s college hoops uni review.