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A Story to Warm Even the Coldest of Hearts

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When Jake Hurley first told me about his campaign to get the Rockies to wear stirrups, I didn’t think much of it. Most fans don’t like stirrups as much as we do here at Uni Watch; more importantly, most players don’t like them either. I mean, shit, there’s no bigger stirrups advocate than me — I’ve been fighting that fight for over a decade — but I’ve never had any illusions about being able to achieve widespread success. Little victories here and there? Sure. But getting a whole team to wear stirrups? Yeah, right. Jake’s quest seemed like the very definition of quixotic.

But I underestimated Jake. As I mentioned in yesterday’s Ticker, he positioned himself to get some face time during Friday’s postgame show. Turns out he did it again on Sunday. That was also the day he had a rather remarkable encounter with Rockies pitcher Jamie Moyer (the following text is excerpted from this post on Jake’s blog):

I arrived at Coors Field at around 11am. … I went right down to the field level where Jamie was throwing. When he wrapped up, I shouted over to him and he looked at me. I asked if I could have 10 seconds of his time. [A security man] next to him answered that I absolutely could not, and that if I wanted to talk to Jamie I had to get in line like everyone else [because it was Autograph Day, and people were lining up to get Moyer’s autograph]. … Jamie chimed in something along the lines of “Sorry, man, I have to listen to my boss.”

I got it, and immediately sprinted over to the line, which I stood in for 30 minutes. Once I got down to Jamie, I gave him the 20-second pitch and he loved it. I told him that I was trying to start a movement that would return stirrups to the game of baseball and that it would mean the world to me if he could read my card [sort of a mission statement for Jake’s stirrup campaign] and also pass a few out to other Rockies players.

That’s when “his boss” interrupted us. He told me in a very stern manner that they collectively had no interest in whatever it was I was saying. Jamie would not be passing anything out, nor was he there for any other purpose other than to sign items that were sure to be on eBay later that day. …

But that’s when Jamie made my day, or season. He turned to the big mean man and told him very kindly to calm down. He turned his attention back to me and I knew that I had just received a golden ticket, I had about 15 more seconds. I handed him a stack of cards and reiterated how much it meant to me that he was showing interest, and that if he got a chance could he pass a few out to his teammates? I told him that I loved his work and was very happy to have him on my team. I shook his hand, took his picture and was on my way.

I stopped about 10 rows up to see what happened next. The big mean [security] man took the stack of cards and thrust them into his pocket with authority. … [But then] Jamie politely asked for the cards back. He wasn’t going to lie to a loyal fan. The big mean man now seemed small and weak, he surrendered the cards to Jamie, smiled, and went on his way.

Jamie then … proceeded to walk around the field and began handing one of my cards to each and every one of his teammates. He waved at other fans as he did this. I had to sit down and regroup, because I could have sworn I was dreaming. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

That’s one hell of a story. Even if nothing ever comes of it, I’d say Jake’s lobbying campaign has now been validated and rewarded. Shame on me for having dismissed him as just another windmill tilter, and kudos to him and Jamie Moyer for having such a great fan/player interaction.

And hey, maybe something will come of it.

Moyer, incidentally, has changed things up a bit with his stirrups this season. During the past decade or so, he’s generally worn his pants low and his stirrups even lower, with barely a sliver of white showing. During spring training this season, he showed a bit more white. But now, as you can see from the image at the top of today’s entry, he’s going with more of an ’80s look. Not sure if this reflects the influence of his teammate Josh Outman, but it feels like a seismic shift in the lower-leg stylings of MLB’s longest-running keeper of the hosiery flame.

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Cubee update: Several readers sent in photos of their completed Cubee projects, including Gary Chanko, who used Justin Hind’s basic Cubee template to create a design for Carolina Gamecocks RB Marcus Lattimore (it’s shown at left; click to see a larger version). Here’s how it turned out — nice!

Additional work by our fine Cubee crafters:

• Blake Parker made himself a Drew Brees Cubee. Looks good, but I think it’s too tall (ba-dum-BUM!).

• Peyton Manning hasn’t played for the Broncos yet, but he’s already a Cubee, thanks to Kyle Rini.

• Aaron Frueh whipped up a nifty Cubee of Julius Peppers — completely with a little Cubee gridiron.

• John Condray had already tried his hand at Cubees before I wrote about them last week. Here are the templates he created for the Rams and Chiefs.

Cubees: They’re addictive! Keep those photos coming.

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Collector’s Corner

By Brinke Guthrie

We’re leading off today with a gorgeous-looking Boston Red Sox jersey, complete with stirrups. The beauty is at minimum 62 years old, and look at the condition! The seller has another Bosox jersey (but no accompanying stirrups) here. And since we’re showing the Red Sox, we also have to balance it out with this Joe Dimaggio Yankees iron-on from the 1940s, and this Lou Gehrig/Bill Dickey bank from the 1930s.

As for the rest of this week’s eBay finds:

• Always interesting to see photos of Johnny U from his days with the Bolts. He appears to be wearing high-top blue Adidas in that shot, but here he is in his traditional black high-tops.

• Absolutely had one of these 1970s Reds stickers on my school binder, for sure. Always wondered by they chose #27 for Mr. Red’s uni number. Anyone know?

• Don’t recall ever having seen a “Kelley” maker’s mark on an NFL helmet, but this nose bumper doesn’t lie. And speaking of Cowboys helmets, check out “this plaque and this jigsaw puzzle!

• Here’s a great Pro! magazine poster from the 1970s. It pairs well with this neat Super Bowl poster.

• I love this pair of 1960s Cleveland Browns bobbleheads.

• How about an NHL jersey set with that Big Mac?

• Nice 1970s NFL Tudor set featuring the Battle of Ohio. (Browns/Bengals). By the late 1970s, though, Tudor had downsized a bit.

And this 1970s pizza delivery jersey is right up PL’s alley. It’s 100% nylon, though — is that a deal-breaker? [Nope. I actually had my eye on that piece, but it’s a smidge too small for me. ”” PL]

Seen something on eBay or Etsy that you think would make good Collector’s Corner fodder? Send your submissions here, and you can follow Brinke on Twitter and Facebook.

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Assistance wanted: If anyone out there works in or has connections to the world of children’s publishing, please drop me a line. Thanks.

Uni Watch News Ticker: I asked the NFL about the rule change that’s allowing Roy Helu Jr. to wear JrOB. They obligingly sent me the text of a memo from April 30, which reads as follows: “The League Office would like to update the current rule regarding Jerseys (Rule 5, Section 4, Article 3b) from the Official Playing Rules of the National Football League: ‘Surnames of players in letters a minimum of 2.5 inches high must be affixed to the exterior of jerseys across the upper back above the numerals; nicknames are prohibited.’ Clubs are now permitted to place the surname with a generational title (i.e., Sr., Jr., or Roman numeral) of players on the nameplate of his jersey. If a player requests a nameplate change to include a generational title, the club must work with the player to ensure he fully understands Nike’s retail inventory reduction policy regarding authorized nameplate modifications.” Interesting. So this same rule change is allowing Robert Griffin III to wear RNOB. Wonder if the rule change was made specifically for him. … Eephus League honcho Bethany Heck has created an absolutely kickass Eephus League webmagazine. Great content, great interface — don’t miss. ”¦ While looking for something else, I stumbled across a Marriott Hotels ad that includes a photo of what appears to be Little Leaguers wearing Homestead Grays Negro Leagues throwbacks. … The Cedar Rapids Kernels wore Chewbacca-themed jerseys on Sunday (from Billy Toner). ”¦ For reasons that I confess elude me, Justin Upton has added his Twitter handle to his batting gloves (thanks, Brinke). ”¦ The Reds are saluting Chipper Jones’s final trip to Cincy by putting special plaques on their bases. Am I the only one who thinks this is a little fucked up? Give him a pregame ceremony, salute his career on the Jumbotron, etc. — that kinda stuff is fine. But celebrating a visiting player on the bases, complete with the visiting team’s logo? That seems like a bit much to me (from Britton Thomas). ”¦ Ryan Connelly tried to DIY some logos onto hockey pucks, but it turned out to be a bit trickier than he’d expected. ”¦ Keith Chaiet and Mark Snider have both noticed that the Washington State baseball team is wearing the Pac 10 and Pac 12 logo patches. “Must be last year’s jersey with this year’s new logo,” says Keith. ”¦ Nick Schiavo recently visited the Hockey Hall of Fame and took a bunch of photos. ”¦ I’m still calling it the Bradley Center. … Kyle Sawyer notes that Lance Lynn’s road cap has been squatchee-free for a few weeks now. “I looked back at his home starts and his hat is complete in those games,” he says. … Brady Phelps has posed an interesting uni-related question regarding the Padres. … Check out this awesome label design. It’s from this vintage cycling jersey. ”¦ Interesting piece about 10 former Olympic sports that should be brought back. Of course, none of that matters until bowling takes its rightful place upon the Olympic stage. ”¦ New kit for Barca (from Joe Schmidt). ”¦ At some point people are going to realize that the only way to avoid football concussions is to stop playing football, but until then we’ll keep seeing new products like this padded attachment designed to be worn during football practices (from Jim McCue). ”¦ Here are this year’s uniforms for the Japanese baseball all-star game. “What’s weird is that they are essentially the same for both leagues except for the name on the chest of the Leagues and the letter on the cap,” says Jeremy Brahm. ”¦ Also from Jeremy: A Montreal soccer league has banned religious head coverings. ”¦ The Fresno Grizzlies will commemorate their 15th season with a special jersey this Friday. “It includes the three fonts of the three jerseys they’ve worn since their inception,” explains David Taub). ”¦ Dustin, who didn’t give his last name, spotted umpire Bob Davidson putting in a clear mouthguard. Don’t think I’ve ever seen an ump wearing one of those before. ”¦ Over in Germany, Adidas has been promoting its Tango 12 soccer ball by attaching a replica of it to microphones at press conferences held by the German national soccer team. “Which would be kind of clever, except that the model they’ve chosen is so large and obnoxiously placed that photographers and cameramen complained that they can’t see the players’ faces properly.” Douchebags. ”¦ Did you know that there’s a guy who’s considered the father of baseball card collecting? Not only that, but he donated his collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Further details here.

 
  
 
Comments (206)

    Paul,

    Great job. Thank you so much! I predict that the old Uni Watch Bump will do wonders for my efforts.

    Thanks Uni Watchers,
    Stay Tuned,
    Jake

    Some Videos:

    link

    link – you know how much shit I have put up with about the red sox and yankees, dodgers and giants, cardinals, phillies AL, wednesday night baseball my ass! on sports center? – I usually turn it off when they talk about baseball. As far as I’m concerned this movement can and will spread to all the little guys, and to the authentic fragments of the big guys.

    link

    I’ll start with a bang. Well, 2 of them.

    1. Uni Watch at the All Star Game

    2. Beg teams, like the Pirates, Reds, Phillies, etc. to bring their throwback uniforms, or even just a small element of it to Coors Field this season.

    What if Jamie Moyer Could talk to his old team for us and ask if they would be so kind as to wear their powder blue 80’s jersey against my stirrup clad Rockies. You see we don’t have the same rich history you do. Treat us to a day of old school baseball! Don’t worry, you can wear your regular gear for the other games.

    Here are the rest of the rockies home opponents in the regular season in order:

    Astros, Dodgers, Angels, A’s, Natinals, Padres, Phillies, Pirates, Reds, Cards, Giants, Brewers, Marlins, Dodgers, Padres, Giants, D-Backs, Cubs.

    link

    The Diamondbacks have maybe had a homestand where they wore black jerseys, red or white jerseys and their turn-back-the-clock jerseys? That would compete with the Padres for having the most different looking uniforms over three games.

    Jamie Moyer is nothing if not a class act. He would do anything for the fans and for the game of baseball. I miss having him in Philly. Him digging up the pitcher’s mound in 2008 is one of my favorite memories as a Phils fan.

    I had the pleasure of meeting Jamie Moyer when I worked at an office supply store near his home in Magnolia (a Seattle neighborhood) when I was in college. I helped him while he was looking a cordless phone for his parents and couldn’t have been nicer.

    Unfortunately, it wasn’t until he paid and I saw the name that I realized it was him because of his everyman look.

    Regarding the baseball card collection: I’ve seen it. It is by far my favorite exhibit in the museum. I have an old price guide from 1991 which has pictures of a couple of these cards. Like the father of baseball card collecting, I too have no interest in selling my cards. Although my collection isn’t as valuable, it is still precious to me.

    Oh, and Jake. Great job buddy. Not a lot of players are willing to listen, but for what you did, you should be proud. Now I have a reason to like Jamie Moyer.

    No nickname, eh? Then how did Pacman Jones have his name as “P. Jones” when he played for the Titans? His legal name is Adam Jones, not Pacman.

    His full legal name is Adam Bernard Jones–no letter P at all let alone the name “Pacman”. I don’t recall if he tried it in Dallas as well, but since he’s been in Cincinnati (and, by virtue of him being in the AFC North I get to see him twice a year) he hasn’t done it, probably because he has been trying to go by Adam in order to clean up his image. Still, though, how did he get away with it in Tennessee?

    Is there a similar rule for MLBers? I’ve always thought it’d be nice if they went with Salty for Saltalamacchia.

    I do remember seeing a photo of Hawk Harrelson with the Indians with “Hawk” on his jersey.

    Andy Messersmith of the Atlanta Braves wore #17 in the late 70s. Ted Turner, the Braves owner, convinced him to replace the name on his jersey with “Channel” instead of “Messersmith”. Ted owned WTBS (the first cable superstation) and carried the Braves games. WTBS was channel 17. Andy was now advertising TBS as “Channel 17” on his jersey. MLB stopped that pretty fast.

    Mr. Red wears no. 27 because 1-25 are for the 25-man roster and No. 26 stands for the fans.

    really? you have a link for that? I only lived there for (coincidentally) 27 years and listened to thousands of games, went to tons of games, and even knew a lot of the people there–and I never heard that!

    I heard or read the explanation many many years ago. I am afraid that I cannot cite you to a website or other authority in support, though.

    I always thought it was a random assignment.
    When the ‘running man’ version of Mr. Red was introduced(1972?), #27 had been out of circulation for a while (last Red to wear that # was P Jack Baldschun in 1967). P Jose Rijo was the first to wear it after Mr. Red.

    I’ve heard that Mr. Red’s 27 was for the number of outs in a nine-inning game.

    Not even the Star Wars geek in me can approve those Chewie uniforms worn by Cedar Rapids. Who the hell thought that was a good idea?

    Echoing everyone else – good job, Jake.

    Star Wars geek and native Cedar Rapidian, and I don’t like the jersey either.

    On the plus side, the Kernels won, but nobody gave them a medal for it, so the Chewbacca jersey was actually appropriate.

    Interesting read on the Montreal teen banned from the soccer league for his turban, especially the thread following the article. Sentiment was 2 to 1 (or so) to accommodate the kid, about the opposite of what I anticipate an American-based article would read. Not that I’m incapable of understanding the argument of the Sikh teenager, I just think I would ultimately decide religious clothing has no place in an organized sports league.

    I agree. It’s not racist, it’s adhering to uniform regulations. If you join a team voluntarily, abide by the rules or don’t play. It’s like that young woman who joined her school’s Jr. ROTC then sued to be allowed to wear a head scarf. She knew going in that ROTC requires a uniform; she lost the case and rightly so.

    Where accommodation can reasonably be made, it should be made. In a case like this, it should always boil down to the practicalities, not abstract, legalistic insistence on never changing the rules. But it’s hard for me to see how a Sikh turban can be accommodated in sports where either the bare head is used to contact the ball or where close-fitting helmets are required safety equipment. Is there perhaps a way that a Sikh could use a smaller, more symbolic form of head wrap, in the way that many Jews wear a yarmulke instead of a full hat?

    In Indian Field Hockey there usualy are Sikh players and use a smaller version of their turbant

    link

    I know there is no headers, but the goalie has to use a helmet, so theri is a way to accomodate the rule and play.

    The issue is more on the what is specifically banned, and for what reasons. I mean, a patka would cause a minimum of safety and playing advantage fuss, probably less so than the link occasionally used by goalkeepers.

    Anyway, while there’s no ban on making the sign of the cross (as a religious display,) it seems churlish to prevent players wearing patkas

    I would ban baseball caps, too. It’s a mistake to make the distinction sheerly on religious grounds; it should be about what is appropriate.

    The mistake would be to exclude on religious grounds. So if ballcaps are permitted but the Sikh turban not, that’s inappropriate discrimination against religious expression. But it’s not only fine, but appropriate to distinguish between mere fashion preference and religious commitment to permit the turban while maintaining a ban on ballcaps. At least when we’re talking about minors, the bias must always be in favor of inclusion and facilitating participation.

    Absolutely, the best rules are the mutable kind that take everyday conditions into account. You should never bust someone’s balls just because you can.

    Great photoset by Mr. Schiavo…I visited the HHOF myself a few weeks back, and took many of the exact same photos. Comforting to see I wasn’t the only one vexed by failing to get a good look at that goddamn Ohio-shaped Barons sleeve number.

    Went to the hockey hall of fame myself a couple years ago. Surreal and amazing. Toronto overall is a beautiful city and I would love to go back again.

    All of that glorious texture in Nick Shiavo’s Hockey Hall of Fame photos! And every time I see tha Smoke Eaters jersey I smile. But this image just kills me…

    link

    …Sweet perfection. Why oh why, Canucks marketing braintrusts, couldn’t you keep your restless hands off?

    how ’bout the square of velcro on the cleveland lumberjacks jersey where the captaincy designation would be.

    look left in this pic:

    link

    The DiMaggio iron-on shows Joe D batting right-handed, as he should be – except that, as the name shows, it would print backwards on the T-shirt you’re ironing it onto, turning DiMaggio into a left-handed hitter.

    Nike says that NFL OTAs aren’t using left over Reebok stock. But the Broncos collars are the old style from previous years. Is this true for other teams as well?
    link

    Regarding the Kelley NFL helmet – by the time Kelley took over making the MacGregor helmets there weren’t many NFL players wearing that style. However, Joe Washington and Billy Sims were probably the most famous players who did wear these helmets in the NFL with the “Kelley” logo on them – Helmet Hut has a game worn Sims and a game worn Washington from his stint with the Redskins on their site.

    Those clear shell Kelley helmets were big with Texas teams, both college and pro, beacause the company was based right outside of Dallas. I love the real deal Texas Longhorn clear shells.

    Another thing that struck me as weird about the Japanese all-star unis: the team names are written in English. Is that normal?

    Yes, that’s normal. Same thing for the World Baseball Classic.

    Which is just wrong. I mean, the Japanese league can do whatever it wants. But in international competition, team jerseys should use the national language. The world would just be such a cooler place if that were the rule. And with national colors, I don’t have to speak the language to know that the red-and-white jersey that says CCCP is really pronounced “ess-ess-ess-arr” and that in Russian that stands for Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to know what country that team is from. Same with a red-and-gold uniform with Chinese-looking letters, or a blue-and-white uniform that says “Hellas.”

    If they’re going to use the Latin alphabet, I’d like to see Japan at least use a correct transliteration like “Nihon” or the other close variants that are sometimes used for how Japanese people actually pronounce it.

    I invite Japanese readers to correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that Roman letters are an officially sanctioned script for the Japanese language, along with Chinese-derived characters and their (two!) syllabaries. Apparently, Latin script is more common than Japanese characters for certain uses–particularly company logos, advertising … and uniform NOBs.

    It’s a cultural thing. English is closely associated with baseball in Japan; you see team uniforms with English-only lettering. Similarly, in the J-League, many of the team names are derived from Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese (for Brazil), languages the Japanese associate with soccer.

    As for the Japanese language, romanization even has different spelling. Fu versus hu, ji versus zi, and so on.

    Japanese teams prior to WWII used Kanji exclusively in the design of their uniforms. High school and college teams still do to this day.

    However, professional teams have gone towards romanized team names after WWII.

    Nice old Red Sox jerseys, but no year tags or chain stitched names as they did in that era? Hmm… A bit overpriced anyway.

    I was thinking if he was a home plate umpire he might be wearing it to help prevent a concussion if a pitch hit him in the face/head. However, according to an article I just found online, “wearing a mouthguard while participating in contact sports was once thought to prevent the occurrence of sustaining a concussion. On January 17, 2009, statements made by top neurological experts dismissed this, claiming that no credible research backs this idea”.

    Even though there is no proof that mouthguards help prevent concussions, that is the number one selling point when marketing them to NHL players:

    “Though there may not be adequate research linking mouthguards to concussion prevention, Dr. (Bill) Blair (a dentist and current president of the NHL Team Dentists Association) reiterated the consensus of most players in the NHL: ‘It is easier for us to sell the wearing of mouthguards to a professional hockey player based on concussion prevention, than of tooth injury.'”

    Here is the article I got the above quotes from:

    link

    Looks like it’s the Home Plate umpire. I can easily see not wanting to have your teeth knocked out or chipped by a foul tip. Those masks are amazing, but you can still get jarred pretty good.

    (And as for how you speak with a mouthguard in, don’t most umpires just grunt with a slightly different inflection for each different call? When you need to speak to someone proper, you take it out.)

    I never understood why home plate umpires make grunting sounds instead of saying “ball” or “strike”. In my first little league game I had no idea what calls the guy was making.

    Can you imagine if football refs did this?

    “Upon further review, HUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHH!”

    Awesome stirrup story, and it got me thinking… Like most of us, I view the stirrup obsession as one of those aspects of UniWatch nerdiness that nobody else probably cares about (like Paul said, “Most fans don’t like stirrups as much as we do here at Uni Watch”). But looking at that picture of Jamie Moyer, I had a flashback to when I was in little league, and even as an eight-year-old kid who knew nothing about uniform design or history I thought it was awesome to wear stirrups. Much like eye black and sunflower seeds, it was something uniquely baseball that you embraced if you really wanted to embrace the sport in all its glory. It signified that baseball wasn’t just something you did to pass the time in the summer; it was a part of you.

    Maybe it doesn’t have that same emotional response any more because, while I grew up watching Ryne Sandberg in stirrups, today’s players grew up watching Manny Ramirez in pajama pants. But it just doesn’t seem like stirrups should be confined to the inner-geekdom of baseball. I mean, if fucking snap-back hats can suddenly become popular again (and seriously, of all the retro things to bring back, somebody decided on THAT?) why not stirrups?

    I had a flashback to when I was in little league, and even as an eight-year-old kid who knew nothing about uniform design or history I thought it was awesome to wear stirrups. Much like eye black and sunflower seeds, it was something uniquely baseball that you embraced if you really wanted to embrace the sport in all its glory.

    Yes! Exactly (except ballplayers weren’t yet eating sunflower seeds when I was a kid). I knew nothing about stirrup history or lore when I was a kid — I just knew that they were baseball’s most unique visual signifier. No other sport had them. They were the essence of baseball’s visual culture, at least for me. And they still are.

    When I first got my Little League uniform, I had absolutely no idea what the socks with the holes at the bottom were supposed to be. I was really confused because if they were our team’s socks, why didn’t they cover the foot? Our coach didn’t explain that you wear a normal pair of socks and put these over them. So I didn’t wear them, and I don’t remember any of my teammates wearing them either. However, we all wore our pants long, so if some kids WERE wearing stirrups it’s not like I would’ve been able to see them.

    This was around 1990.

    If none of the kids wore stirrups at the time why would they even bother buying the stirrups in the first place? Are Little League caps, jerseys, pants, and stirrups sold as package deals, like get everything from us and we’ll give you a slight discount?

    When I played little league (which would have been mid to late 80’s in Buffalo) I recall having to find and purchase our own stirrups. You got a cap (a New Era replica with foam front and plastic snap back, New Era being a local company) and a jersey with ads on the back. The pants were borrowed but you had to give them back at the end of the season. And you needed your own stirrups. Again, this is from memory, so it’s entirely possible I am wrong. I still have a couple of the jerseys somewhere and I just finally got rid of the caps after the foam disintegrated. I certainly felt like stirrups were part of the uniform, not something to be hidden.

    I had a flashback to when I was in little league, and even as an eight-year-old kid who knew nothing about uniform design or history I thought it was awesome to wear stirrups. Much like eye black and sunflower seeds, it was something uniquely baseball that you embraced if you really wanted to embrace the sport in all its glory.

    I knew nothing about stirrup history or lore when I was a kid – I just knew that they were baseball’s most unique visual signifier. No other sport had them. They were the essence of baseball’s visual culture, at least for me. And they still are.

    I agree with both of you. When I played little league (late 90’s early 2000’s) I was the only player in my league who wore stirrups. I remember, it was my third year of playing organized baseball and one day my dad decided to give me pair of black stirrups he wore when he played baseball in high school and college (they actually fit me ok though they were sort of long). He told me I would look like a “real ballplayer,” even though at that point in time I could only recall seeing major-league players with long pants.

    When I put on the stirrups and cuffed my pants for the first time, I looked at myself in the mirror and immediately felt holistic. It seemed these stirrups were just what my uniform had been missing and thus became the most striking element of my uniform. Even though I was little I was still very much aware of what baseball uniforms historically had looked like. I felt that wearing stirrups made me look like one of the greats in baseball history, like Roberto Clemente, Harmon Killebrew, Hank Aaron, Joe DiMaggio or Babe Ruth at least in my young mind. When I first wore them during a game my coach complemented me and said I looked like an “old school player,” thus in my mind validating what my dad had told me and what I had felt when I first tried them on.

    Even then as you can probably see, I had a strong appreciation for history. Despite the fact that I was the only kid on any team in my league who wore them, I felt I was properly attired as Paul would say (as I recall some kids just wore anklet socks). Thus began my love affair with stirrups. I also consider it a formative moment in my personal history of uni watching as it helped to pique my interest in historic uniforms and lower-leg styling in baseball.

    I know a lot of Rockies fans are frustrated from a baseball standpoint that Moyer is still taking up a spot in rotation rather than giving the young guys a chance in what’s been a terrible season so far. But a story likes this makes me glad to be able to cheer for Jamie while he’s wearing my favorite team’s uniform.

    I never felt that way, but yes many people did. They are Moyer bandwagon fans, the hate him when he acts old. But when he breaks records multiple time all over the place they love him. Quit it Rockies Fans, you’re making us look bad. The reason we hate giant’s fans is because they are BANDWAGON FANS! NOT US.

    Regarding the RNOB, I doubt Nike would go out of their way to change established NFL guidelines to accomodate a rookie who wears a competitor’s products.

    What I meant to say was “lobby for a change” as that is what I thought you meant by that comment in the ticker.

    I was doing a search for stirrups online and I found out that the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals Class A Advanced) allow you to purchase the team stirrups

    link

    I’ve been wearing these stirrups all season thus far. The Blue Rocks got me my stirrups in three days! Huge props to Jim Beck of the Blue Rocks for his prompt service and excellent customer service via email.

    If you order these ‘rups, you won’t be disappointed!

    Golden State Warriors are moving back to SF. Privately financed arena to be built on the waterfront up the Embarcadero from AT&T Park. Hope they ditch the Golden State moniker.

    Ryan Connolly – here’s what you did wrong with the puck attempt:

    Masking tape is no good for frisket cutting, the paint will bleed under it. Adhesive vinyl as used in the sign industry will lay flatter and you can rub it down with a squeegee and no paint will get under it.

    However, that’s moot because enamel paint will NOT DRY on rubber/vinyl material like that puck. I know, I’ve hand-painted vinyl banners in my sign shop with enamel paint and the paint was still sticky a week later. That’s why pucks are done with silk-screen ink and not enamel paint. You can try using a spray fixative from the art supply store on the puck first, sometimes that works when I have to paint a rubber basketball… and sometimes it doesn’t work…

    -Jet

    Yes. No need to change the logo, as the arena will be right by the Bay Bridge. Maybe a gold home uniform.

    What DID you think it was?

    ~~~

    good point, mark…

    looking at it, im not sure WHAT else it could be…especially if you live in SF

    Honestly, I thought it was….a car battery. Remember, I moved here in 99. Way past the sale date of that look.

    They didn’t have link on TV where you were before? That’s been around since basically my entire TV-watching life. With that, stick a feather in my cap & call it Rice-a-Roni.

    Incidentally that show has some uni watching on it with all the fan-donated college sweaters Ted Knight wore & there’s been a few MLB California baseball caps worn on there as well.

    At some point people are going to realize that the only way to avoid football concussions is to stop playing football

    Exactly. Or if someone finds a way to put padding between your brain and your skull, but that’s not gonna happen.

    Hoping that technology will allow for full-contact concussion-free football…now *that’s* quixotic. You’d have a better chance at convincing the Marlins to wear orange caps every day.

    Jake Hurley’s stirrup project…definitely not quixotic. Keep up the good work, Jake!

    I just got an ESPN ScoreCenter update stating that the NFL is making it mandatory for players to wear thigh and knee pads starting in 2013. Thank god!

    don’t the new nike pants have both of those things already stitched into the uni?

    coincidence?

    Do stirrups serve a purpose anymore? I know why sanitaries were originally worn, but with the advancement in dye technology, are they really necessary?

    I guess my question is that if a ballplayer wanted to show some sock, why would he choose a stirrup over a full sock?

    The mission really should be about high cuffs, not stirrups. Hell, stirrups only exist because full length colored socks were a bad idea due to fabric dyes and possible infections 100+ years ago. We ought to be content with fighting for visible striped socks and not worry specifically about stirrups.

    This. The point is stirrups per se, but showing the sock. No reason a regular old sock can’t have a nice team stripe in it. If a guy would rather wear stirrups, that’s fine too, but it’s the sock and the pattern on it that are really at issue anymore.

    I’ll agree with that. I like the stirrups better, but if plain socks mean that the players will heighten their cuffs, that’s a compromise I can live with.

    I agree. I also find the Ribbon/high stirrups unacceptable. My impression is that they were done in the similar vein of football players going with above the knee shorts, no sleeves, basketball players clam diggers, baggy baseball jerseys.

    Basically pushing the function of a jersey element to the side for style. imo, high cuffs make the uniforms more interesting and more balanced. With an all white/grey uni, the colored hat and socks look better.

    The mission really should be about high cuffs, not stirrups. Hell, stirrups only exist because full length colored socks were a bad idea due to fabric dyes and possible infections 100+ years ago. We ought to be content with fighting for visible striped socks and not worry specifically about stirrups.

    ~~~~

    i agree, and i disagree

    i agree that there was a point to having them 100 years ago and that what they were seeking to emulate WAS a sock (hence why original stirrups had the opening so small you couldn’t even see the sanis…

    but i LIKE the look of a perfectly worn stirrup with sani (preferably white, but i don’t mind a colored sani on occasion)…now, paul and i (and others) may differ on what constitutes the perfect height for a sani, but i’d venture to say he prefers his outman/(current) moyeresque, whereas i prefer mine about this height or slightly lower

    the key to wearing rups properly, however, isn’t JUST the height of the sani opening, but also the distance from the end of the sani opening to the blouse of the pants

    the higher the sani opening, the higher the pants should be bloused…when you wear your pants properly bloused at the calf…you shouldn’t have your rups pulled up this high — visually that leaves too much sani and not enough rup

    conversely, you should never blouse your pants too high (regardless of the height of the sani opening), since that exposes too much sock

    imho, the ideal height of pants and stirrup was worn from the late 40s through the early 70s (and strips were a delicious bonus)

    pants too low (and unbloused) looks as bad as pants too high

    and the worst sin imaginable is 2-in-1s

    Why do baseball players wear baseball caps when there are better options for sun protection and shade? Because it’s part of the uniform, and because that’s what baseball players look like. What I don’t understand is why one visual element was kept by rule while the other was allowed to die out.

    I hate that answer, but you’re right I know it’s true. But it makes it no less valid a point. Uniform elements need not be 100% function based. Why settle for solid color socks when stirrups BELONG in a baseball uniform?

    Baseball caps evolved when visors were much more readily available and practical than sunglasses. Stirrups evolved when safe textile dye was not easily available. Neither would evolve that way today, but both belong in the uniform because that’s how it has been organically defined.

    Great article on the card collector Jefferson Burdick. Amazing, his passion simply for the aesthetics and design of the card. Disregarding the monetary value, and even the game itself, to a certain extent. It was all about the visual stimulation within the card design and stories written on them, the nostalgic attraction.

    The book “Mint Condition” has a whole chapter on Burdick. He’s definitely a pioneer in card collecting and cataloguing.

    Brand change for Novak Djokovic (Sergio Tacchini to Uniqlo). I thought he jumped over to Nike just recently, did I miss that?

    link

    Wait – Uniqlo, the reasonably priced Japanese clothing company?
    That’s a pretty darn cool and unexpected sponsorhsip

    I agree. I remember looking at Tacchini stuff and knowing I could never afford to wear that on the court. I’m a little shocked there aren’t more Under Armour tennis players out there these days.

    UA still doesn’t make tennis shoes. I belong to a tennis site and they all feel this is a short-term deal, and he’ll be with Nike in ’13.

    link
    link

    Uniqlo is ugly and expensive. a killer combo.

    In re: Reds’ Chipper Jones bases

    One went to Chipper himself, one went to the Reds HOF, and one went to Cooperstown. Nearly every (if not every) town the Braves have played in this year has presented a tribute of some sort. This is certainly the most unusual, but I think it’s a great tribute to a great player. The Cards gave him an autographed Stan Musial jersey, isn’t that less appropriate? I’m not sure what they did in Flushing to start the season (if anything), maybe they should name their new park after him in reciprocation of all his success their. I smell a little bit of your Mets allegiance here, to be honest Paul….of course if I ran a sports blog you wouldn’t see anything Mets or Phillies at all, so to each his own.

    Haters will say he married a Hooters waitress, fathered illegitimate kids, and focus on mistakes that aren’t exclusive to him. The fact remains he’s a first ballot HOFer who has stayed with the same organization for 22 years. The older he’s gotten, he’s evolved into a leader both on and off the field. Instead of giving into my urge to compare any player on the Mets’ roster to him, I’ll just say they don’t make players like him anymore. His loyalty and achievements are to be commended.

    Before I had kids I never confused their, there, and they’re. The Mets should name the park after him due to his success THERE.

    To be clear: I’ve always liked Chipper as a ballplayer, I agree he’s a HOFer, and I really don’t care who he married or who he fucked when his wife wasn’t looking.

    I just think celebrating a visiting player *literally on your home field* is messed up.

    Like I said in the Ticker, give him a nice pregame ceremony, put some highlights on the Jumbotron, give him some cheesy gift that he doesn’t really want and will throw away, etc. — that’s all fine. But don’t celebrate another team’s player on your own field.

    Even as a Braves fan, I have to agree with Paul here. I greatly appreciate all the love Chipper is receiving from the opponents. The pre-game ceremonies are cool, the standing O’s are nice. At the same time, I’d be a little miffed if the Braves were doing the same schmoozing as the Reds are for somebody else’s guy. Why do the Reds want to put one of the bases in their HOF? “This is the last bag Chipper Jones touched while playing the Reds”. Will any of their fans REALLY care?

    It’s just… a little strange.

    Paul,
    Regarding the Reds and Chipper Jones: The UW consensus seems to feel that honoring the opposition in this fashion, is, in a word, creepy. My problem isn’t that the Reds did it. Like you, my problem is how they did it. Using the bases as the tribute, and displaying one in their HOF is odd at best. As a player with 20 yrs on the same team, Jones is deserving of being honored. But I don’t agree that it’s weird for him to be honored in an opposing stadium. That smells of freakish fan behavior, the likes of which, have caused fans to beat the crap out of each other. You’re with us, or against us mentality. Hatfields and McCoys. And I’m as competitive as anyone you’ll find. But I still don’t get wound up about Jones being honored by an opposing team. He’s meant something to baseball in general. There’s been recent retirees who have had significant tenure as well, but they’ve moved around the league a bit more. Were they honored in this way? I personally don’t know. You could argue they were as deserving. Craig Counsell, Garrett Anderson, Curt Shilling, Sammy Sosa. Heck, it wouldn’t have mattered which park they honored Matt Stairs in. He practically played for every team, so they could have just handed him his old jerseys, and thanked him for his 19 yrs. of service. Games and records aside, the Reds show true class by their actions, in my book. One could argue, Jeter is the next player to go on the MLB farewell tour. Even though the Bronx Bombers aren’t my cup-o-tea, it would be OK with me, if “my” team, in “my” stadium, made a point to pay tribute to him.

    I don’t agree that it’s weird for him to be honored in an opposing stadium.

    Did you even read what I wrote? I said it’s fine to honor him pregame, or on the Jumbotron. Just not on the actual field of play (like the bases, e.g.).

    This is now the third time I’ve spelled this out (once in the Ticker, twice in the comments).

    I swear, you have to wonder about people’s reading comprehension skills sometimes….

    You mean this part? ” But don’t celebrate another team’s player on your own field”? ” And you wrote: “….celebrating a visiting player *literally on your home field* is messed up.” Sorry Paul, I got the signals crossed. I was thinking you were against the entire idea of honoring the opposition. Thanks for clarifying your position. Again. Cheers and no hard feelings.

    The commemorative bases are a stupid idea, but that Reds script looks great on the off-white plaque it would look great on an off-white faux vintage jersey.

    link

    “What’s right with eating the food at Hooters?” is a better question.

    the food is better than the waitresses

    and that’s not an endorsement of the food

    I thought they just sold t-shirts & crowded deafening atmosphere with slow & bad service.

    Previous comments have made me curious about current Little League baseball players. Do kids in Little League in 2012 wear stirrups? If so, does everyone on the team, or is it up to each player? Who provides them, the parents or the league/team?

    My son plays in UMAC (Upper Montgomery [County, Maryland] Athletic Club) webpage This is his 5th year. In the past they gave the kids a hat, jersey, and faux stirrups (2 in one). He used them at the start but in the last few years he has changed to one color socks high cuffed. His current team has a mix of High cuffed and PJ pants. The other teams at his level seems to mix and match. I’ll post a picture of him when I get home.

    I absolutely despise the Cincy Chipper bases. This Chipper stuff is getting out of control. What are the Reds trying to prove? It feels very fake to me. Like, “Hey, let’s prove a point and try to look like good sports, people will suck it up!”. We all know the Reds are acting like that guy at the pickup game, who sucks/cheats/bitches and fraudulently acts like a good sport after being annoying for the entirety of your game (whatever the sport you enjoy is. You know this guy!). And let’s be honest- Chipper has been a nice, consistent player for a long time. But we’re not talking about one of the absolute greatest of all-time. Even then, I think it’d be awful.

    Celebrate some of your own guys, Reds. It’s not cute, and you don’t look like good sports. It’s ridiculous.

    The Reds (somehow & surprised me) do have somebody to celebrate since someone was voted into the Hall of Fame this January, and he will probably be the last Red for a long, long time, too.

    But a guy on the Braves? Why?

    I have to completely disagree, I do not think the Reds did this for appearances. I think they went overboard, but you don’t put an opposing team’s player on your bases if there isn’t genuine respect for the player.

    Chipper will go down as one of the best 3rd Baseman to play the game, he sits at #3 for HRs by a Switch Hitter, and has over 2500 hits. There is a good chance he will be a first ballot HOF’er, and he spent all 22 years of his career on the same team. That’s the kind of loyalty that teams and fans respect, it’s why he is getting standing ovations, when he finishes his last AB (not just when he gets presented with a token from the club).

    All that being said, the Reds should have found another way to do this. I mean all of the presentations before the series have been more than enough. Quite frankly the pre-game ceremony for the TB series (closest team to his hometown, he had a lot of family and friends there for that series, etc.) should have been the second best one (with the Braves send-off being the pinnacle), and while the video and all the fanfare behind the TB ceremony certainly put it up there, it doesn’t touch the honor of the opposing team putting your name on their field. Heck I don’t think the Braves planned on even doing that (unless I’m remembering wrong they only put a 6 in the outfield for Bobby Cox).

    They overdid it, but there is nothing wrong about them wanting to honor him.

    Don’t be glib, people from all over the world came to Chicago to specifically antagonize cops and they acted almost flawlessly all weekend.

    Plus, their job is probably a *bit* more dangerous than yours. How often do gadflys get shot at or stabbed?

    US Comiscular Fark is about 60% empty most games, if you promise to by 4 $9 beers and a $7 hotdog, you may be able to get a free ticket…

    “people from all over the world came to Chicago to specifically antagonize cops.”

    somebody just outed themselves as a Republican, old man.

    I’m 24 and more liberal than most.

    But these idiot anarchists (not the protestors who left when their permit ended) who had “Kill Cops” written on their face like eyeblack, or hit cops with sticks, or throw themselves at cop cars so it appears the car stuck them…

    They just go were ever NATO, G8, etc… are just to cause problems. There is nothing valid about inciting violence, especially when it’s directed at cops.

    Those fucks can go kill themselves.

    “I wish I could get free tickets for stuff for simply DOING MY JOB.”

    ~~~

    what might that be?

    Better than wearing stupid camouflage jerseys & caps.

    “will receive two complimentary tickets to one of 10 select games this season”

    Knowing the 2012 unbalanced schedule, it’ll probably be a bunch of cheap Royals games that nobody wants to see anyway.

    Re: Chipper’s bases

    Am I the only one who thinks this is a little fucked up?

    No, sheesh, count me in. A bloody plaque on the bases, for a visiting player? C’mon, Jones has been very good (career 450+ HRs, ~.300 average) for many years but it’s not like he’s some kind of legend. I’m a certified Barry Bonds hater, but the man did break a huge record; by this standard he should have been greeted his last year with fighter jet fly-overs or something. Ridiculous.

    I’m a lifelong Braves fan, but agree that the Cincy plaques were a bit much–if I were Chipper, I’d have been secretly embarrassed.

    And granted that he’s no Barry Bonds–in fact, I’d argue that he’s not even the best Braves 3B of all time (Eddie Mathews still has the edge in my book). All that is a case of “praising with faint damns”–if those were the worst things anyone could say about my career, I’d be a happy guy indeed.

    I suspect, though, that a lot of the clubs’ and fans’ enthusiasm has to do with Jones’s career-long, HoF-grade tenure with a single team. That’s the kind of thing that’s become an extraordinarily rare exception … rare enough to be worth celebrating as a prodigy these days.

    Yeah, I thought about the single team thing too — and admit it has some resonance, but still …

    By that criteria (and very similar numbers) you’d be mooning over, say, David Ortiz and Paul Konerko too. Again, very good players, (mostly) with one team — but let’s keep it in perspective.

    I would be embarrassed if they did something like this for Konerko. He’s not that kind of ballplayer.

    I know — and Konerko actually came up with the Dodgers. But they’re both pretty well-identified with their current teams — and again, very good players but hardly worthy of such gold-plated tributes.

    And all I can say is…that is exactly why Jamie Moyer was one of the most beloved players on the Phillies teams of the past four years. Class act all the way and honestly one of the few guys in this world that I wish nothing but success on in everything he does. He’s always welcomed back.

    I love how that sliver of camo on the black cap makes it all worth it.

    Incredible.

    Notice the squatchee on the blue cap is blue, rather than the standard orange.

    “Mets are producing 2 Stars & Stripes caps this year”

    ~~~

    fuck … a black cap? what exactly does that match?

    oh right, the here-to-for unworn black jersey

    hmmmm…what’re the chances we’ll see them break it out just so they can sell a few more black caps????

    btw…interesting scheduling quirk has the mets playing the phils at home on both memorial day AND the 4th of july, and they’re home again on 9/11, against the gnats

    not sure they’ve ever played all their *flag desecration/toy soldier* caps at home in the same season before

    “The Reds are saluting Chipper Jones’s final trip to Cincy by putting special plaques on their bases. Am I the only one who thinks this is a little fucked up?”

    You took the words right out of my mouth.

    So naturally, people will take it as Chipper bashing. But the point is, it’s a rip at modern MLB. Doing tributes (to opposing players, even) is excessive and unnecessary, and a symptom of the modern new school “let’s celebrate everything/everybody” mentality. This sport went from (e.g. 1980s) recycling uniforms in Spring Training & the minor leagues to producing multiple one-off caps & unis in a season to the point of obscene. To quote ABC news reporter Charles Gibson after his tour at new Yankee Stadium: “Eating lobster at a baseball game is God’s way of telling you that you make too much money.” I couldn’t agree more.

    I don’t see why Chipper; hardly the best player ever; needs a lavish send-off. It’s not like the Reds & Braves are even big rivals, either. But even if they were, it still wouldn’t make much sense.

    “excessive and unnecessary”

    …I think it’s a reflection of the times we’re in, specifically regarding entertainment and the media.

    I’ve been saying stuff like “we would have never seen this 20 years ago” way too often.

    From a Topps NFL rookie event, I couldn’t decide which was worse the hideous link? Have to say the latter. Oi! er….Ouch!
     
     

    I have hated different colored collars from the time they were introcduced. And I first scoffed at the nike Bengals treament….But, given the mess they insist on wearing, it seems to fall in line with the stripes. (I know…whatever.)

    The Seahawks, meanwhile, have the worst looking uniform in the league. Yes, I…I…actually prefer the bleak scuba diving outfits to this poorly executed clown suit.

    Speaking of Little League,

    I played when I was in 8th grade, one year, and one year only.

    I grew up playing hockey, lacrosse, and especially roller hockey, which conflicted with baseball season. But baseball always has been near and dear to my heart. As a 4 month year old baby, I was taken in “full uniform” to the very first Rockies game at Mile High Stadium in 1993 (I have pictures too, only recently found, you just might get to see them).

    Anyway the point is this, baseball and especially my Rockies have always been near and dear to my heart. If nothing else comes of this, I’ll be the guy with the stirrup sign on TV all year long, I can tell you that much.

    Little league, yeah that’s right. I played for the Braves. We were given a replica hat (Velcro back) and a T-shirt (ironically it was dark blue, WITH RED LETTERS AND A WHITE OUTLINE, like how their alternate jersey SHOULD look, haha). We had to buy our own pants (white, are there was always that ONE KID who had grey, it drove my right the fuck up a wall, why won’t you DRESS PROPERLY dammit?). We never had to worry about socks (ironically the idiot with grey pants was our only player with high socks).

    I had never officially played Baseball before, and when I went to the sporting goods store to get baseball gear, I also got a pair of two in ones(yuck). but not by choice, but because those were “baseball socks” at the sporting goods store. I had no idea what the shit those lines on the side were supposed to be, I thought it looked horrid.

    Anyway jump forward a few years, to freshman year of high school, i had just missed the cut for my high school team, but ya know “real men play lacrosse” as they say, sign, i wanted to play baseball. In April of that year I stumble up the CCSLC. My life changes forever.

    First I was just one of those little shits tearing up the concept page with ms paint, which I mastered the shit out of.

    I played football my software year, it was a uniform obsessed kid’s dream (gradient on the helmet, and 3 jerseys, NOB on all of them, 3 pants, 3 socks – never wearing the same combo twice). But whenever the “captains” fucked up our uniform, either with a mono, too much black, or otherwise I was always the guy who said something about it. I quickly became the team faggot and I was done playing football forever.

    I promptly became a stoner, which lasted 3 years at least. But now that phase is over too.

    But today I have been working as the programs “behind the scenes graphic designer” for 3 years now. What that means is I have specifically asked the head coach to not expose my “identity”. Because of what the “Cool” kids did to me, they now do not have privilege of knowing why they look so damn good, but dammit, they look great. I design the T shirts, pick the uniform combos, make the posters, paint the weight room.

    I don’t always get my way but I have all kinds of power over them, AND THEY DON”T EVEN KNOW IT!!

    *evil laugh*

    I got lost somewhere up there. Oh yeah, sometime as a young high schooler I stumble upon The Uni Watch Blog. I hated it, socks? black and white photos? fuck that shit what about the pro combat uniforms?

    I ignored Uni Watch on purpose, too much reading not enough material of value. Blogs are faggy, right? I did however follow Paul on espn. At some point his content became more gripping than the CCSLC. specifically it was the article about nose bumpers. That was the day I realized that each and ever part of the uniform was a variable, that were all part of the final product.

    It took me another year and half to bite the bullet and actually start reading Uni Watch on a daily basis, but about 3 days in I was hooked!! That was last summer. I still hated the stirrup.

    But throughout a very long and lonely first year or college in a strange new place. Uni Watch became my new home. I took over the duck tracker, and missed half the deadlines at that (sorry Phil). But the stirrup still was just that interesting thing from the past. But when I realized that this unique group people and their wrangler named Paul Lukas noticed every single time a player wore the rups. That’s when I changed my mind for good.

    A few months later, Jamie Moyer joins my team, wearing stirrups. I decided at that exact moment that Jamie was going to help me bring to stirrup back to baseball whether he liked it or not. It was a few weeks later that I actually started wondering who that guy even was. I knew his name, yeah, he was a pitcher, so what?

    I became very clear that he was a notoriously kind person and a remarkable individual on and off the field. That’s when I decided 100% that this would work.

    Ever since then I have been planning, working, thinking. When I first contacted Paul about it I had published 2 “man behind the mask” rants which sort of associated the stirrup with teaching the Teevee station that claims it’s all about the fan to well ya know actually do what they say. But it scared people and confused them.

    I went back to the drawing board and here we are. Today, my summer project when national. And I feel honored in a way that few people outside of this community cannot really understand.

    Thanks everyone! Thanks Paul! Thanks Jamie Moyer!

    This movement is for Uni Watch. You all have inspired me 100%

    I decided recently that I am going to do what makes me happy. And this makes me extremely happy!

    I did however follow Paul on espn. At some point his content became more gripping than the CCSLC.

    I believe this is what’s referred to in the trade as “damning with faint praise.”

    He’s just saying CCSLC isn’t good (OMG that blog sucks, smh, the boards are just…internet boards.) being better than them is like not smelling as bad as a fart.

    “I took over the duck tracker, and missed half the deadlines at that (sorry Phil).”

    ~~~

    yeah, um…

    if you can put half as much effort into that this fall as you’re putting into the stirrup project, then we’re good for the coming season

    keep up the quest…hopefully you’re not just tilting at windmills anymore…sounds like some solid progress is being made!

    I like how they chose “Hic Man.” Kevin was a fun loving goofball who wouldn’t want it any other way. RIP

    An Albert Brooks Uni tweet:

    And Google bought Motorola. So now on the NFL all the coaches will wear headsets that say Google.

    Watching the Twins-White Sox game right now and at the bottom of the first inning “AFW” appeared on the back of the pitching mound. My guess is Twins pitcher PJ Walters wrote it on there for his daughter who died when she was less than two months old.

    Here’s the photo: link

    You have to feel for anyone who’s lost a child. But at the risk of repeating the Chipper Jones debate, am I the only one who thinks putting the initials on the mound (if that’s really what it was for, as speculated in the preceding comment) is kinda fucked up?

    (Speculating here, I have no idea of what’s what)…

    No one can really understand what it feels like for a parent to lose a child, much less a two month old child. One’s emotions are as heightened and fragile as one will ever experience, I would imagine. It would be devestating. One’s heart would be broken. How does one react to that? That loss, of which none is greater. I dunno. I would cut the guy some slack.

    According to his wikipedia article he lost the daughter in 2010. Does anyone else know if he has done this before?

    Answered my own question. Here are his other two appearances with the Twins, and “AFW” is on the mound.

    May 12 vs Toronto: link

    May 17 vs Detroit: link

    Didn’t know it had been two years ago. Well, maybe it’s her birthday, or the anniversary of her death (again, this is specualtion given the first comment).

    But isn’t there a difference between a pitcher making some initials in the mound as a tribute to a child that died and the Brewers officially putting their logo (now in color) on the back of the mound for the center field camera to pick up?

    Kinda like the difference between Chico’s Bail Bonds sponsoring a little league team and Allstate sponsoring the soccer goal nets.

    It’s not unprecedented & I’ve seen a few draw crosses (or star or an A in a circle probably) as well.

    I remember when MLB had a little silver-ink cap tribute problem that started up around the mid-1990s.

    sorry, but that’s just all kinds of fucked up

    you have to feel sorry for anyone who’s lost a child, but that is a “look at me” move if there ever was one

    wear a shirt under your jersey, write her initials on your cleat, shit, get a fuckin tattoo…

    but for the love of christ, keep the mound clear of that

    and this seems like a total ratchet move too…if someone else loses a kid, or their wife, or their mom or their sister, or their childhood friend…what’s to stop them from expressing a similar sentiment? you’re gonna have all kinds of mound graffiti

    nay, there are other and more appropriate ways to mourn someone than defacing the bump

    Not only that, but he’s doing it in a spot where he knows it’ll be visible on TV. He is literally broadcasting his grief.

    It’s too much.

    Gentlemen, we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

    Terrel Owens’ and Ochocinco’s shenanigans, Chipper Jones commemerative bases in Cincy, Coke ads painted on sidewalks, ads in public schools, nike’s logo plastered everywhere and anywhere, etc, etc., etc., That’s worthy of our outrage.

    This?

    Baseball is a funny game with a rich history full ideosyncratic moments, events and characters. Part of the reason why we love and follow the sport. A man carving the initials of his dead daughter into the mound doesn’t strike me as particularly egregious. What is his motive? What’s going on with him? Maybe he needs help.

    all excellent points jim, and i don’t think either paul nor i are in any way trying to belittle his loss

    but there are appropriate ways to express one’s grief…

    first game back after her death, as a one-off? OK, i’m down with that

    three (at least) games approximately 2 years after her passing?

    um, no

    if this is a cry for help, fine…but it’s still completely inappropriate

    we can disagree on this jim, and i respect your opinion

    i just can’t accept this…it’s NOT part of the game, and if you keep letting him do it, i fear the ratchet effect — because how can you stop anyone from defacing the bump now? where does it stop?

    right…you end up with camo toy soldier caps because you didn’t nip the original S&S bullshit in the bud

    I’m not expressing “outrage” over this, Jim. I just think it’s inappropriate. It’s taking something private and making it very public; at the same time, it’s taking something public (the mound, which essentially belongs to everyone) and making it private (i.e., he’s making it his own).

    You know, if he did it on the side of the mound, where the TV cameras wouldn’t pick it up, I’d be more OK with it. But instead it just looks like a cheap plea for attention.

    “Maybe he needs help”? Sure, maybe he does. Or doesn’t. I don’t really see what bearing that has on the appropriateness of the gesture, though. I have sympathy and empathy for his situation (my parents were never the same after my brother died), but that doesn’t give him carte blanche to do whatever he wants. Boundaries of propriety are still boundaries of propriety.

    Another Rockies pitcher (reliever Josh Outman I believe) was wearing stirrups in tonight’s game. Marlins announcers made a point to mention it and get a close up.

    Did the Marlins announcers yawn when they noticed tonight was another black-capped ballgame?
    link
    Orange vs. purple would have been a great matchup, but noooooooooo…

    I’m pretty sure the Marlins orange caps, jersey & batting helmets were donated to the Miami-Dade County Public Works and Waste Management Department.

    However, taking into account Anelka with Chelsea contract expires in the summer of next year, but the club link has no intention and the French contract. Before Boas said, “In addition to Anelka, we have continued the work of renewal.” Thus, AC Milan may indeed have a very low during the winter break to 300 million euros acquisition of Arnelle card. After all, compared to the summer of next year free of charge away Anelka, Chelsea are more inclined to sell the French winter break, in order to recover part of the transfer of funds.

    Buy Anelka in the transfer, AC Milan to watch rivals. The first is the debut of Paris Saint Germain Anelka. Currently, Anelka link does not rule out the possibility of returning home team. After all, the Qatar Investment Authority has been successful in the acquisition, greatly enhance the overall strength of the Paris Saint Germain, Anelka led his former club have the opportunity to chase glory. The second is the Anzhi. “Slow motion” broke the news, Anzhi owner intends to introduce

    So…can you just show pieces about uniform changes/logos without the effing annoying hipster “anything before 1960 sucks/baseball players ain’t shit without stirrups/successful company hate hate hate???” Fuck, get over yourself. I get that you’re the guy that “looks” like he shouldn’t like sports, but for the people who put their ching into quality stuff (like NIKE OH GOD MARK OF THE BEAST) running shoes you are a little fucking overboard and inane. Yea there’s a reason athletes don’t wear they shit you like from 30 years ago is because IT HAS EVOLVED. Sorry you don’t like tight-fitting football jerseys but the men who play they game PROBABLY FUCKING DO. Congrats on your “success” with the page, but just like New York being a “good place to live,” it’s all fucking relative and nobody out of your circle gives two shits. And stop writing about your cats who obviously have ex-girlfriend names. NOM NOM NOM.

    Wow, what a Big Douche. You say all that YET you come to this site. Good job. You remind me of the trolls who call sports talk radio affiliates of the team you hate the most. What purpose does that serve? I’m sure you have a CVS around the corner. Go buy yourself some Midol.

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