Sunday Morning Uni Watch

By Phil Hecken

Before we get into yesterday’s college action, I want to draw your attention to a fantastic lede written for yesterday’s UW by Tim Brulia on the Pittsburgh Steelers throwback uniforms, which will be worn today against the Washington football club. If you didn’t read that yesterday, do yourself a favor and give it a read — it’s terrific.

Now then…to yesterday’s gridiron action. As you can see from the splash, Boston College broke out their “military appreciation” uniforms. I’m not going to get into any type of discussion about why they wore them or what they stood for or what charity or group benefits from them — whatever your position on the Wounded Warrior Project (and I do support it, before anyone takes umbrage) — I want to briefly discuss the travesty of a uniform that was put on the field. Ugh.

First of all, I don’t think it’s proper etiquette to “wear” the flag on your uniform, and I think it’s even more distasteful to approximate a flag that might, if it were actually flying on a pole, be in such a distressed condition that it might have to be retired.

Secondly, the stars on one shoulder, stripes on the other with the schizophrenic helmet stripes — that just looks bad. Not quite as bad as this other flag desecration uniform, but pretty close. Shockingly, the team wearing that getup was BC’s opponent yesterday, Maryland.

But I could live with the gimmickry (even the ridiculous helmet), if that were where the clownish look ended. But no. UnderArmour decided the uniform wasn’t quite complete. That’s right, the continued the flag motif down the back of the pants, right down to the socks and shoes! They even had specific right and left socks.

But the ass stripes really annoy me. And this is not an isolated incident — UA puts this pattern (see it on UMd?) on several of its teams, including Hawai’i (who are also slated to receive flag desecration uniforms later this year (Nov. 24th to be precise). Ugh.

Anyway, there was plenty of other action on in the College ranks yesterday, so I now turn this over to Terry Duroncelet who will bring you his…

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Sunday Morning Uni Watch
By Terry Duroncelet

Not that this is uni-related or anything, but I looked at my local weather earlier this week, and was immediately put in a good mood looking at the drop from Friday to Saturday. Now that’s what I call college football weather. Hope everyone’s doing well on this last Saturday in October 2012, especially those on the eastern seaboard. I understand that hurricanes can be very bothersome, and I do hope that everyone’s safe and prepared. Allow me to (at least temporarily) take your mind off of Sandy with this week’s college football findings.

• On Friday, Louisville not only wore white at home, but they also changed up their helmets by going with logos that were strictly red and white, and a single red stripe. Was this for a special occasion? Maybe it has something to do with the Keg of Nails (which they took home for the first time in five years)? Also, Cincinnati wore black-over-red. Not bad. An okay-looking game considering it’s between two teams who wear the Adidas Laffy-TechFit suit.

• On Saturday, Tennessee did their best Derek Dooley impression by wearing their orange pants against South Carolina. There were plenty of Gamecocks with pink accessories on in that same game.

• Boise State wore white/white/orange against Wyoming. Don’t think I’ve seen them in that combination before.

• Not my favorite look from Arizona.

• North Carolina wore these helmets against NC State. Here’s the Facebook album if you’re interested. I love these. I really do. I kinda wish that they would’ve worn the Carolina Blue pants instead of going mono-navy, but this isn’t a horrible look by any means. In that same game, NC State wore white-over-red, which I don’t remember them wearing in recent years.

• Speaking of new lids, Colorado State wore these pretty sweet helmets as part of an orange-out against Hawai’i. Credit to Jeremy Mauss for the first link.

• Vanderbilt wore white helmets and pants with the black jerseys for I believe the first time this season against UMass.

• Boston College wore this. Yikes. Well, I have to say that the gold warms up the look a bit, and considering UA’s previous WWP uniforms, I suppose it could be worse. That is, until I saw the back of the pants. No. Just no. Also, please note that just because I say that the WWP uniforms look like garbage, DOES NOT mean that I hate WWP in any way, shape, or form. I swore myself off of McDonald’s as of March 1st, 2012 (and I plan on keeping it that way), and I would much faster eat nothing but McD’s for an entire month before I slander the Wounded Warrior Project or any organization like WWP. I don’t care if this uniform costume simultaneously cured cancer, put an end to world hunger, and created a black hole that sucked up only the stupid people of the world *coughbudseligcough* (which would be great if it did all of those things, although I doubt that uni-technology is advanced enough to do any of those things… yet), if it looks like crap, I (or Phil, or Paul, or whoever) is going to say it looks like crap. But please do not take my hatred for the uniform as hatred for the program.

• Last, but not least, in Kent State’s upset over (then #15) Rutgers featured a bit of jersey gore. From Rob Ullman, who forwarded this to Phil (and then to me): “In Kent State’s big win over Rutgers yesterday, the Flashes’ star Dri Archer tore his jersey all to hell during the first quarter. He finished the game wearing a NNOB #26 jersey instead of his regular #1! Wow…My alma mater on TV, winning vs. a ranked opponent (for the first time ever) and uni hijinks to boot? PINCH ME!” Sorry Rob, those crabs from a few weeks back are all boiled and in my freezer.

And that’s it, really. This was definitely one of those slow days from a uni-standpoint in the our-throwback-is-better-than-yours blackout whiteout greyout stripeout beerout unique atmosphere that is college football in the 21st century, but I hope you enjoyed this week’s installment, and I’ll see you next week. And to those near Sandy’s path, stay safe.

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Thanks, TJ! Once again, I hope my intro didn’t stomp on Terry’s (very similar) critique of the BC flag costumes. But it’s nice to know he’s in agreement with me on this one — and I think most of you also are. And thanks for the kind words about Sandy, TJ — I’m most definitely in the path (as is Paul and hundreds if not thousands of UW readers). I’ll have a bit more on that in the kicker.

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Colorize This!

Occasionally, I will be featuring wonderful, high-quality black and white photographs that are just begging to be colorized.

After a couple of weeks off, we’re back today with quite the full set — and the usual suspects — John Turney, George Chilvers (who sent one that truly has to be seen at full size to be believed) and Gary Chanko are all represented below.

Let’s see what’s in store:

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Up first is John, with a couple:

Phil,

Bank McFadden, Clemson

Usual coloration with a bright filter to bring out orange and purple.

John

. . .

Phil,

1929 Yellow Jackets

With a colorization and a Technicolor filter.

John

. . .

Phil,

Same colorization, but this time with a old kodachrome filter with reduced grain.

John

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Next up is George, who also has a pair:

Hi Phil

I’ve been (and still am) a bit busy, so little from me recently, but I thought I’d share this one with you.

It’s an RAF team from Sullam Voe in the Shetlands (the uppermost tip of Scotland) who in 1944 won the Shetland Cup against the Gordon Highlanders.

Nothing really much to add :)

George

. . .

Phil

Sometimes people ask how long does it take to colourise a picture.

Some can be done in a couple of hours in one sitting. The majority take a few hours over a few days.

Some can take a lot of time over weeks. This is one of those :) It is the most complex picture I’ve ever tried, and could in fact carry on for a few more weeks yet, perfecting it. But I have to get my life back somehow, so I’ll send this for peer review now! I am sure someone will find some bits that need more work. If so, my apologies, but what you get is what you see.

It’s a football game at Georgetown University from 1911. I think it’s a lovely picture – all those different automobiles, interspersed with a few horse-drawn carriages. A large number of ladies are present, some balancing precariously on cars or on the stands. There are people trying to peek in over the fence at the back – but surely they couldn’t see much. There are police in abundance, including a couple in front of the far covered stand who seem to be pretending they are on the scrimmage line. The red team coach has his loudhailer ready to shout instructions. Wearing fur is still socially acceptable. Etc, etc, etc……

Best wishes
George

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Next is Gary, who acted upon my “This would be a good colorization candidate” wish from a last week:

Phil,

re Random Old Awesome Photo…

Yes, it does make a great colorization and an interesting research project to discover more amount the unusual “B” on the batting helmet.

Here’s another image featuring the same batting helmet from the Orioles 1955 season. But I was unable to find other examples of this design, including images of players wearing a regular “B” cap (although you can purchase a replica of the cap). Maybe the “B” logo was only employed on batting helmets?

More research needed to unravel this obscure bit of Orioles history …

Gary

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And finally, another possible good colorization candidate, from Jerry Kulig (unfortunately the resolution is not terribly high):

P

Just stumbled onto this one –

St. George HS, Evanston, ILL.
1944 team photo, suitable for coloration (school colors: blue & white).

–Jerry Kulig

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Once again, a tremendous effort from everyone. Great job all around.

Back with more Colorize This! soon.

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“Benchies” first appeared at U-W in 2008, and has been a Saturday & Sunday feature here for the past two years.

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At times like this, we really need to keep our emotions in check…

Click to enlarge

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Alex Rocklein’s Playoff Uni Tracker:

Uni Watch readers will recall that last season, Alex Rocklein tracked the major league playoffs by uniform worn. He’s back again this year and the graphic below is the 2012 edition.

For SF Giants fans, and national league fans (like Paul & myself) in general, it’s been a nice series — with the Giants building 3-0 series lead and heading for a possible sweep tonight. Detroit got another great pitching performance, giving up a mere two runs for the second straight game. Unfortunately, the San Franciscan’s were even better, giving up ZERO runs for the second straight game. At least everyone can agree on one thing — it’s been a great looking World Series.

Here’s the chart: (click image to enlarge):

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2012 Duck Tracker…

The eighth game of the Ducks 2012 season featured them at home, taking hapless Colorado behind the woodshed (final score 70-14, and it wasn’t that close). Of course, for an opponent who wears black pants on the road, Oregon decided to go gray/black/black, making the game interesting (though boring) visually — silver helmets vs gold helmets, white tops vs. black, and both teams sporting black trou. Normally I love the Duckies in anything gray, and I don’t mind the full-ninja look, but somehow this one just didn’t quite do it for me. Tim may disagree.

Our 2012 Duck Tracker is Tim E. O’Brien, and here he is to tell you about it:

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Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about Ducks! Finally Oregon puts together a complete and beautiful look. This game looked great… or at least that’s I assume since I – along with most everybody else – couldn’t watch the game on TV. The photos and highlights looked great though. I love the black with gray notes and I think this may be my favorite jersey/feather pattern color combo of the bunch.

As always, feel free to visit the full Duck Tracker site for more Duck-tastic info (Duck Uni Rumor: Next week the Ducks might break out these and wear all white… we’ll see…) and, as always, feel free to visit any of the other Uni-Tracker sites.

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Thanks Tim.

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Catherine Ryan’s 5 & 1

The five and one has been a staple of Uni Watch for three years, usually ably administered by Jim Vilk. But he got old and tired, so we needed someone young and fresh. And we’ve found that someone in this year’s new 5 & 1 decider…Catherine Ryan.

Some interesting games for sure yesterday, and one I would bet dollars to donuts will (and better) end up as the “and 1”. As far as the good games, I don’t seem to share Catherine’s tastes, but that cool. I know what I’d pick, but like Mr. Vilk’s selections, they probably won’t match up — and that’s fine, because it’s all opinion anyway. So…let’s see what’s on tap for a special pre-Hallowe’en edition of the 5 & 1 (and in case you’re wondering what the 5 & 1 splash photo is…well, check it out).:

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Happy Sunday, Uni Watchers! I hope everyone had a lovely Saturday! Let’s get to the countdown!

5. Delaware State vs. Morgan State: A little bit of an unorthodox pick but I thought this game had a couple of very interesting uniforms. I’m still on the fence about a couple of the elements but overall, as a whole, I think it looked great!

4. NC State vs. North Carolina: North Carolina broke out the chrome helmet but I’m actually a fan of the tarheel logo. Overall, a really good-looking game AND one of the best finishes of the day!

3. Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma: Can’t leave this match-up out. Classic.

2. Missouri vs. Kentucky: Missouri broke out the MU Gold tops while Kentucky went with the blue-white-blue combo. Great game!

1. SMU vs. Memphis: This game was GORGEOUS. I admit I’m a sucker for red and blue but it’s hard to argue with this game. (I hope!)

And the bad one…

+1 Boston College vs. Maryland: Halloween came early. Yikes.

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Thanks Catherine! OK, I’m definitely in agreement with you on at least one of those top 5. But you absolutely NAILED the bad one, so that’s good enough for me. Readers? How about you?

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And Finally…

…that will pretty much end this post.

As some of you may know, I work for an elected official who is up for re-election, so the past few months have been, well, a lot of work. So, I’d first like to thank all the great readers and contributors to the weekends who have made it possible to bring you (I hope) quality stuff each time out. With next weekend the last one before the election, Paul’s giving me the weekend off (not that I won’t be working), but I will be enjoying the Uni Watch Gathering — that’s this coming Saturday at Sheep Station in Brooklyn — I know we have a few special guests from out of town already confirmed — plus Paul will be there, as will Catherine Ryan from the 5 & 1 section. That is, of course, assuming Sheep Station is still standing after Hurricane Sandy.

And on that note I shall close. As even fewer of you may know, I’ve been a weather buff for years, and in fact, before my gig here on UW, I was a moderator and admin on two separate weather boards (hurricane boards), and I was on during both 2004 (when Florida got creamed) and 2005, when we not only had Katrina, but Rita and Wilma as well. So when I see the forecasts for what the eastern seaboard faces for Hurricane Sandy, I’m not looking at them as some kind of novice. Although I’ve never really been through a hurricane (I was away at college for Hurricane Gloria in 1985), but I do remember a few close calls we had in the 1970s. Last year’s Hurricane Irene was (thankfully) a dud, and it was still fairly bad. If what the models are predicting are correct, Long Island and the Jersey coast, plus New England, could be in for one hell of a ride in the next 48 hours. Some of the models are predicting tropical storm force winds sustained for more than 24 hours, with up to 20″ of rain. I live inland (about 10 miles from the coast) so I needn’t worry about storm surge, but it’s expected to be very bad for many areas. Depending on the timing, (and it’s a full moon on Monday — so high tides will already be above normal) and the angle and forward speed — many areas are looking at tremendous flooding; they’ll probably close down the NYC subways, and most of the bridges. Power outages are expected to be 50% or more for millions of people. It’s not going to be fun.

So, to all the Uni Watchers and their families and friends who live in the path of this storm, I’ll close with what I used to say every time a storm approached — prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. Stay safe everyone. And buckle up.

I’ll catch you in two weeks.

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“For what it’s worth, I caught a bit of the BC-Maryland game on ESPN Goal Line. I think it was the play-by-play announcer asking the color man what the prospects were for BC to win the first ACC game of the season. The color man’s response was ‘if they can out-ugly them, they have a chance.’ I don’t think they were referring to the style of play.”
–Skycat