As you can see above, BFBS has arrived in the coaches’ ranks, as Giants coach Tom Coughlin and Packers coach Mike McCarthy were both wearing black jackets last night. There was lots of other black-clad personnel on both sidelines (including the disable Clay Matthews). Okay, we get it — it’s Xmas shopping season, so you trot out the new gear to showcase. But black for Big Blue? Black for the Pack? Disappointing.
In other developments:
• The Chargers wore their powder blues.
• The Saints wore solid black.
• So did the Jaguars.
• Speaking of the Jags, Cecil Shorts was wearing RNOB. Turns out this isn’t new, but it isn’t something he’s been doing all season either, as you can see in this shot from Oct. 7 and this one from Oct. 21. After doing a bit of photo research, I think he added the Roman numeral on Nov. 4. Interesting that he was permitted to change it in the middle of the season.
• Even by defensive back standards, Donte Whitner had a lot of stuff hanging off of him.
• Jay Cutler had his hand-warmer ripped off and his undershirt stretched out by a Vikings defender.
• Coaches often have their names on their headsets (Jim Mora is the first coach I remember doing this, back when he coached the Saints). But Bills coach Chan Gailey just wears his team’s name on his headset, or at least that’s what he had yesterday.
• It’s one thing for a network to use a head shot from last season, showing a player in a Reebok jersey. But how could CBS have shown Chris Johnson wearing a four-year-old 10th-annivsary patch?!
• And here’s a Thanksgiving leftover: Rob Ryan’s play card had a turkey on it.
Turning to Friday and Saturday’s college action, you should start with Phil and Terry’s coverage from yesterday. After you’re done with that, here are two additional items:
• Ohio State’s rivalry jerseys had some uni-numerical inconsistencies. The numeral 1 had serifs on the bottom when appearing on the back of the jersey but not on the front. Same deal for the numeral 2, which had a serif at lower-right on the back of the jersey but not on the front. Very odd.
• Cincinnati players were wearing two distinct jersey styles in Friday’s game. Look at the collars on these two players, for example.
(My thanks to all contributors, including Andy Bartsch, Preston Feiler, Marc Mandin, Paul Pass, Matt Shepardson, and Gregg Wiebusch.)
Click to enlarge
’Tis the season: The first weekend after Thanksgiving is when I always bring out the plastic mistletoe and hang it in a kissing-friendly spot. I bought this faux ’toe while shopping at Woolworth’s on my lunch hour way back in 1993 (for those of you who used to read my old zine, Beer Frame, this is the selfsame item reviewed in issue No. 2, pp. 13-14!), which means this is now its 20th Xmas season. Pretty good value for something I got for only $2.99. Let the Yuletide necking commence!
PermaRec update: Big day for Permanent Record. First, a long-dead pigeon carrying an encrypted note (you can see its remains at right) is the basis of the latest entry on the Permanent Record Blog.
More importantly, the long-delayed 10th full-length PermaRec feature, which is about an orphan who went on to become the matriarch of a New York political dynasty, is now up on Slate. Enjoy.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Calgary Stampeders have been worried about spies videotaping their practices, so they recently had their players wear jumpers with cover-up uni numbers or no numbers at all. Further details here (from Rocky Lum). ”¦ Here’s the uni guidelines poster that hangs in all CFL locker rooms (from Ryan Houdayer). ”¦ Here are those Batman-themed “Gotham City Crusaders” uniforms that the Tulsa Oilers wore last Friday (from Shane Botello). … Not often that you see a 1999 MLB TATC jersey up for auction (from Bruce Menard). … Keenan Bailey needed a centerpiece for his family’s Christmas village display, so he created Bailey Field, which has element’s of each family member’s alma mater. “Let’s go left to right,” he says. “We have the Clemson hill with Howard’s rock for my sister; FSU end zone for Mom; Army Black Knight and sandbagged flag for my West Point brother; Notre Dame end zone for Dad; and finally the Mizzou rock M from Faurot Field for me. It was all built with felt, Styrofoam, and household items.” … Ooh, look at the fantastic old Columbus Jets logo at the center of this scorecard cover. ” And yes, that’s Roberto Clemente’s autograph at upper-left,” says Jeff Erhard. “The Jets were the AAA farm team of the Pirates, and the big league team would come to Columbus once a year to play. I got to see them in 1969, and we waited around after the game for the Pirates to get on their bus and handed the scorecards up to the players through the windows. I also got Matty Alou’s autograph on the back.” … What’s that on the Grand Rapids Griffins’ center-ice logo? “That would be Comcast’s xfinity logo integrated into the team’s logo,” says Casey Siereveld. “I don’t believe I have ever seen that before. You’d think it’s enough to have the sponsor’s logo featured two times between the blue lines, but evidently they think it is necessary to invade what should be the team’s unique brand. Shameful.” … If you like football games played in the mud, you have to check out the three photos in the middle of this slideshow, from a 1972 Louisiana high school game. The accompanying article, about championship game that was replayed in its entirety after ending in a 0-0 tie, is highly, highly recommended — look here. ”¦ Aaron Rodgers, like most NFL QBs, wears real sleeves with loose-fitting cuffs. But NBC’s promo ad for last night’s Jints/Pack game showed him wearing tight, elasticized sleeves. Hmmmm (good spot by Wesley Muniz). ”¦ Northwestern hoops player Aaron Liberman wears a yarmulke — or at least he does on the bench. He’s a freshman and hasn’t yet appeared in a game this season, Northwestern’s media relations folks tell me he plans to wear the yarmulke on the court. Does anyone know of other college basketball players who’ve done this? (Screen shot by Tyler Kulasza.) ”¦ Hey, look, football players can blouse their pants too, at least in practice. That’s Dartmouth receiver Kirby Schoenthaler. “Not bad for a gridder,” says Tris Wykes. ”¦ “My mother, Heidi Werling, has recently gotten into quilting, and asked me if there was any quilt I would like her to make for me,” says Hiatt Werling. “I asked her to make me something I think we’ll all recognize.” Very, very cool.
Ouch: My wrist is healing nicely, but I have a new problem: My shoulder (which wasn’t damaged at all in the accident) really hurts. Like, a lot. Pretty sure it’s a pinched nerve, probably from the funny way I’ve been holding my damaged arm. Gonna try to see my doctor today (or as soon as he’ll see me), but if anyone has experience with pinched nerves, I’m all ears.
…now its 20th Xmas season. Pretty good value for something I got for only $2.99. Let the Yuletide necking commence!
That’s 15 cents per holiday season, not bad. But how much per kiss you’ve gotten out of it?
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind when I see those Stampeders cover-up numbers is the Steeler throwbacks.
Packers coach: Mike McCarthy
Right. Now fixed.
Is Wooloworth’s the Brooklyn equivalent to Woolworth’s? ;-)
My wife has had pinched nerves a few times. Muscle relaxants were most effective for her, but they tend to make one pretty drowsy.
Typo now fixed. Thanks.
I’ve had my arm in a sling (figuratively and physically), and developed pain in the shoulder. It was diagnosed as tendonitis of the rotator cuff due to the overuse and constant engagement of the shoulder muscles, even though my arm was in a sling. I was given Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) and the problem went away. Talk to your Ortho first though. I’m not a doctor…and I didn’t sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night!
That CFL locker room poster would have been really cool if it had also been written in French.
They probably have it in both languages in Ontario (Hamilton and Toronto) and Quebec (Montreal), but the further west you head in Canada, the less likely you’ll find anything in French that isn’t covered by the language laws in Canada.
Because the sign is from British Columbia, you probably won’t find any French anywhere in their stadium.
They are in Manitoba for the Metis people.
Some signs in Manitoba fall under federal law because Manitoba has the largest French-speaking population outside of Quebec within its provincial boundaries, including the Metis people.
The CFL signs in the Bombers’ dressing room? I doubt it’s in French.
I don’t think it appears in French in Hamilton or T.O. The Golden Horseshoe area is still very deeply rooted in their British heritage. Blue Jay fans used to boo lustily whenever the anthem singer would switch to French while singing “O Canada.”
The only other place you might see a bilingual sign is if the CFL expands to Ottawa again.
The lone CFL game I went to was many moons ago at the SkyDome (it was still called that back then) to see the Argos and Bombers. I remember during an injury timeout, the fans cheered the player as he walked off the field. But before he made it to the sideline, the Jumbotron switched to two fans with a Quebec flag (and I think at least one of them had a Nords jersey), and the clapping instantaneously turned to booing.
Farther west. Farther and further aren’t interchangeable. Farther means distance. Further means in more depth.
Believe me, it’s quite deep in terms of the language battle out west. LOL
Yes, I realized after hitting “Submit” that I had screwed up after changing the phrasing. Good catch, KT. I tried to hide it by not pointing it out. :o)
Cornell played Michigan hockey at MSG on Saturday for the Frozen Apple. (I was there because my dad, who’s an alum, got tickets.) Michigan wore their yellows while Cornell wore their whites. However, after the first period ended, Cornell switched to GI Joe jerseys for the second period. After that period, Cornell went back to white. I don’t have good photos because all I brought with me was my IPhone. If anyone wants to google it and link me some images (I was seated pretty far up, almost Ricola high) I’d appreciate it.
Picture of the G.I. Joe jerseys on this page.
link
Thanks.
Hey Tulsa….Nice abs.
Has everyone forgotten “The Jewish Jordan” already?
link
I am thinking of writing a guest article about “phantom” merchandise that you can still buy – think a Indianapolis Arrows T-Shirt on ebay, a St. Louis Stallions cap on Amazon or the Cleveland Browns “CB” logo that was never used which appears on a meat tray on ebay. So far on ebay I’ve found Houston 1836 T-Shirt, Baltimore Blast decal reproduction, black New Orleans Saints helmet decal, NHL 1995 All-Star game pennant, 2013 Winter Classic puck, Jacksonville Jaguars merchandise with the unused logo and a Quebec Nordiques unused logo T-shirt reproduction. What else is out there?
Is it “phantom” merchandise if the games were actually supposed to be played?
Both the 1995 NHL All-Star Game and the 2013 Winter Classic were still on despite the NHL’s labor woes. If the labor dispute was settled in time, the merchandise wouldn’t have been “phantom” at all. It would have happened.
The Nordiques stuff with the new logo was also supposed to happen, but the team was sold to investors from Denver before they hit the ice in 1996. Had they remained in Quebec City, they would have played in that new logo.
The second would be more “phantom” than the first examples because that Nordiques logo was never supposed to leak after the team had been sold.
It’s all phantom merch. “was supposed to have happened” is just a fancy way of saying “didn’t happen.”
I have a quite common piece of phantom merchandise: A 1994 World Series game ball. Lot of those floating around; MLB unloaded them on sponsor and broadcast partners in November ’94.
My holy grail of phantom merch is the prototype 2005 Nationals cap with the gold beveled block W. It’s been photographed in the wild, so it exists, but possibly only the one:
link
I have a mini helmet with the original Super Bowl XXXVI logo on it that was to be used before they switched to the “America” version after 9/11 happened. I’m not sure how rare that is, but it’s one of the stranger things in my collection.
I forgot to mention Super Bowl XXXVI. There are several items on ebay with the pre-9/11 version including pins, caps and Coke bottles.
Regarding the black jackets the coaches were wearing: If we all had our way and the coaches were still wearing suits on the sideline (and overcoats on the more frigid days), wouldn’t they likely be wearing black anyway, maybe with some individuals in brown, charcoal or navy blue? I think the coaches look classier in neutral colors. Sure, there’s probably a better option than black for certain teams, but I’d rather see Tom Coughlin in black than in a royal blue or red jacket any day.
I agree, I’d like to see the ties and jackets again. I was watching the Grey Cup last night, and the coaches looked less formal than even the players. I miss the old days when coaches looked like they were going into the office, like they actually are.
Whether suits in the old days of team apparel since then, coaches have always worn all different colors. To call these black winter jackets BFBS is stretching it a little, I think.
I agree. The black jackets make the coaches look closer to adult men than sports apparel models.
The worst coaches’ jacket ever? link
I pinched a nerve in my arm and I spent the next week massaging it out and taking pain relievers.
As to pinched nerves, acupuncture has worked very well for me with shoulder and back pain…and it seems to work for everything else as well. Find a community clinic!
link
Also, as per usual, last Friday was the annual duck(pin) hunt with dad and brother at the Erie Maennerchor Club. Success. I’ll send some photos… Think I might get us team shirts made for next year…
link
With such a great looking animal and gorgeous colors why can’t the Cin.Bengals look any better. maybe orange and black with a hint of white and none of the mess at the upside.
Wear the current helmet with the original uniform. Overloading the shirt and pants with tiger stripes has always struck me as a tacky, new-school approach, whereas painting the helmet to look like an animal is one of the original forms of helmet decoration (Rams, Eagles). It goes way back.
Ohio State’s rivalry jerseys had some uni-numerical inconsistencies
I recall the lack of serifs on the “2” on the Raiders Sand-Knit jerseys, where the serifs were present on the front and back. Perhaps it was a size issue, with the serif absent on the smaller front numbers.
I think the Buckeyes should have used numerals with characteristics closer to the oversized Champion numbers they used to wear, namely the angled midsection of the 2 and the curved stem of the 7.
That would be good. It would be even better if Notre Dame did that, as they had a 50-year relationship with Champion.
Doesn’t the player in the CFL uniform poster resemble Doug Flutie?
No, the player on the poster is way too tall. LOL
That xfinity on the Grand Rapids Griffins’ center-ice logo is barely noticeable. link was much more egregious.
In addition to the logo, I always thought it was unfortunate that the BCS declines to personalize team end zones beyond putting them in team colors. It would be nice if they would go through the effort to make the end zones look like the ones on the home field.
Don’t they use school-specific wordmarks?
yes.
link
link
link
I think one bowl recently did that with Tennessee’s checkerboard end zone pattern. Personally, I think there should be some symmetry to the whole field, and not merely replicating the home end zones, if it’s going to be a pattern like that in one end zone and totally different in the other.
Of course I hated the Seahawks Super Bowl XL & Cardinals Super Bowl XLIII end zone, with the double decker names, too.
But I think we can all agree that there should be no “ESPN” or “FOX” in the BCS end zone logo.
Got a kick out of the Columbus Jets scorecard cover, particularly the restaurant ad touting a “refined atmosphere.” No dress code is mentioned but I imagine the required uni for men was a coat and tie.
Phantom teams Miami Manatees cfl and tampa bay giants
Not much better in the NFL than the Chargers’ powders. Actually the whole SD uni has been one of my favorites since the Seau navy blue days.
link shows them with yellow pants before I ever started paying attention to things like this, wonder if they ever pondered a yellow jersey? That could be a good look… maybe.
link
Here’s some more… with yellow helmets!
link
oops, the mono-yellow to the bottom right was supposed to have white helmets:
link
Why is it that we call Robert Griffin by “Robert Griffin the Third?” Why is not simply Robert Griffin. We don’t have to differentiate him from any other Robert Griffins in the NFL.
Not only is it unnecessary, but in the context of using one’s last name, the numeral is incorrect. The man’s surname name is not Griffin The Third. It’s Griffin. (Quick test: If he marries his fiance, and they have a daughter, what will be the girl’s last name? The answer to that question is what goes on the back of his jersey.) The III is only correct when his first name is present.
Maybe he’ll name his son Robert Griffin III Jr. instead of Robert Griffin IV.
So by that logic, the son’s son could be Robert Griffin III III?
Or Robert Griffin III Jr. Jr. It depends if RGIIIJr is a quarterback or not.
If he’s a wide receiver, all bets are off.
I believe Griffin specifically asked to have “III” on his jersey both in college and in the NFL in homage to his grandfather and father.
As I recall (read it in an article somewhere), he was/is very close with them and this is his way of paying tribute.
Frankly, in this day of increasingly fractured families and the disappearance/dismissal of a lot of tradition, I find Griffin’s approach to family and life comforting.
Agreed that he seems like an upstanding fellow, and probably closer to exemplary in his private life than we’re used to seeing from athletes anymore.
But Griffin III is still incorrect. The English language is the English language, no matter how much we might wish to use incorrect English to “pay tribute” to our grandfathers. If he has a daughter, her last name will not be Griffin The Third. It will be Griffin. That’s what belongs on the back of his jersey.
The III, as a “pay tribute” addition, is no different from another NFL player sewing a portrait of his mother onto his jersey, which would clearly not be permitted under NFL uniform rules. If rules have a “but he’s a nice guy” exception, then they’re not rules.
Have we ever figured out how Polamalu gets away with the cross on his jersey? Is that all down to the hair?
russell martin disagrees with you, robert scott
He’s not the third Griffin…but the third Robert.
You’re wrong about there not being another Robert Griffin in the NFL…
link
This kid went to my high school and then played for Baylor at the same time as RGIII as one of his offensive linemen.
Mea Culpa. Still no need for the one who plays for a different franchise to need Griffin III on his nameplate. They won’t be confused for each other.
That doesn’t matter either. When Kyle Brady joined the Patriots, they didn’t make Tom Brady change his nob to T. Brady, and they were on the same team.
But this is only an issue if both Roberts Griffin play for the same team. They don’t, so it’s moot.
But if the Redskins did end up signing Robert Griffin, the tight end, then the way to tell the two Roberts Griffin apart would not be to put a III behind one’s surname. It would be to give each one a jersey number different from the other.
That being, you know, the whole point of giving players individual numbers on their shirts.
Pinched nerve – had one in April/May between my shoulder blades after I started working at a new sit-down job. Treated with steroids and an if-needed muscle relaxant, and it’s gone away. May yours do the same.
Chargers – also nice to see the 60s CHARGERS wordmark in the end zones.
There was a ticker mention a couple days ago about the Silver Linings Playbook movie and how the Eagles logos were removed from the jerseys. The question was raised as to why the NFL wouldn’t allow the logos here when they pimp the merch out to everyone, everywhere, whenever they can.
Well, there may be an answer in Peter King’s SI.com column today:
link
Seems like the NFL still wants to pretend that gambling has nothing to do with its success…
I need a little help from the Uni-watch lovers…MY 14 y/o son loves stirrups. He wants to wear them this year when he plays his 1st year of baseball. He wants to get a stripped pair for x-mas. His school colors are red and yellow. Does anyone know where I can find a pair? Thanks for your help.
Our esteemed link has been leading the revolution.
link is the official MLB sock manufacturer.
and then there’s always link
Somehow, you got today’s Uni Watch URL mixed in with the Twin City Knitting link. Good thing is, the full original URL is in there, so we can extract that and link.
Well, that’s odd. Thanks.
no need to hit TCK…just contact comrade marshall directly, im sure he’s got a pair or three of red &
yellowgold rups for your boyhe doesn’t so I have to figure out what i’m gonna do… Actually it is scarlet and gold for the school colors..
Oregon State basketball team wore their Nike N7 uniforms last night against Montana State.
link
Jacksonville and New Orleans……beautiful yesterday
I don’t understand what happened to Jacksonville’s uniforms… their original helmet/jersey/pants combo when they first came into the league was one of the best. Now they have some of the worst uniforms in football.
As a photog for our local NBC affiliate, I’ve developed pinched nerves in both of my shoulders which, I’ve heard, is a common problem among sports shooters. My pain is mostly focused in the front of both shoulders, I don’t know if it’s the same for you.
I’ve done physical therapy for both of them and, personally, I find the stretching exercises I do to be the most beneficial. I don’t know if you can do it with your bad hand, but the stretch I get the most relief with is this:
Hold a towel in the hand of the good shoulder and raise that hand above your head while hanging the towel down behind your back. With the hand of the bad shoulder, grasp the bottom of the towel behind your back. Then gently pull up until you feel the stretch in the front of your shoulder/where the pinched nerve is, and hold this stretch for 30 seconds. Then, if possible, switch and do the same stretch with the other shoulder. Repeat 2-3 times/shoulder, 2-3 times/day.
It really seems to help loosen things up and, while it may hurt a bit while doing it, it feels much better afterward.
Another stretch is to stand facing a corner, place your hands on the walls at shoulder height and gently lean in until you feel the stretch in your shoulder/across your chest. Repeat 2-3 times, 30 sec./stretch.
Best advice: Go see your doctor and get your own physical therapy routine going.
Hope that helps.
Pinched nerves suck. I’ve had waaaay too many in my life, and it’s always the same routine to get rid of the pain: Naproxen (Aleve) and hot showers followed by an ice pack.
If it’s bad enough, you may have to go with a prescription anti-inflammatory (which isn’t much different than Aleve) and/or a muscle relaxer…which can take a few days to really work (but you’ll sleep a lot).
Anyway, best of luck Paul. I still think you can be an ass, but I still love you!
link
New ECHL all star jerseys
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Didn’t see it mentioned but the jacket Mike McCarthy is wearing is reversible with the other side being green. link
new logo for the Ripken owned Aberdeen Iron Birds. link
Interestingly enough, regarding Rob Ryan’s playcard, when the Eagles and Cowboys played in Philly a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Ryan’s playcard had an advertisement for Pat’s Steaks! Are they advertising to the coaches? Or for HD TV?
Interesting little thing I noticed during the Cleveland Browns game on Sunday. Their visors, had the fighting elf logo on them, where the brand logo usually is. First time I have seen this done. It is sort of difficult to see in many pictures, but if you look close enough you can tell. Here is the best picture I could find. link
RE: Yarmulke
RE: Yarmulke
Tamir Goodman (The Jewish Jordan) wore a yarmulke when playing at Towson.