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Uni Watch

Uni Watch on TV: My Night With KO

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Yes, that was me on Keith Olbermann’s show last night, talking about the proposed NBA nickNOBs and a few related issues. This all came together fairly quickly, and lots of you have been peppering me with questions about it, so let’s shift into FAQ mode:

How did this happen? Like, is someone on Olbermann’s staff a Uni Watch reader?

Olbermann himself is a Uni Watch fan. I don’t know if he reads the site on a daily basis, but he definitely reads it from time to time. We’ve had a few email back-and-forths, and he’s even submitted a few Ticker items over the years, for which I’ve duly credited him.

Anyway, one of his producers contacted me yesterday afternoon and asked if I could come on the show. I said sure.

So you had to run up to Bristol again? Weren’t you just there the day before?

Olbermann’s show is shot in Manhattan, not in Bristol. Very convenient for a Brooklyn-based guest.

Did they send a limo for you?

They probably would have sent a car if I had asked, but I preferred to take the subway to their studios so I could read on the way. I did ask for a car to take me home, which they happily provided.

Was your segment taped ahead of time or shot live?

Live.

Did they tell you what to wear? Why didn’t you wear a jersey?

Nobody told me what to wear. I thought about going with a jersey, but it seemed better to dress like, you know, a regular person.

Weren’t you nervous?

I was excited, but not nervous. I did a fair amount of TV in the late 1990s, when I had a weekly five-minute spot on CNN and made two appearances on Conan (this was all before Uni Watch even existed), and I’ve done a few other TV spots since then. Oddly enough, I appeared on ESPN’s Cold Pizza back in 2004, before I was writing for ESPN. Anyway, I’m not very good at talking directly to the camera — that’s a specific skill, and I really respect the people who have it — but I’m fine at having an on-camera conversation, which is what I was doing with Olbermann last night.

Did you know your name and photo were splashed on the wall behind you?

No. They weren’t actually there — they were just digitally inserted. The back wall of the studio itself was blank. I was surprised when friends sent me screen shots and I saw my name all gigantic-like. I was mainly just happy they spelled it correctly.

Did they give you make-up?

Yes.

Was there a big spread in the green room?

No — just a few picked-over cookies, which I think may actually have been left over from another show.

Did you talk to the other guests?

I would have liked that (one time when I was on Conan, one of the other guests was William Shatner, and we chatted a bit), but there was no time. Basically, I arrived, had a get-acquainted chat with my producer, was whisked off to make-up, and was brought to the set to get mic’d up.

Did you stay to watch the rest of the show after your segment?

I considered it, but it was late and I just wanted to get home, so I split after my spot.

Were you paid to be on the show?

No.

Was this just a one-time thing?

I hope not. When they broke for commercial after my segment, Olbermann and I shook hands and I said, “I hope we can do this again.” He said, “So do I.” So there you go. If we could set up a regular gig, I’d really like that.

Enough questions — can I see video of your segment?

Yes. First you should watch Olbermann’s opening monologue, which sets up my segment. They broke the monologue and my interview into two separate videos, which you can see here:

———

So that was my night. Big thanks to everyone who sent congratulatory emails, tweets, Facebookage, and so on — greatly appreciated.

Even before I did the Olbermann thing, yesterday had already turned into a day when I wouldn’t shut up a very media-intensive day for me. ESPN Digital Media had me talk about Virginia Tech’s new stone helmet (you can hear me by playing the video embedded at the top of the page). Then I was interviewed on a Memphis radio station, where we mostly talked about the NBA nickNOBs but also touched upon some other things.

I’m generally fine with doing these types of things, but they do tend to interrupt my work focus (I’m trying to finish my annual NHL season-preview column), and it can be a bit exhausting to repeatedly have to be “on.” I’m looking forward to a quieter day today.

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’Skins Watch: Advertising Age estimates that a new name for the ’Skins would cost $15 million. … Actor Jeffrey Wright defended the ’Skins name the other night (from Jason Mott). … No surprise that the right-wing political journal National Review agrees with Rick Reilly’s defense of the ’Skins name. The surprise is that it took them nearly a week to get around to it (thanks, Phil). … The ’Skins controversy came up again on Slate’s Hang Up and Listen podcast, at the 47:13 mark. “Stefan Fatsis was talking about it, and it’s primarily about the Tottenham Hotspur/Yids debate, but he draws a parallel between the flawed ‘not motivated by hate’ justification for anti-Semitic chants and appropriating another culture, and the whole ‘honoring’ defense made by teams appropriating Indian identities,” ays Yusuke Toyoda.

Baseball News: “I commissioned Rob Ullman to do a housewarming gift for my new lady when we got a place together earlier this year,” says Eric Braun. “This is the result.” Very nice! … Looks like the Mets might wear black jerseys for the last game of the season. … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Jason Heyward, who’s been wearing a facemask on his batting helmet after being beaned in the face earlier this year, wore the mask-equipped helmet during the Braves’ division title clubhouse celebration (from MartyB). … Here’s a great infographic that shows the correlation between MLB payrolls and on-field success (from Andy Garta). … David Feigenbaum notes that the Indians scrapped their usual uni protocol during their recent winning streak: “No cream unis last weekend and no Tuesday navy [last night]. They won’t switch as long as they keep winning.” … The Yankees have put a Mariano Rivera tribute on their bases (thanks, Phil).

NFL News: Someone at Forbes wrote a ridiculously long piece about the Under Armour logo on Cam Newton’s visor clips. It would have been admirably long if not for the fact that NFL players have had logos on their visor clips for something like a decade now. It’s one of those things that the league has decided not to worry about (thanks, Brinke). …

College Football News: Latest team to defile the flag: UNC (from Howard Fein). … Bucha stuff from Phil: Cal is going GFGS this weekend, Wyoming is wearing solid white, Ohio State will wear last year’s rivalry uni, and Notre Dame wants fans to wear green even though the team will not be wearing green (it’s at the bottom of that page). … A longtime college football writer says all schools will be wearing an MS patch this weekend. I haven’t heard anything else about this but am trying to find out more. … Here’s an amusing puff piece on Under Armour’s latest innovations (thanks, Phil). … Former LSU coach Paul Dietzel, who also designed the team’s uniforms (more or less the same back then as they are now), has passed away (from Richard Lewis). … This is really fascinating: Check out the numbered patch between the numerals of this uni number. Never seen anything like that before. Anyone know more? (Great find by Jeff Flynn Jr.).

Hockey News: An amputee who also happens to be a Predators fan has a Preds-themed prosthetic leg (from Paul Richard Cook). … Here are the Team Canada jerseys for the upcoming Olympics. … I’ve recently written several times on the subject of MLB teams wearing other teams’ memorial patches. Turns out this has also happened in the NHL, as Josh Williams explains: “In 2003, after Atlanta Thrasher Dan Snyder’s death, the Red Wings wore the patches that the Thrashers were wearing for him for one game in Detroit. Here’s the patch being worn by the Thrashers and by the Red Wings, and here’s an article about it.”

Soccer News: There’s a new book about soccer uniform typography. The author just sent me a PDF of the whole thing, but I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet. More soon (from Mark Emge).

Basketball News: The Bucks have unveiled their new floor design, which is loosely based on their old 1977 floor that was designed by Robert Indiana. ”¦ The Mavs have announced the 10 finalists for their fan-designed jerseys (from Sean Dietrick). … New college hoops uniforms for Seton Hall (Phil, of course).

Grab Bag: This Gatorade thing has gotten completely out of hand (thanks, Phil). … With the Miami Dolphins now 3-0, we’re seeing the predictable run of stories about how a logo change can lead to upturned on-field fortunes. Somehow these articles never mention the innumerable teams that have changed their logos and then not improved on the field (from Tom Mulgrew). … Bizarre butt striping for Nazareth Academy in Illinois (from Bill Hupp). … New logo for Animal Planet (thanks, Brinke). … My old curling skip Craig Brown’s mother-in-law used a 1950s knitting pattern to make him this gorgeous curling sweater. What a beauty! … One way to avoid apostrophe catastrophes: Become a post-apostrophe society. … “I doubt Kanye West is a huge favorite of Uni Watch readers, but in this interview he brings up an interesting desire to design basketball uniforms for his high school alma mater,” says Chris Giorgio.

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What Paul did last night: See above.

 
  
 
Comments (134)

    Paul or anyone who saw it, can you give us a summary of what the MLS rebrand link was about? My curiousity is peaked by the tease.

    So if Ohio State is going to wear the garbage “rivalry” costumes this weekend, does that mean that they plan to dress like actual Ohio State players for the Michigan game this year? That would be nice.

    I second that! Nice work. Your voice didn’t come across as excited or nervous. Would love to know how much of an increase in visits your website gets from this exposure.

    Thirded. You’re extremely poised in front of the camera. I know from experience that’s exhausting, so a recharge is much deserved.

    Agreed! But Paul neglected to answer the only question that matters: Is that the famous bespoke jacket? It keeps sharp lines even while Paul is sitting, so I assume it is.

    This is funny – I discovered that Olbermann had a new sports show last night when flipping thru channels. I caught the last half, but you must have been on early in the show, Paul. I follow Keith on Facebook, and don’t remember him promoting the show amid the political links.

    Great job, Paul. Pretty cool!

    Haven’t had a chance to watch the video yet but I’m sure it will be good. If I knew you were going to be on I would’ve watched it last night since I like KO and the show. Of course ESPN seems to throw KO’s start time around randomly based on whatever time the turtle races, badminton, or tiddlywinks that’s on before him ends.

    But I see they spelled your name right so that’s already one plus for the segment.

    I’d been meaning to watch a whole episode of Olbermann’s show and the night I did I was pleasantly surprised to see who I saw. You seemed like that’s just something you do. I hope and expect that translates into more TV opportunities and an expanded cat food budget.

    Well done, Paul.

    I must be a nerd or something, I was getting excited when the piece was on, telling my wife “hey, that’s the guy I sent a picture into one time and it made his website”.

    Naturally, my wife didn’t give a rat’s ass and went to sleep.

    Tripucka is in the “link” at I’m Still Calling It Mile High Stadium, but there is no memorial on the uniform.

    Much less red going on with the Bucks’ new floor. Perhaps a uni redesign is in the works? Maybe we could have a “Redesign the Bucks” contest on here so I can show off my awesome crayon skills.

    Fantastic spot last night, Paul. I stayed up well past my bedtime to catch it on TSN2 in Canada. And not to beat the drum too loudly, but I think Olbermann and his viewers would benefit from having you on more often.

    I concur…
    Especially as the Washington ‘something-skins naming drama moves to it’s obvious conclusion, the NCAA shilling the players vs. the supremes test, the rapidly changing uniforms in each sports season (see $$$), Mr Lukas is a made to order go-to-guy in the uni-department.

    Apparently Mr. Olbermann “gets it”.

    More please.

    I’m not sure about an MS patch but this weekend is the Coach For A Cure weekend. it is to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy research. I believe there are hundreds of schools that will be participating at all levels. That might be what he was talking about.

    … “I doubt Kanye West is a huge favorite of Uni Watch readers…” (Chris Giorgio)

    Hmmm… A premise worth exploring. My back is among the mossiest of the regulars around here, but I keep up with music, and like a whole lot of Kanye. Now this last album of his, not so much (though still tons better than that Holy Grail mediocrity of Jay-Z)… Look forward to Kanye’s uni designs!

    ‘Skins Watch Alert: Yesterday on Around the Horn, Bomani Jones won and used his 30 seconds of Facetime to call out the absurdity of the ‘Skins name. I’m sure there is a video somewhere, and at the end, Tony Reali made a joke about him being hunted down for his remarks.

    Terrific appearance last night, Paul!

    One small nit to pick on the description of National Review as a “right-wing” journal. Over the last few years, NR has taken a great deal of criticism from many conservative/tea party/libertarian types for being too moderate and establishment-based, e.g. CINOs (Conservatives In Name Only), and almost no one within conservative political circles would consider it “right-wing” in the sense that phrase usually connotates. (Just as I wouldn’t consider The New Republic to be a “left-wing” journal.) It would probably be more accurate, though perhaps generous, to call it a “conservative” publication.

    Exactly. Compare Barack Obama’s actual record in office 2009-2013 with Ronald Reagan’s record in office 1981-1985, and Obama is significantly to the right of the Gipper, across the board. Which illustrates how far to the right our entire political discourse has shifted in that time – due in large part to Reagan’s two terms. But all the same, NR is much further to Obama’s right today than it was to Reagan’s right 30 years ago, which fact alone should settle in the affirmative the question of whether NR is “conservative” or “right-wing.” It is decidedly, and proudly, both.

    That’s a ridiculous asertion. While Congress in the 80s was well to the left of Congress today, administration policy is slanted more and more toward centralization of power in large politically-connected institutions. De-regulation from the 80s has largely been eviscerated. link largely reflects unrealized policy aspirations, but it’s what was successfully sold to the electorate. Very few things in there I can see the current administration agreeing on: the national drinking age and increasing federal involvement in education would be about it.

    I was going to say, has the definition shifted so far that you have to be attending Tea Party rallies and writing angry posts on Townhall and burning Korans to be considered right wing?

    I don’t know, I was too young to follow politics in the 80s, but has the landscape changed so much that an outlet that employs Jonah Goldberg is considered “right of center”?

    To me, Politico is right of center, as in, catering to a mainstream audience but reports with a conservative bent. NRO is decidedly on the right half of the political spectrum.

    Well, Jonah Goldberg isn’t exactly “left of center” these days, but dum spiro spero that the center will shift.

    Americans on the Left and Right and those in the Center generally agree when it comes to the Washington Redskins’ name:

    link

    Two things:

    * Validity of the results notwithstanding, if nearly 30% of the people think something sucks enough to support a change of some sort, I’d hope you’d at least think about why so many people think it sucks. This isn’t a fringe opinion by any reasonable standard.

    * Majority thinks it’s okay to use a slur for a minority group. The joke writes itself!

    Those numbers are a great argument for changing the name. You can keep the status quo and offend 30% of the people, or you can change to a name that offends 0%.

    Seems like a pretty easy choice.

    “Majority thinks it’s okay to use a slur for a minority group.”
    Not exactly.
    Question #3: Do you think it’s offensive that there is an NFL team called the “Redskins”?
    It does not ask the responders if they believe “Redskins” is intended as a slur or is used as a slur in this context.
    A majority (of whites, blacks and Hispanics) think it’s OK for the ‘Washington NFL team’ to call themselves ‘Redskins’ (technically a “minority group” given the number of individuals who have been employed by the organization), and for others to call the team by its’ proper name, The Washington Redskins.
    Perhaps a poll of American Indians would yield a different result. Maybe.

    Important point: At various points in history, lots of people advocating for social justice have been outnumbered by those who opposed them, including abolitionists, suffragettes, civil rights marchers, marriage equality advocates, and so on.

    I’m not trying to claim moral equivalence between those situations and the ’Skins situation. But I am saying that there’s no shame in holding a minority opinion on a given issue at a given point in time, and that the views of the minority sometimes end up becoming held by the majority. I firmly believe that’s what will happen — indeed, that’s what’s already happening — with the ’Skins.

    A majority (of whites, blacks and Hispanics) think it’s OK for the ‘Washington NFL team’ to call themselves ‘Redskins’ (technically a “minority group” given the number of individuals who have been employed by the organization)

    Like I said, it’s a joke (that writes itself!), so I’m not sure how semantics apply here. But if you can’t see the humor in someone feeling satisfied because of a majority opinion about a name that references minorities, then I feel a bit sorry.

    Also, like the Annenburg Public Policy Center poll, the word “offensive” is a limiting word that doesn’t leave room for more nuanced takes. It doesn’t help that “offended” has become a loaded term there are folks who get all up in arms and play the PC card whenever anyone points out that something is potentially offensive. The anti-PC brigade gets offended whenever anyone is offended at something short of an epithet screamed in someone’s face.

    That aside, if a not-insignificant minority thinks something is offensive, how would that not be cause for concern? I don’t know about you, but I’d do my soul searching if one in every 10 people I met thought I was a jerk.

    I dont know if paul wants the added hassle, but ive been touting him to radio producers i know to book him as a guest, with all the stuff in the news now (skins, helmet issues, nhl tuxk rule , …)

    For me, the most interesting tidbit in the new floor for the Bucks story is that…

    ‘The southwest corner of the court also will become a showcase for local art.

    One panel of the floor will periodically be turned over to an artist. The first piece will be unveiled with the floor itself at an open, free practice on Oct. 5.’

    Hope someone sets up a website cataloging the different pieces, a la Duck Tracker.

    “…. Somehow these articles never mention the innumerable teams that have changed their logos and then not improved on the field.”

    Hear, hear! Thankfully, the Jacksonville Jaguars are suckin’ it.

    The patch between the numerals on that 1941 college jersey looks vaguely like Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning. The blue and gold colors would also be a match for Pitt (although I have no idea if those were their colors back then). I can find no photographic proof to support this, however.

    From EJ Borghetti, Asst AD at Pitt:

    Interesting. If I was to hazard a guess, I’d say no because I’ve never seen that design before.

    Edgar “Special Delivery” Jones played in that era. Of the few pictures I’ve seen from that time, Pitt never wore such a design on their jerseys.

    Paul,

    I’m still waiting to see the full effect of the complete suit being worn. Just the jacket? You tease. (

    I’m about 90% sure that is the new suit jacket, the material looks a little lighter in color, but that could have been because of the lighting. The pattern looks like its the new suit jacket.

    link not working…”The page you requested cannot be displayed right now. It may be temporarily unavailable, the link you clicked on may have expired, or you may not have permission to view this page.”

    Double tease!

    Nice. That is the suit of a 1940s newsman, presumably tailored on Savile Row and brought back from service as one of Murrow’s boys in London.

    It appears as though the patches will be MD related and not MS. Coach Mac may have had a slip of the tounge or the tweet had a slip of the keyboard. In any event, looks like most coaches this weekend will be sporting a Coach to Cure MD patch and I assume that it’s possible we may see helmet stickers, too. Follow @CoachToCureMD for photos and more info.

    Regarding the Garnett KG 2 jersey, in Spanish the first person verb in past for taking a dump is written “cague”, KG can be translated as KA-GE which sounds pretty damn close. You add the number 2 and then it becomes redundant.

    Such top notch stuff from both KO and Paul last night. This is the stuff the public wants. And with the constant change and uniform stories popping up all over the place, this needs to be a regular segment on the KO show.

    A Uni Watch segment would be a great addition to any show in ESPN’s line-up.
    PL certainly made KO’s show more watchable.
    Great job Paul!

    Well, if the Mets do break out the BFBS for Piazza day, at least this year they waited until the last game of another pointless season, where there was no more good karma to destroy, unlike last year when the black came out on June 3 and it was all downhill from there….

    The baseball salary infograhpic was interesting, but the sidebar item about the Nationals left me scratching my head. How can one spend 143% less than another?

    Yeah, the Nationals would’ve had to have taken money.

    I link, and it’s the Yankees who spent 143% more than the Nationals (while the Nationals spent 59% less than the Yankees).

    Awesome interview Paul. Hoping it becomes a regular gig for you, that is, if your work schedule allows. KO definitely knows his stuff it seems. Did you ever imagine Uni-Watch ever getting to this point? haha

    This is an interesting idea from Jeffrey Wright –

    “If the Redskins, RGIII, in the offseason, spent some time to go down and work with some of those (Native American high school students), maybe help them out with some educational opportunities and things like that – if they made a connection in that way – I think it could dismiss the entire argument. Because in that way, there would be a sense of ownership, or at least a sense of connection to the team. And I think it could be very effective, and a good story for everyone.”

    Interesting. If Snyder cared enough about this to actually make substantive overtures to the community he claims to be “honoring”, that could maybe help his argument.

    Wouldn’t really solve the issue for me, though. I view this less about the name being wildly racist (though it is) and more as an intellectual property case. I’m fine with things like “Seminoles” because the tribe so referenced has approved a license. Snyder could never reach out to every group covered by a blanket ethnic slur.

    “In 2003, after Atlanta Thrasher Dan Snyder’s death, the Red Wings wore the patches that the Thrashers were wearing for him for one game in Detroit. Here’s the patch being worn by the Thrashers and by the Red Wings, and here’s an article about it.”

    Anybody else notice something odd about link?

    Seems ESPN simply changed all of the Thrashers’ data from their past recaps to the franchise’s current Jets identity. Odd thing is, looking up recent franchise changes in the NBA, link, and link are still recognized (mostly, anyway). Whoever’s responsible for maintaining that database isn’t being very consistent.

    Umpteenthed thumbs-up praise on your TV appearance last nite, Paul.

    I sorta took Olbermann for a UniWatch type when he did the earlier bit about the Washington Nationals wearing the Navy caps (in memory of the Navy Yard shooting victims, given its proximity to Nationals Park), during the warmup only, and Olbermann opined out loud that MLB didn’t want them worn during the actual game because it’s not something MLB can own a piece of.

    Although in the monologue bit, he refers to “Los Giants” jerseys, which indicates he’s not a very good uni-watcher. Everyone knows the Giants wear “Los Gigantes” jerseys. I mean, come on, it’s like someone who doesn’t know the difference between dilithium, which regulates matter/antimatter reactions, and trilithium, which inhibits stellar fusion, calling himself a “Trekkie.”

    ^^^
    Kidding!

    Heehee.

    Although isn’t calling oneself a Trekkie a giveaway? I thought the self-named term was “Trekker”.

    Paul, for me, you would have rocked the look even more if you had worn stirrups on the show and let them get seen in the long camera shots. Didn’t need to wear a jersey, the jacket looks good, but the uni-watch touch of stirrups would have been beyond awesome in my view. Good work on the show!

    The Gatorade setup. There’s two ways to look at it.

    The first is Gatorade saying “the display must be set up like this.” In that case, yeah, its out of hand.

    The second way to look at it is that not everyone setting up a Gatorade display is an artist. I’ve set up displays from time to time (not gatorade or anything related to it) but there’s a certain hand required to make a setup look decent. This gatorade guide could simply be a little helper on how to set up the stand so it looks good, not like you’ve just randomly stacked things on a table and walked away from it.

    I would think set up instructions would be most important for NCAAB since close ups of most of the court are frequent. This is an NCAAF set up, so unless it was a televised game, these instructions would be overboard.

    Two other observations. Maybe a 90 foot long gatorade display is a little overboard after all.

    And the “yard” markers on the display are in 2.5′ increments and not 3′ increments. I guess Gatorade is saying the display is more important than understanding the event it is being displayed out. Conclusion: Overboard and out of hand.

    Is it really out of hand? Our opinions about sponsorship and such aside, if you’re paying a good chunk of change to appear on TV, don’t you want to make sure your products and marks are displayed just so?

    It’s basically like having a brand guideline for ad agencies and vendors. Except you’re not putting your logo on a magazine page or a store display. The sideline is the medium.

    if you’re paying a good chunk of change to appear on TV, don’t you want to make sure your products and marks are displayed just so?

    So if you spend enough $$$, you can do whatever the fuck you please, no matter how ridiculous. Even if you’re doing it on, say, the sideline of a stadium, which was never conceived to be an advertising/branding venue. And even if it turns a team’s training staff into your de facto branding staff. And, as we’ve covered before, even if your product isn’t actually in the cups with your logo, because your product no longer matters — only your logo does.

    And may god bless the Corporate States of America.

    I’m not saying it’s right, but once you decide the football field is your marketing medium, and then yeah, your brand guideline is going to extend to how your stuff is laid out on the sideline.

    This is the symptom, not the disease (if you see it as such).

    But your rhetorical question that launched this back-and-forth was, “Is it really out of hand?” And the answer — whether you choose to focus on the symptom or the disease — is clearly yes.

    The fact that “it’s just business” doesn’t change that. If anything, it reinforces it.

    Great appearance with Keith Olbermann. Here’s hoping it becomes a regular gig: “Unis of the Month”, anyone?

    In that typical TIME article about logo change, it does mention about when the Islanders changed their logo and they went farther south than north. However, the article could have just stuck with Jacksonville (and those god-awful helmets) and Minnesota to show that a logo change or uniform change doesn’t always reverse fortunes.

    There has been A LOT of backlash regarding Canada’s Olympic sweaters. The home and away are . . . fairly bland and ugly.

    The black alternate though is being compared to Nazi uniforms with its single red armband. It’s been called insensitive, embarrassing etc.

    Maybe the world forgot what Canada lost to the Nazis too, who knows, but I have my doubts that it will see the ice now.

    Yeah, how dare it look sorta, kinda similar to something bad from 70 years ago. I think people need to stop trying to find things to be offended by.

    My biggest issues other than the stupid face laces is the lack of a stripe continuing to the right arm. It looks too unbalanced like this. Almost Thrasher-like. Fix that and I’d be fine with them.

    One thing I’ve always loved about Rugby Union is the fact that the number on your jumper tells everyone the position you play on the field. That extends through the reserve players as well. (Hence the 16 jumper is the reserve Hooker, etc.) As a kid, many many moons ago, I remember seeing that happen in soccer as well, so I wonder if the original reason for numbering had something to do with position played for several sports.

    It still happens in soccer – England, for example, assigns numbers based on the old W-M formation and subs where higher numbers, even if they’re stars. Even in tournaments where you have to submit squad numbers, many teams, like Brazil, assign numbers based on the first-choice starting eleven.

    And Japanese high school baseball players receive numbers based on their positions too (ace pitcher gets 1, for example).

    Re: The Under Armour no grab unis and the Gatorade thing.

    Seeing as you don’t play rugby or college football, Paul, you are in NO position to sit there and scoff and hand wave away and point at laugh at what Under Armour says in that article.

    As for the Gatorade thing, sure part of it is marketing and a desire to get the product that THEY ARE PAYING A LARGE SUM OF MONEY on camera as much as possible, but part of it that you refuse to acknowledge is wanting the setup to be the same in ever venue and not having players/coaching running into or tripping over containers and also not having ot run all over the goddamn place trying to find something to drink.

    For someone who goes on ad on and on and on and on an on and on demanding that every goddamn player MUST look EXACTLY the same, I’m curious as to why you are suddenly against uniformity when it comes to this?

    Seeing as you don’t play rugby or college football, Paul, you are in NO position to sit there and scoff and hand wave away and point at laugh at what Under Armour says in that article.

    I’m not scoffing at Under Armour; I’m scoffing at the article, which is a puff piece stroke job that’s barely one step above an Under Armour press release.

    Gatorade: Ah yes, it’s just business. The perfect existential tautology that explains and justifies everything.

    Thanks for playing. We’ll have some lovely parting gifts for you.

    I hope they actually create that template for the tops of the carts. How else would we know everything is aligned perfectly when placed on them?

    Local business rag of limited circulation publishing an article that touts a local business. Now that’s a real “man bites dog” story.

    I voted for number 6 in the Mavs contest. It already looks better than their current set and with a few tweaks would look decent as a full time road uniform. But of course the Nuggets rip off number 9 is winning. Figures.

    The Bucks court isn’t as bad as I feared it would be. I’m glad to see they stuck to their actual team colors instead of going back to the old court exactly as it was. I’m also glad to see they painted the key which isn’t done nearly as much as it should be these days. But I will always hate the multiple shades of stain on a court. I get why it’s done here but I hate that. Always will. Pick one shade and stick with it.

    I wish instead of using the stain to create the contrast they did something different like the Celtics and Nets do and go with a board pattern to create the effect instead. Maybe have all the boards in the lighter stained areas run parallel to the baseline/mid-court lines and all the dark stained areas run parallel to the side lines (even have the “diamond areas” run at that angle if they want). Why not try something like that instead of staining? Sure it would be a PITA to manufacture but if they can do the court for the Nets I’m sure they can come up with a way to do this too.

    Like something I don’t want to put in my body? That’s what they’re going for, right?

    Seriously, isn’t that what a mobster hit-man says to you right before he shoots you in the back of the head and then buries you in a shallow hole in the Pine Barrens?

    So clicked through the Mavs designs not sure why but found it clever that entry one had the player name “cap room” with the number 0. As a sonics fan the NBA is about dead to me but can only guess that this is some kind of commentary on the state of the team and am amused it was selected by ownership as an option

    Phil is obviously a great asset to the Uni-Watch team so I say this with credit to him in mind. Phil obviously provides a lot of content but for me citing a source in the ticker should be reserved for contributors not team members. You don’t cite yourself for uni news you find. I’m curious as to why this practice continues.

    This will sound like an asshole comment (it’s not meant to be), but with the ticker breakdown as it is you could have an entire section for Phil’s twitter finds like you do the ebay finds in Collectors Corner.

    Why shouldn’t I give credit to Phil, like I do to anyone else?

    If I didn’t give him credit, you would probably mistakenly assume that I had found the item myself. I don’t want to take credit for something I didn’t do.

    If I sectioned off all his contributions into its own Ticker, that would mean (a) I’d be giving him credit after all, but in a different sort of way, and (b) we’d have two MLB tickers, two NFL tickers, etc. Makes no sense.

    Brinke gets his own section each Tuesday because “Collectors Corner” is a distinct kind of content. It’s its own thing. Phil’s Ticker submissions are no different than anyone else’s (just more numerous), so why would they get their own section? Again, makes no sense.

    I don’t think you’ve made an “asshole comment,” as you put it. But I do think there’s little if any logic to your suggestions.

    I’ve told Paul I don’t need the Ticker credit, but he generously insists. And yeah, I’ve been on a roll recently with finds, but that’s usually because I’m tweeting them, so I just throw them Paul’s way for the ticker. I’m fine without the credit, but ultimately it’s not my call.

    Conversely, when I subbed for Paul over the summer and he sent me something, I credited him in the ticker. Source citation is pretty much the ticker standard and will always be.

    Thanks for your praise, and I didn’t think you made anything near an “asshole” comment. I realize it gets repetitive seeing “(thanks Phil)” in a bunch of entries. Good thing I have a short name. Maybe Paul can cite me once in Bold and the rest of the time just do a “PH” or something.

    Great interview last night!

    Olbermann clearly gets it. The video that opened the show was excellent.

    At the moment when I said “I wonder if that’s Paul’s new bespoke suit” my wife said “I’m going to bed”.

    It’s funny how many of you have (a) mentioned the suit and (b) used the term “bespoke.”

    I guess it is bespoke, but I’ve never used that term myself — I just say it’s “custome-made.”

    Just to clarify, I’m not criticizing anyone for invoking “bespoke.” But I’ll admit that the word makes me a little uneasy, because it’s soooooo overused now. There are bespoke cocktails, bespoke bicycles, etc. There’s even some place here in NYC that offers, according to their radio ads, “bespoke wood flooring.” I mean, come on.

    But even before the term became overused, I never used it myself. Not sure why. Just doesn’t feel like me. And in terms of suits, “bespoke” conjures up images of a fancy men’s shop in the swanky part of town, while I was measured for my suit in a generic NYC hotel room (that’s where the Hong Kong tailor who made my suit had set up shop for the week).

    But I like that you folks are using the term. Classes up the joint!

    Those other uses of the word “bespoke” are trendy dandification. Clothing made to measure is bespoke. It’s a mistake to avoid using a word correctly just because others commonly use it incorrectly.

    Unless the word is “niggardly.” That one, we should just retire, even among people who know what it means. Except, perhaps, when referring to Dan Snyder, but only so long as he continues to call his team the Redskins. When they become the Americans, we can switch to calling him “miserly” or a “skinflint.”

    But isn’t “niggardly” a good example of how we can use a word that can be offensive (or a similar form of another offensive word), non-offensively? For instance can we not use the word “Redskins” instead of as a racial slur, but merely to mean a football player?

    Are we not intelligent enough as a society to realize that words can have multiple means and uses? Why must we say that the term “Redskin” can only be used as a racial slur when it has been used for the past 60+ years much more frequently, I would guess, to mean “a player on the Washington football team”? It is insulting to assume we are only capable of using a word or term one way, that we are too dumb to understand the nuances of how a term can be used in multiple ways. If I call Robert Griffin III a “redskin” everybody knows I am referring to him being a football player, not wondering if I thought he was a Cherokee and am insulting him.

    However, if you disagree with this, then why would you not, therefore, insist that the word “gay” only mean “happy”? How is evolving the use of (from purely a linguistic argument) a word that universally meant “carefree and happy” during it’s heyday from the 1890s-1920s — in fact the Flintstones’ theme song in the 1960s still used it this way — to be almost exclusively meaning homosexuality; how is that any different than evolving the use of the word “redskin” from being solely a racial slur to being widely accepted of mainly referring to football player on the Washington NFL team.

    It’s okay, I know you all disagree with me, I’m sure I’m using a straw herring or some other form of faulty logic here or at best, not thinking hard enough.

    I use it because I get three spam emails a week from various tailors offering to sell me bespoke suits and bespoke shirts. I think its a Britishism, but I’m a Canadian and most of those emails are from Hong Kong tailors, so it works.

    I assume its a synonym for tailored?

    2 things…
    #1.) If those are legit they are, what’s the word I’m looking for? Oh, that’s it. “Unfortunate”. If there’s a team in the NBA that needs a Uni Watch re-brand contest more than the Clippers I can’t think of them offhand although I watch very little NBA anymore so I may have neglected a few dozen teams.

    And more importantly.
    #2.) This is about all that is almost cool on this idea. Stopping that video at the 51 second mark it appears that the shorts have maritime flags on them that spell out “LAC”. That is a neat take on the stupid abbreviation trend going on in sports today. Now can they run more with that and give a full maritime re-brand to them please?
    link

    Wow, I had completely forgotten about the Red Wings wearing the Dan Snyder patch. Brings back a lot of Thrashers memories from the 2003-04 season following Dan’s death. As much as I despise the current Winnipeg franchise for trying to erase everything Atlanta-related, it’s great that they kept the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy to award each year.

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