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Uni Watch Fan Appreciation Day, 2013 Edition

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As I look back on 2013, I’ve had a good year. Not a great year, not an ideal year, but a solidly good year. And much of that has been because of the submissions, support, and engagement of Uni Watch readers. So today it’s time for a Uni Watch tradition: our annual reader appreciation raffle, in which I give something back to all of you who help make Uni Watch such a special project (or, if you prefer to be more cynical, in which I clear out all the swag that’s accumulated over the past year).

As in past years, some of you may recognize a few of these items as gifts that you thoughtfully sent me over the past 12 months. I realize regifting may seem tacky, but sometimes I have duplicates on certain things, or I don’t have room for everything, or something is too big or too small for me to wear, or I’ve gotten some enjoyment out of an item and am now ready to let someone else enjoy it. No offense intended, and I hope none taken. Thanks for understanding.

Okay, here’s what’s available this year. Some of the items have a little bit of cat hair on them, because Uni Watch girl mascot/pest Caitlin climbed into the bag where I was keeping all the raffle prizes. (Don’t worry, she didn’t leave anything else behind besides fur.) I’ve done my best to remove the cat hair, but you may want to have a lint roll handy. For shirts, jerseys, and the like, all sizes listed are as tagged; all measurements listed, which are more important than the tagged sizes, are the pit-to-pit measurement followed by the length from the back collar to the shirttail. Here we go:

1. A free Uni Watch membership card with your choice of design.

2. Any non-autographed college football helmet from the vast Gridiron Memories inventory. (Note that multiple designs are available for most schools.)

3. An unopened tin of Farkas Eye Black.

4. and 5. Two packs of 2010 Cincinnati Reds baseball cards, sponsored by Kahn’s Hot Dogs. Twenty-seven cards per pack, plus a now-expired 75 ¢ Kahn’s coupon. Please note that each pack is a separate prize.

6. Any pair of throwback college basketball shorts from Retro College Cuts.

7. A Stan Musial memorial patch.

8. An Akron Aeros patch.

9. A St. Louis Cardinals 1926 World Series patch. Design is based on a World Series press pin, but the Cardinals never actually wore this patch.

10. A New York Yankees 1943 World Series patch. Design is based on a World Series press pin, but the Yanks never actually wore this patch.

11. A Boston Red Sox 1912 World Series patch. Design source is uncertain, but the Red Sox never wore this patch.

12. An Atlanta Braves staff softball team T-shirt/jersey. Color is maroon. “Beast” stands for “Braves employees annual softball tournament.” S, 18″, 24″, 100% cotton.

13. A New York Giants leather money clip. Magnetic clip on the back.

14. A leather business card holder with baseball stitching.

15. A 1995-96 Manchester United merch catalog. 24 pages.

16. A Newcastle United merch catalog. Date uncertain. 36 pages.

17. A 1998-99 Ajax soccer merch catalog. 28 pages.

18. Another Newcastle United merch catalog. Date uncertain. 8 pages.

19. A 1998 Soccer Madness merch catalog. 84 pages.

20. A 1998 Arsenal merch catalog. 32 pages.

21. Yet another Newcastle United merch catalog. Date uncertain. 40 pages.

22. An Atlanta Braves 2013 program, Issue No. 1.

23. Same as above, but Issue No. 2.

24. and 25. Two copies of the 2013 Atlanta Braves Media Guide. Please note that each copy is a separate prize.

26. A B.J. Upton bobblehead doll.

27. A set of New York Rangers temporary tattoos by Stachetats.

28. Same as above, but for the Wild.

29. Same as above, but for the Canadiens.

30. An Austin Dillon NASCAR cap. Sponsor on the front, car number on the side, NASCAR and sponsor’s secondary logo on the back, driver’s logo on the underbrim. No extra charge for the cat hair. One size.

31. A Mets pom-pom hat. Team logo on one side, annoying sponsor logo on the other. One size.

32. A vintage Mets baseball shirt. Generously given to me by reader Marc Rivlin at last month’s Uni Watch party but too small for me (sorry, Marc!). M, 16.5″, 29″, 50/50 cotton/poly.

33. A “CleveWin” T-shirt. Base color is brown, not black. L, 21″, 29″, 50/50 cotton/poly.

34. A “BostWin” 2013 T-shirt. L, 21.5″, 28″, 99% cotton.

35. A Wichita State Shockers zip-up sweatshirt from Retro College Cuts. Sewn graphics. M, 23.5″, 28″, 80/20 cotton/poly. No extra charge for cat hair.

36. A vintage reproduction 1932 Chicago Shamrocks jersey from Ebbets Field Flannels. I’ve owned this for about 10 years and have finally admitted to myself that it’s too big for me. No. 32 on the back. All graphics are sewn felt. Reinforced elbows. Faint yellowing/staining on upper yoke and collar, although you can’t see that in the photos. M, 21.5″, 28″, 100% cotton.

37. An Atlanta Falcons replica jersey. Faint salsa stain on the upper-left chest, because the jersey was used in a Tide commercial that was shown during last season’s Super Bowl. Matt Ryan’s name and number on the back. Nameplate is sewn but NOB lettering and all other graphics are screened. XXL, 28″, 33.5″. 100% polyester.

38. A Golden State Warriors authentic sleeved jersey — the one from last season. No. 13 and some media guy’s name on the back. White bridge graphic on the front is screened; all other graphics are sewn. Stretchy. L, 20″, 33″. 100% polyester.

39. An unofficial (but very nice) Uni Watch varsity-style jacket by Stewart & Strauss. Base color is hunter green with gold trim and cream sleeves and snap buttons. “UW” lettering sewn on left chest, my name embroidered on right chest, and UCNOB (that’s uniform columnist’s name on back). Fully quilt-lined. Interior pocket. Kinda hoping Big Cock Johnson wins this one, just for irony’s sake. Package will be heavy-ish, so it would be nice if the winner would be willing to kick in a few bucks to help cover the shipping costs. M, 22″, 28″. Body is 80/20 wool/nylon; sleeves are pebbled leather.

40. A pair of vintage softball pants, originally featured in this Uni Watch entry. White belt loops. Two stripes of white braid down each leg. Adustable buckle cuffs. Waist measures about 30″ but is elasticized, so it should fit up to at least 33″, maybe more. Inseam measures 30″. Cotton twill.

41. A vintage New York Rangers poster, courtesy of Matt Miskelly. Although the poster shown in the photo is pinned to wall, the poster being given away will not have pin marks. 23″ x 35″.

42. Same as above but for the Blackhawks.

43. Same as above but for the North Stars.

44. Same as above but for the Canadiens.

45. Same as above but for the Golden Seals.

46. A set of six baseball-themed removable wall decals from Left Field Cards. Here’s a photo that gives a better sense of their size and how they can be used.

47. A Keith Hernandez mustache removable wall decal from Left Field Cards. Decal measures 14.5″ x 24″.

48. A copy of MLB photographer Brad Mangin’s Instant Baseball book, which consists of photos that Brad took with his iPhone. Pretty fascinating, actually. Hardcover. 160 pages.

49. and 50. Two sheets of three Uni Watch temporary tattoos. Each tat measures a little over 2″ in diameter. Please note that each three-tat sheet is a separate prize.

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Pretty good haul, right? To enter the raffle for these items, here’s whatcha do:

1) Send an email to the giveaway address.

2) In the body of the email, please indicate (a) your name and shipping address and (b) your top 10 prize choices, in order of preference, by number. If you’re only interested in, say, seven items, then just list your top seven choices; if you want to list more than 10, you can do that too, all the way to 50, but I don’t really expect anyone to go that far. I’ll do my best to accommodate all the winners’ choices.

3) One email per person. Entry deadline is 7pm Eastern next Monday, Dec. 23. The winners will be announced on Christmas Day.

Again, my thanks to all of you who contribute in various ways to Uni Watch. I wish I could provide gifts for all of you ”” honest.

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ESPN surprise: I had expected my new ESPN column — the results of the Blazers-redesign contest — to run tomorrow. But instead it was just posted today. Enjoy.

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More Notre Dame News: Over the past few weeks I’ve passed along some information that I’ve received from a couple of Notre Dame sources. One of those sources checked in yesterday with the following:

Notre Dame will have Adidas gear through 2014 and rumor is Under Armour is now leading as the provider of choice [for when the Adidas deal concludes at the end of 2014]. Word is that the athletic administration wants to be the premier team for whoever the provider turns out to be. Michigan was given “most favored nation status” by Adidas and that’s what began the slow break-up. With Nike, Notre Dame would be just one more fish in the sea.

Note that this information includes the word “rumor.” Assess accordingly.

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Collector’s Corner

By Brinke Guthrie

Dear Santa: All I want for Christmas is this 1971 NFL mini-helmet/goalpost kit! Looks like it’s in perfect condition, too It’s funny how you remember certain things — I recall getting the entire set of goalpost kits in August of 1971 at Louisville’s Oxmoor Mall, right before our family moved to Dallas. We were eating dinner at the cafeteria in the mall, and I went over beforehand and scored these. I can’t remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but I remember that!

Okay, enough reminiscing — here’s the rest of this week’s eBay finds:

• Here’s a Kellogg’s promo poster showing the evolution of MLB cap design.

• Mamma Mia! This is a nice Philadelphia Eagles kids cardigan sweater from Sears, but pretty pricey.

• This KC Chiefs medallion has a glossy paint job and adhesive on the back, and dates back to 1970. I have the Bengals and Cowboys versions of this.

• Great early-1970s logo fonts on this NFL kids fold-down chair.

• This Ray-duhz travel alarm clock is from 1971, and has never been used!

• Look at this 1971 ad for Pedwin Shoes. “Listen to the Man.” Who’d want Duane Thomas in their ad?

• What’s better than a Texas Rangers bobblehead? A Rangers bobble in a 10-gallon hat!

Seen something on eBay or Etsy that you think would make good Collector’s Corner fodder? Send your submissions here.

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Big congrats to Uni Watch intern Garrett McGrath (that’s him at right), who had an excellent piece published yesterday on Salon, about the summer he spent working as a New York City doorman. Congrats, Garrett — you’re hitting the big time!

And speaking of Garrett, he also compiled and wrote today’s Ticker.

Baseball News: The Mets have posted their first four free-shirt Friday designs of the 2014 season. … Speaking of the Mets, a Mr. Met sleeve patch has been added to their blue alternate jersey for 2014.

NFL News: Here is a New York Times article on NFL players getting fined by the league for their fashion choices. Readers might remember that Paul covered these changes in a column last year (from Kyle Hanks). … Matt Forte cracked his helmet decal during Sunday’s Bears vs. Browns game (from Steven Luft). … Andy Dalton and Mohamed Sanu wore different style hand warmers on Sunday Night Football (from Michael Kinney).

College Football News: The Cincinnati Bearcats unveiled their look for the Department Store Bowl. … The Automotive Lubricants and Fluids Bowl will have Fresno State wearing their throwback dog helmets (from Richard Paloma). … Here’s Michigan State’s jersey with the Rose Bowl patch.

Hockey News: “My newspaper colleague David Bailey bought an old Dartmouth College yearbook and pointed out this photo of the freshmen hockey team,” says Tris Wykes, “No doubt about who you were playing, eh?” … Winter Classic/Stadium Series Watch: A potential design for the Chicago Blackhawks Stadium Series uniform has been leaked online. … The Detroit Red Wings back up goalie, Petr Mrazek, will probably be wearing these pads. Festive, to say the least (from Daniel Mickelson).

Soccer News: The Manchester City Home Kit and the Chelsea Home and Away Kits for 2014-2015 season have been posted online (from Trevor Williams). … It didn’t take long for a computer company to enjoy the effects of purchasing advertising space on the inside of FC Barcelona’s uniform. … Mario Balotelli covered his cleats with newspaper, featuring headlines from his soccer career, while waiting out his shoe contract negotiations (from Cork Gaines).

Basketball News: The site 99designs is running a Hornets-redesign contest. … “Tonight Kennesaw State traveled to Alexander Memorial Coliseum (I’m still calling it that), to play Georgia Tech,” says Douglas King, “Part way through the 2nd half they started discussing KSU’s upcoming schedule, but instead of using one of the many logos they adopted last year they went with the now retired Owl Head logo.”

Grab Bag: Ohio State and Nike have extended their $46 million, 11-year agreement. … Kurt Busch having some fun with his namerail for 2014 (from David Firestone). … Pantone’s color of the year is radiant orchid, I am sure it will become Paul’s favorite (from Kevin Dorsey). … Flickr has a subtle logo update (from Brinke Guthrie).

 
  
 
Comments (68)

    Instead of being a smartass about the bowl game names, how about you get the correct info and realize that Fresno State is playing in the Las Vegas bowl, not UGA.

    It made me remember the wallets I’d seen, which I’m contemplating for a Christmas gift so I did a site search and started click around. Once I was on their site I figured it was from them. Thanks!

    I bought one a few months ago and absolutely love it. The best wallet I’ve ever had as far as style and quality. I can’t tell you how many people that have seen it ask about it.

    Plus because they are smaller it really restricted what I carry which is good for me cause I had Constanza style wallets!

    Why would Notre Dame think they would get preferred nation status at Under Armour? That honor belongs to Maryland. Plus, Notre Dame’s normally traditional uniform choices won’t allow UA to do anything really out of the box like they’re known for doing with Maryland and the other schools.

    Plus, Notre Dame’s normally traditional uniform choices won’t allow UA to do anything really out of the box like they’re known for doing with Maryland and the other schools.

    Lest we forget: link

    Notre Dame has already shown a willingness to throw tradition out the window, so UA could very well do all kinds of things with them.

    True dat about Notre Dame’s willingness to tinker with tradition, see
    link
    but the point nonetheless is valid. UMD is UA’s signature school (more aptly, canvas), and little chance of that changing.

    Perhaps Notre Dame is looking at what UA has done for schools such as Northwestern and Boston College. Both use subtle design elements that don’t overwhelm the overall “brand” (NU the stone facing pattern, BC a stained glass motif). Or at Auburn, which has a very traditional look. I would imagine UA would be quite willing to outfit Notre Dame in an “old school” style.

    If you all don’t think that UA would drop Maryland in a corporate minute to get a chance at ND being its “signature” school, I think you’re delusional. Ask yourselves this;

    Which University has its own network? (NBC)
    Which University has a national fan base?
    Which University has a radio network in 33 states and D.C.?
    Which University has sold out 219 straight home games and 264 of its last 265?
    Which University has 7 Heisman trophy winners?
    Which University has had Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian and Holtz as its head coach?
    Which University has 11 National Championships?
    Which University is going to give your product more exposure?

    I’m surprised that with all the corporate bashing and UA bashing that is promulgated on this site (most of it deserved) that people really believe that UA is all about loyalty.

    Isn’t UA based in Baltimore, though? UA would at least remain loyal to a state institution, I’d think.

    Yes, UA is based in Baltimore and the founder/CEO is a former Terp and football player. Mainspark has a point about Notre Dame. But I seriously doubt that Kevin Plank would put his alma mater and former team in the backseat to any other school. Where was Oregon football before Phil Knight started dumping money in? I’m sure Kevin Plank wants to do the same thing with Maryland.

    Plank would NEVER do that…Maryland has a very unique uniform status in it’s own right. The use of the Maryland flag within their sets is popular all over the country, especially within the lacrosse world!

    Not all circumstances/hijinks in situation comedies are particularly enjoyable in real life. Thanks for Garrett’s interesting article.

    While I get that it may be unseemly to profit off of Stan’s death, fans certainly want them, and could stitch them onto their jerseys. (I remember the Mariners’ Dave Niehaus patches being popular.)

    Based on the placement of the crest directly above the Newcastle Brown Ale logo, Item #18 in your list is likely circa 1997-1999.
    link

    That cardigan reminds me of the one DeNiro wears in Silver Linings Playbook although it’s a different logo. I had to look it up.
    link

    MD is UA’s local test lab, but the Terps don’t hold a candle to the national draw of ND. That would be a huge score for UA. MD can still be UA’s display case for case studies in Oregonian design, but ND should get the best financial deal from UA.

    “The hoarder, the corpse and the overnight shift: My summer as a Manhattan doorman”

    Awww, ya had me at corpse!

    Hahaha, good stuff!

    That Red Sox World Series patch design is on a series of signs outside Fenway Park showing each WS (when I passed it last month, they hadn’t added the 2013 one, but that may not come til next year). link,,0,2.12

    I find it hard to believe that the Blackhawks would consider wearing the same template as the Isles & Pens for the Stadium Series game. I can’t picture them wearing something so untraditional as those incomplete sleeve stripes the other oddities on the shoulders and pants. If they are going to wear something so half-assed as a template system, they might as well go full MLB turn-ahead-the-clock.

    Perhaps they should just wear the cheap fake eBay knockoff jerseys that half of the fans are wearing at the United Center these days…

    I expected my latest ESPN column — the results of the “Let’s Redesign the Trail Blazers!” contest — to run tomorrow. But instead it’s up today:
    link

    Michigan State Rose Bowl jersey link seems to be broken. Not a biggie, obviously, just a note.

    Really enjoyed the doorman piece.

    Working fine for me.

    Hmmm, that’s two people who are having trouble with links that seem to be functioning properly at my end. Odd…..

    Is it just me or do the shoes in the Pedwin shoes ad featuring Duane Thomas look like bowling shoes? Really old,really ugly bowling shoes.

    Man, those Michigan State jerseys look great with the Rose Bowl patch. Those Rose Bowl patches usually are some of the best. Should be a great looking matchup versus Stanford.

    Q: Let’s pretend for a moment that I’m a big dumb-dumb and forgot to include my name and shipping address into the giveaway email. I don’t want to send another if it would disqualify me or be unfair to others. What should I do?

    Crap, just did the same thing, except I forgot my shipping address, not my name. Do I need to resend or, if I do win, by some miracle, will you just ask for it when you draw the prizes?

    Secondly, how did you get the Falcons jersey? That would be an interesting story.

    Well, had to look up Notre Dame’s last non sell out – 264 out last 265 from above retortion – Thanksgiving Day 1973 vs Air Force. Was hoping for a cool reason…

    Students were off campus. Ever since, I believe, ND has played the Thanksgiving weekend at either USC or Stanford.

    Regarding the “annoying sponsor logo” on the back of the Mets winter hat, all stadium giveaways have corporate logos on them. That’s why they’re free. The team solicits companies who are looking to advertise to their fans, the company then pays to have the giveaway items manufactured and co-branded with the team and corporate logo, and fans get free schwag. Where’s the issue?

    Regarding the “annoying sponsor logo” on the back of the Mets winter hat, all stadium giveaways have corporate logos on them.

    So you’re saying that the ubiquity of corporate logos on such items somehow makes the logos less annoying?

    “Sure, it’s fucked, but so is everything else. What’s the problem?”

    No Paul, I think he’s saying that’s either you have a hat with a logo on it or you have no hat at all. The only way these giveaways really work is if there’s a corporate sponsor who’s willing to cover the cost of the hats or t-shirts or bobbleheads or whatever it may be.

    But Hawk, don’t ever try to argue with Paul about things related to advertising. Paul is a very moral and pious person and objects to any advertising of any kind. …Unless he’s the one being paid.

    I think he’s saying that’s either you have a hat with a logo on it or you have no hat at all.

    Demonstrably false. When I was a kid, there were lots of free giveaways without corporate-sponsor logos. I still have some of them!

    Paul is a very moral and pious person and objects to any advertising of any kind. …Unless he’s the one being paid.

    Also demonstrably false. I have nothing against many, many forms of advertising and have explained that point many times. But I realize it’s more fun to stick to a narrative that you’ve established in your head than to deal with actual facts.

    It appears that you stopped reading after the quoted sentence, or don’t feel that his point deserved a response, and have instead responded to a point that the poster did not make. That’s kinda weak.

    Giveaways are giveaways (rather than payaways, I suppose) because somebody else is paying for them. Weigh having the free, but corporate-branded hat against no hat at all. I suppose you would fall in the latter camp, which is totally fine. But if you’re going to respond to the poster, at least respond to the point that he made.

    Giveaways are giveaways (rather than payaways, I suppose) because somebody else is paying for them.

    As noted above, this is demonstrably false. Do you really think a Big Four team lacks the resources to pay for its own giveaways? Seriously? Think harder.

    But more to the point: Even if a team is somehow incapable of doing giveaways without corporate logos, does that make the logos any less annoying? No, it does not. And the word “annoying” is what the original commenter was responding to. Even if the logos are necessary (which they are not), that doesn’t change the fact that they are annoying. All the rest is responding to a point that I did not make, which is — as you put it — weak.

    I can tell you from personal experience that, no, the front office does not have money in the budget for promotional giveaways, hence the corporate sponsorship. Annoying? Maybe. Reality? Yes. Ask most fans and they’re just happy they got some free stuff, logo or not.

    Of course they don’t budget for it — they’ve established a system in which they get someone else to pay for it!

    But that doesn’t mean they *couldn’t* budget for it.

    Either way, none if this addresses the main point: The logo on the hat is annoying. All this other stuff is just noise.

    Agreed. I’m on board with most of your views (pink-tober, flag desecration, military worship under false pretenses) but you tend to lose me on corporate sponsorship. Teams are for-profit organizations whose main purpose at the end of the day is to show a return on investment for their owners. As much as we hate to admit it, the average fan does nothing to a team’s bottom line by buying a few tickets and some over priced merchandise. It’s the sponsorship dollars, and to a lesser extent corporate season tickets and suites, that keep our beloved teams operational. No matter how annoying it is, I’ll take a bunch of corporate branded schwag in exchange for a competitive team and positive fan experience.

    The new Manchester City shirt is quite close to last year’s shirt, the last produced by Umbro. It’s not bad, but it underscores just how unnecessary it is (from a design standpoint) for clubs to trot out a new shirt every year.

    And with this shirt being “leaked” seven months early, new kits have become the Christmas shopping season, arriving ever earlier, and more and more unwelcome.

    Notre Dame switching to UA from Adidas may also be inspired by fears of torn ligaments from shoe designs – I’m sure many Chicago-area ND alums have cringed courtside as D. Rose injured himself twice in a 17 month span wearing their shoes.

    Paul:
    Did you pick up that Austin Dillon cap on your trip to last season’s Daytona 500?
    You did hold onto your credential holder and ticket, right?

    After I wrote that piece and mentioned that I was rooting for Dillon, his people sent me the cap.

    Didn’t keep my ticket. Did keep my seat cushion, but I’m holding onto that — it’s useful for other events!

Comments are closed.