By Phil Hecken
Today we’ll be taking a look at the tenth set of uniform submissions for the Lewis & Clark Design-a-Uniform Contest, for the team known as the “Voyagers.” If you’re not familiar with the contest, please give that a read. The contest’s creator, W. Ross Clites will be asking readers to design uniforms for all of the teams in the Lewis & Clark League, and thus far we’ve asked for submissions for all twelve teams. We’ve looked at the “Captains,” “Diplomats,” “Explorers,” “Governors,” “Lookouts,” “Navigators,” “Pathfinders,” “Pioneers,” and “Travelers,” and today we’ll see submissions for the “Voyagers.”
Two final teams have been put to readers for concepts, the RiverMen and the Settlers. If you’d like to submit your concept for either team, the deadline for submissions for the Rivermen is Wednesday, May 7, and the deadline for the Settlers is Wednesday, May 14. Tomorrow, Ross will likely have some more news on winning logos for previously submitted teams, and more, so be sure to check back then!
At this point I’ll turn it over to Ross, who will go over the guidelines for voting, and then I’ll be back with some final words before we take a look at the entries from our contestants. Here’s Ross (these guidelines will likely accompany each set of voting):
Alright boys and girls, here is how the voting is going to go for each Lewis & Clark Baseball League team:
1. The hierarchy of importance goes primary logo, then uniform design, and then all rest (i.e. hat design, secondary logos, etc.) Cast a vote for the design with your favorite primary logo, first and foremost. Do not fault someone for going outside the design guidelines. Changing a wordmark or adding a third color is not a disqualifier for good thought process.
2. Your votes will take the field of applicants down to a final two per team.
3. We, the LCBL Executive Board will make the final decision on the winning proposal. However — and this is big — design is never complete and collaboration is paramount to success. We will likely settle on a combination of the final two submissions. We might love the logo of one, but prefer the jersey scheme of the other. In this, you will both be winners with full prizes to ensue. The possibility does exist for a total victory, of sorts. One designer could present the best looking jersey, logo, hat, and all the rest. Do not get offended when your submission gets handed back to you with redlined edits. We hate to hand out homework to the winning look, but tweaks may be requested. It is a studio project and not a math equation; the “right” answer takes some massaging of details.
4. With permission from both finalists, our graphics department will meld the two submissions together (if necessary) and place it in our common platform. This is done as a common denominator showcase for all twelve to look uniform when the contest has reached its end.
5. Someone, not even in the top two, could see an element (such as an awesome secondary logo) appear in the final iteration. We would never select the winner based solely on a minor design element, but we will also not let it go to waste. In this, all submissions could be part of a bigger design team. This contest — and frankly this site — was created to identify the best possible combinations of logos and materials in the sports world. This rarely comes from one person’s mind; we will reward any of those that play a part in making our on-field product the best it can be.
Thanks, Ross. A few words about the submissions below:
Some of the contestants sent one single image, others sent multiple images. Some contestants sent descriptions (in some cases, very lengthy ones), others had little or no description. In an effort to make the voting as fair as possible, I have put those who sent multiple images into one single image, and no descriptions of the uniforms will follow.
If you’d like to see all the entries for the Navigators and their write-ups/descriptions, I have hosted the entire set on Flickr. Keeping in mind Ross’ rules for voting, you may use these as an additional guide in determining which submission(s) you think are the best.
The submissions will be in alphabetical order and voting will follow. You may vote for any three of the concepts below. You may click on any image to enlarge. OK? OK. Here we go:
Bert Ayers:
Matt Blinco:
Brandon Coleman:
Tim Fesmire:
Ryan Foose:
Brady Ivie:
Kevin McLaughlin:
Ian Palmer:
Bryan Phillips:
Kyle Piercy:
Andrew Seagraves:
Will Sinnott:
OK, readers. That’s quite an impressive set of contributions! Now it’s time for you to vote. You’ll be allowed to vote for up to THREE (3) submissions. You may wish to scroll up for one more viewing, and write down your favorites.
And now it’s your turn! Make sure to vote for your favorites and let all of the concepters know what you think of their designs. They all put a great deal of effort into this, so tell them how they did (and lobby for your favorites, if you wish).
Thanks to all the submitters ”” we’ll be back next weekend at which time Ross will reveal the winner(s) and how they will adapt the design for the Lewis & Clark league!
The Greatest Two Minutes In Sports
[Editor’s note: The following is a column I’ve run in the past — but it’s always good on Derby Day (most of the links should still be good). Enjoy! — PH]
So, the Derby’s today. The Kentucky Derby. You know, the “Most Exciting 2 Minutes in Sports.” The kick-off to the triple crown. The Sport of Kings (or is that boxing?). No matter. It’s Derby Day!
Lets break the Derby down into its few basis elements.
The Mint Juleps: The first (and in many eyes, most important) is the Mint Julep. I mean, c’mon — is there a single drink that is more synonymous with a sporting event than this one? I think not.
The Hats: For many, it’s all about see and being seen. And that means sporting the classiest chapeau, the hottest hats, the largest lid or the tastiest topper you can find. Some are simply stunning. But usually, especially since the aforementioned mint julep is a part of the day’s activities, the choice of headwear is never boring, although frequently what is lacking in taste is more than made up for in original design. Of course, some might say this is the height of douchebaggery. But where else can you wear a funny hat, get liquored to the gills, AND walk away with more bank than you came? Not too many places.
The Silks: Those colorful outfits the jockeys wear? Yup, silks. And there’s nothing purdier than seeing them on top of the ponies on race day. Whether they’re heading for the gate before the race or just breaking on their run, there’s something incredibly beautiful about what can only be described as poetry in motion. When you get a muddy track or an overcast day, the men in silks just seem to burst into magnificent color throughout the race.
The Roses: They call the Kentucky Derby the “Run for the Roses.” Why? Well, because the winning horse gets a shitload of the pungent red flowers. Sometimes they even put ’em on the jockey. They’ve been doing it forever. It’s a nice tradition. Seems like every year the bouquets and blankets get bigger and bigger.
The Steeples: No matter when the race, no matter what the year, there are few landmarks so associated with a single event than the famous steeples at Churchill Downs. And why not? They make a fantastic frame for a shot. They are as much a part of the race as the race itself. Anytime you see a picture that includes this architectural icon, you know it’s Churchill Downs, and you can be pretty certain it’s from The Kentucky Derby.
The Starting Gate: Not nearly as iconic as the steeples, but still an integral part of the race. There is usually a pretty large field in the Derby, and the gate used to be both beautiful and classic. As time progressed, however, it sadly became less classic and more of a corporate billboard. Here’s what it looked like in 2008. Can they put any more shit on there?
The Bugler: Some call him the trumpeter, others call him the bugler. But no matter what you call him, there is no more anticipated music maker on race day at Churchill Downs than the man in the funny red jacket. Well … maybe the people enjoy a rousing chorus of My Old Kentucky Home more than they do the call to post, but the bugler is the most anticipated fat man in a red jacket fat man in a red suit in Kentucky on the first Saturday in May.
The Pose: Ah yes. The win. And with the win comes the pose. It’s not unique to the Kentucky Derby by any means, but there’s something about winning the Run for the Roses that makes the win all that sweeter. It’s like the ultimate aphrodesiac right there.
The Red Carpet: Wait…what? This aint the Oscars. No, but that doesn’t mean the really special people don’t get the Hollywood treatment. After all, what would the Derby be without Visa and some Grade B talent to share in the fun? OK — VY looks great in that suit, but really, you have to wonderlic if he really likes the ponies or the attention. Seriously, are they there to hit the Exacta or just to show off a really nice hat?
The Jockey Room: I’m not sure what exactly they call the place where the jockeys hang out before and after they race. But it is a really cool place where they keep all the silks. So many to chose from. I wonder, do they just randomly pick one or what? “I like this purple one, I think I’ll wear this one today.” No?
The Rail: No photographer worth his salt would take a shot at the Derby without taking one from beneath the rail. It is the classic shot of the race. No matter what the year, no matter what the horse, you can always count on the classic shot perfectly framed by the rail.
The Finish Pole: That almost sounds like an oxymoron or a really messed up European. But in reality, while the horses cross an invisible “line,” they are actually passing the finish pole. Now, the lettering on the obelisk has changed slightly over the years, the grand finale of the race has always been accomplished by crossing the finish line and passing the finish pole. Yep. That’s one sweet sight for a weary rider after the most exciting two minutes in sports.
Enjoy the race today. Throw a party. Make some mint juleps. Wear a silly hat. Go on — you know you want to. It’s Kentucky Derby Day.
U.W.F.F.L. Spring League
By Rob Holecko
Well, we gave you a chance. Three or four weeks ago we updated you on the on-going Spring 2014 UWFFL Developmental League season. We mentioned that it would be continuing each weekend throughout the Spring and into the Summer.
I figured it would be a good idea to give those of you who are tired of hearing about it every week a break and we could return in the fall with a renewed vigor. Maybe there would be a slight drop off in votes, but those of you who were the true fans of the UWFFL would still return each weekend of your own accord to vote.
Phil told me he wasn’t sure that that was a good idea, and that if it wasn’t running in Uni Watch each week, people wouldn’t vote. I told him that he under-estimated the attention span of the average Uni Watch visitor. I reasoned to him that if we told them that the UWFFL would be continuing each week, those that truly enjoyed the league and cared about it would look forward to it and return of their own accord to vote. They wouldn’t need to have their hand held like an unruly toddler, they’d return each week to the UWFFL website to vote because they were looking forward to it.
Turns out I was wrong.
We had very low voter turnout the past few weeks – final scores like 6-4, 8-5, 9-2. A 6-6 tie. So today we are back in Uni Watch.
The UWFFL Spring 2014 Developmental League is continuing it’s season. The teams that perform the best will be promoted to the fall league. Today we bring you an update, we are in our eighth of seventeen weeks. Our first top ten rankings came out this week – the Yellowknife Lumberjacks are number one at 4-0 and are at the top of eleven teams who have yet to have a loss. The highest-ranked team in action this week, the #3 Cheyenne Shock will take on the #5 Fresno Warriors in the first game between two top ten teams. Two other undefeated teams, the Little Rock Diamondbacks and the Missouri Magnetic also face off, while the Memphis Golden Hawks and the Shreveport Smashers will both wear throwback uniforms this week.
Head on over to www.uwfantasyfootballleague.com to vote on this week’s fifteen games. And as these two guys said once upon a time…
…we thank you for your support.
Uni Watch News Ticker:
Baseball News: The “SF Giants will be wearing replica unis of the 1946 San Francisco Sea Lions of the West Coast Negro League (to)day for the Braves Heritage Game Uniform,” writes Richard Paloma. “Looks like that’s a bear logo even though they were called the Sea Lions.” For their part in the Heritage Game, the Braves will honor former Negro League members in a pregame ceremony and will don throwback uniforms from the Atlanta Black Crackers. I’m not sure what the Braves will wear, but this is what they wore last year for their Heritage Game. … OK — this is completely awesome — Clint Glaze has put together the entire San Diego Padre jersey history on his website. My only complaint, and it’s minor, is that no pants and stirrup combos are shown. … The Padres will wear USS Coronado caps for BP today (h/t Brady Phelps). … Rookie pitcher Roenis Elias of the Mariners went double Nike-laced Thursday night as he was shutting down the Yanks (thanks to Andy Bronson). … On his recent rehab assignment with the Dayton Dragons, Aroldis Chapman wore his Reds pants (& cleats) with the cap & vest of the Dragons (h/t Andy Bentley). … Illinois baseball will wear these camo things for today’s “Honor & Serve” game (via Beau Manuel). … Here’s another look at the Star Wars unis the Durham Bulls will be wearing May 4th (from Leland Privott). … Who has the best cap in the minor leagues? You can vote on just that (from “Ultimate Cranston”). … First time submitter Matt Mularoni was 90% impressed with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders AAA baseball team in their game against Norfolk Tides. “The entire team of players had high navy socks and all their pants were just below the knee. The other 10% would have been if the coaching staff had followed suit and they had worn stirrups.” … The Colorado Springs Sky Sox wore these flag desecration jerseys last night, and will wear them again today, for their “Military Appreciation” games (thanks to Nathan Wadman). … The Orioles usually wear their black jersey on Friday nights. However, because the Twins are wearing their blue jerseys, the Orioles couldn’t wear their dark tops; they’ll wear gray instead (thanks to Andrew Cosentino). … Apparently Terry “Tito” Francona has his own bucket of gum? (nice grab by Jimmy Cuoto). … The UCLA Bruins had a new look yesterday (via Brian Porreca). … This is cool: In 1950, the Houston Buffs experimented with uniforms featuring shorts.
NFL News: Paul’s recent ESPN article on notable uni/attire protests prompted Tony Shiffman to point out that in the 90’s, Boomer Esiason wore 63 on the back of his helmet to honor 13-year veteran tackle Joe Walter, who had been waived earlier that week. … “Looks like the Bears might wear their throwbacks again this year,” writes Adam Grad. “Several Bears players posed for the cameras during a recent photo and video shoot at Halas Hall.” … Now that he’s about to get drafted, it looks like Johnny Football has his own camo/Nike shirts. Why does that not surprise me.
College Football News: The Yale Bulldogs play at the Yale Bowl, which is celebrating its 100th Anniversary this fall. You know what that means (thanks to Matt Glasz). … We may have seen this before, but it can’t hurt to see it again: the History of the Tennessee Volunteer football uniforms (sent in by Lee Wilds). … Oregon State’s spring game will feature the defense in orange and offense in white (h/t Beavers Equipment).
NBA News: Dr. J (Julius Erving) and the Iceman (George Gervin) were star attractions of the Virginia Squires ABA franchise, who went on to stellar NBA (and Basketball Hall of Fame) careers. They were reunited at a Squires’ reunion on Thursday night (thanks to TommyTheCPA).
Hockey News: NHL playoff hockey always brings out some crazy shit. Case in point — not sure what’s up with the horsehead, but that is a beautiful sweater. … Minnesota Wild goalie Ilya Bryzgalov’s mask features Sonic characters (via @CJ Fogler).
Soccer News: A West Brom kit change has angered their fans as they plan to move away from traditional stripes to a white kit for next season. Says submitter George Chilvers, “WBA have always had navy and white stripes — this is white with pinstripe. Wrong wrong wrong.” … Apologies if this was already posted, but “the Colorado Rapids have finally caved and will have a corporate jersey sponsor,” writes Evan Hassinger. … Check out the AWESOME socks on the BYU Soccer team (nice spot by Chase D. Troutner).
Grab Bag: A new study from the University of Rochester has found that the off-season doesn’t allow the brain to recover from traumatic injuries. Says submitter Joe Bailey, “I was an offensive lineman there (Rochester) 86-89. Gee, I really hope I don’t have problems done the road.” … We covered this quite a bit during the Olympics, but now it’s official: US Speed skating blames its poor Sochi performance (at least partially) on the switch to Under Armour skin suits just prior to the Games (thanks to Kevin Mueller and Jarrod Leder). … Monmouth Athletics has new logos and marks (h/t Eddy Occhipinti). Here’s more info on that. … A club owner has won a fight, and a $1.5 million verdict, against New Brunswick in naming of sports bar (thanks Paul). … With Spiderman back in the news (and theatres), here’s every costume Spiderman has ever worn (thanks, Brinke). … Interesting article from Ryan Hess, who wanted to pass along this story from the Colorado Mammoth, whose goalie’s gear went missing en route to a playoff game in Calgary. Ryan adds, “The story is full of interesting wrinkles, like a 3rd team donating goalie equipment so the Mammoth can play and the playoff opponent, Calgary, not offering to help out.” … As you know, the Kentucky Derby is today, and it looks like Johnny Weir’s crazy outfits are not just for the Olympics (thanks, Paul). … There was a very interesting Michigan Wolverine-striped car spotted by Pete Ponce in Grand Prairie, TX (of all places). … “While not sports related,” says Matthew Moss, this Comics Alliance article “still combines two of my nerdy passions: uniforms and comic books.”
That’s all for this fine first Saturday in May. Hope everyone has a good day — enjoy the Derby and anything else that happens to be on your docket. Nice weather (for most of us) is finally here, so get out there and enjoy the day!
Follow me on Twitter @PhilHecken.
Peace.
“The Cleveland Browns are the worst offenders of all, as they got league approval to play ‘let’s pretend’ with the facts of history, thereby setting a terrible precedent that was followed by the San Jose Earthquakes, and would have been followed again if the Sacramento Kings had moved to Seattle. There surely is now a whole generation of kiddies who don’t even know that the current Browns are an expansion team and that the original Browns are now the Baltimore Ravens. This is a crime.”
–Ferdinand Cesarano
For your Kentucky Derby report I think you mean “spires” not “steeples.”
Sparky here is correct…..should be “spires”
Foose on the beard/stitches logo…well played sir
As far as the Giants throwbacks go, the team was called the Sea Lions but they bought their uniforms from a local amateur team named the Cubs and never bothered or didn’t survive long enough to have the other team’s bear logo removed.
Regarding Cleveland setting a criminal precedent by naming its expansion team the Browns, the Washington Senators did the same thing in 1960 so the expansion Browns hardly set any precedent in 1999.
No, the criminal precedent was the NFL officially claiming that the new Browns and the old Browns are the same franchise. The Ravens are considered a new franchise with no history prior to 1996, and the Browns just “suspended operations” for 3 years. It’s bullshit.
Definitely understand the idea of acknowledging the fact of the old Cleveland Browns moving to Baltimore and becoming the Ravens, but I’m struggling to understand the value for Baltimore in this case. They had the strong history with the Colts, so for me, it was a smart move to take the expansion approach with the Ravens. I’m not sure any significant numbers of fans in Baltimore really cared about the Browns history, since it didn’t happen in their city.
Looking back, the Ravens really didn’t get any major contributions from old Browns players, those guys were phased out quickly. The new Ravens really did have the feel of an expansion team, as they developed their own history and identity in Baltimore.
The Browns/Ravens should have been handled the same way as the Oilers-Titans/Texans. I doubt very many people in Tennessee ever cared about the Houston Oilers, but it doesn’t mean we should rewrite or ignore history.
“I’m not sure any significant numbers of fans in Baltimore really cared about the Browns history, since it didn’t happen in their city.”
~~~
Right. So lets just ignore it.
And while I’ve changed my views over the years about the importance of a team to the residents of the city in which the team plays, this does not include the complete ignoring of history. Franchises, unfortunately, DO move, and when they do, that means the records move with them.
I get that fans of a certain city may not care about what happened with/to a team before it played in their town, but you cannot just treat a relocated team as though it were an expansion team.
We’ve seen teams do it well (move and remember past history) and we’ve seen teams do it poorly. There’s probably no “right” way to handle it. But no matter how it’s handled, it’s still one continuous franchise for all records and other intents and purposes.
As badly as the good folks of Balmer were screwed by the NFL, the way the NFL handled the Cleveland relocation was worse.
There is clearly a tear in the universe, since I’m agreeing with THE again, but in this case, he’s 100% right.
Well, it may be worse from a logical “hey this team actually is that team sense”, but I think we can understand why they did it, even if we don’t agree with it.
The thing is the city of Baltimore should have made a stink at the time – “hey if you let Cleveland keep the ‘Browns’ name, we should get the ‘Colts’ name” No matter that the Colts had been established for over a decade in Indianapolis by then.
I think this NBA Hornets-Pelicans, Bobcats-Hornets deal is even worse: the Hornets name, after a few years in the new city gets replaced and then adopted by the old city? Which franchise is consider which now…. I just assumed the Hornets-Pelicans was one franchise and the Bobcats were a new one, but now that their name will be the Hornets, are you really going to think that 30 years from now they aren’t going to consider the 1988-2002 history as their own?
Actually, the Twins hold the history of one ‘Senators’ team and the Rangers hold the other.
I’m not a fan of revisionist history either, but it’s funny that this is mentioned since I had the same conversation with a British friend of mine at a bar the other night.
He thinks it’s absolutely crazy that Americans consider the private owners of sports teams to be the owners of team identity and history. Granted, his English soccer comparison isn’t very apt since relocation is very rare, but the common feeling across the pond is that the city or the fans are the team–not the private owners or the roster/personnel in a given season. This likely stems from the fact that many of these soccer clubs are very old, so history is seen over a larger timeframe.
To us, Ray Lewis should be considered one of the best linebackers in Cleveland Browns history and Muggsey Bogues was the shortest Pelican to ever take flight.
Ray Lewis should be considered one of the best linebackers in Cleveland Browns history
But you’re forgetting the bad luck that the Cleveland Browns nickname entails. Had they remained the Browns in Baltimore, there no reason to suspect he wouldn’t have had three mediocre years and left as a free agent, or suffered a career-ending injury or been convicted of murder.
Certainly I’m not going to assume the “Baltimore Browns” would have won Super Bowl XXXV just because the Ravens did. Factually correct or not, changing their name to Ravens was the best thing to happen to that franchise.
Please correct me if I am mistaken here, but did not the NFL throw a sop to Cleveland fans by saying the nickname, colors, trademarks, record book and all else associated with the departed Browns would be preserved for the replacement Cleveland franchise and the Ravens would be considered the “new” franchise?
Perhaps it’s a distinction without a difference, but I don’t see a problem, except in a purely technical sense.
You are correct.
That incident set the precedent (in pro sports) for history not trailing the team to the new city.
Related to the Browns, the CFL followed suit when the displaced Baltimore Stallions became the new incarnation of the Montreal Alouettes.
In a funny coincidence, the article on Creamer’s site today about the Bobcats/Hornets touches on the same discussion.
link
So…someone actually decided to try shorts in a baseball game before the White Sox did it in 1976?
Quite a few teams actually, at least in the minor leagues. Here’s a pic from 1950 of (PCL) Hollywood Stars Mgr. Fred Haney wearing uni shorts – link
Matt Blinco, I thought about using the 1873 Winchester font and you, sir, did a great job of incorporating it! Ryan Foose, you did a great job with your Mr Voyager design.
link A recent si photo gallery shows Anthony Munoz with a Sharpied “63” on his helmet as well
Someone forget to close out a bold tag this morning?
Now fixed.
Too many Mr. Met clones/knockoffs/tributes/homages/inspirations in this week’s contest; otherwise some really eye-catching uni designs. UT-Knoxville should be paying attention.
As was stated in by the folks from the LCBL, the manager of the Voyagers is a huge Mets fan and they asked participants to add a “Mr. Met” inspired mascot to go along with our designs.
As for the horse-masked hockey fans, Wil Wheaton’s been doing that for at least a couple of years.
link
link
Plus he has an awesome 1991-92 Kelly Hrudey jersey: link
I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again today. In no way is that all of Spider-Man’s costumes!
Unbeknownst to me, the Astros are becoming the…wait for it…
Los Astros for a ‘Cinco de Mayo’ game today.
Which would be OK, if the Ingles version of the uni had “The Astros” including the definite article.
Otherwise, it’s just pandering.
At least when the Giants go with “Gigantes” they keep the uni consistent with its English counterpart.
Maybe the Astros should have reverted to their original nickname for this bit of chicanery and called themselves “Potro .45s.” Yeah, the old Potros, with Jose Morgan and “Oxidado” Staub.
By the way, how apropos to have a comics-related item on Free Comic Book Day?
Pedant alert
Spider-man, not Spiderman
Actually Spider-Man, with a capital M, but who cares about comic books on a sports blog?
OK – this is completely awesome – Clint Glaze has put together the entire San Diego Padre jersey history on his website. My only complaint, and it’s minor, is that no pants and stirrup combos are shown.
Great job, Clint.
He’s also got links to Notre Dame & San Diego Chargers uni-trackers. I wish I had the talent to make the GUD, etc. look half as good as his webpages.
…Or like being a sports fan on a comics blog.
Colorado Rapids debuted a Jersey sponsor today: Ciao Telecom. Was hoping for a brewer or a Mexican restaurant instead. Oh well.