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Uni Watch

Two of a Kind

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Big uni-centric summit meeting last night at Katz’s Deli, as SportsLogos.net honcho Chris Creamer (left) and I had a high-stakes sit-down over pastrami and pickles. We talked about the usual stuff that comes up when kingpins get together: how to carve up the territory equitably, keeping our capos in line (“That Phil, better keep an eye on him,” said Chris), where the bodies are buried. That kinda stuff.

Okay, seriously: I think I first became aware of Chris’s site in 1999 or 2000. I’ve always had a lot of respect for his work, and I did a pretty wide-ranging interview with him last year. He and I email semi-regularly (we sometimes help each other out with historical research or with breaking news items, or just compare notes on uni-related developments), but we had never met in person — or even spoken on the phone, for that matter — until last night, when he made some time for me during a family visit to NYC.

I’m happy to report that Chris is even more enjoyable in person than he is on the internet. Naturally, a lot of our talk was about the uni-verse — we compared war stories (we’ve both had some overzealous trolls), traded gossip, and so on. But we also talked about our families and other personal stuff. It was a really enjoyable evening, and I feel like we cemented a friendship that had been a long time in the making.

At one point Chris asked me a really interesting question (I’m paraphrasing here): “All the lousy uniforms and awful trends out there — do you ever think sites like ours are at least somewhat responsible for that?” As I explained to him, I do think our sites have contributed to a surge of interest in uniforms that has resulted in some genuinely miserable trends (camo, cookie-cutter templating, endless “special” uniform designs, etc.). But I also think we’ve uncovered and documented lots of important history, helped people to see sports in a different and more thoughtful way, and helped spur to an ongoing dialogue whose results are still playing out. In short, I think you have to take the good with the bad.

The most interesting part of the evening, at least for me, was when Chris said, “Everyone assumes you and I are enemies or something.” That was news to me — I’ve always viewed SportsLogos.net as an essential resource and an ally, not as a rival or enemy. Sure, we’re often competing to break the same news, but in the big picture we’re fighting for the same thing. In that regard, what’s good for one of us is usually good for both of us.

Thanks again, Chris — drive carefully today and get home safe.

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Design contest reminder: In case you missed it last week, I’m currently accepting entries for an ESPN contest to redesign the Cavaliers. The entry deadline is tomorrow, July 25. Full details here.

And speaking of ESPN: In case you missed it yesterday, my latest ESPN column is about the history of league logos on uniforms.

One thing about that ESPN column: I wrote that the NBA logo first appeared on uniforms as part of 35th-anniversary shorts patch in 1980-81. But last night reader Mike H. sent me photos showing that the logo had also appeared on shorts in 1970-71. I wonder if that was a 25th-anniversary move, even if it wasn’t specifically identified as such. Anyone know more?

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Mike’s Question of the Week

By Mike Chamernik

I have a DaJuan Wagner Cavs jersey and a Charles Rogers Lions jersey. I got them when I was 13 or 14, so I wasted good money on them.

Do you own any jerseys of terrible players? What’s the worst or funniest jersey you own or have seen someone wear in public?? There even used to be a great blog dedicated to this phenomenon.

As always, post your responses in today’s comments.

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Tick-Tock: Today’s Ticker was compiled and written by Mike Chamernik.

Baseball News: This Is Why Baseball Is Great, Vol. 1: With the help of third base coach Jose Oquendo, Cards catcher Yadier Molina left some snack crackers on home plate for his brother Jose Molina, who was with the visiting Rays, before the first inning yesterday. Jose kept the crackers in his back pocket the rest of the inning (from Phil). … This Is Why Baseball Is Great, Vol. 2: The Nationals’ Aaron Barrett and the Rockies’ Brandon Barnes had a competition yesterday to see who could stay on the field with hat over heart longest after the national anthem. The start of the game was delayed four minutes. Further info here. … Here’s another database of MLB at-bat songs (from Joseph Andersen). … Another minor league Christmas sweater jersey, this time for the Reading Fightins. They’ll be wearing that tomorrow (from Phil). … The Padres made a really cool Christmas card in 1979. … Since his preferred No. 7 is retired, new Yankee Chase Headley took to Twitter to ask for uni number suggestions (from Brinke). … The Rockies went high-cuffed yesterday (from Phil). … Justin Kline was in central Florida and found a hat for Sultanes de Monterrey, a Mexican team. “The problem is, I wanted to see the rest of the uniform and found that the Sultanes dress more like the New York Yankees,” he says. “I’ve spent chunks of the past few days trying to find the story behind this logo to no avail. To make things more difficult, there are no other logos on the cap but the New Era flag on one side, and the stickers said nothing but ‘Sultans.’ Are you at all familiar with the logo, or know of someone who may be?” Anyone know more? … I’ve been watching the HBO show Eastbound & Down because all the episodes recently went On Demand. I like the show, but I’m not sure what’s a bigger stretch: Kenny Powers being allowed to use a white glove while pitching in Mexico, or KP throwing 101 mph with his throwing motion (link has some swear words). You’re right, him throwing 101 is the most ridiculous thing ever aired on television.

NFL News: New Chargers CB Brandon Flowers will wear No. 26 this year (from Phil). … Reggie Wayne showed up to Colts training camp in an Indy car, and he wore a Colts racing helmet. … Eagles QB Matt Barkley found a pair of Donovan McNabb prototype cleats. … A set of Bengals schedules appear to have an autocorrect error on them. … A 1950 publication (unclear which one) listed the NFL teams and their color schemes (from Phil). … Bengals season ticket holders receive a car magnet, and Titans players deliver season tickets themselves (from Phil). … Here’s a look at how the Bills move operations to Pittsford, New York, for training camp (from Brinke).

College Football News: Construction workers at LSU’s Tiger Stadium wear LSU hardhats (from Nolan Jones). … New uniforms for Houston. … Arizona is back to solid-color numbers this year, going away from the gradient look (from Phil). … Small tweak to Fresno State’s helmet. … SB Nation ranked the uniforms in the SEC (from Phil). … New logos and helmets for East Tennessee State (from Jason Roberts).

Hockey News: When the Nordiques moved to Colorado, they were considering the name Rocky Mountain Extreme. That’s so minor league it hurts (from John Romero). … Peter Good, the man who created the Whalers’ logo, revealed some early sketches for the logo in this television interview (from Stanislaw Olechowski). … The Calgary Hitman unveiled their 20th-anniversary jerseys. By the way, I had no idea Bret Hart owned a hockey team.

Soccer News: Life imitates art: The MLS All-Star game is in Portland, so the kits will have a bird on them — an apparent reference to this Portlandia skit (from Yusuke Toyoda). … The rest of these are all from Phil: New away kit for AC Milan. … Here’s a slideshow with all the new Premier League kits for this year. … New kits for SuperSport. … New away kit for AS Roma.

Grab Bag: After seeing yesterday’s post about silhouettes and shields, Adam Vitcavage created silhouette logos for the NFL and NHL. Both are good, but nice touch with the stars for each division in the NFL one. … New logo for Foursquare (from Brinke). … This is great: A roundup of generic and overused logos (from Brinke). … The away kit for Irish rugby club Ulster has leaked (from Eric Bangeman). … Stella McCartney will design Great Britain’s official team uniform for the 2016 Olympics (from Phil). … A company called Tracksmith makes running apparel that has a retro feel to it (from Tommy Turner). … Here’s what the Australian Football A-League All-Star team will wear against Juventus on August 10 (from Graham Clayton). … The man who invented the first custom-fitted mouthpiece died Sunday (from Tris Wykes). … New York’s Holland Tunnel used to have a police catwalk car! So cool (thanks, Marty B). ”¦ The New Jersey Turnpike Authority and a Florida pizzeria are involved in a legal dispute because the pizzeria’s logo looks like the Turnpike logo (from Don Silsby).

 
  
 
Comments (178)

    Re: Mike’s question … I have a Brewers Cerveceros jersey worn by a guy who went 0-for-21 in his last short stint with them. Which is appropriate given my high school varsity baseball career, during which I turned in similar numbers.

    QOTW:

    Had of Ottawa Senators goalie jersey of Peter Sidorkiewitz. Believe it or not someone stole it from the dressing room.

    Have a blank old Capitals style jersey. Have thought of customizing it to a Bill Mikkelson jersey.

    In all fairness to these players would like to have seen how long Patrick Roy would have lasted on either team in their first years.

    “… … This is great: A roundup of generic and overused logos (from Brinke). …”

    Extremely enjoyable. One of the best, in fact. Thanks, Brinke.

    As a wrestling fan I remember many times seeing Bret Hart wearing a Hitmen jersey or other merch on Monday Night Raw. There was one time when he and the rest of his “Hart Foundation” faction wore the “new” Edmonton Oilers jerseys on the show.

    Back when I was a teenager in the ’90s, the Mets had very little to cheer about. So when my brother wanted to get a Mets jersey of his lettered, he ignored suggestions to look back a few years to Gooden or Strawberry and instead chose #5 Jeromy Burnitz.

    I myself wear a 2006 blue Cubs home alternate #37 Angel Guzman jersey in practice for my league team. It’s game-used and I chose it because of the number, not the specific player. I got it because it’s a Cubs walking-bear-logo jersey that doesn’t have a NOB. Pure dumb luck that the guy wearing my favorite number in those days happens to also wear my size. And while Guzman has sort of been forgotten, I lay claim to all past and future Cubs #37s.

    Let’s see…

    (a) Darius Kasparaitis New York Islanders Fisherman jersey complete with appropriate patches.
    (b) Petr Nedved St. Louis Blues Gretzky-era jersey that only got to wear in a promotional shoot before being traded to the New York Rangers.
    (c) Todd Bertuzzi Florida Panthers jersey.
    (d) Mathieu Biron Florida Panthers jersey.

    Great jerseys, but I still chuckle over who I wear on the back of the jersey.

    My brother used to have a Laurence Maroney Pats jersey (lol) – he eventually burned it.

    A 1950 publication (unclear which one) listed the NFL teams and their color schemes.

    There’s a couple of oddities on that list. It shows the Browns having silver, and the Eagles with royal blue in addition to their kelly green & silver. Editing mistake, or did those teams have alternate logos I’m not aware of?

    also, it say “Phidalelphia” Eagles.

    The New York Yanks are listed too. So it must be from 1950 or 1951, right? I thought the Eagles dithced any blue well before that.

    Toss Chris from link into that little meet n greet last night and you’d have the trifecta of my daily morning read. Very cool to see that the internet can bring people of similar likes together for an actual face to face meeting.

    We actually talked a bit about Icethetics. Chris Creamer said that was another case where people (mostly on Twitter) assume that he and the Icethetics guy are “enemies.” Some people have such an odd mindset….

    Yeah, I don’t really understand where the thought comes from that any one of these uni-blog/sites would be enemies of each other. Uni-related sites are beyond standard fandoms which are based on specific teams in each city. The appreciation of uniforms comes from a broader aspect, which to me, reduces the likelihood of blogs / sites being “enemies.”

    Re: Arizona’s football numbers, correct me if I’m wrong, but all NCAA teams are required to have solid-color numbers this year. The requirement was actually put in place last year, but Arizona had already produced their jerseys so they got a waiver. This also would have affected Arkansas’ uniforms, but they switched templates anyway.

    The NJ Tpke Authority takes this stuff seriously.

    In the ’80s, I knew a woman in her 70s who lived in Cambridge, MA, and used to answer her phone “New Jersey Turnpike Authority,” just for fun. She stopped after the turnpike authority somehow found out about it and sent her a cease and desist order.

    RIP Alice Tondell

    I have 2 game used jerseys that are a bit odd to own today.
    1) A Matt Clement Padres pinstripe home jersey
    2) a Jon Knott Lehigh Valley IronPigs jersey. At least the Knott jersey is no NOB.

    QOTW

    I usually do my best to make sure I buy a jersey of a player who would be worth it in the long run, but a few have slipped thru the cracks. I have a Fuamatu-Ma’afala Steelers jersey that I bought literally months before he went to Jacksonville, but the name on the back is so fantastic it might not qualify for this QOTW. I get positive comments from Steeler fans all the time whenever I wear it.

    And more recently, I spent way too much money, unfortunately a few times, buying, selling, and re-buying trying to get the perfect James Neal jersey. Whoops.

    Which reminds me…I need to put the one I have on ebay now. Hopefully I can get a nickel or something for it at this point.

    I liked that Steelers RB because on Madden his last name was just Fuamatu-Ma.

    FIFA used to shorten down Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink’s NOB to “Vennegoor of H”.

    Re: Mike’s question:

    Probably the most obscure player I own is Alberto Gonzalez of the Nationals. It was a BP jersey I snatched up for $30 at Nationals Park. I also had a Kellen Clemens Jets jersey until I culled my clothes a few months ago.

    Not to be too detail oriented or to sound jaded, but the “construction workers” you pointed out in the College Football news at LSU’s Tiger Stadium, but those are not construction workers. More than likely these hard hats are given out to people of significance (Owner, architect, engineer, designer, booster, etc…) on tours of the construction area to see progress. I say this because I am an engineer and have seen this multiple times where the contractor will have specialty hard hats available for these types of occasions. Notice how clean their safety vests are with no pens or papers in them, the TV camera, the guy in the red shirt has a nice watch on, the guy with his arms open has his phone in his hand, and the girl in the background is on her phone. The actual construction workers, or laborers, do not have these characteristics while on the job. Just something I noticed…

    Worst jersey story…Around 1994 I wanted a NY Giants football jersey. Rodney Hampton was probably the best guy they had around then. I was going to get it, but he signed an offer sheet with the 49ers, so I didn’t get it, thinking he’d leave. So instead of waiting to see where he wound up (19 years old, I wasn’t the most patient sort then), I bought another jersey of a young player who I thought would be there for a while.

    Dave Brown.

    That turned out to be the worst piece of apparel I’ve ever purchased. So bad. Awful.

    I was in a bathroom on spring break in Texas a few years later and two guys walked past me to leave and I heard the guy say to his friend “wow, is that a Dave Brown jersey?” I didn’t even turn around and acknowledge anything. By then I knew how bad it was. I just wore it for comfort.

    I put it in the goodwill bin after I graduated. It would be funny to have kept it just to prove it existed.

    Dave Brown jersey t-shirt.

    I thought I was the only one who had something like that in the folly of youth.

    My father found me a Jeff Hostetler jersey at a Champion factory outlet store in the early 90s, though, considering what he did in 1990, that is more slightly obscure than bad.

    Marshall’s or TJ Maxx iin Akron had Dave Brown jerseys for about 15 bucks. I had one for a while, then gave it to a friend of mine five years ago.

    QOTW:

    Can’t think of any that I’ve seen with my naked eyes, but my favorite “bad” uniform is when Junior Griffey was traded to the Reds, link.

    One that I’ve actually seen: I attended a Liverpool match while they were on tour a few years back, and saw a dude wearing “KEAGAN 7”, an apparent misspelling of Kevin Keegan’s name (nevermind that NOBs didn’t exist when Keegan played).

    Maybe there’s a hidden scoop in the Bengals schedule and the Niners are changing their name to the Streets of San Francisco. Then again, maybe not.

    I remember the “Rocky Mountain Extreme” hubbub, although I remembered it as the even more bush league “Xtreme”.

    It’s probably a team full of former high school football players in wheelchair.

    link that Adrian Dater of the Denver Post cites to in his column about the Rocky Mountain Extreme seems to lend some support to our collective recollection, Gregg. If you scroll down, you’ll see some logo concept sketches that include one with the wordmark “Xtreme” without the “E.”

    “I remember the ‘Rocky Mountain Extreme’ hubbub, although I remembered it as the even more bush league ‘Xtreme’.”

    I remember the same thing, Gregg. Not that a correct spelling of the word “Extreme” would have made the name more palatable, but I remember some of the negative reaction was based on the rather forced “edginess” of the proffered spelling.

    I remember the team making an abrupt about-face on the name after its poor public reception. What I didn’t remember was that the team acted like “Rocky Mountain Xtreme” (or “Extreme”) was never a serious option. Sure it wasn’t! Just like the Braves weren’t going to feature the “Screaming Brave” logo on the BP caps last year…

    That’s something I’ve never understood about the PR game. When a nascent idea is poorly received by the public and a company reverses course on it, why do they always act like it was never their plan in the first place? Why not just admit, “Hey, we’ve listened to the reaction, and we’re going to take the public’s feedback into account.” That doesn’t show weakness, it shows responsiveness to the marketplace. By acting like the idea was never going to happen, they just look like a bunch of lying douchebags, which is way worse PR.

    A last minute shift from “Xtreme” to “Avalanche” coupled with the already short timing of the offseason move could be the reason why the team has always worn black helmets and breezers instead of a color from their blue/maroon color scheme.

    QOTW: GREAT question!!

    My Canucks’ sweater is #7. That would be Gary Lupul, but I tell everyone it’s Pit Martin.
    I have a #14 Cowboys’ jersey (dark blue with metallic blue numerals trimmed in white) for Gary Hogeboom. My Seahawks jersey is #24, Shawn Springs. I had a Cubs ringer t-shirt which I lettered #41 for Dick Tidrow. Not bad players, in any sense, just obscure. My holy grail is a Chris Oddleifson sweater.

    How about the jersey of a good player past his prime on a team most people forgot he played for? I had a game worn Pepper Johnson jersey from when he played for the Browns.

    A) Bengals vs. the Streets. Oi oi oi. Bengals are in trouble – the Streets are fit and they know it.

    B) – the Hitmen were called the hit men because of Bret Hart. Same with the black/pink colour scheme, which was a bit out there 20 hers ago. Looking at the 20th anny sweater, it looks like they have all the elements from the original. I believe the original units had the shoulder patch “HITMEN” on the front because there was a bit of concern over the Casey Jones style figure they wanted to go with. Obvioulsy, it got settled before long.

    Good WHL franchise. Great to see them still around.

    C) MLS all-Star kits – – Byaaay! On the back neck and a kitty cat with his paw on a ball over the jock tag.

    D) I have a New York Islanders Bob Nystrom sweater, but that clearly doesn’t count since you stated they had to be terrible players.

    A friend of mine was given a Rick DiPietro sweater as a joke once That definitely qualifies. He (like I) can’t stand DiPietro, so he converted it into a Hubie McDonough sweater. Instant upgrade, even if it wasn’t period-accurate.

    Back in university another pal picked up a Mighty Ducks of Anaheim kids’ sweater at Frenchy’s (local second/third hand store) and converted it to a Robin Bawa sweater because he loved the guy in NHL..95? It’s been a few years.

    Sadly, no pictures of either the McDonough or the Bawa sweaters. Like I said, it’s been a while.

    TEEBZ – the only problem with the Kaspar “Fish Sticks” sweater is the fish shtick.

    SB

    About the Sultanes logo. I am from Monterrey and might be able to help.

    That logo is not used by the team in any capacity, except for selling merchandise. According to a team store clerk,it was designed by New Era. The M shape is for Monterrey and the 9 stars are for its 9 Mexican League championships. The part at the top is intended to be a mountain, since Monterrey is known in Mexico as “The city of Mountains”. Problem is, that mountain doesn’t look like any of the mountains in Monterrey.

    The team’s primary color is blue and secondary color is red. So if the hat is green and red, it might just be that they are trying too hard to establish it as a Mexican team.

    QOTW – most amazing jersey I’ve ever seen in public, about a dozen years ago I saw a young black guy wearing a brand new throwback Bills #32 Simpson jersey. This was LONG before the Bills threw back their own uniforms, so it had to be some kind of custom piece.

    Love the new Houston uni’s. Clean and simple, but just modern enough to feel new. My only thing is this: why no shoulder numbers? Either on the sleeves or shoulders, that jersey needs numbers up there.

    I own a Gregg Oden Trailbalzers jersey and a Scott Gomez NY Rangers authentic on-ice jersey bought a MSG on sale at 80%!

    Jason Beck (@beckjason), who covers the Tigers for MLB.com, tweets when he sees an unlikely jersey. for example: Spotted at Comerica Park: Vance Wilson #Tigers jersey.

    QOTW: Not a jersey, but I definitely had a Doug Mirabelli Red Sox shirsey.

    Went to a Sox game last year, and waiting for the T after the game a drunk guy started throwing me offers for it. Eventually sold a skinny drunk guy a sweaty, XXL Doug Mirabelli t-shirt for $30.

    Current bad idea shirsey in my collection: Ryan Lavarnway. Was sure he’d be the next big thing, but that seems to be Christian Vasquez now.

    You and me both, man.

    My Red Sox shirseys include Shea Hillenbrand, Matt Clement, and Adam Stern. Yes, Adam Stern.

    Woof.

    Had a Hillenbrand at one point. Still have and on the regular wear Sean Casey and Alex Cora.

    Okajima, not so much. Just collects dust.

    QOTW: When I was a young lad, a good friend of mine was a Chargers fan and had a Junior Seau jersey. I didn’t really have a favorite NFL team, but liked the idea of having an NFL jersey. I figured I’d just adopt his favorite team, and since he already had Seau, I got the only other one I could find in Alabama… a Natrone Means #20. Yeah, Natrone had a few good years I guess, but I don’t exactly think people are scouring eBay for his jerseys. I have no idea what happened to mine but it’s long gone now.

    I also remember having a purple Hornets Alonzo Mourning jersey. Not a horrible player by any means, but I bet Paul would have thought it a horrible jersey regardless.

    I received an authentic Javon Walker jersey from my parents in 2005. A week later he tore his ACL in the opener against the Lions and never played another down for the Pack. Needless to say I’ve never purchased or asked for another $300 polyester shirt again.

    As a birder, I feel compelled to point out that the bird represented on the MLS All-Star jersey ain’t a western meadowlark, as they claim. It’s some kind of sparrow. Meadowlarks look much different. Just another example of birds being misrepresented by sports teams and governments.

    link

    link

    Is there any hope at all that the Rockies’ look at pictures from yesterday and recognize how great the TEAM looks and adapt the high cuffs full time?

    QOTW: I used to like to buy game-used jerseys. I was limited to ones that I could afford and wear, which meant bad players and coaches.

    So, My Mets Mel Rojas road batting practice jersey would qualify — and I love it!

    My coolest one is a Braves Matt Murray road with the anniversary patch. He had only a cup of coffee, but to have game-worn with my last name on it is pretty sweet!

    QOTW: Awesome that the example in the question included Rodgers, because we have a beer league touch football league where many teams look for boxes of clearance jerseys to be used as team uniforms. My first season in the league, my whole team wore the rarely seen silver Lions Carlos Rodgers jersey. Two years later we replaced them with a case of Darren Sharper Vikings jerseys that went for cheap after he went to the Saints.

    It makes sense that the last name of the man who created the Whaler’s logo is GOOD. Easily my favorite logo/color scheme in sports history.

    Agreed. When I was a kid and I first noticed the H in the negative space, my heart skipped a beat.

    QoTW:
    I owned a Blair Thomas NYJ jersey (Logo 7 IIRC) which I received as a Christmas gift .
    It still had the tags on it when I put it in the donation box the following spring.
    I always chuckle when I spot a fan or 2 at the Wells Fargo Center wearing a Philadelphia NHL team knock-off Winter Classic jersey:

    link

    The company that made those should have included one of these in every the shipment to customers who jumped the gun:

    link

    I have the actual home jersey of SMU footballer David Stanley. The story here is that he is the player who ratted out SMU and helped send the Ponies on their way to the death penalty.

    Worst jersey?

    Back in the mid-90’s, I had (and wore, frequently) a Bobby Hoying jersey…

    Those were popular in Philly back then, as were Mike Mamula jerseys.
    Ray Rhodes sure could pick ’em!

    QOTW: My only jersey is a game-used Julio DePaula #51 Twins Home Alternate (2007). I got it in the bargain rqack at “Twinsfest” preceding the next season. It cost me $100, less than a replica, and I picked him because he had one of the two smallest jerseys. (Man do I wish Matt LeCroy was a smaller guy.) and I chose him over Luis Rodriguez because:
    1. Drop-Cap E in DePAULA
    2. “Rodriguez” was more likely to mean someone else.

    DePaula’s back in the Majors for the O’s for the only time since 2007. (Crud, he was DFA’d without playing a game.) 2007 Line (aka career line): 16G, 20IP, 99BF, 8.55ERA, 30H, 5HR, 8K, 10BB, 1HBP, 7.64FIP, 51ERA+, -0.5bWAR.

    I like the jersey because I can tell people “I’ll be the only guy in a DePaula jersey” and be 99.9995% certain that it’s accurate. Also, among my baseball-fan friends, I’ve got a reputation of loving ignorable relievers. (Also: backup catchers.)

    I still regret my non-purchase the prior Twinsfest of a Terry Mulholland 2005 jersey, with the “Eloise” signature memorial patch for the owner’s deceased wife. That memorial patch touched me as romantic, “Mulholland” is a cool word, and Terry Mulholland was cooler than a forgettable reliever. But $100 was a stretch then.

    The Worst Jersey blog is hilarious.

    I have a finkle #5 dolphins jersey shirt

    The next jersey I buy its going to be the most obscure player

    Worst jersey trifecta: I have a replica (check) Chris Hovan (check) jersey that I received after had already played his last game for the Vikings (check).

    Bonus factor: Three days ago, the Tampa Tribune reported that Hovan was arrested on domestic assault charges.

    Time to clean out the closet.

    To truly make it a “worst” jersey, it would have to have Hovan’s lack of sleeves.

    QoTW sidebar – has anyone ever seen an acual Atlanta Falcons “MEXICO 7” jersey? Apparently a few leaked out before the NFL caught on.

    SB

    Looking at the NFL silhouette, I couldn’t help but think that it should be based on a QB from the golden age of footbal where they had the single-bar facemask.

    I don’t know about single bar, but the classic double bar would probably be appropriate. It needs to be a less detailed silhouette though… the logo presented just looks really rough and ugly with all of the jersey wrinkles and whatnot being intact. It probably wouldn’t reproduce very accurately at small sizes either. You’ve gotta smooth the edges a bit. Look at the logo used for the league in the Backbreaker video game a few years ago: link There’s still a few bumps that could probably be eliminated, but it’s much smoother.

    Yeah the double-bar mask would be better. Maybe even a smoothed down silhouette of Johnny U in mid-pass?

    So, this pose: link but with the double bar? Yeah, that’d work. Someone photoshop that, please. I don’t feel like doing it myself right now.

    I didn’t comment about it yesterday, but I think it’s a neat coincidence that both “contact” sports use shield logos while the more peaceful games have silhouettes.

    “That Phil, better keep an eye on him,” said Chris

    ~~~

    Hey now…

    QOTW…. A blue Dallas Cowboys Bernie Kozar jersey. I only wish I was kidding. It was bought at an outlet store in Houston for about $10 or so. One of the good things about my failing memory is that I can’t remember why I bought it. I am neither a frequent jersey wearer nor Cowboys fan. I may have picked it up for one of our school’s ‘wear a jersey’ days.

    I own a Will Middlebrooks shirsey – bought it in May or June 2012, when he was lighting the world on fire. Since then, he’s changed jersey numbers and can’t stay in the bigs. Looking more and more like a waste of $30.

    QOTW: I have a Bartlett Padres jersey…

    And the contributor on twitter about the Fresno state helmet tweak said “the helmet stripe doesn’t go all the way to the back”…it actually looks like the reversed the taper of the stripe, it used to come to a point in the front, with the wide part in the back almost encasing the “V”. The new stripe comes to a point in the back almost pointing to the “V”

    Great photo. Chris Creamer, the father of the archive of all things sports logo related, and Paul Lukas, the uniform guru, who doesn’t have a logo on his jersey-styled t-shirt.

    I would have to say that I regret exactly none of my uniform purchases:
    – Thurman Thomas (Bills circa 1994) – no longer wear
    – Al Del Greco (Titans circa 1998) – no longer wear
    – Reggie White (Packers the 5-sleeve-striped uniform from 1995) – occasionally wear
    – Ahman Green (Packers) – no longer wear
    – Ray Nitschke (Packers) – wear regularly in relation to team events
    – Blank Minnesota Twins navy batting practice jersey – regularly wear in relation to team events
    – Justin Morneau (Twins, the thing was about $20 and he did win a MVP) – only wear in relation to team events when it’s too hot to wear navy, though this is slightly hypocritical if you read on.

    I’m fairly thoughtful and intentional about them. I’ve come to develop rules for wearing a uniform/jersey, and thus I put a lot of thought into the jerseys I purchase.
    – Player must be currently active
    OR
    – Player’s number must be retired by team
    OR
    – Player must be iconic in some way yet retired long enough that a young person might say, “Who?” (example, Bill Buckner)

    I get irritated when I see uniforms at games (specifically at games) of players who aren’t on the team and aren’t really significant in any way to that team anymore. Example, for as much as I loved Doug Mientkiewicz on the Twins I say that if you’re such a huge fan then you can shell out some more cash for another jersey. Otherwise you’re just a schlub like the rest of us who should probably be jerseyless at said game.

    I tend to buy playerless uniforms when possible, though that’s really difficult with football uniforms.

    I get irritated when I see uniforms at games (specifically at games) of players who aren’t on the team and aren’t really significant in any way to that team anymore. Example, for as much as I loved Doug Mientkiewicz on the Twins I say that if you’re such a huge fan then you can shell out some more cash for another jersey. Otherwise you’re just a schlub like the rest of us who should probably be jerseyless at said game.

    There’s being a stickler, there’s having standards, there’s being idealistic and then there’s being an insufferable, pretentious snob. Apologies for the bluntness, I’m generally of the mind that what the internet needs least is yet more random character attacks, but I do truly feel you deserve to be notified that you are the latter of the above options.

    Agree completely with this. Unnecessary and trite.

    And if you’re going to be a said snob, at least get your dates right.

    Al Del Greco (Oilers circa 1998) or (Titans circa 1999)

    I’ll keep wearing all of my favorite former players’ unis at games – from Roy Halladay, to Brian Dawkins, to Cliff Lee (well, he will be within a few days), to Mark Recchi – just to annoy you.

    I get irritated when I see uniforms at games (specifically at games) of players who aren’t on the team and aren’t really significant in any way to that team anymore. Example, for as much as I loved Doug Mientkiewicz on the Twins I say that if you’re such a huge fan then you can shell out some more cash for another jersey. Otherwise you’re just a schlub like the rest of us who should probably be jerseyless at said game.

    Yeah, because god forbid someone acting upon his own reasons, which are none of your business, should wear whatever he wants to a ballgame.

    “I say that if you’re such a huge fan then you can shell out some more cash for another jersey.”

    Since when did how much money one spends on merch become the primary indicator of how big of a fan one is?

    Isn’t paying exorbitant ticket prices proof enough that you’re “a huge fan”?

    I’m going to continue wearing my cheap, outdated and/or obscure sports apparel to games…mostly because that’s what I do. But if it also annoys people who think I’m a schlub, then that”s gravy.

    I have a Muhsin Muhammad #87 Bears Super Bowl XLI jersey. Making matters worse, 2 weeks after I bought it, the Bears cut him and the price was slashed like 75% more.

    Recently while on vacation I started a re-watch of The Sopranos on the iPad using the HBO GO app (one of the top ten greatest things in the world). Your opening paragraph really made me laugh.

    I just hope I have enough clout around here to consider myself a made man!!!!

    @ Kek: The picture reminded me of the Sopranos (my wife and I recently finished binge-watching every episode), two bosses having a “sit down.”

    Trent Dilfer, red Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I did how ever buy this after we all kind of knew he wouldn’t be much but I did not pay a lot for this replica as Value City had NFL replica jerseys for $9 in Carol Stream, IL. The real reason I bought it was because I love the pewter era Bucs unis and the only other choice was Johnson who I believe was traded to the Jets. Glad to hear you and Chris had a sitdown. Plenty of turf in the Uni-verse. for all!

    ah man, Straight Cash Homey… I miss that site! I used to check it regularly and even contributed from time to time.

    I think Bacon Sports has filled that gap on twitter though.

    I did not realize until today that the site is defunct. That’s too bad.

    Perhaps if I had visited it more often, it would still be around.

    New Era Cap is taking their reflective logo “technology” that they used on this year’s NFL Draft caps and using it on MLB hats now

    link

    Somewhere in the offices of Big Sportswear: “We need to do something to make these camo hats more visible.”

    currently have a Grady Sizemore Indians jersey i got the spring before he got hurt and never saw the field for the Tribe ever again.

    well it was a replica.. so it didn’t come with a CW.. but i wouldnt because then it wouldn’t match my hats

    Bret Hart doesn’t technically own the team anymore. He was a founding owner (and namesake) but they are now owned entirely by the Calgary Flames, I believe.

    Wow, I didn’t know Harmon Killebrew’s silhouette played football and hockey too!

    QOTW: I have a Devin Aromashodu Bears jersey. A few years ago I was at Soldier field and I really wanted an alternate Bears jersey. It was $95 for a Peppers or Hester but $25 for Aromashodu who had just joined the Vikings. I love his long, hard to pronounce name so I bought it. Last year I was excited when Bears signed him again but unfortunately he got cut during training camp.

    And speaking of straightcashhomey, I loved that website and got a few pictures posted on there. My favorite was when I saw a guy wearing a Julius Jones Cowboys jersey in a Costco. When I snapped the pic, he was in the clothes aisle holding up a plain shirt. Looked like he was contemplating something to cover up his terrible jersey.

    re: Summit at Katz’s

    Big question: who reenacted the “I’ll have what she’s having” scene, Paul or Chris?

    And you shouldn’t regret anything. Besides, he had the best selling jersey in football for a while there

    QOTW: I play in a fantasy baseball league where the winner gets a jersey of a player on his team. The first year I won, Zach Duke had a great September, so I ordered a black DUKE 57 Pirates jersey. There can’t be too many of those still around. Thankfully, the next two times I won I got a Berkman brick red Astros jersey and a David Price Rays home white jersey. Much better choices!

    you know the ONLY reason the CALGARY HITMEN have that pink/silver/black old color scheme is because of BRET ‘THE HITMAN’ HART. When the XFL existed I think they had him wear NY/NJ HITMEN swag in a ‘skit’/promo. Not 100% sure about that last one though.

    Really great stuff, people. Loving it.

    Some of you have listed game-worn jerseys, which I think are always cool no matter the player. My old roommate had a Brian Dinkleman (23 games in 2011) game-worn Twins jersey that I thought was awesome.

    Mike, the great things about game-used stuff is that it often costs less than “authentic” mass-produced items, is guaranteed to hold at least some of its value, and gives you a connection to a player that the average fan might barely remember. I’ll never waste $200 on an “authentic” jersey when I can have true authenticity instead.

    I own a bunch of Blues jerseys and while I have some of the greats; Hull, Federko, Oates, MacInnis. I also have some of the not so greats.

    Lee Stempniak #12- bought this because he played college hockey up the road from me and I saw him many times.

    Adam Creighton #25- $25 on ebay

    Vincent Riendeau #30- also an ebay bargain

    Paul Kariya #9- a great Mighty Duck, not a great Blue

    QOTW: I have an Orioles link t-shirt jersey.

    I also have a Orioles Sammy Sosa t-shirt jersey that I modified to have a Nick Markakis nameplate.

    I had not one, but TWO Miami Dolphins #33 Karim Abdul-Jabbar jerseys. I got a Dan Marino jersey for my birthday in 1996, but it didn’t fit so my parents took me to the mall to exchange it and when we got to the store they had the Abdul-Jabbar jerseys and I had to have it. The next year when the Dolphins changed their logo and uniforms I got one of the new ones. In the end, still have never had a Marino Dolphins jersey haha.

    That reminded me: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the basketball hall of famer, sued Karim Abdul-Jabbar, the Dolphins RB, for using the same name.

    link

    Ooh, new Foursquare logo & typeface!!

    Talk about rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

    I have a replica of Charlie Manuel’s #4 Kintetsu Buffaloes shirsey – it’s my favorite baseball shirt. I wear that to Phillies games more often than I wear my Phils jerseys.

    You should go up to the dugout and see if Manuel will sign it for you. I had a game used Hanshin Tigers cap as a kid and got Cecil Fielder to sign it; he was pretty impressed.

    I’ve tried numerous times throughout the years. I’ll be trying again next month when he’s inducted into the Phillies hall of fame. If not then, he’s going to be at an event at Virginia Tech next year (he grew up only about an hour away from campus), so I’m hoping that will be my big opportunity.

    QOTW:

    I don’t wear any of these jerseys, but they still hang in the closet:

    Cubs No. 1 (home, pinstripes from 1989, no name on the back) I think it was Dave Martinez at the time, but so many have worn that numeral in the years since. Got it because I wore No. 1 on just about every team I ever played for. Except one summer league club that didn’t have any single-digit jerseys, so I took No. 49, which was the highest number they had.

    1977 Mariners, No. 9. Yeah, Ruppert Jones. Gonna be Seattle’s first superstar. How did that work out? The pullover? The striping? The weird fonts? Looks like an expansion team, all right. Seems like the Mets, Blue Jays and Rockies are the only teams I can think of that have stuck with the same basic design since their inception. But that’s a good thing.

    Rocky Mountain Xtreme would have been a PERFECRT name for a Pro Beach Hockey team from Colorado. I have no idea if anyone else watched but the league featured teams named “Salsa”, “Web Warriors” and “Heavy Metal” among others. It was a blast to watch in the summer in the late 90’s (but to be fair I was 12 and obsessed with watching/playing any form of hockey)

    link

    I remember pro beach hockey. Embarrassing because I was at least theoretically old enough to know better by then.

    Now that brings back memories; I remember watching those on ESPN The Deuce back in the ’90s. That ¡Salsa! jersey, with Spanish-style opening upside-down exclamation point, is so bad that it goes all the way back around to being awesome.

    I also remember that for each team, every player’s number ended with the same digit (so the ¡Salsa! had 01, 11, 21, 31…). I wonder who thought of that.

    I’m probably in the minority on this, but I love seeing obscure jerseys at games. There is something oddly charming about occasionally seeing someone wearing the “Hey, remember him?!” jersey in a sea of fans wearing current merch.

    QOTW:
    I have a #23 Padres game-worn Jose Cruz, Jr. jersey. He played a whopping 91 games for the 1997 Padres at the tail end of his career, batting .234 with 6 HR, 6 SB, and a WAR of 1.0. I got it: 1) because my last name is Cruz; and 2) because it was cheap as dirt at the Padres garage sale. I think I’ve only worn it twice but don’t regret the purchase at all.

    QOTD – the only jersey I have is a Redskins # 9 jersey. On the one hand, I stand by it because it’s for Sonny Jurgensen, my all-time favorite athlete. On the other hand, it’s a replica that I got in the early 90s, so it’s both a style and a fabric (mesh) that Jurgensen never wore.

    Along the same lines as having jerseys for terrible players, back in ’96, my friend who is a huge Lakers fan started collecting Kobe Bryant rookie cards. I’ve never liked Bryant or the Lakers, so I picked up a few Kobes, but mostly I got some of the other rookies from that year. For every Iverson or Ray Allen, I have probably 2 of Lorenzen Wright or Shareef Abdul-Rahim.

    Paul, re the NBA logo – it was commissioned for the league’s 25th anniversary, and the full shorts patch included a small silver strip on the left-hand side of the logo reading “25th Anniversary”, although it’s very difficult to see in the photos.

    From Chris Creamer’s site, here’s the logo:
    link

    And here’s a slightly better look at the patch:
    link

    My worst jersey ever? Not even a contest. My official, on field, Rick Mirer Seahawks jersey. Bought when he was first drafted, because I thought for SURE he’d be the real thing. Yeah…didn’t quite work out that well.

    But it DID have the awesome NFL 75th Anniversary patch. Wish I would have at least kept that when I gave the jersey to some poor soul.

    Terry,

    Mirer is hard to top on the Seehox all-bust team.

    I haven’t seen any Bosworth No. 55 jerseys. Or No. 44, either.

    My Seehox shirt is an authentic 1976 Jim Zorn No. 10. Which few people even recognize as a Seehox jersey (“They actually wore those? Really?”)

    Always thought it interesting that when the Seehox had Zorn and Dave Krieg, both of their quarterbacks were from colleges that dropped football after they left.

    Thanks for reminding me: I wore a Jim Zorn jersey throughout high school. An odd choice for someone in the Middle Atlantic States, but we lefties have to stick together.

    I wouldn’t consider it my worst jersey, but I used to have a Curt Warner #28. Got it for 25 bucks back in 1984. Very comfortable.

    Also around that same time I had a Louis Lipps #83 road jersey. Not as comfortable. In fact, I had to wear a t-shirt underneath so the numbers wouldn’t scratch me.

    QOTW: I bought a Rudy Fernandez Trail Blazers jersey back in 2008. However, I ordered it online, and they sent me two jerseys by mistake. Score! I sold one to a buddy. But at least I wasn’t the only one wearing that stupid jersey.

    Also, I bought a Jake Plummer Broncos jersey like two months before he was traded to the Bucs/retired.

    And by the way, I’m surprised Chris Creamer owns that Brewers shirt, when it’s public knowledge that he supports the Blue Jays. (Yes yes, I know it’s possible to like a player on another team, or just to like the look of other teams’ merchandise, but it still makes me double-take.)

    Always been a die-hard Pirates fan, but it’s not unusual to see me in Orioles, Twins or Montgomery Biscuits apparel. Got a Nationals cap and a teal Marlins cap that I wear quite often, too.

    I never new there was such a thing as a National Anthem Standoff until today.

    One quibble…Aaron Barrett did not win. He was wearing a batting helmet towards the end. If your head’s supposed to be uncovered during the anthem, then Brandon Barnes is your winner.

    Worst jersey? Well, I mentioned above that I used to have a Dave Brown, but I think my worst was a Benoit Benjamin LA Clippers jersey. I liked the 00, if that excuses it.

    Re: Mike’s Question

    When I purchase jerseys I aim only to buy only those of obscure, mediocre, awful, or for other reasons humorous players. The collection currently contains:

    Corey Maggette – 1998 McDonald’s All-American jersey
    Gilbert Arenas – Washington Wizards gold alternate jersey ca. 2007
    Andrew Bynum – Philadelphia 76ers blue alternate (that Bynum never suited up in)
    Dennis Rodman – Chicago Bulls mid-90s black alternate
    Nick Van Exel – Lakers early 90s away jersey
    Adam Morrison – Bobcats home jersey ca. 2006

    The next logical purchase is a Jonathan Bender jersey. I have sought it for many years, so if anyone has any leads…

    curious piece to share about the NJTPK suit against fla. pizza shop: check out link they have been around since the 70’s and even recorded a song titled “The Garden State Parkway Boogie”

    As an ASU student, I don’t want to say nice things about UofA, but I will admit, the solid numbers with the black outline look a lot better to me than the gradient numbers with the white outline. Improvement. Big plus, we still have the better football team. And better looking in my opinion, but hey, I’m biased.

    QOTW — the only jersey I’ve ever owned (besides a hand-me-down Johnny Bench jersey from my older brother) was an Akili Smith Bengals jersey I received for Christmas right after he was drafted — that was cool for about 1.5 seconds. . .

    I continue to own and wear to Saints home games a Jim Everett 1995 away White jersey – primarily because of the short-lived Gold numbers on the White jersey, but also because I believe that fans should celebrate and embrace the mediocre eras of their teams along with the high points. Fan support is one long continuum. Certainly the good times are better than the low points, but true fans embrace the totality, the heartbreaks as well as the championships and records earned. So I try.

    The single, most surprisingly “bad” jersey that I have ever seen – and I actively look for such things – was at a Saints game where a fan was wearing a cheap, tattered, wrong-era Russell Erxleben Saints replica jersey. Erxleben was a disasterous 1979 First Round draft choice – a punter-kicker from Texas that was a total washout and failpoint. Total. He singlehandedly lost games at the worst possible times. His missing a point blank FG in the first game of 1980 began the 0-14 start of the infamous “Baghead” Year. His OT mishandling of a punt snap, and his tossing it into the air, to be plucked by a hated Falcon and returned for a Sudden Death Falcon’s win, ruined the start of the 1979 Season. The replica jersey had the wrong striping and detail – meaning the fan went out of his way to have it custom made at some point after Erxleben had long been jettisoned. I took three photos of the rare jersey, and when I learn to post them from my telephone I will ….

    Only jerseys owned by my family:

    Me–Darrell Green. white.

    Wife–Keenan McCardell. Tampa. White. Jags. Teal.

    (She likes/liked McCardell)

    All are replicas or whatever. I think mine was $8 at TJ Maxx 20 years ago. i probably paid $20 a piece for hers on ebay.

    QOTW:
    Would a Bobby Bonilla New York Mets shirzey count?? Also, I had a Karim Abdul-Jabbar Dolphins jersey. Ahh…the things we do in our youth.

    In response to Mikes question, I think one of the lousiest jerseys I own is a Patriots #16 Matt Cassell jersey. I mean a back up for the Pats? Mind you he had a great fill in season but I probably couldn’t give it away now

    Jesus, thanks for the clarification! That seems like kind of a weird thing for New Era to do, but I still give them props for that logo design – even if it’s a little inaccurate, geographically.

    I had a Charles Rogers Lions jersey too. I had the “Rogers” taken off and “Perriman” sewn on. Problem solved!

    I have about 80 jerseys but theyre deep in second row of closet. Theyre either a good player or nnob. But the cheapest one i got on ebay that is not a team anymore is my baby blue LA Avengers afl jersey!?! I shoulda wore it last week to the LA Kiss game but forgot.

    the tag on those Mcnabb prototypes are cooler than the shoe. If I read that in person id get goosebumps.

    The first jersey I ever owned was a Craig MacTavish #14 white Flyers uni with a fighting strap. I must have been 6 or 7 years old.

    It’s the only one I’ve ever seen.

    My biggest uni fail was an early 2000’s Cristiano Ronaldo Man U jersey with a GIGANTIC AIG LOGO on the chest. I don’t know where it is and I don’t care.

    @Scott/ChrisH – I have a Mamula jersey. Which I chose over Hoying and Chris T Jones at the time. Not proud of that one.
    Also have a Rockets Matt Maloney #12 from their cartoony navy era but I went to high school with him. Granted, I bought it after a night of hard drinking on spring break but I stand by my decision.

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