Ti-Cats New Third is Stealthy

By Phil Hecken

First up: Paul has a new ESPN Column coming today — it’s the highly-anticipated NFL Uniform Preview Edition. Here’s the column.

Now then — We’re about 3/4ths of the way through with the Canadian Football League unveiling their alternate (or third) or “Signature” uniforms, and yesterday the Hamilton Tiger Cats unveiled theirs.

As threatened promised, our Canadian Football expert, Mike Styczen, reviewed the first set of thirds here, and the Montreal Alouettes here. He’s back today to give us the rundown on the next team to unveil, the Ti-Cats.

Here’s Mike:

. . .

Hamilton Tiger Cats New Third Uniform
By Mike Styczen

The Hamilton Tiger Cats released their Signature Series uniforms on Tuesday. They’ll wear what they’re calling their “stealth” look on Monday in the Labour Day classic against Toronto – though the bigger question in Hamilton right now is “where is the game going to be played”.

Let’s take a look at the uniforms (click on any photo to enlarge):

The new set looks an awful lot like B.C.’s set. The body of the jersey is a gray so dark it might as well be black, the shoulders and pants are black. The trim, including the names, numbers, and striping on the jerseys and pants, is yellow.

The team’s leaping tiger logo is rendered almost invisibly in grey on the shoulders of the jersey, and on the right side of the helmet. The left side of the helmet has the uniform number in yellow.

The motto “Tigertown” is stitched inside the collar (though I didn’t see any pictures of this). The use of that motto seems a little weird to me – I would have thought they’d use Hamilton’s pretty well-established motto which dates back to the 1920s.

While the Tiger Cats usual home look is black over yellow, they have worn monochrome black in the past.

So of all the CFL Signature Series releases so far, this set is the closest to a team’s usual look. There’s nothing too offensive about this set, but nothing too memorable either.

. . .

Thanks, Mike. He and I will be back with the last of the unveilings after they occur.

The Great Cornhole-io Maker

You fine readers may recall a little over a week ago I included an item in the “Too Good For The Ticker” section which detailed some amazing cornhole boards by Andrew Nash. I was fascinated by them, and I followed up with Andrew to find if he had any more, what was his impetus for making them, etc. A few readers even asked me if they were for sale.

Andrew was very obliging and yes, he does have more — plenty more (which I will show you below) and a nice story to go with them. First, here’s a few of his other boards (click on any photo to enlarge):

Left: Current Broncos. Right: Throwback Broncos.
Left: Bryce Harper Nationals. Right: Stephen Strasburg Nationals.
Left: New York Rangers. Right: Game of Thrones.
“RGIII”

. . .

Amazing right?

Here’s a quick “Q&A” with the artist I did:

Uni Watch: These cornhole boards are incredible. As you know from my “TGFTT” section, I never played cornhole, not even once. Did you grow up with the game?

Andrew Nash: Actually, no. I didn’t have any exposure to “cornhole” growing in upstate NY. It was a foreign concept to me until I moved to Virginia where I quickly gained an interest in it. After a while I started looking to buy my own set but then realized it’d be cheaper for me to make my own.

UW: Ugh. Upstate — I went to school upstate. And no, even in the dark ages when I went, there was no cornhole then. But I digress. Have you always had this artistic bent?

AN: I’ve always been artistic, so once I assembled the boards I had to find a way to paint them so I could personalize them. I couldn’t decide on what design I should have for my first boards, my hometown of Poughkeepsie, NY is not a hot-bed of your typical design inspiration (college sports), and I wanted them to be unique so I chose my favorite TV show, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, as my first set. I’m not especially proud of that first set, but enough people had interest that I made a few more sets for some friends.

UW: I consider Poughkeepsie to be upstate, but I didn’t think the people who lived there did. Nice you recognize that (I kid, I kid). Did you get “better” with each new set of boards?

AN: I’ve learned something new from every set I’ve made (from design to planning to execution) and part of my enjoyment comes from finding the best way to do it.

UW: Just a hobby, or do you do these things “professionally”?

AN: Right now, it’s something I enjoy doing in my free time for people just to blow off some steam and do something different than my regular job. Having the opportunity to make something cool and be artistic is really just a bonus.

UW: So, they’re not for sale?

AN: As for being for sale, these are all ones I made for friends and family. I can (and am currently for the Notre Dame boards) get in touch with the people who have them to see if they’re interested in selling. I’m not really in this for “business” but I’m not opposed to helping people start their own projects or even doing one for them. The problem is that I’m not a carpenter in any sense of the word so I have little confidence in providing these as commercial products and I’d charge more than most are willing to pay.

UW: Heh. That’s good common sense. And if people are willing to pay for your services, then you need to be properly compensated! OK, anything else before we close?

AN: I really wanted to thank Uni Watch, especially you, Phil, for providing me the opportunity to share something I’m passionate about with the world. Thanks!

UW: No, thank you for sharing them with us!

If you’d like to get in touch with Andrew about his cornhole boards, you can send him an e-mail here. And be sure to wish him a happy belated birthday — it was yesterday!

Design Contest Reminder

In case you missed it, I’m hosting a WFL Design Contest. All the rules and instrux are in the link…

…but if you don’t want to click there it’s pretty basic: If the World Football League hadn’t folded in 1975, and the League were still active today, what would the teams’ uniforms look like in 2014? Click the link for more details. Deadline is September 1, and you can send all your submissions to me: Phil.Hecken@gmail.com.

Should be a fun contest, so if you are a concepter or designer, give it a whirl!

OK? OK!

Too Good…

for the Ticker

Neat little DIY project from David Westfall today:

Phil,

I started a little DIY project for myself last week and thought I’d share. As one of my hobbies I collect mini football helmets. My two favorite teams are the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Houston Texans. Someone asked me if there was a ‘half-and-half’ helmet. After searching the internet I saw that there wasn’t, so I decided to make it myself. As you can see, I took a Husker helmet and sprayed it blue for the Texans (only needed one can of paint, you see). I painted the right side because on the back of the helmet (Nebraska side) was the little WARNING sticker that they put on helmets saying, “This is not to be used as a weapon,” etc. I wanted it to look as authentic as possible. After ordering the Texans sticker (which I did AFTER I had painted) I realized the bull head was facing the wrong direction. So, technically the helmet is wrong, but again, I thought I’d share.

Dave

Click on any images below to enlarge:

Thanks for sharing, Dave! That came out really well.

OK, now onto the ticker…

Uni Watch News Ticker:

Baseball News: Slump buster? “Since coming off the DL a couple of weeks ago, Edwin Encarnacion has has little success at the plate,” writes Marc Bauche. “In (Mon)day’s game vs. the Red Sox, he switched to the extremely neon day-glo Nike Vapor cleats and hit a clutch 2-out, 2-run, game-tying double in the 9th. Coincidence? … Reader Jeremy (last name withheld by request) recently visited the Ashland Highlands Museum and found some interesting unis there. “One is from a little league team, which I really enjoyed because my little league team just had shirtzees,” he says. “Anyway, they had several baseball jerseys from locals who made it big including an umpire but the picture didn’t take very well due to poor lighting.” … Orioles fans apparently don’t think the Opening Day tribute to Paul Blair was enough, so they have taken matters into their own hands with a grassroots movement to honor the eight-time Gold Glove outfielder with plans for a simple display of tribute on Sept. 12, when the Orioles face the New York Yankees. … Yesterday was National Dog Day, so Bruce Menard posted this gorgeous photo of the 1916 Cleveland Indians on the Twitter. Also from Bruce: 1909 Hall of Fame Pitcher Rube Waddell with the St. Louis Browns Mascot … Speaking of gorgeous photos, check out this 1909 Pittsburg Pirates poster, Champions of the National League (submitted by Jonathan Daniel). And one more “dog” day photo, from Todd Radom: Satchel Paige & friend, teaming up for the St. Louis Browns. … The Brewers latest giveaway is a Team Selfie t-shirt designed with “input from Carlos Gomez.” … The Pirates’ Gerrit Cole went high cuffed last night. Says submitter Coleman Mullins “Not a great blousing job, but still better than pajamas!” Also, there seemed to be some kind of foreign substance on his pants (via Luke Gillespie). … Pitch a perfecto, get a “Perfect Game Ring.” Check out Dallas Braden’s bling (h/t Sean Sheep Cheng).

NFL News: Mmmmm…nice: Check out this vintage Sports Illustrated cover art showing Fran Tarkenton, by Bob Peak (h/t to Sully). … Wow: Check this pic of Bob Griese wearing a Dolphin helmet with no logo on it (from Kenn Tomasch). Kenn adds, “This is from a slideshow of Griese on the ‘Fins’ site right now.” And from that same batch, Jake Scott also wearing a logo-less Dolphin helmet. … Apparently these are the toys in Happy Meals (via Gerardo Garcia). … Remember those really bad ugly x-mas sweaters that came out a while ago? Well, here’s a good one. Samuel Lam discusses that, here. … The Baltimore Ravens have switched their Quarterback “No contact” practice jersey from red to black (via murph1019).

College & High School Football News: Angelo State is changing its home uniforms from this to this, at least for one game (thanks to Dennis Jones). … Check out this gorgeous Ohio State program cover, paying tribute to the 1968 Mexico City Olympics! (via Chris Holmes). … Looks like Penn State will be keeping their NOBs for the 2014 season. … The “Quick Lane Bowl” will feature a matchup between teams from the B1G & the ACC (via @so_it_gohs). What the hell is the “Quick Lane Bowl” you ask? Now you know. … Here is a link to an interesting site produced by Oregonian Newspaper/OregonLive that has a comprehensive list of Oregon uniforms since 1997. Says submitter Todd Hawes, “A Duck fan could spend hours on the site…like me. ;) Anyway they are missing the best uniforms in Oregon’s history, the 1994-95 Rose Bowl year classics.” … There’s a new turf field at Tupelo HS (home of the Golden Wave). According to submitter Michael Martin, “They had to request permission from Boise State.” … Vanderbilt Head Coach, Derek Mason, had his first game-week press conference. They had the new matte black helmet on display along the white helmet. Says Trés Lawless, “It appears that they have taken (off) the black and gold stripes. It’s unclear what the texture of it is. IMO I liked the stripes, but we’ll see.” … Check out this “BigGameUSA” football that will be used in the Navy vs. THE OSU game. … SMU has added kevlar fortified liners to their helmets. More here. … Gradient numbers seem to be catching on in Kentucky. This is the Lincoln County High School football team (from Josh Claywell). … Have the Ole Miss Rebels officially changed their nickname to Mole Miss? (h/t Josh Mazur). … Holy Moly! Check out these crazy Orange Bowl goalposts from the 1940s (nice find by Bob Gassel). … Northwestern State football will wear white at home for the first time since 1968.

NBA & College Hoops News: And now it’s official. Kevin Love officially takes number “0” (h/t Will Lombard). … Sports Illustrated’s “FanSided” has an interesting write up of who has college basketball’s best home court. Interestingly, the rankings seem to be by best win percentage, not best court (or place to see a game, aesthetics, atmosphere, etc.). … Interesting uniforms that Slovenia was wearing yesterday against USA hoops. Here’s some video if you’re interested. … Texas A&M has new basketball uniforms.

Hockey News: The Courrier-Post asks, “Will the Flyers’ new uniforms mirror the Winter Classic jerseys?” According to the article, the buzz is that the unis will have orange pant stripes similar to those worn in the 2012 Winter Classic game.

Soccer News: adidas has launched a Yamamoto-designed Real Madrid third kit (h/t Michael Ehrlich). According to adidas, “The striking new all-black kit aims to unify the values of Madridismo focused on its two main elements, greatness and determination. Both elements are represented by two mythical beasts which originate from the Eastern culture and are interlaced on the front of the shirt. Dragon king symbolizes the greatness, glory and power of the club and Dragon bird, an animal that is able to relive in the most hostile situations, represents the clubs resistance, determination and agility on its way to the victory.” Here’s some more on that (via Yusuke Toyoda). … Michael Richardson sends in this article which looks at the goalkeeper gloves worn by English soccer players. … From last weekend’s game, but apparently, Liverpool has introduced skinny ties to its game day apparel (thanks to Yusuke Toyoda).

Grab Bag: This is kinda cool: A book about the blazers worn by rowing clubs at the Henley Royal Regatta (sent in by Kevin Mueller). “The Henley has its roots in the London social season and used to prohibit “laborers” from entering. Teams are expected to turn out in blazers and colors specific to their clubs when not actually racing,” he adds. … New Rugby kits for the Guinness Pro 12 2014/15 season (via Adam Ingle). … Metro, the DC area transit agency, has a tradition of giving out pennants at the groundbreakings and openings of new stations, notes Scott Szymendera. He adds, “This tradition which began with the system’s groundbreaking in 1969 continues to this day as pennants were handed out on the opening day of the new Silver Line last month. The Washington Post has all the details and great pictures of the old pennants. Metro’s pennants way predate the Silver Line (which is a month old already!) Sadly, the most recent pennant is also the most boring of the lot.” … Reader Bernd Williams read a press release in which a company has “managed to take the scourge the of all-caps COMPANY NAME that to the next level.” What level is that? The bolding level: “Deltatre produce data and graphics solutions for various sports rights holders. Actually, that’s “deltatre” to you and me. Bolding intentional.” He asks, somewhat incredulously, “How could anyone possibly think this was a good idea?” … Retailers like Abercrombie and Aeropostale are struggling because “Teens no longer want to be bedecked in the logo-emblazoned T-shirts and sweatshirts that rocketed these companies to success in the early 2000s.” (from Yusuke Toyoda). … I’m not a big sneaker guy, but this article on Nike’s Tinker Hatfield and his ‘tennis legacy’ is pretty interesting. And here’s a photo of Roger Federer’s Air Jordan III-Inspired tennis sneakers at the U.S. Open. And Fed’s opponent last evening, Marinko Matosevic, was wearing a sideways Red Sox hat embroidered with “MARINKO.” (h/t Victoria Chiesa). … “Interesting article I came across,” says Logan Irons. “As you can gather from the name of the link, a couple is trying to pay for their wedding via corporate sponsorships.” … New uniforms for the Japanese national Rugby 7s teams (from Pacific Rim correspondent Jeremy Brahm). Men are the top two and women are the bottom two.

And that’s going to do it for the last Hump Day in August. Where did the time go?

Don’t forget to check back here as I’ll have a link for Paul’s NFL preview column when it goes live. Big thanks to Andrew for the insight into his cornhole boards, and to Dave for sharing his DIY skills on the mini-helmet. You guys have a great day and I’ll be back with more tomorrow!

Follow me on Twitter @PhilHecken.

Peace.

.. … ..

“Kids will always like shiny stuff. Though I wept a little tear for the English language here:

‘The team’s Shamrock Series jerseys are more unique’.”

–“terriblehuman”