The Chargers placed center Nick Hardwick on season-ending injured reserve last week. So quarterback Philip Rivers honored his batterymate yesterday by wearing his uniform number on the back of his helmet (see photo at right), which was the most interesting uni-related development from yesterday’s NFL action.
Here’s the rest of yesterday’s uniform news from around the league:
• Sticking with the Chargers, they wore solid-white at home.
• Meanwhile, the Chargers’ opponents, the Seahawks, wore a rare configuration, at least for them: blue over gray (which looks a lot like blue over white, no?).
• One more item from that game in San Diego: new banners at Qualcomm Stadium.
• The Bills wore their “standing buffalo” throwbacks for their home opener.
• Speaking of the Bills, quarterback EJ Manuel played at least one down with his mouthguard lodged in his facemask.
• More teams wearing white at home: the Bucs, Bengals, Browns, Panthers, and Titans. So if you include the Bills’ throwbacks, seven of yesterday’s 14 home teams wore white.
• Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray’s helmet stripe tape got torn up.
• Speaking of the Cowboys, anyone know why offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s play-calling kit includes a calculator?
• The Chiefs still have blank nose bumpers. I’m very surprised that they haven’t opted to put some sort of logo or wordmark there.
• First initials — who needs ’em? Not the Packers.
• Some idiot showed up for the Vikings game wearing an Adrian Peterson jersey and brandishing a tree branch (and wearing a dumb-ass outfit besides).
• CBS had some trouble spelling “Falcons” (or “Felons,” as the case might be).
• NBC’s depiction of the Browns helmet doesn’t include earholes.
• Weird hosiery treatment for Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Those are sock tubes (or leg warmers, or calf sleeves, or whatever you want to call them), but they didn’t go down far enough to meet up with his crew socks. And what’s that little green cross above his ankle?
• Hmmm, did the first game at Levi’s Stadium feature an upside-down “3” yard markers? They were all like that, so maybe it’s just the font — which, in any case, seems unnecessarily thick and clunky.
• 49ers running back Frank Gore’s pants weren’t particularly short (at least not by his standards), but it looks like he tore his left inseam. Intentionally, perhaps?
• Bears defensive back Tim Jennings wore plain white tights.
• During that 49ers/Bears game there was a commercial for USAA that showed several NFL players in uniform. Some of them were wearing Reebok jerseys, with the maker’s marks blurred. Nike logos, of course, were unaffected. Douchebags.
(My thanks to all contributors, including Nathan Anderson, Jeffrey Bovitz, Joe Bozek, Jamie Burditt, Treg Harris, Chris Perrenot, Seth Shaw, and of course Phil.)
PermaRec update: It’s been an embarrassingly long time since I wrote anything for Permanent Record, but the drought is finally over. There are two new entries, both about rings. The first ring, shown at right, used to belong to Theodore Roosevelt — read about it here. The second ring was reunited with its owner after being lost in a sewer for more than 40 years. You can read about that one here.
Baseball News: The Orioles marked the bicentennial of “The Star Spangled Banner” last night by wearing stars/stripes jerseys and those idiotic caps from the Fourth of July. Interestingly, those jerseys didn’t include the Orioles’ usual team logo sleeve patches — although, as you can see, they did include the Tom Clancy memorial patch (thanks, Phil). ”¦ I was at a vintage shop on Saturday and came across a shirt with this fantastic Catfish Hunter label. Never seen that before. ”¦ The Tigers held a Jewish Heritage Day promotion yesterday. The bases had little graphics of Hank Greenberg’s jersey, plus for some reason they listed it as “Night” instead of “Day” (from Jeffrey Sak).
NFL News: Good to see that the McDonald’s Happy Meal sticker pack for the Steelers properly includes only one helmet logo (from Chris Flinn). ”¦ Oh, baby, check out this sensational Giants letterhead from 1943. The text of the letter is interesting too, but the letterhead design is what really moves me. Further info on the story behind the letter here (big thanks to Duncan Wilson). ”¦ Good Adrian Peterson jersey modification here (thanks, Phil). ”¦ This Steelers schedule poster features at least one facemask design that wouldn’t pass muster with league officials these days (from Alex Hider). ”¦ Here are some screen shots from a Cowboys/Chiefs game at old Municipal Stadium in KC with both teams’ helmets painted on the field. ”¦ Good article on the uni-related sections of the NFL rulebook (thanks, Phil). ”¦ “I was at the store to buy some conditioner and noticed this person wearing a split of the home and road Saints jerseys,” says Terry Duroncelet. “What I found interesting is that it was of one player (Drew Brees, obviously). Split jerseys usually represent two different players.” Good report, Terry, but come on — we all want to know which brand of conditioner you bought! ”¦ Interesting article on all the play-calling chatter that takes place on the field. ”¦ You’ve probably seen that DirecTV commercial that shows a fan in a Cowboys jersey tackling a fan in a Giants jersey. But as Bernie Langer points out, both fans are wearing dark jerseys. Shouldn’t one of them — probably the Dallas one — have been white?
College Football News: “There are (probably false) rumors going around on Reddit that a UConn student in a Syracuse jersey was murdered on the UConn campus last night,” says Gregory Koch> “Even if false, it says something about sports and uniform culture that some people would believe this could be true. See the Reddit discussion here.” ”¦ Nebraska wore solid-white on Saturday night against Fresno State. “It was the first time they wore all-white since 2007 (the last game with Bill Callahan as head coach at Colorado),” says Mike Vamosi. “It was said on local radio that they did it not because of the heat (99 at kickoff) but rather because Huskers coaches didn’t want that much red on the field with Fresno State going mono-red.” ”¦ Odd photo of Bob Lilly from his TCU days. Note the completely different number fonts on the chest and sleeve (from Tim Perkins). ”¦ Arizona will wear solid-white this weekend. ”¦ WVU placekick holder Michael Molinari had “I Corinthians” on his right cleat the other day (good spot by Coleman Mullins). ”¦ Good article about Oregon’s live Duck mascot.
NBA News: This Airplane!-themed Wisconsin tourism commercial shows Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wearing last year’s Bucks jersey, which seems doubly wrong. They should use either one from his playing days or the new one that’ll be worn this fall (from David Teigland).
College Hoops News: New uniforms for NC State (thanks, Phil). ”¦ Wow, check out this vintage University of Denver warm-up basketball top — a beauty!
Grab Bag: Crystal Palace midfielder Mile Jedinak had his numbers peeling off the other day. … Phil had this in yesterday’s Ticker, but it’s worth repeating: The most bizarre uniform of the week month year ever goes to this Colombian women’s cycling kit that looks like something out of a nudie bar. ”¦ Also repeated from yesterday: My Very Favorite Object, the Brannock Device — which I like so much that I have a tattoo of it on my right arm — was recently “brandished” as a weapon by two women who robbed a Seattle-area Nike store. Kind of a perfect Paul Lukas storm right there. ”¦ An Army officer was denied entrance to his daughter’s high school in Michigan because he was wearing his uniform. ”¦ Tennis player Caroline Wozniacki got a haircut because Vogue editor-in-chief told her to. … Walmart is supposedly in favor of American-made products, but the new uniforms that they’re making their employees wear are made in Jordan. … Bo Baize is vacationing in Seattle, where he spotted a manhole cover with a map design. Very cool! ”¦ “Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Michael Ray races in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, but for some reason, he was wearing an old Full Throttle Drag Racing Series patch on his jacket,” says David Firestone. “Full Throttle was the title sponsor from 2008-2012.” ”¦ Lovelovelove this spectacular label. It’s from this vintage jacket. ”¦ Hmmm: FIBA logo or poultry illustration?
Banners at Jack Murphy are a big switch. The old banners (I think they were instituted for SB XXXII) had a depiction of each team. Now they’re all related to the Chargers. I guess they figure there’s no chance of another Super Bowl so they might as well cater to the home team. While the link didn’t quite work in Opera or Chrome, it did work in IE.
I beliveve as of last year Qualcomm still had some outdated team helmets on those banners as well. Maybe they didn’t update them then knowing they were going all Chargers this year.
Btw, I thought the Chargers’ all-white duds looked very good, especially given the contrast with the opponent’s…
The Chargers slideshow worked fine in Chrome for me.
I had some issues in Chrome.
Another interesting thing in the Cowboys-Giants DirecTV commercial is that the Giants jersey has the makers mark and the Cowboys doesn’t. I’m guessing that they used a real Eli jersey since it has NOB (and he is a paid spokesperson), but they have no deal with a Cowboy. None of the other DirecTV commercials have jersey’s with the makers mark either.
I was going to comment to the contrary. There is no NOB on either guy.
10 really is Eli’s number, but there is no #4 on the Dallas roster this year.
The Colts guy playing outdoor football (presumably on Sunday during games which is a weird premise, why not sit in house and watch games) has a number 2. I can’t find a #2 on Colts roster.
That Giants/Cowboys spot bothers me on a lot of levels. I still don’t get why both guys are wearing dark colors.
Oh Urban Outfitters
link
Wow. That is freaking horrible.
Stay classy, Urban Outfitters…
Pfft. T-shirt Hell has at least 50 designs worse than that.
So that makes this one OK then?
Yes. Yes it does. It’s just another fashion company trying to be “edgy”. Good for them. No one cares.
Yes, I’m sure no one cares.
You are, of course, familiar with these photographs, yes?
Or Neil Young’s “Ohio”?
There’s edgy and then there’s this.
There’s a difference between an internet t-shirt company that specializes exclusively in offensive t-shirts
link
and a mall store that pretends to be edgy to capture the suburban teenagers that want to be urban hipsters but think that spending $130 on a sweatshirt is somehow the way to do it
As the Supreme Court once said (paraphrasing), you’ll know obscenity when you see it.
And I was looking at it just now.
Once saw a t-shirt that read…
THE KLUTTERS HAD IT COMING
(ref: In Cold Blood)
Damn. Been too many years.
THE CLUTTERS HAD IT COMING
Well, Urban Outfitters has apologized, so it’s all good now. Nothing to see here. No big deal. Move along please.
And 10 million people learned about Kent State today.
And I’m sure it was just as sincere as it was the last ten times they’ve had to do this.
Brandon Marshall is a big mental health advocate(his own mental health struggles are well documented). Lime green is the color for mental health awareness. That’s what the cross is for. He’s even worn lime green cleats in the past.
Hopefully he doesn’t get another fine for this like he did with the green cleats
In Frank Gore photo he has same issue with ankle socks below calf sleeve.
Didn’t he match the fine with a donation to the appropriate charity?
I’m guessing the reason for the calf sleeve is his nagging right ankle. He, at least once, had it re-taped or at least worked on during the game (I think after that catch). The sleeve would have saved time for any ankle treatment he needed throughout the game. Just a theory. Of course it doesn’t explain the left sleeve.
seems he had it re-taped at halftime? The image in the post was after his touchdown with :15 left in the half. This was after his 2nd (13:35 left in 4th). The green cross wasn’t added.
link
Pre-game taping, pre green cross
link
I bet the calculator was just built into that leather or fake leather folder that the coach was using.
It’s easier to leave it in there than to remove it from the folder.
What on earth would an NFL coach need a calulator for??
Maybe the folio was a freebie from Merrill Lynch or something!
The bulkiness of the calculator has got to be a minor nuisance. Folders like that wont ever close evenly and the balance is thrown off by the extra weight. It would be much easier to just find a regular one or a clipboard. Unless of course he’s using the calculator.
He performs quick calculations based on the yardage of every play during the game and compares each one to an average baseline based on situation and outcome. There are several “assistants” performing the calcs on the sideline. Many pics showing him using it…
……never mind, I’m full of crap.
man the NC State Athletic department has been having an identity crisis lately.. it seems like every year they are switching out the football and basketball unis
Are the NC State guys in suits all coaches?
What, you need 13 coaches for 17 players?
What’s weird to me about that school story about the colonel who wasn’t let in because of his uniform is that the link is to a Nashville ABC station, which references KABC in Los Angeles, reporting on a story from metro Detroit. However, I couldn’t find any indication that our own local ABC affiliate, WXYZ, covered the story at all. It was covered by link, though.
It doesn’t appear that anybody has clarified what the school policy actually is, but I’m guessing that there probably is some sort of prohibition on students wearing military garb.
Not sure what to make of it, but the story grows every time it gets repeated by yet another media source (and they ALWAYS check for accuracy, right?[/sarcasm] The original story from the Fox owned and operated TV station in Detroit didn’t say anything about ‘repeated by four members of the staff’, just that it was a security guard (read: mall cop dropout) that took it upon himself to deny permission to enter to the colonel (BTW, it appears that he’s been promoted, having been a lieutenant colonel in the original story, so.. there ya go. So much for accuracy; never let the facts get in the way of a good story).
Well, about the only time I tune into Fox 2 is for MLB or NFL games anyway. Actually, I generally get my local news from either newsradio or the websites of the local papers.
… which is about the same for me, I never watch local TV news. In this case, it came through on my Facebook feed, which linked to a story in The Oakland Press, which cited the Fox 2 piece.
I swear that’s how most media outlets do their ‘research’ these days; watch other stations, FB or Twitter. Last week, CNN cited Twitter three times in the span of 5-10 minutes.
This is how legends get created.
On the Chargers’ banners: link Considering they were the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960 and all…
The two Permanent Record links go to the same article.
Oopsie. Second link now fixed. Here’s the proper URL:
link
In etc category
“this spectacular label” and “this vintage jacket” both show the same pic of just the label.
Wal-mart link is premium content for only those is for U.S.
Sorry — here’s the proper link for the jacket:
link
Paul – Sorry if already posted, but there was also a brannock device sighting in the Sunday comics a couple weekends ago: link
Hadn’t seen that! Very cool — thank you!!
Speaking of shoe fitting….. You don’t see too many of the saleman’s stools anymore (probabaly because there aren’t many shoe salemen anymore). You know, the one with the slanted platform on the front where the customer would put their foot as the saleman would asist in fitting.
It also doubled as wicked parkour apparatus for 5-year olds!
Not that the Colombian Women’s Cycling kit is any great shakes to begin with, it doesn’t look as awful when seen in better lighting.
Still, how this ever got off the design mac and into production is a mystery. So much fail.
the reinforced padding in that area doesn’t help with the look
Of course the uniform has served its purpose:
Up until now, I didn’t know there WAS a Colombian Women’s Cycling team.
I saw that photo making the rounds and had assumed it was a photoshop.
I took this screengrab on Saturday of the NFL Network schedule.
Their bizarre Rush Zone cartoon for kids could not have been less appropriate…
pic.twitter.com/guc2cpSvbw
Here…let me help you out with that.
CHeers, Phil.
When I moved to Seattle in 77 and saw the manhole covers with the maps I fell in love. This city “gets it.” The maps were oriented by the compass and most had a little you-are-here blip welded in the right place. Love the old Metro logo where the Kingdome Used to be.
I’d love to come up there sometime and visit. I’m a map geek, and man… that’s just too cool.
I don’t understand the issue with the DirecTV commercial. They’re fans, not players playing a game. Why can’t they both wear color jerseys?
Don’t most fans wear the color version of their favorite teams? So the commercial kind of makes sense.
Not that it is an issue, but kind of a cool observation.
I was gonna raise the same point. Fans almost always opt for the home colors.
When the Seahawks uniforms were released, I never thought I would say this: I have actually grown to really like their blue over grey and white over blue uni combinations.
Those combos are just fine, all things considered; it’s the blue-on-blue that’s not a very good look.
Disagree. I think blue pants are their best look when they wear blue tops.
Lee
Disagree. Their last two uniform designs could have been partially salvaged without the blue monochrome.
They do grow on you, but there is still some confusion on the grey being too light and sometimes mistaken for white. Hawks are 2-2 overall with the blue/grey combo.
I liked the Seahawks mono better when they had the old unis as the socks were a darker shade. I thinks their gray pants are higher underrated. Same goes with the Chargers white on white
“… Tennis player Caroline Wozniacki got a haircut because Vogue editor-in-chief told her to. …”
I’d get a haircut if Anna Wintour told me to. Though I’d have to get some hair first.
The Kareem “Travel Wisconsin”, were filmed during this past NBA season, that is why they are using last years jersey, instead of the new one.
Does anyone know when that Chiefs/Cowboys game was played? I ask because I read a book (no cite, sorry) about the twinned history of the expansion football franchises in Dallas, the AFL one of which of course relocated and became the Chiefs. Wondering if that has anything to do with it.
That’s clearly Bob Hayes for the Cowboys, and per this box score he had an 89-yd. TD reception against the Chiefs in 1970, the first season following the NFL-AFL merger. My guess would be that’s what those shots are of:
link
Indeed it is. I actually remember that run and Ray Scott and Pat Summerall calling the game for CBS. The Chiefs would have the right side helmet of the visiting team on the left 45 and the left side of their own helmet on the right 45. Once the Chiefs moved from Municipal Stadium to Arrowhead in 1972, alas, this tradition ended.
I live in MN and the Vikings fan with the branch (switch) is the very reason I really dislike the franchise. Their fans, well some of them – not ALL I guess, are the most obnoxious fans who truly think the games on Sunday are life and death. It really is embarrassing and this zubaz wearing switch holding fan is evidence.
Yes, I am sure every team has these morons, but I hate it.
I live here, and I won’t disagree.
But I’d nominate Raiders fans for similar status.
I’ve been in a lot of stadiums/arena over the years and a Raider game is only place I ever felt a little…fearful. I was pushing a woman in a wheelchair and NO ONE made any effort to be considerate. None. She actually started to panic.
Raider fans add “rudeness” and “threatening” to the “obnoxious” description. It’s as if they think being a good and true Raider fan means acting like a biker gang.
Seriously. If you don’t have to go to a Raider game in Oakland, just stay away.
They were just as bad at the LA Coliseum in the ’80s. Several serious fights, some involving knives and bludgeons and that was intramural among the Raider fans themselves. I was incognito, which was much easier to do in the days before so much branded merch.
I have a friend that says “i hate the fans of things i love.”
“every team has these morons”
~~~
Yes. Enough said. Nothing about the d-bag Vikings fan is any worse than any other team. Idiots come in all colors, races, ethnicities, persuasions, sizes and shapes, and they’re not unique to any team or league.
and they’re not unique to any team or league.
Or any particular fandom in general, really.
Does anyone here, after all that has gone on in football over the last two weeks, feel that this entire sport needs an enema?
We are about to learn that a significant number of NFL Players are Class A Macho Shitheads. And the teams/league have allowed them to be.
Some of us have known it for a long time.
And think it’s ABOUT time.
(P.S. Why does Greg Hardy need a sofa “covered with assault rifles and shotguns”? He makes $700,000+ plus a game. If he is worried about his safety he can’t afford 24-hour security?)
It’s not even there. It starts at the college ranks and is not only perpetuated, but encouraged, through machismo. The dude from Minny? He needs serious psychological help.
“The dude from Minny? He needs serious psychological help.”
~~~
You talking aboot the one with the switch? That’s a female (I was going to say “lady” but then I thought better of it).
Sorry, couldn’t open the link here at work. Even so, still needs a major psychiatric evaluation.
I don’t know about the sport needing an enema, but I feel like *I* need a shower.
Agreed there. But this fanaticism and craziness we’re seeing from the fans is starting to go over the top. The Ray Rice supporters, the Adrian Peterson supporters, the Joe Paterno supporters… this is the definition of insane anarchy for someone on the outside looking in. lol
This just in….
Eden Prairie, MN (September 15, 2014) — Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will fully participate in this week’s practices and meetings and is expected to play this Sunday in New Orleans.
Everybody who isn’t a psychopathic felon is out for the year; Just chuck the whole sport. And you won’t get an argument from Jets and Giants fans.
Going on my fifth NFL-less season now, and nothing I’ve read has ever made me regret my decision.
The Steelers beat writer for the Pittsburgh Trib seems quite disgusted these days. I half expect him to pull a Cosell and just walk away from it all.
Two Words:
Tex Cobb
Not really enjoying the NFL season. I mean, I still love the sport, but it’s hard not to feel icky watching it.
For me, i reached the tipping point this summer and gave up on the NFL.
Hyperviolence, CTE, HGH, Fidel Goodelll, pinktober, ….
As a Charger fan, I don’t mind the white over white look. They ruin the white over navy look by pairing it with the navy topped socks. The dreaded unitard look. I also think that Seattle’s blue over gray is their best look, but I do wish they would darken the gray or go to silver so it didn’t look like dirty white.
Why is everyone in that Steelers schedule poster wearing number “00”?
I think its supposed to be the same “player” in different poses/positions.
Ooooh, artsy. I didn’t get that.
Did anyone see the different shades of green on the Jets uniforms during yesterday’s Packers Jets game? The green on the sleeves is faded compared to the stripes on the shoulders. You can see it a bit in this photo:
link
It was really obvious on t.v. especially on a sunny day. Another example of Nike’s green problems or something else more sinister?
Been like that ever since Nike took over.
I hate how there seems to be a notch into the green sleeve with white fron of jersey on the front (and probably the back). Likely due to the template Nike uses? Bothered me the whole game. I don’t get to see many Jets game so that was my first real exposure to them post-Nike.
I agree that the current template and the fabric-matching issue doesn’t help the Jets.
link, with a picture of Namath from the glory days to compare. Simply change the outer stripe from the sleeve color to the body color, essentially creating a double-width stripe, which is basically what was there in the original 1960s-70s design.
Most of those teams wearing white at home had dome teams as opponents, which gave us the rare opportunity to see the dome teams’ home sets in the sunshine, and they all looked great. Also, doesn’t the Bills’ throwback violate the league’s prohibition of one-off helmets?
Same helmet shell, different decals.
Can we talk about link for a minute?
Re: McDonald’s Uniforms and the Steelers only having one helmet logo… They DO include logos for the Browns helmets. They have a bulldog mascot that you can put on the helmet.
Saw this on link that the NFL made Robert Griffin III turn his T-shirt that read “Know Jesus Know Peace” inside out before his press conference because it wasn’t a Nike product.
I really wish that, alongside the Skins Watch, you’d run a ticker segment devoted to the escalating crime and violence in sports, particularly (but not exclusively) in the NFL. I’d be willing to bet there’s a greater segment of the population that’s disturbed by players beating up women and children than are offended by the Washington football team’s nickname.
I’d be willing to bet there’s a greater segment of the population that’s disturbed by players beating up women and children than are offended by the Washington football team’s nickname.
That’s probably true. However, crime and violence aren’t related to team branding/aesthetics, while the use of Native American imagery *is* related to team branding/aesthetics. In other words, one of those topics makes sense for Uni Watch to cover, while the other doesn’t.
I don’t think there’s actually “escalating crime and violence in sports”. It’s just that one domestic violence incident happened to be caught on camera and the NFL/Ravens completely mismanaged it. More scrutiny =/= more incidents.
But really, your comment boils down to “Paul is a hypocrite if he talks about one issue he feels strongly about unless he’s also curing cancer and ensuring everlasting peace in the Middle East at the same time.”
It’s easy to become overwhelmed by a sense of “You can’t do everything, so don’t do anything”. All causes are (basically) worthy, a person needs to focus on what’s important to him, and hope other causes have similar champions.
“I’d be willing to bet there’s a greater segment of the population that’s disturbed by players beating up women and children than are offended by the Washington football team’s nickname.”
~~~
I’m sure there is.
But that a) doesn’t make the goal of changing the Washington team any less noble or worth pursuing, and b) as Paul has already addressed, violence against women and children are horrible, but not germane to this board. Unless of course we get folks modifying jerseys to or the NFL (or any league) addressing it in a uniform way.
As to your “pinktober” comment (nestled beneath this string), anything to get rid of that would be a good thing, but I expect the NFL will hit it even HARDER now in light of the domestic violence and child abuse that’s recently come to light. Wouldn’t surprise me to see some teams pinking it up on Sept 28 and wearing it the entire month of October (I’d say they’d got into November too, but then we have to pander to the camo set that month).
Sorry, I hit “submit” prematurely. Anyway, I think it would be hugely disingenuous of the NFL to continue to profit from Pinktober under the current circumstances.
“First initials – who needs ’em? Not the Packers.”
I’ve been noticing this over the past few years, but haven’t really commented on it anywhere since I didn’t know if I missed a memo that had been issued; the NFL is the place where it would be most likely to occur in the pros given the quantity of players on the roster at any given point in time (though baseball does try to get close in September).
I can think of an instance off the top of my head from MLB that occurred right here in St. Louis: Chris & Matt Carpenter were teammates in ’11 (Matt filled in for about a week in June) & ’12 (the most of which Chris missed on the DL). My thought back then was that, since one is a pitcher and one is a position player, fans likely wouldn’t get the Carpenters wearing 29 and 19/13 confused. However, a quick GIS reveals that both the Upton brothers–obviously both position players–wearing only their surname for the Braves.
Is there any rule regarding the use of initials, or was there one that was simply retired recently or is no longer enforced? I seem to remember a greater prevalence of first initials when I was a kid in the nineties than now, even with all the Jacksons and Johnsons and Rodgerses and Carpenters.
The NFL used to require initials for same-surnamed players, but they scrapped it when Kyle Brady joined the Pats in 2007. Lots of speculation regarding the reasoning behind this. Was it because Tom Brady didn’t want to add a “T”? Was it because they thought fans would revolt if they had to buy new Tom Brady jerseys with the initial? In any case, it’s been optional since then.
To my knowledge, no other league has ever required initials for same-surnamed players.
I sort of figured it had something to do with jersey sales, but I’m a little surprised that they took the road that would foster goodwill and not hurt sales down the road by not “making” people buy the “T. Brady” jerseys, rather than simply thinking, “eh, we’ll make a killing this year on all the idiots who just have to have his new jersey.”
I’m pretty sure Steve Young and Bryant Young never wore initials when they were teammates for several years, well before 2007.
I think Bryant Young wore link while Steve Young was on the team, but just link when Steve retired.
Oddly enough, I recall Barry Sanders wearing “B. SANDERS” on his jersey as late as 1994, even though the Lions didn’t have another Sanders on the roster after tackle Eric Sanders’ retirement following the 1992 season.
It also just occurred to me the instance from my youth of which I was thinking: I seem to remember Ozzie & Lee Smith both wearing their first initials in the early ’90s. And I’m pretty sure, when Ozzie was traded to St. Louis a decade prior, he wore “O. Smith” because they had also acquired Lonnie Smith the same offseason.
This would have probably been ’92 or early ’93 (Lee was sent to the Yankees at the trade deadline, though I wonder if Ozzie dropped the initial thereafter): link
This one would have been between ’82 and ’85 (Lonnie was traded to the Royals in May): link
I’m actually having difficulty finding an image of Ozzie wearing just “Smith” in a game, so now I’m wondering whether he ever did wear just the surname. Baseball Backs has a 1987 road image with the “O. Smith,” despite there being no other Smiths on the roster that season.
Lee Smith did wear “L. Smith”: link
… as did Lonnie: link
(Also, how about this one: link)
I would suppose, then, that MLB simply left it up to the clubs to determine how to distinguish players, and I guess they presumed fans wouldn’t know the difference between the two.
Regarding the calculator in the play calling kit, it looks like Linehan has bought a standard padfolio, which often includes a calculator. I use one on interviews to hold copies of my resume. It still has the calculator inside. It looks like Linehan has the same one I do, though I don’t remember who makes it. It also comes with a pen, which it looks like Linehan never removed.
I love that letter from the Giants and I am especially fond of the phrase “called to the colors”. I’ve never heard that before and it has such a poetic ring to it.
I took note of that, and that they referred to Washington as the “Red Skins.”
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