Paul here, making a rare August appearance, because today’s the day that many of you have been waiting for: the day when the annual Uni Watch college football season preview, breaking down all the FBS uniform changes for the coming season, is posted on ESPN. Check it out here.
This year’s edition is bigger and better than ever. Yes, that’s what I say every year, but it’s true! And this time around I’ve done my best to format most of the uni changes as embedded tweets, so you won’t have to do as much clicking as in the past.
As for my favorite new uni of the year, that honor goes to USF, whose green rainbow design (shown above) is right up my chromatic alley. Mmmmm, green and gold — tasty.
Looking ahead: I’ll be back in the blogging saddle as of next Tuesday, and my NFL season preview will run the Tuesday after that (Sept. 8). For now, though, I’m still on blogcation for a few more days, so here’s Phil with the rest of today’s content.
Mike’s Question of the Week
By Mike Chamernik
Oscar Gamble.
Reading his name, what did you think of? If you say anything like “I thought of his 162 OPS-plus in 1977 for the White Sox,” I think you’re a liar. No, you thought of his magnificent afro.
Which athlete’s hairstyle would you consider your favorite, least favorite, or most interesting? I basically don’t even have a question; just discuss the most entertaining athlete hair and facial hair in the comments below.
I’ve always held Drew Gooden’s ducktail in high regard for being one of the most ridiculous looks in my lifetime. I’ve also found it interesting how insane James Harden’s beard has gotten.
Uni Watch News Ticker
Compiled by Mike Chamernik
Baseball News: Some Cubs coaches wore gladiator gear before Tuesday’s game against the Giants (from Phil). … Jose Bautista traded two signed baseballs to a fan for a Lionel Messi jersey (from Kevin Wilson). … The Nats put their Twitter handle on the mound last night for #NatsSocialFanEvent (from Brady Phelps). … A GIF shows the logos in MLB every year since 1876. I wish I could pause it so I could examine it more thoroughly (from Jeff Fishman). … Marc Rivlin came across a Mets logo that shows real buildings. … The Mariners are giving away caps for Native American Heritage Night on September 13. … The Brooklyn Cyclones have some slick throwbacks for Sidd Finch Night. … The West Michigan Whitecaps will wear Australian flag jerseys for Australia Night (from Phil). … Mets infielder Wilmer Flores puts Venezuela flag decals on his bat knobs (from Phil). … MLB had an issue with Royals manager Ned Yost’s Apple Watch, so Yost now wears a custom Niall One.3 luxury watch (from Jeremy Sickel). … A broken bat helped Dodgers OF Kike Hernandez get a double last night. … Saxon Brack went to the Hot Springs Convention Center in Arkansas and took a ton of photos of a baseball history display there. “Hot Springs use to be a big hotbed for spring training baseball,” he says. “Especially in the 10s and 20s. Most of the greats from that era came here to train, Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Honus Wagner, etc. Hot Springs was known as Vegas East. Lots of gambling and gangsters. Mainly Al Capone and his brothers. This was the place gangsters could relax and go to for a short vacation. Unfortunately, after the 1930s, most teams left for Florida and Arizona.”
NFL News: The Seahawks will have rubberized nose bumper lettering this season. … Are the Jets wearing New York Titans throwbacks this year? Lids is selling on-field Titans caps (from Ryan Lindemann). … The Dolphins painted their logo onto the field at Sun Life Stadium. Miami’s first two preseason games were on the road (from James Gilbert). … A Browns anniversary patch is apparently on eBay. Might the team wear it in some capacity? … Levi’s is selling a collection of NFL team-themed clothing (from Andrew Rader). … An NFL Shop ad shows Pats WR Julian Edelman in New England gear and Packers WR Jordy Nelson wearing Green Bay stuff, but some non-NFL player wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey. Odd (from Eric Wright).
College Football News: Reader Logan Jakubajtys created helmet color illustrations for the AP Top 25 teams. Cool stuff! … New alternates for UConn. … These Arizona State replica jerseys have “Sun Devils” printed down the sides of it (from Joel Horn). … New pants for San Jose State. Last year they had “Spartans” down the left leg (from C. Soriano). … Iowa dropped a small hint as to what the alternates for its game against Minnesota will look like (from Brad Eenhuis). … Charleston Southern painted a patterned stripe on its sideline (from @WillChitty4). … New uniforms for Grambling State (from Phil). … In case we haven’t seen them, new throwback uniforms for Utah (from Mike Rich). … Dartmouth is practicing with high-tech tackling dummies (from Tommy Turner). … Here’s a look at North Carolina’s College Kickoff decals (from James Gilbert). … New uniforms for Valdosta State. … Washington State will wear memorial patches and decals for school president Elson Floyd, who died of cancer earlier this summer. The school also added tributes onto the light post banners around campus. “Elson Floyd, or ‘E-Flo’ as he was known by most students on campus was a great guy – nearly every student, myself included, had nothing but great interactions with him,” says Ryan Dingle.
Basketball News: Here’s a glimpse of the Clippers’ new unis in action. … A community college in New Hampshire has a new basketball program. … Heat owner Micky Arison posted a crude mock-up of Miami Vice alternates on Instagram, saying that if he got enough positive feedback he’d propose the unis to Adidas and the league for approval. Well, I like it! Neon and pastel colors fit perfectly for a city like Miami. … Here’s a look at the new home and road DRose 6 Adidas shoes. .. I’m such a nerd for old basketball photos and old advertisements, so I really love this Instagram account that posts classic SLAM Magazine ads.
Grab Bag: New green third jerseys for the AHL’s Utica Comets (from Phil). … The ECHL’s Greenville Road Warriors will become the Swamp Rabbits this year (from Phil). … During a recent AFL match between Geelong and St Kilda, a young spectator wore a full umpire’s uniform (from Graham Clayton). … “As of 2016, NHRA Pro Stocks will lose their iconic hood scoops, Vincent Nobile posted a photo of how they will look,” says David Firestone. “This is what they currently look like.” … Burger King pitched McDonald’s the idea of the McWhopper for a one-day collaboration where the proceeds would raise awareness of the International Day of Peace. Included in that link is this line: “In the proposed pop-up shop, employees from both companies would wear special uniforms.”
Phil here — thanks to Paul for the lede (I’m VERY pumped for the NCAA Football preview — as I said yesterday, probably my second favorite column Paul does for ESPN, after the MLB uni preview), and Mike for both his QOTW and the ticker.
On an unrelated note — the New York Daily News probably reached a new low in its already rag-status with today’s cover. Whoever approved that cover should be shit-canned and I hope its advertisers pull out or boycott. At least the comments to that tweet have somewhat restored my faith in humanity. It’s hard to make the New York Post look classy, but somehow, the Daily New succeeded. Anyway, enough of my mini-rant.
But hey — the White Sox will be wearing their glorious 1976 throwbacks tonight, so at least the uni world is right. I’ll catch you guys tomorrow.
Follow me on Twitter @PhilHecken.
Peace.
“My son graduated from Desoto this past June and he was a football manager last season. I like the black on black with the gold hats and when they wear the green on green with the black hats.”
— jedi54
QotW: definitely the link.
My list begins and ends right there.
Rollie Fingers handlebar mustache.
The late link looked good too.
Don’t worry, the New York Post did the exact same cover basically. Bunch of Shit newspapers doing shit things.
They’re taking “If it bleeds, it leads” literally, it seems.
AFAIC, any time I see a snuff movie, such as R. Bud Dwyer or the plane hitting the Trade Center, part of my soul is deleted. People who post/publish/play that tripe are going straight to Hell.
QOTW: My favorite ‘do is Bake McBride; I kept one of his cards on my dash for most of the 2000s, always brought a smile to my face.
Runners up: El Pibe Carlos Valderrama, Alexi Lalas ’94, Don King, Montgomery Brewster-Hackensack Bulls
Worst: Ronaldo’s WTF “bangs” only look Special Recognition to Charlie Villanueva
FWIW, I think Bake McBride’s nephew is a uni-watcher. I met him at the get-together at Sheep Station in 2012. Don’t know his screen-name.
that brown patch isn’t legit, from what i ever read is they wont be celebrating the 70th anniversary until next season
Yeah, there’s actually an extremely similar “Seahawks 40th” patch that I believed was the real deal, too, until I saw the Browns’ patch. They’re too similar for either to be the real thing.
Are the Jets wearing New York Titans throwbacks this year? Lids is selling on-field Titans caps.
They’re also selling throwback “on-field” caps for the Patriots & Bucs. I’d guess it’s just the style of cap, and doesn’t actually mean anything. I think if the NFL had ditched the one-helmet rule, we’d have heard about it.
Bad photoshopping makes the lettering look like its highlighting the “TITS” of New York.
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A VERY short list of team merch available on the Levi’s site.
Gladiator gear? I didn’t see anyone link in those photos?
They should totally bring that show back.
Love!
QOTW: My favorite hairstyles have to be from Wisconsin men’s basketball:
Mike Bruesewitz:
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Ryan Evans’ flat top:
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Bronson Koenig:
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A warning about the Daily News link would have been helpful. Really didn’t want to see that.
On the Twitter page, it said “The following media may contain sensitive material” right above the link and you’re given the option to view sensitive material or not. Perhaps your browser is configured differently than mine?
I was reading the post in Feedly, which took me straight to the Tweet. Ugh.
Yes, but I had no idea what it was pertaining to. Did not expect it to be the shooting.
I’ll always remember how Ben Wallace of the Pistons would keep fans on their toes. Rows or fro?
Dick Tidrow’s deliriously unkempt appearance. He looked like a Pink Floyd roadie.
Coming of age when I did, there were only three athlete’s hairstyles that mattered: Rollie Fingers’ stache, Pete Rose’s bowl cut, and Mike Schmidt’s proto-Magnum look. Elegant hairstyles for a more civilized time.
That South Florida shoulder design is EXACTLY what the Milwaukee Bucks should have done. Every time I see the new set I like it less and less.
QOTW: Josh Childress. Best hair in sports history. Perfectly shaped afro. Reminded me a lot of the So So Def logo.
QOTW: Lose the beards! You are professional athletes, not professional duck call makers. You look ridiculous!
Yes, because one’s personal grooming choice determines their ability to do a job.
I personally feel it is disrespectful to the uniform.
I’d rather players stopped raping, doing drugs, and beating up people.
Maybe that’s just me though.
Lee
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Hmmmm, Anaheim BUCKS hooded sweatshirts? I like ’em…
Where can I get the Milwaukee DUCKS hooded sweatshirt?
Qotw: Jaromir Jagr, c. Early 1990s!
QOTW: Forget playoff beards – for facial hair in hockey few things trump Lanny McDonald’s mustache. For hairstyles Jagr’s poodle-like mullet is memorable.
Interesting to see the comeback of the Astros “Tequilla Sunrise” in a yelllow – green variant for CFB. Perhaps we’ll call it “Mellow Yellow”
QOTW: I love seeing pre-helmet era hockey photos when players neatly styled/combed their hair. It almost always looked tight and perfect. I can’t even fathom considering to have having my hair look presentable while skating up and down the ice.
I totally agree. A good example was Rod Gilbert.
Grambling State’s Black hats, shirts and britches look awesome. One of the best looks in Black College Football along with FAMU!!!
Where is the Mets patch from?
Mike– if you open the gif in photoshop or photoshop elements each frame is a layer
Thanks! I’m gonna have to check that out.
Biggest logo I don’t see – the original hat-on-ball Rangers logo from the 70s.
My mid/late 80s hairstyle of choice
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was influenced by none other than Pascual Perez.
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I also got inspiration from Jack Sikma.
Before:
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After:
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Great 1936 film about ice hockey in Wembley,UK with some sweet wool jerseys and a look at the under-jersey equipment like shoulder pads, elbow pads, etc.
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-Jet
As a hockey fan from the 1970s, this is easy: Ron Duguay
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In this century, I’m a pretty big fan of Jayson Werth. Sorry I can’t find a more recent picture.
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As a mustachioed bloke and a fan of great mustaches, I am gratified to see that the first responses to the Question of the Week mentioned Al Hrabosky, Rollie Fingers, and Rod Beck.
My first year watching baseball was 1972; and the mustachioed A’s team made a profound impression on me. There was Fingers of course, and Cafish, Reggie, Tenace, Bando, Rudi, Knowles, Epstein, etc. I was very pleased when they vanquished that bunch of squares, the appallingly mustacheless Cincinnati Reds, in that year’s World Series.
With the Yankees, the best mustaches were those worn by Thurman Munson and Sparky Lyle.
But the player whose style impressed me most came a bit later. I am referring to Richard Aldo Cerone. No player ever looked cooler than Rick Cerone, the Mighty Mediterranean Mustachioed Marvel.
The mustache. The hair. So many levels of awesome. Rick Cerone, the Hirsute Adonis, was the coolest-looking player who has ever lived — or who ever will live.
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“My first year watching baseball was 1972; and the mustachioed A’s team made a profound impression on me. There was Fingers of course, and Cafish, Reggie, Tenace, Bando, Rudi, Knowles, Epstein, etc. I was very pleased when they vanquished that bunch of squares, the appallingly mustacheless Cincinnati Reds, in that year’s World Series.”
One notable exception to the facial hair on the ’72 A’s was SS Bert Campaneris. And IIRC, Don Mincher stayed clean-shaven, too.
Mincher was on board with the team-wide look.
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Campaneris was unable to grow a mustache, a condition which could easily have been remedied by admininstering potentially lethal doses of hormones. But, for some reason, this solution was not attempted.
Vida Blue, who had a mustache for much of his later career, did not always sport it during the A’s mustache days.
link
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Gorman Thomas and Pete Vuckovich, masters of the thick mustache & 3-day beard stubble, like they got back from a bear hunt 15 minutes before game time.
Pete Rose (and Jack Nicklaus as well) used to have well maintained crew cuts in their younger years.
(Obvious answer: Dr. J and his majestic afro in flight.)
The Mariners are giving away caps for Native American Heritage Night on September 13.
The fish (or killer whale) image on the brim would make a good Inuit-themed team symbol.
Re: the MLB logos gif that moves too fast. You can always download the gif as you would any jpg. But with gifs you can scroll thru all the frames just as you would if you selected a number of photos to view -at least on a Mac. PC owners may have to do 3-4 more steps to get the same effect! Btw, the page this is linked to won’t let you download the gif. Just click on it and it reloads on a second page. That one you can save, and scroll thru all 141 “pages” at your leisure. It’s a 1.1mb file.
Joe Pepitone was the first ballplayer I can recall to let his hair grow long and sport facial hair in the late 60’s. Even before Charley Finley’s A’s. I particularly liked the mutton chops.
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Good responses, everyone!
Of course the best/worst haristyle ever is Rebecca Lobo’s cornrows…
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I always had a sweet spot for Mike Piazza’s various mustaches
QoTW:
Favorite…
Steve Garvey’s feathered locks:
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Least Favorite…
Jeremy Mayfield’s buzz-cut:
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Most Interesting…
Cale Yarborough’s comb-over:
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The two best beards in international cricket:
Hashim Amla (South Africa)
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Moeen Ali (England)
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I can’t find a photo unfortunately but the starting pitcher for Cincinnati today was wearing his hat that had the All Star Game patch on the left side. Odd considering it’s almost September.
Maybe. I’ll bet he (along with the other Reds All-Stars) didn’t need to move their stuff out of their lockers during All-Star week. He left his All-Star stuff in his locker, and grabbed the “wrong” cap today.
Minor point but it is Kiké Hernandez, not Kike Hernandez. One is a nickname, the other an ethnic slur.
White Sox looking nice tonight. Everyone appears to be wearing high-cuffed pants (solid navy) to show off the white socks (with two navy stripes, similar to 76). The only real difference from the originals is that the lettering of the player names on tonight’s jerseys are a bit smaller than they were back in the day.
They do look nice. As a Mariners fan, I am sad that we didn’t participate in this. C’mon powder blue and tridents!
Agreed, would have been nice to see the Mariners in their late 1970s roads.
Melky Cabrera is missing his Billy Pierce 19 patch (and has gotten his brand new helmet really dirty already…)
I hate the collars, doesn’t look complete.
Otherwise, I like the look. (Except when Adam Eaton is in his batting crouch and the result resembles a nightshirt hanging below his knees.)
I concur about the collars. Maybe Bill Veeck was just trying to cut a few corners by not having a complete collar going around the back?
Anyway, aside from that, I would probably love the Veeck Sox unis. And it really only affects the home white jersey; the road navy jersey still had a navy collar, so it blended in and the incompleteness was only noticeable if you deliberately went looking for it.
When the Pittsfield Colonials did the collared look for their uniforms during the 2010-11 seasons, the collar was one complete color circling the neck. Not sure why the White Sox uniforms of the 1970s didn’t do similarly.
And yes… WE NEED TO CALL THEM THE VEECK SOX UNIS!
Y’know, thinking about it… I wouldn’t mind owning a Veeck Sox jersey. Just so long as I could also have a Beach Blanket jersey to hang next to it. Nothing I would actually wear (what with me being a Tigers fan for life and all), and I wouldn’t actually go out and buy them myself (unless maybe if I actually played, and then won, the lottery), but they’d be nice conversation pieces.
I’d be more likely to get a replica 1968 or 1984 road Tigers jersey, though. If I were to actually get a baseball jersey, that is.
UConn going all dishwater grey? Ugh. Some of us live here and aren’t big fans, and this isn’t helping.
Utica Comets in green and blue? Nice. (And I’m not saying that as a Whalers fan, which I’m not.)
Hey Paul, no uniform updates for the 1-AA schools!!
My ESPN piece is always “limited” to FBS (quote marks included because that still covers 128 teams). FCS, D2, D3, etc. is for the Ticker, and I make no claims of completism for those levels. It’s hard enough to be completist about FBS.
That is frustrating. 1-AA is always a stepchild.
I can’t believe that guy was 16 years old and that’s what he came up with. I mean, not a bad design, but I was designing uniforms like that in 1st grade.