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NHL All-Star Jerseys Released, Don’t Totally Suck

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Well, at least it’s a lot better than what what they came up with last year.

That’s the most obvious observation regarding this season’s NHL All-Star Game jerseys, which were released yesterday. It’s a nice enough design, if a bit plain. I especially like the gold border along the hemline, which works quite nicely.

The rear views are a bit dicey, though, eh? Unfortunately, the NHL hasn’t yet seen fit to show us the numbers and NOB lettering, which is a pity, because their press release says the jerseys “will feature numbers and letters designed as modern interpretations of traditional country music poster lettering, which has been a defining aesthetic of Nashville.”

That could be pretty cool or really awful. Either way, why provide that description if you’re not going to show it to us? The jerseys will supposedly become available today “at select local retailers,” so I’m hoping we’ll get to see the full rear-view treatment any moment now. I’ll add it to this page if and when that happens.

Update: Here’s a rear-view shot that was posted on the Blackhawks’ Snapchat account yesterday (thanks to commenter Mike R. for the tip; additional photos here):

Of course, it would also be nice to see the pants, socks, and helmets, but there’s no need to show any of that to us because none of that stuff is for sale, right? Right.

Also from the press release:

For the on-ice version of the All-Star jersey, the crest has been constructed with reflective material which glimmers in certain light as a salute to Nashville’s vibrant night-life scene. The black and white color scheme in each jersey shares the colors of the keys on a piano to celebrate the city of Nashville’s “Music City” nickname.

Okay, so the “storytelling” bits are bullshit, but the reflective thing (which will also apply to the numbers on the back, incidentally) is interesting. Again, could be cool, could be awful.

The game is on Jan. 31 — the same day as the NFL’s Pro Bowl. So that’ll be All-Star Sunday. Or, you know, Go to the Movies Sunday, or Go Bowling Sunday, or something along those lines.

• • • • •

Buck Showalter could not be reached for comment: Yesterday I suggested that the debate over which team cap to depict on Mike Piazza’s Hall of Fame plaque could be resolved by having him wear a logo-less backwards catching helmet.

That prompted commenter Sean to suggest that the new Hall inductee who really deserves to be depicted with backwards headwear is Junior Griffey, who made the backwards cap his signature style.

I thought that was a clever quip on Sean’s part. But apparently it’s more than a quip or a fun idea — it could become a reality:

Someone over at MLB has even prepared a rendering of how such a plaque might look:

Personally, I love this — here’s hoping they do it. And I still think they should show Piazza in a backwards helmet. So there’s your theme for this summer’s Hall induction ceremony: Let’s make 2016 the year of the backwards headwear!

•  •  •  •  •

NBA uni ads continue still inevitable for fifth consecutive year: NBA commish Adam “Mr. Inevitable” Silver, whose grand scheme to bring ads to the league’s jerseys continues to sputter, was asked about the ads on a podcast a few weeks ago, and now Dan Feldman of NBC Sports has done us a public service by transcribing the pertinent bits of Silver’s response:

Part of the reason we haven’t moved forward is complications over our revenue-sharing system, that if certain markets did exponentially better than other markets, then it gets complicated.

But the way our revenue-sharing system works, it would be a net reduction in revenue for other clubs. And your listeners could say: “Why does that matter?” And the issue is, end of the day, most importantly, we’re trying to create parity in this league. And we don’t want a system where some teams can afford much higher payrolls than other teams.

And that’s the biggest concern, that there are a group of teams that feel they will somehow be left behind, that certain markets ”“ and presumably some of the larger markets ”“ will be much more successful in selling ”“ we’re calling it a patch, a logo on a jersey, not the full-out control of the jerseys that you see in European soccer. But they’d be more successful in selling a patch. They would generate more revenue.

Those lower-revenue-generating teams would not get a substantial enough increase in revenue sharing, and therefore, they would not be able to spend as much on players, on practice facilities, on all the other enhancements necessary to compete for championship teams.

And that’s going to be my biggest concern as we continue to address it, ensuring that it doesn’t have any effect whatsoever on teams’ ability to compete.

Although Silver is trying to put a parity-positive spin on this, it’s actually consistent with something I reported way back in 2012, namely that the uni ad program was dead — DEAD! — because the owners couldn’t agree on how to divide the loot. Serves them all right.

We already know that uni ads won’t be happening for regular season jerseys next season either (because they’re adding the Kia ad patch for this season’s and next season’s All-Star Games “as a test run”), so we can look forward to yet another year of inevitability, whee! Keep up with that self-fulfilling prophesizing, Adam — if you say it often enough, maybe one day it’ll finally be true (but I hope not). #NoUniAds

(Thanks to Phil for letting me know about this one.)

• • • • •

Great Moments in Merchandising, Part 783: It’s possible — just possible — that someone at the NBA should have thought a bit harder about the official product name for the cap shown above. Click here to see when they eventually/inevitably change the name.

Rumors about the male pride and heterosexual pride caps being on backorder are almost completely untrue.

(Big ups to Tyler Johnson for alerting me to this one.)

• • • • •

Gromm•It update: A sesame seed bagel should have sesame seeds, a poppy seed bagel should have poppy seeds, and an everything bagel should have, you know, everything. Today, finally, I bring you an everything bagel worthy of the name. Get the full scoop over on Gromm•It.

Meanwhile, in a related item, reader Tony Bruno has come up with an ingenious way to combine Uni Watch and Gromm•It. It’s so perfect, I’m kicking myself for not having thought of it myself. Ladies and gents, behold the squatchet!:

• • • • •

T-Shirt Club prize reminder: If there’s anyone out there who collected all 12 Uni Watch T-Shirt Club designs but hasn’t yet claimed the year-end prize (which is this custom-embroidered patch), please shoot me a note. Ditto if you claimed your prize but haven’t yet received it in the mail. Thanks.

• • • • •

The Ticker
By Mike Chamernik

Baseball News: Sports Illustrated tweeted a photo of Ryan Howard yesterday, and Mike Engle noticed that the Phillies 1B was wearing neon accents and a Franklin batting glove. … New all-orange unis for Neosho County CC, a school in Kansas. “If the 1975 Indians had the blood clot unis, would these outfits be the Smashing Pumpkin?” asks Matt Newbery. … Chris Johnson found a few 1954 Orioles cards with players wearing different hats and jerseys than what the team was documented as wearing that year. Anyone know more? That was the O’s first year in Baltimore, so maybe those were prototype jerseys or a trading card airbrush job. … The Taco Bell across from Wrigley Field has a Cubs hat on it. ”¦ The ringer-laden Springfield Nuclear Power Plant team now has three Hall of Famers (from Chris Clayton). … Mets fans freaked out when it looked like P Noah Syndergaard was cutting his long, blonde hair. Turns out it was just a fake-out.

NFL News: The Packers will keep with their established protocol and add captaincy patches for the playoffs. … Kirk Cousins wore a vintage Washington starter jacket (from Mark Johnson). … Also, Washington is looking to build a new stadium (from Tommy Turner). … A 49ers fan turned his Patrick Willis jersey into a pillow (from Brett Hanauer, via Phil). … Jeff Flynn found some photos of a 1975 preseason Giants/Steelers game at the Yale Bowl. New York wore logo-less helmets, and H-shaped goalposts were still in use. … SI.com asked some of its staffers if they would wear a full uniform to an NFL game (from Brinke).

College Football News: A Walmart in Glendale, Arizona, the site of the College Football Championship, has Clemson and Alabama soda displays. … Toward the middle of this piece is a tidbit about Virginia Tech wearing alternates for the Battle at Bristol game against Tennessee next year. AD Whit Babcock said: “I think if you want a hint, I think you could say certainly, the oranges, the whites, the maroons, but something along the line of black or dark gray anthracite type stuff, that could be a possibility… Our standard, sharp, traditional VT logo will be on all helmets next season, same as this year” (from Andrew Cosentino). … Also from Andrew: A site ranked the best uniforms of the bowl season.

Hockey News: The Devils’ new Martin Brodeur statue will be unveiled one month from now. … New York Jets lineman Nick Mangold wore a Rangers jersey to the game against the Stars on Tuesday night (from Alan Kreit). … The Allen Americans will wear Shriners jerseys on Jan. 16 (from OT Sports). … The Toledo Walleye will wear Don Cherry jerseys on Jan. 23 (from Chris Cruz). … The Louisiana IceGators will wear Mardi Gras jerseys that are sponsored by a local brewery. … Pete Woychick made an illustration of birdhouses painted in Original Six jersey themes. Now he, or someone, should go ahead and make those! … I dig this neat Patrick Roy pinball machine.

NBA News: A fan at the Warriors/Lakers game the other night was shown putting on a Warriors jersey over his Lakers jersey during the game. … LeBron James paired a blue arm sleeve with the blue Cavs alts last night. He usually wears a gold sleeve with that uni.

College Hoops News: Youth basketball players are wearing orange patches to spread the word on the ills of gun violence. … The cummerbund shorts look has spread to the high school level, as seen in this shot of Dubuque (Iowa) Senior (from Jesse Gavin).

Soccer News: The Los Angeles Football Club, a MLS expansion team for 2018, will unveil its logo and colors today. … New jerseys for Atlas of Mexico (from @QuakesFan84).

Grab Bag: Golfer Rickie Fowler has several pairs of Puma high-top spikes for a tournament this weekend (from Johnny O). … The Netherlands got hit by a snowstorm last week, so some Dutch guys curled with crates out on the city streets (from reader Timmy). … Here’s a good history of every car number in Formula One (from Dane Drutis). … Many kids these days love to wear shorts year-round (from Phil). … CityLax donated 625 lacrosse helmets to New York City’s Public School Athletic League. Each team received 25 custom-colored helmets (from Connor Wilson). … David Firestone found some interesting helmets on eBay: A sequined Red Sox helmet, a Kiss-themed NHRA funny car helmet, a Broncos helmet chair, and a mysterious wishbone-C football helmet. … Mmm, check out this refurbished 1931 Wonder Bread-painted Indy Car (from Andrew Hoenig). … Lots of chatter on the presidential campaign trail about Sen. Marco Rubio’s high-heeled ankle boots. ”¦ Brinke and I wish everyone a happy National Bobblehead Day today.

 
  
 
Comments (101)

    Maybe the next step for uniform ads might be the NBA selling ad space for a price that covers ALL teams and then divide that revenue equally. If there is money to be made, the league will find some way to tap into it.

    If there is money to be made, the league will find some way to tap into it.

    This is empirically untrue, because they HAVEN’T found a way when it comes to uni ads. They’re “inevitable,” but they haven’t appeared.

    Maybe — just maybe — this isn’t as simple as Adam Silver (and those parroting his would-be self-fulfilling prophecizing) thought.

    While I wish that uni ads would never happen, to call their introduction “dead” is unrealistic.

    The ads have been delayed by the owners’ internal disagreement over revenue. But this won’t stop uniform sponsorships forever; the impasse will be resoved eventually. As James G. has suggested, the NBA owners will surely work out some revenue-sharing scheme which will not leave the small-market teams disadvantaged.

    Of course, precisely when this will happen is impossible to say. But to claim that this uncertainty means that the issue is “dead” is a leap too far. I think that it is a safe bet to expect uni ads within the next three years or so.

    And yes, I am perfectly aware that anyone who made that statement three years ago would have been wrong. Perhaps I will be wrong this time, as well. Nevertheless, to assume on the basis of the current delay that uni ads will never happen is folly.

    I would like to make it clear that I defer to no one in my hatred of the idea of ads on uniforms. I find the whole thing contemptable. Ads on uniforms constitute a crime against the culture, and a form of pollution. When you think of Hall-of-Famer Mike Piazza, you cannot help but see in your mind’s eye the word “Mets” or the word “Dodgers”. But, when you think of David Beckham, the words which you see in your mind are “Sharp” and “Vodaphone”. And that is why companies buy uniform sponsorships; these turds are actually buying space in our memories.

    The sad truth is that this phenomenon is on the horizon; and it will be with us in a very short time. Furthermore, once ads appear on NBA uniforms, the other sports will follow suit. Let us remember that Major League Baseball teams, including the Yankees, have worn uni ads in games that were played in Japan.

    We’re in the final days of the era in which teams’ uniforms have only the team name on them. We should savour this while we have it.

    The ’54 Topps cards were airbrushed and based on the unis/caps worn the previous incarnation of the club, the AAA International League Orioles.

    Nice Giants/Steelers pics, but that isn’t Yale Bowl.
    There is no place in Yale Bowl where there only a few rows of seats, and all the seats are blue wooden benches – there’s no place where people sit on concrete.
    link
    link

    According to the following site, that game was actually played at Palmer Stadium, home field of Princeton University, on 8/30/75 (Giants won, 24-7).
    link

    Palmer Stadium:
    link

    Yes, Paul has run pictures of this game before on Uni Watch, and I have previously commented of it being the final game in the Jaycee Classic series of exhibition games (all but this last one in ’75 was the Giants vs. Eagles) in the 60s and 70s that were played at Palmer Stadium on the Princeton campus.

    In fact, I attended this game in Aug. ’75 and the day before the game at a walk through, I spoke with the Giants equipment manager at the time who discussed the upcoming one year only stylized “NY” logo on the helmets and wearing blue pants for the first time. One of the Giants players that game (a DB) had on the complete home uniform including the helmet logo, and I remember the equipment manager pointed that out to me before the team took the field the next day as I watched the game from temporary bleachers set up in the end zone where the teams ran by to the far off locker room in Caldwell Field House back a distance from the stadium.

    I recently got a terrific Samsung Galaxy Tab S, and also got a bluetooth keyboard and pen to go with it, everything fits together in a nice little book form. I fiddle with the pen constantly when using the tablet, ‘mainly cause it has a little tassle thing hanging from it for an unknown reason. I call the pen my squatchee and like it so much I got a second one. $5- each, why not.

    So does Gruatchet – we tend to overlook the ABA sandwich format when creating portmanteaux.

    On the ’54 Orioles-that looks to be a fanciful illustration, nothing more, nothing less. The O’s maiden look was unsettled well into Spring Training, however, I wrote about it a couple of years ago:
    link

    Exactly. It’s not a “White Pride” hat, it’s a white “Pride Hat”. Sure, it’s still a stupid name for a line of hats, but not as bad as what’s being implied.

    It’s not a “White Pride” hat, it’s a white “Pride Hat”.

    Thank goodness you were here to enlighten us on that point. I’m sure nobody would have figured it out otherwise.

    You’re the one who felt the need to post it in the first place, so obviously you think some people can’t/won’t understand that, and that it’ll cause enough internet outrage to get the name of the item changed… so… Yeah.

    Uh, no.

    I didn’t imply that they’re evil assholes promoting white pride; I implied (and will now state outright) that they’re fucking idiots for posting something that includes the term “white pride,” which is often associated with evil assholes, and that they’ll probably change the name because it looks bad and is embarrassing. See, it’s FUNNY when corporate douchebaggery also includes idiocy. See how that works?

    We’re done here, Jeff — let’s move on. Thanks.

    I guess the dipshit who ranked the bowl uniforms for Athlon didn’t actually watch the Orange Bowl.

    The Giants got new uniforms for the 1975 season, including new helmet logos. It’s possible the logos and uniforms weren’t ready yet.

    link

    link

    “the colors of the keys on a piano to celebrate the city of Nashville’s “Music City” nickname.”

    Hey NHL, it’s the country music city, so maybe instead of the b/w of a piano (not exactly a prominent instrument in country music these days, or in its early days) you could have gone with the warm rosewood of a D-45 and the wash of a sunburst Tele.

    Except the Predators use a keyboard pattern on the interior collars of their authentic versions. That might explain why the designers settled on that, as opposed to your interesting suggestion.

    Not being a follower of the NHL all-star game, I have to ask: is it standard to incorporate some element of the hosting team uniform into the design? A pretty cool idea, if so.

    It’s rather common in all North American sports leagues, especially in the event logos. This is the first time in a while that the NHL has extended it to any degree to the uniforms.

    A sunburst motif applied in the vein of the Team Canada 1972 or Dallas Stars “star jerseys” would have been very interesting. Not sure if it the chest design should take the shape of a guitar or some other shape, but the sunburst gradient would have been cool.

    While I think the idea of Junior having a backwards cap on his plaque is pretty cool, it would be pretty upsetting for Mariners fans as he would be the first M in the hall. Not showing the logo on his plaque would enrage most.

    Paul already gave a good answer to a similar point below, but what makes you 100% certain his cap will be depicted as a Mariners cap? Granted, it’s probably 96% certain, but he did have a (stellar, mostly) 9 year career with the Reds too.

    But your point raises another argument. Is the HOF about the player or the team (and by extension, fans of the team)? It’s probably the ONLY time this is actually about the achievements of the player. So not having him “go in as a Mariner” when his time with the team is right there on the plaque to me seems somewhat disingenuous. The HOF is about Griffey. Not the Reds, not the Mariners, not the White Sox.

    We saw yesterday how much debate there already be with Piazza (does he “go in a Met”?). His case is a lot stronger to go in with no (or a blank) cap or a backwards helmet than Griffey (who likely will be depicted with an M). But that’s just fans arguing over “possession” for somewhat selfish (pride, mostly) reasons. Instead of fretting over the choice of team cap, they should be celebrating the achievements of a great player with full knowledge that his service time with the team will be depicted right there on the plaque.

    [Griffey] did have a (stellar, mostly) 9 year career with the Reds too.

    Not so stellar. As many writers have noted, Griffey’s career can be divided almost in half. Up thru about age 30 he was a super-elite player; after that, when he was dogged by constant injuries, he was, frankly, meh. Details here (among many other places):
    link

    As for the rest of your comment, Phil, I completely agree. The HoF plaque cap debates bring out a strain of fan selfishness that I find really distasteful. I almost wish they’d never depict *any* team logos on *any* of the plaques, just to put a stop to the foolish arguments that ensue.

    The arguments on this point are fine. The problem is when people take them seriously, as opposed to treating them as the inherently silly jibber-jabber such arguments are. It’s no different really from arguing about whether a team of eight Babe Ruths plus a league-average pitcher would beat a team of eight Mike Schmidts plus a league-average pitcher in a seven-game series. (Correct answer: No.) It’s fine to argue the point as long as we remember that any such argument has exactly the moral and intellectual weight as Bill Swerski’s discussion of whether Ditka could beat the Giants by himself if the Bears players boarded the wrong plane and didn’t arrive in New York. (Correct answer: Giants lose 17-14.)

    That said, it’s a useful corrective to the tendency to take such arguments too seriously to challenge the formulation “go in as a [name of team].” That’s a lazy shorthand that obscures more than it enlightens, and I’m grateful to Paul for challenging the matter yesterday and making me reconsider the terms in which I think about it.

    As for the ugly fan entitlement such arguments sometimes engender, everyone should really stop whining. Fans of the expansion Washington Senators have had to accept for decades that they will never see their team’s cap depicted on a plaque in the Hall of Fame. Is it guaranteed that your favorite team will never, ever have a player wearing your team’s cap in the Hall of Fame? No? Then you don’t get to whine about it. (Points finger at self.)

    Minor correction…He’ll be depicted with an “S” on his cap as when he was a rookie, the Mariners had already changed from the “Trident M” to an S.

    link

    There was a pretty good local, Seattle interview yesterday with Ken Griffy Sr. In it, Senior said that Junior started wearing his cap backwards because when he was a kid in Cincinnati, Junior kept wearing Senior’s hat and the only way he could see to hit when he was playing with the families in Cincinnati was to wear the cap backwards.

    link

    I’m a huge Mariners fan, and I absolutely hate the idea of Griffey going in with a backwards cap. It’s not that it’s disrespectful, it’s just that this is the one chance I’ll probably have in my lifetime to see a player go into the Hall as a Mariner.

    This phraseology needs to stop. He does not go into the Hall “as a Mariner.” He goes in as Ken Griffey Jr., period.

    The question is about which team logo, if any, is depicted on his plaque. However that question is resolved, the plaque’s text will make it very clear that he played for the Mariners (and Reds, and White Sox).

    “This phraseology needs to stop. He does not go into the Hall ‘as a Mariner.’ He goes in as Ken Griffey Jr., period.”

    This is a bit hypocritical, considering this site did a significant piece on this very topic last just summer, without denigrating the idea: link

    Granted, it was written by Phil, but it’s your site Paul, with your final editorial control.

    Also, tbone–we’ll be getting Felix too!

    I realize this may be a stunner, but Phil, you know, speaks for HIMSELF, while I, you know, speak for MYSELF. I don’t pre-approve his topics or his text, and I’ve almost never asked him to change anything, because I don’t expect him to duplicate my point of view. We agree on many things, but not on everything.

    Another stunner: There are times when I don’t read the weekend content too closely, because sometimes — yet another stunner — I want a little weekend break from Uni Watch.

    Do I wish he hadn’t referred to players “going in as” a certain team member? Yeah. Is he nonetheless free to do so? Also yeah. Will I continue to argue against this phraseology? One more time yeah.

    If you find all of this “hypocritical,” well, I can’t really help what you think.

    What an unnecessarily aggressive response.

    I’m not “stunned” that you don’t maintain full control of what Phil writes, nor that you don’t pre-approve his topics. I’m also not “stunned” you don’t pay that close of attention on weekends–it seems like you live a pretty cool and varied life! As a West Coaster, I’m jealous of the Niagara trip.

    I was simply observing that, as someone who often uses the “my site” defense for posting whatever fits your fancy, it’s surprising to me you’d say this “needs to stop” while still allowing the conversation to be stoked on your own website.

    No, you didn’t say it was “surprising,” which would be an expression having to do with you.

    You said it was “hypocritical,” which is an accusation directed at me.

    Don’t be surprised when such an accusation prompts a response, and don’t call that response “unnecessarily aggressive” when you’re the one who threw the first stone. If you pick a fight, there’s a good chance you’ll get one.

    As for the Niagara travelogue, I’m glad you liked it!

    Yup! As a loyal reader for over 10 years (starting in high school, through college, through graduate school, and now into adulthood) I’ve always enjoyed your work, including the more off-center pieces (i.e. travelogues and side projects like the Candelas). I also completely agree when it comes to the “my site” defense for everything you post.

    That said, and this is going way off the rails now, my biggest frustration is that you have a tendency to lash out when someone gives you constructive criticism.

    If you want me to still call it “hypocritical,” I will. It is hypocritical to tell tbone that the debate over HOF plaque logos “needs to stop” while allowing (and essentially, encouraging) it to be talked previously on your site. You still haven’t really addressed that, instead going off onto tangents about the difference between “surprising” and “hypocritical.”

    Anyways, we don’t need to belabor this point. I probably shouldn’t have even said anything, but I was triggered because a) Junior was my favorite player growing up and b) I actually enjoy the debate over what team a player should go in as.

    I am very positive that both you and I could have a nuanced conversation about this in person (perhaps my initial comment didn’t come off as “constructive,” and for that I apologize), but that’s hard to do on the Internet. I stand by the original comment, but I agree that we should carry on.

    I am very positive that both you and I could have a nuanced conversation about this in person…

    Probably. But calling someone “hypocritical” is neither nuanced nor constructive. It is a disparagement of someone’s integrity. Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with disparaging someone’s integrity if you think you have a good case (I’ve certainly done it myself). But if you’re going to go down that road, be prepared to defend your position and don’t be surprised if the person you’re disparaging chooses to defend him/herself instead of just sitting there and absorbing your accusation without response.

    If, on the other hand, you truly aspire be nuanced and/or constructive, I suggest using arguments that live up to the spirit of those terms instead of disparaging someone’s integrity.

    We’re done. Let’s move on. Thanks.

    Just want to say here (since I just saw these comments) — Since the induction ceremonies (and that piece), I’ve done a bit of actual thinking about the verbiage I used back then…partly due to Paul’s poignant comments of the past few days, but also after thinking it over. I realize my phraseology then was simply parroting what had been said by others — including link — to wit, “going in as”. I also thought about how much more appropriate it is that Pedro Martinez plaque will include “New York Mets” (as well as the other four teams for whom he pitched) even though his cap won’t actually be a Mets cap. If it were blank, you have four fanbases who might not feel as “slighted” (certainly what remains of the Expos could “claim” Petey as their own almost as much as the Sawx) — but it’s also NOT ABOUT THE FANS here (for once…nor is it even about the team)… It’s about Pedro Martinez, the player.

    Even though I’m fine with the post today as it was last summer when I wrote it, if I were doing it all over, I’d no longer use the terminology “going in as.”

    It’s fun to look at all the past unis individual players wore. Might even do another lookback this summer when the Kid and Piazza are enshrined. But to be clear — I’ve changed my attitude (somewhat) towards this. It shouldn’t be about the actual cap chosen for a player to have on his plaque. It should be about all the teams for which he played.

    That doesn’t mean we can’t have a discussion as to whether or not a certain team’s cap is or isn’t appropriate. If one has to have a team designated, then by all means let’s talk. But I think in retrospect, like Paul, the cap should be blank going forward (especially now that you have guys playing for four, five and six teams). That was never the case before.

    It should be about the player first and foremost. His teams are listed on the plaque. That should be enough.

    True, Felix should get in, barring some kind of crazy collapse. I’ll believe it when I see it though.

    And I’m kind of surprised at what happened in this comment thread. I don’t recall this ever being discussed before, especially not with such vitriol. I think I need to take a break from this site for a bit. That was unexpected and honestly unpleasant.

    “I played 13 years in Seattle. I did most of my damage as a Mariner…I want to be the first to go in as a Mariner.”

    If the man himself says it, it’s fine with me.

    If the man himself says it, it’s fine with me.

    He can say whatever he wants, but it’s not an accurate description of what being inducted into the Hall means or entails, and it’s a phrase I’m going to continue to oppose.

    I’ve got my doubts on him, honestly. I doubt he gets 3000 hits, which seems to be a magic number. There’s no power, and the last few years will really wear down some of his averages.

    No way Ichiro doesn’t get in first ballot. From ten straight years of consistent All-Star production, to winning ROY and MVP in 2001, to breaking the single season hit record in 2004, to opening the floodgates for Japanese position players, to damn near reaching 3000 hits in MLB after seven years in Japan, his impact on baseball in the 21st century is enormous and you absolutely cannot tell the story of the game without him.

    I completely agree with you tbone. But I actually will go one step further and say that it WOULD be a disrespect to the Mariners, their fans, and the game if the hat is on backwards.

    Griffey never once actually played on the field with the hat on backwards. It was always on straight when it was time to play. He respected the game and the fact that it’s a TEAM sport. Cap should be forward, no matter what.

    Many kids these days love to wear shorts year-round (from Phil).

    Funny this item was posted the same day you referred to Buck Showalter’s out-of-joint nose regarding Junior Griffey. Kids in shorts are a common winter sight around our local schools; it reminds me of the day, in college, when I discovered my layer of kid blubber had disappeared. At my age, I’m old enough to shudder when I see shorts in the winter, yet not so old to be apoplectic about it. Just ask my dad.

    Jerseys always look so odd without numbers on them.
    I prefer *some* number on mock-ups.

    Question about the NHL all star jerseys…Since the teams are already established ( as opposed to other years where they are picked the day before) will they go back to the “No duplicate numbers on the same teams” or just let the guys wear their game numbers? Seguin and Tarasenko are both on the Central team and both wear #91. I don’t think they should both wear it. It won;t look right with 3 guys on the ice and 2 of them are wearing the same number.

    I plan on getting a nick backstrom jersey.. but going to wait to see what color and number he will wear

    You’re right, Paul they could end up wearing both which leads me to think there will only be one sock style. Changing jerseys is easy enough but in the time allowed I’m not sure guys are going to want to go so far as changing the sock. And for the non hockey guys that would usually mean removing almost all the equipment including skates. If there is only a few minutes between games (the length of a flood of the ice perhaps) then they will likely go with just one sock style. I would think grey, yellow, black.

    Very good point on the socks–wish I would have thought of that! True that it’s hard to change out of socks, but NO WAY the sock goes universal. It’s too essential to keep your teammates and opponents straight.
    I predict four sock colors with maybe a minimalist but consistent stripe pattern: white socks, yellow socks, gray socks, and black socks. Initial combos would be white helmet/white jersey/white socks; white/white/gray; black/black/yellow; black/black/black. This way, swap out the jerseys and lids, but at least the socks should always be different enough.

    I also think numbers are utilitarian and should never be duplicated unless necessary. It’s fun to see “trumps.” When else can Steve Yzerman get bumped from #19, but for an ASG with Larry Robinson of the Kings riding to the sunset? I like pecking orders. When it’s a schoolyard draft, I can see how you have to settle for duplicate numbers though.

    Will future All-Star Games using the 4 team 3v3 be using just two uniforms or was that a product of time constraints due to the late move to the format?

    Fair enough. I thought of that before I posted but “squatchet” sounds like it refers to the female progeny of Bigfoot.

    Nice!

    I tried searching but came up empty.

    Clearly it is NOT a Bears helmet as stated in the auction.

    Grommet hat is excellent!

    Not only is the white pride cap description extremely unfortunate, that particular logo in this context reminds me of those pseudo-swastika logos often used by organizations fitting that description.

    When I was a kid in the 70s, my buddy had a denim hat similar to this:

    link

    His had FOUR big grommets, no orange stuff and a flat top.

    The Springfield Power Plant would have four hall of famers but many voters disapproved of Mattingly having never shaving his sideburns.

    Kind of sad no mention of the strange Orange on Grey last night for OKC @ MEM. I really don’t like either of those sets.

    As cool as it would be to have Griffey with his cap backwards, I’m with Seattle fans on this one. I understand its Griffey’s honour and not the team’s honour, but its still meaningful that the team is represented on a plaque.

    As an Expos fan, it means something that there are two hall of famers (and hopefully another next year) with Expos logos. As a Jays fan, it means something that a Jays logo is on a plaque.

    Fans of the establishment teams (NY, Boston) who are well-represented in the Hall might not get this, but it matters.

    As a fan of a team whose logo appears on only one plaque, I totally get it why fans feel this way. I just happen to think those feelings are bullshit, irrelevant, etc.

    One could also replace the stitched vent holes on top of that ball cap with grommets/eyelets.

    That could be kewl.

    The NHL All-Star jersey numbers are like a clinic in how to do custom jersey numbers. They “tell a story” or whatever corporate BS one wants to adopt, and they do in fact remind me of lettering from Hatch. But the decorative detailing in no way interferes with form and legibility.

    And the jerseys themselves are Not Bad A’Tall. They’re sort of like if the idea behind the current Kings jerseys were executed with a little restraint and competence.

    I visited the Baseball HOF last summer and as several pointed out here months back, the more recent plaques are clearly different than ones done say until the 1980s. They cram a lot more words onto them and they look too perfect…machine made, while the earlier ones look hand forged. I was very disappointed.

    By and large, the typesetting on the modern plaques is objectively better than on the older plaques. The problem is not the aesthetics, but that the extra space created by superior typesetting permits lazy verbosity. The older plaques had much tighter character limits, so the early plaques are much more succinct. And by being more succinct, they’re also more meaningful. For example, go here:

    link

    And compare the text for Grover Cleveland Alexander against Bert Blyleven. Blyleven’s plaque is wordier and much more detailed, but Alexander’s plaque gives a much more vivid sense of the kind of impression he made as a pitcher. The modern plaques are all adjectives and numbers, whereas the need for economy forced the older plaques to be more direct and plainly descriptive. In a century, no one visiting Cooperstown will have any idea what it was like to watch Bert Blyleven pitch, but they’ll have a clear mental picture of Grover Cleveland Alexander’s composure under pressure.

    I don’t disagree with this. But I think there’s another way of describing it: The older plaques were better for myth-making, while the newer ones are better for statistical history and numerical milestones.

    I’m not saying which style is better, because I don’t think either one *is* objectively better. I think different fans can have different preferences in this regard.

    Regarding the “what cap will he wear” debate,it always struck me as odd that Mel Ott who played for one team over his 20+ year career (NY Giants) is not even wearing a cap on his plaque.

    it always struck me as odd that Mel Ott who played for one team over his 20+ year career (NY Giants) is not even wearing a cap on his plaque.

    Why? What’s wrong with that? He wasn’t inducted as Mel Ott of the Giants; he was inducted as Mel Ott, period. His plaque shows a portrait of him — what exactly is the problem?

    Well, regardless of what team logo is depicted, he assumedly wore a hat while playing so why not depict him in one on his plaque?

    Well, regardless of what team logo is depicted, he assumedly wore a hat while playing so why not depict him in one on his plaque?

    Yes, that’s one argument. But a counter-argument is that the plaque shows a portrait of him, so why not use a portrait that shows his full face, without a cap? As long as it’s him, isn’t that really the only thing that matters?

    There are some baseball cards that show players without caps. Why not HoF plaques?

    It’s just that probably at least 90% of the HOF’ers who are inducted as players are wearing a cap on their plaques. OTTOMH, King Kelly and George Sisler and Ott are some of the very few player inductees who are capless on their plaques. But in the first half of the 20th century, virtually no player was as synonymous as a one team player as Ott was with the Giants.

    Does it bother me? Not in the least. I just find this item a cool curiosity.

    As an aside, the set of BBHOF plaque postcards is one of the best collectibles there is. At $100 for a full set, it is rather affordable and easy and inexpensive to update annually.

    “Go to the Movies Sunday, or Go Bowling Sunday”?

    Paul, I thought for sure you’d go with Go Curling Sunday or Beefsteak Sunday.

    Hey Paul have you ever thought about looking at e-sports “uniforms” for example every team at this weekends Smite World Championship in ATL has their own shirts/hoodies for their teams and sponsors (think NASCAR style)

    I know nothing about that world. I’m not necessarily opposed to covering it, but it’s something that would have to be brought/taught to me, because I’m clueless.

    Could watch it on Twitch.tv or youtube this weekend. One of the teams from Europe (Epsilon Esports) is actually Nike sponsored. The biggest problem I see with this subject would be continuity, the teams turnover, sell, drop, change regions all the time.

    Sorry, I was on my way out the door when I posted my mini-rant about the 3 writers who did not vote for Griffey and never got a chance to come back.

    So Paul, in response to this:

    “What exactly is the harm? Maybe they figured Griffey was a lock and that they could therefore use their votes more constructively on more borderline candidates. I’m not saying that’s what I would have done, but I don’t really see the point of being angry about the fact that Griffey received “only” 99.3%. You know he was a HoFer, and so do I, and he’s in. What’s the problem?”

    I say this:

    Fair enough. Up to 10 votes are allowed per ballot, if I’m not mistaken. Looking at the list of link, I suppose you could make a case for 10 others.

    I’d say 10 is quite a stretch, but it’s a plausible argument.

    Oh, and angry? I’m not quite sure if you thought I was actually angry when I posted my comment or if you were just using hyperbole.

    Incredulous? Cynical? For sure. But angry? Nah.

    Your original comment, copied/pasted:

    So who are the three assholes who DIDN’T vote for Griffey? I’m sure they’ll gladly let us know in the very near future via some self-righteous bullshit article/interview/blog post, etc.

    Still sounds angry to me. But hey, maybe I misinterpreted. If so, I’m sorry.

    It’s worth noting, incidentally, that the three Griffey non-voters were not among the 200some voters who’ve publicly shared their ballots. (Griffey’s performance on the public ballots was 100%.) So contrary to your prediction, the three non-voters have not gone out of their way, self-righteously or otherwise, to let us know who they are or why they didn’t vote for Griffey. On the contrary, they’ve kept their ballots and their identities hidden (which is, of course, their right).

    I’m more curious about why Clemens consistently gets four more votes than Bonds. Are there really four voters who think Clemens is more hall-worthy than Bonds?

    That formula one number article is outstanding. Missed a few minor things but extremely thorough.

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