Sunday Morning Uni Watch

By Phil Hecken and the SMUW crew

Good looking game in Tempe, AZ, yesterday evening, as the ASU Sun Devils returned “Sparky” to their helmets for their hook-up with Washington State (who also looked pretty good). In fact there were a number of good looking matchups on the gridiron yesterday, as teams (for the most part) eschewed costumes and mercifully went easy on the Pinktober crap (but there was still some of that).

While not a throwback uniform, the Sparky logo on the helmets is a harkening back to simpler times and simpler uniforms, when Sparky was a fixture. It’s a shame they ever got rid of him (or I should say, relegated him to “alternate” logo status), preferring instead to go with alternate color schemes and giant pitchforks (both during their Nike years, and also with adidas).

The gold hat with Sparky is a classic, and one the club should return to wearing every week. You can see more game photos here. Now that you’re all off my lawn, I’ll turn the rest of the SMUW over to the crew, beginning with Terry Duroncelet, Jr.. Take us thru the SMUW, TJ…

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Sunday Morning Uni Watch
By Terry Duroncelet, Jr.

So FINALLY, after what seems like an eternity, we’re finally getting some real Autumn weather, and if there’s anything that goes really well with beautiful weather, it’s some grand college football action.

From Friday:

•Ironically for a game involving Oregon, things looked pretty normal, but, um…

From Saturday:

• Wisconsin wore white facemasks against Iowa. Normally, I’m rather indifferent when it comes to white mask swaps, but this one’s a keeper (much like Illinois’s white look that they’ve been wearing a lot recently, including yesterday’s game against Michigan). Also, @TheBonestache on Twitter (normally @TheFishstache, but you know, Spoopy month ‘n’ all [Or debate month, possibly — PH]) spotted Badgers QB Alex Hornibrook without a B1G logo on his jersey.

• Cocky (the South Carolina mascot), wore a BCA jersey for the UMass game.

• Rutgers/Minnesota looked very nice.

• I couldn’t find any decent game pics, but Louisville wore these Halloween-themed cleats. I just wish that it were a night game so that we could at least get some use out of the glow-in-the-dark effect. Credit to Michael Ehrilch for those two pics. Also, I like the (probably unintentional) color matchup here: red/red/white vs. white/white/red.

• Army wore grey uniforms against North Texas.

• Syracuse wore all-white against Boston College.

• Appalachian State wore BCA decals in their game against Idaho. Here’s a closer look.

• Western Michigan did more of the same. Again, closer look.

• I can’t stand the chrome graphics that the Hoosiers wear sometimes, but I can never get enough of that script.

• I actually really dig these retro-inspired alts that Kansas wore against Oklahoma State: the font that they used for the ‘KANSAS’ wordmark, the metallic-looking blue, and matte helmets really work here.

• A collegiate idea of what the Bengals could’ve looked like had it not been for Roger No-Goodell. And some gameplay footy for good measure.

• UNC wore some sweet new blue facemasks against Virginia (please keep ’em). Although… with this promotion pic, I ALMOST wish that they were black… almost. But then they would have to have been red previously, and I don’t think the Tar Heels would appreciate that. Or maybe they would. Questions for later.

• Last names are some of the greatest things on this planet. Huge kudos to Josh Poloha for the clutch pic.

• Very classy move from Purdue, who gave Nebraska an older Purdue jersey (last season’s look before they changed for 2016) with Sam Foltz’s name and number right before the game started.

• Ah, good ol’ Texas M&A University. Funny thing is that as you can see with literally everyone else, they got those helmet logos right.

• SMU gave everyone the one-two with GFGS AND PFPS! Also, the Mustang captains seem to be wearing NFL-style captaincy patches.

• Am I the only one who gets huge furry OC vibes with the logo that Cincy wore on their homecoming uniforms? I mean, look at it! Kind of like Beltigre, the (almost certainly confirmed) new final evolution of Litten, the new fire starter for Pokémon Sun & Moon. Also, Bearcats WR Shaq Washington (2011-2015) was added to Nippert Stadium’s Ring of Honor, and dressed for the occasion. Closer look at the shoes, with the source tweet, of course.

• Arizona State (via Uniformity) brought back Sparky for Homecoming.

• Probably the best-looking game for Week 8: LSU vs Ole Miss in the light blue helmets and red tops (pics from The Advocate in case they don’t like hotlinking). Great-looking, high-contrast uniforms never disappoint.

And that’ll do it for Week 8! See you all next week.

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Thanks, TJ! OK, now for the rest of your SMUW (and some CUBS love too)…

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Joe Ringham’s 5 & 1

Following in the footsteps of the original “5 & 1,” Jim Vilk, and Catherine Ryan after him, Joe Ringham is back for 2016 to make his “5 & 1” (five good looking and one stinker) uni-vs-uni matchups. Sometimes he’ll have some “honorable mentions” and sometimes there will be more than one “bad” game. You may agree and you may disagree — these are, after all, just opinions and everyone has one. Feel free to let him know what you think in the comments section.

Here’s Joe:

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Greetings from Boston, everyone, where I took the 5 & 1 on the road this weekend (I had to go watch my brother row in the big Head of the Charles Regatta). But, that doesn’t mean I could slack on my SMUW duties. Man, were there some fine looking games this Saturday, so let’s see who made the cut.

5) North Dakota vs Idaho State — We go off radar, into the FCS for this entry. Surprisingly, I very much like the Bengals going mono orange at home. The clash and contrast of that look against the green/white/green of the Fighting Hawks looks excellent. An excellent looking game in the Big Sky.

4) Washington State at Arizona State — Homecoming in Tempe was a beautiful looking game. The Cougs looked great in their cherry/white/cherry road look. But the Sun Devils looked spectacular in their yellow/maroon/yellow with Sparky on the sides of the helmet. A great look in the desert.

3) Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan — I had had my eye on this game all week, and it certainly did deliver. EMU looked great going green/white/green on the road in Kalamazoo. And I loved the Broncos going mono brown at home, making for a great looking game. I’ll even look past the infiltration of pink on the WMU helmets.

2) Colorado State at UNLV — CSU’s uni’s have always been a favorite of mine, and them going green/white/gold on the road in Vegas is no exception. Match that up against the red/black/red of the Rebels and you’ve got a very fine looking game in Sin City.

1) Ole Miss at LSU — LSU always has one of the best uni looks in all of college football when they go yellow/white/yellow, especially when they’re at home in Death Valley. Throw in the Rebels blue throwback/red/grey look on the road here and you have one of the best looking games this entire season to date.

And, finally…

+1) East Carolina at Cincinnati — I think the Bearcats were trying to channel their inner-CFL with this look. In any case, it just doesn’t look good to me.

Enjoy the week, everyone, and I’ll see you back here next week. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a white flag with a blue W to fly in celebration of something 71 years in the waiting…

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Congratulations to the Cubs and the Cleveland Baseball Clubs!

The World Series is now set, and an historical event it will be — the Cubs, of course, haven’t won the World Series since 1908, and haven’t even appeared in the Fall Classic since 1945, while Cleveland hasn’t won the whole thing since 1948. I’m sure this sets some kind of record. Last year we played the first World Series that didn’t include at least one original franchise, and now we have one that includes the two original franchises who’ve gone the longest without winning one.

Here’s the “MLB Field Bracket” that our friend Conrad Burry has created, now updated with the final two clubs. You can click to enlarge.

I, for one, am very excited for this World Series. Will the “Curse” officially be broken? And when does Cleveland officially change it’s logo to “City of Champions…and the Browns”?

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Welcome to the 2016 Oregon Ducks Uni Tracker. This little project was originally begun way back in 2008-09 by Michael Princip, who retired after several seasons, whereupon the project was continued by Tim E. O’Brien. He, too, retired from the tracking, but the project has been ably kept up by the man who also tracks the Pac12, Dennis Bolt.

Here’s this week’s Uniform Combo for the Ducks (you can click to enlarge):

You can read about this uniform, and MUCH MORE, by checking out the Duck Tracker here!

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NCAA Uni Tracking

Uni Watch will again track the uniform combinations worn by the “Power 5” conferences. Most of the 2015 trackers are back, with one new tracker added:

We’ve got Rex Henry (tracking the ACC), Dennis Bolt (tracking the PAC-12), Kyle Acker (tracking the Big XII), Davis Vinckier (tracking the B1G), and Ethan Dimitroff, (tracking the SEC). Rex, Dennis, Kyle and Davis are all returning from 2015, and Ethan is new to the NCAA Uni Tracking this season

Here are the Uni Trackers for WEEK EIGHT of the NCAA Season.

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Rex is up first today (ACC):

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ACC

More Here.
Follow Rex on Twitter here.

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And now, here’s Dennis with the PAC-12:

PAC-12

More here.

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And here is Ethan, with the SEC:

SEC

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And here is Kyle with the Big XII:

Big XII

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And here’s Davis the B1G:

B1G

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Paul’s Latest on ESPN

In case you missed it on Friday, the annual Uni Watch NBA Season Preview, with all of the changes for the upcoming season (including the Jazz’s new set, shown here), is now live.

It’s a great read, so check it out here.

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Uni Watch News Ticker
By Phil

Baseball News: This is pretty cool: check out “113 Years of Chicago Cubs uniforms”. Christopher Kapis adds, “Isn’t it 23 patches? Missing ’90 @AllStarGame, ’98 Harry Caray & Jack Brickhouse & ’14 100 Years of Wrigley.” … Bill Murray visited the White House Friday, so of course he was decked out in Chicago Cubs gear (from Bruce Menard). … The New York Times has weighed in on the debate over the Cleveland Indians’ name and logo. … “Do you know your Guinness?” asks Country of Baseball. Check out this Guinness Cabeza de Perro beer, 1952-53 Cuban League schedule. … Lots of celebs at the Cubs/Dodgers game last night, but here’s one of Eddie Vedder and John Cusack, with Eddie Vedder wearing a puffy coat with a Cubs “W”(in) flag patch.

NFL/CFL News: The Rams are hosting the Giants in England today, so they wondered what a Rams football kit might look like (from Craig Ackers and AJ Kitchen). … This isn’t really new news, but here’s a good photo of the Raiders black outlined numbers on their black jersey (from Keyvon Pahz). … As you’re likely aware, the Calgary Stampeders covered up the “guns” on their third jersey in memory of Mylan Hicks. Here’s a look at how they patched them over (from Wafflebored). … Here’s a look at Von Miller’s custom PE’s for pre-game on Monday Night Football (from Paul Murphy). … This was a pretty clever way for the Bills to let fans know they are flying to Miami for today’s game. … I’m not sure if this is a photoshop or not, but if it’s not, then this Home Depot NFL color swatch for the ‘skins is brutal (from Andrew). … On a happier note, the Dolphins will break out their gorgeous throwbacks today. That video shows the helmet decals being swapped and cages changed and some sewing machine shots too! … Speaking of throw fauxbacks, the Atlanta Falcons will be busting out their 1966-ish unis today. … My suspicion (in yesterday’s ticker) was confirmed: The Seattle Seahawks will wear their “wolf” gray unis tonight against the Cardinals. … “While watching Missing Rings: the 1969 Minnesota Vikings I noticed at the 20:20 mark the Bears punter does not have a face mask,” notes Don Diaz. … The Riders mixed it up again this week, notes Wade Heidt. Saskatchewan wore the green jerseys over white pants combination for the first time with this year’s new primary home uniforms. They wore the combination during their rain-soaked game on Saturday.

College/High School Football News: OK — this is a very odd cover: Chad Fields asks “any idea why Vandy’s face mask, star and jersey is all bedazzled?” … The Holy Trinity high school team had their uniforms destroyed in a fire, so they took the field for its first playoff game wearing University at Albany road uniforms. Awesome (h/t Chris Sciria). … This is also odd, and VERY scary (but with a Happy ending): Teammates save TCU player choking on helmet chin strap.

Hockey News: Hmmmm. I loves me some color-vs-color, but this pink vs. red minor league game might not be the most aesthetically pleasing combo of colors (from Alex Gerwitz). … Here’s a look at the helmet/decal for the Dallas Stars’ Hockey Fights Caner Night Honoring Dave Strader (h/t Paul via Dennis Soetaert). The team will wear the Strader sticker for the remainder of the season (from Jim Collier). … The Finnish Elite League refs have an interesting look (from Matt Ziance). … Ads are bad. Ads on the ice are worse (from David Doop). At least the NHL hasn’t gone this route yet. (That’s the EHL’s Solar Bears’ rink). … The Eugene Generals did the breasteses thingy on Friday night (h/t Eugene Generals). … “I heard this interview with Wayne Gretzky on WNYC’s Leonard Lopate show the other day,” says Adam Herbst. “It is kind of long and I was on the road so I’m not quite sure where he talks about his uniform. He tells the story about how he got number 99, how he started tucking in his sweater, about wearing his helmet, and encouraging younger players to wear eye shields.” … According to Patrick Thomas, Bemidji State changed from Gemini to Adidas. They sported a new third jersey last night with Beavers script. … Holy Shit! Check out the ending of this guys rendition on the National Anthem. Make sure you watch it till the end. … Lots and lots of gold in Nashville last night (h/t RN’s Funhouse).

NBA News: This article argues that the New York Knicks got their “Hardwood Classic” jerseys right. I’d agree. Those are gorgeous. … Frank Kaminsky has a new NOB: Before and after (from Zachary Loest). Also from Zach, Yi Jianlian is now the only NBA player to have a first name on the back of his uniform. … A woman performing the national anthem before an NBA preseason game in Miami did so while kneeling at midcourt. … Fans going to to the Cleveland Cavs opener will get a silicon band to put on finger, use camera on phone, Cavs app to virtually try on ring (h/t Mike Chamernik). … I think is a 76ers alt cap. Tweeter Dennis simply wrote, “yo they put Ben franklin’s foot on a hat and sell it for $30.”

College Hoops News: The University of Richmond has new script away uniforms (from Mike Joe). … Looks like Nevada will also be be going with a script wordmark (h/t Paul). … Auburn basketball has new uniforms. New Under Armour template and slight design tweaks. New collar and side striping with AU logo (h/t Clint Richardson).

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And that’s it for today. Big Thanks to the SMUW crew for all their efforts and for getting me their stuff reasonably early.

Yep — I realize there’s nothing from the Heritage Classic Alumni Game yesterday — sorry, no one tweeted or e-mailed me anything, and the little free time I had yesterday was spent watching college football and the Cubs. From the teeny bit I saw on the Twitter, though, the unis looked good.

Everyone have a good Sunday — as you may have seen yesterday, I mentioned I’ll be really, really busy through November 8th, including working an off-site all day today (by the time most of you read this, I’ll be long gone). Please play nice, ok? OK! I’ll be back next Saturday (if I’m still breathing), but until then…

Follow me on Twitter @PhilHecken.

Peace.

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“It’s good to see Sparky on ASU’s helmet again. While I was at the University of Arizona I once ran into Sparky. I finally found out where the library was on our campus after being there a while. One day after leaving I was walking out the front doors and there sitting on a bench right there was Sparky. He had the pitch fork the devil head on, the whole costume. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t being harassed by anyone. I said Sparky, what the hell are you doing here? He told me he had a promotional event with Wilbur the Wildcat next door at McKale Center in about 15 minutes. Sparky was actually cool, I’m glad I met him!”

— Jimmy Corcoran

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