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Happy post-Thanksgiving! The Lions broke out the throwbacks for yesterday’s annual holiday game. It’s a solid look (and certainly better than their primaries simply by virtue of not having lettering on the sleeves), but I still find it a bit disconcerting to see NFL jerseys without TV numbers. Anyway, good-looking game overall — I love those Bears road unis with the matching stripes on the sleeves and socks.
As a bonus, Lions coach Matt Patricia wore a throwback cap:
The late game, unfortunately, looked awful, as the Saints went mono-black against the Falcons. Woof and double-woof. The Superdome’s turf always looks really weird on TV, too. Triple-woof.
(Speaking of the Saints: Drew Brees has been wearing three jersey patches this season. If the Saints make it to the Super Bowl — not an unrealistic prospect now that they’re 10-1 — Brees would add a fourth patch, which I assume would be a record.)
In between those two games was the Dallas/Washington game. No special uniforms for this one — just the two teams’ standard looks.
Everything old is new again: In this week’s Monday Morning Uni Watch report, I noted that the Panthers had created another new uni combo by changing the sock color on their mono-black look. Then I wrote, “So we can chalk this up as yet another instance of the Panthers wearing a first-ever uni combo. I’ve lost track of how many times they’ve done that this season, but it’s a lot.”
Panthers-ologist reader Gabe Cornwall has obligingly crunched the numbers for us. By his count, Carolina has debuted four new uni combos this season, plus another one during the preseason. They’ve done all of this just by mixing and matching, without any new additions to their wardrobe.
Just to review, for the past two decades or so the Panthers have worn five uniform combos: a primary colored, a primary white, and an alternate colored, all of which have been unchanged for many years, along with two mono looks that were added more recently. You can see all five of those looks combos here (click to enlarge):
And here are the five new looks they’ve worn this season, including the one preseason combo (click to enlarge):
It’s interesting to see that they’ve been able to come up with so many new combinations without adding any new elements to their wardrobe. As a nice bonus, I think most of the new looks are improvements.
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Not Lord Stanley’s cup: Ace reader/contributor/DIYer Wafflebored found something pretty epic yesterday — a mid-1970s photo of Rangers defenseman Ron Greschner apparently wearing a protective cup attached to his helmet! A real dickferbrains move, eh? (As a bonus, Rangers goalie John Davidson was wearing double-zero.)
After Wafflebored posted the photo on Twitter, Mike Styczen quickly ascertained that Greschner wore the cup after suffering an ear injury — and Mike even found a photo of injury taking place:
Yee-owch! Great find by Wafflebored, and great research sleuthing by Mike.
Photos by Christopher Evans/Boston Herald; click to enlarge
“B” marks the spot: Interesting-looking high school football game a few nights ago in Boston, as Jeremiah E. Burke and West Roxbury played their annual Thanksgiving rivalry game. Burke’s jerseys featured a large, Red Sox-style “B” (the game was played at Fenway Park), with very small uni numbers appearing almost as an afterthought on the upper chest.
I’m surprised the officials allowed this. Here are a couple of more pics:
(My thanks to Peter Fahey for bringing this one to my attention.)
Sale reminders: There some bargains to be had over the next few days if you shop wisely:
• Our flex-fit Uni Watch alternate cap, originally priced at $29.99, is only $19.99 from now through the end of Monday. Order yours here.
• Ebbets Field Flannels is running a site-wide sale. From now through at least next Monday, you can get 25% off of anything on their site by using the checkout code CYBER18. That effectively reduces the price of our Uni Watch classic cap from $49 to $36.75.
• You can get 15% off of our StripeRite socks — and off of everything else on the American Trench website — by using the checkout code BFCM. This discount is available through next Monday. (Regarding the socks, we’ve now sold out of the green design, which means the three-packs are no longer available either. But the blue and black designs are still available.)
You can see all of our other Uni Watch products, including a few that you may have forgotten about, on this handy one-stop-shopping page. My thanks, as always, for your consideration of our products.
Contest reminder: In case you missed it last week, ESPN.com’s hockey editor has asked me to have a design contest for the potential new NHL franchise in Seattle. Here’s the skinny:
• Your entry must include a team name, a primary logo, full home and road uniforms (jerseys, pants, socks, helmets), and an inaugural-season logo that can be worn as a patch. If you like, you can also include secondary logos, an alternate uniform, and a center ice design, but those aren’t required.
• You can draw upon Seattle’s rich hockey history or start from scratch. Up to you!
• Your designs can be created in any digital or analog medium (Illustrator, Photoshop, crayon, whatever) and can be submitted in any standard digital format (JPG, PDF, TIFF, etc.). You can also create a video presentation, upload it to YouTube, and submit the YouTube link as your entry.
• The files you submit should be named after yourself (PaulLukas.jpg, for example). If you’re submitting multiple files, please either number them (PaulLukas1.jpg, PaulLukas2.jpg, etc.) or use some other designation (PaulLukas-homeuni.jpg, PaulLukas-logo.jpg, etc.). Files that don’t follow this format will not be considered.
• In keeping with longstanding Uni Watch chromatic policy, entries with even a hint of purple will not be considered.
• Email your entry to Uni Watch HQ (note that this address is just for contest submissions — please don’t use the usual Uni Watch email address). If you have more than one concept, feel free to enter as many times as you like.
• Deadline: Monday, Nov. 26, 7 p.m. ET.
The best entries will be showcased in one of my upcoming ESPN columns. Good luck!
The Ticker
By Paul
’Skins Watch: Talawanda High School in Ohio is the latest school to scrap its Native American team name and mascot. Interestingly, they’ll be changing the name from Braves to Brave, which is exactly what I suggested doing last year for the Atlanta Braves (from Joey Braun). … Indians P Dan Otero is back from the MLB All-Star tour of Japan, where he became the last player to wear Chief Wahoo (from Jason Hillyer).
Baseball News: One observer thinks the Indians are turning into the late-2000s Twins (thanks, Phil). … The Reds won a court case involving bobbleheads and other stadium-giveaway items. The state had wanted to charge a “use tax” on such freebies, but the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Reds (from Jason Hillyer). … Two Japanese baseball notes: Throwbacks for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and new alternate for the Seibu Lions.
Pro Football News: The NFL is investing in flag football (NYT link), which now has more 6- to 12-year-old participants than tackle football. … The Jordan Brand is making a new push into football cleats (from @makatski). … The Tampa Bay Times says the Bucs need to change their uniforms. … The CFL’s Calgary Stampeders will wear their standard red jerseys for Sunday’s Grey Cup. “They wore their alternate black uniforms at home in the Western Final, but CFL rules prohibit alternate uniforms from being worn in the Grey Cup game,” explains Wade Heidt. … The NFL Experience in Manhattan, which I wrote about earlier this year, has waived its admission fee from now through the end of the year. It’s a fun time — highly recommended, especially now that it’s free (from John, who didn’t give his last name). … A current Visa commercial shows Giants RB Saquon Barkley wearing a T-shirt with the old NFL logo (from Curtis Galvin).
College Football News: A Utah artist has painted a portrait of President Trump scoring a touchdown in an old-style leatherhead football game. Appropriately, Trump is wearing red and the opposing team is wearing blue (thanks, Phil). … A member of the Ohio State marching band had buckeye merit decals on his hat underbrim on Thanksgiving (good spot by Jon Solomonson). … Here are this week’s uni combos for Washington State, Virginia Tech, and South Carolina (all of those from Phil). … Looks like Kentucky will have chrome helmets tomorrow (from Travis Coffey). … Blackout this week for Missouri (from @CoachNebs).
Basketball News: The D League’s Sioux Fall Skyforce will wear corn-themed jerseys tomorrow. … Kentucky F Reid Travis has been wearing protective eyewear after suffering a nasty eye poke the last weekend (from Josh Hinton). … Pitt has continued to wear the “Stronger Than Hate” warm-up tops with the Star of David (from Robert Brashear). … We’ve all seen ram horns on football helmets and football jerseys, but how about on basketball shorts? Seems like it’d be better if they were oriented in the other direction, though, no?
Soccer News: Nigeria has extended its kit deal with Nike. The new deal, which runs through 2026, comes on the heels of Nigeria’s recent World Cup kit becoming a streetwear icon.
Grab Bag: Here’s a look at how authenticators confirm or debunk supposedly game-worn jerseys (thanks, Phil). … AirAsia is upcycling old uniforms and other gear into lifestyle products. … Interesting piece on why the U.S. Copyright Office refuses to register American Airlines’ eagle logo. … Formula 1 Driver Fernando Alonso will drive his last race for McLaren this weekend and will have a special livery for the occasion (from @The_Maddin). … Good article about the “mystery font,” called Choc, that’s overtaken NYC signage (NYT link), especially for Asian restaurants. … New indigenous rugby union jersey for the Australia Wallabies (from @TheBigJamesG).
According to the GUD, the Panthers also wore teal socks with their original black-over-silver look in their inaugural season. It also depicts white jersey, silver pants, and teal socks in the ’98 season–apparently the only instance in which they’ve worn their white jerseys with anything other than white pants and teal socks in their 23 seasons prior to this one.
Not sure how I could represent all three elements easily in a spreadsheet, but this is the best I could come up with:
link
So, looking at that chart, I find it odd they’ve never worn black or teal jerseys with white pants, (ir)regardless of sock color. I just GIS’d the team because I swear I’ve seen it before, and quickly came up with results from this preseason:
link
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They evidently repeated that same combo against the Ravens a few weeks ago:
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That makes 13 combos we’ve seen of the 24 possibilities.
A bit more about the CFL prohibiting alternate uniforms in the Grey Cup. This rule came into effect in the early part of this decade.
Alternate uniforms for the home team have been worn in the Grey Cup a number of times since the Calgary Stampeders wore their alternate black jerseys in 1998:
link
Alternates have been worn in the Grey Cup a few times in the aughts. Last time was in 2010 when the Saskatchewan Roughriders wore their throwback-style alternates:
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Though a side note. The Ottawa Redblacks wore their usual white jersey in the 2015 Grey Cup. However, they wore a uniform combo that had only ever been worn in that game. They wore their home black helmets and the black pants featuring plaid stripes that were part of their alternate uniforms. That season, the Redblacks had worn strictly mono-white on the road, including a white road helmet.
link
So do the Panthers still have their blue pants to wear with the white and black tops as the last top and bottom combo?
Simple math will tell you, with three shirts, three pants, and two socks, the Panthers have 18 combinations to use. That leaves right not pictured.
*eight. Darn autocorrect.
*eight. Darn autocorrect
The Patricia cap logo has always been my favorite Lions logo.
Me too because it kind of reminds me of an automobile emblem, fitting for a Detroit team. A few years later Ford used vertical stripes with the pony in the foreground for the Mustang logo.
link
Mercury also used an elongated cougar, minus the vertical stripes, which was reminiscent of the Lions’ logo
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Yeah, the minute I saw the Pistons black and gray alternate, I thought that the design was great for that reason, though the colors are unforgivable and unredeemable.
That’s definitely a very nice logo, agreed.
Lee
I feel like I only saw it on stocking caps and varsity jackets in the catalogs. I liked it as a kid. Especially the vertical stripe. I just never understood why I never saw it anywhere else. Was it worn on the sidelines?
I couldn’t find any 1960s sideline pics of that logo but did find a later photo of Lions’ owner William Clay Ford wearing a polo shirt with that logo.
link
Washington State has been teasing that they will do something special uni-wise for today’s Apple Cup game. Cougs in the know suspect it will be throwback 1982 helmets with NFL striping and script “Cougars” on the sides.
The writer from the Tampa Bay Times is correct. So, so correct.
Since day one, I’ve wondered why the Panthers chose white pants instead of silver to go with their white jersey. It always drove me crazy that they had a silver helmet, but NO silver anywhere else on the uni (isn’t this more unacceptable than our Rams vs Chiefs discussion?).
So let’s say we add white over silver this week, Carolina? you know you wanna.
You don’t wanna? You don’t think so? It’d be a kool thing.
I think the Panthers should just scrap the silver and go with Black and Carolina blue. Change the helmet to white and lost the weird stripes. JMO
Doc Emrick at the start of today’s Rangers @ Flyers game:
“The Flyers are wearing solid black uniforms with solid black numbers. Very stylish. But indecipherable.”
Doc’s the best.
What else are they going to wear on Black Friday?
I am so disappointed in those uniforms. Flyers could have done much better. They should have at least shrunken the sleeve numbers if they insist on keeping this design.
Lions: I hated the ’03-’16 black trim. I loved what was worn through ’02. If the current Lions set did not have the WCF I think it would be their best (excluding the color rush).
What I like most about the current set is that it doesn’t use a third color for trim, it is strictly blue and silver. I love when teams own and use just their two colors.
I hate that Washington has scrapped the Athletic Gold pants this season. They had been slowly phasing them out the last couple years and they have completely disappeared this season.
They should have retired the red pants.
Resurrecting the white ones this year is an ok option, but not using the yellow at all this regular season a step backward (those yellow pants were used quite often over the past 3 seasons and exclusively in pre-season this year).
What in the world is the TB patch on the Saints Unis? And what is the guy with the cape on Breese’s jersey?
link
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The jersey Virginia Tech are wearing against Virginia right now reminds me of a rugby league jersey with almost a full chevron:
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Been a while since I was a high school football official, but I *thought* the NFHS had rules about the height of numbers on the fronts (and backs) of jerseys.
It does. Front numbers are supposed to be a minimum of 8 inches tall and back numbers have to be at least 10 inches. Rule 1-5-1 c.
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Both the size and position of Burks’ numbers are illegal (the presence of the “B” likely is also illegal as it prevents the number from being properly positioned).
Forgot blue top/white pants worn during preseason for the panthers.
link
Not sure if I missed the 2017 post about the Atlanta Bravest, or if I had placed it out of my mind. Back when Atlanta had their first NHL team, coach Boom Boom Geoffrion referred to the team as “the Atlanta Flame.”
After that we’d sometimes call the local nine “the Atlanta Brave.” When the team moved into their new ballpark I thought the tomahawk may be deemphasized, but I was wrong.
Panthers one of the few teams with four colors: black, silver, blue, and white. More combos this year with original owner Jerry Richardson out of the picture. He once said the team unis would remain unchanged as long as he was around.