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Uni Watch

A Uni Watch Look at the 2019 MLB All-Star Game

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For all photos, click to enlarge

Last night’s MLB All-Star Game turned into a giant uni-borne memorial for recently deceased Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, as all uniformed personnel on both teams wore a black “45” chest patch — Skaggs’s number.

Or at least that was the idea. The “45” patches were apparently applied with adhesive, not sewn on. In a case of particularly bad timing, Tigers pitcher Shane Greene’s patch fell off just as the camera was focusing on him during the pregame introductions:

In addition, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s patch had already fallen off by that point:

And other players were also missing the patch by the time they took the field:

Indeed, the patches must have been a last-minute addition, because nobody was wearing them during pregame activities:

After Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor’s “45” patch fell off, he stuck it onto his cap:

Lots of other players lost their Skaggs patches during the game as well. To everyone at MLB who’s reading this: Nice idea, weak execution.

In a more permanent salute to Skaggs, the Angels’ two All-Star representatives — outfielder Mike Trout, who usually wears No. 27, and infielder Tommy La Stella, who normally wears No. 9 (and who is currently injured but still made the trip for the game) — both wore No. 45 for the game:

And at least one player — White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito — wrote Skaggs’s number on his cap:

In other news from last night’s Midsummer Classic:

• With two outs in the top of the eighth, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was wearing a Brewers batting helmet while on deck:

He never came up to bat that inning, because the third out was made. When he led off the top of the ninth, he had a Phillies helmet:

What was the story there? According to this article:

Realmuto arrived in the dugout moments before the first pitch and looked to stash his batting gloves in his helmet.

Only problem was his helmet wasn’t in the rack.

“I didn’t know what was going on so I asked,” he said. “They looked in all my bags and everything and they’re like, ‘I guess the equipment guy forgot to pack it in your bag.’”

Realmuto’s catcher’s helmet did make it to Cleveland.

“I took the Cardinals sticker off [Cardinals infielder Paul] DeJong’s helmet and put our P on it,” Realmuto said with a laugh.

He popped out in his first at-bat in the seventh inning.

The next inning he found himself in the on-deck circle with two outs. Only problem was DeJong was on base, wearing his helmet. So Realmuto wore Yasmani Grandal’s Milwaukee Brewers helmet into the on-deck circle. He did not bat in that inning because the American League got the third out with him in the on-deck circle.

That might have been a blessing because Grandal’s helmet “was huge,” and might have fallen off if Realmuto had to bat in that inning.

So there you go — good stuff!

• Speaking of helmets: Although the American League players were wearing their home uniforms, Yankees players wore the Yanks’ road (i.e., matte) batting helmet:

This marked the second time in two weeks that the Yanks’ matte helmet was paired with the home pinstripes, the first time having been for the two games against the Red Sox in London.

• Given that the American League was the home team, it seems odd that the Tigers’ All-Star cap featured an orange “D” (the same as their regular road caps), instead of the white home “D”:

• The combination of the Skaggs patch and the migration of existing sleeve-positioned memorial patches to the chest (due to the All-Star Game sleeve patch taking precedence) resulted in a very patch-happy look for the Giants’ lone All-Star representative, pitcher Will Smith:

• The scoreboard misidentified Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger and Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte as members of the Braves:

• The scoreboard also misspelled Rockies outfielder David Dahl’s first name, listing him as “Davis”:

• And in yet another scoreboard glitch, Mets infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil’s name and stats were accompanied by a photo of pitcher Jacob deGrom:

McNeil was reportedly not amused:

• Maybe I’ve just become numb to it, but it seemed to me that there were fewer shoe-design shenanigans this time around than in recent years.

• Finally, there’s something funny about a bat-shaped game MVP trophy being awarded to an American League pitcher — Cleveland’s Shane Bieber:

(My thanks to all contributors, including Darrell Dawson, Jakob Fox, Brinke Guthrie, Dom Sedicino, Griffin Smith, Jeremy Van Dorp, @NYYDJ2, and @PapaBeez.)

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Uni-versary patch reminder: In case you haven’t seen, the Uni Watch 20th-anniversary logo is now available as an embroidered patch. The patch was made for us by Stitches, the same shop that does all the sewing for the Mets, Yankees, and Islanders. It measures four inches across and is suitable for sewing onto a jersey or jacket, or just for displaying.

The price is $9.99, plus $1 for shipping (or $2 for shipping outside the USA). To order, send payment to me via Venmo (use @Paul-Lukas-2 as the payee), Zelle (plukas64@gmail.com), or Cash App (plukas64@gmail.com). If you want to use Apple Pay or a paper check, or if you’re outside the USA and can only use PayPal, shoot me a note and I’ll fill you in.

Once you send payment, be sure to send me your shipping address so I can send the patch on its way to you. Thanks!

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rafflet ticket by ben thoma.jpg

Raffle reminder: Our friends at Vintage Brand are once again letting a lucky Uni Watch reader choose anything from their broad range of retro-minded offerings (including this groovy 1978 MLB All-Star Game canvas).

To enter, send an email to the raffle address by this tomorrow, July 11, 8pm Eastern. One entry per person. I’ll announce the winner on Friday. Good luck!

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Bengals contest reminder: In case you missed it last week, I’m teaming up with Sports Illustrated for a Bengals-redesign contest. Full details here.

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The Ticker
By Lloyd Alaban

Baseball News: Here’s a good article on the history of old-school concrete and steel ballparks (from Mike Chamernik). … And here’s a brief history of another baseball staple: organ music (from Kary Klismet). … It looks like the outfield wall distance numbers at Wrigley Field are painted freehand, not stenciled (from Dave Z.). … Reader Brandon Weir found this hoodie mashup of the Brewers and the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals. … The Lansing Lugnuts, Single-A affiliate of the Blue Jays, will be handing out Burt Reynolds bobbleheads this month (from our own Phil Hecken). … The Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Carolina League will be wearing these jerseys to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. … Mike Selock recently visited the Reds Hall of Fame and saw this 1971 MLB All-Star Game plaque; the nine-pound collar worn by former team owner Marge Schott’s St. Bernard, Schottzie, following the team’s 1990 World Series victory; a Crosley Field usher’s uniform; and a hat liner worn by Reds legend Pete Rose. … Baseball quizmaster Scott Rogowsky, who used to be the host of HQ Trivia and now the streaming trivia show ChangeUp, showed up at the All-Star Game wearing a David Wright jersey and an orange undershirt — just like Wright himself used to wear (from Mike Engle).

Football News: Arkansas unveiled new uniforms yesterday (from many readers). … A Ducks fan has started a petition to change Oregon’s home uniforms. … Here’s an in-depth look at USF’s new uniforms (from Kent Perry). … Here’s how the CFB 150 patch looks on Baylor’s unis, as modeled by the school’s mascot (from Jace Joseph). … Former Kentucky and NFL QB Jared Lorenzen died last week at age 38. In response, current UK quarterback Terry Wilson tweeted that he might wear No. 22 — Lorenzen’s college number — for Kentucky’s opening game against Toledo (from Travis Coffey). … A Saskatchewan Roughriders fan got the team’s logo painted on his prosthetic eye (from Mike Styczen).

Hockey News: Cross-listed from the baseball section: Reader Brandon Weir found this hoodie mashup of Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers and the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. … The Brantford Blast of the Ontario Hockey Association revealed new sweaters (from Ross Taylor).

Basketball News: This year’s edition of The Tournament — the annual basketball tourney featuring a hodgepodge of players divvied up into 64 teams competing for a $2 million prize — will soon begin. A bunch of the teams released their jersey designs yesterday (from Michael Barkaan). … Etienne Catalan’s Twitter feed has all the latest NBA uni number assignments. … Former Warriors PG Tim Hardaway, who spent six seasons with Golden State, gave his take on the team retiring Kevin Durant’s and Andre Iguodala’s numbers. … Rockets SG/PG James Harden visited Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal, and wore an Arsenal shirt (from Ignacio Salazar).

Soccer News: Chelsea’s third kit has leaked (from Josh Hinton). For a roundup of more kit unveilings from smaller clubs and leagues, check out Josh’s Twitter feed, @clash_kit. … For more soccer kit unveilings and related news check out Ed Zelaski’s feed, @edzelaski. … Cross-listed from the basketball section: NBA’s Houston Rockets SG/PG James Harden visited Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal, and wore an Arsenal shirt (from Ignacio Salazar). … New kit for Leeds United to celebrate their 100th anniversary (from @jamesesiddall). … New kits for Perth Glory (from Chris Hockman).

Grab Bag: How creative can you get with all-white at Wimbledon? Here’s a roundup of the most notable outfits for this year’s tournament (from our own Brinke Guthrie). … Here’s a primer on what the Tour de France jersey colors mean. … Atlanta’s fleet of Xpress buses will now sport the city’s “ATL” logo. … There’s chatter on a Michigan State message board about a new Sparty mascot logo that the university recently (and quietly) added to its trademark list. It appears to be an updated version of their venerable “scruffy Sparty” logo based on the look of their current costumed mascot (from Kary Klismet). … Here are the indigenous guernseys Australian Football League clubs will wear this season (from @JeffChrz).

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I’m visiting my mom today, so I’ll be off the grid for most of the day. Play nice while I’m away and I’ll see you back here tomorrow. — Paul

 
  
 
Comments (41)

    1. Is the pitcher winning a bat-shaped trophy more or less weird than an Arkansas football player wielding a bat?
    1a. The “new” Arkansas jerseys are just a return to what they used to wear. I find it interesting that more and more programs are bringing their classic looks back and touting them as “new”. While I liked what Arkansas wore (better than most of the new designs IMO, especially once they toned down the weird tusk-shaped cutouts), and they could have passed for a tasteful modern upgrade (new font and numbers, mostly), I like the return to the older look.
    2. I support Oregon going back to the 1990s look.

    Arkansas’ player posing with a bat is in reference to Darren McFadden’s quote from that era where they “brought dat wood.” McFadden also did a post game interview after the LSU game where he carried a bat.

    I get the reference. Still makes it a confusing visual. You can carry all types of wood that aren’t bats to convey the same message.

    Weird indeed that the Tigers ASG hat has orange on it despite being “at home.” But the D is orange with a white outline, so it’s a little different from what’s on the road cap. Not a good look. Not as sharp as a one color D.

    Maybe the Yankees helmet protocol is, the shiny helmets never make a road trip and are only used at Yankee Stadium.

    A cool rundown of all of Auburn’s different team uniforms from the year. Pretty interesting read

    link

    Good logo selection for the Saskatchewan Roughriders fan with the prosthetic eye. Rounder vintage logo fits perfectly compared to the modern logo.

    link

    It barely counts as a David Wright jersey if you don’t wear an orange undershirt.

    On the lower portion of the photos of the Arkansas uniforms there’s a watermark, for lack of a better word, featuring the hog flanked by the E and W borders of the state (a pretty cool design, IMO, but I love geographic references in sports logos), the swoosh on the left and what looks like a signature on the right . . . anyone know to whom the signature belongs or if it is even a signature? Thanks!

    “Here’s an in-depth look at USF’s new uniforms”

    Any uniform that needs an in-depth look isn’t worth looking at in-depth.

    That photo of Fransisco Lindor’s cap looks like a parody of today’s “let’s memorialize advertise and symbolize everything that’s bigger than the game” attitude. All frippery, all the time.

    Remember when they just packed their uniforms and hit the field?

    In the ticker there is a reference to a mashup of Milwaukee Admirals and Brewers. The Brewers have been a long time sponsor of the admirals and have even had their logo on the Admirals Jersey (well the ball in glove logo)

    And the beer glass shaped like a boot is something of a Wisconsin thing. There’s a whole ritual with strict rules about drinking from and passing the boot around the table. So about the only way that mashup would be more Wisconsin-y would be for the blade to be made of cheese.

    The Brewers and Admirals share some ownership. In addition to the Ads uniform ad, the two have been partnered on ticket promotions for years.

    link

    With that crossed stick/bat logo, it looks like a stadium giveaway with one of those “2-man advantage” packages. They gave away this tshirt last season, with the same logo:

    link

    Love how they play on the “Estd. 1970” for both clubs.

    Harris Turer – whose family started Masterlock – is a minority owner in the Brewers. He bought the Admirals in 2005.

    Thanks for that picture of Pete Rose’s cap liner. Always wondered what they looked like. No protection at all for the forehead. I guess the cap brim was supposed to help deflect errant pitches.

    I just figured that’s how Pete Rose got his hair cut. Sort of like a template.

    The admirals have been wearing Brewers logos on the sweaters for years and years. I think I submitted it way back in the day when I used to see them play in person. You can see more examples here. link:

    Is anyone else suffering from lag / latency issues from the amount of ads running on this site using Firefox / Chrome?

    I accept it as a necessary evil so that Paul can continue to maintain the site. If it costs me a minute or 2, I am OK with it.

    The Brantford Blast jerseys in the hockey section are just concepts and not new jerseys. Sorry for the confusion.

    I’m surprised no one has commented on the Home Run Derby. This year it was regular hats and jerseys. In years past they’ve worn “ batting practice” jerseys and special hats. Did they actually dial this back or did I miss something?

    Arkansas looks good again. It’s amazing what a proper number font can do isn’t it? I know I always say that. It’s nice when teams look like sports teams instead of clowns.

    FootballScotland rated the Scottish Premier Leagues kits for the upcoming season:

    link

    Spot on, IMO.

    The Brewers M-B logo is oddly rendered on the Vintage Brand 1978 All Star game canvas. Looks almost hand drawn, as it did on the original tickets. 1978 would have been the first season that logo was in use, perhaps they didn’t have an official version for the artwork at the time.

    Regarding the Tour de France jerseys:

    Traditionally, the polka-dot jersey has been white with red polka dots. This year, however, there is one orange and one blue polka dot just above the left breast. Is that because of the sponsor?

    Seeing those “45” memorial patches, I am instantly reminded of Adam Petty (son of Kyle, grandson of Richard) who was killed in a practice crash. A lot of teams placed the 45 sticker on their car for at least the following race, many the rest of the season. His father also changed his number the following season from 44 to 45. It even appears to be in the same font as the one Petty Motorsports used for Adam’s (and then Kyle’s) car.

    The 4 and 5 on Adam Petty’s Cup and lower tier cars were connected and the numeral was slightly slanted:

    link

    link

    Kyle Petty took over Adam’s Busch series 45 for the rest of 2000, and when he brought the number to Cup the following season, the numerals had a separation:

    link

    There was at least one other scoreboard snafu at the ASG when they left one of the “l”s out of Willson Contreras’s name.

Comments are closed.