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A DIY Classic Scoreboards Project

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By Phil Hecken, with Gary Chanko

Longtime weekend readers may recognize the above graphic, which was created by artist Gary Chanko, and one of many scoreboard images that ran for several years as a Saturday feature, “Classic Scoreboards.” Back in 2014, I did an extensive interview with Gary on his project. Back in 2016, Gary looked into turning the project into a coffee table book. Although that has (yet) not come to fruition, I’m pleased to introduce you to a new project which Gary has undertaken: the “DIY Classic Scoreboards” project. For all images, including today’s splash photo, you can click to enlarge.

What is that, you may ask? Well, a couple weeks ago, Gary got in touch with me and said, “I’ve finally finished my DIY Project after a year of delays and interruptions. [T]his DIY project is a scale model Shea Stadium scoreboard.

The project title: “Build Your Own Classic Scoreboard – Shea Stadium Edition.” I designed it as a DIY project for everyone. The assembly instructions and parts graphics to complete this paper model project are provided in two files for download. The Shea Instructions pdf file provides a description of the tools and supplies needed for the project, including a detailed step-by-step guide for assembly. The model components are part of the Shea Model Parts file.”

Intrigued, I asked Gary if he could go into more detail and to share the project with the readers. He was more than happy to oblige, and I’m more than happy to share that with you. I hope there is some reader interest in this and future scoreboard projects — please read through to the end for details and instructions. OK? OK! Here’s Gary…

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BUILD-YOUR-OWN CLASSIC SCOREBOARD
A DIY Project
By Gary Chanko

Background

The inspiration for this DIY project originated while browsing David Resnik’s amazing replica ballparks (stadiumsforants.com). I envisaged creating a scale model of a ballpark scoreboard utilizing the artwork from the Classic Scoreboards collection. [I have featured David’s work on Uni Watch on a couple occasions, and will have him back with new projects in the coming months — PH]

I have experience with paper model crafting and decided to make use of these techniques for the project. Rather than turning this into a one-off DIY project, my goal was to create a model that could be assembled by anyone.

Design Process

The first step in the design process was to determine the model scale. Because the model parts were intended to be printed on a color inkjet printer, the graphics had to fit on standard letter/A4 size paper.

The Cyclotron, the massive white architectural element that provides the background for the scoreboard, was the largest model element. This piece fixed the scale which is approximately one inch equals twenty feet.

The published overall scoreboard dimensions were non-specific. For example, the height was listed as eighty-six feet. But was this dimension to the top of the scoreboard, the Cyclotron, to the Photorama? (my estimate is to the top of the Photorama)

Unfortunately I could not find architectural or construction drawings to provide dimensional data for the other portions of the scoreboard. The only definitive dimensions were the height of the outfield fence (eight feet), the width of the warning track (twenty feet), and the size of the Photorama screen (eighteen feet x twenty-four feet).

Essentially I was constrained to estimate sizes and relationships from photographs. This causes problems because photographs are likely to have perspective distortions. Estimating the curvature and vertical tilt of the Cyclotron was a headache. Similarly determining the angles of the Photorama structure and its intersection with the Cyclotron proved quite a challenge. However, despite some minor inaccuracies, I believe the end result is a reasonably accurate scale model.

Creating the Parts Graphics

Creating paper models typically begins with a 3D computer model. These models are then “flattened” in a computer into the 2D space of the paper. Finally the graphics, fold lines and glue tabs are added.

Because the Shea scoreboard model parts are basically rectangular boxes, I skipped 3D model creation and went straight to the 2D layout. Subsequently I did use the final 2D graphics to prepare a simplified 3D model for the instructions.

After the basic parts were created, and before any graphics were added, a prototype was built. The prototype helped tweak dimensions and resolve assembly issues. Once the dimensions and fit were verified the graphics from the Shea Stadium Classic Scoreboards artwork were scaled and applied to the parts.

Lastly the parts were numbered and arranged on nine individual sheets.

The Instructions

Preparing the instructions was more tedious than designing the model. I never prepared anything like this and was uncertain about the level of detail needed.

I settled on a detailed level of assembly instruction assuming the person building this model had little or no experience in paper model crafting. So the instructions include guidance on tools, supplies, and basic assembly techniques. Hopefully I succeeded.

Overall

I think the final product accomplished what I intended. It is presentable display model of Shea’s memorable scoreboard. And it can be assembled by anyone willing to spend the time and effort.

How long will it take to assemble the model? Really impossible to estimate because skill levels and experience vary widely. I’d guess 6-8 hours spread over multiple sessions is a reasonable time allotment.

Lastly, the project represents months of work. I’m pleased to share it and hope it is enjoyed by others, but please do not use the materials for any commercial purpose.

Another Model Scoreboard Edition?

This Build-Your-Own Scoreboard was labelled the Shea Stadium Edition. Will there be another edition? The answer is maybe. Let’s see what the response is for the Shea Edition.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thanks Gary! Wonderful stuff.

So, what about those plans, you say?

There are actually two sets of .pdf’s you can download, as Gary noted above (click here for the first set — the detailed instructions — and you can also click here for the second set — the graphics).

If for some reason you cannot access either or both of those, please let me know and either I or Gary can e-mail you the directions/graphics. Both of those links should work, and you can download everything directly from there.

Please let Gary know if you’re interested in this and if you’d like him to provide more DIY scoreboard project graphics and instructions. Just drop a quick note in the comments below!

New Pitt Script

No, not that Pitt script.

Paul broke the news in yesterday’s lede, but yesterday we officially got full looks at the Pittsburgh Pirates new jerseys — one is gray and the other black — and both contain “Pittsburgh” in a script font that was previously used. It’s nothing earth-shattering, but it’s a change nonetheless.

Here’s the new gray (road) jersey (click on any image below to enlarge slightly):

Front:

Back:

And here’s the new black alternate (shown with gray pants as this will be a road alternate):

Front:

Back:

As previously reported by Paul, the Pirates are eliminating the Sunday Bumblebee kits, but keeping the camopander alternate.

It’s unfortunate the “Pitts/sburgh” bisects the button placket, which doesn’t bother me as much as it does some, but I’m surprised they went that way, since the “original” Pittsburgh script respected the placket.

Also, as Paul previously mentioned, the “i” in Pittsburgh is sans-dot.

I have much less of a problem with either of these two idiosyncrasies than the new addition of the giant honking swoosh on the chest. God that’s an eyesore. Seriously, how much better does this look:

Here’s a couple more looks from the Pirates, including a better shot of the new cap (which will be worn with the black alt):

And of course, there is a hype video:

I like ’em! Your thoughts?

Guess The Game…

from the scoreboard

Today’s scoreboard comes from reader Michael Emody. I don’t think I’ve ever stumped you guys, but Michael thinks today might just be that day.

The premise of the game (GTGFTS) is simple: I’ll post a scoreboard and you guys simply identify the game depicted. In the past, I don’t know if I’ve ever completely stumped you (some are easier than others).

Here’s the Scoreboard. In the comments below, try to identify the game (date & location, as well as final score). If anything noteworthy occurred during the game, please add that in (and if you were AT the game, well bonus points for you!):

Please continue sending these in! You’re welcome to send me any scoreboard photos (with answers please), and I’ll keep running them.

And now a few words from Paul

Hi there. In case you missed it on Friday, I have a new article in The New Republic about the spike in how the sports world is fetishizing of the working class (including Eastern Michigan football coach Chris Creighton wearing a janitor-style work shirt during a recent bowl game, as shown above), which I view as little more than a class-based form of stolen valor. I hope you’ll check out the article here. Thanks.

Back to you, Phil.

The More Things Change…

Paul had a great observation yesterday, and while the tweet is pretty self-explanatory, I was struck by how little Eli Manning’s appearance has changed over the years. Like, he really doesn’t look like he’s aged much does he? Of course, Tom Coughlin and Ernie Accorsi, both pictured with Manning when he was drafted in 2004, and again at Eli’s retirement announcement, haven’t really aged that much either! The photos were taken SIXTEEN years apart. I know I had a lot more hair 16 years ago (and I’m sure I was about 30 pounds heavier) but I’m sure my face has aged a good two decades — these guys barely look like they’ve aged a day. Good for them.

But the gist of Paul’s tweet, shown below, wasn’t about the appearances of the figures in the foreground — it was, sadly, an apt commentary on how far advertising has come in sixteen years.

To use Paul’s phrase: “GROSS”

The Ticker
By Anthony Emerson

Baseball News: It appears the Phillies’ red jerseys will have a white Nike logo, making it even more obnoxious. The eye goes right to it (from @FSBabyHuey). … To make matters worse, the Nike logo on the Orioles’ jerseys will be black. Yuck (from Paul Mancano). … And here’s our first look at the Nike logo on  Rockies’ jerseys (from Mac LaFrance). … At least the A’s Nike mark will be green (from Jakob Fox). … The Twins and Tigers also gave us our first look at their Nikefied jerseys. … Nike logocreep is even making its way to replica throwback jerseys. Excuse me while I vomit (from Brad Crouter). … The Mets used a Majestic jersey to introduce Carlos Beltrán as their skipper in November, but had a Nike jersey for Luis Rojas’s introduction as skipper yesterday (from @PIITP and Gregory Zitelli). … The Beloit Snappers, Class-A affiliates of the Oakland A’s, have released renderings of their new stadium (from Kary Klismet). … This c. 1985 photo of Ramón “Diablo” Montoya of the Diablos Rojos del México wearing what appears to be a red version of the Mariners’ trident-m cap. “In this case being use as an M for Mexico and devil’s pitchfork/trident,” says @bryant_rf. … Beautiful new home pinstripes for Baylor (from Cody Edwards).

NFL/CFL News: Eli Manning’s No. 10 will be retired by the Giants (from Al N. Kreit and Mike Chamernik). … And also from Mike: here’s a YouTube video detailing the best player in each uni number from 1 through 99. Lots of great tidbits in there, like how Tom Brady took No. 12 because the No. 10 he wore in high school and college was taken by punter Lee Johnson, who would be released five games into the Pats’ first Super Bowl Championship season. … The Calgary Stampeders have released their 75th anniversary logo (from Wade Heidt). … There’s an NFL100 and Bengals logo on this Senior Bowl ball (from Devin Meyer). … Here’s an awesome — if short — video of the grounds crew painting the Hard Rock Dolphins Stadium endzones for the Super Bowl (from J.A. Scott). … Preston Feiler notes that next year’s Super Bowl logo, which places the Lombardi Trophy between the “L” and “V”, makes it look like “LIV” — this year’s game. Indeed, looking at some of my Pats’ Super Bowl gear, the addition of the Lombardi Trophy after the “L” makes “LIII” look like “LIIII”. Dear NFL: GO BACK TO UNIQUE SUPER BOWL LOGOS FOR GOD’S SAKE. … Also posted in the hockey section: Blues F Ryan O’Reilly wore a Chiefs helmet during warm-ups. The Chiefs gave vocal support to the Blues during their Stanley Cup run last year, and it appears the Blues are returning the favor (from @GoatJerseys and Jakob Fox).

Hockey News: Here’s the story behind Pens G Tristan Jarry’s Tom & Jerry mask (from @ClearFAL). … Oh man, check out this gorgeous handcrafted All-Star Game poster (from Dan Kennedy). … It’s so weird seeing an NHL player wearing No. 0, but that’s what the Whalers’ Neil Sheehy did in 1988 (from Jerry Wolper). … The QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts wore throwback unis last night, complete with throwback advertisements on the boards (from Wade Heidt). … Connie Durkin, a superfan of the Peoria Rivermen of the SPHL, has purchased a staggering 118 sweaters on auction. Buried in the article is new that the Rivermen will wear three different superhero sweaters in one game, changing each period (from Mike Lucia). … Last week, we talked about the special unis Waseca High were planning on wearing to honor fallen Waseca Police officer Arik Matson. Unfortunately, the Minnesota State High School League rejected the uniforms, as the league have rules to limit the size of mid-season uniform alterations (from multiple readers).

NBA & College Hoops News: One man was featured on the jumbotron of every NBA arena in 30 days. Impressive (from Sara Klein). … Wisconsin and Purdue men went color-vs-color last night (from Andrew Cosentino).

Soccer News: The NWSL Champion North Carolina Courage are asking fans to help pick their championship ring design (from Kary Klismet). … Chelsea has announced that Hong Kong-based telecommunications corporation Three will be its new shirt advertiser, starting next season. Three has one of the worst logos in major world industry right now and it looks especially ugly and confusing on sports kits, so good luck with that, Chelsea (from multiple readers). … A rendering of DC United’s new shirt has been released on The Athletic, so it’s behind a paywall. Here it is for those who aren’t Athletic subscribers (from Josh Hinton, Nate Rathjen and Ed Żelaski). … FC Porto of Portugal have added gold match print for their appearance in the Taça da Liga final. … As always, check out Josh Hinton‘s daily download for more soccer kit goodness.

Grab Bag: Here’s an article about how Yale’s new AD wants to standardize “branding” and aesthetics across the university’s athletic system (from Kary Klismet and Timmy Donahue). … The New York Times has a great article about monthly meetups of font nerds called “TypeThursday“. … A lot of people think the logo of the Space Force, just released yesterday, is ripped off from Star Trek‘s Starfleet Command logo (from many, many, many readers), though James Gilbert notes that it was likely taken from the Air Force Space Command and United States Space Command logos. … Oklahoma has a new license plate design for women veterans (from D Hempel).

 
  
 
Comments (50)

    Today’s GTGFTS photo is easy… But it is unique and I wonder if is one of the last MLB games where fans were allowed to sit in the outfield.

    The story about Sheehy wearing 0, or at least how he told it at the time, was that the family name had been O’Sheehy in previous generations. When the 0 gummed up the NHL’s new stats system, the number was banned and no player has worn it since.

    Another uni/logo related Sheehy note, he drew the ire of the Whalers for wearing a Flames pendant on a chain – he had been traded from Calgary to Hartford mid-season – during a Flames-Oilers telecast in the 1988 playoffs. Sheehy was traded to Washington a few months later.

    Because the Swoosh logo is good-looking and iconic, I don’t mind it on MLB jerseys and pants. Any other logo would be much more distracting. The Nike logo somehow compliments the design for my eye. NBA, too.

    C’mon, things are behind a paywall for a reason. If The Athletic wanted a look at that DC shirt to be free, it would be.

    I don’t mind the swoosh on the jerseys, but it does look odd on the Tigers home whites because they only have a left chest logo.

    The Diablos jersey in the ticker has a logo that looks just a little like the Brewers BiG logo.

    July 24th, 1967. An exhibition game in Milwaukee between the White Sox Andy Twins attended by over 51,000. The game was put on to promote baseball in Milwaukee. The Sox went on to host some regular season games in Milwaukee in 1968 and 1969.

    July 24, 1967 exhibition between Twins and Sox at County Stadium. Sox would go in to play some official games in 1968 and 69 before Brewers came to town in 1970.
    51,000 in attendance, 3000 over capacity, which is why there were fans in the outfield.

    You guys are TOO good! 9:02 and 9:23 am! It took me a few hours to track down the game after I spotted this photo, since it was an exhibition game and obviously not at spring training. The Hall of Fame Game listed on the board is also a good, if not strange clue. Equally strange is all the fans on the field (?).

    I’ll assume you guys got up around the time U-W is posted, and still spent hours searching the web… hehe – yeah, right! Good work!

    Very nice article, Paul.

    The non-dotted i doesn’t bother me as much as the placket does. That seems like such an obvious problem to be aware of when designing baseball jerseys (of which I’ve done none, but still). It already looks bad in the official release photos in which the players are static.

    And to those of you whom the swoosh isn’t a bother, that’s what Nike wants you to think :)

    I think the issue comes down to centering the wordmark. On previous iterations it managed to have a natural break but the size of the letters meant that when you’d lay it flat, it was just a little off centre. I’ve noticed that on several of the other ones which have been replaced by Nike versions. I think Nike is being very intentional about getting the wordmark perfectly centred on the front. Unfortunately it pretty obviously comes down to a matter of marketing aesthetics rather than gameplay ones because of where the visual issues occur. During the game, no one notices on a jersey in motion that it’s off centre but they can definitely notice if there’s letter duplication. On the other hand, a static jersey hung up in the store doesn’t betray the duplication but it’s easy for a customer to see if it’s shifted to one side or another.

    If this indeed is the reason, then I dislike the swooshketeers even more than I already did.

    If I were a jersey-buying person, the second I took that off the rack and noticed the double s I’d put it right back on the rack.

    They want perfectly centered lettering? Just play with the size of the word. Shrink it a bit or enlarge it to get the natural break. There’s really no good excuse for what they did.

    I like how Gary Chanko included those decorative pink and blue panels that adorned the exterior of Shea Stadium in the early days. They’re on the front panel of his display. A nice subtle tribute!

    Gary, that is a fantastic looking scoreboard!

    Phil (and anyone who read yesterday’s comments) knows my utter contempt for these new Pirates jerseys, but allow me to elaborate before I shut up about it.

    To be clear, this is not on the same magnitude as last season’s Players Weekend uniforms, which I ranked down there with the 1919 Black Sox scandal, segregation, the DH, the ’94 strike, the steroids scandal and now the Houston Asterisks’ shenanigans as being the worst things to happen to baseball. No, those things are not equally bad, but they’re all terrible.

    The Nike Pirates jerseys may not be in that class, but I still got a visceral reaction when I saw them…almost as bad as when the Cavs game out for Game 7 of the 2016 Finals in those horrendous BFBS unis (do not get me started), or when Boston didn’t wear red socks and San Diego didn’t wear brown, or when the Chicago AL team continues to not wear white socks.

    Why am I so upset? One, because they’ve done this script before. They literally just had to put it on the new jerseys the same way. But no, they had to fiddle with it. Or they were just too lazy or whatever to notice. No, they had to notice, or they wouldn’t have to add the extra half-s (which will now make this jersey a little less lighter, faster blah blah blah). It’s careless and it’s sloppy. Two, “Pittsburgh” is such an easy word to split, even if they hadn’t done it before. Ten letters, two syllables, each syllable five letters long. It’s a slam dunk and they blew it. Three, this is my favorite team. They’ve been bad for a long time but they always had a well-lettered jersey until this year.

    The Pirates will continue to be my favorite team. When it comes time for MLB’s free preview week, though, if they’re wearing these script jerseys I will find something else to watch or I’ll listen on the radio if I can.

    I do agree with Phil on this: lose the swoosh.
    I disagree with him on this: the ghost lettering is terrible, and if you can’t do button jerseys right, just go pullover.

    I’m OCD diagnosed and even I can’t understand the fuss about where words are split on a jersey. Only time I ever really noticed was those BOS-TON road shirts in the early 80s. I liked them, which means they were awful. That’s what I’ve learned from this site.

    I agree with someone yesterday: they should have a full black version. Without that it’s just tinkering at the edges. Be bold again, Pirates.

    If they split it as Pitt sburgh or Pittsb urgh, I wouldn’t raise a stink. It’s the fact that they split in the middle of a letter.

    My take on the Pirates’ new jerseys: First off, I agree with the opinion of most that the way they split the word Pittsburgh is terrible, and there’s no excuse for it, since they did it right 30 years ago. I don’t care for the new black jersey at all, but since they also kept the black jersey with the large P, I’m not so upset, since I really like that one. And I’m also saddened that they ditched the 1979 throwbacks, especially without replacing them with a different Sunday throwback. But if there is one silver lining in that, it’s that we won’t have to see the pillbox hats that they couldn’t seem to get the shape of correct.

    Why are the Baylor pins “beautiful” but the Phillies and Orioles are “obnoxious” and “yuck” respectively? It’s the same advertisement in the same place.

    I think the beautiful was in reference to the uniforms as a whole, and the yuck and gross were in reference to the respective swooshes.

    Gary Chanko, you are my hero.

    The model looks absolutely amazing and your decision to share it so we can make it at home is just wonderful.

    Thank you, sir!

    And put me down for a pre-order when your coffee table book goes to press.

    I’m a Buccos fan and I think the new road uniforms are solid, but they could’ve done better — particularly the black alternates.

    The grays are fine — even with the weird s situation. Why Nike did that is anyone’s guess, but I don’t see that as being all that big of a deal.

    The script Pittsburgh on the black alternates looks great! I just don’t understand why they did not continue with that monochrome look with the numbers or ball cap? I think that becomes a continuity issue.

    More to the point, I don’t really understand why you would have two different alternate jerseys that are so strikingly similar looking?

    What’s the point of that? Let’s face it, this was all done to move merch. How is having two extremely similar looking jerseys not going to just cannibalize each other?

    One of those jerseys HAS to be gold or charcoal or something that is discernibly different than what they did – which was basically just replace the thin white trim around the numbers and P on the cap with a thin gold trim.

    I like the design well enough but I still think it’s a missed opportunity from a branding perspective.

    I just don’t understand why they did not continue with that monochrome look with the numbers or ball cap?

    Because numbers are meant to be seen. If you sit in the highest seat in the ballpark you should be able to see the number legibly.

    Am I surprised they didn’t continue the look? Absolutely, because Nike and Majestic and Adidas and others have had a hard time with that idea. But I completely understand why they managed to at least get that part right.

    The butthole coach from Independence CC in the Netflix series “Last Chance U” wore a work shirt at practice more than once. Every employee at ICC who has to wear that kind of shirt every day should have been insulted.

    I sort of understand the Padres wearing camopander jerseys. However, the Padres should be wearing all-whites to honor the NAVY or all-khaki to honor the MARINES.

    The Pirates ditching the “We Are Family” throwbacks and keeping camopander is spitting on the graves of Stargell and Tanner, and a kick in the nuts to Kent Tekulve and Phil Garner. Anyone else who wears camopander who has in the past (Mets and Reds) should be ashamed.

    The DIY scoreboard is phenomenal! Need to see more if you can do it and I definitely agree about doing Wrigleys scoreboard.

    Great job on the Shea scoreboard!

    I would like to point out the logo on top of this model is not exactly the one that was on the board. This excellent write up by Paul, based on my find several years ago, explains about the slightly different version.

    link

    Thanks for the logo observation. If a suitable graphic of the “original” logo is found, I’ll make the change.

    I love the new Pirates jerseys.

    One of the great recent tragedies in uni history is that the introduction of the swoosh has coincided with so many uni upgrades around the league. The padres, brewers, padres would all be poised to have their best looking seasons in forever….except that, thanks to the swoosh, every single team is downgrading by default.

    Please don’t besmirch the good name of Chris Creighton. He’s made my alma mater halfway decent for the first time in decades. He could wear women’s lingerie on the sideline and I wouldn’t care.

    Beloit’s proposed stadium is ready for a corporate sponsor w/ its “B A S E B A L L S T A D I U M” signage.

    What is the fine for MLB players if they were to seam rip a maker’s mark off their jersey/uniform?

    This N*** brand logo looks incredibly awful and out of place.

    (I refuse to post the name ala “Mr. Yuk”)

    Blue collar work appreciatation is a positive thing…and most blue collar workers appreciate it. Really doesn’t matter what journalists thing of it so long as those being recognized appreciate it.

    “At least the A’s Nike mark will be green”

    Wouldn’t they be less conspicuous if they were either of the other options: yellow or white? In the context of the immediately previous complaints, this sentence doesn’t make sense.

    The game in the guess the stadium photo was a game played at County Stadium between the White Sox and the Twins. It was a mid-season exhibition game to test the waters of having the Sox playing a few home games in Milwaukee due to slumping attendance in Chicago, despite having success on the field. The game was on July 24, 1967 and the Twins won 2-1. I was never at the game, but my father in law was at the game and often tells stories about it.

    Gary,
    This is really good stuff and amazing you put it out there for everyone. Would love to see one of the Forbes scoreboard at time of Maz’s HR!

    For what it’s worth, the Phillies haven’t worn their red jerseys during regular season games for a couple of years…

Comments are closed.