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Uni Watch

Monday Morning Uni Watch

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For all photos, click to enlarge

Good morning, and welcome to our second Monday Morning Uni Watch report of the 2021 season. Let’s start in L.A., where the Cowboys were forced to wear their navy jerseys because the Chargers opted to wear white at home. The same thing happened to the Cowboys for their season opener in Tampa, which means they’ve now begun the season by wearing navy jerseys for their first two games. According to the Gridiron Uniform Database, the last time that happened was all the way back in 1983!

Also, as you can see in today’s header photo, Dallas paired the navy tops with their white alternate pants, instead of the usual silver. The last time they wore that navy/white combo was Week 15 of the 2019 season.

In other news from a fairly uni-uneventful day around the league yesterday:

• The Colts wore pregame T-shirts featuring assorted messages relating to mental health awareness:

It’s part of their “Kicking the Stigma” program, which has included team co-owner Kalen Jackson writing about her own anxiety issues. In addition to the “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” shirt shown above, there were three other messages:

Good for the Colts for doing this, and here’s hoping the sports world continues to do more to destigmatize mental health issues.

• Chargers wideout Keenan Allen arrived at the stadium wearing a Boston Celtics/Kyrie Irving jersey:

• The Panthers enlarged their end zone lettering. Last week on top, this week on bottom:

• The Eagles set up a little press box memorial for local sports radio guy Big Daddy Graham, who died last week:

• An NBC graphic during the Ravens/KC game inexplicably showed a KC helmet with a black facemask — something the team has never worn:

• Speaking of that Ravens/KC game, I thought that was a pretty good-looking matchup — purple and all. The uniforms complemented each other really well, and football looks so much better on natural grass:

• Six teams wore white at home: the aforementioned Chargers, plus the Panthers, Jags, Dolphins, Jets, and Bucs.

(My thanks to all contributors, including Cory Fisher, James Gilbert, Michael Hochman, Ryan Maquiñana, and @NFL_Journal.)

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For all photos, click to enlarge

Halos get new halo: Notice anything unusual about Angels pitcher/DH Shohei Ohtani’s batting helmet logo in the photo shown above? It’s not the standard flat decal that most MLB teams use, nor is it the rubberized 3D logo that an increasing number of teams have been using in recent years.

No, it’s a peel-and-stick embroidered patch! The Angels began wearing the new headwear mark a little over a week ago, during a road series in Houston. Here are some additional views, plus a side-by-side comparison:

Only one other team uses an embroidered batting helmet logo. That would be the Cubs, who’ve used a cloth “C” patch since the late 1960s. To my knowledge, no other team has ever worn anything comparable until now, so the Angels are venturing into rarefied air here.

It’s odd that an also-ran team would make a change like this in the middle of a September road trip. Then again, maybe the perfect time to test-drive something new is when you’re playing out the string, away from the media glare. Either way, I was hoping to speak to Halos equipment manager Guy Gallagher to learn more about the thinking behind this move, but two different team sources told me that he prefers to keep a low profile — too bad.

(Big thanks to Twitter-er @ShrubbyG for spotting the logo switcheroo.)

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The Ticker
By Jamie Rathjen

Baseball News: There was an MLB jersey swap yesterday between the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Twins’ Josh Donaldson (thanks, Brinke). … The Yankees’ groundskeepers apparently had some difficulties around the plate area yesterday (from @FreyDaddy4). … Players on the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones and Jersey Shore BlueClaws wore teal wristbands on Saturday to protest their pay. Minor league players’ minimum pay is less than what their counterparts in ice hockey and basketball make (thanks, Paul).

Football News: The Dolphins hinted that they’ll be wearing throwbacks for their next home game in two weeks (from Preston Feiler). … Left over from Saturday: South Carolina RB Kevin Harris was missing his SEC helmet decal (from @willchitty4). … Division III Saint John’s (Minn.) University wore powder blue (from Shane Fennell). … The CFL’s BC Lions wore orange pants with white socks on the road in their current uniform set for the first time, instead of the usual black socks (from Wade Heidt). … Wade also has some Canadian college uni tracking in yesterday’s comments.

Hockey News: As had been widely expected, the Coyotes are bringing back the white Kachina uniform (from Mike Gould)
The PHF’s most recent champions, the Boston Pride, got their championship rings on Saturday. … The WHL’s Kelowna Rockets wore their previous white jerseys, which last appeared in 2018-19, in a preseason game (from Wade Heidt). … Also from Wade: The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs have a new logo.

Basketball News: NBA numerologist Etienne Catalan has more new and changed player numbers. … The WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces retired a No. 25 jersey for Becky Hammon last week. She didn’t play for them, but did for their previous incarnation, the San Antonio Stars, who’d already retired her number. Aces owner Mark Davis held the second retirement to connect the current team to their predecessors. … New uniform for the Japanese women’s team Chanson V-Magic (from Jeremy Brahm).

Soccer News: All three Premier League games yesterday featured both teams wearing black armbands in memory of English striker Jimmy Greaves. … Bayern Munich revealed, and wore, a green and black Oktoberfest-themed kit in the Bundesliga on Saturday. … New second shirt for Australia’s Adelaide United, and two for A-League-only Western United. … Unusually for UEFA, a Women’s World Cup sleeve patch has been very inconsistently appearing on teams playing in those qualifiers, with most that I saw pictures of not wearing it. In their men’s competitions, various types of sleeve patches are ubiquitous. … In Japan’s men’s second tier, Blaublitz Akita midfielder Tomofumi Fujiyama ripped his shirt yesterday (from Jeremy Brahm). … Top-tier Polish side Legia Warszawa’s fourth kit has leaked (from Ed Zelaski). … FIFA is pushing to increase the frequency of the men’s World Cup to every two years, instead of the current four-year cycle.

Grab Bag: Fans often wear costumes to the Canada Sevens rugby sevens tournaments in Vancouver, and here is some of what was seen on Saturday (from Wade Heidt). … Australian cricket’s men’s and women’s Big Bash Leagues revealed new kits overnight. … The Gaelic Athletic Association approved sleeve ads for Gaelic football and hurling teams this weekend. … Arlington County, Va., chose its new logo (from Dell Michaels).

 
  
 
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Comments (38)

    I believe there is a typo in the Lamar Jackson write up. It’s says NBA but I assume you meant NBC.

    Detroit Lions are wearing white jersey and white pants tonight in Green Bay. Doing a quick search of GUD, I believe this is the first time ever they have worn white pants.

    Where did you see that announcement? What that is on GUD is TBA. To be announced. Meaning they are not sure if it will be the blue or grey pants. Pants just look plain white with TBA letters over them.

    link

    The Lions wore white pants waywayway back…1948 (their red/black period) and 1949 (paired with blue tops, sometimes with blue helmets).
    Silver should be their full-time standard.

    Good catch. That’s what I get for looking too quickly. Although the images are pretty small that year since they wore so many different uniforms

    Well well well, the Lions *did* wear white pants and they are dull as dishwater. Where are the details? This is the NFL, son!! Not a touch of color or trademarks south of the equator. Hard fail.

    One-third of the Ticker was blocked by that Old Navy ad. I know there are a slew of ads here that you have to navigate around and that’s cool, your revenue and all. But blocking content? Really? Is that what’s it’s come to? Sheesh.

    I had the same issue. I saw it on both posts from this weekend as well (though I looked at them this morning.)

    It seemed to re-size itself depending on the size of my browser window.

    Hi Paul,

    We need a small correction in Football Ticker about the BC Lions item. They have worn the orange pants on the road with the white jerseys in this uniform set before. Have worn this uniform set since 2019.

    It is the first time they have worn the white socks with the orange pants on the road. Has been black socks with the orange pants on the road usually.

    I’m pretty sure that is Keenan Allen in the Celtics jersey. Darius Slay plays for the Eagles. Maybe slay is a nickname for Keenan?

    Of note yesterday, the Texans and Bengals wore their dark pants with solid white socks.

    Normally both teams go leotard with dark britches but it was knickers all the way. Looked terrific.

    I like white socks with white pants in the right scenario.

    Stripes are preferred. The Browns, Chiefs, Jets, and Bears (2000’s) mono white looks have the striped socks.

    The solid whites can look good too, though it depends on the circumstances.

    Joe Maddon managed the Cubs before becoming manager of the Angels. Maybe it was something he liked and mentioned they try.

    I know that the Ravens had the “MO” in “Baltimore” painted a different color in the end zone for a reason:

    link

    I just thought the timing was odd since they were playing a team based in Missouri.

    The black facemask is weird, but the facemask style to me just looks like the ROPO-SW mask that goes on the Revo Speed helmet.

    link

    I think what probably is throwing the look of the graphic off is the laziness of how the visor is put on it; no tabs above the top of the mask, no clips on the mask to hold the visor in place, and the super weird placement of the chinstrap including the top buckle placed overtop of the mask instead of under it. No need to add it anyway, makes you wonder why they bothered.

    As an Angels fan I’m a bit offended by you calling th also Rams, but I can’t say it’s not true. Re the logo I figured if they wanted 3D they had to go embroidered since their helmet logo is multi colored, the rubberized ones are usually mono colored (I think).

    It’s not a value judgment — it’s a simple fact. A team that’s five games under .500 and 12 games out of a playoff spot on Sept. 20 is an also-ran.

    The team I root for is an also-ran as well!

    I totally agree, my comment was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, trust me I’m well aware that my team is an also ran (and has been for years).

    I appreciate that the Angels’ cap insignia is rendered in two shades of red. In every media you can still see the facets; classy!

    The Cubs have been using the embroidered C on their helmets since the early 1960s. It is seen on this 1961 Post card and they typically use pictures from the previous season.

    link

    When flocked batting helmets were introduced (late 50’s?), cloth decals were common:

    link

    Here’s a Los Angeles Angels example, complete with halo:

    link

    If the Cubs wore flocked helmets(I’m speculating…can’t find evidence that they did), maybe they used an embroidered C rather than felt and continued using them instead of a flat decal when they switched to smooth helmets?

    Flocked helmets, like the ones you linked to, used *felt* logos, not embroidered.

    (As for the Cubs, I’m not aware of them having worn flocked helmets.)

    I should have been clearer when I wrote ”rather than felt”.
    You are of course correct…those which had flocked helmets were using exclusively felt-like materials for the logo.
    I’ll be spending the rest of my day down the ‘Cubs-flocked-helmet’ -rabbit hole ; )

    Can anyone remember an uglier uniform than what the Jaguars wore yesterday? Black numbers on white jerseys. The Jags have a beautiful color scheme and it is completely wasted. Easily the worst uniform in NFL history since leather helmets were abandoned.

    It is calculated to not offend; and that may be the worst sin of all. Think how much better they would be if all they added were gold outlines on the numerals.

    Yeah, they look like practice uniforms. Jacksonville more or less got it right with their original look and have been going backwards ever since.

    Is there a reason that the Cowboys wore pants that appear to be white instead of the normal silver they wear with their navy jerseys?

    As noted in today’s text, they’ve worn that combo before. Several times since 2017. Just another option that they like to trot out sometimes.

    Was that Jeremy Roenick wearing a helmet with a chin guard in the Coyotes video?

    I much prefer the Cowboys navy jersey over the white, especially with the silver pants. In my opinion, one of the best jerseys in the league.

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