By Phil Hecken Last Sunday we had the greatest day in the NFL — the Conference Championships — and next Sunday brings us the biggest spectacle: the Super Bowl. So, …
Category: History
A Day to Remember (but if only we could forget)
Today, Jan. 27, is a special day. For it was on this date 15 years ago — Jan. 27, 1996 — that one of the most legendarily awful uniforms in …
In Which I Waste a Whole Day Engaging in a Ridiculous E-Mail Debate (and now you can waste a whole day reading about it)
Peter Nash, who runs the excellent Hauls of Shame investigative site, recently posted an entry written by jersey historian Dave Grob that featured several uni-notable finds — one of which …
The Real *Final Four*
By Phil Hecken, with Jim “The Weatherman” Vilk Sure, college hoops may have its big weekend, and they may have even patented the name, “Final Four,” but for most sports …
Major Blast from the Chisox Past
Many of you know that the White Sox sponsored a contest in 1981 to have fans help design and choose the team’s 1982 uniforms. If you’ve been reading Uni Watch …
The White Cap Chronicles, Continued
The 1967 A’s and their occasional use of white caps, which I first wrote about last Friday, continue to present an intriguing rabbit hole, as reader Dave Robb has just …
Uni Watch Exclusive: Major MLB Headwear Discovery
We all know the A’s coaches and managers wore white caps in the Charlie Finley era. It comes up all the time, and it even figured prominently in a piece …
Numbers Game
During a recent round-up of wire service photos, I linked to this photo of Rollie Hemsley and had this to say about it: “I’ve always thought there’s something a bit …
New Year’s Day … Now and Then
By Phil Hecken, with fond recollections by Rick Pearson Welcome to 2011 everyone. Let’s hope it’s a great year for all. New Year’s Day is traditionally one of the greatest …
Winging It: Helmet History Reconsidered
Everyone knows Michigan football is famous for its winged helmet design. Many of you smartypants types also know that credit for originating the winged concept is usually given to Princeton …
There’s No Service Like Wire Service, Vol. 23
One last batch of wire service pics before the calendar runs out, including some instant classics. All of these were submitted by Mako Mameli, except for the last four, which …
And Not a Single Pink Wristband in Sight
The sports media world, Uni Watch included, doesn’t pay much attention to women’s sports. And that was even more true in 1974, when Billie Jean King helped launch womenSports magazine …
Mouthguardian Angel
People often tell me, “I’ve spent years looking at sleeve stripes [or facemasks, or collar styles, or pork chops, or whatever], but I’d never really thought about them until I …
There’s No Service Like Wire Service, Vol. 22
Ah, the Teletype machine — the gift that keeps on giving. Some of these were submitted by Mike Hersh, but I found most of them myself (imagine that!). Here we …
Sweater Weather Revisited
Last month I did an entry about old-timey baseball sweaters, in which I wrote, “I love these old sweaters and wish they’d make a comeback (or at least get a …