Category: Umps/Refs

Yesterday afternoon I was kinda half-working, half-watching the Mets/Cards spring training game on my computer. At one point a Mets hitter checked his swing and the catcher asked the plate …

With bowl season upon us, Christopher Wheeler pointed me toward this Orange Bowl history page, which turns out to be chock-full of uni-notable photos. Here’s a chronological rundown: 1937 (Duquesne …

Today is the 35th anniversary of a seminal sports event: the Rumble in the Jungle, which pitted George Foreman against Muhummad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire. And No Mas honcho Chris …

Bruce Menard recently informed me that the folks at Heritage Auction Galleries have a ton of good stuff in their current auction catalog. Here’s a sampling: • According to the …

Got a note the other day from reader Patrick Ryan. “I know you like the old Milwaukee Bucks logo,” he wrote. “But have you ever seen this?” I most certainly …

Ah, Opening Day — the tradition! The pageantry! The conference call I had to participate in from about 1:30 to 2:45, right in the middle of the Mets/Reds game! Good …

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Pittsburgh was a visit to the Heinz History Center, which includes the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. I took a lot of …

In recent years, home plate umpires’ masks have been soild black — the padding, the bars, the stripes, everything. Lately, though, I’ve noticed a change: Some umps’ masks have silver …

Last fall I ran a rundown of old uni-related New York Times articles, which made it clear that uniform coverage was alive and well decades before the advent of Uni …

Ah, the pleasures of a snow game, full of scenes like this and this. Is there anything better? Not in my book. Not even Seattle’s neon green gloves could ruin …

For most of my life, I feel like color schemes have pretty much made sense. There are color combos I really like, like green/gold/maroon, and ones that I don’t like, …

New ESPN column now up. This is the one about uni-related memorials — big thanks to all who contributed info. Meanwhile: Got a great note the other day from reader …

Athletics aesthetics doesn’t get much better-looking, or more fun, than yesterday’s NHL Winter Classic. The Penguins looked totally friggin’ awesome; the Sabres looked totally friggin’ awesome. You had just enough …

Several readers have been clamoring for updated info regarding the NFL officials’ cold-weather slacks, and I think I’ve finally got some — no thanks to the NFL, I might add. …

I don’t know if it was the lighting at Ford Field, the Lions’ awful black alternate jerseys, or the contrast between Detroit’s true silver pants and Dallas’s blue-tinted silver, but …