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Paul here, pinch-Tickering for birthday boy Alex Hider. Happy Birthday, Alex!!
Now then: In today’s Ticker we have a very strange-looking sculpture in the Astros’ ballpark, increasing chatter about those padded “guardian caps” being worn in NFL training camps, and a new 75th-season logo for the Lakers.
The neck pads were just another fad, but I suppose they at least had some purpose. I can’t figure out the purpose of those strips-of-fabric tails that hang down the back of some players’ pants. They look kind of stupid.
Happy birthday, Alex!
Thank you Jamie! And Paul!
The story about the A’s and Giants ad patch hunt is paywalled.
This is a legit question, and not one like, why don’t they build the planes out of the same material as the black box?
Why not wear the guardian caps all the time? Maybe I don’t understand its purpose. Would it help in a game situation?
With the technology and materials available today, they should be able to come up with a protective helmet that doesn’t have a hard shell, or at most has a thin shell buried between softer material on both sides. Yes they’d get dirty and yes they will get damaged more easily, but each player won’t be wearing a weapon on their head anymore.
‘Patches tied to cannabis, sports betting and cryptocurrency are among the categories prohibited by MLB.’
And yet umpires can have a crypto thing on their uniform?
Cannabis I get why the league doesn’t want to touch that
Is the ban on crypto and gambling patches because they don’t want individual teams to conflict with a leaguewide sponsorship deal?
link
I was kind of hoping to hear from Paul or Phil on their views of the UCLA – Under Armour settlement (it’s about unis after all).
I think if they were going to retire 6 league-wide in honor of the late, great Bill Russell, they should have done it when he was around to see it.
We oftentimes wait too long to celebrate/ honor people who pass before they can see the honor.
I had one of those NHL puck lamps when I was a kid. It would have been a Leafs logo on the puck – not a stupid NHL “official licensed product” logo.
Its one of those products that’s really easy to date – Avalanche and Whalers on the same product, old Vancouver logo and new Buffalo.
The second link in the second story of the Basketball section doesn’t lead to anything, fyi.
correction; Diego Castillo is a relief pitcher for Seattle, not an infielder.
The Canucks’ article says Vancouver is the only NHL squad whose crest doesn’t match the uniform’s color scheme. The Chicago Blackhawks would beg to differ.
For what it’s worth, Luis Castillo pitched yesterday without a first initial on back.
Lakers 75th patch has some nice back story built in: 17 stars for Minneapolis/Los Angeles NBA Championships. 12 palm fronds for the 12 won in LA. Iconic buildings in Los Angeles.