In today’s ticker, we’ve got Padres radiation protection gear, Star Wars unis in the CHL, and more!
Uni Watch News Ticker for Dec. 10, 2022
Posted in:
Baseball
MLB
- This nurse has Padres radiation protection gear! Now, do you think this was custom made, or is it officially licensed? (From Brandon Cate)
- Did you know that Charlie O. Finley brought in the right-field fence at Kansas City Municipal Stadium, thinking the Yankees’ success was due to Yankee Stadium’s dimensions. He put a small set of bleachers in the gap between the original fence and new one, and called it “Pennant Porch.” Note that the new fence is not flush to the foul line. Hypothetically, a ball could land in play between the porch and the foul line! (From @texastrevor)
- The Nationals are giving away Josiah Gray bobbleheads next year, depicting the righty in the team’s City Connect uni. (From Katie Lipton)
Minors
- The Rocket City Trash Pandas, Double-A affiliates of the Angels, are giving away this cap, the only one of this style in existence, manufactured by accident. (From Paul Simpson)
Hockey
NHL
- Here’s a great shot of the heavy-duty headgear Red Wings LW Errol Thompson had to wear after suffering a broken jaw in 1979. (From Jeffrey Sak)
- When Queen played Maple Leaf Gardens in 1977, the bandmembers were given customized Leafs jerseys. Freddie Mercury wore his during the concert. (From @fullgrownnut)
College
- Absolutely gorgeous color-vs-color matchup for Syracuse and Pitt last week. (From @artofscorebug)
Minors/Juniors
- Last night, Rochester Americans players warmed-up wearing the jerseys of Rochester-area high school teams. (From @labflyer)
- Sam Alfano of the OHL’s Erie Otters wears No. 33 in honor of former Otters fan favorite Jason Baird, who died at 33. Alfano and Baird are from the same Ontario town, Cayuga. (From Wade Heidt)
- The Kansas City Mavericks of the CHL will wear Star Wars unis tonight. (From Peter Corcoran)
Soccer
International
- These Argentina fans had some really unsettling hats depicting stars Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria.
Grab Bag
- Yesterday, there was a small ceremony at RFK Stadium as the last seats were removed. It appears some pieces of the stadium’s history are being abandoned, however. (From William F. Yurasko)
Comments (6)
I’ve worked in and around fluoroscopy (live, “movie camera” X-ray) for the past 25 years and I can tell you that team branded lead aprons are very common. Big Four and NCAA. Physicians especially often rep their alma mater. Has always made for great conversation.
Great looking radiation gear. Haven’t seen anything like that but luckily x-rays, so far, are a rarity for me.
Just a mental oddity of mine – the shape of the collar of the radiation protection gear immediately reminded me of my old hockey goalie neck protector; though his is better looking and in better shape.
If any fielder ran full speed into the point on that pennant porch fence – yeeowch.
The “Pennant Porch” in Kansas City has a deeper story behind it. Finley, having decided that the Yankees’ success was due to their short right field fence and not, you know, them having lots of great players, wanted to make his stadium have the same dimensions. The American League told him that they would enforce a rule, put in place just a few years earlier, that all stadiums had to be at least 325 feet down the lines except for ones that had been grandfathered in with their old dimensions. So he built this, which technically met the requirement but still had pretty much the Yankee Stadium dimensions.
The KC Pennant Porch only lasted 2 exhibition games before Frick ordered it demolished. Finely then built a makeshift roof over the RF seats that extended out into the field at the 296 mark that didn’t make it through the home opener. Finally, he ordered a line painted on the ground at the 296 mark and ordered the PA guy to report “That would have been a home run at Yankee Stadium” for any fly ball crossing the line. That ended when too many opponents were hitting it over the line compared to the A’s.
Saw THE Cosmos play the Washington Diplomats a few times at RFK Stadium, also was at Soccer Bowl ’80, cheering on THE Cosmos, who beat the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 3-0 in that match.
The P.A. system was terrible in that stadium, the announcer sounded like Peanuts adult when they spoke.