In today’s Ticker, lots of MLB news now that spring training games are underway, plus a ton of hockey, college hoop and MLS news as that league began its 2023 season yesterday.
Uni Watch News Ticker for Feb. 26, 2023
Posted in:
Baseball
MLB
- Vaun Brown is a SF Giants prospect that could potentially make the team at some point this year. Reader Jameson Costello says, “I know it’s only photo day but… wow! Biker shorts, super high cut stirrups. Gotta find out if he plays like this!”
- Reader Andrew Cosentino isn’t so sure the Baltimore Orioles will be adopting the “patch protocol” Paul laid out in his Friday article. Paul said “The weird thing, though, is that the team logo patch is on the more camera-visible sleeve for each player.” However, Andrew doesn’t think that’s the case. “The batters have the patch on their camera-visible sleeve: Jorge Mateo, #3: Right handed batter, patch on right sleeve. Gunnar Henderson, #2: Left handed batter, patch on left sleeve. The pitchers (all shown in Friday’s post) are the opposite.”
- Due to still-lingering COVID concerns, fans will be required to wear facemasks for World Baseball Classic (WBC) games played in Japan (but not the US or Taiwan). (From Paul)
- NickNOB Alert from the 1973 World Series: Billy Conigliaro. (From BatBeat)
- Strong mustache game going on early for the ChiSox. (From Jay Cuda)
- Check out this fan at yesterday’s Pirates-Jays game wearing a Pirates bucket hat with NFL tag! (From Ryan)
- UGH! (From Weird Sports Merch)
- Here’s a look at all the Texas Rangers unis throughout their history (subscription required, unfortunately).
- One of the Cleveland Guardians (prospects?) was taking the hill wearing a Rawlings-branded jersey. (From David Olson). If you’re curious as to why, click here. (Thanks, Paul)
- Only in Spring Training will you get to see players wearing logos from three different eras of White Sox baseball. (From Nick Pfeiffer)
- On Fridays this season, the El Paso Chihuahuas will pay homage to their parent club, the San Diego Padres. (Thanks, Paul)
- Guardians pitcher Aaron Pinto was wearing the wrong NOB style during Saturday’s Spring Training game against the Reds. (From Joanna Zwiep)
- The New York Mets skipper Buck Showalter wore his normal cap during yesterday’s action, instead of the horrid ST crap. (From Brian Gsell)
- The Boston Red Sox Matthew Lugo was also not wearing his Spring Training cap versus Atlanta yesterday. (From Sir Veillance)
- Nice! Real stirrups on the Bill Mazeroski wax figurine at the Heinz History Center’s Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum in Pittsburgh. (From Noah)
Minors
- New Mandalorian-themed jerseys for the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate. (From Kary Klismet)
More
- Japan: During this year’s Nippon League spring training, a BayStars player is wearing 028. (From Anthony)
Football
NFL
- Great old photo of a KC/Vikings game showing Vikes players with numbers on their shoes. (From John Turney)
More
- If you’re looking for a comprehensive visual guide to high school football helmets in the Show Me State, the Missouri Helmet Project has you covered. (From Kary Klismet)
- East Central High School in St. Leon, Ind., has unveiled its rings for winning the state championship last fall. (Also from Kary)
Hockey
NHL
- Hmmm. It appears that Alex Ovechkin was missing his ad patch in yesterday’s game. (From Adam Kowalsky)
- Here’s a look at the new mask for Canucks G Arturs Silovs. The recent Canucks callup has a mask now to go with the team’s alternate uniforms. (From Wade Heidt)
- The Washington Capitals celebrated Black History Month on Saturday with warmup jerseys made by local designer Zilla.
- The Montreal Canadiens arrived to the arena yesterday wearing jerseys of Quebec minor hockey teams. (From Wade Heidt)
- Whoops! The Vancouver Canucks’ Aatu Räty wore #27 on his back and his left sleeve, but #72 on his right sleeve in last night’s game. (From Kevy N.)
- Last night, the San Jose Sharks retired Patrick Marleau’s #12 sweater. Also, the number font on Marleau’s banner doesn’t match any Sharks jersey, past or present. (Second item from Double A Ron)
Minors/Juniors
- The Des Moines Buccaneers wore these DSM BUCS jerseys last night in conjunction with the 18th Annual Guns N Hoses Game. (From E)
- The Regina Pats wore special fan-designed jerseys last night.The Jets and Moose are having a WASAC week-end (Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre). Details here. Real cool Jets fashion jersey. The Moose’s 2023 version of the jersey. (From Jonathan Goupil)
- The WHL’s Swift Current Broncos did a one-night only rebrand. They are the Lake Diefenbaker Slough Sharks for tonight and here are the uniforms. Of course, still has Four Broncos memorial clover patch on shoulder. (From Wade Heidt)
More
- New military appreciation uniforms for USA Hockey’s boys’ national development team. (From Kary Klismet)
Basketball
NBA
- Denver has its first mural of Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, on the garage door of a commercial building near downtown. (From Kary Klismet)
College
- Visually disorienting HBCU matchup yesterday between NCA&T (whose primary color is blue but is wearing gray for Senior Day) and the visiting Hampton (wearing their usual blue). (From Jay Anderson)
- Throwback unis and scoreboard on Friday night in Milwaukee. (From Jay)
- The Kansas Jayhawks wore throwback uniforms yesterday to celebrate their 1922-23 Natty. Here’s a bit more on that. (Second item from Kary Klismet).
- In some MACtion, color vs. color for Akron and Western Michigan. Submitter Aaron Putka adds, “Also in the last picture you can see how Western has their little bronco head in the striping on only the right side of their shorts even though the the striping is symmetrical with the template.”
- Color vs. color for Indiana and Purdue last night. (From Thicc Offerman)
Soccer
USA
- Charlotte FC will wear a memorial patch for Anton Walkes all season long. Walkes died earlier this year from injuries sustained following a boat crash. (From James Gilbert)
- Here’s a look at the Detroit City FC (USL) kits. (From Ryan Keberly)
- A Vancouver Whitecaps fan decided to put a piece of paper with the current shirt ad over the old shirt ad. Next to him is a fan wearing a Detroit Tigers cap. (From Texas Trev)
- Every MLS game is now being streamed on Apple TV, provided you pay for the extra subscription. A minimalist scorebug is being used where the primary color of each jersey is represented by a square. The scorebug is likely influenced by Apple’s design philosophy. (Also from Texas Trev)
- FC Dallas wore their secondary shirt at home to begin the season. (Another from Texas Trev)
International
- England: Reader Timmy Steffes noticed the dots under Kelechi Iheanacho’s NOB yesterday. “Pictured is a double whammy as a letter is trying to break free.” Timmy found this explanation on line: “The Igbo language, which has an estimated 24million speakers, has vowels featuring underdots, which change the pronunciation of the letter, with the jaw more open and the tongue lower in the mouth. In Iheanacho’s case, the ‘I’ and ‘o’ within his surname include these. As a result, the correct spelling of the striker’s name is Ịheanachọ. Iheanacho name literally translates as ‘what we are looking for’. He chose to have these dots on his matchday kit.”
- Italy: New fourth kit for A.C. Milan. (From Kary Klismet)
- Spain: New kit for Real Sociedad de Fútbol. (From Paul Anderko)
Auto Racing
- In case you missed any of them, here’s a rundown of all the Formula 1 drivers’ new helmets for this season. (From Kary Klismet)
Cricket
- Looks like baseball catcher’s equipment has made its way into cricket. Shin guards being worn underneath the pants by the cricket equivalent of the catcher. Chest protector worn in practice. (From CDodge56)
Grab Bag
- The Old Line Wiffleball Club has some new jerseys for this upcoming season. (From Old Line Wiffle Club)
- New athletic uniforms for several girls’ and boys’ teams at Bellows Falls Middle School in Vermont. (From Kary Klismet)
- Western Wyoming Community College is asking for the public’s help in naming its new costumed mustang mascot. (Also from Kary)
- Fairfield High School in Pennsylvania is exploring the possibility of having students design a new athletics logo to consolidate a visually identity that currently features more than six different logos. (One more from Kary)
- There are Frankenjerseys, and then there’s this: A combination Reds and Houston Rockets shirt. Marketed as “Men’s National League Baseball Team Logo Print Short Sleeve Shirt.” (From Jason Kaufman)
- A recent MotorTrend photo essay sheds light on the evolution of the Cadillac logo over the nearly 120 years of the existence of the brand. (From Wolfie Browender)
- The NLL’s Colorado Mammoth broke out some camo for their special Military Appreciation uniforms on Friday night.
Comments (26)
Oh my God. Would love to unsee that horrific biker shorts/stirrups combo. Even worse than pajama bottoms. If Manfred wants to improve MLB, he should require all uniform pants be worn with proper stirrups like in the 70s. This uniform abuse needs to stop now.
Thanks, Hunter Pence. Wonder if that guy rides a skateboard to the ballpark, too.
Honestly, what are guys like them thinking?
-C.
It’s a plague that has infected football uniforms too. Seeing more of those biker shorts at the college level. Sure they’ll be in NFL games soon. MLB and NFL in a race to the bottom.
It is the next stage of our cultural insistence on the freedom to be an individual. It is a different version of every reliever having a windup that has more unnecessary moves and steps and gesticulations, none of which affect the mechanics of throwing a baseball. Or a batter who has a 12-step choreographed routing that they do before every pitch. It’s all “look at me!” behavior that has gotten worse now that everyone feels like they’re a star in their own social media production.
Make the uniforms uniform? I’m in.
The cricket thing with Peter Handscomb is pretty interesting. Wicket keepers already commonly wear big external leg protectors that are comparable to hockey goalie pads. The video shows Handscomb practicing at keeper, but then it shows him playing in a game wearing the pads under his pants but he’s not playing keeper. He’s playing slip or short leg, so not analogous to a catcher but more like a first baseman cheating up the line toward home on a bunt attempt. Except the catch he makes is closer to fielding a line drive a couple yards from home plate.
It’s also interesting how Handscomb comments, “Why don’t we wear more protective?” given that cricket does still have a lingering ethic of eschewing protective gear. You still sometimes see batters without a helmet or mask. I believe helmets are required for batters at the youth level, and in UK county cricket, but not at the top international level. Or if the helmet is required, you can get away with not wearing one if you’re a good enough West Indies or South Asian batsman. But most fielders wear no protective gear at all, and it’s common for some to play not much farther from the batter than the home plate umpire in baseball. Also the ball is comparable to a baseball in size and hardness, but only the keeper is allowed to wear gloves.
Played both baseball and cricket and I have an official MLB baseball, and a Kookaburra cricket ball. I think cricket balls are a tiny bit, but noticeably, harder. However they will come off the bat way, way less fast than a baseball.
Also unlike MLB, there are different cricket balls used at the elite level which are slightly different. The Duke’s ball in England is stitched by hand with an extra row of stitching so it’s ever so slightly harder but more importantly, keeps it’s hardness and seam longer. The Kookaburra is used everywhere else and is machine stitched.
I really only watch Test cricket and the County Championship, little bit of ODI/List A and never watch the franchise tournaments but at least at the Test level, I’d never seen a batsman without a helmet. Several years ago, even with a helmet a New South Wales batsman died after being hit with a ball in Australia’s domestic First Class league the Sheffield Shield. Freak incident but very sad, I think he was only 23.
Conversely, I’ve never played cricket, and mostly watch T20 or ODI competitions, simply due to their greater frequency and streaming availability. It’s in those competitions where I’ve seen batters stand in without a helmet.
Personally, you couldn’t pay me to stand in a crease without full padding, nor to play keeper or slips without the maximum allowed protective gear. Cricket balls may come off the bat with less force than a baseball, but the closest fielders stand so much closer than basepath infielders. I’ve played infield positions against college-level batters without any fear of a batted ball; that 90+ feet of grass between the fielder and the batter creates enough reaction time for my comfort, compared to the three yards of space that I’m seeing slips fielders use in the England-New Zealand test match on ESPN+ right now.
-NLL’s Colorado Mammoth item should be under Grab Bag rather than Hockey.
-“The Regina Pats wore special fan-designed jerseys last night.”
I would have submitted this old Pats jersey as my “design”.
link
Also I would request they switch back to this uniform full time. There is nothing wrong with the current Regina Pats primary uniform. It is just not right for the Pats. This team has operated since 1917. They belong in royal blue. The switch to navy and removal of shoulder yokes in 2015 makes it just not look like the Pats. This is the junior hockey equivalent of a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs or New York Rangers announcing they are permanently dropping the royal blue for navy blue for their primary look.
Hoping the Pats organization regains their senses in an upcoming uniform redesign and return to a version of their signature look.
That item about the ghost of the old snake logo still being visible beneath the D-Backs’ ad patch was a response to this tweet:
link
…which says, “Think we can all agree that the Dbacks have the coolest looking sponsored patch so far”
That’s like saying the D-Backs have the best-looking festering wart on their faces so far.
I rarely agree with Olbermann, but his response to that sheeple who posted that comment was absolutely spot on. -C.
The Vikings-Chiefs photo is from SB 4.
Guardians’ ST jerseys have vertically-arched player names on Rawlings-branded shirts… same as last year.
Interesting, but why? Vertically-oriented are more labor- and material-intensive. Most of this guys won’t make the big club but each name has to be made individually, based on how many letters are in each name. With radial arched letters, every letter can be used for every name, save the unusually long names. It’s why the Red Wings DON’T go vertical arched in the preseason.
Here’s a look at all the Texas Rangers unis throughout their history (subscription required, unfortunately).
No subscription needed! You should be able to click out of all of those subscription pop-ups and read the article. You can also clear your cookies (or specifically delete the ones from the Dallas Morning News). Both methods worked for me, and I could read it just fine.
But it also OK to pay for quality journalism.
I’m surprised to see the ticker on this site “subscription required, unfortunately” when there are pop-ups asking us to purchase subscriptions to read the premium content here.
Very true. The authors here are full of contradictions
Apparently, Vaun Brown’s quads are so big that pants that fit him there don’t fit well elsewhere, so a clubhouse manager modified pants like that for him.
link
Imagine how frightening Joker and Luka would be on the court if someone just showed them where their teams’ workout facilities are.
Re the soccer section, just wondering when Vancouver seceded from Canada and moved to the U.S.?
I’d welcome Vancouver. Beautiful place.
With the new 4+1 MLB Jersey Rule, how is this applying with the Braves? They currently have the gray and navy road “Atlanta” script along with the white and red “Braves” script along with the navy spring training “Braves” top?
Cardinals , Phillies, and Braves are are not following Nike edicts. What will we do. What will we do?
The biker shorts are a bit much but I 100% believe MLB should ban the pajama pants and enforce knickerbocker style pants with stirrups or at least proper long baseball socks. The socks/stirrups are part of the uniform. Two teams are literally named after the color of their socks. The socks should be showing.
Not crazy about the pajama look or the bicycle pants approach, but it demonstrates the stylings of baseball trousers are evolving. At some point (after I die?) players might get back on track.
Soccer:
Nashville SC wore their secondary kit in.their MLS opener yesterday.
Sixth tier English team Hereford wore black armbands yesterday against Southport in memory of John Motson, the legendary British soccer commentator who died Thursday. Motion called the 1972 upset of what was then Hereford United famously defeating First Division Newcastle United.
Basketball
Cincinnati and Memphis men are wearing throwbacks today: UC as “The Cats” and Memphis as “Memphis State”, the name they were known as until the mid 1990s.