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Grading The Classics, Part I

cuba-header

By Phil Hecken

As the World Baseball Classic, or WBC ’09 reaches its second stage, with 8 of the 16 teams advancing into the next round, it’s time to give the uniforms for each nation a grade. Unfortunately, if this were a test, most of the teams would not fail … but neither would they pass with flying colors. Perhaps it’s an ‘old school’ bias or perhaps it’s just that these uniforms just don’t stand out, but it’s safe to say we won’t be calling them “classics” any day soon. On another note, each nation does represent itself fairly well, whether it be through its color scheme, it’s ‘unique’ font, or a combination of both, and while there are no “stand out” uniforms, there are really no duds either … well, almost none, but we’ll get to that tomorrow.

Each uniform will be graded on a number of factors, including an overall appearance grade, from the team’s choice of cap, alternate or away jersey (and pants, if applicable), advertising patches, color scheme, batting helmet, playing status and any superfluous or extraneous factors. Before we begin, however, lets examine how these uniforms are all similar, before we examine their differences. We’ll explore the teams by groups of eight, going alphabetically, with the first eight today and the second eight tomorrow.

Each team sports a white (home) uniform, which is nice. On the left sleeve of every team is the WBC patch, and on the left side of the cap is a flag patch, representing the nation for which each team member is playing. That patch is also replicated on the right sleeve, although in the case of Korea, the patches are reversed on the jersey.

Enough of the similarities, lets move on the the individual nations:

Australia: Definitely one of the nicer uniforms of the classic, Australia features a solid white home uniform bedecked in green and yellow piping. The cap is a gorgeous solid green with a yellow-gold “A” and five stars, mimicking the Australian flag. This pattern is also repeated on their jersey, which is a nice touch. Their coaches jackets and pullovers are also a deep forest green, and their uniforms are made by Majestic. About the only BIG complaint that can be made about these uniforms, which are common to all but two, are the pit stain patches, and the small advert they stuck on their helmets. Overall, though, a solid baseball uniform, one of the best of the WBC. Australia has been eliminated from further WBC play. Grade: B+

Canada: Like it’s commonwealth counterpart from Australia, Canada also has nice unis. Crisp white homes and a deep red away with gray pants, the Canadians have one feature almost all the others do not, and this earns them high grades: NO pit stain piping! Their uniforms feature both a red and a black with red brimmed cap, and their home jersey is white with red raglan sleeves, while the away jersey is solid red. This uniform would earn top marks except there is no gray away jersey (BP jersey is black), and, like some of the other nations, features a rather large advertising patch on the left sleeve, dwarfing the WBC logo. Overall though, a nice uniform. Canada has been eliminated from further WBC play. Grade: B

China: One of four Asian nations competing in the Classic, China echoes the colors of its flag on its uniform. Their home white features red lettering, in Olde English script, outlined in yellow. They wear white pants when designated as the “away” team, along with red jerseys and white cleats. Full names (FNOB) appear on their jerseys, and their away’s feature an odd silver color for both name and number. Uniforms are made by Majestic and their cap is solid red with a yellow “C” in mimicking Olde English script. Their sleeves feature no advertising. While this is a fairly staid uniform, the odd combination of seemingly mismatched colors for the rear of the uniform, the white cleats (which don’t look bad, but don’t look good either) and a lack of gray away pants earn China a less than stellar grade. China has been eliminated from further WBC play. Grade: C

Chinese Taipei: Taiwan, or for the politically correct, Chinese Taipei, had a 2-game stay in the WBC, wearing blue tops with white pants. Like their neighbors on the mainland, Taiwan wore white pants and cleats, but chose to use last name plus initials on their backs (name in white, numbers in red outlined in white). Their uniforms are made by Mizuno and their solid blue cap features an interlocking “CT”. Left sleeves have advertising but the piping is a nice red, double stripe. Unfortunately, due to their early exit, and a dearth of photos on the US wires, only their one uniform is being used as a basis for grading. Nevertheless, it’s not particularly good, nor is it particularly horrible. The only saving grace was the lack of any apparent armpit piping. Chinese Taipai has been eliminated from further WBC play. Grade: C+

Cuba: One of the tournament powerhouses, and runner-up in 2006, Cuba features a red, white and blue home uniform, which is pretty nice, while their ‘famous’ solid red away uniform is, um … red. At least they break it up somewhat with blue undersleeves and a blue belt. They sport red caps and batting helmets, and their sleeves are bereft of any obnoxious advertising. Cap is red with a white “C” outline in blue and their jersey features red raglan sleeves on the homes. Of course, like almost all other teams, they have annoying pit patches on both the homes and roads, and surprisingly, their uniforms are manufactured by Majestic. This uniform set would score low based on the red away uniform anyway, but when worn by rather large players and without any sock showing, it’s particularly noxious. Cuba has advanced to the second round of the WBC. Grade: D

Dominican Republic: A standout nation loaded with star major league talent, the Dominican Republic has disappointed many with their performance in the WBC. Breaking ranks with their contemporaries, “Dominicana” preferred their Spanish spelling for their uniforms, which features white homes and gray aways. Their coaches wear blue pullover jackets. While the uniform, like most others, is pretty crisp, it features a huge and annoying advert on the left sleeve, which makes the WBC patch almost inconsequential, and their helmets also contain some kind of advertising. The uniform set has a blue and a two-tone red and blue cap, with an interlocking red “R” and white “D”. Too much advertising and a poor showing does not a good combination make. The Dominican Republic has been eliminated from further WBC play. Grade: C

Italy: One of two European teams in the Classic, Italy showed promise. That promise was not to be realized, but they did provide some exciting moments. While they sported their blue batting practice jerseys for their exhibition game against the Nationals, in competition, they wore a white home and a gray away uniform. A fairly classic script, the Italians, like the Dominicans, chose to wear their Italian spelling of their country name on their jersey. Unlike other nations, however, Italy had an interesting discrepancy, in that most jerseys contained uniform numbers on the front of their jerseys, some did not. The uniform itself is quite pleasing, with the blue script and red numbers (on most of the jerseys) very evocative of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately, another giant advertising patch dominated the left sleeve. The cap was a nice deep blue, with a white “I” outlined in red. Italy has been eliminated from further WBC play. Grade: B-

Japan: The defending World Baseball Classic champions have the most unique of the WBC designs, beginning with the odd shoulder design found on both the home and away uniforms. They also feature neat matte helmets with raised lettering. Like the Taiwanese, the Japanese uniforms are made by Mizuno, and although it’s very difficult to see, they feature a striated and sublimated design interwoven in the fabric. The jerseys feature a “Japan” wordmark in red with gold outline, which is evocative of kanji characters. Like other WBC teams, the Japanese have an advertising patch on their left sleeve, but their helmets appear advert free … until you look at the non-flap side. Major points deducted for this overload. Overall, just too much going on with this uniform, including the weird shoulder design and side stripes. However, we’ll be seeing a lot more of this uniform. Japan has advanced to the second round of the WBC. Grade: C+

What do you think? Too harsh in the grading? Too lenient? About right? Think I’m full of shit absolutely correct? Thought so. Let me know. I’ll have the second set of eight tomorrow, which include the worst (receiving an “F”) and the best of the bunch.

This and That: Man, this sucks, like a LOT … but wait, in a related development on the previous story, there’s help on the way … Kentucky wore black uniforms yesterday, and LSU kicked their asses — I’m sure there is a lesson to be learned here … Further evidence that camo sucks: The City of Montreal is worried that police wearing camouflage pants may piss people off more than police wearing their regular unis — why would the police need camo pants? They’re worried about violence erupting at a rally protesting — wait for it — police brutality … NFLers spent the entire season wearing GU63 patches; now, they’ll meet to pick a new boss, and hope he doesn’t die soon, so as to avert wearing another league-wide sticker/patch for next year … If you read between the lines in this story, it sounds like the A’s either want a taxpayer-funded stadium, or want to move out of Oakland … because, only a day before that, they asked Bud Selig for his help — which means they’re really desperate … Pretty sure this may have already been posted, but just in case: New Nike hoops unis for the tourneys … Hey Philadelphians, do you have memories of the Spectrum? You can share them & pics here … This article says that baseball is a beautiful thing — I’d have to agree … Wanna make news for not wearing a uniform? Be like Henrik — or, not … Shawn Kemp he’s not — and not in a good way either … Fresh out of the Toughest Sheriff in America‘s tent city, the Round Mound of DUI admits to drinking and driving “100 times a year,” certainly paving the way for a new whopper of a contract from TNT and that phone company … Lane Kiffin is a douchebag — but you knew that already … Looks like the Celtics were feeling golden last night … “muthaf*cka” “OUCH” … this is a picture, taken March 13, 2009, of manram — what, they couldn’t get him a new helmet? … What WBC? … yeah — it’s still only spring training, but it sure is nice to see both teams in real uniforms.

Sort of reprinted from yesterday’s comments: there was a bunch of talk about Milwaukee’s old County Stadium, and linkies were posted to various pics and threads of the stadium; if you didn’t see them, here’s some wonderful pics from Baseball-fever.com: April 24, 1952, 1953, again in 1953, this time on September 27, assembled for Packer football, two photos, one here and the other here of the ’54 expansion; 1956, from “Mockingbird Hill,” and two nearly identical shots, one from September 29, 1957 and the other from April 11, 1975, for the home opener; finally, a nice aerial shot of the 1982 World Series (love the Goodyear blimp in that shot).

 
  
 
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Comments (53)

    Speaking of Spectrum memories, you can go to link and register to win a piece of the court from last night’s game.

    And I’d love to see the Celtics wear those link as their alt instead of the black-trimmed ones.

    Good article about the WBC unis. Question, how did Mizuno get involved with the uniforms? On the WBC website, they only sell the gear made by Majestic and New Era (guessing because of their deals with MLB) Isn’t the WBC sponsored by MLB? I would have figured Majestic/New Era would have exclusive rights. Any ideas? Just curious, thanks again.

    I sure hope the Celtics start wearing green headbands with their St. Patty’s day uniforms, instead of Vegas gold–it clashes with the old gold in the uniforms!

    Are the “pit stains” a way to brand the uniforms for a certain manufacturer? I noticed last season that the Nashua Pride, whose home white uniforms also evoked the Dodgers, began wearing jerseys with blue “pit stains,” which seemed to mar the overall look of the uniform.

    I sort of like the Cuba solid red uniforms. I’m one who believes if baseball teams are going to wear solid colored tops they should have the courage to wear solid colored pants, too.

    I think you’re mistaken about the Cuba uniform. Nice, detailed write-up as a whole, though.

    Criticize Cuba’s unis for all the bells and whistles (pit coverage, piping going everywhere), but do not criticize it for being all red.

    That takes guts, frankly, in this bland, creative void era of baseball uniforms … note how every major league team “tries” to be colorful with its third set. Rather, nobody has the nutsack to do a Cleveland of the 70s, or a Pitt of the 70s-80s, or an Astros of the 70s-80s. They want to really badly, but they don’t have the sack to push the envelope and instead you get the Pirates in red/black/gold, the Braves in all red, etc (without a unique design to accompany the color). I digress.

    You’re missing the point with Cuba … it’s history. They’ve ALWAYS played in all red, as far back as I can remember. It’s a tribute to their colorful culture. More teams should follow suit … the Netherlands in all Orange, etc. (kidding ;)

    Again, OREGON, you’ll be wearing your fancy new unis where? …over to Phil Knight’s house for dinner next week.

    Yeah, thanks for playing. At least we know his money can’t buy a tourney bid.

    Said it before and I’ll say it again… man i LOVE the C’s St Paddy’s unis.

    Agree with making them the perma-alternate

    Colin:

    Sorry I missed the MECCA thread yesterday. 10+ years ago I got a print of the Robert Indiana floor and mounted it proudly on my wall. It’s a little faded and beat up, but I think the colors and proportions are better than the other guy’s membership card. Here’s a photo:

    link

    For the police in Montreal, they wear camo pants to protest because their collective agreement is expired. Since the police is an essential service, they cannot go on strike. So this is their way of protesting. I saw a policeman once wearing Nesquik pyjama pants… Looks kinda weird!

    Are we sure that last picture of County Stadium is from the ’82 World Series. I’m not positive, but I don’t remember any day games being played. Could it be the NLCS?

    [quote comment=”318203″]Are we sure that last picture of County Stadium is from the ’82 World Series. I’m not positive, but I don’t remember any day games being played. Could it be the NLCS?[/quote]
    Oops, I meant ALCS against the Angels.

    Great post Phil!

    The pit stains have absolutely ruined lots of these uniforms…not to mention the large advertising patches.

    I thought Cuba’s all red uni was a nod to communism?

    I don’t have a problem with pit stains, and actually think that they complement the scripts of some of the uniforms. I’d have no problem with these on some of the more contemporary MLB uniforms.

    [quote comment=”318201″]Colin:

    Sorry I missed the MECCA thread yesterday. 10+ years ago I got a print of the Robert Indiana floor and mounted it proudly on my wall. It’s a little faded and beat up, but I think the colors and proportions are better than the other guy’s membership card. Here’s a photo:

    link

    Matt’s right about the colors and proportions. Just brighten up the yellows and oranges you see on his poster and you should be good to go.

    Last night the Minnesota high school hockey tournament featured two of my favorite team names.

    The link (picture from earlier game) played the link in the 2A semis. While CDH goes by Raiders, I like the “CRETIN” written above the number. And how can you not love a team called the Spuds?

    Unfortunately, my favorite 1A team name, the Mahtomedi Zephyrs, were eliminated in the first round.

    i’d say the WBC logo on everything is more overkill than the advert patches. and half the time the advert on the sleeve is smaller than the WBC patch that would’ve been there, but don’t worry its still there only a lot smaller. to me its almost worse than nike or adidas with their logo creep.

    This all started with a reference to Borchart Field in Milwaukee: here’s a picture of it (looks like a smaller version of the Polo Grounds, doesn’t it?) on a postcard.

    link

    And for all you fans of old-skool urban renewal, there’s a oldie but a goodie from back in the day of 1959: an expressway gettin’ ready to just tear up a hood in Brewtown. :-( Scroll down a little bit.

    Finally, go back to page two of that thread for some construction (as in groundbreaking) photos of County. BTW, on some of those you can see the pavillion area of the Veterans Hospital, which actually was quite a ways down a hill from the hospital building. Also you’ll see 3 (color) photos from the 1957 Milwaukee-Yankees World Series: no action shots or even uniforms present, but pure nostalgia from a Milwaukee viewpoint.

    Spectrum: when I saw the Bulls highlights last night, I was thinking “they’re really close up” and then I realized the camera didn’t have to be put on top of a double or triple-deck of private suites in the Spectrum.

    I’m also surprised at the “D” for Cuba. I like both the red & the white combos – the separate-toned sleeves really work, they’re styled better than your typical faux-vest look. I caught a Mexico-Cuba game on TV & it was very uni-satisfying, with Mexico in green tops.

    Re: Montreal police wearing camouflage pants…
    “”We don’t want a police officer to be mistaken for a protester and vice versa…” (when we start randomly cracking skulls at the anti-police brutality demonstration)

    [quote comment=”318214″]I’m also surprised at the “D” for Cuba. I like both the red & the white combos – the separate-toned sleeves really work, they’re styled better than your typical faux-vest look. I caught a Mexico-Cuba game on TV & it was very uni-satisfying, with Mexico in green tops.[/quote]

    i’ll admit that the “D” may have been a little harsh for coobah, especially when one considers what they’re wearing in the series to basically be a throwback…(that’s from 1990, goodwill games, tacoma, WA)

    however, as we’ve found recently, throwbacks FAIL miserably when they’re worn in today’s styles (baggy unis, long pants, no stirrup)…i was grading these unis solely on their contemporary appearance, and im sorry, but the uni they’re wearing now just completely offends my sensibilities…had i been grading on “historical significance” or some such, it would undoubtedly have gotten a higher grade; just like f robbie’s 1975 indians, a look that may or may not have worked then, when worn with tight pants and high stirrups, just looks horrendous now

    *just a note on the above…”basically” a throwback does not mean an exact replication, as you’ll note the raglan sleeves then are link whereas now they’re link. also, the undersleeves are red in the throwback, with either a red or no belt, and now the undersleeves are blue with a blue belt

    i actually prefer the 1990 version

    Two aerial shots of County Stadium during the 1957 World Series: link and link. (They’re labeled March 1957 but that might be a transcription error.)

    link

    link (Hope he remembered to file link)

    Check these link on these boosters. And they have a cowbell!

    [quote comment=”318203″]Are we sure that last picture of County Stadium is from the ’82 World Series. I’m not positive, but I don’t remember any day games being played. Could it be the NLCS?[/quote]

    Games 4 and 5 of the ’82 World Series at Milwaukee were both day games, according to Retrosheet.

    Unless someone could explain to me the necessity of the pit stain piping, I would subtract two whole grades for each jersey displaying this faddish monstrosity. The swatches of color are both intrusive and obtrusive in that they break up the pattern of a perfectly acceptable jersey. If the purpose is to absorb pit stains, don’t T-Shirts serve that function? Perhaps I’m just being too old school!

    Next week (March 21), Virginia Tech is wearing these:

    link

    for Disco Night.

    Looks a lot like the old Stros, but each of the orange stripes are a tad darker, and the middle stripe is a dark maroon rather than orange.

    My guess is that these are made by OT Sports, like the Myrtle Beach uniforms of a couple of years ago.

    [quote comment=”318222″]Next week (March 21), Virginia Tech is wearing these:

    link

    for Disco Night.

    Looks a lot like the old Stros, but each of the orange stripes are a tad darker, and the middle stripe is a dark maroon rather than orange.

    My guess is that these are made by OT Sports, like the Myrtle Beach uniforms of a couple of years ago.[/quote]

    that is AWESOME!!! let the college kids have some fun. those are hillarious and i guarantee the team is excited about rockin them.

    Interesting pic of Chase F*ing Utley (of the World F*ing champs, naturally) with high socks, first time I’ve seen that.

    [quote comment=”318219″]Two aerial shots of County Stadium during the 1957 World Series: link and link. (They’re labeled March 1957 but that might be a transcription error.)

    link

    link (Hope he remembered to file link)

    Check these link on these boosters. And they have a cowbell![/quote]

    Are these all from the Life cache thats online?

    [quote comment=”318226″][quote comment=”318219″]Two aerial shots of County Stadium during the 1957 World Series: link and link. (They’re labeled March 1957 but that might be a transcription error.)

    link

    link (Hope he remembered to file link)

    Check these link on these boosters. And they have a cowbell![/quote]

    Are these all from the Life cache thats online?[/quote]

    Yes. Sorry, I usually mention that.

    For those who are curious, if you include source:life in your google image search you’ll get photos from the Life archives. There’s a good selection of both Boston and Milwaukee Braves. Some Atlanta Braves. No Brewers.

    [quote comment=”318220″][quote comment=”318203″]Are we sure that last picture of County Stadium is from the ’82 World Series. I’m not positive, but I don’t remember any day games being played. Could it be the NLCS?[/quote]

    Games 4 and 5 of the ’82 World Series at Milwaukee were both day games, according to Retrosheet.[/quote]

    The info on the photo came from my 1985 Brewers yearbook (where I made those scans). I’d hope the team would’ve gotten their own yearbook photo caption correct, though these are the mid-’80s Brewers we’re talking about here. :-)

    Sorry to sound picky but check your apostrophes…”Canada: Like it’s commonwealth counterpart from Australia,”

    Don’t make go all Angry Flower on you Phil.

    As for the WBC unis, I absolutely love Japan’s matte helmet with the raised lettering. Very unique! Don’t see too many caps with an “I” on them, ala Italy. I have to agree with you on Cuba though, it looks like some Tuesday night softball team wearing red sweatpants.

    [quote comment=”318205″]link[/quote]

    I don’t mind those at all…the only one so far that I think is silly are the “RFL” that Memphis sports.

    [quote comment=”318230″][quote comment=”318205″]link[/quote]

    I don’t mind those at all…the only one so far that I think is silly are the “RFL” that Memphis sports.[/quote]

    mea culpa…”RTL”.

    [quote comment=”318231″][quote comment=”318230″][quote comment=”318205″]link[/quote]

    I don’t mind those at all…the only one so far that I think is silly are the “RFL” that Memphis sports.[/quote]

    mea culpa…”RTL”.[/quote]

    Anything with that word “Duke” is vulgar by me.

    [quote comment=”318206″]Lane Kiffin looks like a deer in the headlights in that picture[/quote]

    And isn’t that the point? What bush league journalism, sucking up to the gator honks. I guess “qualifying” for the NIT again isn’t quite as news worthy on Swamp Things as a d-bag coach.

    Are we sure that last picture of County Stadium is from the ’82 World Series. I’m not positive, but I don’t remember any day games being played. Could it be the NLCS?

    Games 4 and 5 of the ’82 World Series at Milwaukee were both day games, according to Retrosheet.
    1985 (Cardinals-Royals) was the first Series where all the games, including the weekend games, were played in prime time. Prior to that, all (or almost all) of the weekend WS games were afternoon games. Before the ’71 Series, all WS games were day games.

    The last WS game played in midafternoon sunlight was in ’84, at Tiger Stadium. There was a day game scheduled for the AL park in ’87, but that turned out to be Metrodome.

    Each year, I sadly note the last daytime postseason game. I love the long shadows of October baseball. Outfielders might not, but I do. ;-)

    I really did not like Canada’s unis. Maybe because I focus too much on the black, etc. But even the design of their hat, I just thought it was bad.

    Would it be too gimmicky if their hat looked like their flag? Red hat, white front, with a red leaf.

    All of this being said about Canada, I think the US’s unis are horrible. Not a fan at all. As for their hat, take the star off it and just have the “US”…or, just have the star. Having both makes it way too busy…

    My favorite uni of the bunch is the DR. Very nice hat too.

    I think that Cuba’s hat should have the same C font as on the uniform. It just looks better.

    Plus, the Cuban team would look better with blue pants because the red is well too much.

    Loved the M-Braves unis much more than the current red tomahawk. The darker tomahawk contrasted much better with the red Braves lettering. The old indian chief sleeve patch was classic, but would be politically incorrect these days, as would the laughing head indian. Other great touches included the piping on the rear pants pockets, striped stirrups, and a front number. In the early 60’s they wore huge NOBs, red with black trim. Those were the days (though before even my time!).

    From yesterday…Milwaukee native here…drank many a beer at the zoo, and miss home every day. The American Association Milwaukee Brewers were actually owned by Bill Veeck. The rumor was always that the left field wall was built on a sliding track with a motor; would move it back when the visitors were batting. Anyway…Alex yesterday was looking for help on a possible DYI Braves jersey. I have made a few, as well as quite a few Brewers – even an AA Brewers as well. I’ve attached a link to my slideshow regarding Milwaukee jerseys, etc via photobucket:”

    link

    Let me know if you need help!
    David

    Awesome slideshow David! A lot of great jerseys there. I’m also a Milwaukee native (and also named David, ha) but I don’t recognize the “HK” patch you have on several of the Brewers’ jerseys. Could you explain this?

    Also, I’m pretty surprised by the number of people with Milwaukee ties who post on this blog. I think the Braves stint in Milwaukee is very interesting. There should really be more books/web pages/information on these years than is currently available.

    Say what you want about the underarm gussets on many of the WBC uniforms, but please don’t call them “pit PIPING”. Piping (the trim on sleeves/collars/plackets, sometimes replaced by braid) and gussets (fabric inserts) are two very different things.

    [quote comment=”318243″]Awesome slideshow David! A lot of great jerseys there. I’m also a Milwaukee native (and also named David, ha) but I don’t recognize the “HK” patch you have on several of the Brewers’ jerseys. Could you explain this?

    Also, I’m pretty surprised by the number of people with Milwaukee ties who post on this blog. I think the Braves stint in Milwaukee is very interesting. There should really be more books/web pages/information on these years than is currently available.[/quote]

    The H/K patch was in memory of Harvey Kuenn who manged them for a few seasons.

    [quote comment=”318233″][quote comment=”318206″]Lane Kiffin looks like a deer in the headlights in that picture[/quote]

    And isn’t that the point? What bush league journalism, sucking up to the gator honks. I guess “qualifying” for the NIT again isn’t quite as news worthy on Swamp Things as a d-bag coach.[/quote]

    It’s the Orlando Sentinel…they all suck. However, your vieled attempt at an insult is weak as well. Gator bashing is getting almost as bad as Duke bashing. I will admit the Gators have had a couple of down years (and I scream this at the TV every time they play) but when you win 2 consecutive national titles in a sport that is treated as a secondary priority, you deserve a few breaks.

    Oh, and the Gators are going to hang triple digits on Kiffin in September.

    Man-Ram intentionally smears that grease in front on his batting helmet. Always did so with the Red Sox also.

    [quote comment=”318246″][quote comment=”318233″][quote comment=”318206″]Lane Kiffin looks like a deer in the headlights in that picture[/quote]

    And isn’t that the point? What bush league journalism, sucking up to the gator honks. I guess “qualifying” for the NIT again isn’t quite as news worthy on Swamp Things as a d-bag coach.[/quote]

    It’s the Orlando Sentinel…they all suck. However, your vieled attempt at an insult is weak as well. Gator bashing is getting almost as bad as Duke bashing. I will admit the Gators have had a couple of down years (and I scream this at the TV every time they play) but when you win 2 consecutive national titles in a sport that is treated as a secondary priority, you deserve a few breaks.

    Oh, and the Gators are going to hang triple digits on Kiffin in September.[/quote]

    Very well said! The Gator hoops team has been very young since the 04s left, but they’re rebuilding nicely. Next year will see even more improvements.

    And yes, Kiffin’s whipping will be extra nice this Sept.

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