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On Futility, and Exercises Therein

CHAMPS

The man in this tableau is James Goodloe, which matters more for identification purposes than for storytelling. Anyway, he’s shown readying his electric football squad before a game in December. Come Jan. 24-25, he and other like-minded individuals will participate in the 14th Annual Electric Football World Championship and Convention in Detroit.

The actual AP cutline says he’s changing his players’ jerseys from home to away, but given the construction of those little guys, they can’t possibly have removable jerseys, can they? But James does have nail clippers and a pair of pliers on the table there … hmmm (and dig the foam-lined carrying case!). Like Bill Jones, whom Paul profiled in December for a Page 2 article, James has clearly undertaken some serious work here. But while Bill gets to look at all of his gumball machine helmets, James painstakingly lines up his little Chargers, so detailed and exact, and then flips the switch, sending the board into a state of chaos resembling a middle school marching band’s first practice.

Seems like a small reward for something that took so long to set up. Or perhaps the enjoyment is in the details. Hey, that sounds familiar …

Have a great Saturday, folks. — Bryan

 
  
 
Comments (124)

    That brings me back to my first Electric Football set in 1972. The game included the Miami Dolphins vs. the Chicago Bears, and the Bears helmets still had the white “C” not the orange one trimmed in white. We even used to put baby powder on the field to make it a snow game. One tof the best toys I ever owned.

    [quote comment=”205811″]We even used to put baby powder on the field to make it a snow game.[/quote]

    That’s a new one on me — brilliant! Got any pics?

    [quote comment=”205835″]Current temperature in Green Bay: 12 below!!

    Game-time forecast for tomorrow: 4 above.[/quote]

    link

    auto updates

    is this football weather or what???

    Has anyone seen the new Oreo TV commercial with Peyton and Eli? It features the two of them sitting in an empty stadium having a “lick off” to see who can lick the white stuff out of an Oreo faster. It is HIGHLY disturbing to see Peyton and Eli licking anything! You will never want to do that to an Oreo again!

    [quote comment=”205843″]Has anyone seen the new Oreo TV commercial with Peyton and Eli? It features the two of them sitting in an empty stadium having a “lick off” to see who can lick the white stuff out of an Oreo faster. It is HIGHLY disturbing to see Peyton and Eli licking anything! You will never want to do that to an Oreo again![/quote]

    it is QUITE disturbing

    speaking of mr. endwhorser…have you seen the new “pep talks” commersh? talk about priceless

    He most certainly has one set of homes and a set of aways and possibly a set of alternates…

    EF coaches tend to be extremely detailed oriented, down to facemasks, gloves, and chinstraps…

    link

    Paul,
    As I kid growing up in the early eighties, I had the Electric Football game from the 1983 Super Bowl (Raiders/Redskins). Back then the field for the game was the basic AFC red end zone and the NFC blue end zone with the NFL logo at mid-field. As a Steeler fan and my brother a Tampa Bay Bucs (yeah, I know they sucked), we would put helmet stickers on the playing field to personalize the field. Those were the good old days!!!!

    [quote comment=”205856″]According to the comic strip link, Roger Goodell’s wife Gets It [TM]![/quote]

    Darn… beat me to it.

    Oh my I would play with the handheld football game for ever. Memories…nothing like seeing red dots chasing other red dots.

    [quote comment=”205858″]link

    raises hand[/quote]

    I have one that I found at a Salvation Army thrift store. $1 for loads of childhood fun! My girlfriend thinks I’m nuts.

    [quote comment=”205858″]link

    raises hand[/quote]

    i had one when i was little but lost it somewhere along the way. i got the classic football 2 for Christmas a few years ago. my brother-in-law got one the same year. he and i just kinda disappeared for the rest of the weekend. about a year after that, my parents bought a new house and moved. when cleaning out the basement, they found the old football 2 game i had when i was little. there are a few slight differences in them (the addition of a mute button was genius) but they’re basically the same. for some reason, the difference i found most interesting was the switch from a 9v battery to two AA batteries.

    my old one has moved from my parents’ basement to mine. my new game is sitting in the bathroom.

    [quote comment=”205840″][quote comment=”205835″]Current temperature in Green Bay: 12 below!!

    Game-time forecast for tomorrow: 4 above.[/quote]

    link

    auto updates

    is this football weather or what???[/quote]

    Every time I look at the weather forecast it gets colder. I just bought some boots, and a face mask to brave the elements tomorrow at the game. Everyone I talk to says I am either the luckiest guy to get tickets, or the dumbest person in the world cause I am gonna freeze my ass off.

    After I won my tickets I thought for about 5 min. about selling them… that was a total waste of 5 min.

    I would like to quote Randy Moss to commemorate this event…”This is a once in a lifetime event that happens every so often.”

    I am lucky to be going, and I will try and take as many pics as I can.

    GO PACK GO!

    [quote comment=”205880″]there are a few slight differences in them (the addition of a mute button was genius) but they’re basically the same. for some reason, the difference i found most interesting was the switch from a 9v battery to two AA batteries.[/quote]

    i forgot about the mute button on the ‘new’ ones…my (then) wife got me one, kind of as a gag a few years back, not knowing i had one as a child…she didn’t Get It, but that’s another story…anyhoo…the memories flooded back with the “new” handheld…

    one of the first games i ever had and one where strategery was paramount…you always wanted the “ball” first and tried to time things so you scored the last TD with one second to play

    [quote comment=”205763″]You’d think he would have two sets of players — one in home jerseys and one in road colors.[/quote]

    It appears he has the players from the old Tudor brand Electric Football that I had in the early 70’s. You could buy any team in both their white or dark uniforms. I know I had four teams but having a hard time remembering which two came with the game and which two I ordered. I do remember that the KC Chiefs team I had in the red uniforms mistakenly included one St. Louis Cardinals player…

    -Jet

    [quote comment=”205865″]Oh my I would play with the handheld football game for ever. Memories…nothing like seeing red dots chasing other red dots.[/quote]

    I would get together with three friends every Saturday for handheld football tournaments. We would rotate houses, and the mothers would make popcorn and other snacks. It was a great time.

    this isn’t uni related (so i’ll make it)

    link and link are starting a FIFTH set down under…it’s 3:51 IN THE MORNING there, so it’s possible they’ll be playing to 5:00 am local time…this has been THE BEST day (and night) of tennis in aussie open history, with link finally succumbing to link 10-8 in the fifth

    link

    [quote comment=”205877″]Tecmo Bowl on NES is still the king. All kneel to the power that is Bo Jackson![/quote]

    We still play Tecmo all of the time with the one rule that nobody is allowed to pick the Raiders

    [quote comment=”205877″]Tecmo Bowl on NES is still the king. All kneel to the power that is Bo Jackson![/quote]

    Definitely, I was playing the “original” Tecmo Bowl on the Wii. I beat my brother 27-17 in a typical “Joe Cool” comeback win against the Raiders. It wouldnt have been that close if I was able to use my spread offense, but the four-play playbook can make things interesting…

    I absolutely had that handheld! Or really, my brother did and I stole it all the time. I kind of shuddered at the thought of the mute button because I can’t imagine that game without all the electric bleeps and bloops.

    Oh and Johnny O – don’t forget to take a blanket to sit on. The coldest thing will be the metal bleacher bench. It may be annoying to carry the blanket, but it’s SOOO worth it! And buy lots and lots of those hand and foot warmer packets.

    The Mattel handheld was awesome. My brother had one, but I was always grabbing and using it. Gave my thumbs a workout!

    [quote comment=”205887″][quote comment=”205763″]You’d think he would have two sets of players — one in home jerseys and one in road colors.[/quote]

    It appears he has the players from the old Tudor brand Electric Football that I had in the early 70’s. You could buy any team in both their white or dark uniforms. I know I had four teams but having a hard time remembering which two came with the game and which two I ordered. I do remember that the KC Chiefs team I had in the red uniforms mistakenly included one St. Louis Cardinals player…

    -Jet[/quote]
    HA! I had so many of those teams. I ordered so many that I remember the address: Tudor Products, 176 Johnson Street, Brooklyn NY. I had a big fishing tackle box with individual compartments- each had their own space. Sometimes the white numbers you got weren’t made quiteright and they were ‘powdery’

    I never used them on the field itself- I just lined them up opposite each other, -it actually taught me a lot about formations, plays, etc.

    Realizing that the All-American Football League will be starting up soon.
    The draft is next Saturday.
    I did a little checking up on it and found out among other things that the teams in the AAFL will not be using any nicknames, but instead go by names such as Team Michigan, or Team Alabama, etc…
    Be interesting to see what kinda uniforms they come up with?

    [quote comment=”205917″][quote comment=”205877″]Tecmo Bowl on NES is still the king. All kneel to the power that is Bo Jackson![/quote]

    Don’t forget the juggernaut that was Christian Okoye.[/quote]

    Or the always-exciting full-field TD pass.

    [quote comment=”205917″][quote comment=”205877″]Tecmo Bowl on NES is still the king. All kneel to the power that is Bo Jackson![/quote]

    Don’t forget the juggernaut that was Christian Okoye.[/quote]

    Also the best part about picking the Chiefs was being able to use Derrick Thomas as well – rush the passer, then run a guy down from 65 yards

    [quote comment=”205835″]Current temperature in Green Bay: 12 below!!

    Game-time forecast for tomorrow: 4 above.[/quote]

    4 above! Wimps. That’s nothing. I have a webcam set up on my iGoogle page of a place called ‘Summit, Greenland.’ Current temp: 59 BELOW. REAL FOOTBALL WEATHER.

    link

    It kind of looks to me like the players detach from their bases, so maybe he’s taking the home jersey versions off of their bases and putting the away versions on.

    [quote comment=”205858″]link

    raises hand[/quote]

    I liked Coleco better.

    I’ve been looking, however, for one called MIT Advanced Football III. Anyone seen one of these?

    [quote comment=”205935″][quote comment=”205858″]link

    raises hand[/quote]

    We had one growing up. My sister told me she had tried to get me one for Christmas this year but they were too expensive on eBay. Instead I got an Old Navy sweater. I’m sure I’ll get the same pleasure out of the sweater.

    [quote comment=”205935″][quote comment=”205858″]link

    raises hand[/quote]

    I liked Coleco better.

    I’ve been looking, however, for one called MIT Advanced Football III. Anyone seen one of these?[/quote]

    Like this?

    link

    guys, guys!
    when referring to the football game by tecmo, you must distinguish which one you are talking about.
    tecmo bowl.
    with lawrence taylor and the unstoppable cap boso play with the bears…

    or

    tecmo super bowl…
    with bo, okoye, oilers passing game, raiders center blitz, etc…

    [quote comment=”205858″]link

    raises hand[/quote]

    oh link

    (also note the nice pea green shag carpet and the Ed “Too Tall” Jones shirt I’m rockin’)

    did anyone ever play the board game where you would roll the dice and every now and then ud land on a VCR thing and play the tape that came with it and some random NFL play from the 80s would play and that would be your result on the field. it would say gain of 3 yards or 10 and you would move the pointer. i just remember playing that game for hours i ruined the VCR tape.

    [quote comment=”206036″]did anyone ever play the board game where you would roll the dice and every now and then ud land on a VCR thing and play the tape that came with it and some random NFL play from the 80s would play and that would be your result on the field. it would say gain of 3 yards or 10 and you would move the pointer. i just remember playing that game for hours i ruined the VCR tape.[/quote]
    sorry to answer my own question but it was called the NFL VCR quarterback game

    [quote comment=”206036″]did anyone ever play the board game where you would roll the dice and every now and then ud land on a VCR thing and play the tape that came with it and some random NFL play from the 80s would play and that would be your result on the field. it would say gain of 3 yards or 10 and you would move the pointer. i just remember playing that game for hours i ruined the VCR tape.[/quote]

    I got that for Christmas (’87? ’88?), played it once, and forgot about it.

    The VCR was too busy wearing out the Jonathan Winters NFL Bloopers tape that came free with an SI subscription, I believe!

    Featuring Alan Punt… get it?!

    [quote comment=”205991″][quote comment=”205858″]link

    raises hand[/quote]

    oh link

    (also note the nice pea green shag carpet and the Ed “Too Tall” Jones shirt I’m rockin’)[/quote]
    Is that a Simon game!? Wow, that’s retro…

    [quote comment=”206036″]did anyone ever play the board game where you would roll the dice and every now and then ud land on a VCR thing and play the tape that came with it and some random NFL play from the 80s would play and that would be your result on the field. it would say gain of 3 yards or 10 and you would move the pointer. i just remember playing that game for hours i ruined the VCR tape.[/quote]

    That is similar to the Scene It brand of games today

    [quote comment=”205910″][quote comment=”205877″]Tecmo Bowl on NES is still the king. All kneel to the power that is Bo Jackson![/quote]

    link

    [quote comment=”205855″]How do you play electric football? It’s before my time.[/quote]

    Unfortunately me too. For someone who grew up with Sega, Nintendo and all of the games which, as Phil has said, give us the attention spans of two year olds, it sounds very similar to link

    Anybody remember link? When playing against the computer, if you could pick up the cadence, you could literally hit 50 home runs in a row!

    [quote comment=”205906″][quote comment=”205877″]Tecmo Bowl on NES is still the king. All kneel to the power that is Bo Jackson![/quote]

    We still play Tecmo all of the time with the one rule that nobody is allowed to pick the Raiders[/quote]

    I think that’s how they got the idea for keanu reeves’ character in the Matrix.

    The best player in Tecmo was the legend of Qb 0 from the Eagles. All shall bow before Cunningham’s greatness.

    For those of you who are you young to remember Coleco sports games, here’s a commercial from YouTube:

    link

    Head to Head Football

    [quote comment=”206119″][quote comment=”206048″]
    Is that a Simon game!? Wow, that’s retro…[/quote]
    and a link, too[/quote]

    Santa brought the new updated Simon, link, to the house for my daughters. Of course, I STILL stink at this one too!

    By the way, did anybody check out the link I took Phil and Casey’s advice. The uniforms looked great and the game is fun and action-packed!

    As well as link. Why oh why does do the Orange go with that much gray on their S.O.D.’s?

    My brother had one of link growing up. I remember that we had an old order form from Coleco, which had an option to buy the team stickers for the link. By that time, Colorado had moved and was no longer in existence. Anyhow, we mailed them our money and checked the box for the Rockies, eagerly hoping they would send us the stickers of the defunct team. Unfortunately, they sent us the link, which was the team that the Rockies became.

    [quote comment=”206163″]My brother had one of link growing up. I remember that we had an old order form from Coleco, which had an option to buy the team stickers for the link. By that time, Colorado had moved and was no longer in existence. Anyhow, we mailed them our money and checked the box for the Rockies, eagerly hoping they would send us the stickers of the defunct team. Unfortunately, they sent us the link, which was the team that the Rockies became.[/quote]

    Casey, you just made me think of something…are there any other teams in the major sports leagues that were once franchises in another sport?…for example your Colrado Rockies.

    Since we’re on the topic of football video games, does anyone ever use the Create-A-School feature on the NCAA Football series to have fun making their own uniforms? I actually spend more time doing this that playing the actual games.

    [quote comment=”206185″][quote comment=”206163″]My brother had one of link growing up. I remember that we had an old order form from Coleco, which had an option to buy the team stickers for the link. By that time, Colorado had moved and was no longer in existence. Anyhow, we mailed them our money and checked the box for the Rockies, eagerly hoping they would send us the stickers of the defunct team. Unfortunately, they sent us the link, which was the team that the Rockies became.[/quote]

    Casey, you just made me think of something…are there any other teams in the major sports leagues that were once franchises in another sport?…for example your Colrado Rockies.[/quote]

    Off the top of my head:

    St. Louis Cardinals (MLB and NFL)
    New York Giants (MLB and NFL)

    [quote comment=”206215″][quote comment=”206185″][quote comment=”206163″]My brother had one of link growing up. I remember that we had an old order form from Coleco, which had an option to buy the team stickers for the link. By that time, Colorado had moved and was no longer in existence. Anyhow, we mailed them our money and checked the box for the Rockies, eagerly hoping they would send us the stickers of the defunct team. Unfortunately, they sent us the link, which was the team that the Rockies became.[/quote]

    Casey, you just made me think of something…are there any other teams in the major sports leagues that were once franchises in another sport?…for example your Colrado Rockies.[/quote]

    Off the top of my head:

    St. Louis Cardinals (MLB and NFL)
    New York Giants (MLB and NFL)[/quote]

    Check and Check

    [quote comment=”206191″]Since we’re on the topic of football video games, does anyone ever use the Create-A-School feature on the NCAA Football series to have fun making their own uniforms? I actually spend more time doing this that playing the actual games.[/quote]

    Yeah! That’s how I got so into unis in the first place. I used to go through every single school (I think there were like 184 or something) and essentially memorize their uniforms and all the different combos. Including number fonts, default sock settings, etc.

    My favorite (being in fourth grade) was Cincinatti…something about the black and red was awesome.

    Whenever I’d create a school, I always did the Denver Broncos-style chest horns. I always got frustrated though at the limitations of the Create-a-School uni designer. It all just seemed very sparse, and put together by someone who just didn’t Get It.

    A lot has changed since 4th grade in terms of my style and what I like, but I still waste a lot of my time doing that kind of stuff (my recent thing has been Emblem/Background combos in Halo 3…)

    [quote comment=”206191″]Since we’re on the topic of football video games, does anyone ever use the Create-A-School feature on the NCAA Football series to have fun making their own uniforms? I actually spend more time doing this that playing the actual games.[/quote]
    Totally. I’ve been playing madden 08 lately and will move a franchise just to redesign their uniforms. So what if it costs me 200M to move NE to Mexico City, it was well worth it.

    When I was growing up my dad had a game he showed us that had a big cardboard football field and a bunch of little record and a red player, so when you picked a play you would hear a voice telling you how far it went and move a little arrow. I’m thinking it was a predecessor to the VCR one. Any help?

    [quote comment=”206054″]Anybody remember link? When playing against the computer, if you could pick up the cadence, you could literally hit 50 home runs in a row![/quote]

    The crowd noise was a nice touch!

    Really interesting jersey design from North Dakota State University football team in the 1960’s. Not only is it a cool looking design, but they look like they’re shorter and cuffed like modern designs.
    link

    link

    It looks like the players are wearing team shirts underneath the jerseys with sleeves of varying lengths – you get a better look at this is the PDF.

    Sunderland of the English Premier League have some strange thin horizontal zebra link in their link. I wonder if link manufactures their kits?

    [quote comment=”206243″]Really interesting jersey design from North Dakota State University football team in the 1960’s. Not only is it a cool looking design, but they look like they’re shorter and cuffed like modern designs.
    link

    link

    It looks like the players are wearing team shirts underneath the jerseys with sleeves of varying lengths – you get a better look at this is the PDF.[/quote]

    It looks like the fullback #42 has a different lofo on his helmet!

    Watching ESPN and they showed highlights of the USC/UCLA game. I notcied that the “C” in UCLA on the unis was in gold while the other letters were blue. Any one know why?

    [quote comment=”206259″]Watching ESPN and they showed highlights of the USC/UCLA game. I notcied that the “C” in UCLA on the unis was in gold while the other letters were blue. Any one know why?[/quote]

    The C has been highlighted to commemorate the 100 National Championships the school has earned in all sports!

    [quote comment=”206086″][quote comment=”205906″][quote comment=”205877″]Tecmo Bowl on NES is still the king. All kneel to the power that is Bo Jackson![/quote]

    We still play Tecmo all of the time with the one rule that nobody is allowed to pick the Raiders[/quote]

    I think that’s how they got the idea for keanu reeves’ character in the Matrix.[/quote]

    Besides Bo, there was a play (I think #3) for San Francisco on Tecmo Bowl that if you timed it right you could hit John Taylor on the inside slant. It was a guaranteed first down because even if you choose the corresponding defense JT would still make the reception for 12 yards. Everytime.

    Also, the only other dominant video game player that came close to Bo Jackson on Tecmo Bowl was Jeremy Roenick on Sega’s NHL 94. It got to the point that nobody was allowed to play the Blackhawks (renamed as “Team Roenick”)

    [quote comment=”206263″][quote comment=”206259″]Watching ESPN and they showed highlights of the USC/UCLA game. I notcied that the “C” in UCLA on the unis was in gold while the other letters were blue. Any one know why?[/quote]

    The C has been highlighted to commemorate the 100 National Championships the school has earned in all sports![/quote]

    Cute. I wish there were more little nods like that in uniforms. I like how soccer club uniforms have little stars that indicate how many championships they’ve won.

    Another grat videogame moment was the joy (and fear) of hearing a sickening crunch and then Pat Summerall say “Uh-oh, there’s a man down” on Madden 93. If you were quick enough you could get some good late hits in to make an injury. I must have broken Dan Marino’s leg over 1000 times. I loved it when the ambulance would come out on the field.

    [quote comment=”206253″]Sunderland of the English Premier League have some strange thin horizontal zebra link in their link. I wonder if link manufactures their kits?[/quote]

    I believe we have either a link or a Pre-Hannah Montana link sighting!

    [quote comment=”206265″][quote comment=”206263″][quote comment=”206259″]Watching ESPN and they showed highlights of the USC/UCLA game. I notcied that the “C” in UCLA on the unis was in gold while the other letters were blue. Any one know why?[/quote]

    The C has been highlighted to commemorate the 100 National Championships the school has earned in all sports![/quote]

    Cute. I wish there were more little nods like that in uniforms. I like how soccer club uniforms have little stars that indicate how many championships they’ve won.[/quote]

    link

    Also, the only other dominant video game player that came close to Bo Jackson on Tecmo Bowl was Jeremy Roenick on Sega’s NHL 94. It got to the point that nobody was allowed to play the Blackhawks (renamed as “Team Roenick”)

    The famous deke(spelling?) move! Worked every time.

    [quote comment=”206269″][quote comment=”206265″][quote comment=”206263″][quote comment=”206259″]Watching ESPN and they showed highlights of the USC/UCLA game. I notcied that the “C” in UCLA on the unis was in gold while the other letters were blue. Any one know why?[/quote]

    The C has been highlighted to commemorate the 100 National Championships the school has earned in all sports![/quote]

    Cute. I wish there were more little nods like that in uniforms. I like how soccer club uniforms have little stars that indicate how many championships they’ve won.[/quote]

    link[/quote]

    Fair enough.

    This one’s link.

    Five Stars for Fifty Scottish Premier League Titles.

    … and Carlings’ not a bad beer, by the way.

    [quote comment=”206223″][quote comment=”206215″][quote comment=”206185″][quote comment=”206163″]My brother had one of link growing up. I remember that we had an old order form from Coleco, which had an option to buy the team stickers for the link. By that time, Colorado had moved and was no longer in existence. Anyhow, we mailed them our money and checked the box for the Rockies, eagerly hoping they would send us the stickers of the defunct team. Unfortunately, they sent us the link, which was the team that the Rockies became.[/quote]

    Casey, you just made me think of something…are there any other teams in the major sports leagues that were once franchises in another sport?…for example your Colrado Rockies.[/quote]

    Off the top of my head:

    St. Louis Cardinals (MLB and NFL)
    New York Giants (MLB and NFL)[/quote]

    Check and Check[/quote]

    Brooklyn Dodgers: MLB & NFL & All America Football League

    [quote comment=”206265″][quote comment=”206263″][quote comment=”206259″]Watching ESPN and they showed highlights of the USC/UCLA game. I notcied that the “C” in UCLA on the unis was in gold while the other letters were blue. Any one know why?[/quote]

    The C has been highlighted to commemorate the 100 National Championships the school has earned in all sports![/quote]

    Cute. I wish there were more little nods like that in uniforms. I like how soccer club uniforms have little stars that indicate how many championships they’ve won.[/quote]

    What I like about the UCLA thing is that it’s not honoring championships in any one sport, but rather the cumulative total of championships earned by the entire Athletic Department. That means a member of the 1984 Womens Volleyball team is getting the same recognition as a member of the 1973 Mens Basketball team.

    Anyone remember their first and/or favorite Madden/NCAA created team and their uni makeup?

    My first Madden created team (on Madden 2000 maybe?) were the Birmingham Generals, whose colors were red and aqua. They had a pirate-feel similar to the Buccanneers, but the logo also favored the Patriots.

    I don’t remember the FIRST NCAA team I ever made, but some of my favorites were the Orlando Rockets, which were famous for solid red uniforms, and the Idaho Buffaloes, which featured a combination of a wierd green/yellow/tan color and navy blue.

    [quote comment=”205991″][quote comment=”205858″]link

    raises hand[/quote]

    oh link

    (also note the nice pea green shag carpet and the Ed “Too Tall” Jones shirt I’m rockin’)[/quote]

    holy shit…was (obviously) off the grid today but i never thought my little post on the mattel football game would generate so many responses…all you who raised your hands must be somewhat close to my age (42)…and U2…dude, if you had blond hair and were wearing a mets uni…i’d swear i posed for the same photo oh…30 years ago

    the coleco game i had as well (while i appreciated the passing feature, it was in my eyes, not the bomb mattel was)…and head to head…i had that too, except it SUCKED playing head to head because you had to have a FLAT surface (and who puts a handheld game on the table)…so playing an opponent wasn’t so fun…plus…defense was lame

    but what a trip down memory lane today

    cheers to all…maybe someone can bring their toy to a future uni watch gathering

    oh…i know someone also mentioned intellivision

    i SO ROCKED that baseball game…never once lost…i could prolly still kick anyone’s ass at it…

    atari sucked

    [quote comment=”206267″][quote comment=”206253″]Sunderland of the English Premier League have some strange thin horizontal zebra link in their link. I wonder if link manufactures their kits?[/quote]

    I believe we have either a link or a Pre-Hannah Montana link sighting![/quote]

    Obviously, they’re made by Umbro.

    As far as video games go, I know that the Madden series is still popular as well as the EA yearly updates for the NBA and NFL , but with games like Halo and CounterStrike as well as Guitar Hero, do the sports video games still have as huge a following as when I was a kid growing up in the late 80’s early 90’s?

    [quote comment=”206215″][quote comment=”206185″][quote comment=”206163″]My brother had one of link growing up. I remember that we had an old order form from Coleco, which had an option to buy the team stickers for the link. By that time, Colorado had moved and was no longer in existence. Anyhow, we mailed them our money and checked the box for the Rockies, eagerly hoping they would send us the stickers of the defunct team. Unfortunately, they sent us the link, which was the team that the Rockies became.[/quote]

    Casey, you just made me think of something…are there any other teams in the major sports leagues that were once franchises in another sport?…for example your Colrado Rockies.[/quote]

    Off the top of my head:

    St. Louis Cardinals (MLB and NFL)
    New York Giants (MLB and NFL)[/quote]

    too lazy to check now, but a lot of the older NFL (or whatever the league was in competition with the NFL in the 30/40s??)…like the brooklyn dodgers and new york yankees i know for a fact played pro football…im sure there are many others…i THINK they were in the nfl, but not certain

    [quote comment=”206334″]As far as video games go, I know that the Madden series is still popular as well as the EA yearly updates for the NBA and NFL , but with games like Halo and CounterStrike as well as Guitar Hero, do the sports video games still have as huge a following as when I was a kid growing up in the late 80’s early 90’s?[/quote]

    The NASCAR series from EA has improved over the years, with the biggest boom coming when Daytona’s contract with Sega expired. Of course, if you ask the real NASCAR gamer geeks there was no greater simulation than the Sierra/Papyrus NASCAR Racing 2003 Edition.

    [quote comment=”206299″]Anyone remember their first and/or favorite Madden/NCAA created team and their uni makeup?

    My first Madden created team (on Madden 2000 maybe?) were the Birmingham Generals, whose colors were red and aqua. They had a pirate-feel similar to the Buccanneers, but the logo also favored the Patriots.

    I don’t remember the FIRST NCAA team I ever made, but some of my favorites were the Orlando Rockets, which were famous for solid red uniforms, and the Idaho Buffaloes, which featured a combination of a wierd green/yellow/tan color and navy blue.[/quote]

    Florida Marauders were probably one of my all-time favorites, although I probably created dozens. It was Navy/White/Carolina, helmets were white with white facemasks, the logo was a Carolina “M” with a Navy outline and the helmets also featured a Navy-Carolina-Navy three stripe pattern. Navy jerseys with the white “Denver” stripe down the sides, it matched up with a white tapered stripe on the pants. Numbers were white with a Carolina outline, numbers on the shoulders, logos on the sleeves, a logo on the left hip, and NOB. Away uni’s were similar, only all white with the navy “Denver” stripe and navy numbers outlined in Carolina. There were also alternates with white pants at home (no stripe, logo on left hip) and with navy pants away (no stripe, logo on left hip). For some reason, I loved that uniform design.

    so wait…

    i bought a PS2 like 3 years ago…and like 10 sports games including imo guess, madden 05…never opened it (never you mind why, but it is sitting over by the tv, gathering dust)…all these newfangled games are too complicated for me…

    but you can CREATE unis?

    i know i’ve been living under a rock, but this is the most excellent news i have heard since einstein invented the television

    do you have to actually play the game, or can you just create unis?

    i know i’ve been living under a rock, but this is the most excellent news i have heard since einstein invented the television

    Or Since “link“?

    [quote comment=”206349″]so wait…

    i bought a PS2 like 3 years ago…and like 10 sports games including imo guess, madden 05…never opened it (never you mind why, but it is sitting over by the tv, gathering dust)…all these newfangled games are too complicated for me…

    but you can CREATE unis?

    i know i’ve been living under a rock, but this is the most excellent news i have heard since einstein invented the television

    do you have to actually play the game, or can you just create unis?[/quote]

    Yeah just go to “Create a Team”

    link

    Sadly, they no longer have the NFL license. However, they now have a license from…The Rose Bowl Game! Plus, they have lots of college teams, so you can recreate the 2002 National Championship fiasco between Miami (FL) and Nebraska! Alas, no Southern California or Texas.

    Speaking of the East-West Shrine game, two things to talk about:

    How low are these front numbers on those jerseys? Geez! The logo on the jerseys for the game is so large that the numbers seem to be starting at the naval.

    Also, there’s definitely New Era logos on the referee hats which I’ve never seen before. If anyone wants to get a screen shot, take a look at the officials’ conference at 7:20 left in the 3rd. Not visible on the head ref’s white hat, but definitely on the other two’s black hats. Anyone seen that before on an official’s cap?

    And obviously I meant that the jersey number starts at the navel…not at the naval (which is where the boats are launched).

    I was in JC Penny today and noticed the old electronic football set for sale. Didn’t notice a price though. I thought it was strange given the subject of the board today.

    [quote comment=”206399″]I was in JC Penny today and noticed the old electronic football set for sale. Didn’t notice a price though. I thought it was strange given the subject of the board today.[/quote]

    COincidence…I think not

    Just got back from the Ohio v. Kent Basketball game. Big win for my bobcats by the way. But anyway Kent wore black jerseys with navy numbers. they were absolutely hideous (even though ours aren’t much better) I’ll post a link when I find some pics.

    [quote comment=”206226″][quote comment=”206191″]
    When I was growing up my dad had a game he showed us that had a big cardboard football field and a bunch of little record and a red player, so when you picked a play you would hear a voice telling you how far it went and move a little arrow. I’m thinking it was a predecessor to the VCR one. Any help?[/quote]

    Would that be Mattel’s link game? I still have one in my Dad’s basement somewhere. One of the records is missing and the field was “redone” several times, but it still works after all these years. :-)

    First time, long time.
    Like Max, went to the Ohio game and was pleased with outcome. With me eyes, it appeared Kent had only outlines for numerals. Navy is close to black.
    Anyhow, my friend and I were sitting at the game and discussed the unusual use of a lightning bolt as a logo, and we realized Antonio Gates has played for the Lightning Bolts as a Golden Flash basketball player and a Charger football player. Can you think of other similar examples?
    From Ohio U., where Dr. Tiff Cook has long taught sports aesthetics.

    During Saturday’s Nebraska-Baylor men’s game, a player for Baylor wore a No.20 jersey with no name on the back. The announcers said that there was some sort of unspecified uniform complication that left him without a jersey, such that he had to wear the blood jersey.

    I can’t find any pics as yet.

    Here’s a photo of the Baylor player wearing the blood jersey for unknown reasons:

    link

    And here is a photo showing the NOB exhibited by the rest of the Baylor players.

    link

    [quote comment=”206266″]Another grat videogame moment was the joy (and fear) of hearing a sickening crunch and then Pat Summerall say “Uh-oh, there’s a man down” on Madden 93. If you were quick enough you could get some good late hits in to make an injury. I must have broken Dan Marino’s leg over 1000 times. I loved it when the ambulance would come out on the field.[/quote]

    link of the sound and Summerall…

    Pittsburgh Pirates in THREE sports:
    baseball, of course
    football (1933-1939)
    hockey (1925-1930)

    i have ncaa 2004 and have created probably 10 different teams. it’s fun to create extra alternates for existing teams – e.g., wisconsin black on black, georgia tech with navy pants, virginia with orange jerseys – and i’ve created my high school team based on recent photos i’ve seen on the web. it’s a bit frustrating that they limit what you can do on there. i’m hoping more recent versions have more options.

    [quote comment=”206424″]First time, long time.
    Like Max, went to the Ohio game and was pleased with outcome. With me eyes, it appeared Kent had only outlines for numerals. Navy is close to black.
    Anyhow, my friend and I were sitting at the game and discussed the unusual use of a lightning bolt as a logo, and we realized Antonio Gates has played for the Lightning Bolts as a Golden Flash basketball player and a Charger football player. Can you think of other similar examples?
    From Ohio U., where Dr. Tiff Cook has long taught sports aesthetics.[/quote]

    Ahh the great Dr. Tiff Cook. What a great class. The only one I passed easily, and consequently the only one I was interested in.

    To add the stroll down memory lane, I think the VCR game you guys are talking about is ‘VCR Quarterback’ – two supposed players, one in Dolphins uni, one in 49ers.

    [quote comment=”206327″]oh…i know someone also mentioned intellivision

    i SO ROCKED that baseball game…never once lost…i could prolly still kick anyone’s ass at it…

    atari sucked[/quote]

    yup, I had intellivision too

    [quote comment=”205828″][quote comment=”205811″]We even used to put baby powder on the field to make it a snow game.[/quote]

    That’s a new one on me — brilliant! Got any pics?[/quote]
    Thanks. I wish I had a photo.

    Electric Football is alive and well. Go to link or .com and check out what is happening. Miniature Football is the broader more realistic version of Electric Football.

    I don’t just play the game, I’m the President of the Miniature Football Coaches Association.

    Mattel’s Talking Football did indeed rock, as did the Apple II game Tuesday Night Football. My link brought back a lot of memories of man wasted hours in the 70s and 80s.

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