Paul here. Bryan’s busy with a bike race today, so I’m on weekend duty for a change. And while I realize some of you are probably expecting an entry relating to the NFL draft, I’ve decided to use the day to publish an interview that’s been languishing waaaaaay too long.
Last summer, shortly after the membership program started, I received a check in the mail from Karen Hibbitt. She was signing up at the Satin Piping level, which means the check was for a very generous $500. “I’m joining at this level because it is comparable to the support I give to other activities and organizations that give me great enjoyment,” she wrote, which was one of the nicest, most humbling thing anyone had ever said to me about Uni Watch.
And how did I repay Karen’s kindness? I conducted an interview with her (one of the benefits of a Satin Piping membership) — and then sat on it for months. Karen, who’s the self-deprecating type, said she didn’t really care about the interview anyway, but that’s no excuse — I was simply too lazy to transcribe the tape, and the longer I put it off, the more embarrassing the situation became, so I kept putting it off even longer. Shame on me.
Here, finally, is Karen’s long-overdue Uni Watch Profiles interview. Karen (who’s shown above in her Uni Watch membership T-shirt alongside Screech the Nats’ mascot), I’m really sorry about the delay. Hope it was worth the wait, and thanks again for your support and kind words — means a lot to me.
Uni Watch: Where do you live, and what do you do for a living?
Karen Hibbitt: I live in Arlington, Virginia, and I’m a registrar at the National Archives.
UW: What does that mean?
KH: I work in our exhibits office, and basically everything that goes on exhibit passes through my hands.
UW: So you’re like a gatekeeper.
KH: Sort of, yeah. The curator is the more glamorous job, but museums would just crumble to the ground without registrars.
UW: That sounds like a common registrar’s lament.
KH: Yes, we can be a little touchy about our profession.
UW: I think I need to get myself a Uni Watch registrar, for my collection.
KH: Definitely, you need someone to tell you if you need mylar sleeves, or acid-free folders, or whatever.
UW: How did you discover Uni Watch?
KH: I read your column on Page 2 a bunch of times, and I felt like we had a similar aesthetic. You complained about a lot of the same things I complained about.
UW: I don’t just complain, you know.
KH: Well, yes, but basically I agreed with your tastes. And then I started reading more and more of your stuff, and became notorious among my friends for having lots of useless things to say about uniforms.
UW: What kind of sports fan are you?
KH: I grew up in Rhode Island and always loved the Red Sox. I spent a year after college working for my father, whose company was in Pawtucket, and I must have gone to about half of the Paw Sox’s home games that year. Baseball’s my favorite sport.
UW: Are you still a Red Sox fan?
KH: Yes.
UW: And how do you feel about their uniforms?
KH: I like them. I pretty much like the classic looks. As much as it pains me to say so, I think the Yankees’ home uniform is probably one of the nicest ones out there.
UW: How did you feel about the Red Sox’s solid-red alternate jerseys?
KH: I don’t like them. There are certain teams that shouldn’t have alternate jerseys, like the Original Six NHL teams. I feel like the Red Sox fall into that category too.
UW: What are your other favorite teams?
KH: Having lived in Washington for about 15 years now, I love that we have the Nationals. It’s great that we have a team. And that they’re so incredibly hapless.
UW: And how do you like their uniforms?
KH: They’re OK. I don’t object to them too much. There’s nothing fabulous about them, but there’s nothing objectionable about them. I haaaaaate teal, sort of the way you hate purple, so I’m just glad they didn’t go with teal.
UW: Any other uni-related pet peeves, or things you really like, the way I like striped socks?
KH: Again, I like a classic look — high cuffs in baseball, no biker shorts in football. Classic. Probably one of my favorite uniforms is the Toronto Maple Leafs.
UW: Why?
KH: Well, starting with the name. Nothing inspires fear in an opponent’s heart like vegetation. “Oh my god, it’s a leaf! It’s gonna fall on me!!” And then it’s Leafs instead of Leaves. And their uniform is so simple — it’s that classic thing again. For a more modern uniform, I like the Carolina Hurricanes. The line of hurricane flags, or whatever they are, along the bottom of their jersey is one of the nicest things I’ve ever seen.
UW: So do you have one of those jerseys?
KH: You know, I have this fake reproduction Hartford Whalers jersey that I wear to the games, and I get more compliments on that than for anything else I own.
UW: That’s the same franchise as the Hurricanes!
KH: I know! Everyone loves that jersey. You know, I lived in Hartford for two years, and it’s the biggest armpit of anyplace I’ve ever been — horrible.
UW: Are you aware that the Whalers are one of the two NHL teams that wore Cooperalls?
KH: Yes, thanks to Uni Watch. Which was the other one?
UW: The Flyers. When people refer to Cooperalls, they’re usually thinking of the Flyers. The Whalers get sort of overshadowed.
KH: I didn’t even know what Cooperalls were until I started reading Uni Watch.
UW: You know, a surprisingly large number of people tell me that the Whalers logo ranks among their all-time favorites. And what a lot of them tell me is that they especially love how the negative space forms an “H.” Frankly, I hadn’t noticed that myself until a reader pointed it out to me back in Uni Watch’s early days, around 2001 or so.
KH: It really is a good logo. Nice and simple. A lot of these new logos are too busy — my brain can’t cope with all that. And I like how 1970s it looks. People complain about some of the stuff from that era, like the Padres and Astros, but I like a lot of them. I mean, I’m not going to paint my bedroom yellow and brown, but they had something going on there.
UW: You know, I went to college in Binghamton, in upstate New York, and back then they had the Binghamton Whalers, which was Hartford’s top farm team. They just turned the logo on its side, but they lost the negative space aspect of the design.
KH: So here’s a question for you: What’s the etiquette for wearing jerseys?
UW: You mean for fans?
KH: Yes. I have strong opinions on this. Like, nobody should ever wear a basketball jersey, because it doesn’t look good on anyone except, like, Gilbert Arenas.
UW: What if there’s a T-shirt under it?
KH: Maybe, but it still looks hokey. You look like the fat kid at the pickup game. Even if you are Gilbert Arenas.
UW: What other rules do you have for this sort of thing?
KH: Anyone can wear football or hockey jerseys, but only at the game. You can’t just walk around town in them.
UW: What about in your house?
KH: Oh, you can wear whatever you want in your house.
UW: What if you have friends over?
KH: It’s okay to wear the jersey if you’re watching a game, like if that’s the purpose of the friends coming over. Or maybe also if you’re going to a bar to watch the game.
UW: What about baseball?
KH: Similar rules, I guess. The thing is, I think most people look a bit pretentious in a baseball jersey. Unless you have that nice, trim physique, the buttons aren’t going to look good.
UW: Now, for football and baseball jerseys, should they ever be tucked in? The players tuck them in, after all.
KH: True. But no. Not unless you’re showing up in baseball pants, stirrups, and cleats. And the only ones who should do that are Little Leaguers. They’re the only ones who should bring their glove to the ballpark, too.
UW: Hmmmm, I might beg to differ on that one.
KH: If you’re there to catch a ball, you’re not enjoying the game.
UW: But that is part of enjoying the game! And it shows you’re paying attention to the game, instead of just jibber-jabbering with your friends.
KH: Or yakking on your cell phone. Holy moses, don’t even get me started on that.
UW: So when you go to a Caps game, you wear that Whalers jersey?
KH: Yes. But I don’t put it on until I actually get to my seats.
UW: So you pull it out of your bag or something?
KH: Yes. I’m kind of embarrassed at the idea of wearing it while riding the Metro or something like that.
UW: What about cap etiquette?
KH: You can wear a baseball cap anytime, anywhere.
UW: You know, getting back to baseball, you chose No. 49 for the back of your Uni Watch membership card, because, as you put it, “Tim Wakefield has been my baseball boyfriend for quite some time.” What’s that all about?
KH: Just a little joke between me and my friends. Everyone has their baseball boyfriend.
UW: Got a little crush on him?
KH: For years. I love the knuckleball. I love how it’s unhittable when it’s on, how it messes up people’s swing for days.
UW: Have you ever tried to throw one?
KH: Yes, I have.
UW: How’d that work out for ya?
KH: Not so much. The only pitch I can throw with any skill is a curveball. I marvel at what baseball players can do.
UW: Have you ever written a fan letter to Tim Wakefield?
KH: I have not.
UW: Have you ever considered it?
KH: No. Speaking with you right now is about as close as I’ve ever gotten to someone I was a fan of.
UW: Awww. Now, over at the Archives, you folks had that exhibit about Presidents in their formative years, which included lots of photos of young Presidents-to-be playing sports. Did you help put that together?
KH: Yes, in my registrarial capacity.
UW: Ooh, good adjective, “registrarial.”
KH: It’s mostly photos, but we did have some original items, like Gerarld Ford’s letter sweater.
UW: And when you saw that, did you think, “Ooh, this’ll be good for Uni Watch”?
KH: Yes.
UW: You’ve mentioned to me that you read Uni Watch “at the end of your morning routine.” So it’s sort of like your morning dessert?
KH: Yes. There are a bunch of sites I check before getting down to work each day, and Uni Watch is usually the last one.
UW: How do your friends and family feel about all this? Do they Get Itâ„¢?
KH: Well, my family has no idea.
UW: And what about your friends?
KH: They’re exceedingly amused. I have this core group of friends, and I’m the one who’s into this kind of stuff. They don’t quite Get Itâ„¢, but they respect it.
UW: That’s good.
KH: Once I was at a Caps game, and I said, “Look, Ovechkin’s skate laces are yellow — I wonder why?” This was long before you’d written about it on the site. And then you wrote about it and it turned out that his skates are made by a Russian manufacturer that uses yellow laces or something like that, right? So I told that to a friend, and she told one of her friends, “Look, Ovechkin’s laces are yellow, because they’re made by this Russian company.” So this information does get passed along.
UW: Like a virus.
KH: Mmm-hmm.
UW: If you were the commissioner of the NHL, or MLB, or whatever league strikes your fancy, what uniform-related rules would you institute?
KH: I don’t have any big issues with the NHL. They don’t do much in the way of customization or accessorizing.
UW: What about white-at-home vs. dark-at-home?
KH: Oh, I prefer white at home. So yeah, I’d do that. And for baseball, it really bothers me that the players look so different. If the team wants to go with a baggy, pajama-style trouser, then everyone should do it. If they want to go with knickers and striped socks, then everyone should do it. The uniform should be uniform.
UW: I hear ya.
KH: You know, I’d like to see more of the 1960s and ’70s cartoon-y logos. Like the Padres’ swinging friar, and Mr. Met, Mr. Redlegs — totally cool. And some of those minor league teams have such great logo characters, too. I’d like to see more of that. Totally charming.
======
Indeed. Thanks again to Karen for her support, and for her patience.
OK, I’m outta here — be nice to Bryan and Vince next week while I’m gone.
Paul, great interview – but you never answered Karen’s question about etiquette for fans wearing jerseys.
Karen, I agree about the T-shirt under basketball jersey look. Even worse is when you look like link. Just an unfortunate sartorial choice.
Potential FNOBs for the Lions this season. They drafted Kevin Smith, RB from UCF in the 3rd round and already have DB Keith Smith on the roster.
cause us middle age males have pretty much used up every discussion angle about sports possible, love reading the female sports babble. for example, my middle ager willingly trudges to the top row end zone of every cal football game with her dorky husband. what sometimes emerges from her vocal chords…
Screech looks like a mountaineer in the picture with a grizzled grey beard and a bloodshot nose. I was wondering what the hell the hillbilly had to do with the Nats so I Googled Screech only to find out he is a bird who has just distorted his face on Karen’s head. Weird.
Great interview Paul and Karen
Very interesting to read!
Hmmmm… I guess I don’t quite Get ItTM when it comes to baseball jerseys; since I have a short torso and long legs, (I’m 5’9″ with a 33″ inseam) I either have to tuck my jersey into my pants, or it’ll dangle down to my knees!
I’d like nothing better than to have a replica pair of knickers to go with my link, with a pair of the Birds’ classic stirrups… Hey, I can’t look any worse than link!
I’m in total agreement about wearing basketball replicas… nobody over the age of 30 need apply…
I totally agree about the white at home look. I wish the Devils would go back to wearing the white jerseys at the Rock.
Did anyone see DirecTV’s centerfold ad for NFL Sunday Ticket in Sports Illustrated?
link
It advertises that Sunday Ticket is like going to all NFL games at once. It’s a great concept, which they initially used for the NCAA basketball tournament; however, all the court names and colors were fictional. This ad appeared to be real NFL stadiums. As a graphic designer myself, I was very impressed with the Photoshop skills used to assemble this image. And as an OCD football fan, I wondered if I could identify the 25 stadiums shown.
Starting from the back and working left-to-right, back-to-front, here is what I know for sure (feel free to skip if you want to figure out by yourself):
Kansas City | Indianapolis | ?? | ?? | St Louis
?? | Cincinnati | Houston | San Francisco | Minnesota
Miami | Oakland | Tampa Bay | Philadelphia | San Diego
Seattle | Washington | Dallas | New England | New York
Green Bay | Denver | Pittsburgh | Chicago | Atlanta
There are three that have me stymied. They are:
Mystery 1
Mystery 2
Mystery 3
Using Sherlock Holmes’ deductive reasoning, we know they are *not* New Orleans, Detroit, or Arizona (they are distinctive domes and do not appear). Nor does Indianapolis’ new field, Lucas Oil Stadium, appear (the RCA Dome is in the collage instead).
This leaves Buffalo, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Carolina. To me, there is nothing distinctive enough in any of these stadiums to pinpoint them to the three mystery pictures. Can anyone prove me wrong?
Any truth to the rumor that the Sixers are going back to their 70s/80s unis next season?
where did you hear that sixers rumor? and which one is it? 70s or 80s?
so i just tried to search for “sixers uniforms next season” on google and found a site (yardbarker) that mentioned that the nuggets, timberwolves, magic, kings, and hornets would all be getting new uniforms next season and that the bucks are getting a new alternate. i’d love to get more info on this. anyone know anything? i hope these aren’t empty rumors.
[quote comment=”256392″]Did anyone see DirecTV’s centerfold ad for NFL Sunday Ticket in Sports Illustrated?
link
It advertises that Sunday Ticket is like going to all NFL games at once. It’s a great concept, which they initially used for the NCAA basketball tournament; however, all the court names and colors were fictional. This ad appeared to be real NFL stadiums. As a graphic designer myself, I was very impressed with the Photoshop skills used to assemble this image. And as an OCD football fan, I wondered if I could identify the 25 stadiums shown.
Starting from the back and working left-to-right, back-to-front, here is what I know for sure (feel free to skip if you want to figure out by yourself):
Kansas City | Indianapolis | ?? | ?? | St Louis
?? | Cincinnati | Houston | San Francisco | Minnesota
Miami | Oakland | Tampa Bay | Philadelphia | San Diego
Seattle | Washington | Dallas | New England | New York
Green Bay | Denver | Pittsburgh | Chicago | Atlanta
There are three that have me stymied. They are:
Mystery 1
Mystery 2
Mystery 3
Using Sherlock Holmes’ deductive reasoning, we know they are *not* New Orleans, Detroit, or Arizona (they are distinctive domes and do not appear). Nor does Indianapolis’ new field, Lucas Oil Stadium, appear (the RCA Dome is in the collage instead).
This leaves Buffalo, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Carolina. To me, there is nothing distinctive enough in any of these stadiums to pinpoint them to the three mystery pictures. Can anyone prove me wrong?[/quote]
#1 is Baltimore. The upper deck is in 4 sections and the the stadium is brick. That’s pretty distictive.
link
[quote comment=”256395″]so i just tried to search for “sixers uniforms next season” on google and found a site (yardbarker) that mentioned that the nuggets, timberwolves, magic, kings, and hornets would all be getting new uniforms next season and that the bucks are getting a new alternate. i’d love to get more info on this. anyone know anything? i hope these aren’t empty rumors.[/quote]
I read here earlier this month that the Magic were indeed getting new uniforms. I actually think their current ones look really good.
It’s just as fun to read the perspectives of the common uni fan as it is with the experts in the field. Great interview.
[quote comment=”256397″][quote comment=”256392″]Did anyone see DirecTV’s centerfold ad for NFL Sunday Ticket in Sports Illustrated?
link
It advertises that Sunday Ticket is like going to all NFL games at once. It’s a great concept, which they initially used for the NCAA basketball tournament; however, all the court names and colors were fictional. This ad appeared to be real NFL stadiums. As a graphic designer myself, I was very impressed with the Photoshop skills used to assemble this image. And as an OCD football fan, I wondered if I could identify the 25 stadiums shown.
Starting from the back and working left-to-right, back-to-front, here is what I know for sure (feel free to skip if you want to figure out by yourself):
Kansas City | Indianapolis | ?? | ?? | St Louis
?? | Cincinnati | Houston | San Francisco | Minnesota
Miami | Oakland | Tampa Bay | Philadelphia | San Diego
Seattle | Washington | Dallas | New England | New York
Green Bay | Denver | Pittsburgh | Chicago | Atlanta
There are three that have me stymied. They are:
Mystery 1
Mystery 2
Mystery 3
Using Sherlock Holmes’ deductive reasoning, we know they are *not* New Orleans, Detroit, or Arizona (they are distinctive domes and do not appear). Nor does Indianapolis’ new field, Lucas Oil Stadium, appear (the RCA Dome is in the collage instead).
This leaves Buffalo, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Carolina. To me, there is nothing distinctive enough in any of these stadiums to pinpoint them to the three mystery pictures. Can anyone prove me wrong?[/quote]
#1 is Baltimore. The upper deck is in 4 sections and the the stadium is brick. That’s pretty distictive.
link
2 is Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo – you usually don’t see it from this angle.
3. is Cleveland Browns Stadium, with the big Dog Pound seats at one end.
Anyone know what the “03-50” means on Chris Long\’s Rams jersey?
link
[quote comment=”256401″]Anyone know what the “03-50” means on Chris Long\’s Rams jersey?
link
No clue. It doesn’t show up on the other jerseys.
BTW, what’s up with giving out draft hats to all the family members. Darren McFadden had, like, 87 people on stage with him and they all had hats.
[quote comment=”256394″]where did you hear that sixers rumor? and which one is it? 70s or 80s?[/quote]
I heard Sonny Hill mention this on his radio show this morning in Philadelphia as a sort of throwaway comment. He didn’t specify whether they were the 70s or 80s unis or if they would be worn all season long, but, as an “executive advisor” to the Sixers, he might know something that we don’t.
The Bills just drafted a Cornerback named Reggie Corner. Can anyone think of a player wearing their job on the back of their jersey (Bob Walk doesn’t count). Would Scott Player fit into this category?
No…ticker…today……must…try…to..survive…can’t breathe….
Cleveland wearing throwback-ish alts at home vs. Yankees today. Aesthecially pleasing contest — just wish the Tribe weren’t wearing their standard Wahoo-emblazoned batting helmets (kinda puts a damper on the look).
Hey Paul, what do you do with stirrups on link?
Just so there is no confusion, I do not mean any offense by that joke…just a Uni Watch style joke.
[quote comment=”256407″]Hey Paul, what do you do with stirrups on link?
Just so there is no confusion, I do not mean any offense by that joke…just a Uni Watch style joke.[/quote]
just wondering, but is the NOB burrito? cuz thats what it kind of looks like
[quote comment=”256408″][quote comment=”256407″]Hey Paul, what do you do with stirrups on link?
Just so there is no confusion, I do not mean any offense by that joke…just a Uni Watch style joke.[/quote]
just wondering, but is the NOB burrito? cuz thats what it kind of looks like[/quote]
I think it’s a “u,” not an “i” (thus “Burruto”).
[quote comment=”256405″]No…ticker…today……must…try…to..survive…can’t breathe….[/quote]
Dude, it’s Sunday — just cuz I threw you a bonus main entry doesn’t mean you get a bonus Ticker!
[quote comment=”256392″]Did anyone see DirecTV’s centerfold ad for NFL Sunday Ticket in Sports Illustrated?
link
It advertises that Sunday Ticket is like going to all NFL games at once. It’s a great concept, which they initially used for the NCAA basketball tournament; however, all the court names and colors were fictional. This ad appeared to be real NFL stadiums. As a graphic designer myself, I was very impressed with the Photoshop skills used to assemble this image. And as an OCD football fan, I wondered if I could identify the 25 stadiums shown.
Starting from the back and working left-to-right, back-to-front, here is what I know for sure (feel free to skip if you want to figure out by yourself):
Kansas City | Indianapolis | ?? | ?? | St Louis
?? | Cincinnati | Houston | San Francisco | Minnesota
Miami | Oakland | Tampa Bay | Philadelphia | San Diego
Seattle | Washington | Dallas | New England | New York
Green Bay | Denver | Pittsburgh | Chicago | Atlanta
There are three that have me stymied. They are:
Mystery 1
Mystery 2
Mystery 3
Using Sherlock Holmes’ deductive reasoning, we know they are *not* New Orleans, Detroit, or Arizona (they are distinctive domes and do not appear). Nor does Indianapolis’ new field, Lucas Oil Stadium, appear (the RCA Dome is in the collage instead).
This leaves Buffalo, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Carolina. To me, there is nothing distinctive enough in any of these stadiums to pinpoint them to the three mystery pictures. Can anyone prove me wrong?[/quote]
there wouldn’t be 20 games each week
hey did anyone notice that the cavs are wearing their wine colored jerseys on the road today?? This is weird because its nationally televised. In the past two years or so, the cavs have always worn their blue uniforms for road games that are nationally televised (meaning basically all playoff road games). I wonder if it is because they got killed so badly in them on thursday!!
The 03-50 means that the jersey was from the 2003 season and is a size 50. They use the old ones for purposes like holding up a jersey with the number 1 on it at the draft
Hey Mr. Lukas, that Hartford Whalers picture you posted…did you notice the keeper most likely does not have the Cooperalls on? It doesn’t surprise me, as the Cooperalls would kill the lower body flexibility, but every bit of non-uniformity looks weird to me. Especially the occasional non-team-issue hockey socks for goalies. (Tim Thomas is a common offender.)
[quote comment=”256414″]Hey Mr. Lukas, that Hartford Whalers picture you posted…did you notice the keeper most likely does not have the Cooperalls on? [/quote]
The goalie definitely didn’t have them on – the full Cooperall shells were only worn by forwards and defencemen.
Brent Lillibridge is up with the Braves and is wearing number 1. However, his helmet says 4 on it. The last player I can remember to wear 4 on the Braves was Pete Orr back in ’05 and part of ’06. Don’t know who’s helmet Brent is wearing.
I don’t know if you’re still look for umpires with facial hair, but link certainly still wears his badass chops when on the field. He took off his mask today in the Astros/Cardinals game and it looks exactly like his picture on MLB.com.
I know it’s not a full BEARD, but it’s not a goatee, and it’s definitely awesome.
[quote comment=”256414″]Hey Mr. Lukas, that Hartford Whalers picture you posted…did you notice the keeper most likely does not have the Cooperalls on? It doesn’t surprise me, as the Cooperalls would kill the lower body flexibility, but every bit of non-uniformity looks weird to me. Especially the occasional non-team-issue hockey socks for goalies. (Tim Thomas is a common offender.)[/quote]
Did you also notice that the Flyers and Whalers aren’t wearing Cooperalls? Cooperalls were the girdle/pants product created by Cooper (I know, duh). Both pics, as do just about all pics I’ve seen from the era, show the CCM girdle / pant combo, which came out about the same time. “Cooperall” became a generic term for all of this attire now embraced by link players everywhere.
While I’m at it…
Ovechkin wears link. Canadian, not Russian skates. Yellow laces are just yellow laces. Most commonly worn by European players, but available everywhere. Initially, they indicated that the laces were waxed, which makes them hold firmer than non-waxed laces. Now, you can get waxed laces in all the same colours traditional laces come in.
SB
stirrups be dammed…link and i’ll do just as badly
on another note…have we seen the last of the braves sunday softball jerseys?
[quote comment=”256406″]Cleveland wearing throwback-ish alts at home vs. Yankees today. Aesthecially pleasing contest — just wish the Tribe weren’t wearing their standard Wahoo-emblazoned batting helmets (kinda puts a damper on the look).[/quote]
they wore them yesterday too…look REAL good…and i agree on the helmet…get some alt helmets with the red “C” and those are gold
Now why do the Rangers vests look so lopsided.
On the right, the “T” is way up high on the vest..and then the numeral is way down low, almost to the waist. Huh?
I’m not sure if this info already got covered here but it seems like this isn’t get much coverage for some reason, even though there are some neat ones like Russia’s early CCCP, Czech, Latvia, Norway, and of course the Canada Cup version for Canada. Yes, the IIHF’s going throwback for 1 game for each team (except Denmark) at the first men’s Ice Hockey World Championships to be held in Canada, starting on Friday.
link
Canada’s regular jerseys, otoh, don’t look so hot. Canada’s the only national team that keeps on changing its jersey design and uses alternates/retros with any regularity. Kinda like England’s national football team kits. Of course, in both countries, of course, they are the only sports that matter, respectively. So a money grab by the national federation is in order (though there are some gems along the way.)
link
One more.
Royals: powder tops and white pants?
No. No. No. No. No.
No.
[quote comment=”256422″]stirrups be dammed…link and i’ll do just as badly
on another note…have we seen the last of the braves sunday softball jerseys?[/quote]
0-6, 7.53 ERA, 82 mph fastball. Oh, how I wish the Mets had gone ahead and signed Zito.
And if the Braves insist on an alt. jersey they should just wear the navy ones at home.
[quote comment=”256427″]One more.
Royals: powder tops and white pants?
No. No. No. No. No.
No.[/quote]
hey =bg=
i think i was watchin’ BBTN at the same time as you…cuz i not only thought the same thing about the royals, but also the rangers vests…and HOW WEIRD was it seeing the rangers wearing the white vests with LONG sleeves??? it’s usually like 120 degrees @ the ballpark
I lived in Dallas during the first season of the Rangers (72.) Imagine sitting out in the bleachers at the old Turnpike Stadium..for an afternoon game. THAT’s a fan. Which is short for fanatic. But I miss the old Rangers logo, the baseball with the ten gallon hat. Classic.
Just a totally random tidbit I noticed:
of the Detroit Lions 9 picks in the draft, 7 of them have gold involved in their color scheme.
BC, Colorado, UCF, Florida St, Purdue, Wake Forest, and Army
You can see all of them link
Re: Ovechkin’s yellow laces – they are not yellow because he wears Russian skates. Alexander Ovechkin is a CCM endorser and he’s wearing CCM Vector pro skates. The yellow laces are waxed, and some of the companies that make waxed laces make them yellow to differentiate them from their regular un-waxed laces. Simple as that-
[quote comment=”256431″]Just a totally random tidbit I noticed:
of the Detroit Lions 9 picks in the draft, 7 of them have gold involved in their color scheme.
BC, Colorado, UCF, Florida St, Purdue, Wake Forest, and Army
You can see all of them link[/quote]
and they weren’t all wide receivers!
/is millen ok?
post #34:
[quote comment=”256419″]Ovechkin wears link.
Canadian, not Russian skates. Yellow laces are just yellow laces. Most commonly worn by European players, but available everywhere. Initially, they indicated that the laces were waxed, which makes them hold firmer than non-waxed laces. Now, you can get waxed laces in all the same colours traditional laces come in.[/quote]
post #45:
[quote comment=”256432″]Re: Ovechkin’s yellow laces – they are not yellow because he wears Russian skates. Alexander Ovechkin is a CCM endorser and he’s wearing CCM Vector pro skates. The yellow laces are waxed, and some of the companies that make waxed laces make them yellow to differentiate them from their regular un-waxed laces. Simple as that-[/quote]
so…im confused now
are CCM’s russian or canadian skates? im aware now of why the laces are yellow (thanks guys)…but confused on the skate country of origin
never mind…i get it now…syntax problems on my part…
ccm’s (as i had thought) are canadian…
the yellow laces comment in #45 applied to WHY the skates are not russian…i need to learn how to read
Someone please phone DirecTV and inform them the NFL has changed their logo.
If you can get through to their award-winning customer service, that is.
CCM is a Canadian company, the world’s largest manufacturer of hockey equipment
[quote comment=”256434″]post #34:
[quote comment=”256419″]Ovechkin wears link.
Canadian, not Russian skates. Yellow laces are just yellow laces. Most commonly worn by European players, but available everywhere. Initially, they indicated that the laces were waxed, which makes them hold firmer than non-waxed laces. Now, you can get waxed laces in all the same colours traditional laces come in.[/quote]
post #45:
[quote comment=”256432″]Re: Ovechkin’s yellow laces – they are not yellow because he wears Russian skates. Alexander Ovechkin is a CCM endorser and he’s wearing CCM Vector pro skates. The yellow laces are waxed, and some of the companies that make waxed laces make them yellow to differentiate them from their regular un-waxed laces. Simple as that-[/quote]
so…im confused now
are CCM’s russian or canadian skates? im aware now of why the laces are yellow (thanks guys)…but confused on the skate country of origin[/quote]
I do not know of any russian skate manufacturers. In fact I’ve seen quite a few youth russian teams play over here, and they always have the same stuff we do. Karen was referring to Graf, a Swiss hockey company, that makes pro caliber skates. Traditionally they come with yellow laces… However, I believe Ovechkin has always worn CCM skates, and they at some point had yellow waxed laces. Honestly I think ovechkin was wearing the yellow laces to stand out, like he was trying to do when he wore the reflective visor way back during the world junior championship in 2005.
I know there’s a Czech hockey equipment manufacturer that also makes skates. It also makes sense that there’d be a Russian one, as it’s one of the major sports in that country. But top prospects and players from any country probably use top of the line stuff from the major manufacturers due to preference and/or marketing contract.
Paul great interview. Always great to see someone from “The Biggest Littlest State in the Union” getting some publicity
[quote comment=”256439″]I know there’s a Czech hockey equipment manufacturer that also makes skates. It also makes sense that there’d be a Russian one, as it’s one of the major sports in that country. But top prospects and players from any country probably use top of the line stuff from the major manufacturers due to preference and/or marketing contract.[/quote]
I think you’re thinking of link, which makes mainly pants, but have produced gloves (still do) and other equipment over the years. They’re part of the link hockey famly now, based out of London Ontario.
There’s also link a Finnish hockey company. Sticks and gloves are all I’ve seen from them.
Sweden’slink, in some form or anothter, is worn by about 90% of all NHLers. but I don’t recall skates.
Interestingly, adidas used to make skates in the late 70’s, early 80’s for the Euro market. Love to see a pic of them again.
As for Graf, while the are a Swiss company, just about all of their hockey skates are made in Calgary now. The Swiss factory appears to be used for figure skates only these days.
SB
[quote comment=”256416″]Brent Lillibridge is up with the Braves and is wearing number 1. However, his helmet says 4 on it. The last player I can remember to wear 4 on the Braves was Pete Orr back in ’05 and part of ’06. Don’t know who’s helmet Brent is wearing.[/quote]
—–
Who cares about those losers the real question is… does Lilliputian have the biggest dumbo ears you’ve ever seen.
In other observations Mr. Redlegs looks like Mr. Met’s perverted old uncle… I got a whole 70’s era swinger vibe from him.
Nah, East European hockey equipment manufacturers still exist.
Witness, Botas
link
REY (don’t seem to make skates though)
link
There are apparently other hockey equipment manufacturers called PASSVILLAN, NEMO, and LION. Not sure if any of them make skates, the NEMO is supposedly Slovakian.
link
(Japanese)
Not strictly uni-related:
So I’ve been catching up on the fifth season of The Wire, and boy is there some serious logo creep. Under Armour is all over the Baltimore Police. I realize that UA is from Baltimore, but man do I find it distracting. Does anyone know if they sponsored the show, or if they supply shirts to the BPD?
[quote comment=”256437″]“CCM is a Canadian company, the world’s largest manufacturer of hockey equipment…”[/quote]
…now owned by Reebok, and with that Egde template, sucked any ID out of the non-Original Six franchises.
Instead of posting these long interviews, have you thought about doing your interviews as podcasts? It would be great to be able to listen to the interview while I am doing other things!! Just a suggestion.
Cooperalls were de rigeur for major junior teams in Canada in the early-to-mid 1980s. I don’t know about the Whalers, but the Flyers were wearing a CCM product during 1982/83, which featured solid black pants with a Flyers logo on the lower right ankle. The 1982/83 Flyers uniforms (jerseys and pants) were a total redesign from 1981/82. In 1981/82, the Flyers wore jerseys essentially the same as those they had worn since their first season with pants featuring an orange & white stripe. From 1982/83 on, the jerseys featured a thicker shoulder stripe with black trim. I believe 1981/82 is the only season in Flyers’ history when their pants were anything but solid black.
[quote comment=”256404″]The Bills just drafted a Cornerback named Reggie Corner. Can anyone think of a player wearing their job on the back of their jersey (Bob Walk doesn’t count). Would Scott Player fit into this category?[/quote]
There is a German football goaltender named Stephan link and the Boston Bruins have a forward named Marco link.