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The more you poke around in various archives, the more surprising it becomes that nobody ever came up with a dedicated uniform column or beat before I did. There’s certainly been plenty of uni-related material published over the years, and some publications have even pursued extended uni-centric themes. We’re going to look at two of those publications today.

The first example is the May 16, 1962, edition of The Sporting News. I came across this issue when Ricko told me he remembered TSN running a Willard Mullin-style uni-centric comic or cartoon on the front page during the ’62 season. I poked around and, sure enough, found this (not just Mullin-style, but actually by Mullin).

The cartoon is awesome — if you haven’t already done so, take a second to read all of it — but that wasn’t the only uni-related content in that issue of TSN. The front page also featured this article about 19th-century uniforms (here’s the jump), which was accompanied by lots of little sidebar items: This one is about the short-lived 1800s practice of each position being assigned a different-colored cap; this one is about the sloppy uniform standards of the 1890s; this one shows a Cooperstown exhibit of an 1876 uniform; and this one shows the cover an 1890 uniform catalog that I would sorely love to own. Note that the caption indicates that point collars on jerseys were no longer used by 1911, but subsequent Okkonen research indicates otherwise (there are several additional examples, too). Once again, I’m not playing “Gotcha!” here — just providing yet another example of how hard it can be to pin these things down, and how skeptical we should be of pronouncements that claim to establish definitive dates for poorly documented eras.

A quarter-century after that Sporting News issue, Sports Illustrated ushered in the 1989 baseball season with, among other things, a lengthy examination of uniforms in its April 5, 1989, issue. The special section was called “Fabric of the Game,” and it’s worth reading — start here, and then move on here, here, here, and here. As you can see, there are also lots of sidebars devoted to things like stirrup styles, the ever-evolving White Sox, some of history’s more questionable design decisions, and so on. Most of it is pretty good — worthwhile reading. If you have a hard time making out the type in the pages I’ve uploaded, go to this link, click on “Show Thumbnails,” scroll ahead to pp. 112-13, and then click “Zoom In” for a better view as you page through the material (or you can read the text-only version — no photos or other graphics — here).

It was almost exactly 10 years later that I approached SI with the idea for Uni Watch. They were very receptive, and I even wrote two pieces for them, but they both got bumped when “more important” stories came up. Then MLB floated an idea about possibly putting ads on jerseys (I remember reading that article on the subway while on my way to cover a non-uni story for a design magazine — funny how certain things can stay with you like that), and I figured, “Great, that’s my beat!” but my SI editor assigned the story to someone else. Between that and the two bumped articles, I was getting the pretty clear message that SI wasn’t taking Uni Watch or me very seriously, so I told them, “Y’know, this doesn’t seem to be working out” and took the column to The Village Voice instead (much lower visibility, natch, but it turned out to be a good incubator for the project’s voice and vision). In retrospect, maybe I should have approached The Sporting News — Uni Watch would’ve been a nice continuation of what I now realize has been their longstanding devotion to uni-related material.

Uni Watch News Ticker: “I teach 4th grade and come across sport books and picture books all the time,” writes Ryan Simmelink. “I came across the book Oliver’s Game by Matt Tavares, which is about a grandpa who had a shot at playing with the Cubs back in 1941. Tavares must have done some research, because many of his pictures are very detailed and accurate. In this picture, you can see the zipper on the jersey. This one is baggy and shows the vest. And this one shows the correct wishbone-C on the caps.” ”¦ Very interesting photo here from the 1968 Tangerine Bowl. As you can see, it appears that Ohio University was using “OHIO” as their NOB (excellent find by John Schaefer). ”¦ Brian Hilemon notes that Jake Peavy saluted Greg Maddux by going shin-cuffed and faux-stirruped on Wednesday night. ”¦ Good video report here about the Oregon equipment room (with thanks to Adam Reinwald). ”¦ Totally digging the buttons on Melaine Walker’s track suit (additional views here, here, here, and here). I assume they’re just ornamental, not functional, though. Anyone know for sure? ”¦ Wanna compare the Hornets’ old and new color schemes? Look here (old on the left, new on the right). ”¦ Two small but telling photos of Andy Chalifour: Here’s Glenn Hubbard wearing a cheekbone mask on his helmet, and Charlie O’Brien apparently wearing a brimless catcher’s helmet (plus some startlingly orange gear). ”¦ Bowling Green, Kentucky, is getting a new A-level baseball team, and you can vote on what it should be named. Naturally, I voted for Cave Shrimp, not only because it sounds great but also because the crustacea in question are described as “sightless albino shrimp,” which presents some awesome uni and logo possibilities. ”¦ Chris Coste’s mask used to have a Liberty Bell and a Phillies “P,” but lately he’s switched to a plain mask (sorry, no photo). Why? Branding, of course. For details, look here (with thanks to Jon Cannella). ”¦ Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: FNOB alert in Buffalo. ”¦ The Giants have overhauled their history section. Lots of cool photos (with thanks to Chris Gilligan). … Reprinted from last night’s comments: News (but no photos) here about the Lightning’s goalies will be wearing on their masks this season. … Phillies will be wearing 1970s throwbacks tonight. … Some really interesting info regarding recent Saints prototype designs here (big thanks to Trev Trahan). … Nice view. Details here (with thanks to Matt Shevin). … This site in a nutshell. … Sorry, no Portland report today — haven’t had time to write it up. It’ll run next week.

 
  
 
Comments (85)

    RE:Coste wearing a plain mask
    It appears that Major League Baseball picks and chooses which rules to enforce.

    PAUL –

    Did you see this article from yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer? Independent uniform manufacturer, the print version had some photos of templates being run and some college uniforms.

    link

    The helmet rule would explain why Yadi Molina also has gone to a plain mask this year. Stupid rules.
    I love the Cave Shrimp name for Bowling Green’s team. It’s been more than 40 years since I was at Mammoth Cave, but I still remember the fish with no eyes. Though Mammoths would be a nice tribute to Mark Harris’ baseball novels, as well as the cave.
    Durham Bulls will have a special jersey, designed in a contest by hospital staff as a fund raiser for their Special Nursery Unit.
    link

    Here’s another project for someone:

    In either its ’54 or ’55 baseball issue (or sometime early in the season) SI ran a full page color collection showing every teams’ unis that coming year. I’d saved it, but somehow it long, long ago got lost.

    It’s in template fashion, with all unis displayed in the same format. Really cool, and worth the hunt. I don’t have time to search for it today. If no one finds it in the meantime, I’ll try to burrow around in the SI Vault over the weekend.

    —Ricko

    The new Bowling Green baseball team is the relocation of the Columbus Catfish which is currently the Rays low A ball team. Before the Rays they were a Dodgers team and retired Tommy Lasorda’s number 2 the same day Chuck Tiffany pitched a perfect game. Before the Catfish they were the South Georgia Waves. Everytime they have moved it is because of they shady owner moves teams every few years to get a brand new stadium.

    [quote comment=”285828″]Here’s another project for someone:

    In either its ’54 or ’55 baseball issue (or sometime early in the season) SI ran a full page color collection showing every teams’ unis that coming year. I’d saved it, but somehow it long, long ago got lost.

    It’s in template fashion, with all unis displayed in the same format. Really cool, and worth the hunt. I don’t have time to search for it today. If no one finds it in the meantime, I’ll try to burrow around in the SI Vault over the weekend.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    I think I’d start with that Al Rosen cover where the catcher is an Indian teammate (’55?). Hope someone finds it without too much effort.

    [quote comment=”285830″][quote comment=”285828″]Here’s another project for someone:

    In either its ’54 or ’55 baseball issue (or sometime early in the season) SI ran a full page color collection showing every teams’ unis that coming year. I’d saved it, but somehow it long, long ago got lost.

    It’s in template fashion, with all unis displayed in the same format. Really cool, and worth the hunt. I don’t have time to search for it today. If no one finds it in the meantime, I’ll try to burrow around in the SI Vault over the weekend.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    I think I’d start with that Al Rosen cover where the catcher is an Indian teammate (’55?). Hope someone finds it without too much effort.[/quote]

    Doesn’t appear to be in that issue, but interesting bit of Topps on p. 23.

    link

    —Ricko

    I voted Bowling Green Bluegills, sometimes I am a sucker for alliteration, ho hum….

    Interesting bit on link, right off the bat in 1925:

    “Bob Folwell was named head coach and all-time great.”

    The team had just started and they named him an all-time great already! And he got fired the next year! All-time great what?

    As Adam Ant said, “Two weeks and you’re an all-time legend.”

    Great info on the catcher’s masks. I wonder if the same thing happened with Brian Schneider who earlier this season used two helmets with logos (link, link) and has since switched to link without link

    That 1890 book isn’t a uniform catalog, it’s the Spalding Official Base Ball Guide, a yearly almanac of the previous season’s standings and statistics. They do often contain excellent photos of teams and uniforms. Older ones in good condition can be tough to locate, but the 1890 edition was reprinted recently and can be obtained cheaply all over the web.

    More on Schneider. It appears that Brian used an All-Star helmet when he was with the link Presumably he knew of this licensing issue so he had two Wilson helmets made before the season. He has since switched back to All-Star which explains why he now has a plain painted helmet without any Mets decals. This has been bothering me since the switch, this is why I read this site! Great work Paul and Jon.

    [quote comment=”285839″]More on Schneider. It appears that Brian used an All-Star helmet when he was with the link Presumably he knew of this licensing issue so he had two Wilson helmets made before the season. He has since switched back to All-Star which explains why he now has a plain painted helmet without any Mets decals. This has been bothering me since the switch, this is why I read this site! Great work Paul and Jon.[/quote]

    There are more then a few guys who do not like the new Wilson helmet…they are going to be even more upset when they realize that the use of a non-logo’d All Star helmet is only an option for this year as MLB plans on making the Wilson helmet the ONLY one that can be used starting next year (hockey style that is…you can use any traditional style that you want).

    I like both the Hornets new colors better than their old colors, too bad those pinstripe unis are so hideous……they went from being one of the worst to possibly the worst in the NBA (apologies to Dallas, maybe they are still the worst)

    The T-Wolves new duds were a nice improvement though, especially the whites.

    One would think that protecting their investment in players would trump “branding”… if you look closely, you can see an “StL” graphic on link helmet. It’s not nearly as attractive as his link style; but isn’t the purpose of the catcher’s mask to prevent injury before assuring the proper manufacturer makes it?

    It amazing how UW has trickled down to every area of my everyday life. Last night I was clearing some stuff off the DVR and I watched the Biography Channel show on Happy Days.

    There were shots of them when they toured playing softball and I immediately noticed the Adidas logos and three-stripe treatment.

    Here’s a site: link although it doesn’t show the unis I referenced.

    So if your a UWer and a fan of Happy Days, like myself, you’ll enjoy this show so if you get the Biography Channel I’d recommend checking it out when they replay it.

    Also, I thought it was a neat idea to do what they did, playing softball for charity. I wouldn’t mind a show like The Office doing this but it’s too bad it probably wouldn’t happen as so many TV stars now use the offseason to do film work.

    [quote comment=”285841″]I like both the Hornets new colors better than their old colors, too bad those pinstripe unis are so hideous……they went from being one of the worst to possibly the worst in the NBA (apologies to Dallas, maybe they are still the worst).[/quote]

    The Mavericks’ uniforms are dull and uninspiring, but they are not aggressively bad. How can they be characterized as the worst in the NBA?

    I remember seats like those at the Colts new stadium, back in old Comiskey Park in Chicago. But that stadium was 100 years old.

    Why does a new stadium need pillars? There is technology to build a stadium without them- thats one of the main reasons a lot of old stadiums were replaced.

    [quote comment=”285845″]I remember seats like those at the Colts new stadium, back in old Comiskey Park in Chicago. But that stadium was 100 years old.

    Why does a new stadium need pillars? There is technology to build a stadium without them- thats one of the main reasons a lot of old stadiums were replaced.[/quote]

    Payton was a Volunteer. I blame him.

    [quote comment=”285844″][quote comment=”285841″]I like both the Hornets new colors better than their old colors, too bad those pinstripe unis are so hideous……they went from being one of the worst to possibly the worst in the NBA (apologies to Dallas, maybe they are still the worst).[/quote]

    The Mavericks’ uniforms are dull and uninspiring, but they are not aggressively bad. How can they be characterized as the worst in the NBA?[/quote]

    Extremely dull, colors are just dreary, and have an alternate uni that isn’t even one of the team colors?

    Who are worse? I’m not a fan of the Kings I guess, the Wizards alts are terrible but the home and away are cool. I don’t care for the Sixers I guess, but being a sixers fan of the 70’s and 80’s, the black now in the unis makes me sick.

    [quote comment=”285847″][quote comment=”285844″][quote comment=”285841″]I like both the Hornets new colors better than their old colors, too bad those pinstripe unis are so hideous……they went from being one of the worst to possibly the worst in the NBA (apologies to Dallas, maybe they are still the worst).[/quote]

    The Mavericks’ uniforms are dull and uninspiring, but they are not aggressively bad. How can they be characterized as the worst in the NBA?[/quote]

    Extremely dull, colors are just dreary, and have an alternate uni that isn’t even one of the team colors?

    Whose are worse? I’m not a fan of the Kings I guess, the Wizards alts are terrible but the home and away are cool. I don’t care for the Sixers I guess, but being a sixers fan of the 70’s and 80’s, the black now in the unis makes me sick.[/quote]

    [quote comment=”285847″][quote comment=”285844″][quote comment=”285841″]I like both the Hornets new colors better than their old colors, too bad those pinstripe unis are so hideous……they went from being one of the worst to possibly the worst in the NBA (apologies to Dallas, maybe they are still the worst).[/quote]

    The Mavericks’ uniforms are dull and uninspiring, but they are not aggressively bad. How can they be characterized as the worst in the NBA?[/quote]

    Extremely dull, colors are just dreary, and have an alternate uni that isn’t even one of the team colors?

    Who are worse? I’m not a fan of the Kings I guess, the Wizards alts are terrible but the home and away are cool. I don’t care for the Sixers I guess, but being a sixers fan of the 70’s and 80’s, the black now in the unis makes me sick.[/quote]

    The Wizards alternate, the gold and black catastrophe, has to be one of the worst uniforms ever created. The Knicks have a nice classic look as do the Bulls. The black Bulls alternate with pinstripes is garbage, as well. Basketball players do not need pinstripes.

    [quote comment=”285846″][quote comment=”285845″]I remember seats like those at the Colts new stadium, back in old Comiskey Park in Chicago. But that stadium was 100 years old.

    Why does a new stadium need pillars? There is technology to build a stadium without them- thats one of the main reasons a lot of old stadiums were replaced.[/quote]

    Payton was a Volunteer. I blame him.[/quote]
    Payton as in Walter Payton? Or Peyton Manning? (Someone had to be a jerk.)

    [quote comment=”285847″]

    Extremely dull, colors are just dreary, and have an alternate uni that isn’t even one of the team colors?[/quote]

    It’s a shoutout to their original colors. I love it.

    link

    NY Rangers to retire Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell’s numbers in one ceremony in February. It’s about time!

    [quote comment=”285854″]NY Rangers to retire Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell’s numbers in one ceremony in February. It’s about time![/quote]

    Wonder how Howell felt when he was traded from NYR to Oakland Seals in 1969 for nothing but Cash…. not even worth a player or draft pick. Ouch…

    [quote comment=”285846″][quote comment=”285845″]I remember seats like those at the Colts new stadium, back in old Comiskey Park in Chicago. But that stadium was 100 years old.

    Why does a new stadium need pillars? There is technology to build a stadium without them- thats one of the main reasons a lot of old stadiums were replaced.[/quote]

    Payton was a Volunteer. I blame him.[/quote]

    I’m with you “who cares”.
    GO BIG BLUE!

    Well doesn’t this 1876 jersey

    link

    look one heck of a lot like this supposed Twins game worn 1768 “anniversary” jersey from ebay three weeks ago.

    link

    Interesting…

    Apologies if this has already been posted, but here’s how the Chinese and the IOC deal with logo creep in the name of “brand protection:”

    link

    It looks like Nike has found a new place for the swoosh: on the left collar point of the USA Basketball polo shirt

    [quote comment=”285858″]Apologies if this has already been posted, but here’s how the Chinese and the IOC deal with logo creep in the name of “brand protection:”

    link

    Slapping tape over the “offending ” logo shouldn’t be a surprise; they’re already used to slapping the number “16” over the age on their athletes’ passports……

    [quote comment=”285850″][quote comment=”285847″][quote comment=”285844″][quote comment=”285841″]I like both the Hornets new colors better than their old colors, too bad those pinstripe unis are so hideous……they went from being one of the worst to possibly the worst in the NBA (apologies to Dallas, maybe they are still the worst).[/quote]

    The Mavericks’ uniforms are dull and uninspiring, but they are not aggressively bad. How can they be characterized as the worst in the NBA?[/quote]

    Extremely dull, colors are just dreary, and have an alternate uni that isn’t even one of the team colors?

    Who are worse? I’m not a fan of the Kings I guess, the Wizards alts are terrible but the home and away are cool. I don’t care for the Sixers I guess, but being a sixers fan of the 70’s and 80’s, the black now in the unis makes me sick.[/quote]

    The Wizards alternate, the gold and black catastrophe, has to be one of the worst uniforms ever created. The Knicks have a nice classic look as do the Bulls. The black Bulls alternate with pinstripes is garbage, as well. Basketball players do not need pinstripes.[/quote]

    The Knicks have a classic look? They have a uniform splattered with black, get rid of that and yeah, they look great. And the Bulls current black alternate doesn’t have pinstripes, the original Jordan-era uni did, and they wore that one as a throwback last year, ridiculous, but true.

    [quote comment=”285861″][quote comment=”285858″]Apologies if this has already been posted, but here’s how the Chinese and the IOC deal with logo creep in the name of “brand protection:”

    link

    Slapping tape over the “offending ” logo shouldn’t be a surprise; they’re already used to slapping the number “16” over the age on their athletes’ passports……[/quote]

    Now, now … there’s no evidence that they cheated. I mean who’re you gonna believe, the government or some random Chinese news site(s) that have noting to do with the government? I mean, the girls have passports that show they’re old enough. The Chinese government surely would give them false passports just to make China look good, would they?

    [quote comment=”285863″][quote comment=”285861″][quote comment=”285858″]Apologies if this has already been posted, but here’s how the Chinese and the IOC deal with logo creep in the name of “brand protection:”

    link

    Slapping tape over the “offending ” logo shouldn’t be a surprise; they’re already used to slapping the number “16” over the age on their athletes’ passports……[/quote]

    Now, now … there’s no evidence that they cheated. I mean who’re you gonna believe, the government or some random Chinese news site(s) that have noting to do with the government? I mean, the girls have passports that show they’re old enough. The Chinese government surely would give them false passports just to make China look good, would they?[/quote]
    LOL!

    And we all still had our baby teeth at age 16 right??!?!!

    [quote comment=”285864″]LOL!

    And we all still had our baby teeth at age 16 right??!?!![/quote]

    What was really funny was when an interviewer asked He Kexin what she did for her 15th birthday and she didn’t know what to say, then said “uhhhh… I spent it with my teammates like any other day”.

    [quote comment=”285866″][quote comment=”285864″]LOL!

    And we all still had our baby teeth at age 16 right??!?!![/quote]

    What was really funny was when an interviewer asked He Kexin what she did for her 15th birthday and she didn’t know what to say, then said “uhhhh… I spent it with my teammates like any other day”.[/quote]

    I didn’t know Cheryl Miller’s little borther played basketball.

    [quote comment=”285863″]Now, now … there’s no evidence that they cheated. I mean who’re you gonna believe, the government or some random Chinese news site(s) that have noting to do with the government? I mean, the girls have passports that show they’re old enough. The Chinese government surely would give them false passports just to make China look good, would they?[/quote]

    I trust there’s a “[/sarcasm]” missing from the end there?

    When you’ve (a) done it before and had one of your own athletes admit to competing when she was only 14 (Google “Yang Yun”), and (b) the government’s own athlete registry lists He Kexin as being 14 years old, then the file is “mysteriously” deleted just in time for the Olympics, nah, I couldn’t believe that the Chinese would do something like that either.

    [quote comment=”285829″]The new Bowling Green baseball team is the relocation of the Columbus Catfish which is currently the Rays low A ball team. Before the Rays they were a Dodgers team and retired Tommy Lasorda’s number 2 the same day Chuck Tiffany pitched a perfect game. Before the Catfish they were the South Georgia Waves. Everytime they have moved it is because of they shady owner moves teams every few years to get a brand new stadium.[/quote]

    And before playing in South Georgia, they were the Wilmington (NC) Waves, joining the Sally League at the same time as the Lexington Legends. The Catfish/ Waves owner has been looking for a brand new stadium all along, thinking initially he was going to get it in Wilmington. Columbus, GA wasn’t going to invest in a new stadium, not after the park had serious upgrades only a few years ago, so the move to Bowling Green is hardly a surprise.

    [quote comment=”285868″][quote comment=”285866″][quote comment=”285864″]LOL!

    And we all still had our baby teeth at age 16 right??!?!![/quote]

    What was really funny was when an interviewer asked He Kexin what she did for her 15th birthday and she didn’t know what to say, then said “uhhhh… I spent it with my teammates like any other day”.[/quote]

    I didn’t know Cheryl Miller’s little borther played basketball.[/quote]

    A Seinfeld joke?

    About the catcher’s mask issue, I noticed that Brad Ausmus also had changed masks this year, but had no idea why. That makes perfect sense now. He used to have a cow skull on his, but now it is an all black model now. I will try to find some pics as well. By the way, that rule is asenine!

    [quote comment=”285873″]About the catcher’s mask issue, I noticed that Brad Ausmus also had changed masks this year, but had no idea why. That makes perfect sense now. He used to have a cow skull on his, but now it is an all black model now. I will try to find some pics as well. By the way, that rule is asenine![/quote]

    Agreed. I can understand if MLB said, OK, that is not an approved mask or we don’t have a contract with that company, so you can’t wear it. But, you can wear it so long as it’s plain and you don’t bring attention to it is kinda odd.

    link

    The Washington Caps will not have a third sweater this year.

    “We just came up with these jerseys a year ago and we’re still building equity in them,” he said. “Personally, I’m not a third jersey fan. Half the time, you don’t know who is playing out there. So I’m in no rush to do it.”

    I suddenly gained a large amount of respect for GM George Mcphee!

    [quote comment=”285875″]http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/08/catching_up_with_gm_george_mcp.html

    The Washington Caps will not have a third sweater this year.

    “We just came up with these jerseys a year ago and we’re still building equity in them,” he said. “Personally, I’m not a third jersey fan. Half the time, you don’t know who is playing out there. So I’m in no rush to do it.”

    I suddenly gained a large amount of respect for GM George Mcphee![/quote]
    I respect the fact that he’s not going to fleece the fans for the sake of…well, fleecing the fans.

    However, there is a little bit of hyperbole there. Half the teams? Maybe in minor league hockey but in the NHL, outside of a few notable dogs, historically the third jerseys have been pretty darn good.

    I thought EVERYONE was participating in third jerseys this upcoming season. It is nice that the league isn’t mandating third jerseys. I like the Caps’ approach though. Come out with a new design, establish it over a few years THEN come out with third jersey.

    I can’t find anything on the Phillies wearing ’70s throwbacks tonight – does anyone have pics. I was able to find out that the ballgirls will be wearing 70’s style hotpants and the groundscrew will wear white 70’s gear, but nothing about the team.

    [quote comment=”285876″][quote comment=”285875″]http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/08/catching_up_with_gm_george_mcp.html

    The Washington Caps will not have a third sweater this year.

    “We just came up with these jerseys a year ago and we’re still building equity in them,” he said. “Personally, I’m not a third jersey fan. Half the time, you don’t know who is playing out there. So I’m in no rush to do it.”

    I suddenly gained a large amount of respect for GM George Mcphee![/quote]
    I respect the fact that he’s not going to fleece the fans for the sake of…well, fleecing the fans.

    However, there is a little bit of hyperbole there. Half the teams? Maybe in minor league hockey but in the NHL, outside of a few notable dogs, historically the third jerseys have been pretty darn good.

    I thought EVERYONE was participating in third jerseys this upcoming season. It is nice that the league isn’t mandating third jerseys. I like the Caps’ approach though. Come out with a new design, establish it over a few years THEN come out with third jersey.[/quote]

    A lot of teams are rumored to have thrid jerseys next year. As for if it’s half, maybe not, but it’s close.

    I too am glad they are not coming out with a third jersey becuase:
    a) I hate third/alternate jerseys, you’re either home or away. Pick one.

    b) Caps new design is so good they don’t need one.

    In my opnion, I don’t like most of the third jerseys that come out. Maybe it’s my bias becuase I hate them, but it’s hard to look at teams that look like this:

    link

    link

    link

    link

    And that’s just from 2 years ago, when they last used alts. DOn’t get me started on overall bad ones. I’d be here all day.

    Does anybody have any information about why the US relay teams were wearing bibs with USA written in magic marker last night?

    [quote comment=”285867″]Argentina’s basketball uniforms are hideous.[/quote]
    Yeah, tell Li Ning. He can fly but with all weak stuff he ain’t going anywhere near Nike.It’s like Boathouse who made 75 mil selling $100 uniforms paid less than 5 (2 yards of fabric and paper + 3 drops of ink). At first sublimation was like the 8th wonder, now all you see is lazier designs and thinner fabrics because it makes tint penetrate better (so they spend even less on inks), and the whole thing looks just CHEAP!

    A lot of teams are rumored to have thrid jerseys next year. As for if it’s half, maybe not, but it’s close.

    That’s not what I was saying, my point was that the Caps’ GM said that half the time you could tell who was playing.

    My point is that although there were some bad ones, a lot of the third jerseys have been nice, simply incorporating the same or similar logo into a new design. You can tell who is playing.

    [quote comment=”285865″]If you guys think seeing Favre in a Jet uni is weird, check out Joe Montana …

    link

    “I just bought a house!”
    LOL!

    [quote comment=”285874″][quote comment=”285873″]About the catcher’s mask issue, I noticed that Brad Ausmus also had changed masks this year, but had no idea why. That makes perfect sense now. He used to have a cow skull on his, but now it is an all black model now. I will try to find some pics as well. By the way, that rule is asenine![/quote]

    Agreed. I can understand if MLB said, OK, that is not an approved mask or we don’t have a contract with that company, so you can’t wear it. But, you can wear it so long as it’s plain and you don’t bring attention to it is kinda odd.[/quote]

    The whole problem comes from the fact that MLB has had a deal with All Star to be the exclusive hockey style catcher’s helmet since its inception a little over a decade ago.

    This past off season MLB signed a new deal with Wilson to be the “official” catchers gear of MLB…part of this deal included the exclusive use of the new Wilson Shox Hockey style catchers helmet.

    Upon hearing this there was a contingent of catchers who protested this as they did not like the new Wilson mask…as a compromise MLB institued a one year stay in where catchers could use the All Star as long as it was logo free.

    There have been a few guys who have continued to wear their old helmets anyway…

    MLB is the only sport that I can think of that mandates a piece of protective equipment be supplied by one particular company (also do it with batter’s helmets)…the NFL has a deal with Riddell but allows players to choose which helmet they wear…just cant show a manufacturers logo on it

    [quote comment=”285883″]The whole problem comes from the fact that MLB has had a deal with All Star to be the exclusive hockey style catcher’s helmet since its inception a little over a decade ago.

    This past off season MLB signed a new deal with Wilson to be the “official” catchers gear of MLB…part of this deal included the exclusive use of the new Wilson Shox Hockey style catchers helmet.

    Upon hearing this there was a contingent of catchers who protested this as they did not like the new Wilson mask…as a compromise MLB institued a one year stay in where catchers could use the All Star as long as it was logo free.

    There have been a few guys who have continued to wear their old helmets anyway…

    MLB is the only sport that I can think of that mandates a piece of protective equipment be supplied by one particular company (also do it with batter’s helmets)…the NFL has a deal with Riddell but allows players to choose which helmet they wear…just cant show a manufacturers logo on it[/quote]

    The NFL policy makes sense.

    It’s just odd that instead of banning, say, the All Star logo on the masks the league bans team logos? After all, the Phillies’ catcher had the “P” on his mask plus the Liberty Bell. I don’t know what that does to affect Wilson, or how that would confuse anyone into thinking that it wasn’t a Wilson mask. If the catcher were to wear a Wilson mask with the same stuff on it there wouldn’t be an issue.

    [quote comment=”285871″][quote comment=”285829″]The new Bowling Green baseball team is the relocation of the Columbus Catfish which is currently the Rays low A ball team. Before the Rays they were a Dodgers team and retired Tommy Lasorda’s number 2 the same day Chuck Tiffany pitched a perfect game. Before the Catfish they were the South Georgia Waves. Everytime they have moved it is because of they shady owner moves teams every few years to get a brand new stadium.[/quote]

    And before playing in South Georgia, they were the Wilmington (NC) Waves, joining the Sally League at the same time as the Lexington Legends. The Catfish/ Waves owner has been looking for a brand new stadium all along, thinking initially he was going to get it in Wilmington. Columbus, GA wasn’t going to invest in a new stadium, not after the park had serious upgrades only a few years ago, so the move to Bowling Green is hardly a surprise.[/quote]

    Let’s have a moment of silence for the Catfish – a great logo set about to be retired way before its time.

    I received an e-mail from Amazon today: “Remember the AFL: The Ultimate Fan’s Guide to the American Football League,” the great-looking book from which Paul shared galleys a few weeks ago, is shipping earlier than expected. Mine is to arrive next week, which presumably means it’ll be in bookstores not long after.

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    [quote comment=”285877″]I was able to find out that the ballgirls will be wearing 70’s style hotpants and the groundscrew will wear white 70’s gear, but nothing about the team.[/quote]

    Get your own hotpants here!!!

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    As a resident of Horse Cave, 35 miles north of Bowling Green, KY, and a potential customer of the soon-to-be Bowling Green A-ball team, I guess cave shrimp (of which we have many, in our cave in town) would be kinda cool in a goofy sort of way…but I voted for Bluegills. LOTS of fishermen around here. It will probably wind up being Mammoths- I seem to recall hearing a lot about that name when I worked at the Bowling Green newspaper for a couple of years (within walking distance of the new park location!).

    Anyway, always cool to see Uni Watch give a shout out to Bowling Green…

    Maybe you guys have spoken about this before, but John Hallahan mentions something in the “Thread of the Game” article that has always bothered me about alternate jerseys (besides, well, everything else about them): aren’t the darker ones uncomfortable on hot, sunny days? I hate putting on a day game and seeing a team like the White Sox wearing black jerseys. It makes no sense.

    [quote comment=”285893″]Maybe you guys have spoken about this before, but John Hallahan mentions something in the “Thread of the Game” article that has always bothered me about alternate jerseys (besides, well, everything else about them): aren’t the darker ones uncomfortable on hot, sunny days? I hate putting on a day game and seeing a team like the White Sox wearing black jerseys. It makes no sense.[/quote]

    Having played enough seasons over the years on teams that wore black or navy jerseys, I can tell you (and probably you can, too, Matt) that having a dugout to duck into half the time—or in the case of MLB, possibly even an air-conditioned clubhouse—makes dark jerseys a lot more manageable.

    I can remember days in tournaments when we’d bolt for shade immediately if we had an hour between games.

    Don’t know if anyone else has this, but a number of the suburbs here now stretch a bright blue nylon mesh above the open benches at their softball fields. Even something that as simple that makes a HUGE difference.

    (Finally gonna be highs in the 70s and less humidity this weekend; not essentialy limited to white or gray tees at softball for a change).

    Which reminds me…wonder if Our Flounder is gonna play softball Sunday? And if he shined those shoes yet?

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”285865″]If you guys think seeing Favre in a Jet uni is weird, check out Joe Montana …

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    That commercial was ten times better than the game. The look of fear when Joe sees the fat guy in the stands is classic.

    Why not the Bowling Green Stingrays? The Corvette plant as well as museum are located in BG, seems like a natural fit to me.

    Phillies will be wearing 1970s throwbacks tonight. But they aren’t wearing them. Its a 70s retro night, but nobody told the equipment guys.

    [quote comment=”285893″]Maybe you guys have spoken about this before, but John Hallahan mentions something in the “Thread of the Game” article that has always bothered me about alternate jerseys (besides, well, everything else about them): aren’t the darker ones uncomfortable on hot, sunny days? I hate putting on a day game and seeing a team like the White Sox wearing black jerseys. It makes no sense.[/quote]

    What Ricko said, plus the dark jerseys are usually made out of the Cool-Base material that’s supposed to make them cooler. Whether it’s true or not……

    [quote comment=”285885″][quote comment=”285871″][quote comment=”285829″]The new Bowling Green baseball team is the relocation of the Columbus Catfish which is currently the Rays low A ball team. Before the Rays they were a Dodgers team and retired Tommy Lasorda’s number 2 the same day Chuck Tiffany pitched a perfect game. Before the Catfish they were the South Georgia Waves. Everytime they have moved it is because of they shady owner moves teams every few years to get a brand new stadium.[/quote]

    And before playing in South Georgia, they were the Wilmington (NC) Waves, joining the Sally League at the same time as the Lexington Legends. The Catfish/ Waves owner has been looking for a brand new stadium all along, thinking initially he was going to get it in Wilmington. Columbus, GA wasn’t going to invest in a new stadium, not after the park had serious upgrades only a few years ago, so the move to Bowling Green is hardly a surprise.[/quote]

    Let’s have a moment of silence for the Catfish – a great logo set about to be retired way before its time.[/quote]

    You would think with fromer Astros player Glenn Davis being a city councilman here in Columbus they would have fought harder to keep the Catfish specially since Columbus used to be home to several Astros teams in the past. Glenn Davis and H.B. ‘Spec’ Richardson just two of the connections between Columbus and the Astros.

    [quote comment=”285895″]Okay, who’s gonna be first to bid on these?

    link

    Ummm…Nobody. It’s a “Buy It Now”.

    [quote comment=”285903″][quote comment=”285895″]Okay, who’s gonna be first to bid on these?

    link

    Ummm…Nobody. It’s a “Buy It Now”.[/quote]

    Okay, sorry I brought it up, since that was the key point about the item and I obviously missed it.

    I am watching the Twins v. Angels game. Adam Everett (of the Twins) is wearing a jersey that says “MINNESTOA” Hah!

    My apologies up front if this has been covered. I have been on a family vacation to Mt. Rushmore for the week, so I have been off the board.

    Paul is no fan of the Little League World Series and the way they exploit, errrr, market the kids. I have not seen it the same way, until now.

    Click here to see how Activision has just released Little League World Series 2008 for Wii and DS. Maybe they can license Danny Almonte for the cover…

    Paul, I humbly admit you have been right this whole time.

    [quote comment=\”285909\”]Pretty cool look into the Oregon equipment room.

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    holy crap! 576 game uniform possibilities?

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