The most obvious answer is sometimes the one we most easily miss
By Phil Hecken
Lots more uni tweaks/redesigns/overhauls from you guys today. Good stuff. Interesting Stuff. Fun Stuff. It turned out there were so many people who wanted to tweak the Blue Jays, they’re getting their own column. Lets get started.
In the first set of tweaks, I mentioned there were numerous submissions for the Toronto Blue Jays. While there seems to be much love for the powder blues (although they really need to realize that is 1-NOT a home uniform and 2-NOT a pair of pajamas), there seems to be some universal disdain for the lack of actual blue in the Blue Jays these days. And of course, there is always great admiration for the back-to-back World Series champion uni worn in the Blue Jays heydays. So, not surprisingly, many of the readers would like to ditch the black (I mean, c’mon — this is the best they could do) and would like to return to something along these lines (the one Joe Carter is wearing, not Gene Tenace). Some fans have really had enough, expressing their distaste for the black in interesting ways
So, with the Blue Jays in need of an obvious change, what do the readers offer? There are some really interesting ones to follow. So, let’s take a look-see:
You may remember last time out we had a submission for the Twins from Matt Keller. He also provided me with one for the Jays:
I’m not legally eligible for a prize being 16, but I mess around in photoshop on occasion. (Here’s) a plain, but I think a clean looking Blue Jays uniform. It was made before the Twins uni, and if I could do it again, I’d like to change the numbers to something a little more retro.
Our next submission comes from Ben Sibley, a man of few words, but great suggestions:
A modern twist to a classic uniform
Thanks
Next up is UW Stalwart and a gentleman who aided me with a column a ways back, our Calgary lawyer, Mike Styczen “Mike 2” (who is also a Blue Jays tracker). I’m not sure if Mike wasn’t being tongue-in-cheek with his submission:
For your ongoing column on MLB uniform redesigns, I’ve got one (attached) for the Blue Jays.
Its not very imaginative. They already have their perfect uniform in their past, 1989-1996, and the logo dates back to their founding. The fans loved it, they won two World Series wearing it. I don’t see any need to change a thing.
Um…thanks Mike. Moving along, reader Brian Cheung (who posts as “Random Reader”) is a man of many words. That’s fine, I enjoy when you guys explain your work. Here’s Brian:
Hey, LI Phil:
I just want to thank you for commenting on my mock-up Blue Jays road jersey. For a while now, I always wondered how they’d look with more blue in their jerseys and I finally decided to put my creative skills to use.
I’m actually a Yankees fan but I’ve just been bothered in recent years by all the black in the Blue Jays uniforms, that wacky font they use for numbers, and how the road jerseys and home jerseys don’t have matching fonts. To put it simply, I felt they could look a whole lot better.
I’ll start with their current road jersey first. I thought of it as being a step in the right direction for Toronto, since it employs a little more blue than the previous uniform in 2007, with that funky “Toronto” script in silver, graphite and white. After seeing this photo, I edited it by adding some red around the front logo and the numbers. I also made the cap blue, the sleeves blue, and tried to add blue accents in on the cap. I was quite surprised primary logo by changing the silver and graphite to shades of powder blue, in order to include a reference to the past in their current logo. I also darkened the blue jay itself, changing it from that light shade of blue to something more of a royal blue. I changed the blue border to red because red was always a color present in their logos and I thought their current logos looked very bland without red as an accent. I did the same with the road cap; I eliminated the silver and replaced it with powder blue and I also included some red to serve as a border.
Next was the jerseys. I actually used to like that wide font they use for names and that strange-looking font for numbers. But I got tired of seeing them and I suppose someone in the Blue Jays felt the same; the road uniforms changed in 2008 as the numbers were now in a different font, along with the logo on the front. But the road uniforms still had that italicized font. What I decided to do was employ the font used on the roads (I believe it is called Agency FB) and apply it to their home uniforms. I gave the nameplates the same font so that names don’t look like they take up half the uniform. I added powder blue to the numbers and gave them a red border. I kept the beveling effect as I see it as being a modernization of the classic Blue Jays number front, with that line running inside each number (I always thought it was cool and whenever I saw them, I always associated them with the Blue Jays). I altered the wordmark on the road uniform to make it powder blue””a nod to how the Jays once wore powder blue uniforms on the road. Originally, the wordmark was supposed to be royal blue but I realized the Jays would look too much like the Texas Rangers; I had to change it to powder blue to give the uniform its own look that won’t be mistaken for that of the Rangers.
For both the home and road, I got rid of the black socks, belts, and piping and made them blue. I also changed their all-black alternate uniform to make it an all-blue one. The team is named the Blue Jays after all, so it would only make sense to have some uniform have a lot of blue in it.
Hope you enjoy. I tagged most of the images just so others won’t try to pass my work as theirs.
Still more Blue Jays tweaks came in, this one from Matt Murray (who you may recall had earlier offered submissions for the Milwaukee Brewers). I have to say, this is some impressive work for someone who’s still in high school! Here’s Matt:
Phil,
Attached are some Blue Jays uniform ideas. These concepts for the Blue Jays mix in a throwback look similar to the current Friday uniforms. I was also sure not to include the script “Jays” anywhere in these uniforms because THAT ISN’T THEIR TEAM NAME! I also kept the concept free of black. I reverted back to the old “bird on ball” logo for the caps. I opted to keep the maple leaf on the sleeves because that is pretty much the only thing I like with the current uniforms. It’s something that signifies the uniqueness of the franchise as the only team North of the Border. Both powder and gray away concepts are included. I haven’t gone to school for graphic design or anything like that, nor have I graduated high school! But I think it’s the thought that counts with the uni concepts. Hopefully I “get it!”
Still on the Blue Jays train, next up is Brian Arnold, who I think sent me these a loooooong time ago when Paulie Soto and I did our Fauxback column. If he did, and I neglected to post them, I apologize. Anyway, getting the play they deserve, here’s Brian:
I sent this link as a email a while ago when you did an entry about “fauxbacks”. I just saw your recent call for submissions, so I’ll send it again, maybe it will get some attention this time. Blue Jays Home and Blue Jays Road.
Thanks,
Brian
Phew…next to last in the Blue Jays tweaks, we have Sean Wilson. Here’s Sean:
Blue Jays. Changed base color to blue instead of black and killed the ridiculous beveling on the wordmark.
Liked what you did with some of the NFL unis, especially the Falcons. On the Bengals, though, you’ve got to have the tiger striped pants stripe
Finally, we have UW Graphic Artist extraordinaire, Paul “Pretty Boy Paulie” Soto to round things out. Here’s Paul:
The Blue Jays have always had modern uniform designs. They never quite had an “old school” look. So what I wanted to give them here was a “classic” look. Complete with script wordmarks and serifed/bold numerals. Royal blue is their primary color, sky blue is their secondary and I kept the dreaded black as an accent color. An actual Blue Jay does have a black trim on their feathers. So, I can live with the black as long as it’s not the primary color. Plus I only regulated it to the road uniform. I feel it appears more appropriate there. We need more striped socks in the league so why not give ’em some. Here we have blue socks with alternating stripes that has white/sky blue at home and white/black on the road. The last time I did a Blue Jay uni modification I used a primary logo that combined two of their best logos in their history. It would be a dream to see them use that logo on their home caps and as a primary logo. The road cap features a script “T” that is loosely inspired by their current alternate cap. Stay “classy” Toronto.
“What about you, Phil? Don’t you have a Blue Jay mockup?” Well, sadly for you I do. I was never fond of the original wordmark/script, but I did love the bird. And I hate the current home and road scripts, with their beveling and black and gray. I was also not fond of the second generation font with the additional red. So I took their classic white and gray uniforms, and found the font to match those found in the Toronto Subway system. A very nice and basic font, but it’s classy and businesslike but not too formal. So — here’s the home and away look, with royal blue cap (also can use a sky blue cap at home and sky blue cap with sky blue trim and stirrups on the road). I just couldn’t bring myself to return the Jays to powder blue.
Well, there you have it. Obviously the Blue Jays should be the next MLB team to undergo a major overhaul. As we say, lots of “retro-inspired” designs, and a few who simply want to return the “blue” to the Blue Jays. My thanks to everyone who sent in a submission, and next time, we’ll get to the rest of the MLB overhauls.
OK, in case you missed it, last week, with the help of James Huening, I ran what we hope to be the first of several ‘unofficial’ polls to determine how we feel on uniforms. Don’t bother voting anymore, the poll is officially closed now. That poll, “Rate the NFL Home Uniforms” was an unmitigated success. We’ll have the results next week, but James wanted to give us a quick look at some of the preliminary results.
“Well, the votes are in. Some of the final results are still being tabulated, but the Uni Watch community has spoken and a team has been chosen as having the best home uniforms in the NFL. And it was truly a hard-fought battle for the top spot.
“If you recall, we asked you to rate each team’s home uniform from zero to five points. We also asked you to nominate a team as having the best uni and another as having the worst. Our top team averaged 4.24 points per response, barely edging out our second place finisher at 4.21. In addition, #1 was mentioned by 15% of you as having the best uni, compared to 12% for #2.
“The rest of our top five was equally competitive. The third, fourth and fifth place finishers’ average scores were 4.07 (9% of you thought they were the best), 4.05(6%) and 3.83(7%).
“So, to everyone who participated, thank you. It goes without saying that we couldn’t have done this without you and the response was overwhelming. We were hoping for 500, but we collected nearly 2,000 completed surveys! And people from literally all over the world checked in. We received responses from every continent. Yes, that includes Antarctica.”
Thanks, James. So now that the votes are in — which uniform do you think was rated THE BEST in the NFL? We’ll tell you next week, but why not give an early guess. Just post “Best: (insert team) ” down below.
In addition, a special thanks goes out to Adam Walter, who’s doing most of the heavy lifting on this endeavor, with his incredible data crunching and analysis.
Guess The Game From The Scoreboard: As the MLB season winds down this weekend, I’m running out of scoreboards…so, either you guys will have to keep sending me some, or we’ll be putting the game on a temporary hiatus. No worries today though, as SlimandSlam hooked me up with this one (although partial credit has to go to Squiddie)– and while in and of itself, it’s tricky, a little detective work on your part (read: the photo you’re about to see was run in one of my earlier columns) will help you solve it. Remember, PLEASE do not post the actual score and date, but rather, use Retrosheet or Baseball Almanac to link to your answer (if possible). Ready? Guess The Game. I think tomorrow we’ll try a football scoreboard, but I’m not sure how that will go over. Let me know what you think.
A Little Bit of This and That: Somehow we all missed the fact that the official team outfits for Canada’s 2010 Winter Olympics team were unveiled in Vancouver, and some are calling them, “Hoser chic,” while others are suggesting it smacks of a Conservative conspiracy and others noting similarities to an iconic Canadian military symbol. … The Oregonian is getting a lot of mileage out of their Dress The Ducks thingy, even encouraging opposition fans to clothe the U of Zero Ducks in the worst possible combo … This item was posted earlier this week, but it proves once again that worst uniform polls should be decided by UW readers — in fact, in the coming weeks, we’ll be doing just that — stay tuned …Turns out they had to update the poll after readers had other thoughts about those worst unis … This article on the Islanders’ affiliate the Bridgeport Sound Tigers states they will wear uniforms this year that resemble those of the Islanders’ 1980 Stanley Cup dynasty. Unfortunately, no pics accompanied the article — little help? Teebz? … Apparently, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Which means every team, league and sport will be getting in on the pink uniform action … We all know that the Mets sucked this year, but according to NBCNewYork.com, the real villain in the 2009 Mets season was the shade of white used in the Mets’ home uniforms (sorta old news, but a nice shout out to Paul Lukas and the blog in the fourth graf) … If you thought the San Francisco 49ers were mixing too much purple into the red and too much yellow into the gold, well, you’re not alone … Pretty much no one knows that the NBA was segregated for it’s three first years of existence, which may not seem odd until you realize that Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in the same year the NBA was founded. Roger Murdock Kareem Abdul Jabbar is directing a tribute to the Harlem Rens, the “greatest team you never heard of.” (since you read UW, you have heard of the Preston Rivulettes). The Documentary will be called “On The Shoulders of Giants,” and there are sure to be some great unis in it … The soon to be defunct UFL unveiled its helmet art yesterday — and I hope the league is around long enough for someone to work on a full uni breakdown column with me … The FAU Owls, who have one of the best unis in college football, will be playing their 100th football game ever today … Pretty cool look at the Princeton University logos here … Did you ever want to know how Ice gets laid? If you said “a couple drinks, sweet talk and Flunitrazepam,” you’d be wrong. … When you play the “fourth” sport in a big city and you haven’t been relevant since the mid-80’s, what do you do? Why, rebrand yourself of course.
That’s a wrap for today. Next weekend I hope to have the “Design A Cap” submissions all flickr’ed and ready, we’ll have the results of the voting on the “NFL Home Uniform” poll, and more. And that’s just next weekend. And there’s even more good stuff coming tomorrow. Nice college football today, and still some meaningful baseball in Detroit and Minnesota (where the Twins are hoping for one last miracle before they shut the dump down cede ownership to the Mall of America). That could get very interesting because if the Twins and Tigers end up tied, the Twinks are supposed to host a tiebreaker on Monday — but there’s a twist, because the Dome might be busy. So they’d have to play Tuesday. Hmmmm.
Anyway, let the folks who mocked up some new Jay’s unis know what you think, and don’t forget to take a guess at what we, the Uni Watch community, thought was the best home uniform in football. Oh, and think pink.
Louisville did a “black out” last night and while their red jerseys say “Louisville” accross the chest, their blcak jerseys just said “The Ville”.
link
also, they switched the red helmet stripe and facemasks for black ones.
Good job with the Toronto tweaks.
Honestly, I’d prefer to see them wearing any one of those to what they currently wear.
Also, I’m glad that I’m not the only one who feels that black is not out of place on their unis… just not as the dominant color. Black and blue on the Blue Jays makes as much sense as black and orange does on the Orioles.
I wonder what we would have thought if the Orioles had kept the brown and orange when they moved from St. Louis to Baltimore and then switched the brown for black a few years ago.
Your font for the Jays outfit is terrible. Sorry but it’s so square and boring. Nice view of the Museum subway tiles though.
I really prefer the 1989-96 look, with a few tweaks. The whole rotten “Black Jays” look, conceieved by misguided marketers trying to reach the youth audience, simply has to go. (as do their poster children, Vernon Wells and J.P. Ricciardi).
Bring back something like the original bird and bring the blue colouring back! I really do like what one contributor did here, the third jersey being a deep blue instead of black. The powder blue was fun for a couple of years but that can go back to the Museum subway stop too.
[quote comment=”351757″]Louisville did a “black out” last night and while their red jerseys say “Louisville” accross the chest, their blcak jerseys just said “The Ville”.
link
also, they switched the red helmet stripe and facemasks for black ones.[/quote]
What does it say about me that I actually kinda like those?
Regarding that link of the “top ten worst uniforms”, my head always meets my desk when the Vancouver V is inevitably mentioned. I mean, come on, do those people even realise what it is?!
[quote comment=”351761″][quote comment=”351757″]Louisville did a “black out” last night and while their red jerseys say “Louisville” accross the chest, their blcak jerseys just said “The Ville”.
link
also, they switched the red helmet stripe and facemasks for black ones.[/quote]
What does it say about me that I actually kinda like those?[/quote]
I didn’t mind “The Ville” all-blacks, but the white-on-white treatment for Pitt was horrible: link
[quote comment=”351763″][quote comment=”351761″][quote comment=”351757″]Louisville did a “black out” last night and while their red jerseys say “Louisville” accross the chest, their blcak jerseys just said “The Ville”.
link
also, they switched the red helmet stripe and facemasks for black ones.[/quote]
What does it say about me that I actually kinda like those?[/quote]
I didn’t mind “The Ville” all-blacks, but the white-on-white treatment for Pitt was horrible: link
Yes, the Pitt uniforms were the Pitts. The Panthers should return to the yellow pants/script helmet era. Too much black for me in the Louisville uniforms, all red would have been better.
[quote comment=”351762″]Regarding that link of the “top ten worst uniforms”, my head always meets my desk when the Vancouver V is inevitably mentioned. I mean, come on, do those people even realise what it is?![/quote]
Yeah, they looked like clowns. I know what the “V” stood for, they still looked horrid.
As for the Blue Jays revamp, MAPLE LEAVES! They are OUR team, include the Leaf!
That worst uniforms slideshow from the Sun Times features a picture of Bill Walton in an “early 1970s San Diego Clipper powder blue get-up.” Can’t anyone use teh Internets anymore? There were, of course, no San Diego Clippers in the early 1970s, when they were the Buffalo Braves. How hard is it to get something like this right?
Also: all the hate directed at very old NFL uniforms (weird powder-blue Eagles; Decatur Staleys, etc.) seems totally misplaced to me. I wouldn’t want my team in those things 24/7, but they’re great, and totally evocative of football in the past.
Here are the Bridgeport Sound Tigers new sweaters: link
[quote comment=”351767″]Here are the Bridgeport Sound Tigers new sweaters: link
thanks, chris
i wonder if you can pay for one of those with visa
[quote comment=”351766″]That worst uniforms slideshow from the Sun Times features a picture of Bill Walton in an “early 1970s San Diego Clipper powder blue get-up.” Can’t anyone use teh Internets anymore? There were, of course, no San Diego Clippers in the early 1970s, when they were the Buffalo Braves. How hard is it to get something like this right?
Also: all the hate directed at very old NFL uniforms (weird powder-blue Eagles; Decatur Staleys, etc.) seems totally misplaced to me. I wouldn’t want my team in those things 24/7, but they’re great, and totally evocative of football in the past.[/quote]
Ugly is ugly. It doesn’t matter if it was used 50 years ago or not, a bad design is a bad design. While I really wonder if the original version of that Eagles uniform was actually that light of a blue, it’s still an ugly sight.
Whoops, sorry, Phil, meant to get this in to you this week. Anyway, my take on the Jays is an update of their classic unis and original logo.
Grr… link.
[quote comment=”351767″]Here are the Bridgeport Sound Tigers new sweaters: link
What the heck is a Sound Tiger? Do they hunt for Sight Antelopes or something? Compete for food against Muted Lions?
I think that in a general sense we throw around the term ‘ugly’ a bit too much especially when a uniform isn’t ‘ugly’ so much as ‘dated’. To me, the best uniforms are ones that would look good in ANY era, but that doesn’t keep me from appreciating uniforms that while fun and different (powder blue Iggles) would NOT look right in today’s game.
[quote comment=”351773″]I think that in a general sense we throw around the term ‘ugly’ a bit too much especially when a uniform isn’t ‘ugly’ so much as ‘dated’. To me, the best uniforms are ones that would look good in ANY era, but that doesn’t keep me from appreciating uniforms that while fun and different (powder blue Iggles) would NOT look right in today’s game.[/quote]
great point…i also think the type of finish on a uni has a lot to do with it…im pretty sure the original iggles uni was not shiny, like the repro was…had they made it in a matte finish, it have looked a lot better, even with the same color scheme.
for example, while im NOT a fan of the monochrome look, and especially the leotard monochrome look, when the cards went from a satiny finish on their old uni-scheme to a matte finish on the new one, i think it improved the overall appearance; now, they also added all those bumper stickers, so the uni is horrid, but the matte is definitely better than the sheen
wtf? not sure what happened on that third link, but here
[quote comment=”351774″][quote comment=”351773″]I think that in a general sense we throw around the term ‘ugly’ a bit too much especially when a uniform isn’t ‘ugly’ so much as ‘dated’. To me, the best uniforms are ones that would look good in ANY era, but that doesn’t keep me from appreciating uniforms that while fun and different (powder blue Iggles) would NOT look right in today’s game.[/quote]
great point…i also think the type of finish on a uni has a lot to do with it…im pretty sure the original iggles uni was not shiny, like the repro was…had they made it in a matte finish, it have looked a lot better, even with the same color scheme.
for example, while im NOT a fan of the monochrome look, and especially the leotard monochrome look, when the cards went from a link on their link to a link on the link, i think it improved the overall appearance; now, they also added all those bumper stickers, so the uni is horrid, but the matte is definitely better than the sheen[/quote]
I agree. It really only takes one misplaced element to make a uniform fall apart. I think everyone agrees that the Dodgers uniform is a classic but that satin one they had for a bit there… maybe not so much.
Phil, please chill out on the “strike through” coding. You seem to do it multiple times during your entries every week, and after the first time it gets kind of old…especially when it’s used four or five times.
How can anyone like the Louisville uniforms from last night? Ok, you can like the style, but come on…The Ville??? Talk about the dumbing down of America. What’s next? Is Miami going to come out Saturday with Da U across their chest? I thought this was the NCAA not street ball.
“The Ville”.
“Solid, Linc.” (gives black power sign)
dartmouth v upenn on vs. dartmouth has some interesting helmets. link they have “green” instead of riddell on the bumper
The Niners look is one of the best in the league.
HOWEVER.
1)Fix the abbreviated sleeve stripes.
2)The SF logo on the helmet still has the black trim. Lose it.
[quote comment=”351778″]How can anyone like the Louisville uniforms from last night? Ok, you can like the style, but come on…The Ville??? Talk about the dumbing down of America. What’s next? Is Miami going to come out Saturday with Da U across their chest? I thought this was the NCAA not street ball.[/quote]
I agree. I grew up in Louisville. Why does everything have to have DA STREET FLAVA, DIG?
The Ville. What’s next? DA FRISCO?
Urp.
[quote comment=”351781″]The Niners look is one of the best in the league.
HOWEVER.
1)Fix the abbreviated sleeve stripes.
2)The SF logo on the helmet still has the black
trim. Lose it.[/quote]
You mean gold trim. The 49ers logo has had a black outline for a long time.
[quote comment=”351772″][quote comment=”351767″]Here are the Bridgeport Sound Tigers new sweaters: link
What the heck is a Sound Tiger? Do they hunt for Sight Antelopes or something? Compete for food against Muted Lions?[/quote]
FWIW, Bridgeport is located on Long Island Sound. I guess that’s what they were going for.
Does anyone know why each NFL captain has different numbers of stars filled in on the bottom of the patch? I’ve checked the NFL site and couldn’t find anything about it. Thanks
[quote comment=”351785″]Does anyone know why each NFL captain has different numbers of stars filled in on the bottom of the patch? I’ve checked the NFL site and couldn’t find anything about it. Thanks[/quote]
check uniwatch FAQ
[quote comment=”351785″]Does anyone know why each NFL captain has different numbers of stars filled in on the bottom of the patch? I’ve checked the NFL site and couldn’t find anything about it. Thanks[/quote]
Number of years as captain since they started using those things.
Fine job fellas! Let’s order up a Diamondback redo soon before this season is over!
The AHL Sound Tigers are not wearing the uniforms of the 1980s Islanders cup teams. they are wearing a throwback to BEFORE the cup teams.
link
these were worn essentially from 1972-1978 (minor tweaks in 73 and 76). These are what the Islanders are wearing as a 3rd jersey, and what the Sound Tigers are wearing full time.
link
THESE were worn from 1978-1984, THESE were the cup jerseys. Why the Islanders aren’t wearing these, I’m not sure, but they are definitely not the same.
-Hockey Week in Review
hockeyweek.blogspot.com
Guess the game:
link
Methodology: Brute force search of Baseball-Reference.com. :-)
(Okay, it was slightly more scientific than that.)
Best uniforms in the NFL: Easy, Seahawks with their 1970\’s ambulance-lime green alternates.
didja ever wonder if minnie and sconie flipped helmets & colors?
me neither, but what the hell
[quote comment=”351785″]Does anyone know why each NFL captain has different numbers of stars filled in on the bottom of the patch? I’ve checked the NFL site and couldn’t find anything about it. Thanks[/quote]
even better link
[quote comment=”351791″]didja ever wonder if minnie and sconie flipped helmets & colors?
me neither, but link[/quote]
The M as a W almost works… not so much on the other one. Something about a dropshadow going UP is just wrong.
This is totally not uni related or sports related for that matter but “Paranormal Activity” is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen! It had my heart racing, hair standing on ends and I had a severe case of the chills. If you’re in the mood for a great horror flick and if it’s playing in your neck of the woods…YOU MUST SEE IT! It has achieved horror perfection.
…ok, back to the unis.
[quote comment=”351779″]”Solid, Linc.” (gives black power sign)[/quote]
I used to work with someone who saw Linc in an airport YEARS after the Mod Squad left the air. So my coworker called out “hey Linc, nice to see you!”; and the icy response from Mr. Hollywood was “the name is ….. Junior”.
My co-worker actually laughed and said “oh, okay” and walked on. Yeah, sorry I didn’t know your name since you’ve been so &^%$ busy with all those other acting jobs since the Mod Squad… :-))
[quote comment=”351790″]Guess the game:
link
Methodology: Brute force search of Baseball-Reference.com. :-)
(Okay, it was slightly more scientific than that.)
Best uniforms in the NFL: Easy, Seahawks with their 1970\’s ambulance-lime green alternates.[/quote]
Oh hell, the second part of my guess got messed up when I forgot the spam word & had to cut and paste. :-(((
Strictly based on Uniwatch demographics, my guess for the poll results on best uniform is Giants or Jets.
[quote comment=”351782″]I agree. I grew up in Louisville. Why does everything have to have DA STREET FLAVA, DIG?
The Ville. What’s next? DA FRISCO?
[/quote]
A high school near me has “the Brook” on their football uniform under their collar.
[quote comment=”351796″][
Strictly based on Uniwatch demographics, my guess for the poll results on best uniform is Giants or Jets.[/quote]
No way. The top 5 is going to consist of the Colts, Raiders, Packers, Bears and Chiefs. Probably not in that order.
[quote comment=”351791″]didja ever wonder if minnie and sconie flipped helmets & colors?[/quote]
Ricko’s at that game, correct?
[quote comment=”351782″][quote comment=”351778″]How can anyone like the Louisville uniforms from last night? Ok, you can like the style, but come on…The Ville??? Talk about the dumbing down of America. What’s next? Is Miami going to come out Saturday with Da U across their chest? I thought this was the NCAA not street ball.[/quote]
I agree. I grew up in Louisville. Why does everything have to have DA STREET FLAVA, DIG?
The Ville. What’s next? DA FRISCO?
Urp.[/quote]
LOL Nothin’ wrong with a little word swagger, yet, opponents could easily take this to The Vile.
[quote comment=”351782″][quote comment=”351778″]How can anyone like the Louisville uniforms from last night? Ok, you can like the style, but come on…The Ville??? Talk about the dumbing down of America. What’s next? Is Miami going to come out Saturday with Da U across their chest? I thought this was the NCAA not street ball.[/quote]
I agree. I grew up in Louisville. Why does everything have to have DA STREET FLAVA, DIG?
The Ville. What’s next? DA FRISCO?
Urp.[/quote]
“The Ville”? Horrible.
Even though it has been their nickname for years and not necessairly street lingo, I never liked Missouri putting MIZZOU on their basketball unis. IMO have fun calling them whatever you want, but stay with the real names on school issue printed material.
[quote comment=”351798″]No way. The top 5 is going to consist of the Colts, Raiders, Packers, Bears and Chiefs. Probably not in that order.[/quote]
My personal top would have a lot of those. Actually, being the uni traditionalist I am the first two I thought of were the Browns and Colts, strictly based on how little fudging around they had done thru the years.
I disqualified the Bears and Pack because being a huge Bears fans I knew I couldn’t be dispassionate about either. Lions would have been up there, except they just had to go black, didn’t they? :-( Raiders & Chiefs are two more good choices; I guess I wasn’t thinking AFL at first.
[quote comment=”351801″]
Even though it has been their nickname for years and not necessairly street lingo, I never liked Missouri putting MIZZOU on their basketball unis. IMO have fun calling them whatever you want, but stay with the real names on school issue printed material.[/quote]
I’m right there with you… but the real issue here is what the players want.
I think mostly in basketball (but somewhat in football also) they do these types of things to satisfy the players wishes. I’d guess it all started with players saying they were from “The U” so often as they were introduced.
[quote comment=”351798″][quote comment=”351796″][
Strictly based on Uniwatch demographics, my guess for the poll results on best uniform is Giants or Jets.[/quote]
No way. The top 5 is going to consist of the Colts, Raiders, Packers, Bears and Chiefs. Probably not in that order.[/quote]
Sounds about right, but I think I rated the Jets pretty highly too. Giants didn’t fare so well though.
My top uniform vote was for the Packers though. I’m expecting Packers or Chiefs at the top.
[quote comment=”351803″][quote comment=”351801″]
Even though it has been their nickname for years and not necessairly street lingo, I never liked Missouri putting MIZZOU on their basketball unis. IMO have fun calling them whatever you want, but stay with the real names on school issue printed material.[/quote]
I’m right there with you… but the real issue here is what the players want.
I think mostly in basketball (but somewhat in football also) they do these types of things to satisfy the players wishes. I’d guess it all started with players saying they were from “The U” so often as they were introduced.[/quote]
Honestly, you have a point. Players usually want something ‘cool’. And a college jock’s idea of cool is different from ours.
[quote comment=”351795″][quote comment=”351779″]”Solid, Linc.” (gives black power sign)[/quote]
I used to work with someone who saw Linc in an airport YEARS after the Mod Squad left the air. So my coworker called out “hey Linc, nice to see you!”; and the icy response from Mr. Hollywood was “the name is ….. Junior”.
My co-worker actually laughed and said “oh, okay” and walked on. Yeah, sorry I didn’t know your name since you’ve been so &^%$ busy with all those other acting jobs since the Mod Squad… :-))[/quote]
In contrast:
I was at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, (whatever year the Niners abused the Broncos) and was standing on the concourse when the guy who played T.C. on Magnum P.I. came strolling by. Not knowing his real name I blurted out “Hey T.C.”. My buddy about fell out thinking I had insulted him, but he couldn’t have been nicer. (Maybe he was a Niner’s fan).
Niner’s fan).
Sorry, should be “Niners”.
Why don’t they just change their names to the Black Jays and be done with it?
[quote comment=”351778″]How can anyone like the Louisville uniforms from last night? Ok, you can like the style, but come on…The Ville??? Talk about the dumbing down of America. What’s next? Is Miami going to come out Saturday with Da U across their chest? I thought this was the NCAA not street ball.[/quote]
I agree, it’s a reflection of today’s culture, you also see the names of players shortened or silly nicknames for no good reason. Hate to say it, but the situation will only get worse in the years to come. The culture is indeed getting dumber, with an even shorter attention span.
In the realm of uniforms, we’ll see more of this trendy nonsense in the future. Traditional looks will become even more scarce, and more teams will adopt names like “The Ville”. These programs will do anything to appeal to the high school senior.
[quote comment=”351764″][quote comment=”351763″][quote comment=”351761″][quote comment=”351757″]Louisville did a “black out” last night and while their red jerseys say “Louisville” accross the chest, their blcak jerseys just said “The Ville”.
link
also, they switched the red helmet stripe and facemasks for black ones.[/quote]
What does it say about me that I actually kinda like those?[/quote]
I didn’t mind “The Ville” all-blacks, but the white-on-white treatment for Pitt was horrible: link
Yes, the Pitt uniforms were the Pitts. The Panthers should return to the yellow pants/script helmet era. Too much black for me in the Louisville uniforms, all red would have been better.[/quote]
All though I agree the Cardinals do in fact look more pleasant in red uniforms, I think an all red uniform would have been terribly out of place on a Black Out night. Hence, the black uniform…
[quote comment=”351806″]
I was at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, (whatever year the Niners abused the Broncos) and was standing on the concourse when the guy who played T.C. on Magnum P.I. came strolling by. Not knowing his real name I blurted out “Hey T.C.”. My buddy about fell out thinking I had insulted him, but he couldn’t have been nicer. (Maybe he was a Niner’s fan).[/quote]
At some point I think a lot of these guys stop being all PO’d about being typecast, and embrace their “identity”. Methinks it has a lot to do with how often they get jobs after their first starring role. But sooner or later they don’t mind the “hey, it’s Screech from Saved by the Bell!” greeting.
I have always despised the Blue Jays for a number of reasons: I was an Expos fan from the beginning and when the Jays began in ’77, the Canadian media largely jumped on their bandwagon and abandoned my beloved Les Expos. Then when they started to win and finally broke through in the early 90s the bandwagon-jumpers were unbelievable. And finally, when they adopted their current black-centric unis a few years ago it was just more fuel for the fire.
Because I didn’t care for the team, I never had the love for the original unis that many seem to share. I think the font they used always looked a little funky and now looks very dated. Of the redesigns shown, I like Ben Sibley’s, Random Reader’s, and Phil’s, in no particular order. Phil’s is genius in the use of the TTC font — to me that just screams Toronto.
[quote comment=”351811″][quote comment=”351806″]
I was at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, (whatever year the Niners abused the Broncos) and was standing on the concourse when the guy who played T.C. on Magnum P.I. came strolling by. Not knowing his real name I blurted out “Hey T.C.”. My buddy about fell out thinking I had insulted him, but he couldn’t have been nicer. (Maybe he was a Niner’s fan).[/quote]
At some point I think a lot of these guys stop being all PO’d about being typecast, and embrace their “identity”. Methinks it has a lot to do with how often they get jobs after their first starring role. But sooner or later they don’t mind the “hey, it’s Screech from Saved by the Bell!” greeting.[/quote]
And If you greeted William Shatner with “Hey, TJ Hooker!”, he would look at you and go “Really?”
Depends on their body of work too. People might have known him for that. But if that’s the think you recognize Shatner for, you have issues.
[quote comment=”351813″][quote comment=”351811″][quote comment=”351806″]
I was at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, (whatever year the Niners abused the Broncos) and was standing on the concourse when the guy who played T.C. on Magnum P.I. came strolling by. Not knowing his real name I blurted out “Hey T.C.”. My buddy about fell out thinking I had insulted him, but he couldn’t have been nicer. (Maybe he was a Niner’s fan).[/quote]
At some point I think a lot of these guys stop being all PO’d about being typecast, and embrace their “identity”. Methinks it has a lot to do with how often they get jobs after their first starring role. But sooner or later they don’t mind the “hey, it’s Screech from Saved by the Bell!” greeting.[/quote]
And If you greeted William Shatner with “Hey, TJ Hooker!”, he would look at you and go “Really?”
It depends on their body of work. People might have known him for that. But if that’s the thing you recognize Shatner for, you have issues.[/quote]
Holy… That was convoluted. I can’t type today. Fixed now.
I think all the folk at the T.J. Hooker conventions would disagree.
[quote comment=”351781″]The SF logo on the helmet still has the black trim. Lose it.[/quote]
Not a fan of link, eh?
Now that I look at that, you’re probably right. A white or gray outline would look a lot better.
Best: Jets.
Chiefs and Packers are right behind them.
Best Blue Jays: Ben.
Brian’s double-blue road hat and Phil’s powder hat deserve much love, though. Everyone did well – any of them could replace what the Black Jays are wearing now.
If Pitt and the ‘ville played today, they’d be in the running for the bad one in the uni-matchup list.
link My least favorite of the combinations, because I’m not too crazy about the black shiny pants. I will update the link
Make that, black pants. Since it seems like they’re all matte.
Those black Ducks pants don’t look shiny.
[quote comment=”351765″][quote comment=”351762″]Regarding that link of the “top ten worst uniforms”, my head always meets my desk when the Vancouver V is inevitably mentioned. I mean, come on, do those people even realise what it is?![/quote]
Yeah, they looked like clowns. I know what the “V” stood for, they still looked horrid.
[/quote]
“V” for Vancouver? For Victory? I give up, enlighten me, what’s the ugly V on the old Canucks uni stand for?
[quote comment=”351783″][quote comment=”351781″]The Niners look is one of the best in the league.
HOWEVER.
1)Fix the abbreviated sleeve stripes.
2)The SF logo on the helmet still has the black
trim. Lose it.[/quote]
You mean gold trim. The 49ers logo has had a black outline for a long time.[/quote]
I didn’t make my earlier comment clear. What I meant was, the current helmet logo has the red oval with SF inside..then a somewhat ellipsoidal black oval around THAT. I like that look- but I’d make that outside thing red.
make that black trim red.
link
and then there was this. ACK.
link
link
Best: Chicago Bears
Off the subject a bit, but check out this post about retired numbers in baseball:
link
[quote comment=”351822″][quote comment=”351783″][quote comment=”351781″]The Niners look is one of the best in the league.
HOWEVER.
1)Fix the abbreviated sleeve stripes.
2)The SF logo on the helmet still has the black
trim. Lose it.[/quote]
You mean gold trim. The 49ers logo has had a black outline for a long time.[/quote]
I didn’t make my earlier comment clear. What I meant was, the current helmet logo has the red oval with SF inside..then a somewhat ellipsoidal black oval around THAT. I like that look- but I’d make that outside thing red.[/quote]
not quite sure what you’re lookin’ for brinke…
here’s what you get when you made the outside oval
red
darkish gray
and deep red
i don’t think any of them work better than the black, but the deep red is interesting
I kind of like the idea of the Blue Jays using black, if not the execution, because blue jays, the birds, are mainly blue and black. And royal and black can, if used carefully, make an excellent color scheme. (See the St. Paul Saints for the master class in how to mix royal and black. The Saints are the anti-Mets in this regard.)
To that end, I worked up a design for a Toronto cap logo that would mix royal and black, anchor it in a more literal relationship from the bird from which the team draws its name and colors, and also bring back the distinctive two-color inlined text of the Jays glory years. Never got around to jersey scripts and full uniforms, but I’ve always kind of liked the cap logo, linked below as a logo and a cap mockup:
Cap logo (link)
Cap mockup (link)
maybe it’s only in the uni-fiend community, but the consensus seems to be that the Blue Jays already had a perfect look in their heyday, and the front office seems oblivious to the desires of its fanbase. When a team stinks on the field, it should try its hardest to please its fans off the field.
I did a mock-up of David Wright in cream, as well as how the non-pinstripe Mets uni would look in cream here:
link
D’oh! Here are working links to my Blue Jays redesign:
link
link
Whose helmet is more “boring?” link or link?
The Illini get my vote. They should use link.
The link should sue.
[quote comment=”351826″]i don’t think any of them work better than the black, but the deep red is interesting[/quote]
Of the three, I like the gray the best, but a lighter shade (facemask color) would probably work better.
[quote comment=”351830″]Whose helmet is more “boring?” link or link?
The Illini get my vote. They should use link.
The link should sue.[/quote]
The logo that you linked for at Illinois is technically the “academic” logo (at least it was when I was a student there and it was launched.) However, as an alumni, I agree that they should use a different logo – the “power I”.
Even though it has been their nickname for years and not necessairly street lingo, I never liked Missouri putting MIZZOU on their basketball unis. IMO have fun calling them whatever you want, but stay with the real names on school issue printed material.
That might be a problem with the University of Missouri. I taught there for a year in the mid-’90s. At least at that time, the other campuses in the system–KC, St. Louis, and Rolla–had pressured the Board of Curators (what they call the regents in the Show Me State) into insisting that no one school could refer to itself as “The University of Missouri” full stop. What sports fans know as “the University of Missouri” was always “The University of Missouri-Columbia” on paper. I think that they were explicitly allowed to drop the “Columbia” from their sports teams (after all, none of the other campuses play D1 sports). But I remember that the school had to fight (apparently successfully) to refer to itself as “Mizzou.”
Illini helmets?
Chief.
[quote comment=”351832″][quote comment=”351830″]Whose helmet is more “boring?” link or link?
The Illini get my vote. They should use link.
The link should sue.[/quote]
The logo that you linked for at Illinois is technically the “academic” logo (at least it was when I was a student there and it was launched.) However, as an alumni, I agree that they should use a different logo – the “power I”.[/quote]
Yeah, I know it’s not a logo that the athletic department uses, I just like it.
Just clicked to the ND game.
The guy has the Adidas logo on the visor shield tabs..and ALSO ON THE EYE BLACK TAPES. Four Adidas logos. One one his jersey..then he pulls off the helmet and there\’s one on his headband.
GAAACK
No UHL love? I am glad they finally took the marketing of their teams seriously by getting a professional team to design them. I like the logos and the use of the center strip on the helmets. They even made a lame Redwoods name look pretty cool. Not huge about the Pumba logo though.
Crap meant UFL
Looks like Bridgeport is covered.
Hockey Week pretty much nailed it, though. They are using the pre-Stanley Cup design. Not that it matters much, though, considering those uniforms are infinitely better than what both teams currently wear. :o)
[quote comment=”351813″]
And If you greeted William Shatner with “Hey, TJ Hooker!”, he would look at you and go “Really?”
Depends on their body of work too. People might have known him for that. But if that’s the think you recognize Shatner for, you have issues.[/quote]
Well, like I said: depends on how often someone works after that first starring role.
Shatner got some good work after Star Trek. Linc from the Mod Squad didn’t. I think after a while, Linc would eventually accept being called Linc.
But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he’s still out there, unemployed and angry.
they just called roughing the SNAPPER in the notre dame game. i’ve never heard of this before. anyone?
[quote comment=”351841″]they just called roughing the SNAPPER in the notre dame game. i’ve never heard of this before. anyone?[/quote]
after some googling, not sure if this is a stupid rule or not…and amazed about the number of britney spears related links
[quote comment=”351841″]they just called roughing the SNAPPER in the notre dame game. i’ve never heard of this before. anyone?[/quote]
I think it’s because of the way the long snapper stands. He’s super vulnerable with his head down like that, so you’re not allowed to hit him.
[quote comment=”351833″]Even though it has been their nickname for years and not necessairly street lingo, I never liked Missouri putting MIZZOU on their basketball unis. IMO have fun calling them whatever you want, but stay with the real names on school issue printed material.
That might be a problem with the University of Missouri. I taught there for a year in the mid-’90s. At least at that time, the other campuses in the system–KC, St. Louis, and Rolla–had pressured the Board of Curators (what they call the regents in the Show Me State) into insisting that no one school could refer to itself as “The University of Missouri” full stop. What sports fans know as “the University of Missouri” was always “The University of Missouri-Columbia” on paper. I think that they were explicitly allowed to drop the “Columbia” from their sports teams (after all, none of the other campuses play D1 sports). But I remember that the school had to fight (apparently successfully) to refer to itself as “Mizzou.”[/quote]
There has been a naming struggle going on in Missouri for years. When I went to SMSU in the early 90’s they were fighting then to be called Mo St. It wasn’t until years later that they accomplished this. Northeast MO St. changed thier name, and so did Central MO St. and Univ. MO-Rolla, so maybe Columbia can now be the University of Missouri as everyone knows them for anyway. As for calling themselves MIZZOU, I like the lingo, but just think it’s more proper to put MISSOURI on the jersey.
I just turned Wash./ND on before OT. Apparently it was raining…or did the Irish wear black jerseys today? Man, they’re dark. I miss the Gerry Faust-era blues.
[quote comment=”351843″][quote comment=”351841″]they just called roughing the SNAPPER in the notre dame game. i’ve never heard of this before. anyone?[/quote]
I think it’s because of the way the long snapper stands. He’s super vulnerable with his head down like that, so you’re not allowed to hit him.[/quote]
being that he’s technically an offensive lineman, it seems a little silly
Many times the long snapper can be another player, like a TE or RB who happens to be able to snap. Also, they are very vulnerable to getting jacked because they have their head down. In HS football you can’t cover the long snapper on a punt or field goal because they are protected by rule.
Did we know that Texas A&M would be wearing throwback helmets??? Well, they are sort of throwbacks – the ATM isn’t right.
[quote comment=”351777″]Phil, please chill out on the “strike through” coding. You seem to do it multiple times during your entries every week, and after the first time it gets kind of old…especially when it’s used four or five times.[/quote]
Phil, please continue to use the “strike through” coding. I read your entries every week in their entirety, and although after the first time it gets kind of old I am compelled to keep reading…especially when it’s used four or five times, which I am able to count because I read it from top to bottom and don’t miss a sentence.
[quote comment=”351847″]Many times the long snapper can be another player, like a TE or RB who happens to be able to snap. Also, they are very vulnerable to getting jacked because they have their head down. In HS football you can’t cover the long snapper on a punt or field goal because they are protected by rule.[/quote]
when you’re in the middle of the offensive line, you shouldn’t be treated like a kicker
[quote comment=”351850″][quote comment=”351847″]Many times the long snapper can be another player, like a TE or RB who happens to be able to snap. Also, they are very vulnerable to getting jacked because they have their head down. In HS football you can’t cover the long snapper on a punt or field goal because they are protected by rule.[/quote]
when you’re in the middle of the offensive line, you shouldn’t be treated like a kicker[/quote]
Yeah. And let’s bring back the clothesline tackle. Facemasking? Horsecollar? Whatever it takes. Shove your fingers in a guy’s nostrils to bring him down if you have to.
[quote comment=”351833″]Even though it has been their nickname for years and not necessairly street lingo, I never liked Missouri putting MIZZOU on their basketball unis. IMO have fun calling them whatever you want, but stay with the real names on school issue printed material.
That might be a problem with the University of Missouri. I taught there for a year in the mid-’90s. At least at that time, the other campuses in the system–KC, St. Louis, and Rolla–had pressured the Board of Curators (what they call the regents in the Show Me State) into insisting that no one school could refer to itself as “The University of Missouri” full stop. What sports fans know as “the University of Missouri” was always “The University of Missouri-Columbia” on paper. I think that they were explicitly allowed to drop the “Columbia” from their sports teams (after all, none of the other campuses play D1 sports). But I remember that the school had to fight (apparently successfully) to refer to itself as “Mizzou.”[/quote]
About two years ago, the Board of Regents voted to allow the University of Missouri-Columbia to drop “-Columbia”, so the Columbia campus is officially now “The University of Missouri.” The Rolla campus is now the Missouri University of Science and Technology (yes, MUST), and the St. Louis and KC campuses are UMSL and UMKC, respectively.
Not to be a dick, but put your head between your legs and snap a ball accurately at 12 yards and not worry about getting jacked by a couple of 300lb defensive tackles. The rule is in place to protect players in a vulnerable position. As a DC in a HS program I would love to be able to smack the crap out of the long snapper so we can block a few more punts or field goals, but it is not worth wrecking a kid’s playing days…
[quote comment=”351853″]Not to be a dick, but put your head between your legs and snap a ball accurately at 12 yards and not worry about getting jacked by a couple of 300lb defensive tackles. The rule is in place to protect players in a vulnerable position. As a DC in a HS program I would love to be able to smack the crap out of the long snapper so we can block a few more punts or field goals, but it is not worth wrecking a kid’s playing days…[/quote]
Right on. This is not a bad rule at all. There’s a huge difference between playing the center position (even in shotgun formation) and being the long snapper.
Not that playing the position is easy, but when the center snaps the ball, he’s got his balance and he’s in a position to block. The long snapper usually needs a moment to gain his balance.
Didn’t the NFL recently change the rule so that defensive players are no longer allowed to line up directly across from the snapper?
Quit being a fuckwit, Chad.
People shouldn’t have to suffer to die or get crippled for the love of fuckin’ football.
Dickhead.
5 games, 5 different looks for Oregon.
Are they going to have a different look for all 12 games and bowl game?
[quote comment=”351830″]Whose helmet is more “boring?” link or link?
The Illini get my vote. They should use link.
The link should sue.[/quote]
The Penn St. helmet is not boring! As a Cleveland Browns fan :-(, I should know! :-)
the Edmonton Oilers throwbacks they are wearing tonight sure look sweet, unlike the apron string/bib look of their regular unis.
Thanks, Phil, for posting the Blue Jays mock-ups.
Lots of other good work by the others, as well.
Oddly enough, the current Blue Jays look (particularly the black hat with the blue jay emerging from a stylized “J”) is actually pretty popular among the younger folk.
Now with Ricciardi fired, I wonder if management will want to rebrand the team in some effort to remove any visage of the Ricciardi regime and make more money in merchandise…
Bears best uniform. Period.
Beware when a marketing guru wants to take your team’s logo and unis and make them “what the kids today would want.” That when said guru oftengets tarred, feathered, and run out of town on a rail…which is what we fans would want!
Best home Unis in the NFL–The Chargers’ powder-blues!
Best away unis in the NFL–the Raiders’ retro silver-on-white.
Princeton’s new “Striped P” logo reminds me too much of the Bengals “Striped B.” You folks can do better than that!
A change in the Padre’s away unis would to put a script “San Diego (in blue)” on the front, but keep the sand colored jerseys. MLB teams use too much grey in their road duds…tradition be frigged! Dull grey unis inspire dull grey thinking and playing.
As for the U of Oregon’s mix-and-match mash-up-to-uni-hell:
The boys from Eugene might want to chop their options to three unis. A “all green” home uni, a “all white” road uni, and their throwback yellowhead unis as their third option.
Oh, and for you yahoos who cannot learn correct state-name pronounciation:
It’s “OR-A-GUN,” NOT “ORE-E-GONE.” My family makes it’s home in the Beaver State, and to hear folks use that second pronounciation of our state’s name drives us ballistic!
Thank You, and let’s keep the watch going!
–RKJ
I’m partial to both Paul and Phil’s options.
Paul have a really classic feel to them without being forced. Also well executed and through out.
I respect Phil’s bravery of putting what appears to be Futura on the uniforms. A sparse humanistic sans appears off on a jersey to me (because i don’t recall the last time I’ve seen one, i’m sure people can point me to them on here), but makes absolute sense for their legibility and the original purpose of the font as display type.
well played fellows.