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And If You Get a Flat in the Parking Lot, They Can Change It for You Really Fast

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Paul’s obviously still in Scotland, but he wanted me to run the following column this week. I’ll be back with a very special Benchies and the ticker below. Cheers. — Phil

[Editor’s Note: Whatever your feelings about NASCAR, I think everyone will enjoy today’s guest entry by Clark Ruhland, which showcases some uni-notable exhibits from the new NASCAR Hall of Fame. Enjoy. — PL]

By Clark Ruhland

The NASCAR Hall of Fame officially opened its doors on May 11th in Charlotte, North Carolina — the sport’s central city, hosting over 90% of the teams that field cars today.

This past Sunday, the Hall added its first five inductees in time for the week leading up to the annual Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The new Hall was in the works for over five years, giving the sport’s historians plenty of time to collect items. The layout includes over 30 cars from every era, along with trophies, memorabilia, and driver and crew uniforms. It’s cool to see how the artifacts chart the evolution of the sport. Here are some highlights that should be of particular interest to Uni Watch readers:

Sam Packard’s NASCAR official’s jacket, 1949: Packard attended the first meetings to form NASCAR in Daytona Beach in 1947 and served as one of the first officials when the sport began in 1949.

Lee Petty’s first NASCAR trophy and driver’s license, 1949: Lee Petty, the late father of inaugural Hall of Fame inductee Richard Petty, was a pioneer of the sport. He won the first Daytona 500 in 1959, but this trophy marked his first ever NASCAR victory. Above the trophy is his first license issued by the sanctioning body.

Tim Flock’s Kiekhaefer Mercury driver uniform, 1955: Carl Kiekhaefer fielded Mercurys with huge success. He was the first owner to uniform his entire team, setting the standard used today. Flock wore this uniform when he won the second of his two Cup titles.

Soldier Field checkered flag, 1956: This souvenir was sold during the two years NASCAR ran events at the home of the Chicago Bears. One of the greatest racing names ever, Fireball Roberts, won the only Cup event held there in 1956.

Driving suit cooling liner, 1960s: Many innovations were tested to combat the extreme heat that builds up inside racecars with the windows closed to prevent drag. This suit was based on technology used by the U.S. Air Force.

The first Winston Cup Series trophy, 1972: Before Sprint/Nextel sponsored NASCAR’s premier series, the cigarette company from North Carolina propelled the sport to the status it enjoys today. The Winston Cup Series was first won by Richard Petty, his fourth title.

Jeff Gordon’s leather jacket, 1976: Gordon wore this jacket while racing go-karts at local tracks when he was growing up in California tracks.

Janet Guthrie’s driving uniform and shoes, 1976: Guthrie was the first woman to compete in the World 600 in Charlotte. She drove in sports car races and Indy 500s. Her shoes were soft-soled from her road racing days, where drivers needed a soft touch on the pedals.

Dale Earnhardt’s helmet, 1991: Inaugural Hall of Fame inductee Dale Earnhardt was famous for wearing an open-faced helmet all the way until his death in 2001. He wore this helmet when he won his fifth Winston Cup championship in 1991.

Alan Kulwicki’s driver uniform, 1992: Kulwicki wore this uniform the day he won his only Winston Cup championship at Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 15, 1992. He won the championship by leading one more lap than his nearest competitor, Bill Elliott, in the closest championship battle to date. Kulwicki would die in a plane crash only 137 days later.

Dave Marcis’s wingtip shoes, 2002: Marcis raced in the Cup series from 1968 until 2002, competing in 883 races. His signature race-day apparel was his pair of wingtip shoes, which he wore instead of the usual racing shoes worn today.

There’s plenty more, including a hands-on layout of a race shop, car inspection areas, driving simulators, and more. I personally could spend all day on the third floor with the historical items.

~~~~~~~~~~

Benchies Header

Do you remember where you were when it all began? Well, here’s where it all began. Ladies and gentlemen, the one, the only, Rick “Ricko” Pearson:

Once upon a time, two old friends were sitting on a bench, waiting for the rest of their team to arrive. There they sat, seriously pumped for the competition they awaited. Uh-huh, sure they were. Then the strangest thing happened. And that’s where it all started.

Here’s your very special Tuesday Benchies.

[Benchies appears every Saturday and Sunday on Uni Watch.]

~~~~~~~~~~

ticker 2

Uni Watch News Ticker: Interesting picture of Inter Milan’s Diego Milito celebrating his second goal of this weekend’s Champions League Final, notes Jordan Guthmann. Check out the compression shorts underneath his actual uni shorts. Same Number in the exact same place with the same font. … Chalk on up for the little guy? Maybe. The Supreme Court has sided with American Needle, overturning lower court rulings throwing out an antitrust suit brought against the league. More info here. … James Huening, Blackhawk fan, notes that the CNA building has been turned into a 20-story tall tribute to the Blackhawks. … Ben Thoma found a nice little story about a the revival of vintage baseball in Jersey City. … Patrick Runge found this neat article about Six things we miss about the World Cup — Check item #3 and #4 for a discussion of what people miss about old World Cup kit problems and old World Cup posters. Some of the posters are pretty darn gorgeous. … More from Patrick: Hartford Colonials unveil new logo: “Because,” says Patrick, “who knew Hart Ford was two words?” Gregory Krejmas follows with the logo and graphics. — OK, I realize the bottom graphic is the “helmet stripe,” but really? … In the “too weird for words” department, Mike Edgerly notes, “After Bayern Munich returned to Germany after their loss in the UEFA Champions League final, they were given large Gingerbread Hearts to wear around their necks when they got off the plane. According to Fox Soccer channel, these ‘cakes’ are part of some German tradition… well…right… whatever.” … Bo Baize snagged company tickets for Wednesday’s Rockies game. Why is this notable? They feature Dexter Fowler, the guy who infamously lost his glove chasing a deep fly on Sunday … Nice catch by B. Thom who found this item buried in the USPS press releases, announcing Negro Leagues Baseball stamps, to be issued in June, will pay tribute to the all-black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to about 1960. … Brett Crane reports that according to the Utah Jazz owner’s mailbag, the Jazz will be switching Jeff Hornacek’s retired jersey banner from the Jazz mountain logo back to the music note logo which will match all other jerseys hanging in the rafters. … Nice “heads up” for anyone who is interested, from Jim Wooley, that Classic Collectibles has an auction featuring some pretty sweet hockey jerseys, etc., including Paul Henderson’s game worn from the 72 Summit Series … Sean Clancy noticed yesterday’s ticker photo of Venus Williams, and asks, “think Venus inspired by rider no. 109 (Martin Pedersen of Denmark) in this photo from stage 3 of this year’s giro d’ italia?” … Pittsburgh’s finest, Ryan Connelly found this “football jersey style” shirt, which, according to the seller, is an “original 1973 orange & white football jersey style shirt of Bowling Green University.” … Matt Motl was browsing the NCAA 11 website when he came across this screenshot. Looks like EA will be including the special uni set that Nike debuted this past season (at least for TCU). … Big-time Boys fan Brinke Guthrie notes the Cowboys have unveiled their 50th Anniversary Logo. Kristoper Hunt also sent along that graphic with the following description, “Yeesh. I’m all for simplicity with these kinds of things but this smacks of a young designer spending 20 minutes with Adobe Illustrator, slapping some elements together that only kinda-sorta go together.” Well said. … Usually, when a baseball team files for bankruptcy, it’s seen as a bad thing (thanks Ricko). … Bowling Green State University’s baseball team had throwbacks made to celebrate the 100th aniversary of the school opening a few weekends ago and wore them for just the second time on senior day this past weekend, writes David Paul Arnold. “The logo on the hat is the same logo that’s on the socks underneath the hockey socks.” Um, if they’re throwbacks, shouldn’t they be wearing stirrups? Just askin’ … Kevin Brown has added to the growing collection of misspelled names — In this case, it’s Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream.

~~~~~~~~~~

The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car its the one who refuses to lose. — Dale Earnhardt

 
  
 
Comments (69)

    Great piece, Clark. It’s always nice to see racing in UniWatch, since the drivers and crews certainly wear uniforms.

    Minor nitpick: Carl Kiekhaefer actually fielded Chryslers link.

    Paul, as a professional graphic designer in the sports design industry, I can GUARANTEE you that cowboys logo was NOT a student design done in 20 minutes. Trust me. They used some really quality typefaces (including Tungsten from Hoefler & Frere-Jones) and put a lot of thought and effort into the bevel on the 50. No, this reeks of upper management taking several quality design options and dumbing it down to what they think they want. Having worked with professional teams, including NBA teams, I can tell you that often times there’s a lot of really creative ideas that get thrown by the wayside. It’s a boring design, for sure, but it’s certainly not slapped together haphazardly.

    Great piece. Since this blog is all about aesthetic minutea, I’d like to point out that Marci’s shoes are longwings, not wingtips.

    Kind of odd that NASCAR just opened a Hall of Fame after being around for oh-so-many years?

    I still don’t get why Dexter Fowler being on the Rockies ticket is notable.

    On Mondays “Coachs Corner” segment, Don Cherry suggests the San Jose Sharks get rid of their teal color and stick with black.

    As you folks set very high standards for accuracy, I wanted to correct something, as I am a racer as well as Uniwatch aficianado.
    The cars referred to as go-karts in the photo illustrating Jeff Gordon’s early racing days are quarter-midgets, not go-karts. They’re quite different, although I won’t bore you with the many differences.
    While we’re at it, “go-kart” was a brand name. Karters call them “karts.”
    Nit-picking, to be sure, but on a site where striping is debated, appropriate, I think.
    I love the site, by the way.
    Thanks.

    [quote comment=”391523″]Kind of odd that NASCAR just opened a Hall of Fame after being around for oh-so-many years?[/quote]

    That’s because there’s a Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega.

    [quote comment=”391525″]On Mondays “Coachs Corner”

    segment, Don Cherry suggests the San Jose Sharks get rid of their teal color and stick with black.[/quote]
    link: link

    Try googling “gingerbread hearts” and maybe you will learn something about the world. I’m sure the Bavarians think a lot of our traditions are pretty silly too.

    Mia san mia…

    [quote comment=”391528″][quote comment=”391525″]On Mondays “Coachs Corner”

    segment, Don Cherry suggests the San Jose Sharks get rid of their teal color and stick with black.[/quote]
    link: link

    When it comes to style, Don Cherry would be the last person I’d consult about anything. The Sharks should do the opposite he suggests, lose that boring black alternate jersey, and stick with teal as the primary color.

    [quote comment=”391521″]Paul, as a professional graphic designer in the sports design industry, I can GUARANTEE you that cowboys logo was NOT a student design done in 20 minutes. Trust me. They used some really quality typefaces (including Tungsten from Hoefler & Frere-Jones) and put a lot of thought and effort into the bevel on the 50. No, this reeks of upper management taking several quality design options and dumbing it down to what they think they want. Having worked with professional teams, including NBA teams, I can tell you that often times there’s a lot of really creative ideas that get thrown by the wayside. It’s a boring design, for sure, but it’s certainly not slapped together haphazardly.[/quote]

    This is also well said. I should know better because I’m in the design industry as well (and a big fan of H&FJ). I can absolutely see where a professional designer was beaten down by his/her handlers to end up at this final version.

    Who do you think helps this guy pay his bills?

    link

    He might be tigers new swing coach …. and needless to say he is a Nike guy.

    The wordmark portion of the Hart Ford Colonials logo is nice – just the word “COLONIALS”. The rest of that mishmash surrounding it – ugh. Looks like angels wings.

    -Jet

    [quote comment=”391532″]I am sooooo lusting after that 1956 checkered flag.

    -Jet[/quote]

    too much detail, or i’d say that would be a really interesting DIY!

    for some reason, I am having trouble accessing flickr – in fact, I cannot access ANY Yahoo service or site right now…hmmm….

    [quote comment=”391535″][quote comment=”391532″]I am sooooo lusting after that 1956 checkered flag.

    -Jet[/quote]

    too much detail, or i’d say that would be a really interesting DIY![/quote]

    It wouldn’t be too bad. Recreating the logo would be easy then it could simply be screenprinted onto an existing flag.

    [quote comment=”391537″][quote comment=”391535″][quote comment=”391532″]I am sooooo lusting after that 1956 checkered flag.

    -Jet[/quote]

    too much detail, or i’d say that would be a really interesting DIY![/quote]

    It wouldn’t be too bad. Recreating the logo would be easy then it could simply be screenprinted onto an existing flag.[/quote]

    yeah, but you don’t want to screen print that beaut! right?

    [quote comment=”391538″][quote comment=”391537″][quote comment=”391535″][quote comment=”391532″]I am sooooo lusting after that 1956 checkered flag.

    -Jet[/quote]

    too much detail, or i’d say that would be a really interesting DIY![/quote]

    It wouldn’t be too bad. Recreating the logo would be easy then it could simply be screenprinted onto an existing flag.[/quote]

    yeah, but you don’t want to screen print that beaut! right?[/quote]

    but fred, looking at it again you’re right… there is WAY too much beautiful detail to stitch.

    would be an awesome project, and would turn out beautiful!

    someone should give it the ol’ college try!

    [quote comment=”391531″][quote comment=”391521″]Paul, as a professional graphic designer in the sports design industry, I can GUARANTEE you that cowboys logo was NOT a student design done in 20 minutes. Trust me. They used some really quality typefaces (including Tungsten from Hoefler & Frere-Jones) and put a lot of thought and effort into the bevel on the 50. No, this reeks of upper management taking several quality design options and dumbing it down to what they think they want. Having worked with professional teams, including NBA teams, I can tell you that often times there’s a lot of really creative ideas that get thrown by the wayside. It’s a boring design, for sure, but it’s certainly not slapped together haphazardly.[/quote]

    This is also well said. I should know better because I’m in the design industry as well (and a big fan of H&FJ). I can absolutely see where a professional designer was beaten down by his/her handlers to end up at this final version.[/quote]

    I was thinking the same thing. I heard a good thought yesterday: why not use gold instead of silver for the 50th?

    I’m not a huge fan of the blue arc there. I think a straight ‘1960’ and ‘2010’ in blue on either side of the ’50’ would have been better, if not more simple. Could also be converted to a more banner-looking treatment as is, and might be more engaging. The ’50’ is very nice, though, and the craftsmanship shown in fitting it into the star just so is excellent. There are no stray awkward pieces of outline or anything like that. Nice job there.

    Catching up from yesterday:
    Thank you for the pictures of the Canadian stadiums. I got into baseball in 85, but have zero memory of the Blue Jays playing outside of the SkyDome. Very interesting.

    As for today, the Nascar Hall of Fame looks cool, and I look forward to visiting someday. They have quite the colorful history.

    Three things:
    1. I don’t hate the Hartford logo. Busier than I’d expect, especially in this day & age, but not really too bad looking.
    2. No matter how old the graphic ‘artist’ was, they came up with yet another boring logo for the Cowboys anniversary. If it did take them more than 20 minutes, they should be fired for inefficiency.
    3. Mike Edgerly sounds like nothing more than a typically ignorant American unfortunately. Just link to the picture and keep your trap shut?

    Lee

    [quote comment=”391540″][quote comment=”391531″][quote comment=”391521″]Paul, as a professional graphic designer in the sports design industry, I can GUARANTEE you that cowboys logo was NOT a student design done in 20 minutes. Trust me. They used some really quality typefaces (including Tungsten from Hoefler & Frere-Jones) and put a lot of thought and effort into the bevel on the 50. No, this reeks of upper management taking several quality design options and dumbing it down to what they think they want. Having worked with professional teams, including NBA teams, I can tell you that often times there’s a lot of really creative ideas that get thrown by the wayside. It’s a boring design, for sure, but it’s certainly not slapped together haphazardly.[/quote]

    This is also well said. I should know better because I’m in the design industry as well (and a big fan of H&FJ). I can absolutely see where a professional designer was beaten down by his/her handlers to end up at this final version.[/quote]

    I was thinking the same thing. I heard a good thought yesterday: why not use gold instead of silver for the 50th?

    I’m not a huge fan of the blue arc there. I think a straight ‘1960’ and ‘2010’ in blue on either side of the ’50’ would have been better, if not more simple. Could also be converted to a more banner-looking treatment as is, and might be more engaging. The ’50’ is very nice, though, and the craftsmanship shown in fitting it into the star just so is excellent. There are no stray awkward pieces of outline or anything like that. Nice job there.[/quote]
    Because the Cowboys somehow decided they don’t need another clashing color on their uniforms.

    STURRUP solution! Make the pants with the stirrups SEWN IN. The pants should begin 1 inch above the top stripe, the same height for all teams: mid calf. The stirrups should be slightly elastic so that no more than 2 inches of white sock shows when stretched . Forget the higher rear cutout and make the under the foot thin and comfortable. Bring back uniform unis, like the NFL.

    I absolutely love the little Mighty Mouse patch on Alan Kulwicki’s uniform.

    Also, in the immortal words of Al Bundy:

    “HOOTERS! HOOTERS! HOOTERS!”

    [quote comment=”391544″][quote comment=”391540″][quote comment=”391531″][quote comment=”391521″]Paul, as a professional graphic designer in the sports design industry, I can GUARANTEE you that cowboys logo was NOT a student design done in 20 minutes. Trust me. They used some really quality typefaces (including Tungsten from Hoefler & Frere-Jones) and put a lot of thought and effort into the bevel on the 50. No, this reeks of upper management taking several quality design options and dumbing it down to what they think they want. Having worked with professional teams, including NBA teams, I can tell you that often times there’s a lot of really creative ideas that get thrown by the wayside. It’s a boring design, for sure, but it’s certainly not slapped together haphazardly.[/quote]

    This is also well said. I should know better because I’m in the design industry as well (and a big fan of H&FJ). I can absolutely see where a professional designer was beaten down by his/her handlers to end up at this final version.[/quote]

    I was thinking the same thing. I heard a good thought yesterday: why not use gold instead of silver for the 50th?

    I’m not a huge fan of the blue arc there. I think a straight ‘1960’ and ‘2010’ in blue on either side of the ’50’ would have been better, if not more simple. Could also be converted to a more banner-looking treatment as is, and might be more engaging. The ’50’ is very nice, though, and the craftsmanship shown in fitting it into the star just so is excellent. There are no stray awkward pieces of outline or anything like that. Nice job there.[/quote]
    Because the Cowboys somehow decided they don’t need another clashing color on their uniforms.[/quote]

    They thought it was okay link

    I gotta thank Jim Wooley for pointing out the hockey auction and allowing me to kill 2+ hours of non-productivity. I wanna post so many links, but allow me a few…

    Here’s both NOB and TNOB:
    link
    And another from Ivan Hlinka:
    link
    It’s weird seeing this much red on a Nordiques sweater:
    link
    More Quebec goodness:
    link
    I forgot how much was happening on these alts. Maybe Stevie Y can bring em back?
    link
    The Soviets looking oh so stylish:
    link
    And just some random old-timey goodness:
    link

    I’m not sure I understand “Benchies.” Aren’t comic strips supposed to be funny? What am I missing here?

    [quote comment=”391549″]I’m not sure I understand “Benchies.” Aren’t comic strips supposed to be funny? What am I missing here?[/quote]

    benchies is quite funny…this one happens to be the first EVER benchies (obviously not to appear on UW, but the first one rick ever penned)

    you’re entitled to your opinion, of course, but was that comment really necessary?

    As a 40something weekend warrior who still plays slowpitch, I thought Benchies was great.

    It takes some courage to do something creative and put it out there for public consumption. What have you done lately?

    [quote comment=”391551″]As a 40something weekend warrior who still plays slowpitch, I thought Benchies was great.

    It takes some courage to do something creative and put it out there for public consumption. What have you done lately?[/quote]
    It takes even more courage to put your early work out there, before it had developed into its current form.

    Bravo, Ricko.

    Glad to see some NASCAR love on UniWatch. I’ll be attending the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend, and I’m going to try to get to the Hall of Fame too.

    [quote comment=”391549″]I’m not sure I understand “Benchies.” Aren’t comic strips supposed to be funny? What am I missing here?[/quote]

    what were you thinking when you posted this? were you thinking you hadn’t done anything truly rotten yet today, and this offered you best chance to be a jerk? did you not get enough love from your mother growing up? i mean what is your excuse for being a scum bag? if you don’t like it, don’t read, and target your own hangups and insecurity somewhere else that cause you to tear someone else down in an effort to make yourself feel relevant. way to go steve, you are a big man.

    [quote comment=”391549″]I’m not sure I understand “Benchies.” Aren’t comic strips supposed to be funny? What am I missing here?[/quote]
    You’re the type of guy who goes to spelling bees and stands up and laughs every time one of the kids misspells a word, aren’t you?

    Well, I hope you feel better about yourself because clearly something’s missing in your life.

    How many meetings do you think it took to come up with that Cowboys 50th logo? Holy cow. Do you think Jerry Jones overpaid for it, or did they do it in house on the back of an envelope.

    Let’s see…star. 50. Dates. Boom. Sorted.

    In other logo news, the Portland Timbers – who are too cool for the minors – will be unveiling a series of online clues as to the logo they’ll use next year when they move up to MLS.

    link

    Well, lah tee dah.

    [quote comment=”391556″]How many meetings do you think it took to come up with that Cowboys 50th logo? Holy cow. Do you think Jerry Jones overpaid for it, or did they do it in house on the back of an envelope.

    Let’s see…star. 50. Dates. Boom. Sorted.

    In other logo news, the Portland Timbers – who are too cool for the minors – will be unveiling a series of online clues as to the logo they’ll use next year when they move up to MLS.

    link

    Well, lah tee dah.[/quote]

    Totally dig that Timbers logo.

    I know I should be able to find this myself, but can anyone find the picture of some MLB player (Jim Edmonds?) wearing ankle socks under stirrups? Can’t seem to find it on the UW Cubs/Braves throwback recap.

    Can’t even find that post.

    [quote comment=”391554″][quote comment=”391549″]I’m not sure I understand “Benchies.” Aren’t comic strips supposed to be funny? What am I missing here?[/quote]

    what were you thinking when you posted this? were you thinking you hadn’t done anything truly rotten yet today, and this offered you best chance to be a jerk? did you not get enough love from your mother growing up? i mean what is your excuse for being a scum bag? if you don’t like it, don’t read, and target your own hangups and insecurity somewhere else that cause you to tear someone else down in an effort to make yourself feel relevant. way to go steve, you are a big man.[/quote]
    Well, forgive me for playing Angel’s Advocate, but…
    I’ll bet this guy is a M-F reader only. (To this, I’ll say, Phil has good stuff on the weekends; if you can kill some office time following UW, maybe you could invest some personal weekend time as well. I promise, it’s worthwhile.) And as Phil stated, Benchies normally appear on the weekends. Lots of funnier strips in the weekend collection.
    This one was cute; the fact that it is the FIRST makes it even better, in context. But if this is your first Benchies viewing ever, Mr. Non-Weekend, congrats! You’re at the beginning, so knock yourself out with the rest.

    Ricko, please get a Benchies blog goin’, and make sure you use Photobucket, or, host the strips yourself. It would be nice to catch these every morning, as opposed to when I get home……..er Flickr challenged.

    [quote comment=”391558″]I know I should be able to find this myself, but can anyone find the picture of some MLB player (Jim Edmonds?) wearing ankle socks under stirrups? Can’t seem to find it on the UW Cubs/Braves throwback recap.

    Can’t even find that post.[/quote]
    I’ll bet you have this in mind, or at least close enough:
    link

    Re: American Needle

    It’s not yet a win for the little guy. All it is is confirming that the separate NFL teams aren’t one single entity. Now the case just gets to proceed on the merits rather than be dismissed before all the fun trial stuff. The NFL can still, and most likely will, win because of a concept known as the Rule of Reason.

    link has more on it.

    All the “Benchies” through Friday are from the original first-week continuity, to set up the strip’s premise. As such, they’re a lot more about exposition than necessarily delivering a punch line or revealing a bit of truth about these guys, or guys in general.

    Phil and I decided to do that for the sake of any new readers.

    And to those who offered support and kind words, thank you.
    Truly.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”391560″]Ricko, please get a Benchies blog goin’, and make sure you use Photobucket, or, host the strips yourself. It would be nice to catch these every morning, as opposed to when I get home……..er Flickr challenged.[/quote]

    Yeah, maybe you can even find a tech guy to help you out, Rick. ;o)

    Only teasing, bud. Let me know if you ever wanna start it up again.

    I applaud Ricko’s work on everything here. The Benchies included. The guy is an outstanding contributor to this site and makes it enjoyable for me and all others.

    [quote comment=”391549″]I’m not sure I understand “Benchies.” Aren’t comic strips supposed to be funny? What am I missing here?[/quote]

    You obviously don’t read the comic strips these days, do you?

    Benchies beats most of the stuff you see in the papers now. Most of today’s comics never even get a smile out of me – they’re either too political or too serious (like the 80s comedies that would have a “very special” episode once a year to try and get an Emmy) or they’re just plain un-funny.

    Ricko’s gotten some laughs out of me and a lot of smiles. If you can at least get a smile out your readers, then in my book you have a good comic. Keep reading, Steve, and hopefully you’ll agree.

    [quote comment=”391549″]I’m not sure I understand “Benchies.” Aren’t comic strips supposed to be funny? What am I missing here?[/quote]
    I think what you are missing is the fact that you, sir, are a douche.

    [quote comment=”391547″][quote comment=”391544″][quote comment=”391540″][quote comment=”391531″][quote comment=”391521″]Paul, as a professional graphic designer in the sports design industry, I can GUARANTEE you that cowboys logo was NOT a student design done in 20 minutes. Trust me. They used some really quality typefaces (including Tungsten from Hoefler & Frere-Jones) and put a lot of thought and effort into the bevel on the 50. No, this reeks of upper management taking several quality design options and dumbing it down to what they think they want. Having worked with professional teams, including NBA teams, I can tell you that often times there’s a lot of really creative ideas that get thrown by the wayside. It’s a boring design, for sure, but it’s certainly not slapped together haphazardly.[/quote]

    This is also well said. I should know better because I’m in the design industry as well (and a big fan of H&FJ). I can absolutely see where a professional designer was beaten down by his/her handlers to end up at this final version.[/quote]

    I was thinking the same thing. I heard a good thought yesterday: why not use gold instead of silver for the 50th?

    I’m not a huge fan of the blue arc there. I think a straight ‘1960’ and ‘2010’ in blue on either side of the ’50’ would have been better, if not more simple. Could also be converted to a more banner-looking treatment as is, and might be more engaging. The ’50’ is very nice, though, and the craftsmanship shown in fitting it into the star just so is excellent. There are no stray awkward pieces of outline or anything like that. Nice job there.[/quote]
    Because the Cowboys somehow decided they don’t need another clashing color on their uniforms.[/quote]

    They thought it was okay link[/quote]

    Understand what the Cowboys were thinking back in 1976, but they may not have added the red stripe if the NFL had done its job and required the bicentennial patch be worn for all teams during the 1976 season. The patch was well designed, and looked great on the Steelers and Cowboys uniforms during Super Bowl 10 in January of that year.

    [quote comment=”391570″]The NASCAR stuff looks kind of neat. However, I still believe this shirt.
    link
    Sorry NASCAR lovers. I’m just being honest.
    I had no intention of coming off like Steve Naismith.

    [quote comment=”391569″]Well, what do you know…a cold-weather Super Bowl:
    link

    it’s that goddam northeast bias at work again, jim

    [quote comment=”391556″]How many meetings do you think it took to come up with that Cowboys 50th logo? Holy cow. Do you think Jerry Jones overpaid for it, or did they do it in house on the back of an envelope.

    Let’s see…star. 50. Dates. Boom. Sorted.[/quote]

    Critique like this is terrible and ignorant. Valid or not, I will defend against evaluations of this sort on principle alone. You can’t just assume you know how the process went and what was said in the meetings, and unless you do know, you shouldn’t be rolling around making comments like that. It’s a total insult to the design process and to the people who actually put in the hard work to create and present these designs. Not every ‘boring’ design is created in five minutes, just like not every flashy design takes days to complete. Honestly, there is more cerebral time spent on a simple design (like the Cowboys’ 50th) than a cluttered design because the smallest detail or the slightest glitch in proportion can break the design. The craftsmanship and composition has to be impeccable.

    I’ll admit I don’t always read “Benchies”, but I will say this…If the UW ever instituted a Hall of Fame for Uniwatch, Ricko is a lock lead pipe cinch first ballot charter member.

    Period.

    Concerning the C-boys 50 year logo:

    Let the star stand alone. Their great iconic logo. We all know it. Let it speak volumes.

    Then, below the star (without touching the star) put the ribbon (straighten it out) and the 50.

    And get rid of those bevels. God, I hate bevels.

    [quote comment=”391572″][quote comment=”391569″]Well, what do you know…a cold-weather Super Bowl:
    link

    it’s that goddam northeast bias at work again, jim[/quote]

    For once I’ll take it!

    Wonder if they could truck in the Citrus Bowl’s old sod for the game…

    That driver’s cooling suit seems awfully bulky.
    link

    Surprised Nike hasn’t started a Pro Combat line of driver’s unis to wick away all the sweat.

    [quote comment=”391575″]Concerning the C-boys 50 year logo:

    Let the star stand alone. Their great iconic logo. We all know it. Let it speak volumes.

    Then, below the star (without touching the star) put the ribbon (straighten it out) and the 50.

    And get rid of those bevels. God, I hate bevels.[/quote]

    I think this would make the logo a little tall and ‘slappedtogetherlooking’ but I agree that they don’t really need anything more than the star.

    [quote comment=”391571″][quote comment=”391570″]The NASCAR stuff looks kind of neat. However, I still believe this shirt.
    link
    Sorry NASCAR lovers. I’m just being honest.
    I had no intention of coming off like Steve Naismith.[/quote]

    Don’t worry about it. I’m as hard-core a racing fan as I am a fan of all the other sports I watch.. I obsess over the liveries of the cars as much as I obsess over the little details in the uniforms of a football or baseball team.
    That being said, I’ve watched less and less nascar this year. Of course, a lot of that has to do with nascar’s swing-and-miss punishments they had out. I DVR every IndyCar, ALMS, Grand Am, and F1 race.. the only Nascar races I’ve caught have been the rain-postponed ones.

    Man, that’s a lot of words to say you didn’t come across as an ass. :)

    link
    i know the movie is old, but it is worth your while. at 4:19 you can see a good look at the twins orange uniform. also, i thought the white sox wore shorts more than once. goose gossage doesnt think so

    [quote comment=”391581″]http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=7188221
    i know the movie is old, but it is worth your while. at 4:19 you can see a good look at the twins orange uniform. also, i thought the white sox wore shorts more than once. goose gossage doesnt think so[/quote]

    You mean the Twins red jersey? Good thing they rarely wore those. It would be interesting if they did longer segments by decade on the different uniform styles.

    Three things:

    Jim Wooley, that classic collectible hockey stuff is niiiiiice.

    Ricko, I like the benchies. That and Dilbert are the only two strips I read now a days.

    Let’s get these comment numbers up!

    Didn’t comment on the red jerseys so here goes: MUCH better than black but still MUCH unneeded. How about a Green and Purple team? Different colors are sorely needed. And, much to the shagrin of the wonderful host, purple is not evil.

    Okay, that’s four things.

    [quote comment=”391576″]This might be old news, but this is a possible new link…[/quote]

    Now all we need is a team to wear it.

    [quote comment=”391584″]Three things:

    Jim Wooley, that classic collectible hockey stuff is niiiiiice.

    Ricko, I like the benchies. That and Dilbert are the only two strips I read now a days.

    Let’s get these comment numbers up!

    Didn’t comment on the red jerseys so here goes: MUCH better than black but still MUCH unneeded. How about a Green and Purple team? Different colors are sorely needed. And, much to the shagrin of the wonderful host, purple is not evil.

    Okay, that’s four things.[/quote]
    Too bad The Devil Rays switched. That would have solved your purple and green problem.

    As far as purple is concerned, I have a purple pair of Vans. That’s it. I don’t like to wear it otherwise.

    However, I agree that baseball needs more of it. I’ve said two things on Uniwatch before about purple in baseball.
    1-It fits the Rockies’ purple mountain magesty.
    2-The Royals should wear it.

    [quote comment=”391583″][quote comment=”391581″]http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=7188221
    i know the movie is old, but it is worth your while. at 4:19 you can see a good look at the twins orange uniform. also, i thought the white sox wore shorts more than once. goose gossage doesnt think so[/quote]

    You mean the Twins red jersey? Good thing they rarely wore those. It would be interesting if they did longer segments by decade on the different uniform styles.[/quote]

    I’d wear those red Twins jerseys. Oh yeah.

    [quote comment=”391570″]The NASCAR stuff looks kind of neat. However, I still believe this shirt.
    link

    That’s funny. I have one of those. But, I agree, the museum looks fascinating.

    i noticed during highlights of the champions league final that bayern’s arjen robben was wearing the powerband jersey style from adidas, with the wierd plastic lines like notre dames pants… are their any teams in the world cup that will be wearing that style?

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