There’s No Service Like Wire Service, Vol. 19

After a long absence, Mike Hersh is back with a new batch of wire photo finds — of these are from him, except as noted. Lots to like here, so let’s dig in:

• Many of the photos in this batch are Reds-centric, beginning with this one from 1958. The guy in the center is Cincy scout Ward Lanier. Not sure I’ve ever seen someone wear a vest jersey with no undershirt like that. Of course, Big Klu would go without sleeves, but not without the entire shirt.

• Speaking of Big Klu, the caption to this 1956 shot reads as follows: “Gus Bell, Cincinnati Reds, and Dr. Wayne Anderson, club trainer, testing the elastic in the shirt Ted Kluszewski will wear.” So the Reds were testing a stretch-knit jersey 14 years before the Pirates debuted theirs — amazing!

• And as long as we’re talking about Big Klu, here’s something I’d never thought of: When he went sleeveless with the White Sox, that meant he didn’t have a sleeve number like everyone else. (That one’s from Mike Steiner.)

• Here’s another example of Reds experimentation. The caption: “Gus Bell, Cincinnati Reds, shows Bob Nieman, a Cincinnati boy now playing with the Chicago White Sox, the new helmet the Reds are wearing.”

• Here’s a Reds spring training shot from 1958. The thing that caught my eye on this one was the little white spot at ankle level on most of the stirrups. Might just be a spot that needed to be darned, but it’s odd that it happened so many times in the same area.

• According to the caption, Bill Henry was juggling these baseballs. Seems unlikely (how can you juggle with a glove on one hand?), but I’m more interested in the uni number on his left sleeve. Wish teams would go back to that format today.

• Speaking of numbers on jackets, check out the little “2” under the bottom snap of the guy on the left. Was that a uni number too?

• The gent on the right is Rogers Hornsby, during his brief managerial stint with the Browns. Not sure who the Tigers guy is, but I sure like his striped turtleneck collar.

• Speaking of the Raja, someone needed to tell him that stirrups and high-tops don’t mix.

• Here’s visual proof that the Tigers’ cap and jersey logos didn’t match even way back in the ’20s. Also, I love the subtle contrast provided by the cadet collar.

• Totally digging Papa Bear’s jacket patch. That shot’s from 1963. Interesting to see that one of assistants wearing a headset — when did that start?

• Best practice shirt ever? It’s certainly in the running. The photo is from ’68.

• Never knew there was a minor league hockey team called the Denver Spurs. Great sweater, no?

• Not sure where the Globe Glass & Trim company was located, but they sure had a kick-ass hockey uniform/

• Must ”¦ have ”¦ this ”¦ sweater. Seriously, is that a work of art of what? I especially love the stripes on the shawl collar — not sure I’ve ever seen that before.

• So much going on here. Love the jacket worn over the necktie and sweater vest. Not sure about that huge patch Eddie Shore is wearing, but I’m assuming that’s a practice jersey anyway. Small detail that’s easy to miss: Shore has a lace-up fly on his pants.

• You don’t often see photos of the A’s 1961 road uni, a one-year design.

• Plexiglass goalie mask! Really like the leather straps and the buckles.

• Here’s a weird one: According to the guy who’s selling this photo on eBay, that’s Jim Thorpe as a New York Giant, circa 1917. I think that’s wrong — the Giants never wore that design. Whatever team it was, they not only had a flag patch to mark America’s presence in the Great War, but a stars/stripes cap shield as well. Never seen that before.

• Another puzzler: This old-timey baseball shot is dated 1923. Now, teams no longer looked like that by the 1920s — they had knickers, no facial hair, no collars on their jerseys, etc. That shot is more like an 1860s team. At first I thought the photo was badly misdated, but look at the caps being held by the guys on the right side of the image — those do seem more like the caps you’d expect to see in the 1920s, not the 1860s. Could it be that this was an early example of a throwback game, like the “old-time base ball” games we see nowadays? Intriuging! (Either way, I love the formally attired umpire.)

•  This photo and the next two are from Mako Mameli. First up: That’s one huge-ass hoops jersey insignia. (That’s Sam Etcheverry, QB for the Montreal Alouettes.)

•  Next: Those are some huge-ass TV numbers

•  And one more from Mako: Jackie in white satins.

• I saved the best for last. I might watch more auto racing if it was always this visually entertaining.

Collector’s Corner, by Brinke Guthrie

• This is Day 11 of Brinke’s HP PC being held hostage at Best Buy. It should be back a week from now, and that’s the last time I deal with the Geek Squad. Apple Store, here I come. [About freakin’ time. — PL] And now, we start off by visiting the reader mailbag:

• Reader Jon passes along this cool set of NFL bed sheets and curtainsone but two Sand Knit creations.

• Reader Jon Morris found a Seattle Pilots 45-rpm record.

• More from Sears: a Steelers bicycle.

• Even if you have no use for old Tudor NFL player figurines, look at this auction listing. Creative photo!

• And in honor of my Giants getting set to take on the Phils, I present a Giants KNBR bumper sticker from way back when.

Seen something on eBay that you think would make good Collector’s Corner fodder? Send your submissions here.

Uni Watch News Ticker: Interesting article about a guy who self-published a book about Tottenham’s kit history (with thanks to Morris Levin). ”¦ A very generous reader who prefers to remain anonymous was nice enough to donate this flannel jersey to my collection. Fits me like a glove! Thanks so much. ”¦ Ole Miss has finally chosen its new mascot. ”¦ Which is weirder: this NOB or this uni number? At first I figured the NOB was an abbreviation, but it’s his real name. As for the uni number the player is Dave Reid of E.V. München, a pro team in Munich, but that’s all I know. Anyone..? (Big thanks to Jim Wooley and Steven Junor, respectively.) ”¦ New hoops uniforms for South Carolina (with thanks to Joel Mathwig). ”¦ Did you know Nebraska went blood-clot way back in 1986? That’s from the game against Oklahoma. Here’s some video footage (nice finds by Taylor Schubauer). ”¦ New Ninja Turtle-themed mask for Rafael Khakimov. ”¦ Here’s a nice little ode to Iowa State’s old cyclone bird logo. ”¦ Totally digging the photo of this hockey-themed cigar box that Jake Doyle sent me. ”¦ Here’s Jeff Ash‘s latest gallery of old Packers pics. Among the highlights: Bart Starr wearing Lamar McHan’s warm-up pullover (note the No. 17 near the waist) and equipment manager Bob Noel installing a facemask. ”¦ I’ve written before about how the Cubs used to put the player’s uni number inside the batting helmet logo. But what was going on with Joe Wallis? That’s not a Photoshop job — his helmet really had a question mark (great find by Paul Kosman). ”¦ The mighty Fleer Sticker Project has a great post about some Kellogg’s NFL posters from 1982. “The most interesting thing about them is how uniform numbers were changed ever so slightly, because the posters were not licensed through the Players Association,” says Jon Helf. For example, this sure looks like Walter Payton, but they changed the uni number to 31, so I guess it must not be him, right? Uh, right. Similarly, I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that this guy looks an awful lot like Joe Montana. Note the NNOB jerseys, too — another way to avoid having to pay player royalties.