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Backyard Brawl — It’s On!

Backyard Brawl Hed

By Phil Hecken, with Doug Keklak and Jason Bernard

There’s the “Third Saturday in October”, the “Sunflower Showdown”, and “THE Game” … We have the “Civil War”, the “Border War”, and the “Holy War” … Don’t forget the “Egg Bowl”, the “Iron Bowl”, and the “Tiger Bowl” … Not to mention the “Red River Rivalry”, the “Battle for the Bell”, and the “Battle for the Rag”. You know them well. They’re all some of college football’s oldest and most storied rivalries. They’re what many fans and alumni base their entire year around. And they come but once a year.

One such rivalry is known as the Backyard Brawl, a constest played annually between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia Mountaineers, and it first began in 1895 — that makes it the 14th oldest rivalry in college football.

Today, I’m joined by Douggie Keklak (everybody’s favorite yinzer) and Jason Bernard (he’s the tall one on the left), who have joined forces to bring us a look at the WVU/Pitt rivalry game. Kek, of course, will handle the Pitt side, while Jason will represent WVU.

BackyardBrawl2010Lead

Uni Watch: So gentlemen, can you set the stage for today’s game?

Doug Keklak: Today, the West Virginia University Mountaineers and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers will square off in the 103rd edition of the Backyard Brawl. The series, first played in 1895, is considered by fans of both teams to be among the best and most hotly contested in the country.

Jason Bernard: Early on, it really wasn’t much of a rivalry, with Pitt winning 31 of the first 40 matchups. The rivalry’s recent history has been much more balanced, but Pitt still holds a 61-38-3 all-time edge. The 2004 edition, the 97th game in the series, surpassed Pitt’s 96-game series with Penn State (considered by many Pitt fans to be their biggest rival).

DK: As a footnote, the series has been played in every stadium that the Pittsburgh Pirates have called home with the exception of PNC Park.

UW: You’ll be talking about a few of the more notable games today, and of course the uniforms. Looks like Nike has given a new logo to the Panthers, but WVU remains the same. What’s up with that?

DK: The schools, separated by a mere 75 miles along I-79, also sport two of the more iconic logos in the Flying WV and Pitt script. Unfortunately, the Pitt script is now inactive (save for that one glorious day, September 24, 2005 in a game against Youngstown State. Oh, and the 2007 Senior Bowl where Tyler Palko and H.B. Blades sported the script on their helmets).

UW: But today they’re both breaking out new unis. The “Pro Combat” unis.

JB: Both WVU and Pitt were selected among Nike’s 10 Pro Combat schools this season, and both will wear their respective Combat kits for the first time in this Friday’s game.

UW: But first, we’re going to talk about memorable games from the past right?

JB: In light of this, everybody’s favorite yinzer, Doug and I (nobody’s favorite yinzer) will take a look at some of the more memorable Brawls of the past 30 years from a uni-perspective.

UW: Cool. So let’s see what you have in store.

~~~

1982x

DK: 1982: Pitt 16 – WVU 13. The 1982 Pitt football season was one of the most heavily anticipated in recent memory, mainly because many thought they had the best shot at being National Champions since the school achieved that feat in 1976. Jackie Sherrill left for Texas A&M and Foge Fazio took over the reins and he was led by none other than Dan Marino at quarterback. Back for his senior season, and fresh off a big victory over Georgia in the 1982 Sugar Bowl, the Panthers seemed primed for big things.

Pitt and WVU met in week four for the Brawl and it was held at Pitt Stadium. The Panthers rallied from a 13-0 deficit in the fourth quarter to pull out the 16-13 win. For the game, Pitt was in one of its iconic royal/mustard sets (although the sleeve material is brighter). I always loved this era as Pitt gave award stickers and they were blue circles with a panther head, but on the blue stripe, they placed yellow stickers. WVU was in white over yellow with the double stripe of blue down the pants. High white socks and TV numbers on the sleeve round out this look.

Spirits were still high following this win, but they would drop when the #1 Panthers would lose a home game with Notre Dame on November 6th that year, as well as a regular season ending loss at Penn State and finish 9-2. They then played an uninspired game against SMU in the Cotton Bowl and lost 7-3. This was my first experience into the disappointment that being a Pitt fan can be.

# # #

1988

JB: 1988: WVU 31 ”“ Pitt 10. The 1988 game was played at Pitt Stadium in late September. Apparently nobody believed the WVU hype that year, and despite all their talented playmakers, the Mountaineers came into the game as 1-point underdogs. They left as 21-point victors, and after an 11-0 season went on to play in their first national championship game, where they were promptly smoked by Notre Dame. West Virginia wore white road jerseys with basic blue block numbers, gold pants with two blue stripes, and the Flying WV helmet. This is what I consider to be the quintessential classic WVU look (of my 33 years). Pitt went with their blue and yellow, in hues I’m guessing Kek prefers to the more brown mustard color of later years. Their gold pants featured an interesting white-blue-white stripe, and the helmets ”¦ yeah, they rocked the script.

# # #

1994x

DK: 1994: WVU 47 ”“ Pitt 41. This game was a classic Backyard Barnburner. Pitt rallied from being down 31-6 in the second quarter to take a late lead, 41-40, on the legs of a John Ryan 2-point conversion. Fortunately for the Mountaineers, Chad Johnston and Zach Abraham had just a little bit more in the tank, and WVU won on a 60 yard bomb from Johnston to Abraham with 15 seconds remaining. The third home game for Pitt among these six, the Panthers once again sported their classic blue and mustard. This was, by far, my personal favorite among Pitt’s all-time uniforms. Something about that particular shade of blue with that particular shade of mustard ”¦ unique and classic.

JB: WVU wore their road whites, which in 1994 featured blue numbers with a gold outline, and pants with no stripes. I think they needed the stripes. The classic Flying WV dressed up the helmet and, to a lesser degree, the pants.

# # #

1997-a

DK: 1997: Pitt 41 ”“WVU 38. 1997 was a season of many changes. Out was Johnny Majors after his second stint as Head Panther in Charge, suffering four sub-par seasons. Walt Harris and his west coast offense were in, and the school would soon recruit talent like Larry Fitzgerald and become known for a short time as “Wide Receiver U”. Along with Harris, the school abandoned their long standing script logo that they wore on the helmet from 1973 on. Also a new color scheme of navy and gold rather than royal and either yellow or mustard was introduced. I’m embarrassed to say that in my younger days I was really excited for this change. To my immature uni-watching eye, I felt the old scheme had become “played” (oh, the err of my ways) and I was ready for something new. One thing I NEVER embraced was the new administration’s insistence on referring to the school as PITTSBURGH not PITT. They always were and always will be PITT to me.

I digress … the ’97 season was a year of rebirth and new interest in the fan base. Prior to this brawl, the Panthers upset The U on a Thursday night game. The ’97 Brawl was played at Mountaineer Field and it was a highly dramatic contest. This was the first overtime game in the history of the series and Pete Gonzalez’ fourth-and-17 completion to Jake Hoffart is still talked about on both sides of the fence in this rivalry. This play set up the winning strike for Pitt in triple-overtime, as they beat the Mountaineers 41-38. The Panthers wore white over gold in this contest with their new logo and wordmark on the jersey. WVU’s uni was blue over yellow. The pants did not feature a stripe but were solid yellow with the flying WV on the upper thigh. The TV numbers were replaced with the flying WV as well.

Pitt accepted a berth to the Liberty Bowl and though they ultimately lost to Southern Miss, they made their first bowl game since the 1989 Sun Bowl and the program seemed headed in the right direction.

# # #

2007x

DK: 2007: Pitt 13 ”“ WVU 9. As a Pitt fan, this is by far the most surprising game for me in the series. WVU came into the game ranked #2 and appeared to be in the driver’s seat for a spot in the BCS Championship Game.

I still really don’t know how the Panthers defeated a much more talented WVU team 13-9 that night. (Here’s a better shot of the scoreboard).

WVU wore an outfit that makes many of their fans cringe to this day. Not because it’s all-yellow and they think it’s garish, but because it reminds them of most likely their most disappointing loss not only in the Backyard Brawl but in their team history.

Pitt’s gear was part of their third iteration of the new colors. However, the PITT moniker was back by ’07. They went white jersey over navy pants for this contest.

# # #

2009-a

JB: 2009: WVU 19 ”“ Pitt 16. Last year’s game at Mountaineer Field was close and tense. Noel Devine broke a 6-6 tie in the 3rd quarter with an 88-yard touchdown run, and Tyler Bitancurt kicked a 43-yard field goal as time ran out to win the game for the Mountaineers. This game is representative of what both schools currently look like during typical games. WVU went blue over blue (my favorite of their current combos), with gold batwings and stylized numbers. As a Mountaineer fan, it took me a while to warm to this particular font. I’ve convinced myself it was designed to evoke the lines, weight and overall style of the Flying WV, and that makes me sleep a little better. Still not a huge fan, though. Pitt laid their egg in white over white, featuring pants with a simple and classy gold-blue-gold stripe, and gold helmets with their clean, if uninspired, block PITT lettering.

~~~

UW: Thanks, fellas. Now. Let’s get to today’s game — the one where Nike will be outfitting both your teams in superhero Pro Combat unis.

Gotta Be The Shoes

JB: The game today is in Heinz Field. WVU will go white on white, with helmets, numbers, shoulders and base layers featuring a smudged black and charcoal pattern, meant to represent what a white uniform might look like after spending a shift in one of West Virginia’s coal mines. Personally, I think they’d be a hell of a lot more smudged than that, but whatever. The canary yellow shoes are supposed to represent the canaries that were once used to test the toxicity of the mines, and the yellow helmet stripe represents the beam of light from a miner’s helmet. Corny? Yeah, but I have to say, I’m a big fan of this set. I would probably prefer that the Flying WV was all-gold, or charcoal and gold, but I think the blue and gold works in a weird way as well. Oh, and they’re doing the glove thing too.

New Pitt Script

DK: I am semi-satisfied with the Pro Combat uniform Nike came up with for Pitt. I’m not 100% crazy about it, but it’s not the worst of the bunch. I don’t hate the PITT i-beam wordmark as much as a lot of fans seem to. I really think the shoes are cool, I like the blue/gold contrast. I’m disappointed a bit in a monochrome look. I guess it’s not different enough from the regular kit, save the blue helmet. Yes, the Panthers have the gloves too. Of course, I wasn’t going to be 100% happy with it unless they went with the script concept that had been floating out on the ‘net since early in 2010.

~~~

Well, there you have it. Big thanks to Kek and Bernard for all their research and assistance in this post. So, now that you know about the Brawl, you definitely want to watch it, right? It’s on ABC at Noon (eastern) — and there’s a bit more than bragging rights at stake with Pitt sitting at 6-4 (but 4-1 in the Big East) and WVU at 7-3 (3-2 in the Big East). There’s a very good chance the winner will be the BCS’s Big East candidate for the automatic berth in the Fiesta Bowl where they will get their asses handed to them play the Big 12 champion.

The 2010 Backyard Brawl — It’s On!

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colorize this

Colorize This!

Occasionally, I will be featuring wonderful, high-quality black and white photographs that are just begging to be colorized.

Last week I posted the challenge of two photos of Bronko Nagurski. One in the greatest Bears sweater of all time and the other an almost equally sweet orange jersey.

This week, only one reader took up the challenge of colorizing them, but the results are great.

Michael Ferry not only colorized the Nagurski pics, but he submitted a wonderful panoramic from the previous week, of the 1917 Cubs. Here’s Michael:

Hi Phil,

I was a little more proactive this week. Last week I actually did tackle the Cubs panorama, but work ate into my time. Also — I was trying to get both suggested color schemes for the socks, but forgot to save a copy instead of the original at one point. Save early, save often…but know what you’re saving, I guess.

Still, I eventually finished, and even though it’s a little too late, I’ve attached it. If nothing else, I hope it adds another point of view. And, as I mentioned previously, I really like doing the work — it lets me see the past in a whole new light.

Seeing the great work by everyone else is also very appreciated. Thanks again for explaining your process and for adding the Colorize This segment to Uni Watch.

Re: Nagurski, on the first picture, I couldn’t tell who the opponent was. I poked around, finding the Uni Watch Pro Football Uniform History Project. I also came across a site for Green Bay (UW has linked to it a number of times.) I finally decided to go with the Boston Redskins and Detroit Lions. Personally I prefer the Boston colors, but I really don’t know for sure if it was them or someone else.

The second shot looks sort of hand tinted, but I like how it turned out.

Anyway, thanks again for the work you do.

Regards,

Michael Ferry

Thanks Michael. I realize this was a holiday week but I hope you guys will continue with the colorizations. I got a special request in this week and I would love it if you guys will accept the newest challenge. Here’s Paul Bielewicz to explain:

Phil,

Greetings, hope all is well. We’ve discussed my Rochester Red Wings uniform project in the past. I have quite a few B&W Red Wings photos that I would LOVE to have colorized. Would you be interested in running any Red Wings photos in your “Colorize this” section?

I’ve attached a new photos for your consideration. Here are the color descriptions:

Powell (1961): Helmet: navy. “Ball with Wings” emblem (on helmet): white ball with red wings (white highlights on wings). Jersey and pants: cream-white. Striping on jersey and pants: red. “Red Wings” chest lettering: red with very thin navy outline. Jersey front numbers: red with navy outline. Undersleeves (navy). Socks: navy. Striping pattern (from top): white-red-white-blue-white-red-white. Shoes: black.

Musial (1941): Hat: navy with red “R”. Jersey: cream-white. Striping (sleeve end and placket): red-white-red. “Red Wings” chest lettering: navy with red outline.

1932 Red Wings: Basic uniform is cream-white. Hat fronts and brims are red, hat backs are white. “Pennant”-shaped inserts on sleeves are red, as are undersleeves. Belt loops, tunnels and pocket flaps are red. “Ball with Wings” logo on left player’s chest: Ball: white. Wings: red. Stitching on ball: Dark blue or black. Socks: top and bottom sections are red. Sock striping pattern (from top): thin white / thin red / thick white / thin blue / thick white / thin red / thin white. Shoes: black.

Mize (1933): Cap: white with red stripes and brim. Jersey and pants: gray. “Ball with Wings” chest emblem: white ball, red wings, black (or dark blue) stitching. Belt loops: red. Belt: black. Undersleeves: white. (wood-color for background).

Thanks!

–Paul Bielewicz

Wow. Great photos, Paul — love that shot of Boog Powell!

OK, colorizers — here’s a chance to really show off your skills, and help a fellow UWer out in the process. So give it your best shot, and send any or all to me. As always, I’ll post your colorizations in the next installment.

~~~~~~~~~~

all sport uni tweaks

Uni Tweaks

Lots and lots of tweaks keep pouring in, so obviously this is a popular feature. A bunch new to get to today. If you have a tweak, change or concept for any sport, send them my way.

Remember, if possible, try to keep your descriptions to ~50 words (give or take) per tweak. You guys have been great a keeping to that, and it’s much appreciated!

Now, on to today’s tweaks:

~~~

Starting off the show is Daniel Rerko, who actually has done an entire set of NFL tweaks based on “city/state flag colors.” I’ve always liked this idea, and even explored it way back in 2009 with the AL and NL in baseball. Check out how that might look for the NFL:

Hey Phil,

I came up with thirty two more tweaks, all of which have colors based up the city flag, state flag, or city seal of that particular team. Along with just color changes, I made a few slight adjustments to a few teams, and made a complete overhaul on a team or two. I hope you enjoy!

Daniel Rerko

~~~

Next up is Jay Jackson who has a new brew crew:

The Brewers have a good set but it is lacking some areas. Milwaukee should be on the road uniform. I added front piping to the road and gold pinstripes to the home. I think this look is simple but works for this team.

–Jay Jackson

~~~

And finally today we have Paul Barrett, who has combined colorization and a tweak all in one. Here’s his take on the Washington football club:

Thought I’d send this along. As a skins fan, and someone who uses photo-editing software for a living, I’ve been mixing the old uniform style with the new. I’ve attached a colorized Sammy Baugh (not really a tweak, but still something) and Here is how The Skins should look today. Three different versions; all inspired by the Baugh photo.

Thanks for the great posts on the weekends and when Paul’s away!

Paul Barrett

~~~

OK, that’s all for this Black Friday. Check back on Sunday for more.

~~~~~~~~~~

Turkey Day Hed

Black Friday Uni Watch

In a surprising, but not unprecedented move, yesterday’s Thanksgiving games featured three color-on-color matchups, as the Patriots and Lions played the early game in their old-school red versus blue throwbacks. Anticipation was high for the Dallas game, as the Cowboys busted out their blue throwbacks (breaking their string of consecutive white jersey wearings) and the Saints followed suit by reprising their gold alternate throwbacks which they wore once in 2002 versus the Vikings. Finally, in the late game last night, the Jets and Bengals went green versus orange.

…wait…

that was all a “Bobby’s Dream” segment from Dallas … either that or someone made THE Jeff NFL Commissioner for the day.

Nah. That didn’t really happen — but the Patriots and Lions really did go color versus color yesterday in the Silverdome Ford Field. It was a great looking game, and guess what? It worked.

We can add one more game to the small but growing list of recent color versus color games in the NFL. Interestingly, the Pats and Lions game was actually a rematch of their 2002 Thanksgiving game in which both teams wore throwbacks. This time, however, the Lions wore black facemasks. Granted, they were throwing back to an era when no facemasks were worn, but you’d think they could have worn gray or silver.

Once again, the NFL proves that color versus color can work. Now, I’m not saying I want to see every game as color versus color or even see it a lot — but there is no reason anymore that we still need to have one team in white, other than the fact that the edict from 1956 has been around so long that we’re only used to having one team always wearing white. It didn’t use to be that way. And there really is no reason for a few select games a year the NFL shouldn’t allow some color versus color games.

No — there was nothing wrong with this or this — but there isn’t much reason why we couldn’t have seen this or this. At least on a very limited basis. Right?

~~~~~~~~~~

OK, Uni Watchers, thanks for letting me bring you this special Black Friday edition of Uni Watch. And big thanks to Kek and Bernard for the preview of the Backyard Brawl as well. Lots of college action today and tomorrow — big rivalry games abound. Not only will WVU and Pitt be wearing their special Pro Combat uniforms, but on Saturday, in The Game in the Shoe … it won’t just be a game — it will be WAR! Tastefully done swooshie…tastefully done.

~~~

I don’t really like the Lions throwbacks but I can deal with them. Not horrible, not great, just not much there. Kinda like the taste of water. — Ben Traxel

 
  
 
Comments (166)

    Haha, I never noticed that before. A revisionist history buff might argue that it’s there because of MacDill Air Force Base, located in Tampa.

    Sorry Kek, but I just can’t get on board with all the Pitt script whiners. We’re about the same age and so we grew up watching the same Pitt teams, and I have ALWAYS hated the yellow and royal blue.
    Especially in a town where there are so many Penn State fans still around and at some point growing up you have to decide which of these teams (WVU included) you have to root for. As a Pitt fan I have grown to dislike everything PSU… except their uniforms. I have always considered them classic (even if some around here consider them boring). I wanted that as a Pitt follower.
    When Pitt went to the new colors, which really do have more historical precedent than the mustard/royal, I have thrilled, and still am. In fact, I think Pitt’s current uniforms are their best ever and I will be sad to see them change eventually.
    I don’t hate the script Pitt as much as the colors they used then.
    I wonder if you, or any of the other script fans, would be in favor of using the script again, but in the current color scheme? Similar to what you see on Palko’s and Blades’s helmets?

    I would totally be on board if Pitt would put script on the current colors. I know a lot of Pitt fans that would agree with me too. We were quite excited when Palko and Blades did that for the senior bowl, but apparently it rubbed some folks at Pitt the wrong way.

    I don’t like the navy/gold because it looks too much like Notre Dame and Navy. I always thought the royal with either bright yellow or mustard was distinct.

    But you’re correct, more of Pitt history is darker blues and gold. The script era altogether was less than 25 years, but it’s what a large portion of the fan base remember, either for good (1976-1982) or bad (Johnny Majors part two).

    This current Pitt set (non-Pro Combat that is), is by far my favorite since the navy/gold scheme went into effect in ’97. I really like the striping on the pants because it does throwback to the script era.

    The black facemask on the Lions throwbacks just kills that uniform. It’s lazy.

    …and the fake green vs orange Jets/Bengals looks so much cooler than the green vs white reality.

    The black facemask is the least of the Lions problems. The product on the the field is. I agree a silver facemask would be better but so would going back to the uniforms before this last change. I HATE the Lions new uniforms. At least they got rid of the black jerseys.

    I just got back from the faux-Black Friday sale here in Canada. This BFBS day in Canada is, in a word, dumb.

    Anyhow, all the best to the shoppers who are braving the retail wilderness today. I’ll be watching hockey this afternoon, but I’ll check back later!

    1) Pitt will never look right to me without the mustard yellow and the “Pitt” script.

    2) The people who run Nike are the biggest money-grubbing douchebags on the planet. Enough said-

    For anyone who’s interested. This is the uniform that the Buckeye’s pro combats are based on:

    link

    link

    This uniform is in the Main Library at OSU. I wish they would use the spaceman silver pants and not the matte gray.

    -Craig D

    Actually that is a mid 1930’s Ohio State uniform. I am so glad you posted that picture though. I had seen a side view shot on Facebooks Ohio State Archives page I think it was. So I am thrilled you showed the number.

    The Ohio State uniforms are based on these from the early 1940’s

    link

    link

    Chris Hilf is correct; navy and metallic gold have a much longer tenure as Pitt’s colors than royal blue and mustard. The latter’s appeal comes from the days of Tony Dorsett and their most recent national title (nothing wrong with that).

    And yes, you could say it was lazy for the Lions to go with black facemasks. I suppose they’d rather remove (and replace) the helmet stickers for a game than order a full set if gray facemasks, remove the blacks, put the grays on, and reverse the process by Tuesday. Much less labor intensive for a harried equipment manager.

    No doubt, the navy and metallic gold have been around much longer than the 1973-1996 color scheme. But I don’t believe the current font style “Pitt” was ever on a Panther helmet until recently. It just looks strange, although I like the circa 1997 panther head(but not on the helmet). In terms of a consistent uniform style, the 1973-96 era was a long one in Pitt football history.

    The appeal of the Pitt script uniform is more than the 1976 national title team(one of nine Pitt national championships). The Panthers of the early 80s had many great players like Dan Marino and Ricky Jackson, among many others. Even when Pitt struggled on the field, they still produced players like Curtis Martin, who wore those 1973-96 uniforms.

    Regarding Penn State, I always preferred the older version during the Jack Ham era. Number on helmet, with single stripe on pants.

    Michigan High School Athletic Association High School football finals are this weekend. Four games today and four games tomorrow. I will try to post pictures of the games as I find them.

    Sigh. The Pats / Lions game looked like two home teams playing. I’d slap a trimless blue Lions logo on the helmet paired with a silver helmet with blue facemask with those retro uni’s, and it would be great. The current shade of blue looks washed out, and there’s just too much trim clutter on the current duds. Less is more.

    I was disappointed the Saints did not wear a throwback uniform yesterday, the road version from the Billy Kilmer era would have appropriate.

    As it looked like the Pats were throwing back to 1985, they should have been in white jerseys and red pants.

    “Sigh. The Pats / Lions game looked like two home teams playing.”

    sigh…

    1) how is that bad? if football was like baseball (and the hockey most of us remember), with white at home, i’d totally agree with you, but football is already such a mish-mash of some teams wearing white on the road, at home, sometimes at home…sometimes not — hell, even the cowboys wore blue at home yesterday, and if there’s ever a home team to wear white, it’s the boys

    2) what’s wrong with the occasional (note, i said “occasional”) color vs color game as long as there is sufficient contrast between the two teams?

    3) im beginning to hate throwback games when teams that could never have even played each other (because one didn’t exist) wearing throwbacks against each other — the lions in their retros looked fine against the pats in red…but you had a team from the pre-tv era against the 1965-ish pats…almost looks as bad as one team throwing back against a modern uni’ed team

    4) im not 100% on board with THE jeff’s 2+2+2 concept, but take the saints, for example — they’re a black and gold team (even if the golds never match) — since the gold jersey would almost be equivalent to white, why can’t the saints wear gold in lieu of white?

    5) speaking of the saints…those black leotards look so stupid…all they need is a proper stripe and some contrasting socks, and the black pants are a great look…add in a gold jersey and that’s instantly a iconic look

    5) speaking of the saints…those black leotards look so stupid…all they need is a proper stripe and some contrasting socks, and the black pants are a great look…add in a gold jersey and that’s instantly a iconic look

    The Saints can’t match their collar color to their freaking helmets, do you honestly think the GOLD jersey would look any better?

    Ahh… there’s the problem. You’re stuck on idea that teams still have “home” and “away” uniforms.

    They don’t.

    Look at the Saints, Browns, Panthers, Redskins… and quite a few other teams. Sometimes they wear dark at home, sometimes they wear white. They don’t have a specific “home” uniform, they wear whatever they want.

    I just don’t understand this fascination you two Jeff & Phil have with color-vs-color.

    There are just some things that don’t work. Unitards, the Saints in plain black pants, the Jets in mostly green or their Titan’s navy & gold, the Bears wearing white at home or orange jerseys, the Giants wearing red on the road, any dark color combo of tops & pants, throwback games where only one team is in retro gear, the Bengals look, green dots on the helmet, the current sleeves.

    Don’t give me this “stuck on the idea”… I don’t care what they do in Dallas, from their look to their team slogan, it’s arrogant & ridiculous, and it was done to be defiant. Things have gotten so skewed and wrong that the line has been completely blurred on home & road sets. Color top home – white on road – that’s the tradition and that’s the way it should be. But apparently nothing is sacred anymore or worth preserving, and they have to dick around with everything “just to see what can happen”. This is why I hate what Nike & etc is doing even more, and what’s worse is it’s pandering to the young generation who obviously doesn’t know better (I was a non-traditionalist in my youth too, btw). But now trends make me sick, and BFSB was my tipping point. I’m almost tempted to say “hey, if you want your teams to trot out there looking like shit, well then hey, I can’t stop you”. Apparently some of us still have to say something.

    Might as well put shitty-ass Jeter out there in a navy alt with white pinstripes with extra large NOB in black blockshadow & 2 trim colors.

    Shouldn’t a tradition have some meaning behind it? The only reason white jerseys became standard is because of the limitation of technology 60 years ago. You really want to base “tradition” on that?

    mark,

    i think you know i’m pretty much of a traditionalist in almost all things sports-uni related — so im not just saying i want to see color vs color “because we can” — there’s actually a deep rich history of color vs color games going back before we were both born…

    it’s like hockey for me — i grew up in the era when you wore white at home … ALWAYS … so, to me, to this day, it looks wrong to see the isles wearing blue in the coliseum…in fact, when the islanders were born, they ALWAYS wore white at home

    but like football, hockey used to feature color at home and sometimes, even color vs color

    we’re so accustomed to seeing things “a certain way” that we think that’s the way they should be (and mostly, they SHOULD be…because it’s worked for so long and it isn’t broken) — but we have to realize that all of football got screwed over BECAUSE OF TV — much like we’re revolting against the maddenization of sports now (and i’m firmly in agreement with you there) — the same thing happened in the 1950’s because of a new medium — they forced several teams who’d never worn (or rarely worn) white to do so because fans watching on 12″ black and white tv’s couldn’t tell the teams apart — but for 30 years, fans who saw the game live had no problem

    so, im not advocating for “fixing what ain’t broken” but actually calling for a return to the way things were before TV screwed everything up

    do i want to see the bears in white at home? no? do i want to see the jesters in mono-green (or even green pants)? HELL NO…i kind of liked the titans retros, so we’ll agree to disagree on that one

    conversely, i don’t care if the highlanders/yankees ever wore monochrome midnight blue — i don’t want them to ever wear NOB or alts…but that’s the yankees

    but there is no reason why we can’t see some color vs color games in the NFL — some not all — because it’s not actually reinventing the wheel but returning things to the way they were before CBS sports told us things had to be

    Well said, concealed.

    The Jeff said…

    “The only reason white jerseys became standard is because of the limitation of technology 60 years ago. You really want to base “tradition” on that?”

    With all due respect, The Jeff, that’s a rather arrogant pronouncement. So, technology dictates what is and is not tradition?

    One more thing. I think there’s something honorable in preserving the dictate from years ago that the home team wear dark and the road team wear white. Why? ‘Cause it’s just one of things we like about sports and history and rules and regulations. It’s a custom, a tradition. Why not just keep it for the sake of keeping it?

    “Dad, why do the Bears only wear the navy jersey at home?”

    “Because, son, that’s just the way it’s done.”

    “Oh. Okay. Cool.”

    Look, this is a valid discussion–this color and color–on a uniform board. It’s crossed all of our minds, I suppose. But yeah, I got a little irked seeing the Patriots go into Detroit on Thanksgiving sporting home jerseys. It felt wrong. Like a mistake.

    “How about we base it on common sense, and that color vs white provides the best contrast?”

    oh absolutely … all games should be color vs white — that contrast is amazing

    that’s hard to tell apart in color — i can only imagine how it would look in B & W

    all im saying is not every game has to include one team in a white jersey anymore…im not saying i don’t ever want to see any games with one team in white

    if you want the best contrast, you might as well have every team play in black against the other team in white then…

    Here’s another thought on color vs color that just kinda popped into my head…

    Referee safety.

    If the refs are the only ones on the field in white, wouldn’t they be less likely to get ran over? In the blur of the game, how different do the refs look from say, the Ravens or Jaguars in their black pant/white jersey combos?

    “With all due respect, The Jeff, that’s a rather arrogant pronouncement. So, technology dictates what is and is not tradition?”

    No, not arrogant at all – it is an accurate statement of fact. Want to see some traditional football? Try this – link

    Until the league mandated color vs white in 1957 color vs color was the norm!!! The change coincided with CBS beginning to televise games. At this time the games were shown in black and white, and thus we had a new contrast problem requiring a new solution. That problem no longer exists and hasn’t for many years, yet the rule imposed for the sake of technology, not tradition, is still in place.

    >>>With all due respect, The Jeff, that’s a rather arrogant pronouncement. So, technology dictates what is and is not tradition?

    __

    I don’t know… does it? That *is* the reason that the NFL started mandating that teams wear white. Sure, the Bears had been wearing white on their own prior to that rule, but the Rams weren’t.

    Any tradition worth holding on to should have some kind of reason behind it. I don’t think that “well, we couldn’t tell light blue from yellow on old TV sets” is a good reason. I also don’t think that “that’s just the way it is” is an acceptable answer in very many cases. In fact, while it may not make a difference when talking about sports, I think it’s a very dangerous mindset in general.

    The Jeff said:

    “In fact, while it may not make a difference when talking about sports, I think it’s a very dangerous mindset in general.”

    Trust me, The Jeff, I know.

    But we *are* talking about sports here. (And in the end, it does make no difference, right? ;) And I’m sorry to jump on you with the “arrogant” accusation. Your point about TV dictating the color/white thing is valid.

    Phil’s example of Georgia Tech is a low blow. The vast majority of teams use a very dark jersey for their home (or dark, fine) set. Going color-vs-color seems like it would have a much bigger chance of uniforms with low distinction. Remember that college hoops game a few years ago when Illinois wore orange and Wisconsin wore red? That’s what I’m talking about. One person’s determination that “Oh, the contrast is good enough” doesn’t always work for everyone.

    In any case, I’m not against color-vs-color for extra special occasions (bowl games, neutral site games, certain preseason games), but I would hate for it to become the rule. To me, “white on the road” is one area that I like about college football as opposed to the NFL. In most college games, you can tell at a glance who is the home team. There will always be exceptions (LSU, GTech, etc.), but they are pretty rare. The NFL is kind of at the point where the uniform choice doesn’t mean much of anything.

    “I’m not against color-vs-color for extra special occasions (bowl games, neutral site games, certain preseason games), but I would hate for it to become the rule.”

    exactly

    im not sure if i haven’t made myself clear — unlike THE jeff, i’m NOT advocating every game be color vs color

    i just think the mandate that one team must wear white is a relic of the black and white era and has no basis in common sense — the common sense comes in when we determine whether there is enough contrast between the two teams

    unless you can mandate (and in this day and age, with three or four alternates, good luck with that) that the road team wear white (for footall) or home team wear white (for every other sport), you’re going to have the discussion we’re having right now (and probably will again on sunday, when color vs color part 2 is run)

    as far as neutral site/bowl games,there are MANY examples of color vs color not working

    now… should the “rankings” (or however the powers-that-be) determine who the “home” team is, do i want to see tenneseee doing this instead of wearing orange? fuck no — but i think tennesee and i think creamsickle and WHITE…but for a team like say…lsu — instead of them wearing white at home, how about they wear gold, and let their opponent wear their normal color? there’d be enough contrast that way…

    take USC vs UCLA — i honestly can’t think of anyone who doesn’t think this doesn’t look 10,000 times better than this or this

    ~~~

    like i said, unless you can MANDATE home color vs road white (and that means EVERYONE), then there is no reason to have no color vs color games at all…

    again, i certainly don’t want every game to be color vs color — in fact, select games (maybe for the NFL, opening weekend or thanksgiving, or once per year per team or something) — but opposing it because it’s “tradition” is really opposing it “because CBS mandated it in 1956” …

    and i don’t think ga tech’s example was “unfair” — it’s no more outrageous as an example of why color vs white doesn’t work than why the tide vs the vols in their traditional colors doesn’t work — contrast

    I don’t want to see every game color on color but on occasion it is a nice thing. USC/UCLA is one example.

    I wish almost every game was color on color. White jerseys just feel like cheap knock off’s of a teams real jersey. It’s plan and boring.

    Arguing contrast is silly. If the contrast is a problem in that pats/lions game, then why would the league allow it? Now if it were Cardinals Red tops vs Cheifs red tops, then yeah.

    There is so much white on both teams jerseys it can make it confusing to watch. A white top with red trim and white pants vs a team with a Red top with white team and white pants.

    The best jerseys in the NBA to me are the lakers, can’t stand the team though. The purple/gold just look great. When the lakers break out white jerseys it looks terrible.

    Hockey should go color on color. Blue Rangers vs Orange Flyers. Red -Red wings vs Blue Blues. Blue Maple Leafs vs Red Senators. yeah

    Color vs color in the NHL? A count including the Blue Jacket’s new navy alt jersey:

    Black – 13
    Navy – 10
    Blue – 10
    Red – 12
    not BNBR: 6

    Yes, the NHL needs white jerseys.

    Black – 14. Forgot to include the Ducks new alternates.

    As for other discussion (like safety of the refs; who gives a shit about the refs, they pay attention), I’d ask the team quarterback which uniform look he’d prefer, and I’d ask the equipment manager how much of a pain in the ass it would be to pack all that extra gear should a same color vs. same color accident happen.

    Interesting experiment, Mr. Rerko. Some successes there.

    What really caught my eye, however, in perusing the concepts, was the city flag of Denver….

    link

    …That is a brilliant design.

    The USFL Arizona Wranglers’ first uniforms were a direct copy of the state flags colors – blue jerseys, yellow pants, red trim and copper helmets. In particular, the yellow and red stripes on the sleeves were arranged (7 on one, 6 on the other) to match the 13 rays on the flag.

    link

    They were a terrible team that first year, but had a pretty good look.
    link

    Those 1994 Pitt uniforms look AWESOME. I can’t believe I don’t remember those, though I was only 11 in 1994. But wow, that is a distinctive look. They should definitely bring that back.

    Chris, you’re making me feel old! Check YouTube for more of those classic uniforms, 1976 or 1982 will do. The 1982 Pitt-Georgia Sugar Bowl was a great game, with a spectacular finish.

    In the mid 1980s, Pitt also had a jersey with the script Pitt on the sleeves as well.

    ah…indeed — the leotard is that top part thingy…mea culpa

    i had to google that, as im unfamiliar with the actual piece of clothing

    i suppose the proper term is dance leggings

    henceforth, i shall say the saints are wearing their dance leggings when they dress like this

    During the Mike Ditka era, the Saints had black pants with a large gold stripe. Too bad those were discontinued after Ditka was canned.

    Whatever you choose to call them they look like crap. And was this the first time that the Lions have worn numerals on their throwback helmets?

    “Whatever you choose to call them they look like crap.”

    Damn straight. I really wanted to root for the Saints (or, really against the Cowboys) last night, but because they chose to wear those things, I found it nearly impossible to do so.

    “west virginia’s got the golden slippers out for this one today…good look, i think we got a sharp lookin’ group out there today”

    yeah, ok

    since neither has black for a school color, i’m glad nike added black (or shades of black) to both teams — yeah, i get the whole coal miner thing…but seriously — when they were showing all the pre-game matchups from the past — you could easily tell it was a pitt/wva game…

    this? they’re gonna look back in another 20 years and be like…”wait…WTF were we wearing?”

    My favorite part was when he said he thought their was a flag on the field because of the yellow shoes.

    I’m surprised Paul that you made no mention that when the Pats wore their throwbacks in 2002 against the Lions, the shoulder stripes were not truncated. Reebok has made no change to the uniforms since then, so why did the Pats end up truncating them starting last year? I can imagine if the Vikings wore their old white uniforms as throwbacks (or do the smart thing and chuck the current uniform for the 70’s throwbacks with the current helmet), the stripes would be truncated now too.

    As far as the “color-vs-color” debate, I do agree that there needs to be more such games but there are times when a white jersey is necessary. For instance, all of the AFC North’s standard dark jerseys would clash, and except for the Bengals orange jerseys none of the alts would work too. (Do the Browns even still have their throwbacks?) BTW Cincy needs to retire the orange jerseys and bring back the 70’s throwbacks with “BENGALS” on the helmets as their third uniform.

    True enough… a few teams would continue to need to wear white sometimes… but there’s really no reason the Bengals couldn’t use the orange alt as their primary uniform (tigers *are* orange, afterall), and you could easily put the Steelers in a gold jersey instead of white.

    link
    link

    That’s just too much color. Orange over black? Really? Would you wear an orange shirt with black jeans or all-yellow to school or work?

    Yes. Hell, I already wear red over black every damn day at work. Orange ain’t that different. Don’t even get me started on school. My junior year in high school introduced a “no jeans” dress code, so I wore Zubaz.

    Why do you hate color?

    Well I’m a white t-shirt / light blue jeans / white sneakers kind of guy. I tend to immediately associate colors & schemes with sports teams or products. Hell I can’t even wear a royal blue shirt, because it’s too much like the Cubs or Royals. I’ve already lived through the 1980s loud colors & sweats, the neon era, the Grunge plaid era, the teal & purple era & the BFSB era. Too much color can come off as obnoxious.

    I don’t think I would have minded a school dress code – wouldn’t have to bother picking out something new each day.

    I wish these stupid weekend entries weren’t like 78 miles long, so that it’d be easier to scroll down to Paul’s lastest entry.

    I went over these uniforms ad nauseum yesterday on my blog. Personally, they get a failing grade for being very cookie-cutter in their design.

    Way too many of these new sweaters are blue.

    The crest looks cool but the design of the sweater seems not that unusual.

    Here are the photos from the MHSAA Division 8 Championship

    link

    The red team is the Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart Irish (Something wrong about the Irish being red) and Saugatuck Indians.

    Sacred Heart beat my favorite team Crystal Falls Forest Park last week. Forest Park is my favorite team because of the socks

    link

    Actually that is Pitt in the white and with blue helmets.
    WVU has the gold helmet.

    Sorry I did not say which was which.

    Are you sure that’s Pitt in that 1967 photograph? It’s always been my understanding Pitt went to those uniforms in 1973, and the logo doesn’t appear to be Pitt.

    Great job today by Doug and Jason. I enjoy all college football rivalries.
    A couple years ago we went to the Thanksgiving night game at Heinz Field. A very cold night. But fun to see Pitt and WVU.

    “One more thing. I think there’s something honorable in preserving the dictate from years ago that the home team wear dark and the road team wear white. Why? ‘Cause it’s just one of things we like about sports and history and rules and regulations. It’s a custom, a tradition. Why not just keep it for the sake of keeping it?”

    but jim, it’s NOT — it’s a dicate from the beginning of the TV era, and it’s been around for 60 years now…the TV era FORCED all teams to wear a white jersey, whether they wanted to or not …

    you know what i hate? this “new” dictate from the NHL that teams wear color at home … i grew up in the era when you wore white at home .. to me that’s tradition and THAT’S JUST THE WAY THINGS SHOULD BE … but it wasn’t the way things always were

    that’s kind of the same thing that happened with the NFL — teams always wore color at home and a contrasting jersey on the road — that jersey wasn’t always white; and off and on, there have always been some teams that wore white at home, and THAT just “looks right” — the cowboys, cardinals, browns and redskins, for most of when i was growing up, wore white at home…how weird does Super Bowl V look now with the cowpokes in blue versus the colts in white…that game should have been reversed

    if that had been a regular season game, whether it was in dallas or baltimore, you would have had the colts in blue versus the cowboys in white…but because of some artificial “TV Mandate” that’s been around since ricko was knee-high to a grasshopper, we just accept that “home color vs white road” is the ONLY way and the RIGHT way

    go look at timmy b’s wonderful White At Home in the NFL and the Pro Football Uniform History Project sometime, if you haven’t already

    look at the splash photo of the UHP — it’s the 1953 Green Bay Packers in monochrome green!

    we scoff at the notion of the packers wearing anything but green over athletic gold and white over athletic gold now, because they’ve been doing it for 50 years — but it wasn’t always that way — and TV mandates had a LOT to do with that

    Every time I see the Blackhawks in white I think “there’s the ‘Hawks wearing their home jersey on the road again”. Also color at home produces every home game of red (or black) vs white. It just doesn’t seem right for the NHL.

    That “White at home in the NFL” makes me sad when I see the Bears, their modern dates and it was against mostly the Lions, of all teams. “Why would you wear white at home against the Lions??”

    I suppose as I’ve gotten older (I’m 50) I’ve become more attached to the period of my life when I first fell in love with uniforms, logos, design: the early ’70’s. It’s nostalgia, I suppose. I admit it. I guess maybe I’m stubborn and inflexible with regards to some aspects of sports aesthetics.

    Like you, Phil, I just can’t get my head around NHL home teams wearing color jerseys. I like to think I’ll wake up some day and see game highlights and every home team will be wearing white. And all would be right in the world. (And yet I know for years prior to the ’70’s, home teams wore colored jerseys!)

    I remember thinking, as a kid, why are the Cowboys the only team wearing white at home? Are they special? Everybody else wears dark jerseys at home. What’s with Dallas? Then I caught drift of their ruse and enjoyed it when Washington or Philly would turn the tables on them and wear whites when Dallas would come to visit. Gamesmanship. It was amusing–especially for a uniform loving geek like myself. But it was always dark vs. white, either way, when I was in my uniform formative years.

    I suppose I contradict myself all the time. I know. I love convention but am not bound by it, necessarily. I dig changes in uniforms that really blow up the old ways and introduce something brave and innovative. (See the Baltimore Bullets thick racing stripes from the mid-’70’s). But it’s gotta be a great, original design to necessitate a change like that.

    Color on color in the NFL is a radical notion, in my eyes (and in my eyes–literally–it’s a bit too much to take in.)

    And you know what else? The way the jersey has been raped the past decade by…um…technology and “innovation,” I guess I hold on dearly to the few precious parts of my NFL nostalgia as I can.

    Sorry for the rambling…

    I believe the Cowboys wear white at home because when they were an expansion team, Tex Schramm wanted to give the Dallas fans a chance to see all the different teams’ colors; i.e., the idea was that the Cowboys would always wear white, and the visitors would be in different colors depending on the opponent.

    If memory serves, I think the issue with the Cowboys in Super Bowl V (and later the Dolphins in Super Bowls VI and VIII) was that the rule at the time was that the “home” team, which alternated (and continues to alternate) by year between the NFL/NFC (odd-numbered games) and the AFL/AFC (even), was to wear its team-colored jersey and the “road” team was to wear white, as opposed to the home team getting to choose which jersey it wanted to wear. This had apparently changed by the time the Cowboys wore white in Super Bowl XIII against the Steelers.

    Jeff, I didn’t mind the Bengals orange/Steelers black combo, but I want to pretend I didn’t see the gold jersey with the gold pants because 1. It’s monochrome, and 2. The Steelers aren’t a team that should have a gold jersey. The throwbacks aren’t bad but if there’s a team that should just have two uniform sets it’s the Steelers. The only change I would like to see in the Steelers unis (besides the return to block numbers) is occasionally wearing white at home. Their white jerseys are definitely underrated.

    So which unis will Oregon and Arizona bust out tonight? Both teams have a crapload of color combos they can wear.

    Oregon: (hopefully I accounted for them all)
    Helmet- green, white, black, carbon fiber, throwback yellow
    Jersey- green, white 1, black, yellow, white 2, throwback green
    Pants- green, white, black, silver, throwback green

    Arizona:
    Helmets- blue or white
    Jerseys- blue, red, white
    Pants- blue, red, white

    I think Oregon goes
    Helmet- green
    Jersey- green
    Pants-white

    Which is a nice clean look that I don’t believe I’ve seen them in before

    And for Arizona
    Helmet- white
    Jersey- white
    Pants-white

    They’re gonna WHITE OUT Oregon!!

    actually…because of the conditions…it’s not a great look for oregon…the wet jerseys really make the panels stand out…looks bad

    they don’t have yellow pants anymore, do they? they could have used ’em tonight

    Oh my, that pic of Boog Powell in a Redwings uni is a thing of beauty – can’t wait to see the colorized version!

    -Jet

    Good colorizing again today. Some of those pictures such as the one with Nagurski alone are hard to do. Nice job guys.

    Earlier today, Marcellus Wiley was filling in on ESPN’s Mike & Mike show. Co host Doug Gotlieb asked Marcellus what his favorite football uniforms were…….in reverse order:

    5. Cincinnati Bengals helmut(just the helmut).
    4. Michigan uniforms(BLUE)
    3a. SD State(all black)
    3b. Oregon(ANY selection is great)
    2. SD Chargers(powder blue)
    1. PA State(Ki-Jana Carter era)

    Gotlied chimed in with

    U of TX(white)
    U of GA(Grey pants)

    Wiley also said he was tired of the Bears uniform. He used to like them but had seen enough. He then said he didn’t know if their jerseys were black or blue and that red was the other color on them. Gottlieb corrected him and told him that the other color was orange. Wiley THEN ranted about how orange was a bad look for any team but OK state.

    That’s all I remember, having been overcome by the amout of stupid shooting out of the radio.

    Good job by the Jets last night going green-over-white, which reminded everyone, including hopefully the team itself, how awesome they look in that uniform.

    Here is game two from the MHSAA football finals this time it is Division II.

    Farmington Hill Harrison Hawks in white and Lowell Red Arrows in red

    link

    Here are some historic images of Pitt and West Virginia helmets:

    link east/pittsburgh/pittsburgh panthers.php

    link east/west virginia/west virginia.php

    The Pitt mustard and royal blue helmets are some of my favorites. I hope to finish up these teams to present day next month…

    As a person who does stats, I have always had a soft spot for helmets with uniform numbers on them.

    Also, I like the West Virginia helmets with the outline of the state.

    That’s a great website, seeing the historical progression through game photographs. Looking at Pitt, I had no idea they had a uniform in 1967-68, which was similar to the 1973-96 version. My understanding was how Johnny Majors brought the uniform redesign with him in ’73. Instead, it appears the university decided on using the script Pitt that year, and Majors liked the 67-68 look enough to bring it back. Never saw that older version before, and that website has a treasure trove of information.

    Forgot to mention, the Louisville Cardinal helmet history is more varied than originally thought, plenty of interesting styles. You won’t believe the size of the numbers on the 1958 helmets.

    That’s cool you mention the HUGE numbers on Louisville’s helmets from 1958. I recently did a write up on these same helmets on the Infinite Helmets blog:

    link

    Been having a hell of a time finding Cardinal helmets from the 1970’s!

    What do you make of the helmets from 1946?

    Wow, tan and black helmets from 1946! Maybe the University of Louisville or a longtime Cards fan would have the answer on that one.

    Down the road, would you consider documenting small college schools? I’m sure there would be a ton of interesting designs which would be enjoyed by all.

    Thanks for your hard work, I expect people here will be checking your site in the future.

    I would definitely do smaller schools if their is an interest for them. I recently did a helmet chronology for Lehigh and UMass, which I would deem smaller schools.

    They are not on the site yet but I should add them anyway.

    I do hope to generate more interest in the site as yes, it is a lot of work but worth it. Thanks for the compliments!

    Well I know the NFL tested teams wearing white at home so that the home fans could see the visiting team’s colors. Even though the Rams, Cowboys, and Browns were already wearing white at home anyways, most (if not all) NFL teams jumped the white jersey bandwagon. Interestingly enough, Dan Rooney of all owners is an advocate of all teams wearing white at home for this reason, ironic considering that Super Bowl XL aside (which was neutral site and doesn’t count anyways) the Steelers haven’t worn white at home since 1969. Then again, they were 1-13 that year so could there be superstition involved?

    Hey fellas, hate to break it to you but Jets-Bengals weren’t color v. color…. the bengals wore white. Don’t know where you got that from

    Speaking of UCLA, watching them play VCU in basketball. Minus points for removing the traditional waist striping. Plus for repositioning the back numbers to accommodate radial arched names (on the theory if you’re going to put names on jerseys, do it right). Also, a John Wooden memorial patch (JRW in white on a black triangle, symbolizing Wooden’s Pyramid if Success).

    The Anaheim Ducks have finally officially unveiled their new alts.

    If you want to get a look at them, they’re wearing them in their game against the Blackhawks right now. It’s on WGN for those of you who get the channel.

    Oops.

    Yep. Local only, not cable. It’s also on the NHL network… in Canada. And I’m sure it’s also on in the Los Angeles area.

    So, uh… yeah.

    Well, there’s always link.

    That thing is a mess. Black. Ugh. Fussy side panels. Weird socks. The utter strangeness that is piping around the shoulders.

    And lots of people clamor for the duck foot as the new logo. But it’s poorly rendered. (Why they wouldn’t feature a duck in flight, or at least swimming, I don’t know. Even the Donald Duck goalie mask had some character to it.)

    This is a better conceived, more compelling duck foot, I think…

    link

    Or, better yet, something like the illustration on the upper left as a primary logo…

    link

    Well, if it makes you feel any better, they just gave up four unanswered goals, including a short-hander, to lose badly in a game where they had the lead.

    Finally got online. Great stuff, yinzers!

    (Jason, you mean you’re not even Jennie’s favorite yinzer?)

    5&1 Headquarters dictates that I can’t comment on today’s unis yet, but I will say:

    – This is a nice rivalry, but it’s not Pitt/Penn State. It’s a heckuva lot better than Mich. State/Penn State, that’s for sure…

    – PSU in dark blue, WVU in dark blue…why would Pitt want to wear dark blue as well?

    – Glad they went back to calling it “Pitt,” ’cause I never stopped.

    – “Especially in a town where there are so many Penn State fans still around and at some point growing up you have to decide which of these teams (WVU included) you have to root for.”
    Is there something wrong with me? Because I’ve always liked all three teams.

    The Penn State/Michigan State “rivalry” will die next year as with the addition of Nebraska. Michigan State and Penn State will be in different division and Penn State’s yearly cross over game will be Nebraska.

    I can get on board with that, but that’s the 2nd best scenario. Some day PSU will realize their true home is the Big East.

    No that was later in the movie. I was paraphrasing where Crash come into the managers office for the first time.

    ah…i just got lesson number one: “don’t think — it can only hurt the ball club”

    As a Penn State supporter, I agree that the Penn State-Pitt matchup is the true rivalry. But as long as JoePa prowls the PSU sidelines – which apparently will be forever – Penn State will NEVER play Pitt, no matter how much everyone, Penn Staters and Pittsters and PA politicians alike, or I beg for it.

    Wonder why that is? That…and thinking they made the right choice in moving to the Big TenEleveN…are the only two disagreements I have with JoePa.

    So it’s JoePa who’s insisting that Penn State gets three home games for every two that Pitt gets (or a two-to-one ratio or whatever it is) to keep the rivalry going?

    If anybody comes back to see this…

    Joe really wanted to put together an all-sports Eastern conference in the ’80s. So when Pitt joined the Big East, scuttling Joe’s idea, he cooled on playing Pitt.

    And Jim, nobody outside the athletic department (and probably very few there) ever stopped calling it Pitt.

    I’m NOT advocating that they change to these,
    link
    link
    but they’re FANtastic.

    These two, however,
    link
    link
    I could see. For one thing, it would settle the navy vs. powder argument…none of the above.

    Whether or not the tweaks work, this is a fascinating concept. Thanks for sharing!

    I have to disagree. The “vintage white” kills the design, in contrast to the bright whites of the Red Wings, and even against the ice surface.

    “Vintage white” does not belong in a hockey rink. Cream is an acceptable color for a couple of baseball teams’ home uniforms, but that’s about it. “Vintage white” is faux-aging for the sake of faux-aging (especially for a team that’s just a decade old, for crying out loud!).

    “Vintage white” is to hockey what acid wash was to jeans. And, in my opinion, we have Roger Edwards Sport to blame (check out link if you don’t believe me – they’ve got a Nordiques one too).

    Here is the third game today of the MHSAA finals. This is the Division 6 final between Ithaca (blue) and Monroe St. Mary’s Catholic Central (white)

    link

    I will try to find a picture but one of the Monroe players helmet had a huge white spot on the side where the paint have peeled off.

    Chiefs, don’t get any ideas when seeing this:
    link
    The Packers, on the other hand, are welcome to consider that look.

    Monocolor vs monocolor update…Wolverines-Syracuse in some basketball tourney in Atlantic City. Watching on HDNet, if you have that channel.

    It is the Legends Classic. I thought for sure it would be the “Donald Trump (cause I don’t have my name attached to a basketball tournament yet) Tournament.

    As for the color on color matchups, I’m getting more and more on board with the idea. After all, “traditionalists” shouldn’t have a beef with it, as it was done in the pre-TV era.

    I agree that “regular” and “contrasting” would be a better mindset than “home” and “away” unis. If you keep it simple and not pull an Oregon, you can still have an iconic look with this concept.

    I especially like this option on a sunny day. Some all-white unis can get washed out in the bright sun, especially if they have a light other color and small numbers.

    I’m getting a lot of free channels on AT&T U-verse this week and I’m finding a lot of different games. Was just watching Ohio high school football semi-finals with Maple Heights against Lake Catholic. I noticed LC has green helmet stripes of varying widths and for some reason I thought this was mentioned here before. Here’s a photo for reference:

    link

    Boise State is wearing white pants with their white jerseys, have they ever worn that combo before?

    oh i didnt know that i barely see any Boise State games other then the ones on national tv, i always thought they wore the orange pants with the white tops

    “Thanks, I don’t get to watch Nevada much. I like them They look like shit.”

    (fixed)

    After attending and sitting close to the bench last week at a big game (okay, not quite BCS implications – CU/KSU) I’ve come to to finally accept there are no, nor will there be any time soon, any football sleeves. However, most of KSU’s players were wearing white compression shirts with sleeves at least to their elbows and many full length. That looked quite sharp. I’ve been noticing that is becoming a much more common look nationwide as the weather gets colder. I say, and we all know what that means, it is now time to require compression sleeves (not as an NCAA rule, but by each particular coach) for all Saturday football. And Ricko stripes are an extra bonus. Most traditional jersey stripes were made for sleeves, not as color swatches truncated on the side of the shoulder. Put them back where they belong, on the sleeves.

    Last of the four finals today in the MHSAA football finals. The Division 4 final between Williamston (white) and Grand Rapids Catholic Central (blue)

    link

    Four more finals tomorrow.

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