How do I know it’s winter? For starters, we got another foot of snow overnight and are slated to get a few more snow showers during the day. And that’s fine by me, since it makes everything look pretty, plus the cats look all cutie-pie as they perch on the windowsill to watch the flakes come down, plus-plus I don’t have to commute anywhere for work, plus-plus-plus I’m well-stocked with plenty of Diet Coke and mocha brownies, which I can survive on for a looooong time. So snow away!
The other reason I know it’s winter is that all those over-hyped exhibitions that nobody really gives a shit about all-star games are rapidly approaching on the calendar, and now the uniforms for them are finally trickling in.
So when it comes to unmistakable signs of winter, which is better: another foot of snow, or all-star uniforms? Let’s take a look, league by league:
NFL: The most pointless game in big-time sports moves back to Hawaii this year. The bad news about this is that the 17 people watching the game will once again have to look at coaches wearing Hawaiian shirts; the good news is that the Eagles have already been eliminated from the playoffs, which means Andy Reid won’t be coaching the NFC squad.
As for the players, I hadn’t heard anything about this year’s uni designs until reader Ryan Connelly sent me this link yesterday. Here’s the AFC version. Eh, could be worse, right? Except I’m sure they’ll be cluttering it up with all sorts of additional patches (a team logo, a conference logo on the front to match the one on the back, etc.). For now, though, I think it’s actually the least embarrassing Pro Bowl set in years.
One item of note: For reasons that have never been clear to me, Pro Bowl jerseys over the past 20 years or so have always included the term “All-Star” — an accurate term, even though nobody ever uses it when referring to Pro Bowl participants. Technically speaking, Pro Bowl players aren’t “All-Pro,” because that’s a specific designation that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re playing in the Pro Bowl. So All-Pro has nothing to do with the Pro Bowl, and the term that does have something to do with the Pro Bowl is the term that nobody ever uses. Got that? And they wonder why nobody watches this game.
Anyway: The new jerseys don’t include “All-Star,” so that’s a change for this year. Or maybe it’s just another patch they haven’t added yet. Either way, anything’s better than the Pro Bowl. Advantage: Snow.
NHL: It’s been two solid years since the last NHL All-Star Game. Did you miss it? Did you notice? I was pretty excited when I heard they were scrapping the old East/West format, because I thought it was about time we had a shirts vs. skins all-star game (bad for Uni Watch but good for entertainment value). No dice on that, but the jerseys they’re going with seem perfectly fine.
Or at least it seems fine until you see the rear view. Or until you read the press release that says uni numbers will be added above the front crest. Or until you see what “above the front crest” actually means. Genius! Whoever designed that should get, like, a two-hour special on Comedy Central, right?
It’s worth noting that the NHL ASG has featured some notable officiating uniforms over years, from the vertical ref’s stripe in 2000 to the throwback sweaters in 2004 and the silver armbands in 2007 (which were supposed to be adopted full-time the following season but were then scrapped instead). In fact, the league’s current officiating uni set was first worn at the 2009 All-Star Game. So I’m hoping they come up with something new for the zebras this year, and I don’t mean that sarcastically. Frankly, it’s the only aspect of the game that interests me. Advantage: Snow.
NBA: This year’s NBA All-Star jerseys were leaked more than six months ago. As you can see in that link, I’m not thrilled about the use of “The” in the chest insignia. There are a few other aspects of these uniforms that I’m not allowed to talk about yet, but I can say this: The best-case scenario is that we’ll all have a good laugh; the worst-case is that we’ll all need a good cry. Advantage: The snow.
So it’s snow by a landslide, or maybe an avalanche. Wasn’t really a fair fight, but neither was Ali vs. Coopman and people actually paid to watch that, so whaddaya gonna do.
(Incidentally, the Pro Bowl and NHL All-Star Game will both be taking place on Jan. 30, which sounds like a really good day to go clean the gutters, or maybe get a root canal. Just a thought.)
DIY: MIA? WTF??: Seems like it’s been ages since anyone submitted any DIY jerseys. For the record: If you’re still sewing (or knitting, or weaving, or whatever), I’m still interested in what you’re working on. Thanks.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The NFL may be adding impact sensors to helmets next season (with thanks to Steve H.). ”¦ USC + BFBS + UCLA = color vs. color back on Sunday night (with thanks to John Barnes). ”¦ Further stomach-turning evidence that Nike basically runs the Oregon program: Read the first graf of this story (with thanks to Matt Mitchell). ”¦ In the wake of Cookie Gilchrist’s recent death, several photos of him have been circulating, including one with mismatched front and sleeve number fonts (thanks, Phil). ”¦ New cycling kits for Team Liquigas-Cannondale and Team Radio Shack (with thanks to Sean Clancy and Walter Young, respectively). ”¦ New lacrosse uniforms for Wisconsin (with thanks to Zach Nichols). ”¦ Ladies and gentlemen, your Philadelphia Bimbos! ”¦ Not sure I’ve mentioned that Indiana State has new uniforms this season. Lots of photo galleries available here (with thanks to Matt Foster). ”¦ Anthony Wales notes that one of the odder facets of the Knight/Plank Bowl was the odd placement of the conference patch on the Nikegon jersey. ”¦ Steve H. notes that LeBron James appears to have been wearing a uni-numbered mouthguard. ”¦ The new helmet that LaMichael James wore for part of Monday night’s game in Glendale is called the Riddell 360. ”¦ This Steelers jersey is often referred to as the Batman design. “I must respectfully dissent,” says the always-observant Rev. Nørb. “The cowled design more closely resembles Hourman’s costume and should therefore rightly be referred to as the Hourman uni. Pittsburgh WISHES they had socks as cool as Hourman’s!” … You have to wonder what’s wrong with this country when a company can admit that its product is completely worthless and then be rewarded three weeks later with a naming-rights deal for an NBA arena. Jeez, if only they’d admitted that the bracelets cause cancer, they could’ve landed a sponsorship deal for Yankee Stadium. ”¦ Really nice chain-stitching on this old VFW softball uni. ”¦ It’s a little too big, or else I could wear this for ESPN meetings in Bristol. ”¦ Here’s something interesting: an old Rawlings baseball jersey in khaki. ”¦ Rarely seen and seriously underrated: the Orioles’ 1969 vest. You can see over a dozen photos of it, including many I haven’t seen before, here.
I noticed that Auburn had tigers on the nose bumper and war eagle on the neck of their helmet. has another team ever had two mascot/animal names on the same helmet before?
i know teams put a variety of things on the front bumper but i had never seens two animal names on the same team before.
“War Eagle” is as much a battle cry for Auburn as it is an animal name:
link
(Yes, I know they have an actual eagle as a symbol/mascot, along with the tiger)
It’s a bit like Arizona using “Bear Down”, except, I guess, for the fact that you don’t see a real live bear, or a kid in a bear suit, roaming the sidelines at UA.
i understand that i just thought it was interesting to have two animal names on the same helmet. does zona put “bear down” on their neck bumper?
The other difference when it comes to “Bear Down” is that the use of the word “bear” in the phrase has nothing to do with the animal. It’s used as a verb in the same way you might say “bear left at this intersection”.
Auburn’s athletic teams are all called “Tigers.” “War Eagle” is their battle cry. Auburn students are sometimes called “Plainsmen”; the founder of the town of Auburn, AL was inspired by an 18th century poem that included the line “Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the Plain.” I’ve heard all three names applied to their teams but only “Tigers” is correct.
Sad that I know all that about my alma mater’s oldest arch rival, isn’t it?
Division II IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) went through a mascot change recently, from Big Indians to Crimson Hawks. I don’t remember the exact timeline, but for a while before they changed the name, they referred to themselves as the Big Indians, but didn’t want to use any Native American imagery for their athletic programs. So, naturally, they used a bear.
link
They really should get rid of the whole eagle thing. It’s very confusing for people who don’t follow the Southeast Confluence.
As confusing as having two schools in conference nicknamed “Bulldogs”?
…and 2 “Tigers” as well.
Maybe Auburn should go with War Eagles instead.
It’s no more confusing than trying to figure out if your school is a leader or a legend.
Okay, I think his question is whether or not any other school has two animal names, regardless of the intent or usage of the name, on the same helmet.
Nice spot on the Lebron uni-numbered mouth guard. Wonder who makes it and how many other athletes are wearing them?
Orioles vest photos – Did anybody else notice that the Brooks Robinson auction jersey has vertically arched lettering, but all the game photos show him with radial arched lettering.
For a name like Robinson, the vertical arching on the back looks better. Maybe not accurate, but better.
I was going to point out that the Robinson jersey appears to be a lot less “vest-like” than the Motton jersey below it. It seems to resemble the more modern “muscle shirt” style.
maybe they were done different in 68 and 69? I’ll see if I can look into that.
Interesting about the vests. I noticed in the Sports Illustrated year in review issue that the photo they used to depict Mike Cuellar showed him in a vest and I was curious how long the Orioles had used them.
I never knew the Orioles had used vests. It was a good looking jersey. If they were to do right, vest instead of sleeveless, the Orioles could totally pull it off. Maybe use it as a Sunday jersey.
“Rarely seen and seriously underrated: the Orioles’ 1969 vest. You can see over a dozen photos of it, including many I haven’t seen before, here.”
I love those vests! I actually made one for myself when I used to work on the teams jerseys…I have a Brooks.
Also you can see in this photo
link
I had the good fortune to actually get to play in Camden Yards and spend the day with Boog Powell a few years back. He told me all sorts of stories…and did talk about the vest style jerseys. He said he loved them because his arms were so big, but Palmer hated them!Essentially pitchers refusing to wear them is the reason they’re gone.
I’ve seen illustrations and perhaps a photo or two of the Orioles vests in action. I think they are one of the best looking jerseys I’ve ever seen. The black sleeves paired with the orange lettering is a fantastic look and it’s too bad they didn’t last longer. It’s nice to see them getting some recognition.
They wore them for one night a few years ago (maybe their 50th Anniversary season-2004) and they looked great!, Wish I could find some photos of that game, or what game that was.
I’ve always been a committed hater of the Orioles’ cartoon cap logo. It’s like, “Class? Who needs class?” But those vests, man, the cartoon bird looks absolutely freakin’ fabulous with those vests. A sweet look. For a minor-league team, anyway, but still, props to the vests for somehow making the toon bird look good.
Nice to see the ballgirl Linda sweeping in one of those photos. She had a starring role in one of the Orioles’ World Series films from ’69, ’70 or ’71, too.
Actually, Scott she was in all three. In 1969, Linda gave her broom to Met third base coach Eddie Yost and he brushed her shoes and proceeded to shake hands and give Yost a peck on the cheek. Like an old-fashioned gentleman, Yost then took off his cap and bowed. In 1970, after brushing off Red third base coach Alex Grammas’ shoes and giving him a peck on the cheek, she playfully swatted the broom at the backside of umpire Emmet Ashford. He played along with it. However in 1971, Linda swept dirt at Pirate third base coach Frank Oceak. But Oceak didn’t play along and kicked dirt back at Linda. What a crab.
I may be wrong, and there are no photos to back this up, but I believe the O’s wore the vests as throwbacks on May 8, 2004 against the Indians. I know that season they were wearing throwbacks for certain Saturday home games to celebrate their 50th Anniversary in Baltimore. They progressed through different decades for each throwback night, and that was early in the season so it would work for the 60’s model. I remember watching the game on TV and so I remember they definitely wore the vests. Searching the Baltimore Sun archives I found a reference to Javy Lopez wearing a throwback uniform during this game. Anyone know where you can dig up photos?
I picked one of the 2004 vests up at the Fanfest the following January. Also got a ’54-era Cleveland Indians road jersey from the same rack (from the 50’s weekend), as the home team provides the visitor’s special uniforms. I had to pass on the blue 70’s Rangers jerseys.
Pro Bowl (All-Star) game is best in conference. All-Pro is best in league. I’ll watch because it is the second to the last game of the season. Expecting the March lockout of the players to last until Halloween before we will see a start of a truncated season. History never repeats its self exactly, Usually it resembles the past. Think ’82….
Leatherhead
Here is the AFC pro bowl uniform:
link
Excellent, thanks. I’ll add it to the text now.
Were it not for the oddly-shaped stars at the collar, stars trailing from the armpit like sweat, and the genericized Pro Bowl logo on the ass, these are not terrible jerseys. But, this seems like a tallest midget contest.
My first reaction upon seeing the stars at the collar was that they are, perhaps, designed and arranged to approximate the look of a lei.
Those f-ing Reebok logos in the stripes have to go!
It’s a link
link?
Just another silly NFL kids toy, nothing to see here.
They make team themed xbox controllers, why not sell foxsports robots?
Does it play link?
I saw that exact same thing at Bed, Bath, & Beyond while I was doing my wedding registry. Almost bought it for my 5 year old cousin, because she loves that robot more than anything other than maybe Scooby Doo.
Mismatched body and sleeve numbers were pretty common back in those times. Actually, they still are. Several NFL teams use different numerals on the bodies and sleeves of their jerseys (even different ones from the front to the back).
$35 million/year in revenue and they can get naming rights?
Probably could have raised enough cash here to get it named UniWatchArena if we had tried!
Not too likely for the home arena of a team that wears that much purple!
Though the striping pattern is different, there’s something about the pinstriped forearm sections of the NHL All-Star jerseys that draws the eye in a way that reminds me of… well… something like this:
link
Considering that most of the NHL All-Star Game is played with as much body contact as you see in that picture, Bernard, and you’re dead-on with that assessment. ;o)
Ha, good point, Teebz.
Bricka bracka, firecracker, siss, boom, bah!
Is it me or does the Pro Bowl Hawaiian shirt pattern resemble firecrackers?
link
link
Johnny Carson (as Carnac) to Ed McMahon: “Sis, boom, bah.”
McMahon: “‘Sis, boom, bah.'”
Carson, tearing open the envelope and reading the enclosed card: “Describe the sound a sheep makes when it explodes.”
Followed by about 45 seconds of them both giggling until they got it together again.
—Ricko
Saw that one. Classic.
And now that I think about it, Carson started cracking up BEFORE he even said the set up line – the minute he looked at the teleprompter with the feed line, envelope to the head, he started cracking up, as he remembered the joke from rehearsal, and then McMahon remembered and started cracking up too! It literally took several tries before Johnny could get out the line. Gets me laughing to this day when I think about it….
Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny Rah! Rah! Rah!
And the sis boom bah Carnac is as good as Johnny ever got…
The actual gag line was: “What’s the sound made by an exploding sheep!’ link
PERFECTLY FINE? As in Larry?
NHL: It’s been two solid years since the last NHL All-Star Game. Did you miss it? Did you notice? I was pretty excited when I heard they were scrapping the old East/West format, because I thought it was about time we had a shirts vs. skins all-star game (bad for Uni Watch but good for entertainment value). No dice on that, but the jerseys they’re going with seem perfectly fine.
PAUL–WHAT ABOUT THE LIME GREEN NECK TRIM ON THE INSIDE COLLAR?
You can just spot the Union change kit hanging on the wall with the other Bimbo-sponsored kits from Mexico.
Here’s a link to all the latest kit updates in MLS as well as views of the 2010 versions for each club: link
I don’t care about ANY all-star game in any sport. And though I’m a baseball fan, I pay hardly any attention to the All-Star game (though I would watch it before any of the others). If I’m not mistaken, players still wear their actual team uniforms in the game, right? So, how long will it be before MLB decides to start having its players wear actual All-Star uniforms? I know we already have the BP jerseys, so it seems like a logical progression. The traditionalists would howl, but how often do traditionalists stand in the way of dollar signs? Not very. I’m not by any means saying I support this happening, I can just totally see it some day soon.
They already tried to do it prior to the 2004 All-Star Game and the reaction was so negative from fans that MLB abandoned the idea. The All-Star Game is hardly worth watching, but the one reason to tune in is to see all the different white and gray uniforms on the same field.
I agree, I just worry that eventually the thoughts of selling a few extra All-Star jerseys, or the idea of making more it more of a cohesive look of National League vs. American League, will outweigh the opinions of the fans. MLB at least respects tradition moreso than the other major sports, but God forbid a company like Nike or Under Armour ever wins the uniform contract. I don’t think Majestic has the pull to persuade them into something like that, but perhaps Nike or UA would.
MLB has league jerseys using the BP template, but they’re basically only worn for the Home Run Derby. (Kind of ironic, since the players are representing themselves, not their league, in the HRD, but wear league jerseys; whereas in the ASG itself, they represent their league, but wear team jerseys.)
My favorite all-star games are the various minor-league baseball all-star contests. You can find most of them on TV if you look hard enough, and you get to see dozens of minor-league unis, home and road, regular and alternate, in action all at once. Best uni-watching of the year in my book.
This is horrid and should be banned for numerous reasons.
link
That’s just USC in their traditional black.
eyeroll.
—Ricko
Yes, cardinal, gold, and white uniforms are not enough. And to add to the mess, they wore it at home against another team wearing a road uniform, in their arch-rival game.
A question about the NHL All Star game. Since it is going to be a “school yard pick ’em” style for picking teams, will they have to make both a blue and red sweater for each guy depending on where he ends up?
I read somewhere (likely here) that there will be repeat numbers for guys. For example if both Eric Staal and Jerome Iginla end up on the same team they both will wear 12. Is that right as well?
I imagine the Names and Numbers won’t be sown on until the after the Friday draft.
And yes, all the All-stars will be wearing the numbers they normally wear with their respective teams.
ALERT!
Possible issues here of poetic license / colorful hyperbole / confusion of verb tenses:
“…How do I know it’s winter? For starters, we got another foot of snow overnight …”
Now, Paul. Five miles from where you live, fewer than six inches of snow fell. Me and my kids were bummed because we had to go to school/office when we, like you, were looking forward to a day of at-home leisure. But really, where in Brooklyn did they get a foot of snow? No chance you wrote this last night?
>No chance you wrote this last night?
No chance. Because I actually wrote it yesterday *afternoon.*
Eh, six inches, a foot, whatever. It’s a snowstorm!
so you didn’t put out a measuring stick, OR account for possible drifting? how do you live with yourself?
i see the john d’amore seller finally decided to take the $150 price tag off that jersey. wait, i just checked, that is not accurate. apparently there are two of that jersey floating around ebay? so if you just want the shirt it is 150, but if you want the pants too it is only 25 bucks. got’a love ebay.
I got to stay home from school today, as did my daughters and their two friends who slept over last night becuase all of the districts in my county cancelled last night!
And I live about 45 minutes north of Paul.
I will spare you the snowblower pics.
Interesting article on design of Oregon BCS unis.
How Nike’s Visual Tricks Made the Oregon Ducks Look Fast link
As much as I dislike a lot of Nike’s bull crap, there’s actually something to this. Though I’m sure it didn’t do anything for Auburn, on the television broadcast, the feet and shins of the Oregon players definitely stood out. And the fact hat they are moving faster can create an optical illusion of incredible speed. Of course, Oregon is also a very fast team, so that could be part of it.
Um, guess what? Oregon lost. And they didn’t look that fast or that good. Now Auburn’s players, they looked fast — and good.
Note to Nike: No one believes any of the “makes them look faster” crap. Stop it. You’re allowed to say “because we thought it looked cool”. That is an acceptable reason.
I’m not so sure. There might be something to this particular claim. How often have we heard that black shoes make the wearer look slower?
I’ve always thought it might be an *advantage* to look slower. If your opponent thinks you’re slow, he might underestimate your actual speed.
Joe Paterno has flat-out SAID that’s why Penn State stayed with black cleats through the white-cleat era.
“I don’t want them to know how fast we are.”
—Ricko
I’ve heard the claim a few times, but I just don’t buy it. Maybe it works on some people because black shoes in football are “old school” and the game *was* slower 40 years ago so they equate the two… I don’t know. I’ve never really noticed that kind of effect.
i have no doubt that the visual tricks work, nice example with the black shoes, but the problem i have is this. they claim that it is easier for a QB to pick out receivers with their speed-juice colours, which i buy, contrast does help the passer, i can attest. but on the other side of the ball, would it also not make it easier fro the opposing QB to pick out defenders? so doesn’t that make the whole speed-juice colour advantage a wash?
This has also been discussed many times in the hockey world. Players such as Paul Kariya and Ryan Smyth use midnight/black blade holders and are offered the same criticisms about foot speed. Having such a contrast against the white background of the ice, this visual trick works especially well. Gretzky’s royal blue Perfecta’s also changed his illusion of foot speed.
Bears receiver Ken Margerum not only chose black cleats, but hi-tops, specifically to look slower — see Super Bowl XX film.
You saying there’s no such thing as a visual effect?
Then why do nightclubs bother with strobe lights?
You’re not wrong about saying would be nice to near someone say, “Just like the way it looks”.
But the eye does see white (or bright colors) moving against a darker background as moving faster, if for no other reason that the eye is drawn to it.
Did you totally sleep through 8th grade science? ;)
—Ricko
why do nightclubs bother with strobe lights?
~~~
i always thought it had something to do with making it easier to get laid
So at best, Nike’s claim would be true if they said, “makes their feet look faster.” Because of the way human anatomy works – see, Nike, the human foot is separated from the human torso by a length of pendulum-like appendage known to the layman as “the leg” – tricking the viewer into believing that the feet are moving faster won’t actually affect how fast the viewer perceives the player himself to be moving. Basically, Nike is claiming to have invented jazz hands for the feet.
Plus, what conceivable competitive advantage is there to making people think your feet are moving faster than they are? Has football coaching undergone a revolution since I was a kid, and now players are taught to keep their heads down and look at the other team’s feet?
Maybe they should have invented a new methos for tying their laces.
They aren’t talking about how it looks to an opponent during the game.
They’re talking about how they look on TV or when someone’s studying game films. About the overall impression watching them play.Or even just watching themselves in practice.
Nobody’s stupid enough to think it enters inot how a sweep is defended, mid-game.
I ran into Glen Mason at a recording studio shortly after he’d taken Gopher job, and immediately had switched them to white shoes. Told him I’d won ten bucks betting someone he’d do that. He laughed. “Yeah, we’re SO slow. I figured no sense LOOKING slow, too.”
—Ricko
Maybe we should have linemen wear horizontal stripes because it’s slimming.
I assume you meant vertical, lol.
Or, they could wear someone other than team-color sausage casings.
—Ricko
…someone?
something.
(at work, sometimes don’t have time to proofread)
Almost immediately after I posted that I started to think I got it wrong. I suppose a little research could have helped me to look like less of a fool :p
Anyway, I KNOW black is supposed to be slimming. I think that’s the real reason behind all the BFBS lately.
at work, sometimes don’t have time to proofread
~~~
yeah…i have that problem too
oh…you meant on HERE
The reason Ali wore white boxing shoes was to look faster.
As for Oregon, yellow socks did not make them look faster, they looked like they needed a fullback, or a running back that could block somebody.
I think the Power Balance Pavilion (nee Arco Arena) should be hereafter referred to as the “Placebo Pavilion”.
Done!
I love the old Orioles vests..Ricko is really a marvel with his collection of photos..way ahead of his time. I was ten in 1969..never knew about the vests till recently. The Orioles should bring back the cartoon bird and the vests as an alternate. Now if we can convince guys to wear stirrups the way God intended it…
ATTENTION, SNEAKERHEADS!!!
ATTENTION, SNEAKERHEADS!!!
I wouldn’t be surprised if Paul already has covered this guy, but I’ll post the link anyway.
link
—Ricko
Cool…just go to AC Moore and buy some Liquitex paint…thats the secret!
Diet Coke and Brownies.
I prefer brownies when the four corners are a little crusty, myself.
Well, then… have I got link for you.
yeah i’ve heard of that. speaking of chocolate;
link
Check the 4th photo. “The chocolate syringe.” You walk by, they give you a sample, pump it right into your mouth, hot warm chocolate.
Nearly made my knees buckle it was so good.
Not uni-related at all, but I received a “Perfect Brownie” for Christmas, thought it was juts another “ass seen on tv” gimmick item. But holy crap, it works wonderfully. I 100% recommend it if you prefer the edge pieces of the brownie tray. If you’re a center brownie person, it isn’t for you. But if you’re like me and dig the edge pieces, the “Perfect Brownie” is a tremendous product.
Another ‘as seen on tv’ item that is essential are link We literally threw all our regular hot pads out after buying our first ones. They are especially good for the grill….
“You have to wonder what’s wrong with this country when a company can admit that its product is completely worthless and then be rewarded three weeks later with a naming-rights deal for an NBA arena.”
That’s because there are plenty of knotheads out there who would say something like, “I sure do love that there new Place-Bow Arena…or whatever it’s called this year.”
Most people are stoopit.
(As sales of the bracelet have already indicated, I suppose).
—Ricko
The server is down at my office, and it leaves me unable to do any actual work. I will spend the time trying to come up with a more clever satirical hybrid than “Nikegon.”
The Nikeversity of Swooshegon?
Nice.
Mildly surprised nobody has joined me in howling about the uni numbers on the NHL jerseys.
One more time:
link
Am I really the only one who finds this breaking new ground in absurdity?
nobody fucking cares about allstar hockeyOMG!!!
those are awful
/seriously, they are awful, but really, who cares? there is no need for front #s on a sweater AT ALL, much less the ASG jersey
It’s hard to get worked up about a uniform nobody is planning to see in action.
I starterd to post but got pulled away.
What was the NHL thinking? Wait, sorry they don’t think. What is even worse is that thing on the back. What do they call that anyway? I would call it crap.
At least the NHL All star game is half way decent compared to the Dunk Fest/Look-at-me/I’m a punk exposition the NBA puts on or the game of two hand touch played in Hawaii.
“At least the NHL All star game is half way decent compared to the Dunk Fest/Look-at-me/I’m a punk exposition the NBA puts on or the game of two hand touch played in Hawaii.”
Well, yeah, but don’t forget that between the players and their hangers-on SO much valuable handgun information gets exchanged at the NBA gathering.
—Ricko
I actually watched most of the dunk contest last year, mostly because I stumbled on it and there was nothing else on. I seriously would have been much more entertained watching middle school kids dunk on a 7 foot rim.
Paul,
If they had not made the game even worse than it was before (draft,selections, etc) then I might actually care that the uniforms suck. But since I have no intention of watching this travesty, they could wear dresses for all that I care.
Perhaps most were like me – and had a “well that f’in figures” attitude that we all just kind of nodded our collective heads in agreement with ya?
Yep.
Late to the game of course. I actually don’t mind the numbers. Something about them works for me, I don’t know.
When I saw the photo it didn’t shock me at all.
Of course- to each their own.
So is the Pro-Bowl shift to Hawaii permanent, or is the NFL just having it there when the Super Bowl is in a, ah…not-so-desirable city (i.e, any city other than Miami, San Diego, or New Orleans?)
I believe they’re still trying to figure out what to do about it.
The big issue for the league is that the players really don’t care about the game and are only willing to participate if they can turn it into a nice vacation for their families. That’s why the players were so upset when the game was moved away from Hawaii, and why it’s been returned to Hawaii this year. (You’d think a professional athlete could afford to take his family on a Hawaiian vacation in any case, but whatever.)
But this isn’t a permanent solution. It’s a placeholder until they can figure out what to do next.
I’m sure everyone realizes that the game should simply be eliminated, but nobody wants to be responsible for pulling the plug.
Those poor bastards had to go TO MIAMI last January? What an outrage!
I was in Miami last January getting on a cruise ship. It was 49 degrees during the day
Sure, maybe the day you were there (and the weather’s not always perfect in Honolulu, either) but I’m pretty sure the weather was pleasant on the weekend the game was played.
“I’m sure everyone realizes that the game should simply be eliminated, but nobody wants to be responsible for pulling the plug.”
True enough.
I’m sure everyone realizes that the game should simply be eliminated, but nobody wants to be responsible for pulling the plug.
Odd if true; the NFL used to have a highly decisive, overtly “manly” corporate culture. “Nobody wants to be responsible for making the decision” is not something that could be said about the league office as recently as 1999, when I used to cover the NFL as a corporate entity and knew many of the league’s in-house lawyers. Does the league still turn a profit on the Pro Bowl? If so, the desire to keep the cash flowing, as opposed to decisionmaking timidity, may be a better explanation for the Pro Bowl’s continued existence.
I really don’t get the NHL all-star game. The Winter Classic seems like the superior high-profile league event to me. It’s an actual game that actually counts in the standings, it’s basically unique in all of sports, and it would not be hard for the NHL to use the Winter Classic to highlight its biggest stars year in, year out, and so accomplish what the all-star game is supposed to do. Plus, we see an even better version of the all-star game every four years at the Winter Olympics. Anyway, now that the NHL has stumbled on something really special with the Winter Classic, it really should drop the all-star game that amounts to a second-rate imitation of every other sport.
My impression is that the NHL players genuinely enjoy their asg. Ditto for MLB and the NBA. But NFL players don’t give a shit about the Pro Bowl. It happens at the end of the season, when most of them are exhausted and just wanna go home and heal.
That’s the real problem with the Pro Bowl: The participants don’t care.
Yup. Seems to me the NFL has been, for a long, long time, caught up in the understandable trap of…
“We’re a big-time league, gotta have an All-Star Game, right? If not, how do we STOP having one?”
Not all that different from MLB’s dilemma of being stuck wearing silly patriotic versions of their caps a few times a summer pretty much forever because there is no good exit strategy. Everything will look like, “We’ve decided not to feel patriotic anymore.”
—Ricko
Danny Briere actually went off on a rant when he did not get selected for this year’s ASG. And NHL VP Brendan Shanahan did suggest some players who did not want to go for injury or personal reasons did ask privately not to be selected. Many people are assuming Henrik Zetterberg of Detroit is the first name on that list.
After hearing one player complaining about not being chosen and another opting out with a phantom injury, my father said this about the Pro Bowl: “They all want to be chosen. None of them actually want to play in the game.”
“… Nice vacation for their families…” Well, especially if the word “family” is broadly defined.
My understanding is that the return to Oahu signifies not that the game will always be played in Hawaii but that Hawaii will continue as one of a number of sites where one can watch the (always gripping) Pro Bowl.
Too bad, because the Pro Bowl and Hawaii are a perfect match. Loose, friendly, fun. No All-Star game is compelling, imo (except sometimes baseball, which doesn’t involve the risk of injury as a central element of defensive play), but pro football all-star contest are especially uncompelling because, reasonably enough, nobody wants to hurt or get hurt. A perfect complement to a day at the beach. I speak from experience here. The Pro Bowl in Aloha Stadium is/was a very enjoyable, worthless event. There’s the added benefit that the north shore of Oahu waves are at their awesome greatest in January. This is known to everyone, of course, and a beachgoer was frequently treated to the wonderful spectacle of giant men emerging from stretch limos, staring at the waves for a minute or two, and then back into the stretch limo for more partying at Waikeke. Keep the Pro Bowl in Honolulu! And keep it meaningless.
“Too bad, because the Pro Bowl and Hawaii are a perfect match. Loose, friendly, fun.”
Unlike the majority of sports fans, I wish every game could be like that. Not saying I’m not competitive, and I’m not saying the players shouldn’t be competitive, but sports seems to have gotten all blown out of proportion. Yes, it’s a livelihood to the pros, but for the rest of us, it’s a game. It should be fun.
I used to love watching the Pro Bowl, even when people kept asking me, “Who cares?” I thought the players did, but the more I’d hear about guys coming down with phantom ailments just so they could get out of the game, I realized what a “burden” it was to have to go to Hawaii yet again.
In fact, my favorite sports day in the 80s was the Sunday after the Super Bowl. CBS would have the NBA ASG in the afternoon, then in the evening ABC would have the Pro Bowl. Today, I don’t get TNT, so I can’t see the ASG, and now I’ve joined the ranks of the “Who cares?” people when it comes to the Pro Bowl.
I never understood why they don’t just name a Pro Bowl team without actually playing a game. Hell, just make the prize for being selected to the Pro Bowl a vacation for the players and their families in Hawaii so that they could continue to be spared the indignity of using their own money for that Hawaiian vacation.
Or even embrace the fact that nobody in the Pro Bowl wants to play actual football for risk of injury and turn it into a flag football game. Sort of the football equivalent of NBA stars playing a pickup match or two-on-two half-court or whatever. And it would be perfectly in keeping with the laid-back, Hawaii vibe. Could even double-down on the theme and have the teams chosen by captains picking their rosters at game time, just like in a backyard game.
Or they could just have the Pro Bowlers play Madden and broadcast that on ESPN3 or whatever.
As long as they didn’t censor the trash talking, NFL Pro Bowlers playing Madden might actually be entertaining.
At least as much fun as poker.
That’s a great idea – would also be a great way to get the players out from underneath their helmets for once.
I’d watch a flag football game, but not two guys playing Madden. Unless it was The Jeff vs. Ricko or Phil…
Can’t speak for Phil, but I just don’t have the Competitive Thumbs gene.
As Sundance said, “I’m better when I move”
(but, I must ad, not as good as I used to be, lol).
—Ricko
yeah…um
homey don’t play madden…and flag football is lame
two-hand touch in the asphalt streets back in the days of my youth was about as close as i came to flag football…even the gym teachers thought it was so lame they’d just give us a duke and tell us to go “play touch” … which of course devolved wonderfully into tackle the minute it started
no one ever got hurt (unless they were a spaz of sunbowlkian proportions), no one ever sued…and we had plenty of fun, even if a few of us had scrapes and bruises and maybe a knee or two to the groin — and someone always won…
now…any number of us (then) could have become rich beyond our dreams of avarice suing the school district…
i had my self esteem bruised plenty of times…BFD
Two hand touch would be good (played a ton of that, too), but you know what would happen…every other play would go to the replay booth because the ball carrier would say, “He only got me with one hand!”
LOL. And Marshawn Lynch would’ve been ruled down at least five times over on his big play, which would instead be a thrilling 3-yard pickup.
I have NEVER played Madden!
I referree a Mens Football league that has both Flag and Touch.
Talk about blood money! They bitch about EVERYTHING!
anyone else normally use Google Reader and have it changed today? Used to be able to read the whole thing there, now it’s only got the first few lines before taking you here.
Breakdown of the Hershey Bears goalie masks….
link
Sadly, more than 17 people watch the Pro Bowl. In fact, it’s watched by about twice as many people as the Stanley Cup Finals.
ok…18 then
zing.
{applause}
link
(1) Did Robbie Alomar ever wear that uniform? Throwback game maybe?
(2) That’s a WAY oversized NY logo on that cap. And the front of the uniform doesn’t seem to say “Mets”.
Late as usual but Paul, Phil and I both mentioned our disdain for the NHL uni numbers in yesterdays comments. They claim it’s for “better player identification”.
Give me a break. It’s the All Star game. Thank goodness Crosby will have #87 on the front because otherwise I might not be able to pick him out!
Also, it’s rumored that there may be duplication of numbers anyway. ie if Iginla and Stall are on the same team they will still get to have #12.
Never thought I’d see Hourman on this site! My 2nd favorite superhero, next to Dr. Mid-Nite.
link
Good catch on the Steelers/Hourman connection, Rev.
Tick-Tock Tyler!
—Ricko
Just to show I didn’t invent the “tick-tock” part…
link
—Ricko
ol’ Rex sure had a lot of nicknames, didn’t he?
Here’s an idea for a Pro Bowl replacement…
Let the non-“skill position” guys play flag football.
Now THAT would sum good TEE-vee.
“D’Brikcashaw Ferguson on a post…Wide open…Oh, what a catch!!! Beat Kevin Williams with a nifty double move. Hang on, the play’ll be over any second now.”
—Ricko
(sorry about the typos)
Spell check is for sissys.
Not a bad idea, but with that much beef I’m sure there would be several blown knees or a heart attack.
Put one of these in each endzone?
link
They’d be swan diving into that.
A few years back they did a rookie touch football game on sand the day before the Pro Bowl and a RB from Boston blew out a knee, so there’s even risk on a touch game. The fellow was named link.
Happy birthday to Tim Horton!
link
I posted this hockey card picture because he is wearing gloves with #9 but sweater #24.
Wonder if he’s having this for his birthday:
link
Too bad his nearest franchise is more than an hour away from here.
You do know that Tim Horton is no longer with us, right, Jim?
February 17, 1974, Horton was driving home to Buffalo after a game in Toronto when he lost control of his Pantera sports car and was killed in a crash on the QEW highway near St. Catharines, Ontario. There are rumors that he was speeding somewhere in the range of 160 km/hr – about 95 mph – when his car left the road.
Didn’t know that. Thanks, Teebz.
Tim may not be here anymore, but I’ll always have his travel mug with me.
#9 for the Penguins in ’71-72 was Bill Hicke at the beginning of the season when the photo was most likely taken. When Al McDonough came over later in the season, he took 9.
Paul! you can’t let a slightly larger size shirt stop you. Smaller yeah. But you run a LS yellow under it. Or even better a grey heather standard SS and it looks xlnt. Surprised at you ;-)
As a Philly Union season ticket holder, I am morbidly ashamed. A regional sponsor would have been awesome. Instead we look like a bunch of other teams.
Of course, if they buy some international with that cash, I’m fine.
My first reaction was damn that’s a ton of money for an MLS shirt sponsorship. 12 million for four years, do other MLS teams make that much?
More, actually. The LA Galaxy got something closer to $5M a year over 5 years, and that was several years ago.
Coinciding with the arrival of the Spice Boy David Beckham (and I’m a Man U fan).
Wanna bet that sponsorship $ dries up when Becks leaves LA?
Best NFL event—ever—from Hawaii was the Steelers/Vikings tug o’war on ABC’s Superstars.
Incredible TV. Had to be watching it live, I suppose, but it was frickin’ AMAZING. To use what sounds like a cornball word, spellbinding. Seriously.
(Not surprisingly, couldn’t find it on youtube.)
—Ricko
My Page 2 colleague Jim Caple did a great feature on that event a year or so ago:
link
You do know the Pro Bowl got 12 million viewers last time out, right? Highest ratings since 2000?
I don’t particularly care for it, but I don’t particularly care for golf, either, and I’m still realistic that people watch it.
According to Darren Rovell there are 17 Under Armour UA logos on Auburn when they play. More than Nike swooshes on Oregon. So if Oregon is Nikegon now what does that make Auburn? Should they just change the Auburn UA logo to Under Armour and get if over with?
I’ll let others point out the logical flaws in trying to equate the Auburn/UnderArmour relationship with the Nike/Oregon relationship.
But simply in terms of logo creep, the two companies are equally bad. Nobody ever suggested otherwise.
UAburn?
Under Auburn?
So I guess ‘Bimbo’ is actually pronounced ‘Beembo’ which makes it ok I guess. My wife pointed out that if you’re going to create a company you may want to consider what the company name means in other languages. Apparently Bimbo owns Entemann’s among others. I’m a big soccer fan along with alot of other sports. I will say that while I’m not a fan of the idea of corporate sponsors (I don’t have a problem with uni-manufacturers logos on their unis) on uniforms for non-Soccer teams I think MLS unis look naked without them. They just look second rate compared to their European counterparts with either a team name or nothing on the front. Right now these teams still need uni sponsors in MLS:
Team Name on Front:
New England, FC Dallas
Nothing on Front:
Colorado, Sporting KC
Need a New Sponsor After Losing Theirs:
Chicago, Columbus
So six teams are straggling behind and making the MLS look second rate in the soccer world. Personally I believe there are only a few leagues better than MLS on the field of play. The EPL(England), La Liga(Spain), Bundesliga(Germany), Serie A(Italy), Ligue 1(France), Brazilian league and that’s about it. We’re at least even or better than the other leagues. Let’s start looking the part too. We’re six sponsors away.
So having a corporate logo on the front of your shirt makes you look legit, while having a clean front or a team name on it makes you look second rate? Did you forget your [/sarcasm] tag?
Was thinking the same thing, Andy.
Pat, does that mean you considered Barcelona to be second rate all those years? ‘Cause I always thought they were the class of the world.
BTW, I’ve always thought of yellow snow as being athletic gold, hardly worth a second look. Vegas gold snow? I’d probably track that dog down.
Mark me down as a fan of the Pro Bowl jerseys. This is not to say they’r great, but I take solace in the fact that there are no freakin’ contrasting side panels. I sincerely hope this will start a trend.
from si.com- gallery of NHL goalie masks for this season.
link
I just don’t dig the contemporary goalie mask. Just too busy for my tastes. Hard to look at. A blur.
I loved the old masks. They left something to the imagination…
link
mo-vi dick, are you still avoiding ahab’ s spear? or did it land on the front lawn today?
Only thing that landed on my lawn today was 6-8 inches of snow.
that’s just great. corn nab it, it isn’t going to get there, which means half the things i sent out last tuesday were lost by the kcmo-usps. the cesar chavez facility in chicago never lost shit, but apparently the mental midgets around here lose everything on top of breaking the one bobble i sent out after moving here. aaaaargh! FU KCMO. okay mothervilker, what i sent was this, a nap lajoie model maple wiffle bat that i turned out on a lathe. for six months i cured pine tar on that son of a gun by mixing in dirt from u.s. comiskular, wrigley foeld and grant park(where the played softball in about last night).the damn thing took me forever, ask the pineapple. i figured you and the gang could use it for opening day wiffle, or some tennis-baseball. anyway, i am sorry it never made it, and apparently never will. i am really pissed about all this jim.
kc…it’s everything you thought it would be, and more, eh moose?
~~~
madrevilkster…i have seen a pixture of that which roberto speaks…and it is gorgeous…truly, a kc masterpiece
hopefully it will arrive in a pastoral suburb on the outskirts of akron on the morrow
you shan’t be disappointed
it won’t, i sent it last tuesday, maybe monday. anyway, it was due to arrive saturday at the “latest”, it isn’t getting there. i am going to kick the corn-mother in the nuts the next time i see her.
Wow, thanks!
Perhaps our mail is backed up. Since this D-3 town that thinks it’s a BCS town won’t plow my street, the truck can’t always get up our little hill. I’ll keep looking.
i feel bad jim, you ain’t gettin’ it…link. it is the one that reads “uniwatch slugger”. the original wifflevilker is going to the 5-1 champ, and the one with the stirrup went to my brothers kids.
tell you what phil, despite freaking out the night before i left when that creep jeff “fribbled” me, i have gone into this move with nothing but a positive attitude, but kc has been less then impressive to this point. there, i said it kansas city, to this point my impression is your little burgh rots.
Unless someone picked them all correctly, I would be the real 5&1 champ, right? So I’ll just take that slugger one…
Twofold.
one – didn’t paul just say he had the fever for more diy? There you go. Too bad it looks like it’s turned into cliff clavin’s new be nice stick.
two – you are in the wrong end of the state, chimp. stuff like whittlin is much more in demand down here in the bootheel.
Glad you (and Paul) brought that up…I have a few DIY projects that have been sitting around waiting for me to finish them.
you are in the wrong end of the state, chimp. stuff like whittlin is much more in demand down here in the bootheel
~~~
so is dentistry and geneology
sorry, got pulled away, pineapple went to cali today for the next 2 weeks, been on the phone…
ben~
i have a couple diy projects that are one and two years in the making, but no jerseys. guys like ryco and frosty do such a great job that i have laid off the jersey making out of respect, i don’t wear them more then once a year anyway. hm, wrong end of the state? i have friends who are from here that would argue the opposite about kck:) that being said, that is one thing i like, the “northside-southside” rivalry, but the way i see it, um, nevermind.
mo-vi deek~
so you think you could predict what you will choose with your red right hand?
You’ll see him in your nightmares,
you’ll see him in your dreams
He’ll appear out of nowhere but
he ain’t what he seems
You’ll see him in your head,
on the (computer) screen
And hey buddy, I’m warning
you to turn it off
He’s a ghost, he’s a god,
he’s a man, he’s a guru
You’re one microscopic cog
in his catastrophic plan
Designed and directed by
his red right hand
Nike Oregon ad
link
hey tod,
didn’t they release that about (and im not using hyperbole here) about 20 seconds after the game?
i know i saw it before today … and im pretty sure it was early tuesday morning (like, as in about 20 seconds after the UnderAuburn field goal)
I don’t know. I just saw it in my twitter feed today and thought I would share. I was so excited after that FG that I had won my money bowl pool I would have missed it.
oh sure…you and i play the “pick em by uni” and get crushed in the UW pool…and you win your $$$ pool
nice!
I tied with 3 other people but guessed 41 points in the championship game. Did I mention how HUGE that final FG was.
Just a quick non-uni note…I was just watching a program on HDNet titled “Drinking Made Easy”. This particular episode was filmed in Milwaukee and was capped off with a visit to Holler House. They have a tiny two-lane bowling alley in the basement, I think Paul has been there in fact.
Oldest pair of ABC (that’s American Bowling Congress, kids)-sanctioned lanes in the nation. I am proud to have bowled there.
Best bar in Milwaukee, too.
I was wondering if this qualifies as a color on color game. link
If by “color’ you mean the hues, shades and tones of a dreary, restless night, then, yes.
Does for me.
Well to be completely honest I’m not a huge fan of La Liga and if I was I’d be a Real Madrid guy. I’m into the EPL and Manchester United. I’m a season ticket holder for the Portland Timbers as well. I agree with you somewhat but Barcelona has had Unicef on the front of their unis for the last several years which wasn’t really a sponsor but them recognizing the organization. I in no way think that corporate sponsors should be on the front of American football, basketball, baseball, hockey or any other professional team sport for that matter. I guess that makes me an oxymoron. It just looks weird to me when a team doesn’t have a sponsor on a soccer uni. It looks even weirder for a team like Colorado or Philly last year when there isn’t even a team name.
Barcelona did the Unicef thing, but even so, there was a good twenty years or more where they were about the only sponsorless jersey in the world. To me, they always looked normal while the rest of the world looked weird.
I do like the Timbers’ unis, though, so I consider you lucky. Enjoy the games!