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Sunday Morning Uni Watch

SMUW week 3


By Phil Hecken

Week three in the NCAA football schedule doesn’t usually make for the best of matchups, as we’re past the big opening games, and we haven’t really settled into the conference matchups. Sure, there’s that Third Saturday in September game and the Holy War, but for the most part, there are still a bunch of the Little Sisters of the Poor showing up in big stadia for a payday and a beatdown.

But…that doesn’t mean there were not some uni machinations on the field. So, for that and more, I now turn this portion of the post to my buddy Terry Duroncelet, who will take us through the…

. . .

Sunday Morning Uni Watch
By Terry Duroncelet

So my weekend consisted of me waking up, getting to my computer, reading Uni Watch, and observing some of the games. About two hours later, my next door neighbor gave us a bucket of crabs. Needless to say, it was a good Saturday. Although, I wish there was as much college uni action for me to get in on as there were crabs (I ate at least ten of the 26-30 that were caught). Either way, here’s what I found this week:

-I have a question: with the three helmets that Rutgers has lying around, do you think that they’d put the wrong helmet in someone’s locker room on gameday? Not saying that I saw that on Thursday, but it seems possible. At least it wouldn’t be as big a blunder as what USF did on special teams. Also, there’s this.

-Minnesota wore their gold tops with maroon pants at home against Western Michigan, although the mascot kinda didn’t get the memo. I thought that they were saving the gold tops for “big” games, like Homecoming, but that isn’t until October. Not that I’m complaining or anything, they looked all kinds of awesome, but I’m just curious as to what the occasion was. Western Michigan looked great as well, but they’re also one of the few remaining Adidas squads that doesn’t wear bumper sticker junk or the Laffy Taffy bodysuit TechFit fabric.

-I mentioned last week that Pitt had helmet decals on the back of their helmets, but couldn’t find a decent picture for the life of me. Luckily, one of the readers from Thursday’s post found this from an earlier game. Thanks!

-I couldn’t find any photos, but the field for the West Virginia/James Madison game had an interesting treatment. They were playing at FedEx field. The Redskins logo was still at midfield, but the endzones had each school’s helmet and name.

Oklahoma State wore this yesterday. I guess they couldn’t wait one more week to get into the Autumn mood? I won’t say that they went full-pumpkin suit, due to the lack of orange lids, BUT I am tempted to.

-Has anyone else seen Arizona State in this combination before? (also note the captain’s ‘C’) This is the first time that I remember seeing white/white/maroon. Not a bad look. Also, Mizzou looks pretty sweet as well.

-Utah State wore gray tops with navy pants against red-topped Wisconsin. Now that’s a good-looking game.

-Syracuse went back to their white socks, but some players kept the undershirts from last week. The Ernie Davis patch (actually, I think it’s rubberized, or something) looks to be a full-time thing for this season.

-Speaking of undershirts, Army looks to have half-stripes on their compression shirts (which Syracuse also has. Look at #37’s right sleeve). I thought I saw that last week, and this Saturday’s game seems to confirm that (although it’s kinda hard to see).

-BYU and Utah did the color-vs.-color thing in the Holy War again, as they did last year (although Utah’s uniforms are anything but holy).

Aaaannnnnnnnndddddd… that’s really all that I found this week. Pretty slow Saturday. Ummm… yeah. Guess I’ll take care of the rest of those crabs.

~~~

Thanks, TJ! Nice roundup as usual, for what is usually not one of the greatest weeks in NCAAFB. It just gets better from here!

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Catherine 5 & 1 animated

Catherine Ryan’s 5 & 1

The five and one has been a staple of Uni Watch for three years, usually ably administered by Jim Vilk. But he got old and tired, so we needed someone young and fresh. And we’ve found that someone in this year’s new 5 & 1 decider…Catherine Ryan.

Catherine did a fantastic job last week in her first solo 5 & 1. Let’s see how she did for the third week of the NCAAFB season:

. . .

I took your comments to heart last week, Uni Watch faithful! I have gone back to the countdown format to create some suspense. Let’s get this show on the road!

5. Georgia Tech/Virginia: It took a little bit for me to accept the honeycomb look but I think the gold lids make it look a lot better. Also, big fan of UVA’s all navy set.

4. Washington State vs. UNLV: I’m not sure why this game appealed to me but I love UNLV’s gray lids/bottoms. Washington State looks good, too!

3. Tennessee/Florida: This game was a beauty to watch. Love the Vols in the home tops and the Gators look fresh and clean.

2. Louisville/North Carolina: I went with a lot of red this week but I love Louisville in the all-red. Few teams could make it look this good. I also love the Heels in the navy pants!

1. Georgia/Florida Atlantic: Sorry to slam everyone with red again but Georgia looked great. I almost don’t even care what FAU wore.

And the…

& 1. Oregon/Tennessee Tech: Sorry, Phil. Gross.

. . .

Thanks Catherine! I might disagree with you on a couple of your top 5, but I (sadly) agree 100% with your & 1. Oregon wore their worst look so far, and each week, their opponents have looked heinous. Definitely deserving of the bad spot this week (but it better never happen again). Well readers, how do you think she did?

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Duck Tracker 2012


2012 Duck Tracker

The third game of the 2012 Ducks season featured green over green over gray for their annihilation of lowly Tennessee Tech. Definitely not their best look for the season.

Ducks_2012_G_03

Our 2012 Duck Tracker is Tim E. O’Brien, and here he is to tell you about it:

. . .

Lots of wings on helmets, huh… It’s rare that an average look for Oregon looks so good, but that’s what happens when you play a team sporting a visual abortion. I like Oregon’s helmets and the jerseys are ok (the fighting Ducks green is much better) but the gray pants make little to no sense with the other two elements. Worst look of the season, thus far, but still not terrible.

For game pics and more (including news possible future combinations) make sure to visit the full Duck Tracker (and while you’re at it, stop by the NUni Tracker and the Hoosier Tracker).

. . .

Thanks Tim.

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all sport uni tweaks

Uni Tweaks Concepts

We have another new set of tweaks, er…concepts today. After discussion with a number of readers, it’s probably more apropos to call most of the reader submissions “concepts” rather than tweaks. So that’s that.

So if you’ve concept for any sport, or just a tweak or wholesale revision, send them my way.

Please do try to keep your descriptions to ~50 words (give or take) per image — if you have three uniform concepts in one image, then obviously, you can go a little over, but no novels, OK? OK!. You guys have usually been good with keeping the descriptions pretty short, and I thank you for that.

Like the colorizations, I’m going to run these as inline pics — click on each one to enlarge.

And so, lets begin:

~~~

First up is Jim Vilk, who liked the Rays “throwback to 1979” so much he decided to concept a throwback for the Nats…

DC Nats - Jim Vilk

If the Rays can do it, why not the Nats? Inspired by Tampa Bay’s “1979 throwbacks,” and with the design help of Tim E. O’Brien, here are the ’79 Washington Nationals.

I took parts from the ’79 Twins, Rangers and Expos. My favorite part was blending the Twins and Nats’ interlocking logos

DC Nats - Jim Vilk

. . .

And our final set today is from Michael Martin, who has some concepts for the Broncs:

Phil,

Hey, I don’t know if you’re still accepting Uni Tweaks Concepts for teams without politically incorrect nicknames, but if you are, I’ve got some ideas for my beloved Denver Broncos.

This offseason’s move away from navy blue and back to orange as the team’s primary jersey color was a good start. I’d like to see the team return to royal blue as the trim color and ditch the ‘suspender’ look of the current design. So I’ve come up with a couple of ideas.

First, here’s a uniform look reminiscent of their first orange unis from the Sixties (Orange Home & White Away):

DB1H - Michael Martin

DB1A - Michael Martin

Then there’s a more contemporary look which includes a royal blue alternate jersey (Orange Home, White Away, and Blue Alternate):

DB2H - Michael Martin

DB1A - Michael Martin

DB2B - Michael Martin

Of course, if the team really wants to make their new quarterback feel at home, they could always switch to something like this (Blue Home, Orange Home, and White Away):

DB3HAlt - Michael Martin

DB3H - Michael Martin

DB3A - Michael Martin

(All uniforms created using Russell Athletic’s Uniform Builder web site.)

Michael Martin
Salt Lake City, Utah

~~~

And that’s it for today. Back with more next time.

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Screen Shot 2012-06-24 at 10.32.36 PM

“Benchies” first appeared at U-W in 2008, and has been a Saturday & Sunday feature here for the past two years.

. . . . .

Wow, it was like the defender wasn’t even THERE…

9-16-12 s-Bombs

Click to enlarge

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NUA_Logo_5

#NoUniAds Campaign…Day 58

This was be a regular feature on Uni Watch while Paul was on his summer sabbatical, but I haven’t addressed this issue in quite some time. We’ll start with the old “request” from Paul:

It’s important that we keep making our voices heard: Call the NBA’s publicly listed phone number (212-407-8000), ask for Adam Silver’s and/or David Stern’s office), e-mail deputy commissioner Adam Silver at his his publicly listed address (asilver@nba.com), and tweet to @NBA with the hashtag #NoUniAds. Do it now.

~~~

I’ve received a few things from readers over the past month-ish, so let me clean out the old inbox with a few of them:

First up is Justin Simmons, who sent me this over the summer, and writes:

Hey Phil,

Thanks for the great work while Paul is on vacation. I want to tip you off on something interesting that I haven’t seen anyone on the Uni talk about. I am part of the NBA Fan Forum, which does surveys about the NBA and all NBA product.

They recently did a survey about changing the WNBA logo and colors, which was interesting.

But more importantly was the survey about NBA sponsorship patches. The first survey I filled out was basically just asking how I felt about sponsorships on NBA uniforms. Of course I answered that I did not want to see them on the jersey, etc. I filled out everything hoping that someone at NBA HQ would get the hint.

Three days later I get another survey about the sponsorship patch. I answered the first about how I did not want to see a patch. The following three questions where in the fashion (no pun intended) of, The sponsorship patch is on the left side, how big can the patch be? Like they got rid of the options of not having a patch. They made me choose from options that included having a sponsorship on the jersey.

Another interesting note is that all the pictures of the jersey with a sponsorship got rid of the NBA logo and replaced that side with the Adidas logo.

That is the link I got through my email for the first patch survey. If it works I can send you others.

Justin D. Simmons

And I received two just this week, so readers are obviously still keeping the faith:

Kyle Allebach writes:

If you’re going to still do the whole “posting emails about anti uni-ads on Saturdays and Sundays” thing, I just send another email (it’s been three months or so…but whatever).

Dear NBA League Office,

Don’t be like soccer. Don’t put ads on your uniforms *unless* we get to watch a basketball game without commercials, and/or ticket prices will drop to below $100 for front row chairs next to the court.

Don’t even try to kid anyone; the NBA makes enough money. Y’all just want more money. Get real, and stop fooling around.

Sincerely,
Kyle Allebach
(a 76ers fan)

-Kyle Allebach

And finally, I received a letter from Ralph Nader(!) and Ken Reed, who identify themselves as members of the “League of Fans“:

Mr. David Stern, Commissioner
National Basketball Association
645 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Dear Mr. Stern:

Is there anything in the National Basketball Association (NBA) that’s not for sale?

The news that the NBA is “excited about the opportunity” to put corporate ads on NBA uniforms, as early as the 2013-14 season, is crass commercialization at its worst, and a blatant back of the hand to the sensibilities of American basketball fans.

It’s bad enough that you’ve sold off the names of the taxpayer-financed arenas that NBA teams play in to corporate marketers, but now you’re seriously considering dumping all the history and tradition associated with iconic uniforms like the Boston Celtics’ and Los Angeles Lakers’ in the quest for more corporate ad revenue. That’s truly over-reaching.

Mr. Stern, do you really want part of your legacy to be “the first commissioner of one of the four major team sports leagues in the country to start the NASCARization of player uniforms?”

Fans already have to put up with non-stop advertising the second they enter an NBA arena. It’s sensory overload. No line of sight is free from commercial messaging. Every timeout is viewed by team franchises as simply a chance to bombard fans with more corporate ads. And now you might put a Burger King or Bank of America logo next to the “Lakers” script on team uniforms?

Speaking of fans, do you ever consider asking fans what they think of ideas like these? You give lip service to being “fan-friendly” and then you proceed to make decisions that are clearly anti-fan, all in the name of a greedy grab for more dollars. This move would take a lot more fun out of the game for fans and lead to significant fan resentment and protests.

Adam Silver, the NBA’s deputy commissioner, told the New York Times a few months ago, “If we add sponsor logos to jerseys, we recognize that some of our fans will think we’ve lost our minds.”

Well, yes Mr. Silver, a lot of fans will think you’ve lost your minds, along with your scruples. Please do not think the fans will roll over on this move.

Pro basketball is more than a business; it’s become a cultural phenomenon in this country. It’s not your typical widgets business. Fans and players have a deep passion for the game.

However, since you seem to be looking at basketball solely as a business, let’s talk business Mr. Stern.

We know you value the equity associated with the NBA brand. So, have you seriously considered the potential negative ramifications for your brand if you slap the logo of companys like McDonald’s on team uniforms? Do you want basketball, an excellent cardiovascular exercise, linked with companies that are driving the obesity epidemic in America?

Or what about the taint to your brand — and the famous NBA logo which sports the silhouette of NBA great Jerry West — when the advertiser on your league’s uniforms gets publicity for ethical and legal scandals, or other public controversies? Consider what having AIG, Goldman Sachs, or Merrill Lynch on NBA uniforms might have done to your brand equity”¦.

I’m sure you and your colleagues will do your due diligence on any potential corporate partner wanting to slap their name and logo on your jerseys. But in effect, you’ll be playing Russian Roulette with your brand. Take a look at all the companies whose names once adorned our country’s stadiums and arenas and then fell from grace. I’m sure Major League Baseball and the Houston Astros ownership group thought they did their due diligence on Enron before giving their blessing to the name Enron Field.

What about the great players from the past who have worn these uniforms? Do you think Bill Russell will feel the same sense of pride in wearing the Boston Celtics uniform during all his championship seasons if the Aetna logo is soon to be sewn on the famous Celtics uniforms?

If you, and the league’s owners, decide to severely damage the tradition of NBA basketball by putting ads on player uniforms, let us suggest another revenue stream for you: sell add space on your own suits! Can you imagine how much revenue the league could garner for a nice corporate ad on David Stern’s suit? You’re one of the most visible and recognizable men in sports, Mr. Stern. Think about what an Exxon Mobil ad on your lapel might be worth. Or, perhaps, an ad on your derriere for Scott Tissue Paper. Everything’s for sale, right?

Reportedly, the decision regarding whether or not to add corporate ads to NBA uniforms will be made within the month. At its essence, this is a choice between pure unadulterated greed and protecting the remaining integrity of the game.

Having arenas plastered on the inside and out with corporate ads and logos is one thing but putting those same ads on uniforms is a completely different step. It’s a step that you should refuse to take.

But if you do, here’s a suggestion: change your league’s initials from NBA to EFS (Everything’s for Sale). It would be a more candid representation because greed will have completely trumped better judgment as your league’s focus.

Sincerely,

Ralph Nader, Founder, League of Fans
Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans

. . .

Thanks for keeping the faith readers! We can stop the NBA if we can keep up the pressure. Don’t let the crusade die off — KEEP UP THE PRESSURE!

#NoUniAds!

Thanks to Tim E. O’Brien and Chris Giorgio for the image in the upper right of this section!

~~~~~~~~~~

And that will do it — yeah, I know the D-Bags threwupback to the purple softball tops, and the NHL season is over (or something) but no one cares about that — because it’s FOOTBALL season now. Yes…those are grown men in bumblebee suits.

Enjoy the big boy games today, and I’ll catch you guys next weekend!

~~~

“No insult intended. I’m just old.”
–Jim Vilk

 
  
 
Comments (97)

    Two things that I literally saw on ESPN’s highlights hours after I sent the email:

    1) The Duke Blue Black Devils in… well, link (black lids included).

    2) The vampires in Twilight got tickets to yesterday’s link.

    I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I freakin love Rutgers’ helmet and jersey numbers. I’d like to see one of the NFL’s “silver” teams adapt that. I also wouldn’t mind seeing the glossy gray of UNLV on an NFL helmet, maybe the Lions.

    …and the Blue Devils wearing mono-black is stupid.

    …and I’d be happy if they did. I think that look, with matching silver pants of course, would be awesome for the Raiders. I liked the ’63/AFL Throwback jerseys, but I’ll admit that the silver is a bit too bright and can be hard to read. Rutgers’ silver has a nice shiny metallic finish, but it’s still dark enough to read. It’s great. The Patriots & Panthers can continue to use their current silvers, the Cowboys can standardize their silver-blue color, and the Lions can go to the gloss gray. Perfect.

    ditto. Actually, other than a poor shade for the numbers’ legibility, I like the whole look. Many design elements that play well with the mascot.

    The Minnesota Gophers had a “gold-out” yesterday. I was afraid they were going to pair the gold jerseys with gold pants….

    As always, I enjoyed the top 5. Thanks for picking my Yellow Jackets, though the helmets didn’t offset the unflattering honeycombs, IMO. Georgia looked good, but Fla Intl didnt wear anything o write home about.

    The Clemson vs Furman game was worthy of top 5 status. Nice how the Tigers have gone back to the basics (like the simple striped pants). They wear the same thing in every home game, instead of coming up with a different look for very game…like Georgia and Alabama and USC. Surely head coach Dabo Swinney was influenced by his time at Alabama.

    Furman looked clean in all white, with matching double stripes on the helmets, jerseys, and pants.

    Way to stay positive there Kevin! Georgia’s unis are in my Top 10 FWIW. I love the combination of black and red.

    Far too “old school” for many (not enough crap on the unis and no cute socks from the girls department in WalMart’s Back to School section), but this was a good looking game…
    link

    Not sure if your link was supposed to be Texas vs Ole Miss. I did think that game looked good. Ole Miss in their red is a good look.

    It was. Texas at Ole Miss. Thought was linking to one of the game photos, but didn’t work out that way.

    “Syracuse went back to their white socks, but some players kept the undershirts from last week. The Ernie Davis patch (actually, I think it’s rubberized, or something) looks to be a full-time thing for this season.”

    The Ernie Davis patch is a fabric of some sort, not rubberized. It will remain on the blue jerseys for the rest of the season. It will not be worn on the white jerseys which the team will wear for the first time Saturday night at Minnesota.

    The players can continue to wear the undershirts if they wish.

    I’m not much for the “new school looks,” but I found the ASU-Mizzou game oddly satisfying. Unlike last year, they got the colors right this time. Lots of great contrast.

    link

    As for the 5&1, I find the current selections uninspiring. Jim’s picks seemed to be more provocative. I find the current picks to be meh.

    On one hand, I feel a compulsion to watch these “Walk-Off” highlights because, let’s face it, it’s exciting when the home team pulls out a win in its last at bat. And it is, after all, just a game played by men who are still mostly boys and are having fun, celebrating their youth and freedom and good fortune.

    On the other hand, what are they doing? Chasing, tackling, pummeling, ripping off jerseys and celebrating as if they have won the World Series. It could be two cellar dwelling teams playing out the schedule in September or teams vying for a playoff spot.

    It’s kinda like craning your neck watching a trainwreck sometimes. I fear (or am waiting for?) a serious injury in one of these gratuitous displays. It’s entertaining and perplexing at the same time. And their joy seems genuine. The fans are certainly happy. Is this just a fad? Is it considered poor sportsmanship now to NOT treat a game winning run like the greatest moment in sports history?

    They also can stop the tired “shaving cream or pie in the face during the post-game interview” anytime. It’s trite, cliched, hackneyed, overdone, sophomoric and perhaps worst of all predictable, which strips it of any and all creativity.

    I don’t know Ricko, I’m not a baseball fan. ;)

    But if it’s gone on long enough for you to call it “tired” then, obviously, it’s been done long enough to be annoying, and therefore someone must consider it to be a tradition.

    How many years does it take for something to be called a tradition?

    For something like the “face plaster,” maybe more than one generation of players?
    Not fans, but players.
    If it doesn’t pass on to subsequent generations of players it was just a “thing” for while.
    Did Aaron Boone get pied? Don’t recall that he did. In the grand scheme of things, his walkoff wasn’t all that long ago.

    Or the “forearm bash.” Very trendy. Very “in”. Hasn’t survived. Could say the same of tight pants, ribbon stirrups and powder blue road uniforms.

    Things that are “typical” for a while and then vanish are not “traditional.”

    Yeah, this Spurs-Reading game is a visual trainwreck.

    The only two solid uniforms are being worn by the goalies. One in highlighter lime from head to toe and one in highlighter yellow from head to toe.

    I really don’t like the black/gray colorblocking the Spurs are wearing. And the little bright yellow highlights are pointless.

    On the chance you’re not pulling the stereotypical-American “I didn’t know soccer exists”:

    link

    Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, “Spurs” for short.

    For the record, it’s not that we don’t know soccer exists, it’s just that we really couldn’t care less about it.

    I knew the initial post was about soccer, but I’m far too much of a sarcastic asshole to leave it alone.

    Seriously, when you say “Spurs” in a sports context, 99.3% of Americans are going to think about basketball and the San Antonio Spurs before thinking anything else. “Spurs-Reading” sounds like an NBA promotional gimmick to get kids to read.

    I’ve been hearing people say, “Soccer’s gonna be HUGE in ten years” for more than 40 years now.

    But it DOES actually seem finally to have made a teeny bit of a dent over the past half-decade.

    THE, I know you’re the resident sarcasm guy, but it really does get a little annoying to see you bash soccer every single time someone mentions it. I’m not angry at you or anything, it would just be nice to see soccer info without the predictable “soccer? What is that?” post. You shouldn’t use the term “we” when not all of us share your opinion on the matter.

    PS. I still love ya buddy.

    As they say on Men In Blazers, “Soccer: America’s Sport of the Future since 1972.”

    Shouldn’t the futbol bashing for bashing’s sake fall under Paul’s guidelines for gratuitous team insults?

    While waching the KU/TCU game at a bar, I noticed John Williams(#71) of KU with a blank helmet. Check out photo number 18 in this link

    It must have gotten torn off during the game because it is there in photo #8 in the gallery.
    Or maybe his original helmet got damaged and he went to a backup.

    Hey Terry, I found a pic of the field for the WVU game…

    link

    Hard to make out WVU’s endzone, but a good view of JMU’s and the midfield Washington ones.

    Mr. Vilk, I appreciate your efforts on the Nats throwbacks but as someone with a living memory of Bob Short and knowledge of Cal Griffith, the unis feel a little like salt in the wounds of a DC baseball fan.

    I guess Montreal fans could say the same thing. No offense to either city, though…it just seemed like a fun little mashup.

    (you can also scroll up to Phil’s Quote of the Day for an alternate explanation…)

    They actually still sell VCRs today. When it comes to reliability, VCRs are still pretty good, because they’re so obsolete. IF you want to record a football game, a DVR will record from 1:00 to 4:15, because that’s the amount of time that the program guide gives you. If that game happens to go into overtime and not end until 4:30, your DVR isn’t going to catch it. With a VCR, you can tell it to record from 1:00 to 5:00 and not miss anything.

    You can change the amount of time to record a DVR by the way, but I totally get what you’re saying. There really can be a great deal of satisfaction with the simpler things in life. I may be young, but I remember recording shows or games with the VCR. Hit record when it starts, and stop it when the game’s over. Done. Easy.

    Most new VCRs nowadays have DVD players or recorders attached to them. DirecTV’s DVRs will ask you to tell them to record 30 minutes over the allotted time. But try finding an audio-cassette deck though. Mine died after 20 years.

    Expos fan here. Yes, it’d be salt in the wound to the few of us left. But no offense; my ire is directed at Bud Selig and Jeffrey Loria.

    I’d settle for the tricolour cap over the classic sky blue or ice-cream white, not that Bud Selig would every approve. (And don’t forget, surprisingly for a team born in 1969, the Expos never wore pullover jerseys.)

    Oh, I know you all are right. As happy as I’ve been that DC has MLB again I do feel that the game is a little less rich for having left Montreal.

    I know the hopscotching began in 1957 but many times I wonder whether, had Bud Selig found a way to buy the Braves in 1965, a lot of that which came since would never have happened.

    I like seeing Tech in the 5 and 1 but I feel those home whites go a few steps to far (the paneling on the side should just go down to the pants, no need for the crisscross, and the collar bone stripes need to be removed).

    I know the unis as a whole are unpopular but I think there is something there if they simplify things a little (just have outlines of a comb, no need to create depth especially since on the blue numbers it looks like bubble wrap, limit the amount of striping etc.).

    One day I’ll finish cleaning up my concept for Tech and sent it in (yes it has combs but it is very tame in design).

    “NHL season is over (or something) but no one cares about that”

    I think even many hardcore hockey fans have had about enough of the labour disputes and couldn’t care less if there is no NHL season as long as the KHL, AHL, or whatever is regularly played on television. For those in cities that are truly hockey markets there is always some level of hockey to go and see in person.

    The fact is (and it goes down tough for hockey fans) there simply is NO lineup of US networks waiting to throw money at hockey they way they do at football, baseball and basketball. Other than ESPN’s brief involvement, there never has been.

    The networks aren’t stupid. They know what they’re doing. They know what will command enough audience to get them the ROI (however they define it) they’re after…and they don’t see hockey in that category.

    You’re right, of course.

    But I’ve never understood why hockey hasn’t reached mass appeal status. Even with poor leadership, questionable expansion, horrid uniforms, etc., the game is great. Certainly as compelling as the others.

    My theory is that the vast majority of people can’t quite identify with it. If they’ve never been on ice skates, they can’t imagine, can’t empathize with the players.

    Just about everyone has throw a ball, hit a ball, kicked a ball or shot a basket.

    Even if they haven’t, they can understand trying to do something while moving around on foot.
    On skates, not so much.

    I used to be a season ticket holder for the local AHL team and a diehard NHL fan. I’d watch any game any time and loved it. Once they started changing things up they lost me. I bitched I wanted obstructed view seating when they put those nets up. And the goalie box crap & all the rest. That was it for me.
    But the style I like will never come back. I loved watching Wild and Devil games. Left wing lock & clog the blue line defensive 1-0 grinders was great for me but not so much the rest of the world. I’d also settle for a return of the Broad Street Bullies days too. Way to many penalties and obstructions & all that now. It’s just not the same game. And do’t even get me started on the shoot out. If OT is good enough for the playoffs it should be in the regular season too. Nothing wrong with a tie. Play a 20 minute OT period and call it a day. A shootout is like having a home run derby or a field goal kicking contest or a free throw contest to win those games. Stupid. Whatever. They lost me as a fan so I’m not the target for them anymore. Let the “don’t touch me because if you come within 5 feet of me I’ll cry” Cindy Crosby’s rule the game and enjoy your 13-11 games. GRH!!!

    exactly, halon 1301…

    i don’t enjoy (necessarily) the trap & defensive shit, but give me ties, the broadstreet bullies vs. gillies & howatt, and no helmets

    this crosby hockey (and having no team to root for) has ruined what was once a game i really did love in the 70s & 80s

    Exactly! And I grew up a Penguins fan. As much as I enjoyed seeing some of their teams it’s just too much for me now. It’s almost as bad as the flop in the NBA. If a guy gets next to an opponent he’s crying for a 2 minute penalty. C’mon!!! Go out there and hit somebody!!
    And I still haven’t found anybody give me a good reason why ties had to go away. Fighting to score at the end to even be able to get that tie was part of the charm. “At least we got a point” was said hundreds of times down the stretch trying to get points to make the playoffs. And now those points are decided by some sideshow act that sucks when it’s in the All Star Skills Competition. Sad. Maybe there will be hope someday.

    Temporarily forgot the NHL has a hodge podge of broadcasting in the U.S. unlike the institution it is in Canada; was just saying if they broadcast non-NHL hockey on basic t.v. (AHL, major junior, or possibly the KHL) I would just as soon try watching that instead.

    Like playing hockey more than watching it but still enjoy watching it once in a while on t.v. and live at the highest level available to me where I am (Lakehead Thunderwolves – university hockey).

    Although at the professional level there is somewhat less of the clutching and grabbing then there used to be, the change to the shootout to decide a game was one of the dumbest moves ever – in my opinion they don’t even need OT in the regular season. The relatively recent increase in big scrums and pushing and fights after a player has gotten a clean hit is also a turn off – as is the much less recent overexpansion, too long of a regular season, and canned “music” played at every stoppage of play, etc., etc.

    I believe Stafford Smythe once said “Hockey must be a great sport to survive the people who run it.”

    Our AHL team has quite a bit of it’s home games on local TV. Years past they’d have all the home games on but they still put a decent amount on. Most guys put out a good effort every night trying to get noticed to get called up so it’s usually much more entertaining minus all the rule changes that put me off of the sport.

    I wish the AHL would go back to the dark at home though. In a cost conscious league having to drag along both sets of sweaters though 3 nights in 3 different states because your Sat night opponent is wearing their 3rds is unnecessary.

    I’m sorry but the 5 & 1 is all sorts of wrong.

    Even as a Georgia Tech fan, I did not enjoy the look of that game until they return to the Calvin Johnson era [look](link) or even something like [this](link) it would be top 5 worthy, but I’ll agree that for a mono look, UVA does it pretty well

    Wazzu and UNLV looked fantastic, little too much red, but still a top 5 game.

    UT and FLA, looked great, but those pictures weren’t from yesterday (I believe someone already pointed that out) still, I think there was a little too much orange, I probably wouldn’t put it in a top 5

    I like Louisville’s [mono-red}(link) but I think those UNC pants look terrible. If they were wearing white pants or their carolina blue set, it may be top 5 worthy

    if FAU would have come out in their [old](link) unis that would have been a definite number 1 selection, but with that crap they were wearing I would have left it out completely

    How [ole miss v Texas](link) was omitted, I don’t know

    Stanford and USC looked great

    Minnesota and WMU looked great

    And how about some love for this [amazing](link) contrasting matchup?

    While I do agree that this is Mizzou’s best look so far of the year…It still bugs the heck out of me that the color of the numbers and the pants do not match. After their whole athletic redesign so that all sports had a consistent look, they can’t get the football uniforms to match?

    How long has BC worn that helmet? I had not paid much attention to them lately. Saw highlights of the Northwestern games and the BC helmet surprised me.

    Whilst the Diamondbacks threw back to their normal colors (I still think the red scheme is a downgrade) did anyone not notice how great the Giants looked with their standard cap paired with their monogrammed jersey?
    link

    The “Art” patch looks very nice on the Raven’s jersey this week. But in the sun the non-sweatbox areas look a lot lighter than previous years. The sweatbox areas still look like they usually do though. That collar is still horrid too.

    For the second straight week, commentators are having trouble telling apart Eagles receivers DeSean Jackson #10 and Jeremy Maclin #18.

    I can’t blame them, the Eagles’ 0 and 8 look the same from far away. I get those two guys mixed up a lot on TV.

    Cam has a pretty large rip on the back of his jersey, right above and slightly to the left of the number. No picture, unfortunately.

    Does anybody know what was going on with Utah captain Star Lotulelei last night? The “C” was messed up. Here’s a screenshot link . I also noticed that the C forces the Under Armour logo to be moved on his jersey. Screenshot: link

    The ‘C’ is probably messed up as a result of gameplay. Jerseys always get warped and pinched on the pads. Plus, it could probably be some wayward/extra velcro, sticky stuff, etc.

    As far as the UA logo, it’s probably the same situation as the ‘C’, and it just looks moved in those particular shots. That’s my guess.

    Rutgers actually only has one helmet. The stickers are applied depending on their uniform combo for that game. I asked their AD on twitter about it this summer because he tweeted a shot if the new helmets upon delivery. They were blank helmets. He then informed me of the application in the week leading up to the game

    Damn, that makes a LOT more work for the equipment guys then doesn’t it? Not only do they have to put on the correct color “R” and the proper helmet stripe, they’d also have to put on the correct fasemask.

    “Not only do they have to put on the correct color “R” and the proper helmet stripe, they’d also have to put on the correct fasemask.”

    And that still leaves the possibility of a lineman or someone coming out with a red ‘R’ decal and a grey facemask, while everyone else has red ‘R’ decals and red facemasks. But that’s interesting, I didn’t know that they had only one helmet with different stripes, ‘R’ decals, and facemasks. A less-expensive version of the hydra effect?

    i know we’ve discussed this before, but if the niners have their tv’s on their shoulders, why the hell can’t they put the three thin stripes on the sleeve?

    im not one for conspiracy theories, but i bet if adidas had the contract, they’d find a way

    I believe the thinking behind the stripes was to keep them where they’d be located as if there were still actual sleeves there, instead of moving them up like every other team does. But since there are no sleeves, you’re supposed to use your imagination to fill in the “missing” portion of the sleeve stripes. Make sense? It looks awful.

    smith and akers have 3 stripes, but lee has 1

    and as little as 4 years ago, when they still had their tv’s on the sleeve, lee had all three PLUS the vector PLUS the tv number

    Their whole sleeve stripe situation is a shit sandwichhttp://cdn.chud.com/d/df/324x296px-LL-dfef7cb5_sharkSandwichGOODONE.jpeg. They need to move the stripes up.

    Catherine, based on your comments this week and last (especially the “I almost don’t even care what FAU wore”), I feel you may be missing the point on the 5&1. The idea is to pick the best looking match-up. It is not simply adding the ratings of each team together.

    As an example, Houston (C+ design) against UCLA (B+ design) yesterday added up to a link. Powder blue/gold/red/white blend together well.

    Conversely, Super Bowl XLI had the Colts (A design) and Bears (A design). You would think it would rate very favorably. But they both basically wear blue/white, so there is little contrast. And in the dark rainy night, this match-up turned into a link.

    From the 9/2 5&1 post:


    for those of you unfamiliar with the concept, it’s pretty simple really. It’s the NCAA. It’s football. The 5 best and 1 “worst” matchups (as determined by both teams playing) are counted down.

    I disagree, Tim. I thought Oregon looked better than last week. Then again look what they were lined up against this week. Maybe that helped the look but I liked their green tops better than the yellow (or whatever gimmicky names they’re calling the colors this year). And that NU home look is growing on me. I’m liking that a LOT better than the road look. I’ll give further judgement when I see it in something that’s not all white.

    As a UF grad, I agree that Florida looked good, but it would be nice if she had used pics from this year’s game. Florida wore white over white, not the white over blue that was in the pics.

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