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Uni Watch

Next Uni Design Contest: The WFL Today

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WFL contest hed

By Phil Hecken

This will be a SHORT lede today (yay), since Paul has a great ESPN column. Link here.

But I wanted to announce the next UW uni design contest — one that dovetails with Tuesday’s lookback at the WFL. If you happened to miss that, please click here. In that post, tremendously researched by Aaron Johnson, we reviewed the uniforms of the World Football League, which came into existence 40 years ago, and disappeared almost as quickly.

But what if the WFL had caught on? What if it were still in existence today? What would the uniforms of the teams who played look like? That’s your next uniform design challenge.

If you look at today’s splash photo, it’s a modern interpretation of a WFL Houston Texans uniform (click to enlarge):

Texans Mock

I found that image on this site while simply googling for WFL uniforms. This would be an example of what we’re looking for.

Aaron and I decided on the uniform contest before we even planned the WFL post — we’re going to make it very open-ended.

Simply design a modern interpretation (2014) of any of the WFL teams from 1974-1975.

Here’s Aaron with the parameters:

“Now that we’ve gone over the different uniforms of the World Football League we’d like to have a design contest (No prize, just bragging rights). If the WFL was still around today, 40 years later, what do you think the uniform would look like? You have free reign to do what you want. You can keep the teams same color scheme, you can tweak them, or completely revamp them. You can come up with a new ‘pants plan’ if you’d like as well. It’s all up to you. Each of the designs submitted will be posted to both Uni Watch and WFL Nation. Best of luck!”

You’re not restricted to simply coming up with a 2014 uniform — if you so choose, you could submit a series of uniforms tracing the “lineage” of a current team, as they progressed through the years and decades until today. In other words, you could begin with say, the 1974 Southern California Sun, imagining their uniform through a series of redesigns (say they redesigned in 1982, 1996 and 2006, and then again in 2014 — you could submit a progression of uniform designs). The only requirement is to have a uniform design for 2014.

So now that we’ve set it up — you know what to do. We’ll set the deadline for the contest submissions for September 1, 2014. If you submit, please also give a SHORT (50-100 words max) description of the uniform and how you arrived at it. You can submit for multiple teams, and multiple years within a team (a progression). You’re really only limited by your imagination. This can be a very fun contest, as I know there are many designers who have submitted fantastic designs before — and newcomers are more than welcome as well! Once all the designs are in, I’ll begin posting them on the weekends.

Good luck! Send your designs to me (phil.hecken@gmail).

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all sport uni tweaks

Uni Tweaks Concepts

We have another new set of tweaks, er”¦concepts today ”” a rare weekday appearance!.

If you’ve concept for any sport, or just a tweak or wholesale revision, send them my way. The number of concept submissions has been way down recently ”” so readers ”” if you do have a concept you’d like featured, please begin (again) sending them in!

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.

Click on any to enlarge:

~~~

First up today is Cole Hammers, who has a concept for the Dallas Stars:

Dallas Stars concept - Cole Hammers

Hi Phil,

Two things really bugged me about the Stars’ new(ish) unis. They ditched the yellow (although they pretty much already had) and they went bevel-crazy on the logo. My redesign re-introduces the yellow, ditches the black, and introduces a sheriff-star motif. Sorry if it’s a little low-res.

Thanks!

Cole

. . .

And we close today with Mitch Barbee with some Colorado Rockies concepts, a la Jim Vilk:

Colorado Rockies 1 - Mitch Barbee

Phil,

Fairly straightforward. Basically an update of their current set, with the addition of light blue and the removal of black. I felt that the light blue added a sky like effect and as I was going through photos of the Rocky Mountains, the blue sky seemed to always have a place. The light blue vest would replace the current black vest, and would be used SPARINGLY. Probably no more than ten games. The purple alt can be worn at home and on the road. I’ll post a clearer view of the workmarks along with the logo.

Colorado Rockies 2 - Mitch Barbee

The BP Jersey. This is going to be a hit and (most likely) a miss. I was inspired by David’s combination of eras here who created a similar cap. The blue would be like the sky I mentioned previously. The jersey is off of the TATC jersey, and would be using the current BP template (which is why there are the armpit colors) I was also inspired from the Nuggets current alt, which is why the number is placed at the top of the jersey.

Mitchell B.

. . .

And that’s it for today. Back with more next time. Let’s get back on the concept wagon, folks, ok? OK!

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Mike's QOTW

Mike Chamernik’s…

Question(s) of the Week

Every Thursday Intern Mike Chamernik poses a uniform-related question to the readership. Here’s today’s:

. . .

A few weeks ago I came across a photo of legendary Knicks guard Walt Frazier in a Cavaliers jersey. It was so weird. Frazier won two titles in New York and became the toast of the town, so everyone remembers his as a Knick and not as a guy in the twilight of his career with the Cavs. To see him in that uni was especially freaky.

I thought it was the oddest “oh yeah, he played in that uni” photo, until I saw this.

What’s your favorite, or least favorite, example of this?

Also, unrelated: Does anyone other than me watch Fox Sports 1 on a regular basis?

. . . . . . . . . .

Great question Mike! I’ll start the show this week…

joe_namath_1977_09_18

Click to enlarge

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Uni Watch News Ticker

Today’s ticker was written and compiled by Mike Chamernik

Baseball News: The 1963 Houston Colt .45s had a sweet cartoon program cover (from Jonathan Daniel). … Boston.com used an incorrect logo for its Astros-Red Sox coverage last Friday (from Mike Delia). … Great name and logo for a new series of Padres podcasts (from Brady Phelps). … Here’s what it would look like if MLB teams wore hockey jerseys (from Phil). … Great example of an apostrophe catastrophe in this Aroldis Chapman graphic (from Phil). … Check out Yasiel Puig’s reflexes after he threw his helmet Tuesday night. … The Blue Jays have filed an opposition with the US Patent and Trademark office over Creighton’s new blue jay logo. … To that, here’s a look at some of the logos Creighton used throughout its history (from Phil). … Casey Stengel wore a cap and jersey with the logos of the teams he managed and played for at Old Timers Days in 1974 and 1975. … The Fort Wayne TinCaps wore Stand Up To Cancer unis. … Awesome Tigers-themed jersey for Detroit native Eminem. … “So I was stalking checking up on a friend of mine on Tumblr,” says Terry Duroncelet, “and I found this post on her blog of the cast of Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan in English) wearing Yomiuri Giants uniforms. For those curious, the show’s about the human race’s struggle against these mammoth humanoid beings called Titans, who eat humans.” … Will Scheibler passes along a great shot of the Fort William Canucks, a Canadian pro team, from 1914. … When John Lackey joined the Cardinals after the trade deadline, he traded a signed Babe Ruth baseball to Pat Neshek for the uniform No. 41.

NFL & CFL News: The Bucs presented Dickie V with his own framed jersey. Personally, I don’t think the Bucs’ new jerseys would be that bad if they toned down the wackiness by roughly 30 percent (from Phil). … The Calgary Stampeders have introduced their new helmet. Um. Well, at least it’s better than the Jags’ 2-tone topper.

College Football News: Rutgers will wear all-black unis against Michigan in October (from Phil). … The Citadel will wear “Duty,” “Honor” and “Respect” as NOBs this year (from Phil). … Justin Eller thoroughly broke down Virginia’s 2013 uniforms. … “It is expected that Vanderbilt will unveil a new uniform for their opener, August 28,” says Jerry Lawless III. “I decided to design a Maryland-pride-esque helmet based off the design of the Tennessee state flag I’ve had the idea for the design for a while now, and it was a lot of fun to make (but hard considering I used a touchscreen tablet).” … New unis for Eastern Washington (from Phil). … Another list of the best NCAA uniforms, with a unconventional number one choice. … New pants for Fresno State (from Jared Buccola).

Hockey News: In the late ’60s, Penguins forward Ab McDonald was traded to St. Louis, so O-Pee-Chee did an inadvertently hilarious airbrush job on his trading card (from Daniel Estabrooks). … Tim Brulia found an intriguing photo from November 1977 yesterday: “I have never seen this before, a reverse nameplate on the Canucks white jerseys as worn by Cesare Maniago,” he says. “Is this a fluke, or did the Canucks really go with reverse NOB’s for a little while (maybe the start of the season), or did the Canucks do this for the whole of 1977-78 at home in the Pacific Coliseum?

Soccer News: New crest for the Australian A-League’s Brisbane Roar (from Leo Strawn, Jr.). … The Columbus Crew will unveil a new brand and logo on Oct. 8, a few weeks before the end of the MLS season. “I don’t think it’s likely that they’ll use whatever it is they come out with this season, but who knows,” says Adam Schechter. “Be a shame if they wiped out the yellow-black colors, though.”

NBA & College Hoops News: Under Armour is pitching a shoe deal to Kevin Durant that’s worth at least $265 million and full of perks. … Check out this photo of Legendary Coach John Wooden between Swen Nater and Bill Walton — what’s that on Walton’s knee? (photo via @sporthistpics). … New court for Texas Tech (from Phil).

Grab Bag: Grantland attended the National Sports Collectors Convention and snapped a bunch of photos. … Thieves stole 100 uniform jackets from a San Antonio energy company. … FBI agents investigating the situation in Ferguson, Missouri have inconsistencies with their jackets (from Scott Szymendera). … Here’s someone who has an Etsy shop specializing in custom championship banners — perfect for fantasy leagues, etc.

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And that’ll tie a bow on things today. Nice and tidy. Make sure you check back to see when Paul’s ESPN piece is live — I haven’t seen it, but I’ve seen the photos, and trust me, you will not want to miss it.

For those of you who’ve been reading Uni Watch over the years — please join me in wishing a very happy birthday to Rick “Ricko” Pearson, whose special day is today. Thinkin’ about ya buddy.

OK — uni designers — time to get your ’74-’14 schwerve on — the WFL 40 years later awaits. Thanks to Mike for the ticker (and don’t forget his QsOTW), as well as the concepters for their submissions. You guys have a great Thursday.

Follow me on Twitter @PhilHecken.

Peace.

.. … ..

“My father (King Corcoran) said man, those are the wildest uniforms I have ever seen! he looked at me and said, what do you think Jimbo? I said I liked them and he said ‘Yea, the King digs them too’ this was 1974 and the King spoke in true 70”²s lingo.”

— Jimmy Corcoran

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What if the AFL Never Existed? (Part 3)
Comments (201)

    Dammit, why’d you have to have this contest so soon after Diablo III just came out on PS4? How am I supposed to design WFL uniforms if I’m busy killing hellspawn?

    Things drumming has done to me, part 678:

    I looked at the new link court last night and thought to myself “that looks like a maple court with walnut inlayed/stained into the keys and State outline”, even though I know it’s not. I’m not even sure what the “maple-colored” part of the court is made of.

    The maple/walnut thing reminded me of link, BTW, which are maple/walnut instead of the older birch/walnut models.

    I guess I’m again in the minority but I HATE the multiple satin trend. Pain the court like it’s supposed to be painted. Make it fancy if you want like the ASG & Final Fours used to do. That’s OK. As long as it’s painted and not stained. The different stains just looks like crap to me.

    Fran Tarkenton as a NY Giant.
    link

    When I first got into football, Tarkenton was my favorite, and he was with the Vikings (on his second stint as it turned out). But being 5 or 6 years old, I didn’t know his history and it wasn’t until a few years later that I learned he had played for the Giants for awhile.

    Even now, it always catches me off guard when I run across him in NY colors.

    Lee

    Even though he was there for a couple of seasons, this doesn’t seem right to me.
    link

    Maybe it’s because it’s such a terrible uniform that no one should ever have worn it.

    . “Be a shame if they wiped out the yellow-black colors, though.”

    As the announcement itself was rendered in yellow and black, I suspect it’s staying. Moreover, I recall reading that amid speculation that they might change their name, the team president said they would still remain the Columbus Crew and keep their yellow and black colors.

    Exactly. So frustrating to see many who mention the Crew logo change say “I hope they don’t change the yellow/black color,” when it has a very high approval rate (judging from comments) AND the new owner has said the colors are staying AND the announcement was in yellow and black. So much evidence it is staying, but still people think the colors are leaving.

    I’m sure* they’ll add silver or teal or copper or something though.

    Lee

    *- no, I don’t actually think they’ll do that. I hope.

    Question of the Week: I always think some of the more historical examples are the most stunning since in the Free Agency era it’s not so uncommon anymore. But from my youth, I remember how weird it was for that 1-3 games where Mike Piazza was a member of the Florida Marlins. I always found it funny too because the one game I saw him play in, the announcers kept talking about how he would probably be a Met in the next day or so.

    I have a Mike Piazza Marlins baseball card, which even when I was 8 I thought was the oddest thing ever. He was only there for five games, and Donruss or whatever thought to release a card the week he was there.

    Next stop on the Europhile express appears to be Columbus. If we’re lucky it’ll just be an “FC” stuck onto the backside of the existing name like a Victorian bustle. If we’re unlucky… Borussia Columbusgladbach?

    As for the logo, I can understand why some would want it changed. Photoreal images and sports logos rarely mix well but I’ve grown to like it. At the very least I hope they keep the essence of that original much like this concept from a few years back does: link

    Like most, I too thought the Columbus Crew name and logo was dumb when it came out.
    But it has definitely grown on me, to the point I hope they don’t change it.
    I like that there is a mix of naming styles in MLS. You have you ‘football traditional’, American Style, and 90’s era.

    The examples of logos you linked to are also what I’d prefer, sticking to the essence, while updated.

    We’ll see.

    Lee

    Re the Columbus Crew, I lived there when the team started and the name/logo were chosen. Given the constant amount of highway work at the time, “Crew”, as in road crew, was quite fitting, and a little humorous. I remember saying the team should wear orange and have have construction barrels as their logo! Like Lee, I first hated it, but eventually it grew on me. I have not lived in Columbus for some time, so I don’t know if the name fits the state of I-270 any longer or not.

    I’d say it’s still accurate. They’re currently widening part of 270 and repaving a 3 mile section of 23 S, among other things.

    I watch it for the sports, I guess mostly soccer, but I think they do baseball games? If so, that too.

    I don’t watch their highlight shows, or talking head programs, but that goes for ESPN too.

    Lee

    Johns Hopkins and Elizabethtown’s bird head logos are different enough from Toronto’s that Toronto would likely have a difficult time proving that there is a likelihood of someone confusing them. Simply using the nickname “Blue Jays” isn’t enough to dilute Toronto’s brand.

    Creighton’s logo, on the other hand, does bear more similarities to Toronto’s than Hopkins’ and Elizabethtown’s do. I can understand why Toronto is opposing Creighton’s trademark registration application, even though I think Creighton’s logo looks really sharp.

    Yeah, the Hopkins Blue Jay doesn’t look much like Toronto’s at all. Never mind that JHU had a claim to the *name* well before 1977.

    link

    Umm, I totally was being facetious. But that said, the opposition Toronto filed with the USPTO is pretty specious IMO. Really, there’s “no gradient or shading”? I mean I suppose that’s true, but only if you don’t count the three shades of blue in the crest, the two shades of grey (in addition to blue) in the beak, the two shades of blue (in addition to white) in the eye, and the two shades of color (as opposed to one) in the face. Not to mention the two logos face in opposite directions, and unlike Toronto’s the angulation of the Creighton logo not only creates the illusion of movement but exhibits an air of predatory menace that’s wholly lacking in the Toronto one. On its face alone there’s little discernible likelihood of confusion, and it’s not as if there’s a substantial likelihood of a customer in the Creighton Univ. bookstore buying what they think is a Toronto Blue Jays’ hoodie.

    Damn, I think I should be writing copy for Nike, UnderArmour, et al., telling the story accompanying each of their new uniform unveilings. With emphasis on the word “story.”

    I took your comments as tongue-in-cheek. I was really just trying to extrapolate on the topic a bit since I find trademark issues interesting. I should have prefaced my remarks with, “To the extent that someone actually thinks Toronto should go after these schools for trademark infringement…”

    I agree that Toronto doesn’t have a slam dunk case in opposing Creighton’s trademark registration. There are certainly differences, as you note. But this situation reminds me of the University of Iowa’s opposition to the University of Southern Mississippi’s eagle head logo, which resulted in link Southern Miss’ trademark application.

    Toronto will no doubt use that ruling as precedent. In my opinion, there are more similarities between Creighton and Toronto’s logos than Southern Miss and Iowa’s, so it will be interesting to see what the USPTO does. But I do hope Creighton’s trademark registration goes through. This is the best logo they’ve ever used, and it would be a shame to see them have to overhaul it.

    Fair enough. But keep in mind the USPTO in that matter deemed it “a not unimportant distinction” when comparing a college to a professional sports team logo “that professional sports organizations do not field teams in more than one sport.
    link

    As a former NY Islanders fan this is the QOTW pic that always makes me shudder. The funny thing is that I am now a Penguins fan.

    link

    While its not quite the same thing, it was very strange that he coached the Rangers for a half a season.
    link

    I will never get over seeing Don Mattingly in a Dodgers uniform. The only time I watch FoxSports1 is when they show MLB.

    Dang it, Terry! You beat me to the punch on Jerry Rice in a Broncos uniform. So I guess I’ll have to go with link.

    My QOTW answer is coming this year and it is whatever jersey Martin Brodeur ends up in this fall. Sigh.

    QOTW: Brian Sipe in his respective (New Jersey Generals & Jacksonville Bulls) USFL jerseys and Dave Concepcion in an Angels uniform (during a post-Reds Spring Training).

    Well, aside from all the classic examples already listed, I think I’m most bothered by Tim Brown as a Tampa Bay Buc. Steve Young in the old creamsicle uniforms is also a bit weird.

    My answer to Mike’s question is:
    Johnny Unitas as a San Diego Charger.
    I do watch Fox Sports1. Lots of good soccer and MMA coverage.

    Mad love for Cole Hammers, and glad he could take time off from pitching for the Phillies to contribute that Dallas Stars idea;) I’m puzzled that the Dallas NHL club continues to stub its toe on reconciling the Star nickname with the Texas locale. It’s not hard! Even the “Mooterus” jerseys struck upon the superior metaphor of the Taurus constellation; the flaw was in the execution. But the Stars could use a sheriff’s badge, as Cole did (and use it as a snowflake, as I did) or use the state flag, the San Jacinto Monument, spurs on boots… the mind reels.

    Best trivia question ever: who caught Brett Favre’s first completion in the NFL?

    Favre stands out to me the most, since I’m a Packers fan and he is a big reason why.

    If I had to decide which one it would be Favre as a Jet, mainly because that is sort of a forgotten year. He was no longer with us but he was still in the league. He also had a great season until he hurt his elbow and the Jets failed to make the playoffs. I thought that would be the awkward end to his career but then he signed with the Vikings. Which was definitely odd but didn’t seem AS weird to me, for whatever reason; I hated seeing him in those colors but I guess they didn’t seem as jarring because he had already spent a year wearing another team’s uniform.

    And for an added oddity I’m going to submit a pic of him in the throwbacks.

    link

    Reggie White as a Panther is also odd, especially considering he was retired for a full year before coming back. Even more unfortunate is that by doing this he pushed his assured HOF induction back 2 years, and sadly passed before he could be inducted into the HOF.

    link

    Dammit, this was supposed to be its own post. I’m gonna repost it down below. Please delete this administrators!

    Yes it was – on a deflected pass

    link

    And “doing it from memory” is kind of the point of trivia, no?

    Re: Question of the week…Daryle “The Mad Bomber” Lamonica playing for the Southern California Sun of the WFL: link

    For what it’s worth, Paul did an ESPN column about athletes wearing jerseys we don’t normally associate them with:

    link

    Yep. And that was in aught-seven. I am not sure Mike was even born then ;).

    This is always a fun topic (and there may be some either since then or a few that weren’t in the column).

    Jakepride with the call back! I have a good memory with Uni Watch ESPN stuff, but I don’t recall this one. I’ll have to read it. Hopefully the links aren’t all dead.

    Do the teams in the Little League World Series only get the one jersey? It makes no sense that last night’s game was powder blue vs powder blue, especially since this was going to be a high profile, much watched game with Mo’Ne pitching.

    I was more jolted by him posing for the pic with a helmet sporting a single bar face mask.

    UT could have orange helmets with this logo

    link

    UT used to have some blue in their logo back in the 80s i think. why not incorporate that into some pride uniforms

    (im not a ut fan at all. i just think it could be cool)

    Gosh, I’d already forgotten about Smoltzie!

    Murph always gets me, though.
    Phillies – link
    Rockies – link

    Also, Maddux bounced around his last year or two:
    Dodgers – link
    Padres – link

    Maddux as a Padre bothers me more than as a Dodger. I always forget about that season until I’m reminded again.

    Seeing Javy with Baltimore or Colorado, McGriff (and Boggs, for that matter) as a Devil Ray, Pedro as an Expo or Dodger or Pudge Rodriguez in anything other than a Texas uni always confuses me for a minute, too.

    Murph definitely gets to me… as does Glavine as a Met:
    link

    …and Bobby Cox managing the Blue Jays between stints with the Braves still seems surreal:
    link

    I’m pretty sure it’s Cramer’s version of IcyHot (or Ben-Gay, Tiger Balm, etc.). I can’t think of it’s name right now. We used it in High School, and it had that weird color. It was also much hotter than the products I mentioned above.

    I think that stuff on Bill Walton’s knee is Cramer’s Red Hot. I remember my dad’s basketball teams had that in their med kits. The product was aptly named (and don’t make the mistake of getting it near your eyes).

    I thought it was iodine, but you guys are probably right. Walton was probably suffering some early joint pains rather than a scraped knee.

    link

    As a Habs fan, it is extraordinarily weird to think that Jacques Plante, Doug Harvey, Boom Boom Geoffrion, and Guy Lafleur all suited up for other teams. But I think Bobby Orr for the Blackhawks takes the cake for me.

    I never saw contrasting nameplates on a Vancouver uniform. It may have been a last minute thing, but I’m not sure.

    Odd thing about that article, is that it identifies #24 for Vancouver as Garry O’Flaherty. According to hockey-reference.com, #24 was Garry Monahan; Gerry O’Flaherty wore #23.

    Based on the above site’s records, the game in question would’ve been November 2, 1977, since that was the only time the Canucks lost to Toronto at home by a 5-1 score while wearing those uniforms and with the players involved.

    (M)eh, there has always been lots of crossover between Canadian pro teams and US college teams. International borders will have that effect.

    Princeton used the Hamilton Tiger-Cats logo (and I mean the exact logo, just mirrored) for years with no issue:

    Hamilton – link

    Princeton – link

    Tom Terrific’s only no-hitter was with the Reds. Personally, I thought he looked stranger in the White Sox uniform. link

    Really good stuff, guys. I love the “There’s a haircut you could set your watch to” Johnny Unitas wearing a powder blue Chargers uni. That’s the ultimate, so far.

    Also, I like Fox Sports 1. I watch it for Mike Francesa, and I flip over to it when ESPN gets too bogged down in Manziel/LeBron coverage or talking head segments.

    However, for all that FS1 said when they launched, they’re kind of ESPN Jr.! Same roundtables, same angles in the stories they talk about. Wish they’d mix it up a little and take a few chances.

    and I flip over to it when ESPN gets too bogged down in Manziel/LeBron coverage or talking head segments.

    So you don’t actually watch ESPN, then…

    Great question Mike, this is one of my favorite topics. I’ve participated in threads like this on hockey and baseball in various forums.

    One of my faves is long-time NY Rangers defenseman Harry Howell finishing his career in the garish threads of the California Golden Seals and LA Kings:
    link
    link

    He then upped the ante by wearing white skates for ANOTHER team – the NY Golden Blades of the WHA, but I can’t find a pic of that. In the WHA he also suited up with the San Diego Mariners:
    link
    and the Calgary Cowboys (can’t find a pic)

    -Jet

    Why is it that in all the pre-1980’s photos of hockey players, they look so darn old? Harry Howell was 39 or 40 when he played for the Seals. He looks like he’s at least 10 years older than that.

    There are photos of Rocket Richard, where he’s maybe 22, and he looks like he’s pushing 60. They’re all like that.

    Is it that they spent their off-seasons working in coal mines and factories? Is it that everybody smoked? Is it the cold weather? Poorer nutrition?

    QOTW:
    Mike Modano for the Red Wings. While it was nice to see him come to his hometown team, it was just weird considering he’d been the face of the Stars for so long.

    Chelios in Atlanta was also a little odd, but perhaps not as much when you consider he played for three other teams before. It was a little odder to see him in a Chicago Wolves jersey, spending much of his final season in the AHL.

    All the obvious ones (Hull, Orr, Lafleur, Unitas) have been mentioned so I’ll throw this one out there.

    link

    That stuff on Walton’s knee looks for all the world like an analgesic balm called Cramergesic that I used as a high school runner in the early 70. Just googled it and they still make the stuff!

    It was like petroleum jelly and made your skin feel warm, supposedly warmed the muscles but who knows. Smelled awful. Would occasionally be smeared inside someone’s jock as a prank.

    Fox Sports 1: we don’t get it in Canada. But I’m a long-time watcher of Jay and Dan on TSN and still tune into their podcast every week. Great walking-the-dog listening.

    link

    I would agree with Seaver as a Sock (Red or White, but the BBB uni is especially wrong).

    I would also add Namath as a Ram: link

    Forgot about the Fox Sports 1 question. I’m in Nassau County Long Island and my parents have Optimum, but I’m in law school and I don’t get to watch tv and I don’t know what number channel it is. But from my days in Canada, I too love Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole and I follow the podcast on YouTube.

    QOTW: For me, it would have to have been Favre in a Vikings uniform after such a stellar career at Green Bay or Montana in a Chiefs uniform.

    QoTW:

    Was at the Hall of Fame two weeks ago, and my roommate and myself are staring at a Pudge Rodriguez Astros jersey, trying to figure out when he played in Houston. A group of three dudes walk up next to us and start having the exact same conversation.

    Also as a Bruins fan, Jagr was weird.

    Hakeem Olajuwon in a Toronto Raptors jersey.

    Willie Mays in a Mets uniform.

    Pete Rose, Montreal Expo.

    A Babe Ruth twofer: Babe as a Boston Brave, and Babe as a Player/Coach/Grotesque for the Brooklyn Dodgers (find the photo: it’s the saddest thing ever, well, not Syria sad, but still)

    The only “sports news” show I watch is Olberman. I didn’t even know there was a Fox Sports 1, which sounds made up and vaguely European.

    Ricko, you’re a gentleman and a scholar. Happy birthday!

    The Dodgers are honoring Ruth’s brief time as a coach with a bobblehead this year.
    link

    The Babe, however, never played for Brooklyn. His last season as a player was with the Boston Braves.
    link

    Any pictures with Thurman Thomas in a Dolphins uniform. They were the Bills hated rival, just wasn’t right.

    QOTW:

    As a UVA guy, the fact that Herman Moore played one game for the Giants (wearing #82) stands out. I can’t find a picture of him in uniform, but I did a little write-up on his helmet from that game, which Huggins & Scott sold at auction awhile back: link (you have to scroll down a bit).

    As a kid who didn’t follow hockey until the 90s, I knew Brendan Shanahan well from the Blues and Whalers finally arriving at Detroit for 3 of their cup runs, at the time I was blown away when I saw an old card of him playing for the Devils (even though he ended up playing for them again in his twilight years)
    link

    Marty St. Louis on the flames always looks odd link

    Carter as a Giant is a great pull.

    Fox Sports 1 is ESPN’s foremost competitor. It launched last summer. It airs soccer, motor sports and some baseball games, while also having highlight shows and roundtable discussions.

    But I always like to call it Fox Sports 408. That’s because it’s channel 408 on my cable package. Meanwhile, ESPN is channel 3 for me. So yeah FS1 has some ground to gain.

    I was being facetious. I KNOW of Fox Sports 1’s existence but really, it doesn’t rate in my world.

    Oh, and another QOTD entry that bugged the hell out of me as a kid; Joe Klecko as a Colt! No pics but here’s my proof link

    Ah gotcha haha. Still not a good sign for FS1 that I believed there was a sports fan that had no idea what the network was.

    I got quite a bit to answer that QOTD, if I repeated any that are already here I apologize.

    Scottie and Charles with the mid-1990s Rockets: link

    Clyde Drexler, also with Houston, in two different unis: link
    link

    Mike Piazza, but not with who you’re thinking: link
    link

    Tony Dorsett with the Broncos: link

    Beezer, twice: link
    link

    Ray Bourque, even though he got his cup: link

    Trevor Hoffman with the Marlins:
    link

    I also don’t know if these next few count because they didn’t change franchises, only cities and branding, but I’m including them anyway.

    Peter Forsberg in Quebec: link

    Kevin Durant in Seattle: link

    Earnest Byner in Baltimore: link

    Shane Doan in Winnipeg: link

    Steve McNair with the Oilers: link

    Ron Francis in Carolina: link

    QOTW add-on: FS1 has the Big12 contract, so come Aug 28 it will be a constant. I do watch it quite often now, but their commentators still aren’t as polished as I’d expect with such a big station. Nice change from the Mothership, though.

    RE: Canucks nameplates:

    I never comment on the site because I’m a lurker but this one made me crawl out of the cave so here I am. I took some screencaps from videos that date from 2007 that had archival footage:

    link
    Note the nameplate, and the (three) “S”‘s on the pant stripe. Canucks are playing NYI if that helps.

    link
    Another shot of the nameplates.

    Hope this helps.

    It sure does. Thanks!!

    I think there’s a good shot that the Canucks wore these for the whole 1977-78 season. As for the blue jerseys, I think the Canucks, based on a couple of O-Pee-Chee hockey cards I have from the 1978-79 set, had normal NOB’s.

    And of course, in 1978-79, the ‘Nucks broke out those infamous giant black and yellow “V” uniforms.

    So, should nhluniforms.com be notified??

    Re: QOTW

    After the Montreal Canadiens won their 4th consecutive Stanley Cup in 1979, some of the veteran members of the team either retired or wound up finishing their careers elsewhere,
    so we saw things like this:

    Steve Shutt as an LA King: link (only photo I could find…none of him wearing a jersey, but that Jofa helmet is hideous).

    Serge Savard as a Winnipeg Jet: link

    Guy Lapointe as a St. Louis Blue: link

    …and later on as a Boston Bruin: link (there was quite a lot of discussion as to which # he would wear at the team, seeing as how his familiar #5 had been retired by the Bruins for Dit Clapper)

    …and as a longtime Guy Lafleur fan, this one was just painful to see: link

    Interesting – it seems like all the great Habs players from their late 70’s dynasty ended up playing out the string in some other place, with the possible exception of Jacques Lemaire. I had completely forgotten Steve Shutt was an LA King.

    Here’s one more recent

    NY Ranger Brian Leetch as a Maple Leaf

    link

    I love the idea of the updated WFL unis if the league still existed. First time I heard about the league was at a baseball card show. I have somewhere So Cal Suns tickets for games that weren’t played and a schedule for the 1st season.

    Now my idea, love it or hate it. 1st, the league still exists, obviously. 2nd The league at at some point has enough cash, or perspective owners with cash that the league would have expanded. Where would have they have expanded to or replaced franchises that had moved since both New York and Boston lost their team to Charlotte (Boston Bulls to NY Stars to Charlotte).

    I guess if I could draw, I’m a terrible artist, I would take a crack at the Boston team , calling them the New Englad Steam Rollers (my second choice would be Whalers before the WHA team was founded) after the NFL Providence Steam Rollers of 1928 (They won the NFL Championship that year). I would keep the Providence teams Black, Orange, and White color scheme. Along with a history to go with it, like the team not being able to play at Schaffer Stadium because the Sullivan family wouldn’t allow it til the mid 80s after a long court battle. Their early years playing a Brown University’s field, etc. The history of the color scheme that comes from when Rhode Islanders burned the HMS Gaspee to the water line (heck with dumping tea into a harbor).

    Taking a crack at a NY franchise, I would choose the New York Highlanders as a team name as a nod to NY’s baseball history.

    Heck I might take a stab at this, drawing, after all.

    It does make for some interesting alternate realities. If the WFL survives, does the NFL still expand in 1976? Maybe Seattle or Tampa Bay end up in the WFL instead. What about the USFL? Does it even happen with 2 successful leagues already in play? For that matter, if the WFL is still going strong in the 1980’s, how likely are they to just merge into the NFL? We might have a 40 team NFL right now with 10-12 teams originally from the WFL. Alternatively, the WFL might have actually tried to make the W in it’s name mean something, and we’d have teams in places like London, Berlin, Barcelona, Tokyo, etc.

    I remember a few concepts I dreamt up in ’74 (remember, these were at least in part a product of the times, so the names wouldn’t pass muster today):
    – Albuquerque Apaches (copper and silver)
    – Indianapolis Impalas (purple and white)
    – Los Angeles Aztecs (orange, yellow and black)
    – San Francisco Sailors (white and navy blue, natch)
    – Seattle Totems (green and brown and I only later found out that was a real hockey team name)

    I don’t think the drawings survived the intervening decades.

    A nice guy like Dan Roundfield on the Bad Boys Pistons was oh so wrong.
    link

    Slightly less jarring, but strange nonetheless, was my man Otis Birdsong with the Celtics.
    link

    Hurl: “Making minor modifications to the jersey helps to update the look but doesn’t change it drastically enough to encourage most fans to buy the new replica jerseys.”

    As if we didn’t know before, there it is in black & white.

    Lee

    I noticed that too and commented on the article. Surprised Paul didn’t mention it!

    This is stretching the QOTW a bit, but the sight of Pat Summerall holding a Fox Sports microphone never seemed right. I always picture him in a CBS Sports blazer.

    I think that stuff on Bill Walton’s knee is Cramer’s Red Hot. I remember my dad’s basketball teams had that in their med kits. It was hot (and don’t make the mistake of getting it near your eyes…)

    Here’s a player who combines both of your themes of Denver Broncos connections and legal troubles:

    link

    In honor of Mr. Pearson’s Vikings, how about Gary Anderson in purple?
    link
    Forgot he was a Titan, too.
    link

    Happy Birthday, Ricko!

    And probably my favorite concussionball examples:
    Billy White Shoes Johnson as an Alouette
    link
    and Marcus Allen as a Chief.
    link

    QOTW:

    Jim Thome as a Dodger (0 homers) or Oriole: link
    link

    Soccer gives us constant team changes but Bobby Charlton for Preston after a lifetime at Manchester United is a big one:
    link

    Cool article on Vikings prototypes. Read it on my phone, so graphics are small, but it looks like that ship logo on the hips squeezes in the state of Minnesota too!

    Favre stands out to me the most, since I’m a Packers fan and he is a big reason why.

    If I had to decide which one it would be Favre as a Jet, mainly because that is sort of a forgotten year. He was no longer with us but he was still in the league. He also had a great season until he hurt his elbow and the Jets failed to make the playoffs. I thought that would be the awkward end to his career but then he signed with the Vikings. Which was definitely odd but didn’t seem AS weird to me, for whatever reason; I hated seeing him in those colors but I guess they didn’t seem as jarring because he had already spent a year wearing another team’s uniform.

    And for an added oddity I’m going to submit a pic of him in the throwbacks.

    link

    Reggie White as a Panther is also odd, especially considering he was retired for a full year before coming back. Even more unfortunate is that by doing this he pushed his assured HOF induction back 2 years, and sadly passed before he could be inducted into the HOF.

    link

    Willie McCovey as an Oakland Athletic: link

    Reggie Jackson as a Baltimore Oriole: link

    Wayne Gretzky as an Indianapolis Racer: link

    Gordie Howe as a Hartford Whaler: link

    More ‘Skins oddities….

    Kilmer as a Saint
    Jurgensen as an Eagle.
    Gary Clark as a Crdinal and Dolphin
    Jeff Hostettler as a ‘Skin

    Flutie, Kelly & Young in the *NFL* always looked weird to me. And Sean Landeta, Kelvin Bryant, Mike Rozier, Sam Mills, etc.

    Tom Dempsey as an Eagle or Ram also didn’t seem right.

    That Calgary Stampeders helmet is sort of nice, but I’ve had it with the receding hairline helmets (I’m talking to you, Jaguars). That’s all I will ever see.

    I have my own receding hairline to look at with disdain. Just joking, I love shaving my head.

    Funny that NOW the Toronto blue jays want to come after creighton university for a logo that isn’t even exactly like the one they use. Creightons is different. Where were they in the 1990s when creighton was wearing these in baseball????

    link

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