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How Uniform Should a Uniform Be?

It’s a common complaint: Can’t everyone on the team wear their uniforms more uniformly?

A Pirates fan recently expressed that sentiment in the weekly mailbag column written by one of the The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Pirates beat writers, Stephen Nesbitt. The fan, named Mark Gleason, had a lot to say, but here’s the meat of it:

I used to write to the manager of the Pirates each year and suggest the team all dress alike, like the Pirates of old. Dress like a ballplayer. No long pants. We were such a poor playing team [during the team when I wrote these letters], at least they could look like the Clemente teams of old. Look alike, play the best you can, but look like a ball team even if you aren’t. ”¦

Now we have a mixture. One night Andrew [McCutchen] wears long pants, the next night he wears the Clemente striped socks. ”¦ A few of the players wear black socks, not striped.

This is really a mix of two distinct gripes. There’s the “Hike up your pants and look like a real ballplayer” gripe, which is mostly a matter of taste, and then there’s the “Let’s bring some uniformity to the uniform” gripe, which really gets to the heart of what a uniform should be.

The cool part is that Nesbitt — the beat writer — did something most writers wouldn’t bother to do: He walked around the Pirates clubhouse with Gleason’s email cued up on his phone, showed it to some of the players, and asked them what they thought (although, perhaps tellingly, he didn’t get quotes from McCutchen or any of the team’s other big names — maybe he thought this was too trivial for them). Here are some of their responses:

•  From pitcher Kyle Lobstein: “Well, honestly, I don’t know that he’s wrong. I can’t say I feel that strongly either way.”

•  From infielder Jordy Mercer: “My response to that would be: no. Here’s my reason why: Some guys like to wear their pants down. It’s personal preference.”

Mercer also referred to something I’ve written about many times: Minor leaguers are often required to go high-cuffed, so they often relish the chance to go pajama-style once they make it to the bigs, just as a way of rebelling against the rules they’d been subject to in the minors. His quote: “That’s one of the privileges of being called up. You get to wear your pants down.”

Unfortunately, Nesbitt didn’t ask the players (or the team’s equipment manager) about the different sock designs that the Buccos wear. It’s one thing for some players to go high-cuffed and others to wear pajamas; it’s another for some high-cuffers to wear solid black socks and other high-cuffers to wear stripes. To me, that’s actually a bigger issue because, as we’ve discussed before, it essentially reduces socks to the level of equipment instead of a uniform element. But I realize that point is probably a bit nuanced for the average MLB beat writer.

There’s more — I recommend reading the full mailbag piece here.

The reality, of course, is that there have always been variations in the ways various players wore their uniforms. Even in “the good old days” (however you choose to define that term), some players cuffed their pants higher or lower than others, some players had larger or smaller stirrup openings than others, and so on.

So I ask you: Just how uniform should a uniform be? Discuss.

•  •  •  •  •

Technical difficulties: There will be no Friday Flashback today. I promise that next week’s installment will be worth the wait.

• • • • •

Click to enlarge

And a killer jumpsuit, too: The next neighborhood over from mine is called Gowanus. It takes its name from the Gowanus Canal, a fetid waterway that’s now a Superfund clean-up site. (The joke used to be that it was probably where Jesus could walk on water.) Lots of industrial businesses used to operate along or near the canal, but most of them are now gone. The building that housed one of them was converted a few years ago into a place called Royal Palms, which is a shuffleboard club. They have a bar, leagues, etc. — it’s a lot like a bowling alley, but with shuffleboard.

I’ve never actually played suffleboard at Royal Palms, but I occasionally stop in just to watch when I’m passing by. That’s what the Tugboat Captain and I did last night. One of the courts was occupied by a young Orthodox Jewish couple (the guy had tzitzit), who appeared to be out on a first date. They also appeared to be very new to the game of shuffleboard, so a staffer ”” a black woman ”” came over to give them a quick tutorial (see above).

Watching a black woman give shuffleboard lessons to an Orthodox couple in Gowanus ”” I’m tellin’ ya, sometimes I really fucking love New York.

•  •  •  •  •

T-Shirt Club reminder: The Uni Watch T-Shirt Club’s second release of 2016 — the hockey design — is now available. Here’s the base design (which you can click to enlarge), followed by the three shirt color offerings:

The shirt is available here from now through next Tuesday.

We also have a goalie design that’s available for sale as a bonus shirt. Here’s the base design, and the three color options:

This shirt is not part of the T-Shirt Club, does not have Club’s jock tag graphic, and neither counts toward nor is required for 2016 “Collect ’Em All” eligibility. It’s just a bonus design that we’re offering for those who want it. You can get it here.

• • • • •

Uni Watch roster move: Meet Alex Hider, the newest member of the Uni Watch team. He’ll be preparing the Tickers that appear on Mondays (which tend to be small-ish, because we don’t get too many submissions on Sundays), beginning this coming Monday. I will continue to compile the Wednesday and Friday Tickers, Mike Chamernik will continue to handle Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Phil will still handle the weekends.

Alex was one of the finalists when I began hiring Ticker assistants back in the fall of 2013. He was the final roster cut, so to speak, and I told him at the time that he’d be the first person I contacted if and when I found myself needing more help. I kept my word and got in touch with him a few weeks ago when I decided to bring on another assistant, but two and a half years had gone by, so I didn’t really expect him to still be interested or available. To my very pleasant surprise, he jumped at the chance, so here we are.

Alex majored in journalism at Ohio University (this means he, Mike, and Phil all have more formal journalism training than I do) and now works for the media giant Scripps in his hometown of Cincinnati. I’ll shut up now and let him tell you a little about himself:

I’ve been interested in sports design for almost as long as I can remember. As a kid growing up in Cincinnati, I used to hoard copies of Sports Illustrated and NFL Shop catalogues and just stare at the jerseys for hours on the floor in my room. If I wasn’t oogling glossy photos, I was messing with the uniform generator on Madden’s Create-a-Team feature.

I played a little high school football but quickly realized I wasn’t going to stick around in the sports world by standing on the sidelines. It was around that time I discovered a passion for journalism, so Uni Watch is a natural intersection of my two favorite things.

I’m a fan of the Cincinnati Reds (drop the drop shadow), the Cleveland Browns (fart noise), my alma mater Ohio Bobcats (Russell Athletic’s favorite client), the Nashville Predators (collar horns and all) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (though mostly as a bandwagon fan).

I look forward to hearing from all of you!

You can follow Alex on Twitter here. Please join me in welcoming him to the Uni Watch team.

•  •  •  •  •

The Ticker
By Paul

’Skins Watch: A Delaware high school is moving closer to scrapping its “Redskins” team name. ”¦ Here’s a good analysis of how the ’Skins trademark case could play out at the Supreme Court. ”¦ Here’s a bunch of academics and a reporter debating the merits of the ’Skins trademark issue. ”¦ The Macon Telegraph published a column calling for the return of Chief Noc-A-Homa — and then promptly deleted it, imagine that. ”¦ Slowly but surely: Two Toronto-area schools will stop using indigenous people’s imagery for their teams (from Mike Styczen). ”¦ Aussie rules football teams often have guernseys with indigenous-patterned designs. Here’s Melbourne’s (from Franklin). ”¦ Yeah, if there’s one thing those crazy Injuns like, it’s a good ballgame (thanks, Phil).

Baseball News: We’ve seen this before, but it’s always interesting to see a college baseball jersey that’s a henley masquerading as a button-front, as in the case of this Texas A&M jersey. The top two buttons are functional; the lower ones are just for decoration. Doesn’t look bad, although it would be better if the horizontal seam below the second button were hidden beneath the lettering (from Colin Sherrod). ”¦ Interesting to see this shot of Rickey Henderson wearing gold sannies but no stirrups (from Eric Wright). ”¦ Lots of really nice baseball paintings here (from Kellen Dargle). ”¦ The first problem with Florida State’s military appreciation uniforms is — well, you know what the first problem is. The second problem is that the jerseys appear to be T-shirts. The third problem is that the cap design appears to be poached (thanks, Phil). ”¦ The Reds wore their Los Rojos alts last night for Cinco de Mayo. ”¦ Here’s what’s the Birmingham Barons will be wearing for this year’s Rickwood Classic: “Current players will wear the uniforms worn by the 1967 Birmingham A’s, featuring the iconic A’s script on the left side of the jersey, which will be white with green sleeves and green numbers on the front right and back of the uniform. The team will also wear special green caps with the white old English ‘B’ on it” (from Charles Eldridge). ”¦ If you’ve been waiting to vote for your favorite Virginia high school baseball cap, here’s your chance (from Jon Kamide). ”¦ Union workers at Majestic, which makes all 30 MLB teams’ uniforms, are planning a job action on Friday as a protest over contractual issues. The union reportedly has the support of the MLB Players Association. Further info here (from Eric Longenhagen and @WiredDevils, respectively). ”¦ Batman jerseys for the West Virginia Power. ”¦ The Montgomery Biscuits’ staff celebrated Cinco de Mayo about the way you’d expect (thanks, Phil). ”¦ Reds OF Billy Hamilton has been going high-cuffed more often since first trying out the look on Jackie Day. ”¦ A cap that appeared to be a Nats cap — but actually wasn’t — ended up in a bit of humiliation for a U.S. Senate candidate in Missouri (from Erik Spoonmore). ”¦ During last night’s Mets/Padres game, SNY broadcasters Gary Cohen and Ron Darling suggested that the reason for the matte helmet trend is to keep players from gunking up their helmets with pine tar. The actual reason for the trend, of course, is that it’s just one of those things that has come into style and caught on with certain teams. ”¦ Speaking of the Mets, here’s Curtis Granderson wearing a uni/cap combo that the team never actually wears. ”¦ The Saitama Seibu Lions have switched from Adidas to Majestic. ”¦ There have been only three rainouts at Petco Park in San Diego since it opened in 2004, the most recent one coming two years ago, but there’s rain in the forecast for today.

NFL News: Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: New uni number assignments for the Broncos’ rookies (from DenverGregg). ”¦ So many outerwear garments to love in this shot — the Browns sideline cape, the NFL Films windbreaker, and Ed Sabol’s fur coat! (From John Falardeau.) ”¦ Did you know the Saints used to have a St. Bernard mascot named Gumbo? It’s true! Also, we’ve all seen plenty of photos of the Saints’ black helmets from the 1969 preseason, but here’s a shot I hadn’t seen before. And that headline writer was prescient, eh? (All this from Benji King.) ”¦ Always fun to see players getting their head shots taken while they wear numberless jerseys. ”¦ Here are some shots of the Packers’ seamstress sewing the names and numbers on the jerseys for the team’s rookies (from @svndrtywrds). ”¦ I’ve written a few times about this guy who does amazing football artwork. He now has his dream job doing drawings for the 49ers (from Aaron Husul).

College and High School Football News: New uniforms for UCF (from Jeff Sharon). ”¦ Aeropostale has filed for bankruptcy, which reminded someone that they once made UConn’s football uniforms. Who knew? (From @VictoryCB.) ”¦ The Arizona high school player who faced felony charges for exposing part of his penis in his team portrait won’t face felony charges after all. ”¦ Former Michigan QBs Jim Harbaugh and Rick Leach wore pink softball jerseys as part of a home run derby for charity (thanks, Phil).

Hockey News: Did you know Donald Trump has a Zamboni? He does! I assume that means these guys will be playing at his inauguration. ”¦ You must wear the ribbon color: The Lightning’s foundation is telling fans to wear blue to work tomorrow. I wear blue jeans almost every day (and not just at work!), so I guess I’m a good Lightning fan. ”¦ Remember Anthony Zych’s awesome Blue Jackets gameday posters? The team is now letting fans vote for their favorite, and the top four will be available as limited-edition prints, with proceeds benefitting the Blue Jackets Foundation. ”¦ Love love love the logo on this old Portage Terriers jacket. And from the same team, look at this awesome sweater! Yowza (big thanks to Will Scheibler).

NBA/WNBA News: Despite lots of rumors, no uni or logo changes this coming season for the Pistons. ”¦ New uniform and court design for the Phoenix Mercury (from Josh Pearlman).

College Hoops News: Love this old UGA women’s hoops shot. Both teams untucked, and check out the number placement and collar on UGA (big thanks to Mike Givler). ”¦ Crazy new court design for Santa Clara (from Andrew Cosentino).

Soccer News: New kits for Hamburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach (from Robert Marshall). ”¦ I don’t usually get too excited about soccer jerseys, but I really like this vintage NYCCC model. “Bukta is a great vintage British brand that made the England World Cup team kits throughout the ’60s and ’70s,” explains Jeff Flynn. ”¦ New jerseys for Panama. ”¦ New kits for Detroit City FC (from Ryan Keberly). ”¦ New home and away jerseys for Stoke City (from Josh Coles).

Grab Bag: You know how the exits on Interstate highways will have those blue signs that say, “Attractions at Exit 13” or “Food at Exit 47,” or whatever? Here’s a good story on how businesses end up on those signs. ”¦ Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Good article on the design of the biohazard symbol (from James Gilbert). ”¦ Here’s a review of Nike honcho Phil Knight’s new memoir. ”¦ Adidas is doing better on Wall Street this year than Nike or Under Armour (from Tim Cross). ”¦ “After the death of Jules Bianchi, F1 is testing ideas to protect the exposed part of the driver while at also keeping the car an open cockpit,” says David Firestone. “Two possibilities are here and here.” ”¦ There’s a new arena football league in China, of all places. Here are the team names and logos (from Marc Viquez). ”¦ Jim Vilk was doing a bit of thrifting and came across a great-looking bowling league scheduling kit. ”¦ Uni-related passage in this article about college beach volleyball: “The NCAA reined in the skimpy uniforms that are sometimes required on the professional circuit and are a not-so-secret Olympics draw. Players’ tops must cover their midriffs while standing still, and shorts or briefs must have at least a one-inch inseam. ‘We want them to be able to feel comfortable out there and yet not be in a bikini, because that’s not what the image is for us,’ Kristin Fasbender, a championships director at the N.C.A.A., said.” ”¦ How can you tell if tech startups are doing well? Follow the ping-pong table sales (from Mary Bakija). ”¦ Four different blue shoe styles for the Japanese women’s volleyball team (from Jeremy Brahm).

 
  
 
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Comments (83)

    The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s mailbag columnist, Stephen Nesbitt.

    Nesbitt is actually one of the Post-Gazette’s two Pirate beat writers (and, from what I’ve seen, something of a uni watcher). The mailbag is an occasional online feature.

    Re: Uniform uniformity

    I am old enough to be considered in the “Get off my lawn” demographic but I still consider myself just a kid from Brooklyn. That being said I prefer a uniform to be just that – uniform. Aside from the undershirts I think the players should all wear their uniform the same way – high cuffed, stirrups or those faux stirrups, and the stirrups should match. The pajama look should go away completely. For a team like Pittsburgh that has the striped stirrups – either everyone wear stripes or no one. I’ll make allowances for guys who wear the black socks instead of stirrups, but they should also be striped at least.

    “I’ll make allowances for guys who wear the black socks instead of stirrups, but they should also be striped at least.”

    ~~~

    How is striped vs. non-striped stirrups any different from stirrups vs. socks (even if both are striped)?

    The uniform isn’t uniform then.

    Some teams don’t have just solid and striped, but some have two versions of striped sox and some have solid sox with a team logo at the bottom.

    Have we now defined the concept of “Individual Uniformity”?

    Welcome Alex. Look forward to your Ticker contributions.
    Re: The Pirates article. Honestly long pants don’t bother me, never have. I personally prefer the cuffed look, but I can see how players min the more comfortable that way and considering that’s something that could conceivably affect play (mentally if not physically) I’m all for guys going whichever way they’re more comfortable. Info think it’s really cool that the writer brought the letter into the locker room though. Interesting to hear player’s take on the subject. I never considered the minor league aspect before.

    I agree. Uniformity is nice but I definitely think that if a player is going to feel more comfortable and the attendant physical results that go along with that mental advantage, then have at it.

    Of course there’s a line that must be drawn at how far uniformity should be sacrificed for comfort/performance but it stops far short of the difference between long pants and high cuffs.

    The solid vs striped socks thing bothers me the most of all, as it happens, mostly because there’s no good reason for the difference. It’s purely aesthetic.

    “Wait, tan? I always thought it looked kind of pinkish.”

    ~~~

    This explains so much…

    Yeah booyyyy… My Edison Eagles made it to the next round of the VA baseball cap tourney!!

    link

    so did my Annandale Atoms link, it looks just like the Adams Atoms from Revenge of the Nerds, but we were first)

    but I can’t figure out how to vote

    Re: Uniforms – I’ve seen comments before about minor leaguers being required to go high-cuffed. I know for the Memphis Redbirds (AAA-STL) that’s not the case. I found a clip from last night’s game vs the Omaha Storm Chasers (AAA-KC) and it looks like all of their players are high-cuffed. It would be interesting to research which minor league teams require high-cuffery.
    link

    The Pirates require that their minor league players (but not coaches) wear high cuffs. Are they the last team to do this? I know that the Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh affiliate) are the last team to be uniformly high-cuffed in the International League (Scranton/Yankees and Durham/Tampa Bay were until recently), but I’m less familiar with other organizations whose AAA teams play in the Pacific Coast League.

    Different rules for different organizations. It does seem more MLB teams are allowing minor leaguers to make their own decisions on how to wear their pants.

    Wow! 80 different permutations of the new UCF uniforms.

    How many games in a college football schedule again???

    Also, noted that the player in all photos is wearing #55; and the new unis were released on 5/5. So clever.

    Lastly, the first 40 seconds of the video screams Nike-Nosing!!

    the part that caught my attention is Coach Frost saying that despite Nike putting in a lot of work on these, he expects to change them in a year or two

    I also enjoyed reading the Nike designer’s quote about a “high contrast look” and then scrolling through dozens of black and gray uniform combinations. I’m a bit colorblind, so it’s possible I’m missing something, but gray AND pewter?

    That’s Ed Sabol, Steve’s dad, in the fur coat along the Browns sideline.

    It looks sloppy when some players are high cuffed with solid color socks & some with striped socks or others are wearing stirrups while the rest of the team wears pajama bottoms. MLB needs to enforce its uniform policy like the NFL does.

    uniform
    having always the same form, manner, or degree : not varying or variable

    presenting an unvaried appearance of surface, pattern, or color

    I like how two consecutive ticker items were “here’s the new kit for Gladbach!”

    Anyway, while I think the pajama pants thing makes the players doing it look like dopes, ultimately I’m fine with erring on the side of that being a personal comfort choice or whatever. It’s the same equipment that everyone’s got, so in that sense it’s “uniform.” What I can’t abide is different socks. Seeing teams where some guys are wearing striped socks and some are wearing solid socks is just maddening. Honestly I don’t really even care if some are stirrups and some are plain socks (again I see this as more of a personal preference thing), just make them all striped or all solid. Pick one.

    Welcome Alex (from one OU alum who split his rooting interests between Ohio cities, to another).

    Re the Royal Palms photo, I’d like to see the pennants better. Are they all from Florida–a “shuffleboard is mostly played in FLA” theme?

    Welcome to Alex, from another former Bobcat (only two years, but still a former Bobcat).

    The uniform should be worn the same by all players on a given team. I don’t care if a team wants to wear its uniform different from another team, or if a team wants to wear its uniform different this year than it did last year or the year before (take a vote in the spring of the players who made the Opening Day roster, maybe?), or hell, even game by game, but all the players on that team should wear the uniform identically. The only exception should be undershirt sleeves, which I think should remain a cold weather preference as they are in other outdoor sports, though all the undershirts should be identical in style, with only the sleeve length changing based on preference. There should be fines for first offenders. If the fines don’t deter you, then you can’t work today. Sorry, but it’s the same as if you wear your tan chinos to work at Panera on olive drab day; you get sent home (this actually happened to someone I know).

    Overall, nice, simple uniform for UCF. The “font system” that matches their logo makes for some pretty dreadful numbers, but hey, you can’t win ’em all. I like their pegasus logo, but it seems at odds with the style of their athletic identity. I’d much rather see that become the athletic mark as well.

    In fact that’s the *same* picture they used on the website, just with a sepia(ish) filter. I can’t post side-by-side upload of it at work, someone else could take it up though!

    It looks like the Phil Knight’s memoir link was changed on the Ganino.com side, not sure what can be done….

    i like how Nike/UCF showed you all the different variations that there could be for that site.. nice little visualization to go along with the claim. though i am not excited they went gfgs

    Rudy Fernandez is actually a basketball player for Real Madrid, so his entry does not relate to soccer ;)

    That’s gotta be Ed Sabol in that photo, right? Steve wouldn’t have been that old back then.

    Aeropostale has filed for bankruptcy, which reminded someone that they once made UConn’s football uniforms.

    Not a classic look by any stretch, but still my favorite UConn uniform. Giddy and fun.

    Will there be a Friday Flashback today…always look forward to those!

    Also just wait until UCF adds gold jerseys and pants to the mix.

    Sorry, meant to include a note about that — no Flashback today.

    I promise that next week’s will be worth the wait.

    you know being thats one of their two primary colors.. i am surprised it’s not a part of this set.. probably “special reveal” for a big game

    As for the uniformity of uniforms, I have to admit once a costume establishes the separate identities of the two teams involved I don’t worry about the personal touches each player adds. It troubles me more when both sides have matching softball tops. If it comes out that sloppy uniforms have an effect on the game’s popularity, maybe some action is warranted. I think the lack of uniformity in socks and stirrups leads to more creativity; I’d be disappointed if the team enforced a boring design.

    Going way back to 1888, the Chicago White Stockings didn’t display a uniform choice of neck garb:

    Personally, I’d choose bow tie.

    On the Granderson shot: That’s from a commercial that’s over a year-and-a-half old (link here: link).

    Granderson has on the 2014 cream version of the pinstripes (You can tell from the Ralph Kiner memorial patch on his right sleeve), and it’s paired with the blue/orange cap. Why? Because it’s from a New Era commercial that was made in 2014, when they were really pushing the Diamond Era caps, and the Mets (at that time) had two versions of the cap made it Diamond Era fabric: the orange-billed alternate (the cap debuted in 2013, but in 2014, it was made for the first time in the Diamond Era fabric), and the Mr. Met BP cap (which he can be seen wearing in the work out shots in the commercial).

    So likely, New Era wanted to push the look of the new caps with the new fabric, but Granderson wore the pinstripe uni (from the commercial, it looks like it was shot on a backfield in a Spring Training facility) because either the Mets or MLB properties wanted him to, or it’s just what he had on-hand for the shoot.

    (I say *a* Spring Training facility, because it’s not uncommon for players to be flown to one central site for these shoots. For example, 2016 New Era caps that featuring Buster Posey, other non-Mets, and one actual Met — Jacob deGrom — were shot at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie, where the Mets train. And the site of Granderson’s commercial does not look like any of the ST fields at the Mets’ facility).

    If I were commissioner of baseball, I would not require all players to wear their pants up or down. But if I owned a team, I would require uniform attire among my team’s players. However, if I were commissioner, I would require that socks be uniform on a team. I think Paul’s perspective on the line between personal preference and team uniformity is just about right.

    Were I the commish, a rule stating “The trouser cuff may be neither less than three inches nor more than four inches below the bottom of the kneecap. Trousers may not be bloused to more than one inch below the cuff. The socks worn by uniformed team members shall all have the same color and decoration. If a team’s name includes the word “sox”, the socks worn by that team must be primarily of the color stated in the team name. Unformed team members whose apparel is out of compliance with the foregoing are not allowed to enter the field of play.” would be on the agenda.

    The funny thing about all of you saying, “If I were commish…” is that the commish doesn’t actually have this power! Changes in uniform regulations have to be collectively bargained with the union, which would never go for any of this stuff and would want to preserve as much freedom and flexibility as possible for its members.

    Now, if you were GOD, instead of just the commish — now we’re talking. ;)

    I love the colour of the socks idea. White Sox would not need to change uniforms, but I would love to see them in white stirrups with grey sanitary socks underneath.

    Hey Jim Vilk:

    I used to be secretary of junior league when I bowled as a youth and I got one of those every year. They were great for making up schedules for things like electric football game leagues!

    The hilarious thing about the Lightning trying to get people to wear blue? Their opponent has the exact same shade of blue.

    Re: Trump Zamboni. As fun as it is to think Trump has his own personal Zamboni, I’m pretty sure that’s the Zamboni from the ice rink in Central Park, which Trump sponsors (advertises on?)and unsurprisingly is named Trump Rink (formerly Wollman Rink).

    You’re right about the Trump zamboni being for that rink, but the relationship between Trump and that rink is a little more complicated

    link

    Its an interesting story, there’s lots written about it.

    I’m probably not the first to ask this, but did the Sacramento Kings’ new logo look like a rip off of the New York Public Library logo to anyone else?

    link

    link

    In regards to wearing your pants high or low, I have no qualms with either way. I do believe, however, that all the socks should be the same. Be it striped or solid, they should be required to be matching on everyone. I mean what’s next players wearing different hats per their choice?

    I think players should wear their pants however they want. The game is hard enough, they should atleast be comfortable. When I played, I always wore my pants down because I couldn’t stand the elastic around my knees. I personally think the pajama style looks better than cuffed. I don’t particularly care for the stirrups & tight pants of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. But I’m 26, so I guess it’s generational. Plus, some guys don’t look right with their pants up.

    I do think it is generational. I’m 40. I was a kid loving sports in the days of stirrups and tight pants in 1980s. That was a good look and fond memories for me.
    Looser pants of today with cuff high reminds me of the look in the really old days (ie New York Baseball Giants) – I like that.
    I absolutely despise pajama style. Baseball uniforms are supposed to be about seeing the socks. It looks like you are playing baseball in track pants.

    However, I am tolerant. I can accept pajama style. Players should be allowed to choose. However, I don’t like players being allowed to choose if there are stripes on the socks or not. This is a uniform issue. Teams should either issue just socks with stripes or no stripes.

    Uniformity, thy name is UCLA Baseball. Perfect caps, jerseys, pants, stirrups, sanitaries and shoes. And adidas appears to have eliminated those weird side panels. That, my friends, is what a baseball team used to (and should) look like.

    I’m pretty iffy on the Aussie Rules indigenous guernseys being included in Redskins Watch.

    1- they’re special event uniforms, worn for one game only. Similar to Memorial Day uniforms in MLB, or more apropos, the Chinese New Year and Latin America uniforms in the NBA
    2- They’re always designed by indigenous artists and in consultation with indigenous groups
    3- They don’t turn human being into caricatures and mascots, it’s nothing like Chief Wahoo or the Washington Football Team. It’s more in-line with the American teams that are named after individual Indian tribes that have the permission of those tribes

    Admittedly, much like the other special-event uniforms they’re usually pretty cheesy and naked publicity stunts, but there’s nothing inherently racist or disrespectful about them.

    *some context: I’m Australian and Aussie Rules is the sport of my youth. Unfortunately living in Canada now it’s tough to follow the game.

    Hey Alex. Welcome! Are you a preds fan because of the cyclones? If so, ya gotta mention the ‘clones in your bio!

    I began following the Preds because of a family connection in Nashville. Basically, a hat my uncle gave me was the only piece of hockey apparel I owned.

    I only learned about the Cyclones connection after the fact…though it’s a very happy coincidence. I don’t get down to enough dollar beer nights, but I’ve been a little jaded since their terrible redesign a few years ago.

    Kudos to the NCAA on the beach volleyball unis. A real sport finally got some real uniforms.

    Welcome aboard Alex, I can say I’m a regular visitor but have no say in this site which is genius btw thanks Paul! We can have national whatever day but never a national what the heck is going on with uniforms nowadays day. Welcome to our underrated world.
    Anyways, why cheer for Nashville Predators? Is it because yellow home uniforms rock in the playoffs? I am finding myself routing for them just because they do rock the yellow in the playoffs.
    Not a Columbus Blue Jackets fan?

    I know many call the NFL the “No Fun League”, but I like the strict uniform rules with fines. The definition of “uniform” is “not changing in form or character, remaining the same in all cases and at all times.” The long, sloppy, baggy pants are terrible. I miss the days of every player having good fitting uniforms with the knickers and the same stir-up socks. Also the artificially altered helmets to look like they are beat up with no logo showing also needs to be banned. Lastly, no jewelry.

    The definition of “uniform” is “not changing in form or character, remaining the same in all cases and at all times.” The long, sloppy, baggy pants are terrible.

    These two sentences are not mutually exclusive. If the entire team is wearing long, baggy pants, then that is a very uniform look. (I don’t think it’s a GOOD look, but that’s a separate issue.)

    Yep I thought of that when I wrote this, but in say the NFL the league is uniform. Every team has the same uniform except for colors and logo. I will say historically baseball has been more lax with the terrible White Sox untucked shirts and shorts. Also the 70s era of elastic sansabelt pants and pullover jerseys where most teams wore these terrible uniforms. Thank you Dodgers and Yankees for not going there. Did any other team not wear these? I believe even the Red Sox had some terrible uniforms. But if a team had to pick one or the other pant styles, it would be better than now. But even with the pajama pants, some wear them cut up and covering most of the shoe while others wear them cleaned up a bit. Sure the hats are also different now with the flat-bill becoming popular, but at least they all wear a hat.

    Just googled the question of which teams didn’t wear elastic beltless pants and pullover shirts, and I found Paul’s ESPN article about the Pirates being the first to wear these. The answer in this article was…” every MLB team except the Yankees, Phillies, Dodgers, and Expos went with a pullover at some point, and those same four teams plus the Mets are the only ones that never went beltless.”

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