Skip to content
 

Vintage Jersey Leads to New Form of Uni-Watching

For most photos in this section, you can click to enlarge

What have we here? It’s a 1970s print ad for Uniroyal Tires, featuring three spokescharacters named Uni (!), Roy, and Al posing with matching cars.

How did I learn about this ad campaign? The wheels started turning a few months ago, when I spotted a gorgeous 1950s Durene warmup top on Etsy (shown at right). It looked like it was made for me — my size, my favorite colors, not terribly expensive. But this was right after ESPN told me they wouldn’t be renewing my contract, so I was being careful about expenditures and couldn’t quite bring myself to pull the trigger on the purchase.

I bookmarked the Etsy listing and checked in on it from time to time, just to see if anyone else had purchased it. During that time period, two Uni Watch readers actually sent the listing to me, saying, “This looks like something you’d like!”

I finally gave in and bought the jersey last month as a birthday present to myself, but the seller was traveling for a few weeks, so I didn’t receive the item until last Friday. And man, was it worth the wait:

As you can see, it’s a highly saturated emerald green with sewn-on tackle twill lettering. On the back is a tremendous screened graphic:

Great interior tagging, too:

I posted some photos of the jersey on Twitter yesterday, and that’s when Twitter-er @BeautyOfAGame informed me that U.S. Royal Tires was the old name for the more familiar Uniroyal Tires. At the 1964 World’s Fair, there was a tire-shaped U.S. Royal Ferris wheel:

The name eventually changed to Uniroyal, and that’s how Uni, Roy, and Al were created. They were featured in lots of ads. Here’s another one:

With the matching helmets, you get a much better sense of them wearing uniforms, right?

Uni, Roy, and Al also appeared in TV commercials. Here one from 1973:

They also apparently made live appearances. This Nashville Speedway ad that ran in the June 22, 1974, edition of The Nashville Tennessean says, “Extra Added Attraction: Uni, Roy, and Al in the Uniroyal Tire Thrill Show”:

The woman who played Uni was named Kaye Kaiser. There are original press photos of her in her Uni outfit — sometimes by herself, sometimes with Roy and Al (autographed!) — floating around the internet. I also found this Chicago Tribune article about her from 1975, indicating that she wasn’t just an actor but had “her own all-girl thrill driving show,” described as “an aggregation of hell-crazed ladies who tour the racetracks and fairgrounds of America, performing the kind of stunts you would expect from Steve McQueen or Evel Knievel”:

Okay, that’s enough about Uni, Roy, and Al. I’m also interested in the name on the front of my green jersey — Art Malnati. Who was he?

As it turns out, Art Malnati is second from the left in this photo from Dec. 17, 1959:

The caption reads, “The Denver Area Tire Dealers Assn. have installed these principal officers for 1960. From left: Harry Leisenring, president; Art Malnati, vice president; David B. Sala, secretary; and Neef Burroughs, treasurer.”

Al also ran this ad in the Jan. 3, 1946, edition of The Denver Catholic Register:

So ol’ Art was clearly a tire guy, which explains the U.S. Royal Tires graphic on the back of the jersey.

That leaves us with Stu Beresford, the sporting goods shop on the interior tag. I couldn’t find anything about the shop, but here’s a 1933 news item indicating that former Colorado University athlete Stu Beresford had been appointed head basketball coach at the New Mexico School of Mines. He must have returned to Colorado at some point, because he was a 1978 inductee into the Colorado High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Nice jersey, nice backstory. I’m excited to wear it out and about!

(Huge thanks to @BeautyOfAGame and longtime reader Denver Gregg for their research assistance on this piece.)

• • • • •

• • • • •

First sighting of MLB Ma’s Day caps: Reader Jeremy Etzler found this year’s MLB Mother’s Day caps on New Era’s UK site yesterday. Pretty brutal, as usual.

I have reason to believe that the full unveiling of the MLB holiday uniforms may be today. If so, we’ll have a full rundown tomorrow.

• • • • •

• • • • •

Oh, for fuck’s sake: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes showed up at last night’s NCAA title game to cheer for his alma mater, Texas Tech. But he couldn’t wear a Tech shirt without reminding the world that corporate douchebaggery is the tail that wags the sports world’s dog. Sigh.

• • • • •

• • • • •

Click to enlarge

Collector’s Corner
By Brinke Guthrie

When I sit down to do Collector’s Corner each week, I try to lead off with an item with some visual pop. I think this one definitely qualifies! This Red Sox game program is from September of 1970, and wow does that artwork ever leap off the page. And if the cover art doesn’t get you, how about this ad found inside the program (click to enlarge):

“It may be the age of Aquarius to you, but it’s the age of Firebirds to me!” I do hope the boss took the ad copywriter out for the best steak in Boston after that one.

Now for the rest of this week’s picks:

• Check out this 1970s Hartford Whalers knit ski cap! (Or would “toque” be appropriate here?)

• More absolute killer MLB game program artwork here, this time for the 1970 Minnesota Twins. Absolute magic. (Yes, “killer” as in “Killebrew.”)

• One more 1970 game program for you: This was for the National League Championship Series “on the Riverfront” at the then-four-month-old Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, as the Pirates visited the Reds.

• With this 1970s handheld Tudor Electric Football game, it was you against the computer. Try to get around or through the computerized defense! Yes, kids, that’s what video games looked like back then. (For more on electric football, check out the highly-recommended Unforgettable Buzz website.)

• This 1970s Cleveland Browns serving tray has a few nicks but is otherwise in good shape.

• One auction, two sets of 1970s MLB mini-pennants (both AL and NL).

• For your next NFL-themed party, make sure you have this 1986 NFL football-shaped ice cube tray at the ready.

• The NFL shield is embossed on the buttons of this 1970s Steelers kids’ rain jacket.

• This 1970s NFL smoked glass features all 28 then-current teams.

• Here’s another NFL glass, this time sponsored by Dr. Pepper. Since the glass includes the striped Bengals helmet, it’s no older than from the early 1980s.

Seen an item on eBay that would be good for Collector’s Corner? Send any submissions here.

• • • • •

• • • • •

rafflet ticket by ben thoma.jpg

ITEM! Yet another membership raffle: We running another one-day raffle for a free Uni Watch membership card. This one was purchased and donated by longtime reader Judy Adams — thanks, Judy!

To enter, send an email to the raffle address by 10pm Eastern tonight. One entry per person. I’ll announce the winner tomorrow.

Speaking of membership raffles: The winner of our previous raffle was Jim Ellwanger. He asked for his card to be based on the Rays’ powder blue fauxbacks. That card, shown at right, is one of several that have been added to the membership card gallery.

Ordering a membership card is a good way to support Uni Watch (which, quite frankly, could use your support these days). And remember, a Uni Watch membership card entitles you to a 15% discount on any of the merchandise in our Teespring shop and our Naming Wrongs shop. (If you’re an existing member and would like to have the discount code, email me.) As always, you can sign up for your own custom-designed card here, you can see all the cards we’ve designed so far here, and you can see how we produce the cards here.

• • • • •

• • • • •

Click to enlarge

T-shirt reminder: In case you missed it on Monday, we have a new pair of T-shirts, rendered in the classic Goodyear type font called Wingfoot Sans, and featuring our own winged stirrup instead of Goodyear’s winged foot.

Here’s where you can order the green one and the grey one.

• • • • •

• • • • •

Three decades on: How long is a belt supposed to last? I bought this belt at the Gap in 1989 (I only know the date because I remember where I was living at the time). I haven’t worn it every day since then, but I’ve certainly worn it most days. One of the holes tore through a few days ago, so that’s the end of it.

Thirty years — not bad!

• • • • •

• • • • •

The Ticker
By Alex Hider

Baseball NewsThe Red Sox will wear gold-trimmed uniforms for their home opener today (from Phil). … The Cubs put up a completely tone-deaf sign on their press box yesterday that included a “no women admitted” tag. After a reporter tweeted a photo of the sign, it was replaced within minutes (from Mike Chamernik and Jerry). … Also from Mike: On Sunday, Reds broadcaster Chris Welsh accused Pirates P Chris Archer of having pine tar on his jersey to doctor the baseball. …  Phillies OF Bryce Harper has been wearing a red QALO wedding band on the field this year (from @kinslerkin). … Astros manager A.J. Hinch was wearing a spring training cap during pregame comments the other day (from @TalsHillMMP). … A new feature at Wrigley this year: The figures on the restroom signs have Cubs circle-Cs for heads! (From Dylan). … Speaking of the Cubs, 2B Ben Zobrist stopped by the Chicago Wolves of the AHL and donned a custom sweater (from @TeebzHBIC). … This week’s issue of The New Yorker has a gorgeous baseball-themed cover (from Adam Vitcavage). …  While there was probably some issue with licensing the New Era logo, I’m going to pretend that the folks at Hawaii Five-O “get it™️” (from Eric Griffin). … New renderings of Wichita’s new baseball stadium have been released. A Triple-A affiliate of the Marlins will begin playing there next year (from Michael MPH). … The “A” in Brewers P Chase Anderson’s NOB was missing its interior cut-out last night (from Rick Ho and Chris, who didn’t give his last name). … Phillies 1B Rhys Hoskins hit two dingers last night and said it was because of his Mickey Mouse socks. … The Mariners will wear Seattle Pilots throwbacks on June 22.

Football NewsThe Arena Football League unveiled new uniforms for all six of its teams on Monday (thanks to all who shared). … New Jets RB Le’Veon Bell doesn’t have a number assignment yet, but Patrick Sesty found a photo from this weekend of Bell wearing a sweatshirt with No. 26. … Ravens S Marlon Humphrey gave up his No. 29 for new S Earl Thomas, and later tweeted that he wants the first to be No. 00. Of course, he wouldn’t be the first, or even the second, so he has a bit of NFL history to brush up on (from Andrew Cosentino). … As part of the NFL’s 100th anniversary, eight picks in the upcoming NFL Draft will be announced from eight cities that hosted one of the NFL’s original teams (from Jim Vilk). … Joe Ramos found this pink NFL alumni sweater at an antique store in  Seekonk, Massachusetts over the weekend. He thinks it was made sometime in the 1990s. … Cleveland.com ranked the NFL’s five worst uniforms and did not give the Browns a hometown boost (from Phil). … Daniel Torres created a Texans/Oilers helmet mashup concept.

Hockey News: Wrestlemania was in the New York metro area on Sunday, so WWE’s Stephanie McMahon wore a custom Rangers shirt with her FNOB and the team’s Liberty logo on the sleeve (from Greg). … Yesterday was the 23rd anniversary of the Coyotes’ team name and inaugural logo being unveiled (from Jerry Wolper).

NBA NewsThe WNBA has a new logo, which is nice. What’s not nice is that every team will wear the same corporate advertising logo on their jersey starting in 2020 (thanks to all who shared). … The Cavs’ embarrasingly named arena will soon have an even more embarrassing name, but I’m still calling it the Gund (from Jim Vilk and @Believeland1994).

Soccer NewsManchester United’s third jersey for next season has reportedly leaked (from Josh Hinton). … Also from Josh: This is the ball that will be used next season in the Eredivisie, the top league in the Netherlands. … The Washington Spirit of the NWSL will retire No. 15 for  Joanna Lohman on June 22. Per our own Jamie Rathjen, her number will be the first to be retired in league history. … Here’s a sight you don’t see every day: a coffin at a soccer game (from Max Weintraub). … David Beckham’s Instagram story from the other day may have given a sneak peek of Inter Miami CF’s new uniforms — albeit, in Lego form (from Tyler Good). … Supporters for North Carolina FC of the USL are selling this pride scarf, proceeds of which will go to supporting NCFC’s MF Austin da Luz’s “Playing For Pride” campaign (from James Gilbert). … Matt Estreich found what I’m assuming is a MLS jersey template at a thrift store.

Grab BagHere’s what pro golfers Phil Mickelson and Justin Thomas will be wearing this week during The Masters (from Griffin Smith). … Some think that Pitt’s new panther secondary logo looks like the automaker Jaguar’s logo — Jaguar’s. Of course it’s not the first time a sports logo has been confused with Jaguar’s (from @NotFakeC_OB). … NHRA driver Leah Pritchett’s car had a big portrait of her advertiser, “Papa” John Schnatter, the former CEO of the pizza chain bearing his name. Of course, he’s no longer associated with Papa John’s, having been ousted after series of controversial statements, but I guess he can still use the nickname (from Jorge Pa). … Cross-listed from the hockey section: Wrestlemania was in New York on Sunday, so WWE’s Stephanie McMahon wore a custom Rangers shirt with her FNOB and the team’s Liberty logo on the sleeve (from Greg). … Every year, Texas burger chain Whataburger holds the WhataGames, sort of an Olympics for fry cooks. At the event, the company had a popup shop that sold clothing with the company’s familiar orange and white candy stripes — which drew buyers from around the state of Texas (from John Cerone). … Brad Eenhuis found a couple of gems at thrift store in Marion, Iowa this weekend — a varsity sweater and a full Little League baseball uniform. … A new Scottish rugby competition starting later this year, called Super6, revealed its logo (from Eric Bangeman). … As we’ve Ticked several times in recent weeks, the New Zealand rugby union team the Crusaders is considering a name change in the wake of the recent terrorist attack on a NZ mosque. Here’s an interesting discussion of what some possible alternate names might be (from Tom Norman).

• • • • •

Big congrats to our own Anthony Emerson, who produces the Tickers that appear on Saturdays. He was just accepted into the Stonecoast Writers’ Conference, one of the country’s foremost creative writing programs. Nicely done, Anthony!

Congrats also to our own Jamie Rathjen, who produces the Tickers that appear on Mondays. He’s a proud UVa alum who’s feeling just a wee bit prouder today. — Paul

 
  
 
Comments (74)

    Paul, did you notice the byline in the Chicago Tribune article? Bruce Vilanch is a writer & actor. Most recognized from Hollywood Squares, but also head writer for the Academy Awards from 2000-2014

    Great shirt by the way

    The only public embarrassment about the press pass is that the public has a problem with something that was real and history. It’s embarrassing how pathetic people have become over how things really were and attempt to pretend it never happened rather than acknowledge it and get better.

    Yes, however will we possibly be able to remember the sins of our past & acknowledge the great strides we have made if we don’t post context-free replica signs that demean broad swaths of the population? Keep this up, and you’ll have people drinkin’ at whatever water fountain they want & sittin’ wherever they choose on the bus without ever having the slightest idea that these were once highly restricted activities. [Shudders]

    I am a woman and NO WAY offended by a silly sign from 1945 that shows how far we have come. You could say “I Get It” and don’t need an explanation of what they were trying to illustrate. Duh… Women have come as far as we have BECAUSE we are tough and thick skinned.

    How much context is needed. its a ballpark full of old pictures and items from history, and it literally says its from 1945 right on the pass.

    Thank you for your replies, SWC Susan & JD. We clearly don’t agree about this issue, but I always appreciate the opportunity to look at a topic from someone else’s perspective. Thanks for sharing yours.

    The next thing you know, stores in the UK will pull dark chocolate ducks that are called ugly ducklings because people read too much into things…wait…that happened???

    link

    that Whalers toque is awesome — and pre-Hartford, huh? a New England Whalers hat and log

    if I were a fan, I’d pay the $50!

    It’s just like the Super Bowl, all the activities were NYC based…no one wants to associate it with NJ…like the NJ Transit fiasco after the events.

    MetLife is a NJ venue, not a NY venue…but the NY marketing sounds better.

    *Note: even Hogan got the name of the venue wrong, calling it “MetLife Center.”

    link

    It’s not a hockey jersey. It’s a Mania Club baseball jersey.
    link

    WWE was billing the event as in “the shadow of NY City”, not in NJ.

    That Patrick Mahomes picture really is disgusting. It’s harder and harder to continue to find enjoyment in the world of sports each and every day.

    Nice to see he is enjoying his fifteen minutes of fame though.

    Given his demonstrable abilities, I suspect his fame will last a lot longer than 15 minutes. I think we can call out corporate douchebaggery without making false insinuations about an athlete’s skills, OK? Thanks.

    He went to Texas Tech so I’m cool with him being there. The maker’s mark replacement is a joke as is the fact there is a maker’s mark is on it in the first place.

    But the real travesty is that he’s posing with that hypocritical, coach-sniffing/coach-protector/gas bag Duke Vitale. That offends me much more than anything else going on with Mahomes’ shirt.

    The problem is the corporate douchebags that cannot handle seeing an athlete in another mark simply because he is supporting his alma mater. First, the corporate marks should not even be on just a shirt a fan wants to wear to support his team. Second, the corporate douchebags should not get their panties in a wad (oh, is that demeaning towards women to some?) over a guy supporting his university. Mahommes should never have been put in that situation that he be forced to cover up another corporate logo. I am going to go invent “no mark” universal fabric logo cover-up patch and get rich off of these douchebags!

    And yes, I am a little pissed off and fired up this morning because we should have won that damn game in regulation…

    If you are paying someone to represent or be a spokesman for your brand, why would it be wrong to NOT want him to advertise a competitor’s brand?

    And why shouldn’t a company be able to put their mark on a shirt that they made? Do you get mad that Chevy and Ford put their maker’s marks on their vehicles?

    If you wore a shirt with your competitor’s logo on it to work, would your bosses be happy about it? If not, does that make them douchebags?

    Just trying to understand where the anger is coming from.

    If you are paying someone to represent or be a spokesman for your brand, why would it be wrong to NOT want him to advertise a competitor’s brand?

    Yes, we all understand why Adidas would *want* Mahomes to cover up the logo. That is an explanation, not a justification.

    And why shouldn’t a company be able to put their mark on a shirt that they made? Do you get mad that Chevy and Ford put their maker’s marks on their vehicles?

    Poor analogy. A Chevy vehicle stands for, you know, A CHEVY VEHICLE, whereas a Texas Tech shirt stands for Texas Tech, not for whichever sportswear company happens to have made it. Or at least that’s how it should be. (And I strongly suspect most of the clothing you’re wearing right now has no visible maker’s marks.)

    If you wore a shirt with your competitor’s logo on it to work, would your bosses be happy about it? If not, does that make them douchebags?

    So many things wrong with this comparison. Adidas is not Mahaomes’s “boss,” for starters (if you disagree, please call the KC Chiefs and let them know — I’m sure they’ll be intrigued). And frankly, I think most reasonable people could easily see that Mahomes should be able to support his alma matter without worrying about this type of corporate theater. The fact that he does — and that, by extension, so do the rest of us — is the very definition of corporate douchebaggery.

    Just trying to understand where the anger is coming from.

    It’s coming from the relentless spread of advertising, marketing, and corporate culture into every nook and cranny of modern life. Glad we cleared that up.

    Think harder.

    Yeah, Adidas totally doesn’t have to do that, and it looks really crass. Steph Curry pitches Under Armour and nobody is harmed when he wears Nike branded Carolina Panthers stuff.

    I think we can settle on a happy medium that Mahomes was to some extent joking around while also acknowledging that he definitely does “work” for Adidas to a degree (he provides them value, they compensate him for it.) While I think a moral crusade against a culture oriented around marketing is perfectly justifiable, I think Mahomes’ name-tag take on it is a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek, even satirical way of marrying his obligation to Adidas with his desire to support his alma mater. If Mahomes wanted to support his alma mater uninhibited, he could’ve attempted to work that into his Adidas contract or just signed with Under Armour. But he didn’t, so he made some pretty funny lemonade out of the situation.

    I have to agree with Skott on this one. (To Paul since there is no reply button on his post) why is it not a justifcation? A professional athlete is recognizable at all times, not just when “on the job.” A brand is paying for his fame as an endorser, fame that goes with him all the time. Would him appearing with a competing brand send a mixed marketing message? Remember, no one forced him to enter into an agreement with any particular brand. This is the free market for his endorsement services at work.

    As for the shirt having a logo, I would think you could understand given the blog that you write, that many people place value in the brand. I am Georgia Tech fan and for years we had a subpar brand in Russell as our uniform provider. Now being with adidas, I only buy adidas Georgia Tech gear to signify that it is official merchandise. That is my choice and you are free to disagree but you are not right nor am I. It’s a matter of opinion and if enough people thought as you did, logoed products would not sell and, in turn, would not be produced. Again, it’s the free market at work. Also, one of the points our fans made over the years is that the apparel brand matters to recruits. While that preference may be stronger in that age bracket, I doubt it is completely limited to them, myself being just one example.

    As for the vehicle analogy, it’s not a good comparison for either of you but I think Skott’s analogy is stronger. A vehicle has a brand logo. While most vehicles are not co-branded, a few are. Does the King Ranch Ford F-150 trucks (do they still make these?) represent Ford or King Ranch? Regardless, the vehicle carries both brands. And some clothing brands, even outside of sports, prominently carry a logo: Polo, Brooks Brothers, Southern Tide, Nautica, etc. Logos are not all that uncommon and, as I noted earlier, if universally unappealing would not appear as freqently in the marketplace.

    Adidas may not be Mahomes’ boss, but given that he has a financial arrangement with them, adidas expects to receive something for their payment – again that he freely entered into, that being his fame associated with THEIR brand. When two parties freely enter an agreement, I cannot see any rational reason why that makes anyone a “douchebag.” No one is forcing you to enter into that agreement. And frankly, his wearing al ogo or not, or wearing a piece of tape does not affect you at all. You may have different taste and that is fine, but, as I said, that does not make you (or him) inherently right on this matter.

    As for advertising, as I type this I am staring at an ad for MGM Grand. I can scroll up (at least on my screen) for Marriott, Hilton, UPS, etc. You have ads on your site, a WHOLE LOT more than I have on my site (which is no where near as successful as yours so all the power to you for monetizing your successful product!). That’s your choice and I am ok with it. And I were not, I should not come here. Mahomes is doing nothing that you are not, even if the form is a little different: he is monetizing the successful product, i.e. his recognition, he has built. I can’t get upset at him for that.

    I don’t have time to respond to all the rest (you have a bit of faulty logic, but the bigger issue is that you’re simply more comfortable with the current extent of corporate culture in modern life, while I am vehemently opposed to it, which is one of those agree-to-disagree things), but about this:

    As for advertising, as I type this I am staring at an ad for MGM Grand. I can scroll up (at least on my screen) for Marriott, Hilton, UPS, etc. You have ads on your site, a WHOLE LOT more than I have on my site

    Here, read this:
    link

    Paul, I am not criticizing your use of ads. At all. I do not even feel comfortable using ad blockers (and I do not) because I understand that is how site owners receive compensation (it’s somewhat different if a site is paywalled, e.g. the Wall Street Journal, but even then I don’t use them). You are free to not like the extent corporate involvement in our lives. As you note, it’s a difference in perspective with me being more comfortable (or at least not bothered) in most areas. Keep up the good work!

    Will elaborate slightly on my Ticker item because it’s hard to explain as a Ticker item.

    There has been one previous retired number in the NWSL. FC Kansas City previously retired No. 12 for Lauren Holiday, but it was not kept when the franchise was moved to Utah (they are not considered the same team) and is now back in circulation.

    Thanks, Paul/congratulations, Anthony!

    One of the things I do when I purchase something is I try to estimate how many years it’ll last, and I divide the price into “price per year”. So when I get a pair of shoes that cost 100 bucks, I think this’ll last me 4 years, so $25 a year isn’t bad at all.

    In that vain, do you remember how much that belt from the Gap cost, Paul? I imagine it was under $30 dollar so you prob paid less than a dollar a year to wear it. Great Value!

    Definitely less than $30 (no way would I ever pay more than that for a belt), and probably less than $20. A fine value indeed!

    Paul, I guess you will have to “fall…in…to…the…gap”* for a new belt.

    *(sing gap jingle here)

    I’ve been wearing the same 3 GAP belts in a semi-rotation (two black, one brown depending on outfit) since 1997.

    Interesting that cleveland.com would point this out:

    Most troublesome about the Jets’ new look … is the use of some of the same design elements — namely, the city’s name in big bold letters on the front and the stripes that extend beyond the arms into the chest — seen in the current Browns uniforms that nobody, by the way, seems to like.

    I had the same thought about the same elements when I first saw them. But I have to be honest; the more I look at the Jets’ new unis, the more I like them (except for the all-green monotard and the gratuitous, inexcusable BFBS), and that’s having been adamantly against the change from the get-go. Laying aside the fact that the change was and remains wholly unnecessary and the previous design was and will always be superior, the new look is (for the most part) sleek and understated, the primary logo is actually an improvement, and that is just a *gorgeous* shade of green.

    Maybe I’m trying too hard to like them, like I did with the fisherman jerseys all those years ago, because I know I can’t un-do the change and will have to watch and root for them for a while, and am just mentally making the best of things. But really, there’s a lot to like; it’s very pleasing to the eye. And as I wrote a few days ago, football jersey designers are now persistently moving away from pretending that football jerseys actually have sleeves. Pretend-sleeves will still look better to us longtime fans and purists, but they’re going the way of the manual transmission.

    The crest-less MLS jersey looks like an actual goalie jersey. All goalkeepers across the league use the same jerseys and just have their team crest sewn on.
    It made things somewhat awkward for the Philadelphia Union when the goalies had the crest over the heart, but the remainder of the team had their crest centered on the chest.

    Congrats Anthony on being selected for that conference!

    Great looking shirt Paul!

    Anyone else think Kaye Kaiser (“Uni”) looks like Meryl Streep in the “Hi. We’re the…” ad? I thought it was her at first!

    There’s a pre-race photo of David Pearson and Darrell Waltrip from the 1974 Uniroyal 100 in this gallery:

    link

    Another photo shows Waltrip getting his winnings from the event, but 2 days later.
    ?

    For the WWE parts, technically her name is “Stephanie” and not “Steph”. I know the jersey says “Steph” (why it doesn’t say McMahon is a mystery) but if you’re going for accuracy her full name is Stephanie.

    The US Royal Tire that was at the NY Worlds Fair now lives on along I-94 just outside of Detroit not far from Metro Airport. The ferris wheel was removed when it was moved, so now it’s basically a billboard.

    link

    link

    Came here to say this. Also love that the MDOT traffic cam pointed at this is labeled as I94/Big Tire

    I had that Tudor electronic football game! I have spent many hours (ok, many minutes) looking for a photo of it on-line to show my kid how tough we had it. I used to drive everyone around me crazy with its beeps and buzzes – I remember the 9-volt battery used to last through about 45 minutes of game time before it had to be replaced. Good times.

    I had the Coleco “Electronic Quarterback” game which looked similar… but if I remember correctly you could actually pass in it?

    link

    I definitely had the Mattel version, which looks like it may have been the same as the Tudor version with a different plastic case.

    link

    I think I had the Coleco version as well.

    I loved that Mattel! I vividly remember lying in bed playing it way past lights out. I never got into the second edition which allowed passing.

    Nice to see Columbus Destroyers back in Arena Football. However, I’m not liking the link sublimated jersey look.

    I would like to subscribe to the Paul Lukas diet and fitness newsletter. 30 years of wearing the same belt? Kudos on whatever it is you’re doing or the excellent genes.

    Wow, that Ferris Wheel brings back memories. Memorial Day weekend 1965. My sister and I were riding it when it got stuck. We were at the very top for over a half an hour. I could see some of the Mets game going on at Shea.

    The Arena Football League…Still unsure how it’s lasted 33 years, even though it’s much smaller than it used to be (Grand Rapids Rampage anyone?)

    Re the Art Malnati shirt, I like the research into who he was, what he did, etc. As I am wont to do, I took it a step further and using the address from his ad, looked up his shop, which was referenced as being “in the heart of downtown Denver”. Of course, it’s gone now– it’s now the parking garage of the Denver Grand Hyatt. Link to street view:

    link

    Eventually, anything and everything in a city gets torn down and a parking lot, condos or a luxury hotel replaces it.
    Ugh.

    Lee

    “Yesterday was the 23rd anniversary of the Coyotes’ team name and inaugural logo being unveiled (from Jerry Wolper).”

    I shared Jets season tickets at the time. We all knew the team was leaving after the season, but announcing the new name with a couple games to go in the season (I think there was still one home game left) plus playoffs (Jets lost to the Wings that year) was really tacky. Announcing a new name, logo, launching a new team while the departing team was still playing meaningful games was gross.

    Related to beckham’s MLS team, inter Milan has apparently filed a complaint over the new team being “inter Miami.”

    I echo this sigh, because that same month, the Mariners play a series in Milwaukee, and how on earth are both teams and MLB missing the chance to give fans a game in which Seattle wears 1969 Pilots road blues against the Brewers wearing 1969 Pilots home whites to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the league’s most (in)famous single-season team?

    I’m currently wearing a belt I bought at Mervyn’s in1993 off their clearance rack for I think $2-$3. We don’t even have Mervyn’s in Texas anymore.

    I think the Red Sox invented the gold-trimmed jerseys for a ring ceremony tradition. I remember them wearing them on the field before the home opener in 2005. But they wore normal jerseys during the game.

    I think the ’07 Cardinals were the first to take that idea into the whole game.

    been coming to the site for years and never clicked on your menu bar links – thought I’d explore. Went to the FAQ page – several links are missing just FYI.

    Re: Belt

    There’s a group on Reddit called “Well Worn” that you may enjoy:

    reddit.com/r/wellworn

    Kind of late to the party regarding Patrick Mahomes, but here’s what I didn’t see: he could have literally found any other shirt to wear, like one that didn’t have nike branding or so front and center (I’m sure other manufacturers make licensed apparel, just look at fanatics.com for example). It seems he went out of his way to pick one where he would have to do that, and that’s probably the worst part of that display. Maybe it’s an old shirt of his but you’d think he could quickly buy a new one if he was that opposed to wearing the nike logo

    I had a similar thought, but I bet what happened was this…when Mahomes decided on short notice to attend the Final Four, he probably just grabbed a couple of his old college shirts out of his closet that probably all had were freebies from Nike, and the at some point during the afternoon before the game Mahomes realized that there was a prominent Nike logo on the shirt and he wanted to honor his contract as a promoter of the Adidas brand.

    I don’t think this is an example of “corporate douchebaggery” like Adidas has agents following their players around to see if they wear a rival’s apparel…

    I don’t think this is an example of “corporate douchebaggery” like Adidas has agents following their players around to see if they wear a rival’s apparel…

    Straw man argument. Nobody ever claimed that’s what Adidas was doing.

    But here’s what various parties *were* doing:

    1) Under Armour put its logo front and center — not on a sleeve or on a jock tag or on the inner collar, but literally front and center — on a Texas Tech shirt. That is corporate douchebaggery.

    2) Adidas and all the other companies have created a culture and a contractual legal framework in which it’s basically understood — with or without “agents following the players around” — that corporate loyalty is expected, even above something as simple as a guy wearing a shirt to celebrate his alma mater when the school is playing its biggest game in decades. That is corporate douchebaggery.

    3) The players willingly get into bed with these companies. That reinforces the culture of corporate douchebaggery.

    The whole thing reeks.

    Man, I looooove that number font used for the size “42” on Paul’s Art Malnati shirt. I can just imagine it on the back at a much bigger size!

Comments are closed.