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Uni Watch

Army-Navy 2019: Navy Sings Last

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By Phil Hecken

Folks, I’m gonna be honest: I watched about 3 minutes of yesterday’s game. It’s my favorite game of the college season, and it was a great looking game to boot. But I was stuck working on final papers/projects, so I missed most of it. I’m sure I can watch it on YouTube at some point (basically by Wednesday, I’m done with this semester), so it’s not the end of the world. But I would have loved to have watched it all live, as I’ve done the past couple decades.

As such, this will be shorter than usual — and lighter on commentary. I was able to grab a bunch of photos, and I know the result (Navy won, breaking a three game losing streak, so Navy’s seniors can say they at least Beat Army once). Apparently Navy’s quarterback is pretty good — at least at running. As today’s splash attests, Malcolm Perry was all but a blur to Army’s defenders yesterday. ZERO PASSES ATTEMPTED, but 304 rushing yards (I believe that’s a new game record):

The uniforms lived up to the hype. It was a soggy day out on the field, but the unis themselves looked great:

As always, it was a hard hitting game. These brothers may sacrifice their lives for each other off the field, but when they play THIS game, they’re sworn enemies:

Army may have lost the game, but they won the helmet battle. About my only complaint about the unis was Navy’s helmets. I’m not sure what they were trying to achieve with their look, but they would have been better off keeping the helmets simpler.

The Commander in Chief was there, performed the ceremonial coin toss, and spent a half seated with each side.

Interesting observation here from, ahem, “Paul Lucas”

There may be a reason for that. Interesting (and a nice touch!)

One thing I did notice in the few minutes I watched: those end zones looked BRUTAL:

Of course, the beginning and halftime are always chill-inducing…

And what would the jerseys be if not for the obligatory easter egg in the collar?

Unfortunately, there was an ugly moment which did not go unnoticed in the twittersphere and elsewhere. I’m glad I didn’t see this when it happened.

You can see more game photos here.

Anyway, I’ll get to watch this game in a few days — I don’t normally watch sporting events after they’ve taken place, but I’ll make an exception in this case. Again, apologies for a less-than-stellar offering for you today — but you’re not nearly as bummed as I am. Finals are over this week, so I’ll be back with the usual weekend fare next weekend.

Till then…


Kreindler’s Korner

I had the distinct pleasure of featuring the wonderful artwork of artist Graig Kriendler on two occasions over the summer and fall of 2017, and more recently, in August of 2018.

For those who don’t wish to click the links, Graig paints baseball heroes (and regular guys) from the past, and is an immense talent.

Occasionally, I will be featuring his work on Uni Watch.

Here’s today’s offering (click to enlarge):

• • •

Title: “Henry Kimbro, 1949” (color study)
Subject: Henry Kimbro, 1949
Medium: Oil on linen mounted to board
Size: 5” x 7”

Henry Kimbro spent three majority of his 18-year-long career with the Baltimore Elite Giants. In 13 of those 18 seasons, he appeared as the main leadoff hitter for the club, capable of lacing balls through opposite holes in the infield, or into the gaps of the outfield. Defensively, he also brandishing a great arm in centerfield, and speed that allowed him to cover a lot of real estate. These attributes were impressive enough to earn Kimbro a spot on six East-West All-Star Game teams.

His tenure in the black leagues began in the late 1930s and ended in the early 1950s, with the death knell felt by every team due to integration. While players like Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby became the first players to make their way into the bigs, Kimbro, in his mid-thirties, was considered to be past his prime. However, it was in the late-1940s that he was at his best. In 1946, he hit .342, followed by .384 in ‘47. He carried his great hitting into the Cuban league, leading the circuit with a .346 average and 194 base hits in ‘47-‘48, carrying Havana to the championship. Back in the states, after a string of second-place finishes in the later part of the decade, his Elite Giants defeated the Chicago American Giants to capture their second Negro National Title. Kimbro was credited with batting .332 that season as well.

He continued to bat leadoff and patrol the outfield with the Elite Giants until the 1951 season, which would be his last. The remaining years of his career were spent with the Birmingham Black Barons before he finally retired at the age of 41 in 1953.

Here’s Henry with the Baltimore Elite Giants in 1948. This is one of 200+ paintings of mine that will be on display at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in the spring of 2020.

• • •

Thanks, Graig! You can (and should!) follow Graig on Twitter.

Guess The Game…

from the scoreboard

The game has returned!

Today’s scoreboard comes from reader Mike Styczen.

The premise of the game (GTGFTS) is simple: I’ll post a scoreboard and you guys simply identify the game depicted. In the past, I don’t know if I’ve ever completely stumped you (some are easier than others).

Today’s scoreboard might be a bit tricky — at least for those of use who don’t live north of the U. S. border. Mike adds, “An easy one for Canadians my age, might be tougher for you Yanks.”

Here’s the Scoreboard. In the comments below, try to identify the game (date & location, as well as final score). If anything noteworthy occurred during the game, please add that in (and if you were AT the game, well bonus points for you!):

If you guys like this, please continue sending these in! You’re welcome to send me any scoreboard photos (with answers please), and I’ll keep running them.

Uni Watch News Ticker
By Phil

Baseball News: Does Sir Elton John have a favorite American baseball team? “Here is pic that was on Daily Mail Uk of Sir Elton John wearing a Braves hat at a tennis workout” says submitter Douglas Ceane. Wonder if he’s really a Braves fan or if he just liked the cap.

NFL News: At first glance, this tweet looks like just a regular team meeting, but if you look closely at Maxx Crosby’s shirt, it spells “Who Cares” in logos (good spot from Cubby The Kraut). … A Milwaukee motorist made their Pontiac Bonneville into a Packers and Bears rivalry car. Says submitter D Hempel, “Not like you could make this car look any worse.” … “A website called bigleaguepillows.com is selling pillows that look like NFL, MLB, & NBA teams has some interesting uniform errors,” says Timmy Donahue. “Some of the more egregious ones listed here. The Bucs error is actually an upgrade.” … Did you ever wonder what happens at the bottom of a “fumble pile?” Me neither, but it’s probably about what you’d expect. … Thomas Morstead showing off patches honoring the 10th anniversary of the Saints Super Bowl team. He and Brees are the only players from that team still on the roster (from Evan Saacks and Eric Pittman). … And here’s a look at the 10-year anniversary dinner (from Russell).

College/High School Football News: While Army/Navy may be “the only game in town,” there’s still other college football going on: check out the different back and front bumpers for members of Weber State and inconsistent font size for NOB (from Timmy Donahue). … Also from Timmy Donahue: Purple v. Purple matchup in the FCS Playoffs as UNI took on JMU. UNI sporting BFBS helmets with purple pants. … Yesterday, the great Blaise D’Sylva showed off the helmet histories of Army and Navy before the two squads met on the gridiron for battle. … In his regular helmet extravaganza, Blaise showed off the helmets of Washington. … Timmy Donahue (again) noted that “Army pants were modeled after the Bell UH-1 Iroquois Helicopter, better known as a Huey, used by the Air Mobile in Vietnam. Featured prominently in ‘We Were Soldiers’.” … “Early candidate for the worst most illegible jersey ever?” asks Chris Buttgen, and I’d have to say he’s got a good point. … Rivalries are hard. Even the Army/Navy one. Witness what happened on College Game Day. Here’s another look (from their tweet). Via Boiler Uniforms. … Here’s a high school ripping not only the 49rs logo, BUT ALSO the SF Giants logo (from Brock Brames).

Hockey News: There are ugly X-mas sweaters and then there are good looking ugly Christmas sweater unis. Here was the look for the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday night. Submitter Wade Heidt notes the Raiders “Had the Christmas socks to match the sweater.” … More from Wade Heidt: The Sudbury Wolves have some new masks for both their goalies. In addition, they now have a giant goalie mask in their lobby. … It was Nickelodeon night jerseys for the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) yesterday evening (from Brett Thomas). … Special holiday sweaters last night for the Ontario Reign (from Jakob Fox). … Also from Jakob “noticed a few Penguins players have the equipment manager tag showing on their jerseys at times during (yester)day’s game.” … Last evening, the Predators scoreboard was using both 2020 Winter Classic logos for Preds vs Stars before they face off at the Cotton Bowl in two weeks (from Max Herz).

NBA/Pro Hoops News: Carmelo Anthony wants his jersey retired with the Denver Nuggets. I’ve been busy with finals all week, but did I see a report earlier saying he wanted the Knicks to retire his jersey? Or did I dream that? (Update: I didn’t dream it). … The Bulls and Knicks (that’s the Windy City Bulls and Westchester Knicks) will Looney Tunes-inspired unis when the teams play each other on January 4, 2020 (from Steve Johnston). … “Nike would like you to know that it is sponsoring the Mexico City Games,” says Mike Lefko. Advertising them is more like it. … Looks like Cal is doing some Jason Kidd era throwbacks (from Ryan Maquiñana).

College Hoops News: Yesterday, the Georgetown Hoyas and Syracuse Orange wore unis that reminded bryanwdc of one of their old school matchups from days of yore. He notes the “entire Syracuse starting lineup went with rolled shorts.” Here’s an article with some better looks at the new jerseys. … Not really that big a deal, since UM frequently wears maize at home, but yesterday’s Michigan vs. Oregon color v. color game was…well, quite colorful (from Josh Hinton). … Here’s another interesting looking color vs. color matchup, this time between Michigan State and Oakland (from Timmy Donahue). … Nike has created new custom shoes for the Kentucky Men’s Basketball team, as part of Kevin Durant’s new collection (from Josh Hinton). … Sometimes color vs. color is needed. “White uniforms vs. tan uniforms (yester)day between Kentucky and Georgia Tech. Not much contrast for viewers watching at home” (from Josh Hinton). … Still more color vs. color but check out Louisiana Tech in their beautiful Karl Malone-era throwbacks (from Chris Mycoskie).

Soccer News: The Dallas Sidekicks, Dallas’s professional indoor soccer team, unveiled new Star Wars-themed jerseys featuring the character Nien Nunb. … Chivas premiered their alternate unis and well, fans thought they looked like Real Madrid. .. .From Josh Hinton: Here’s a look at this week’s Premier League kits. Don’t forget to check Josh’s twitter feed for all your soccer kit news.

Grab Bag: The Cronulla Sharks have unveiled their jersey for the 2020 NRL Nines and it’s… well, it’s something. The very unusual design extremely leans into the ‘Sharks’ thing, transforming the jersey into great white shark’s open mouth (from Ewan Williams). … “Logo creep (gross)” read the subject of an e-mail from Max Weintraub. “On this shirt for sale at George Washington’s Mount Vernon here in Virginia. Nike (not Elvis) is everywhere!”

 
  
 
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Comments (46)

    Wonder if he’s really a Braves fan or if he just liked the cap.

    Sir Elton has had a home in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta for many years.

    That’s the day. The game is Boston at Toronto. The referendum was the first Quebec referendum in whether to pursue independence from Canada.

    Tuesday, May 20, and the game has to be in Canada, since no American stadium would put a foreign referendum vote total on the scoreboard during the counting.

    I’d be curious if there are any similar scoreboard photos from the night of the 1995 referendum!

    Mount Vernon is selling an $88 polo shirt with a stupid slogan (Be Washington) on it and the criticism is that the Nike swoosh is on the sleeve?

    Also, that’s not “logo creep.” Go to any tourist destination in America, and If they sell souvenir golf shirts, they’ll have a makers mark on the sleeve or chest, and this has been true since at least the 1990s. This isn’t a logo creeping into a new place, it’s a logo appearing exactly where it’s consistently appeared for more than a generation, I have several tourist-souvenir polos, going back to the early aughts, and they all have makers marks.

    It wasn’t just that the Eagles played a Monday Night game. The weather here has been awful all week. The field is only going to look so good with a few days to prepare in bad weather.

    An “ugly moment” at the Army/Navy game? That’s clearly someone playing the stupid Made you Look game. It’s upside down if white power was the suggestion he was trying to make.

    It’s crazy to me. The ‘circle game’ is played all the time in the military. This white power thing is actually a troll created by 4chan users (I’m not going to link to the original thread where they decided to turn the ‘ok’ sign into a white power troll). The fact that people are gobbling this up just goes to show how gullible we are to internet trolls. I’m a bit disappointed a uniwatch contributor fell for it, but what are you going to do? I wouldn’t mind seeing an edit to that comment, though.

    The “made you look game” calls for the player to keep it below the waist. So why did they make everybody look by making sure it would show up on camera?

    You got it Lance. My students play this stupid “game” all the time-and a lot of them are African American. Maybe the twittersphere, and the twits that engage there, should not be credited as a reliable source.

    Friggin left wing morons turning the circle game into white power bullshit. Focus on the unis, uniwatch.

    How can you write and publish a report on this, as a journalist, and nobody stops you and says, “that’s the circle game.”

    Yeah, the text about the “ugly moment” in the article needs to be removed. You can’t fall for what is being pushed/trolled out there. How they managed to change the meaning of a game that’s been around for who knows how long …. It was clearly the made you look/circle game. Reason # 4,852 to stay off Twitter. We’re better than that here on this site.

    Learn to judge slowly Phil.
    You are reporting something that you do not have all the facts about.

    You reporting “an ugly incident” by admitting that you did not see it live having a prejudice against the facts.

    It would have been much more satisfying if you stated that there were additional cadets doing this and some background to it on both sides / evolution of the meaning. If you had seen this happen over the years at the game (which has happened), and that it is being investigated. But you just take a baseless claim from twitter and throw ot out there as “fact” and show your own lack of maturity. Information sharing, whether it is on a blog, twitter, or news, is important to be verified and have to be substantiated in some sense. Please judge slowly in the future and show more reservations.

    Not sure why that is mentioned in a uniform article, but then again this blog is always political – more so during the week of course – so whatever.

    Just use your brains for one minute. What’s more likely? College cadets, in uniform on live TV, decide to endorse white supremacy, ending their college & military careers forever, or college cadets decide to play a harmless prank on live TV by making you look?

    It’s embarrassing that anyone would lend credence to the idea that multiple cadets/midshipmen would publicly flash so called white power power hand signals. The only “ugly incident” is that it is being reported on this site as fact. It’s almost as if Phil desperately wants it to be true.

    The author made it clear about 17 times that he was too busy and distracted to put forth any kind of effort today, which is a very bad look.

    The weekend content and layout (not to mention attitude and approach) here is just brutal. They really ought to just shut it down and stick to weekdays.

    Re Malcolm Perry: I’m reminded of the 1927 college-set musical Good News, in which the coach tells the QB “Don’t you know the forward pass has been legal for fifteen years?!”

    However, in the show, Tait College was not winning like Navy was yesterday.

    The sign is used in a game that has been played for decades and has nothing to do with race. Usually you try to get someone to look. If they do, you punch them in the arm. I played this game all throughout grade school.
    Just recently, internet idiots “told us” it was a WP sign. It certainly is NOT a WP sign.
    Also, it’s the damn OK sign which Trump uses often.

    The service academies are conducting an investigation about this incident, so apparently they are taking it seriously. Perhaps you should direct your comments toward them.

    Paul:
    “Investigating” doesn’t say much for the leadership of the two academies. Be better than they are.

    I freely admit that I don’t know as much about the situation as the two service academies do.

    You apparently know much more than they do (that’s certainly impressive) and therefore see fit to judge them. That seems rather unpatriotic, no? Why would you trash our military institutions like that? Why do you hate America?

    When you hold up the ok sign your fingers make the letters “wp”. When you point it down it makes the letters “mb”. That kid is clearly just a Milwaukee Brewers fan.

    Contributor injects political commentary into a web site dedicated to things non-political, then comments on an “ugly” moment at the Army-Navy game, and, of course, refers us to the global sewer called “Twitter” for evidence, then condemns anyone else making “political” comments. Of course, because, well, we’re urban hipsters with beards so that makes us superior to all of you deplorables. Triggered by some dumb kid at a football game…Whatever happened to adults?

    I wouldn’t call Twitter a global sewer since a sewer is actually necessary for a well functioning society. The problem with Twitter is ironically its essence. The limit to 140 or 280 characters promotes hot takes that incite fear or outrage and little else. There is no nuance, no thoughtfulness, and no examination. What’s worse is that Twitter’s currency, the retweet, exemplifies these characteristics with a mindlessness that would make Rush Limbaugh envious. His “ditto heads” look like free thinkers in comparison. That the platform is populated by so many journalists is extremely troubling.

    For all the good work Phil does, everyone should have a glass of water and relax for a moment. If ‘it’ caught someone’s attention, that’s what the attention seeker achieved. I don’t know if he prefers rice noodles or egg noodles, but I know my 14 year old knows how to look like he’s been there before and evidently this child does not.

    So regarding the endzones at the Linc for Army/Navy…that happens whenever they paint the endzones for Temple games as well. For the first time in four years, Temple had a “T” painted at midfield (and for three games too!) but usually the Eagles logo is there. Temple had their traditional red/white with diamonds endzone for five out of seven games this year. Two home games were not interrupted by an Eagles home game in between (thus two of the games with the T at midfield as well). The other three you were clearly able to see the Eagles logo.

    True, that bland, dull color used as a poor substitute for old gold is beige. Tan would be an upgrade.

    It wears Tech gold uniforms. Gold-on-white games are nothing new for Georgia Tech when it’s on the road. Tech gold and white are its primary colors after all.

    link

    I’m guessing Phil Hecken was never in the military. It’s called the “circle” game. In the USMC it was also called the “asshole” game. Hold the circle below your belt and try to get someone to stare at it. If someone stares you punch them. That’s how it works Phil, no “ugly moment” at the game. Marines of all backgrounds played the circle game, not just the light green ones. President Trump was at the game so people are trying to make this about something else. Fake news. Stick to watching uniforms Phil. The angle the cadets are holding their hands looks like mb, just like the Milwaukee Brewers caps that have been written about so much on this website. Not cool Phil.

    The service academies are conducting an investigation about this. Apparently they are taking it seriously, Perhaps you should direct your commentary toward them.

    Every incident is an “ugly incident” on Twitter. Please refrain from using that toxic sewage dump as some sort of news source. It obviously was not a white supremecy symbol.

    The military is investigating it to see if it’s an ugly incident. Phil is reporting it as, in fact, an ugly incident. It’s not.
    I know you guys post about signs and things at games or events that are not uni-related and I’m 100% fine with that. But signs at games are pretty clear and to the point. “Impeach Trump” written on poster board is pretty clear. This is not. All conjecture. Yet it’s reported on here like it’s clearly a white power symbol. Not digging that.

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