Phil Hecken first encountered Uni Watch as a reader, when the column ran at Slate.com in 2003 and ’04. After the daily Uni Watch blog launched in 2006, Phil became a prolific commenter, which caught the eye of Uni Watch founder Paul Lukas. Paul then tapped Phil to become his “bench coach” and weekend editor in 2008.
Over the years, Phil carved out his own unique space with his Saturday and Sunday posts, and his weekend content developed its own devoted following. He also produced the blog’s daily weekday content every August from 2009 through 2023, when Paul would take his annual month-long “blog-cation.”
Phil’s hard work and dedication to Uni Watch eventually led to him being named the site’s Deputy Editor. When Paul retired from uniform writing on May 26, 2024 (Uni Watch’s 25th anniversary), Phil was the obvious choice to take over the site’s daily editorial operations.
Phil is a journalist, Mets Fan, Deadhead, and curler. He doesn’t mind the color purple, even mismatched shades à la the Lakers and Vikings.