Today in the Ticker: Archaeologists think they’ve discovered an ancient scoreboard, the FIFA video game gives a player the wrong number, and more.
Uni Watch News Ticker for April 17, 2023
Posted in:
Baseball
MLB
- The Dodgers have apparently joined the Rockies in wearing their City Connect jerseys with white pants instead of the matching-color pants they originally came with. Paul will have more to say about this in a separate post later today.
- Reader Dave Kuruc sent in a Blue Jays-themed lawn chair for sale near him. “Not sure if it is homemade or mass-produced, but it’s pretty wonderful!” he says.
- White Sox P Dylan Cease’s sleeve patch was coming loose yesterday. (From Clint Wrede)
Minors
- A Marlins official tells us that the team decided to match the colors of the Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads to the big league club’s colors. That includes white, grey, and blue jerseys.
- The Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles are changing their name to the Calf Fries for six games this season, starting on Saturday. (Thanks, Phil)
More
- New “Black Summer” alternates for the Chiba Lotte Marines. (From Jeremy Brahm)
Basketball
NBA
- A new TV commercial for an insurance company makes fun of “old-school” NBA shorts, meaning really, really long. (From Mike Chamernik)
Soccer
USA
- North Carolina Courage goalie Katelyn Rowland has worn No. 0 for several years, as I’ve mentioned on the site before. Since No. 0 isn’t usually allowed, live stats and scoring apps often show her as wearing No. 99. Now that the NWSL is in the FIFA video game, she actually does wear No. 99 in the game because its players are restricted to Nos. 1-99 and EA Sports apparently wasn’t willing to change that.
- The Washington Spirit wore a white/black/white combo on Saturday, which they said they might do when releasing this season’s kits. When asked why after the game, striker Ashley Hatch just said it was to help the team “feel a little more comfortable.”
- Angel City striker Katie Johnson got a framed No. 100 shirt on Saturday for reaching 100 NWSL appearances.
International
- Brazil: New shirt for Santos.
Grab Bag
- University of Virginia president Jim Ryan is running in today’s Boston Marathon wearing a shirt with the names of the school’s three murdered football players.
- Archaeologists at Chichen Itza in Mexico found what they think is a scoreboard for the Mesoamerican ballgame last week. (From @BallparkHunter)
- The NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush can trace their franchise back to the Syracuse Smash, who played from 1998-2000 before multiple moves and a period of inactivity eventually led them to Saskatchewan. The Rush wore a design with a chest logo based on the Smash’s logo on Saturday. (From Wade Heidt)
- Yesterday’s edition of the comic strip Thatababy featured the illustrator Arthur Evans, who, as the strip says, was responsible for several of the vintage college mascot logos still seen today. Paul mentioned him in this piece from last December on decals representing school rivalries. (From Paul Dillon)
- One of this weekend’s Australian Football League men’s games, between St. Kilda and Collingwood, featured both sides wearing their clash designs — St. Kilda primarily in red and Collingwood primarily in white. That was apparently a first in the men’s competition since 2009.
- Meanwhile, Geelong had a one-off design for their Gather Round game yesterday, but it only consisted of “Gather Round” text below the AFL logo while the back had match info and a representation of the Adelaide skyline, where the round took place.
- The New York State Board of Regents is expected today to approve a measure banning Native American team names and iconography, but some school districts are resisting the restrictions.
Comments (16)
I thought spring training was over. The Dodgers had a rare misstep yesterday.
Different hat, too, not just pants.
I hate how multiple leagues now have taken to wearing uniforms meant to invoke the Spanish language, but simply slapping “Los, Las, El etc” followed by an English word. It’s like a lazy parody of an American speaking Spanish poorly.
The Dodgers unis should say Los Esquivadores. Similarly we should have Los Soles down in Phoenix and El Calor in Miami.
Or just go all in with the actual LA Spanish dialect pronunciation of Los Doyers
“Esquivadores“? My Spanish is not very good, but a quick Google search indicates that it means “skiers” in English.
It’s like a lazy parody of an American speaking Spanish poorly.
When I was in high school, one of my first things I did in my spare time with the Spanish-English dictionary was to attempt to translate team nicknames into Spanish. It usually ended up with a literal translation, which a skilled translator would tell you is not always the right way to go. No Spanish-speaking person in Southern California would think of the Dodgers unless you use the word “Dodgers.”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the “Los” and “Las” is legitimately how Spanish speakers refer to these teams. It’s “Los/Las + English name.” Even in Spanish-speaking media, from what I’ve watched.
None of my Spanish-speaking friends have referred to teams by their “Spanish” names. “Los Rams” instead of “Las Ovejas.” “Los Suns” instead of “Los Soles,” etc. They’re never translated into Spanish
Lloyd is correct. The NBA has always used “Los” and “El” names because their market research shows that those are the names actually used by Spanish-speaking fans.
I’ve explained this countless times over the years, but people don’t want to hear it.
Well, except in Seattle, where the Latin History uniforms say “Marineros”.
link
And Latin media refers to them as the “Marineros” as well.
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The Brewers have worn “Cerveceros” unis as well. link I have no idea how Spanish-speaking fans or media refer to the team.
I think it should be a case-by-case thing. Clearly if local fans use a translated name, go with that. I do think trying to translate “Dodgers” would never work, and some names just can’t be translated. But I think something like “Lobos” works better on a uniform than “Los Bulls”, even though the latter is how the team is referred to.
Los Angeles works.
Calling the long, baggy basketball shorts “old school” makes me feel even older. “Old school” to me are the old ball-huggers they used to wear (see: ’70s NBA). I’m sure that’s somewhat the point.
When they cut to Jalen Rose in the crowd and he says “the good old days” it gets me every time!
“A Marlins official tells us that the team decided to match the colors of the Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads to the big league club’s colors.”
– Paul, I thought minor league teams were fairly autonomous when it came to things like their own team names and colors. Is it common for MLB clubs to dictate to their minor league affiliates something such as team colors?
It varies. There’s a certain degree of autonomy, but there’s also some coordination with the parent club. Sometimes the parent club even *owns* the minor league club!
Agreed, I was surprised to find out that my local team the Single-A Flying Tigers were owned by the Detroit Tigers. But since they play at the spring training complex, it does make sense.
One word to describe the Rangers’ City Connect uniforms:
Ewwww.