In today’s Ticker: Some last minute MLB developments, the NBA gets into the restaurant biz, and more.
Uni Watch News Ticker for March 30, 2023
Posted in:
Baseball
MLB
- Budweiser has a new line of Twins-themed cans. It’s not clear, at least to me, if they’re doing this for every team. (From @tlschwerz)
- Here is a long — like very long — history of Yankee Stadium. (From Mike Chamernik)
- Speaking of the Yanks, SS Anthony Volpe has changed his uni number from 77 to 11.
- A Kansas construction company has released renderings and a video showing its design ideas for the Royals’ planned new stadium. (From Kary Klismet)
- Mike Right’s annual scorecard cover illustration for the Cardinals is always a treat, and this year’s is no exception. The design is a tribute to St. Looie P Adam Wainwright, who’s about to enter his final season. (Thanks to all who shared)
- Speaking of the Cards, they’ve added a Bruce Sutter memorial patch, and C Willson Contreras is saluting former Cards C Yadier Molina on his shoes. Those items, along with some other updates, have also been added to my MLB Season Preview. (From Elena Elms and Erik Spoonmoore, respectively)
- The Yankees are so worried about running out of uni numbers that they floated a proposal to eliminate numbers for managers and coaches. I’m quoted in that article, FWIW.
Minors
- The Double-A Erie SeaWolves will play as the Erie Pepperoni Balls on Aug. 4-5. (From John Euliano)
- The Tulsa Drillers, the Dodgers’ Double-A affilate, are reviving an old logo from the 1950s. (From Kary Klismet)
Football
NFL
- Bengals WR Tee Higgins is changing uni numbers, from 85 to 5.
- Whoa, check out this very funky-looking facemask worn in the 1970s, presumably after a jaw injury, by Falcons DB Ray Brown. (From Brad Eenhuis)
- The Bills have released the latest and most detailed renderings yet of their planned new stadium. (From Kary Klismet)
- Here are all of this year’s NFL draft caps.
CFL
- Here’s the logo for the next Grey Cup. “It breaks away from the template of recent years but is receiving criticism for use of a generic skyline,” says Wade Heidt.
More
- New uniforms for the USFL’s Memphis Showboats.
- The football teams for Yelm High School in Washington and Wagoner High School in Oklahoma have received their rings for winning the state championships last fall. (From Kary Klismet)
Hockey
NHL
- The Islanders had the on-ice officials’ names and numbers written on tape inside the bench last night. (From John Muir)
Basketball
NBA
- Um, okay: The NBA is opening its first restaurant.
College
- With San Diego State in the men’s Final Four, it’s a good time to remember that MLB great Tony Gwynn still holds the Aztecs men’s record for career assists — and looked great in his striped tube socks! (From Max Weintraub)
Soccer
USA
- In what may be an early April Fool’s joke, the USL Championship’s Indy Eleven say they’ll wear QR codes instead of numbers on Saturday, which is April 1. “The QR codes are for a (real) start-up’s app called SpokeNote,” explains our own Jamie Rathjen.
- New “lunar” kit for USL League One’s Greenville Triumph. (From Ed Zelaski)
- New home kit for USL League 2 team Minneapolis City SC. (From R. Scott Rogers)
International
- England: Arsenal’s new kit has apparently leaked. (From Randy Williams)
- England: Premier League clubs are apparently getting set to ban shirt ads from gambling companies. Good! (From Luke Williamson)
- Germany: The German tabloid Bild is reporting that the women’s national team won’t be allowed to wear their usual rainbow captain’s armband at the World Cup this year. (Thanks, Jamie)
- Northern Ireland: New away kits for the women’s national team. (From Kary Klismet)
- Sweden: New home kits for Östersunds FK of the second-tier Superettan. (Also from Kary)
- Wales: New away kits for the women’s national team. (Also from Kary)
- Scotland: New first shirt for Dundee. (Thanks, Jamie)
- The logo of German Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen is remarkably similar to the badge of Bulgarian third division side Vihar Slavyanovo. (From John Flory)
Grab Bag
- Following up on an item from yesterday’s Ticker, Adidas will not challenge Black Lives Matters’s three-stripe logo after all.
- One of Virginia’s rowing team’s boats yesterday included a memorial to the three murdered football players, as well as another on their uniforms. (Thanks, Jamie)
Comments (33)
I think it’s time to eliminate the uniform requirements for managers and coaches across all of MLB. It’s pretty rare these days to see a coach or manager not wearing a pullover.
Only if I can see a third base coach giving signs in a smartly-tailored suit and tie.
I dread that MLB will allow the team’s “sponsor” to be displayed on coach’s backs.
Looks like the Budweiser cans are league wide.
link
Here is the Astros:
link
it’s just MLB teams that currently have a contract with Bud. 14 teams.
The limited-edition 2023 release has cans for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals.
Yuengling already has cans with the 1980s Phillies’ P on them.
The EPL is trying to just be a little bit pregnant by banning shirt front gambling ads. The proposal would still allow sleeve ads.
Maybe if the Yankees stopped retiring the numbers of average ballplayers (Paul O’Neil??) they’d have enough. This is a Yankees problem, not an MLB problem. Stop honoring the mediocre. Celtics do the same thing.
This, one thousand percent. They’re complaining because they chose to dilute their own standards, they have no one to blame but themselves.
Exactly. Anyone on the field of play who is subject to potential sanction by an umpire must have a number. Nobody is forcing the Yankees to take so many numbers out of circulation. Heck, nobody is forcing the Yankees to carry 26 players and however many coaches on their roster.
I’m missing something with the math here.
100 numbers (0-99),
Minus 22 retired = 78
Minus a few not in circulation for other reasons, say 5 = 73
Minus 40-man roster = 33
How many coaches do they have where 33 numbers isn’t enough?
This is the correct answer.
This iteration of the Showboats is just last season’s Bandits, right?
I get it that red is over-represented in USFL2.0, but they have all those leftover silver helmets and red facemasks…Why not just replace one red/silver team with another red/silver team?
The Maulers and Showboats get recolored…yet they don’t fix the Philadelphia Stars! Sheesh.
And speaking of red/silver teams, I’ve never liked the Falcons in those colors; their ’76-77 uniforms are arguably their best, so I really enjoyed seeing that photo of Ray Brown. According to one of my favorite helmet-related sites:
link
“We are not sure if it was the result of an injury and then him taking a liking to the mask, but unless he had a jaw injury for many years, it’s likely he liked the extra protection.”
Here’s a photo of Brown wearing that same mask in black during his days as a Saint:
link
Officially the Bandits are “on hiatus,” but yeah, they moved and rebranded.
And I don’t mind the color change.
Glad they kept the Stars in red, though. That’s one of my favorite unis…even better than the original!
My understanding is that the Memphis situation is not the usual single-entity league trying to save $$$ deal. There’s a really rich guy in Memphis investing in the league. So whatever he wants, he gets, and that apparently includes blue and gold Showboats uniforms.
The NBA isn’t opening its first restaurant. There were a few of these in the early 00’s. I went to the one in Minneapolis. I wanna say there was also an NBA in Orlando at one point.
link
Yep, at Universal City Walk. It’s now an NBC Sports restaurant.
For those without an Instagram account or are unable or unwilling to log in on whatever device they’re on while reading this page, here’s a proper article about the new NBA Courtside Restaurant: link
Thanks, Rob. I’ll swap out the link.
While in a vacuum, the new KC stadium renderings aren’t bad, they are a step back from Kauffman, albeit in a better location. Why are they so afraid to simply transfer much of the design into the city?
That is exactly what I think they should do, I do not want a stadium with references to other teams, I want infuence from The K and the old Municipal stadium….keep all references local!
Those draft hats keeping getting uglier every year… you’d think they run out of horrible ideas
The Phillies jerseys are missing the sleeve numbers, presumably for an ad patch to be added later.
link
“The Phillies will have blank sleeves today on their jerseys as they removed numbers in anticipation of having a sponsor patch. But deal is not yet complete. Phils still expect to have a sponsor on uniforms this season.”
Et tu, Matt? FFS, stop saying “sponsor” like this is a little league team needing 13 green t-shirts (from xs-xl) and adjustable trucker caps in order to actually take the field.
You could use letters like college football uses for their officials. Like m for managers, p for pitching coach, 1B and 3B for the base coaches, etc. Also they must wear the whole uniform-no more hoodies.
It will be a sad day indeed if Kauffman Stadium meets the wrecking ball. A gorgeous ballpark from every angle.
Re: Kaufman. It was even better before they replaced the fountains.
The Yankees’ retired-number situation is preposterous. Treat Monument Park and the number wall as the honor, and unretire all uniforms with the possible exceptions of Gehrig and the Babe. Numbers are for wearing, not putting in a coffin.
Oh, yes, and Mariano. D-oh! I got carried away.
Only retired NYY numbers should be: 2…3…4…5…7…15…16…42. Done.
15 time all-star, 10 world series rings, three mvps… Keep #8 in circulation, ’cause that guy (the second one it was retired for) stinks.