Some interesting thoughts popped up in the comments section this week, specifically regarding how we remember our favorite team’s uniforms. Even more specifically, several questions were raised as to whether a team’s success, or lack thereof, affects our opinions of a particular uniform. Did a team winning a championship while wearing a specific uniform set positively (or negatively) influence a fan’s view of said uniform. Conversely, did a team’s lack of success, or in the extreme, complete ineptness, despite wearing an otherwise beautiful uniform, conjure up negative feelings towards that uniform? It’s an interesting case study.
Lets look at several examples. We’ll begin with Ricko’s baby, the Minnesota Twins. When the Twins moved indoors to the HHH Metrodome in 1982, as you can see, they were attired in sky blue roadies and white polyester doubleknit pullovers. Not great uniforms to be sure, but those early to mid-80’s teams weren’t particularly good, and eventually longtime owner Cal Griffith sold the team to Carl Pohlad. But they had several rising stars like Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek on the scene and were an improving club. And in 1987, not only did the Twins sport new uniforms, but the went and won their first ever world series wearing them. Four years later, they’d go and win their second. New uniforms. Two world series victories in 4 years. Obviously, one had something to do with the other.
Well, of course it didn’t, but the fact remains that most Minnesotans, rightfully so, associate those uniforms with winning, pride and a return to greatness. When they moved out of the Homerdome this spring, and announced their new uniform set last November, many fans of the team, not just Ricko, bemoaned the new (road anyway) uniforms. Now, whether you agree or disagree with my personal position that pinstripes don’t belong on a road uniform, or whether or not the new road uniforms represent an improvement over the old ones, some of the first complaints about the new uniforms were “those look like the one we wore when were bad” (or words to that effect, cleaned up for this family blog). The fans of the team were so attached to the old uniform (which I would argue was never an attractive uniform, but that’s just my opinion) and the winning that once came when it was worn, that they dismissed the new road uniform (which I would also argue is a significantly better looking uniform — but again that’s just my personal opinion) out of hand. I read comments like “why would they ditch the road pinstripes? We won two world series’ wearing those!” Obviously, it wasn’t the uniform that won those two rings, but rather the team wearing them. Still, it’s a good memory for most Twins fans.
Lets take another example. The 1986 Mets. While most Mets fans have nothing but amazin’ memories of that 1986 team, I think most who look at it purely as a uniform would argue it was pretty freakin’ ugly. Except for the current black monstrosities the Mets now sport, the orange and blue racing stripes they wore were my least favorite uniform set. But many Mets fans love them, and they remain a very popular item both in stores and at Citi Field Shea today. It’s instantly recognizable as the 1986 world series uniform. But let’s be honest — it’s not a good looking uniform — polyester pullover (shockingly with belted pants) and garish full body stripes that frequently misaligned. For the obsessive compulsive uniform affectionado, just a bad, bad look, especially when you consider the gorgeous uniform they sported in winning their first world series.
But what about the other side of the coin? What about bad teams who wore beautiful uniforms? One of the oft-cited examples of this is the New England Patriots red uniform in which they reached Super Bowl XX, but for the most part, didn’t have much success. They had worn that uniform, or a very close facsimile, from their inception and through the years with a few variations. When the Pats finally went through the first of several uniform iterations, all involving a blue jersey, success quickly followed: while they lost in 1997 super bowl wearing the second generation unis, the would go on to win the big one in 2002, 2004 and 2005, and losing a hard fought super bowl to the Giants in 2008. Clearly, the change to blue jerseys made the Patriots better, yes? Of course not. But that’s the perception. When the Pats broke out their red AFL throwbacks this past season, uniform lovers rejoiced but Patriots fans immediately were struck with thoughts of “oh great, their loser uniforms.” Despite the fact that the AFL throwback is one of the more gorgeous uniforms seen of the field, especially today, many fans of the New England team were less than thrilled. Why? Because their memories of the uniform weren’t always happy ones.
More recently, last weekend the Astros had a Turn Back The Clock evening where they threwback to the uniforms they wore in 1965. Many of us remembered those uniforms, and even those who never saw them before remarked upon how good they looked. Some, myself included, felt this was the best uniform that team (who have gone through more uniform interations than one can shake a stick at) ever wore. But, alas, those uniforms weren’t exactly associated with a winning team. Certainly that was no fault of the uniform. And to this day, with the exception of the attention they received for the TBTC game, they are largely forgotten. Unfortunately for the Astros, their only world series apperance came in their current crop of uniforms which, while certainly not the worst uniform they have ever sported (or thrown-back to), isn’t nearly as classic or beautiful as those 1965 duds or those which immediately followed. But one of the more beautiful uniforms of all time, and certainly in Astros history, is largely forgotten due to the large amount of losing that was done in it.
Those are just four examples of good teams wearing (in my opinion at least) bad uniforms, or bad teams wearing good uniforms — but clearly, in the minds of fans of the team, the uniform — or at least the greatness or awfulness of the uniform — is tied into the success of the team while wearing it.
Examples exist everywhere. The flip side of 1986? Exhibit A. Is it any wonder many Sox fans weren’t too thrilled in the 2008 offseason when the team announced they’d be wearing this in 2009? The BFBS/”Lets wear Raider Colors” Kings had their greatest success in that uniform. Now is that a better uniform than the current BFBS uni? Maybe, but it reminds Kings fans that the best teams they ever had wore this and not this or this.
Same with your reigning Stanley Cup champions. The current uniform will be associated with Sid the Kid and success, even though this, this or even this and this are, in the minds of many, clearly superior. But success in those uniforms was missing, so in the minds of many Pens fans, those uniforms will never be held in as high a regard as these or these.
Ever wonder why Islanders’ fans clamored for their team to return to these? Is it any wonder? Not that anyone would say these were things of beauty (although I like the fisherman because it’s so bad), but these uniforms remind Islanders fans more of failure than of success.
So what about you, Uni Watchers? Do you feel your impression of a team’s specific uniform (for any era) is influenced by the success (or failure) of the team sporting that uniform? There are numerous examples of bad uniforms worn by great teams, just as there are beautiful uniforms worn by bad teams. Do those bad uniforms get held in higher esteem and the good uniforms become associated with losing? Let’s hear what you think. And, while we’re at it…is there a certain uni (of any vintage) you’d love for your team to return to wearing, even if their record while wearing it was less than stellar?
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St. Louis Browns 1939-1949: The St. Louis Browns began life as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901, moving after only one season to St. Louis, where they renamed the “Browns,” a reference to the original St. Louis national league team of the 1880’s, who by that time were themselves renamed the “Cardinals.” They would remain in St. Louis until the end of the 1953 season, when they would move to Baltimore and be renamed the “Orioles.”
The Browns weren’t very good. In fact, in their first 20 seasons, they posted only four winning ones. They, were, however, quite popular in St. Louis in their early years, and they owned Sportsman’s Park, which they shared with the Cardinals. However, once the Cards won the world series in 1926, they became ’second class’ citizens even in their own park. Unfortunately, they would never be more popular than the Cards again.
For their first four decades they would toil in mediocrity. Until World War II, that is. In a major leagues depleted of talent due to the war, the Browns fielded their only pennant winner in 1944, where they would advance to the World Series and lose to, of course, their tenants — the Cards. But baseball teams on Uni Watch are not so much judged by their wins and lossses, but by their attire. And, for an 11 year period, spanning 1939-1949, and encompassing their lone pennant and world series, the Browns wore some gorgeous stirrups and some equally beautiful uniforms. Unfortunately, if color photos of their stirrups exist, I couldn’t find any. But, had I, their stirrups would have looked like this. That’s a shot from the 1944 world series, which the Browns lost to the Cards.
Again, color photos including the stirrups prove elusive, so I colorized an old b & w photo to give you an idea. This color still (appears to be from a home movie) shows a far background shot of the rups, and this old ad featuring one-armed Pete Gray also gives a nice flavor of the stirrups.
Hopefully, very soon, the “stirrup club” will be receiving this month’s order, which includes the Browns 1939-49 stirrup. Those who didn’t order these beauties can contact our own Comrade Robert Marshall, leader of the stirrvp revolution.
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Guess The Game From The Scoreboard: Back to baseball today and this one may prove tricky — or not — since the ballpark is obvious, and you can likely figure out the opposing team. Just find out when the abortion doc killers rail crossing safety crowd is in town. Ready? Guess The Game From The Scoreboard. Date, location and final score, please, and be sure to link to your answer. And, as always, if you enjoy the game, please send me some new scoreboards! Drop me a line. Thanks!
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Back again with more Uniform Tweaks, Concepts and Revisions today. Lots to get to, and if you have a tweak, change or concept for any sport, send them my way.
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First up is a BIG set of tweaks, spanning the three major sports, as well as hockey, from John Follett. John sent me 9 “weeks” worth, and last weekend we looked at the first three. Here’s the second batch:
Week 4 – San Antonio Spurs: Always loved the logo but I did feel that the uniform needed to be upgraded. Again, one of the better weeks of our competition. Snowy was clearly watching one too many Bruce Lee movies when he drew this up. Snowy would take a lot of heat for the logo design and eventually made attempts to make it look less “Ninja-esq”. Even better, Snowy went the extra step with his court design. Sam is still fighting his lawsuit against a certain WNBA team, following his submission. As for me, I ended up with more change than I initially set out for. Some weren’t a fan of the primary color change, so I did re-contrast my logo.
Week 5 – Washington Redskins: A borderline classic but definitely not the sexiest look we have ever seen. I know I am looking to give this team a much improved look that will help to shy them away from their very offensive & controversial mascot. Member “collyflower” gets in on the action. My first submission maintained the Native American look but shied away from the Indian head logo. My 2nd submission is less elaborate but definitely more 21st century. A look from Snowy that would drive Paul Lukas crazy for more than a couple reasons. Snowy even goes as far as to show us a different angle of his design.
Week 6 – Nashville Predators: Due to popular demand, we go hockey in Week 6. Not exactly sure where Nashville came up with “Predators” but the design looks more like a minor league arena football team. Snowy strikes first blood, eat your heart out Chattanooga Lookouts. Snowy would later re-buff his design. Debate sparked as to how “NHL” our creations really are…so we put them to test. After hearing some raccoon horror story coming out of Tennessee, I came up with something I felt was more relevant. How did my design fit in? See for yourself.
Thanks John. We’ll have the third and final set of your tweaks soon.
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Next up, short and sweet, is Eric Wright, with a Broncos tweak:
Here’s a Broncos tweak combining the past w/ the present.
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In the three-hole today is Mike Sullivan, who has a Blue Jays tweak:
Hey, I have a uni tweak that I wanted to share. I created a new Blue Jays home uniform. I (along with probably many others) was tired of the Jays using countless fonts, so I made them all the same. It uses the font from the away “Toronto” to make the “Blue Jays” script, the NOB, and the jersey #s. For the hat logo, I took the late 90’s logo and updated the color to match the current scheme. I made the hat and socks primary blue, because after all they are the Blue Jays (and not the Blackbirds, as they would like you to believe). And no uniform would be complete without a nice pair of striped socks. So there is what I consider to be a major improvement to Toronto’s current home unis.
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Closing out the show today is Jesse Alkire, who has some Angels refinements:
All my conceptual uniforms try to convey a sense of tradition, and my Angels uniforms combine a few. First off, the neck piping is a longtime Angels tradition dating back to the 60s, but I’ve changed the color to gold so the piping forms a sort of halo. This contrasts nicely, I think, with the rest of the piping on the sleeves and pants, which remains red.
The pants take cues from the Detroit Tigers and add a throwback feel to the set, while the belts are changed from black to red. Making red the primary color once again, the shoes would also be red (only the 2nd team in MLB to have red shoes).
The silver halo is changed to gold and three more “halos” are added as sock stripes, which rounds out the home uniform changes.
Drawing inspiration from the St. Louis Cardinals, the Angels road set trades in some red for some navy. Navy belts, undershirts, socks, and a mostly Navy hat are the changes here from the home set. The ‘ANAHEIM’ script makes its return to the road jersey, as it should, along with the old but now re-colored California sleeve patch.
Overall I wanted to give the Angels something unique — the home/red, road/navy aesthetic, combined with the red shoes and yellow “halo” neck piping really give the Angels a distinct identity, I feel, something that most teams lack.
Thanks for posting these! Loved the great comments I got on my last set.
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That’s it for the tweak show for today. Check back next time for more.
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42 Redux: Just in case anyone missed Thursday’s official Jackie Robinson Day (ya know, the actual anniversary of Jackie’s breaking into the big leagues and smashing the color barrier in the process), yesterday brought us more of the same — some teams wore “42″ for a second day, while others, who did not play on Thursday, broke out the 42’s for the first time.
Now, personally, I love Jackie Robinson Day…for a DAY. It’s ridiculous that it’s now spanning two days (and I believe some teams may wear the 42 at home if they were on the road for both Thursday and Friday). Seriously, it’s very quickly becoming OVERKILL, and they’re taking a very special, very appropriate gesture and turning it into a mockery.
There is a simple solution, particularly if MLB is going to mandate that all teams wear 42 every April 15th. All they need to do is two things: (1) schedule ALL teams to play on April 15th (yes, I know this year that date fell on a Thursday, which is traditionally a transition day for many clubs, but for one day, they can deal with it); and (2) schedule all teams the following season to play a home and home with the team they played the season before, so that those teams on the road can experience the 42’s at home the following year. Done and done. After 2 years, schedule another team and repeat. Seriously, can it be that hard?
Rainout? Fine, let both teams wear the 42’s when they schedule the make up. But to keep this going for two (or possibly more days)? Awesome gesture becomes overplayed gimmick overnight (no pun intended).
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OK, Uni Watchers, let’s put it in the books.
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Little roller up along first … behind the bag! It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight, and the Mets win it! — Vin Scully, 25 October, 1986
As usual, the best part of Jackie Robinson Day was hearing all the broadcasters going out of their minds because they couldn’t tell the players apart (“The Rockies have a left-hander up in the bullpen, and I couldn’t tell you who he is, but he’s wearing No. 42″). Such pleasures notwithstanding, there were some uni-notable developments that had nothing to do with the number on everyone’s back. Por ejemplo:
• If you look at that Yankees photo above, you’ll see that A-Rod now has logos on his socks — something I hadn’t noticed before. A quick check reveals that he’s been wearing this mark on his hose throughout the young season, although he didn’t have it in spring training. Does anyone recognize the logo? Looks vaguely Umbro-ish, no? Whatever it is, it sure looks like shite.
• Speaking of logo-branded socks, Orlando Hudson came up with a brilliant way of tributing Jackie Robinson: by wearing Phiten socks and white cleats. The cleats were apparently MLB-approved for use yesterday, complete with Jackie’s number on the back, although it’s not clear to me what white cleats have to do with Jackie. Anyone..? (Thanks to Casey Common for the screen shots.)
• At least one other player was white-shod yesterday: Ryan Braun. He cleats presumably had the little 42 on the back, just like Hudson’s, but there was no way to tell for sure.
• Several Dodgers honored Jackie by wearing stirrups: Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, and James Loney (or maybe they were just honoring former teammate Juan Pierre). Loney also went the extra mile with a 42 wristband. (Screen shots courtesy of Alex Higley.)
• The Padres and Braves wore throwbacks, which added a weird twist to all the 42-based activities. Nice to see that San Diego included the Ray Kroc sleeve memorial. Too bad about all the pajama pants, although a few players took a different approach.
And now back to your regularly scheduled season.
(Thanks to Phil for the headline.)
’Stros Update: It’s been a very Houston-centric week here at Uni Watch HQ. For starters, in case you missed it yesterday, I wrote an ESPN column about the original Astrodome staff uniforms. Here are some follow-ups on that:
• I neglected to mention in the column that several of the linked photos came from Trevor Williams, who attended last Saturday’s throwback game. You can see his full slate of photos here.
• One of Trevor’s photos provides a good view of the orange star on the throwback stirrups. Astros authentication manager Mike Acosta, who oversaw the throwback uniforms, told me the stars were supposed to be a tad larger, but he was still happy with them. They were woven in, not printed.
• Whether by coincidence or design, two new Membership Program enrollees have just requested tequila sunrise treatments (including Clayton Lust, whose card is shown at right). As always, you can sign up to get your own card here.
• And in a quasi-Astros-related item, Frank Mercogliano sent me this photo of Preston (Idaho) High School wearing the tequila sunrise motif.
• Even more quasi-related: I’ve mentioned several times that the new playing surface in Toronto has an AstroTurf logo printed on it in foul territory, and here at last is the visual evidence. Not good, MLB, not good.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Tremendous old NFL poster available on eBay. This really belongs in the home of a Uni Watch reader — someone snap it up now (great find by Brinke Guthrie). … The Indians are giving away caps made from plastic bottles (with thanks to Marc Swanson). … Two contributions from Matt Beahan: First, he made himself a DIY Nets Dr. J-ersey. ” It’s just a basic cotton tank top with felt twill numbers, letters and stripes, heat-pressed on (the stripes are also sewn along the top and bottom edge). Total cost was under £10, and it took less than three days from start to finish. The front numbers are slightly crooked, and the blue stripe could be neater, but it was really only for practice before I attempt my next project.” Plus Matt found some footage from the 1977 Slam Dunk Contest, which features Alex English wearing this uniform. I don’t think the Bucks ever wore that design in a regular game, did they? Anyone know more? … As had previously been rumored, the NCAA is banning messages on eye black, among other rule changes (with thanks to Al Stone). … Oh baby, check out this awesome curling patch (tremendous find by Chris Kralis). … Gio Gonzalez had “VM” written on his cap on Wednesday night. Why? His girlfriend was in a car accident (with thanks to Brandon Davis). … Also from Brandon: Andre Ethier isn’t the only one who likes to take the scissors to his undershirt collar, as you can see in this shot of Dallas Braden. But that doesn’t appear to be a Nike shirt like Ethier’s (and yes, I’ll announce the winner of yesterday’s Either-related contest soon — still looking through the literally hundreds of submissions that came in). … I’ve always said I couldn’t never get a tattoo on my foot — just seems like too sensitive an area. And that goes double for what this idiot got (blame Kyle Hanks). … Really nice throwbacks on tap for Iowa football. There’s video of the unveiling on this page, and here’s a huge-ass photo. … Tricia Bradley spotted this Capitals-esque cap at a Sheetz in Frostburg, Maryland. “Have the Capitals ever used this logo even as an alternate?” she asks. “Maybe this is a prototype? I wish they’d used this as their main logo.” … The Jazz retired No. 9 for late owner Larry Miller (it was his softball number) and renamed their court for him (with thanks to Brett Crane). … I love the color-block simplicity of these striped stirrups. That’s Gustine High in California (big thanks to Bryan Justman). … Scott M.X. Turner tipped me wise to a new blog devoted to Oakland’s baseball history. In addition to that uni-delicious banner at the top of the page, there are some excellent photos, including this Negro Leagues shot — note the uni numbers being bisected by the pants piping! … It makes sense that a school called Stetson University would have a jersey logo based on a hat, right? (Great find by Stetson alum Paul Gloersen.) … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Love the pinned-on uni numbers in this amazing 1908 Pitt football shot. … Kevin Wright attended Monday’s home opener in St. Looey and was surprised to see that the giveaway magnetic schedule was formatted to look like a 1980s pullover road jersey. Weird. … Good spot by Josh Fisher, who noticed Brandon Marshall wearing a shirt with the old NFL logo at yesterday’s presser. … Ben Isaacs notes that Jay Cutler was wearing a serious throwback cap the other day. Here, take a closer look.
Notice anything missing from Andre Ethier’s uniform? Looks like he did some very selective surgery to his undershirt collar, much like a doctor removing a malignant tumor. Outstanding work.
I think we’re gonna have to name this de-swooshification in Ethier’s honor. What shall we call it — Nothing Could Be Ethier? My Winner with Andre? I’m sure you can come up with something better than those, and there’s a free Uni Watch membership waiting for the reader who submits the best name. Meanwhile, let’s hope more big leaguers follow Ethier’s example. (Thanks to Parker Ferguson for the screen shot.)
New ESPN column today, and I think you’ll find it really interesting — look here
Uni Watch News Ticker: Today is Jackie Robinson Day, but there’s been remarkably little chatter about it this season — a big change from the past three years, when we were all talking about which players (or entire teams) would be wearing No. 42. Anyway, everyone will be 42ing. … In addition, the Braves and Padres will be wearing 1984 throwbacks today. Details at the bottom of this page (with thanks to Joel Mendelson). … Regarding the Orioles wearing BP jerseys on Tuesday night, a source with the team checks in with this update: “We did it because it was T-Shirt Tuesday and we gave fans orange Matt Wieters T-shirts. Fan reaction was VERY positive (96% to 4% in surveys), so the plan is to continue the idea on our future T-Shirt Tuesdays. Of course, it would make much more sense if we wore an actual orange alternate jersey instead of the MLB-templated BPs, but that’s another discussion.” … Several very well-conceived logos on display here (with thanks to Brinke Guthrie). … Nebraska broke out their northwestern-striped stirrups the other day (as noted approvingly by Dave Feit). … The Salem Red Sox will be wearing tuxedo jerseys this Saturday. … ESPN’s recent piece on Allen Iverson mentioned one of the high schools from his hometown, Hampton High, whose teams were called the Crabbers. Rick Friedel got good screen shots of Hampton’s Indiana-style striped basketball warm-up pants and their amazing football helmets. … A kid who’s worn a Pistons jesey to school every day for four years is finally going to wear something else (with thanks to Brett Crane). … Hey, DIYers, who wants to make a jersey out of gum wrappers? That’s what an Iowa teen-ager used to make her prom dress (with thanks to Brett Crane). … Check out this photo from Oregon’s recent football practice. What’s that hardware on top of the QB’s helmet? Turns out it’s for mounting a video camera. Further evidence beginning at the 1:10 mark of this video clip (good find by BJ Lanier). … The Blue Jays wore their primary cap on Monday night — except for Alex Gonzalez, who wore the alternate “T” cap for the first few innings of the game before switching (as spotted by Timothy Chiu). … The West Virginia football team will wear a memorial helmet decal for the Upper Big Branch miners. … As usual, Rob Ullman is marking the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs by doing pin-up illos for the Eastern and Western Conference match-ups. … A Detroit Tigers blogger has come up with something truly brilliant: a chart of the team’s lower-leg stylings. Genius (big thanks to Keith Friedman). … Good coverage of CC Sabathia’s footwear. … “Panic is a small software company that’s obsessed with design,” writes Ruan Cousineau. “As an art project, they once made fake boxes for their commercial software that were made up like original Atari 2600 boxes. Anyway, a friend of theirs coaches at PS 208 in NYC. He sent out a plea for some financial help for his elementary-school basketball team. Panic agreed to help under one condition: They got to design the uniforms.” … Yesterday’s Ticker noted that the new field surface at the Rogers Centre has “AstroTurf” printed on the field in foul territory. And here’s why. Key quote: “AstroTurf will pay MLB a royalty for each field it sells to baseball programs at the professional, college, high school and recreational level, said MLB Properties Senior VP/Licensing Howard Smith. Those fees range from $4,000-16,000 depending on the product, said AstroTurf Dir of Sales Troy Squires. Each surface will display MLB’s logo and the AstroTurf brand.” I’m sure you know what I think of all this (hint: rhymes with “douchebaggery”). … New home kit supposedly in the works for Chelsea (with thanks to Bryan Justman). … Speaking of soccer, Peter Ripberger stumbled upon a site that has posted proposed Arsenal kit designs all the way through 2026. “Granted, he’s assuming that Emirates Airlines will still be the shirt sponsor, but that’s a very minor detail,” says Peter. … Wojciech Gluszak found a new site devoted to A’s memorabilia. Lots of good stuff here, including this poster (note the differing stirrup treatments) and this amazing patch. … Jake Doyle just got back from a trip to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where he made the following uni-notable observation: “There was a display featuring childhood drawings made by Jimi Hendrix, including some drawings of sports scenes. There were several drawings of football players in crayon with the words ‘Exact Colors!’ written on them.” Kinda puts “Purple Haze” in a whole new light, no? … I’ve said it before and I’ll keep on saying it: I love the undersleeve striping on those 1940s Cubs uniforms (thanks, Phil). … Also from Phil: “Who are these guys? The 60th Infantry Regiment Go-Devils of the 9th Infantry Division in the spring of 1946, that’s who.” … If you watch this video clip, you can see the 1990 Dolphins wearing the Joe Robbie memorial armband (as spotted by Andy McKillop). … DIY note from Marty Hick, who writes: “I can’t stand the black underbills on MLB caps. So I found some fitted caps for five dollars each, and the underbills match the bill tops. I sewed on my own patches, and now I have an array of hats suited for me. Three of them are military patches, one is derived from a movie/TV show, and the other is my Mammals merit badge (I am a big fan of squirrels). I think the colors work well on each of the hats, and I truly enjoy sporting something that no one else has.” … Brandon Marshall may need a new uni number (with thanks to Alan Borock). … Kinda digging this old Blackhawks warm-up suit (good find by Jeff Barak). … “My eight-year-old son asked me this year if he could wear stirrups,” writes Dan Winter. “Don’t where he came up with the idea but I sure am proud. He wasn’t happy however when he found out he had to wear purple and his team was the Huskies. He hates them both!” … Serious apostrophe catastrophe in St. Louis, where they made the same mistake 10 times on one sign — ugh (as reported by Nick Werner).
Last week I wrote about Eugenio Velez’s jersey typo. I’m often the only writer who covers glitches like these, but not this time — the media world was buzzing about the misspelling, mainly because it had been called out in this AP story, which was picked up by just about every media outlet in the country. The AP also mentioned the typo in this photo caption.
I was impressed by the AP’s work on this one (they even called Velez on his cell phone to get a quote from him after the Giants had left the stadium and were on their way to the airport) and said as much in last week’s post. That caught the eye of Rick Freeman, a Uni Watch reader who’s also a copy editor on the AP’s sports desk in New York.
“I wasn’t involved in [the story] myself,” he told me. “However, I do know that it was a classic bit of AP teamwork journalism. … First our photographers noticed it, alerted the desk, who got hold of the reporter at the ballpark in Houston, and then got hold of our Giants writer — she’s one of the best reporters we have. … A lot of journalistic legwork for a 275-word story with no byline — quintessential AP.”
Rick said he’d get back to me with the full story once he was able to piece it all together. He’s now done that:
Sometime that afternoon, after the Giants/Astros game ended, someone called out from the photo desk that they’d just moved a photo with “San Francisco” misspelled on the jersey.
Our editor who was handling baseball right then — longtime ball writer Ben Walker — immediately called up the photo in the system. There it was: “San Francicso.” He got on the phone to the ballpark. One of our Houston sports writers, Kristie Rieken, had just gotten back up to the press box to work on her optional (that’s an AP term for the later version of the story that moves on the wire about an hour after the game, following on the heels of two earlier versions that move immediately after the final out).
Ben told Kristie about the uniform, so down she went to the clubhouse, only to find it deserted. She came back up and went down again, hoping to find a clubhouse attendant, but was told that the Giants and their uniforms were already gone on the bus.
She was ready to head out to the parking lot, but a call to the Giants indicated that the bus was already on the move.
So we had to find another way. Another one of our baseball writers, Ron Blum, managed to finagle Velez’s cell phone number, and we got that to Giants writer Janie McCauley (who also covers just about everything else in the Bay Area for us). Janie also speaks fluent Spanish. So she and Velez chatted for a couple minutes, Janie sent her notes to Ben on the desk in New York, and he put the story on the wire.
If you’re counting, that’s five people working on this story (six if the original photographer is the one who noticed the typo, not the editor; eight if you count the two of us who walked in the door and gave one last look at the copy to check for tragically ironic typos) in three different locations. It wasn’t ever going to be an award-winner — it didn’t even have a byline because Janie reported from San Francisco but it was datelined Houston.
It was some old-fashioned AP team journalism, although as far as I know, no one in the newsroom was wearing stirrups (or a fedora with a press card in the hatband).
Amazing stuff! And it’s nice to see AP people get mentioned by name, instead of being saddled with their usual anonymity.
Speaking of AP people, I had mistakenly thought that they had beat writers who traveled with each team, but Rick says that’s not the case: “Nah, we don’t do it that way. We’ve got bureaus all over the country. The game was in Houston, so Kristie (one of two sportswriters in the city) was there. Janie covers the Giants (and A’s) when they’re at home, along with another writer in the Bay Area.” Interesting.
Big thanks to Rick for providing this excellent backstory, and my repeated kudos to the AP team for their fine un-watching.
Too Good for the Ticker: Paul here. As you may recall from a recent Ticker mention, a scrapbook of old hockey photos and newspaper clippings (including some amazing uni shots) showed up on eBay a month or two ago, and reader Jake Doyle won it. He’s created a guided tour of the scrapbook in the form of a slideshow with captions. To get the full effect, start here and use the thumbnails on the left to click through the rest of the slideshow. Tremendous stuff.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Baseball Hall of Fame curator Tom Shieber has done some research into the 19th-century police medal that’s usually cited as the source of the Yankees’ interlocking NY logo. As usual, he’s produced an extremely readable account that raises interesting questions and reminds all of us not to take party lines at face value. I strongly recommend that you check it out here. … Fred Couples sported some atypical footwear at the Masters. Further details here (with thanks to Ethan Ganot). … Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is a lifelong Phillies fan. In this Q&A session, he mentions his first Phillies uniform: “I think my mother actually made it from scratch. I still have it someplace. I have a picture of myself and my sister and we both have Phillies uniforms on. But I asked her to put the ‘1′ on the back [for Richie Ashburn]” (with thanks to Morris Levin). … Great stripes! That’s the 1949 football team from West Aurora High School, in Aurora, Illinois (with thanks to David Lewis, whose children now attend that school). … “New Uniforms for us at Potomac State College in West Virginia this year (first time in over 11 years with a new set),” writes Don Schafer. “Very nice basic grey set from our sponsor Rawlings. The unfortunate part is the Manny-style pants. In fact, the style number from Rawlings is PP350MR — I think the MR actually stands for Manny Ramirez.” … Lance Smith found some great old photos of Wilt Chamberlain’s Kansas team. Love those warm-up jackets! … The Knicks are reportedly pondering some uni tweaks. … The Blackhawks’ video archives include lots of segments featuring players discussing why they chose their uni numbers. Here’s Patrick Kane’s installment (with thanks to Steve Johnston). … Matthew Hackethal visited the Hockey Hall of Fame last weekend and photographed a bunch of cool stuff. … The Hanover (N.H.) High School softball team is wearing pewter this year. “As an alum, I really prefer our traditional colors of maroon and white,” says Tris Wykes. … Here’s a site — new, I think — devoted to women’s soccer history, including good coverage of uniforms (with thanks to Peter Kurilesz). … The Twins opened their new stadium by wearing their awesome new throwbacks. Lots of additional photos here, here, and here. … Scroll down to the “Indians Chatter” sidebar on this page for some depressing info regarding Tribe players altering their pants (with thanks to Harlen Rife). … Oooh, dig these very cool boxing glove-shaped ticket stubs (great find by Dan Cichalski). … Doug Keklak reports that with the Civic/Mellon Arena’s days numbered, FSN Pittsburgh put together a half-hour Igloo retrospective. It’s currently available on YouTube, at least for now, in four parts. Start here, and then move on to parts two, three, and four. … Also from Kek: “Mars, Pennsylvania, is a small town about 30-45 minutes from Pittsburgh. The sports teams of their school district are aptly named the Planets and Fightin’ Planets, and most of their uniforms have a planetary motif.” Cool — although you’d think one of their school colors would be red, no? … Georgia State will finally have a football team this fall, but the uniforms weren’t exactly worth the wait (here’s the road version). Yeesh. … Here’s a rare example of the tequila sunrise uni being upstaged. Details here (great find by Andrew McNeel). … Andrew also came up with the best contribution of the day: this awesome montage of old Astrodome scoreboard animations. Not to be missed. Enjoy.
Forty-five years ago, in 1965 to be precise, the newly-named Houston Astros played host to the Philadelphia Phillies in the first ever regular season game in the newly-opened Eighth Wonder of the World, the Houston Astrodome (The first ever game in the Astrodome was played on April 9, 1965, in an exhibition game staged between the Astros and the New York Yankees). But the 1965 regular season began when the Phillies visited Houston on April 12th. Fittingly, the two teams are celebrating the occasion with the Astros hosting a “Turn Back The Clock” game.
According to the press release of the event, both teams will wear 1965 uniforms similar to the ones worn during the Astros first-ever regular-season game in the Astrodome. How similar? That remains to be seen. But the “Astros uniforms will feature the original shooting star jersey top and navy blue cap with orange star.” As an added bonus, the Phillies will play along.
So, if all goes according to plan, the teams should look something like this when they take the field this evening. It should be a gorgeous matchup, particularly if the teams elect to wear proper hosiery for the occasion. So, lets take a look back at what the teams actually wore in 1965, to whet our appetites for the game (as an added bonus, the entire nation has been treated to the free preview of “MLB Extra Innings,” so everyone, at least in theory, should be able to watch this game).
In 1965, the host Astros would begin wearing a new set of uniforms, having moved from Colt Stadium into the newly constructed Astrodome (note Colt Stadium in the distance). We’ll get into the Astrodome itself another time, but when constructed, it was the first completely enclosed domed stadium in the world, featuring clear glass panels in the roof and a natural grass surface. When the Astrodome opened on April 9, 1965, it used a natural 419 Bermuda grass playing surface specifically bred for indoor use. The dome’s ceiling contained numerous semitransparent panes made of Lucite. Players quickly complained that glare coming off of the panes made it impossible for them to track fly balls. Two sections of panes were painted white, which solved the glare problem but caused the grass to die from lack of sunlight. In fact, for most of the 1965 season, the Astros played on green-painted dirt and dead grass. By 1966, newly installed “artificial turf” had replaced the original grass. Why they couldn’t just play at night when there was no glare is a good question, but with double-headers, late setting sun towards the solstice, and Sunday day games prevalent in the mid-sixties, it proved impractical. As alluded to above, this led to the use of the first artificial surface for baseball, called Astroturf, which had invented earlier, but gained fame (and name) with it’s installation in the Astrodome.
But when the Astros took the field for that first regular season game against the Phillies, they were playing on real grass, and their uniforms had gone from this (more on the Colt .45’s below) to this. The 1965 Astros would have white flannel uniforms with “Astros” in blue letters outlined in orange, with a blue star and three orange stripes, simluating a “shooting” star, appropriate to their new name. Incidentally, the Astros is short for “Astronauts” (although the team was never known by this name) and relates to their proximity to the Houston Space Center (since renamed the Johnson Space Center), from which the Apollo, Gemini and Mercury space flights originated. The back of the jersey featured blue block letters with orange outline, and on the sleeve was a new patch with the Astros logo. The logo would feature four baseball “orbiting” the new Astrodome.
Although the caps, sleeves and stirrups appear black in the official team photo, they were a navy blue. The cap held an orange star with a white “H” on the crown. Shirts were button-down and the uniforms were without piping or striping. While staid by today’s (and certainly by future Astros’ uniform standards), the 1965 uniforms were rather radical. The road uniforms were almost identical, except they were gray flannel and had block “Houston” spelled out across the chest in radially arched lettering, and without the “shooting star” graphic. It also appears the stirrups featured an orange star on them.
So, there you have it. A look back at the uniforms worn by the Phillies and the Astros in 1965. Hopefully, Majestic will be able to recreate them as faithfully as possible (although polyester doubleknits or whatever new age fabric they’ll be constructed from, such as Cool-Base spandex, will be a disappointment). For more information on the Astros first season in the Astrodome, go here. You can also read a recap of the first ever game in the Astrodome (note that the header photo is most definitely NOT from the first game, as that’s an astroturf field), and get some fun facts. Also interesting to note in that article is the fact that the Astrodome was still called the Harris County Domed Stadium at the time of the first game and the Astros were still referred to as the “Colt .45s”. Finally, here is an amazing picture of the Astrodome under construction.
Of course, no game in the majors today, especially one of such import, would be complete without gimmicks and lots of corporate douchebaggery assistance. Tonight’s game includes a 1965 replica Astros jersey, sponsored by AT&T, to be given away to the first 10,000 fans in attendance. In addition, the Astros have set aside 1,965 tickets (isn’t that clever?) in the View Deck II and Outfield Deck sections to be offered at $3.50, which happened to be the 1965 price of Astrodome tickets for box seats and several upper level sections. Special pricing for food and beverages will be offered as well, including $1 hot dogs, compliments of Classic Foods, and $1 Coca-Cola Classic fountain sodas (but ONLY while supplies last).
Great stuff. Let’s hope the game is as sharp as the uniforms promise to be.
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In the middle of a roadtrip, before your beloved Twins come home to “officially” open beautiful Target Field, you often find yourself down at Bub’s, and occasionally you’ll make a new acquaintence. Here’s Rick:
It’s been a long week. But, people do say it’s always nice when you have a highly respected profession that makes it all worthwhile. Wonder what that feels like?
Joining the New York Mets, the Houston Colt .45s entered the National League in 1962 and would play for three years in Colt Stadium, a new outdoor ballpark, and which was knowingly built to be temporary, just south of Downtown Houston. While they were better than the Mets, the weren’t particularly good in their first three years, losing 96 games each year. But they had some of the sweetest stirrups the league has ever seen.
For some reason, some of the fellows liked to pull the stirrups high, exposing mostly the orange half of the rup. Other players, sensibly, preferred to wear their pants and stirrup at the proper height, while some, whether it be due to gravity or due to faulty blousing, seemed to favor a half high/half low look. No matter, any way they wore those stirrups, they were sharp.
The Colt .45s stirrups are definitely a favorite of UW Prexies and yours truly, and they can be worn on the diamond, to a UW gathering, or on Stirrup Fridays just the same. Our own Comrade Robert Marshall made them available to the Stirrup Club, and many UW members proudly wear them. If you’re interested in a pair, check Comrade Marshall’s linkie.
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Guess The Game From The Scoreboard: In keeping with the spirit of today’s post, you can probably safely assume the “theme” of things. The teams are easy, but how about the location and the final score? Not so easy. Ready? Guess The Game From The Scoreboard. Date, location and final score, please, and be sure to link to your answer. And, as always, if you enjoy the game, please send me some new scoreboards! Drop me a line. Thanks!
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Back again with more Uniform Tweaks, Concepts and Revisions today. Lots to get to, and if you have a tweak, change or concept for any sport, send them my way.
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We begin the show today with a bit of a novella from Moff Dub (I’m guessing that’s a nom de plume), who’s got quite a bit so say about the Fathers:
I have been an off-and-on reader for a few years, even though every time I read something on your blog, I ask myself “why aren’t I reading this daily?” But I digress.
My inspiration for my set of tweaks is a jersey shirt that is only available to fans in the Padres store at Petco Park: front and back.
This is essentially a dark sand-colored alternate jersey. They first showed up about three or so years ago and I have always thought they were awesome. It is my opinion that they should be a real alternate jersey that the team wears, perhaps in replacement of their navy blue alternate.
But my uni-tweak is more than simply a replacement/additional alternate. The dark sand color is unique, and, aside from the controversial-yet-awesome sand road uniform, the Padres’ uniforms can start to look like other teams.
Blue and navy blue tend to be as common as red in MLB (Cardinals, Angels, Phillies, Nationals, I’m looking at you), and teams start to look similar. So I thought instead of the unoriginal navy blue as the primary focus, what if it was relegated to trim and the dark sand color was introduced more prominently?
My idea for the home uniform is to swap the navy blue and dark sand. Now there is no mistaking that you are watching the Padres.
For the home alternate, which is what started all of this, I think the dark sand color is a nice subtle tribute to the earlier taco mustard uniforms of (in)fame. This also sets the Padres apart from other teams who wear blue or dark blue alternates. I think it is also fairly obvious that this shouldn’t be used on the road with the sand pants. Having two tones of sand would be too weird.
This isn’t to say that I’d ditch the navy blue altogether. I’d save it for the batting practice/spring training jersey. The obvious tweak is the SD on the jersey instead of the Padres script. In the past, the Padres have sported the large jersey SD for batting practice and I have always been partial to it.
Also notice I ditched the “P” cap logo in favor of the Swingin’ Friar! If you look hard enough, you can find the Swingin’ Friar on a navy blue and black hat in a retail store, both of which I own. He’s always there for the team, working his butt off for a 9th-inning rally, and deserves to be worn on the craniums of the players themselves I say!
Just to show my fairness towards the navy blue, I am also keeping it for a possible-but-not-necessary road alternate look. Notice the main change is to change the Padres script to the city name. I think road jerseys should generally feature the city name.
I don’t have the graphical dexterity to mock up the camo jersey, but that’s ok because I don’t have much to change, except for adding a white outline to the Padres script and the SD on the sleeve. Both of these inexplicably lack a white outline, and thus can blend into the rest of the camoflage of the jersey.
Finally, I leave a fans-only “fashion” jersey and hat for last as flame-bait. I have actually used iron-on decals to almost make this exact jersey shirt, except with navy-blue numbers outlined in sand and white. Since that looks too much like the Mets, I’d go with this design if I had to do it all over again.
Really it doesn’t have to be only black, especially since the numbers, logos, and player name are “protected” by the white outline. So you could make this any color you want for any “fashion” you want… hence why it is called a fashion jersey.
So that’s all I have to make the Friars of San Diego stand out from the rest of the league.
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Up next, with a slightly shorter description, is Garrett Lukken, with a Packers remix:
And closing out the tweaks today is Bruce Genther, with his take on the St. Louis Cardinals:
I certainly agree that the Cardinals uniform is just about as perfect as one can get, but I also agree with fellow uni tweakers Ben Traxel and Jesse Alkire that a slight tweak could be in order for the road uni. I have incorporated the old St. Louis Browns 1953 road script (sans underline) as the script style for the road uniform instead of the standard script now being used for none uni purposes. I have also provided a different handling of the player name on the back in version three – vertical arch plain block letters in navy vs. the standard arched plain block two color letters.
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And that’s all folks. Check back next time for more tweaks, concepts and revisions.
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Sometimes the news out of Steel Town just can’t wait until Monday, so our favorite Yinzer, Doug Keklak, is here to bring us the News From Pittsburgh.
First item: Jeff Jimerson’s really cool shirt:
** Jeff is the guy that sings the National Anthem at most Pens’ games and is a local legend. He gets a g clef as number.
** PS, I’m enjoying this free trial week of extra innings and I’m watching the Mets and Nats before the Pirates come on (they’re in Arizona). I felt sick for you guys when I saw the Mets with the black jerseys on.
Ah, but the Mets won in black. And like Doug, I enjoyed watching…ok, perhaps “enjoyed” is rather strong…the the Pirates versus the D-Backs, as I happened upon it during the MLB preview.
Moments after I flipped on the game, with the Pirates already in an 8-0 hole, Douggie sent me this cam phone shot of DJ Carrasco in stirrups. Despite the distorted photo, it was great seeing Carrasco wearing his stirrups correctly, unlike during last year’s Civil Rights Game.
Thanks Douggie.
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OK everyone, that’ll do it for today. Remember, the free preview of MLB Extra Innings should allow pretty much everyone to see the Astros/Phillies game. For those of you not still giddy over “Opening Week,” there’s a little golf tournament going on down in Augusta (more on that tomorrow), with the artist formerly known as Eldrick back on the prowl. And, oh yeah…I guess there is still some excitement left in the NHL as the Blue Shirts defeated the Broad Street Bullies last night to force basically a “winner take all” rematch on Sunday.
One last bit of “uni tracking” news, coupled with yesterday’s announcement of the new uniforms for UVA — check out this uniform tracking analysis…that’s um…pretty thorough. Wonder if any of UW’s baseball trackers will go to those extremes.
And on that note, have a great Saturday everyone.
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Now this guy is a first ball hitter. He’ll either swing at the first pitch or he’ll take it. — Rusty Staub, as a member of the Colt 45s
Three games into the baseball season and we already have our first jersey typo. It happened yesterday afternoon in Houston, where Giants reserve outfielder Eugenio Velez had his city name misspelled. This was his first appearance of the season, so it’s not clear if he’d also been wearing the typo on Monday and Tuesday, but it seems likely. After all, it’s not like he needed to switch to a new jersey after sitting on the bench for two days. (Special shout-out to all you people at Majestic who I know are reading this: Congrats on setting what must be the record for the earliest typo in a season. Well done!)
The Giants’ announcers didn’t notice the glitch — not when Velez entered the game as part of a double-switch in the 7th inning, and not during either of his plate appearances. The Houston broadcast team didn’t notice it either. But the Associated Press did, as you can see in this photo caption. Later on, the AP’s Giants beat reporter even went the extra mile by calling Velez (who by that time was headed to the airport on the Giants’ team bus) to ask him about the typo. I’m gonna have to find out who that reporter was — very nice work.
• For over two decades now, several teams have based their batboys’ uni numbers on the calendar year: 86 in 1986, 05 in 2005, 06 in 2006, and so on. For the past few years I’ve been wondering what these teams would do in 2010, because you can’t have a batboy wearing No. 10. I figured these teams would have the batboys wear BB (which several teams have been doing all along), or else just have them go numberless (ditto). In the Mets’ case, it turns out they have the batboys wearing double-zero, which makes no sense at all — especially since that’s already been Mr. Met’s number for years now. I’m very curious about the batboys for other teams who’d been using calendar-based uni numbers, so please keep me posted regarding any observations you make on this topic.
• The Pirates wore their alternate jerseys and caps yesterday — except for bench coach Gary Varsho, who wore the primary cap (screen shot courtesy of Doug Keklak). Of course, the two cap designs are so ridiculously similar that we can cut Varsho some slack on this one.
• Mike Galloway reports that Royals first baseman Billy Butler was wearing a Fudd cap last night. The box score says the game conditions were 45 degs. and rainy, so I guess he’s entitled.
• It’s tough to see, but I’m told that the smudge to the right of the MLB logo on the back of Andy Pettitte’s cap last night was a handwritten “Geno” inscription — a shout-out to ailing Yanks trainer Gene Monahan.
ESPN Reminder: In case you missed it yesterday, my curling story is up. Enjoy.
NCAA Contest Reminder: I still haven’t heard from a few of you contest winners. For details, look here.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Here’s a nice photo of Terence Kearns, me, and Ed Westfield Jr., taken at my Brooklyn Beefsteak birthday bash last month. … The Yomiuri Giants wore small black sleeve ribbons yesterday in memory of coach Takuya Kimura, who died of a brain hemorrhage. Ditto for their minor league team. Interesting to see an actual strip of ribbon, instead of a patch depicting a ribbon — simple, subtle, effective (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … What’s that running along the length of the Fenway Park foul pole? Apparently it’s neon lighting! Never heard of anything like this. New for this season, I assume? (Great spot by Jeff Spry.) … You may have known that there are two giant caps outside the Angels’ stadium. But did you know they include the MLB logo on the back and New Era tagging (size 649-1/2) inside? (Pics courtesy of Kyle Cattermole.) … Dan Cichalski put together a collage of this week’s Opening Day logos. Answer key here. “Curiously, the White Sox did not have one on the field,” says Dan. … Paul Wiederecht found some interesting Giants shots from 1958 — the year they moved to San Francisco. First, check out the welcome wagon the city laid out for them. Next, dig these great usherette uniforms with awesome sleeve patches. … Kenn Tomasch was in Boulder last weekend and took pics of some interesting U. of Colorado memorabilia, including a 1938 Cotton Bowl jacket, an amazing old football uni of uncertain vintage (love the silver helmet at the traction panels on the jersey), and — wait for it — a sensational boxing robe! … Disturbing news from Maria Skolnick, who reports that MLB 2K8 showed Juan Pierre wearing his stirrups backwards. … Yesterday’s mention of this supermarket hockey coupon/card prompted Bill Schaefer to send a mother lode from his collection. “A number of them were harmed in the great bizzard of 1974-75, when they blew all over a snow-filled driveway and some were never retrieved,” he says. “That’s the only reason this isn’t a complete set.” … Katie Moorhead noted that all the recent curling coverage here on the site has failed to include any mention of curling pins, which typically get handed out at bonspiels. “I’m at least a fourth-generation curler and have a pretty extensive collection of pins from my great-grandmother, grandmother, and mom,” she writes. “Unfortunately I am at college five hours away from home, so I can’t send any pictures of them. But I found this link that shows lots of different pins.” Man, you could spend a whole day clicking around from that page — tons of good stuff. Naturally, I’m partial to this one. … John Goodrich was poking around in the Indiana Historical Society archives and came up with sheet music for some old-time baseball songs, including “My Old Man Is Baseball Mad” and “The Baseball Glide.” Someone who can read music should play these and make audio files to share with the rest of us, yes? Yes. … Paul Wiederecht managed to talk to some of the San Jose Giants equipment staffers and learned that the striped socks being worn throughout the Giants organization do not come from Twin City Knitting, as I had assumed, but rather from a local operation called Valley Images. Paul also noted that the team has some bats with some wild paint and tape designs. … Also from Paul: this page of old Giants farm team photos. Among the highlights: Salty Parker, who managed the Mets for 11 games in 1967, as a Dallas Eagle (love that sleeve patch) and Chris Brown posing for one of history’s more unfortunate publicity shots.
Yesterday I mentioned that the Astros’ throwback game this Saturday will feature throwback grounds crew and usher uniforms. I showed some pics of the old spaceman uniforms that the grounds crew used to wear, but I couldn’t find any shots of the old “Spacette” attire worn by the female ushers back in the ’60s.
Fortunately, a gaggle of readers quickly came to my rescue, and then some. The first was Jon Helf, who runs the mighty Fleer Sticker Project site. Here’s the note he sent me:
Here are some Spacette photos, and also a link to a post I previously did on an upcoming documentary about the Astrodome. The embedded video has some great footage of the construction of the dome and the famous “Home Run Spectacular” from the Astros scoreboard. Thus far the documentary hasn’t been released, but I’m hoping it will be soon, as it looks great.
Next up, about an hour later, was reader Douglas Hirschman. He came up with this photo, along with a bonus shot of a groundskeeper (both from a book about ballparks, he said).
And about an hour after that I got a barrage of communiqués from Lance “Squiddie” Smith. The first one featured these two Spacette photos, both taken from this old Astrodome promo movie (which I strongly recommend — highly entertaining).
A few minutes after that, he sent me an absolutely essential video that is required viewing, people — it’s barely over a minute long, so check it out (the first 20 seconds are blank for some reason, so skip ahead to the 0:20 mark):
Those early drawings look amazing, right? I was thinking to myself, “Dang, if only we could see the original sketches” when Lance sent me yet another note: “Those Astrodome uniforms were designed by Evelyn Norton Anderson. Her papers are at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library. They have a page listing what’s available.”
Whoa — that looks like the freakin’ mother lode of stadium personnel uniform artwork! And not just Astrodome staffers, but Colt .45s material too (before there were Spacettes, there were Triggerettes). I want to see it. I need to see it.
According to Google Maps, I live 1,633 miles away from the Houston Public Library — not so far in the grand scheme of things, but I’m guessing a few of you are situated a bit more advantageously. So here’s what I’m proposing: Howzabout if one of you (or more, if you’d like to make it a group outing) goes down to the library and makes copies of, oh, every single Colts- and Astros-related page in Anderson’s archive. I’ll happily underwrite the copying costs. And then you can make scans of of the copies and either upload them to an image-hosting site or e-mail them to me. And then I’ll take it from there.
If you live less than 1,633 miles from the Houston Public Library and would like to be part of this project, you know what to do.
Too Good for the Ticker: I think most of us would agree that the history’s greatest uni number design is the cable car treatment on Golden State’s old “The City” jerseys. But
my ESPN colleague and longtime Uni Watch buddy Rob Neyer has come up with a strong contender for second place. Rob was looking through this book about the Carolina League and came upon a photo of Chuck Weatherspoon of the Wilson (N. Carolina) Tobs — check it out.
Thing of beauty, right? Can’t tell if it was a giant circular patch (which would’ve been really uncomfy) or just some a lot of extra piping. Either way, looks awesome.
The date of the photo is uncertain, but Weatherspoon played for the Tobs in 1960, ’61, ’65, and ’66, so it’s presumably from one of those years.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Cool postcard showing the evolution of football uniforms here (good find by Mike Hersh). … Yesterday I asked why a Louisville Colonels player would have a “W” on his jersey. Terence Schull has an theory: “The Braves’ minor league affiliate prior to the Louisville Colonels was the Wichita Braves from 1956-58. I’m guessing that the jersey in the photo was in the process of being stripped of the Wichita lettering to be re-used as a Colonels jersey.” … Another follow-up from yesterday: I asked if anyone could think of a bench player who’d worn a captaincy “C.” Andy Chalifour came up with one: Davey Concepcion, in his final season. … Dr. Dre is marketing Red Sox headphones (with thanks to Richard Stover). … Tons of awesome old wrestling photos here (with thanks to Chad Todd). … “My mom, Julie Zoss, made two cheerleading uniforms for my four-year-old daughter’s doll,” writes Jeff Zoss. “The maroon and gold EP uniform is for East Peoria High School in East Peoria, Illinois, where I am an assistant football coach. My mom used my daughter’s Illinois uniform as a template for the doll’s other uniform.” I can’t decide if these are brilliant or creepy. Probably both. … Fairly mortifying look at how brands are gaining even more exposure in movies these days here. … Speaking of branding, Matt Benedict reports that Big Papi conducted an interview the other day with his chest swoosh scratched out and “Reebok” written in. … Patrick Runge reports that Birmingham City is letting its fans vote on the team’s kit. … No photo, but Matthew Robins says a West Virginia player got blood on his jersey on Saturday. They apparently didn’t have a blood jersey handy, because the player ended up wearing someone else’s jersey, with black electrical tape covering up the NOB. Anyone know more, and/or have any images? … Last April I ran a guest entry from Idaho State media director Frank Mercogliano, who wrote about the DIY scoreboard he made for the school’s softball team. A year later, he reports that the scoreboard is still going strong. … Latest Gazoo devotee: the Phillies’ batboy (screen shot courtesy of Wojciech Gluszak). … The Mets’ new cream-retro pinstripes look pretty much the same as the old white pinstripes. Additional pics here. …Noteworthy first-pitch attire: President Obama in a Nationals jacket and a Chisox cap, Kurt Warner in a D-Backs jersey, and Roger Staubach in a Rangers cap. … A little birdie tells me the Jazz may have a significant uni-related announcement at their final home game, which is next Tuesday. … CBS’s lineup shot for Butler’s starting five last night showed very inconsistent NCAA patching (with thanks to Chris Mycoskie). … Well, that didn’t take long. Tim Haller spotted that guy at yesterday’s Nats opener. … Great work by Mike Mattison, who spotted a “Frenchy” label on the back of Jeff Francoeur’s helmet. … Speaking of Mets helmets, Dan Cichalski caught something really interesting yesterday: After swiping a base in the 3rd inning, Luis Castillo switched from the left-handed helmet he’d been wearing to a right-handed helmet. … Things I really liked yesterday: the Astros’ anniversary patch and the Twins’ new road grays — except for Orlando Hudson, whose front uni number was inexplicably missing, plus he should’ve worn a navy arm sleeve instead of that red one (big thanks to David Teigland for the screen shot). … New logos for the Everett Aquasox. “Love the sideways Mariners trident!” says Ethan Allen.
For reasons not worth explaining, I’m always forced to wait until late March or early April to do my taxes. By that time, my accountant’s schedule is tight, and I end up having to take whatever time slot he has available. As a result, there have been several years when I’ve had no choice but to meet with him on Opening Day.
When it comes to the pain/pleasure continuum, you’d be hard-pressed to find more powerfully charged polar opposites than the 1040 and the 6-4-3. But I really outdid myself in 2004, when circumstance forced me to have a root canal and have my annual tax session with the accountant before running home and watching the Mets open their season in Atlanta. That was the game when Kaz Matsui hit the first pitch of the season (and of his MLB career) for a home run — a potent palliative for the multiple forms of suffering I’d endured that day.
And so it was that I found myself driving to Queens yesterday afternoon to meet with Mr. Accountant. It was a beautiful day, and doing my taxes was about the last way I wanted to be spending it. Heavy Easter traffic made the trip that much more annoying. A few hours and one financial bloodbath later, I got back in my car and headed home. Traffic still sucked.
What I’m trying to get at is that I was in a rather foul mood by the time I sat down to watch the Yanks and Bosox. But it only took a few pitches for me to feel the familiar sensation of baseball coursing through my bloodstream like a narcotic. Goddamn that feels good. Quick, gimme another hit — and don’t cut it with baking soda this time. Yeah, good, that’s the stuff. [A little glassy-eyed now.] Mmmmm, baseballllll. Wait, what else happened today? I dunno. Who cares? Yo, cut me another line of baseball, wouldja?
And the Yankees lost! [Eyes roll back into head.]
Here, take a few hits yourself:
• First uni anomaly of the season: As several readers noted, CC Sabathia started last night’s game wearing gray spikes but quickly switched to black. (Screen shots courtesy of Don Schafer.)
• The rest of last night’s Yanks/Bosox game was largely uni-uneventful. But as Jason Varitek and his captain’s “C” trotted out along with all the other Sox bench players during the pregame introductions, I wondered to myself if any other bench player has ever worn the “C.” At least two relievers have been “C”-clad (John Franco of the Mets and Rick Aguiliera of the Cubs), but I can’t think of any other second-stringers who’ve worn the designatory letter. Anyone..?
• I’ve already reported that the Astros will be wearing 1965 throwbacks on Saturday. But I’ve just learned that the best uniforms that day won’t necessarily be the ones worn by the players. Remember how the Astros’ grounds crew used to wear spacesuits back in the Astrodome’s early days? Reader James Poisso brings news that they’ll be doing that again for next week’s throwback game. The woman in that photo is wearing a “spacette” uni, modeled after the ones worn by the Astrodome’s original ushers (which I can’t find an old photo of — little help?). Is that awesome or what? Further info here.
Today should be even better — I’m putting myself on a steady baseball IV drip that’s gonna run all day long. And this time there won’t be any traffic or accountants to worry about. Play ball, y’all.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The U. of Houston doesn’t wear road grays — more like road charcoals (with thanks to Dwight Ternes). … Neal Shaffer has posted a lengthy interview with Mitchell & Ness honcho Peter Capolino. Takes a while to read through it, but it’s worth it. It begins here and continues here. … Cricket note from Shaun Helsen, who reports that Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka has been wearing the cricket equivalent of the S100. Compare it to the more traditional helmets. … Oooh, check out the awesome jersey that Frosty recently made for Denver Gregg’s fantasy team. “He was great to work with, even though I was a pain,” says Gregg. … Bengie Molina recently discussed how he chooses equipment in his blog (with thanks to Tremaine Eto). … Jonathon Binet notes that Justin Morneau has added a more formal-looking uni number to his arm sleeve, compared to the more crude-looking number he had last year. … The Oneonta Tigers have moved to Connecticut, which of course means new uniforms and logos (with thanks to Paul Barrett). … There’s a uni-related question in the middle of this Q&A session with Colorado football coach Dan Hawkins — just search on the word “uniforms” (with thanks to Matthew Robins). … According to the second item on this page, those new UVa football uniforms will be unveiled later this week (with thanks to Justin Eller). … Jeremy Brahm reports that some Japanese baseball teams are making special uniforms for women who throw out the first pitch. … It’s “Green Week” in the NBA, which means green headbands, green warm-up shirts, green padding, and green promotional basketballs, among other things. … No way to authenticate it, but it’d be pretty cool if this really is Fred Lynn’s game-used stirrup (nice find by Dave Shucosky). … Jonathan Cain was watching the Bulls/Bobcats game on Saturday and noticed Derrick Rose wearing a pair of red-trimmed black shorts under his game shorts. It’s tough to see in those photos, but Jonathan says they were definitely baggy shorts, not compression shorts. Rose attended Memphis, so those can’t be his college shorts. Anyone know more? … There are throwbacks, and then there are throwbacks. Love that ribbed texture! (Big thanks to JK Chaney.) Nope, it’s an April Fool’s gag. … A scoreboard is for showing the score, although you’d barely know that from the New England Lacrosse Classic, which was held on Saturday. “You kind of have to hunt for the score amidst all the advertising and logos,” says Tris Wykes. … Speaking of Tris, here’s a shot of him wearing Cooperalls in the early 1980s. … Yanks bullpen coach Mike Harkey nearly ran afoul of the team’s dress code the other day. … Here’s the logo for next season’s AHL all-star game. Yes, that’s a Hershey’s Kiss at upper-right, which would be cute if it weren’t so gratuitous. … Man, that’s a lot of tape Venus Williams was wearing on Saturday. … Interesting tassles — or maybe just gathered-up shoelaces? — on John Ruiz’s boots during his bout against David Haye on Saturday night. … Philip G.’s nomination for the best team name ever: the Pensacola Dudes. … You know how baseball players used to put cabbage leaves under their caps to keep cool? The Belgian team in the 1935 Tour de France apparently did the same thing (great find by Sean Clancy). … Man, the Nats can’t do anything right. That shot is taken from this video clip of their scoreboard (good catch by David McGee). … Gerry Dincher has noticed a brand of sneakers called Gravity Defyer. with a logo that looks like a sperm cell. … The Japanese soccer team Nagoya Grampus will be giving a special jersey to their five-millionth fan (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … Jeff Mayer has noticed some new NOB styles in the cycling world. Details here. … While looking for something else, I came across this KC Chiefs baseball jersey. … Here’s an weird find by Paul Wiederecht: Braves farmhand Ron Jackson wearing a rather unartfully repurposed Braves jersey. The “L” on the cap indicates that he was playing for the Louisville Colonels, but what’s up with the “W” on the jersey?
St. Louis Browns 1939-1949: The St. Louis Browns began life as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901, moving after only one season to St. Louis, where they renamed the “Browns,” a reference to the original St. Louis national league team of the 1880’s, who by that time were themselves renamed the “Cardinals.” They would remain in St. Louis until the end of the 1953 season, when they would move to Baltimore and be renamed the “Orioles.”
Guess The Game From The Scoreboard: Back to baseball today and this one may prove tricky — or not — since the ballpark is obvious, and you can likely figure out the opposing team. Just find out when the 
Back again with more Uniform Tweaks, Concepts and Revisions today. Lots to get to, and if you have a tweak, change or concept for any sport, send them my way.
In the middle of a roadtrip, before your beloved Twins come home to “officially” open beautiful Target Field, you often find yourself down at Bub’s, and occasionally you’ll make a new acquaintence. Here’s Rick:
Joining the New York Mets, the Houston Colt .45s entered the National League in 1962 and would play for three years in Colt Stadium, a new outdoor ballpark, and which was knowingly built to be temporary, just south of Downtown Houston. While they were better than the Mets, the weren’t particularly good in their first three years, losing 96 games each year. But they had some of the 
Sometimes the news out of Steel Town just can’t wait until Monday, so our favorite Yinzer, Doug Keklak, is here to bring us the News From Pittsburgh.
