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Sunday Open Thread

Bowling Green  Miami Ohio College Football

Big Ben was on hand yesterday to see his No. 7 Miami jersey retired before the game. After Thursday’s ESPN column, I was secretly hoping for a typo. —Vince

 
  
 
Comments (107)

    Silly question. When teams retir a jersey do they use that year’s jersey, or from the time the player being honored was on the team?

    That experimental cap Tiant’s wearing was once in a display in Cooperstown about unusual caps and uniforms.

    What ever happened to the days of teams like the Blue Jays, Orioles, Padres, Brewers and Expos (and others, I’m sure) wearing caps that had different colors on the front than the back? I know the Vermont Lake Monsters of the NYPenn league and the North Adams Steeplecats of the New England Collegiate League have these types of caps, but they seem to have been phased out at the major league level.

    [quote comment=”156412″]Silly question. When teams retir a jersey do they use that year’s jersey, or from the time the player being honored was on the team?[/quote]

    The Jets retired Joe Namath and Don Maynard’s jerseys using the 1960’s jersey style, back when the current team was wearing the ’78-97 style. The team did the opposite when it retired Joe Klecko’s jersey a couple of years ago. (If you look carefully at a video or picture of the on-field ceremony, you’ll see Marty Lyons wearing his 1984 jersey with the AFL 25th Anniversary patch.)

    The Islanders had a couple of jersey retirements during the brief, unfortunate fishstick era (Clark Gillies was one, I think) and of course used the original design for the retired number.

    At Miami we used this years jersey to reitre his number, I thought we should have used a jersey from his time here but w/e. On another Miami note, the hockey team wears their numbers on the front of their home whites as you can see link and also on their home white alternates (can’t find a pic). The alternates have the same number style as the Sabres, Lightning, etc.

    [quote comment=”156412″]Silly question. When teams retir a jersey do they use that year’s jersey, or from the time the player being honored was on the team?[/quote]

    In addition, all of the Nets’ retired number banners reflect the uniform worn in that player’s time (compare the Erving and Petrovic banners).

    [quote comment=”156415″]North Adams Steeplecats of the New England Collegiate League have these types of caps, but they seem to have been phased out at the major league level.[/quote]

    Partially right. They wear the black/yellow cap on the road. At home it’s link.

    I took that picture of Nick McCully after his no-hitter at home on July 2nd. Struck out 11 that night.

    GO CATS!

    [quote comment=”156415″]What ever happened to the days of teams like the Blue Jays, Orioles, Padres, Brewers and Expos (and others, I’m sure) wearing caps that had different colors on the front than the back? I know the Vermont Lake Monsters of the NYPenn league and the North Adams Steeplecats of the New England Collegiate League have these types of caps, but they seem to have been phased out at the major league level.[/quote]

    Centennial Field in Burlington, home of the last team named Expos in baseball?
    North Adams?

    Where you at, Scott? I’m in northern CT myself.

    Historically, I have been late to the party when noticing uni-related items (so please forgive me if this has been mentioned before)… I am watching the WSH-GB game on Fox and the refs are not wearing black pants with their long sleeve zebra stripes. Is this a league-wide change this year to ditch the black? I have no pics since the game is only minutes old, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

    [quote comment=”156412″]Silly question. When teams retir a jersey do they use that year’s jersey, or from the time the player being honored was on the team?[/quote]
    The Yankees’ numbers in left field are all in Wilson varsity, although several players like Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle wore block numbers on their backs. Perhaps they just made all of the numbers consistent after the 70’s renovations. But they are still in chronological order, from left to right (4; 3; 5;…).
    When did the Yankees adopt the Wilson varsity number font?

    Jets blue and yellow look good, but they appear to be wearing green undershirts. Have other teams used matching undershirts when wearing alternate unis?

    This is way off topic, but I have nowhere else to go. What does the hand waving in front of the face mean? More and more players are doing it after a good play (or even after a decent play.)

    …too bad they’re playing so poorly. Seems to me this is the sort of 1-15/2-14 Jets team we were expecting to see going into last year. Oh well. Maybe we’ll see these unis again on Thanksgiving…

    A follow up on last weeks Packers shoe fines, link you can see Favre wearing the right shoes and Woodson wearing his yellow birthday shoes.

    Did anyone see the Kentucky/LSU game yesterday? During the game they showed clips from years when the Kentucky had defeated #1 ranked teams. During one of the clips, Kentucky had a player wearing a jersey with 1A as a number. Does anyone have the ability to get a screen grab of this. Does anyone know why they did this? Sorry after last nights tomfoolery, I can’t remember what time they showed it. I think it was later in the game though.

    Bucs wearing all-white at home against the Titans, who again are wearing the dark blue tops and the light blue pants. It would make more sense for the Titans to wear their light blue tops in Florida, but I suppose that teams generally don’t wear their alternates on the road.

    [quote comment=”156451″]This is way off topic, but I have nowhere else to go. What does the hand waving in front of the face mean? More and more players are doing it after a good play (or even after a decent play.)[/quote]
    It is from the wrestler John Cena. He does it and yells “You Can’t See Me”. It mean I am so good or so much ahead of the game. I did it to my roommate in college once after I tackled him into a snowbank. Probably gonna go the way of the throat slash.

    This is way off topic, but I have nowhere else to go. What does the hand waving in front of the face mean? More and more players are doing it after a good play (or even after a decent play.)

    Vince, it means “you can’t see me”. First time I ever saw it was when professional wrestler John Cena did it. It’s dumb. Some kid on my college team did it and we all laughed at him the next day in the film session.

    [quote comment=”156455″]Did anyone see the Kentucky/LSU game yesterday? During the game they showed clips from years when the Kentucky had defeated #1 ranked teams. During one of the clips, Kentucky had a player wearing a jersey with 1A as a number. Does anyone have the ability to get a screen grab of this. Does anyone know why they did this? Sorry after last nights tomfoolery, I can’t remember what time they showed it. I think it was later in the game though.[/quote]
    Look in yesterday’s open thread, the answer is there

    Damn the Jets are looking fine in those Titans unis! Not they’re playing, I’m just talking aesthetics.

    [quote comment=”156466″][quote comment=”156455″]Did anyone see the Kentucky/LSU game yesterday? During the game they showed clips from years when the Kentucky had defeated #1 ranked teams. During one of the clips, Kentucky had a player wearing a jersey with 1A as a number. Does anyone have the ability to get a screen grab of this. Does anyone know why they did this? Sorry after last nights tomfoolery, I can’t remember what time they showed it. I think it was later in the game though.[/quote]
    Look in yesterday’s open thread, the answer is there[/quote]
    Thanks for the help. I did a text find in yesterday’s open thread for Kentucky, but nothing came up. Feel kinda stupid that it was there. Relating to the numbers/letters, thats a pretty ridiculous thing to do just to tell people apart. We had two sets of identical twins on our college team. It’s not that hard to tell them apart.

    Is Santana Moss wearing a collared shirt underneath his jersey? Quite regal, Santana!… and completely ridiculous as well. Again, I come with no photographic evidence. Can anyone else who is watching the WSH-GB game confirm this?

    [quote comment=”156475″]Is Santana Moss wearing a collared shirt underneath his jersey? Quite regal, Santana!… and completely ridiculous as well. Again, I come with no photographic evidence. Can anyone else who is watching the WSH-GB game confirm this?[/quote]
    I’m watching the game, I’ll check

    Devin Hester started the game with a clear visor but is no longer wearing it, presumably because of the on and off rain.

    Also Desmond Clarks “C” logo on the helmet is missing part of the top of the C

    [quote comment=”156458″]This is way off topic, but I have nowhere else to go. What does the hand waving in front of the face mean? More and more players are doing it after a good play (or even after a decent play.)

    Vince, it means “you can’t see me”. First time I ever saw it was when professional wrestler John Cena did it. It’s dumb. Some kid on my college team did it and we all laughed at him the next day in the film session.[/quote]

    even more it’s been picked up by the likes of Amare Stoudemire, Tim Thomas, and G-Unit’s Tony Yayo.
    Ugh, slow days in the uni-watch realm…

    [quote comment=”156476″][quote comment=”156475″]Is Santana Moss wearing a collared shirt underneath his jersey? Quite regal, Santana!… and completely ridiculous as well. Again, I come with no photographic evidence. Can anyone else who is watching the WSH-GB game confirm this?[/quote]
    I’m watching the game, I’ll check[/quote]
    Nope, he isn’t. They just showed a close up of his fumble and he didn’t have a collar

    Is Santana Moss wearing a collared shirt underneath his jersey? Quite regal, Santana!… and completely ridiculous as well.

    Somebody (I can’t remember who) had something that looked like a collared shirt in a sideline shot, but at second glance it seemed like it was a mock turtleneck style shirt that had been cut in the middle.

    Today’s Boston Globe:

    “Color analyst makes point

    Faithful reader Jim Burrows believes the NHL is missing out on a huge marketing/branding opportunity.

    Burrows wonders why the league doesn’t mandate the use of team logos on player helmets, making them as much a part of the uniform – and, more important, team identity – as they are in football.

    “Can you imagine where the NFL would be if they had taken the same approach?” said Burrows. “Imagine the Colts playing away [games] with a blue helmet! The helmet is central to the brand in football.”

    Adding to Burrows’s point is the fact that the NHL now has all visiting teams wearing their white sweaters. Ergo, colors never really change in each of the 30 rinks. For instance, the Bruins wear black each game – and long gone are the days when the Blackhawks showed up in their blood-red sweaters, or the Canadiens in their patented red, the Sharks in their teal.

    This has only added to the anonymity factor the NHL constantly bucks. In days of yore, as clubs came into “your” building, at least the laundry changed. Now it’s just variations on the same theme – white, whiter, and whitest (maybe a Clorox sponsorship is in the offing?).

    “My suggestion is a contest in every city, to choose the helmet to be worn by every club,” said Burrows. “It will improve the brand identity of each club and the look of the game – both live and on HDTV.”

    Also, anyone know the story behind this Sox cap?
    Tiant

    I believe that is the ’74 Sox cap (precursor to the ’75 version). They wore it for the one year, home and road. Happy for someone to add to my knowledge…

    Is Santana Moss wearing a collared shirt underneath his jersey? Quite regal, Santana!… and completely ridiculous as well.

    Somebody (I can’t remember who) had something that looked like a collared shirt in a sideline shot, but at second glance it seemed like it was a mock turtleneck style shirt that had been cut in the middle.

    I remember that too. It was either will smith or charles grant of the saints.

    [quote comment=”156436″]Historically, I have been late to the party when noticing uni-related items (so please forgive me if this has been mentioned before)… I am watching the WSH-GB game on Fox and the refs are not wearing black pants with their long sleeve zebra stripes. Is this a league-wide change this year to ditch the black? I have no pics since the game is only minutes old, but I thought it was worth mentioning.[/quote]

    I’m almost certain that the black pants are used for cold weather games only.

    [quote comment=”156501″]Today’s Boston Globe:

    “Color analyst makes point

    Faithful reader Jim Burrows believes the NHL is missing out on a huge marketing/branding opportunity.

    Burrows wonders why the league doesn’t mandate the use of team logos on player helmets, making them as much a part of the uniform – and, more important, team identity – as they are in football.

    “Can you imagine where the NFL would be if they had taken the same approach?” said Burrows. “Imagine the Colts playing away [games] with a blue helmet! The helmet is central to the brand in football.”

    Adding to Burrows’s point is the fact that the NHL now has all visiting teams wearing their white sweaters. Ergo, colors never really change in each of the 30 rinks. For instance, the Bruins wear black each game – and long gone are the days when the Blackhawks showed up in their blood-red sweaters, or the Canadiens in their patented red, the Sharks in their teal.

    This has only added to the anonymity factor the NHL constantly bucks. In days of yore, as clubs came into “your” building, at least the laundry changed. Now it’s just variations on the same theme – white, whiter, and whitest (maybe a Clorox sponsorship is in the offing?).

    “My suggestion is a contest in every city, to choose the helmet to be worn by every club,” said Burrows. “It will improve the brand identity of each club and the look of the game – both live and on HDTV.”[/quote]

    I sugested the exact same thing in an ESPN column a few yrs back.

    What numbers have been retired the most? Which players have had their numbers retired by multiple teams? Which players have had different numbers retired by different teams (e.g.Reggie Jackson’s 9 by the A’s, and 44 by the Yankees)?

    [quote comment=”156516″]What numbers have been retired the most? Which players have had their numbers retired by multiple teams? Which players have had different numbers retired by different teams (e.g.Reggie Jackson’s 9 by the A’s, and 44 by the Yankees)?[/quote]
    Carlton Fisk: Red Sox 27, White Sox 72
    Henry Aaron: Brewers and Braves 44
    Casey Stengel: Mets and Yankees 37
    Rod Carew: Angels and Twins 29
    Jackie Robinson: Everybody but the Yankees 42
    Are we only talking baseball here?

    [quote comment=”156517″][quote comment=”156516″]What numbers have been retired the most? Which players have had their numbers retired by multiple teams? Which players have had different numbers retired by different teams (e.g.Reggie Jackson’s 9 by the A’s, and 44 by the Yankees)?[/quote]
    Carlton Fisk: Red Sox 27, White Sox 72
    Henry Aaron: Brewers and Braves 44
    Casey Stengel: Mets and Yankees 37
    Rod Carew: Angels and Twins 29
    Jackie Robinson: Everybody but the Yankees 42
    Are we only talking baseball here?[/quote]
    link

    [quote comment=”156458″]This is way off topic, but I have nowhere else to go. What does the hand waving in front of the face mean? More and more players are doing it after a good play (or even after a decent play.)

    Vince, it means “you can’t see me”. First time I ever saw it was when professional wrestler John Cena did it. It’s dumb. Some kid on my college team did it and we all laughed at him the next day in the film session.[/quote]

    In football, it means that a pass was uncatchable. You see defensive backs do this after manhandling receivers, trying to buy a call, because pass interference is null and void if the referee deems that the pass was uncatchable. Has nothing to do, at least in football, with the “you can’t see me” rigamorale.

    Are we only talking baseball here?

    No. How about the four majors. I’m guessing 1 and 9 in hockey to be common, and 12 and 32 in football.

    [quote comment=”156531″]Are we only talking baseball here?

    No. How about the four majors. I’m guessing 1 and 9 in hockey to be common, and 12 and 32 in football.[/quote]
    Obviously, in hockey, 99 is the most commonly retired number :-D
    In basketball, 22 and 32 are most commonly retired.

    [quote comment=”156526″]This is not at all relevant to any topics, but can anyone tell me why the link while the link (for Ohio being the 17th state)?[/quote]

    The designer they hired (and the team) never made it a big deal to get all 17 on there. The designer threw up twelve, and the organization liked it, so they kept it.

    link says:
    Some have advocated giving Roberto Clemente’s number 21 a similar treatment. They feel that Clemente’s impact on the Hispanic community is equal to that of Robinson’s on the black community. The target goal for the retirement was in time for the 2006 MLB All-Star Game in Pittsburgh, where Clemente played. RetireClemente21.com collected over 70,000 signatures for the effort.

    This seems misguided.

    Jackie Robinson was honored by baseball for his contributions to and the impact he made on baseball, not the black community. MLB is not in the position to honor someone for something they did for someone else.

    As great a ballplayer and humanitarian as Roberto Clemente was, he was not the first Latino in baseball, nor was his expirience at all similar to Jackie Robinson’s. Jackie had to get into and stay in the game. Roberto only had to play it.

    If Roberto Clemente’s number is retired for his impact on the hispanic community, then will Hideo Nomo’s or Ichiro’s be retired for their impact on the asian community?

    [quote comment=”156534″][quote comment=”156526″]This is not at all relevant to any topics, but can anyone tell me why the link while the link (for Ohio being the 17th state)?[/quote]

    The designer they hired (and the team) never made it a big deal to get all 17 on there. The designer threw up twelve, and the organization liked it, so they kept it.[/quote]

    What do the stars represent and who are the five who have been shafted?

    [quote comment=”156531″]Are we only talking baseball here?

    No. How about the four majors. I’m guessing 1 and 9 in hockey to be common, and 12 and 32 in football.[/quote]

    Just off the top of my head;

    1 has been retired by Montreal, Buffalo and NY Rangers.
    9 has been retired by Detroit, Montreal, Chicago, Boston, NY Islanders and Hartford (not sure if Carolina is keeping it retired)
    Mark Messier’s 11 retired by both Edmonton and NY Rangers.
    19 retired by Dallas and NY Islanders; Montreal will retire it this season, don’t know if Detroit has retired it for Yzerman, Colorado will do it when Sakic retires.

    [quote comment=”156454″]A follow up on last weeks Packers shoe fines, link you can see Favre wearing the right shoes and Woodson wearing his yellow birthday shoes.[/quote]

    Probly already been said but those are the T90 Lasers which Sean Taylor and Clinton Portis wear as well.

    Bill Belichick’s wearing a polo shirt today. Maybe he noticed his hoodie was missing that “E”. Also combed his hair and put on a pair of what appears to be khakis.

    [quote comment=”156555″]Bill Belichick’s wearing a polo shirt today. Maybe he noticed his hoodie was missing that “E”. Also combed his hair and put on a pair of what appears to be khakis.[/quote]

    Not positive, but I think he’s more apt to do polo/khakis routine for road games.

    [quote comment=”156500″]IMO The Chargers look better in their baby blue alternates[/quote]

    Totally agree.

    [quote comment=”156455″]Did anyone see the Kentucky/LSU game yesterday? During the game they showed clips from years when the Kentucky had defeated #1 ranked teams. During one of the clips, Kentucky had a player wearing a jersey with 1A as a number. Does anyone have the ability to get a screen grab of this. Does anyone know why they did this? Sorry after last nights tomfoolery, I can’t remember what time they showed it. I think it was later in the game though.[/quote]

    I totally saw that too! I was like JIGGA WHAT? And I had to rewind and go back.

    [quote comment=”156540″][quote comment=”156534″][quote comment=”156526″]This is not at all relevant to any topics, but can anyone tell me why the link while the link (for Ohio being the 17th state)?[/quote]

    The designer they hired (and the team) never made it a big deal to get all 17 on there. The designer threw up twelve, and the organization liked it, so they kept it.[/quote]

    What do the stars represent and who are the five who have been shafted?[/quote]
    The 17 stars represent Ohio, which was the 17th state.

    I think we can now call off the LT Flag Watch, I’m pretty sure I saw a decal on his helmet this week.

    From one website or another:

    “The union of the flag, a large blue triangle is populated with seventeen white stars. Those that are grouped around the circle represent the thirteen original colonies. The four stars found at the apex of the triangle combine with the stars of the thirteen original colonies to total seventeen. Ohio was the seventeenth state to enter the union.”

    So, link is as important as number.

    The BJs blew both. (Ba – DUM!)

    Thank you! I’ll be here all week. Try the veal.

    SB

    Belichick does tend to slightly look a little more “classy” on the road but it was also around 80 degrees at kickoff so a sweatshirt would have been too hot. ESPN Countdown actually just did a story on it this morning. He says he wears it because it’s comfortable and they also said that he likes the middle pouch of the hooded sweatshirt to hold things and put his hands in. He also cuts off the sleeves himself.

    [quote comment=”156547″][quote comment=”156531″]Are we only talking baseball here?

    No. How about the four majors. I’m guessing 1 and 9 in hockey to be common, and 12 and 32 in football.[/quote]

    Just off the top of my head;

    1 has been retired by Montreal, Buffalo and NY Rangers.
    9 has been retired by Detroit, Montreal, Chicago, Boston, NY Islanders and Hartford (not sure if Carolina is keeping it retired)
    Mark Messier’s 11 retired by both Edmonton and NY Rangers.
    19 retired by Dallas and NY Islanders; Montreal will retire it this season, don’t know if Detroit has retired it for Yzerman, Colorado will do it when Sakic retires.[/quote]
    The only relocated teams who recognize previous retired numbers are Phoenix/Winnipeg and Minnesota/Dallas. link. Note Toronto’s “Honored Players” list as opposed to retiring every number worthy. And yes, Yzerman is already in the rafters.

    [quote comment=”156475″]Is Santana Moss wearing a collared shirt underneath his jersey? Quite regal, Santana!… and completely ridiculous as well. Again, I come with no photographic evidence. Can anyone else who is watching the WSH-GB game confirm this?[/quote]

    I was watching the same SKINS-PACKERS game as you. Santana Moss was sitting on the sideline and it did appear as if he had a white collared shirt under his pads!

    [quote comment=”156547″][quote comment=”156531″]Are we only talking baseball here?

    No. How about the four majors. I’m guessing 1 and 9 in hockey to be common, and 12 and 32 in football.[/quote]

    Just off the top of my head;

    1 has been retired by Montreal, Buffalo and NY Rangers.
    9 has been retired by Detroit, Montreal, Chicago, Boston, NY Islanders and Hartford (not sure if Carolina is keeping it retired)
    Mark Messier’s 11 retired by both Edmonton and NY Rangers.
    19 retired by Dallas and NY Islanders; Montreal will retire it this season, don’t know if Detroit has retired it for Yzerman, Colorado will do it when Sakic retires.[/quote]
    Wow, link. Thanks, Wikipedia!
    (Looks like aside from 99, 7 is the most commonly retired hockey number, with a grand total of nine times.)

    It looks like the scheduled retirements for this season are Larry Robinson 19 and Bob Gainey 23 from Montreal (who is completely out of control w/ their banners) and the Rangers Brian Leetch 2, whose not listed on the Wiki page.

    Can’t say I have ever seen an aerial shot for a Seahawks game before.

    Could the TWO rooftop ‘Qwest’ logos be a bit bigger?

    [quote comment=”156569″]I think we can now call off the LT Flag Watch, I’m pretty sure I saw a decal on his helmet this week.[/quote]
    Nope! Still without it! link

    [quote comment=”156569″]I think we can now call off the LT Flag Watch, I’m pretty sure I saw a decal on his helmet this week.[/quote]
    Sorry, but alas, no flag for LT :(

    link

    If that link dont work, try this:
    Here

    [quote comment=”156584″][quote comment=”156569″]I think we can now call off the LT Flag Watch, I’m pretty sure I saw a decal on his helmet this week.[/quote]
    Nope! Still without it! link[/quote]
    LOL You beat me by MILLISECONDS!

    [quote comment=”156556″][quote comment=”156555″]Bill Belichick’s wearing a polo shirt today. Maybe he noticed his hoodie was missing that “E”. Also combed his hair and put on a pair of what appears to be khakis.[/quote]

    Not positive, but I think he’s more apt to do polo/khakis routine for road games.[/quote]

    For warm weather away games, it’s the Polo and khakis. Dallas was warmer than it was here in Massachusetts where most of us were wearing our hoodies.

    It looks like the scheduled retirements for this season are Larry Robinson 19 and Bob Gainey 23 from Montreal (who is completely out of control w/ their banners)

    I don’t know if they’ve put up retired number banners at the Bell Centre, but the Coupe Stanley Cup banners were the only ones at the Forum. There were enough to be considered “out of control”.

    [quote comment=”156514″][quote comment=”156501″]Today’s Boston Globe:

    “Color analyst makes point

    Faithful reader Jim Burrows believes the NHL is missing out on a huge marketing/branding opportunity.

    Burrows wonders why the league doesn’t mandate the use of team logos on player helmets, making them as much a part of the uniform – and, more important, team identity – as they are in football.

    “Can you imagine where the NFL would be if they had taken the same approach?” said Burrows. “Imagine the Colts playing away [games] with a blue helmet! The helmet is central to the brand in football.”

    Adding to Burrows’s point is the fact that the NHL now has all visiting teams wearing their white sweaters. Ergo, colors never really change in each of the 30 rinks. For instance, the Bruins wear black each game – and long gone are the days when the Blackhawks showed up in their blood-red sweaters, or the Canadiens in their patented red, the Sharks in their teal.

    This has only added to the anonymity factor the NHL constantly bucks. In days of yore, as clubs came into “your” building, at least the laundry changed. Now it’s just variations on the same theme – white, whiter, and whitest (maybe a Clorox sponsorship is in the offing?).

    “My suggestion is a contest in every city, to choose the helmet to be worn by every club,” said Burrows. “It will improve the brand identity of each club and the look of the game – both live and on HDTV.”[/quote]

    I sugested the exact same thing in an ESPN column a few yrs back.[/quote]
    Any chance of you reprinting that article here?

    [quote comment=”156602″][quote comment=”156514″][quote comment=”156501″]Today’s Boston Globe:

    “Color analyst makes point

    Faithful reader Jim Burrows believes the NHL is missing out on a huge marketing/branding opportunity.

    Burrows wonders why the league doesn’t mandate the use of team logos on player helmets, making them as much a part of the uniform – and, more important, team identity – as they are in football.

    “Can you imagine where the NFL would be if they had taken the same approach?” said Burrows. “Imagine the Colts playing away [games] with a blue helmet! The helmet is central to the brand in football.”

    Adding to Burrows’s point is the fact that the NHL now has all visiting teams wearing their white sweaters. Ergo, colors never really change in each of the 30 rinks. For instance, the Bruins wear black each game – and long gone are the days when the Blackhawks showed up in their blood-red sweaters, or the Canadiens in their patented red, the Sharks in their teal.

    This has only added to the anonymity factor the NHL constantly bucks. In days of yore, as clubs came into “your” building, at least the laundry changed. Now it’s just variations on the same theme – white, whiter, and whitest (maybe a Clorox sponsorship is in the offing?).

    “My suggestion is a contest in every city, to choose the helmet to be worn by every club,” said Burrows. “It will improve the brand identity of each club and the look of the game – both live and on HDTV.”[/quote]

    I sugested the exact same thing in an ESPN column a few yrs back.[/quote]
    Any chance of you reprinting that article here?[/quote]
    Or at least give us a date so we can dig into the archive?

    It looks like the scheduled retirements for this season are Larry Robinson 19 and Bob Gainey 23 from Montreal (who is completely out of control w/ their banners) and the Rangers Brian Leetch 2, whose not listed on the Wiki page.

    Is it just me, or is there something not quite right about the Rangers retiring 2 for Brian Leetch, but not for Brad Park?

    Rockies in black. D-backs in red.

    D-backs catcher wearing the gray road mask and gear with the red alt, which just looks odd.

    Obviously, in hockey, 99 is the most commonly retired number :-D
    In basketball, 22 and 32 are most commonly retired.

    22? I’ve got Dave DeBuesschure(sp?)and Elgin Baylor. Who else?

    [quote comment=”156609″]Obviously, in hockey, 99 is the most commonly retired number :-D
    In basketball, 22 and 32 are most commonly retired.

    22? I’ve got Dave DeBuesschure(sp?)and Elgin Baylor. Who else?[/quote]

    Celtics’ Ed Macauley.

    [quote comment=”156609″]Obviously, in hockey, 99 is the most commonly retired number :-D
    In basketball, 22 and 32 are most commonly retired.

    22? I’ve got Dave DeBuesschure(sp?)and Elgin Baylor. Who else?[/quote]
    link

    North Adams Steeplecats of the New England Collegiate League have these types of caps, but they seem to have been phased out at the major league level.

    Partially right. They wear the black/yellow cap on the road. At home it’s solid black.

    What do you mean “partially right”? My phrasing makes me EXACTLY right… :)

    I guess Arizona and Colorado answered my question: both teams CAN wear dark-colored alternates so long as they are not the same color. It looks like a spring-training game tonight.

    [quote comment=”156571″]From one website or another:

    “The union of the flag, a large blue triangle is populated with seventeen white stars. Those that are grouped around the circle represent the thirteen original colonies. The four stars found at the apex of the triangle combine with the stars of the thirteen original colonies to total seventeen. Ohio was the seventeenth state to enter the union.”

    So, link is as important as number.

    The BJs blew both. (Ba – DUM!)

    Thank you! I’ll be here all week. Try the veal.

    SB[/quote]

    Well played and how the hell does something like that get overlooked?!

    [quote comment=”156615″]North Adams Steeplecats of the New England Collegiate League have these types of caps, but they seem to have been phased out at the major league level.

    Partially right. They wear the black/yellow cap on the road. At home it’s solid black.

    What do you mean “partially right”? My phrasing makes me EXACTLY right… :)

    I guess Arizona and Colorado answered my question: both teams CAN wear dark-colored alternates so long as they are not the same color. It looks like a spring-training game tonight.[/quote]
    Or too similar. The D-Backs in black (must have been a Saturday day game) and the Mets (very late in the season, because I remember Trevor Hoffman losing it twice), on several occasions, made the visiting Padres wear their “technically road, but thanks to the over-used alternate, essentially ‘to avoid clashing'” khaki tops. So apparently, you can’t have black and navy in the same game.

    FSN Detroit just went through a brief history of LA Kings uniforms, because it’s the 40th anniversary of the Kings’ first game. They showed the old solid yellow version, Gretzky’s black and white, and the current black and purple ones.

    [quote comment=”156576″][quote comment=”156475″]Is Santana Moss wearing a collared shirt underneath his jersey? Quite regal, Santana!… and completely ridiculous as well. Again, I come with no photographic evidence. Can anyone else who is watching the WSH-GB game confirm this?[/quote]

    I was watching the same SKINS-PACKERS game as you. Santana Moss was sitting on the sideline and it did appear as if he had a white collared shirt under his pads![/quote]

    link is the best picture that I can find so far of the alleged white-collared wide receiver, although I completely acknowledge that it is not conclusive evidence.

    Brady to Brady TD. Not T. Brady to K. Brady.

    I saw that too and was wondering – I thought the NFL required the teams to use the initialed nameplates when two players shared the same last name?

    Also, the Minnesota/Chicago game got me thinking – what would happen if both Adrian Petersons ended up on the same team? What would the NFL require on their nameplates? Middle initials?

    Seahawks linebacker Julian Peterson is wearing some awful shoes tonight.

    In college action on ESPN, Boise State is going with the blue monochromatic look on the blue turf. At game speed, I wonder how much trouble this gives the quarterback trying to find his receivers, or for the opposing quarterback to locate their defenders.

    One of the AP Photos from tonight’s baseball game is a great close up of link. Its a pretty good fake job, even up close!

    So happy to see the Saints wearing the gold pants. Now if only they decide to wear them with the black jerseys.

    [quote comment=”156626″]One of the AP Photos from tonight’s baseball game is a great close up of link. Its a pretty good fake job, even up close![/quote]
    I’m wondering why they didn’t just take out the swoosh. It’s probably sewn on around the border. Should be easy to remove.
    A well-executed re-branding.

    [quote comment=”156594″]
    I don’t know if they’ve put up retired number banners at the Bell Centre, but the Coupe Stanley Cup banners were the only ones at the Forum. There were enough to be considered “out of control”.
    [/quote]

    As a die-hard Montreal Canadiens fan who has been to the Forum on numerous occasions, I can tell you for a fact that they did have the retired numbers hanging from the rafters. Until recently, the organization was criticized for having so few numbers retired. Over the past 2 years, they have done a good job of honoring more players.

    1 – Jacques Plante (10/07/1995)
    2 – Doug Harvey (10/26/1985)
    4 – Jean Beliveau (10/09/1971)
    5 – Bernard Geoffrion (03/11/2006)
    7 – Howie Morenz (11/02/1937)
    9 – Maurice Richard (10/06/1960)
    10 – Guy Lafleur (02/16/1985)
    12 – Dickie Moore and Yvon Cournoyer (11/12/2005)
    16 – Henri Richard (12/10/1975)
    18 – Serge Savard (11/18/2006)
    19 – Larry Robinson (11/19/2007)
    23 – Bob Gainey (02/23/2008)
    29 – Ken Dryden (01/29/2007)

    on the topic of retired numbers…wasn’t Dale Murphy’s No. 3 also retired by the Rox for a brief period of time?

    [quote comment=”156639″]Don’t Les Habs also have retired numbers from Les Expos hanging from the rafters?[/quote]

    Yep.

    link

    I don’t know if anybody has posted this or not, I didn’t see it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. In tonight’s Saints/Seahawks game, Matt Hasselbeck didn’t have the green stripes around the bottom of his sleeves like he is supposed to.

    [quote comment=”156530″][quote comment=”156458″]This is way off topic, but I have nowhere else to go. What does the hand waving in front of the face mean? More and more players are doing it after a good play (or even after a decent play.)

    Vince, it means “you can’t see me”. First time I ever saw it was when professional wrestler John Cena did it. It’s dumb. Some kid on my college team did it and we all laughed at him the next day in the film session.[/quote]

    In football, it means that a pass was uncatchable. You see defensive backs do this after manhandling receivers, trying to buy a call, because pass interference is null and void if the referee deems that the pass was uncatchable. Has nothing to do, at least in football, with the “you can’t see me” rigamorale.[/quote]
    nope, that “uncatchable” motion is the hand over the head, not in front. this is definitely that “you can’t see me” thing.

    As a die-hard Montreal Canadiens fan who has been to the Forum on numerous occasions, I can tell you for a fact that they did have the retired numbers hanging from the rafters.

    Casey,

    I was there in January 1995, and I don’t remember them, unlike how well I remember the Cup banners. I found a photo of the banners in the Bell Centre, but can’t find one for the Forum. Can you point me to a picture of them in the Forum? Thanks.

    Hey, Im not sure if this has been discussed, but what happened to Hawaii wearing silver helmets on the road? On Friday night they wore their home Green helmets with their white road uniforms.

    link

    link

    There are better pictures from both games available on their respective espn game recap pages but the link to those pictures would not work.

    i still think the cowboys’ pants look like mouthwash, or toothpaste. actually, their whole color scheme is toothpaste!

    Vido link with a commentator talking about and showing Martin Gerber’s new mask. Not only is the paint job mentioned, but apparently he’s using a new and safer mask that’s supposed to reduce concussions because of it’s shape.

    [quote comment=”156556″][quote comment=”156555″]Bill Belichick’s wearing a polo shirt today. Maybe he noticed his hoodie was missing that “E”. Also combed his hair and put on a pair of what appears to be khakis.[/quote]

    Not positive, but I think he’s more apt to do polo/khakis routine for road games.[/quote]

    It was 80 degrees at gametime. I don’t think he really needed the hoody.

    [quote comment=”156514″][quote comment=”156501″]Today’s Boston Globe:

    “Color analyst makes point

    Faithful reader Jim Burrows believes the NHL is missing out on a huge marketing/branding opportunity.

    Burrows wonders why the league doesn’t mandate the use of team logos on player helmets, making them as much a part of the uniform – and, more important, team identity – as they are in football.

    “Can you imagine where the NFL would be if they had taken the same approach?” said Burrows. “Imagine the Colts playing away [games] with a blue helmet! The helmet is central to the brand in football.”

    Adding to Burrows’s point is the fact that the NHL now has all visiting teams wearing their white sweaters. Ergo, colors never really change in each of the 30 rinks. For instance, the Bruins wear black each game – and long gone are the days when the Blackhawks showed up in their blood-red sweaters, or the Canadiens in their patented red, the Sharks in their teal.

    This has only added to the anonymity factor the NHL constantly bucks. In days of yore, as clubs came into “your” building, at least the laundry changed. Now it’s just variations on the same theme – white, whiter, and whitest (maybe a Clorox sponsorship is in the offing?).

    “My suggestion is a contest in every city, to choose the helmet to be worn by every club,” said Burrows. “It will improve the brand identity of each club and the look of the game – both live and on HDTV.”[/quote]

    I sugested the exact same thing in an ESPN column a few yrs back.[/quote]

    Wait, what? Every team in the NHL does have either the logo or wordmark of the team on both sides of their helmets. Does he mean just larger logos?

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