By Phil Hecken (turning the double play with UW Graphics Star, Paul Soto)
A few scant weeks ago, during a discussion in the Uni Watch comments section, a question was posed as to whether teams, like the Milwaukee Brewers, who currently wear “Team” names on their roadies, should sport their “City” name instead (as the Baltimore Orioles once wore, and will again be wearing during the 2009 season). “Ask and ye shall receive” was the refrain shortly thereafter in the comments, as UW stalwart Pretty Boy Paulie produced this fantastic concept jersey to give us all a visualization of what the Brewers away uniform might look like if the team were to place their city’s name on the front, instead of their current incarnation.
I must note here that others, such as UW poster Chance Michaels, have also conceptualized some new unis for the Brew Crew; here’s another concept. While coming up with new concepts for “your team” is nothing new, there has to be a reason the Brewers keep coming up as a team in need of a “tweak,” with an overriding desire to place the city name on the away jersey. Why hasn’t Milwaukee already done so?
It couldn’t be that “Milwaukee” is “too long” or would appear unweildy. After all, the Brewers have also worn these. Is it just resistance to change? Is it fear that by removing “Brewers” and replacing it with “Milwaukee,” they may lose (or alienate) fans from other Wisconsin towns? That is, of course, a subject for another day and time. But with Paulie producing that graphic that day on Uni Watch, my interest in the conceptualization of alternate jerseys was placed into overdrive from it’s already hyperactive normal state.
Paulie didn’t just “tweak” the Brewers uni, he took on others as well. He produced two more images that day, one of the St. Louis Cardinals, and one of the Tampa Bay Rays, each graphically depicting how those two team’s road uniforms would look were they to include their city name instead of the team name. Shortly thereafter, I contacted Paul to see if he’d be interested in ‘producing’ other concept jerseys for the other teams. He happily obliged, and has already provided me with more than sixty such depictions, some of which will be shown in this column. They range from the aforementioned “city-name-on-away” jerseys, to tweaks to current uniforms, to entirely new concepts, to what we have been calling on Uni Watch, the “fauxback.”
Uni Watch founder Paul Lukas didn’t coin the term, but I asked him for his definition of the word, to which he replied, a “fauxback” is “A retro-ish uniform that is clearly meant to evoke a particular design from the past but does not quite duplicate that design faithfully (sometimes due to laziness or inattention to detail, sometimes intentionally).”
But that’s Paul’s interpretation of someone else’s term. Pressed further, he continues, “I don’t know who coined it, and I’m not positive I’m interpreting it correctly. One reason I haven’t used it myself is that I’m not entirely comfortable with it — ‘faux’ has a very negative connotation, and I think some ‘fauxbacks’ don’t deserve the negative vibe. The Brewers’ throwback, e.g., isn’t an exact replica of their 1982 uniform, but the differences are intentional and, I think, perfectly acceptable. It’s not a ‘pure’ (i.e., exactly accurate) throwback, but I don’t think that’s a negative thing.”
With that in mind, two examples of what I deem a “fauxback” are found in the Phillies alt and the Indians alt. Because the term is still open to interpretation, however, I must note that Mr. Lukas doesn’t consider the Indians alternate to be a “fauxback” whereas I do. Your thoughts on this are welcome and encouraged.
So, without further ado, lets meet the man behind the UW “fauxbacks”, Mr. Paul Soto, also known as “Pretty Boy Paulie.”
Phil Hecken: So Paul, I, like so many others who frequent Uni Watch, love uniforms. First question: “What drove you to ‘tweak the MLB uniforms”?
Paul Soto: With a little Adobe Photoshop dexterity and imagination, anybody can make their uniform dreams come true.
PH: Well, I have Photoshop and I’d like to think I have an imagination, but I can’t do what you do. Anyway, what’s your take on major league uniforms?
PS: In my opinion, I believe most uniforms in the MLB are just a tweak away from perfection. Whether it is a logo switch, addition of a sleeve patch or just a splash of color on the number trim. Some, on the other hand, need a total revamp *cough* Blue Jays *cough*.
PH: How’d you get your screen name, and is that also your nickname?
PS: The nickname “Pretty Boy Paulie” is a childhood name that was given to me during my elementary years. Coach Jimmy Paul, my softball/baseball coach, would always heckle me from the dugout. I had a “thing” where I would dust off my uniform, straighten up my high cuffed socks and make sure my jersey was buttoned up and tucked in. I did this before every at bat, as soon as I got on base and in the outfield between pitches. Coach Paul would yell out “Quit being such a pretty boy Paulie! Get dirty!”
PH:: So, you’re kind of a “throwback” player, then. I’m impressed. Do you still do this?
PS: My strange tick has never disrupted a play nor has it ever took my attention away from a game. That was around 15 years ago and I still kinda do it.
PH: Nice. Do you have any other quirks, uniform or other?
PS: In my junior year of high school, I always wore different colored and striped socks for every game. I was about the only one who wore the striped socks and coach didn’t care for them. So homecoming game we were going to play at a stadium that had a turf field. That gave me more footwear freedom. I decided to break out a pair of gold and white Air Jordan XVI’s with white and navy striped socks. Our uniforms were replicas of Notre Dame’s. When coach saw me he said “Dammit Paul! Why do you have to be such a damn pretty boy”.
PH: OK, back to what we’re about to see. Which version of Photoshop do you use (because that’s obviously what’s holding me back), and can you tell me how you do it?
PS: Adobe Photoshop 7.0 is my current program for image manipulation (I know it’s kinda old). I pretty much start but using a the current uniform template of a team, you can find these on Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos. Then I paint over the logos, wordmarks and/or numbers that I plan to remove or adjust. You can use the paint bucket at a 10% tolerance, to ensure you don’t overpaint it and you get a smooth color. The “magic wand” is also a great tool to use when you’re try to remove unwanted colors and lines to ensure you get a seamless design placement.
PH: You lost me there, but that’s OK. We decided to do our first column on “fauxbacks,” which are my personal favorites for teams that absolutely, positively insist on having an alternate uniform. What do you think of them?
PS: “Fauxbacks” really should be utilized by all teams in the MLB…at least where applicable. It’s a great marketing tool and fans love nostalgia.
PH: What was your inspiration for the “fauxbacks” we’re about to see?
PS: I feel that “fauxbacks” shouldn’t just focus on one year or design in particular. They can take elements from different decades and generations and try to fuse them together. I just wouldn’t take a design from the 40’s and use logos from the 80’s on a uniform…but that’s should be common sense, no?
PH: Common sense and baseball design sometimes seem mutually exclusive. But for the most part, I LOVE your “fauxbacks.” Let’s have a look-see, and maybe you can describe your inspiration or guidelines for each one.
PS: Sure. Here we go! Some of these “fauxbacks” could actually become the team’s uniform! My designs are in bold.
Oakland A’s: You gotta love this one! This is one my favorites. The color combination is awesome! It’s based on the 1973-1984 design. Most of the design elements are still intact minus the green and yellow striped elastic waistband. The stripes were shrunk down in order to appeal to today’s modern crowd but still be true to the original. The A’s current colors were used, which really haven’t changed at all. Today’s colors are just a few shades darker. The green jersey can be worn at home as well as on the road. I did not produce a yellow jersey because I’m not sure if it would even be welcomed today. It would be best to keep the yellow jersey as a “throwback.” As a testament to the Athletics’ past.
Chicago Cubs: My second favorite! Last June the Cubs hosted a “Turn Back the Clock game” where the Cubs and Braves wore uniforms of the mid to late 40’s. Both teams looks MAR-VE-LOUS! The only problem was the Cubs’ uniforms were inaccurate. They wore navy caps that had a red wishbone “C’ with white trim….the Cubs never wore this hat. A royal blue cap with a red wishbone “C’ during those years. Their uniforms were pure white and not cream. So I wanted to correct that by doing a basic cream uniform that used their current numberals and current cap. The primary logo on the jersey was used from 1957-1978 which featured a thin blue ring around “Cubs”. Royal blue stir-ups with red stripes makes a return and is simply dashing. The road jersey‘s design is based on an early 40’s design and the wordmark was used from the early 50’s to the late 60’s. The jersey is to be worn as a vest and not a sleeveless jersey…there is a difference. Striped sleeves on the undershirt may be tough to pull off but a phone call to Nike and Majestic may get things sorted out….or am I being unrealistic? Striped stir-ups are worn and current numbers and cap is also featured.
Cleveland Indians: This one is inspired by the “adventurous” mid-70’s look. From 1973-1977 the cartoonish wordmark and cap logo rebelled, so to speak, from the Indians usual conservative look. The Indians’ current uniform template and typeface was used to balance out the color and wordmark. Red to stun at home and a navy blue jersey to keep it classy on the road.
San Francisco Giants: Another flashy design from a team’s conservative history in uniforms. From 1977-1982 the Giants jersey bore a script wordmark. San Fran’s current uni template and numbers are used. Black jerseys were used as an alternate and orange was on the road. Several years ago the Giants experimented with a black alternate but it featured black wordmark and numbers with orange trim…horrible. The Giants have worn black jerseys before and black is part of their color scheme. So I felt that it needed to be revisited and done properly. The wordmark and numbers now feature orange with white trim much like the original alternate jersey. The cap also harks back to that age with an orange brim…but the “SF” logo on the cap features a white trim. This was a personal decision…it matches the jersey’s typeface and it just looks better.
Baltimore Orioles: Now this jersey is a tricky one to pull off. It may look good on paper but how will it look on the field? I’m gonna roll the dice on this one and say the Orioles can pull it off. The Giants have also worn an orange jersey but the “busy” wordmark strains the eyes a bit. Baltimore wore an orange jersey begining in 1971 and continued from 1975-1992. The smooth “Orioles” script wordmark keeps it toned down. Current design template and cap is used. An old friend of the Orioles also appears on the sleeve patch. The smiling oriole was featured on the caps from 1966-1988.
Chicago White Sox: Most Sox fans that I have spoken with agree that the uniforms worn from 1982-1986 is their favorite. One reason being that it liberated them from the “worst uniform in baseball history”. You know which one I’m talking about…the shorts…the collar…the untucked jersey…the HORROR! The cap features a script “C’ that was worn from 1987-1989. Now the original early 80’s jersey featured a massive blue stripe with red trim across the chest and sleeves. I really don’t think that would work now a days so I cut it down to the edges of the sleeve and kept the simple “SOX” block wordmark across the chest. The player number is also featured on the front of the pant, a small call back to the days of yesteryear.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: The Angels haven’t radically changed their uniforms since their debut in 1961 (well, I’m ignoring the 1997-2001 Disney designed uniforms). Their current wordmark, minus the drop shadow, and typeface was kept. The same sleeve and collar striping was worn from the early 70’s through the early 90’s. It looked clean and sharp and it was brought back for this one. A navy cap with red brim is also featured with the current primary logo that has a gold halo. A lil bit of controversy may get stirred up with the sleeve patch. From 1970-1985 the Angels wore a sleeve patch that featured the state of California in red, with a gold halo and gold star placed where the Angels play. It may evoke emotions of communism…some may not see it at all. You decide.
Houston Astros: Ok so this one I had lots to choose from but I decided to keep it simple. I could have gone with a takedown of the CLASSIC “Tequila Sunrise” jersey but I’m sure I would do more harm than good. I used the current logos, wordmark and typeface. Blue, orange and splash of sunrise yellow was used to call back to the ‘Stros past. Something had to be done to show their history of flash and uniform pizazz. So I added a thin strip of piping from the colar down to the edge of the sleeve connecting to matching sleeve trim. This is inspired by the shoulder stripes of the 80’s.
Atlanta Braves: Last but not least is my third favorite. This one is reminicent of the Hank Aaron days in the ATL. “Braves” wordmark from 1972-1986 streaks across the chest. Royal blue cap with the “A” used on the batting practice caps is used here. I think this logo works better with the fauxback than on the practice cap. The pants have red, white and blue piping much like the original uniform from the early 70’s did. Clean and simple is the jersey with thin red piping above the edge of the sleeve and the best part of this uniform is the sleeve patch. The feather sleeve treatment was around from 1972-1979. On this jersey the red trim of the feather sleeve patch should seamlessly fuse with the piping. If Majestic can get this right it would be so awesome!
Awesome indeed Paulie. Thanks for sharing those “fauxbacks”!
This and That: Central Michigan University will be outfitted by the 3 Stripes next year…The “Magic” is back: Michigan State will be celebrating the 30th Anniversary of its 1979 NCAA hoops championship…Blaming labor pains, Cornell will be severing ties with Russell, begging the question: Swoosh, 3 Stripes or Vector?…Dumping the “racist” Johnny Reb for a Griffin…what the hell is a griffin?…It’s ok to “be like Mike,” but I guess you can’t be like LeBron…“We’ve become bit of a nemesis because we don’t mind tweaking the Yankees every chance we get.”…Golf course not making any cashish? Close it down and bilk thousands out of unsuspecting suckers in the name of “charity”, reopen it as a philanthropic enterprise…Does your kid need a custom-fit school uniform? Perhaps (s)he’s not getting enough exercise…And finally, newly acquired Rafer Alston went NNOB last night against the ‘cats, being forced to wear the emergency, nameless No. 36 jersey the Magic carry with them on the road.
Pretty in Pink? The Pink Parade continues this weekend, with the Missouri State Lady Bears donning the pink against Wichita State…Kansas will host the Iowa State Cyclones on Sunday, Feb. 22 in its annual “Pink Zone” game…Arkansas State University will oppose Denver in another “Pink Zone” faceoff.
here’s your griffin:
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this one’s much scarier:
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In medieval heraldry, a griffin symbolized strength.
Purdue’s old school seal used to feature it:
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Still love that logo…
Really, really nice job on the baseball uniforms. Very well done. Would be nice to see the Astros do something with their previous identity, the Colt .45’s.
I am not a big fan of the white sox unies from the 80’s, but i like what he did with it to make it more modern. i liked the buttons and taking out those stupid red and blue stripes. Also a big fan of his blue Indians uni and orioles orange
The reasoning for the Brewers not putting Milwaukee on their unis is that the team represents the entire state. I live in Green Bay and have always thought this bogus. If that’s the case, either change the name or ditch the M on the cap. The team has had Milwaukee in the past and should now.
Great job Phil and Paulie! This is one of my favorite UniWatch articles. Can someone please provide a link to the Cardinals concept? Thanks!
This article was great! Along with providing the Cardinals concept, could someone provide the Rays as well? Thanks and keep up the good work!
Anent mythical beasts: the New Braunfels, Texas, High School teams are known as the Unicorns; Allentown College of St. Francis De Sales was the Centaurs (it’s now called DeSales University, and the teams are the Bulldogs).
As a life time long White Sox fan, I can say without a doubt that those mid 80s uniforms were awful.
The 60s and early 70s are the classic ChiSox.
I personally like the royal blue and white version, and the powder blue and red versions.
I think the Lowell Spinners and New England in general ought to grow up. The Spinners started this program years back and it incited adults to boo the kids wearing Yankee outfits in the local little leagues. Very classy. Perhaps the counterpoint is it makes some sense when we read several stories a year of Yankee and Red Sox fans beating each other in parking lots. There is also the occasional murder or manslaughter. Both these fan bases provide endless material for teaching my kids how to avoid being a sports fan jackass.
Found a book from 1955 here last night.
Was surprised how sound the instruction point are.
Scanned a few pages. Love the high top tennies on the kid players.
Duke Snider on the cover…
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Some unoffical logos from inside covers…
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Is it just me, or is this guy a little better than a bell for a baseball team logo?
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—Ricko
The White Sox’s “C” hats wouldn’t be allowed because I think they quit using them over a dispute that it was too close to the Campbell’s Soup “C”.
Great job on the Astros’ fauxbacks, and this is coming from an Astros fan. I’d love to see them go back to blue and orange.
[quote comment=”315790″]Great job Phil and Paulie! This is one of my favorite UniWatch articles. Can someone please provide a link to the Cardinals concept? Thanks![/quote]
here.
paulie and i will be doing another column (hopefully soon) on concept and alternate uniforms, so the above is still subject to some “tweaking” (notice the “t” in St. Louis currently would be bisected by the left jersey panel)…the thought today is to get some discussion going on how some clubs, if they absolutely have to have a “third” or even “fourth” jersey (or uni), they could look to their past for inspiration…i think paulie has done an outstanding job and certainly some of these could easily be considered down the road some day for possible alts
we’ll have much more on this in the not to distant future
As a Sox fan, I can say that the mid-80s look was all right, but not my favorite. If it’s used at all, better to be done as close to the original as possible. The use of the script “C” is really ill-advised; it harkens back to a uniform worn when Jerry Reinsdorf was trying to make the Sox look like his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. One reason the present set has lasted since 1991 is that it evokes the 1959 uniforms. You could say that they are “fauxback” uniforms themselves.
“Faux” means “false”.
So this probably will start an argument, but I really HATE “fauxback”. Sounds like “fake” or “imitation”.
The Philles or Indians alternates are neither. They aren’t attempting to claim those unis look like anything else. They are vintage-inspired. “Harkback” is far more appropriate, because it doen’t indict the concept for doing something wrong/phony or making some kind of claim to accuracy that isn’t there at all.
I still like…
1. Throwback (old school, totally done right, worn as Specials)
2. Regular Throwback (like the Brewers pins and Blue Jays powder blues, which are virtually the exact uni, but with belts and buttons instead of sansabelts and pullovers because they’re gonna wear them regularly).
3. Harkback (vintage inspired)
4. Fuckup (botched throwback; Cubs navy hats last season, for example…although that was a minor misstep, I would still qualify)
I haven’t had a good look at the new Twins alts, but my guess they are almost certainly a Regular Throwback or a Harkback…because they aren’t claiming they’re a total 1981 look.
So there. LOL
—Ricko
OK, I’ve got some time to kill before round 2 with the snowblower, so I’m gonna review all of these prototypes.
First off: Paulie, nice job with these and is there somewhere where we can look at all the rest of your designs? Or are those waiting for future posts to be officially unveiled?
A’s:
That white jersey is gorgeous. I’m not crazy about the collar stripes, but I love them on the sleeves. I don’t know if teams are afraid to use sleeve stripes nowadays, but not enough of them do it. They should get rid of their current, uninspired home jersey and replace it with something like this.
The green jersey? I don’t care much for colored alts and this is no exception.
Cubs:
Again, the home jersey is tremendous – much better than the current version. I’ve always hated that thick blue ring around the edge of the modern Cubs logo.
A white, pinstriped version of this should replace the standard home uni.
Throw some placket piping on here, switch out the logo for the “walking bear” logo and I’d like to see this replace the blue alt.
The road uni? Not digging it. I’d rather see them ditch the red numbers on the current version and replace them with blue numbers with red outlines.
Indians, Orioles, Giants:
Again, not a fan of colored alts. I do like the orange brim on the Giants cap, though.
White Sox:
[quote]Most Sox fans that I have spoken with agree that the uniforms worn from 1982-1986 is their favorite. One reason being that it liberated them from the “worst uniform in baseball history”. [/quote]
Whatchootalkinbout, Paulie? Was that supposed to say “One reason being that all of the Sox fans I know did a lot of acid in the mid-80s”?
Seriously, I think the real reason a lot of Sox fans dig this look is that it brings back lots of happy memories for them. The ’83 AL West champs were a lot of fun to watch. Plus, it was the first baseball championship of any kind in Chicago since ’59. Hell, they were the first Chicago team (of the major sports) to win anything since the Bears won the NFL championship 20 years earlier.
Anyway, you took the worst jersey they ever sported and sandwiched it between the worst cap in team history and the ridiculous numbered pants.
My official review is merely a two-word review:
Shit sandwich.
To better evoke this era, I’d go with the full “swinging batter” logo on the left side of the the jersey, blue crown/red brim block SOX cap and I’d move the numbers from the pants to the jersey, opposite the logo.
Question: why did you go NNOB for the jersey? Was that another element taken from the “pigtail C” cap days?
Angels:
This is an improvement over their current look, but I’m not really seeing this as a fauxback, aside from the sleeve patch (which I like). I don’t care much for the collar stripes. I’d rather see placket piping.
Astros:
I don’t like the font used for the wordmark, numbers or NOB. While we’re at it, I’d rather see the classic cap logo with the H in front of the star. Oh, and lose the sleeve patch.
Other than that, it looks great. I love the sleeve striping and the blue/orange color combo.
Braves:
I like everything about it except the switch back to royal blue. I’d like to see this in navy. Oh, and put the tomahawk on the front of the jersey.
Again, nice work and I’d love to see the rest of them.
Maybe “Regular Throwback” could be “Updated Throwback”.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”315798″][quote comment=”315790″]Great job Phil and Paulie! This is one of my favorite UniWatch articles. Can someone please provide a link to the Cardinals concept? Thanks![/quote]
link.
paulie and i will be doing another column (hopefully soon) on concept and alternate uniforms, so the above is still subject to some “tweaking” (notice the “t” in St. Louis currently would be bisected by the left jersey panel)…the thought today is to get some discussion going on how some clubs, if they absolutely have to have a “third” or even “fourth” jersey (or uni), they could look to their past for inspiration…i think paulie has done an outstanding job and certainly some of these could easily be considered down the road some day for possible alts
we’ll have much more on this in the not to distant future[/quote]
That jersey looks fantastic. I really hate the Cards’ blue caps, though. I wish they’d wear their red ones on the road. Or at least go with a red brim and white letters/red outlines.
I said it before when I asked you to do this for me a few weeks ago, Paulie, but your concepts are amazing! Fantastic article today, boys! I had no idea my idea about adding “Milwaukee” to the Brewers road uni would turn into a weekend story like this. I love the idea of teams tweaking their current design. Like Paulie said, teams are just a few tweaks from near close perfection.
I disagree with the point about the rest of Wisconsin feeling alienated towards the Brewers if “Milwaukee” was put back on their road uniform. There are currently five teams that don’t have their city or state, so it can’t affect that many people. And aside from the Brewers uni’s from 1970-’77, and from 2000-present, they always represented their city on their road uni. So the people of Wisconsin didn’t feel alienated then? That’s just my two cents on it. It was part of their history before, and only a handful of teams don’t represent their city or state…and I don’t think the Crew should be one of them.
Believe it or not – this year will mark the tenth season of the Brewers current jersey. It was supposed to coincide with the scheduled opening of Miller Park in 2000. And I’m in the minority that likes the current style over the retro (like the darker blue and old gold) – that said, the prototype shown today was awesome, especially the road version.
I got some additions to the Pink Parade. The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Woman’s Basketball team has busted out their pink threads again the last few weeks. Their school nickname is the Pointers, and they normally wear purple and gold. My dad, who is the athletic facilities manager at UWSP, says the pink uni’s are bit difficult to wash because they are made of a “weird material” (his description, not mine). As you remember, my dad was featured on Uni Watch not too long ago:
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Anyways…….. Here are some pics of the Pink uniforms.
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Thanks for the kind words gentlemen. “Harkback” does make more sense. I just wished it rolled off your toungue like “fauxback” does LOL. We can still do another set of these…different versions of the ones I did and/or a different inspiration all together.
[quote comment=”315800″]”Faux” means “false”.
So this probably will start an argument, but I really HATE “fauxback”. Sounds like “fake” or “imitation”.
The Philles or Indians alternates are neither. They aren’t attempting to claim those unis look like anything else. They are vintage-inspired. “Harkback” is far more appropriate, because it doen’t indict the concept for doing something wrong/phony or making some kind of claim to accuracy that isn’t there at all.[/quote]
Yeah, but “faux” rhymes with “throw” and “fauxback” has a much better ring to it than “harkback”. Say “harkback” out loud and whoever you’re talking to is liable to end up with a ball of phlegm in their face.
I don’t really see “faux” as a negative. I hear about people doing “faux finishes” (whatever that means) in their houses all the time and I’ve never really heard it talked about as a negative.
Sox fan since 1979 here, and I for one liked those 70’s unis, esp. the no-stirrup socks look and the old-fashioned lettering. The 80’s unis were a drastic overcorrection; they looked like they were wearing license plates on their chests, had white panels on the caps (the bane of my cap-loving existence), and were just one step away from the infamous tequila sunrise Astros duds.
[quote comment=”315803″][quote comment=”315798″][quote comment=”315790″]Great job Phil and Paulie! This is one of my favorite UniWatch articles. Can someone please provide a link to the Cardinals concept? Thanks![/quote]
link.
paulie and i will be doing another column (hopefully soon) on concept and alternate uniforms, so the above is still subject to some “tweaking” (notice the “t” in St. Louis currently would be bisected by the left jersey panel)…the thought today is to get some discussion going on how some clubs, if they absolutely have to have a “third” or even “fourth” jersey (or uni), they could look to their past for inspiration…i think paulie has done an outstanding job and certainly some of these could easily be considered down the road some day for possible alts
we’ll have much more on this in the not to distant future[/quote]
That jersey looks fantastic. I really hate the Cards’ blue caps, though. I wish they’d wear their red ones on the road. Or at least go with a red brim and white letters/red outlines.[/quote]
Really does depend on “where you were when”, doesn’t it. I love the Cards navy road hats and belts because it pretty much what they wore when I was a kid (mid ’50s to mid ’60s)…so the red home and navy road kinda captures two different eras. They can ditch the Sunday two-tone, though. Just looks too much like a marketing move. Granted, most alternates are, but that is just one of those that doesn’t work for me.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”315801″]OK, I’ve got some time to kill before round 2 with the snowblower, so I’m gonna review all of these prototypes.
First off: Paulie, nice job with these and is there somewhere where we can look at all the rest of your designs? Or are those waiting for future posts to be officially unveiled?
A’s:
That white jersey is gorgeous. I’m not crazy about the collar stripes, but I love them on the sleeves. I don’t know if teams are afraid to use sleeve stripes nowadays, but not enough of them do it. They should get rid of their current, uninspired home jersey and replace it with something like this.
The green jersey? I don’t care much for colored alts and this is no exception.
Cubs:
Again, the home jersey is tremendous – much better than the current version. I’ve always hated that thick blue ring around the edge of the modern Cubs logo.
A white, pinstriped version of this should replace the standard home uni.
Throw some placket piping on here, switch out the logo for the “walking bear” logo and I’d like to see this replace the blue alt.
The road uni? Not digging it. I’d rather see them ditch the red numbers on the current version and replace them with blue numbers with red outlines.
Indians, Orioles, Giants:
Again, not a fan of colored alts. I do like the orange brim on the Giants cap, though.
White Sox:
[quote]Most Sox fans that I have spoken with agree that the uniforms worn from 1982-1986 is their favorite. One reason being that it liberated them from the “worst uniform in baseball history”. [/quote]
Whatchootalkinbout, Paulie? Was that supposed to say “One reason being that all of the Sox fans I know did a lot of acid in the mid-80s”?
Seriously, I think the real reason a lot of Sox fans dig this look is that it brings back lots of happy memories for them. The ’83 AL West champs were a lot of fun to watch. Plus, it was the first baseball championship of any kind in Chicago since ’59. Hell, they were the first Chicago team (of the major sports) to win anything since the Bears won the NFL championship 20 years earlier.
Anyway, you took the worst jersey they ever sported and sandwiched it between the worst cap in team history and the ridiculous numbered pants.
My official review is merely a two-word review:
Shit sandwich.
To better evoke this era, I’d go with the full “swinging batter” logo on the left side of the the jersey, blue crown/red brim block SOX cap and I’d move the numbers from the pants to the jersey, opposite the logo.
Question: why did you go NNOB for the jersey? Was that another element taken from the “pigtail C” cap days?
Angels:
This is an improvement over their current look, but I’m not really seeing this as a fauxback, aside from the sleeve patch (which I like). I don’t care much for the collar stripes. I’d rather see placket piping.
Astros:
I don’t like the font used for the wordmark, numbers or NOB. While we’re at it, I’d rather see the classic cap logo with the H in front of the star. Oh, and lose the sleeve patch.
Other than that, it looks great. I love the sleeve striping and the blue/orange color combo.
Braves:
I like everything about it except the switch back to royal blue. I’d like to see this in navy. Oh, and put the tomahawk on the front of the jersey.
Again, nice work and I’d love to see the rest of them.[/quote]
LOL! Well aside from the memories they recall, the fans I have spoken just like the uniform in general. Maybe acid induced the love for them…but they seemed OK now haha!
Thanks for the critique!
[quote]First off: Paulie, nice job with these and is there somewhere where we can look at all the rest of your designs? Or are those waiting for future posts to be officially unveiled?[/quote]
that’s of course, all up to paulie…they’re his designs, not mine, so if he’d like to share them, that’s his choice
from a UW and future column perspective, i’d perfer he and i to work on some more of these and then do one or two more columns (or who knows, maybe even more if they are well received) during the weeks leading up to the kickoff of the regular season
*the fans I have spoken WITH
Great job with the concept unis! However, when it comes to my Cleveland Indians, let’s avoid the 1970’s, shall we? We were the laughingstock of baseball, the uniforms were horrific (especially the “Flintsone’s” cap logo and wordmark, which were universally despised here at the time), and every fan at Cleveland Stadium had his own personal vendor.
The Tribe’s current alt isn’t supposed to be a throwback to any particular uniform, but a general nod to the unis of the early fifties, which in my opinion were the best they ever wore. In that respect, the alts are not “fauxbacks”. It’s a clean, simple look – I like them.
[quote comment=”315810″]They can ditch the Sunday two-tone, though. Just looks too much like a marketing move. Granted, most alternates are, but that is just one of those that doesn’t work for me.[/quote]
Agreed. The Sunday cap is ridiculous. As a BP cap (if you must have a BP cap) or a fashion cap, it’s fine. As a gamer, it belongs on single-A team.
Still think that, for our purposes because we take historical accuracy and word usage (and punctuation, evidently) so seriously, that “faux” rather implies the designer is either inept or trying to put something over on the public. And when they aren’t—such as the Indians and Phillies alts—that just doesn’t seem fair.
I know had I designed either of those unis and heard people keep calling them “faux”, I’d get real tired of saying, “I never CLAIMED they were anything that had been wore before.”
The “boys” have made their annual pilgrimmage to sunshine, btw. Click my green name if you wanna see what they’re up to.
—Ricko
Well here goes that Rays concept…
link
Now, I still wanna re-tweak the other jerseys and save them for the next time we do this so I guess I’ll leave a teaser with the Rays and Cardinals concept posted.
Paulie, I would love to see more of your work. The clowns at MLB properties should get you a job, your stuff is so much better than the stuff those no talent a@#clowns are able to come up with. Would like to see your ideas with the Nationals and Padres. Thanks.
[quote comment=”315805″]Believe it or not – this year will mark the tenth season of the Brewers current jersey. It was supposed to coincide with the scheduled opening of Miller Park in 2000. And I’m in the minority that likes the current style over the retro (like the darker blue and old gold) – that said, the prototype shown today was awesome, especially the road version.[/quote]
I like the current uniforms for the Crew. I also love their fauxbacks worn on Friday home games. But, I wouldn’t want the Crew to switch to the old school design full time. I like that it is a once in a while thing. I don’t want to be spoiled with it.
Sure, the current threads aren’t anything special, and don’t really stand out. I really like the colors though. The one thing I really don’t like is the stylized “B” used for “Brewers”.
And just for fun, why don’t the Crew use this design as their cap logo!
link
And why wouldn’t the Brewers wear this on the road?
link
At least give it a try! No one tries anything anymore!
[quote comment=”315817″]Well here goes that Rays concept…
link
[/quote]
The Rays as an organization have never given a reason for not putting Tampa Bay on the road jersey when they switched.
I won’t say it was decision made out of a loyalty to the direct community they play in, but after this past October I really can’t stand the constant reference to Tampa. I totally understand it, it’s easy. Talking heads are generally lazy with their dialog and all I heard is Tampa, Tampa, Tampa. Even when some were showing shots of the ballpark itself, “Live from Tampa”.
The team has to be named “Tampa Bay” (OMG, St. Pete Rays?) but the fewer references to it the better IMO.
[quote comment=”315820″][quote comment=”315817″]Well here goes that Rays concept…
link
[/quote]
The Rays as an organization have never given a reason for not putting Tampa Bay on the road jersey when they switched.
I won’t say it was decision made out of a loyalty to the direct community they play in, but after this past October I really can’t stand the constant reference to Tampa. I totally understand it, it’s easy. Talking heads are generally lazy with their dialog and all I heard is Tampa, Tampa, Tampa. Even when some were showing shots of the ballpark itself, “Live from Tampa”.
The team has to be named “Tampa Bay” (OMG, St. Pete Rays?) but the fewer references to it the better IMO.[/quote]
Strange, the talking heads never seem to have trouble saying “Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” though.
Maybe they feel silly saying, “Tampa Bay Rays.” It does feel kinda weird to say, I admit.
“Ya call me Ray Jay….etc.”
—Ricko
BYU is also having a pink day today including a new logo:
link
Anyone ever buy a jersey from worldsoccershop.com??
[quote comment=”315821″][quote comment=”315820″][quote comment=”315817″]Well here goes that Rays concept…
link
[/quote]
The Rays as an organization have never given a reason for not putting Tampa Bay on the road jersey when they switched.
I won’t say it was decision made out of a loyalty to the direct community they play in, but after this past October I really can’t stand the constant reference to Tampa. I totally understand it, it’s easy. Talking heads are generally lazy with their dialog and all I heard is Tampa, Tampa, Tampa. Even when some were showing shots of the ballpark itself, “Live from Tampa”.
The team has to be named “Tampa Bay” (OMG, St. Pete Rays?) but the fewer references to it the better IMO.[/quote]
Strange, the talking heads never seem to have trouble saying “Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” though.
Maybe they feel silly saying, “Tampa Bay Rays.” It does feel kinda weird to say, I admit.
“Ya call me Ray Jay….etc.”
—Ricko[/quote]
Tampa Bay Rays really doesn’t sound good. Notwithstanding the Marlins’ use of the state name, they’d have been better off going with “Florida Rays” instead.
When a play-by-play guy says something like “Coming to you live from Tampa…” I always think to myself “What the hell are you doing in Tampa? Isn’t there a game you’re supposed to be at?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
link.
I really enjoyed the concepts.
I’ve always considered myself a uniform refiner, not a designer. I’ve been doing it since I was five.
However, I am limited to the usage of markers, pens, and colored pencils. I would never be able to figure out the medium of Adobe.
Although I liked the designs very much, I would have used more consistencies in the piping on some.
I like the idea of shrinking the sleave stripe pattern from the old A’s jerseys, but it doesn’t fit rest of the uni in my book. Only an opinion.
I also think that the Cardinal’s “L” in Louis should wrap around the bat. Just as it did in the early 30’s.
Again. I enjoyed what I saw today.
[quote comment=”315808″][quote comment=”315800″]”Faux” means “false”.
So this probably will start an argument, but I really HATE “fauxback”. Sounds like “fake” or “imitation”.
The Philles or Indians alternates are neither. They aren’t attempting to claim those unis look like anything else. They are vintage-inspired. “Harkback” is far more appropriate, because it doen’t indict the concept for doing something wrong/phony or making some kind of claim to accuracy that isn’t there at all.[/quote]
Yeah, but “faux” rhymes with “throw” and “fauxback” has a much better ring to it than “harkback”. Say “harkback” out loud and whoever you’re talking to is liable to end up with a ball of phlegm in their face.
I don’t really see “faux” as a negative. I hear about people doing “faux finishes” (whatever that means) in their houses all the time and I’ve never really heard it talked about as a negative.[/quote]
Couldn’t these uniforms all fall under the “retro” classification instead of some forced pun?
[quote]Couldn’t these uniforms all fall under the “retro” classification instead of some forced pun?[/quote]
well…i think we’re still trying to define terms here…for example, we’ve already seen how some people disagree with the word “fauxback” as a term, and others (like mr. lukas) would use it differently from myself
i’ve always considered “retro” to be akin to “faux” but to me, retro is more “old time feel” than actually borrowing any of the elements from unis-past…again, without an “official” definition what you consider “retro” i might consider a “fauxback” and ricko might consider a “harkback”
i think we’re all (somewhat) in agreement tho, that a “throwback” is an exact replica of a past uni (to the extent possible, obviously, since there can be no ‘throwback helmet’ from the 1940’s for example)…and i don’t think you’re going to get today’s players to dress in ‘throwback cleats’…
but the rest…still open to interpretation
speaking of the white sox…
MLB network is running tom terrific’s 300th win against the yanks right now
amazing how the yanks unis have changed so much while the sox’ have remained so constant
I think Phil is being sarcastic
Here’s another griffin for you:
link
phil, i can’t say enough what great a job you are doing on the weekends, the effort you put in really shows. in lieu of a cookie, i think i might have to give you one of the durene prototypes when i get that project rolling to say thank you.
as for today’s uniforms, a great effort to be sure.i will keep my comments to what i loved, like the bravos. don’t know that i would change what they currently have, but i can think of nothing better than what you offered if i did. shit, maybe i would scrap an already a strong design for what you came up with, and that is quite a compliment.
while oakland and cleveland were also very very strong, where you really nailed it was the rastros, a true work of beauty there, not only in colour but design. i am a big fan of the shoulder piping, a look i think the link and link should also return to. sorry for the tangent, like i was saying, you knocked that one out of the park.
I’ve always been a fan of the Orioles cartoon birds.
link
link
Always been my favorite logo in baseball. Kind of like the Ken Griffey, Jr. of logos. Quietly the best, overshadowed by dirty players, and always having fun.
With that said, one of my biggest pet peeves is when a sleeve logo doesn’t match with the hat logo. That’s my one hang up with the Orioles concept on the page. Nice work though.
[quote comment=”315801″]OK, I’ve got some time to kill before round 2 with the snowblower, so I’m gonna review all of these prototypes.
First off: Paulie, nice job with these and is there somewhere where we can look at all the rest of your designs? Or are those waiting for future posts to be officially unveiled?
A’s:
That white jersey is gorgeous. I’m not crazy about the collar stripes, but I love them on the sleeves. I don’t know if teams are afraid to use sleeve stripes nowadays, but not enough of them do it. They should get rid of their current, uninspired home jersey and replace it with something like this.
The green jersey? I don’t care much for colored alts and this is no exception.
Cool.
Cubs:
Again, the home jersey is tremendous – much better than the current version. I’ve always hated that thick blue ring around the edge of the modern Cubs logo.
A white, pinstriped version of this should replace the standard home uni.
Throw some placket piping on here, switch out the logo for the “walking bear” logo and I’d like to see this replace the blue alt.
The road uni? Not digging it. I’d rather see them ditch the red numbers on the current version and replace them with blue numbers with red outlines.
I’ve never liked the walking bear, either. The thick blue circle is OK. I understand the pinstripes, but never much cared for them. Drop the pins and use cream. (Love the socks.) The road uniform is almost too retro.
Indians, Orioles, Giants:
Again, not a fan of colored alts. I do like the orange brim on the Giants cap, though.
Nice jobs.
White Sox:
[quote]Most Sox fans that I have spoken with agree that the uniforms worn from 1982-1986 is their favorite. One reason being that it liberated them from the “worst uniform in baseball history”. [/quote]
Whatchootalkinbout, Paulie? Was that supposed to say “One reason being that all of the Sox fans I know did a lot of acid in the mid-80s”?
Seriously, I think the real reason a lot of Sox fans dig this look is that it brings back lots of happy memories for them. The ’83 AL West champs were a lot of fun to watch. Plus, it was the first baseball championship of any kind in Chicago since ’59. Hell, they were the first Chicago team (of the major sports) to win anything since the Bears won the NFL championship 20 years earlier.
Anyway, you took the worst jersey they ever sported and sandwiched it between the worst cap in team history and the ridiculous numbered pants.
My official review is merely a two-word review:
Shit sandwich.
To better evoke this era, I’d go with the full “swinging batter” logo on the left side of the the jersey, blue crown/red brim block SOX cap and I’d move the numbers from the pants to the jersey, opposite the logo.
Question: why did you go NNOB for the jersey? Was that another element taken from the “pigtail C” cap days?
Angels:
This is an improvement over their current look, but I’m not really seeing this as a fauxback, aside from the sleeve patch (which I like). I don’t care much for the collar stripes. I’d rather see placket piping.
OK, but I wish they’d bring back the halo on the cap.
Astros:
I don’t like the font used for the wordmark, numbers or NOB. While we’re at it, I’d rather see the classic cap logo with the H in front of the star. Oh, and lose the sleeve patch.
Other than that, it looks great. I love the sleeve striping and the blue/orange color combo.
Ditto on the H and star. Even when they went tequilla, they kept the simple H and star. Bring it back and we’re cool.
Braves:
I like everything about it except the switch back to royal blue. I’d like to see this in navy. Oh, and put the tomahawk on the front of the jersey.
I’m torn on this. The feathers on the sleeves always was a neat concept. It worked well on the blue road unis, too. (I agree with the royal vs. navy. Navy works best.) But the basic Braves uniform is among the best in all of sports. Why mess with a good thing.
Again, nice work and I’d love to see the rest of them.[/quote]
I loved those Astros uniforms.
U Buffalo basketball wearing a “3407” patch/band, remembering the crash last week (espn2).
Huge fan of the orioles and giants tweaks – and yes, i think both teams could pull it off
I remember drawing “new” orioles uniforms when I was a kid but never sent them in to the club. I think now I will download photoshop – to relive some of those childhood memories and try to come close to Mr. PBP and his excellent creations
Has this, NHL 50th logo been discussed before?
Does anyone know of NHL 10th, 20th, 25 ect logos?
link
Teebz,
check the last thumbnail on page #1
Google search \” 1966-67 NHL 50th Anniversary Hockey Guide\”
link
The Cubs away vest is amazing. Great job, Paulie.
Chance, great Brewers uni concept! You had me the moment you put the Beer Barrel Man on the sleeve. The first time I went to County Stadium and those cutouts weren’t on the outside of the ballpark … well, I knew my childhood was over. ;-)
I disagree with the point about the rest of Wisconsin feeling alienated towards the Brewers if “Milwaukee” was put back on their road uniform.
I’m with you, Johnny O. And drbear. I’ve lived in Wisconsin for the past 18 years, and I’ve never had a sense that the Packers and Brewers being identified by their cities bothered too many people around here. Until you get over by the Mississippi, where some people identify with the Vikings and Twins (Ricko, is that your impression?), Wisconsinites see the Packers and Brewers as Wisconsin’s teams, regardless of first name.
The biggest problem the Brewers have is the abundance of Cubs fans in southern Wisconsin. It’s not all cars with Illinois plates turning Miller Park into Wrigley North.
[quote comment=”315828″]speaking of the white sox…
MLB network is running link against the yanks right now
amazing how the yanks unis have changed so much while the sox’ have remained so constant[/quote]
Hmmm… The guide says that it’s Mets/Cardinals – 4/9/85.
Man, Drysdale & Harrelson was actually a pretty good broadcast team. They weren’t no Caray & Piersall, but still…
It’s interesting (to me) that the link reached the milestone on the road in a New York vs. Chicago match-up.
Speaking of pink (again), Clarkson wore link in their matchup versus Harvard last night for ECAC’s “Pink at the Rink” thing.
The photo is clickable for a better look, but not linkable. So you get the story too.
No disrespect to the ECAC or their promotion, but here’s another look at link worn by Clarkson last night.
link is what their normal home unis look like.
Incidentally, St. Lawrence University was supposed to wear black & pink jerseys last night for the same cause. But Harvard link (Last item.)
I was inspired by this posting to do some design work of my own. Check out the Blue Jay “fauxbacks” I came up with.
link
we’ll have much more on this in the not to distant future[/quote]
That jersey looks fantastic. I really hate the Cards’ blue caps, though. I wish they’d wear their red ones on the road. Or at least go with a red brim and white letters/red outlines.[/quote]
I’m a huge fan of the Cards blue away cap. If you go to a Cards game you’ll likely see fans in the red home caps, but on a normal day in STL alot more people are rocking the blue away cap. I recognize the effort but I hope and don’t expect the Cards to put St. Louis on the away uniform. “Cardinals” across the chest is such a long held tradition with only a few short hiccups since it has been introduced.
As for the rest of the uniforms:
Oakland: I really like that green alt.
Milwaukee: Its already been said, Milwaukee on the away road unis makes sense.
Cubs: I think the cream unis would be great for weekend day games at Wrigley. I’m not feeling the road vest so much
Orioles: Orange alt should of been done already, good work
Indians: NO and NO
Giants: push
White Sox: Already great and I don’t see what this 80’s mashup does for them
Angels: I’ve always wondered why they didn’t bring back that cap for the road
Astros: I really like the blue/orange since that combo isnt in MLB, I like the streaming star cap but I don’t see how it fits here.
Braves: this is a throwback really, keep the corresponding cap.
Tampa Bay: we will see this exact uni eventually
Thank you Mr. Soto, Mr. Hecken,
They look amazing!
Do you do other sports as well Mr. Soto?
[quote comment=”315810″]
Really does depend on “where you were when”, doesn’t it. I love the Cards navy road hats and belts because it pretty much what they wore when I was a kid (mid ’50s to mid ’60s)…so the red home and navy road kinda captures two different eras. They can ditch the Sunday two-tone, though. Just looks too much like a marketing move. Granted, most alternates are, but that is just one of those that doesn’t work for me.
—Ricko[/quote]
It may be a marketing move, but the Sunday hat also captures a patch worn on the left breast of the home/away uniform in 1927, and the home unis in 1928. I believe it was also worn on alternate hats in the 1940s. Further, the two-tone cap was used almost exclusively from 1940-1955. So, there is a historical relevance to the whole thing. Still, I’d prefer to see them do a full-on throwback uni featuring the old bird on the cap once or twice a season rather than see the Sunday cap every Sunday.
Since the collars came off the uniforms, the Cards have only worn the city name on their unis in 1920, ’21, ’30, ’31, and ’32. In ’31 and ’32, oddly enough, they wore “St. Louis” script on both home and away jerseys.
One detail I like about the Cardinals uniforms prior to 1951 is that the birds are sitting on a black bat instead of yellow.
Realy good job with those alternates. However, I still think that Milwaukee (and even Baltimore to an extent) don’t look right on a uni. That “w” right in the middle is so wide that it calls so much attention to it and the “M” is all the way nearly under the armpit.
Paulie, great effort on all the uniforms. I may have missed it, is there somewhere that has all your concepts in one place?
BTW, the Twins will wear “fauxback” 1982 styled unfiroms on Home Saturday dates this season as part of their final season at the HumpDome, only with buttons and beltloops instead of pullovers and sansabelts. I would not be surprised if they adapt some sort of style like this in their new home (Target Field) permantly in 2010. Also, ditch those road pinstripes. they look like pajamas.
I’m from Wisconsin and I totally agree with the rest of you. People in the state don’t mind the city name being on the team. The Brewers and Packers are more identified with the entire state, not the cities. Milwaukee needs to be put back on the gray uniform.
Also, I LOVE the concepts for the new Brewers uniform. The ball and glove logo is back, and it keeps some main elements from the classic ’82 uniforms. At the same time it modernizes it and brings the beer barrel man back to the uniform. Please, please, Brewers! Use these uniforms! They are outstanding.
Is Griffin an Americanized spelling of Gryphon, or how did there come to be multiple spellings? I’ve never seen it spelled that way, but I just checked Wikipedia and that is how it is spelled there. FWIW, I was a Guelph Gryphon at University (or would’ve been if I had’ve been a varsity athlete, I guess).
[quote comment=”315846″]I’m a huge fan of the Cards blue away cap. If you go to a Cards game you’ll likely see fans in the red home caps, but on a normal day in STL alot more people are rocking the blue away cap.[/quote]
In general, navy blue caps look better with regular street clothes, but in the context of a baseball uniform, the navy blue lacks the visual punch that the red delivers.
[quote]Astros: I really like the blue/orange since that combo isnt in MLB[/quote]
link…
[quote comment=”315847″]Thank you Mr. Soto, Mr. Hecken,
They look amazing!
Do you do other sports as well Mr. Soto?[/quote]
Thank you my good man! I have experimented with other sports. Hopefully in the future we can do NFL, NBA and NHL. The MLS would also get some consideration.
Has there ever been – or when was the last time – a MLB/NFL/NBA/NHL team held a “design a uni” or a “design a logo” contest?
[quote comment=”315855″][quote comment=”315847″]Thank you Mr. Soto, Mr. Hecken,
They look amazing!
Do you do other sports as well Mr. Soto?[/quote]
Thank you my good man! I have experimented with other sports. Hopefully in the future we can do NFL, NBA and NHL. The MLS would also get some consideration.[/quote]
just to tack on to paulie’s comment…i asked him to try his hand at some “old time” NFL unis (unis that were featured in timmy b’s outstanding historical retrospective), but it now appears the original owner of the FUPP site may be looking into continuing his work thanks to timmy’s efforts…
i’ll be happy to work with paulie on other sports as well…if he’ll have me ;)
[quote comment=”315850″]Paulie, great effort on all the uniforms. I may have missed it, is there somewhere that has all your concepts in one place?[/quote]
Not yet, working on getting them to you guys soon.
[quote comment=”315856″]Has there ever been – or when was the last time – a MLB/NFL/NBA/NHL team held a “design a uni” or a “design a logo” contest?[/quote]
Chicago White Sox, for the 1982 season (and beginning of the Jerry Reinsdorf era). They solicited fan submissions, link, and asked fans to vote for their favorite finalist. (One catch: the White Sox reserved the right to change colors around.) In the end, the beach blanket template (second from left) won, which eventually evolved into the version you know by now.
(Anti-plagiarism notice: facts checked from and picture taken from Paul Lukas’ “link” from ESPN.com.)
Really nice job on those. Well done.
PS whats the name of that NFL uniform history book?
At Ken Griffey Jr.’s introductory press conference today, a Mariners jersey was on the table in front of him, but he never donned it. I wonder whether everyone involved just forgot about it.
I approached the Brewers Baseball Club a few weeks ago when PB Paulie did the Brewers road uni concept for me, and I got back a terrible response from them:
“Hi John,
Jeff Harding forwarded me your email inquiring the use of “Milwaukee” on our Brewers uniforms. We always like to hear comments and suggestions from our fans. Thank you for sending yours over to us. We appreciate your support and interest in the Milwaukee Brewers. We do review our uniforms annually and while we do not have any changes for the 2009 uniforms we are currently reviewing our 2010 uniforms.
We hope to see you at Miller Park during the upcoming season!
Thanks, GO BREWERS!!”
______________________________________
(I got this response after saying I was aware of what all goes into uniform design, and would just like some consideration, or a ‘yes’ ‘no’ response about adding “Milwaukee”)
“Hi John,
Thank you for your illustrations and ideas. There are many elements that go into a uniform design including how comfortable the jersey is for the player and how much movement it allows the player at bat. Our graphics and branding team works very closely with MLB on our uniforms as they provide us with guidance on design and fit. Together we create a great looking jersey that is comfortable and allows the maximum movement for the players.
Thank you again for your passion for the Brewers. I hope you enjoy the 2009 Brewers season.
~Jill”
________________________________________
Bush league, I know. Maybe if we can get a lot of other Brewer fans to write to this lady, she might have to mention something to the higher ups and get “Milwaukee” back on the road uni! It’s worth a try!
Here is her info:
Jill Aronoff
Director – Merchandise Branding
Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club
414.902.4450
link
my school, university of the pacific, will be wearing pink today as part of the “pacific plays pink” promotion. i work in athletics and even got one of the shirts for free… which i gave to my girlfriend. unfortunately, they wear the light pink uniforms when they do this.
[quote comment=”315854″][quote comment=”315846″]I’m a huge fan of the Cards blue away cap. If you go to a Cards game you’ll likely see fans in the red home caps, but on a normal day in STL alot more people are rocking the blue away cap.[/quote]
In general, navy blue caps look better with regular street clothes, but in the context of a baseball uniform, the navy blue lacks the visual punch that the red delivers.
[quote]Astros: I really like the blue/orange since that combo isnt in MLB[/quote]
Good call, thats my mistake. I guess with all the black in recent years I have forgotten what the true colors of the Mets are.
link…[/quote]
The University of Louisville’s men’s team wore their white “home” unifoms at Cincinnati today. Apparently UC was having a “Ring of Red” promotion where the fans and team wore red. Seems like they would have chosen to do this against a team whose primary color wasn’t read, but oh well. Here is a pic from the game: link.
I have never forgiven Colorado or Florida for not being the Denver Rockies and Miami Marlins.
At the time, The National League (the only place where they play real baseball without the abomination of a designated hitter) was all city teams – the way baseball is meant to be.
That other league was full of idiot teams like Minnesota, Texas, California, etc.
What a joke.
Screw the Rockies and Marlins!!!!
[quote comment=”315862″]At Ken Griffey Jr.’s introductory press conference today, a Mariners jersey was on the table in front of him, but he never donned it. I wonder whether everyone involved just forgot about it.[/quote]
What the hell?! Any word if Jr. is wearing his old number?
Eastern Michigan women’s hoops in a Pink Zone game this afternoon.
link
Cool fauxbacks. I especially liked the White Sox, A’s and Braves. In my opinion the 87 through 89 Sox uni is underappreciated. I always loved those caps. I also liked the placement of Red state of California (ironically one of the most un-reddest states in the union) on the Angels jersey. Hopefully some major league execs are Uni Watch readers.
Some uni and miscellaneous notes:
Maryland and UNC in a color vs. color today (Yellow vs. Blue).
Some weirdness in the Sixers-Heat game. Andre Miller and Samuel Dalembert both wore one high sock (right leg) and one low sock (left leg). Plus D-Wade had what looked like eye black under his left eye; it had a “bluish” tint to it (I think?) and I believe it said WADE, could be wrong though. Has that ever been donned in a basketball game before?
I think Paul had recently discussed eye black being worn in a hockey game before a couple of months back, if my memory serves me right.
The Jazz are wearing tribute patches for their longtime owner, Larry Miller, who died just the other day.
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See they had the LHM patches all cued up – good to see them using an element from the old logo…
[quote comment=”315873″]D-Wade had what looked like eye black under his left eye; it had a “bluish” tint to it (I think?) and I believe it said WADE, could be wrong though. Has that ever been donned in a basketball game before?
I think Paul had recently discussed eye black being worn in a hockey game before a couple of months back, if my memory serves me right.[/quote]
he got smacked in the eye (or under the eye) by juwan howard on feb 8th…since then, he’s been wearing different types of bandages that look a little like eye black strips (i think there was some ASG chatter on here about the “wade” strip)
[quote comment=”315876″][quote comment=”315873″]D-Wade had what looked like eye black under his left eye; it had a “bluish” tint to it (I think?) and I believe it said WADE, could be wrong though. Has that ever been donned in a basketball game before?
I think Paul had recently discussed eye black being worn in a hockey game before a couple of months back, if my memory serves me right.[/quote]
he got smacked in the eye (or under the eye) by link…since then, link different types of link that look a little like link (i think there was some ASG chatter on here about the “wade” strip)[/quote]
Thanks for filling me in Phil. I just have to say real quick that your weekend entries have been nothing but outstanding. They really add to the true Uni Watch experience. Today’s was definitely my favorite entry so far. Keep up the great work.
well as a tigers fan and a CMU student all I can say for today is down with new balance! Even though I would rather have UA or the Swoosh (yes the swoosh) design our football uniforms. I just happen to LOVE Utah’s design. Call me crazy but I just like it.
[quote]Thanks for filling me in Phil. I just have to say real quick that your weekend entries have been nothing but outstanding. They really add to the true Uni Watch experience. Today’s was definitely my favorite entry so far. Keep up the great work.[/quote]
thanks, nick…i appreciate your (and the others who also complimented the column today) kind words
i have to say, i really enjoy working with paulie, and we’re definitely gonna be doing more of these ‘concept uni’ type entries…probably one next week as well, so stay tuned!
also, a rare opportunity to see Wings goalie Jimmy Howard and the best goaltender mask in the nhl (no photos yet)
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World Baseball Clssic unis
[quote comment=”315868″]I have never forgiven Colorado or Florida for not being the Denver Rockies and Miami Marlins.
At the time, The National League (the only place where they play real baseball without the abomination of a designated hitter) was all city teams – the way baseball is meant to be.
That other league was full of idiot teams like Minnesota, Texas, California, etc.
What a joke.
Screw the Rockies and Marlins!!!![/quote]
In all fairness to Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona (you forgot them), as well as a few others in other sports…Tennessee, Utah and Carolina come to mind…it’s fairly evident they are the only MLB teams their states are ever going to have.
Now, when it comes to the Marlins, Rangers and the former California Angels (and others such as the Florida Panthers), I totally agree with you. Incredible for an organization to be so arrogant as to claim an entire state that has multiple major markets. It took seriously brass balls for the Rangers to do it, seeing as the Astros pre-dated them in Texas by a dozen years or so. I imagine they justified it by saying the entire thing is their nickname, like “Buffalo Bills” (Speaking of that school of nicknames, I keep waiting for a team in Washington to call itself the “Irvings”. Don’t think it’ll ever happen, though; too literary).
—Ricko
One other thought on that. I imagine the owners of the PCL team in Phoenix owned “Firebirds”.
Too bad. “Phoenix Firebirds” was one of the truly great natural nicknames (like “Milwaukee Brewers” and “Detroit Pistons”, even though they did inherit that one from Fort Wayne). And a helluva lot better than the gimmicky and overly long Arizona “Diamond”Backs (get it, baseball diamond?)with the equally dopey, truncated “D-Backs”.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”315874″]The Jazz are wearing tribute patches for their longtime owner, Larry Miller, who died just the other day.
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Here’s a better view of the patch:
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Univ of Oklahoma link and Oklahoma State University link both went with pink uniforms (in separate games) on Saturday.
OU’s unis weren’t too bad with the crimson and white trim; OSU’s were hideous in a lighter pink with white trim, IMHO.
Sooners photo gallery: link
Cowgirls photo gallery: link
This guy has been doing MLB concept jerseys for years, including the brewers road uniform featured in this post:
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[quote comment=”315844″]I was inspired by this posting to do some design work of my own. Check out the Blue Jay “fauxbacks” I came up with.
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Very Cool white’s
I would say the primary reason to wear city name on jerseys would be to let the fans know where a team is from. So pro sports would be pointless, because they’ve already spent a boatload of money on marketing already. Division I college sports is a little pointless as well as many are already household names, it’s certainly pointless for schools who are members of major conferences (SEC, Big 12, etc).
For schools/teams who don’t fall into this category (small D-I schools, D-II & DIII, high-schools, junior teams) I say it’s certainly okay. Even if a high-school is traveling just in-state to play, their school/city won’t be a household name and having the town/school name on it is a good idea.
ITemplatez.com offers professional link, link ,link, link, and link…