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A Different Vault to Explore

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A few weeks ago I featured some David Boss photos from the U.S. Presswire archives, but I didn’t spend much time exploring the rest of the U.S. Presswire database. Fortunately, reader Bill Kellick did, and he’s come up with some really good stuff. Let’s take a look:

Helmet carts! That’s from the halftime show at Super Bowl VII. Here are their AFC counterparts.

• Great shot of a 1973 Vikings/Rams game, with a sensational view of the Met scoreboard. Ricko, were you at that game?

• Dwayne Crump had unusual NOB lettering, no? Looks to have been sans serif, and larger than the standard size.

• Don’t think I’ve ever seen Fred Biletnikoff wearing this kind of facemask before. Compare to the images shown here.

• Similarly, Walter Payton usually wore this mask design — but not always. That’s from 1975, his rookie year.

•  Maybe the weirdest football facemask of the bunch: Look what Toni Fritsch was wearing with the Houston Gamblers. It’s like like a double-bar version of Scott Player.

• Speaking of facemasks, check out this! That’s Dave Gambee of the 76ers, guarding Elgin Baylor. Reminds me of these.

• Here’s an oddity: a Giants/Steelers photo with the Jints wearing logo-less helmets. The caption lists it as “unknown date,” but it must have been a preseason game.

• Arguably an even bigger oddity: Denver Broncos running back Lonnie Perrin kicking off. The date is listed as 11/13/77. Anyone know if Jim Turner was injured during that game?

• Here’s an unusually good shot of a clear-shell helmet. You can really see how the merit decals are on the outside of the shell while the striping and paint were applied from the inside. Interestingly, the nose bumper has the Wilson logo, but it’s actually a MacGregor helmet. Jeff Fedenko, who’s our resident clear-shell expert, speculates: “There may have been some sort under-the-table endorsement deal for the then-‘amatuer’ Mr. Dorsett, as he was in the midst of the Heisman chase during his senior season. His helmet lacked the Wilson bumper in his previous seasons.”

I’m sure there’s more good stuff in the U.S. Presswire archives — updates to follow.

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ITEM! Everyone loves talking about pants and socks: Nick Swisher of the Yanks went high cuffed on Friday night, which prompted the following bit of discussion between announcers Michael Kay and John Flaherty (with special thanks to Joshua Paster, who pointed me toward this one):

Flaherty: Going with the high pants, Nick Swisher.

Kay: Were you a high-pants guy at the end?

Flaherty: No. I laugh when I see the high pants. I always thought if you saw a guy with his pants high, he’s just telling everybody, “I’m struggling, and I’m changing it up a little.” That’s the way I always felt. Now, Nick had one of those days yesterday — he was 0-for-3 with walk, hit the ball hard every time, had nothing to show for it. Maybe switching it up a bit.

Kay: And then you have A-Rod. He wears ’em high, doesn’t struggle. Home opener, Swisher had bell bottoms on.

Flaherty: I was playing for Tampa one year, and Hal McRae came in as the new manager, and he made it a rule that everybody had to wear their pants up high. Randy Wynn, who’s now on the Yankees, was part of that. [This is inaccurate, or at least an overstatement. McRae’s actual rule was that players had to cuff their pants at least four inches above their ankles, which is a far cry from Swisher’s high-cuffed look. — PL]

Kay: Did you fight it?

Flaherty: I was not a big fan.

The director obligingly posts a shot of Flaherty during his Yankees days.

Kay: There’s John Flaherty. Shown’ a little sock — a little.

Flaherty: A little. I tried to take the elastics out of the bottoms of the pants so they’d hang down.

Kay: Now you didn’t start your career like that when you were with the Tigers, right?

Flaherty: Well, I started with the Red Sox, and I would wear the traditional stirrup, but I still didn’t like it high. I liked it down by the ankle.

Kay: I want to say one thing, because I know you get sensitive with me: I knew you started your career with the Red Sox. But you really played a lot more with the Tigers. So that’s what I meant.

Flaherty: Yeah, but I still wore my pants the same way, whether I was ridin’ pine in the bullpen or actually playing. You just never paid attention, because I wasn’t a starter.

Kay: That’s a good point. But of course you were a huuuuge starter, and star, with Tampa Bay.

Flaherty: I don’t know if you actually could have been a star on Tampa Bay, with those lean years with the Devil Rays back then.

Kay: But I think you still did a good job there. Signed some big contracts. That’s a star. Let’s take a look back at your time in Tampa. [Screen shows a clip of Flaherty as a Devil Ray.]

Flaherty: See, the pants are down.

mr_met.jpg

ITEM! Mets actually get something right: I meant to mention this about a week ago, but somehow it got lost in the shuffle. So: I attended the third Mets game of the season and was seriously impressed by the new Mets Hall of Fame. They clearly hired a professional exhibition-design firm — the space is well-conceived, with lots of cool features like video kiosks. Plenty of attention is paid to all phases of the team’s history, including the early Shea era — no Wilponian whitewash here. Bravo.

A few notes:

• Most fascinating artifact in the entire place is a sheet of handwritten notes from Casey Stengel.

• If you liked that, you’ll probably also like this Darryl Strawberry scouting report.

• Never seen this Shea Stadium dedication magazine before. Wish I could’ve seen the interior pages. Does anyone have a copy of this?

• For those of you who are still arguing over what the team’s colors were originally supposed to represent, add this to the debate.

• One thing that’s always puzzled me: During the first 20 years or so of the team’s existence, Mr. Met was always shown wearing an orange-brimmed cap (additional examples here). That even extended to this bobblehead, which I’d never seen before.

• There’s a nice jersey gallery, although it has a serious factual error (the Mets actually switched to double-knits in 1972).

• Funniest thing about the entire exhibit: Ron Hodges made the Mets Hall of Fame! Nice of the Mets to honor his number every April 15th.

All in all, a pretty good job. Would’ve been nice if they’d had it ready to go when the stadium opened last year, but hey, we’re talking about the Wilpons here.

Uni Watch News Ticker: In addition to wearing those A’s logo stirrups, Rajai Davis has also been wearing a gray-underbilled cap, at least on the road. Ditto for Ryan Sweeney (as noted by Brandon Davis). ”¦ No photo, but here’s an interesting note from Jackie Robinson Day: When the Phillies received their N.L. championship rings prior last Thursday’s game, they wore their regular uniforms with their standard uni numbers and NOBs. Then they changed to their NNOB 42s for the game (as reported by Kevin Collins). ”¦ Rochester Red Wings uni history is available for download here (with thanks to Kris Lincoln). ”¦ New memorial patch for Oregon State baseball and softball. It’s in memory of Al Reser, for whom the school’s football stadium is named, so I assume the football team will be wearing a patch or decal this fall. According to Aaron Maisel, the patch design is patterned after Reser’s company logo. ”¦ Is this the world’s largest knit jersey? “It’s a knit replica of the Japanese national team uniform, but it does not have the adidas logo, nor does it have the Japanese Football Association logo,” says Jeremy Brahm. “It’s 30 ft. by 23 ft. They are hoping that it will break the Guinness World Record.” ”¦ You know those colorful jackets worn by stock and commodities traders? Here’s a nice little item about the company that makes them, plus a video report (as noted by Lori Baker on her Facebook page). ”¦ Bengie Molina is refusing to wear those new padded batting gloves, because the yellow padding clashes with the Giants’ color scheme (with thanks to Brinke Guthrie). ”¦ Those white cleats that some players wore on Jackie Robinson Day included a little silhouette of Jackie sliding (with thanks to Brian Rowland). ”¦ Ryan Connelly came across a photo blog filled with sensational old photographs. Mostly non-sports, but whatever — not to be missed. ”¦ You have got to be kidding me (courtesy of Brinke Guthrie). ”¦ A little birdie has the following report regarding the Penguins: “They’re scrapping their new alternates for at least a year. The reason is Winter Classic-related. Just found out about it on Friday.” ”¦ Rare sight: Kent Tekulve as a Red (good find by Nick Houser). ”¦ Now that‘s a prom outfit (with thanks to John Muir). ”¦ Coupla championship ring questions from Bill Grindler: First, what is the symbol inside the Stargell Star on the Pirates’ 1979 ring? Second what’s the significance of the number sequence on the scoreboard on the Dodgers’ 1978 N.L. championship ring? Anyone know? (Update: I’m informed by several readers that the number on the Dodgers ring represents the team’s attendance that year — the first time an MLB team had drawn three million people.) ”¦ Cork Gaines explains the odd quirks of the Rays and Bosox on Saturday night: “They completed a suspended game from Friday night. On Friday all of the Rays were wearing No. 42 (they didn’t play on Thursday). But when they completed the game on Saturday, they were wearing their standard road jerseys. So every player was wearing a different number than he was wearing when the game started. Also, after completing the suspended game, the Rays switched to their navy blue alternate for the regularly scheduled game. So the Rays wore three different jerseys in less than 24 hours.” ”¦ New uniforms for Indiana football (with thanks to Jordan Owen). ”¦ Mike Hersh was nice enough to send over some scans from this 1976 hockey catalog. You can see the full set here. ”¦ Jonathon Binet was looking at photos of Auburn’s spring football scrimmage and noticed that the helmet logo appears to be slightly larger. ”¦ Bill Kellick found some spectacular home movie footage of a 1969 Oklahoma/K-State game. Among the many fun details, note that the officials did not have uni numbers. ”¦ In case you missed it in Phil’s Sunday report, the Indians wore khaki caps “made from recycled materials” on Saturday. … I may bid on this bizarre 1970s basketball warm-up shirt. I’ve never seen anything like it, but sporting goods maven Terry Proctor has: “I have sold that uniform series before. Back in the early 1970s, SandKnit made a whole series of basketball uniforms, girls’ uniforms, and coaches’ wear that they called SandPlaid, if I remember correctly. They had a few different plaid patterns (MacGregor, Black Watch, etc.) made up in combinations that would coordinate as inserts or panels with team uniform colors. The whole package had a limited appeal and was fairly expensive, and was dropped after a few years. We sold a couple of sets. One was to Wheatland-Chili Central High School in Scottsville, New York — there was a heavy Scottish heritage in the area and the teams were then known as the Scotsmen. Their colors were royal and white and they bought the whole thing with a blue/white/gold plaid pattern.” ”¦ As most of you are aware, the Yanks have changed the color scheme of the MLB logo on the back of their jersey this season, going from blue-white-red to blue-white-silver. The thing is, the silver is too light — it kinda fades into the background, so all you see, is the blue portion on the left, which makes the logo look off-center. ”¦ David Teigland reports that the U.S. Postal Service plans to issue these Negro Leagues stamps in June. Nice. ”¦ One of Brooks Robinson’s stubby-brimmed helmets was recently up for auction (with thanks to Bruce Menard). ”¦ Mets outfielder Frank Catalanotto has an “F-Cat” label on his helmet (good catch by Mike Mattison). ”¦ Good article about Coyotes goaltender Jason LaBarbera’s wrestling-themed mask designs here, plus a photo gallery Here (with thanks to Jacob Kubuske). ”¦ Matthew Hackethal recently picked up some old programs — Giants/Cardinals 11/4/62 and N.Y. Rangers 1/13/52 — and was nice enough to scan the covers and some ads. ”¦ There are long NOBs, and then there are really long NOBs. That’s Mats Zuccarello-Aasen, who’s about to sign a contract with the Rangers (with thanks to Seth Horowitz). ”¦ Spring football news from Robert Eden, who writes: “In a very confusing move for the Red/White game, Nebraska had offensive players for both teams wearing red jerseys, and defensive players for both teams wearing white jerseys. So how were fans supposed to tell which team was which? By the colors of their pants, of course. The Red team wore red pants and the White team wore white pants. So here’s the White offense against the Red defense, and vice-versa. The whole thing gave me a headache, trying to concentrate on a player’s pants instead of his jersey.” ”¦ Some San Francisco Giants uniforms have ended up in a very interesting final destination (big thanks to Jeff La Haie). ”¦ Unusual uni number font for Brewton-Parker College (with thanks to Erik Morris). … I hate gyms, so I get my exercise by cycling in Prospect Park for an hour every day, a routine I fell into shortly after buying my last bike in 1998. That bike has served me well, but as of last Thursday I’ve been been doing my daily cruise on a new set of wheels, and I’m very, very happy. Big thanks to Uni Watch cycling guru Bryan Redemske for all his help with this purchase. ”¦ The best song you’re likely to hear this year is “The Radio,” by PT Walkley. You can stream it for free (along with two other tunes, both of which are okay but not in the same league) here. Enjoy.

 
  
 
Comments (194)

    The Cardinals used that large sans-serif font around 1970. The Bills also used it a year or two during the Juice and the Electric Company days.

    That shot with the Met scoreboard shows the Vikings playing the Rams, not the Chargers.

    In 1978, the Dodgers became the first team to host more than 3 million fans in a season. The number sequence in the Dodgers N.L. Championship ring is their attendance from that year. (See Dodger Stadium Footnotes – Facts & Figures section at bottom of this page link)

    In the photo of Lonnie Perrin kicking off for the Broncos, why do we see a car parked in the background. Was it the norm for some teams to have cars parked just past the endzone?

    [quote comment=”386354″]In the photo of Lonnie Perrin kicking off for the Broncos, why do we see a car parked in the background. Was it the norm for some teams to have cars parked just past the endzone?[/quote]

    It could potentially be a leftover from some halftime activity. That’s about the only thought that makes any sense to me.

    [quote comment=”386351″]The Cardinals used that large sans-serif font around 1970. The Bills also used it a year or two during the Juice and the Electric Company days.[/quote]

    I was going to say the same thing. The first few years they had NOB, they used that font, I believe. It was definitely present on the 1970 red jersey, which was only used that season (it had the black outlines on the numerals).

    [quote comment=”386355″][quote comment=”386354″]In the photo of Lonnie Perrin kicking off for the Broncos, why do we see a car parked in the background. Was it the norm for some teams to have cars parked just past the endzone?[/quote]

    It could potentially be a leftover from some halftime activity. That’s about the only thought that makes any sense to me.[/quote]

    The Steelers often had cars parked in “foul territory” at Three Rivers.

    – Arguably an even bigger oddity: Denver Broncos running back Lonnie Perrin kicking off. The date is listed as 11/13/77. Anyone know if Jim Turner was injured during that game?

    ~~~~

    according to the boxscore, turner kicked PATs & a FG…so, apparently he was not injured

    Nationals made an interesting design choice in their season-ticket design for Saturday’s game — violence against women. But with the Nationals, should we be surprised?

    link

    I think you might be mistaken about the Mets switching to double-knits in 72. This picture (link!!harrelfosse.jpg) shows the famous play where Bud Harrelson was tagged out at home in game 2 of the 1973 World Series. The Mets are clearly wearing flannels with buttons. I think it wasn’t until 75 or 76 that they switched. Unless you could wear double-knits with buttons. If so, I apologize.

    The masked Phila player guarding Elgin Baylor is Dave Gambee, not Gamble. Gambee was one of the few remaining Sixers who moved with the team from Syracuse.
    And that number font worn by Brewton-Parker College is called “Tiffany” and made by Stahls. It’s been around for years.

    Payton also wore that mask (a Schutt NOPO model) briefly during the 1977 or 78 season as well. I believe it was due to an eye/nose/face injury. This was also the reason I believe Biletnikoff wore that mask as well. (Although Fred’s was the very rare Dunguard “Supermask” which was made of steel and modified by the equipment manager, just like Ken Stabler’s was.)
    As for Lonnie Perrin, he kicked off during the 1977 AFC championship as well. I believe he had a stronger leg and could kick it into the endzone.
    Finally, the Toni Fritsh mask is the Riddell BD-9 but it is attached upside down.

    [quote comment=”386361″]I think you might be mistaken about the Mets switching to double-knits in 72. This picture (link!!harrelfosse.jpg) shows the famous play where Bud Harrelson was tagged out at home in game 2 of the 1973 World Series. The Mets are clearly wearing flannels with buttons.[/quote]

    No — they’re wearing double-knits with buttons. Just like what they wear today.

    Double-knit polyester is a fabric, not a tailoring format. Many teams switched from button-fronts to pullovers when they changed from flannels to doubleknits; others, including the Mets, stuck with their existing tailoring formats but simply swapped in the new fabric. Bill Henderson’s jersey guide indicates the year in which each MLB team made the fabric switch. Here’s the relevant page about the Mets:
    link

    Ahh so the NHL is going to whore themselves out and force even more Crosby & Ovechkin on us. That’s swell. Its not like they already make the broadcasting companies treat the league as a 2 team affair. I mean, only 6 teams have participated in the Winter Classic. Why not have one of those 6 go again?

    Funny that the NHL is pumping these 2 teams this hard. In fact, Pittsburgh and Washington have arguably the two worst fanbases. 5 years ago, neither team could sell out their arena unless a visiting fanbase flooded ticket sales. Now, they’re the main focus of the league.

    What a miserably run league.

    Check US Presswire for Ted Turner. There are a handful of photos from his one game as manager. There is also one of him sitting behind Phil Niekro, who is in a rocking chair.

    [quote comment=”386366″]Check US Presswire for Ted Turner. There are a handful of photos from his one game as manager. There is also one of him sitting behind Phil Niekro, who is in a rocking chair.[/quote]

    Indeed:
    link

    [quote comment=”386361″]I think you might be mistaken about the Mets switching to double-knits in 72. This picture (link!!harrelfosse.jpg) shows the famous play where Bud Harrelson was tagged out at home in game 2 of the 1973 World Series. The Mets are clearly wearing flannels with buttons. I think it wasn’t until 75 or 76 that they switched. Unless you could wear double-knits with buttons. If so, I apologize.[/quote]

    according to the bill henderson guide, the mets were wearing the doubleknit roadie then

    Even today college football officials don’t have uniform numbers. They wear letters on their backs that indicate which position they work (i.e., R for referee, B for back judge, etc.).

    Only in the pros do the officials have uniform numbers.

    [quote comment=”386369″]Even today college football officials don’t have uniform numbers. They wear letters on their backs that indicate which position they work (i.e., R for referee, B for back judge, etc.).

    Only in the pros do the officials have uniform numbers.[/quote]

    Right. What I should have said is that they were BLANK on the back.

    I didn’t see any mention of this on the Ticker, so I figured I’d bring it up. I noticed that Francisco Rodriguez seems to be wearing ‘home’ and ‘road’ versions of the glasses he’s been using this season. During the Mets’ initial homestand, he came into the games wearing glasses that are blue and orange along the sides. But when he pitched in the Mets’ 20-inning game in St. Louis on Saturday, his glasses were blue and black. I thought this was really interesting.

    “Look what Toni Fritsch was wearing with the Houston Gamblers. It’s like like a double-bar version of Scott Player”

    As soon as I clicked the Fritsch link (before I’d read further), the first thing I thought was “Hey… looks like Scott Player.” Good one.

    ” … Ryan Connelly came across a photo blog filled with sensational old photographs. Mostly non-sports, but whatever – not to be missed. …

    ** Great stuff!

    “… I hate gyms…”

    ** What??!! Is it that you hate the annoying music from disco step-classes and the silly personal trainers and the gratuitous sales pitches disguised as nutritional counseling? Or do you hate manly establishments with stale-sweat odors and overweight has-beens making rude remarks to each other as they do sit-ups and lift barbells? I mean, they’re both “gyms,” but come on.

    Rams at Vikings, ’73.
    Nope, wasn’t there.
    Was up to my ass in WHA and WTT about that time.

    A few years before and several years after after, probably.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”386365″]Ahh so the NHL is going to whore themselves out and force even more Crosby & Ovechkin on us. That’s swell. Its not like they already make the broadcasting companies treat the league as a 2 team affair. I mean, only 6 teams have participated in the Winter Classic. Why not have one of those 6 go again?

    Funny that the NHL is pumping these 2 teams this hard. In fact, Pittsburgh and Washington have arguably the two worst fanbases. 5 years ago, neither team could sell out their arena unless a visiting fanbase flooded ticket sales. Now, they’re the main focus of the league.

    What a miserably run league.[/quote]

    Well, they have some competition…

    link

    Speaking of Dave Gambee…maybe the only sports card where the player is wearing sweat pants and practice jersey?…

    link

    Ryan Connnelly: thank you for the link to the old photos. Can’t wait.

    [quote comment=”386365″]Ahh so the NHL is going to whore themselves out and force even more Crosby & Ovechkin on us. That’s swell. Its not like they already make the broadcasting companies treat the league as a 2 team affair. I mean, only 6 teams have participated in the Winter Classic. Why not have one of those 6 go again?

    Funny that the NHL is pumping these 2 teams this hard. In fact, Pittsburgh and Washington have arguably the two worst fanbases. 5 years ago, neither team could sell out their arena unless a visiting fanbase flooded ticket sales. Now, they’re the main focus of the league.

    What a miserably run league.[/quote]

    Anytime the NHL is nationally televised in the U.S. (other that playoffs) it’s always first and foremost about building the fan base, not about providing games for those who are fans already.

    And don’t say, “What they should do..” They are doing EXACTLY what they should do, using those games to introduce the most people possible to their product.

    To put it bluntly, they don’t CARE what hockey fans want to see in those instances. They already HAVE the hockey fans. That isn’t the audience they’re after.

    What about that is so hard for people to understand?

    (Granted, there may be some parallel with the incessant ramming of Red Sox-Yankees down our collective throats, but MLB doesn’t have the same marketing needs as hockey. In hockey, it’s “Here’s the best we have to offer, come sample us”. Baseball/ESPN is more like “We just assume everyone cares because we do”).

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”386378″][quote comment=”386365″]Ahh so the NHL is going to whore themselves out and force even more Crosby & Ovechkin on us. That’s swell. Its not like they already make the broadcasting companies treat the league as a 2 team affair. I mean, only 6 teams have participated in the Winter Classic. Why not have one of those 6 go again?

    Funny that the NHL is pumping these 2 teams this hard. In fact, Pittsburgh and Washington have arguably the two worst fanbases. 5 years ago, neither team could sell out their arena unless a visiting fanbase flooded ticket sales. Now, they’re the main focus of the league.

    What a miserably run league.[/quote]

    Well, they have some competition…

    link

    the NHL should DEFINITELY focus on that epic carolina vs florida, staal vs _____, winter classic!

    [quote comment=”386365″]Funny that the NHL is pumping these 2 teams this hard. In fact, Pittsburgh and Washington have arguably the two worst fanbases. 5 years ago, neither team could sell out their arena unless a visiting fanbase flooded ticket sales. Now, they’re the main focus of the league.

    What a miserably run league.[/quote]

    This happens in almost every sport, really. That’s what the draft order is designed to do.

    [quote comment=”386380″]they don’t CARE what hockey fans want to see in those instances. They already HAVE the hockey fans. That isn’t the audience they’re after.
    [/quote]

    although you put down the ECB yankmees/sawks bent as a codacil…this point couldn’t be anymore salient

    tv guys will put on tv the game(s) they think matter to the most people or will attract the most viewers, because of the ad $ (which you know)

    so for everyone who (rightly) complains about having the sawks/yanks shoved down our throats, this is EXACTLY THE SAME THING that’s happening with hockey

    and which is why it’s losing me…again…

    “as if i didn’t get enough of crosby in the olympics, now i get HIM shoved down my throat” is the attitude of the borderline hockey fan (like i’ve now become) and the same reason why espn/mlb network/fox turn off many potential fans with the constant red sox/yankees coverage

    “as if i didn’t get enough yankees in the world series (or sawks in 04/07), i get them every game of the week?”

    sad, but very true, fact about broadcasting to a market you’re hoping to capture…the NHL isn’t about tradition and rivalries now, it’s about ovie versus sid the kid

    as of last Thursday I’ve been been doing my daily cruise on a new set of wheels, and I’m very, very happy.
    Very nice bike.

    Badger state comes through again, eh?

    Paul Lukas wrote: “Here’s an oddity: a Giants/Steelers photo with the Jints wearing logo-less helmets. The caption lists it as “unknown date,” but it must have been a preseason game.”

    That was in Aug. 1975, the final Jaycee Classic exhibition game played at Palmer Stadium in Princeton, N.J. For years the Giants played the Eagles each August in the game since Princeton was halfway between the two cities and proceeds went to charity. The final year the Steelers, coming off their first Super Bowl victory, played the Giants. I was at the game, still in high school. I was a uniform nut even back then, as the Giants equipment manager spent time with me the day before the game showing me the new helmet look and one year stylized “NY” logo that they used that season they played at Shea Stadium, the year before Giants Stadium opened and they switched to “GIANTS” on the helmet. Only one player, a defensive back had the “NY” on his helmet that game, the rest were blank as seen in the photo. I still have Craig Morton’s chin strap from that game.

    [quote comment=”386384″]as of last Thursday I’ve been been doing my daily cruise on a new set of wheels, and I’m very, very happy.
    Very nice bike.

    Badger state comes through again, eh?[/quote]

    No lie: Until you posted that, I didn’t realize Trek was based in Wisconsin! But yes, that just makes the whole thing even better.

    Yesterday had a uniform oddity. Karina LeBlanc, goalie for the Philadelphia Independence of WPS, was wearing a highlighter-yellow goalkeeper jersey while the rest of her team was in canary yellow. For the second half, she wore an orange goalie jersey. Perhaps the refs thought (rightly) that the two yellows were not indistinguishable?

    [quote comment=”386380″]Anytime the NHL is nationally televised in the U.S. (other that playoffs) it’s always first and foremost about building the fan base, not about providing games for those who are fans already.

    And don’t say, “What they should do..” They are doing EXACTLY what they should do, using those games to introduce the most people possible to their product.[/quote]

    Boy, that strategy would make a whole lot more sense if the NHL hadn’t moved their games to a third-tier cable network.

    [quote comment=”386389″][quote comment=”386380″]Anytime the NHL is nationally televised in the U.S. (other that playoffs) it’s always first and foremost about building the fan base, not about providing games for those who are fans already.

    And don’t say, “What they should do..” They are doing EXACTLY what they should do, using those games to introduce the most people possible to their product.[/quote]

    Boy, that strategy would make a whole lot more sense if the NHL hadn’t moved their games to a third-tier cable network.[/quote]

    You think they did that totally by choice? NHL has, for years, taken whatever they could get.

    Someday, when I have time and anyone’s in the mood to read a long comment, I’ll relate a story from the early ’70s of just how desperate the NHL was to be on national TV, and how they may have, in fact, killed any chance the ABA had of succeeding because of it.

    —Ricko

    We’ve talked about NFL teams who wore navy-colored helmets even when their corresponding team color was closer to royal blue. But in that second Walter Payton photo you can see that the navy of the Rams’ lids was clearly not as dark as the navy of the Bears’ helmets.

    Loved the helmet carts! Great shots of the field for SB VII as well.

    Is that Pat Summerall?
    link
    Great picture. Would be even better if that were an actual photo. Either way, that would make a nice poster.

    Toni Fritsch used to wear a normally-positioned single bar link
    but as he got older I guess he wanted a mask that matched his belly. RIP, Toni. link

    Switching sports, it looks as if the Marlins are showing why they should have been considered for contraction instead of the Twins.

    Ron Hodges!! I saw him hit one of his two lifetime triples at Shea in ’82. 1978 thru 1982 may have been bleak times for the Mets but they were great times to go to the ballpark without having to fight crowds and traffic…

    -Jet

    [quote comment=”386391″]Someday, when I have time and anyone’s in the mood to read a long comment, I’ll relate a story from the early ’70s of just how desperate the NHL was to be on national TV, and how they may have, in fact, killed any chance the ABA had of succeeding because of it.[/quote]

    Oh great, the NHL not only helped kill the MISL (well, at least in Pittsburgh, as the interest in Mario Lemieux drew fans to the Penguins and away from the Spirit), now they killed the ABA as well? Sure, Ricko, post the comment for us.

    [quote comment=”386392″]We’ve talked about NFL teams who wore navy-colored helmets even when their corresponding team color was closer to royal blue. But in that second Walter Payton photo you can see that the navy of the Rams’ lids was clearly not as dark as the navy of the Bears’ helmets.[/quote]

    You’re right. Almost certainly an oversimplification to say they were navy. But they sure were closer to navy than to royal, especially compared to the royal helmets we see today (even without the sparklies). Vikings helmets back then were much darker than their purple jerseys, too. I have no explanation why, just that I noticed it was far back as the Gifford-Huff Giants, and later the Air Coryell Chargers and others.
    link

    —Ricko

    CASEY’S HOCKEY BIBLE!! I had that catalog!!

    I used to spend HOURS staring at this page:
    link
    Note that those are WHA team gloves interspersed with the familiar NHL colors.

    And this page
    link
    will serve as further reference for postings we had a few months ago about this series of cartoon patches

    Great stuff!

    -Jet

    [quote comment=”386391″][quote comment=”386389″][quote comment=”386380″]Anytime the NHL is nationally televised in the U.S. (other that playoffs) it’s always first and foremost about building the fan base, not about providing games for those who are fans already.

    And don’t say, “What they should do..” They are doing EXACTLY what they should do, using those games to introduce the most people possible to their product.[/quote]

    Boy, that strategy would make a whole lot more sense if the NHL hadn’t moved their games to a third-tier cable network.[/quote]

    You think they did that totally by choice? NHL has, for years, taken whatever they could get.
    [/quote]

    Cable Siberia wasn’t their only option – ESPN wanted to keep the NHL, but they weren’t willing to pay as much upfront as OLN.

    Besides, Bettman wanted to be the big fish in a small pond. Good for his ego, not necessarily good for the growth of his game.

    [quote comment=”386389″][quote comment=”386380″]Anytime the NHL is nationally televised in the U.S. (other that playoffs) it’s always first and foremost about building the fan base, not about providing games for those who are fans already.

    And don’t say, “What they should do..” They are doing EXACTLY what they should do, using those games to introduce the most people possible to their product.[/quote]

    Boy, that strategy would make a whole lot more sense if the NHL hadn’t moved their games to a third-tier cable network.[/quote]
    Third-tier? When did they move up? I thought they were still stuck with Vs.

    This isn’t news to anyone here, but as I was watching last night’s Mets v. Cards game, I felt there was a uni yin-yang thing going on in that as great as the link, the mets looked like their link. BFBS truly sucks ass.

    [quote comment=”386392″]We’ve talked about NFL teams who wore navy-colored helmets even when their corresponding team color was closer to royal blue. But in that second Walter Payton photo you can see that the navy of the Rams’ lids was clearly not as dark as the navy of the Bears’ helmets.[/quote]

    I think the Bears have always been closer to midnight rather than navy, despite whatever they officially call it. People used to think that the Bears had black helmets – and normal navy blue rather obviously not black… unless it’s the US Navy, but that’s different.

    [quote comment=”386400″]This isn’t news to anyone here, but as I was watching last night’s Mets v. Cards game, I felt there was a uni yin-yang thing going on in that as great as the link, the mets looked like their link. BFBS truly sucks ass.[/quote]

    I took my wife and kids to the game … just glad they didn’t wear softball jerseys.

    Speaking of the Mets v. Cards game last night, I absolutely HATE when a team wears an alternate cap yet wears their regular helmets (as the Cardinals did last night) at the plate. I realize it’s probably an ancient topic here, but I had to vent particularly because the Cards’ STL lid is truly a work of art but the bird-on-bat-blue-w/-red-brim thing is (IMHO) shite.

    [quote comment=”386400″]This isn’t news to anyone here, but as I was watching last night’s Mets v. Cards game, I felt there was a uni yin-yang thing going on in that as great as the link, the mets looked like their link. BFBS truly sucks ass.[/quote]

    actually, the cards wore their stupid sunday two-tone caps, which don’t look nearly as gorgeous as their solid reds, and the mets didn’t sport black jerseys…

    imagine how truly good vs. bad it could have been

    [quote comment=”386395″][quote comment=”386391″]Someday, when I have time and anyone’s in the mood to read a long comment, I’ll relate a story from the early ’70s of just how desperate the NHL was to be on national TV, and how they may have, in fact, killed any chance the ABA had of succeeding because of it.[/quote]

    Oh great, the NHL not only helped kill the MISL (well, at least in Pittsburgh, as the interest in Mario Lemieux drew fans to the Penguins and away from the Spirit), now they killed the ABA as well? Sure, Ricko, post the comment for us.[/quote]

    Okay, as short as I can make it (and some details may not be perfect, but the essence of the tale is true).

    When my former partner was still ABA PR director, Jack Dolph replaced George Mikan as ABA Commissioner. Very early ’70s.

    Dolph, a former CBS exec, brought with him a Sunday afternoon TV deal for the ABA. CBS thought the new league, with players like Dr. J., was a helluva a show. Y’know, red-white-blue ball and all (which tracked great on b&w TV, especially). CBS wanted the ABA.

    Problem. CBS had one more year on its deal with the NHL. An option year sort of, with no amount for rights fees stipulated.

    So, CBS decided to lowball them, make them an offer so ridiculously low they’d be insulted, get pissed and walk away, leaving CBS free to telecast the ABA nationally on Sunday afternoons.

    They offered the NHL $250,000, total, for the entire season. Even by early ’70s standards, that’s a pittance.

    Guess what? The NHL took it. Never batted an eye. They knew they needed the exposure.

    So, the ABA never got the TV deal it expected when it hired Jack Dolph. For all intents and purposes that’s when the ABA began to crumble. Owners began to give up. Like NHL owners, they knew how much that TV exposure mattered.

    Would a national TV package have saved the ABA, or at least meant more teams included in the later merger? Who knows. But it sure wouldn’t have HURT the league any.

    —Ricko

    Oh, and from that Casey’s catalog, check out Ralph Backstrom with his jersey on backwards!
    link

    And I owned one of these
    link
    the full wrap-around “futuramic” version. Painted it in California Golden Seals colors. I’ve got a pic of it somewhere, been meaning to post it

    -Jet

    More Casey’s greatness:
    link

    I think these posters have been discussed here before. I had the entire Western Division set, got ’em off a box of Wheaties!!

    -Jet

    [quote comment=”386405″]actually, the cards wore their stupid link, which don’t look nearly as gorgeous as their solid reds, and the mets didn’t sport black jerseys…

    imagine how truly good vs. bad it could have been[/quote]

    LMAO. So true. It coulda been better AND worse, thereby making an even more pronounced uni-yin-yang.

    Some of you really don’t understand why they would put the Penguins and Capitals in the Winter Classic? The Pens/Caps game on Super Bowl Sunday was their best-rated indoor NHL game this year. It did even bigger numbers in Pittsburgh and DC. Sid and Ovechkin are the two best players in the league. Look at how much the league milked the footage of Crosby winning the first game in the shootout in the snow. You don’t think they would love to have another signature moment like that with Crosby or Ovechkin?

    Also, ESPN didn’t just underbid Versus when it came to money, it was about actually showing the games, too. Once ESPN got the NBA, even while they still had the NHL rights, they made it perfectly clear that they didn’t care about hockey anymore by cutting back on games shown, bumping games down the network food chain, cancelling NHL2night, etc. Do you think ESPN would have shown as many games as Versus did towards the end of the season?

    Oops. Amendment to my NHL-CBS-ABA comment…

    Got to thinking…

    By the time that all went down my former partner was no longer ABA PR Director. He was running the Dallas Chaparrals (now San Antonio Spurs), and was on the ABA TV Committee, which is why he was privy to all those machinations and developments.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”386411″]Some of you really don’t understand why they would put the Penguins and Capitals in the Winter Classic? The Pens/Caps game on Super Bowl Sunday was their best-rated indoor NHL game this year. It did even bigger numbers in Pittsburgh and DC. Sid and Ovechkin are the two best players in the league. Look at how much the league milked the footage of Crosby winning the first game in the shootout in the snow. You don’t think they would love to have another signature moment like that with Crosby or Ovechkin?

    Also, ESPN didn’t just underbid Versus when it came to money, it was about actually showing the games, too. Once ESPN got the NBA, even while they still had the NHL rights, they made it perfectly clear that they didn’t care about hockey anymore by cutting back on games shown, bumping games down the network food chain, cancelling NHL2night, etc. Do you think ESPN would have shown as many games as Versus did towards the end of the season?[/quote]

    On the other hand, people actually know where ESPN is in their cable lineup. The NHL isn’t exactly gaining a large number of fans being on a network that no one realizes they have.

    not uni-related, but how the hell does one pronounce “jints”? is the “i” long, basically giants without the “a” or is it short, like the hampton jitney?

    i’ve always thought it was long, but my dad, westchester county native (who used to watch the baseball jints as a kid), says it’s short…

    any help?

    [quote comment=”386414″][quote comment=”386411″]Some of you really don’t understand why they would put the Penguins and Capitals in the Winter Classic? The Pens/Caps game on Super Bowl Sunday was their best-rated indoor NHL game this year. It did even bigger numbers in Pittsburgh and DC. Sid and Ovechkin are the two best players in the league. Look at how much the league milked the footage of Crosby winning the first game in the shootout in the snow. You don’t think they would love to have another signature moment like that with Crosby or Ovechkin?

    Also, ESPN didn’t just underbid Versus when it came to money, it was about actually showing the games, too. Once ESPN got the NBA, even while they still had the NHL rights, they made it perfectly clear that they didn’t care about hockey anymore by cutting back on games shown, bumping games down the network food chain, cancelling NHL2night, etc. Do you think ESPN would have shown as many games as Versus did towards the end of the season?[/quote]

    On the other hand, people actually know where ESPN is in their cable lineup. The NHL isn’t exactly gaining a large number of fans being on a network that no one realizes they have.[/quote]

    I’d wager the NHL figured its solid fan base would follow them to Versus, and that, under the circumstances, they’d put their “U.S. recruiting eggs” in the NBC Sunday package and the Winter Classic basket.

    Given the way it went down (and not wanting to appear to be treated as second-class by ESPN) it’s difficult to absolutely positively say it was the wrong marketing decision for them.

    You know any NHL fans who haven’t checked to see if their cable system includes Versus? Inside that world, it’s well-established that that’s where the games can be found.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”386372″]looks like biletnikoff got one of link by mistake.[/quote]
    IMO, This is THE facemask of the 70’s and this is THE facemask of the last 60’s: link

    [quote comment=”386416″]not uni-related, but how the hell does one pronounce “jints”? [/quote]

    rhymes with “mints”

    [quote comment=”386416″]not uni-related, but how the hell does one pronounce “jints”? is the “i” long, basically giants without the “a” or is it short, like the hampton jitney?

    i’ve always thought it was long, but my dad, westchester county native (who used to watch the baseball jints as a kid), says it’s short…

    any help?[/quote]

    Short. At least in my house.

    [quote comment=”386385″]Paul Lukas wrote: “Here’s an oddity: a Giants/Steelers photo with the Jints wearing logo-less helmets. The caption lists it as “unknown date,” but it must have been a preseason game.”

    That was in Aug. 1975, the final Jaycee Classic exhibition game played at Palmer Stadium in Princeton, N.J. For years the Giants played the Eagles each August in the game since Princeton was halfway between the two cities and proceeds went to charity. The final year the Steelers, coming off their first Super Bowl victory, played the Giants. I was at the game, still in high school. I was a uniform nut even back then, as the Giants equipment manager spent time with me the day before the game showing me the new helmet look and one year stylized “NY” logo that they used that season they played at Shea Stadium, the year before Giants Stadium opened and they switched to “GIANTS” on the helmet. Only one player, a defensive back had the “NY” on his helmet that game, the rest were blank as seen in the photo. I still have Craig Morton’s chin strap from that game.[/quote]
    Good contribution, Brad. I had a clue that this was right before they introduced that ugly stylized NY’ as the helmet incorporates a pair of white stripes flanking the red. Also the thickness of that red stripe is greater.

    Ugly helmet and uglier team. link

    [quote comment=”386391″][quote comment=”386389″][quote comment=”386380″]Anytime the NHL is nationally televised in the U.S. (other that playoffs) it’s always first and foremost about building the fan base, not about providing games for those who are fans already.

    And don’t say, “What they should do..” They are doing EXACTLY what they should do, using those games to introduce the most people possible to their product.[/quote]

    Boy, that strategy would make a whole lot more sense if the NHL hadn’t moved their games to a third-tier cable network.[/quote]

    You think they did that totally by choice? NHL has, for years, taken whatever they could get.

    Someday, when I have time and anyone’s in the mood to read a long comment, I’ll relate a story from the early ’70s of just how desperate the NHL was to be on national TV, and how they may have, in fact, killed any chance the ABA had of succeeding because of it.

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Let’s go Ricko… as a huge ABA fan I’ll die for any snippet you can provide!!!!

    [quote comment=”386421″][quote comment=”386416″]not uni-related, but how the hell does one pronounce “jints”? is the “i” long, basically giants without the “a” or is it short, like the hampton jitney?

    i’ve always thought it was long, but my dad, westchester county native (who used to watch the baseball jints as a kid), says it’s short…

    any help?[/quote]

    Short. At least in my house.[/quote]

    well i stand corrected. thanks!

    [quote comment=”386424″][quote comment=”386391″][quote comment=”386389″][quote comment=”386380″]Anytime the NHL is nationally televised in the U.S. (other that playoffs) it’s always first and foremost about building the fan base, not about providing games for those who are fans already.

    And don’t say, “What they should do..” They are doing EXACTLY what they should do, using those games to introduce the most people possible to their product.[/quote]

    Boy, that strategy would make a whole lot more sense if the NHL hadn’t moved their games to a third-tier cable network.[/quote]

    You think they did that totally by choice? NHL has, for years, taken whatever they could get.

    Someday, when I have time and anyone’s in the mood to read a long comment, I’ll relate a story from the early ’70s of just how desperate the NHL was to be on national TV, and how they may have, in fact, killed any chance the ABA had of succeeding because of it.

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Let’s go Ricko… as a huge ABA fan I’ll die for any snippet you can provide!!!![/quote]

    See #55 and #61.

    [quote comment=”386413″]Oops. Amendment to my NHL-CBS-ABA comment…

    Got to thinking…

    By the time that all went down my former partner was no longer ABA PR Director. He was running the Dallas Chaparrals (now San Antonio Spurs), and was on the ABA TV Committee, which is why he was privy to all those machinations and developments.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Ah, the Chaparrals:
    link
    Say, after looking at those photos, do we include the Spurs in the BFBS crowd? If so, then they’re my vote for the best BFBS unis. Ever.

    Thanks for the story too, Ricko.

    [quote comment=”386413″]Oops. Amendment to my NHL-CBS-ABA comment…

    Got to thinking…

    By the time that all went down my former partner was no longer ABA PR Director. He was running the Dallas Chaparrals (now San Antonio Spurs), and was on the ABA TV Committee, which is why he was privy to all those machinations and developments.

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Ricko…..
    Dallas chaparrals, Spurs, TV Radio….. is your friend’s name Terry by chance????

    [quote comment=”386428″][quote comment=”386413″]Oops. Amendment to my NHL-CBS-ABA comment…

    Got to thinking…

    By the time that all went down my former partner was no longer ABA PR Director. He was running the Dallas Chaparrals (now San Antonio Spurs), and was on the ABA TV Committee, which is why he was privy to all those machinations and developments.

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Ricko…..
    Dallas chaparrals, Spurs, TV Radio….. is your friend’s name Terry by chance????[/quote]

    Lee Meade, former sports editor, Denver Post, and first PR director of ABA. The guy who started keeping many of the statistics now standard, things the NBA hadn’t bothered with at that time. Also first PR director for WHA (by that time he and I were partners in a PR firm).

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”386418″][quote comment=”386372″]looks like biletnikoff got one of link by mistake.[/quote]
    IMO, This is THE facemask of the 70’s and this is THE facemask of the last 60’s: link

    Looks like the Otis Taylor two-single-bars-as-double-bar mask. Good stuff! I always dug the standard link as well.

    [quote comment=”386381″]
    the NHL should DEFINITELY focus on that epic carolina vs florida, staal vs _____, winter classic![/quote]

    Exactly! I’ve been wanting this forever. But actually the Lightning would be a better matchup. Or maybe the Coyotes. As for the blank, you could fill in Vokoun, Booth, Horton, McCabe, or even Weiss! All would light up the marquee!

    I still hope my Panthers will get to participate in the Winter Classic someday. I realize it won’t be a home game, but I want to see them in the cold someday.

    [quote comment=”386429″][quote comment=”386428″][quote comment=”386413″]Oops. Amendment to my NHL-CBS-ABA comment…

    Got to thinking…

    By the time that all went down my former partner was no longer ABA PR Director. He was running the Dallas Chaparrals (now San Antonio Spurs), and was on the ABA TV Committee, which is why he was privy to all those machinations and developments.

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Ricko…..
    Dallas chaparrals, Spurs, TV Radio….. is your friend’s name Terry by chance????[/quote]

    Lee Meade, former sports editor, Denver Post, and first PR director of ABA. The guy who started keeping many of the statistics now standard, things the NBA hadn’t bothered with at that time. Also first PR director for WHA (by that time he and I were partners in a PR firm).

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Ah…based upon my 15 readings of Terry Pluto’s ‘Loose Balls’, Terry Stembridge stood out as the guy you were describing…. thanks for your patience w/ my ignorance.

    [quote comment=”386427″]Say, after looking at those photos, do we include the Spurs in the BFBS crowd? If so, then they’re my vote for the best BFBS unis. Ever.[/quote]

    I’d vote no on Spurs being BFBS simply because black is their official primary color and not an accent or alternate. I agree w/ JimV that the Spurs sport the best black unis.

    [quote comment=”386430″][quote comment=”386418″][quote comment=”386372″]looks like biletnikoff got one of link by mistake.[/quote]
    IMO, This is THE facemask of the 70’s and this is THE facemask of the last 60’s: link

    Looks like the Otis Taylor two-single-bars-as-double-bar mask. Good stuff! I always dug the standard link as well.[/quote]
    yes, it’s none other than….

    quite iconic as is the Snakes’, the Bradshaw/Griese Dungard or Csonkas’ nosering. :)

    [quote comment=”386434″][quote comment=”386430″][quote comment=”386418″][quote comment=”386372″]looks like biletnikoff got one of link by mistake.[/quote]
    IMO, This is THE facemask of the 70’s and this is THE facemask of the last 60’s: link

    Looks like the Otis Taylor two-single-bars-as-double-bar mask. Good stuff! I always dug the standard link as well.[/quote]
    yes, it’s none other than….

    quite iconic as is the Snakes’, the Bradshaw/Griese Dungard or Csonkas’ nosering. :)[/quote]

    Charlie Johnson, too.
    link

    [quote comment=”386427″][quote comment=”386413″]Oops. Amendment to my NHL-CBS-ABA comment…

    Got to thinking…

    By the time that all went down my former partner was no longer ABA PR Director. He was running the Dallas Chaparrals (now San Antonio Spurs), and was on the ABA TV Committee, which is why he was privy to all those machinations and developments.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Ah, the Chaparrals:
    link
    Say, after looking at those photos, do we include the Spurs in the BFBS crowd? If so, then they’re my vote for the best BFBS unis. Ever.

    Thanks for the story too, Ricko.[/quote]

    I nominate the Spurs (1990-2002) as the first unductee into the CFCS.

    Appearently, the pressure of environmentalists pressured the Spurs to go back to black and silver … and nothing else.

    link

    [quote comment=”386380″]
    Anytime the NHL is nationally televised in the U.S. (other that playoffs) it’s always first and foremost about building the fan base, not about providing games for those who are fans already.

    And don’t say, “What they should do..” They are doing EXACTLY what they should do, using those games to introduce the most people possible to their product.

    To put it bluntly, they don’t CARE what hockey fans want to see in those instances. They already HAVE the hockey fans. That isn’t the audience they’re after.

    What about that is so hard for people to understand?

    (Granted, there may be some parallel with the incessant ramming of Red Sox-Yankees down our collective throats, but MLB doesn’t have the same marketing needs as hockey. In hockey, it’s “Here’s the best we have to offer, come sample us”. Baseball/ESPN is more like “We just assume everyone cares because we do”).

    —Ricko[/quote]
    thats only partially true, they have the hockey fans now, but as was clearly shown in Chicago, if you piss on the current fans enough, they will go away. That finally ended then WWW died. If the NHL keeps pissing on the current fans they can and will leave.

    A day late on the Black for Black’s Sake column, but had to add the Italian National Championship jersey of Filippo Pozzato to the list. Yes…Italy and Black.

    link

    He wore the black kit in Paris-Roubaix last weekend, a race considered one of five Monuments of cycling.

    [quote comment=”386435″][quote comment=”386434″][quote comment=”386430″][quote comment=”386418″][quote comment=”386372″]looks like biletnikoff got one of link by mistake.[/quote]
    IMO, This is THE facemask of the 70’s and this is THE facemask of the last 60’s: link

    Looks like the Otis Taylor two-single-bars-as-double-bar mask. Good stuff! I always dug the standard link as well.[/quote]
    yes, it’s none other than….

    quite iconic as is the Snakes’, the Bradshaw/Griese Dungard or Csonkas’ nosering. :)[/quote]

    Charlie Johnson, too.
    link
    had no idea on C. Johnson. my recollections of the league back then are all based upon the NFL films library and the Cards hardly figured prominently.
    An aside on the Card’s QB job. Jim Hart joined the Cardinals in 66 and appears to have been tabbed the starter by his second year. But why is Charley Johnson so prominent? Injuries to Hart ? Job share (a la Morton/Meredith/Staubach)?

    [quote comment=”386435″][quote comment=”386434″][quote comment=”386430″][quote comment=”386418″][quote comment=”386372″]looks like biletnikoff got one of link by mistake.[/quote]
    IMO, This is THE facemask of the 70’s and this is THE facemask of the last 60’s: link

    Looks like the Otis Taylor two-single-bars-as-double-bar mask. Good stuff! I always dug the standard link as well.[/quote]
    yes, it’s none other than….

    quite iconic as is the Snakes’, the Bradshaw/Griese Dungard or Csonkas’ nosering. :)[/quote]

    Charlie Johnson, too.
    link

    I’m surprised nobody tried link.

    [quote comment=”386439″][quote comment=”386435″][quote comment=”386434″][quote comment=”386430″][quote comment=”386418″][quote comment=”386372″]looks like biletnikoff got one of link by mistake.[/quote]
    IMO, This is THE facemask of the 70’s and this is THE facemask of the last 60’s: link

    Looks like the Otis Taylor two-single-bars-as-double-bar mask. Good stuff! I always dug the standard link as well.[/quote]
    yes, it’s none other than….

    quite iconic as is the Snakes’, the Bradshaw/Griese Dungard or Csonkas’ nosering. :)[/quote]

    Charlie Johnson, too.
    link
    had no idea on C. Johnson. my recollections of the league back then are all based upon the NFL films library and the Cards hardly figured prominently.
    An aside on the Card’s QB job. Jim Hart joined the Cardinals in 66 and appears to have been tabbed the starter by his second year. But why is Charley Johnson so prominent? Injuries to Hart ? Job share (a la Morton/Meredith/Staubach)?[/quote]

    As I recall was sort of like “Damn, all of a sudden we got two #1 QBs here!” for the Cardinals. Hart stayed, and Johnson went on to have quality seasons starting for the Oilers and Broncos.

    Far better results than Morton had with Broncos and Giants. Well, yes, Morton did QB the Broncos to one Super Bowl, I guess, so we’d better say his career had more pronounced peaks and valleys than Johnson’s.

    Wait a sec., somebody help me out here. Flashing on something, Did Johnson break a leg or something while with Cards? (Hey, my memory looks like a message board with about a million post-it notes. Sometimes I don’t find a particular item right away.)

    —Ricko

    Regarding the ticker item on the Marlins ditching the out of town scoreboard:

    Yes, it is a stupid decision. When they talked about it on Opening Night, they said the stadium actually owns the scoreboard, not the team. And the light-up portion was in need of repair, and neither the stadium nor team wanted to pay for fixing/replacing it. They both know they won’t need it after the Marlins move out in 2012. They also said they’ll still put the scores on the ribbon boards, but I bet that won’t have the pitchers listed. Cheap bastards.

    As you can see below, the “Teal Monster” has devolved from functioning manual scoreboard, to a light-up one without each inning, to its current purpose as giant advertising. What a shame.

    1. link
    2. link
    3. link

    [quote comment=”386441″][quote comment=”386439″][quote comment=”386435″][quote comment=”386434″][quote comment=”386430″][quote comment=”386418″][quote comment=”386372″]looks like biletnikoff got one of link by mistake.[/quote]
    IMO, This is THE facemask of the 70’s and this is THE facemask of the last 60’s: link

    Looks like the Otis Taylor two-single-bars-as-double-bar mask. Good stuff! I always dug the standard link as well.[/quote]
    yes, it’s none other than….

    quite iconic as is the Snakes’, the Bradshaw/Griese Dungard or Csonkas’ nosering. :)[/quote]

    Charlie Johnson, too.
    link
    had no idea on C. Johnson. my recollections of the league back then are all based upon the NFL films library and the Cards hardly figured prominently.
    An aside on the Card’s QB job. Jim Hart joined the Cardinals in 66 and appears to have been tabbed the starter by his second year. But why is Charley Johnson so prominent? Injuries to Hart ? Job share (a la Morton/Meredith/Staubach)?[/quote]

    As I recall was sort of like “Damn, all of a sudden we got two #1 QBs here!” for the Cardinals. Hart stayed, and Johnson went on to have quality seasons starting for the Oilers and Broncos.

    Far better results than Morton had with Broncos and Giants. Well, yes, Morton did QB the Broncos to one Super Bowl, I guess, so we’d better say his career had more pronounced peaks and valleys than Johnson’s.

    Wait a sec., somebody help me out here. Flashing on something, Did Johnson break a leg or something while with Cards? (Hey, my memory looks like a message board with about a million post-it notes. Sometimes I don’t find a particular item right away.)

    —Ricko[/quote]
    That makes sense I always had imagined you as the ‘Brillant mind’ guy. link

    Alas, no picture of the scene in the garage w/ the billions of post it notes, unfortunately.

    sorry for the millionth and one posting: but I do recall C. Johnson breaking a leg.

    It received mention during an NFL Films Game of the week. CJ was the Oiler’s QB but it wasn’t clear from the context whether the injury occurred as a member of the Oilers or a previous team.
    Not too helpful but it’s all i got.

    [quote comment=”386442″]Regarding the ticker item on the Marlins ditching the out of town scoreboard:

    Yes, it is a stupid decision. When they talked about it on Opening Night, they said the stadium actually owns the scoreboard, not the team. And the light-up portion was in need of repair, and neither the stadium nor team wanted to pay for fixing/replacing it. They both know they won’t need it after the Marlins move out in 2012. They also said they’ll still put the scores on the ribbon boards, but I bet that won’t have the pitchers listed. Cheap bastards.

    As you can see below, the “Teal Monster” has devolved from functioning manual scoreboard, to a light-up one without each inning, to its current purpose as giant advertising. What a shame.

    1. link
    2. link
    3. link[/quote]

    No offense to Marlin fans, but I’ve hated this franchise ever since they beat my beloved Tribe in ’97 only to dump the salaries in ’98 to put 108 in the L column. 2003 was the only time I’ve EVER rooted for the Yankees in a World Series.

    [quote comment=”386444″]sorry for the millionth and one posting: but I do recall C. Johnson breaking a leg.[/quote]

    Was Charlie ever an actor?

    Anybody check out PuckDrawn.com today? link

    Someone got a concept logo stolen by a hockey club in Canada and people are debating whether or not the creator has any rights to it. Interesting debate.

    Hey Cleveland-area folks,

    Remember my brother’s scale model of Quicken Loans Arena link
    link
    found in my piece on the Coliseum?

    Well, big bro is cleaning out his basement and is looking for anyone who wants it. He’d take memorabilia over cash, especially if someone comes and takes it away for him. Caution, it’s heavy.

    re: Charley Johnson.
    “Reverse researching”…This from a bio on Jim Hart…

    “The St. Louis Cardinals signed him as a free agent in 1966 and he became the team’s starting quarterback the following season when Charlie Johnson was drafted into the Army.”

    Wonder if that isn’t more that Johnson’s Army Reserve unit was activated, because he never missed an entire season.

    But it does shed some light on their “sharing” of the Cards’ QB job.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”386446″]And the mystery symbol inside the Stargell Star still goes unsolved. . . .[/quote]

    Looks like it got batted around on baseballfever, too, but no one came up with an answer.

    Paul, on the Mets HOF:

    Designed by Populous Architects (who designed the entire stadium).

    Built by Sciame Construction.

    Good read about the Giants unis ending up in San Quinton. I recall that in 1971 the Buffalo Braves sent their first year unis to Attica because they were changing to the orange and black they wore for two seasons.The owner (Paul Snyder)was nortoriously cheap,and would never have given them away if the team wasn’t changing colors

    [quote comment=”386456″]link

    i kid, i kid because i love ya ricko[/quote]

    Sadly, my patio doesn’t face the street.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”386446″]And the mystery symbol inside the Stargell Star still goes unsolved. . . .[/quote]

    Early version of this?

    link

    [quote comment=”386457″][quote comment=”386456″]link

    i kid, i kid because i love ya ricko[/quote]

    Sadly, my patio doesn’t face the street.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Or…

    “If your mother drives you to school…you are NOT a gansta.”

    —Jeff Foxworthy.

    [quote comment=”386414″][quote comment=”386411″]Some of you really don’t understand why they would put the Penguins and Capitals in the Winter Classic? The Pens/Caps game on Super Bowl Sunday was their best-rated indoor NHL game this year. It did even bigger numbers in Pittsburgh and DC. Sid and Ovechkin are the two best players in the league. Look at how much the league milked the footage of Crosby winning the first game in the shootout in the snow. You don’t think they would love to have another signature moment like that with Crosby or Ovechkin?

    Also, ESPN didn’t just underbid Versus when it came to money, it was about actually showing the games, too. Once ESPN got the NBA, even while they still had the NHL rights, they made it perfectly clear that they didn’t care about hockey anymore by cutting back on games shown, bumping games down the network food chain, cancelling NHL2night, etc. Do you think ESPN would have shown as many games as Versus did towards the end of the season?[/quote]

    On the other hand, people actually know where ESPN is in their cable lineup. The NHL isn’t exactly gaining a large number of fans being on a network that no one realizes they have.[/quote]
    This “people don’t know they have versus” is such a lame ass excuse. This is the fifth season the league’s games are on the network. And while I agree with many that the coverage sucks, it’s pretty much all you’ve got.

    It’s 2010, many people have TV through either cable or satellite that has an on-screen menu guide that you can page through your channel lineup. If you don’t, you can call the number on your bill to get a lineup card.

    I’m not saying the NHL’s profile hasn’t diminished since leaving the four-letter network, quite the contrary, but let’s not make it sound like you have to have two antennas, tin foil and look for the games on some obscure VHF channel either.

    [quote comment=”386461″] let’s not make it sound like you have to have two antennas, tin foil and look for the games on some obscure VHF channel either.[/quote]

    wasn’t that a weird al movie?

    or was that uhf..

    That PT Walkley song is pretty good, but it’s not as good as this offering from the Black Keys: link

    [quote comment=”386462″][quote comment=”386461″] let’s not make it sound like you have to have two antennas, tin foil and look for the games on some obscure VHF channel either.[/quote]

    wasn’t that a weird al movie?

    or was that uhf..[/quote]

    I’m a casual NHL fan … I’ll watch when there’s nothing else on ESPN, ABC, CBS, or NBC … I might make it high enough on the DirecTV directory once every 2-3 months to see if there’s a game on Vs. Usually by that point, I’ve decided its about time to cut the grass. Yes, I’ve actually left the TV on NBC 3-4 time in the past month with an NHL game on. I see it there, and I stop and watch.

    [quote comment=”386462″][quote comment=”386461″] let’s not make it sound like you have to have two antennas, tin foil and look for the games on some obscure VHF channel either.[/quote]

    wasn’t that a weird al movie?

    or was that uhf..[/quote]
    ummm, yeah, i guess i meant uhf, the high ones. Yes, because there was a “U” on the dial and they you went to the other dial.

    Also, you young kids, they used to have rotary phones where you would stick your finger in the dial….

    [quote comment=”386442″]Regarding the ticker item on the Marlins ditching the out of town scoreboard:

    Yes, it is a stupid decision. When they talked about it on Opening Night, they said the stadium actually owns the scoreboard, not the team. And the light-up portion was in need of repair, and neither the stadium nor team wanted to pay for fixing/replacing it. They both know they won’t need it after the Marlins move out in 2012. They also said they’ll still put the scores on the ribbon boards, but I bet that won’t have the pitchers listed. Cheap bastards.

    As you can see below, the “Teal Monster” has devolved from functioning manual scoreboard, to a light-up one without each inning, to its current purpose as giant advertising. What a shame.

    1. link
    2. link
    3. link[/quote]

    Also: No one in those seats right above it

    [quote comment=”386450″]Anybody check out PuckDrawn.com today? link

    Someone got a concept logo stolen by a hockey club in Canada and people are debating whether or not the creator has any rights to it. Interesting debate.[/quote]

    great logo, i’ve seen it before! but… interesting that nobody is taking the side of the actual blackhawk’s team. he might have taken enough elements from their logo for them to raise a stink about it too. like i said, i think it’s a great logo and i think he deserves a little kick-back.

    As stated before, Lonnie Perrin had a stronger leg then Jim Turner so they had him kicking off. If I remember correctly it was always kind of an adventure as sometimes he would shank them…

    [quote comment=”386467″][quote comment=”386450″]Anybody check out PuckDrawn.com today? link

    Someone got a concept logo stolen by a hockey club in Canada and people are debating whether or not the creator has any rights to it. Interesting debate.[/quote]

    great logo, i’ve seen it before! but… interesting that nobody is taking the side of the actual blackhawk’s team. he might have taken enough elements from their logo for them to raise a stink about it too. like i said, i think it’s a great logo and i think he deserves a little kick-back.[/quote]
    I wonder how link figures in this discussion.

    I saw him outside Wrigley Field yesterday.

    [quote comment=”386467″][quote comment=”386450″]Anybody check out PuckDrawn.com today? link

    Someone got a concept logo stolen by a hockey club in Canada and people are debating whether or not the creator has any rights to it. Interesting debate.[/quote]

    great logo, i’ve seen it before! but… interesting that nobody is taking the side of the actual blackhawk’s team. he might have taken enough elements from their logo for them to raise a stink about it too. like i said, i think it’s a great logo and i think he deserves a little kick-back.[/quote]

    One thing the guy has going for him is that the team already has offered him $300 for it. They ADMIT it’s his.

    However, other than the satisfaction of a “cease and desist” order (which he probably could get) his victory won’t be all that great. What little revenue he’d garner from a piece of the action on minor league hockey gear probably wouldn’t even pay his legal fees. And the potential dollars aren’t enough for an attorney to represent him on a contingency basis.

    All of which are things the team likely has been told by it’s lawyers.

    It’s really foolish to assume there’s always big money in selling team gear, especially at that level, when you consider that legal fees build up far, far faster than sales revenue.

    And nobody’s going to jail.
    “What you in for?”
    “Stole an idea for a hockey logo.”

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”386387″][quote comment=”386384″]as of last Thursday I’ve been been doing my daily cruise on a new set of wheels, and I’m very, very happy.
    Very nice bike.

    Badger state comes through again, eh?[/quote]

    No lie: Until you posted that, I didn’t realize Trek was based in Wisconsin! But yes, that just makes the whole thing even better.[/quote]

    Now I know what bikes you like, how about bicycle helmets? For the most, I see a lot of link, what do you guys think/wear?

    [quote comment=”386461″]
    This “people don’t know they have versus” is such a lame ass excuse. This is the fifth season the league’s games are on the network. And while I agree with many that the coverage sucks, it’s pretty much all you’ve got.

    It’s 2010, many people have TV through either cable or satellite that has an on-screen menu guide that you can page through your channel lineup. If you don’t, you can call the number on your bill to get a lineup card.

    I’m not saying the NHL’s profile hasn’t diminished since leaving the four-letter network, quite the contrary, but let’s not make it sound like you have to have two antennas, tin foil and look for the games on some obscure VHF channel either.[/quote]

    IMO…

    A league having an ESPN contract goes way beyond just having the games televised. It is no secret that ESPN will push their sports more. Do you think ESPN would give a damn about the NCAA women’s tournament unless they were covering the whole damn thing? No way. But they do, so they will not only televise the selection show but also give dedicated time to show highlights on sportcenter.

    I believe the NHL would gain mightily from an ESPN contract (even if it is less $$$ than Vs.). You would see an acual effort put into an NHL Tonight show, more highlights on SC, advertising for upcoming games during other high rating events, etc…

    We complain about Nike and Adidas and the like, but the biggest douchebag in sports is ESPN. They are the definition of the tail wagging the dog. They don’t cover sports, they set the agenda in sports. As unfortunate as it is, NHL has to make a connection with the WWL happen.

    [quote comment=”386472″][quote comment=”386387″][quote comment=”386384″]as of last Thursday I’ve been been doing my daily cruise on a new set of wheels, and I’m very, very happy.
    Very nice bike.

    Badger state comes through again, eh?[/quote]

    No lie: Until you posted that, I didn’t realize Trek was based in Wisconsin! But yes, that just makes the whole thing even better.[/quote]

    Now I know what bikes you like, how about bicycle helmets? For the most, I see a lot of link, what do you guys think/wear?[/quote]

    this is what i wear both mt. & rd. biking:

    link

    (white)

    i mt. bike way more though! really nice helmet, great feel, lots of air, looks nice…

    [quote comment=”386474″][quote comment=”386472″][quote comment=”386387″][quote comment=”386384″]as of last Thursday I’ve been been doing my daily cruise on a new set of wheels, and I’m very, very happy.
    Very nice bike.

    Badger state comes through again, eh?[/quote]

    No lie: Until you posted that, I didn’t realize Trek was based in Wisconsin! But yes, that just makes the whole thing even better.[/quote]

    Now I know what bikes you like, how about bicycle helmets? For the most, I see a lot of link, what do you guys think/wear?[/quote]

    this is what i wear both mt. & rd. biking:

    link

    (white)

    i mt. bike way more though! really nice helmet, great feel, lots of air, looks nice…[/quote]

    Very organic and cyber duckish. Though, I sorta like this one: link

    [quote comment=”386474″][quote comment=”386472″][quote comment=”386387″][quote comment=”386384″]as of last Thursday I’ve been been doing my daily cruise on a new set of wheels, and I’m very, very happy.
    Very nice bike.

    Badger state comes through again, eh?[/quote]

    No lie: Until you posted that, I didn’t realize Trek was based in Wisconsin! But yes, that just makes the whole thing even better.[/quote]

    Now I know what bikes you like, how about bicycle helmets? For the most, I see a lot of link, what do you guys think/wear?[/quote]

    this is what i wear both mt. & rd. biking:

    link

    (white)

    i mt. bike way more though! really nice helmet, great feel, lots of air, looks nice…[/quote]

    also, both of my bikes are trek. i have a 1200 rd. bike, and a 3 series hardtail mt. bike. both on the cheaper scale, but both great bikes!!!

    [quote comment=”386477″]If I were a serious Mountain Biker, I would track this bad boy down, lickty split, for headgear: link[/quote]

    Funny you should show that. I’ve wondered lately why bicycle helmets of recent years look like all-out head armor, yet the motorcyclists I see driving 75 MPH down highway 270 wear minimalistic skull caps that look remarkably like the picture shown!

    [quote comment=”386474″][quote comment=”386472″][quote comment=”386387″][quote comment=”386384″]as of last Thursday I’ve been been doing my daily cruise on a new set of wheels, and I’m very, very happy.
    Very nice bike.

    Badger state comes through again, eh?[/quote]

    No lie: Until you posted that, I didn’t realize Trek was based in Wisconsin! But yes, that just makes the whole thing even better.[/quote]

    Now I know what bikes you like, how about bicycle helmets? For the most, I see a lot of link, what do you guys think/wear?[/quote]

    this is what i wear both mt. & rd. biking:

    link

    (white)

    i mt. bike way more though! really nice helmet, great feel, lots of air, looks nice…[/quote]

    And, this is what Ry Co wears to walk around in public:

    link

    [quote comment=”386478″][quote comment=”386477″]If I were a serious Mountain Biker, I would track this bad boy down, lickty split, for headgear: link[/quote]

    Funny you should show that. I’ve wondered lately why bicycle helmets of recent years look like all-out head armor, yet the motorcyclists I see driving 75 MPH down highway 270 wear minimalistic skull caps that look remarkably like the picture shown![/quote]

    Well, I would venture to say that the people wearing the “minimalistic skull caps” would probably not wear a helmet at all if they didn’t have to?

    I think I prefer a lot of the skateboard helmet designs, over a lot of Bicycle helmet designs I’ve seen lately.

    Pro Tec make some nice designs.

    [quote comment=”386474″][quote comment=”386472″][quote comment=”386387″][quote comment=”386384″]as of last Thursday I’ve been been doing my daily cruise on a new set of wheels, and I’m very, very happy.
    Very nice bike.

    Badger state comes through again, eh?[/quote]

    No lie: Until you posted that, I didn’t realize Trek was based in Wisconsin! But yes, that just makes the whole thing even better.[/quote]

    Now I know what bikes you like, how about bicycle helmets? For the most, I see a lot of link, what do you guys think/wear?[/quote]

    this is what i wear both mt. & rd. biking:

    link

    (white)

    i mt. bike way more though! really nice helmet, great feel, lots of air, looks nice…[/quote]

    My bicycle helmet:
    link

    Just a skateboard helmet with yellow tape and a Steelers static window sticker. I’d rather have a real football helmet, though. I hate how the bike helmet straps go under the chin and touch my neck.

    Is there such a thing as a chinstrap for bike helmets? If so, where can I get one?

    No hurries – I’m in between bikes now. My next one’s going to be a cruiser bike, most likely.

    [quote comment=”386482″][quote comment=”386481″]Dammit! Fail.

    Here’s Ry Co’s walking helmet.

    link
    Jim Vilk, your thoughts?
    “I’d wear that.”[/quote]

    Actually, I would.

    Funny, I just posted my bike helmet, but it’s floating around in the spam filter right now for some reason.

    [quote comment=”386484″][quote comment=”386481″]Dammit! Fail.

    Here’s Ry Co’s walking helmet.

    link

    for safe use link?[/quote]

    Precisely!

    [quote comment=”386487″][quote comment=”386484″][quote comment=”386481″]Dammit! Fail.

    Here’s Ry Co’s walking helmet.

    link

    for safe use link?[/quote]

    Precisely![/quote]
    link

    Ah, here it is:

    [quote comment=”386485″]My bicycle helmet:
    link

    Just a skateboard helmet with yellow tape and a Steelers static window sticker. I’d rather have a real football helmet, though. I hate how the bike helmet straps go under the chin and touch my neck.

    Is there such a thing as a chinstrap for bike helmets? If so, where can I get one?

    No hurries – I’m in between bikes now. My next one’s going to be a cruiser bike, most likely.[/quote]

    I think I’d also rather have a switch hitter’s gazoo helmet with a chinstrap. I don’t like how most bike helmets expose the ears so much.

    [quote comment=”386489″][quote comment=”386485″]Is there such a thing as a chinstrap for bike helmets? If so, where can I get one?[/quote]

    you mean link?[/quote]

    No, that’s a face guard. Notice that the strap is still between the chin and neck.

    Is that an early Toni Frisch model?

    [quote comment=”386483″][quote comment=”386478″][quote comment=”386477″]If I were a serious Mountain Biker, I would track this bad boy down, lickty split, for headgear: link[/quote]

    Funny you should show that. I’ve wondered lately why bicycle helmets of recent years look like all-out head armor, yet the motorcyclists I see driving 75 MPH down highway 270 wear minimalistic skull caps that look remarkably like the picture shown![/quote]

    Well, I would venture to say that the people wearing the “minimalistic skull caps” would probably not wear a helmet at all if they didn’t have to?
    [/quote]

    I suspect that’s the case.

    I myself wear link while biking in Manhattan.

    [quote comment=”386491″][quote comment=”386489″][quote comment=”386485″]Is there such a thing as a chinstrap for bike helmets? If so, where can I get one?[/quote]

    you mean link?[/quote]

    No, that’s a face guard. Notice that the strap is still between the chin and neck.

    Is that an early Toni Frisch model?[/quote]

    ohhhhh…i understand…you don’t want anything touching your neck…well…here’s one

    Headlines on ESPN.com:

    Game over: Gagne tells Web site he’s retiring

    Funny … I thought MLB hitters told Gagne he was retiring.

    [quote comment=”386494″][quote comment=”386491″][quote comment=”386489″][quote comment=”386485″]Is there such a thing as a chinstrap for bike helmets? If so, where can I get one?[/quote]

    you mean link?[/quote]

    No, that’s a face guard. Notice that the strap is still between the chin and neck.

    Is that an early Toni Frisch model?[/quote]

    ohhhhh…i understand…you don’t want anything touching your neck…well…link[/quote]

    A little black paint over the swoosh and I’d wear that.

    [quote comment=”386492″]Fritsch, that is…[/quote]

    Here’s Mr. Fritsch in action:
    link

    If for some reason you get a different picture, it’s Gamblers vs. Wranglers, photo #25 of 36.

    Wonder if the Steelers let Santonio and Ben double park their cars:
    link

    Oh, and dig the socks on the ‘Skins player.

    [quote comment=”386497″][quote comment=”386492″]Fritsch, that is…[/quote]

    Here’s Mr. Fritsch in action:
    link

    If for some reason you get a different picture, it’s Gamblers vs. Wranglers, photo #25 of 36.[/quote]

    link

    [quote comment=”386358″]- Arguably an even bigger oddity: Denver Broncos running back Lonnie Perrin kicking off. The date is listed as 11/13/77. Anyone know if Jim Turner was injured during that game?

    ~~~~

    according to the boxscore, link PATs & a FG…so, apparently he was not injured[/quote]

    I remember Lonnie Perrin kicking off quite often in this era – maybe it had to do with distance of the kicks, or having an 11th athlete to cover the kick returns.

    No knock on Jim Turner – I loved the way #11 looked on the early Jets and Broncos unis, along with the underrated staright-on kicking lost to the ages. But I have to believe that Lonnie Perrin probably got more distance and better tackling. Any Broncos fans know any more?

    I was watching the Rockies at the Braves last night and noticed what appeared to be a world series logo on the Braves first base coaches helmet. I deleted the DVR recording already so I forgot to get a screen shot… if it was indeed a world series logo, then why is it on the helmet? The last time the Braves made it to the series, the base coaches did not wear helmets. Hopefully I, or another here can catch a screen shot or varify if it actually was a world series logo. Thanks

    [quote comment=”386484″][quote comment=”386481″]Dammit! Fail.

    Here’s Ry Co’s walking helmet.

    link

    for safe use link?[/quote]

    LOL!!! nice work guys! grrr…

    [quote comment=”386500″]It appears the Mets will be link for the Ike Davis debut tonight.

    They obviously learned nothing from the link last year.[/quote]

    sigh…no good can come from the donning of the black…

    but hey…time to dust off this old thing from my grandpappy…er…dad’s days

    i bet vilk has one of these

    Regarding the 1979 Pirates ring symbol – that is the “earth sign” for family (according to the Pirates’ Alumni office). Since “We are Family” was the Pirates theme song that year, it makes sense. to pair it with Mr. STARgell, the NL and World Series MVP.

    [quote comment=”386435″][quote comment=”386434″][quote comment=”386430″][quote comment=”386418″][quote comment=”386372″]looks like biletnikoff got one of link by mistake.[/quote]
    IMO, This is THE facemask of the 70’s and this is THE facemask of the last 60’s: link

    Looks like the Otis Taylor two-single-bars-as-double-bar mask. Good stuff! I always dug the standard link as well.[/quote]
    yes, it’s none other than….

    quite iconic as is the Snakes’, the Bradshaw/Griese Dungard or Csonkas’ nosering. :)[/quote]

    Charlie Johnson, too.
    link

    Recently saw some pictures of the late 1960’s Cardinals QB’s – Charley Johnson, Tim Van Gelder -wearing MacGregor WHITE facemasks in NFL games – two bar with the single White vertical bar – sorta like 1960’s Texas Longhorns/Oklahoma Sooners. Kinda rare for the NFL ?

    A radio talk show host here in Cleveland is goofing on the Cleveland indians Andre Marte for wearing his pants so long he is walking on them; ( while playing the song “Pants On The Ground”). He is ripping players for not dressing like professionals. I love it!

    [quote comment=”386357″][quote comment=”386355″][quote comment=”386354″]In the photo of Lonnie Perrin kicking off for the Broncos, why do we see a car parked in the background. Was it the norm for some teams to have cars parked just past the endzone?[/quote]

    It could potentially be a leftover from some halftime activity. That’s about the only thought that makes any sense to me.[/quote]

    The Steelers often had cars parked in “foul territory” at Three Rivers.[/quote]

    The photo was likely taken at Three Rivers — the Broncos are wearing white, and while the photo makes it tough to tell, that could be artificial turf (Tartan Turf by 3M at Three Rivers IIRC). I don’t recall a large blank wall like that in the background at Mile High Stadium. The Steelers had a deal with a group of Chrysler dealers to display their cars beyond the corner of the end zone, and the vehicle pictured is a Chrysler Cordoba. Conclusion: the car is part of the Chrysler display at Three Rivers.

    [quote comment=”386441″][quote comment=”386439″][quote comment=”386435″][quote comment=”386434″][quote comment=”386430″][quote comment=”386418″][quote comment=”386372″]looks like biletnikoff got one of link by mistake.[/quote]
    IMO, This is THE facemask of the 70’s and this is THE facemask of the last 60’s: link

    Looks like the Otis Taylor two-single-bars-as-double-bar mask. Good stuff! I always dug the standard link as well.[/quote]
    yes, it’s none other than….

    quite iconic as is the Snakes’, the Bradshaw/Griese Dungard or Csonkas’ nosering. :)[/quote]

    Charlie Johnson, too.
    link
    had no idea on C. Johnson. my recollections of the league back then are all based upon the NFL films library and the Cards hardly figured prominently.
    An aside on the Card’s QB job. Jim Hart joined the Cardinals in 66 and appears to have been tabbed the starter by his second year. But why is Charley Johnson so prominent? Injuries to Hart ? Job share (a la Morton/Meredith/Staubach)?[/quote]

    As I recall was sort of like “Damn, all of a sudden we got two #1 QBs here!” for the Cardinals. Hart stayed, and Johnson went on to have quality seasons starting for the Oilers and Broncos.

    Far better results than Morton had with Broncos and Giants. Well, yes, Morton did QB the Broncos to one Super Bowl, I guess, so we’d better say his career had more pronounced peaks and valleys than Johnson’s.

    Wait a sec., somebody help me out here. Flashing on something, Did Johnson break a leg or something while with Cards? (Hey, my memory looks like a message board with about a million post-it notes. Sometimes I don’t find a particular item right away.)

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Also saw film of Jerry Rhome QBing the Cowboys wearing the Griese/Bradshaw/Charley Johnson -style Dungard Facemask.

    Then saw the Jerry Rhome helmet on auction with Grey Flannel Auctions 2-3 years ago. The Coewboy’s Star logo was very high up on the helmet because of the the bolting on the helmet – I believe it was also a MacGregor helmet.

    Had no idea Cowboys ever used Dungard masks.

    [quote comment=”386510″][quote comment=”386357″][quote comment=”386355″][quote comment=”386354″]In the photo of Lonnie Perrin kicking off for the Broncos, why do we see a car parked in the background. Was it the norm for some teams to have cars parked just past the endzone?[/quote]

    It could potentially be a leftover from some halftime activity. That’s about the only thought that makes any sense to me.[/quote]

    The Steelers often had cars parked in “foul territory” at Three Rivers.[/quote]

    The photo was likely taken at Three Rivers — the Broncos are wearing white, and while the photo makes it tough to tell, that could be artificial turf (Tartan Turf by 3M at Three Rivers IIRC). I don’t recall a large blank wall like that in the background at Mile High Stadium. The Steelers had a deal with a group of Chrysler dealers to display their cars beyond the corner of the end zone, and the vehicle pictured is a Chrysler Cordoba. Conclusion: the car is part of the Chrysler display at Three Rivers.[/quote]

    the game was played in san diego

    [quote comment=”386455″]Good read about the Giants unis ending up in San Quinton. I recall that in 1971 the Buffalo Braves sent their first year unis to Attica because they were changing to the orange and black they wore for two seasons.The owner (Paul Snyder)was nortoriously cheap,and would never have given them away if the team wasn’t changing colors[/quote]

    I have heard that for many, many years the NFL Steelers donated uniforms and equipment to the Pennsylvannia Department of Corrections for use by inmates in prison.

    That probabley accounts for not seeing very many of those beatiful dureen Steelers jerseys around for sale in secondary markets.

    [quote comment=”386512″][quote comment=”386510″][quote comment=”386357″][quote comment=”386355″][quote comment=”386354″]In the photo of Lonnie Perrin kicking off for the Broncos, why do we see a car parked in the background. Was it the norm for some teams to have cars parked just past the endzone?[/quote]

    It could potentially be a leftover from some halftime activity. That’s about the only thought that makes any sense to me.[/quote]

    The Steelers often had cars parked in “foul territory” at Three Rivers.[/quote]

    The photo was likely taken at Three Rivers — the Broncos are wearing white, and while the photo makes it tough to tell, that could be artificial turf (Tartan Turf by 3M at Three Rivers IIRC). I don’t recall a large blank wall like that in the background at Mile High Stadium. The Steelers had a deal with a group of Chrysler dealers to display their cars beyond the corner of the end zone, and the vehicle pictured is a Chrysler Cordoba. Conclusion: the car is part of the Chrysler display at Three Rivers.[/quote]

    the game was played in san diego[/quote]

    Ooops! So much for my reasoning! LOL

    Wow, wrong on both accounts. Mets are wearing snow whites w black/blue cap, and Ike’s wearing #42… four days after the fact like all the other Mets.

    I’m on record as liking the all-42 routine on April 15th. I can even live with it on the 16th for teams that didn’t play on the 15th. But that’s it. Doing it again several days later, as the Mets (and Cubs!) are doing tonight, is total bullshit.

    When you try to make every day super-special, the result is that no day is.

    In the spirit of “Guess the Game from the Scoreboard,” I present to you “Guess the Game and/or Specific Moment from the Clues.”
    Photo here:
    link
    I don’t have the answer right away, but I’ll point out the coach in the background, who looks to be wearing at least two clues.

    [quote comment=”386518″]link arrived Saturday! Thank you, Mr. Marshall.[/quote]

    Aww, hell. Reminds me, I still haven’t put the stamp on the envelope to start the whole process. Need to do that.

    [quote comment=”386522″]No hoodies for MLB Managers

    link

    I personally don’t mind the look.[/quote]
    If it’s team issued apparel, where is the issue?

    [quote comment=”386523″][quote comment=”386522″]No hoodies for MLB Managers

    link

    I personally don’t mind the look.[/quote]
    If it’s team issued apparel, where is the issue?[/quote]

    Would you be saying the same if Bobby Cox came out of the dugout wearing only a single strategically placed sanitary sock?

    [quote comment=”386524″][quote comment=”386523″][quote comment=”386522″]No hoodies for MLB Managers

    link

    I personally don’t mind the look.[/quote]
    If it’s team issued apparel, where is the issue?[/quote]

    Would you be saying the same if Bobby Cox came out of the dugout wearing only a single strategically placed sanitary sock?[/quote]

    If it had his name on it, it would be a label.

    [quote comment=”386506″][quote comment=”386500″]It appears the Mets will be link for the Ike Davis debut tonight.

    They obviously learned nothing from the link last year.[/quote]

    sigh…no good can come from the donning of the black…

    but hey…time to dust off link from my grandpappy…er…dad’s days

    i bet vilk has one of link[/quote]

    Heh heh…

    Actually, yes. Found it at a flea market several years ago. Couldn’t find a matching ’57 Chevy, though.

    [quote comment=”386502″][quote comment=”386497″][quote comment=”386492″]Fritsch, that is…[/quote]

    Here’s Mr. Fritsch in action:
    link

    If for some reason you get a different picture, it’s Gamblers vs. Wranglers, photo #25 of 36.[/quote]

    link[/quote]

    Since they’re not allowed anymore, if any old kicker wants to give up his single bar helmet I’ll take it.

    I’ll take that jacket, too. Wish I still had my Curt Warner #28 jersey – it would go great with that.

    I would say the symbol is some sort of representation of the “three rivers” which crossed at the Pirates’ old stadium…

    [quote comment=”386527″][quote comment=”386518″]link arrived Saturday! Thank you, Mr. Marshall.[/quote]

    nice~

    now just get a link and you’re GTG[/quote]

    Will do!

    Ricko,
    You are correct that the Jerry Rhome Dallas helmet was a MacGregor and very few players wore Dunguards for the Cowboys. The star on the Rhome helmet was a smaller, single star style not the larger, double outlined star so that also helped mandate the placement above the bolts (rivets). If you look at the Cowboys 1970\’s Kelley clearshell helmets, (Mac was bought out by Kelley and Kelley reproduced the MH100 helmets almost identical to Macs version), the rivets where the interior suspension attaches are in the middle of the larger, double outlined star.
    Also, Charlie Johnson wore the Adams, bone colored, plastic two bar (similar to the style University of Texas and Oklahoma wore in the 50\’s and 60\’s) before switching to the Dunguard.

    Matt Cain is going high cuffed right now, but for some reason he’s wearing plain black socks instead of the new striped ones.

    Only uniform the Mets have yet to earn a win in this season?
    Their official primary home uni, of course

    Something I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to:

    Watching replay of Michigan spring game. Forcier is at QB for the Maize team, wearing red #5 on his white jersey.

    There’s a #5 in the secondary for the Blue team.

    In a spring game I can kind of understand it, but during the regular season, no. Just no. If someone who’s been in school longer than you has your precious high school number, tough. Live with it. I mean, really.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”386519″]Swine The Mad @21,

    Thank you for posting a beautiful photo of the coolest basketball uniform of all time…

    link

    That’s Archie Clark, I think.[/quote]
    yes, I believe you’re correct along w/ mr. herm gilliam of the Hawks having a courtside seat. Those Bullets unis along w/ their close cousins (Miami Floridians) are total 1970 time capsule items!

    [quote comment=”386392″]We’ve talked about NFL teams who wore navy-colored helmets even when their corresponding team color was closer to royal blue. But in that second Walter Payton photo you can see that the navy of the Rams’ lids was clearly not as dark as the navy of the Bears’ helmets.[/quote]

    I’m pretty sure the Bears painted their helmets that dark navy color while the Rams used helmets molded of navy blue plastic.

    Also, since no one else has mentioned it – here’s my guess on Tony Dorsett’s Wilson snubber on his helmet: Those MacGregor/Kelley helmets had a small snubber that stuck on the helmet (the pads had plastic snaps that stuck through the shell; the snubber was the small rubber kind like an old Riddell suspension helmet. I suspect the original MacGregor snubber broke off and the Pitt equiment manager grabbed the Wilson snubber since it could be attached using the facemask attachment screws. You can see that the Wilson part was cut to fit on the MacGregor helmet; on a Wilson helmet (see the photos of Ken Stabler and his Dungard SuperMask) the snubber was as wide as a Riddell sweatband. Again, just my guess.

    [quote comment=”386534″]Only uniform the Mets have yet to earn a win in this season?
    Their official primary home uni, of course[/quote]

    well, except for the opening day win, of course

    oh…wait…that’s the “alt” now…jesus

    yup…blue caps & snowwhites…nada

    last year that was their BEST combo too

    [quote comment=”386534″]Only uniform the Mets have yet to earn a win in this season?
    Their official primary home uni, of course[/quote]
    Well…

    that’s been put to bed, hasn’t it? Thanks Cubbies! (for Angel Pagan, that is)

    [quote comment=”386535″]Something I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to:

    Watching replay of Michigan spring game. Forcier is at QB for the Maize team, wearing red #5 on his white jersey.

    There’s a #5 in the secondary for the Blue team.

    In a spring game I can kind of understand it, but during the regular season, no. Just no. If someone who’s been in school longer than you has your precious high school number, tough. Live with it. I mean, really.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    Totally agree. That said, what do you do when you dress out 125 players? Somebody has to wear a duplicate. If you are the Uiniv. of Washington Huskies, you have two 1st Ronund NFL picks wear the same #74 at the same time, as in Lincoln Kennedy and Steve Entmann.

    Still in all, it does get to be a bit much.

    [quote comment=”386517″]I’m on record as liking the all-42 routine on April 15th. I can even live with it on the 16th for teams that didn’t play on the 15th. But that’s it. Doing it again several days later, as the Mets (and Cubs!) are doing tonight, is total bullshit.

    When you try to make every day super-special, the result is that no day is.[/quote]
    Well, they have all that Dodgers history to honor, don’t they? That’s why they wore their, um, black caps tonight.

    By the way, the NNOB on the Cubs road unis tonight really emphasized how crappy they are. The red numbers have got to go. If they would switch to the red-trimmed blue numbers that they wear on the pinstripes, it would be a gigantic improvement.

    Charlie said
    Regarding the 1979 Pirates ring symbol — that is the “earth sign” for family (according to the Pirates’ Alumni office). Since “We are Family” was the Pirates theme song that year, it makes sense. to pair it with Mr. STARgell, the NL and World Series MVP.
    Well as the person who orginally asked this question Baseball Fever and here, it seems we have an answer … but what the heck is an “earth sign” sounds groovy.
    Even said
    I would say the symbol is some sort of representation of the “three rivers” which crossed at the Pirates’ old stadium…

    Clever, maybe too clever to be true.

    Well that’s the answer to a future trivia question.

    “What was Ike Davis’ first uniform number in the majors?”

    Wasn’t 29!

    I don’t have a screenshot, but Matt Cain’s NOB is not aligned. The “C” is off of the arc.

    I believe 76er Dave Gambee is wearing what appears to be a cut-down version of an old Winwell hockey goaltender’s mask from the early 1970s, or possibly a “youth” version. My first mask was a Winwell, and it covered sligtly more of my face than Dave’s covers his. Otherwise, they appear identical.

    the symbol that is inside the “Stargell Star” on the 1979 World Series rings is actually the Ashanti “an African Tribe” Symbol for Family. As you recall, the slogan for the team back then was “We Are Family.” I assume it was just a way to put “Family” on the ring w/taking up as little space as possible, as well as keeping it “secret” to only the guys on the team who knew what it meant. Check this site for details. link

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