Skip to content
 

When Guns on Jerseys Are Outlawed, Only the Outlaw Jerseys Will Have Guns (or something like that)

Screen shot 2012-02-16 at 9.30.17 PM.png

The Astros are celebrating their 50th anniversary this season. And as you may recall, last September they announced that they’d be marking the occasion by wearing an assortment of throwback uniforms from throughout their history — including Colt .45s uniforms — for Friday home games.

So far, so good. But apparently there’s been a slight revision to that plan. It hasn’t been publicly announced, but this MLBlogs.com entry, which went up on Monday morning, contains the following passage: “[T]he Astros will wear retro jerseys from past decades every Friday home game this year, starting with the Colt .45s (minus the pistol, which was deemed inappropriate to include on a uniform).”

Reader and ’Stros fan James Crabtree is the one who spotted that little tidbit. He’s so upset by the omission that he sent a letter to Bud Selig (good luck with that), plus he says he also sent letters to team owner Jim Crane and GM Jeff Luhnow.

It probably won’t surprise most of you to learn that I do not own a gun, nor do I have any desire to own one. I’m generally supportive of most gun control initiatives, and I think the NRA has way too much influence over American political discourse.

All of that said, however, removing the pistol from a Colt .45s jersey is patently absurd. For starters, it’s the name of the team. Are you also gonna remove “.45” from the cap, because it refers to the pistol’s caliber?

Then there are the design considerations. What does a Colts jersey look like without the Colt? Like this (with thanks to Kirsten for the Photoshoppery; click to enlarge):

Screen shot 2012-02-16 at 7.01.02 PM.png

Now, that’s not an unattractive jersey, but it doesn’t have the balance or flair of the pistol-inclusive version. Moreover, what exactly is the point of having a letter formed by a whisp of gunsmoke if there’s no gun to produce the smoke? Makes no sense.

Finally, there’s the problem of trying to whitewash or sugarcoat history. Would a new team be able to call itself the Colt .45s and put a pistol on its jersey today? Nope. But things were different 50 years ago. That’s part of why we have throwback games — to serve as history lessons, to remind us, to show us, how things have changed. The Negro Leagues existed because of unforgivable racism, but we don’t pretend that none of that happened. Instead, we acknowledge that it took place and try to learn from it. I’m not trying to equate a pistol on a jersey with racial bigotry, mind you. I’m trying to say that revisionist history is always a sucker’s game.

I appreciate that kids who follow the Astros will only see about 374 references to guns on April 5, instead of 375. Viewed in a vacuum, that’s a good thing. But in the broader context, those kids will also be seeing a false depiction of the past, and that’s a bad thing. And for those of us old enough not to need to be shielded from the truth, we’ll be denied the chance to see one of baseball’s most interesting jerseys — a jersey most of us have never seen on the field before. And that’s a drag.

Whatever you think of all this, I have one request: I would like it very much if today’s comments managed to avoid the term “politically correct.” It was never a good term to begin with (avoiding sexist or racist language, for example, isn’t politically correct — it’s just correct), and it’s now been so overused and misapplied that it’s essentially become meaningless. So if you have the urge to invoke it in a comment, I ask that you please take a second to think a little bit harder and come up with something else. Thanks.

Update: The team has responded to James Crabtree, as follows (quoting from this page):

Thank you for your e-mail. We have every intention to honor our past in the best way possible. This includes the complete Colt .45s uniform that was used from 1962-1964. However, during our discussion with Major League Baseball, it was expressed to us that we could wear the uniform as long as the pistol was removed. We realize this changes the original design, but we still want to honor the Colt .45s. We are also under an obligation to follow Major League Baseball’s requests.

Personally I can see how in this time period any sports league (MLB, NFL, NBA, etc.) would not want a team logo associated with a weapon on their uniform that is broadcast to many people. In recent years the Washington Bullets were renamed the Wizards because of this very subject. The symbol of a warm gun with the “C” coming out as smoke is an image many of us have for the Colt .45s. The Wild West theme this franchise had in the early 1960s is symbolic of how times have changed in our society.

We have not changed any Colt .45s logos that are used in the ballpark, printed materials or any historical displays. This applies only to April 10th and 20th when we will wear this uniform. We hope to see you out this year as we celebrate our team’s heritage and history.

So this was based on a directive from MLB — interesting. I still think it’s wrong.

+ + + + +

Screen shot 2012-02-16 at 5.14.27 PM.png

BP cap update: My thanks to the 100-plus of you (!) who responded to my “If you like BP caps, why do you like them?” query yesterday. A few patterns quickly became apparent:

• Those of you who like BP caps really like that they have a lower profile than MLB’s regular game caps, which many of you referred to as “too boxy.”

• You also like the flex-fit aspect of BP caps, especially because many of you think the game caps are sized very inconsistently (i.e., two game caps that are both supposedly 7-3/8 may not fit the same).

• You also like the breathability of BP caps, especially in hot weather (although many of you mistakenly believe that regular game caps are made of wool, which hasn’t been the case since 2006). In fact, so many of you said this that I’ve begun to wonder why MLB and New Era don’t just use the BP cap fabric for game caps, or at least offer it as an option.

• A slightly smaller but still substantial number of you also like that BP cap brims are curvier than the brims on game caps.

These four points kept coming up again and again. Some of you also like the look of BP caps, although even more of you said, “They look silly, but I’m willing to tolerate that because they fit better, feel better, etc.,” or words to that effect.

No more submissions on this topic, please — I now have more than enough for my research purposes. I’ll have more to say in an upcoming ESPN column.

+ + + + +

One last reminder: Uni Watch party tomorrow, 6:30pm, at the Devil’s Den in Philly. And if you want to join me and Phil for some hot curling action, come on down to the USA Curling Nationals today and/or tomorrow, OK? OK.

+ + + + +

Uni Watch News Ticker: The Texans will be wearing a 10th-anniversary patch this fall (from Anthony Bales). … British soccer fans are upset because England has switched to a new kit after only eight games. Are they peeved because the constant changes cheapen the whole notion of a uniform? No — they’re upset because now they have to go out and buy another replica jersey. Personally, I have very little sympathy for that position. While it’s undoubtedly true that the endlessly accelerating uni-update cycle is a crass attempt to gouge fans, there’s a remarkably simple way to defeat this strategy: Don’t buy every bleeding jersey they foist upon you. It’s not like they have a gun to your head, forcing you to drop $200 on the latest polyester shirt. Tired of being played for a chump? Then stop being a chump. Simple. … Here’s a better reason for UK soccer fans to be upset. … This is pretty great: “Who’s on First” rescripted with modern MLB player names — including, of course, Chin-lung Hu (thanks, Kirsten). … Comerica Park is getting a new scoreboard. That Tigers script at the top drew Matt Talbot’s attention: “There has never been a ‘tail’ on it before. Can you verify if this is in the official style guide?” I checked, and the script in the style guide is tail-free, so maybe this is something they’re introducing strictly for the scoreboard, or maybe it’s part of the Photoshop mock-up but won’t be part of the finished product. … Speaking of unusual versions of team logos, check out Theo Epstein’s parking space. “Can’t recall ever seeing the ‘UBS’ in blue,” says Bob Gassel. … “I recently saw someone wearing this jacket at a Bengals bar in NYC,” says Travis Cuomo. “It’s either the greatest or the worst jacket I’ve ever seen. I still can’t decide.” … In what may qualify as the most unusual jersey unveiling ever, Chivas USA introduced their new kit aboard a commercial passenger flight. Gotta at least give them points for eccentricity (big thanks to Patrick Runge). … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Here’s a completely bizarre story about a guy who dresses up in uniforms as a means of “stealing” piggyback rides from high school athletes. … Adam Walter was recently at Disneyland and noticed that the tram operator uniforms owe a large stylistic debt to the Florida Panthers. … New lacrosse helmets for Albany (from Max S). … For reasons that aren’t exactly clear to me, Indiana University is letting people vote to select the school’s official plaid (from Sam Riesen). … Yeserday I Ticker-linked to that guy with all the MLB mascot tattoos. Turns out his ink is a little more interesting than it appears at first glance: “There are a bunch of little quirks in the mascots that refer back to some of the teams’ histories,” says Mike Viola. “For example, Pirate Parrot has red eyes and stars around his head, referring to Dock Ellis’s LSD game, and the Oriole Bird’s bat has Billy Ripken’s ‘Fuck Face’ on the knob.” You can see a full gallery of the tats here. … A Florida man has been awarded $3.3 million because he was detained, handcuffed, and kicked in the head by police who mistakenly thought he was a bank robber. And why did they think that? Because bank tellers in the area had been told to watch for a robber wearing a Miami Heat cap, which happened to be what the poor fellow was wearing (from Christopher Falvey). … You all know how I feel about jersey sponsors, but I might have to make an exception for the Baltimore Bohemians, whose new kit features the Natty Boh guy. … Did you know that purple is the color of cancer survivors? I didn’t, but the Grand Rapids Griffins do (from Joe Hollomon). ”¦ You Have Got to Be Fucking Kidding Me Dept.: A school district in Texas, having already put ads to its schoolbuses and sold the naming rights to nearly every component of its football stadium (“including the entryway, the press box and the turf”), is now planning to sell ads on the roof of the school, because it’s underneath a flight path. At least the kids won’t see the rooftop ads, but it’s still a horrendous way to conduct public policy. Shame on everyone involved (from Robert Wheeler). ”¦ New lacrosse gear for Rutgers (from Ken Manyin). ”¦ Rangers goalie Martin Biron wore his old-school brown Winter Classic pads with the team’s retro third jersey last night. “I hope Henrik Lundqvist is watching,” says a very happy Luke Rosnick. ”¦ No photo, but a fun story from Gregory Koch: “I went to Spackenkill High School. Our cheerleading uniforms had ‘SHS’ on them. One day, we hosted Saugerties High School in a football game. Their cheerleaders came out wearing uniforms that also had ‘SHS’ on them. They saw our cheerleaders, got back on the bus, retrieved their alternate uniforms, and changed into new outfits that had ‘Sawyers’ (the school nickname). Kind of amusing. Plus, there were about three moments during the game when both cheerleading squads chanted, ‘SHS — we are the best!’ at the same time and then started yelling at each other.” Good story, but do cheerleading squads really have alternate uniforms? And bring them along to road games? ”¦ NC State wore black last night (from Britton Thomas). ”¦ With the Dodgers planning to wear a Dodger Stadium 50th-anniversary patch this season, Jerry Reuss has compiled a gallery of all the Dodger Stadium anniversary patches that the team has worn over the years. … Latest reason why Wisconsin is awesome: Its state flag has led to the most entertaining journalistic fuck-up I’ve seen in months. ”¦ Hofstra women’s hoops joined the pink parade last night. I rather like the color-on-color effect there (thanks, Phil) … Speaking of women’s hoops, Mississippi State went BFBS last night (from Blake Pass). … The excellent Marty Noble, who’s covered the Mets for something like 40 years, has written an extremely thoughtful and nuanced assessment of Gary Carter. Highly recommended.

 
  
 
Comments (196)

    Ah. Yeah, didn’t notice that at first… but then again, I’m not the proofreader for that paper.

    Two important things about that story. First, Politico is absolute trash. Second, Politico probably represents the future of print journalism in America.

    Politico Hot Topic:
    “Rick Santorum’s cool factor went from 0 to 60 this week after Dave Mustaine, the leader of the heavy metal band Megadeth, talked up the GOP hopeful in what to many sounded like an endorsement.”

    Weeeeeeeeee!!!

    Still alive, and he’s gone born-again religious. So, Mustaine giving a politician any kind of endorsement is pretty much the opposite of cool at this point.

    Oh well, I never really liked Megadeth anyway. Heavy metal musicians getting political is always funny though. (No one tell Lars Ulrich, but I torrented Ride the Lightning.)

    Dave Ellefson (Megadeth bassist) is a seminarian. He’s studying to be a Lutheran minister. The band has two group prayers before every show.

    As I understand it, Chris Broderick (the band’s other guitarist) doesn’t participate in all the prayer meetings.

    Besides, did that dipsh*t think the entire state’s workers were all in ONE union??? It doesn’t say Electrical Workers, or AFL/CIO, or anything union reference.

    What a wank.

    “So look for….the union label……”

    Apparently, the man on the right of the seal, with the pickaxe, is often mistaken for a miner, but is actually a yeoman – a free man who farms his own land. My guess is this dork saw that, thought “miner”, and went from there.

    Nevermind the sailor on the other side of the seal, the state name on top, or the fact that nearly half of all state flags are a blue field charged with some state symbol…

    Honestly, a third grader could have pointed out the reporter’s mistake. Where I used to teach, the cafeteria displayed the full-sized flags of all fifty states. I would occasionally ask the kids to name them for me as we were walking to lunch. SMH

    Of course, this isn’t the first time President Obama has been “caught” link.

    Re: the state of American journalism, I think Princess Leia was on the right track. “Help us, Phil Hecken – you’re our only hope!”

    Gordon Brown, when he was British Prime Minister, once visited a primary school and had a photo call in a classroom where the kids had been studying the Second World War – with unfortunate consequences:

    link

    This isn’t Photoshopped btw – it’s genuine

    RE MLB Mascot tats: Looks like that grounder’s headed right between the legs of Wally the Green Monster. Oh, history…

    Yeah I noticed that too. Tequila sunrise striping is off on the Astros uni, how hard would that have been to get right?

    “$200 on the latest polyester shirt”

    I mean I know it’s your catchphrase, Paul, but almost all soccer jerseys run about $75-80 in retail, NNOB.

    (basically I got nothing else, that whole Colt Not 45s thing is just mind boggling)

    That was for full kit. Shirt, shorts, and socks.

    I still never understood the shorts. Does anyone actually buy them? I mean, apparently, because they still market and sell them, but I’ve never been to a soccer game and seen fans wearing the team’s shorts.

    People wear them when they go out and play in their rec leagues, but only with a ratty plain tee. You can’t wear the full kit in public without looking like a total wank. You can buy the whole kit, but only wear one element at a time.

    Andy’s right. I got a pair of shorts on an end-of-season 1/2-off sale from my favorite EPL team, and I only wear them when I play with my indoor team. I will say this: I play goal (which involves a lot of diving and sliding) and these shorts are easily the most durable ones that I’ve ever found.

    But I’d never wear them paired with the team’s jersey. That’s just dorky.

    Very, very few adults are buying full kits. However, a lot of kids want the entire kit to wear. So really this is all about parents telling their kids ‘no’ for a change.

    Good points all around, Paul. Many England fans just go for this number that will never go out of style or production…

    link

    Personally, I’d go for one of these classics if I was an England fan…

    link

    “British soccer fans are upset because England has switched to a new kit after only eight games.”

    Minor point here – Nobody from Scotland, Wales or Norn Iron actually gives much of a toss about this. It’d be better to use the more accurate “English” – especially since it’s connected to a sport which doesn’t formally accept the United Kingdom as a sporting entity

    “While it’s undoubtedly true that the endlessly accelerating uni-update cycle is a crass attempt to gouge fans, there’s a remarkably simple way to defeat this strategy:”

    Buy yourself a sewing machine.

    DIY or Die, fool.

    Actually, I’ll buy soccer jerseys, but I DIY for hockey. Usually a little cheaper than buying Reebok.

    I think the most interesting thing about the Boomer jacket at the Bengals bar in NYC is that there is a Bengals bar in New York City. I have only met one Bengals fan in all of my 36 years!

    Almost every NFL team has a bar in NYC where its fans congregate on Sundays. So many expats from everywhere in this city, so it makes sense.

    “Almost every NFL team has a bar in NYC where its fans congregate on Sundays.”

    — I find this astounding. Then again, I don’t go to bars so maybe this is common knowledge?

    -Jet

    Lots of cities have “Team” bars where a particular team’s games are highlighted. Often the bar owner is from that town.

    Some places have team rooms or sections where a team’s games are always shown.

    I honeymooned in Riviera Maya a few years back (who’s counting? Oh yeah, my wife), and had several Steeler bars to choose from in town when Sunday rolled around.

    FWIW, I know a lot of colleges have their own bars in larger cities, as well. Especially for football Saturdays but probably for basketball games, too.

    Too bad that jacket wasn’t brown leather with a furry collar!!
    (it would be a Boomer Bomber jacket)
    (sorry, I can’t help myself)

    “Chalk Line” had a whole series of elaborate “air brushed” style jackets in the early 90s. My brother and I both had Chris Mullen jackets bought from the off-price store, buddy of mine had Charles Barkley.

    Some “classics” on ebay
    link, link, link

    link, link

    Oh God, Bettman stripes are spreading to other uniforms. Crap.

    As for roof top ads near airports, I flew to St. Louis last weekend to catch a Blues game and did notice how many buildings did have names and things on their roofs. Never noticed that before.

    It’s sad that guns aren’t allowed on uniforms anymore. I always thought UMass should christen their move up to FBS with a maroon helmet in the vein of Florida State’s, but with a musket instead of a spear. Not likely that could ever happen now.

    Springfield, Mass. used to have some of its professional teams named after the gun-manufacturing business, which remains big in the city. Of course, doing that today wouldn’t be allowed.

    Wanna bet? That tough old town would rally around a team called the the Springfield Rifles. [Funny how no one talks about the Colt revolver as another product of the Connecticut River Valley.]

    And I am so glad, Frigidevil, that no one in Amherst shares your aesthetic appreciation of the Florida State helmet. Blech. Me, I like the UMass look.

    Don’t get me wrong, I like everything else about the unis. Those helmets are just so bland.

    I am in complete support of Capt. Crabtree on the Colt .45 uni issue. If the Houston players would refuse to wear the proposed alternate, then we might begin to stop this national obsession over political correctness.

    I think many of us would like MLB or Houston ownership to explain who “deemed” the .45 logo as inappropriate and on what basis. Of course Selig is nothing but a coward and fraud so I don’t ever expect for him to craw out from under his desk and act like a man.

    “we might begin to stop this national obsession over political correctness.”

    ~~~

    that didn’t take long

    Look, I shoot recreationally, and I’m appalled as a history-loving baseball fan at the notion of a Colts jersey without the Single Acgion Army pistol on it. Gun or no, that’s one of the all-time beautiful jerseys in baseball history right there. But this isn’t a political issue, and we have no way of knowing Bud Selig’s involvement. (Odds are the answer is none.) What we have here is a business owner making a choice about how to run his business. That’s not “political correctness,” that’s freedom. That’s a business owner exercising his fundamental First Amendment rights, and more broadly his property rights over his own business.

    And anyone who wants to call Bud Selig names like that should know that Selig is known for reading and personally responding to snail mail letters sent to him.

    Oh, never mind. New info added indicates that it was MLB. Still, Bud Selig’s personal involvement remains unanswered.

    Maybe the problem here isn’t over sensitivity, but rather that we allow monopoly cartels like MLB to exist. In few other industries would it be legal for an industry cartel to dictate terms to a member business like this. Still, since we permit the monopoly cartel in this industry, the bottom line remains that this is a private business exercising its fundamental rights. It’s just that the business is the cartel of MLB, not the individual team.

    Granted–and no one’s suggesting for a heartbeat that MLB should be forbidden from making such a decision. However, just as they’re free to run their business as they see fit, the public (including their customers) is equally free to declare them knaves, asses, poltroons, and craven, sack-deficient milksops of the very first water. Everyone’s exercised his rights–hooray!

    The only question is whether MLB prefers a) broad-based contemptuous mockery or b) the possibility of a fretful objection from an anti-gun interest group. Their call.

    The base issue is fear of reprisal for what may be deemed an act of insensitivity. If we could show MLB that we respect the history of the team more than we care about the right or wrong of firearm imagery in popular culture it could create change.

    Maybe a sponsor will step up to hand out link… that would be awesome!

    The sad thing is they will probably go with exactly what Kirsten worked up and the kids will think the Astros used to be horses…

    If the only reason someone prefers a BP hat over a gamer is that the regular game hat is too boxy for them, they should be aware that they do in fact sell low-profile game hats. Go to the New Era website and search “low crown 59fifty.”

    Really? How come? Personally I think the switch to polyester was brilliant, they don’t shrink as much, they don’t get as gross sweat stains, and they’re lighter. But that’s just my opinion of course.

    I could post a picture of either my coolbase Indians 5950 or my Rice flexfit BP cap to refute the sweatstain argument. My Rice hat has a permanent high water mark above the R.

    The New Era Low Crowns are awesome, but sometimes hard to find.

    And although i do like the lighter feel of newer material, the wool versions of the regular 5950s were the best because you could make any hat into a low profile because of their tendency to shrink to fit your head. Then you do the ‘crack the plastic band’ trick (this was a revelation to me) and you have a hat that fits perfectly.

    I miss the wool as well, after breaking them in, they’d shrink to the perfect size. Some of the custom cap website still stock 5950 “remakes” that are wool with the gray underbrims. Some even forgo the MLB logo on the back.

    Could you pass along a couple of the custom cap sites you refer to? I’m always looking for good sites to find less popular/unusual hats.

    Thanks.

    On the New Era website right now they have them, including most if not all alternates, for all 30 MLB teams. As for minor league teams…well, I didn’t really think that was part of the conversation here.

    The change in the Colt .45s uniform is disappointing, but PC uniform revision has happened before – look at the Rays last year, who zapped the cigar from their “Smokers” throwbacks.

    Still lame on both counts, if you ask me.

    “avoiding sexist or racist language, for example, isn’t politically correct – it’s just correct”

    That’s true, of course, but what is considered sexist or racist language changes over time and politics inevitably gets intertwined. “American Indian,” to me, is a perfectly acceptable term with no negative connotations. But I know a lot of younger people who believe that there is a stigma attached to using anything other than “Native American.”

    I’ve been friends with a number of full-blooded and 1/2 or other fractional ancestry American Indians in my life, and not one of them — not even a single one — has ever been offended, sensitive, or had any other negative feelings whatsoever about (a) the term “Indian” or “American Indian”, (b) team names related to American Indians (Braves, Indians, Redskins, Warriors, etc.), or (c) the imagery associated with any of those team names. The entire “sensitivity” thing is a white liberal guilt thing, made up by baby boomers who discovered that they couldn’t actually change the world after all so they would take on one topic that wasn’t their business at a time and make life in the USA just ever so slightly stupider for the rest of us.

    I think the best line in the story is this, “…removing the pistol from a Colt .45s jersey is patently absurd. For starters, it’s the name of the team. Are you also gonna remove “.45″ from the cap, because it refers to the pistol’s caliber?”

    I wonder what the National Rifle Association (“America’s foremost defender of Second Amendment rights since its inception in 1871.” {wikipedia entry}) would say.

    Why bother wearing the jersey at all if you’re not going to embrace the true meaning of a “throwback” celebration of the team’s colorful history in the first place.

    Paul is dead on on this one. I hope they change their mind.

    Anyone notice how short the sleeves are on that “Colts” (cough) jersey?

    Different era, alright.

    I do not comment much these days, but just wanted to issue an “Attaboy” to Paul for this great post.

    Another point of stupidity is that when Newcastle hosts some of the football games at the Olympics this summer, IOC regulations ban sponsored venue names, so they’ll have to take down the Sports Direct signs and probably have to go back to calling it St. James Park for two weeks.

    No Mas has to get going on those “I’m Still Calling it St. James Park” t-shirts. And this from a Black Cats supporter.

    the whole thing hinges on whether the fans decide to boycott season ticket renewals or not. hopefully they do

    Noticed a couple of old-school jerseys in the link… an old-style Oilers captain’s jersey (can’t see the numbers, though it’s more than likely either Gretzky or Messier; I’d be stunned if it were a Shayne Corson or Kelly Buchberger jersey), and a Whalers number 10 (Ron Francis).

    Loved the Pacers’ throwbacks last night.
    link

    That was a fun look back then. On Atlanta, too, which had three sets: Royal, White and Lime, and added stirrups under their crews…
    link
    link
    link

    So… in a society with constitutional right to carry arms, where guns and violence are a regular part of popular entertainment (movies, video games, etc), and which glorifies the military and “honors the soldiers” at every possible opportunity… a picture of a gun on a baseball jersey is inappropriate? How does that make any sense? On top of that – guns are bad, but swords, spears, axes, and arrowheads are all cool?

    Taking the gun off the jersey is just stupid.

    Weak analysis.

    1) Swords, spears, axes, and arrowheads (and don’t forget link) do not contribute to today’s crime problem.

    2) If violence/guns/etc. are overglorified in contemporary culture, that’s basically a *good* reason not to add to the pile by showing a gun on a jersey.

    I still think they should leave the pistol on the Colts jersey. But don’t overplay your hand.

    I just find the decision odd based on geography and culture. I don’t think it’s a reach to say that the geographic area where the Astros play is a more pro-gun area. I’ve been to Texas (never to Houston, but have been to Fort Worth and Dallas) and found that most people there aren’t afraid to say they like their guns, which is A-OK.

    I could better understand if this was a Northeast or West coast team, but in that geographic area I feel the majority of fans would have no issue with the original unis. Also, I feel the culture down there (I live in Pittsburgh) is one that likes to stay true to their heritage and also gets a kick out of doing things that may not be popular outside of Texas and may even piss people off. You know, the whole don’t mess with Texas thing.

    It just seems like they are creating an issue where there wasn’t one. At some meeting a lawyer probably looked up from his Blackberry and said, “Ahhhhhh, that gun may be a problem. If someone gets shot in the city the same day as the game, they could hold us responsible. OK, I have a lunch meeting so I gotta run, my bill will be in the mail.”

    Yeah, but if you saw the update to today’s post, you’ll see that the decision to remove the gun came from MLB, not from the Astros.

    I suspect it has to do with not wanting to expose kids to guns (or not wanting to be accused of same).

    Got it. For whatever reason, it’s still a decision that leaves the product sterile and generic. It’s like giving a kid a history book with pages ripped out. They are celebrating a false history.

    Let talk about Civil Rights, but not talk about the riots and killings. Lets talk about WWII, but make sure to leave out the Holocaust.

    Aren’t these decisions up to the parents. When did the MLB have to make parenting decisions. If a parent doesn’t want their kids to watch a game with guns on the team uniforms, don’t let them watch that one game. Let the parents teach the kids about guns and why they are dangerous and why they are not a toy.

    Would it kill the MLB to take a stance and stand by a part of their history. It’s not like the Astros are handing out cap-guns as a give-a-way that day to all kids under 14. The seventh inning stretch isn’t brought to you by Colt or Smith & Wesson. There isn’t a target shooting exhibition taking place behind center field.

    Ah hell, it’s just frustrating. link

    Since all this came down from MLB, I found this phrase in the letter fascinating:

    “We are also under an obligation to follow Major League Baseball’s requests.”

    “Requests?” Take about ironic language games …

    All this revisionist idiocy is borne of fear — specifically, fear either of being responsible for someone else’s faults (“we inspired a guy to use a gun”) or just being “insensitive” (or, as MLB puts it “inappropriate” — from a league that makes millions with names like “Braves” and “Indians”). If some kid thinks a baseball team wearing a symbol of an ancient firearm is “glorious” or “inspiring”, it’s just possible you have larger problems than the team’s nickname.

    And btw, whitewashing history in any way never works. Take it from a parent: the kids know all about it, and it only makes it more interesting.

    The oversensitivity of the American people apparently knows no bounds. In order to follow Paul’s instructions on the phrase that shall not be spoken, I choose to call it “namby-pamby” instead. And the namby-pamby movement is foisted upon us by “do-gooders”.

    To keep a pistol off a uniform because it is “inappropriate” might just be the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in my 50 years on this planet. Are pistols illegal? Nope. Did the Colt .45 play a particularly important role in the creation of the coast-to-coast United States? Yes, absolutely. Do firearms continue to represent an important part of the lives of millions of Americans, even in the face of the do-gooders? Yes.

    Firearms of all types (handguns, rifles, shotguns, and yes, cannons) killed approximately 31,000 Americans in 2010. 17,000 of those were suicides (meaning that most would’ve simply found a different means in the absence of a firearm). Less than 13,000 were homicides. Automobiles killed 32,000 (and used to kill 45,000 per year). Let’s get the wheel off the Red Wings’ jersey, change the Pacers’ name, and change the Pistons to the Tofus.

    The do-gooders came for the pistol and I said nothing.
    They came for the Indian team names and I said nothing.
    They came for the Bullets and I said nothing.
    Then they came for the following and no one was left to say anything…

    Think of all the people killed or maimed by bears, tigers, jaguars, grizzlies, coyotes, sharks, and timberwolves! My goodness, I don’t want my kids watching Chicago, Detroit, Jacksonville, Memphis, or Minnesota! Let’s name them the Chicago Sprouts, Detroit Baseball Tofus, Jacksonville Broccoli, Memphis Waters, and Minnesota Poops. Oh wait. People drown in water, so it can’t be the Memphis Waters.

    In today’s world of piracy on the high seas, can we really allow such inappropriate names as the Raiders, Buccaneers, or Pirates?

    And after centuries of genocide and imperialism practiced by the kings and queens of Europe, I can no longer condone any Kings, Royals, or other Kings. And speaking of genocide, the “Brewers” are inappropriate in two ways! They are pushing alcohol to kids with their cartoon characters and sausage races, and the mascot is clearly Germanic in appearance, leading one to immediately think of Hitler’s atrocities. We must stand against the Brewers, Miller Park, and Busch Stadium NOW!

    Utah Jazz is just stupid, so it is inappropriate. (In all seriousness, it’s probably the only name in all American sports that can truly be considered “inappropriate”. Well, maybe the Lakers too.)

    Spurs are cruel to animals, so bye-bye Spurs, hello San Antonio Greens. Oh wait, “San Antonio” might be considered offensive to Hispanics, so hello Saint Anthony Greens, and bye-bye to “San Diego”, “Los Angeles”, and “San Francisco”.

    Wizards, Devils, and Magic are offensive to Christians, while Padres, Angels, and Saints are offensive to non-Christians. Welcome your Washington Monuments, New Jersey Turnpikes, Orlando Mouse Ears, San Diego Ocean, Los Angeles Freeways of Anaheim, and New Orleans Jazz (since we took it away from Utah).

    A lot of people are scared of Thunder, Lightning, and Hornets. Hello OK Dokies, Tampa Xes, and New Orleans Horn Playin’ Peoples.

    Titans, Giants, and Giants are horribly offensive to little people (of which some are “dwarves”, but none shall ever be called “midgets” any longer), so we’ll soon have the Tennessee Folks, SF Bayz, and your super bowl champion New York Melting Pot of all the Peoples in the World Living Harmoniously Together and Never Shooting Each Other.

    Patriots, Knickerbockers, 76ers, and 49ers were all cruel land-takers, elitists, and rebels. Ix-nay to all of them.

    Canadiens and Canucks? Offensive!!!!!

    Predators? Please!

    Who on earth thought of putting a team called Avalanche in the Rockies? Out! Calgary (nee Atlanta) Flames? No way! Carolina Hurricanes? Bet the shrunken population of New Orleans isn’t keen on that one! Be gone! All of you!

    Capitals, Senators, and Nationals? With 65% disapproval ratings of federal government? Not too appropriate.

    Packers, Steelers, 49ers, and Nuggets all represent the greed and corruption of big business. Since the Occupy movements have taught us that it’s OK to substitute ENVY for GREED as the approved sin, they’ll approve of the Green Bay Jealousies, the Pittsburgh Unemployed, the San Francisco 26ers (symbolizing living with mom and dad until the age of 26), and the Denver Proletariat.

    Finally, the Athletics are clearly hurtful and offensive to fat kids, especially taunting them with that inappropriate elephant logo. My goodness.

    In the end, it turns out that I am offended by people who are offended. Value THAT, namby-pamby do-gooders!

    Let me preface my comment by saying that I personally feel as though sports and politics have no business being married and that baseball should be a pure, unadulterated aspect of Americana, its history left intact. I find it very hypocritical that the commissioner would feel as though the pistol should be removed from the Colt .45’s uniform for “political corectness” when the Cleveland Indians use Chief Wahoo as their representation despite the fact it is a racial caricature. The same defense that it is part of the team’s iconography can be used (in a much less offensive manner) to justify the appearance of the pistol on these throwbacks. I can understand why the team would not want to be known as the Colt .45’s anymore, but not celebrating their history is bogus.

    Paul, a little more information about the removal of the pistol from the Colts jersey:

    Quoting an article from AstrosDaily.com…

    “UPDATE: Mike Acosta of the Astros has responded to Mr. Crabtree and I am posting the reply in full. Mr. Acosta is the Authentication Manager and preserver of artifacts so he is well aware of the need preserve the history of the franchise:

    Thank you for your e-mail. We have every intention to honor our past in the best way possible. This includes the complete Colt .45s uniform that was used from 1962-1964. However, during our discussion with Major League Baseball, it was expressed to us that we could wear the uniform as long as the pistol was removed. We realize this changes the original design, but we still want to honor the Colt .45s. We are also under an obligation to follow Major League Baseball’s requests.

    Personally I can see how in this time period any sports league (MLB, NFL, NBA, etc.) would not want a team logo associated with a weapon on their uniform that is broadcast to many people. In recent years the Washington Bullets were renamed the Wizards because of this very subject. The symbol of a warm gun with the “C” coming out as smoke is an image many of us have for the Colt .45s. The Wild West theme this franchise had in the early 1960s is symbolic of how times have changed in our society.

    We have not changed any Colt .45s logos that are used in the ballpark, printed materials or any historical displays. This applies only to April 10th and 20th when we will wear this uniform. We hope to see you out this year as we celebrate our team’s heritage and history. “

    Your welcome.

    For whatever reason, MLB like the screw with the Astros. I can understand the Smokers jersey not having the cigar on it–which is why I love my Ebbets Smokers jersey–but that was never a jersey the tampa Rays ever wore in their history, but the Astros WERE the Colt .45s before Colt Firearms sued the organization and the Astrodome was built. Uncle Bud was probably never given a cap pistol when he was a kid so now he makes sure the Astros don’t have a pistol on their jersey.

    My wife reacted to this story by saying that MLB should have just made the Astros replace the pistol with a walky-talky…

    The Smokers jersey losing the cigar may actually have been due to laws restricting tobacco ads at sports venues.

    Why not a response from the Houston chairman? Acosta is a tad low ( and that’s being kind) in the team’s food chain. Like Selig, I guess Houston ownership is just a collection of cowards.

    Interesting that the Washington Wizards gets mentioned, because, even after the name change, they have worn throwback Bullets jerseys and continue to sell merchandise with the “Bullets” name on it. If I’m not mistaken, Paul provided a link a while back (To the DCsportsbog) noting that the Bullets gear outsells the Wizards gear (No surprise to those of us living in the D.C. Metro area). I do wonder if Ted Leonsis would have changed the name back if not for the Crittenden/Arenas issue. And while we’re on the subject of the NBA, the league allows Andrei Kirilinko to wear the number 47, to perpetuate his nickname of AK-47. Don’t invoke the Wizards specifically (and the NBA, by extension) when they have examples that contradict your point.

    Travis,

    Where is the Bengals bar in NYC? I’ve split my NFL Sundays the last few years between a semi-sportsbar in Greenpoint and my laptop. Where?!?

    Red Star. It’s pretty much full-on sports bar. Lots of TVs, stale beer smell, sticky surfaces, sub-par food. They put Old Bay seasoning on their fries though!

    I assume the bar is Phebe’s in the East Village. The last time I was there a few years ago they even served 3 ways on NFL Sundays.

    I immediately thought of the Smokers unis when I saw this. I was thinking about how Tampa Bay backed off from using the cigar. But this is so absolutely ridiculous. Compare that to a soccer team adding the logo of a beer company to their jersey, what’s going to happen now, kids going to go out and drink?

    And the letter from Mike Acosta about the Bullets changing their name because of the sensitivity to real Bullets in DC. I know that topic, and the truthiness to it, have been debated in recent years so I’m not 100% it’s true. Not that Wizards doen’t have it’s own connotations…

    Like the sponsor. Here are a couple more interesting sponsors, both for my local club Cardiff City.

    SuperTed (Kids TV show)
    link
    link

    and Super Furry Animals (Rock band)
    link

    For my money, they’re both better than AIG or Emirates.

    Those are great!

    Unfortunately, USL-PDL is kind of the soccer equivalent of summer “wood bat” and semi-pro baseball, so almost no one will ever see them in real life.

    “Bad-ass jersey from the new USL team, the Baltimore Bohemians. What’s not to love?”

    What’s not to love is that it looks remarkably similar to a Baltimore city flag jersey I designed in 2009 that was linked to in the Uni Watch ticker. It is still included in Paul’s “PermanentRecord” Flickr.com account. You can never be sure if design similarities are coincidences or not.

    For comparison, here is a pic of the Baltimore Bohemians jersey:
    link

    And here is a pic of my Baltimore city flag jersey:
    link

    Has anyone else noticed that more and more flags are appearing on jerseys/uniforms (or BECOMING jerseys/uniforms, like in my designs) ever since my flag jersey designs appeared on Uni Watch?

    Some recent examples:

    Maryland football:
    link

    New England Revolution soccer jerseys:
    link

    And now Baltimore Bohemians. Are there more recent examples of flags appearing on or becoming jerseys/uniforms? I’m sure there are and I’d be very interested in seeing pics.

    Was I just ahead of the trend or did I spark the trend?

    I dunno HHH, I think your argument is pretty weak.

    Are you claiming that every uniform design that incorporates elements of a city/state flag should pay homage to you?

    As JTH mentioned the Fire have been doing that since they were founded back in the late 90’s. Maryland has been using elements of their state flag in their uniforms for decades. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Penguins, and Steelers all base their uniform coloration on their city flag.

    Uniforms based on state/city flags are just a localized variation of national team uniforms that use the coloration and elements of their country’s flag in their design.

    Not saying your wrong, but you haven’t convinced me.

    I’m well aware of teams using flags or elements from a flag in their uniforms in the past. I wasn’t asking for examples from before I designed my city flag jerseys. I was specifically asking for *recent* examples of flag-based uniforms that were designed/debuted since 2009 when my city flag jerseys were linked-to on Uni Watch.

    The Steelers 1994 throwback jersey, which features the coat of arms and colors from the Pittsburgh city flag, is what inspired me to design flag-based jerseys for every NFL team’s city. And that throwback jersey was meant to resemble a jersey the team wore in 1933 when they were known as the Pittsburgh Pirates. So yes, I knew all about teams using elements of flags in their uniforms before I designed all those jerseys.

    And I know Maryland has used elements of their state flag in their uniforms for decades. But did they ever use those elements as boldly and outlandishly as they did in 2011 on those Under Armour uniforms they started the season with? NO! My city flag jersey designs transformed flags into jerseys, and that Maryland flag uniform was the flag transformed not just into a jersey but into an entire uniform.

    I’m not claiming anyone should pay homage to me. But after I spent a lot of time transforming flags into jerseys, only to see Maryland pretty much do the same thing and have it blow up on Twitter and cause Uni Watch to have a record number of comments the next day, it doesn’t exactly leave a good feeling in my stomach.

    From the article on the wrongly-arrested Florida man:

    “He wasn’t even wearing the same Miami Heat hat,” said his attorney, Mark G. DiCowden. “If Bank of America had required its tellers to keep pictures of robbers at the teller stations, this whole incident would have never happened.”

    -Jet

    “So this was based on a directive from MLB – interesting. I still think it’s wrong.”

    It’s as wrong as forcing the Astros to be moved to the American League as a condition of the sale of the team. Everything MLB does under Bud Selig’s leadership is wrong.

    Completely agree. Hopefully Selig retires before he completely dissolves the AL and NL and realigns everything to a Western Conference and Eastern Conference.

    Personally, there’s one trend in that picture that I hope dies out in the next couple of seasons – that cream “vintage white”. Keep cream with a handful of teams in baseball, and keep the “dirty” look out of hockey!

    For what it’s worth, Oklahoma State University voted on an official plaid back in 2009 for similarly inexplicable reasons. It was a big deal at the time too. I remember seeing a lot of press within the state and also ad nauseum in all the alumni publications. I’m sure there’s more available, but here’s the first story I dug up without looking too hard.

    link

    It definitely angers me to not see the .45 pistol being kept on the Astros old uniforms, and I’m a Cubs fan to boot. Paul, it doesn’t show any appreciation for the past at all. I can understand people not wanting to offend others, but there are the options of: not watching the game and/or explaining to people the history behind the uniform and the team from back in those days.

    I really like all the new lacrosse gear. I didn’t really see the need for Rutgers to show what their pads look like because you really won’t be able to see them anyways with the jerseys covering them.

    I also wonder if all the profits from all of the purple merchandise from the Griffins game will be given to the society they are sponsoring.

    One other nice quality of the BP cap is that occasionally you get an alternate logo on the cap. Like the White Sox using the silver outline on the SOX or the Mariners using the compass point. In a way its similar to the way Hockey teams sometimes prefer to use a different crest for their alt sweaters.

    Given the subject of today’s lede (in the broadest terms), it seems only fitting to ask…

    The Indoor Football team is the “Chicago Slaughter”?

    How is PETA not all over that?

    I mean, once upon a time they formally protested “Packers”.

    Then again, why would they want to overlook a chance to protest something? ;)

    Oh, you mean something people would actually notice.
    Good point.

    Unfortunate thing for arena football and its promoters. In person, it really is fun to watch. On TV, you just don’t get a sense of how small the playing area is. In its own way, unique and intriguing…and that simply does NOT “go home.”

    Since we’re talking about the Houston Colt .45 debacle today, interesting to see the Arena League once had a team called the Denver Dynamite, which had lit sticks of dynamite pictured on the helmet.

    Are there even televised games for that league (serious question)?

    And I’d imagine nobody wants to go all the way the fuck out to Hoffman Estates to picket the arena.

    I work at a University that bends over backwards to be to be (P)all-(C)inclusive, yet our nickname is the Vikings. They haven’t come out and said it in so many words, but the administration is considering changing the name mainly because of the slogan “rape and pillage.” That phrase isn’t used by the athletics dept, but it’s associated with the word vikings. And, well, as such an all-loving, no-one excluded sort of place we just don’t want that. That’s the world I live in, MLB doesn’t carry a candle compared to this place. Apparently they can force Houston to leave out the pistol, let’s hope then, that they force Cleveland to lose Chief Nockahoma. Might as well re-name the team while they’re at it. Atlanta left off the screaming indian patch from a throwback, now I gotta wonder if that was directed by MLB as well. Yes, the Braves should start looking for a new name as well.

    Cleveland has Chief Wahoo; Noc-A-Homa was Atlanta’s live mascot, who was retired in 1986 (though the screaming brave was sometimes subsequently referred to by that name).

    I’m sure most of what can be said about the gun issue has already been said, after reading through most of today’s comments. I’ll say that I certainly don’t agree with taking it off the jersey, if that happens. Whitewashing history is stupid. I would rather Houston just forget the Colt .45s even existed, if they don’t want to admit what the name actually meant.

    Just once, I would like somebody who must obviously be smarter than me, to explain to me like I’m a third grader how a gun on the front of a uniform (or the Washington basketball team being named “Bullets”, for that matter) will cause someone to pick up a gun and shoot someone. To quote Paul, THAT is patently absurd. I mean yeah, yeah, I get all the “insensitivity” mumbo jumbo… whatever. I still believe any rational person must know and realize that the Astros wearing this jersey a few times during the season has a 0.000001% of affecting gun violence in any way. Anything can happen… but that just ain’t likely.

    Hell, just use the jerseys and use it to fuel some kind of anti-violence promotion, if you’re that worried. “Give us your old gun, and get in for free!”.

    I think I’m one of the people that the “sensitivity” thing is supposed to be about being sensitive to. I lost my father to gun violence. Yet I just don’t see depictions of guns in popular culture as being insensitive to me. I mean, I lost my grandmother to a car crash, and several distant cousins to lightning strikes (that side of the family was still farming when I was a boy). Yet I don’t see the uniform depictions of tire-squealing cars on the Bowling Green Hot Rods, or of lightning bolts on the Tampa Bay Lightning, as insensitive to me. That kind of sensitivity is not owed by all of society to any individual; it is owed by those in personal contact with them to those individuals.

    It’s like, I have recovering alcoholics in my family. I take care not to offer them alcohol, and in the cases of some I take care not to drink or let alcohol be served in their presence. That’s sensitivity. But the local baseball team doesn’t owe it to me or my uncle to stop selling or advertising beer when I take him to a ballgame.

    I do totally understand the issue of how glorifying or celebrating a thing shapes our culture toward the casual embrace of that thing, and as basically approving as I am of the American acceptance of firearms in private possession, I am troubled by the degree to which our culture is full of signifiers that guns are casual things. On that score, I don’t think I would ever name my sports team after a small arm, nor would I use the kind of imagery the Colts used on their jerseys back in the day. But that’s a matter of my personal conservative cultural temperament, not a question of sensitivity to anyone. And certainly, a Colts throwback jersey would do nothing to add to our cultural trivialization of firearms; in fact, I submit that a child who watches 3 hours of the Astros dressed as the Colts will be exposed to radially less trivialization of firearms than she would be watching 3 hours of any other programming available on TV.

    …in fact, I submit that a child who watches 3 hours of the Astros dressed as the Colts will be exposed to radially less trivialization of firearms than she would be watching 3 hours of any other programming available on TV.

    Agree completely.

    Not much of a cap guy (mostly because I am a size 8+ and anything that big is almost impossible to find), so flex-fits are tremendous. Comfortable, too.

    So the Astros can’t use the pistol in the Colt .45s logo. Perhaps a designer could come up with something that suggests a pistol but is not a pistol.

    I think as long as you put an orange tip on the pistol, kids will understand that it’s nothing more than a toy gun blowing fake smoke.

    I do not own a gun, nor do I have any desire to own one. I’m generally supportive of most gun control initiatives, and I think the NRA has way too much influence over American political discourse.

    But the Houston Colt .45s jerseys are my favorite in the history of Major League Baseball. That wisp of smoke from the barrel of the revolver to form the C is brilliant.

    They also wore great socks but the caps were mediocre at best. So with most of the players (presumably) wearing jammy pants for the throwback game, they’re going from the uni penthouse to the uni outhouse.

    I like the Cubs logo with the “UBS” in blue. Makes the “C” stand out and brings to mind how it appears on the hats, and also gives the logo a nice blue outline, red C, blue UBS alternating effect.

    link

    The Astros are still allowed to use the correct image everywhere but on the jersey they will wear only twice in the month of April.

    So the kids can get and wear a shirt with the gun logo on it, but they can’t watch someone else wear it?

    At the moment, they can’t get that jersey. There’s an image of it in a sort of promo area on the shop, but the actual Colts Cooperstown Collection jersey is no longer available for sale. Though it was as recently as Christmas week in December, when I last ogled it with envy in the MLB shop.

    Not sure how much attention unofficial renderings do/should get, but here are some for the new Mizzou football helmets (actual announcement is on April 14):

    link

    If they try to wear one of those, I hope the SEC changes their mind and sends their butts back to the Big 12.

    Yes, they are. Black on black tiger stripes with the gold M that the university uses would be about perfect.

    I fail to see what’s wrong with the helmets they have now. Oh, that’s right. There aren’t 17 variants of it. We need to fix that, STAT.

    Do cheerleaders have alternates? My high school, seven or so years ago, had a decent-to-good level cheerleading program, and they had five or six different uniform sets.

    Can anybody make out what the little symbols are on Gary Carter’s helmet in the photo at SI.com?: link (click on the “Gary Carter” link in the main window) I see three hats, but am not sure what the rest are supposed to represent.

    MLB needs to hire Rene Magritte to remind them that a picture of a thing is not the same as the thing itself.

    For a similar example, see the TSA’s recent shenanigans in Jacksonville.

    link

    The winner of NASCAR races at Texas Motor Speedway get two pistols (with blanks) and actually fire them off in victory lane.

    NASCAR gets crap for all sorts of stereotypes of their fans (some true for a percentage of fans)… but the gun thing has never been controversial. Or even debated.

    (And don’t forget NASCAR has plenty of non-southern fans nowadays.)

    Re the cheerleaders: It’s possible they wore “Sawyers” at home and “SHS” on the road. And if I recall correctly, the “Sawyers” uniforms were pink and white while “SHS” was in the school colors. So maybe they were supposed to wear “Sawyers” as a one-off for breast cancer or something and kept them with the other uniforms.

    I just had a thought.

    You know what’s great if you’re Tim Wakefield and you’re retiring?

    In 15 years you can come back for an old timers’ game and people will say, “Wow, he can still bring it!”

    If I cared for the colored panels on the BP caps, I think I would prefer them over the game caps for the same reasons most people appear to have mentioned (primarily, the boxiness of the game caps). For that reason, I prefer New Era’s Franchise caps. They’re basically the same color (except the navy caps, which have a “washed” quality) as the game caps, but with a much lower profile, but are still fitted.

    link

    I teach in the aforementioned school district, and while it is embarrassing that our buses have ads, the school district is $24 million in the red. Our state legislators are more interested in building a wall on the border than they are in funding schools, so if an ad for a realtor on a bus means my students get the resources they need and good teachers can keep their jobs, then it’s a pill I can swallow.

    The Hornets are wearing hideous, purple front-green back “NOLA” alts vs. the Knicks. I hate them.

    My nephew and I were passing the time one afternoon designing new Sabres and Raptor uniforms and guess what little fella showed up right when we needed a model…
    link

    Guns don’t kill people, Colt .45s jerseys do.

    By the way, ground was broken for the Astrodome by local big shots (sorry) firing pistols into the dirt. Does this mean they can’t be the Astros because if it weren’t for guns, we’d have no Astrodome?

    I’ve supported Bud Selig many a time on many a message board, but man, he got gun-smoked this time.

    I also am generally in favor of some form of gun control and think the NRA is overdoing just a bit.

    I am now going to scan the internet looking for a Colt .45s jersey.

    The Astros are in Texas. Did you really think Texas would be (phrase omitted at author’s request) about guns?

    And I’d rather Selig ban those hideous rainbow uni’s they used to wear. I could understand _that_.

    Paul, keep your liberal misguided viewpoints out of it. No one cares that you want more gun control and are scared of people seeing guns. Stick to the issues at hand and stop inserting your liberal propaganda for the love of God.

    We get it. You’re a NYC hipster who’s really fancy and hates Republicans. You are way off base with your views on guns, as most liberals are.

    Stick to what you’re decent at, talking about logos/unis. If I wanted to be smacked in the face with liberal opinions I’d go watch CNN.

    It sucks that I enjoy this site and it’s something I’m interested in. But your continued left wing bullshit inserted when you can is getting annoying.

    I’m not a proponent of the use of random vulgarity for vulgarities sake (VFVS) or of taking The Lord’s name in vain in an attempt to add ‘punch’ to this blog or its comment section – IT IS Paul’s Blog and and as such he is free to include his thoughts/beliefs as he sees fit. Your option – stop reading Uni-Watch.

    “…initiatives, and I think the NRA has way too much influence over American political discourse.”

    And I think the NRA has way too much influence over American defense of the First Amendment.

    If freedom of religion was not so important to the Founders, the Second Amendment would be the First.

    Those of us who support the Constitution defend its entirety. So fear not, Mr. Lukas; when they come for the First Amendment, those of us protecting the Second Amendment will defend it, too.

    Lisa: He banned me from the museum! He called me a “PC thug”

    Homer: “I’ve been called a greasy thug too and It never stops hurting”

Comments are closed.