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Braves NickNOBs Revisited

1976 - Jerry Royster.jpg

Last Tuesday’s entry, about the 1976 Braves’ nickNOBs, generated lots of very positive response (thanks, gang) and some good suggestions as well, so it’s time for a follow-up.

First and foremost, regarding the question of whether Jerry Royster ever wore “Rooster” in addition to “J.Bird” (we have photographic evidence for the latter but not for the former), several readers pointed out that Royster is now the third base coach for the Red Sox, so I contacted the Sox PR people and asked about this. They checked with Royster, and here’s the word from the man himself: He never wore “Rooster,” only “J.Bird.” So any lists showing him wearing “Rooster” are wrong. I wish they would have let me speak with Royster directly, because I’d love to pick his brain about the whole nickNOB issue, but they weren’t willing to do that.

A few readers also contributed information and research that have added a few more pieces to the puzzle. Here’s a rundown:

Reader Mark Haarmann posted the following comment last Tuesday:

It’s amazing what memories stick with you after all these years. I distinctly remember watching a Cards/Braves telecast from 1976. Adrian Devine came in to pitch for the Braves in extra innings. His nickname-on-back was “Bing,” an obvious reference to the better-known Cardinals GM Bing Devine. I remember the broadcasters mentioning that if the Cards win this game in extra innings, the headline in the next day’s papers should read, “Cards Beat Bing Devine.” Of all the C-list players that passed through during my years following sports, I never forgot Adrian “Bing” Devine because of the nickname on the back of his jersey.

I’m not willing to treat this as a confirmed Braves nickNOB (especially since it seems odd that the Braves would use a nickNOB that referred to another team’s GM). But I too have primal memories of specific sports moments from long ago, and Mark’s account feels persuasive. So I’m willing to add Adrian Devine’s “Bing” to our master chart of Braves nickNOBs, although for now it’s definitely unconfirmed.

Next, reader J.G. Preston did some digging in the Sporting News archives (which it turns out I have access to, but I didn’t realize that, or else I would have done this digging myself) and came up with some good stuff from 1976. First, there’s this item from May 29:

5-29-76.png

The primary value of this clipping is that it takes several nickNOBs that had previously been questionable and moves them into the “Confirmed” category, including Darrl Chaney’s “Nort,” Roger Moret’s “Gallo,” and Dave May’s “Chopper.” (Interestingly, Jerry Royster’s nickNOB is referred to as “Jay Bird,” although we have photographic evidence that it wasn’t spelled that way.)

Also, note that this clipping indicates that the nickNOBs were Ted Turner’s idea — not Andy Messersmith’s (as Sports Illustrated had claimed) or publicist Bob Hope’s (as Turner himself claimed in his autobiography).

As you may recall from Tuesday’s entry, there was also some dispute as to whether Turner or Messersmith had come up with the idea of having Messersmith wear “Channel 17.” A hint is provided by this Sporting News item from April 24:

4-24-76.png

Note that this item was published several weeks before the Braves started wearing nickNOBs. But you can see Turner was already thinking about the connection between his star pitcher and his TV station.

Another lingering issue from Tuesday’s entry was the question of who put the kibosh on “Channel 17” — was it National League president Chub Feeney or MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn? The following two Sporting News items, from June 5 and June 19, respectively, indicate that it was Feeney:

6-5-76.png

6-19-76.png

Reader Matthew Namee found two additional newspaper items confirming that it was Feeney, not Kuhn, who cracked down on “Channel 17.” The first one ran in the Chicago Tribune and the second in the Pasadena Star, both on May 16:

chicago tribune, 5:16:76.png

Pasadena Star News, 5-16-76.png

Note that the second item, aside from confirming Feeney over Kuhn, also includes this line: “Messersmith, like all the Braves’ players, has a nickname sewn on the back of his uniform” (emphasis mine). This is the first time I’ve seen explicit confirmation that the nickNOBs were a team-wide phenomenon. This means, as I mentioned last week, that there are several players and nickNOBs still unaccounted for.

With all of this in mind, I’ve updated our master chart to reflect the Adrian Devine possibility, the nickNOBs mentioned in the first May 29 Sporting News clipping, and the elimination of “Rooster.” The chart now looks like this:

[table id=15 /]

So that’s where we stand now. I’ll run additional updates as the situation warrants. Okay? Okay.

+ + + + +

If you think nickNOB research is tricky, it’s nothing compared to kind of research that goes into the Permanent Record project. My latest entry on the PermaRec blog gives a step-by-step breakdown of how one of my research volunteers solved a particularly tricky puzzle. It’s pretty amazing and really shows how hard it is to be good researcher — check it out here.

+ + + + +

Uni Watch News Ticker: Everyone was all aflutter yesterday about this Iowa football throwback design, although I’m not sure why, since it was initially announced way back in April. Anyway: I like. ”¦ New co-sponsor for the cycling team Saxo Bank (from Robert Danneker). … This is odd: Kevin Youkilis brought his final Red Sox jersey with him to the White Sox, where his new teammate Adam Dunn put it on. “Can’t recall another instance of a player wearing the uniform of another team,” says Todd Radom. … The U.S. Army is switching to a new camouflage pattern, because the previous design was a $5 billion mistake. Key quote: “Brand identity trumped camouflage utility. That’s what this really comes down to: ‘We can’t allow the Marine Corps to look more cool than the Army.'” If you needed any further confirmation that the whole concept of branding has run amok, there you go (big thanks to Joseph Nguyen). ”¦ Yesterday I Ticker-linked to a WVU-themed beer pong table. That prompted Mike Bailey to send me a photo of his DIY beer pong table based on the Cole Field House floor design. ”¦ New logos for the Chicagoland Speedway, and here’s a style guide to boot (from Richard Brachman). ”¦ New training gear for Tottenham. “It’s Under Armour’s first venture into the EPL,” says Terence Kearns. ”¦ Brittain Peck’s Whiteskins project was featured in the Washington Post yesterday. ”¦ Seriously ugly anti-ovarian cancer uniforms for the Lake County Captains (from Nick Pfeifer). ”¦ Coupla notes regarding the Olympic trials from Jeremy Richardson: High jumper Erik Kynard wore striped socks, and 800-meter runner Alysia Montano continued her tradition of wearing a flower in her hair during the race. ”¦ Also from Jeremy: German soccer club St. Pauli’s new uniforms look like they were inspired by the Cleveland Browns. ”¦ Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Chase Utley of the Phillies is on a rehab assignment with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs but can’t wear his normal number 26 because the team’s mascot wears that number. ”¦ Looks like Duke football is adding a blue helmet and a matte BFBS helmet. The white one, I believe, is the same as last year, right? ”¦ Steve DuHamel notes that Royals closer Francisley Bueno was wearing apparently wearing teammate Jonathan Sanchez’s glove last night. ”¦ Speaking of pitchers’ gloves, Domenico Delgado noticed that A’s pitcher Travis Blackley uses a weird glove brand. I’d never seen that logo before, so I asked A’s equipment manager Steve Vucinich, who said, “It’s some Aussie brand. No name, just a logo.”

 
  
 
Comments (129)

    So…are the Padres switching to a new camo pattern to demonstrate how much they love our troops?

    A few days ago it was mentioned here and on other boards that the Rockford Riverhawks of the Frontier League might be the first professional baseball team to have advertisements on their uniforms. Another professional team wearing ads this season is the Grand Prairie AirHogs of the American Association. Their red jerseys have a small “QT” patch on the right chest, reflecting QuikTrip, which is also the sponsor for its stadium. Does anyone know if these patches have been worn by the team in previous seasons?

    The Camden Riversharks have had a WAWA patch on their left sleeve home and away for at least three years

    link

    they are unaffiliated, does that count?

    The Gastonia Grizzlies of the Coastal Plains League (a wooden bat league) wear a Kia patch on their sleeve.

    Yes, Camden absolutely does count. So sources like ballparkdigest that are reporting Rockford in 2012 is the first pro baseball team to wear uniform ads are wrong.

    The Gastonia Grizzlies aren’t a professional team, so I wouldn’t count them. I know the North Adams Steeplecats, also not a professional team, wear Hoosac Bank patches.

    That looks so strange! Almost like something from a What If Baseball site…just need to find on of Ted Williams in a Yankees uni to have a bookend on the trade that never happened.

    “MBTA passengers would reap most of the benefits from the naming rights, said Mark E. Boyle, the MBTA’s assistant general manager for development. With the infusion of money, the T could upgrade WiFi on the commuter rail, improve access for the visually impaired, and upgrade the stations’ aesthetics, Boyle said.”

    Good enough for me.

    It’s their job to do all of that stuff anyway. The idea that none of this would happen without corporate sponsorship is a false choice, and the idea that there’s no social cost to the selling off of civic capital is just false, period.

    MBTA has been in debt for as long as I can remember. The problem is that a huge chunk of their portion goes to fund pension plans for MBTA retirees. They make an abnormal amount of money.

    It’s already close to 3 bucks per ride (can be cheaper with a monthly pass) but the price is already ridiculous and they’re sinking further and further into debt.

    I’m not the biggest fan of the sponsorship either but right now, the whole MBTA budget is so severely fucked up. Blame it on management, blame it on the passengers who sleuth pass the gates but something’s gotta be done about this crisis. I wouldn’t mind this being a stop gap measure for only 8 years (that’s how long the sponsorship would last anyway). If they can get out of debt by then, then great. But this is a small measure towards reformation of the budget system.

    Upgrade WiFi? Really? It’s a bloody train station, not an Internet cafe.

    Look, I can upgrade the WiFi for about $100 in parts, and an additional $100/mth. If you need corporate sponsorship for that, you’re either not charging your riders enough, or you don’t need to upgrade that badly. And if you need corporate sponsorship for that, you’re hemmorhaging red ink at some point in your budget.

    As an IT guy, there’s a cost that users have to balance between usage and availability. If your users want better WiFi, they had better be prepared to pay for it. Otherwise, enjoy the spotty WiFi and use the station for its main purpose instead of being a hotspot.

    Improving access for the visually impaired should have been done long before WiFi was even an issue. Improving aesthetics is what we, in the real world, call “maintenance and upkeep”. Both of those are civic issues, and both should already have been included into the budget.

    It just goes to show that Mark E. Boyle’s bosses have their priorities pathetically out of whack.

    That’s a limited time offer, Paul. Google will only cover the costs until September 7 according to the article. That being said, having “Boston WiFi brought to you by (insert company here)”? I fully endorse that idea as opposed to having a company buy the rights to the station.

    WiFi is not a civic responsibility. Providing access for the visually impaired and continued maintenance and improvement is. WiFi is a luxury – the riders should be prepared to pay for it if corporate sponsors do not.

    WiFi is not a civic responsibility.

    Oh, I totally agree. I only posted that link because I thought it was interesting, not because I think “it’s the way things should be.”

    Personally, I think most people (myself included) spend enough time staring at their phones. We can all live without wifi for the length of a subway ride…

    I dunno, I appreciate wifi on my train into Boston (I live about an hour from the city). While not essential, as I keep all my files on my PC, it’s helpful to have my writing drafts updated in dropbox as I save stuff. Yeah, the wifi sucks, but I’d rather have cheaper fare.

    Fortunately work subsidizes quite a bit for my commute, but I also do some cost saving things like walk a mile to and from South Station rather than hop on the subway and avoid buying monthly passes (I commute 3 days a week so it makes no sense to buy rides I don’t need).

    Welcome to my world. I pontificate whene’er i’m in that station but my friends all just tell me to shut up and eat a pretzel.

    link

    NYC’s MTA should rename Van Siclen Ave. Station after this guy:

    link

    …and should consider him for an open position?

    Reggie Jackson wore Mariners gear during the 1979 All-Star Game festivities and I think John Kruk and perhaps some other Phillie had to wear Braves gear during the 1992 All-Star Game festivities.

    San Antonio Spurs’ Mike Gale wore an inside-out Bullets road uni during game 6 of the ’78 East semis – he’d lost his uniform travelling to the game:

    link

    Just found some more info – apparently George Gervin and Mo Layton also lost their unis en route. Gervin wore a blank #33, and Layton also wore an inside-out Bullets road uni…

    Interesting point about Utley’s stint at Lehigh Valley, the Phillies require their minor league teams to wear their uniform pants “properly.”

    So some great pics of Utley with “proper” pants are available here…link

    Sorry to Lukas…no stirrups :(

    the number on front of his jersey looks more like a “seven” than a two. Any other pix to get a better view?

    MLB teams should impose these rules. If the Yankees can say no facial hair, they should be able to say no pajama pants too…

    That makes no sense. The Phillies make their minor leaguers wear their uniforms “properly”. However, once they make the major leagues (where they should be forced to wear their uniforms “properly”) they are allowed to look like assclowns i.e. Prince Fielder or Manny Ramirez.

    Minor leaguers have no union; big leaguers do, and any additional uniform rules would have to be collectively bargained.

    “any additional uniform rules would have to be collectively bargained.”

    ~~~~

    so, they’ve collectively bargained to look like a bunch of ass clowns?

    Pretty much, Phil. Don’t know about you, but I’m about ready for a sartorial Haymarket.

    This has come up before. Apparently Utley was told he could wear pajamas if he wanted, but he chose to go along with the team rule.

    Is “properly” your term or their term?

    I would think that the phillies minor league affiliates require their players not to wear their pants “properly” but cuffed below the knee.

    Using the term “properly” is a opinion.

    Cuffing pants below the knee looks ABSOLUTELY ridiculous in this era. I’ll offer exceptions for those who tailor their pants to “period appropriate” bulk like Ian Kinsler and Juan Pierre. Guys who wear their pants like Alphonso Soriano look like absolute goofs in this era.

    You know what else looks great? Solid color tops or “softball jerseys” as they are called on this board. The blast of color is a pleasant occasional burst to an otherwise standard uniform.

    I realize my views are unpopular to many on this board, and thats fine. I was an original reader of Uniwatch well before there was a daily blog, and then into the time when there was. After I while I, didnt appreciate being preached to that “long pants bad, stirrups good”, one is right, one is wrong. I then became an occasional reader, and then not one at all… for years. Recently when I was contacted that I was mentioned in an article, I hopped over to check it out. I started reading again occasionaly, and I still see that the opinions of the board’s administrators are still heavily pushed on the readership and that those with differing opinions are not looked upon very well. Its a shame too, because I liked this board. Its a about a topic I am interested in and is niche enough that only few of us actually care about it. This niche isnt about what’s right and what’s wrong its that we all are interested in it. When one’s opinion is impressed to all as ritht, that’s wrong.

    “Properly” was my term…as I am in the camp that pajamas should not be worn on the field.

    I was also pandering to my conservative base…I love stirrups too…

    Well said Todd. I am of the both sides camp. I feel that cuffed pants and stirrups look good and I still do that at times when I play but pajama pants are way more comfortable and lower maintenance. Recently I had trouble with my stirrups staying in my shoe when I pitched and remembered how annoying that is.

    One thing intriguing me is that the Braves NickNOBs were of the seldom-seen ‘straight across’ variety.

    Other than the 1971-86 Oakland As, I don’t know of another Major League example of that.

    I’m pretty sure the California Angels’ first use of players’ names went straight across, in 1978. They were also single-color red, even though the numbers were two-color.

    Good catch there!

    I don’t have proof, but I could almost swear the Angels did something very strange in the 70s — in the Nolan Ryan era, at some point, they wore NOBs at home and went NNOB on the road!

    I think I checked the Henderson Guide once, but he’s not 100% accurate NOBwise.

    “… Ted Turner, the yachting commodore recently sworn in as the Braves’ major domo…”

    Love this. Just love it.

    Jimmy Wynn’s nickname was indeed “The Toy Cannon.” He’s referred by Astros broadcasters and writers all the time, and that’s where he played most of his career.

    Yes, we all know that. But that doesn’t settle the question of whether his nickNOB was “Cannon” (as several sources indicate) or “The Toy Cannon” (as he claimed in his autobiography but seems unlikely, because it probably wouldn’t fit on the jersey).

    Not to sound like some flag burning hippie, but $5 billion frickin’ dollars for ugly camos?! Maybe it’s time we rid of the military & its lavish & fiscally irresponsible ways.

    This country needs a kick in the ass on the value of a dollar.

    “Rid of the military & its lavish ways”: Flag-burning hippie.
    “Rid the military of its lavish ways”: Concerned patriot.

    James Madison, father of the Constitution and flag-burning hippie:

    link:./temp/~ammem_kmli::%230010495&linkText=1

    Also worth noting that the whole “backwards flag on the right shoulder” thing was the result of the same process of arbitrary top-brass branding BS that produced the flawed camo. At least that one only desecrates the flag, rather than getting people shot.

    Before somebody paints me into a political corner, I don’t appreciate being labeled a Republican or Democrat. It’s nobody’s business who I vote for.

    In tough times, NOBODY is above fiscal cuts. This constant & impossible need of entitlement in higher living of standards in this country is appalling. Live within your means & deal.

    Enough people kiss the military’s ass as it is; they don’t need me.

    HA! You don’t like being painted into political corners?!

    Maybe the next time you say that, it shouldn’t be said on the same day when you call out others (today: me) for a hypothesized political allegiance even thou said person called you out for a clearly flawed argument.

    And I’ve voted for more Republicans in my life than Democrats because I may be liberal but I make decisions based on facts not political allegiance, so I’d shut the hell up if I were you.

    Real subtle, TimE. Nobody needs to know your voting history, even though there’s no way to prove it.

    “Nobody needs to know your voting history, even though there’s no way to prove it”

    ~~~

    uh huh

    Even if it did work, there is no way you could possibly justify spending THAT much money on a uniform especially on our taxpayer dime.

    Haha, it’s about time. For YEARS the army was denying that the only reason they chose that camouflaged patterns was because it “worked.” NONSENSE!

    As an active duty Marine who couldn’t care less about what frigging uniform he wears as long as it prevents me from being seen, and therefore shot, just force the entire military to wear the Marine Corps pattern, because for now, and for the past decade of war, it’s been proven to be the only good camouflage patterns around (multi-cam is really good though, and I would love for a REAL study to be done in Quantico by the Marine Corps Sniper Program to be, whatever cammo is better, gets worn by ALL BRANCHES! Sadly, the Marine Corps “leadership” is just as much to blame because, in the perfect example of “small penis syndrome,” didn’t want other branches to share the same pattern.

    This is why generals need to be forced out after 35 years, and why most Generals with the exception of Patreus and Mattis are nothing more than politicians wearing a uniform.

    SO glad our budget is being cut; the military is like the stereotypical welfare recipient of the ghetto, give us money for food and equipment and we waste the stuff on designer clothing and rims.

    To reply to Concealed78’s post: “Even if it did work, there is no way you could possibly justify spending THAT much money on a uniform especially on our taxpayer dime.” I must disagree.

    THAT is the only uniform I own that serves a specific function, and therefore that amount of money should be spent on such a purpose.

    That said, why in God’s name do I have 7+ other uniforms that I’ve worn a combined 8 times in the past 9 years? Let us count:

    3 different covers (aka hats)
    2 different “dress Jackets”
    1 Long Sleeve Khaki Shirt
    1 Short Sleeve Khaki Shirt
    2 different colors of Trousers

    Not to mention, they issue us 2 of each for the shirts and trousers (granted, they dock our pay for it), but why even manufacture that mount of stuff that A) Doesn’t help us defend freedom, B) doesn’t help us fight, or C) doesn’t prevent us from getting shot?

    wow

    just when i thought i’d never see the words “marines” and “small penis syndrome” in the same sentence…

    I don’t know if this was touched on before, but…
    After the Joel Peralta pine tar in the glove ejection against the Washington Nationals, Peralta was using Jeremy Hellickson’s glove the next night. Hellickson was just put on the DL the day before.

    Chicagoland has always been one word (link ), but just like the TV station named for the word (Chicagoland Television, or CLTV) they probably decided to use “CL” for clarification purposes.

    (Note, they split TV the same way, too)

    Too funny, probably wouldn’t have noticed that but now I can’t stop seeing it.

    “Am I the only one who looks at this logo and thinks, “CLIT TV”?” Written by someone calling themselves “pushbutton”. Nice.

    it’s always easier to see the clit when there’s negative space involved

    That new duke helmet will help them win 2 games a year, more than the usual 1 or none

    I remember kynard wearing red striped socks when competing for Toledo Rogers HS. I coached kids who jumped against him and always were out before he even warmed up.

    Utley actually wore 21 because 26 wasn’t available in his size. Even though Ferrous does don the atomic number for iron…

    Not available in his size? They would have pulled a jersey in his size and had his number put on it. Every local source here says its because Ferrous wears 26.

    link

    link

    I was hoping for the center court M that faced one of the baskets (from the 70s, I think?), but that’s still a very nice table! Great job.

    There is a pretty sweet photo within this article of Penn State football helmets with uni numbers, like Alabama.

    link

    I think it would have been clever for Turner to have Messersmith wear “Chub” as his nickname.

    “Speaking of pitchers’ gloves, Domenico Delgado noticed that A’s pitcher Travis Blackley uses a weird glove brand. I’d never seen that logo before, so I asked A’s equipment manager Steve Vucinich, who said, “It’s some Aussie brand. No name, just a logo.””

    Not quite. Blackley uses a glove manufactured by a Japanese company by the name of Morimoto.

    Blackley was born in Australia and played in Korea last season. Probably when he started using the glove.

    The school district in West Saint Paul, MN is taking a healthier attitude towards advertising in schools. The key quote:

    “You’re not going to solve any school’s funding issue with advertising. I think it can show the residents of a community that you are looking for different revenue sources,” he said. “Once you cross the threshold of the school and go inside the building, that’s when I think people are going to react.”

    link

    I have a solution to the school funding issue but the problem is people keep breeding, so….

    You’re “solution” doesn’t actually make much sense.

    The larger the population, the less expensive school funding should be per tax payer.

    If you have 20 students per class room vs 30 in a class room, that’s the same room construction cost, same teacher salary, same building expenses…

    It’s like surface area, things that are the same “shape”, when larger, are more efficient than their smaller counterparts.

    …or… people could stop reproducing so much on a planet that can’t handle it, crowding up our roadways & polluting our air, creating more landfill space, burning more energy, creating toxic waste & drinking up all our fresh water, stop building subdivisions on fertile & important farmland while rapidly depleting all of our planet’s resources. Supply & demand. Less people = more supplies. Small classroom sizes are much preferred by everyone over large ones. Quality over quantity. In spite of what the Catholic Church says, less is more.

    And yes TimE, taxes can go down instead of always going up if you elect certain people.

    Actually, thanks to Fritz Haber, hydroponics, aquaponics and vertical farming the planet is estimated to comfortably hold 20+ Billion people.

    That’s roughly three times the amount of people there are today.

    Yes, pollution is bad, and so are taxes (I hate it that people get paid to respond to fires! Damn big government!) but the actual situation (if you pay attention to these sorts of things – as I am want to do) isn’t as grave or perilous as you may think.

    Also, please don’t talk down to me. I’m not as stupid and ill informed as you seem think I am.

    Young people giving me lip again, *grumble*

    That was more a knock towards your many previous UW comments and unabashed & blatant Liberal politics (way to be subtle, Tim).

    I don’t want to see 20 billion+ people on the planet. That’ll eat through the water & oil in no time & horrible congestion & smog that would create. It’s going to be truly frightening once China gets up to par with the rest of world. If that isn’t a foresight of what’s to come…

    The Lake County Captains pink jerseys aren’t just for ovarian cancer research (only a portion goes to that), they’re actually LGBT Pride jerseys for Pride Night. link Ground breaking, no matter how hideous they are.

    The assistant general manager nailed it!

    “…It’s 2012. Gay fans are no different from any other fans; their money is no different than anyone else’s money…”

    Sounds like something straight out of the Bud Selig School:

    “It doesn’t matter if it’s drug money or blood money or taxpayer money or frivolous lawsuit money or Big Oil money, money is money & it’s money in our pockets!”

    You know there was nothing preventing LGBT fans from attending before. This modern Look At Me / Everybody Gets To Feel Special Generation with all these parades & special interest groups is getting ridiculous.

    The league-only balanced schedule, pitchers batting, no-hitters & perfect games, stuffed deep dish pizza, mowing the lawn & dog walks. And of course, coupons, store sales & buying in bulk.

    And stay off my lawn.

    It is also worth uni-noting that they were designed by Joshua McKinley, a Lake County native who finished as first runner-up on a recent season of Project Runway.

    The Captains also host a Bridal Show on Sunday, so it makes some financial sense to hope for cross-over appeal for the jersey auction with that crowd.

    I wouldn’t wear one. Good colors for a lemonade franchise, though!

    Paul, I know how you are about details, so I just wanted to mention that you spelled Niekro’s name wrong in your master list.

    When is Peyton Manning going to realize that the hideous Ridell Revolution has better face masks. He still wears one of the originals. It looks like he could break that thing off at any moment a play a game of jai alai.

    Re: A player wearing the uniform of another team:

    There was a bit of a kerfuffle when Derek Lowe appeared at the Red Sox’ 2005 Opening Day celebration of the 2004 champs wearing his #32 Red Sox jersey despite being an active roster player for the L.A. Dodgers at the time.

    link

    After the MLB Network boys groused about it, the following conversation took place the next day on NESN:

    Gordon Edes: “He isn’t catching any heat back in California; you don’t hear Jim Tracy complain about it, you don’t hear any guys in the Dodgers club house complain about it. Talk about your media driven controversy, the only reason we are talking about this is John Kruk, and Harold Reynolds talking about this on ESPN and said that Derek Lowe showed bad judgment wearing a Red Sox jersey. Eck you’re old school, those guys are old school, they are claiming ‘we are old school we would never do that'”.

    Dennis Eckersley: “They are old school? Did John Kruk ever win anything? No, no, they lost, and Harold Reynolds won nothing in Seattle so spare me, what do they got to talk about?”

    I don’t think about track and field much at all these days, but that ticker item about Erik Kynard’s stripes and Alysia Montano’s flower caught my attention.

    Track and Field coverage back in the day (late ’60’s to late ’70’s) was pretty compelling, especially during the Olympics. Maybe it’ll get interesting again.

    Herbalife is a given and XanGo? It’s hard to believe a team in the second biggest market in the country (LA) with the most marketable star (Beckham) has such a low rent shirt sponsor.

    It may be low-rent, but their deal with the Galaxy is the richest in the league, IIRC. $4.4 million per year (I think Seattle is second at $4 million even, followed by DC and Chicago).

    San Jose’s sponsorless again? Well, you just moved back up to being one of my favorite MLS teams! Not a fan of the black jersey, but it looks a lot better now.
    link
    Much better:
    link

    Duke indeed wore white helmets last year, but with a single blue stripe down the middle.

    The best instance I can think of a player wearing a uniform of another team – Mark Messier played for the Edmonton Oilers oldtimers team as part of the first outdoor game in 2003 while he was still active for the New York Rangers.

    link

    Here’s a guy wearing another player’s uniform. From the 1972 Mets Yearbook…likely taken at 1971 ASG.

    link

    Yes the Iowa throwbacks were released a while ago.

    I do give Iowa credit. They at least do throwbacks. They try and get them accurate. Of course the early 20’s team did not have numbers on the front but they are fine.

    WVU Senior wide receiver Ryan Nehlen (grandson of the celebrated former coach) discusses the Mountaineers’ new gray uniforms:

    link

    I was the director of public relations and promotions for the Braves and Ted Turner in 1976 when Ted bought the team. We had a philosophy that we needed to promote really hard since we knew the team wouldn’t be very good, but we also didn’t have any money to spend on promotions. So we had to do things that generated publicity. We would say, “It is better to go down the street at the village idiot and be noticed than to not be noticed at all.” We would do things that would stir what we called “harmless controversy”, would get in the news but didn’t really hurt anyone. For instance, one day we let it leak to the media that we were about to change the name of the Braves to Eagles because Ted was patriotic and also we didn’t want to offend native Americans. All hell broke loose in the media a couple of days and then we simply said it was a bad idea and would leave the team name as Braves. The idea of putting nicknames on the back was just to get attention, do something a little different. Messersmith had agreed to wear number 17 because the TV station was channel 17. That had nothing to do with the nickname idea, but then we realized that putting his nickname as CHANNEL would read CHANNEL 17. We knew baseball would step in and stop it, but we would get lots of publicity. The nickname BLUTO that replaced it was just to come up with something that seemed even dumber sounding than CHANNEL 17, not sure where it came from. As I recall, nicknames were my idea. CHANNEL was Ted’s, which seemed to make perfect sense to us at the time. Hope this helps.

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