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A Little Hot-Stove Uni Action

With spring training just around the corner, I want to take a break from Supe50 coverage and address a bunch of MLB developments that have been brewing. One thing at a time:

1. While discussing the Astros’ new alternate jersey in Sunday’s post, Phil noted that the new jersey looks a lot like the team’s BP jersey and then added the following:

I’m under the impression the Astros will still wear their current BP jersey, but according to this article, the new alternate jersey “will be worn for regular season games and Spring Training games.” Now, it’s not unusual for teams to wear their regular (primary) jerseys for a few ST games, but I’m wondering if this one will simply replace the BP jersey, and also be worn on home Sundays. It seems kind of pointless to have two very similar tops.

Turns out Phil was on the right track. Astros Talk blogger Mike Acosta, who also serves as the team’s authentication manager, has confirmed that the ’Stros are scrapping the BP jersey:

2. In Sunday’s Ticker, Phil linked to a photo showing new Rockies jerseys with mesh side panels. A few follow-ups on that:

• Mike Acosta, that same Astros guy, says this panel will be included on all MLB jerseys in 2016, plus a small panel is also being added to the crotch of the pants:

• These side panels presumably help explain why the Diamondbacks were able to extend their snakeskin pattern down the sides of their new jerseys (click to enlarge):

• If you look closely, you can kinda-sorta see the side panels on the sides of the Padres’ new jerseys as well (click to enlarge):

•  You can also see the side panels in a few shots in this A’s fanfest slideshow.

• Interestingly, these side panels do not appear in the mock-ups shown in the MLB Style Guide (well, except when the panels have a contrasting color or pattern, as in the case of the Astros and D-backs).

So what does this all mean? Although the Astros’ panels are kinda cool, contrasting side panels almost always look like shit. It’s one of those “Just because you can, that doesn’t mean you should” things. Let’s hope teams don’t start going that route. Also, as that Rockies photo shows, the plain mesh panels on pinstriped jerseys look like shit as well, so that’s a major problem in the making for teams like the Mets, Cubs, and everyone else with pinstripes (except the Yankees, who’ll likely be smart enough to resist this change). It’s bad enough when a pinstriped team has that non-pinstriped underarm gusset. Having a full-length non-pinstriped side panel will really be the bee’s gall bladder.

3. One of those earlier tweets mentioned the term “Flex Base.” What the hell is Flex Base? New to me. But we’re apparently going to be hearing more about it:

Maybe the side panels will only appear on these new Flex Base jerseys, but not on Cool Base or “regular” jerseys.

4. It looks like Majestic is also experimenting with a new seam on the rear shirttail:

This new element, much like the side panels, appears in some of the A’s fanfest photos, like this one.

I’ve tried to find out more about this, but so far no dice. I’m figuring this is another thing that will be limited to the new Flex Base line.

5. It also sounds like the MLB logo on the jerseys maybe be changing from embroidered to Chromaflex:

For those who don’t recall, the Chromaflex postseason sleeve patches looked like this.

6. Lots of you have been asking me if there will be new BP caps and/or jerseys this season. Answer: I honestly have no idea, but it looks like they may be adding palm tree icons to the numbers of the spring training jerseys:

If they’re using a palm tree for teams that train in Florida, there’ll presumably be a cactus for teams in Arizona.

So, to summarize: Most of this is either unconfirmed or somewhat nebulous, at least for now. But it looks like we’ll have lots to talk about in the weeks and months to come.

(Big thanks to Brandon Davis, Harrison Tishler, and Phil for their contributions to this entry.)

• • • • •

Click to enlarge

Too Good for the Ticker: The photo shown above appears in the 1968 yearbook for Muncie Central High School in Indiana. Muncie is the school in white — the Bearcats. The other team’s identity isn’t clear, although I’m told that it may be the Yorktown Tigers. Whoever they are, they sure had an all-time doozy of a uniform! The striped satin shorts, the cartoon tiger, the off-center number, and bonus points for the eyeglasses on the guy in the center of the shot. Can anyone confirm which school this was?

Somewhat incredibly, video footage of these two teams — apparently from the exact same game! — is available on the web. The media player is small and can’t be embedded (or at least I couldn’t figure out how to embed it), but it’s worth seeing just for so you watch those tiger uniforms in action. Check it out here.

(Doubleplusthanks to Marc Viquez for the photo and @doctorsheckles for the video.)

•  •  •  •  •

The Ticker
By Paul

Baseball News: New alternate jersey/cap combo for the Brewers. It’ll be worn for most Sunday games, both at home and on the road. Meanwhile, they’re scrapping two of their other jerseys. … Little League has extended its partnership with Russell Athletic for another five years (thanks, Phil). … The Rangers will give away an Adrian Beltre bobblehead this year that has a removable helmet. “Beltre is known for his strong hatred of when people touch his head,” notes Mike. … Ageless character actor Abe Vigoda died yesterday. Here he is wearing a Yankees uniform. … Lots of good quotes and info from Mike Acosta — the Astros authentication guy mentioned several times in today’s lede — in this piece about the Astros new alternates (Phil again). … New home pinstripes for Texas A&M (Phil yet again). … New logo for SABR. … The Louisville Bats’ mascot, Buddy Bat, has a new look (from Troy Guthrie). … Here’s some video from the Mariners’ original Turn Ahead the Clock game in 1998. The success of that game was the basis for the MLB-wide TATC promotion in 1999 (from Curtis Rogers).

NFL News: The Panthers will not be going mono-black in the Super Bowl, and Jason Felicio might know why: “If everyone is going by superstitions for the Super Bowl unis, it’s worth noting that the first time the Panthers ever wore the black-on-black combo was against the Broncos, on Nov. 11 2012, and they were blown out, 36-14.” … Here’s a close-up look at the Supe50 logo patch, and here’s how it looks . Additional photos here (from Rob Montoya, Scott Adams, and @VanillaTwist11, respectively). … Here’s a guy who has a Cardinals jersey based on the fictional punter from the David Foster Wallace novel Infinite Jest (from Alex Sinclair). … Man, the Supe50 trophy is seriously ugly (thanks, Phil). … A Denver TV station ran a poll — not a particularly scientific one, I’m guessing — about the Broncos wearing white in Supe50. Fans were in favor of the white, but not by much (from Barry Brite). … Yesterday I wrote that the Broncos had worn white at home only 10 times in their history. That is incorrect — the actual number is 13, not 10. My source — this Gridiron Uniform Database page — has it right, but I somehow miscounted. Sloppy and inexcusable on my part. My error was pointed out by Broncos reporter Andrew Mason, who’s written an excellent history of the team’s history of wearing white at home. Recommended reading. … Rich Fuller was watching a 1992 Cowboys/Eagles game and spotted Eagles S Andre Waters with an odd “Eagles” decal on the back of his helmet. I have no memory of seeing anything like this. Anyone..? … Yesterday was the 13th anniversary of the Pirate Bowl (from Brian Sanford). … Here’s an early peek at one of the Supe50 end zones. It’s apparently the first Supe end zone not to have a conference logo in more than 20 years. … Concussion discussion: Another former NFL player has been found to have had C.T.E. … Always great to see this old Packers letterhead. Interestingly, the letter is nearly 50 years old but its two themes haven’t changed much: There’s still concern about players using their helmets as weapons, and people still reflexively pass the buck by blaming the media (from @MetsFanVI).

College Football News: While looking for something else, I noticed that Liberty University prexy Jerry Falwell Jr. had given No. 71 football jerseys to presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. 71 seems like an odd number to fixate on, so I poked around and discovered that it refers to the university’s founding in 1971.

Hockey News: The Indy Fuel will be wearing Garfield jerseys this Saturday. Not sure I’ve seen that one before (from Russ Yurk). … Cubs-themed jerseys on Friday for the Peoria Rivermen. … This is weird: Brad Marchand of the Bruins appears to have the palm of his right glove cut out (screen shot by Tony Caliguiri). … A pair of Maple Leafs fans are selling oodles of socks featuring Leafs coach Mike Babcock’s face. They’re called, of course, Babsocks (from Matt Diguer). … With one Avalanche goalie dealing with legal issues and another feeling sick, coach Patrick Roy dressed for the morning skate, in case he had to be the team’s emergency goalie. Unfortunately, he said he wouldn’t suit up for last night’s game against the Sharks. Too bad (thanks, Mike).

NBA News: Clippers F Blake Griffin injured his hand during an argument with an equipment staffer (from Rubens Borges). … Good interview with the guy who designed the Nike Kyrie 2 sneaker (from Kenny Loo). … The Pacers wore their Hickory throwbacks at home last night, with the Clippers wearing white on the road. Lots of additional photos here. … Several players on the Wizards don’t like the NBA’s new socks (from Jason Mott).

College and High School Hoops News: Michigan State has decided not to dress like fucking clowns again after all (thanks, Phil). … Latest cancer-awareness move: Wisconsin is wearing gold shoelaces (from John Okray). … Today is the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma State basketball team plane crash, which claimed 10 lives. The team will mark the anniversary by wearing these throwbacks. The (from Katie McInerny). … Not sure what was going on last night at Grafton High School in Wisconsin, but the players wore seriously retro uniforms and the coaches wore jumpsuits (from Ryan Wozniak and Stevie Weeks, respectively). … “In Sunday’s UNC/VaTech game, , Buzz Williams started a game in a suit (that’s him at far left),” says Andrew Cosentino. “But at halftime he changed into his signature maroon and orange sweater.”

Soccer News: A St. Louis TV station used the old MLS logo during a story about a stadium proposal. … New away jersey for the San Jose Earthquakes (thanks, Phil). … When undefeated world middleweight boxing champion Gennady Golovkin visited West Ham United, they gave him a jersey with his record on the back (from Mike Donovan). … After a Sunderland player signed a contract extension, the club pictured him wearing a shirt with No. 2020 on the back, because the contract runs through that year. “I wonder if this idea has been done before,” says Alex Cohen. “I also wonder if the numbers are smaller than normal or if the shirt is extra-wide.” … Real Salt Lake’s new look is very Spain-like.

Grab Bag: Here’s more on Alaska Airlines’ brand redesign (from Matt Busch). … Interesting story on the wardrobe for that new O.J. Simpson TV series. … New city flag for Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. … New athletics logo for Dallas Baptist University (from Matthew Spencer). … Here’s an article on Susquehanna University’s process for coming up with a new mascot name and logo. … New logo for — get this — the 2016 National Christmas Tree. … Bronson Messer likes these 6 Nations Rugby logos. “Best I can tell, they’re only on the rugbystore.co.uk site,” he says. “Nevertheless, I sit and scream at the screen, ‘Print shirts with these and take my money!'” … Amherst College will stop using its controversial Lord Jeff mascot, which was based on Lord Jeffery Amherst, who gave smallpox-infected blankets to Native Americans in the 18th century (from Tim Cross).

 
  
 
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Comments (113)

    Tagging issues: Little League/Beltre
    Texas A&M/SABR

    Shouldn’t the “Pirate Bowl” have been played at PNC Park?

    Typo: “Here’s a close-up look at the Supe50 logo patch, and here’s how it looks with the Supe50 logo patch.”

    Perhaps the logo patch could be an additional explanation for the Broncos’ decision to go in white jerseys. That patch would have been hideous on an orange backdrop.

    So, with that shot of Manning’s jersey with the Super Bowl patch, I guess it’s safe to say the NFL will NOT be changing the jersey logos to gold for the game.

    Not sure where the ugly Supe50 trophy link is taking me, but i don’t end up on anything about a trophy.

    ???

    I could be mistaken, but I don’t think the giant 50 is part of the trophy. According to this story (granted, ten months old), it’s meant to “accompany” the trophy: link

    To me, that means it’s just a glorified over the top base for the usual Lombardi trophy. Sure hope that doesn’t become an annual thing.

    I don’t think that’s Yorktown. Another video on the Ball State site shows a sectional game from early 1969 (same school year) where they are wearing much less exciting uniforms: link

    In that video, one set of cheerleaders had a G on their sweaters. I found the Muncie Central schedule for that year, and the only team they played starting with G, is Greencastle – the Tiger Cubs. So that might be the mystery school.

    I think that’s it, then. There’s a photography archive on the DePauw University (Greencastle) website. Here’s a picture of the 1968 (previous season) team. link Cheerleader sweaters are negatives of what’s shown in the video. I seem to recognize some of the players too. #31 and #35 (glasses) look like the players in the photo above. And the player next to him (number obscured) looks like the point guard shown several times in the video.

    On the other hand, there’s this shot of the 1969 sectional winners (same season as photo/video shown above) and their uniforms are completely different. link

    If you watch the two-minute clip, you’ll see that the cheerleaders have a big “G” on the sweaters.

    I live about 15 miles north of Muncie and shared this photo and video on Facebook. A couple of the more promising suggestions were Albany Wildcats (who, after that school year, were consolidated into Delta High School) or less likely the Alexandria Tigers. Neither of those would explain the “G” sweaters, though.

    I’m not sure where on Twitter I read it, but I did see a note where the multi-color numbers on the new MLB jerseys will be “kiss-cut”. I do not know if that applies to the wordmarks that are rendered in multi-color twill or the NOBs (although I assume the NOB would match the numbers).

    Nevermind the odd Eagles decal/tape/whatever on the back of Andre Waters’ helmet; I’m unclear on what this is on the *front* of his HEAD!

    ??

    link

    The back of his jersey looks a bit off too. Maybe it’s the image quality, but the NOB looks like black lettering, and the Eagles were using green at the time.

    Notable that the Packers letterhead lists at the bottom, among other achievements, the title of Super Bowl Champions by this time (September 1968), but still lists the seasons (1966-1967) as opposed to the games (I,II).

    Lax players cut their palms out if their gloves all the time for “feel”. Makes sense some hockey players would do it, especially if they played box lax up in Canada.

    Also, I don’t think Marchand has his palms cut out in the ticker photo. Looks to me like an optical illusion created by color contrasting leather/sythetic materials on the finger/palm area.

    I hate the feeling of hockey gloves when they wear through to the skin. Like baseball without batting gloves, vibrations and cushioning completely change the feel of the puck on the stick.

    I think it’s an illusion too. And I also hate that feeling when my gloves inevitable get a hole in the palm from wear. I could see where just getting it over with and creating a larger hole for feel makes sense.

    Yes they do but players do it all the time. This might be an indicting pic for him on this account

    Pretty sure it used to be a common practice. I remember readung that Toronto defenceman Carl Brewer cut out the palms of his gloves back in the early 1960s.

    Those definitely look like has instead of hockey glove palms. Could be as simple as worn through – the thickness of palms is so minute these days, a pair of wet palms would wear through in no time.

    But considering who’s wearing them, I’d suspect it’s about looking like you’re giving a guy a face wash while you surreptitiously gouge away with your fingers & nails.

    SB

    The Eagles name on the back of the helmet was somewhat common. The old Bike/Air/AHI helmets didn’t have the white brand name-plate on the back of the helmet, so teams often put the team name sticker on the shell of the non- Riddell helmets.

    I like the colors; that yellow really pops and the ball-in-glove looks fine in navy. I hope this presages a shift by the team to athletic gold and navy across the board. But ball-in-glove just does not work with the Miller script. If the Brewers are moving toward re-adopting the ball-in-glove logo, as I suspect on the basis of zero evidence that they are, they need to go back to the drawing board for jersey scripts. I’m one of the few people who actually likes the current jersey scripts, but they’ve gotta go if the ball-in-glove comes back.

    I ama Crew fan, and also one of the few that liked the Gold Alt I guess. Something different and looked good in day games.

    I really like the idea of going back to the ball and glove logo, and the navy yellow color scheme. Not a fan of the “Milwaukee” script. The excessive gold in the middle of the logo between the W and the A at the shirt break always looked terrible one the old jerseys and looks just as bad on the new yellow ones.

    Would love to see them do a new navy and yellow pinstripe home uniform. They honestly should have just done a complete new set instead of just this one alt.

    I’m with you on the gold alt. It’s one of the very few solid-color alts in all of baseball that I really like. And yes, the Brewers need a complete redo from top to bottom, but instead they’re going to give us incremental half-measures. What’s true of the roster is true of the uniform. Your pinstripe idea makes me think of either gold pinstripes, or pinstripes that alternate between navy and gold, and either way I think that could be fantastic. Maybe even distinct enough to permit the Brewers to bring back the ultra-generic jersey scripts from the ball-in-glove days.

    Always neat to be able to ask a fan: I don’t like the number font they’ve used since the switch to navy and gold (c. 2000 when they got rid of the green bits).

    Any opinion on how that fits with the script?

    I can’t stand the number font, personally. For two reasons: First, it’s among the least legible in MLB. The whole point of the number is to be easily readable at a distance. Major design failure here. Second, “custom” or themed number fonts are intended to complement the jersey script, but usually, as with the Brewers, they distract and detract from the script. Cubs and Reds are about the only two teams whose numbers really do enhance the chest logo. For the Brewers, a simple thin block number font, hopefully with no outline or only a thin gold outline, would actually enhance the visual impact of the script. It’s a busy script. I like it, but it’s busy. Setting a just-as-busy number next to it sort of buries the script. A plainer, more utilitarian number would help the script pop like it should.

    I think the new alt is good. Not sure how it’s going to look on the road with grey pants with gold trim. I suspect they’d wear the pinstripe pants at home with it?

    I think the Brewers probably need a full-fledged redesign at this point. The seemingly endless parade of alt jerseys just feels like a series of band-aids. Although I’m in the camp that doesn’t mind the Brewers current set, I’d like to see it go in favor of a newly designed set that features the Ball-in-glove and Barrel Man logos.

    Agreed. The more alternates a team parades out, the more obvious it is they’ve lost all confidence in their brand as it gets completely watered down. They badly need a full makeover, and then to actually stick with those designs.

    Also, am I the only one who loved the 1994-era uniforms? They perfectly captured the team’s heritage.

    Maybe this makes an embarrassment of choices worse, but a road jersey with “Milwaukee” arched in block letters would solve their placket problems, while matching the look of their ball-in-glove uniforms.

    I like the Milwaukee script just not with that gold drop shadow/outline – I wish they’d play around with that more. I also hate the number font – that has to go. I do like the alts but also agree with band-aids sentiment

    As someone pointed out in the comments quite amusingly, “So they are going to be the Milwaukee Milwaukees at home?”. That gave me a chuckle, and touched on a personal peeve – the fans know what city they are in.

    The throwback jerseys link for the Oklahoma state Cowboys takes me to the link of the crash

    Looks like some links got mixed up on the OK State Basketball ticker entry. Here’s the correct link to the unis: link

    did you notice that the Lombardi letter indicate the Packers as Champions of Super Bowl 1966 & 1967. (not NFL- AFL World Champs)

    I found the letter interesting on several levels.

    First time I ever read a Lombardi tongue-lashing, always thought he did his chewing-out verbally. Would have loved to hear his voice as he dictated the letter to his secretary.

    Re: Eagles helmet

    I have written in before to inquire about this. I have only seen the Packers do this previously. This is my best guess: Some helmets do not come with the white rubber that goes from inside the helmet and flips up on the back, or some players prefer for it not to be there. In order to achieve uniformity, The Packers have added a white “Packers” sticker to the back of these helmets. You can see an example here where the white Packers sticker does not reach the bottom of the helmet and yellow can be seen. I will try to find more examples later, but I believe Favre had this on his helmet when he played.
    link

    Yes, it’s common to see a decal that mimics a wraparound neck bumper.

    But that’s not what Waters’s decal looks like, at least not to me. Or if it’s trying to mimic a neck bumper, it’s doing a really bad job of mimicry.

    I think he might not be wrong… I’m watching the game now… (link is posted above) and number 34 on the Eagles offense looks to also have a strip of tape instead of a normal bumper.

    link

    The video quality is kinda crap… but that’s definitely not a standard rear bumper.

    Can I just say for the record (as if anyone cares), Chromaflex looks like shit. It’s cheap. Tacky.
    Please, call it by its untrademarked name, “plastic”.

    I think it looks like the complete opposite of cheap—the incredible detail and texture possible with the technology give a huge added dimension to emblems IMO. It’s badass when a championship patch shines like the trophy.

    Paul,

    I think it is just a very bad example of mimicry. Very shoddy work. But I have not seen a facsimile neck older than that shot of Waters. Perhaps it is the first example of facsimile neck bumpers?

    I don’t suppose you’d have any examples of any other teams? I don’t recall seeing the stickers in place of actual neck bumpers until well into the 2000’s. I find it hard to believe that the Eagles were doing it in 1992, and that we all didn’t know about it until now.

    Players often cut holes in their gloves so they could hold onto an opponents jersey during the clutch and grab era…don’t know if that is still prevalent or not

    Maybe that bottom panel is similar in design to the Nike Sweat Box on NFL jerseys? I want just two baseball jerseys: A Road Grey STL Cardinals since I’m a displaced fan, and a maroon and green alternate Great Lakes Loons jersey since it’s my local minor team.

    Assuming the Yankees are still insistent on having their pinstripes be embroidered into the fabric, we’ll probably not see them wear the Flex Base jerseys at home. But it’s likely some players will wear them on the road.

    You’d think if the Diamondbacks can sublimate its panel (which looks like crap) the manufacturer can do the same with pinstripes if it worked hard enough.

    Of course, the same could be said for UCLA stripes. Which reminds me, wasn’t Mora going to press Adidas to come up with a solution? Obviously, Adidas has gotten worse with the stripes, not better …

    I may be splitting hairs here and I’m certainly no hitoricaltician or anything like that but I’m almost 100% certain that there is no record of Lord Jefferey Amherst or anyone under his command ever actually giving any blankets (smallpox-infected or otherwise) to anyone.

    Did he WANT to give smallpox-infected blankets to the restless natives? Absolutely. So he was definitely an advocate for germ warfare (or viral warfare, in this case).

    Smoking Blanket?

    Fort Pitt had anticipated Lord Amherst’s orders. Reporting on parleys with Delaware chiefs on June 24, 1763 a trader [William Trent] wrote:

    “[We] gave them two Blankets and an Handkerchief out of the Small Pox Hospital. I hope it will have the desired effect.”

    The military hospital records confirm that two blankets and handkerchiefs were “taken from people in the Hospital to Convey the Smallpox to the Indians.”

    The fort commander paid for these items, which he certified “were had for the uses above mentioned.”

    Historian Elizabeth Fenn has documented “the eruption of epidemic smallpox” among Delaware and Shawnee Indians nearby, about the time the blankets were distributed.

    “Anticipating [Lord Jeff’s] orders” sounds suspiciously like “acting without [Lord Jeff’s] authority” to me. And not that I have any strong belief one way or the other, but there’s at least circumstantial cause to conclude the blankets didn’t have the intended effect.
    link

    I did not say Lord Daniel Snyder ordered the extirpation of the Indians… although I do infer that he did “agree” with the concept.

    Attempts to spread sickness and disease among enemy forces has a link.

    Buried lede in that story about Sault Ste. Marie’s new flag: Scroll down to the 2004 design for the City of Greater Sudbury’s flag. Apparently approved but never flown. That’s a borderline top-ten North American flag design right there.

    These flex base jerseys seem to be lighter and cooler (at least in pictures) than previous MLB jerseys. I can see more teams ditching BP jerseys for these in ST games like Houston is doing. Also, I agree that it makes no sense to have similar jerseys for game and BP (although the Mets and Red Sox did it for a while).

    Also, with chromaflex appearing more and more, it’s probably only a matter of time before a team opts to use it for their team logo/name on the front.

    I have a friend who works for the Peoria Rivermen, they’re going to have another baseball night on Feb 12th but for the Cardinals instead. Just figured you’d like to know.

    Interesting that MLB is OK with a team tossing aside the BP jersey altogether. I’m guessing the BP’s aren’t big sellers, but they are a revenue stream, and sports league never met a revenue stream they weren’t itching to exploit.

    Will the Astros be the only team to go BP-less?

    Yup, I noticed the same thing. Looks like now we know why. And I can only guess that these new NFL-ified jerseys will be $50+ more expensive…

    With these new “Flex Base” jerseys, it’s now obvious why there was a big clearance sale of Authentic jerseys on MLB Shop several months ago.

    I always wondered about the functionality of baseball uniforms. They don’t seem to breathe all that well and the names across the front of the jersey is so damn cumbersome, I can’t imagine playing a full ballgame in the heat of summer wearing one.

    I can see the need for the vents on the side and the crotch and the change to the patches. Just looks more comfortable.

    Yeah… baseball uniforms sorta suck in that regard. It’s almost funny/ironic that football uniforms keep getting lighter and more capable of eliminating heat when the majority of the football season is during colder months, while baseball uniforms seem to be heavier while most of the season is played during the summer.

    Baseball players also aren’t executing the kind of incredibly dynamic movement and physical contact that football players do every single play. 80% of their game is spent standing or crouching.

    it reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where George suggests they change the Yankees uniforms to cotton. “Cotton breathes…”

    Not the first jersey with contract expiry numbers on the back, and in Bayern’s case, they appear to just be smaller numbers

    In regards to the Sunderland 2020 kit, its an extra wide one that happens fairly regularly in Europe, unfortunately I can’t find any pictures, but it tends to happen more in England with younger players who have never played for said team before

    OK, this isn’t uni-related (or even sports-related), but ads on billboards around Pittsburgh advertising for the annual Pittsburgh International Auto Show (no photo of the billboards themselves, though it is in their official Facebook page profile pic) show the link Odd, considering that despite their decades-long ownership by GM Opels haven’t even been sold in the United States under the Opel badge since the 1970s. What’s even more ironic? The car shown–the Opel Ampera, Opel’s version of the Chevrolet Volt–was completely redesigned for 2016.

    So the Super Bowl trophy this year has actually changed? I thought the 50 was a decorative background. It’s all part of one piece???

    The images of the jerseys for sale in the NFL shop show the Supe50 patch over the blue stripe. The images of them putting the patches on have them comfortably in the while without overlap. Too bad the NFL can’t do things right. link

    They should have made a golden Lombardi trophy instead of that monstrosity screams “Look! It’s the 50th Super Bowl!” It would be unique and keep the basic look of the trophy.

    Why isn’t the 50th Super Bowl trophy gold-plated for the GOLDEN anniversary of the event? From master of the obvious.

    The most amazing thing to me is that the Supe50 Trophy is going to weigh 73 lbs! A sports hernia waiting to happen!

    What’s interesting about Patrick Roy in goalie gear? Well, his blocker and trapper reflect his special throwback Koho 570’s that I think he’s trying to get ready for the outdoor alumni game against Detroit. But the pads take the longest to get ready for a game.
    In this latest picture, the pads are CCM E-Flex Pro 2’s. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think Roy is borrowing Semyon Varlamov’s pads, or else using an old pair that Varly doesn’t use anymore. (It’s not at all uncommon for NHL pads not to even last a whole NHL season for an NHL goalie, even though a beer leaguer would think they’re still amazing.)

    Some soccer teams do give a player a jersey with the year of his new contract expiring. I remember Pepe of Real Madrid got a 2017 jersey

    I really really like that MLB spring training logo.

    And that high school hoops photo! I’d wear that Tiger uniform with the Bearcats’ shoes.

    All these so-called advancements in the technology of these “Flex Base” jerseys seem like a thinly veiled attempt at mimicking what the NFL is doing, even though baseball is a completely different sport. I get that players get hot, but if they really wanted to improve the functionality of the uniform, step one would be doing away with the button-front, a topic that’s been covered extensively on this site.
    Wearing a Flex base jersey, a player will now likely be 17% cooler in the field, or whatever BS statistic they’ll throw out, but he can still get a ball caught down the front of his jersey while batting, or have an embarrassingly misaligned logo across the button placket.
    It’s really disconcerting to me to see these MLB jerseys going the way of the NFL, with seams and panels galore. The baseball uniform has always been the most dignified looking of the American sports, as it always retained an element of real clothing that gave it class. Now I fear the time is coming when it will go completely the way of function and the player’s whim. Can widespread untucked jerseys, cuffed sleeves and sweatboxes be far behind?

    I am surprised at how low key the responses are to some of these MLB developments:

    Plastic patches? I have always been a big fan of embroidered patches. This is a huge downgrade if it becomes the norm.

    I don’t mind the mesh panels at all for non-pinstriped teams, but again, a ton of tradition is about to be flushed if pinstriped teams actually have the balls to walk out during a regular season game with no pinstripes down these panels.

    A team deciding not to use BP jerseys anymore? The players don’t care for them? These have been the norm for 35 years. Since they are all from the same stupid template, maybe it would be doing us a favor to get rid of them.

    That brewers jersey is always bad, but look next to the “W’ the shadow extends too far ew

    Eh, it’s just a convenient shorthand. “Supe50” is easier/shorter than “Super Bowl 50.” Plus it lets a bit of air out of the NFL’s pompous Super Bowl balloon.

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