From top: By Aleks Brown, by Sarah Good, and courtesy of Michael Kaus
From top to bottom: Dennis Brown, Keith Good, and Michael Kaus, three Cleveland fans who’ve been “de-Chiefing” their Indians gear by removing the Chief Wahoo logo. They’re all profiled in my latest ESPN column.
I’m sure some of you think you already know what this column is going to say, to which I can only say this: I suggest you read the column before making assumptions about it. You might be surprised. — Paul
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Mike’s Question of the Week (aka “I Wanna Know”): Last Wednesday intern Mike Chamernik (that’s him at right) asked everyone what they’d use as their walk-up music if they were in the big leagues. Lots of you participated, so I asked Mike to pose another question to the readership today. Here’s what he came up with:
I attended yesterday’s Twins/White Sox game, which went 11 innings and lasted over four hours. I’ve always wanted to attend a marathon game just to say that I’ve done it (and I love the quirky 14th inning stretch).
What’s the longest game, of any sport, that you’ve ever attended in person? How long did you stay, and what sort of weird stuff went on as the extra innings (or extra overtime periods) piled up? Post your answers in the comments. And if you like, include a link to the box score on baseball-reference.com, or whatever other sports reference site might apply.
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MLB update: Unusual move by the White Sox, who yesterday began wearing a “DJR” left-sleeve memorial patch for owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s son, David Reinsdorf, who died a month ago:
The Sox didn’t wear that patch for Monday’s season opener. In other words, they added a memorial patch for the owner’s son on the second game of the season. Very odd — especially when you consider that Jerry Reinsdorf also owns the Bulls, who’ve been wearing their own “DJR” patch for four weeks now.
Meanwhile, a little birdie tells me the Dodgers will be adding a memorial patch for Dr. Frank Jobe on Friday. Sorry, no visuals yet.
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Unmasking the Commenters: I recently invited the site’s commenters to tell us a bit more about themselves and give us a peek at what they look like, just because I thought it would be fun to pull back the internet’s curtain of anonymity. I’ll keep showcasing you folks as long as you keep sending in your photos and quick bios.
Today’s commenter is Anthony Giaccone:
I’m Anthony. Nothing fancy like “WhiteBroncoChase” or “FritzPetersonSwap” — just plain old Anthony.
I’m a charter Uni Watch member and really only comment on what I perceive to be very badly designed uniforms. Why? Well, I’m a graduate of the School of Visual Arts with a BFA. I also have an MBA from NYU and have spent the last 20+ years as an executive creative director for a global marketing firm. I tend to be a uniform and logo traditionalist and totally abhor current uniform trends. I love stirrups, plain black cleats, and uniforms with no names on the back. I was born in the Bronx and therefore by birthright am a lifelong Yankees fan. Last year my wife and I relocated to Chicago to get away from the super-storms, hurricanes, nor’easters, 10-foot snowdrifts, and eroding NYC infrastructure. Now we attend Cubs and Sox games for the price of a large beer at Yankee Stadium.
Thanks, Anthony (although I don’t think moving to Chicago is necessarily the best way to avoid extreme weather or massive snowdrifts). I appreciate your longstanding devotion to the site and your early enrollment in the membership program — thanks for helping to make Uni Watch a better place!
Do you want to be featured in “Unmasking the Commenters”? If so, send me a photo and a quick paragraph about yourself. You don’t have to reveal your real name, and the photo doesn’t have to show your face, but you must include a photo to be considered. Send everything this-a-way.
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Book deal reminder: In case you missed it earlier this week, our friends at Diversion Books have another exclusive offer for Uni Watch readers: The Bill James Guide to Baseball Managers, which is the definitive text on MLB skippers. It’s a great book (I first read it about 10 years ago), and Uni Watch readers can now download the e-version for only $2.99 — that’s 50% off the regular price.
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Tick-Tock: Today’s Ticker was compiled and written by Mike Chamernik.
Baseball News: Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Looks like MLB’s G.I. Joe caps for this season will have camouflage crowns and team-colored brims and squatchees. … Ian Hunter chose the best and worst Blue Jays uniforms. … The Orioles successfully fit 2B Steve Lombardozzi’s name on their uniforms (from Andrew Cosentino). … UCF will wear throwbacks on May 10. Here’s a teaser featuring the school’s Citronaut mascot from 1968 (from Eric DeSalvo). … Seems like Champs Sports is selling black-and-metallic MLB jerseys (from Walter Young). … It’s still unclear if David Ortiz’s selfie with President Obama was spontaneous or part of a larger corporate deal Ortiz has with Samsung. I first saw it on Twitter as a promoted Tweet by Samsung, so draw your own conclusions. … Jerry Wolper attended last night’s 16-inning Cubs/Pirates game. “We were able to move down in extra innings, and in the top of the 15th we could hear home plate ump Bob Davidson yell ‘Eric! Eric!’ Eric Hinske, who’s now the Cubs first base coach, looked up, and a moment later he pulled off a soft cap and went to the dugout and put on a helmet instead.” … MLB is hoping to attract more female fans — or at least sell them more merch — via a Hello Kitty Partnership (from Marc Bauche).
NFL News: Wow, Packers players (Don Hutson, Charley Brock, Cub Buck accepting for Cal Hubbard, R.E. Lambeau accepting for Curly Lambeau, Johnny ‘Blood’ McNally and Arnie Herber) received some great blankets in 1951! The blankets include the players’ years with the team and their uniform numbers (great find by Jeff Ash). … The Eagles tweeted a picture of the jerseys of the team’s newest free agent class. Okay, so all the numerals are stylized and vertically extended, but check out the “4” — it’s not even vaguely close to the one used on the field (from Justin Dilks). … Draft prospect Sammy Watkins posted pics of him in different NFL team uniforms (from Phil).
College Football News: Florida State will alter its Seminole logo, and here’s what the new version might look like. … Colgate football player Joe Hoague wore heavy-duty blocking pads for protection during practice in 1940 (from Ryan Dowgin). … Ben Fortney spotted this nifty 1939 Navy-Notre Dame ticket recently. … Here’s something pretty amazing: Georgia sends recruits hand-drawn portraits depicting the recruits in a UGA uniform (from Austin Gillis).
Hockey News: Here’s a really good article on how the Hurricanes have given us some insight into NHL jersey scheduling. … Mr. Rogers, from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, was an honorary captain for the Penguins for their 1991 home opener and was awarded a cardigan sweater with a “C” patch and a NHL 75th-anniversary patch (from Bud Parks).
Soccer News: Reign FC of the NWSL unveiled new jerseys (from Phil). … Chris Wondolowski still has an extra “W” sewn in the inside of the new USA jerseys. Wondolowski is one superstitious cat (from Phil).
Basketball News: The Final Four jersey patch was released yesterday. … Kansas City has an extensive history with the NCAA Tournament (from Kyle Romine). … Here’s a preview and a look into the Illinois rebranding that will be announced in two weeks (from Jeffrey Vanderziel). … The Windsor Express of the National Basketball League of Canada wears mismatched jerseys and shorts (from Paul Lee).
Grab Bag: “This is a tribute jersey the Newcastle Knights Rugby League team brought out this past weekend to honor Alex McKinnon who sustained a serious neck injury in a match against Melbourne a couple of weeks ago,” says Jimmy L. Griggs. “Basically, McKinnon was slammed down to the turf but had tucked his head. Still unsure if he is paralyzed or not. The No. 232 means he was the 232nd player to play for the Newcastle Knights.” … The U.S. Army has issued new regulations for how female soldiers can wear their hair while in uniform, but some black soldiers say the new rules are discriminatory. … Here’s what Nike golfers will wear for the Masters (from Joshua Edney). … And, although Tiger Woods is not in the Masters, Nike is still selling what he would have worn (from Brinke). … The word “Fastpitch” in Old English font looks like something else (from Phil). … North Korea’s space agency must be heavily influenced by NASA. … Not to act like I’m Captain Chicago with you guys, but I wanted to share this awesome site that has old Chicago (and national and some other cities, too) commercials, bumpers, TV shows and more. It also has old Chicago sports videos — just search by team name and you’ll see videos like Harry Caray catching a foul ball during a Sox game and Bob Costas in a Bulls television promo. If you enjoy old commercials like I do, then bid adieu to your free time today.
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