Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Third Jerseys and New Logos

Buffalo-Sabres1
It’s no secret that A) I like discussing uniforms and logos and such and B) I am no fan of alternate jerseys.  I’m trying – I like what the Steelers have done with their throwback alternates (although I don’t love the gold helmets)…
Ben_Roethlisberger_throwback
I read with great interest that the Buffalo Sabres are getting rid of their foolish looking cartoon logo (aka the “buffaslug”). 
buffalo_sabres Jeff Z. Klein and Stu Hackel have much more via the New York Times.

There are teams who should never – I repeat, NEVER – fool with their look.  Yet they insist on doing so anyway.  I lost all respect for the Miami Dolphins when they messed with their classic aqua and orange, changing their numerals and adding a drop shadow (and don't get me started on the orange alternate).  I wasn’t happy with the Stillers (Pittsburgh pronunciation, of course) when they changed their uni’s in the 90’s.  The Red Sox added a ridiculous red jersey (just…stupid).  The Mets have no consistency (wait…is that supposed to be a shock?).  Of course, there are countless baseball teams that roll with batting practice jerseys.

I hate it.  Give me white at home and gray on the road, in baseball.  The Dodgers, Cardinals, Tigers, Red Sox, and a few others.  They generally do it correctly.  They have classic looks.  Of course the Yankees are the gold standard (pinstripes at home…so famous that Japan asked the team to wear them when they were the VISITING team…and of course, gray on the road).

In hockey, the third jersey has become the norm.  I generally like what the Bruins did (for the record, I never liked the Rangers “Liberty” logo…ever), and the Pens were cool with the light blue (their throwbacks).  There are some others.  Not bad, especially if they’re hitting the “wayback machine” (which the Rangers will do in 2010-2011)
capture_crop_340x234 Where’s John Davidson?  Rod Gilbert?  Anyway, I like this look.  It's still not necessary, but I like it.  Embrace the past, and it’s a good thing.


(UPDATE) I heard from Harold, who at one time had an enormous collection of hockey sweaters (and might still).  Anyway, he was dismayed when he first read this and discovered that I did NOT use the picture he posted on Facebook wearing this classic piece of Rangers goodness:
Harold
He said this was taken sometime in the late 70’s or early 80’s.  Great stuff.

I could go on all day…about the Lakers…and the Cowboys…and on and on.  Let’s not even get into the horror of college sports!

Of course, should you need to get your uniform on, head over to UniWatch, where they produce an overwhelming amount of information.

No comments: