MLB Team Set to Debut First Patterned Batting Helmet
Photos courtesy of Rawlings; click to enlarge
What you see above is a new Braves batting helmet with a hydro dipped carbon fiber pattern, similar to the ones we’ve seen several college football teams wearing in recent years. I have the full story behind it in an exclusive ESPN story today. Check it out here.
Personally, I really like it (although I fear it may lead to other hydro dipped designs that are less attractive than this one). Here’s a rear view:
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ITEM! New raffle: Stewart & Strauss has been specializing in custom-designed varsity jackets for years (they even made me a Uni Watch jacket a few years back). Now they have a new product line: satin jackets.These aren’t Starter-style vinyl jackets — they’re high-quality satin, silky smooth to the touch. And now we’re raffling one of them off to a Uni Watch reader.
The lucky winner will be able to use S&S’s jacket builder interface (there’s a link to that on the satin jackets page) to design a custom satin jacket, which will be produced and shipped for free.
To enter, send an email to the giveaway address by this Friday, April 14, 7pm Eastern. One entry per person. The winner will be announced on April 17. Good luck!
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ITEM! T-shirt news: My thanks to everyone who purchased our latest limited-edition Uni Watch Artist’s Series shirt, designed by Larry Torrez. Although that shirt is no longer available, several of you asked about the shirt Larry did about a year ago, featuring the same design I now use as the avatar for the Uni Watch social media accounts (shown at right; click to enlarge).
I’ve decided to bring this shirt back. And unlike our other shirts, this one will not be a limited edition — it will stay in print indefinitely and will be the “default” Uni Watch shirt. Although the sales listing page currently says “Available until Thursday,” the campaign will auto-renew every three days. This also means you won’t have to wait as long to receive your shirts — they’ll print every three days.
I’ve made the design available in black and gray, and in a wide range of styles: short- and long-sleeved, sweatshirt, hoodie, and women’s. You can also order coffee mugs (lots of colors), tote bags (“natural”), and stickers. Click to enlarge:
All of this is available here. Meanwhile, our next design in the Artist’s Series will be coming soon. Stay tuned.
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If you can’t see the slideshow above, click here
XCIII: Yesterday was my mother’s 93rd birthday, so my brother, my girlfriend, and I took her out to her favorite lunch spot and then went for a walk on the beach. I’m embarrassed to say that my brother and I bickered about a few things, which soured the mood at one point (we don’t always bring out the best in each other, which is how families sometimes are), but overall it was a very good day.
Mom is in remarkably good shape. It seems highly likely that we’ll be repeating this routine (hopefully without the sibling bickering) next year.
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The Ticker
By Alex Hider
Baseball News : Yesterday the Pirates broke out their “We Are Family” throwbacks for the first time this season. … Since the Pirates’ throwback pants don’t have belt loops, the MLB logo appears centered on the back of the waistband (from Jerry Wolper). … We had two blue-on-blue games Sunday: Brewers/Cubs and Jays/Rays (from Andrew Carrigan and Derek Marusyk). … Some Astros players wore rainbow-striped socks yesterday — the first time the ’Stros have worn tequila sunrise-inspired socks since the 1970s (from Mike Acosta). … The White Sox wore their own Sunday throwbacks yesterday, and some players had “Sox” on their socks (from Mike Schindler). … A few Brewers wore “Ball-in-Glove” socks yesterday (from Sam Sears). … C Alex Avila wore No. 13 when he played for the Tigers from 2009-2015. Now, he’s back in Detroit and wearing No. 31 (from School). … Twins bat boys now have “BB” on the front and back of their jerseys. Also note the accent mark on Miguel Sanó’s NOB (from F.K. Yaaj). … The Albuquerque Isotopes wore red jerseys over black pants yesterday (from Scott Kaplanides). … Orange (with camo caps)-vs.-charcoal matchup for Florida and Tennessee yesterday (from Reid Cure). … This site tracks what equipment some of the best MLB players use (from Mike Weston). … The umpires’ caps have the New Era logo creep this year, just like the players’ caps. But some umps are apparently wearing older caps without the logo.
NFL News : This is apparently the 2017 Draft Day cap for the Lions. Note the new wordmark. The team will be unveiling its new uniforms this Thursday (from Erik Kissel). … Update from Sunday’s post: Upon further research, reader Bill Moss now believes that it was not Bruiser Kinard who was wearing No. 0 in that Dodgers/Lions clip from 1939. Bill now believes that the player in question may have been kicker Bill Reissig, who wore the number in 1938-39 for the Dodgers.
Hockey News : Strange move by the Red Wings, who did not wear the “Farewell to the Joe” patch in the final game at the Joe (from Erik Kissel). … Here’s a great video that shows how the Maple Leafs’ logo and team name were derived from a World War I battle (from Will Leslie). … The Oilers’ Connor McDavid had his shirt tucked in for a least part of Saturday’s game — which is technically against the rules (form Univers). … Check out the sensor on the back of Jonathan Quick’s goalie gear. According to The Goal Net, that’a a “catapult device,” which measures the force of impact from collisions. … Spectacular Soviet-era sweaters for hockey club Izhstal Izhevsk. Wild, right? (From Slava Malamud‏).
Basketball News : Steph Curry has a new pair of sneakers for sale, and just like last year, the internet does not approve. … Super-bright color-on-color game between the Nuggets and Thunder last night (from Ethan Javage). … The Cavs wore white on the road yesterday against the Hawks, who wore their red alts. … Here’s a snapshot of UNC coach Roy Williams’s championship ring collection, which includes everything from National Championships to conference championships (from Dan Tarrant).
Soccer News : Real Salt Lake had to use an orange ball for visibility during a snowy match against Vancouver on Saturday. More awesome blizzard pictures here (from Wade Heidt). … Louisville City FC of the USL will unveil a new third kit tomorrow (from Josh Hinton). … Per Ian Gerig, at least two members of the Seattle Sounders were missing their championship stars last night. … Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of Chelsea wearing Coventry’s away kits because of color clashing (from Jay Kenney). … Great find by Ray Hunt, who sends along this photo of WWI soldiers playing soccer in 1915.
Grab Bag : Interesting graphic: No Masters winner has worn red on Sunday since Tiger Woods won his last green jacket in 2005 (from Museum of Jerseys). … North Carolina lacrosse went BFBS yesterday (from James Gilbert). … A columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says jersey changes are one of the “greatest scams in pro sports.” Or, you could just not buy a jersey (from Jimmy Lonetti). … I’m sure we’ve seen it before, but it’s always a good to remind everyone that “Keggy the Keg” is an unofficial mascot at Dartmouth (from Douglas Ford).
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Happy Passover to all who are celebrating tonight.