Favorite Uniforms – Volume III

I am going to use this blogspace occasionally to discuss my favorite sports uniforms. Feel free to respond to me with your own thoughts or nominations. I have decided to wrap up this series with a potpourri of different uniforms from both reality and fantasy.

Reality
Negro League Baseball

Most of the pictures of Negro League uniforms are black and white although you can see and obtain throwbacks online. I think the Kansas City Monarchs of Satchel Paige are ugly.

I would love to have a classic Homestead Grays Josh Gibson but my favorite would be any of the Baltimore Elite Giants jerseys.

I also have a special affinity for the Newark Eagles as well as they represent my home state.

Japan

I’ve always liked the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants which are an homage to the American Giants with an Asian flavor. I like both the home and road jerseys and I’ll take the Saduharu Oh versions.

Football

Football uniforms tend to be plain and people’s attachment is more for the team than the uniforms. My friend Tyrone often says than we root for laundry, a variation of “Hate the players, love the team.” That’s not to say that there aren’t some ugly ones. The current Bengals, Panthers, and early Buccaneers come to mind. If I had to pick one that stands out, it would be the early powder blue Chargers with the yellow pants, all trimmed in lightning bolts. ZAP!!!

Hockey

I definitely prefer the Original Six uniforms, but nothing is better than the rouge, blanc, et bleu of Les Habs Canadiens. I prefer the whites and would love a Jean Beliveau model with the lace-up front. No helmets, but enough Brylcream to keep every hair in place and possibly deflect a puck or two.

I’d also like a hometown New Jersey Devils Martin Broduer jersey in red.

As for amateur hockey, I would love both of the tops from the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics game between Team USA and Russia. An Eruzione and a Tretiak, if you please.

Basketball
Again, I will stay local. Walt Frazier, white, from the 70’s NBA Knicks, and Dr. J, white, from the 70’s ABA Nets.

Minor Leagues

There are hundreds, if not thousands of these with the most noteworthy point being the incredible amount of absolutely ridiculous novelty uniforms they produce commemorating Star Wars, Zombies, Christmas, Ninja Turtles, and just about anything else a young public relations worker thinks will sell. I will share some examples with you and you can go on with your own research if you dare.

  

Movies, Television, etc.

Baseball

There are a lot of good choices here. The original Bad News Bears uniforms are a nice yellow and also have the great sponsorship on the back from Chico’s Bail Bonds. My so actually was an a pre-Little League team sponsored by an off-shore internet gambling site.

The faux Negro League jerseys from Bingo Long – Travelling All-Stars and Motor Kings are colorful.

I’d love to have a Roy Hobbs New York Knights jersey from The Natural.

I have three honorable mentions. I love the uniforms worn in A League of Their Own although I imagine it looks better on Geena Davis than it would on me.

These Chicago “Black Sox” uniforms from Eight Men Out are the actual Major League uniforms of the 1919 White Sox. It’s a very good film and I just arbitrarily decided to put them here.

Finally, I’d like the St. Louis Wolves jersey worn by Bud Abbott in the famous “Who’s on First?” routine by Abbott and Costello. I’d like to see how many people recognize it.

Football

The only iconic movie football jersey is the black Mean Machine tops worn by Burt Reynolds and the rest of the cons in The Longest Yard. Give me Paul “Wrecking” Crewe’s #22.

Basketball

It’s a toss-up. One option is the orange urban uniforms worn by Carver High in The White Shadow, a favorite 70’s TV show of mine.

The other is the Hickory team from Hoosiers, one of the best sports movies of all time. I’ll take a Jimmy Chitwood. Do know he only had four lines in the entire film? “I’ll make it” is the big one.

Hockey

What hockey fan wouldn’t treasure a Charlestown Chiefs home white Hanson Brothers jersey? You can wear it at home while “putting on the foil”.

Miscellaneous

I like the Springbok’s rugby jersey worn by Matt Damon in the movie Invictus. His pep talk at the end is right up there with Kenneth Brannagh’s in Henry V when whipping up the English to take on the French.

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