Fauxback Jersey Contest - The Finalists

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The concepters have concepted. The readers have spoken. After four “semi-final” rounds involving a whopping NINETY-EIGHT submissions, we’ve narrowed the “Fauxback Jersey Contest” to our final sixteen contestants. I’ll run them all today, in alphabetical order, and you readers will then vote for your favorite(s). The jersey receiving the most votes will be declared our winner, and will receive a custom-made jersey from Steve Rosenbeck of Garb Athletics, who has partnered with Uni Watch (again!) for this great contest. I thank EVERYONE who submitted a design, and all of the readers who voted in the previous rounds, and congratulate our final sixteen. Their submissions (some with explanations, some not) are below. You can click on any image to enlarge. Following the entries, there will be a final vote — you can vote for as many (or few) as you’d like, but you can only vote once. OK? OK!

Let’s get started.

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1. John Baranowski (1930s Columbus Blue Jackets)



No description provided

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2. Garrett Beatty (1970 Jacksonville Jaguars)



My name’s Garrett Beatty and I’m a sophomore in high school. Funny story: I actually made a faxback jersey for the Royals and didn’t realize the year rule until after I finished. But here’s a Jacksonville Jaguars one. If I do win, is it possible to get the jersey in the long-sleeved version? If not that’s fine. Made a long sleeved and normal sleeved version of the jersey.

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3. Gary Chanko (1976 Miami Marlins)



For the 1976 season the Marlins introduced the legendary “collared” jersey. The style was popular among the players and fans and remained unchanged until 1980. The Chicago White Sox attempt with a similar jersey style proved a disaster and was quickly abandoned.

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4. Sean Connor (1975 Miami Marlins)



I’ve got a 1975 Miami Marlins road jersey for you. In his first year of free agency, it would have made sense for Jim Hunter to sign with “The Fish.”

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5. Brendan Gargano (1976 Colorado Rockies)



i chose the rockies because their uniforms have always sucked. im throwing it back to 1976, including the national league centennial patch worn by the NL teams that year. the color palette was inspired by the state of colorado flag, which i partially incorporated on the other sleeve.

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6. Brent Hatfield (1975 Marlins)



1975 Marlins Home Faux-back Jersey

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7. Jason Higgins (1973 Nashville Predators)



No description provided

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8. Jaylen Lane & Ashton Strub (1992 Oklahoma City Thunder)



We chose to throwback the OKC Thunder to 1992 because that was the year I was born in and felt like it would be fun to see a team with a boring identity be taken to life with the wacky and vibrant jerseys of the 90’s.

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9. Michael Malinowski (1967 Anaheim Ducks)



My submission is an imagining of what the Anaheim Duck’s jersey might have looked had southern California been awarded two expansion franchises for the 1967 season instead of Oakland getting the California Seals.

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10. Matt Medium (1979-80 San Jose Sharks)



Description in graphic

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11. Justin Peterson (1965 Florida Marlins)



The 1965 Florida Marlins sport a cream colored, vested jersey, featuring orange piping around the neck and sleeves, teal undershirts with team patches, a Miami art-deco style logo and era-approprate NNOB.

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12. Bryan Phillips (1940s Anaheim Mighty Ducks)



Using the Mallard as inspiration, I picked Forest Green, Athletic Gold, and Purple for team colors, and made the collar white to replicate the ring around the Mallard’s neck. I designed a Mallard logo in a 1940s logo style and kept “Mighty” because adjectives in team names were more common.

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13. Gene Sanny (1932 Iowa Barnstormers)



Iowa Barnstormers arena football team fauxing back all the way to 1932 :)

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14. Matt Tibaldi (1978 Miami Marlins)



No description given

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15. Brian Wenzel (1920s Anaheim Ducks)



This concept imagines the Anaheim Ducks as if they’d existed in the 1920s, as California’s original hockey team.

A bold ”˜A’ and prominent orange color proudly represent the city of Anaheim and Orange County (unlike Anaheim’s other team).

Clean striping and a sublimated flying-V complete the look.

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16. James Yaques (1977 Miami Marlins)



Description in image

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And there you have it ”” the finalists for the Fauxback Jersey Contest. Voting is below (remember, you can vote for as many designs as you’d like, but you may only vote one time).

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Fauxback Jersey Contest – FINALISTS 1. John Baranowski – 1930s Columbus Blue Jackets 2. Garrett Beatty – 1970 Jacksonville Jaguars 3. Gary Chanko – 1976 Miami Marlins 4. Sean Connor – 1975 Miami Marlins 5. Brendan Gargano – 1976 Colorado Rockies 6. Brent Hatfield – 1975 Marlins 7. Jason Higgins – 1973 Nashville Predators 8. Jaylen Lane & Ashton Strub – 1992 OKC Thunder 9. Michael Malinowski – 1967 Anaheim Ducks 10. Matt Medium – 1979-80 San Jose Sharks 11. Justin Peterson – 1965 Florida Marlins 12. Bryan Phillips – 1940s Anaheim Mighty Ducks 13. Gene Sanny – 1932 Iowa Barnstormers 14. Matt Tibaldi – 1978 Miami Marlins 15. Brian Wenzel – 1920s Anaheim Ducks 16. James Yaques – 1977 Miami Marlins pollcode.com free polls

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Good luck to all the finalists! I’ll announce the winner next weekend!

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Rangers & Angels Throwback…

…with both teams in ROAD unis!

Unlike yesterday’s dissection of the Padres/Phillies, I’m not going to get all that in depth (or upset) at last night’s throwback game — which was very odd in that BOTH teams wore their road uniforms from 1977.

You don't often see two road unis (@Rangers & @Angels) — throwing back in Texas tonight… pic.twitter.com/VtMdZ1SOhE — Phil Hecken (@PhilHecken) July 9, 2017

It’s tough to get angry at the little indescrepencies of the throwbacks (more on that below) when the Rangers come at you with this:

So…who wore it better, Phil? — Texas Rangers (@Rangers) July 9, 2017

(You had to anticipate my answer, right?)

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The teams were throwing back to 1977 last night. Here’s what the unis looked like then (thanks, again, to Paul for the screengrabs):

1977 Angels:



1977 Rangers:



The Rangers were the home team for this one, but chose to wear (wisely) their powder blue road unis from 1977. They were in the mood for a TBTC game from the get go, with the obligatory scoreboard graphics and “throwback” dot matrix stats:

More of the 70s flair for Rangers game. pic.twitter.com/UC3RGpDdaf — Anthony Andro (@aandro) July 9, 2017

Fans were into it too, since the team was giving away replica powder blue jerseys:

@PhilHecken @UniWatch Rangers gave away these beauties tonight for Turn Back The Clock Night vs the Angels. pic.twitter.com/vRd6PCAT1H — Andy Pipes (@AndyPipes) July 9, 2017

I didn’t get to see much of this game, but I did catch a bunch of live look-ins on the MLB channel. Watching the game live was weird, as I was more struck by the fact that it was clearly two teams wearing road unis, moreso even than that they were wearing throwbacks.

Aside from the fact that Adrian Beltre *still* doesn’t like people touching his head (wait till the end of the video), the Rangers got special helmets in gloss finish (they currently wear both red and navy matte finish helmets) for the game:

HIT 2,978 IS HISTORY!!! And he STILL doesn't like it when you touch his head. Adrian Beltre puts the @Rangers ahead 3-1 with a 2-run HR! pic.twitter.com/l4Jh1aQfgs — FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) July 9, 2017

But it’s weird seeing two teams play in what are clearly road uniforms. I didn’t hate it either:

Miss Mazara's RBI double that put the @Rangers ahead 1-0? We've got you covered. WATCH NOW:

ðŸ“º Fox Sports SW

ðŸ“² https://t.co/GnYfWcEWAk pic.twitter.com/dYlPeN9e5o — FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) July 9, 2017

The Angels did a pretty good job of replicating their 77 roadies:

They wore pullovers and sansabelts, just like back then, and the numbers were done in McAuliffe font (which is the font currently used by the Red Sox, but several teams have used it over the years). Most guys wore their pants “modern” (baggy, pajamed) style, but I did see at least one player rocking actual rups:

Of course, you’ll also notice the player (Cameron Maybin of the Angels) is wearing a red helmet — the current helmet of the Angels. The Rangers didn’t go the extra mile to get period appropriate blue helmets with red bills.

The Rangers looked pretty good too (save for the loose fitting style).

So how’d they do? Well, I’ll let twitter tell ya:

@PhilHecken Rangers' 1977 throwback w/3 flaws: 1) no sleeve patch, 2) straight NOB, not radially arched, 3) thin pant stripes (forgivable). — Peter Ponce (@peteponce7) July 9, 2017

Unfortunately with the "modern" relaxed/loose fit. — Phantom Dreamer (@ChrisRichardsPD) July 9, 2017

Angels look good, although they're wearing their normal batting helmets, which looks horrible. — Peter Ponce (@peteponce7) July 9, 2017

Too bad the Angels helmets aren't right ðŸ™„ — Shane Bua (@ThatShaneBua) July 9, 2017

So great to see the throwbacks, but the loose fit, lack of stirrups and other small details missed ruins them. — David Brown (@OrbitStudios) July 9, 2017

Of course, not everyone was so…critical:

Still the best Angels uni. — luke (@Chesterfield359) July 9, 2017

Angels, you've NEVER looked better. Rangers, you have, but not by much. That's a fantastic matchup — Jim Vilk (@JimVilk) July 9, 2017

Did we miss anything?

Anyway, it was fun to watch this one…after obsessively studying the athletic aesthetics of Friday night’s tilt…I decided to go easy on this one. I’m sure you’re all pleased.

You can see more game photos here.

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Uni Watch News Ticker

By Phil

Baseball News : As mentioned in yesterday’s ticker, Big Sexy (aka Bartolo Colon) is now a member of the Rochester Red Wings, who are becoming the Rochester “Plates” next month. The D&C also thinks Bartolo needs to pitch in that game. Even if it doesn’t happen, at least they mocked it up (h/t Nick Lineback). … WHOA — check out these ‘tequila sunrise-inspired’ uniforms for the Everett AquaSox (from Ethan Novak). … Not sure the date of issue, but check out these beautiful Negro League stamps issued by the USPS (from TeamBrownApparel). … Here’s a look at Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighter Brandon Laird’s shinguard. Max G. notes he is known for his “sushi chef making ðŸ£” hand gesture when he homers. … Robert Hayes saw this tweet and asked, “What’s with that Padres uniform with the swinging friar logo?” He’s referring to the jersey on the rack seen here. Paul had the answer. … Nice before/after colorization of MLB All-Stars Harder & Walker at Cleveland Stadium – July 8, 1935; (from Bruce Menard). … The Spokane Indians have a new cap and jersey, for the #RedbandRally, a collaborative promotional campaign that is designed to connect citizens to the Spokane River, educate about work to clean up the river, and support local organizations devoted to river protection (h/t Gavin Lane). … Good spot by Chris H. who noticed Eric Thames still uses his Korean elbow guard. … If “hookem.com” does say so themselves, it’s official, Texas has the best throwback uniforms in college baseball. … F.K. Yaaj said, “saw this at @Twins yardsale today. New BP template but diff crest. Haven’t seen before. Prototype? Team issued, not RA” … The Cedar Rapids Kernels wore these jerseys yesterday, proceeds from which go to Animal rescue (from Cedar Rapids Kernels). And here they are in action. … “I don’t know if you got an answer to your question about the Dodgers plane on the 1977 WS ring,” writes Ira Siflin. “This should help.” … Last night the Corpus Christi Hooks wore tequila sunrise-inspired pink jerseys and auctioned them “with all money going to the AutoNation Breast Cancer Research Foundation,” (from Robert). Here’s a look at them in action. … Tremendous photo from John Thorn (the Official Historian for Major League Baseball) who says, “At Fan Fest in Miami Beach, a real treasure: a Montreal Royals uniform from 1946. Maybe Jackie’s, maybe not.” (h/t J E D). … Whoops: Charlotte Knights pitching coach Steve McCatty with a different uniform than the rest of the team (from South Side Jason). … Yesterday the Montgomery “Biscuits (were) donning Stranger Things jerseys for Game 2 of our double header. We’ve thankfully been Demogoran free. No sight of Barbara though.” … Joseph Giordano sent in some shots of the D-backs old timers game. Even their softball top throwbacks are better than their current unis. Joseph adds, “New Era logo creep is of course on the hats.”

NFL/CFL/College/High School Football News : The UT Vols have released their jersey numbers for incoming freshmen. … Rutgers football has added a patch of the State of New Jersey to the back of their new adidas jerseys. … The Toronto Argonauts were serious about wearing all white on Saturday night in Ottawa, going as far as wearing complete white socks with the road uniform for the first time (from Wade Heidt).

NBA/G-League/College/High School Basketball News : In the summer league (and perhaps the regular season as well), new Phoenix Suns player Josh Jackson is wearing #99 (from Zachary Loesl). … Apologies if these were posted before (I know I tweeted them the other day), but check out these Indiana Pacers concepts. … Kevin Forney asks, “Adidas just mailing it in?? Looks like the got summer league refs in a tee.” … Duffy asks, “are the dubs the only team with their logo on their summer league jerseys?”

Soccer News : Here are some new shirts for Lechia Gdansk (from Ed Å»elaski”). … AFC Wimbledon, of English League One, have announced their new third kit for the 2017-18 season. This announcement also included new training gear. All of this comes as the Dons begin a new kit deal with Puma (from Sam Fishel). … For yesterday’s game against Calgary Foothills FC, the Portland Timbers U-23 squad wore their primary green socks with their red alternate uniforms (from Ian Gerig).

Grab Bag : In cricket news, Jimmer Vilk reports that Derbyshire defeated Yorkshire, who also have new jerseys with a sublimated white rose (one of their club logos); also from Jimmer: It’s got to be the new uniforms! Derbyshire CCC are 2-0 to start the season. Even cricket news from Jimmer here too (but I think now he’s actually onto something. … Looks like NYRA (New York Racing Association) has a new logo (from Mr. Farenheit). … In the fight between colleges and high schools poaching their logos, some schools are cool with it, others are not, like this GT vs. Damascus HS tilt (from Malcolm Spicer). Malcolm adds, “I previously resided for several years in the Damascus, Md., area and frequently drove past this high school, noticing the prominent sign/landmark in front with an image of the school mascot and thinking, “That’s a copy of the Georgia Tech mascot. Allowed or just copied?” This article answers that in addition to describing what, to me at least, is an unusual sports logo enforcement.” Here’s more on that story from the WaPo. … Great one from Michael Rawson: “Apparently in the 13th century, King John stayed at this local inn in Kingsclere, Hampshire in England when he got stranded while hunting, and got the shit bit out of him by bedbugs. So of course, he ordered them to install a weathervane shaped like a bedbug. And then when the local rugby team was formed, they took the weathervane as the fucking logo! It’s still their logo today, and they wear it on the game shirt. One of the best backstories I’ve heard. And their facebook, which has some photos of the red and white striped shirt with the bedbug logo on it.” … Here’s an article listing some pretty good fictional jerseys (They call them the Greatest). Nice find by Dave Feit. … “For the old school sign lovers,” writes Coleman Mullins, “This is the sign to Camden Park, a pretty old and well known amusement park here in Huntington, WV.” … Our pal and awesome DIYer Wafflebored noted this excellent hockey jersey quilting fabric at the store. I’d like to see him make a DIY outta that!

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And that’s it for today. Congrats to the 16 finalists in the Fauxback Jersey Contest. VOTE NOW and I’ll have your winner next weekend.

I may also be ready to announce our next contest with Steve Rosenbeck and Garb Athletics, and this one will be a bit different — so stay tuned. You guys have a great week (enjoy the ASG, the Derby, Futures, Softball game, etc., and all the shenanigans that surrounds the festivities). I’ll be back next Saturday…

…but until then…

Follow me on Twitter @PhilHecken.

Peace.

.. … ..

“The problem is the ‘now’ in the MLB, and unfortunately too many places, is a severe blanding down to the level of pablum mixed with the worchestire sauce topped on ice cream of the ‘special day’ (Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc.) jerseys.

“If you current uniform pales in comparison with the throwback, the problem is your current uniform. If bringing back the throwbacks for games just highlights the inadequacies of your current uniform it isn’t a bad thing ”“ at least we get a fabulous dessert after our mediocre lukewarm fast food meal.”

— Will S.

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