Digest - 04/2008

April, 2008:

Albert Lea Thunder Unveils Logo (North American Hockey League)
April 30, 2008
Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "Smoke 'Em if You've Got 'Em"
April 29, 2008
Northwestern State U. (LA) Unveils New Athletic Marks (NCAA)
April 29, 2008
East Texas Pump Jacks Unveil Uniforms (Texas Collegiate League (baseball))
April 28, 2008
U. of Cincinnati Unveils New Men's Football Uniforms (NCAA)
April 26, 2008
Team Canada Unveils New Hockey Jersey
April 24, 2008
Texas A&M U.-Kingsville Unveils New Athletic Marks (NCAA)
April 23, 2008
U. of Hawai'i Unveils New Men's Football Uniforms (NCAA)
April 23, 2008
U. of Minnesota Unveils New Men's Football Uniforms (NCAA)
April 23, 2008
Lewis & Clark College Unveils New Athletics Logo (NCAA)
April 22, 2008
Virginia Tech Plans "White Out" for 2008 Home Opener (NCAA)
April 18, 2008
Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "Ebbets Field Flannels"
April 16, 2008
Quad City Steamwheelers Unveil New Havoc Energy Drink with Wheelers Branding (arenafootball2)
April 9, 2008
B.J. Upton Nearly Swallowed Alive by Rays New Sunburst Logo (Major League Baseball)
April 9, 2008
U. of Utah Announces Outfitter Agreement with Under Armour (NCAA)
April 8, 2008
Seattle Sounders FC Unveils Name, Logo (Major League Soccer)
April 7, 2008
The Sounders name will live on in Seattle professional soccer. The team's owners announced Monday that their new expansion MLS franchise will be named "Seattle Sounders FC" ("FC" stands for "Football Club"). The owners let fans vote online for one of three choices: Seattle Alliance, Seattle Republic or Seattle FC, but also allowed a write-in option. The club's owners said Monday that 14,500 people voted, but 50 percent submitted a write-in name, of which 49 percent included a derivative of the name "Sounders." The full name, "Seattle Sounders FC" will differentiate the MLS team from other teams with a similar name, the owners said. They said that in this case, the write-in name received over 20 percent more votes than any of the other choices. The name Sounders has been identified with soccer in this community since 1974, the owners said, adding the name is locally-oriented, historic, and reflects the community.
NFL Turns Down St. Louis Rams on Throwback Uniforms (National Football League)
April 7, 2008
Plans to have the Rams wear "throwback" uniforms in their 2008 regular-season opener were scuttled when the NFL turned down the club's request. Multiple sources told the Post-Dispatch that the Rams wanted to wear their 1999 uniforms — the season the team defeated Tennessee in the Super Bowl. New owner Chip Rosenbloom confirmed that those were the plans last week at the NFL owners meetings in Florida. "There were a number of things that we couldn't get past," Rosenbloom said. For a variety of reasons, the league requires more than a year of lead time before a team can wear throwbacks. So believe it or not, the Rams' request was made too late under NFL guidelines.
Utah Jazz - "Numbers Tell the Story" (National Basketball Association)
April 6, 2008
AK-13. It doesn't have much of a ring to it. But it almost turned out that way for Andrei Kirilenko, who today is known throughout the NBA as AK-47 simply because of the jersey number he picked as a rookie with the Utah Jazz. Kirilenko came to Utah in 2001 and, initially, he was going to wear No. 13. "I was happy," Kirilenko said. "I like it, you know? I think, 'Thirteen is good number.' " When the Jazz signed free-agent John Amaechi, however, Kirilenko's plans changed. Amaechi asked for No. 13 and, since he had more seniority in the league, the Jazz gave it to him. "Because of the veteran's rule, I had to change," Kirilenko said. "But I didn't know which number to pick out." After speaking to former teammate Quincy Lewis about his dilemma, Kirilenko came up with an idea - his now-famous No. 47.
Montreal Canadiens Unveil 2009 NHL All-Star Game Logo (National Hockey League)
April 5, 2008
Montreal Canadiens Team Owner George N. Gillett Jr. Team President Pierre Boivin and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly jointly announced Saturday that the 57th NHL All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, January 25, 2009 as one of the main events of the Montreal Canadiens’ Centennial celebrations. The official logo of the 2009 NHL All-Star Game was also unveiled. The complete schedule of the 2009 All-Star Game Week will be disclosed at the start of the 2008-09 NHL regular season. Over the years Montreal has been a regular stop for the star-studded affair hosting the NHL’s best players on 12 occasions since the first ever NHL All-Star Game was presented in Toronto in 1947. Montreal last hosted the NHL All-Star Game back in 1993 when the league showcased its finest talent at the 44th Annual Classic. The event produced a 22-goal scoring extravaganza with a final score of 16 to 6 in favor of the Wales Conference over its Campbell Conference counterpart at the Montreal Forum.
Tennessee Titans Unveil 10th Season Anniversary Logo (National Football League)
April 4, 2008
Entering their 10th season as the Tennessee Titans, the team will use the upcoming 2008 campaign to celebrate a decade of the “Titans.” The team unveiled a 10-year logo today that will be used throughout the season and integrated into a range of platforms on and off the field. “I still remember back to the time when we decided to start from scratch – new name, new uniforms, new stadium, new facility – what a great stretch it has been,” said Titans owner K.S. “Bud” Adams, Jr. “We are excited that we will be able to do a number of things this year to celebrate our 10th season as the Titans. We have had a great deal of success on the field and connecting with our fans and it should be fun to look back at some of those moments and players that define our franchise. I would love to finish the decade as we started it, in the Super Bowl.”
New York Mets to Honor Shea Family with Logo (Major League Baseball)
April 3, 2008
East Texas Pump Jacks Unveil Nickname, Logos (Texas Collegiate League (baseball))
April 3, 2008
Forget Lions and Tigers and Bears. Think oil rigs and donkeys and dinosaurs. Kilgore's new Texas Collegiate League baseball team unveiled its name Wednesday afternoon: East Texas Pump Jacks. The moniker hearkens to the area's oil tradition, while the team's two logos delve further into the petrochemical theme. One logo features a donkey. Mike Lieberman, the team's spokesperson, said the idea came from the term "nodding donkey," which has been used to describe actual pump jacks. The second logo features a dinosaur, which ties the Pump Jack nickname to the fossil fuel aspect of oil production. Lieberman said the fan response since the name contest started in mid-January provided almost 500 nicknames from which to choose. He added that "the vast majority" were connected to the oil and gas industry. "Fans responded enthusiastically, more enthusiastically than we could have hoped for," Lieberman said. "The problem was sifting through the names and finding something that was going to be perfect for this team and community, something that really connected and identified with the community. We called for a unique name for this team, and our fans absolutely responded." Lieberman said of the near-500 entries, more than 250 were "different, unique names." He said finding a good one was not the problem, but choosing the best from so many good options was difficult. Lieberman said that Drillers was not an option since it would not be original; the Tulsa (Okla.) Drillers are the Colorado Rockies Double-A farm team. Team officials also did not want to copy other area nicknames such as Wildcatters or Roughnecks.
Atlanta Dream Unveils New Uniforms (Women's National Basketball Association)
April 3, 2008
The Atlanta Dream officially unveiled the team uniform today to season ticket holders and commuters on the Downtown Connector with larger-than-life banners and the team’s shortest and tallest players. Two 36-foot banners featuring the Atlanta Dream’s Ivory Latta and Katie Feenstra in uniform were unfurled from the top of Taz Anderson’s Centennial Tower this morning as season ticket holders gathered at the base. After the banners were lowered, Latta, at 5 feet 6 inches tall, and Feenstra, at 6 feet 8 inches tall, entered the crowd, making their first appearances in their new team’s uniform. The home uniform is white with Dream Blue (sky blue) piping, Dream Red (bright red) stars on the sides and has the Dream logo in Dream Blue and Dream Red across the front. The away uniform is Dream Blue with Dream Red piping, white stars on the sides and has Atlanta logo in white and Dream Red across the front.
Reading Royals Unveil New 2008 Playoff Uniforms (ECHL (hockey))
April 2, 2008
The Reading Royals of the ECHL today announced the team will don new uniforms for the 2008 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs. The new uniforms will see their first action in Game One of the North Division Semi-Final match-up against the Elmira Jackals on Friday, April 11 (7:35 pm), at First Arena in Elmira, New York. The home version of the new uniform will be worn for the first time in Game Two of the best of seven series, the following night (Saturday, April 12, 7:05 pm) at the Sovereign Center. The home and away new look sweaters are currently on display at the Royals’ merchandise store, the Fan-Attic, 645 Penn Street in Reading, and will be available for purchase beginning on Monday, April 7th. Full Season Ticket Holders that purchase a new style jersey will receive 25% off for the first week they are on-sale (April 7th – April 14th) at the Fan Attic Team Store only (645 Penn Street, Reading).. To accommodate fans interested in purchasing their new style jersey, the Fan Attic Team Store will be open until 7pm on Tuesday, April 8th and Wednesday, April 9th.
Orlando Magic to Unveil New Uniforms for 20th Anniversary (National Basketball Association)
April 2, 2008
The Orlando Magic have started the process of redesigning their blue, silver and white uniforms, and the process could be completed in time for next season, Magic Chief Operating Officer Alex Martins told FLORIDA TODAY. The uniform would be the fourth model in franchise history and could coincide with the 20-year anniversary of the franchise next season. "I can confirm that we have a new model in design now," Martins said Tuesday night before the Magic hosted the New Orleans Hornets. "There's a chance the new design might not be done in time for next season, but we are in the design process now." Martins said he couldn't confirm whether or not the Magic will delve into their past and bring back pinstriped uniforms. The Magic wore Champion-brand pinstripes from 1989 through 1997 and Champion-model "Dazzle" with minimal pinstripes from 1999 to 2002. They have worn the current style of Reebok and adidas "Play Dry" uniforms for the past five seasons.
Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "The Greatest Moments in Baseball Hair History"
April 2, 2008
As you may have heard, the NFL is considering a ban on long hair. For now, the proposal has been tabled until next month, but it's kinda hard to get worked up one way or the other about football hairstyles, since the players' heads and faces are mostly obscured anyway (well, usually). The NFL isn't the only league or sport in which hair and facial hair have come into play, of course. But in this category, as in so many others, the sport with the best-documented history is baseball, where the follicle follies have been a longstanding source of fascination -- hair, facial hair and probably other types of hair that we won't get into here. And with the MLB season just starting and things getting hairier by the minute, this seems like a good time for Uni Watch to present a survey of baseball's hairstyle history.
Oklahoma RedHawks Unveil 10th Anniversary Promotions (Pacific Coast League (baseball))
April 1, 2008
Win or lose on the field, RedHawks management intends to have a historic 2008 season at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. After all, it is the 10th anniversary of The Brick and the RedHawks, as both debuted in 1998. "We're very excited about the 10th anniversary, and we're going to draw attention to the facility with the kind of events we're going to have,” said RedHawks managing general partner Scott Pruitt, noting last Friday's Major League Baseball exhibition game between the Rangers and White Sox and the Dave Matthews Band concert in August. "You don't see those kinds of events every year,” Pruitt said. "And we'll be more historical and baseball-centric in our promotions. We're introducing some special bobbleheads and commemorative pieces to draw attention to our Oklahoma heritage in baseball.”