tBBP

OH EM GEE. Now...lose the gray outer trim, thicken up the green stroke, make a white version the keeps the green tree trim, and never change that ish again.... No, we all do not. You and a few others may, but not I (and I'm sure I'm not alone on that). You know what...yes, these are. The only knock is the extra gray outlines. Lose those and that becomes a top-10 look (if it were to be permanent).

Dude might not last 20 more quarters at this rate... Smart people said that, well, years ago, as well. Which is to say, I agree. And see....thus illustrates the other side of the coin of being such a staunch and loyal organization: emotional devotions blind decision-makers to reality; thus, they never let go or take too long to let go, and then you end up with what's going on in Pittsburgh. Some people saw it, but Ben was finished back in 2017...you can get by on being bigger than the defenders trying to sack you but for only so long. And yet, look at who they've been bringing in to back up Roethelisberger since Byron Leftwich exited stage left: none of them had anywhere close to starter-level potential. And if the Steelers' brass were really serious about maintaining continuity, they would have set a GOOD succession plan in place years ago. Instead, their blind adoration for the QB who *won them two Super Bowls* (who also has a certain Dan Marino complex he never has been able to get past) led them to hold on to him, and hold onto him some more--and now this is the result. The killing thing is this could well be the end of the road for Mike Tomlin, as well. The question now becomes: does the Steelers head brass see the situation they created by not addressing this sooner, and now start to seriously address it? (All of this to say I'm right there with @Sport on this...especially having survived seven years living up there and seeing the fellat--you know what I ain't even finna go there right now. )

I wondered so, too, so here's a quick idea: If they actually do have orange pants like this, they should definitely do this for real.

Alright, I've come around on this.... THIS is the Bengals' best road look. Those black socks do so much to bring out the rest of the black. I still would like to see a tad bit more orange, but as is, I can rock with this--as long as they keep this with black socks, this should be be default away look. That said, now I have an issue with their home look, so let's see how things go as the season progresses...

So THAT'S what they were doing to the place when I went by there in 2019. I didn't know what was up, just that they were renovating the place. Didn't know you were able to see downtown like that from inside the venue. Wellp...we all know money talks at the end of the day, so if building more seats to sell equals more revenue--views of downtown be doggoned--well... ...And getting back to Allianz for a second: not that any of this matters to this discussion, but, relative to its size, MSP probably has more freeway lanes than any other metro in the country not named Los Angeles or Kansas City (actually, I think MSP has KC beat by a bit.) The reason I got used to using US routes going thru there rather than interstate routes is because from a distance its dang-near impossible to distinguish Minnesota's state route signs from regular interstate signs, being that they both have the same color blue background (real intelligent thinking there, MNDOT!): That's necessary info to decode from a half-mile to a mile out when piloting a 74-foot-long 80000-lb combination vehicle on a busy corridor in a metro with some of the most bipolar motorists ever on earth (some act like they'll go to prison if they come within 5 mph of the speed limit; others treat it like Indy Motor Speedway--in the same lanes no less--and don't get me started on the zipper merge OR all that doggone road work going on up there). All that said, the white shield shape of the US route is easily distinguishable (Unless you're in Connecticut or Rhode Island in which case half the time the route sign shapes are just outlines), so...yeah, 52 it is for me. Anyway, back to soccer stadiums...

That stretch of 94 is part of 52. (And 12, while we're at it...don'tcha just love route concurrencies?)

I've actually been to Portland's soccer stadium before. Didn't get to take in a game while I was there though; almost dropped some guap on some of their soccer gear while they were rebuilding it. But yeah, for that place to be stuck down in the middle of that neighborhood like that...for the natives/locals, which came first, the stadium or the neighborhood? (Just curious.) That said, I know it ain't soccer, but seeing Portland's stadium instantly reminded me of Lambeau Field. I've been there twice, and narrowly missed a Monday night game the second time I was there. But if you ever wondered what it was like to have a stadium dropped down in the middle of a residential neighborhood, to the point where your back gate opens straight into the stadium parking lot (and that's for those who actually have gate--some of those lawns just edged right up to the lots)...head up to Green Bay and check it out for yourself.

Maannn...Allianz Field is just over there. It's location just about splits the difference between downtown Minny and downtown SP, and it is literally right off the US-52 freeway get-off ramp...but it is still just, kinda like, over there. There really ain't much around it (yet)--but it is a really nice venue in itself, however. Speaking of nice venues, let me take you on down to Lynn Family Stadium in good ol' Louisville, KY: That's downtown off in the background (looks a lot further away than it actually is; it's probably like a half mile outside downtown). But check out the angle of that opening...you can watch the fun on Malfunction Junction while watching the action on the pitch! (Seriously, if you've yet to experience the hysterical pleasure of navigating that torrid interchange--and all the merges leading up to it--you're in for a real treat the first time you do. And this is after they reconstructed it...)

I hope think by that they meant he is the team's first four- or five-year captain (which in itself is rather telling). I forget whether the four gold stars is for four years or five. The more egregious error is the "el capatain" tag...I mean, dude, the word you're looking for is "el capitan"--but, whatever...this club just keeps giving people reasons to laugh at it.

This makes for the perfect ugly Christmas sweater. And if these things didn't cost dang near half my rent, I'd cop one stat--personalized with my name and number, of course.

Aaaannnndd in yet the latest stroke of whatdaeff in Jacksonville...1st-rounder Travis Etienne is lost for the season....

Edited for accuracy; see above. I don't think they ever did; that said, considering they built that set on what at the time was a new Nike template, methinks it was a/ a way to show off some of the panels of said template and b/ a way to force columbia Titans Blue in there...since they decided to shove so much two-tone gray up on the shoulders and a little more on the pants. (My God, though...those Titans joints and the alarm clock joints the Bucs just jettisoned really might be two of, if not the two, worst NFL sets of all time...)

Oh yeah. That's about the last outpost that's yet to be destroyed by hotels, ferris wheels, and other unnecessary tourist traps. What you saw of the rest of Johnson Beach (the eastern stretch of Perdido Key) is what most of the rest of Perdido and for that matter Santa Rosa Island (on which Pensacola Beach sits, the far west on which sits Fort Pickens) used to look like back in the day--before the unnecessary tourist traps took over and robbed us of our good ol' sea oats and emerald views. Glad you got to enjoy yourself and the Maritime Park while you were down there! What's funny is that's only been there since 2012...where it sits now used to be the wastewater plant and a reef of rocks and dead fish. They moved the wastewater plant further west and infilled the plot on which the actual stadium sits, then built up everything else around it. Even the harbor was rebuilt after Ivan and now the whole Palafox corridor down there has transformed. Definitely not the downtown I grew up with (which is to say, there really wasn't much of one until they built Maritime Park and then spilled the gentrification over to Palafox), but SO much nicer overall.

I think another reason for the relative genericism of the '80s-early 2000s Giants uniforms was the color scheme...how much more basic can one get than simple blue and red? (Aside from just blue and white, I guess, like the Colts...) I 100% agree on this point. If anything, the Giants should've just designated the white pants as a once-in-a-while change-of-pace alternate set (like how Florida State used to do with their very-rarely-seen white pants). But I suppose the perceived popularity of the pants from their color rush sets rendered all that moot.

I think most of us were--not because of anything against the Chiefs (except all the overnight frontrunner who suddenly decided they've been Chiefs fans their whole lives and don't even know where Arrowhead Stadium is, but whatevs), but because of the Cinderella arc the Browns were on, and if not for that non-call on Danie--y'all know the one--they would've won that. Instead they lost by five. But we'll see if they can run it back this season. I for one am rooting for them.

I saw that earlier on my IG and I about facepalmed clean through the back of my skull. Of all the things to clown my hometown for, at least it wasn't that. Until now... To their credit, though, at least they're being right-out honest about their intent, though. It's meant to be bad. Shoot, they may as well stick a Joe Patti Seafood patch on them jokers while they're at it...

Oh man--that actually made it to the ice?? It looked comical to me because the NOB/numbers on the original black sweaters were outlined in burgundy rather than white: FAKE EDIT: and apparently even the modern-day versions had it right at one point...what happened??

I straight up missed this the first time around, so I had to look it up... ...I see no reason the Coyotes can't make that their primary colorway. Maybe brighten up the Canyon Blue just a smidge bit, if they absolutely must, swap out the black for a really dark burgundy for contrast, but other than that...that's both distinctive and "Arizona" at the same time. Off to the other side: Gotta show this because of how comical it is...I wanna know who commissioned THIS as an "official" replica...what up tho, Fanatics?

Two things: 1.) No one is going to look at that Sar and immediately connote the top point of that star with the spear of the Vulcan. Not even close. I know Birmingham well, so I immediately got the star (its prominent on their city flag), and the gear around the basketball (with all the iron and steel works around town plus the hills, Birmingham sometimes gets called the "Pittsburgh of the south", so I get the hard work connection. The crescent in the ball is kinda clever, too. 2.) I REALLY dislike this trend of G-league teams straight aping their parent clubs' identity. (For the record, I dislike it in minor league baseball, too.)

As does Minnesota United.

You stay putting on for LR, don't you? But yes, plenty of water. (And right now, plenty of runoff in that water from that OMGWTFIZTHEYTHANKIN 30Crossing bridge project--but we ain't finna talk about that right now.) Hopefully that's all finished by the time I make it back down there... I don't know...from what I understand, the locals/natives will tolerate you, but ain't too keen on people trying to move up in there and take over. And now that the oil money is drying up, they're starting to feel the effects in the local economy (again, this is from reports I get from the buddies I had in the trucking world; I can't vouch for their validity). That said, I've actually been up there before, albeit a long time ago, and it was...different, I'll say that. I don't know that I could live there, per se (despite the fact that I went up there to investigate a job opportunity), but visit, yeah I can do that all day. Side note: do we have anyone on these boards actually in or from Alaska? I half-remember one being around here back in the day...

^ Let's not go down that road, please... ... And on the topic of the Futures jerseys, seems like they went down the same pathway as the [Expedition League] Sioux Falls Sunfish (yeah, speaking of aqualife in an inland location), who have really matched into the dual-color theme--with same colors to boot: (It's definitely a quirky brand strategy--but it's fun, and fans here in town have really taken to it.)

Actually, the most basic fundamental purpose of any uniform, sports or otherwise, is to identify the company itself, and its employees (or players) as members of said entity--many, as one (hence the "uni" in uniform; "one form".) Standing out from others becomes a secondary consideration-- and depending on the marketing gurus in charge, it becomes a pretty important (and to be frank, smart) consideration--but at what cost to the core essence of your identity? (That's also a good life lesson to learn, as well--there's a delicate balance to efforting to stand out versus being who you authentically are at the core and letting that essence speak for itself.) Speaking of which... See...how hard was that to do in the first place?? All that bone stuff was utterly and as we see now ultimately unnecessary. This also clearly illustrates the bone I have to pick with the SCC (Swoosh Creative Complex): all those "unique, innovative" ideas crapped all over a well-established and well-beloved legacy brand, and when one of that organization's most-beloved figures speaks out against it (I'm sure he wasn't the only one), and the team itself starts backtracking from the "cutting edge innovation culture" (which in this case should have been left on the cutting room floor) back to what worked for so long--albeit with with few tasteful updates--this issue clearly reveals itself. We also watched Cleveland backtrack to what worked; we watched Tampa Bay do this; we watched Jacksonville [over]do this; the jury's still out on Tennessee. Even Oregon, for all its wild and crazy innovations, mostly keeps it tame now. All of which is a long-form way of saying: kudos, Rams, for realizing the error of y'alls ways, and getting back to what should have been all along. Now yes, throw the bone to the dogs, get the gradients off the home numbers and leave well enough alone.

Ideally, you want that--BUT, it's not the only prerequisite. In the case of the Giants, their current sets pull straight from the looks of their Y.A. Tittle days (well except for the home gray pants--they chose the wrong version). All that to the side, I always thought of their uniform sets an interesting case study in "cohesive dichotomy*". Some teams manage to pull this off to great effect. (Ucla in the '90s-early 2010s is another example.) They shouldn't work together, but in both instances, they do, and do so well. That is NOT the case with the Cowboys, however, and not even longstanding tradition can fix that. I understand Texas-sized hubris will prevent Jones N 'Em from doing any effective update, but man would they profit from it. (Actually, that's the BEST reason for them to update: profit. they already are near or at the top in league apparel sales; how much more would they sell with an update? See, this mess ain't hard...tap into your inner Ferengi Mr. Jones and make this happen!)

I can offer one example of this: I could take or leave the pinstripes but...that, given the Bulls' main two sets, was truly an alternate--and a mighty sharp one at that. It was an expansion that, at the time, fused a new look with the same tried-and-true brand. And of course they only wore it sparingly. That, my friends, is the key to doing alternates right. Which segues nicely into this... I disagree with this for ONE reason: if people think an alternate is good enough to be the primary, that's how you know you have a well-designed alternate. My stance on alts is this: either they should truly offer a different yet still visually interesting angle on the existing brand, or it should be better-designed than the primary--or both. Then, it should only be worn for special occasions and/or as sparingly as possible. Why? It's called perceived value. You know how many people have been clamoring for the Carolina Panthers to make their blue jerseys the primary? That happened with Tennessee and Denver, too, and both those teams actually did it (except Tennessee switched back to navy home primaries after a few seasons; obviously Denver did not). Both alternates were decent enough on their own, but once they became primary they lost their "luster" so to speak. (Unrelated, but I still think navy is the superior choice for Denver.) All that said...apparently the Pittsburgh Pirates REALLY loved their black alternate jerseys, because for probably about a decade they seemed to wear them for just about all their home and away games. Shoot, at that point their regular road grays may as well been their alternates! But anyway, I think y'all get my point.