Check out this picture. This is a "screen grab" as they say in the biz. This biz at least. The biz of sports fashion geeks getting images from the TV or computer screen and then wasting precious life minutes and hours poring over the minutia contained in the images. I just love being able to write "screen grab". Being only barely computer capable, it puts a spring in my step to use that phrase and feel like the next time (which would also be the first time) I'm at some Uniwatch gathering I can just slip the phrase into the conversation casually and feel the warm glow of acceptance flow over me as this would surely indicate to any listener my worthiness in the fraternity of sports fashion obsessed and computer proficient.

This, I believe, is what they refer to as "setting the bar low"

Anyway, back to the point. Check out the picture. This is Marty Schottenheimer when he was the HC of the SD Chargers. Look at that shirt. Is that a sweet or what? A collar polo shirt in team colors with UCLA shoulder stripes. (For those who haven't been paying attention or didn't read the Fashion glossary "UCLA stripes" indicate that particular type of shoulder stripe, not necessarily UCLA colors)

That shirt is a beaut and I love the melding of such a bold team jersey features into a civilian garment. Brilliant. It is clearly worthy of an award of some kind and as soon as I can dream one up I will bestow it. Something along the lines of The FFF annual award for fashion excellence and innovation in the crossover category. So anyone who has any idea what this award should look like should send his or her suggestion to kens_cash@hotmail.com. I would also buy one in a NY minute if I only knew where. Merchandisers take note.

Next up

Check out this awesome pic of George Blanda being chased by a NY Titan in the early 60's Anyone who reads this column will recall Steiner, after a discussion of Jet throwback uni's, bringing up a question about the Titan away jersey. Our crack staff (or staff on crack, depending on the day) sprang into action and after hours of painstaking research located a picture of an authentic Titan away jersey like the one pictured above. As noted at the time, when you see this jersey in color it almost resembles the Viking away jerseys of the early 70's. And as a side note this is also a great pic of A. George Blanda's black Johnny U-ish high tops and B. The other predominant spike of the day with the white belt around the opening of the shoe. Those cleats are to me what stirrups on a baseball player are to Paul Lukas of Uniwatch. And look in the background at the hot dog stand. How great is it that you could buy your snack and keep an eye on the game at one of those instead of standing in a twenty minute line at the mega stadium for the priviledge of forking over 15 bucks to the underpaid surly cashier for warm suds (but only for the first half!) and the saddest excuse for (fill in the blank food) ever perpetrated on an unfortunate public.

Back to the fashion point. When I came across another pic of the early Titans I saw this.

This is, again, the NY Titans vs. the Houston Oilers but check out details. The Titan away jersey lacks the UCLA shoulder stripes.... fascinating. In addition the Titan defender is wearing a helmet that looks to have been bought at a garage sale. Back when I was a kid playing on the grammar school team those face masks were still around but they were only on the oldest crappiest helmets and even then they usually weren't on a box eared helmet. A helmet that lame would only wind up on the kid who showed up late the morning they let us into the equipment room to grab our gear for the year. The other Oiler in the picture has a modern helmet so while they may have been saving money on Jersey numbers, they at least had enough cabbage for decent helmets.

Look at the font of the numbers on the Oiler receiver. It looks like the trainer did it himself with white electrical tape. Apparently the next year (top pic) the team was able to upgrade to actual tackle twill numbers. The AFL really was a low budget operation coming out of the gate.

Moving right along

 

Here's my question. Why can't the Chiefs bring back the Choir huddle? Wouldn't this be a great touch to add to the throwback theme? It was so unique. Who didn't like it? It set them apart and was just a cool variation which had a few advantages I can think of. It kept all eyes focused on the signal caller and it kept all ears directed at him. It also allowed the QB direct eye contact with all his guys which I would think make it easier for him to see who looked tired, who looked hurt etc. This must have been good information especially then when the QB called the plays himself. This is not a fashion issue per se but it is a style issue and as such falls under FFF jurisdiction.

I'm going to start a petition to bring back the white belted cleat league wide for these and all future throwback games and the choir huddle to the Chiefs. Who's with me?

Here's my follow up question to this issue. Did the Chiefs use the Choir huddle when they were the Dallas Texans?

I love all the stuff coming out of the woodwork in relation to the AFL 50th anniversary. It really takes the lull between voluntary organized workouts and training camps and fills it in nicely.

We here at FFFHQ have been inundated with feedback, ranting and venom about the start of advertising on practice jerseys, PSL's and other disturbing developments that take the focus off what we should all be thinking about, which is fashion issues and how to avoid the crazy bitches of the kind that life sacked poor Steve McNair last week. I mean really, what is the point of being rich and famous if you can't have a little strange on the side? These issues and the comments we recieved about them will be addressed as soon as our staff of writers can come up with some appropriate jokes.

Ken