PATCH & LOGO NEWS
Our old pal Murf Denny has a bit of NFL information available to share.
First off, the Detroit Lions, at least for 2008, are retiring their black alternate jerseys. The upcoming season will be their 75th Anniversary, and, in addition to the appropriate uniform patch, the team will wear their normal Thanksgiving throwback-type unies as an alternate outfit.
Second, the St. Louis Rams will wear a memoriam patch for recently deceased owner Georgia Frontiere.
And, finally, the NFL logo will undergo a change. The new logo will depict a football similar to the one atop the Lombardi trophy, and 8 stars, one for each NFL division.
TAG CHRONOLOGY 101
One recently offered eBay item stood out like a sore thumb. An alleged 1990 gamer of Barry Bonds as a Pirate betrayed its seller’s description by sporting a mid-1990s red Rawlings tag (the design which carried no size on the tag, and used a flagged size tag instead. It’s amazing how forgers (and I can’t say if the seller or a previous owner were the forging party) sometimes miss such obvious inconsistencies.
NBA FINALS NEWS
Game-worn jerseys and other items, all from the first three games of the 2008 NBA Finals, are being auctioned on www.nba.com currently, with some items closing on the 24th and others on the 26th. The jerseys offered will be entered in the MeiGray Sports database.
One item they WON’T have, though, unless situations change, will be the only alternate uniform worn in the six-game Boston victory. The Lakers wore their Sunday home white alternates for the Game Five action.
65 YEARS AGO IN THE NFL
World War II created some temporary alliances in the NFL due to so many players being in the service. This past Thursday was the date in 1943 that the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers were given the OK by the league to merge for the season, being known as Phil-Pitt, and dubbed in some quarters as the Steagles. The Eagles took back their individual identity for the 1944 season, but the Steelers went the merger route again, hooking up with the Chicago Cardinals.
OBITUARIES
John Rauch, the coach of the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl 2 and a three-year NFL player with the New York Bulldogs, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Eagles, died in his sleep at age 80.
Mitch Frerotte, a member of the Buffalo Bills in 1987 and 1990-92, died at home of unknown causes at age 43.
Roy Getliffe, a 1940s era NHL player who first gave Canadiens legend Maurice Richard the nickname “The Rocket”, passed away at age 94.
Mike Dukes, a LB for the 49ers, Oilers and Patriots from 1959-65, was killed in a traffic accident. He was 72.
And, finally, former MLB pitcher John Buzhardt, an 11-year MLB vet whose best seasons came from 1962-67 with the White Sox, died June 15 at age 71 in South Carolina.
NICE GOING, CELTICS! THE BIG TICKET DESERVES A RING!