My New Hat

I was super excited to order this Houston Gamblers hat. I was getting ready to find some stuff to order DIY my own, because I couldn’t find a decent Gamblers hat. Then I came across this one. It is technically a vintage hat I guess, but not from when you would think. This hat is actually from 2003 and was listed as a Nike Sales sample. Meaning it was more than likely made to be used to show potential clients the design without using trademarked current logos. The USFL logos are all pretty much in the public domain at this point, with their trademarks long ago abandoned. The copyrights of the designs could theoretically still be actionable, but it doesn’t seem like whoever designed the logos ins interested in pursuing. Copyright and Trademark infringement policing is expensive, so I doubt anyone using a USFL logo will be receiving a cease and desist letter anytime soon. Anyhow, getting back on topic, this is a great looking hat in near mint condition. It doesn’t appear to have ever been worn and still has the tag under the brim naming the designer, Dana, and has the date it was made. I have never seen anything else like this out there. At first i thought maybe this hat was an original form 1984, but the price was far to low, around 20 bucks, for it to be from that era. Still, this is a really nice hat and now I don’t have to make my own. I DO need to make a Gamblers jacket, though.

Philadelphia Flyers Wood Logo

I finished my Philadelphia Flyers wood logo. I really love the Flyers logo, it is just a simple, yet perfect logo and one of many great hockey logos from that era. If I do another I think i will add a third layer of orange to give it a on jersey-like look. I will be doing some more of these, the hockey logos are a lot of fun.

Projects In Progress…

Currently I have a few projects going on. With the weather finally starting to break up her, although still pretty cold, my garage was a good temperature to finally hit the paint booth for the first time in 2019. Getting started with my Redskins helmet. Got it all primed. Color coat is next after a quick sanding.

I also started cutting a Houston Texans WFL wood helmet. It is a cool logo and I hope it looks right when painted. I will probably be painting it tonight.

• 

• 

In The News:

The End Of The ALLIANCE OF AMERICAN FOOTBALL?

Sounds like the AAF might be another one and done startup football league, with league majority owner Tom Dundon, according to USA Today, saying they are considering discontinuing the league if the NFLPA doesn’t allow fringe roster players to play in their league next season. Maybe it is just a negotiating tactic, but I don’t think anyone would be surprised if this league, like the many before, folded before they really got started. The league isn’t the best, but I have watched the majority of the games and have been entertained for the most part. With every league that fails, the harder it will be for the next one, with people being way to skeptical of long term success to care. Next year we are supposed to get the XFL back, but I don’t see how they can do any better than the last time around. At least I still have the CFL to watch which I love.

Eagles Fighting For Kelly Green

It is great that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is fighting the good fight in getting the so-called One helmet rule changed so his team can wear their Kelly green throwbacks again, but it is he who got us into the Midnight Green mess in the first place. He bought the Eagles in 1994 and a couple years later in 1996 the Midnight Green uniforms were introduced and they have worn them ever since. Given that the rule is five years and it has basically been 23 years since the last Eagles redesign, they are more than eligible to go back to kelly green whenever they want, which would let them wear their throwbacks anytime they wanted with or without the rule. It doesn’t seem that is even a consideration at this point and with the recent championship, I would doubt we would see the team go back to say the Randall Cunningham era or something like it anytime soon. Instead they will stick with the darker green and hope they will be allowed to wear the throwbacks a couple times a year. Probably not these throwbacks, though.

Philadelphia Bell License Plate

I got some of these great original stock Philadelphia Bell of the WFL metal license plates. They are in pretty good shape for being 45 years old. I have some available for sale in the store if you’re interested.

What I watched: Steeler Vs. Jets 1983

On December 10th 1983 the Steelers visited the Jets for their final game at Shea Stadium. The game was never close, with the Steelers winning 34-7, but I always love watching the Jets games played at Sheas. They were always way more visually appealing than any game they played in the Meadowlands. I loved the turf and their gang green uniforms they started wearing in 1978 looked amazing. This video caught my eye, though, because of how amazing the footage is. Like the video I posted yesterday, this is a radio sound over the TV broadcast, but the broadcast footage is about as good as it gets in standard definition. Normally these games look pretty awful on my 4K TV, but this looked pretty great even on my big screen.

Helmet of The Day: New York jets 1978-1989

I am seriously worried about the upcoming Jets uniform unveiling. It sounds like they will at the very least be bringing back the black elements that they added in 1990, which I thought was pointless even at the time. I like the Namath era uniforms and even the ones they wore up until last year, but I also like the set they wore from 1978-1989 with the the white trim and white masks. The Jets at least until now have had great uniforms their entire history, even with the black added in 1990. I really hope they don’t do something crazy.