Vintage T-Shirt Collective
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Canuckleheads
June 16, 2011 by Jimmy J · Leave a Comment
A vintage t-shirt gallery inspired by current events.
Headline: Vancouver Fans Riot After Stanley Cup Loss
It’s not often that I’m embarrassed to be Canadian but a crowd of bad apples in Vancouver have brought shame to the entire nation. Is the frustration and anger from a loss responsible for the mob mentality? If that’s true what’s Montreal’s excuse given they have a track record of riots after becoming champions. It’s pretty obvious there’s just a bunch of douches in every city looking for any excuse to wreak havoc.
I’m in Toronto, there hasn’t been a Stanley Cup here for over 40 years – would Toronto riot if we won or didn’t win the Cup? We are so used to losing that we might not take it as hard. On the flip side we haven’t had a chance to win in so long fans might be even more enraged by a lost opportunity. The mass destruction at the recent G20 summit makes me think we might go nuts – or is a politically charged protest an entirely different ballgame than sports? Our back-to-back World Series victories in 1992/93 were all class – but a Toronto hockey fan is a different animal.
There’s going to be a lot of arrests in Vancouver given all the photographic and video evidence that’s circulating online. An example needs to be made of these idiots to dissuade future fans from partaking (without wearing masks.)
But this post-riot volunteer clean-up effort is a more accurate account of Canadians.
Stop! Thief!
June 1, 2011 by Jimmy J · Leave a Comment
A vintage tee gallery inspired by today’s date.
Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is widely considered to be baseball’s all time greatest baserunner and leadoff hitter. He holds the MLB record for stolen bases, runs scored, unintentional walks and leadoff homers. Not only was he the fastest, but was also the fastest at being the fastest. On June 1 1982 he set a record for reaching 50 stolen bases in a season faster than anyone before him.
Photo Courtesy of: 4all2envy
Charlie Hustle
March 27, 2011 by Jimmy J · Leave a Comment
A vintage tee gallery inspired by today’s date.
On March 27th, 1989 baseball legend Pete Rose’s gambling activities were exposed by Sports Illustrated. Pete denied the allegations for fifteen years, finally admitting to it in 2004. Despite being a shoe in for the Hall of Fame (current NL all time hit record, among others) his ban from baseball could mean he may never qualify for Cooperstown.
Availability: Check Defunkd’s Baseball Selection
This Just In: Red Sox 1978 World Series Champs
June 6, 2009 by Jimmy J · 3 Comments
Every so often we feature an interesting vintage clothing piece that’s currently on the eBay auction block. Please inform us if you create or discover an auction we might like.
Item: Vintage 1978 Boston Red Sox Baseball World Champions
Brand: Artex
Sold By: Shirts With Balls
What the Seller Says: We have no idea why this exists but we’ll swear on the graves of our dead pets that this is original vintage from 1978. Takes revisionist history to a whole new level.
What we Say: A lot of people believe everything they see on TV. That’s just silly. The real source for truths has always been t-shirts. Sorry New York Yankees, looks like the Bosox are the rightful owners of that trophy and the proof is on the poly-cotton.
Tampa Rays Hot, Throwback Shirts Not
August 1, 2008 by Jimmy J · 2 Comments
This is the Tampa Rays’ 10th year in baseball; and how time flies when you’re not having fun. During their tenure they have sunk to last place in their division eight out of nine years. In the current day bizarro American League division, the Rays are in first place and have the second-best record in all of baseball.
Why am I writing about this? What does this have to do with the price of vintage tees in China? Monitoring current trends is a key to success in the vintage t-shirt market, or any market for that matter. When the Red Sox are doing well, the value of their vintage merchandise skyrockets faster than a David Ortiz clutch home run. Fans of all sports love to go throwback, especially in the midst of a great season.
But as far as Rays fans go, their throwback shirts are hanging way below the Mendoza clothes line. Most of them are going unsold, even when the opening bid is only $6. In 2007 the Tampa Devil Rays exorcised the “Devil” from their name. Die hard fans usually appreciate the novelty of name and logo changes making the various incarnations of previous branding a hot commodity. Not in Tampa where despite the team’s first breakthrough season, fans could care less about their inaugural t-shirts.
Do the fans here suck? Probably. But do you blame them? Try putting yourself in their cleats for a moment. Rays fans are a nine year by-product of the worst team in baseball. Team loyalty aside, would you want to wear their merchandise? The branding has always looked more like a theme park ride than a team. Worse yet, purple was a mainstay in their palette. The only person who can pull off purple is Grimace, and he’s not even a person.
So what’s the solution? Well, more than just a winning season is needed before Rays gear ever becomes throwback cool. Add at least five more competitive seasons, at least one World Series berth and a boat load of resuscitated fans. Then wait for that rare moment in fashion when purple is all the rage. Good luck.
