March, 2007:

• Bismarck Bobcats Unveil 10 Year Anniversary Logo (North American Hockey League)
  March 28, 2007
  On Saturday night the Bobcats will be unveiling their 10 year anniversary logo at the game - - be there to see it as the Bobcats start to celebrate 10 years of Bobcat Hockey in Bismarck!
  
  
  
   
• Lehigh Valley IronPigs Unveil Primary Logo (International League (baseball))
  March 27, 2007
  As the start of the 2007 season approaches, Allentown, Pa., moved another step closer to the return of affiliated baseball Tuesday as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs unveiled their official logo. The IronPigs, who next season replace the Ottawa Lynx as the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, displayed their new emblem at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Allentown. "Today marks the birth of the IronPigs identity," Lehigh Valley general manager Kurt Landes said. "Our primary logo is part of our continuing effort to embody the spirit and tradition of the Lehigh Valley." The logo features a galvanized pig's head, complete with rivets and an aggressive sneer, splitting the words "Lehigh Valley." The words "IronPigs" are bolted together in bold letters with a slight arc. Team colors are brick red, furnace blue and IronPigs steel, the same colors that will adorn Coca-Cola Park and that used to be seen at old Bethlehem Steel mills. Lehigh Valley will be the first professional sports team to use this color combination.
   
• Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "The Uni Watch MLB Preview"
  March 27, 2007
  Uni Watch isn't usually in the habit of making preseason predictions, but let's just come out and say it: Jose Cruz Jr. for MVP. The veteran outfielder, now with the Padres, has been sporting some picture-perfect stirrups in spring training, to Uni Watch's considerable delight. Not that there's anything new about Cruz cuffing his pants up high -- he's done plenty of that during his stints with the Blue Jays, Mariners, Devil Rays, Diamondbacks and Dodgers. But this is the first time he's displayed an acumen for achieving the ideal ratio of colored stirrup to white undersock -- a Platonic ideal that should serve as an object lesson to youngsters and current MLBers alike.
   
• Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "How Dare Craig Biggio Wear a Pin!"
  March 23, 2007
  Is there anything sadder than a kid with cancer? How about a league that cracks down on someone who tries to help kids with cancer? That was the situation that unfolded around Craig Biggio on Thursday. For most of his 20-year career, Biggio has been involved with the Sunshine Kids, a nonprofit group that helps cancer-stricken youth. He's raised more than $1.8 million for the group through his annual golf tournament, and he's always shown his support and raised awareness by wearing a pin of the group's sun-shaped logo on his cap during pregame warm-ups and in spring training games. OK, so it looks a little weird, but big deal -- he's never done it in a regular-season game, he's never covered up the Astros logo and he's never gotten a dime for it.
   
• Toronto FC Unveils Uniforms (Major League Soccer)
  March 23, 2007
  Toronto FC unveiled their striking new jerseys Friday at a media event held at sponsor BMO Bank of Montreal's First Canadian Place branch in downtown Toronto. Maurice Edu, the first pick in the 2007 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft and Toronto FC's first pick in team history, wore the new jersey for photographers, reporters and guests who attended a news media briefing at the corner of King and Bay Streets in the heart of the city's financial district. The jersey is manufactured by adidas and features distinctly European styling. Toronto FC's home jersey is red with white, grey and dark onyx trim and their away jersey is grey with dark onyx and red trim. The distinctive team patch is positioned above the left breast while the familiar logo and roundel of the team's sponsor, BMO (pronounced bee-mo), is displayed across the chest. Toronto FC becomes the third team in MLS to introduce a sponsor jersey behind the New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake.
   
• SUNY-Canton Adopts "Kangaroos" As New Nickname (NAIA)
  March 22, 2007
  In a campus-wide ceremony on Thursday, SUNY Canton unveiled its new logo and nickname, and also announced that the college has been formally accepted as a full member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). SUNY Canton will begin competing in four-year athletics in the fall of 2007. SUNY Canton has adopted Kangaroos as their new logo and nickname. It will immediately replace the Northstars, which had supplanted Northmen in 1995. "We feel the new nickname is an appropriate reflection of SUNY Canton and the college's uncompromising progress," President Joseph L. Kennedy said. "Kangaroos can only move forwards, not backwards. It also mirrors our global approach toward education. With our tremendously successful distance learning efforts, we can be found around the world. As demonstrated by the growth of SUNY Canton Online, we are not limited by geographical boundaries. We have students in the Ukraine, Russia, and Japan. I wouldn't be surprised if we enroll students from Australia in the near future."
   
• Los Angeles Avengers Unveil New Light Blue Alternate Jerseys (Arena Football League)
  March 20, 2007
  The Los Angeles Avengers will debut their new light blue alternate home jerseys when they host the Arizona Rattlers at STAPLES Center on April 6. The new jerseys will be light blue, with navy shoulders and trim, and with red piping.  They will be worn with the current navy pants, and with the usual red helmets.
  
  
   
• Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "From Flip-Ups to MaxSight Lenses"
  March 20, 2007
  Was it really wise for the Yankees to let a blind man pitch the other day? OK, so it wasn't really a vision-impaired pitcher on the hill that day -- it was the Yanks' latest Japanese import, Kei Igawa. Turns out he pitched almost all of his Japanese games in domes and had trouble with daylight glare during his first spring training start (further details here), so for his next start he donned a pair of shades. Pitchers with dark glasses aren't unprecedented (not even in the Yanks' own division), but they're still pretty rare, so Igawa looked a little weird out there, like an outfielder who got lost and somehow found himself on the mound.
   
• U. of Miami (FL) Men's Football Team Unveil New Uniforms (NCAA)
  March 16, 2007
  The University of Miami will unveil new uniforms for the 2007 football season, announced head coach Randy Shannon. The new uniforms, crafted by Nike, are similar to those worn for the past three seasons, with a couple of minor aesthetic changes, including different striping on the front and back and wider jersey numbers. The Hurricanes will also wear black shoes, but the traditional white helmet with the split U logo will remain unchanged. The new uniforms will debut on September 1 when the Hurricanes host Marshall to kick off the 2007 season. The new uniforms will continue to be made of a revolutionary, yet more durable lightweight stretch material that is form-fitting for performance enhancement. The material is moisture management capable, meaning it removes sweat and/or rain from the body and allows it to evaporate. Other goals set out by Nike with this particular design include improving ventilation and creating a distinctive visual look.
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• San Diego Chargers Unveil New Uniforms (National Football League)
  March 14, 2007
  Five players from what the Chargers look to define as a special era in Bolts football unveiled the team’s new look Wednesday at a “fashion show” held at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego. “We really believe that we’re built to win a championship,” running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. “We’re excited to have a new look for that journey. We feel fortunate that the Chargers are allowing us to have our own look and establish our own identity. It’s an exciting time to be a Charger.” Tomlinson and center Nick Hardwick showed off the navy blue jerseys and white pants, the combination the Chargers will wear for most home games. When asked to describe his flashy attire, Hardwick referred to it as “the A.G. Spanos model.” Hardwick was referring to the Chargers’ Director of Marketing Programs & Business Development, who has spent the last year and a half working on the team’s new logo and jerseys.
   
• Northwest Arkansas Naturals to Play in Texas League in 2008 (Texas League (baseball))
  March 14, 2007
  Rich Baseball Operations today announced the Northwest Arkansas Naturals as the name of the future Double-A, Texas League franchise. The team, which will relocate from Wichita, Kansas following the 2007 season, will debut in a new ballpark in Springdale beginning in April, 2008. The team name Naturals represented what became the most popular name suggested and voted for during the team naming contest. A key element in the popularity of Naturals is the tie to Arkansas’ slogan, “The Natural State.”
  
   
• Brandweek - "Team Colors? Meet the Team of Lawyers"
  March 12, 2007
  Imagine you're a fan of the Ohio State University football team. You enter a sporting goods store in Columbus, and a T-shirt catches your eye. On the front, you see the phrase "Got Seven?" and, once you flip the shirt over, you find a map of Ohio with a marker pegging the capital and printed answers to the question posed on the shirt's front—"We Do!" and "7 Time National Champions." Certainly, none of these depictions or phrases alone would qualify for trademark protection. Say these phrases were printed on all-white shirts; would that convey enough meaning—arguably, any meaning—to entice someone to buy the shirt? Now, add one more factor: imagine scarlet and gray—OSU's century-old colors—worked into the design. Now would the shirt convey more meaning to you? Would you, as an OSU fan, be more likely to purchase it? Such is the hypothetical scenario that led, this past July, to a landmark decision in which a federal court ruled in favor of Louisiana State University, Ohio State, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Southern California and the Collegiate Licensing Co.—all of which sued Smack Apparel Co. for using their colors on apparel and other merchandise.
   
• Great Lakes Loons Unveil Uniforms (Midwest League (baseball))
  March 10, 2007
  With less than five weeks to go before opening day of the Great Lakes Loons inaugural season, fans still aren’t sure just what players will be coming to town. But now they know what they’ll be wearing. The Loons unveiled their home, road, and batting practices jerseys Saturday during a baseball-themed fashion show before a crowd of media, fans, and casual passers-by at the Fashion Square Mall in Saginaw. Local baseball players modeled the jerseys, which are now on sale at the Loon Loft store at the Fashion Square Mall and available through the Loon Loft Web site. “We want to be recognizable at home and on the road,” said Loons President and General Manager Paul Barbeau. “We have a name that lends itself to a lot of fun and creativity…but at the same time we want the uniforms to have a classic baseball feel, and I think you see that in what we put together for the uniforms.” Made by Wilson, the uniforms are fairly traditional as far as baseball standards go. The home uniforms are white, the road uniforms gray, and the batting practice jerseys black. All three have the Loons logo across the front in red lettering with the home jersey sporting the player’s number on the front.
   
• Iowa State U. Men's Football to Wear Throwback Uniforms on September 15 (NCAA)
  March 5, 2007
  Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Iowa State’s 1977 Peach Bowl squad, the Cyclone football team will wear throwback uniforms from that season in the Sept. 15 game vs. Iowa at Jack Trice Stadium. Fans will then have an opportunity to acquire the game-worn helmet, jersey, pants and socks through two online auctions this fall. The Cyclones will wear replica uniforms – white jerseys with cardinal/gold piping around the shoulders and cardinal numbers with a gold outline and gold pants – very similar to what was worn in the Peach Bowl against North Carolina State. The Cyclones’ helmet will be gold with the letters I-S-U on a capital letter I. Iowa State will also have a “Throwback Game” patch on its jersey. The University of Iowa has agreed to wear its black home jerseys for the game on Sept. 15.
   
• Syracuse.com - "The Chiefs and Sports Marketing? Laugh It Up" (International League (baseball))
  March 2, 2007
  You can't write humor in this town and ignore a press release announcing that John Simone, general manager of the newly un-renamed Syracuse Chiefs, is giving a lecture on "sports marketing" at SU's Whitman School of Management. In my business, that's a Level 4 Humor Emergency, the kind of rare comic event that involves hundreds of shovel-wielding volunteers working to clear a path through the bs. Simone a sports marketing expert? Who's next at Whitman? Scooter Libby on ethics? Yeah, I know. It's almost spring, and optimism is allegedly in vogue, especially in baseball. But it never works that way here.
   
• Syracuse U. to Unveil New Retro Men's Basketball Uniforms (NCAA)
  March 2, 2007
  Daryl Gross, Syracuse's athletic director, already went retro with Syracuse's football jerseys. Now, it's basketball's turn. The men's team will unveil redesigned, form-fitting uniforms made by Nike either in the Big East tournament next week or in the NCAA Tournament later this month, Gross said. The shorts will include wide, fat stripes in white, gray, blue and orange circa the late 1970s when the team played in Manley Field House. Syracuse is one of only four schools - including Ohio State, Florida and Arizona - that will wear the sleeker uniforms in postseason play, Nike spokesman Brian Facchini said Thursday. The Gators debuted their jerseys Tuesday against Tennessee. Gross, who said the school started collaborating a change with Nike last fall, walked from his office to a Manley equipment room to see the uniforms for the first time Thursday afternoon. The all-white home jerseys feature "ORANGE" written across the chest in orange block lettering. The road jerseys remain all orange with "SYRACUSE" on the chest in white. The numerals on both jerseys are silver. A diagram from Nike on Gross' desk Thursday showed an all-blue version, which could be an option next season.
   
• Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "It's Time to Spring Forward"
  March 1, 2007
  Spring training isn't just for the players, ya know. Uni-watching instincts can atrophy over the winter, just like any other skill. In July, you'd notice a slightly longer sleeve or a mismatched pair of batting gloves without breaking a sweat, but such subtleties tend to fly under the radar this time of year. So with Grapefruit and Cactus League games just under way, here are Uni Watch's 10 favorite uni-centric rites of spring, which should help your brain handle the transition into baseball mode in the weeks and months to come.
  
   
• Ohio State U. to Wear New LeBron James Basketball Uniforms (NCAA)
  March 1, 2007
  The Buckeyes are about to look much more fit. Ohio State University's men's basketball team, which introduced new uniforms at the beginning of the current season, will be donning specially made, form-fitting jerseys for postseason tournament play. The apparel also will sport the logo of one of their biggest fans, Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James. The team will unveil its newest uniforms March 9 at their initial game of the Big Ten tournament. OSU is one of four high-profile programs selected by Nike, the university's athletics-equipment partner, to wear the sleeker jerseys, which take out much of the extra material of a traditional hoops top.