So close and yet so far . . . USA Soccer Edition

Celebrating the US' recent arrival on the international soccer stage?! No? We aren't either. But if we were, we'd be sporting their white home jersey.

Ever see someone wearing a random jersey?

We love it when people wear obscure, old jerseys of players who never made an impact for your favorite team?  We thought you might.  Check out this website. 

Cal Game Day T-shirt

Here is a sneak peak - pre-order it here.  I like this one more than the last couple of seasons.  

Would you wear a gameday shirt like this for your favorite football team?  Let us know at welldressedsportsfan@gmail.com 

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Dear Lauren Conrad and Bill Paxton

I showed The Well Dressed Sports Girlfriend a few pictures of Lauren Conrad and Bill Paxton throwing out the first pitch at recent baseball games.  This is what she had to say . . . 

Lauren:
It's no secret that pigtails annoy me.  I understand that long, straight hair can be a fashion nightmare for the well dressed female sports fan, but that still doesn't excuse the trying-too-hard pigtail look.  And it especially doesn't excuse the weird lion mane pigtail ends.  Apparently L-Con's hairdresser got bored of braiding halfway through.  He should be fired.

Pigtails aside, though, this is a B effort outfit.  I don't love what looks like a black long sleeved shirt under the white jersey.  The jersey is also a little big.  I know form-fitting isn't exactly what jerseys are about, but if you've got a body like hers you might as well show it off a little.
Finally, the hat and jersey combo is a little much even if she is a die-hard fan.  In my opinion, L-Con could have really wowed the crowd with a simple (form fitting) Dodgers t-shirt paired with the hat.  And don't forget the sporty ponytail to top it off.

Bill:
Good old Bill has the look down.  His jersey fits well: most importantly he's not swimming in it.  It's also a nice crisp white without looking brand new.  His jeans are appropriately day-of-the-game boring without being unflattering.  

And he's refrained from too much additional Dodgers swag, adorning his look only with a manly wristwatch.  His look is the epitome of good dad and approachably handsome fan.  But next time, Bill, bring some Oakleys.  There's nothing sexy about retinal damage.

Midyear Sports Predictions - June 2009

Chicago Cubs - It is fair to say that the Chicago Cubs have underperformed this season. They've been plagued by injuries, bullpen woes and a lack of timely hitting.   

Best Case: They right the ship, realize they are only 2.5 games down in a winnable division, get healthy and make a run into the postseason.  They get through at least one playoff season this year. 

Worst Case: They struggle throughout the year, but keep it close enough just to break the lil' Cubbie blue hearts of Cubs fans everywhere.  They spend money to sign aged vet Pedro Martinez, which flops.  And to top it all off, they end the season without completing the sale of the team from the penny pinching Tribune Company. 

Most probable: I think this team still has a reasonable shot of winning the division this season. They have the pieces, they will likely get a few parts back from the DL soon, and may add to the roster at the trade deadline.  I highly doubt they make a run at the World Series this year, and if they make another first round exit, I wonder if it isn't time to blow this team up and try to hit the reset button with some new young prospects.

Minnesota Twins - The Twins sit a few games behind Detroit in the AL Central.  

Best Case: The Twins do have a young, exciting team this season.  If they can add a bullpen arm or two to get them to All Star closer Joe Nathan, they have a chance at winning a few more games down the stretch.  Joe Mauer continues his superhuman hitting and wins both the batting title and MVP.

Worst Case: The team fades, young pitchers can't hold it together in the second half of the season and Detroit walks away with the AL Central. 

Most probable: I'd say this team has about a 50-50 shot of winning the division.  If they do make it into the postseason, they could win a series against Texas or the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but probably not the Yankees or Boston.  At they very least, there should be optimism for Twins fans - they have a young team and a new ballpark opening next season.

Minnesota Vikings - The Vikings were 10-6 last season with two very, very average quarterbacks running the offense.  This offseason, they drafted some rookies that will help right away and are looking to sign future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.  Favre is known for his cannon arm and reckless abandon on the gridiron.  For him to have success with the Vikings he will simply need to stretch the field slightly to keep defenses honest for Minnesota's already strong backfield. 

Best Case: With Favre, a record of 11-5 or a repeat of 10-6 is possible.  Don't put me in the category of Vikings fans worshiping at the alter of Brett quite yet, but I think with a healthy arm he can still play.  The Vikings would have to ask Favre to rely on the run more than he did in the first ten weeks of last season, and in this scenario Percy Harvin - the Vikings new wideout - shreds offenses forces to play up against Minnesota's potent running attack.  Without Favre, I still see as many as 9 wins.  Sidney Rice could become the red zone threat that he has shown himself capable of becoming.  Adrian Peterson could be an MVP candidate.

Worst Case: Brett Favre signs, then re-aggravates his arm and drags the team down by throwing interceptions late in the season.  Vikings lose to Packers in both games, and muster splits with Detroit and Chicago.  They miss the postseason despite sky-high preseason expectations.  

Most probable: This is tough to call.  I think they will sign Favre, boosting both TV ratings and ticket sales.  It will be a two way race for the division between the Bears and Vikings.  Though I like that scenario for the Vikings, they haven't made it to the Super Bowl since I've been alive and they've never won.  

California Golden Bears Football - California has been knocking on the glass ceiling HARD the last few seasons, but they just haven't been able to break through.  Last year they were 9-4 and were rewarded with a trip to the Emerald Bowl in which they defeated Miami in one of the highest rated mid-range bowl games last season.  But let's not pretend that fans of the Golden Bears were perfectly satisfied with the performance.  It seems like every season the Bears, led by coach Jeff Tedford, lose one game they shouldn't and fall to USC.  Pundits have also predicted Oregon to rise to the top of the Pac-10 for the past several seasons, despite falling to Cal in 2006, 2007 and 2008. 

Best Case: Cal could be a BCS bowl contender this season, but they have to limit themselves to just one or two losses - and they can't lose to both USC and Oregon.  Kevin Riley, a junior this season, should be an upgrade over graduating Nate Longshore.  Longshore, despite giving Cal fans some great memories, actually saw his completion percentage decline every season he played.  Running back Jahvid Best stays healthy all season and competes for the Heisman Trophy (something Marshawn Lynch, DeSean Jackson, et. al. couldn't quite do).  

Worst Case: Riley doesn't progress, Best gets nicked up, and the Bears lose to USC, Oregon and Minnesota getting yet another invite to the second place bowl.  

Most probable: I'm optimistic about the Golden Bears this season.  I think they take a step forward and USC takes a step back without newly minted New York Jet Mark Sanchez. The big tests will come early.  Weeks 3-6 could be fantastic or tough (at Minnesota, at Oregon, USC, then at UCLA - a possible letdown game). 

Minnesota Golden Gophers Football: 

Best Case: A repeat of last year's success.  Last year, I was hoping the Gophers would win 4 games after their dismal 2007 season.  Instead, they won 7 games last season and were rewarded with a trip to the Insight Bowl.  They drew a tough matchup in their bowl game (Kansas).  People have, for years, predicted the Gophers would wind up in the lowliest of postseason games - the Motor City Bowl.  Thankfully, they've nearly always managed to squeak into slightly more desirable bowl games.  This season, however, any bowl appearance would be a great finish to a really tough looking schedule.   

Worst Case: 4-8. I see them beating South Dakota State and Air Force for sure, after that it is anyone's guess. 

Most probable: No matter what happens to the Gophers this season on the field, they will be opening up a new stadium, bringing football back to the University of Minnesota campus. That's a plus.  Recruiting will likely improve over the next couple of seasons and the team is loaded with young talent.  

Mauer Power Shirt From Sportscrack

Our friends at Sportscrack have given us a new item to lust after, this fantastic Joe Mauer t-shirt. Check it out here. 

Ever wonder how they choose which uniforms to wear?

Have you ever pondered how baseball teams pick which uniform combination to wear?  The Minneapolis Star Tribune gives us a look inside the Minnesota Twins clubhouse, showing how the starting pitcher selects the uniform combination for the game.  

Check it out here.  

Other teams in the majors have similar methods for picking the uniform for the day.  For the Chicago Cubs, Ryan Dempster tends to wear the home pinstripes or the gray away unis, and Carlos Zambrano chooses the blue alternate tops whether he is pitching home or away.  

Not lining up for that Bengals jersey?!

According to ProFootballTalk.com, Chad Ochocinco's (formerly Chad Johnson) jerseys aren't exactly flying off the shelves.  In fact, they haven't even cracked the top 100 jerseys on NFL.com. Look for that to change if Ochocinco starts racking up huge stats like he did a couple of years ago. We're not exactly surprised that people aren't buying these things.  They look like garbage and are based off some egomaniacal pricks joke that went stale over a year ago.  

Maybe, just maybe, if Reebok hadn't forced him to wear the Johnson jersey at the start of last year these things would sell better.  

Breaking in the bill of a new 5950 hat

While I don't intend to turn this webpage into a blog just about hats, our posts about breaking in New Era 59Fifty caps bring in the greatest number of hits.  I've received a couple of e-mails about how to break and "curve" the bill of caps, so I thought I'd offer a few tips in a simple post.  

As we've discussed before, not everyone likes to curve the bill of their cap.  Some caps, including the official MLB spring training hats, come pre-curved.  But what if you like the look of the official on the field 5950 - but would like to curve the bill just right?  We're here to help. 

I'd like to divide this post up into two sections.  First, I'd like to talk about a product called Perfect Curve.  Then, I'll talk about how you can break in a cap without Perfect Curve.  

Perfect Curve's cap curver is a product I purchased at Lids a couple of years ago.  On sunny days, I like to wear sunglasses with my hat, so I prefer a subtle curve, giving the sunglasses room under the bill.  First I put on the cap and the sunglasses I plan to wear with them.  Then I curve the bill using my hand to the desired position.  Then I adjust the perfect curve to the setting where my bill has been curved.  Leave the hat in the perfect curve for a couple of days, and you're set. 

Without a product like Perfect Curve, you can achieve the desired effect using thick rubber bands.  For an extreme curve (which I used to prefer), I've used cups or mugs and tied rubber bands around the bill.  You'll find curving the bill like this tends to make the dome of the cap stick up less - a common problem for people wearing the 5950. I don't recommend curving the bill more sharply than you intend to wear it.  Instead, be patient, let it sit for a couple of days. 

We've talked about 5950's a lot on this blog.  If it is your first time here, check out these other posts.  Here, here, here, and here.  And don't forget to bookmark our main page.  While you're at it, would you be a doll and visit our sponsors?  We promise to love you forever. 

Top Five Minor League Hats

One of our favorite pastimes is perusing Minor League apparel.  With so many teams to choose from (240 teams are affiliated with the MLB) it is hard not to find team logos that suit your fancy.  Minor league hats offer a way to switch it up from your favorite MLB team logo, or give you a way to just do something a bit different.  Some Minor League hats are a little trickier to find than others - but we've brought together five logos that we love for this post.  I think the rule for making a great minor league logo is to take something that isn't normally that menacing and turn it into something you become a little bit scared of.  We've gone beyond the Cougars, Lions, Tigers and Bears in this post and found some more amusing logos.  

If you're a Milwaukee Brewers fan, you have to check out this Helena Brewers hat.  From my knowledge of watching old western films as a kid, I was surprised to learn they had beer in Montana.  Turns out, they have a lot of beer in Montana. 

The Ceder Rapids Kernal's hat is at once the ugliest and most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life.  Unlike the aforementioned Brewers, I knew they had corn in Iowa.     

I'm straight up in love with this baby blue Myrtle Beach Pelicans hat.  Something about an angry looking, awkward, Pelican just does it for me.  

The Portland Sea Dogs, a AA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, have long had popular minor league hats.  If you're a fan of the city of Portland or of the Red Sox, wearing this lid would be a great way to switch it up a bit.  

And our favorite minor league hat?  Its hard not to like a team with a cowboy raccoon stealing a baseball as its logo.  We will go with the Quad Cities River Bandits.  

Care to dispute our choices?  E-mail us at welldressedsportsfan@gmail.com