IHOP MLB NFL NBA ABA NHL Team Placemats

In addition to NFL Helmets and NFL Magnets, The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) also offered team placemats from all four major sports leagues which were used to not only promote the local professional sports team, but also promote the local IHOPs in the area as well.

Lets take a look at the examples I've been able to find.

Major League Baseball:


Based on the fact that this placemat honors the 1969 World Champion Mets, I think its most likely that these would have been found in IHOPs in 1970.




I like the fact that they added "This IS Next Year" on the Cubs place mat:


I came across another version of the placemat that features color photos:


I think this version of the placemat is from 1969 as it features Dick Selma who pitched for the Cubs in 1969, but played for the Phillies in 1970. Here is another example of this version where someone was able to get some player autographs:







While the placemat above shows that LA had a ton of IHOPs, the Phillies placemat shows that Philadelphia only had 2:




NFL:


Its interesting that while IHOP and the NFL partnered together on other promotions during the 1970s which allowed IHOP to use NFL logos, for these 1970 placemats, they only had the license from the Players Association so the uniform on the placemat is somewhat generic.



NBA:






There were even placemats for ABA teams:



NHL:


I am sure there are a number of other team placemats besides the ones I've been able to find, but obviously most of these didn't survive, so they don't seem to show up for sale very often.

One of the Coolest Jersey Tags of All Time - Brooks Robinson Sporting Goods

After my recent post about the Orioles 1971 -1972 Orange Uniforms, ESPN writer / Uni Watch blogger / clothing label aficionado Paul Lukas sent me this amazing picture of the tag that would have been found on those uniforms :


I really like the Orioles original logo on the top left and #5 himself on the bottom right.

As mentioned in Bill Henderson's MLB Game Worn Jerseys of the Double-Knit Era, the Orange Uniform was produced by Powers Manufacturing and sold to the Orioles by Brooks Robinson Sporting Goods.


The interesting thing about the picture of the tag / label is that it actually comes from another very rare uniform - the Baltimore Claws ABA team according to the person who sent the picture to Paul.

In 1975 the Memphis Sounds moved to Baltimore, where they were going to be called the Hustlers, but then were renamed the Claws. The team only played 3 exhibition games in the Fall of 1975 before the team folded due to financial troubles. Remember the ABA has a detailed account of the teams short history if you'd like to learn more.

The jerseys they wore during those exhibition games were simply their old Memphis Sounds jeresys with "Claws" sewn over "Sounds" as clearly seen in the picture below:



Even though they only played 3 preseason games, the uniform did make the cover of Sports Illustrated (from the same game shown pictured above):


Lets pan out a little and get a better look:


Since these are the old Memphis Sounds jerseys, the tag did not come from these preseason jerseys. The tag comes from a prototype jersey pictured on the Remember the ABA site:


Its almost impossible to see any detail, but the white tag at the bottom of the jersey appears to be the same as the image that Paul sent.

Getting back to Brooks Robinson Sporting Goods, it looks like they also produced "souvenir" jerseys as these pictures from Hunt Auctions show:



Unfortunately the scans are small, but it does look like these jerseys are carrying the Brooks Robinson label.

Another great item that was included in this auction was a Brooks Robinson Sporting Goods jacket:


I would love to have that jacket!

Unfortunately for Brooks, the Sporting Goods business was not good to him. Of course it didn't help that the Orioles shelved the Halloween uniforms and the Claws never did need any jerseys, but in the end, the Sporting Goods company almost drove him to bankruptcy.

According to this sidebar item in the March 23, 2009 Sports Illustrated about athletes going broke, Brooks was on the verge of bankruptcy due to his investments in the sporting goods company

and a restaurant


before he became a partner with Ron Shapiro at Professional Management Associates, as mentioned in this Info World article from December 1981:


Unfortunately Brooks Robinson's Sporting Goods company is no longer in business, but they sure did come up with some great (and extremely rare!) items.

Thanks again to Paul for passing along this great looking label!

UPDATE: According to the comments below from Bruce Genther who was the uniform designer and art director for Brooks Robinson Sporting Goods, the maroon Baltimore jersey pictured above was actually a road jersey for the University of Baltimore, not the Baltimore Claws, which means that the tag pictured at the top of the post is most likely from a University of Baltimore jersey, not a Claws jersey.

Bruce - thanks for setting the record straight!

Dr. J Playing for the Atlanta Hawks and Other Interesting Basketball Pics fromThe Topps Vault

The Topps Vault continues to deliver some great photos. Currently up for auction is a picture of Dr. J in an Atlanta Hawks uniform:


After playing for the Virgina Squires in the ABA in 1971, Julius Erving was eligible for the NBA draft in 1972 (as that is when his college class would have graduated and he would have been considered eligble by NBA rules at the time). He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks (where he would have teamed up with Kareem Abdul-Jabar), but instead signed with the Atlanta Hawks (where he was teamed with Pete Maravich). Dr. J attended the Hawks preseason camp and played 3 exhibition games before having to return to the Virgina Squires due to a legal injunction. Since he was only on the Hawks a short time, there are not many photos of him on the Hawks which is why this Topps photo is such a great shot.

Fortunately for the ABA, Erving was forced to return to the league were he became a superstar and ultimately helped bring about the ABA-NBA merger. Had Dr. J been allowed to go to the NBA, its interesting to wonder whether the merger ever would have happened, or if the ABA would have simply faded away without the attention that he brought to the league.

Speaking of the Squires, here is a picture of Dr. J on the Squires with their pinstriped warmup pants:


While on the Squires in 1972, Dr. J played with The Iceman George Gervin


before Gervin joined the Spurs


While we are taking a look at some old ABA photos, it doesn't get any more '70s than this:

James Silas

While the ABA had style and flash, the NBA was seen as the more boring league:


This shot of Keith Erickson of the Lakers looks like he's practicing in his undershirt and boxers. I guess Keith didn't get the memo about picture day.

One of the interesting things about looking through the Basketball photos is that very few seem to be actually taken on a basketball court. Perhaps it was due to the lighting, but it looks like the Topps photographers would simply have guys pose in a basement

Baily Howell

or in a hallway

Norman Van Lier

or go outside

Skeeter Swift

I especially like this picture of Cazzie Russell dribbling on the grass:



To wrap up today's look at some great photos that have been hidden in the Topps Vault, here is a picture of The Logo Jerry West actually on a court, but against a white backdrop:


Keep these great pictures coming Topps!

1973-74 Topps Basketball NBA & ABA Team Stickers

Topps issued a second set of Basketball team logo stickers in the 1970's as an insert in the 1973-74 set:


The stickers feature a team logo sticker as well as a smaller sticker with a team pennant.

Even though there were 27 NBA & ABA teams at the time, there are 33 different stickers in the set as 6 team logos can be found with pennant variations.

Here is the complete set including the 6 variations:

(the blank space is for the Utah Stars shown at the top of the post which I'm still trying to track down for my collection)

I really like this set as it is a great way to see the logos of many of the ABA teams that did not make it past the NBA / ABA merger in 1976. This is one of the few places you can see logos for teams like the Carolina Cougars, the Kentucky Colonels, the Memphis Tams, the San Diego Conquistadors (or "Q's"), the Utah Stars, and the Virginia Squires that helped make the ABA an exciting upstart league that eventually was able to rival the NBA and ultimately forced a merger.

Just like the NFL's aversion to expansion in the late 1950's led to the formation of the AFL, the NBA was not seeking to expand in the late 1960's which led to the birth of the ABA.

In a number of ways the histories of the ABA and the AFL are very similar. Both were formed by groups frustrated at not being able to get a franchise, both had a similar number of seasons before being merged into the older leagues (AFL 10 years, ABA 9 years) and both brought a more wide open style of play. Both also had a mega star which helped give the leagues their identities and credibility:

AFL:



ABA:


One of the few differences is that while all AFL teams were included in the merger with the NFL, only 4 ABA teams were able to join the NBA with the other teams having to fold. Its a shame that all of the ABA teams could not have joined the NBA, but given how many of these teams were struggling financially, the NBA was not eager to bring in franchises that were in trouble.

For a great look back at the exciting days of the ABA, I highly recommend Remember The ABA.com.

Getting back to the Topps set, the insert stickers were mentioned on the wrapper:


And finally, here is a look at a few cards from the set:


Unfortunately 1973-74 was the last time that Topps would issue Basketball team logo stickers.