JerseyDatabase.com Wiki Contest - With Prizes!

With the release of the new site as well as the new Wiki pages, what better way to get people active than to have a little contest. Starting today there will be a contest where the person with the most entries as of July 1st, 2008 will receive a couple of books (and a great deal of gratitude!)

The contest is open to everyone, all you need to do is start an account on JerseyDatabase.com and start adding information for your favorite teams and players. There will be a list with the standings if you want to know where you rank in the runnings.


The winner will receive a copy of Sports Illustrated 50 Year Anniversary as well as their choice of either The Baseball Book or the The Football Book. All three books are ca. 300 pages long and filled with hundreds of photographs. (See the links to Amazon.com for more information.) Needless to say if you care about sports they'll be of some interest.

For more details see the contest page here.

Best of luck to everyone and thanks for helping make JerseyDatabase.com a better place!


/KP

The Who's Missing Contest - Round 1

I recently received a request for Adam Graves to be added to the database and realized that some how in the course of making about 5,000 NHL jerseys for the jersey database I had completely missed him. Which leads me to realize that there are no doubt plenty of other players who deserve a place that I have also overlooked till now. And hence, this contest...

Your job is to find the most famous/greatest/deserving NHL player that is not yet in any way represented in the database. To enter you need only add your entries to the official contest thread located in the forum on the following page:
Who's Missing Contest Thread

One winner will be chosen from all of the entries that come in (feel free to enter as often as you like) and you are welcome to motivate your choices. The contest will run till March 1st. During the contest I'll try to add as many of the suggestions as I can.

Hopefully this will fill in some of the larger blanks when it comes to the elite of the NHL from the last 90 years - and I know there are some big names missing.

The winner will receive a personal jersey added to the database, a custom addition to their forum profile, their suggestions added to the database as well as a complete roster from the team and year of their choice.

Best of luck, now go out there and track down the missing legends...

IceTime Background Contest Winners

About a month ago there was a contest on the site to promote the new backgrounds that can be used with the IceTime widget. The idea was to create the best looking graphic that would work with the widget and the winner(s) would have their entries added permanently to the next update, some database requests as well as a personal jersey in the database - on top of all that they would also get an unnamed hockey related prize from here in Sweden. (Which I am happy to say will finally be sent off in the coming days.)

As it turned out there were two winners, Keven and Scot, and a congratulations goes out to both of them. (Keven was also so good as to contribute a background for each NHL team as well.) All of the backgrounds can be found in the gallery here.

Thanks guys for your participation and look for the next contest in the near future.

IceTime Background Contest

Time to be creative...
As you may or may not be aware the new version of IceTime allows you to use custom backgrounds for the main games view on the widget. I have added about 15 to a gallery located here on the site. Anyone can have their own available for use by simply mailing them here to the site, at which point they will be posted. (There is some more info available on the gallery page.)

Knowing that many of you out there are creative and good with graphics I thought it would be interesting to have a contest involving these custom backgrounds.

Basically all you have to do is create your own and send them to the site at: hockeywidgets@gmail.com with the subject line: Background Contest and you'll be entered. You can enter as many times as you like and all entries will be made available in the gallery for anyone to use.

The winner will receive: the customary jersey in the database, 20 requests fullfilled (within a reasonable amount of time...), and will also have their entry permanently added to the next update and all subsequent versions of the widget (which you will be given credit for). The winner will also receive an as of yet unreveiled (yet hockey related) gift all the way from up here in Europe's attic.

Contest Rules

As stated feel free to enter as often as you wish, however all entries will be reviewed before being posted to the gallery.

You must submit TWO (2) backgrounds for each entry, one for unplayed games and one for completed games. How you show the difference is up to you.

Copyrighted materials, unless you can prove you own them, are not allowed. This includes all logos and photos.

You can use any program you wish to create your background, however please make sure to save and send them in either .JPG of preferably .PNG format.

Include your name, if you would like it listed in the gallery, and a title for your background to be used.

You don't necessarily have to use the provided templates, however all backgrounds must be 189px wide, by 108px high.

The winner will be selected from all entries received based on: originality, creativity and overall look within the widget itself (in other words how it looks in use).

Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.

The contest will end on December 31st and the winner will be announced on January 1st.

You can use the following basic template to the right or the Photoshop template available by clicking here.

Good luck!

Nr. 10000 Contest Results

There were a number of good suggestions for the jersey to be given the ID nr 10000 (and some strange ones), and seeing as how many of them deserve a place in the database I have made the ones that were possible. Some I unfortunately could find no possible images for, others I had no way of actually creating. If I missed yours let me know and I'll try and add it.

The following are in no particular order:

Sam Malone - Boston Red Sox - 11021
Everyone's favorite bartender, one time Red Sox pitcher, and the owner/part-owner of Cheers. This jersey, numbered 16 with the name, actually hangs framed within Fenway Park.

John Tavares - Buffalo Bandits - 11022
The all time NLL (National Lacrosse League) points leader and the first player to record 500 goals and 500 assists. He is also a mathematics teacher in Mississauga and uncle to John Tavares of the OHL.

Larry Walker - Colorado Rockies - 11024
One of the Rockies greatest outfielders and the first Canadian to win baseball's MVP award. In his career he was selected to the All-Star team 5 times and won 7 golden gloves. He holds pretty much every record for Canadian players in Major League Baseball.

Rogers Hornsby - St. Louis Cardinals - 11025
Perhaps the greatest right-handed hitter in Major League history, Hornsby's 1924 battting average of .424 has still never been surpassed. He was player/manager of the Cardinals when they beat the Yankees in the '26 World Series where he himself made the last out to win....by tagging Babe Ruth in an attempt to steal second. As far as I know he never actually wore a number for the Cardinals, however the number 4 is retired in his name. This jersey is the current Cards home jersey style.

Vince Lombardi - Fordham - 11031
One of the greatest personalites in sports history and a man who's name became synonymous with football. The legend of Vince Lombardi started at Fordham in the Bronx where he wore the number 40.

George Costanza - New York Yankees - 11023
Not sure what to say for this one. If you don't know who George Costanza is and his connection with the Yankees then trying to explain would take too long. People do in fact where Costanza jerseys to Yankees Stadium so...

Harold Snepsts - Vancouver Canucks - 11027
One of the most admired Canucks ever, Snepsts spent 12 seasons in Vancouver. He played over a 1,000 games in the NHL between 1974-1991. He is currently on the Canucks scouting staff.

Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch - LA Rams - 11026
"His crazy legs were gyrating in six different directions, all at the same time; he looked like a demented duck." was the description of Hirsch by a Chicago sportswriter when he was at Wisconsin. He's a member of the NFL Hall of Fame and was key in the Rams winning the 1951 Championship. His 1,495 yards receiving that year stood as a record for almost 20 years.

Gerald Ford - Michigan - 11028
Ford's number 48 was retired in 1994 by the University of Michigan where he was a standout center between 1932-34. Given the chance to go pro he opted for law school at Yale instead. Oh, and he would later become the 38th president of the United States.

Jesse Owens - US Olympc Team - 11029
At one time he was the fastest man alive, he changed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin where he won 4 gold medals.

Hugh "Losing Pitcher" Mulcahy - Philadelphia Phillies - 11030
Given the nickname after having the most losses two seasons in a row, Mulcahy was a pitcher on the Phillies and the first Major League player to be drafted into WWII. He spent 4 years in the service before returning to the team for the 45-46 season. The jersey shown was used by the Phillies between 1942 and 1948 when their official color was black. This was suggested in lieu of the fact that the Phillies became the first professional sports team to record 10,000 losses in the past year. Fitting, but depressing for the Fightin's.

Manon Rheaume - Tampa Bay Lighting - 0590
Famous for being the first woman to get any icetime in the NHL, Rheaume played goal in 2 exhibition games for the Lightning. The first in 92, the second in 93. She won the siver medal with the Canadian women's team in 1998 in Nagano. (This was already in the database, so I couldn't count it.)

Paul "Wrecking" Crewe - The Longest Yard - 6404
The character made famous by Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard, which is actually a pretty good film if you haven't seen it. (This was already in the database, so I couldn't count it.)

Terry Tate - Office Linebacker - 10594
Star of the old Rbk commercials and baddest man you could ever have working in your office. If you've forgotten, then you need to be reminded.

Lance Armstrong - Tour de France - 11032
The only man, and it will probably stay that way for a very long time, to win the Tour de France 7, hence the number on the jersey, times. The obstacles Armstrong would overcome have helped make him a legend in his own time. Perhaps the greatest cyclist ever, by far the most dominant, and one heck of an athlete.

...and the winner

Elgin Fraser - Ottawa Senators - 10000
I don't feel qualified to relate the story behind Elgin Fraser, suffice to say he was the one of the biggest little hockey fans and a friend of the Senators. Ottawa will probably never forget him.

I don't know who it was who suggested Elgin, no name was given. If you are interested in your prize please contact me with the necessary information.

Thanks to everyone who sent in their ideas, look for the next contest at 15,000. (Just around the bend...)

CONTEST: Jersey number 10,000

The contest is over and the winner(s) are listed here.

Some of you may remember that there was a contest a while back when the site hit jersey #5000, well we've doubled that and gone over 10,000 at this point. However, the coveted ID number in the database is still up for grabs. Your job is to pick the individual who should fill the position.

Number 5000 was awarded to Jim Thorpe, which was submitted by Joe, since it stood out among the other submissions for being both original and rather fitting.

The same rules essentially apply for this contest as the last:

The person cannot already be in the database

The person does not specifically have to be an athlete but must have connections to sports

The jersey must include a number of some nature (or similar marking)

No half and half jerseys - I'm trying to avoid these at this point.

So, there you are. Do some thinking and submit your ideas via the comment section below, or via the contact button above.
To be fair - submit no more than three people total.
I will post all of the entries here as they come in. This contest, to give everyone time to consider their choices, will run for one month. That is to say it will end on the 15th of November.

The winner will receive a jersey in the database, 20 requests fulfilled and well, fame, glory, bragging rights, etc. Best of luck to everyone.

Entries so far...

Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch

Ernie Lombardi

Vince Lombardi

Harold Snepts

Lance Armstrong

Rogers Hornsby

Gerald Ford

Jesse Owens

Rudy

Tiger Woods

Hugh "Losing Pitcher" Mulcahy

*Terry Tate "Office Linebacker"

Jack Nicklaus

Lamar Hunt

NBA Finals 2007 Widget (Yahoo!)

This widget was actually made as a prize from this seasons hockey pool over at The Common Fan. The winner, tbbuccaneers80wr, wanted a widget for the NBA finals and so I've done the best I can to accomadate his wishes.

It contains the Finals with times and dates and will be updated with the game results, you can choose one of the two teams (or use the default) skin, it includes a list of all of the previous championships with winners (and losers) by year, as well some basic statistics for both teams from this season.

A couple of other small functions are included, namely your teams jersey in the dock, as well as win/loss graphics if you have selected one of the two teams.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that the Finals start tomorrow, I'm not going to have time to convert this over to Dashboard, so if you have a Mac and are curious you'll have to install Yahoo! Widgets 4 to run it.


CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "NBA FINALS" 384 KB

Congratulations again to tbbuccaneers80wr on winning the hockey pool!

JOTS Contest - Winner

The Longest Yard
After weighing the suggestions given, the winner - based on the longevity of the film and it's relevance even after 25+ years in regards to sports films is ajl917 who suggested The Longest Yard. Even for those who have never seen the film the infamous "Mean Machine" title is probably familiar. The theme of prisoners versus guards in a form of sport has been oft repeated. The film has spawned a recent remake with Adam Sandler, as well as a British version (called "Mean Machine", starring Vinnie Jones and using the other football), and if you want to make the stretch the fim Lock Up, with Sylvester Stalone, is pretty much a direct copy.

Congratulations ajl917, if you want to contact me via the site you'll receive a custom jersey of your choice for the database. Look for the Longest Yard jerseys to be added shortly.

Jerseys on the Screen: Contest

There is a certain mistique with sports jerseys used in films, and occasionally TV shows, and the idea of documenting them is kind of interesting. At the moment the database it sort of lacking in this department, but it is something that I want to include, if for no other reason than for having an existing image gallery of them. The Charlestown Chiefs was a quite obvious one to add, as the team and the jerseys have taken on a life of their own. The same with the Indians from Major League. One obvious hockey jersey that is missing is Youngblood, and I have been meaning to add it as soon as I find an image to go from. But, this is just the tip of the iceberg as sports and films go (occasionally) well together, and often involve entirely made up teams, logos, and players.

Now, as many minds are better than one, I'll ask the simple question: Who am I missing? What fake movie teams and jerseys should be included? Who do you want to see? Who comes to mind? What is in your opinion the best sports jersey used in a film and why?

Submit you ideas and reasonings using the Contact Form located here: The Contact Form, or if you have an account by using the feedback section below. All entries will be posted below, and the best one (based on a democratic process of opinon) will be made and you'll get a personalized jersey in the database as a prize. What it is will be entirely up to you.

So, do some research, rent some films, look for something obscure, find out what number Richard Harris was in This Sporting Life....and let me know what you think. Submit as many as you like. The deadline is: May 24th and the winner will be announced here on the 25th.

Suggestions so far:
- Bad News Bears
- The (actual) Mighty Ducks
- The Sandlot
- Field of Dreams
- The Natural
- Happy Gilmore
- A League of Their Own
- Space Jam
- Dodgeball
- The Waterboy
- The Longest Yard
- The Replacements
- Any Given Sunday
- Friday Night Lights
- Varsity Blues
- Benchwarmers
- Talladega Nights
- Harry Potter
- Little Giants
- Gridiron Gang
- Blue Chips
- The Air Up There
- Air Bud
- Cool Runnings
- Men With Brooms
- Kicking and Screaming
- Glory Road
- Hoosiers
- All the Right Moves
- Gus
- Mr. 3000
- Hardball
- Radio
All the Right moves Gus Radio Hardball Mr. 3000

Nr. 5000 - The winner is...

Jim Thorpe
Thanks to everyone who submitted ideas for number 5000, there were a lot to pick from and some really great suggestions (most of which will end up in the database over time). In the end a decision had to be made and we decided on Jim Thorpe. Congratulations to Joe who sent in the winner!

There are some great biographies written about James "Bright Path" Thorpe, and I suggest, if you aren't already familiar with his history, at least reading up on his accomplishments on either Wikipedia here, or on the official site here. To give you an idea of why Thorpe was selected among the others one need simply look at his legacy in not one particular sport but a number of them. The jersey used for the database is the one he wore at the Carlisle Indian School (Carlisle, PA), where he was twice selected as All-American on the first team. There is some dispute as to what number he wore during his career, some say 21 some say 1, there is also some indication that most of the jerseys he wore had no number. For the database I opted to use the front of the jersey, since it has become somewhat iconic when it comes to Jim Thorpe.

Thorpe excelled at football, and later played in the NFL for both the Cardinals and the Giants (he would also one day be the president of the league), he is a member of both the College Football, and Pro-Football Hall of Fames. In addition to football Thorpe player major and minor league baseball, including stints on the Giants, Reds and Braves. He also played soccer and ran track and field, most famously winning two gold medals at the 1912 Olympics (here in Stockholm), in the decathlon and pentathlon. A feat which the King of Sweden honored him with by saying, "Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world."

If all that wasn't enough he has numerously been awarded the title, Athlete of the Century from ABC's Wide World of Sports. With all that in mind, I humbly award him ID number 5000 in the database.

Help select number 5,000

Thanks to everyone who participated. The winner will be announced later today...Sunday May 6th

The site recently passed a milestone as the database now contains more than 5,000 jerseys to use in conjuncture with the widgets offered here. I did however leave the ID number 5000 open and am looking for ideas for a suitable player to give the honor to.

I'm open to all suggestions, any player, any team and any sport. The only criteria being that they hold some signicance and that the jersey type isn't already in the database. Even the San Diego Chicken and Philly Phanatic* are elgible.

As an incentive, if your suggestion is used, I'll create a jersey in your honor, for any team you want, using whatever name you want. Even your own. This jersey wil be available for use in the widgets and is completely yours to decide on.

Feel free to leave suggestions below or send them to me using the contact form located here: Contact Form. All submissions will be posted here, and the contest (if you can call it that) will run until May 5th. Feel free to submit as many names as you like.

Suggestions so far:

- Lord Stanley of Preston
* George Mikan of the Lakers
- Jack Nicklaus wearing a Masters Green Jacket
* Walt Frazier
- Bo Jackson (Half Royals-Half Raiders)
- Mike Singletary
- Lawrence Taylor
- King James
- Jim Thorpe
- Michael Jordan
- Barbaro
- Mean Joe Green
- The Steel Curtain
- Clyde Drexler
- Connie Hawkins
- Babe Ruth (Boston)
- Baxter (the D-Backs mascot)
- The Gorilla
* Sandy Koufax
- Luis Gonzalez
- Pat Tillman
- Brooks Robinson
* Jim Palmer
- Bert Jones
- James Naismith (the inventor of basketball)
- Jeff Gordon
- Michael Schumacher
- Shoeless Joe Jackson
- Arthur Ashe
- Marcell Dionne (Kings)
- Tony Stewart
- Zach Johnson
- Andre Agassi
- Pete Samprass
- Rafael Nadal
- Gretzky (career jersey)
- Chris Bosh (All-Star)
- Steve Nash (All-Star)
- The Fridge (William Perry)
- Nacho Libre (!)
- Cy Young
- Willie Mays
- Ty Cobb
- Honus Wagner
- Deion Sanders (half Falcon/half Yankees)
- Foster Hewitt
- Steve Nash (half Mavs/half Suns)
- Michael Jordan (half UNC/half Bulls)
- Colleen Howe (Gordie's wife and manager)
- Lester and Frank Patrick
- Herb Brooks
- Conn Smythe
- Hobey Baker
- Joe Malone
- Howie Morenz - first All-Star game
- Larry Wilson
* Roy Hobbs
- L.C. Greenwood
- Brian Piccolo
- Michal Vick
- Ricky Carmichael
- Jeremy McGrath
- James George Aylwin Creighton
* JaMarcus Russell
* Brady Quinn
- Calvin Johnson
- Joe Thomas
- Samkon Gado
- Brett Favre (half Packers/half Falcons)
- Magic Johnson (Michigan State)
- Steve Nash (Santa Clara)
- Steve Nash (St. Michaels College)
- Fernando Alonso
- Lamar Hunt
- Jerry West
- Michael Rozsival
- Alex Kovalev
- Scottie Pippen
- Vince Lombardi
- Gayle Saers
- Emmitt Smith
- Walter Payton
- Cashius Clay
- Lew Alcindor
- Ozzie Smith
- Nolan Ryan
- Carl Hubbard
- Gerald Ford (Michigan)
- Troy Smith
- Sebastian Jenakowski
- Jack Dempsey
- Larry Csonka
- Benny Friedman
- Anakin Skywalker (Good/Evil)
- Howie Long
- Charles Barkley
- Dan Majerle
- Amare Stoudemire (UNLV)
- Shaq (Career)
- Ernie Nevers
- Thierry Henry
- Baggio
- Greg Oden
- Kevin Durant
- Ernie Banks
- George Bush (Yale)
- Eisenhower
- Barry Bonds
- Dale Earnhardt
- Randy Moss (Patriots)


* Now in the database.