neckline in 2000, with a league-wide protocol of CCM appearing on white jerseys (which were s uniform

The top two teams -- the?Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals -- maintained their positions for the fifth straight week in the Power Rankings. Elsewhere in the top 10, the AL comes in with the next four teams but no clear top squad. Despite a solid week, the Texas Rangers slipped a spot to No. 4, with the Toronto Blue Jays moving up to No. 3. The Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox follow at No. 5 and No. 6.Back in the NL, the Los Angeles Dodgers moved ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the NL West and the rankings, climbing to No. 7. The NL West rivals will get a chance to settle things on the field this week in a big three-game series starting Tuesday in L.A. Despite all the injuries to the pitching staff, including the continued absence of Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers have made up 6? games on the Giants since the All-Star break. The Dodgers are just 17-15 since the break, while the Giants are 11-23.This is the first time the Dodgers have been ahead of the Giants in the rankings since Week 6.This weeks voters are Jim Bowden of ESPN Insider, Eric Karabell of ESPN Fantasy, Tim Kurkjian of ESPN, David Schoenfield of the SweetSpot Blog Network/ESPN.com and Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Most of the team comments come courtesy of the SweetSpot Blog Network.Past rankings: Week 19 |?Week 18 |?Week 17 |?Week 16 |?Week 15 |?Week 14 |?Week 13 |?Week 12 |?Week 11 |?Week 10 | ?Week 9 |?Week 8 |?Week 7 |?Week 6 |?Week 5 |?Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason1. Chicago CubsRecord: 78-45 Week 19 ranking: No. 1The Cubs lead the majors with an ERA of 2.89 from their starting pitchers, which is significantly better than that of the second-place Washington Nationals at 3.49. However, the Cubs bullpen ranks 13th in baseball with an ERA of 3.71. With Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop hurting, the bullpen is the one Achilles heel of this team leading up to the postseason. --?Joe Aiello (@VFTB), View from the Bleachers2. Washington NationalsRecord: 73-50 Week 19 ranking: No. 2Anthony Rendon was awful during the first quarter of the season, but since mid-May, he has been hitting .296/.380/.516, including .338/.408/.569 in August. Manager Dusty Baker likes Trea Turner and Jayson Werth at the top of the order, but considering Werth is hitting .210/.310/.360 against right-handers, it makes sense to move Rendon up to the No. 2 spot, at least against RHP.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot3. Toronto Blue JaysRecord: 70-54 Week 19 ranking: No. 5Kevin Pillar (thumb) is expected to return from the disabled list when eligible on Tuesday. Walks have plagued Francisco Liriano this season (5.5 per nine innings as a Pirate), but he has kept them somewhat in check as a Blue Jay, as he has yielded six in 17 2/3 innings.?-- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit4. Texas RangersRecord: 73-52 Week 19 ranking: No. 3After being cut loose by the Houston Astros, Carlos Gomez has signed with the Texas Rangers, presumably to take over left-field duties with Shin-Soo Choo likely out for the season. Texas will hope that Gomez can turn his season around and be valuable for the stretch run to the postseason.?--?Brandon Land (@onestrikeaway), One Strike Away5. Cleveland IndiansRecord: 71-51 Week 19 ranking: No. 4The Tribe keep rolling along, generously helped by rookie Tyler Naquin. His walk-off sacrifice fly on Thursday lifted the Indians over the White Sox for a series win. He topped that Friday with a walk-off, inside-the-park home run to beat the Blue Jays.?--?Susan Petrone, Its Pronounced Lajaway6. Boston Red SoxRecord: 69-54 Week 19 ranking: No. 9The Red Soxs offense leads the majors with 5.51 runs scored per game, far ahead of MLBs second-ranked team (Rockies, at 5.28 R/G) and the second-best in the AL (Indians, at 5.07 R/G). Mookie Betts leads the majors in runs (98) and total bases (291).?-- Ryan P. Morrison (@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona7. Los Angeles DodgersRecord: 68-55 Week 19 ranking: No. 8Clayton Kershaw threw about 25 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday. His next step will be a bullpen session on Tuesday, scheduled for 40 to 45 pitches. Brett Anderson left Saturdays start with a blister on his left index finger. Los Angeles, 38-24 at home, will be home for 12 of its next 16 games.?--?Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit8. San Francisco GiantsRecord:?68-56 Week 19 ranking: No. 6San Francisco snapped a four-game losing streak by taking the first two against the Mets, then fell to New York on Saturday. Heading into Sundays action, the Giants lead over the Dodgers had shrunk to just half a game. The two teams face off in a three-game set this week. -- Jeff Wiser (@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona9. Baltimore OriolesRecord: 67-56 Week 19 ranking: No. 7Could this be when the Os drop out of the playoff race? They are 8-11 in August and cant seem to hit and pitch well at the same time. They lead the Mariners for the second wild-card spot by a game, but theyll need to turn things around in a hurry.?--?Matt Kremnitzer (@mattkremnitzer), Camden Depot10. Seattle MarinersRecord: 66-57 Week 19 ranking: No. 12Seattle continued to make up ground in the wild-card race this week and entered Sunday 10 games over .500 for the first time since May 25. Felix Hernandez was excellent once again Saturday, when he threw eight innings of two-run ball, struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 3.26.?-- Jeff Wiser (@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona11. St. Louis CardinalsRecord: 66-57 Week 19 ranking: No. 10How are the Cardinals third in the majors in home runs? Two keys have been Brandon Moss (.570 slugging) and Jedd Gyorko (.483), who have combined for 43 home runs. Among players with at least 200 at-bats, Moss ranks first and Gyorko fifth in at-bats per home run.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot12. Detroit TigersRecord: 65-59 Week 19 ranking: No. 11Hanging around, hanging around, the Tigers have alligator blood. Their schedule for the remainder of the year puts their fate in their hands, as they alternate between games against losing teams and games against their chief division rivals, the Royals and Indians. If the Tigers finally get hot, winning the AL Central might be easier than catching a wild card.?--?Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers13. Pittsburgh PiratesRecord: 62-59 Week 19 ranking: No. 15Mark who? In the seasons first half, the Pirates bullpen had a 3.70 ERA, which ranked a sturdy fifth in the NL. In the second half, they rank second in the NL with a 2.80 ERA, thanks in large part to former National Felipe Rivero (0.87 ERA), rotation refugee Juan Nicasio (2.49 ERA) and new closer Tony Watson (2.08 ERA). -- Ryan P. Morrison (@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona14. Miami MarlinsRecord: 65-59 Week 19 ranking: No. 14With Carlos Gomez off the board, Miami continues to explore other right-field options, and Jeff Francoeur could be a possibility in a waiver deal. Francoeur would be a right-handed-hitting option to share time with Ichiro Suzuki. Gerardo Parra of the Rockies could be another potential target.?-- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit15. Houston AstrosRecord:?64-60 Week 19 ranking: No. 13Maybe Carlos Correa isnt the MVP candidate, as many picked back in March, but hes on pace for 24 home runs, 82 walks and 112 RBIs, and he ranks 11th in the majors in WAR among position players.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot16. New York YankeesRecord: 63-60 Week 19 ranking: No. 16It was an ugly few days for the pitching staff earlier in the week against Toronto, but the Yankees rebounded to take two of three from the Angels over the weekend. Its hard to tell how much this team is trying to win day to day, but the young players such as Judge, Sanchez and now Chad Green and Luis Cessa?are performing well in the opportunities theyve been given. If the veterans can keep up, this team might actually contend. --?Brad Vietrogoski,?Its About the Money17. New York MetsRecord: 62-62 Week 19 ranking: No. 17Since returning from the disabled list, Yoenis Cespedes is 5-for-13 with three home runs, five RBIs, three runs scored and 15 total bases. By hitting his 40th home run in his 153rd game as a Met, Cespedes became the fastest to reach 40 homers in team history, shattering Carlos Delgados previous record of 175 games.?-- Joe Janish, (@metstoday), MetsToday.com18. Kansas City RoyalsRecord: 64-60 Week 19 ranking: No. 18The Royals have won eight in a row and 13 of 15 to suddenly get back in the wild-card race. The rotation has the second-best ERA in the majors in that span, and Danny Duffy has won 10 straight decisions, which makes him the first Royals starter to do that since Rich Gale in 1980.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot19. Colorado RockiesRecord: 60-64 Week 19 ranking: No. 19Want the definition of a .500 team? The Rockies have a winning record against each MLB team that currently has a losing record (30-26) and a losing record against winning teams (30-38). They also have a losing record against every NL West team except the Diamondbacks, and they have gone 24-26 against the division overall. Still, being near .500 is progress.?--?Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers20. Chicago White SoxRecord:?59-64 Week 19 ranking: No. 20A dismal week for the White Sox saw few highlights, but Chris Sale was on his game once again on Saturday. The Chicago ace threw eight scoreless innings, struck out eight and yielded just three hits against the Athletics. --?Jeff Wiser?(@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona21. Philadelphia PhilliesRecord: 58-67 Week 19 ranking: No. 21Sometimes theyre lights-out, and at other times they get lit up. Although the Phillies pitching staff is tied for the league lead in team shutouts, with 11, it ranks second-worst in the National League in doubles and home runs allowed. --?Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers22. Oakland AthleticsRecord: 53-71 Week 19 ranking: No. 22Kendall Gravemans past 13 starts: 7-2, 3.15 ERA, .248 average allowed, 14 walks, seven home runs. No, thats not as valuable as Josh Donaldson, but its something!?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot23. Milwaukee BrewersRecord: 53-70 Week 19 ranking:?No. 23The Brewers have struggled as of late and just lost their third consecutive series. One bright spot in the lineup is Keon Broxton. Since he was recalled on July 25, the outfielder has gone 24-56 with five doubles, one triple, three home runs and 11 RBIs through Aug. 20.?-- Gabe Stoltz (@Stoltzy3), Disciples of Uecker24. San Diego PadresRecord: 53-71 Week 19 ranking: No. 24Rookie third baseman Patrick Kivlehan became the fifth Padre to homer in his major league debut when he connected for a 464-foot bomb on Saturday. San Diego hopes that?Tyson Ross can return to make three or four starts before the end of the season.?-- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit25. Los Angeles AngelsRecord: 52-72 Week 19 ranking: No. 25The clubs 11-game losing streak tied the franchise record for futility set three times previously (1972, 1992, 1999). The Angels are 20 games under .500 for the first time since 1999.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot26. Tampa Bay RaysRecord: 52-70 Week 19 ranking: No. 26By playing a game over .500 since the All-Star break, the Rays have done a great job of assuaging concerns that they are tanking. Unfortunately, these wins have clouded their chances of a top-five pick, which seemed like a lock just a month ago. --?Jason?Hanselman?(@sandykazmir), The Process Report27. Arizona DiamondbacksRecord: 51-73 Week 19 ranking: No. 27After a seven-inning gem Saturday in which he struck out 13 while yielding just one hit and one walk, Robbie Rays K/9 for the season stands at 11.19. The rest of the D-backs rotation has combined for a 7.37 K/9 this year.?--?Ryan P. Morrison?(@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona28. Cincinnati RedsRecord:?53-70 Week 19 ranking: No. 28Break up the Reds! Cincinnati is 21-13 since the All-Star break and had won five in a row before Sunday. The Reds now have a winning record at home this season. In addition, Joey Votto has been the best hitter on the planet, with a .451/.552/.699 line in the second half.?--?Chad Dotson (@dotsonc), Redleg Nation29. Minnesota TwinsRecord: 49-75 Week 19 ranking: No. 29Against the defending champs, the Twins have stood no chance. After dropping four straight in Kansas City, Minnesota is now 2-11 against the Royals this year. -- Nick Nelson (@NickNelsonMN), Twins Daily30. Atlanta BravesRecord: 45-79 Week 19 ranking:?No. 30Its hard to Dansby get excited Dansby about a team Dansby such as the Braves Dansby that has Dansby lost seven in Dansby a row. When the Braves play the Diamondbacks this week, there is a chance that Arizona will start?Shelby Miller, and facing him in the Braves lineup could be every player he was traded for:?Aaron Blair, Ender Inciarte and one other guy.?-- Martin Gandy (@gondeee), Chop County Phil Simms Youth Jersey . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). Eli Manning Womens Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. http://www.authenticnygiantspro.com/Harry-carson-giants-jersey/ . The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. Doug Kotar Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Dexter Lawrence Giants Jersey . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". As you may have noticed during the early rounds of the MLB postseason, MLB game caps are now featuring the logo of their manufacturer, New Era. Thats part of a new arrangement that will carry over to next season, when the New Era mark becomes a permanent fixture on MLB headwear.The New Era makers mark is the latest development in the relentless proliferation of manufacturers logos on pro sports uniforms over the past 35 years or so. That trend has been driven by several interrelated factors:? Its hard to remember this, but retail jersey sales barely existed a generation ago. Uniforms were worn only by the players in those days. But with fans now purchasing huge numbers of jerseys and caps, manufacturers want their logos to be showcased on all that merchandise.? For many decades, teams in the various pro sports leagues negotiated their own deals with the uniform outfitters of their choice. More recently, league-wide contracts with a single outfitter for the entire sport have become the norm. This has been done in large part to streamline the merchandising process (its much easier for retailers to order everything from one supplier instead of a hodgepodge of different outlets), but it has also led to a stronger brand presence for the league-affiliated outfitters.? The legacy sportswear companies that used to dominate the uniform market -- firms such as Rawlings, Wilson and Spalding -- were strictly in the sporting goods business. Their products were sold at sporting goods outlets, period. But todays uniform giants -- Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and the like -- are lifestyle brands that compete in the larger world of fashion and apparel retailing. Branding is a serious part of how they mark their territory. (Interestingly, New Era is a good example of both approaches. The company can trace it roots back to the 1920s and for many decades was simply in the business of making caps for sports teams. It has more recently repositioned itself as a lifestyle and fashion brand that caters to a wide range of consumers, many of whom arent even interested in sports.)? Branding and logos have generally assumed a much higher profile throughout the consumer landscape over the past several decades. When viewed in that perspective, the increase of makers marks on sports uniforms is really just part of a larger trend.But how did that trend develop on MLB uniforms? The basic protocol for many years was that makers marks didnt appear on team-issued uniform components (caps, jerseys, pants, stirrups) but usually appeared on player-selected equipment (gloves, cleats, catchers gear, wristbands). Batting helmets, which occupied a middle ground between uniforms and equipment, carried the ABC logo during this period.Things began changing in 1987, when Rawlings became MLBs preferred uniform supplier. If a team was contracted with Rawlings for on-field uniforms, then the Rawlings script appeared at the base of the right sleeve, says Bill Henderson, author of the authoritative Game Worn Guide to MLB Jerseys. According to Henderson, at least five teams -- the Angels, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Tigers and Yankees -- were not working with Rawlings at that time, plus some Rawlings-affiliated teams were reusing older non-Rawlings uniforms from previous seasons. So while the Rawlings script was the first makers mark to appear on MLB uniforms, it wasnt universal.The Rawlings logo had pride of place on MLB sleeves until 1992, when Russell Athletic took over as MLBs preferred uniform supplier. Teams were still cutting their own uniform deals and were not required to use Russell, but Russell-affiliated teams wore the companys logo.Russells exclusive arrangement lasted until 2000, which marked the beginning of a five-year transitional period. From 2000 through 2004, three different companies had their logos appearing on MLB sleeves: Russell, Rawlings (now using a stylized R, rather than the full script), and, for the first time, Majestic Athletic. Majestic took over as MLBs first exclusive uniform outfitter 2005, and all uniforms have worn the Majestic logo -- not just on sleeves but also above the back-left pants pocket -- since then.(One exception to all of this: The Yankees have never worn any makers mark on their uniforms. Why? Because they believe -- correctly, in the opinion of a certain uniform columnist -- that a teams uniform should just represent the team, period.)Meanwhile, makers marks have spread to other parts of the uniform. Nike became MLBs base-layer supplier in 2010, and the companys familiar logo has become a fixture on MLB undershirt collars over the past seven seasons, peeking out from behind the top of the jersey. For better or worse, its a devastatingly effective piece of logo positioning. In fact, many fans mistakenly think Nike makes MLB uniforms, because the undershirt logo is so much more visible than the Majestic mark on the sleeves. The only drawback for Nike has been that some players who have shoe deals or other endorsement contracts with rival companies have taken a pair of scissors and removed the Nike mark from their undershirt collars.And then there are socks. Of course, most of todays players still wear their pants down to their shoetops, so theeir socks arent even visible.ddddddddddddBut about 15 to 20 percent of players currently go high-cuffed (that figure is the result of an admittedly unscientific Uni Watch research project), and most of them are now wearing socks made by Stance, which became MLBs first official sock provider earlier this year. Teams have been using a mix of old sock inventory and new Stance hosiery over the past few months, but the Stance socks are easy to spot -- they have the Stance logo, as well as the MLB logo, although both marks just look like little dots or splotches from a distance.So with the New Era mark having now been added to the caps, a given MLB player may be wearing four different corporate logos on his uniform -- New Era, Majestic, Nike, Stance -- in addition to the various manufacturers marks on his shoes, batting gloves, wristbands and other accessories. The last outliers: batting helmets, which are made by Rawlings but dont carry a makers mark -- yet.And what about the other major pro sports? Heres a quick league-by-league summary:NFL: All NFL jerseys and pants currently feature the Nike logo, but it hasnt always been that way. NFL clubs cut their own deals with uniform manufacturers for years. According to the Gridiron Uniform Database, the definitive guide to pro football uniform history, the first NFL team to wear a makers mark was the 1985 Jets, who wore the Champion logo on their sleeves.Other companies took notice and decided to showcase their logos as well. By 2000, the marks of at least a dozen brands -- Adidas, Apex, Champion, Logo Athletic, MacGregor, Nike, Puma, Reebok, Russell Athletic, Starter, Wilson and Wilson Staff (yes, the golf brand) -- had appeared on NFL sleeves.The NFL put an end to that free-for-all by signing an exclusive deal with Reebok, whose logo was featured on the leagues uniforms from 2002 through 2011. Nike took over in 2012 and will remain as the leagues supplier through at least 2019.Makers marks have disappeared, however, from NFL helmets. At one point various brands used to put their logos on the helmets nose bumper (thats the little white panel at the base of the helmets forehead area), and then the NFL inked a deal that allowed only the Riddell logo to appear there. But after the 2013 season, the league announced that helmet manufacturers marks would no longer be permitted. Most clubs now put a team logo on the nose bumper, while Kansas City and Washington leave them blank.NBA: The history of makers marks on NBA game uniforms is simple: Theyve never had any. Former commissioner David Stern believed in the primacy of the team brands and didnt want anything competing with them, so no uniform outfitter has ever had its logo on an NBA uniform -- well, at least in games that count. The Adidas logo has appeared on NBA All-Star Game uniforms since 2009.Things will change next fall, when Nike takes over the leagues uniform contract for the 2017-18 season. The Nike logo will appear on game jerseys (and so will advertising patches, but thats another topic for another day).NHL: The NHL was ahead of the curve here, with the logos of assorted jersey manufacturers and lettering shops appearing on jersey hemlines as far back as the late 1970s.Lots of other companies and shops were represented on NHL jersey hemlines in the early 1980s, including Eastside Sports, CCM, Gerry Cosby, Gunzos, Steichens, Nike and others.When Nike was outfitting the Oilers, the makers mark on Wayne Gretzkys jersey was famously moved from the right-side hemline to the left, so that it would still be visible despite the Great Ones habit of tucking in the right side of his jersey. Manufacturers simply but the logos on both sides of his hemline when he later played for the Kings, Blues and Rangers.NHL makers marks moved from the shirttail to the rear neckline in 2000, with a league-wide protocol of CCM appearing on white jerseys (which were still being worn at home at that point) and the Koho logo displayed on dark or colored jerseys:Reebok took over the leagues uniform contract beginning in 2005, and its branding has appeared on the rear neckline since then -- first as a logo (2005-06 through 2010-11) and then as a wordmark (2011-12 through the current season).Reeboks NHL deal will expire at the end of this season, with Adidas poised to take over as the leagues outfitter beginning in the 2017-18, so well be seeing a new makers mark one year from now.(Special thanks to Trevor Alexander, Mike Engle, Chris Creamer, Andrew Greenstein, Bill Henderson, and Bill Schaefer for their research assistance.)Would you like to nominate a uniform or uni element to be showcased in a future Friday Flashback installment? Send your suggestions here.Paul Lukas hates the Yankees but loves their steadfast refusal to wear a makers mark. If you like this column, youll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, be added to his mailing list so youll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask him a question? Contact him here. ' ' '