The Ultimate Jersey Database...is coming :D

[slimcutta]

Hello fellow hobby enthusiasts,

Ive been wanting to see an Ultimate Jersey Database come to life for a while now, so Ive decided to create one. Id certainly appreciate your help, but I feel I need to clarify some points before I get to the project at hand.

The notion that Im hoarding information to try and profit

Recently, as Im sure most of you are aware, a long-time collector and pens expert, Casey Samuelson (with one s) accused me of only trying to capitalize by not sharing more information on my website, stating that hes had a great website up for years with tons of info and pics.

First off, please let me make this clear: This is NOT about some vendetta, and I have ZERO intention of ever disputing anything with Casey again.

As many of you recall, I used to post full detailed write-ups (with pics and vids), and in the Deals and Steals and ebay threads - back when I was scouring 24/7 - I used to post links all the time to share with the forum, but I was often criticized for sharing too much info, as I was giving away everyones best kept secrets, but I digress.

Back on point - when I first released the book and created my website, I uploaded a large collection of pictures of jerseys, including game photos (as reference) that Ive collected over the years from as many sources as I could find. I was hopeful to further develop the site to include tables similar to what I put in the first book, and start building a database for everyone to access.

For those who havent seen the page (note that itll only be kept up temporarily) -
http://thejerseybook.com/the-collection/

Then people started checking out the site, and this was posted over on gameworn.us
http://gameworn.us/forum/forum/main-category/hobby-discussion/5914-the-jersey-book-the-history-of-the-nhl-hockey-jersey-1983-1993

LOOKS GOOD !!!

MUST BE AUTHENTICS !!!

THE 2 PATCH WENDEL JERSEY IS DEFINITELY NOT MINE AND LOOKS BRAND NEW !!!
BUT THE GAME PICTURES ARE OF MY SHIRT, UNFORTUNATELY THEY ARE GRAIG ABEL'S IMAGES !!!
I HOPE THE AUTHOR RECEIVED PERMISSION FROM GRAIG TO USE HIS PHOTOS ???
I HAD TO PURCHASE THEM, DID THE AUTHOR ???

And I also received some emails and PMs from certain folks who were less than impressed with my endeavor.
So I took down the fan zone, and resigned myself to not putting in the effort. No good deed goes unpunished, it would seem. Naw, thats too bleeding heart and cliché, lol. I just decided to focus my energy elsewhere.

Then last week, I get this:
(timestamps missing cause I cant quote a locked threadjust easier)

For years I've operated a FREE website with hundreds of photos of Penguins game worn jerseys covering far more than 10 years and 757 pictures. It's a site that I'm sure you've used yourself numerous times.

Why didn't you publish your book information for free? Why make a book and charge collectors for the information?

I don't think all authors should give their work away for free. Far from it. I'm merely asking Chris why he didn't post his reference book for free on the Internet like I posted the hundreds of Penguins jersey photos that were on my site for all collectors to reference?

You continue to not answer the question, Chris. Why didn't you make your reference book material available on a free website?

and in response to me asking why the HOF released a book about jerseys if they can merely put it on their website -

The Hockey Hall of Fame puts TONS of free information and photos on their website. Check out the Legends Spotlight and Photo Galleries sections...they have TONS of jersey and game used photos.

www.hhof.com

So to answer your question, Casey, I was sharing and I did post pictures of everything, for free. As a matter of fact, I had full intentions of building up that database much bigger, and as best possible.

But dont worry, the database is coming!

[slimcutta]

Clarification regarding the first book

When it was first released, as many of you recall, Casey Samuelson (surprise surprise), accused me of stealing his pictures and using them in the first book.

Since these are pretty serious accusations, I had no choice but to respond by clarifying and posting a disclaimer -
http://gameworn.us/forum/forum/main-category/hobby-discussion/5914-the-jersey-book-the-history-of-the-nhl-hockey-jersey-1983-1993

DISCLAIMER (please read)

“Seeing as I’ve already been accused of using someone else's pictures, let me make this perfectly clear to everyone (and please spread the word)

The photos in this book are of jerseys from the author’s personal collection. Except where indicated, ALL the photos in this book were taken by the author.

Further, I previously had 6 fellow collectors supply some pictures of patches and crests (that I already had) because I wanted to give them some credit in the book, but I’ve since removed all of them except for one. On page 112, Rob Clark (Rob77ta) supplied a picture of a ’91-92 Flyers All-Star patch, and has given me permission to use it. It’s the only patch displayed that I wasn’t able to obtain on my own, and since it complements the page so nicely, I decided to keep it in there, and (of course) gave Rob full credit in the footer on the page. So if anyone else wants to file a lawsuit, don’t be surprised if I countersue for a bajillion dollars.

I started out by consulting with copyright lawyers to ensure I was doing things right, so Rob’s face is the only one I expect to see in court…ironically, for unrelated charges.”

The irony of course is that last week, Casey - who thought they were stolen pics of his gamers - posted the following -

If you feel validated because you wrote a book about replicas and seemingly became some authority in replica authentics, that's fine.

When's the next overpriced replica authentic book coming out?

Is your book 100% accurate?

I wouldn't buy your book if it was $0.01 on Amazon as a former library copy.

So he thinks they're his stolen pictures, but also thinks they’re replica jerseys, and, by his own admission, Casey’s never even read the book. Talk about judging a book by its cover!

So I responded, again taking the opportunity to clarify -

The truth is, I collected a crap ton of gamers to try and fill the voids, and where I couldn’t, I asked for other collectors’ help, some of which actually mailed me their jerseys just so I could take pics. I solicited information, fact-checked with tons of other collectors, and put together a pretty good piece of work (if I do say so myself) using 100% authentic game jerseys, whether they were game worn or not. There are only two replica patches; the ’83 Universiade, and the 150 Toronto patch, and NO replica jerseys in the book. Other than those two patches, everything is 100% authentic and/or game worn. But no matter how hard you try, no matter what your motives and intentions are, there’s always some jealous a-hole out there like you who’s got nothing better to do but hate.

As far as the price, I’ve received a lot of feedback, and yes, a lot of folks think it’s expensive. And rightfully so, because it is!

Unfortunately I’m not signed to a large publisher who’s fronting the bill, or who has mass distribution, or who can print in China. This venture is literally a grassroots project, and since we’re going down that road, do you have any idea what it costs to print a hardcover glossy 164 page book?
Challenge on, Casey - why don’t you write a Penguins book, go down to your local printer, and put your money where your mouth is?

Because that’s exactly what I did - I’m the one who spent the time/effort, and I’m the one who’s actively putting my money where my mouth is. I’ve only sold half of the 1,000 books I ordered, and I’m still well in the red. As a matter of fact, after I pay my production assistant, and figure out taxes and all related expenses, I don’t stand to profit from this venture.

If I could have sold this book for half the price and broken even, I would have, but that’s just not the reality.

[slimcutta]

Getting to the point of all this

And thanks for bearing with me

I’m writing this to be as forthright and proactive as possible, and to avoid any further false speculation/assumptions, and more importantly, any future false accusations about me, my books, and my intentions in this lovely hobby of ours.

First and foremost, this is not about Casey and I feuding.

I have nothing but respect for any collector who takes the time to share their collections and information with the rest of the collecting universe, including Casey. The fact that he continues to attack me for no reason, and made this personal, is incidental.

Casey’s site, predatorsarchives, orangeandblack, pensjerseys, steelcitygamers, capsjerseys, and the list goes on and on and on, are all amazing! And for the most part, we all know who we are.

And then there’s all the flicr, photobucket, fotki albums, etc, all the facebook groups (public and private), and also all the forums, where guys like LAK74 ‘Duane Wayne’ answers every question possible, and guys like Derek Whitaker endeavor to create and promote a bigger/better community of collectors. And who doesn’t love reading thirdstringgoalie’s jersey of the day blog?

No matter who the person or how they’re contributing, you ALL deserve credit for your efforts, and the jersey collecting universe is a better place whenever anyone contributes in a positive manner.

It’s unfortunate, It down right sucks that some people are going to hate no matter what, and it can be demoralizing, but I’m quickly recognizing that if I’m going to achieving anything, I shouldn’t let the haters get in the way. It’s just wasted energy that could be put to better use elsewhere, and what better place than actually trying to build a better/tighter, and more resourceful community?

I know, let’s build a database together!!!

The first book and the Sens book

Despite the hate and accusations of stealing pictures, not giving information for free, and merely trying to profit from the book, the purpose of the book isn’t to sell the information. It’s to tell a story, and in this case, the story of the evolution of the NHL hockey jersey during a very pivotal time period. The same way the next generation tells a completely different story.

For those of you who’ve actually read the first book, you can attest to what it is, and I can only hope that you appreciate the time and effort I put into it, and more importantly, the story of the teams, the players, and the jerseys.

This is why I wrote the first book, and a few examples of why I’ll continue to write them:

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If that’s lost on Casey, or anyone else for that matter, it’s simple - don’t buy the book.

[slimcutta]

As some of you are aware, I recently teamed up with a few local collectors and memorabilia guys, including Ryan Plue, Marc Gratton, Jon Rouleau, Kevin Lee, and Chris Mustakas, and of course my friend and production assistant, Hillary Chaiton, to bring Ottawa the history of the Sens jersey -

http://thejerseybook.com/the-book/sensbook/

More than just the history and evolution of the jersey, it’s the complete bible for all things Senators, including the original ‘Bring Back The Senators’ campaign, season by season summaries, team records and stats, fun facts, Alfie Trivia, player write-ups including Sens and career stats, franchise leaders and captains, minor league affiliates, and even a section dedicated to (and I’m hoping to contribute to) Roger’s House, here in Ottawa at the CHEO.

http://www.rogershouse.ca/en/

To celebrate their 25^th anniversary next season, we plan on offering the Senators their bible.

The experience of writing the Sens book, and all the guys who came forward to offer their help and expertise, has been a lot of fun, and it reminded me why I love this hobby in the first place.

It’s also encouraged me to rethink my approach to ’94-04.

The Ultimate Jersey Database and the 1994-04 iteration of the book

Over the next coming months, I’ll be creating a one-stop resource on my site.

I’m going to create full tables for each team, and cover as big a time period as possible. For every year, for every team, for every jersey, for every tag, for every patch, once I’ve confirmed the information, I’ll add the details and links to actual examples.

On gameworn.us, Arpad already commented that I should have consulted the experts on the first book -

“A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER...
HAD THE AUTHOR CONTACTED THE EXPERTS OF THE TEAMS,
I AM SURE THAT NO ADDENDUMS WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR THE BOOK!”

For the most part, I did my best to consult as many resources as possible for the first book, but *IF* Arpad and others weren’t happy because they feel they should have been consulted…well, here’s your chance.

I’m going to create an online form for ANYONE to fill out if they wish to contribute to the project. It’ll include as much detail as possible so that we can map out as much jersey history as possible, and I’ll ensure I give full credit to anyone who submits to the project.

As a matter of fact, if you’ve already got a site, photo album, (whatever resource), even better. I can simply point directly to you.

Along that same vain, I’ll also be creating a section dedicated to linking to each and everyone in the hobby who wants their site shared on thejerseybook.com. A ‘Links’ or ‘Partners’ section has been on my to-do list for a while now.

Once set up, the resource will be fully accessible for anyone to use, and I’ll do my best to ensure it’s mobile friendly, so that we can all use it while on the go, and as quickly as possible

As far as the next book goes, I’ve already reached out to some of you, and I’m really impressed and encouraged by how many of you came forward on your own to offer your help.

Once I’ve figured out the Sens book, and I’ve got the website database up and running, I’ll be refocusing on working on 1994-04. If anyone wants to be part of the project, you’re more than welcome. If not, no worries.

Similarly, if anyone wants to work on dedicated books (like the Sens book), to tell the story of your team’s jerseys, players, and franchise evolution, I’d be more than happy to work with you.

Heck, picture a Casey, Paul, EBarr, pens collaboration book and how awesome that would be!

But that’s up to you now.

If you want to help me create the ultimate online jersey database, or you’d like to see your collections featured in a dedicated jersey history book, here’s your opportunity to do so.

If you’re not interested, no problem, just please respect what the rest of us are trying to accomplish, and keep your negativity to yourself.

I’ll unlock this thread once things are ready to go, and those who’re interested in contributing can reply then

http://thejerseybook.com/the-database/

Thanks

- Chris