I love the quality and old school feel of Winning Streak Sports felt-wool pennants and banners.  The “Dynasty” collection is my favorite, and every time a new champion is crowned, a new championship year must be added to a teams banner.  With the Yankees, Lakers, and Crimson Tide adding titles recently, room on their banners is getting sparse indeed!  Check out the updated banners below…

CATCHIN' UP BOSTON!

HAWKS IN THE BLACK

HO HUM, ANOTHER ONE

ROLL OUT ANOTHER

HOORAY 4 COACH K.

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No, the World Series is definitely in New York tonight, and the American League representative is not the Indians.  The phrase “Hello Cleveland!” made popular in the 1982 classic rock spoof Spinal Tap comes to mind however, with former Indian and 2008 Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee, facing off against ex-Indian teammate & very good friend, 2008 Cy Young award winner CC Sabathia (Indians GM Mark Shapiro will surely be scratching his head tonight, IF he even watches the game).   Sabathia was so overpowering for the Yankees in the ALCS,  that he beat out the extremely hot and new Mr. October for the MVP award.

YANKEES WON'T FOLD

Of course the new Mr. October, Alex Rodriguez, has put A-Fraud and A-Frown behind him, and will need to stay A-Hot to keep the defending champion Phillies from becoming the first National League team to win back to back series since the Big Red Machine of the seventies.

Both teams are stacked with the bat from top to bottom, but I am going to give the edge to the Phillies for the series.   Howard, Utley, Rollins, Ibanez, Victorino, Ruiz and Werth…Ay, Carumba!   Until you get to the pitcher, there is just simply no breathing room, and they’ll probably trot out the Philly Fanatic to DH for game one tonight too.

But isn’t it the pitching that always matters most in a World Series?   Gotta go Yanks.   Sabathia has proven he can get the job done on 3 days rest if need be, and his arm is a flat out torch right now.   Andy Pettitte will add to his major league record 16 post season victories, and Robertson and Hughes will effectively handle the middle with you know who closing.  Mariano Rivera holds 15 postseason MLB records including most saves and lowest e.r.a., and he will pad those numbers again.

NO BACK TO BACK

There is no doubt that Philly will break through for some runs as all the pitching in the world can’t stop them completely, but it is very difficult to repeat, and the Yanks are eager to start adding notches to their all-time league leading list of 26 World Series victories….They only have one in the 21st century if you count 2000!

If A-Rod can be Mr. November, and Mark Teixeira picks up his game (slowly coming out of playoff slump) to regular season status, then the Yankees will not be stopped.   They will win it in 6 games.   This is truly a fall classic with the two best teams being represented.  I think all of Cleveland will be watching too!

Steve Makransky is one of my very best customers.  Over the years, he has probably purchased over 400 t-shirts from the Distant Replays website.   He is a Phillies and Eagles fan first and foremost, and at least half of those 400 shirts are Phillies, Eagles, Stars, Sixers, Flyers and even the Philadelphia Hebrews!    What does a dude do with 400 shirts??!!!    I found out….

It was during the Holiday season of 2006, when a rather unique card was delivered in the mail one day.  In a small cardboard frame was a photograph of 4 neatly stacked and folded t-shirts, all representing teams from the city of brotherly love.  When I saw the name ‘Makransky’ signed in the lower right hand corner, I realized that I had just received one of the coolest, neatest, and most clever and creative sports items ever from the nut who buys all my t-shirts!!   WOW!  How frickin’ cool is this??!  The rest is history…

THIS IS AMAZING!!

I knew Steve had great taste in retro apparel, but did not know of his entrepreneurial spirit, and talent with photography.   What had started as a nice way to say Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah, had spawned into a growing business.  The one Philly collage has grown into a catalog of hundreds.  You’re from Chicago?  How about a print that has a shirt for the Cubs, Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks all in one?  Perhaps you prefer just a collage of your favorite team?  They have those too.

We are proud to carry the Worn But Not Forgotten line on Distant Replays.com, and soon Distant Replays will be stocking all that Worn But not Forgotten has to offer.  Most NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and College teams will be available in both the 11″ x 14″ inch size, as well as poster size so stay tuned for additional product updates.

WINDY CITY

So thank you Steve for your brilliant idea (and your initial investment to start the company in Distant Replays shirts!), and allowing us to be part of your dream.   I think Steve can sum this post up with his passionate description of his product:

“They are in your heart.  They are in your soul.  You’ve been through thick and thin with them.  Now imagine your sports teams together for all-time in one stunning piece of sports artwork.  Vintage sports t-shirts of the teams you’ve been devoted to forever, folded and stacked as if they were comfortably sitting on your own closet shelf.   Photographed in vibrant color and impeccable detail, these prints have a throwback  look and feel unlike anything else.  Great for the home, for the office, or as a gift for the ultimate sports fan.  These prints are as timeless as your loyalties are to your teams.”   He should get the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing and photography!

TEAMS TOO!

With the aforementioned Holiday season around the corner, now is the best time to order these amazing pieces of sports memorabilia from Worn But Not Forgotten.

We wear the shirt.  We wear the jersey.  We wear the cap.  We love our team.   We want the world to know we love our team. Our team may go to the World Series, and this is the best time to be alive on this Earth!

CAN THEY COME BACK?

Of course this can only apply now if you are a fan of the Phillies, Dodgers, Angels or Yankees, right?  WRONG!  It’s still the best time to be alive on this earth, recession be damned!  In addition to the MLB Championship series, which began last night with the defending World Series Champion Phillies taking a 1-0 lead over the Dodgers, you have the NFL, NHL, and College Football in full swing.  Halloween is in two weeks for crying out loud!!!  Leaves are falling and it is cool enough to wear my favorite Ebbets Field Flannel!!

LOGO LOVE

Every inch of my office is covered and surrounded with sports.   Posters, framed jerseys, bobbleheads, pins, autographed footballs, baseballs and

BACK TO BACK?

starting line-ups.  License plates and, well…PLATES!   You name it, I have it.  Many of my FAVORITE pieces of memorabilia are pennants and banners, and Winning Streak Sports provides me with every conceivable team and style I would want.

The new Heritage banners are probably my

ROOM FOR ONE MORE?!

favorite because they have images of all the old logos, and I am old enough to remember them all!   The quality is flat out old school – thick wool and felt embroidery.  The Dynasty banners also rule.   They feature just about every team that has won a World Series Championship, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals, National Championship, and even the Kentucky Derby!

So let the world know you love your team.  Get your Winning Streak Banner up!!

What’s up Distant Replays Fans?!!     I’VE DEFINITELY MISSED YOU!!!  The past 6 months have been a wild ride for Distant Replays.  I’ll give you the “Cliff Notes” version of what has happened.   After almost 11 years to the day that I opened my retail store at Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta, Georgia, I was forced to close my store due to circumstances beyond my control (well, mostly beyond my control!) this past March. It was an AMAZING ride, and I have no regrets, other than that I wish I took some more business courses in college!

I'M BACK - FRO ISN'T!

It’s no secret that the economy hit many small businesses such as mine hard.  Even knowing I wasn’t alone in my misery, it was still a pretty emotional experience having to tear down all of the memorabilia and posters off the wall that customers like you sent in to my store, turn off the lights, and lock the door for the last time.  It’s definitely humbling to be an INC. 500 company one day, and scrambling to make payroll the next.   I want to personally thank the many of you who supported me through my tough times with your words of encouragement and friendship.  That is why I’m so excited to be back…the friendships!!  The common bond that a single piece of sports apparel with a silly old logo can bring between two people astonishes me to this day.

All is not doom and gloom however.  Several folks rallied around Distant Replays because they still believe in the value of the brand and the goodwill of our loyal customers. Because of their vision and support, I am pleased to announce that I will be helping build back the Distant Replays website.  To those of you that have been loyal Distant Replays customers over the years, of course you’ll notice that many of the products you are used to seeing are not currently on the website.   Please be patient, as we work hard to bring back the product selection you were accustomed to seeing.  There will also be new and exciting retro apparel being added to the lineup.

OUR OWN DISTANT REPLAYS TEE'S!!

Perhaps my favorite “silver lining” in this cloud is the Distant Replays branded line of college apparel; that’s right, you can now order college tee shirts that proudly display the the Distant Replays pennant logo emblazoned on them!!  I almost fainted when I walked into a Dillard’s department store and saw a rack of Distant Replays tee shirts.  How the heck did that happen?  Needless to say, it is a dream come true for me to see this happen to a brand I helped build.

So to sum up, Distantreplays.com is back – I’M BACK!!!   I WANT YOU ALL BACK!!  Be sure to keep your eyes glued to my Andyland blog, as I’ll constantly be updating with new features, sports memories, contests, videos and deals!   LET’S GO!!!!