The Albany Patroons begin another championship playoff run Thursday as they face the Frederick (Md.) Flying Cows in a best-of-three series.
Normally, that would be the story.
But apparently there are some people who feel they can make a few dollars off the Albany Patroons legacy. And with print-on-demand online sources, all you need to do is upload a graphic – any graphic – and you can get T-shirts and hoodies and whatnot made.
Such is the case with the guy I’m showcasing here. He’s selling a $22 T-shirt with the Albany Patroons logo – and with the dates of the Patroons’ CBA championship.
In fact … here’s the image.
Take a look at that shirt. And if you like that shirt, you can also order that same shirt – with the championship year AND the Patroons logo – on everything from hoodies to ball caps to throw pillows to phone cases. Go to this link for more information.
And while you’re at it … you might notice that the Patroons’ logo looks a wee bit … off.
In fact, here’s the Patroons logo that was used from 1982 to 1988; and then resurrected for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
I mean … look at the difference. The classic logo’s Dutch shoe and basketball fit snugly together; the knockoff logo has a massive gap between the shoe and the ball. The script “Pats” in the classic logo looks tighter; while the “Pats” logo in the knockoff looks like someone squirted some Elmer’s Glue onto a drop cloth. Oh, and the words “ALBANY PATROONS” are larger and in a more symmetrical circle perimeter than on the knockoff.
Okay, that’s our initial indication that this shirt is of questionable authenticity.
But the next clue should signal big loud sirens to wise Patroons fans.
Take a look at the “Championship Season” in the T-shirt. 1984-85. Okay. The Patroons had the best regular-season record that year, and Phil Jackson WAS the CBA Coach of the Year in 1985. But the Patroons were knocked out of the postseason by the Tampa Bay Thrillers in 1985. They were knocked out by Tampa Bay when Tampa’s head coach, Bill Musselman, threatened Albany’s sharpshooter Frankie J. Sanders with bodily harm.
Dude, a shirt with this kind of glaring error is like producing a T-shirt that says “Buffalo Bills Super Bowl XXI Champions” or “Boston Red Sox World Series Champions 1978.” Any Patroons fan worth his or her salt would see this shirt and say, “Bro, you gave someone good money for THAT???”
Listen. There are plenty of great T-shirts and gear available at the Patroons’ souvenir stand on game nights. And the quality of these shirts are top-notch. Go to the game Thursday night and buy a good T-shirt.
Don’t buy a shirt that’s the equivalent of some hawker selling his own homemade concert T-shirts outside the concert hall. You can do much better than that. Don’t try to fool Patroons fans.
Just don’t.
Chuck The Writer 
Wait, what? I thought thde Bills won four Super Bowls! They didn’t win that year? Hmm.
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Apparently, this huckster didn’t remember when the Pats won their first title—-Gee, I wonder why?—–and can’t be bothered to fact check, consumed by greed. I’m willing to bet he doesn’t go to the games, and is sponging because he’s too unwilling to find legitimate work. If you see him, have security toss his butt into the street, bogus merch and all.
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