Play 30 outdoor matches....

Hey I thought this blogger had a great idea.... The classic was great ... do more of it. Read the article here... Of course, I think the blogger fails to note that it was on NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman's watch that the Winter Classic was even started. NHL's product lately is some of the best hockey played in a long time.

Until then... wasn't it a great way to spend a New Year's day... I saw we had a few great pins left. Once I heard pins called the smallest and best collectible... hmmm.

Pass me an Ale.

Something about European Soccer always makes me thirsty. I noticed tonight that this flag has been flagged not to be rerun again. What a great sport to hoist a few with friends! And the flag can get you in the mood hung outside or inside the house, so let's see Monk's Brown Ale or Borthwicks’s Best Bitter?

St. Louis All Star Game

So I better hit the road and go home... first I ran into the Manchester U flag that reminded of a English Ale, and then a good American beer came to mind, and quickly I thought of a hot summer night in July. Watchin' that cool Home Run Derby, and the sluggers go at it.

This year we'll have the coolest 17x40 pennant that has the facade from the front of the stadium. Dang, I wish had this new product during the last 20 years. We're having fun bringing out some of the coolest pennants that I've ever seen.

Bigger is Better

2009 will definitely be a year when Pennants are talked about more with every customer than they have in my over 22 years with WinCraft (except maybe the year we were given the NFL license); and much of it started with a quick conversation after a meeting. Our new soft premium felt pennant was being discussed as to how to market the ability to roll it without damage, would the consumers pay more than our traditional pennant, that we would only offer a 12x30 and not smaller, and how deep of a line would we invest in before we get all these questions answered. Just like how all good church and civic meetings get hashed out in the parking lot afterwards, the conversations kept going out in the hallway. Chris said, “Why not do it bigger instead of smaller?” Why not? The 17” x 40” pennant was born, and 8 weeks later incredible art was rolling of the presses. 2009 will have a deep line of large pennants using photographs or stadiums, full color designs and just graphics that will blow away the consumers. The pennant has done the October – December Show circuit and is receiving RAVE reviews and everyone is convinced it’s the right value at $20 MSRP compared to other items in the market like a wall hangings & stickers. Of course we do want to point out that Nina our model, is kind of short. HA.

100 years of racing?

Wow... can you believe it... Indy has been racing over 100 years. We did this cool wastebasket. Does it come with the smell of burning rubber?... no but tin plated steel trash cans are fire proof you could throw your burning rubber into it. HA!

O, O, Obama

Yes... just because our President is such a sports fan, shouldn't you be able to find him on a pennant?

I guess we're waiting for the White House to call and send us a picture of him playing basketball in a pick up game. Until then, these are great commemorative pieces both done our dramatic 17" x 40" Premium Quality Pennant felt.

My Soft Side

I think my wife is still wishing we had a girl, but I'll tell you what... if we did this clock would have been in her room... ! So THERE now you know who wears the pants in my house. HA! ;-)

Go Irish!

WinCraft is honored to be a licensee of some prestigious licenses, including Notre Dame since 1988. Recently the management team visited with the University for a Line Review with the Licensing Department. Easily, Notre Dame fits in the mold of New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys or Green Bay Packers for tradition. At the same time, we found that representing WinCraft’s heritage of U.S. made quality products at a fair price, and our core value that “Our people make the Difference” fit the mold of what Notre Dame was looking for in a licensee.

While the campus was steeped in tradition, its bookstore was rich with merchandise. The depth of the product lines from Hats, T-shirts, and souvenirs allowed the store to generate over millions of dollars in revenues for a game weekend. We learned much about the significance of multiple designs, holding to heritage, and yet moving with trends. Our contacts also explained new available graphics, programs that could be made with famous alumni, China policies, promotional opportunities, and heritage marks that could have appeal to any fan.

After this great meeting, we put some significantly new items for us into the line. Products that included items related to The Four Horsemen , Notre Dame Football tradition, and to the exclusive released X-Line Leprechaun. Go Irish! Go college tradition of College football, we love it!