Things have worked out fine for the Hartford Yard Goats since their 2016 debut. They’re one of the most talked-about brands in minor league baseball, merchandise sales have been strong, and their ballpark is constantly receiving accolades (after a notably bumpy start, when the park was not ready for the
Author: Paul Caputo
Paul Caputo is a grown man who collects plastic ice cream helmet sundaes from minor league baseball stadiums because he likes logos that much. Paul is the host of the Baseball By Design podcast and he is the author of the first book published by SportsLogos.net, The Story Behind the Nickname: The Origins of 100 Classic, Contemporary, and Wacky Minor League Baseball Team Names (also available on Kindle). He can be found on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky at @baseballbydesign, and he maintains the Countdown to Spring Training on Facebook. Paul is a Philadelphia sports fan, but he's not so bad.
PawSox to play as Hot Wieners
The Pawtucket Red Sox—or PawSox to friends—will become the Pawtucket Hot Wieners for a game later this summer. It’s the latest entry in the trend sweeping through every level of minor league baseball, the temporary, food-based, alternate identity. Wieners—which Rhode Islanders differentiate from hot dogs because you can identify the
Five Minor League All Star Games Take Place Tonight
It’s that time of year in the Minors—we’ve reached the halfway mark of the season in many leagues, and there’s no surer sign of the midway point of a baseball season than all star games. To that end, five leagues in the Minors are holding their summer classics this evening,
Jumbo Shrimp to honor Negro Leagues’ Jax Red Caps
Long before the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp became one of the poster children for minor league baseball’s era of wacky logos—and long before the Jacksonville Expos of the late 1980s, or the Jacksonville Suns, who played the better part of five decades off and on from the 1960s through 2016—there were
Aberdeen IronBirds to play as Star-Spangled Banners on Sundays
The Aberdeen IronBirds, short-season Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, will play every Sunday home game in 2018 as the Star-Spangled Banners. The name change is a way “to honor the military and Maryland as the birthplace of the national anthem,” the team said. The IronBirds’ permanent nickname is a
Reading Fightins to go green on Phanatic Tribute Night
The Reading Fightin Phils will pay homage to their parent club’s mascot with specialty uniforms for a game later this season. The Phillie Phanatic, a native of the Galapagos Islands and the best mascot in sports (note: it’s not close), will be featured prominently throughout the evening, including on the
Brockmire’s Crawdaddy’s come to life in New Orleans
In season 2 of the IFC TV show “Brockmire,” Hank Azaria plays a disgraced former announcer for the Kansas City Royals whose career imploded after an on-air meltdown brought on by the discovery of his wife’s infidelity. Jim Brockmire’s attempt to revive his career take him through rural Pennsylvania as
Say hello to the Delmarva Scrapple
The latest food-based temporary identity comes to us from the Delmarva Shorebirds, who will play a game as the Delmarva Scrapple later this season. Given that the team’s geographic indicator, Delmarva, is a mash-up of three states (Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia) and scrapple is a breakfast specialty with hyper-local appeal,
SWB RailRiders to change name to Teddy Bears for one night
The Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are taking Teddy Bear Toss Night to the next level, rebranding as the Teddy Bears for one game. The team will wear teddy bear-themed uniforms on the night that fans can get in free if they donate a stuffed animal to a local children in need.
Staten Island Yankees to play as Pizza Rats (finally)
When the Staten Island Yankees considered rebranding in 2016, they went as far as holding a name-the-team contest and announcing a winner before deciding to stick with the name of their parent club. The winner of that contest by a substantial margin was Staten Island Pizza Rats, taking more than
West Michigan Whitecaps to play as Beer City Bung Hammers
The West Michigan Whitecaps, Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, will change their name to the Beer City Bung Hammers for one game this season. The name change is a nod to the Whitecaps hometown of Grand Rapids’ status as one of the premier beer cities in the US—they were
Cyclones to play as Brooklyn Bagels
The Brooklyn Cyclones, short-season Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets, have joined the food-based alternate identity fray. For one game, the Cyclones will wear uniforms highlighting that most New York of local specialties, the bagel. The logo, created by Brandiose, features an everything bagel slathered with cream cheese, with