The town of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, sits at the southern tip of Lake Winnebago—its name, translated from French, means “bottom of the lake.” (Lake Winnebago, I was sad to realize as I started writing this article, is not to be confused with New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee, where the movie
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.
Introducing your Macon Bacon
In a league best known for the Savannah Bananas, the collegiate summer Coastal Plain League has added the Macon Bacon. The new name has everything—it rhymes, it has a double entendre, and it capitalizes on the nation’s ongoing love affair with cured pork. “It was a combination of it was
Fat Little Bird: The Story Behind the Idaho Falls Chukars
The Idaho Falls Chukars, a Kansas City Royals affiliate in the Rookie-level Pioneer League, are not named for the most intimidating bird out there. “No, in fact, it’s essentially a little partridge,” said the team’s longtime president and general manager Kevin Greene. “It’s a fat little bird. They’re out in
Seventh Heaven: The Story Behind the Lynchburg Hillcats
The city of Lynchburg, Virginia, is surrounded by hills—seven of them, to be exact. The identity of the city’s minor league baseball team, the Lynchburg Hillcats, High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, has been tied to those hills for more than two decades. “The reason we’re called the Hillcats is
Arizona Diamondbacks unveil 20th anniversary logo
The Arizona Diamondbacks have business to take care of in 2017, but the team’s promotions and marketing folks are already looking ahead to next season. In promoting the release of the team’s 2018 schedule, the Diamondbacks unveiled a logo celebrating the 20th anniversary of their inaugural season. The #Dbacks 2018
Royals commemorate 50th season with special logo
Promotional materials that the Kansas City Royals released yesterday announcing their 2018 schedule include a logo commemorating the team’s 50th season. The commemorative logo features the Royals’ crown, a fixture in the team’s brand since it was created by Hallmark employee Shannon Manning prior to the team’s debut. The 50th
Rockies unveil 25th anniversary logo
Next season will mark a quarter century since the likes of Andres Galarraga, Dante Bichette, and Charlie Hayes took the field for the first-ever Colorado Rockies team. The Rockies yesterday unveiled a logo that will commemorate their 25 years in existence. We will celebrate our 25th Anniversary in 2018. Merchandise
A Dog’s Purpose: The Story Behind the Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Like many industrial towns, Niles, Ohio, has had its share of ups and downs. The town thrived with the iron industry in the late 1800s, then struggled through an economic depression and a flood in the early 1900s. The steel industry took over, with mills lining the Mahoning River, and
Fear the Stache: The Story Behind the Lexington Legends
Baseball goes way back in Lexington, Kentucky. But after playing host to a handful of teams dating back to the 1800s, the city went without baseball for most of the second half of the 20th century. After the Negro Leagues’ Lexington Hustlers and the independent Lexington Colts disbanded in 1954,
Life in the Fast Lane: The Story Behind the Greenville Drive
I had never been to Greenville, South Carolina, before last Thursday, when I rolled into town in a van with eight longtime friends to kick off a four-day minor league baseball road trip we call “Baseballpalooza.” Greenville pops up a lot on those annual lists of “Coolest Towns for Young People”
True Patriot Love: The Story Behind the Vancouver Canadians
Vancouver, Canada, is a fascinating, beautiful city. More than half of its population claims something other than English as a first language. Vancouver’s population density is Canada’s highest and North America’s fourth highest, but it also has the 1.5-square-mile Stanley Park (not the continent’s second largest, as previously reported, but
Round Rock Express Celebrate 80s Night with Pac-Man Unis
The minor league baseball season is winding down, but before the September call-ups make their way to the Bigs and the young hopefuls head to fall leagues to hone their crafts, we’ll squeeze every bit of theme night goodness out of the season. To that end, the Round Rock Express,