Here’s how much I like the nickname and logo of the triple-A Las Vegas 51s: I bought myself a 51s hat and shirt, even though I am a Phillies fan and the 51s are a Mets affiliate. I love their primary logo (above), the stand-alone alien head with the baseball seam
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.
The Tale of the Whale: The Story Behind the Hartford Whalers
It’s been 17 years since the Hartford Whalers last played hockey, but their logo lives on in ways that no one could have predicted when it was unveiled in 1979. You would expect fans of the team to carry the torch for their beloved Whalers, who left Connecticut to become
The Most Edible Mascot in Baseball: The Story Behind the Montgomery Biscuits
In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that at time of this writing, my wife has had me on a grain-free, sugar-free diet for the better part of a month—and I use the word better loosely. This means no ice cream helmet sundaes, no beer, and for
Rock ‘n’ Roll Cats: The Story Behind the New Britain Rock Cats
If you’re like me, you’ll be humming Stray Cat Strut the rest of the day after reading the story of the New Britain Rock Cats. After all, if ever there was one, Rocky the Rock Cat is a feline Casanova, a ladies’ cat. If they made a movie about Rocky,
Nancy, Sluggo, and Slugger: The Story Behind the Portland Sea Dogs
The Portland Sea Dogs, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2014, are among the most consistently popular teams in all of minor league baseball. They have been a fixture in New England since the 1993 expansion of Major League Baseball required the minor leagues to expand as well, first
Of Moose and (Celery) Men: The Story Behind the Wilmington Blue Rocks
The Wilmington Blue Rocks’ name derives from large chunks of rock found in Delaware’s Christina River. How the team went from a name based on lumps of blue-ish granite to logos that feature a moose and a stalk of celery merits some explaining. The first iteration of the Blue Rocks
We Hardly Knew Ya, Charlotte Bobcats
This week we bid a fond adieu to the Charlotte Bobcats, a team that was named after its owner, that never won a playoff game in its decade of existence, and that really liked tweaking its logo. In their final game as the Bobcats on Monday, Charlotte was unceremoniously swept from the
A Cartoon Rodent in a Serious Baseball Town: The Richmond Flying Squirrels
The Richmond Flying Squirrels, double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, are among the most popular and distinct minor league baseball team identities out there, but the team name was not well received when it was first announced more than five years ago. In a city with a storied baseball
The Power of Pink (or Rubine Red): The Story Behind the Pensacola Blue Wahoos
The wahoo is a fish that is strong, fierce, and delicious. The fish featured in the Pensacola Blue Wahoos’ logo is the one that got away. You can tell by the hook in his mouth attached to the broken fishing line that he snapped through pure, brute force. “The wahoo
The Story Behind the Modesto Nuts: Now with More Nuts!
Modesto, California, is known for producing nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and George Lucas. And since they couldn’t make a logo out of George Lucas, who was born and raised in Modesto and set his film American Graffiti there, the local baseball team decided to pay homage the industry
From Tobacconists to Lollygaggers: The Story Behind the Durham Bulls
The Durham Bulls recognize that having Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins as the de facto (and pro bono) spokespeople for their brand for the last 25 years has been a blessing, but there’s one specific challenge that the movie Bull Durham poses to the team. To be sure, when the