When the Clearwater Phillies rebranded in 2004, the nickname Threshers, a kind of shark, won out over Beach Dogs. But as with many minor league baseball teams, that did not stop the Threshers from wondering what could have been. Late last season, the Threshers, high-A affiliate of the Phillies, introduced
Category: Minor League Baseball
Minor league promo supports sea turtle conservation
It will be a battle of the turtles in the high-A Florida State League when the Jupiter Hammerheads rebrand as the Loggerheads for one game against the Daytona Tortugas. The promotion will benefit the nonprofit Loggerhead Marinelife Center, located less than five miles from the Hammerheads’ ballpark. The so-called Turtle
Mahoning Valley Scrappers to play as Peppers in Oil
If nothing else, this wave of minor league baseball teams adopting temporary identities based on local food specialties has demonstrated an astounding array of food items that are considered delicacies. The latest to the smorgasbord of edible identities is the Mahoning Valley Peppers in Oil, the one-game alter ego of
Expedition League expands to Canada with Wheat City Whiskey Jacks
The Expedition League, a collegiate summer baseball league based in the Great Plains, will celebrate opening day for its second season May 24. When it does, it will introduce two new teams: the Fremont Moo (whom we covered here) and the league’s first Canadian team, the Brandon, Manitoba–based Wheat City
Buffalo Bisons update Wings alter ego
The Triple-A Buffalo Bisons introduced their alternate Wings identity last year, joining an armful of other minor league baseball teams who have promotions based on local food specialties. The Bisons will reprise the role of Wings this year, but with updated—and vastly improved—logos and uniforms. The colors are what I
Expedition League introduces Rapid City Jackalopes
Baseball’s collegiate summer Expedition League, which will begin its second season this month, has announced plans to expand in 2020. The league will welcome the Rapid City Jackalopes, named for a mythical creature whose origins go back to 13th-century reports of “horned hares” in Europe The modern-day jackalope—a jackrabbit with
Salt Lake Bees to commemorate Transcontinental Railroad
From 1863 to 1869, three private companies built 1,912 miles of continuous rail, creating the First Transcontinental Railroad across the United States. While the Central Pacific Railroad Company started in Sacramento and started working eastward (continuing track that the Western Pacific Railroad Company laid from San Francisco Bay to Sacramento),
PawSox to wear sign language uniforms on Deaf Culture Day
Earlier this season, the Rochester Red Wings hosted the Pawtucket Red Sox for Deaf Culture Day April 28. As part of the game’s commemoration of the deaf community, Rochester wore uniforms with illustrations of hands forming letters in American Sign Language. Later this season, the PawSox will host the Red
Daytona Tortugas commemorate 15 years since Napoleon Dynamite
The Daytona Tortugas have already paid homage to The Hangover this season, and tonight they’re commemorating another modern classic. Fifteen years after we were graced with the quirky but lovable Napoleon Dynamite, the Tortugas will wear “Vote for Shelldon” uniforms, replacing Napoleon’s adopted cause, his friend Pedro, with their turtle
Inland Empire 66ers unveil California Burritos jerseys
The Single-A Inland Empire 66ers teased a California Burritos promotion earlier this month, but now we have details. The promotion is, as suspected, a temporary rebrand in which the team will play one game as the California Burritos. Per the team, “The California Burrito is a staple around Inland Empire
State College Spikes to play as Happy Valley Grilled Stickies
Nestled in central Pennsylvania’s so-called Happy Valley, which got its name in the 1930s from its relative resistance to the otherwise pervasive Great Depression, lies another relic of that bygone era: Ye Olde College Diner, which has been around in one form or another since 1929. The Diner—in which I
Inland Empire 66ers tease California Burritos promo
The California burrito is a cultural phenomenon that is near and dear to the people of southern California, particularly San Diego. The California burrito is basically what would happen if traditional Mexican food got a DNA test and discovered to its surprise that 30 percent of its ancestry is from