The Triple-A Norfolk Tides abandoned a longstanding conservative identity and threw themselves feet first into the world of wacky minor league logos today. The Tides kept their name, which dates back to 1961, but changed pretty much everything else. When they take the field in 2016, they’ll be the first minor league baseball
Category: Minor League Baseball
Fishy Train: The Story Behind the Altoona Curve
There’s a 2,375-foot stretch of railroad tracks in central Pennsylvania that spins trains 180 degrees in a hairpin turn on their way over and across the Allegheny mountains. The so-called Horseshoe Curve, built from 1851 to 1854, is the tightest train track turn in the country. It’s been traveled by presidents
Louisville Bats Unveil New Colours, Logos, Uniforms
The top-level farm club of the Cincinnati Reds will look a lot more red in 2016. Today the International League’s Louisville Bats unveiled an entirely new identity, new colours, new logos, new uniforms, all that remains is the team name. The old, unique colour scheme of black, purple, and gold has been
The Horse He Rode In On: The Story Behind the Arkansas Travelers
There are two versions of the mid-1800s legend of a minstrel who gets lost in rural Arkansas and stumbles across a squatter playing a never-ending tune on a fiddle. The first is told by Arkansans themselves, and has its roots in a tale told by Colonel Sanford Faulkner, an important figure in the
Texas League Adopts New Logo
Certain things come in groups of threes: celebrity deaths, stooges, and now apparently new league logos for Minor League Baseball. Following in the footsteps of new logos for the Appalachian League and Southern League comes the new logo of the Texas League, designed this time by Schilling/Sellmeyer and Associates, an advertising/marketing agency
Harrisburg Senators Celebrate 30 Years, Revive Uncle Slam
The Harrisburg Senators, Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, will commemorate their 30th season with a specialty logo. More importantly, the team will revive long-missing mascot Uncle Slam, who was last seen in the team’s logos in 2005 (at right). Uncle Slam will be featured on the Senators’ alternate cap in 2016, and
Syracuse Chiefs Change Colours, Add Native Logo
Among a series of brand changes unveiled today, the Syracuse Chiefs have added a Native American-inspired logo to their set. Yes, in 2015. Not the sort of move you’d expect these days; coincidentally the announcement coming the same day as the University of North Dakota’s name change. The biggest change to
Hartford Yard Goats Unveil Uniforms
Minor league baseball’s brand new Hartford Yard Goats may have gone full wacky with their logo and nickname, but their new uniforms, just unveiled today, have a definite classic feeling. Traditional home whites and road grays feature the Yard Goats word marks, which echo type taken from the logo for the
Fan Vote Will Decide Politically Charged Uniform Choice
In the spirit of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats are letting fans vote to decide which hat they will wear on Opening Day in 2016. The online ballot at www.WeTheFans2016.com pits a blue hat with a Democrat donkey against a red hat with a Republican elephant.
Bowling Green Hot Rods Get New Look
The Bowling Green Hot Rods, Midwest League Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, unveiled their new logos, uniforms, and colour scheme yesterday evening. The new look was designed by New York-based SME Branding. “We partnered with SME Branding when we purchased the Reno Aces and we knew they would be
The Perfect Union: The Story Behind the Winston-Salem Dash
I’ve discovered a lot of unique team name origins in the course of writing this Story Behind the Nickname series, but just when I had given up my dream of finding a team that combined two of my passions, baseball and punctuation, I stumble across the Winston-Salem Dash. The town of Salem in
Appalachian League Gets New Logo for 2016
The Appalachian League, a ten-team Single-A MLB affiliated Minor League, unveiled their new logo earlier this week, the second MiLB league to update its logo so far this off-season. The Double-A Southern League changed their mark late last month. Just like the Southern League logo update, the new Appalachian League brand was