New will meet old this weekend in El Paso, Texas. The minor league baseball team that some point to as the pinnacle of the current era of wacky team names will adopt a look some point to as the pinnacle of awful Major League uniforms. The Padres’ brown and mustard uniforms of the 1970s have found a certain
Category: Minor League Baseball
Asheville Tourists proclaim their town Beer City
There are a lot of places in North America that could lay claim to the title “Beer City,” but only one of them took the initiative to put the slogan on their baseball team’s uniforms. The Asheville Tourists will change their name for one night to the Beer City Tourists, opening the
Pilot Episode: The Story Behind the Lakeland Flying Tigers
In March of 1941, the US was not yet officially involved in World War II—that would come in December after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Despite their official neutrality, though, the Americans were sending supplies to allies like Britain, Russia, and China. With China on the cusp of succumbing to Japanese invasion, one
Savannah Bananas tickets have a certain appeal
The Savannah Bananas made a splash this offseason when they unveiled their fun new identity, selling merchandise like crazy, trending on Twitter, and being featured on all sorts of new sites. Now they’ve upped the ante with bright yellow, banana-shaped tickets. And it’s not just the season tickets pictured here that
New Orleans Zephyrs to change name next season
When the Denver Zephyrs moved to New Orleans before the 1993 season, they kept the team’s nickname, which derived from a steel passenger train that ran between Denver and Chicago. While New Orleans had no connection to the train, it did have its own Zephyr—an iconic roller coaster at a local
Wicked Curve: The Story Behind the Corpus Christi Hooks
Corpus Christi, Texas, sits on the Gulf of Mexico, where recreational and commercial fishing are a big deal. So when you look at the identity for the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, the connection to fishing is obvious. And indeed, if you call up the Hooks and ask them about the
Republicans win NH Primaries, Fisher Cats don elephant caps
Is it a portent of things to come in a tumultuous election year? More than two months after the actual New Hampshire Primaries, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, let fans decide whether they would take the field for tonight’s home opener wearing Republican
The Malty, Mountainous Tacoma Rainiers: The Story Behind the Nickname
If you’re not familiar with the history of minor league baseball, and, more importantly, beer in the Pacific Northwest, then the nickname for the Triple-A franchise in Tacoma, Washington, seems to be about as straightforward as they come. The Rainiers’ name is obviously inspired by Mount Rainier, the tallest mountain
Cool Cats: The Story Behind the Sacramento River Cats
In the course of writing this series, I have been surprised on many occasions to learn of connections between the names of sports teams and their home towns. So when I called up the Sacramento River Cats to learn the story behind their nickname, I was expecting to find that
Lehigh Valley IronPigs represent Bacon USA with new uniforms
A couple of years ago, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the AAA-level International League unveiled their highly unique identity, which included a hat with a single strip of bacon on the crown. This is also the same club that plans to become the Lehigh Valley Cheesesteaks for a night, so
Minor League Baseball opens season with 11 new-look teams
We’re on the cusp of the 2016 baseball season, which means that we’ll finally be able to see in action the new minor league baseball identities that have been unveiled over the last few months. The 11 affiliated teams that rebranded during the offseason can be broken down into three categories: new teams playing with new names in new
Look Out for Chattanooga’s New Look in 2016
The Chattanooga Lookouts, Southern League Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, unveiled their new uniforms via an event earlier this morning. Despite the affiliation with the Twins, the uniforms appear to be more of a mix between the Cincinnati Reds and the old Negro League Kansas City Monarchs. This replaces