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Negro League Teams in the Present Day (Indianapolis Clowns)


Carolingian Steamroller

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Today we have the evolution of the Memphis Red Sox, The Memphis Blues.

 

This one was a fairly obvious choice. With a glorious tradition of blues music alive and well on Beale Street and multiple MLB teams named after hosery, transitioning to a musical nickname seemed like the right move for Memphis. Especially there was also a short lived Negro League team in Memphis called the Blues.

 

Moreover, it gave a perfect opportunity to make use of the Memphis Redbirds' new neon sign theme which actually fits better for the Blues than it has for the Cardinals' affiliate. The color scheme is based off of the signage of Rum Boogie Cafe's Blues Hall Juke Joint on Beale which happens to be one of my personal favorite places on Earth. The sleeve patch is an Epiphone guitar reminiscent of BB King's famous Lucille, with the team name on the neck. Pants have extra thick stripes in team colors while the jersey has none. Frankly the script looks too good to clutter it up with anything else. 

 

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Weekend is here along with the Chicago American Giants. 

 

This is a case where the original team name "American Giants" is just too good not to survive to the modern day. The "AG" logo also happens to be one of the best ever made. The American Giants used a variety of color schemes in their long tenure on Chicago's South Side but in imagining their progress to the present day I was inspired by how countries like Uruguay and Argentina make wonderful use of a sky blue/black combination. For all three uniforms (home, road, and alternate), I've adapted the CAG signature pinstripes. 

 

One unique touch I've added is a bit of alternate history. When discussions were under way in the 1980's about replacing Old Comiskey Park, an architect submitted a proposal for a ballpark that would fit in the nearby Armour Square Park. It would blend itself into the neighborhood as had the great cathedrals of the early 20th Century. It would utilize retro styling. It would face North so that the view from home plate would include the Chicago skyline. The new ballpark would be a hub for new businesses and entertainment in the Bridgeport neighborhood. Camden Yards years before Camden Yards.

And the White Sox rejected it.....

BUT what if the Chicago American Giants jumped at the chance? With that in mind I've adapted the proposed facade with the skyline in the background into a stadium patch for the home uniform. 

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I may be biased as a Chicago fan but I think this is your best work yet! Black and sky blue has become one of my favorite color combos in sports, and I love the repurposing of the White Sox early 1900s/mid-70s wordmark. Thre sleeve patch is awfully impressive, too. 

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The Eagles alternate is an improvement I would say. The only thing that could make it even better would be if you added the drop-shadow to the caps, too.

 

Chicago looks phenomenal! Every uniform combo is beautiful. I love the color scheme, it works perfectly with the pinstripes. The belt, sock stripe, and sleeve patch are all great small touches that really put this set over the top. The only suggestion I could even possibly make would be to maybe try sky blue pinstripes on the alt, but it looks great either way. Fantastic work!

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11 hours ago, MJD7 said:

The Eagles alternate is an improvement I would say. The only thing that could make it even better would be if you added the drop-shadow to the caps, too.

 

Chicago looks phenomenal! Every uniform combo is beautiful. I love the color scheme, it works perfectly with the pinstripes. The belt, sock stripe, and sleeve patch are all great small touches that really put this set over the top. The only suggestion I could even possibly make would be to maybe try sky blue pinstripes on the alt, but it looks great either way. Fantastic work!

 

Thanks for the kind words here's the mock up with blue pins. Thoughts?

 

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The Eagles are a big improvement!

 

I really like what you’ve done with the American Giants, especially with the White Sox-style scripts and the pinstripes (both white and light blue). The AG logo is the perfect way to get around the multitude of teams with the Giants name.

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Hispanics were also largely rejected by organized white baseball. In the early 20th Century, various groups of Cuban Americans formed their own team. The New York Cubans wound up playing in the Negro Leagues and signed many Afro-Caribbean stars, for example Minnie Miñoso. 

 

Incidentally, the New York Cubans actually came close to achieving the theory of this series. In 1948, Cubans owner Alex Pompez arranged for the Cubans to become a minor league affiliate of the New York Giants, specifically changed with scouting Latin American talent such as Tony Oliva, Orlando Cepeda, and Fidel Castro (yes THAT Fidel Castro). 

 

I could easily imagine the team moving South to Miami to market themselves to the large Cuban population, especially after Pompez's former pitching prospect seized control of the island. 

 

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