An Alternate Universe's MLB

[robbman21]

Summary I've done it. At the risk of warping the very fabric of time and space, I've managed to re-open the worm hole that allows me to step into an alternate timeline where we all exist yet the history we know in our world is attached to other places and events... many of the same things have happened,yet not happened to the people,places,and things we associate them with in our world. The same holds true for the sports teams. The same teams,players,and events have taken place, yet taken a very different shape from what we know. Since I first crossed over a couple of years ago and studied the history of their "NFL", I was amazed at the curiosity of the public for my findings. Many scoffed...many called me insane...and then I began to show them what I found:The very teams they grew up loving existed with much different outcomes than what they experienced in our own timeline. Some of the also-rans were dynasties, while some of the powerhouses were doormats. And their looks...were...different. And with the proof I was able to provide through my concepts and artwork, people began to believe. And then one day, someone asked me to go back. To reopen the wormhole and visit the other side once more, this time during a different time of year, while a different season was in play. I had made it over and back successfully before, though there was no gaurantee I could do so again. And even if I COULD reopen it and step back through, there was nothing to say that I would not get stuck forever in a world where Bo Bice won American Idol and Al Gore served two terms as President...and also at great physical and mental risk to myself. I decided it was worth the risk, and so I made the attempt to cross back over...and I made it. Not only did I make it, but I discovered a passageway that allows me to - at a risk - go back and forth as much as I need to stud the various professional and college sports leagues. It is spring time friends...and so I give you the Great American Pasttime...as it exists...over there.

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays began life as an expansion team in 1962, and promptly lost 120 games in their first year of existence, a modern record for Major League Baseball. Two years later the Jays moved into their brand-new Exhibition Stadium to begin the 1964 season and also hosted that year's All-Star Game. It would be their home for the next 45 seasons. In 1969, the Chicago White Sox appeared well on their way to winning the first-ever American League East division crown, but a late-season swoon coupled with the Jays catching fire led to the Jays' first ever winning season and a strip to the first-ever American League Championship series, which ended in a sweep of the Cleveland Indians. In the World Series, the 'Blazin' Blue Jays took out the Philadelphia Phillies in 5 games and took home one of the most improbable championships in the history of sports. In 1973 the Jays miraculously made the playoffs with an 82-79, the worst record for a division winner ever. They would advance all the way to the World Series that year before falling to the Houston Astros in 7 games. The Jays became dismal again through the rest of the 70's, but started the 80's off by drafting a young slugging outfielder - Jesse Barfield - and a young stud pitcher, Dave Steib. These two combined with George Bell and Jimmy Key to lead a Jays' resurgence, that culminated in their historic meeting with the Chicago Cubs in the 1986 World Series. Tony Fernandez' nubber to first-baseman Leon Durham in the infamous Game 6 will live forever in baseball and sports legend, and forced a Game 7 that the Jays also had to come from behind to win, bringing them their 2nd World Series title. That team of young stars and veteran leaders appeared to be headed for a dynasty, and although they would return to the playoffs in 1988 (losing to the Royals in the ALCS)off the field troubles for several players derailed what could have been a historic team. By 1993, all but 3 of their championship winning players were gone, and they sunk to 103 losses. The book "The Worst Team Money Could Buy" was written about their dramatic decline. But slowly, the Jays began to rebound, as Carlos Delgado developed into a perennial all-star and one of the greatest hitting catchers of all-time. In 1999 they found their groove and made it back to the post season, winning the American League's Wild Card Spot, but lost to the Cleveland Indians in a 6 game series that once saw them down 3-0. The next year the Blue Jays made it all the way back to the World Series but fell to the Cardinals in 5 games. Six years later saw the Jays get knocked-off by eventual Series Champion Baltimore Orioles, and then the following year became known as "The Collapse". Leading the Oakland Athletics by 7 games with 17 to play, the Jays went 5-12 down the stretch and finished 1 game behind the A's...and missed the playoffs. The very next year - 2008 - saw the very same thing happen as the Jays were eliminated on the season's final day. 2009 saw the Blue Jays move into their new palace, The Rogers Centre, but on the field they were decimated by injuries and struggled to win 70 games.

The reality The Blue Jays and Mets - both expansion teams - have each won two World Series in their histories, and have shared players such as Ricky Henderson, John Olerud, and David Cone, all of whom appeared in the post season for both franchises.

Thoughts When pairing up teams, I matched these two based on their combination of blue and black, and I also needed a recognizable skyline to pull off the Mets famous logo, and I think these two cross-over well. The line at the bottom of the logo (where the bridge is in the Mets' logo) is used to show a shoreline, since looking at Toronto's skyline from that angle means you're actually looking across water. I chose to do Toronto first over the Yankees and Red Sox due to the Blue Jays' connection with the CCSLC and it's members. I would love to do a complete MLB, but this was a much harder project than the NFL one and that's why there are no action displays as of yet, but we'll see how it plays out. As for now, I look forward to your thoughts and comments. And as always...enjoyy.

Blue Jays 2012 Update

[vicfurth]

Really nice and really well-done. I applaud ya.

Can't wait to see the Rangers/Twins crossover (since they were both the Washington Senators originally).

[robbman21]

Really nice and really well-done. I applaud ya.

Can't wait to see the Rangers/Twins crossover (since they were both the Washington Senators originally).

Thanks man!! I actually didn't think of that one, but you almost guessed correct on one of the crossovers. For this one I tried as best I could to switch the NL with AL and vice-versa so the alt histories match up, since there's no season-long inter-league play. Since there's 16 teams in one and 14 in the other then obviously two teams in the NL had to cross with each other, but that shouldn't throw-off their alt history. Anxious to at least get a few more of these done even if I can't do the entire league.

[JayJaxon]

I think it looks great and it will be interesting to see what you come up with for other teams.

[JamieRose]

Amazing work again, this is now my other favorite series! The crossover of Toronto and the Mets is really nice, and the logos also fit very well. I really hope you carry out this series, as with the NFL one.

[BBTV]

LOL... the cap says "BJ".

[CJworks]

Nice work, great to see you come out with another amazing concept.

I think the crossover went well; the script looks soli and the new primary looks great too; but there are a few nitpicks I have here:

- The number font seems too bland (I know it was a crossover with the Mets, but it shouldn't mean you can't change things up a bit, ya know?).

- It's a bummer that you didn't include a bird logo ('ve always thought it would look great on a cap). Personally, I think it'd tie this set together.

- I think the BJ cap logo was a pretty interestng idea, but I don't like seeing it on EVERY cap though, maybe switch it up a bit.

Can't wait to see the next teams!

[IceCap]

Fire Omar!

[LMU]

How about extending the stem of the J on the hat through the B and forming a T with the serif?

[JH42XCC]

Excellent work on the alternate dimension Blue Jays.

Also, were the Oakland A's an AL East team in this alternate timeline? Either that or both Oakland and Toronto were in the hunt for the AL Wildcard in 2007. I think the latter makes more sense.

[illwauk]

That logo is the dopeness!

[robbman21]

Nice work, great to see you come out with another amazing concept.

I think the crossover went well; the script looks soli and the new primary looks great too; but there are a few nitpicks I have here:

- The number font seems too bland (I know it was a crossover with the Mets, but it shouldn't mean you can't change things up a bit, ya know?).

- It's a bummer that you didn't include a bird logo ('ve always thought it would look great on a cap). Personally, I think it'd tie this set together.

- I think the BJ cap logo was a pretty interestng idea, but I don't like seeing it on EVERY cap though, maybe switch it up a bit.

Can't wait to see the next teams!

Thanks man I appreciate the good words and I appreciate the "nitpicks" even more because normally it would help me improve on the design. Unfortunately when I first set out to do these projects (see the first post of my NFL series)I set down pretty strict guidelines for how to do this. I could only add silver or black to a team's color scheme (I may have to stray from this a bit for the many 2 color MLB teams)and I could only modify what was already existing in the real world and apply it to that team's identity, so as much as I'd like to add a bird logo, switch up fonts, or something like that, I can't because of the rules I laid down for myself and because in this other demension the Jays ARE the Mets, and the Mets use this jersey and letter font and have a skyline in their logo, so instead of an improvement on a team's identity like most of the concepts on here, this is just an interpretation of that team's identity had they had another team's history. Does that make ANY sense at all hahaha? Sometimes even I get lost in this whole "alternate timeline" thing and confuse myself, but I love the critiques and "nitpicks" though because I'm ver much interested in what you guys think, otherwise I wouldn't post these here lol. Thanks again guys so much...I'll keep them coming =)

[Chawls]

I wonder if Blue Jays fans from that universe hate their use of black too

But, this is dope (yes I still say dope). I'm looking forward to the others as well. Did you finish the NFL project yet?

[robbman21]

I wonder if Blue Jays fans from that universe hate their use of black too

But, this is dope (yes I still say dope). I'm looking forward to the others as well. Did you finish the NFL project yet?

Oddly I thought about that too when I working on this, and I'm sure there's a few Jays fans on the board here that hate the Jays' own use of black.

As far as the NFL series goes I'm working on them both simultaneously, but I'm developing a couple of new action templates that I need to push that series along so that's where there's gaps in the posting of those concepts. I'll go ahead and say though that the next one to be posted will be the Bengals.

[TrueYankee26]

AMAZING WORK!!!!

[tj4eck]

LOL... the cap says "BJ".

My thoughts exactly...lol

[robbman21]

LOL... the cap says "BJ".

LOL... the cap says "BJ".

My thoughts exactly...lol

As I worked on this I wondered to myself if anyone would notice that, and if so if anyone would point it out. I tried "TJ" but didn't like the results and "TB" was basically Tampa Bay...sooooo...this is what ya get lol

[Eye]

LOL... the cap says "BJ".

My thoughts exactly...lol

I'm pretty sure BringBackTheVet was being sarcastic in his post, mocking idiots who would actually post that, and well, you happened to be the guy who didn't disappoint.

[IceCap]

LOL... the cap says "BJ".

LOL... the cap says "BJ".

My thoughts exactly...lol

As I worked on this I wondered to myself if anyone would notice that, and if so if anyone would point it out. I tried "TJ" but didn't like the results and "TB" was basically Tampa Bay...sooooo...this is what ya get lol

If I may make a suggestion? A T by itself could work, or if you're set on two letters, perhaps TO?

[tj4eck]

LOL... the cap says "BJ".

My thoughts exactly...lol

I'm pretty sure BringBackTheVet was being sarcastic in his post, mocking idiots who would actually post that, and well, you happened to be the guy who didn't disappoint.

thanks?