2013 Minor League & Independent Baseball changes

[mania]

It seems like Brandiose presented a few options, from different sets, to Reading... and they were basically "We'll take them all!"

[LMU]

I really hate the minor league trend of multiple mascots/completely different home and road identities. Longshoreman or asparagus. Ostrich or hot dog. Just pick one. And, Baseballtown? The hell? Is it that hard to represent your hometown?

Then again, I'm the one who hates in most circumstances the use of the team name initial in hats. I'd much rather see the fist worked into a R instead of a F. And using a cap initial for a arbitrary nickname to a city? That's just tacky.

[phutmasterflex]

I really hate the minor league trend of multiple mascots/completely different home and road identities. Longshoreman or asparagus. Ostrich or hot dog. Just pick one. And, Baseballtown? The hell? Is it that hard to represent your hometown?

Then again, I'm the one who hates in most circumstances the use of the team name initial in hats. I'd much rather see the fist worked into a R instead of a F. And using a cap initial for a arbitrary nickname to a city? That's just tacky.

Minor league baseball logos are like the Springfield Mystery Spot

[BadSeed84]

Its been a whole week a bad minor league identities being revealed, but I feel like the fightin phils tops em all.

Horrible, when R-Phils sound like a better nickname and a better idenitity its not good.

[Brian in Boston]

Fightin Phils. Fightins. Baseballtown.

Four home on-field caps. One home batting practice cap. One road on-field cap. One road batting practice cap.

Three possible home jerseys. Two possible road jerseys.

Phillies Red. Nighttime Navy. Feather Gray. Ostrich Flesh. Iris Blue. Yellow. Black.

A feisty ostrich logo. An F-fist logo. A Feathered-R logo. A Bunbino logo.

"[T]he most on-field wear in the minor leagues".

Beautifully rendered, but - again - there seems to have been no real effort put into talking the client in off of the ledge of branding excess.

[Gothamite]

Hurm.

Too much going on there. Asparagus mascot, Popeye, nautical implements, baseball equipment. Popeye doesn't have one tattoo, he has four.

Any couple of those would work, but the whole thing is too cluttered.

I can't believe I wrote that right before we got this:

Suddenly, Stockton looks like the very model of restraint.

[JaxNoles]

Holy crap Reading! The stuff looks alright, but its an absolute disaster as far as branding is concerned. Really stunning that an organization like that could get behind something so terrible.

[Sabrejeff]

Its been a whole week a bad minor league identities being revealed, but I feel like the fightin phils tops em all.

Horrible, when R-Phils sound like a better nickname and a better idenitity its not good.

Hopefully changed course on Tuesday with Buffalo. Though the silhouetted logo on their site looks like it's gonna be a roundel, unfortunately.

[Korkie]

well... Reading... *unleashes furious rant of obsenities*. The official name, fine. Since everyone around here will keep calling them the R-Phils anyway. The homes, again fine... the R hat is especially nice. The fist ok. But the ostritch and the entire Baseballtown branding is beyond repulsive. You play in Reading. Represent it on the road. Represent the Phillies. Represent something other than a horrible marketing scheme and a horrible, annoying mascot. I hope the fan response is negative to the point they abandon ship quickly. I implore any R-Phils fan to never spend a dime on anything ostritch or Baseballtown.

[Windstorm]

I like a lot of the individual aspects of the Phils re-branding, but it doesn't really work when you give one team so many different identities.

I'll give them credit though because they've got people talking about the new designs and I'm sure they'll sell a ton of merchandise.

[BBTV]

I've been checking in on the Reading Eagle's site since the intent to change was announced. The writers all questioned it, and the fan comments ranged from angry to full out rage. The "Reading Phillies" is one of the strongest brands in MiLB, and their fans (many of which I work with) are extremely attached to it, and love the connection between them and the parent club.

Fan comments when the announcement was made were overwhelmingly negative.

The long time PA announcer criticized the change on Twitter or Facebook or something and was immediately fired.

Here's their writer's take on it:

"What were they thinking?"

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=428931

[bosrs1]

I like a lot of the individual aspects of the Phils re-branding, but it doesn't really work when you give one team so many different identities.

I'll give them credit though because they've got people talking about the new designs and I'm sure they'll sell a ton of merchandise.

Not so sure about that. The response in Reading seems to be universally negative. They've alienated pretty much their entire fan base with this rebrand. Honestly I'd be surprised if it survives to opening day, at least in the present form. The ostrich in particular seems to really rub people the wrong way.

[Gothamite]

That's the part I like the best, actually.

Don't mind adding an adjective to the nickname, especially given its history, and I like giving such an abstract concept as a "Phillie" an ostrich mascot logo. The rest is garbage and ought to be immediately scrapped and never acknowledged again.

[BBTV]

From 11/6, when the announcement of the name change was made.

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=425657&obref=obinsite

Judging from the harsh and immediate reaction to their impending name change it appears the Reading Phillies have struck out.

Local fans were irate when word spread Sunday afternoon that the club was abandoning the name it has used for 46 years - one many Reading baseball fans have grown up with and continue to cherish.

Terrible idea.

Awful, awful, awful.

Disheartening.

Insulting.

Boo.

Those were some of the common sentiments expressed on social media, both on the Reading Eagle's comment pages and Twitter and on the Reading Phillies' own fan Facebook page.

One fan, who identified himself on Facebook as Mark Angelisanti of Bernville, threatened to burn his Darin Ruf autograph along with his R-Phils jersey, a la angry Cleveland Cavaliers fans in the wake of LeBron James' exit to Miami.

This decision was met with similar fury.

"This is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard of," read one post from a Facebook user who identified himself as Keith Yoder of Hamburg.

"This is the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life," posted a Facebook user identified as Tony Colamarino of Reading. "I will never go to another game again if that new brand doesn't have the Reading name in it."

"What a mistake," wrote Facebook user Tim Kutz. "You are throwing out 45 years of branding."

The club announced Sunday, during a gathering at FirstEnergy Stadium, and later on its website and via emails to fans, that its impending re-branding effort will include a new team name.

How important is the Reading Phillies name to you? (Poll Closed)

I don't want the team to change its name 88.82% (1,009 votes)

The name doesn't matter as much as the game experience; I'm still a fan 7.66% (87 votes)

I've already put my R-Phils swag on eBay 1.94% (22 votes)

I'm angry now, but I know I'll get used to the new team 1.58% (18 votes)

Total Votes: 1,136

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Reading has been home to the Phillies' Class AA minor league team since 1967; many local residents identify themselves with the club and with the parent Phillies, who play in Philadelphia.

Some fans expressed concern that their link to Phillies history - players such as Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski and Ryan Howard were stars in Reading before reaching Philadelphia - will be gone with a name change.

"No matter how bad things in Reading get, our shining star and point of pride has been the Reading Phillies," Karen Yohn Fox, an Exeter grad, posted on Facebook. "Its traditions, its name recognition and its value are known far beyond our county borders."

"The city of Reading has lost everything it stood for over the years," posted a Facebook user who identified himself as Justin Brossman of Reading. "It used to be a booming town and it's gone to hell over the years. The one thing about the city that made it through the tough times and screams Reading is the Reading Phillies. Now you want to take that away from us, too."

One local fan called the Reading Eagle Monday morning sobbing about the stunning decision; he recounted attending the Reading Phillies' first season opener, in 1967, with his father, a treasured memory.

Reading Phillies general manager Scott Hunsicker, who announced the name change Sunday at the stadium and discussed the strategy behind it in a story in Monday's Reading Eagle, took the fierce backlash in stride. He said he expected it, though not quite at such a high volume.

"We feel very, very comfortable with where we're going to end up," he said. "Honestly, the people who are upset, I believe, are really going to like everything once they see the whole thing laid out."

Hunsicker said the club will announce the new name and unveil its many new uniforms Nov. 17 during a ceremony at the stadium.

"Right now it's more just the fear of the unknown that's creating the issue," Hunsicker said of the intense, almost-completely negative reaction. "Certainly a lot of people have jumped all over it, which is a good thing. It just shows how passionate our fans are."

Hunsicker understands how much local fans care about the club and its association with the Philadelphia Phillies. He insists that connection will not be lost and that the club values its history and its connection with Philadelphia just as much as fans do.

Hunsicker personally took the brunt of the public relations hit. He was skewered by many who responded via social media. One person even posted Hunsicker's home phone number on several sites.

"Is this guy insane?" wrote a Facebook user who identified herself as Christa Ettele Remp of Exeter. "We have been and always always will be the Reading Phillies. How dare this over-inflated, egotistical change our name."

It wasn't only fans who were upset. Dave "Frenchy" Bauman, the longtime public address announcer at the stadium, expressed his displeasure on the club's Facebook site.

"I've proudly been associated with the Reading Phillies since 1978," Bauman wrote, "and I humbly submit that if the Reading Phillies name dies a part of me will go to the grave with it."

Just hours after the announcement became official an online petition was started and a fan created a Facebook page: "Save the Reading Phillies." By Monday evening more than 2,000 people had joined the group, and 500 had signed the petition.

Despite the intense reaction Hunsicker said the club remains steadfast in its decision and plans to go forward with its plans.

Local fans on social media left little doubt where they stand on the issue. There were almost no positive comments posted.

"Looks like they just want to have their own identity," posted Facebook user Jason Everett of Reading. "I'm all for it; I hate the Phillies."

"Didn't know when I went to Trenton for Game 4 (of the Eastern Division playoffs) that it would be the last R-Phils game," tweeted John Hagee Jr.

"In the history of bad decisions," wrote a Facebook user who identified himself as Andrew Price, "this is going to go down as one of the worse decisions."

[Shumway]

The Stockton Ports (Single-A, Oakland A's) unveiled their new Friday set

Cheap plug for my blog that details some of it: http://butattheendoftheday.com/2012/11/16/stockton-ports-unveil-new-kick-asparagus-friday-uniform-set/

Hurm.

Too much going on there. Asparagus mascot, Popeye, nautical implements, baseball equipment. Popeye doesn't have one tattoo, he has four.

Any couple of those would work, but the whole thing is too cluttered.

I don't get the asparagus thing (i read the article...i just don't get why they'd base an identity around it), but I totally want a t-shirt of the asparagus with the bat. Hilarious.

[The_Admiral]

Why does the asparagus team use a designated hitter?

Their P stinks!

[DaytonBlue]

http://ballparkdiges...s-in-team-store

Fightin Phils: New logo success in team store

I fear we may keep getting silly rebrands like this if people keep gobbling this stuff up.

[bowld]

From the press release:

The Hillsboro Hops logo includes an animated hop plant donning a baseball cap with the letter “H”. The primary team colors will be navy blue, light blue and green.

The team will unveil its uniforms and baseball caps in November and Hillsboro Hops merchandise will be available immediately following the unveiling.

Anyone know the date of uniform unveiling? Anxious to see the hats

[Brian in Boston]

Via @ShiDavidi:

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, new #Jays affiliate, to unveil new logo and manager on Tuesday.

The "Description of Mark" within the USPTO's on-line record accompanying this logo's registration reads:

"The mark consists of a bison within a circle wearing a t-shirt and a baseball cap with the letter 'B' and holding a baseball bat and the words 'Buffalo Bisons' above the bison."

[CDixonDesign]

Via @ShiDavidi:

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, new #Jays affiliate, to unveil new logo and manager on Tuesday.

The "Description of Mark" within the USPTO's on-line record accompanying this logo's registration reads:

"The mark consists of a bison within a circle wearing a t-shirt and a baseball cap with the letter 'B' and holding a baseball bat and the words 'Buffalo Bisons' above the bison."

Researching the logo's registered trademark? That's some hardcore journalism.