Brian in Boston

4 hours ago, WideRight said:

I concur with your decision to adapt the simpler Los Angeles Cobras mark to the Carolina color scheme, as the original Charlotte-based Cobras AFL team logo struck me as too detailed and fussy.

I had a thought regarding the application of the full-body Cobra to the team's helmets. While the cobras do work as currently positioned on the headgear, imagine extending the tail of each snake forward, along to the edge of the bumper and then having them loop up and back over the top of the helmet as a pair of tapering stripes akin to those that were on the original Tennessee Titans' helmets. From the front of the helmet, one would see a pair of Venom Gold stripes outlined in Black edging along next to the upper portion of the facemark cage, then curling under the bumper for a moment, before looping up and back as the pair of tapering gold stripes with black trim.

Other than that one possible tweak, I wouldn't change a thing about this logo and uniform package. Top notch work.                   

On 4/24/2020 at 4:53 AM, WideRight said:

Brilliant upgrade of an iconic Arena Football League team identity! A wonderful example of how a brand can be imbued with new life via measured evolution to one or two design elements, rather than engaging in wholesale changes to the entire package.    

5 hours ago, WideRight said:

Adding the New York Knights.  They only lasted one season, but the thought of having the Knights as a 30+ year franchise in MSG and then adding the Dragons as an expansion team on Long Island/Brooklyn later makes such a perfect combo (Knights v. Dragons) that I had to.  You will see that I completely revamped the Knights logo, using one I designed a while back for a different project.  I like the rampart theme as a uniform element and decided to go with a Black and silver combo with a moderate amount of pale sky blue as a 3rd color.  

 

This is a terrific update for the New York Knights. Amongst the finest identities you've ever created.

16 hours ago, the admiral said:

I was thinking more Utica-Vancouver or Springfield-Lauderdale. I don't really have a mental inventory of flights, that's dfwabel stuff, I just know one time I tried to fly from Milwaukee to St. Louis but found out I'd have to connect in Atlanta.

Those itineraries would absolutely involve connecting flights... probably a couple of connections, to be honest.

Vancouver to Utica (or, vice versa) would involve flying into - or, out of - either Albany International Airport or Syracuse Hancock International Airport. There might be some additional connecting flights into Greater Binghamton and Ithaca Tompkins, but it doesn't strike me that the aircraft servicing those latter locations would be optimal for transporting an entire hockey team.

The routes back-and-forth between Bradley International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport would likely involve connections through Washington Dulles, Charlotte Douglas, or Hatfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airports.

The biggest headache on most - if not all - of these itineraries would likely be departure and arrival times. Could be slim pickings.      

4 hours ago, the admiral said:

Flying in and out of what's left of AHLLand must kinda suck...

Well, that's certainly the case when it comes to the new St. Louis Blues-Springfield Falcons affiliation. Unless, of course, your idea of convenience is the once daily Southwest flight from St. Louis Lambert International to Bradley International in Windsor Locks, CT and vice-versa.

1 hour ago, sleuthpanther said:

I need to correct myself, those sycamore leaf logos were UNUSED concepts... that’s absolutely tragic. All of them are much better than the previous and new brand smh

From Old Hat's Indiana State case study:

"One thing we learned at the outset was that the outline of the state of Indiana was a pride point that absolutely had to be carried over to the new identity. From athletics staff to alumni, there was no desire to move away to a mark that represented the Sycamores in a different way (i.e. sycamore leaf, mascot mark, etc.)."

47 minutes ago, eastfirst107 said:

A cleaned-up brand evolution done right: Kansas City T-Bones, American Association.

. Previous look:

Meh. In all honesty, I find them both to be mediocre.

Apparently, the Vegas Golden Knights are planning to have their AHL affiliate's residency at Orleans Arena be a temporary one. The Las Vegas Sun is reporting that the Golden Knights' top farm team will ultimately play in a 6,000-seat Henderson, Nevada arena. The facility, to be constructed on the site of the Henderson Pavilion, will be located just under 7 miles from the Golden Knights' Lifeguard Arena complex on Water Street in Henderson.

Golden Knights announce new arena for AHL team in Henderson 

1 hour ago, Dilbert said:

This leaves, Charlotte, Hershey, Lehigh Valley Providence, Springfield, Cleveland, Syracuse, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Rockford, and Colorado with outside ownership.

And even some of those affiliations aren't truly in jeopardy of being severed. The Colorado Eagles are located just 50 miles from their NHL parent club in Denver. Ditto for the Providence Bruins and their NHL affiliate in Boston. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are a 68-mile drive from the Flyers in Philly. The Rockford IceHogs operate less than a 90-mile drive from the Blackhawks in Chicago. Hell, even Hershey, Cleveland, Grand Rapids, and Charlotte are all situated less than 160 miles from their NHL parent... with Hershey being the only one of the four that doesn't operate within the same state.

Frankly, if any of these NHL parent clubs caught wind that the owners of their respective AHL affiliates were considering selling, I'd be shocked if most wouldn't sweep in to buy said farm teams... in many cases, leaving them operating right where they are now. Cleveland, Grand Rapids, Hershey, Lehigh Valley, and Providence have consistently been amongst the top five or six draws in the AHL over the past seven to ten seasons. Charlotte's been a top ten draw at the gate during the same period. If an NHL parent club could negotiate a reasonable lease, why mess with a good thing?  

The Vegas Golden Knights have announced the purchase of the American Hockey League franchise operating rights currently held by Spurs Sports & Entertainment, as well as their intention to apply for relocation of said team to Nevada in time for the 2020-2021 AHL season. Following approval of the purchase and relocation by the AHL Board of Governors, it is expected that the team - currently operating as the San Antonio Rampage - will be headquartered and practice at Lifeguard Arena, the new community hockey center being built by the Golden Knights in Henderson, Nevada. While no decision has been finalized regarding where the AHL team would play its home schedule in Nevada, reports have suggested the Orleans Arena as a possible venue.

Vegas Golden Knights Purchase AHL Franchise Membership
Golden Knights bringing minor league team to Las Vegas     

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls... please welcome to the ice... yooooouuuur Nevada Silver Squires!!!!!!!"

Atlanta Rampage or Atlanta Silverbacks - The first name simply sounds good to me. For some reason, in my mind's eye, I see the logo package for it revolving around images of a charging rhinoceros. As for the second suggestion, it is a tip of the hat to Zoo Atlanta's simian ambassador for nearly 40 years, Willie B. Though Willie has passed on, his legacy lives in Zoo Atlanta's world-renowned gorilla program, as well as his many offspring who call the zoo home.
 

Kansas City Stampede - A tribute to the importance of the livestock industry in Kansas City, particularly during the 80-year heyday of the Kansas City Stockyards.

New York Centaurs - This suggestion draws upon a powerful and majestic figure of myth and fable with which to brand a New York-based team. Additionally, the first letter in each word of said identity lends itself to a ligature mark - NYC - that is also a nickname for the metropolis.    

Portland Stags or Portland Cutthroats - The former name recognizes both Oregon's abundant wildlife and the famous sign atop the structure at 70 NW Couch Street in Portland that has featured the depiction of a leaping white stag - originally promoting White Stag Sportswear - since 1957. The latter name (should you opt not to use it for a Denver-based franchise) is that of a gamefish much prized by local anglers.

Vancouver Grizzlies or Vancouver Silvertips - Named for Ursus arctos horribilis, the large, powerful ursine predators of Pacific Canada. The second name references the grey, white, or blonde tips of hair found on many grizzlies.   

4 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

That simply cannot stand in a professional league; it's a question of "who's in charge here?"

 

The bottom line is that a team may not act unilaterally in defiance of the league. All fans of any pro sport should be expected to agree to this bedrock principle. 

 

It is saddening to see people get so consumed by a weird hatred of small leagues that they are willing to ignore a most serious threat to the integrity of a professional competition, and that they are also prepared to take leave of their sense of ethics. But that's the internet for you. 

 

What is satisfying is that, in the real world, the NAL handled the matter correctly, in the exact same manner that every other league would do if one if its teams defied league orders and abandoned a game.

Point 1: Leadership of the National Arena League has proven, time and again, that they're not even in charge of their own circuit. Their "make-it-up-as-they-go-along" method of managing the league has resulted in multiple lapses in so-called "integrity".

Point 2: Please, stop dictating what "all fans of any pro sport should be expected to agree to" based upon your personal opinion.

Point 3: I can assure you that the opinions I've expressed in this thread have absolutely nothing to do with my being "consumed by a weird hatred of small leagues". I've attended games - indeed, in some cases been a season ticket-holder - of franchises in minor leagues and/or alternative pro sports ventures including the American Ultimate Disc League, the Arena Football League, Arena Football 2, the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League/National Lacrosse League, the Major Arena Soccer League, the Major Indoor Soccer League, Major League Lacrosse, Major League Rugby, Major League Ultimate, National Pro Fastpitch, the Premier Lacrosse League, Roller Hockey International, the United Football League, the United States Football League, the World League of American Football, and World Team Tennis. In fact, I've attended National Arena League contests, having been to home games of both the Maine Mammoths and the Massachusetts Pirates.

Part 4: As I've made clear previously, you and I don't agree on the matter of whether the NAL "handled the matter correctly".

Bottom line? You are welcome to your opinion on this matter, just as those who don't agree with you are welcome to their opinions. That said, summarily dismissing those who don't agree with you by claiming that they're "consumed by a weird hatred of small leagues" is poor form. Beyond the pale, really.       

15 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

The league was consulted right after the theft was discovered, and it decided to continue the game.

The locker room wasn't broken into. It was left unguarded. If someone had been in the locker room, then it wouldn't have been unguarded. And the thefts would not have taken place.

The only point is that the baseline requirement of a pro sports league is that the integrity of its competition be maintained.

Failure to impose that forfeit would have damaged the NAL's integrity to a far greater extent than [the 2017 Jacksonville scheduling issues and the fact that the New York Streets' home field measurements did not meet league measurement requirements].

Point 1: The league's decision to continue said game is just the latest example of behavior that speaks to the lack of integrity displayed by NAL leadership. 

Point 2: There was the possibility that a person could have entered said unguarded locker room after the thief began to burgle the lockers of Carolina Cobras personnel. There was the possibility that said thief, startled while caught in the act of burgling the property of Carolina Cobras personnel, could have reacted violently. While it is fortunate that such an occurrence did not take place, I can certainly understand why Carolina Cobras personnel - alerted to the fact that their locker room had not been secured properly by the host New York Streets organization, resulting in their property being stolen - would be disturbed enough to not wish to continue with the game. 

Point 3: Leadership of the National Arena League established its disinclination to maintain the integrity of its competition in its very first season. That's when said leadership allowed the Jacksonville Sharks to play more home contests than any other franchise in the league. Integrity on NAL leadership's part would have dictated either requiring the Jacksonville Sharks to renegotiate their contract with their home venue in such a way as to allow for the team to play just six home contests in 2017, requiring the team to make arrangements to play said six games at another venue, or notifying the team that - in fairness to the league's other franchises - it would not be taking the field as an NAL member until 2018.

Point 4: I disagree. Exempting one of your member-franchises from having to play the same number of home and road games as all of the other teams in the league - indeed, awarding them extra home games at the expense of other franchises before the season has even begun - undermines the league's competitive integrity. Failing to require a member-franchise to secure a facility that can accommodate a playing field that conforms with league rules regarding field dimensions undermines the league's competitive integrity and could lead to player injury. Failing to insure that a member-franchise has provided for the security of its own employees and their belongings, as well as the bodily and property safety of the employees of visiting franchises, is a complete failure of moral integrity.    

3 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

... the NAL showed its seriousness by defending its integrity.

The National Arena League's "integrity"? 

In the league's inaugural season, due to the provisions of the Jacksonville Sharks' contract with Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, said team was allowed to play eight games of its 12-game league schedule at home. In order to accommodate said situation, five of the NAL's other seven teams entered the season having been told that they were each hosting just six home games, with the Corpus Christi Rage and Dayton Wolfpack informed that they were to play just five contests at home. Before the NAL played a single game of the 2017 season, the Dayton Wolfpack were designated a travel team, playing its entire slate of games on the road. Ultimately, due to a variety of circumstances, the 2017 NAL season saw Jacksonville and Columbus play 12-game schedules; Monterrey contest an 11-game schedule; Georgia, High Country and Lehigh Valley play 10-game schedules; Corpus Christi take the field nine times; and Dayton play just seven times.

The National Arena League's "integrity"? Your beloved New York Streets played their home games on a field that was well below the NAL's 50 yards plus 8-yard end zones standard (66 total yards). Though marked as to appear to be said dimensions, various estimates had the Streets' home field at Westchester County Center measuring a total of 44 to 50 yards, with the field surface between the goal lines coming in at somewhere between 33 and 38 yards.  

"Integrity"? Really? This is the National Arena League we're talking about. Bargain-basement arena football. This is an endeavor as low in the "pro" sports hierarchy as one is going to find. These are operations that are often fueled by a mix of dreams, self-delusion and chicanery, then held together with bubble gum, duct tape and baling wire. 

Sorry, but "integrity" is not the first word that leaps to mind when discussing such entities. And that's even before you factor in a National Arena League member-franchise's inability to guarantee a secure work environment.      

   

Oak View Group had its trademark application for the name Palm Springs Firebirds refused by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The USPTO's ruling cited the "likelihood of confusion with the mark" of the Ontario Hockey League's Flint Firebirds and concluded that "the compared marks are confusingly similar".

The ruling also stated:

"Additionally, because each party offers identical services, it is likely that consumers will perceive the applicant's hockey services to be related to registrant's hockey services, as it is common for hockey teams in one league to affiliate themselves with hockey teams in a different league and for the affiliated teams to share the same team name."

Oak View Group has until May 12, 2020 to "respond to the refusal by submitting evidence and arguments in support of registration", otherwise the application for the Palm Springs Firebirds name will be abandoned.

In addition to the Palm Springs Firebirds name, Oak View Group has - to date - also registered Palm Springs Dragons, Palm Springs Eagles, Palm Springs Falcons, Palm Springs Hawks, and Palm Springs Sun with the USPTO. As a result, they may simply opt to go with one of those names for the franchise. They could, of course, still file additional trademarks.

It's interesting to note that, prior to the USPTO's refusal of the Palm Springs Firebirds name, the team's website had featured the promotional tagline, "We got Fire. Bring on the Ice." In the wake of the refusal, the tagline has been changed to, "We got the heat. Bring on the ice."      
 

USPTO Trademark Status & Document Retrieval Case Viewer - Case ID 88573330

2 hours ago, gosioux76 said:

Here's my bold, outlandish statement about this club: The Portland Pickles are evolving into the West Coast equivalent of the St. Paul Saints. An unaffiliated minor league franchise run so professionally, and with such whimsy, that it becomes competitive, if not preferable, to the MLB experience. 

Nothing has changed, and the words I used were exactly what I meant. The terms "independent, unaffiliated" is not to say it's some random barnstorming franchise, but a professional club that isn't an affiliate of a Major League Baseball franchise. Therefore "independent" and "unaffliated."

I'll grant you the "whimsy" factor insofar as the Pickles and Gherkins branding is concerned. That said, I don't know that I'm ready to label the organization "the West Coast equivalent of the St. Paul Saints" just yet. They've been around for a grand total of four seasons, while the modern incarnation of the Saints just completed its 27th campaign.

Don't get me wrong... the Portland Pickles have put together a well-run summer collegiate operation over their first four seasons. That said, so have the Savannah Bananas... a team that, in addition to being no slouch in the "whimsy" department itself, has averaged 4,083 fans per game, put together an 88-game sell-out streak over three consecutive seasons, and captured the Coastal Plain League's Petit Cup Championship in its inaugural year. And the Bananas have done it in a city and metro area much smaller than that which the Pickles can draw from. 

As far as West Coast League operations are concerned, the organization that impresses me is that of the Victoria HarbourCats. No, there's not a lot of "whimsy" on display at Royal Athletic Park, but talk about a team that's created an impressive following. Over the course of seven seasons, the HarbourCats have built-up their average attendance to over 2,300 fans per game, which - again - is pretty amazing given the fact that the city and metro area population in the market is a fraction the size of that which exists in Portland.

But, when it comes to identifying collegiate summer baseball's "equivalent of the St. Paul Saints", the closest you're going to find are the Madison Mallards. In 2001, their inaugural season in the Northwoods League , they finished fourth in attendance, drawing just 1,039 fans per game. In their second season, the 1,973 fans per game that they averaged was good enough to lead the league in attendance. Since earning that honor in 2002, the Mallards have yet to cede the Northwoods League attendance crown to any other ball club. In the 2003 and 2004 seasons, the Mallards drew over 4,400 fans per game. In 2005, they exceeded 5,000 fans per game, pulling in an average crowd of 5,738. The 2006 Northwoods League season saw the Mallards average crowd size rise to 6,056. Over 11 of the next 13 seasons, the Mallards' attendance would exceed 6,000 fans per game. The high mark over the past 13 seasons was 2015's 6,358 fans per game. The "low" was an average of 5,884 in 2010. In all, the Madison Mallards have averaged 5,474 fans per game over their 19 years of existence. On the field, the Mallards have won four division titles, qualified for the playoffs eight times, advanced to the Northwoods League Championship Series on four occasions, and won the league championship twice. Any way you slice it, that's impressive.

1 hour ago, gosioux76 said:

Nothing has changed, and the words I used were exactly what I meant. The terms "independent, unaffiliated" is not to say it's some random barnstorming franchise, but a professional club that isn't an affiliate of a Major League Baseball franchise. Therefore "independent" and "unaffliated."

As a collegiate summer team the Portland Pickles are, indeed, "independent" and "unaffiliated" with regard to their relationship with Major League Baseball.. However, the Portland Pickles are not a professional club. Their players aren't paid. In fact, their players can't be compensated, as that would strip said players of their amateur status, thus preventing  them from competing collegiately ever again. 

1 hour ago, gosioux76 said:

The Portland Pickles, the independent minor league baseball team in Portland, Oregon, today announced the formation of a collegiate wood-bat farm team they're calling the Portland Gherkins.

 

Here's my bold, outlandish statement about this club: The Portland Pickles are evolving into the West Coast equivalent of the St. Paul Saints. An unaffiliated minor league franchise run so professionally, and with such whimsy, that it becomes competitive, if not preferable, to the MLB experience. 

Unless something has changed with the Portland Pickles' operation, the team is not an independent, unaffiliated minor league franchise. Rather, the Pickles are a collegiate summer baseball team that competes in the summer wood bat West Coast League.

So, it would appear that one collegiate summer baseball team has elected to operate another collegiate summer baseball team as an "official farm affiliate". Said affiliate will be operating in the same market... out of the same facility... playing a schedule comprised, at least in part, of games against teams from the same league as the parent club.

Interesting.   

On 12/5/2019 at 1:48 PM, mr.nascar13 said:

Maybe it's just me, but I find something odd - indeed, off-putting - about the Narwhal playing dress-up in sea-captain's garb while wielding a harpoon. It would be like the Milwaukee Bucks rolling out a primary mark that depicted a deer sporting a winter ear-flap cap, camouflage hunting jacket, and orange safety vest, while toting a bolt action rifle.    

Apparently, the Wareham Gatemen of the collegiate summer Cape Cod Baseball League were mulling taking legal action against the Worcester Red Sox over a logo that the latter team is using.

              

                            Wareham Gatemen                                                                      Worcester Red Sox  


According to the Worcester Business Journal, cooler heads have prevailed and a legal battle has been avoided.

WooSox avoid a court fight over 'W' logo   
 

46 minutes ago, Eastport76 said:

I'm sorry, But, did you say eight? there are seven caps.

Thanks for catching that.

31 minutes ago, schlim said:

I don't care, I lived in central Mass for 20 years, that's really not a thing. I don't care how you pronounce 'haaaaht'.

Well, "The Heart of the Commonwealth" motto's been around since October of 1831. I suspect that was a bit before your 20-year stint in Central Massachusetts. Governor Levi Lincoln of Massachusetts, who would later go on to serve as the City of Worcester's first mayor, coined the phrase. Since then, it's been used to describe both the City of Worcester and Worcester County. It's the reason the image of a heart adorns the Worcester city seal and, by extension, everything from the city flag to city street signs.    

In any event, when it comes to invoking municipal mottos and nicknames, the only folks capable of outdoing local politicos and chamber of commerce officials are sports branding professionals.  

While the heart that's worked into the W in the WooSox script is a clever touch (Worcester is nicknamed "The Heart of the Commonwealth", both for its geographic location and the fact that it was the birthplace of modern Valentine's Day cards), I hate that said word mark clashes with the traditional Red Sox font. The mascot - Smiley Ball - is a cute reference to the fact that the Smiley Face icon was created in Worcester by Harvey Ball, though I'm not a fan of the fact that he's wearing a red cap. That lid should be blue.

And speaking of caps... there's no need for so many of them. Frankly, the blue one with the W in a classic Red Sox font would suffice. Maybe - maybe - a second cap... perhaps the red one with the blue visor, but with the heart-W on it. Eight caps is absolutely ridiculous. 

 

20 minutes ago, Walk-Off said:

Ruby Legs might help to distinguish the Worcester team from the Boston Red Sox, but that nickname is similar enough to Red Sox that the Worcester club would be an awkward position should the team's ties to the Bosox ever disintegrate.

If said ties were ever severed, the Worcester-based farm team would just rebrand... and dip into the pockets of folks buying souvenir merchandise emblazoned with the new name and  logos.   

2 minutes ago, AstroBull21 said:

Worcester Worcesters??? Um...

Oh, I don't believe that they're actually going with Worcesters. It was likely registered as a misdirection, or to support the eventual roll-out of throwback merchandise tied to the professional team that called the city home in the late 1800s.