Brian in Boston

As part and parcel of the transition from independent minor-pro to summer collegiate league play, Traverse City Baseball has announced six finalist identities in a "Name-the-Team" contest that will replace the former Beach Bums moniker. According to the club, said finalists were selected based upon the number of submissions received and the unique connection each name has to Traverse City and Northern Michigan. According to the team website, the finalists - and their meanings - are: Black Pearls – This one has a double meaning as it is a specific type of cherry but also the ship from The Pirates of the Caribbean. Cherry or Pirate? It’s both! Make sure to check out James Jesse Strang before you ahrrrrrrrgue against this one. Dogmen – This mythical creature is said to be living in Northern Michigan since the days the Odawa tribe lived along the Manistee River. Is this a doggone good name or what? Dune Bears – A nod to the Sleeping Bear Dunes legend of Misha Mokwa and the spectacular Sleeping Bear Dunes which has brought international acclaim to the Grand Traverse area. Could we put a replica dune in the outfield? Pit Spitters – A tribute to the tradition of, well, pit spitting. Could add some fun and games to the ballpark experience! Tree Shakers – Have you ever seen how the wonderful, tasty cherries are harvested? You shake them! Can you feel the ballpark shakin’ yet? Sasquatch – Are the rumors true? Is there a Bigfoot in Northern Michigan? Well if we select this name, all of those rumors will be put to rest. If you're so inclined, feel free to rank the names at Select the Team Name!

BINGO! I'm willing to bet that team GM Chris Phillips and the front-office team were stoned when they signed off on this. I mean, just listen to Phillips wax lyrical about the reasoning for going with the name. "Being an attitude, a feeling, an emotion, that allows us to do a million different things. The possibilities are limitless." Cue the Grateful Dead on the PA system and break-out the tie-dyed team jerseys. "Rocky Mountain Vibes BAKED-ball... it's a trip, man!"

That's Toasty Vibes, the "flaming, anthropomorphic, sunglasses-wearing" mascot that team GM Chris Phillips describes as the "s'more I want to hang out with". Hey, Chris, don't sell Toasty short. He's more than just a sweet treat that's enjoyed by the fire. He's also a cure for the munchies I'm willing to bet you're experiencing right now. I mean, given Colorado's track-record as one of the first two U.S. states to legalize recreational use of cannabis, I'm betting that "toasty vibes" of a another variety played a significant role in the brainstorming that led to this identity being adopted. "Being an attitude, a feeling, an emotion, that allows us to do a million different things. The possibilities are limitless." - Chris Phillips Yep. You were definitely stoned when you signed-off on this, Chris. Rocky Mountain Vibes Baseball? More like Rocky Mountain Vibes BAKED-ball.

Here are my passing thoughts: * The team name is ASININE... even by Brandiose standards. * I'm not a fan of the way in which the PRAIRIE DOG's head is emerging from the hole in a couple of the logos. I understand what the designers were going for, but the manner in which the edge of the hole was rendered does, indeed, make it look as though the PRAIRIE DOG's head has been torn. On the logo featuring the State of Texas, the PRAIRIE DOG looks as though it's partially submerged in a liquid. * The fact that the PRAIRIE DOG is rendered in the same color as the cowboy boots it's wearing, as well as the grass seed it's chewing, bothers me. In my opinion, the boots would look better if they were white, powder blue, or red. As for the grass seed... I don't know what you'd color it, but I don't like it colored the same shade of yellow as the PRAIRIE DOG. * I don't think that the four logos featuring solo depictions of the PRAIRIE DOG all need to feature the animal chewing on the grass seed. We get it - the PRAIRIE DOG is chock-full of "western grit" and a "John Wayne" attitude. Figure out another way to convey said West Texas character besides chewing on a grass seed. * Between the Sod Poodles and Soddies word marks, the roundel, the "A" on the cowboy hats worn by the PRAIRIE DOGS, and the "A" that a solo PRAIRIE DOG is leaning on, it would appear that there are at least three - and maybe four - fonts at play in this suite of logos. The one on the roundel seems most out of place. I'd suggest losing one. Did I mention that Sod Poodles is an ASININE team name? Just checking.

I suspected that this franchise was going to be dubbed the Fayetteville Woodpeckers the minute the team's owners announced that they were going with a Black, Gray, and Red color scheme back in May. That palette is featured in the plumage of many of the woodpecker species found in North Carolina.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun is reporting via Twitter that National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman has revealed that the NHL Executive Committee's "formal recommendation was to proceed with expansion application" submitted by Seattle Hockey Partners. LeBrun goes on to tweet that there is "still some due diligence to be done on Seattle's part but all is pointing to a full Board of Governors vote on Seattle expansion come Dec. 3-4" and that "Bettman says launch of team in fall of 2020 would be ideal but depends on some factors"... namely, the expiration of the league's current collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players' Association and a possible lockout. KING 5 (KING-TV), 710 ESPN Seattle, seattlepi.com, and MyNorthwest are all running with the story. Pierre LeBrun Twitter feed KING 5 - Seattle one step closer to an NHL team with board approval 710 ESPN Seattle Twitter feed seattlepi.com - The Latest: NHL moving forward with Seattle expansion bid MyNorthwest - NHL executive committee recommends Seattle expansion team

Seattle Hockey Partners and City of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan will be at National Hockey League headquarters in New York tomorrow, making their formal pitch to land an NHL expansion franchise in time for the league's 2020 season. Participating in the presentation will be Tim Leiweke, President of Oak View Group, the entity charged with redeveloping the Seattle Center Coliseum and KeyArena; Seattle Hockey Partners majority owners David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer; Seattle Hockey Partners President Tod Leiweke; and Mayor Durkan. The 90-minute meeting with the NHL Executive Committee is expected to include information about Seattle's suitability as an NHL market, the arena's extensive renovation, and details regarding the team's headquarters and practice facility. While a formal vote on expansion to Seattle will likely wait until the NHL Board of Governors meets in Florida in December, any positive response from the 10-member NHL Executive Committee all but seals the deal. The executive committee is chaired by Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, chairman of Delaware North, the company that just happens to have a deal in place with Oak View Group to serve as lead concessionaire at the renovated KeyArena. Another member of the executive committee is Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, who employed Tod Leiweke as Lightning CEO from July of 2010 to July of 2015. Further, four of the eight remaining members of the executive committee are team owners of NHL franchises that play in arenas that are currently partnered with Oak View Group's marketing and promotions division. Future of KeyArena hinges on Tuesday meeting with NHL executive committee

Beginning next season, Louisiana's state capital - Baton Rouge - will be home to a Texas Collegiate League franchise. The team will be known as the Baton Rouge Rougarou. The name is derived from the folklore of French Louisiana, where a rougarou is a werewolf-like creature, often depicted with the head of a wolf or dog atop a human body. The Rougarou brand beat out Fightin' Beignets, Mighty Flamingos, Red Sticks, and River Monsters in the final round of voting in the franchise's "Name-the-Team" contest.

The independent American Association's Franklin, Wisconsin-based expansion franchise has revealed its identity. The team, playing out of the under-construction Ballpark Commons development, will be dubbed the Milwaukee Milkmen. Milwaukee Milkmen website Milwaukee Milkmen Launch Video

Rocket City Trash Pandas? This is what happens when a too-self-reverentially-clever-for-its-own-good design firm counsels a team's ownership group to present fans with a predetermined pool of mediocre-to-asinine team identities and then waits for bad taste and human nature to take over in the ensuing "Name-the-Team" vote. And as if taking the field as the Rocket City Trash Pandas wasn't embarrassing enough, the easily-gulled owners and management in Madison will inevitably double-down on their questionable judgement and allow Jason and Casey to talk them into throwing a "What If? Night", during which they'll don the logo and colors of the Madison Moon Possums. Oh... and let's not forget the inevitable food-themed identity package that the team will be talked into securing for a reasonable up-charge. After all, what's a minor league baseball season without the opportunity to cheer on the North 'Bama Butter Beans for a homestand or two? Brandiose has gone from creating a sports identity package as classically attractive as that sported by the Clearwater Threshers to... well, "jumping the ThunderShark". If this doesn't represent the nadir of modern sports branding, I don't want to see what does.

I'd agree with your assessment of the situation. The only current Pacific Coast League markets that would fit into the Southern League's footprint are Memphis, Nashville, and New Orleans. The oldest ballpark amongst those three markets is the Shrine on Airline in New Orleans, which opened in 1997. The Baby Cakes' attendance was down precipitously this season. In the Southern League, the oldest facility after Mobile's soon-to-be-vacated Hank Aaron Stadium is the Ballpark at Jackson. Meanwhile, the Jackson Generals/West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx have finished either last or second-to-last in Southern League attendance in 13 of the last 14 seasons. The Chattanooga Lookouts and Tennessee Smokies have, traditionally, both been much better draws than the Generals/Diamond Jaxx. To bring this back to a branding-centric discussion, I would assume that New Orleans would remain the Baby Cakes after such a shift. After all, team ownership only introduced the identity last season. As for a Wichita-based Pacific Coast League team, I'm going to presume that the owners will conduct a "Name-the-Team" contest. Now, whether said promotion would actually influence the team's branding, or simply be a cover for the owners foisting a pre-selected identity upon the fanbase, I don't know. Still, I'd expect that if fan suggestions are actually entertained, we're likely to see Wranglers in the mix, as well as something with a flight-based theme - Aeros, Aviators, Pilots, etc.

With the exception of their first five or six years of operation, the BayBears have always had a tough time drawing crowds to Hank Aaron Stadium. The team has only finished in the top half of Southern League attendance four or five times, while finishing in the bottom third on 11 occasions (including this season's projected - and, obviously, to-be-expected - dead last). Including this year, the team has averaged fewer than 2,500 fans a game for seven straight seasons, Truth be told, most games Hank Aaron Stadium has sat half empty for much of the team's existence.

When Fayetteville announced the Black, Gray, and Red palette back in May, it struck me that those colors would lend themselves to the name Fayetteville Woodpeckers. Many of the woodpecker species found in North Carolina - including the Downy woodpecker, Hairy woodpecker, Ivory-billed woodpecker, Northern flicker woodpecker, Pileated woodpecker, Red-bellied woodpecker, Red-headed woodpecker, and the Yellow-bellied sapsucker - feature those colors in their plumage. Well, we'll find out in just over a month.

I didn't realize until today that the summer collegiate Coastal Plain League's High Point-Thomasville HiToms have apparently begun using a new primary logo. High Point-Thomasville HiToms Logo

Yes, while a clunky mouthful, High Point Dragon Claws would have not only paid homage to "topping" a bat in order to determine which team captain would get the first pick in selecting players for a pick-up baseball game, but also have referenced the ball-and-claw style of foot often seen in furniture making.

Oh, how I hate to see the Triple-A team of my youth succumb to this OVERdone-to-death sports branding fad. That said, it could be worse. The PawSox could have embraced one of the most familiar colloquialisms for this signature Rhode Island foodstuff and dubbed themselves the Pawtucket Gaggers (Gaggahs).

With the independent Atlantic League's Bridgeport Bluefish relocating to the new BB&T Point stadium in High Point, North Carolina in time for the 2019 season, a "Name the Team" contest for the franchise has been underway in the Piedmont Triad. Yesterday, the final three candidates for the team's new identity were revealed to the public. The team will be known as the High Point Dragon Claws, High Point Rockers, or High Point Splinters. Previously eliminated names in the multi-round contest were Chairmen, Hush Puppies, Iron Dragons, Iron Eagles, Pioneers, RockerSox, and Tri-Stars. The team's name and primary logo are set to be unveiled at 6:00 PM on Thursday, July 12th. High Point Baseball Announces Final Three Names

Both of the word marks are outstanding. I love the logo that features the rat holding the slice of pepperoni pizza aloft, though it could do without the baseball bat he's wielding (Brandiose gonna Brandiose). All of that said, the simplicity of the pizza peel emblazoned with the "SI" ligature is my personal favorite. I just think it's phenomenal!

Bung Hammers? The trend towards food and beverage-themed identities has jumped the shart.

Black, Gray, and Red as team colors, huh? That palette would certainly lend itself to the name Fayetteville Woodpeckers. Many of the woodpecker species found in North Carolina - including the Downy woodpecker, Hairy woodpecker, Ivory-billed woodpecker, Northern flicker woodpecker, Pileated woodpecker, Red-bellied woodpecker, Red-headed woodpecker, and the Yellow-bellied sapsucker - feature those colors in their plumage. We shall see.

Unless the mascot in the New England Lobster Rolls' logo is a South African Cape Lobster, he isn't alive. Cape Lobsters are the only species of lobster that are red while still living. If that mascot is a true New England lobster, in order to achieve that crimson hue, he's already met his maker in a pot of boiling water.

That's terrific news. The Blue Ghosts moniker was under consideration for the team's identity prior to its 2005 debut season. Personally, I'd hoped that it would be selected, as it is a truly unique name with ties to an important local landmark. I love the Blue Ghosts logos that have been unveiled for the weekend. They capture the feel of the crudely-drawn tattoos that many U.S. Navy personnel opted to get during the World War II era.

The Durham Bulls have unveiled new uniforms ahead of the 2018 International League season. They're billing the look as a "return to tradition". Durham Bulls - A Return to Tradition

The New England Collegiate Baseball League's North Adams SteepleCats have unveiled a new logo and color scheme. SteepleCats Reveal New Look, New Logo

Discussion of XFL branding, both league logos and team names and marks, belongs in this thread. That said, theorizing about team locations and identities is fine, so long as logo and design-based discussion doesn't get sidetracked by in-depth analysis of where teams may/should be sited based upon business analytics, etc. After all. this is the Sports Logos thread. Discussion of XFL business decisions - personnel hirings, player signings, rules of play, broadcast deals, the reasoning behind the selection of markets, etc. - should be discussed here. As for proposed concepts, they should be posted in the Concepts forum. Thank you.