Brian in Boston

Baseball is returning to Luther Williams Field in Macon, Georgia. Specifically, a summer collegiate outfit in the Coastal Plain League. The team has unveiled the five finalists in its "Name the Team" contest. They are:

Macon Bacon
Macon Heat
Macon Hits
Macon Noise
Macon Soul

Frankly, based upon these candidates, I'm of the mind that they should have simply resurrected the Macon Peaches name sported by teams in the South Atlantic League, Southern Association, Southern League, and Southeastern League for 42-and-a-half seasons. 

As of now, only the Macon Bacon moniker has been registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

You can provide the team with feedback about the team name finalists at http://www.maconbaseball2018.com

9 hours ago, the admiral said:

That was Winston-Salem/Greensboro that was gunning for the Twins, I believe. That probably would have been a small disaster.

Correct. The Twins played "footsie" with the Triad, as opposed to the Triangle.

Well, according to the G-Braves' general manager, North Johnson, Gwinnett Buttons, "... was, by far, the most popular submitted name, so it has made our 'Final Six'."

The Gwinnett Braves have unveiled the options in their name-the-team contest, along with their (purported) significance and suitability. They are:

Gwinnett Big Mouths - Named after the state fish of Georgia, the Big Mouths are a tribute to bass fishing on Lake Lanier.

Gwinnett Buttons - The Buttons honor Gwinnett County’s namesake, Button Gwinnett, signatory of the Declaration of Independence.

Gwinnett Gobblers - The Gobblers celebrate the outdoors, hunting and eating all the foods we love in the state of Georgia.

Gwinnett Hush Puppies - Our stealthy hunting dog is sneaking through the weeds, about to rustle up some ducks. But don’t think we’re all that serious. You can expect a “corny” fan experience at the “Puppies” game!

Gwinnett Lambchops - A chop off the old block, the Lambchops marry the region’s love of home cooking with the Tomahawk Chop of the Atlanta Braves.

Gwinnett Sweet Teas - It’s a regional icon “to a tea!” The Sweet Teas celebrate the laid-back lifestyle of Gwinnett County while displaying a real sweet look.

Voting is underway through July 24th.

The New Jersey Jackals of the independent Can-Am League have unveiled a new logo package.

Jackals Announce New Logo Designs

11 minutes ago, bosrs1 said:

 

That new L primary cap is pretty sharp. As for the primary logo, I get why they did it. Lowell is known for it's mills so they wanted to include that in the logo for those ignorant of history and don't understand the Spinners name.

I didn't make myself clear. I actually like the presence of the mills in the Spinners' primary logo. I simply think that Canaligator should be wearing the simplest of the team's caps - blue with the red L - within the primary logo.

I wonder how the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders' introduction of their "Baby Bombers" alternate logo is sitting with the New Orleans Baby Cakes?

http://citizensvoice.com/sports/railriders-team-unveils-baby-bombers-alternate-logo-1.2147909
 

It's been just 2-1/2 months since Brandiose rolled-out the new Baby Cakes identity for New Orleans. You'd think that they'd have tried a bit harder not to ape another client's newly-unveiled identity package when generating the alternative mark for the RailRiders.   

5 hours ago, Waffles said:

 

Five hats, and none of them is the hat the alligator is wearing in the primary logo.

This is the problem that I have with the new logo set. Depict the mascot wearing the simplest of the caps - blue with the red L - and call it a day.

Credit where credit is due: In my opinion, Brandiose created a terrific set of logos for the Wood Ducks. Easily their best work in quite some time.  

A franchise in the new independent Southwest League of Professional Baseball has unveiled its identity. The team, which will play in a proposed multi-purpose facility in the Waco, Texas suburb of Bellmead, will be dubbed the Waco BlueCats.

The team's name pays homage to the largest species of North American catfish, a favorite of anglers fishing the Brazos River and Lake Waco. BlueCats beat out four other possible team names: Woolies, Mammoths, Peppers, and Grackles. 

Waco BlueCats Official Name Announcement

Waco BlueCats Uniforms and Caps

The BlueCats' logo package and uniforms were designed by Alan Beam of Beam Team Design in Mansfield, Texas.  

The Lynchburg Hillcats have unveiled their new uniforms.

'Cats Unveil Uniforma and Fan Experience

1 hour ago, GeauxColonels said:

No one calls it a "Cake Baby." It's a King Cake Baby. 

Not in my family. My five great-aunts, three great-uncles (all born and raised in the Irish Channel), and all of their children and grandchildren call the trinket a "Cake Baby". I've never thought to ask them why that is... beyond sheer linguistic laziness.

Personally, I'm of the mind that - when done right - unique identities for minor-league franchises are vastly preferable to simply aping the parent-club's name, logos, and uniforms.

Off the top of my head, a "Top Ten" of MiLB identity-packages would include:

Bradenton Marauders
Burlington Bees

Clearwater Threshers
Daytona Tortugas (I also thought the Daytona Cubs identity - which immediately preceded the change to Tortugas - was outstanding.)  
Durham Bulls
Hillsboro Hops (Easily my favorite current identity package in MiLB.)
Idaho Falls Chukars
Modesto Nuts

Toledo Mud Hens
Visalia Rawhide (I loved the Mudville Nine identity even more.)

I'm also a fan of the identities sported by the Asheville Tourists, Cedar Rapids Kernels, Lakeland Flying Tigers, Reno Aces, and West Virginia Black Bears.

Given all that has transpired during this year's presidential campaign, every time I look at the secondary mark featuring the State of Florida, I want to call the team the "Trumpo Shrimp".

"You know, I'm automatically attracted to battleground states. I just start stumping them. It's like a magnet. Just stump. I don't even wait. And when you're a political outsider , they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the panhandle. You can do anything."

From the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx to the Clearwater Threshers to this over the course of their history? Seriously?

The tale of Plan B. Branding/Brandiose is the Flowers for Algernon of sports branding.

6 hours ago, MBurmy said:

Fond du Lac unveiled its five name-the-team finalists today.  And they are the...
 

Barn Owls

Dock Spiders

Lake Flies

Pipsqueaks

Shantymen

I'd rank them:

1) Lake Flies

2) Dock Spiders

3) Barn Owls

4) Shantymen

(BIG drop-off)

5) Pipsqueaks

13 hours ago, panthers_2012 said:

Don't know if this was mentioned or not...http://m.milb.com/news/article/20160916201711416/braves_move_a_advanced_club_to_kissimmee

It was discussed back in July... page 77 in the thread's history. The prospective team names were also listed.

Florida Dragonflies

Florida Fire Frogs
Florida Mud Kickers
Florida Rodeo Clowns
Florida Sorcerers
Florida Toucans

Clearly, the list of finalists in Kinston was heavily influenced by the Brandiose brain trust. Frankly, I'm pulling for Down East HamHawks, if only to see the primary logo that will undoubtedly depict a pig wearing a vintage leather aviator's helmet, goggles, and a flight jacket, while swinging a ham hock like a baseball bat. 

Quote

The team I work for, the Lake Erie Crushers that play in the Frontier League, are getting new logos and new uniforms next year. We're probably getting a new color scheme, but our owner is keeping his options open.

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They BETTER have purple in the color scheme...the team was named after wine crushers...

If the team really wants to get specific, it should adopt a color scheme of Concord Grape, Catawba Grape, and Chardonnay. On second thought, that may be too "refined a palette" for an independent minor-pro baseball team.

12 hours ago, tron1013 said:

Since Fayetteville is named after the Marquis de Lafayette, and Lafayette was directly responsible for the creation of the American Foxhound breed, I think the "Fayetteville Foxhounds" would be a fun, alliterative and history-based nickname.

The Aiken Foxhounds played in the independent minor-pro South Coast League's lone season.

I'd go with Fond du Lac Lake Flies, Fond du Lac Trappers, or Fond du Lac Voyageurs.

The Lynchburg Hillcats have launched an online "Name the Team" contest as part of a rebranding effort that will see the franchise take the field with a new identity in time for the 2017 Carolina League season.

The team will be working with San Diego-based Brandiose on the project.

A couple of bits of minor league baseball branding news to discuss:

First, the finalist identities in the Binghamton Mets' rebranding campaign have been announced, with the majority drawing upon Binghamton's position as "The Carousel Capital of the World".

In addition to Bullheads (a nod to the bullhead catfish in the Susquehanna River) and Gobblers (recognizing the abundance of wild turkeys in the area, as well as the importance of the hunting culture to the region), B-Mets fans can choose from the carousel-inspired Rocking Horses, Rumble Ponies, Stud Muffins, and Timber Jockeys.

Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Cyclones will rebrand as the Coney Island Franks for a single night - Sunday, July 3rd - to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the Nathan's Famous hot dog stand, as well as to mark the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th.

The American Hockey League's Board of Governors has granted conditional approval to the Arizona Coyotes acquiring ownership of the AHL's Springfield Falcons and relocating the franchise to Tucson, Arizona in time for the 2016-2017 AHL season.

http://theahl.com/bog-conditionally-approves-coyotes-purchase-p202491

With the Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District Board of Directors having unanimously approved the expenditure of $3.2 million in TIF funds towards the upgrading of the Tucson Convention Center Arena for AHL hockey, it would seem that the primary condition which remains to be met is the negotiation of an arena lease with the City of Tucson. Reportedly, the Tucson City Council and Arizona Coyotes' management are currently in the process of negotiating the terms of said lease, with completion of the deal expected sometime next month.

http://www.vavel.com/en-us/nhl/639823-city-of-tucson-approves-funding-for-arena-upgrades-for-ahl-team.html

The sale of the Portland Pirates and their relocation to Springfield, Massachusetts are expected to be voted upon by the AHL Board of Governors within the next two weeks.