gosioux76

As great as the BattleHawks look, I wish they’d find a use for their fantastic secondary logo. It would work great on the collar, like the Guardians and Vipers do with their secondaries.

If it has a flaw, it's in trying to execute the entirety of the primary logo onto the helmet. The sword that runs between the wings could easily be omitted from the helmet. But the more I look at it, the less it bothers me.

The use of the Arch in that secondary is brilliant. I love it.

I agree. They've also done some really cool promo stuff using old-school two-bar helmets.

The Vipers are clearly the worst of the bunch. The most offensive part of it has to be the use of two shades of green. They’re just not distinct enough. From a distance, that thin V logo is difficult to make out. Might have been easier had they swapped greens: dark green helmet, light green logo. The better choice would’ve been to swap one of the greens for a different tertiary color..

But how could you really expect anything different from a new league in its first year. Particularly when you consider the huge graveyard of failed spring leagues that preceded it. Vince McMahon has more capital at the ready than the Alliance of American Football, but that doesn't mean the XFL shouldn't be prudent in managing expenses. IF this league continues beyond one season and somehow manages to grow -- which I sincerely hope it does -- then it will have a better chance at parlaying that success into a more favorable deal with an apparel brand that could cater to them with bespoke designs or at least a wider variety of templates. Frankly, I'm kind of impressed by how the league was able to trot out better-than-decent identity packages without Nike, Adidas, UA, Champion, Starter, New Balance or some lesser-known brand. Much better to build demand on your own terms and come to those brands with a more valuable product.

Houston really missed the mark by not using powder blue in this set. And this LA color scheme should be used by the Tampa Bay Vipers.

I completely agree. This would look just as good with an orange/aqua scheme or just leaning more into its existing forest green and navy while minimizing the orange. That would still set it apart from the rest of the league and the Seahawks enough while still being appropriate for the Northwest.

I get it. From a purist’s standpoint, this is a logical take. But most uniform purists don’t have any skin in the game. And we’re also the types to collectively mock these spring football leagues that fail after a season or two. If convincing Bud Light to fork over thousands of dollars to stick a small logo on the back of a helmet helps keep XFL around a bit longer, I’ll deal with it. Looks won’t matter to a dead league.

I know nothing about modern turf technology, but doesn't it seem more than reasonable to make turf in which design elements can be interchangeable? Like, replaceable endzone designs, etc. I might be asking too much.

I mean, this isn't the greatest design, but I'm not sure it's enough to just outright dismiss an entire league. Seems kinda harsh.

I think this debate stands to illustrate one thing: that whichever regional identity the Angels use doesn't really make a difference. Using the name "Anaheim" means more for the city than it does the team. Using "Los Angeles" likely means more for the team than it does Los Angeles, at least when it comes to global brand recognition. Maybe it's the my nostalgia kicking in, but I'd be in favor of splitting the difference and going back to California Angels.

I'm not ready to label them that either. You're pretty good at parsing language, so it's worth pointing out that I merely said the "Portland Pickles are evolving into the West Coast equivalent of the St. Paul Saints," not that they are, definitely, absolutely, THE west coast equivalent. Those words matter, especially when you're trying to undercut a point that this organization -- yes, even at the mere "grand total of four seasons" -- is doing things pretty well. As someone who grew up in Minnesota during the early days of the Saints and watched the Pickles evolve in Portland, I can see some early parallels in how they're building their organizations in their markets. Also, I wouldn't dismiss the Portland market's size as some disqualifier. Portland's a NBA and soccer town with big-league baseball aspirations. AAA baseball was considered surplus to the needs of the market a decade ago, yet there's still a fondness for the swashbuckling nature of the old Portland Mavericks. There's a lot more going on there for sports entertainment. I remember receiving the press release about the Portland Pickles' launch and thinking it was a joke. So launching a wood-bat collegiate league in that city and making it a draw, in my mind is a far more impressive feat than thriving in places like Madison or Savannah -- minor league markets where you're probably the only game in town.

Here’s my theory, which I’m totally winging: it’s possible the Pickles had more interested local players than roster spots and found a creative solution to the problem that doubles as a novel branding and merchandising opportunity. The other thing to know about the Pickles: they’re remarkably good at what they do. I spent the past 10 years in Portland — closer to the Hillsboro Hops side of town, so I never made it out to a Pickles game. That’s one of my big regrets after leaving. Everyone I know whose attended a game raves about it; fun, inexpensive, family friendly but with decent local food and a diverse beer selection. They’re somehow lowbrow and professional at the same time and it just seems to work. Knowing that, taking a flier on a so-called “farm team” with a cute name and all local players doesn’t seem too out of character.

I get the difference now. Thanks for taking the effort to educate me. As for the Gherkins, I think it's just a novelty. Another opportunity to watch inexpensive baseball, but with primarily local talent, and the added bonus that they could make the Pickles roster. It's something to fill out a summer schedule and put some people in seats when the Pickles are out of town. Add to it the novelty branding, and it's nothing more than a brand extension.

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 such, the West Coast League is an independent minor league — as in, independent of Major League Baseball, in much the same way as the league in which the Saints play: the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. But you're right, what the Pickles have done here is create another wood-bat collegiate team, but one that operates more as a barnstorming developmental club made up of primarily local players vying for the opportunity to suit up for the Pickles. They'll play other clubs in the same league, but I don't get the sense that they're competing in the league. Just playing to develop up-and-coming talent.

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. It's so ridiculous and fantastic and I love everything about it. https://www.portlandpicklesbaseball.com/news/2019/12/10/press-release-pickles-baseball-announce-farm-team-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.

Is it possible that the shading just denotes a different fabric type and not an actual color change?

Exactly. I wouldn't read into this as an endorsement for Las Vegas. It's just that Las Vegas is top-of-mind already in Oakland for any conversation related to relocation. The broader point was, "this happened to the Raiders, it will happen with the A's, too."

I'll be damned. It does.

I don't know. I think that St. Louis one could be problematic. Certainly, you can apply the wings to either side of the helmet, but that's hardly unique anymore. And they'd probably sully it by trying to cram that sword down the middle, just like the logo. Or worse, they'd just stick the logo as its on the side of the helmets and call it a day. I think that Gladiators could be wrapped to the back of the helmet, sort of like the old Michigan Panthers of the USFL. I'd like to see a Renegades helmet that employed those red eyes at the front of the helmet. The bottom third of the helmet would be blue to mimic the scarf and the top could employ some markings to illustrate the hat. I'm just spitballin' here.

Yeah, they're totally giving people too much time to realize just how much they DON'T like their team's names and logos. Someone earlier was posting in defense of the BattleHawks name. Here's my problem with it. It's not only that it's generic and uninspiring, I hate any name whose root needs to be modified to make it seem more aggressive. Adding "Battle" to the name isn't a workaround. It's a sign that the name Hawks itself doesn't work on its own.

Give Houston the Dallas colors and it's a straight up parroting of the Oilers, and I love it.

If they go with Houston Roughnecks, and then give them Oilers colors, I may have to actually like this league.

I think XFL came out with that strategy at the outset when it was competing with a rival spring league. Now that the AAF is dead, I doesn't really need a gimmick to set itself apart.