DarkKnight Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 History Founded in 2000, the league started with a mere four teams. The teams all wanted to have names based on the culture and history in Kansas, Missouri, and Kansas City. Four Founding Teams Kansas City Monarchs Pays homage to the former Negro League Monarchs Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks, Buck O’Neil Only one losing season in their history Location: Leawood American League (2010) Prairie Village Pioneers Santa Fe trail passed through the area National League (2010) Lenexa Bison Bison used to roam the open plains of Kansas National League (2010) Shawnee Chiefs Deep Native American history of the region National League (2010) The league struggled at times, finding places to play, but the players endured. The league remained at 4 teams until 2006, when 4 more teams came looking to join the league. Independence Bushwackers Civil War era, name given to Confederates in Missouri American League (2010) Raytown Rangers Cattle history, cowboy-like term American League (2010) KCMO Scouts “The Scout” statue that overlooks downtown Kansas City Location: KCMO American League (2010) Lees Summit Steers Cattle history American League (2010) After the first expansion, the league started to gain popularity in Kansas City, and gained 8 more teams in 2010. KCK Catfish Catfish are abundant in the Missouri River, right next to KCK National League (2010) Blue Valley Bees Bee is the state insect National League (2010) Liberty Twisters KC is right in tornado alley American League Blue Springs Bears Bears on the state flag American League Leavenworth Slammers Penitentiary in Leavenworth American League Overland Park Oaks City flag of Overland Park National League Free State Jayhawkers Similar to KU Jayhawks, but slightly different Name given to Union supporters Free State (Union) Location: Lawrence National League Gardner Trailblazers Gardner is located where the Santa Fe and Oregon trails split National League The league remained at 16 teams until 2016… Championship History 2000 - KC Monarchs (1) 2001 - KC Monarchs (2) 2002 - KC Monarchs (3) 2003 - Shawnee Chiefs (1) 2004 - Lenexa Bison (1) 2005 - KC Monarchs (6) 2006 - KCMO Scouts (1) 2007 - Shawnee Chiefs (2) 2008 - Shawnee Chiefs (3) 2009 - Lenexa Bison (2) 2010 - Prairie Village Pioneers (1) 2011 - Prairie Village Pioneers (2) 2012 - Blue Valley Bees (1) 2013 - KC Monarchs (7) 2014 - Blue Springs Bears (1) 2015 - KC Monarchs (8) 2016 - ??? Teams without a championship Overland Park Oaks Free State Jayhawkers Gardner Trailblazers Liberty Twisters KCK Catfish Leavenworth Slammers Raytown Rangers Lees Summit Steers Independence Bushwackers As you can see, there hasn’t been a clearly dominant team since the Monarchs won the championship back-to-back-to-back. General League Info Teams play a 40 game schedule 20 home games 20 road games After each team has played 20 games All-Star game Home Run Derby Playoffs 2000-2010 4 team bracket 2010-2015 8 team bracket Top 4 teams from each league Rules Same as MLB Both leagues us DH 6 players to a team Pitcher Same pitcher as normal 1B Fielder is typical first baseman Infielder Fielder can play anywhere on the infield, shifting to the hitter 3B Fielder is typical third baseman LCF Fielder can play anywhere from the left field line to center field RCF Fielder can play anywhere from the right field line to center field Players can swap positions Teams may have up to 5 bench players 5 inning games Age to play 16+ years old Teams redraft after every year Maintains competitiveness within league Each team has an owner/founder that stays with the team Players can “break off” to form new teams after end of year I have stuff in the works already, and should have the first team up tomorrow. Uniforms will be done for every team, and I will go team by team in the order that the teams were presented in. If you have a suggestion for a team name change or a new team, please suggest it, because rebrands and expansions are always happening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@axpze Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Do the Twist! So cool to unexpectedly see my hometown here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 5 hours ago, @axpze said: Do the Twist! So cool to unexpectedly see my hometown here. What part of KC are you from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 Background info on the uniforms Uniforms consist of a hat, t-shirt/jersey, and shorts. While teams don't have an official home/away set, most teams have one white uniform and one colored uniform. Hypothetically, there could be a white/white matchup or a color/color matchup, although these are rare. Jerseys are just t-shirts with screen printed logos/numbers. As for hats, most teams have two hats, which can be worn with either jersey, but some teams use only one hat. Shorts are solid colored, and the color will be listed with each concept. First team up, KC Monarchs. The original "founding team", the Monarchs have won 6 championships over the 15 year history of the KCWL. Uniform #1 Hat - Navy blue with an interlocking "KC", very similar to the Monarchs throwbacks worn by the Royals. White button. Jerseys - White with navy blue "Monarchs" across the chest. Left sleeve features a patch with the same logo as the hat in navy. Right sleeve has a star patch for the 6 championships won by the team. Navy blue numbers. Jerseys are to be worn with navy blue shorts. Uniform #2 Hat - Navy blue crown with red bill, "KC" block lettering on front panels. Red button. Jersey - Navy with red piping around the collar and down the center of the jersey. Same block "KC" logo on the hat. Sleeve features the heart KC logo used on a Royals jersey. I used a lot of the throwback jerseys the Royals have worn for inspiration on this project, can be seen below. Team two, Shawnee Chiefs. I know I went out of order, but I think I have an original logo design that brings a great identity to the team. Disclaimer: The Chiefs concept is in no way meant to be disrespectful Uniform #1 Hat - Maroon crown with white from panels and gold bill. Logo is the "chief" wearing a headdress and smiling. Jersey - White with the "swinging chief" logo. Chief is swinging the famous yellow wiffleball bat. 3 stars on right sleeve, for the 3 team championships. Maroon numbers. Uniform #2 Hat - Maroon crown with white front panel and slate bill. Logo is a block "S" with the chief headdress on. Uniform - Block "Shawnee" written across the chest, with the "S" headdress logo used on the hat. Gold outline across the center of the chest, with gold numbers on the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 Figured I'd throw in a few wiffleball fields too, just for fun. Stadiums are shared by several teams to maximize the funds to maintain and run the fields. First up is Southwest Park, which is located in Southwest Kansas City, in the Overland Park/Olathe area. It is the oldest stadium in the league (created in 2000), and is home to the Shawnee Chiefs, KC Monarchs, Lenexa Bison, Prairie Village Pioneers, and Overland Park Oaks. Stadium List Southwest Park (2000) Shawnee Chiefs KC Monarchs Lenexa Bison (Left for JoCo Field in 2010) Prairie Village Pioneers Overland Park Oaks Free State Field (2010) Free State Jayhawkers Johnson County Field (2010) Blue Valley Bees Lenexa Bison (Moved in 2010) Gardner Trailblazers Leavenworth Park (2010) Leavenworth Slammers City Center Field (2006) KCK Catfish KCMO Scouts Southeast City Park (2006) Raytown Rangers Lees Summit Steers Independence Bushwackers Blue Springs Bears Liberty City Park (2010) Liberty Twisters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@axpze Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 Of course the Twisters would play at City Park. Perfect. Great job on this. For a long time, I thought I was the only person in Kansas City who appreciated good sports design. It led me to college with an interest in literary arts and I totally attribute my attention to detail and philosophical interest in meaning and form to sports logos. I really like the Shawnee Chiefs' white jersey. I am now a fan of large, offset, logos depicting character actions that incorporate white space on the other side of the jersey. The Chief, smacking a fly ball and glancing up at it, smiling, incorporates the white space on the other side of the jersey by leading the viewer to believe that there's more action beyond the image portrayed. I think the obvious issue of the depiction of American Indians in baseball is slightly more of a concern than depictions of Indians in football. Football has a long history of American Indians playing football (Carlisle Indian School has a huge place in the birth of American football, but an even bigger place in the history of American abuses of Native people). Baseball, however, is older and from a time when the difference between "English" and "Indian" was more fraught with violence. Wiffle-ball is politically innocuous IMO, and there is no need to discern anti-political and political symbolism in wiffleball–"psychosis" (read "apolitical") is probably a benefit in wiffleball team identity design. The Monarchs/Chiefs names force fans to take a side. Of course, these names are also already symbols of Kansas City sports fanhood, which allows the fan to hide his or her political affiliations or opinions. The issue is that no representation is "innocuous" or "without opinion." In fact, "Liberty Twisters" might not fly in Liberty, MO. I still remember the "May 4th" tornado that ripped through my neighborhood over a decade ago. Sure, tornadoes mimic the action of a wiffle-ball in its crazy movement, but the analogy isn't accurate. Tornadoes are just too frightening, damaging, and ultimately sad for wiffle-ball in my opinion. But, yeah, I get it, it's wiffle-ball...but "twisters" and "outlaws" (Jesse James, ex-confederate soldier, made the first "daylight bank robbery" in America in Liberty) is a little too earnest for wiffle-ball symbolism. "Twisters" doesn't do justice to tornadoes...and every Liberty resident would know that, just like some of us understand the complexity of Jesse James as a "hometown hero." "Indians" means more than "those with red skin," "tornadoes" are more than "a notable midwestern weather event," and "Kansas City Monarchs" means more than "historical Kansas City baseball team name." You have a gift for design and it is up to people like you to come up with further designs that people can truly support. We're looking for "new clichés." There is nothing worse, as you know, than seeing your hometown team completely swing and miss on a logo/identity design. The Missouri Mavericks hockey team is a great example. Who would have thought that, for a Kansas City-based sports team, the colors blue and orange, a Denver Broncos-themed jersey number pattern, and a logo with a bronco in it could be 100% supported by Kansas City sports fans? We all want to support your new ideas and talent, but leaving open opportunities for others to dislike it, like the Mavericks logo and colors, is an over-sight that might not affect "ticket sales," but is a failure for fans of good design. I love the consonance and double-meaning in the "Shawnee Chiefs" team name, but some people will see in it something else I might not even totally understand. Liberty, class of '06. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@axpze Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 Also, Liberty has three major "sports entities," William Jewell College (Cardinals), Liberty High School (Blue Jays), and Liberty North High School (Eagles). A "non-bird-themed" nickname would be recognized by Liberty sports fans. City Park is a few blocks away from the oldest elementary school in Liberty, Franklin Elementary. When I went to school there, we were known as the "Falcons." *City Park is also across the street from a cemetery, so maybe "Ravens?" Or maybe some other aviary herald of human death? "Vultures?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share Posted May 2, 2016 8 hours ago, @axpze said: Also, Liberty has three major "sports entities," William Jewell College (Cardinals), Liberty High School (Blue Jays), and Liberty North High School (Eagles). A "non-bird-themed" nickname would be recognized by Liberty sports fans. City Park is a few blocks away from the oldest elementary school in Liberty, Franklin Elementary. When I went to school there, we were known as the "Falcons." *City Park is also across the street from a cemetery, so maybe "Ravens?" Or maybe some other aviary herald of human death? "Vultures?" Thanks for the great feedback. As for the Liberty team name, I still think it should be twisters, regardless of what memories it brings upon people. This is the midwest, and while I hope no one ever gets injured or killed by a tornado, I respect the tornado as one of mother nature's most powerful phenomena. Plus, look at the Omaha Storm Chasers. Great use of a tornado to form a solid identlty for a professional ballclub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 So today I came up with a few rough sketches of what I have in mind for most of the teams remaining. Prairie Village Pioneers Not much here, just an interlocking "PV" with a wiffleball linking the two Lenexa Bison Bison design with the hat falling off, implying the creature is moving forward. Raytown Rangers Lasso makes up most of the R, if anyone has any idea on what to do for the diagonal part, let me know Liberty Twisters Twister makes up the vertical part of the L, while the rest is just a block Independence Bushwhackers I'm a little stuck on what to do here, but I think this design is good, but it needs some work. Block I with crossing bayonet (firing wiffleball) and wiffleball bat KCMO Scouts "Scout" angry wiffleball with feathered headband (side note: could potentially be my favorite logo I've ever made) Lees Summit Steers Wiffleball makes up the head portion, with nose ring and horns Blue Valley Bees Interlocking "BV" and "Stinger" in the dead space Leavenworth Slammers Crow preparing to hit the ball, wearing the "jailbird" uniform Note: All designs here are subject to change, and I haven't really decided on color schemes besides the obvious (Blue Valley Bees will have yellow, etc.) Any suggestions and/or help is greatly appreciated on both these designs and the rest of the teams I haven't sketched yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanna65 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 9 hours ago, DarkKnight said: So today I came up with a few rough sketches of what I have in mind for most of the teams remaining. Prairie Village Pioneers Not much here, just an interlocking "PV" with a wiffleball linking the two Lenexa Bison Bison design with the hat falling off, implying the creature is moving forward. Raytown Rangers Lasso makes up most of the R, if anyone has any idea on what to do for the diagonal part, let me know Liberty Twisters Twister makes up the vertical part of the L, while the rest is just a block Independence Bushwhackers I'm a little stuck on what to do here, but I think this design is good, but it needs some work. Block I with crossing bayonet (firing wiffleball) and wiffleball bat KCMO Scouts "Scout" angry wiffleball with feathered headband (side note: could potentially be my favorite logo I've ever made) Lees Summit Steers Wiffleball makes up the head portion, with nose ring and horns Blue Valley Bees Interlocking "BV" and "Stinger" in the dead space Leavenworth Slammers Crow preparing to hit the ball, wearing the "jailbird" uniform Note: All designs here are subject to change, and I haven't really decided on color schemes besides the obvious (Blue Valley Bees will have yellow, etc.) Any suggestions and/or help is greatly appreciated on both these designs and the rest of the teams I haven't sketched yet. Liking it, really creative. Looking forward to future concepts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 1 hour ago, Spanna65 said: Liking it, really creative. Looking forward to future concepts. Thanks for the feedback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darkpiranha Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 These are all super clever. Can't wait to see the official designs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 10 minutes ago, darkpiranha said: These are all super clever. Can't wait to see the official designs. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcboff Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Love this concept, man! Have you paid any attention to other Wiffleball leagues around the nation? There's a bunch in the KC area! I run a league up in Milwaukee. You should check out: http://wifflelogos.blogspot.com/ for more ideas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 Finished 3 uniform sets, here they are. Prairie Village Pioneers Uniform #1 Hat - Royal blue crown, royal blue bill, white front panels, interlocking "PV" with wiffelball Uniform - White with cursive "Pioneers", blue sleeve cuffs Uniform #2 (I took a lot of inspiration from the KC Royals old Sunday alternate jerseys for this one) Hat - Light blue crown, royal blue bill, alternate "PV" logo outlined in black Uniform - Light blue jersey, primary interlocking "PV" logo with wiffleball Lenexa Bison Uniform #1 Hat - Dark green crown, yellow bill, yellow button, "Charging Bison" logo (bison moving forward with hat falling off it's head) Jersey - White with stationary bison logo (bison wearing a hat (green crown hat yellow bill)) Uniform #2 Hat - Dark green crown, yellow bill, gray front panels, interlocking "LX" logo Jersey - Gray jersey, charcoal sleeves and collar, interlocking "LX" logo KCMO Scouts Uniform #1 Hat - Maroon crown, wheat bill, "Scout" logo (same as jersey) Jersey - White with gold sleeve cuffs and collar, "Scout" logo on upper right chest Uniform #2 Hat - Maroon crown, maroon bill, wheat front panels, "Scout" logo Jersey - Wheat jersey, "KCMO" block lettering across chest, maroon sleeves, "Scout" patch logo on left sleeve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosiahWVU Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 These are pretty good, where did you get that template? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 1 hour ago, JosiahWVU said: These are pretty good, where did you get that template? I found a t-shirt template and hat template online and put them in the same doc. https://wwhssiga.wordpress.com/t-shirt-template/ http://www.istockphoto.com/vector/hats-templates-gm92889516-10603360 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share Posted May 8, 2016 Next team up, Leavenworth Slammers! This one was pretty fun to work on, so without further ado... In case you didn't already know, there is a penitentiary in Leavenworth, hence the "Jailbird" Uniform #1 Hat - Black crown, white front panels, orange bill, orange "L" logo Jersey - Black and white striped jersey, with orange sleeve and collar accents, full "Jailbird" logo, with "00.." on upper right chest (Last two digits are players number: 0015, 0004, etc.) Uniform #2 Hat - Orange crown and bill, with the "Jailbird" head logo Jersey - Orange jersey with block "Leavenworth" across the chest I think this identity fits the league perfectly, and I took a lot of inspiration from the Joliet Slammers (Independent Baseball team) for this concept. Hope you all like it. Next commenter can choose what 3 teams I do next. I saw someone else doing that and thought it was a great idea! Only 10 more teams! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 9, 2016 Author Share Posted May 9, 2016 FYI - I've finished the Blue Valley Bees, Raytown Rangers, Liberty Twisters, Independence Bushwhackers, and Blue Springs Bears uniforms. As soon as I get some feedback on the previous uniforms I'll post them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 Uniform #1 Hat - Blue crown, white front panels, red bill, blue "I" logo Jersey - White jersey with gray sleeves, "'whackers" on chest Uniform #2 Hat - Gray crown with blue bill, blue "I" logo Jersey - Gray jersey with red sleeves, "Independence" across chest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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