MLB: The Defunct Saga - Miami Gators (fictional) Added

[MJWalker45 6,020]

On 7/2/2020 at 4:32 PM, _DietDrPepper_ said:

I like the whole look but the primary logo is a bit weak, their current primary logo isn't the best, but utilizes the Alamo as the  shape of the logo, which I think would work a bit better than the roundel. I think the tertiary would be a great starting point for it. 

I was thinking placing the Alamo at the top or placing a standard shield outline would work better. Right now you have two styles of the Alamo in the same logo.

[KrakenFan14 0]

I don't know if this out of place, but can I ask what template your using for the teams? 

[dtf955baseballfan 0]

This is such a cool thread! I followed a link on Alternatehistory.com in the sports what ifs thread to get here. I first want to thank you for starting this and second for showing all of this.

 

I have written a number of alternate history baseball what ifs covering quite a few of the ones you show at the start of this thread, as well as a few Print-on-demand books. This will actually be very helpful to me in determining a couple of uniforms for a new one I started during the national shutdown in April. It is based on a what if I did where there is no collusion in baseball. Because of this there is no 11th Hour saving of the White Sox, partly due to then losing Carlton Fisk which almost happened and almost ended the collusion attempt before it began in our time line. Also, since they lose Tim Raines, Dennis Martinez, and their other good players of the late 80s, the Expos move to Miami, leading to a 1994 all Florida World Series which is played among other things.

 

No mention is made in your original list of this possibility that Wayne huizenga could have bought the expos in 1990. However, that is understandable, they probably would have just change names and logos to our Marlins. The green and orange of the White Sox is what I really was hoping to find as I didn't know what their logo would be in Tampa. I did figure correctly that it would be the Florida White Sox.

 

I also have the Athletics moving to Arizona because there is no second expansion, but that is because Jerry Colangelo buys them from the Haas estate in 1995. The Athletics get really burned because to keep salaries down instead baseball fights steroids early and that is seen as the center.

 

A couple that you did not include that I was a little surprised by, especially one: c St Louis Browns nearly moved to Los Angeles in 1942. I don't know if the move would have been approved, but because of Pearl Harbor happening a day before the league meetings it was definitely felt it down. Maybe they would have just used the angels uniform and logo? The second I can understand you might not know, Bill bartholomay put in a bid for the White Sox when Bill Veeck bought them. It would have been interesting had he moved them to Atlanta.

 

You can look for If Baseball Integrated Early at Amazon and check my username from there to see my works.

[mrcubfan415 3]

I also found this from the Sports What Ifs thread on AlternateHistory.com. Just caught up with this thread and it's amazing!

[teeray01 53]

Hoping this will be continued.  It's been great so far.

[jigokusabre 34]

Is there a specific reason the Seattle Pilots aren't part of this?

[Crocus 0]

I can't wait for what's next. 

[SFGiants58 14,557]

 

Well, I'm back to working on this series after getting through school stuff and other personal baggage/other projects (i.e. research more crazy internet stories), so I figured I should start things off with a whole series of updates, where I standardized some stuff and overhauled significant elements.

 

ATLANTA ATHLETICS: I replaced the original logo with a simplified heraldry design and a replica of the stripe pattern. I've also cleaned up the Old English "Atlanta" throwback.

 

 

 

DALLAS ATHLETICS: I replaced the Forest Green with the Stars' Victory Green, while also switching the home uniform to an insignia. The "Dallas" script is now a redone Old English wordmark, with placket stripes. The logos now use the NOB font and a tweaked cowboy hat.

 

 

 

DENVER ATHLETICS: I dumped the cursive script alternate in favor of an insignia design. I demoted the cursive script to a jacket.

 

 

MILWAUKEE ATHLETICS: I adopted the "A's" design from my later Athletics concepts, while also deleting the insignia on Stomper's cap (too small for rendering).

 

 

Part II will be up next.

[SFGiants58 14,557]

LOUISVILLE ATHLETICS: I demoted the script to the dugout jacket, while also using the new "A's" insignia. 

 

 

NEW ORLEANS ATHLETICS: Aside from the new "A's," I've tweaked the alternates ("New Orleans" on the purple, purple "A's" outlined in gold on the green). The gold alternate now features an insignia.

 

 

OKLAHOMA CITY TWISTERS: I adjusted the twister to be a less colorful design.

 

 

SACRAMENTO GIANTS: I replaced the elephant with an updated design. The script remains here, seeing as the team is a "descendant" of the '87-present A's.

 

 

SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS: I switched the "A's" insignia to the Seattle one, with a Market Deco "'s" bit. The "SD" has also received an update.

 

 

 

SEATTLE ATHLETICS: I've updated both sets to feature an "A's" insignia on the home uniforms (I removed the script entirely) and the arched "SEATTLE" on the road. The kelly/yellow set has placket stripes on both uniforms. I also simplified the cap options of both sets.

 

 

 

Newer concepts will come soon.

 

[heavybass 736]

The elephant on the surfboard is a +1

[QCS 2,820]

He has returned! These updates are fantastic, I especially love that Atlanta crest and the updated SD. Super pumped to see your next concepts, and welcome back!

[CanucksFan 32]

Couldn't be more happy to see this series back up and running!

[TrueYankee26 1,150]

Hallelujah this amazing series is back.

[rjrrzube 611]

Nice. Would love for a Seattle v2 hat to feature gray. 

[mrcubfan415 3]

10 hours ago, SFGiants58 said:

SACRAMENTO ATHLETICS

FTFY

[JH42XCC 224]

With the impending rebrand of the Cleveland Indians, could we be seeing a Cleveland Spiders set in the near future?

[Frylock 237]

Welcome back! The only thing that I feel I need to comment on is the modification or cleaning up of the old English text for Atlanta and Dallas. In my opinion, the Atlanta clean-up is an improvement, but Dallas is a step backwards. Not a major quibble, just an aesthetic preference. Can’t wait for the new work, as always!

[SFGiants58 14,557]

Thanks, guys! I'm very glad to be back. Let's get to our first fictional team!

 

NEW YORK KNIGHTS - The tale of Sir Redford the Perceval

 

Ah yes, the team from the seminal (to many) baseball movie, The Natural!

 

 

A year or two ago, user @BJ Sands made the suggestion that I should do a New York Knights concept.

 

On 3/25/2019 at 2:37 PM, BJ Sands said:

The characters are crudely drawn caricatures and the ending is so corny. It's a baseball movie for non-baseball fans, and I feel like it insults the viewer's intelligence.

 

But the aesthetics of the movie are fantastic. The Knights look great, and War Memorial Stadium seems to perfectly capture the dinginess of ballparks from that era.

 

I don't know if he's taking requests, but I'd love to see @SFGiants58 do a take on the Knights in his stunningly fantastic Defunct thread.

 

I kept this on the backburner for some time as I focused on other concepts/classes/internet ventures, always wanting to come back to it. The Charlotte Knights concept I produced last year provided me with the perfect backbone for the design. I had to make a few baseline adjustments.

 

1. Black/Gold becomes Navy/Orange

2. Old English capitals exit in favor of the "NY" cap-style letters (which are Old English-adjacent)

 

I had a few hiccups in doing exact recreations of the cap design, since Ebbets Field Flannels' cap is surprisingly inaccurate compared to the screen-used props. I opted for the props as a guide, along with the video shown above.¹ This results in modernized wordmarks and an "NY" insignia (one that's still inferior to the Yankees, Football Giants, and Baseball Giants/Mets designs, IMO). The helmet returns from the Charlotte Knights, while the Mets' logo forms part of shield with a slightly-inaccurate New York City flag (since the colors were close enough). 

 

 

When it came to the uniforms, I opted to go with a placket-and-sleeve trim design. I like that look so much on the Mets, so I figured it would work well here (assuming the team moved away from them in the decades since Roy Hobbs played for the team). The knight appears on the sleeve, while the socks use an orange-white-orange tri-stripe. 

 

 

The alternates include a simple navy top with the "NY" insignia, while the Hobbs uniform appears as a throwback. This is where I performed a more accurate trace of the logos on the uniform (e.g., the lightning bolt patch, a moment beautifully parodied in "Homer at the Bat").² I slightly decreased the slope of the wordmark (to look a tiny bit less silly) and adjusted the McAuliffe number font to match the variant in the movie (flat-serifs).

 

 

The jacket is pretty standard fare, with the home wordmark.

 

 

I'm happy to report that the aesthetic of the New York Knights can age very well! C+C is appreciated, as always!

 

Up next, I make a big correction for the most ridiculous proposal I've covered thus far. 

 

¹ “THE NATURAL - NY KNIGHTS BASEBALL CAP - PROP | #1728322405,” Worthpoint, accessed January 22, 2021, https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/natural-ny-knights-baseball-cap-prop-1728322405; “New York Knights 1939 Vintage Ballcap – Ebbets Field Flannels,” accessed January 22, 2021, https://www.ebbets.com/products/new-york-knights-1939-ballcap?variant=27734403528; Movieclips, The Natural (3/8) Movie CLIP - Batting Practice With Wonderboy (1984) HD, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&reload=9&v=H8Ancd0WztU.

 

² “The Natural | 30 Years On: 1984 a Great Year for Movies,” accessed January 24, 2021, https://70srichard.wordpress.com/2014/05/11/the-natural/; “New York Knights 1939 Home Jersey – Ebbets Field Flannels,” accessed January 22, 2021, https://www.ebbets.com/products/new-york-knights-1939-home-jersey?variant=12363990794314.

[coco1997 3,714]

Oh damn, you’re doing fictional teams now! The Knights look wonderful. I always thought they had a timeless, MLB-caliber look.

 

Man, I hope you tackle the Springfield Isotopes.

[mrcubfan415 3]

Great stuff as always!