Jump to content

MLB: The Defunct Saga - Bibliography Added


SFGiants58

Recommended Posts

On 11/19/2021 at 2:25 PM, QCS said:

Agreed on your Knights design, easily my (biased) favorite team you've done. Loving the Vegas A's, I hate the idea but the design is sharp. Props for kelly green, as well.

 

Thanks! I also hate the idea, but I think it can look good.

 

On 11/19/2021 at 5:35 PM, heavybass said:

Hmmmm always wondered if a Vegas Gold be appliable to the Vegas A's....?

On 11/19/2021 at 7:49 PM, coco1997 said:


I was wondering the same thing.

 

Vegas A’s look great. Love that “Las Vegas” script.

 

Thanks! Vegas Gold is ok, but Kelly Green doesn't go as well with Vegas Gold.

 

LVAthletics-Homeand-Road2.png

 

Ah well, onto the final serious A's concept.

 

PORTLAND ATHLETICS – Days of Pine and Roses

 

The other popular A’s relocation destination, Portland, has been in the conversation almost as long as Las Vegas. Journalists first brought up the City of Roses as potential destination early as 1998. Allegedly, two groups from the city met with Schott, Hoffman, and Team President Sandy Alderson. According to Steve Kettman of The San Francisco Chronicle,

 

Quote

“There was a desire on the part of people from Portland to inform people in the A's of developments past, present and future in Portland and their interest in obtaining an American League franchise," Alderson said this week.1

 

 

However, Portland would receive only passing mentions as a relocation destination through the late-‘90s and early-‘00s. Like Las Vegas and San Jose (and even Sacramento and Dublin, CA), Portland would be brought up whenever the A’s had to deal with lease issues or rumors of sales (like in 1999 and 2001). Portland’s baseball-interested parties would focus on the Expos through much of 2003 and 2004, but the A’s still remained part of the conversation. After it was clear Portland and Las Vegas wouldn’t get the Expos, the Athletics were still a name thrown around in passing.2

 

This passing interest would continue through Schott/Hoffman’s sale of the franchise to Fisher/Wolff, with a flare-up during the Marlins’ flirtation with Portland. It never seemed like the A’s would commit to Portland or make a big display of interest, but rather that it was an extended option like Las Vegas or Sacramento.3

 

Things would remain relatively quiet until the emergence of the Portland Diamond Project in 2018, which has hyped up a waterfront stadium for the city. Built on the former site of Terminal 2 (a rarely-used industrial site), it is relatively distant from Portland’s light rail infrastructure. However, the group has promised a potential extension of the streetcar system to the site. This group, led by former Nike executive Craig Cheek (with investors like Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson and his wife, Grammy-winning singer Ciara Wilson), has even released renderings of the intended site! Of course, this would require extensive bureaucratic work before an environmental impact report and a zoning of the site could begin.4

 

 

 

Once the A’s received permission from MLB to explore potential relocation destinations in mid-May 2021, Portland came up immediately as a landing spot. However, Athletics Team President Dave Kaval made it clear on May 25 that there were no Portland visits planned. It would seem that this particular relocation scheme turned into vaporware.5

 

Las Vegas seems to be the more viable option for the Athletics at the moment, as there is more confidence in the Las Vegas efforts for the A’s than in Portland Diamond Project. Given the relatively rapid pace of construction for the Raiders’ stadium in Las Vegas, it is reasonable. Still, Portland is a larger market (21st, compared to 40th for Las Vegas), has a strong baseball tradition (ever see The Battered Bastards of Baseball), and would give the Mariners a much-needed break with their travel schedule. Of course, Portland also chose the MLS Timbers over maintaining the AAA Beavers (and the Timbers rival, if not surpass, the Trail Blazers in terms of civic popularity). It would seem that such experiences have colored the market as potentially unfavorable for the Athletics.6

 

TL;DR: Portland boosters as the PI, the A’s as Sideshow Bob - 

 

AJtu-RNQIT-Jgv-UXVU7l-ZVt0-Sz-Z0.gif

 

When it comes to what the Portland Diamond Project would do with the Athletics, Craig Cheek hinted that the group might rebrand the team “to keep the name in Oakland.” This is incredibly stupid, given that the Athletics brand has survived two relocations and can be ported almost anywhere (the A’s are basically the OG Doom of baseball teams). Also, it's highly unlikely that Oakland would ever get another team (this isn't Seattle NBA or Winnipeg NHL). If the team were to rebrand, see my Portland Stags design. But here, let’s assume that the Athletics wouldn’t rebrand.7

 

The crest includes a heraldic rose standard (from Wikimedia Commons) and the two insignias (the P from the Philadelphia Athletics concepts), with the elephant on top. The elephant’s saddle features the Northwestern Stripe of the socks. Forest Green appears in this concept, due to the forested nature of the area and the Timbers’ color scheme.

 

PORAthletics-Logo-Sheet-NA.png

 

The uniforms feature placket trim in a green/yellow-gold/green pattern and a “Portland” cursive script. Gold front numbers appear again, as I like that added touch of the secondary color.

 

PORAthletics-Homeand-Road-AB.png

 

Alternates include yellow-gold and green jerseys, with the “Portland” script on the green top.

 

PORAthletics-Alts1-B.png

 

The second set of alternates is a Portland Beavers-style uniform for the A’s, alongside a Kelly Green-styled vest. That throws back to the Kansas City-Oakland transitional phrase.

 

PORAthletics-Alts2-B.png

 

The primary jacket features the “Athletics” cursive wordmark, while a standard Kelly Green design appears for the throwback.

 

PORAthletics-Jacket-A.png

PORAthletics-Jacket-B.png

 

Given their pre-existing color scheme, the A’s would have to change little for adapting to Portland. It was also an opportunity to make the Athletics more colorful with added yellow. C+C is appreciated, as always!

 

Up next, the misadventure of Stu.

 

1 Steve Kettmann, “Angelos’ Bold Idea Could Put A’s on Go,” San Francisco Chronicle, April 24, 1998, sec. Sports, Access World News.

 

2 John Canzano, “City Is Acting Anything but Major League,” Oregonian, The, May 21, 2004, sec. Sports, Access World News; John Hunt, “Can You Say Portland Twins, A’s or Marlins?,” Oregonian, The, September 14, 2003, sec. Sports; John Hunt, “Portland, Las Vegas Pass on Trip to Houston,” Oregonian, The, July 11, 2004, sec. Sports, Access World News; C.W. Nevius, “Rumors of Move Play Right into A’s Hands,” San Francisco Chronicle, August 14, 2001, sec. Sports, Access World News; Gary Peterson, “Apathy Abounds for Infirm A’s,” Contra Costa Times, July 31, 1998, sec. Sports, Access World News; Gary Peterson, “Baseball Lords Foil Deal, Offer No Explanation,” Contra Costa Times, September 16, 1999, sec. Sports, Access World News; Ray Ratto, “Rumors Have A’s All over the Map,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 10, 2001, sec. Sports, Access World News; Times Staff, “Where Could A’s Decide to Go? - Santa Clara Is One Site That Has Been Mentioned a Lot Lately,” Contra Costa Times, August 2, 2001, sec. New, Access World News.

 

3 Greg Beacham, “New Owners Wolff, Fisher Could Change the Ballgame in Oakland,” Associated Press Archive, April 1, 2005, Access World News, https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/109840D6DCE23A41; John Hunt, “Marlins to Test Portland Waters,” Oregonian, The, January 7, 2006, sec. Sports, Access World News; John Hunt, “Portland’s Prospects Fading for MLB Team,” Oregonian, The, April 16, 2006, sec. Sports; Ray Ratto, “Time to Call A’s Owner for Crying Wolf on Stadium,” San Francisco Chronicle (CA), October 24, 2007, Access World News; Paul T. Rosynsky, “Wolff: A’s Ballpark Already in Works,” Oakland Tribune, The, March 12, 2005, sec. Tri-Valley, Access World News, https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/108CD3AD15D1C5B6; John Shea, “Thanks for the Memories Owner Schott Finished Strong after Weak Start,” San Francisco Chronicle, April 3, 2005, sec. On Baseball, Access World News; Jim Herron Zamora, “Oakland A’s Looking at Greener Pastures, near and Far,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 12, 2005, sec. Bay Area, Access World News.

 

4 Fox 12 Staff, “Portland Diamond Project Signs ‘Agreement in Principle’ for Baseball Stadium on Port Property,” KPTV.com, November 29, 2018, 12, https://www.kptv.com/news/portland-diamond-project-signs-agreement-in-principle-for-baseball-stadium-on-port-property/article_48b167aa-f415-11e8-b90a-db81ce02da82.html; Andrew Greif, “Baseball Backers in It for Long Haul Group Says It’s Been Encouraged by Feedback from Major League Officials,” Oregonian, The, May 4, 2018, sec. B, Access World News; Elliot Njus, “Baseball Group Gets Six-Month Extension on Site Baseball Portland Diamond Project: Group Buys Time to Study Cargo Terminal,” Oregonian, The, May 29, 2019, sec. A, Access World News.

 

5 Joe Freeman, “A’s Approved to Explore Relocation Options Portland Is a Potential Destination for the Team,” Oregonian, The, May 12, 2021, sec. B, Access World News; Matt Kawahara, “A’s President Dave Kaval Says No Relocation Visit Planned to Portland,” San Francisco Chronicle, May 26, 2021, https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/athletics/article/A-s-president-Kaval-says-no-relocation-visit-16203025.php.

 

6 Freeman, “A’s Approved to Explore Relocation Options Portland Is a Potential Destination for the Team.”

 

7 nomorehiatusplz, “Portland Diamond Project Founder Craig Cheek Gave Some Information in an Interview,” Reddit Post, R/Baseball, March 13, 2019, www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/b0fqa8/portland_diamond_project_founder_craig_cheek_gave/.

 

Edited by SFGiants58
  • Like 13
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SFGiants58 changed the title to MLB: The Defunct Saga - Portland Athletics Added

I think this would be my wishlist for future teams in this project @SFGiants58

 

  • Kansas City Cowboys
  • Montreal Rays
  • Montreal Expos (Ex-Rays)
  • Tampa Bay-Montreal Rays
  • Indianapolis Rays
  • San Antonio Rays
  • Portland Rays
  • Hartford Rays
  • Hartford expansion team
  • Orlando Rays
  • Orlando expansion team
  • Charlotte Rays
  • Brooklyn expansion team
  • San Jose expansion team
  • Austin expansion team
  • Nashville Stars
  • Louisville expansion team
  • Louisville Redbirds (Ex-Cardinals)
  • Buffalo Blue Jays
  • Buffalo expansion team
  • Pittsburgh Blue Jays
  • San Francisco Athletics

QNXVyki.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/27/2021 at 5:39 AM, maxwasson said:

I think this would be my wishlist for future teams in this project @SFGiants58

 

  • Kansas City Cowboys
  • Montreal Rays
  • Montreal Expos (Ex-Rays)
  • Tampa Bay-Montreal Rays
  • Indianapolis Rays
  • San Antonio Rays
  • Portland Rays
  • Hartford Rays
  • Hartford expansion team
  • Orlando Rays
  • Orlando expansion team
  • Charlotte Rays
  • Brooklyn expansion team
  • San Jose expansion team
  • Austin expansion team
  • Nashville Stars
  • Louisville expansion team
  • Louisville Redbirds (Ex-Cardinals)
  • Buffalo Blue Jays
  • Buffalo expansion team
  • Pittsburgh Blue Jays
  • San Francisco Athletics

A lot of those cities have no chance of a future MLB team any time soon, but I would like to have my Brooklyn team name on record. The Brooklyn Burros, as in donkeys, needs to happen if MLB ever puts another team back in the NY Metro area.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Tavarez said:

A lot of those cities have no chance of a future MLB team any time soon, but I would like to have my Brooklyn team name on record. The Brooklyn Burros, as in donkeys, needs to happen if MLB ever puts another team back in the NY Metro area.

Sure, but it's interesting to see what they would like if they were to happen

QNXVyki.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like the goal is for this thread is to be completed by the end of the year.  It would be cool to see Tampa Bay-Montreal Rays, Buffalo Blue Jays and Nashville Stars.  Maybe SFGiants58 would consider doing a new thread for plausible expansion.  That would be cool!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

TAMPA BAY-MONTRÉAL DRAGONFLIES/LIBELLULES - Flight of the Bumblers

 

Of course, the Tampa Bay Sweepstakes would have a gosh-dang sequel. In the 20+ years of the Rays’ existence, the team only hit 2 million fans in their first year. Attendance dropped like a rock after that, from 2.5 million in 1998 to 1.5 million in 1999. Their highest total after that was in 2009, with 1,874,962 fans (9th of 14), while the AL pennant-winning 2008 team had 1,811,986 fans (11th of 14 AL teams).1 The Trop’s location and ugliness made the stadium an undesirable destination in St. Petersburg, too far from the population centers of the area. Even when they were competing at the top of the AL and in the World Series, the team still couldn’t draw. Again, we have Vince “makes Mr. Krabs look spendy” Naimoli to thank for the awful lease. It wasn’t just awful for the team, but also the city.2 Look at this lease agreement:

 

Quote

 

In lieu of rent, the Club pays to the City and into a Capital Account, a portion of ticket sales, which is calculated based on the following:

1) “Beginning with the AMT [(active management term)] and thereafter during the Term, $.50 for each Ticket Stub Collected for any baseball or non-baseball event . . . ;

2) In each and every Year of the Term that the number of Ticket Stubs Collected for regular season MLB Home Games exceed 3,300,000, in addition to the $.50 above, $.25 for each such Ticket Stub Collected in excess of the 3,300,000.” –pg. 17

 

The Club shall pay according to the following terms:

1) “The first $250,000 shall be paid into the Capital Account.

2) The next $100,000 shall be paid to the CITY and represent the rent to be paid from the Ticket Stub Funds. . . .

3) Any amount over $350,000 shall be paid to the CITY to reimburse the expenses incurred and the services provided by the CITY under this Agreement.” –pg. 183

 

 

That’s awful for any club and city.

 

Owner Stu Sternberg floated numerous 100% publicly-funded plans, all of which died/got dumped on ice. After some kvetching over the Ybor City (a neighborhood in Tampa) stadium plan, Stu pulled out his ultimate technique in 2019. He’d been meeting with Steven Bronfman, the son of the Montréal Expos’ original owner to hatch a plan. Since the Rays couldn’t move outright until the lease on The Trop is over (2027), the club would request two small open-air stadiums: one in the Tampa Bay Area and one in Montréal.4 Here’s how the proposal works:

  • The Rays would play the first few months of the season in the Tampa Bay Area, before jetting off to Montréal in June/July. 
  • Playoff appearances would alternate between the two locations.
  • The total cost of the two small, sub 30k venues would be less than a retractable/fixed roof stadium in Tampa or St. Petersburg ($1 billion+)
  • Stephen Bronfman would become a minority owner of the club
  • Later developments included the revival of a Ybor City site for the smaller Tampa Bay venue5

This plan went over poorly after it leaked on June 20th, 2019. Sternberg gave a rushed press conference about the plan two days later, which only exacerbated the tensions.6

 

 

 

The reaction within the building and community was, at times, disapproving.7

 

 

 

Since the introductory press conference, the whole prospect has lurked under the Rays’ operational strategies. Players voiced decidedly mixed reactions about the proposal, but repeated oft-repeated statements by former players about The Trop’s lack of fan support. Stephen Bronfman attended a Rays playoff game in 2019 (from the owners box), Commissioner Manfred announced his/the owners’ support for the plan in February 2020. The pandemic obviously delayed serious discussion of the split-cities idea until 2021.8

 

The 2021 developments occurred in a rather linear fashion, starting in May 2021 with the re-emphasis of an Ybor City site for an open-air stadium. Talks also resumed with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, while Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante repeated her stance of no public funds for a Montréal venue (given Stu’s repeated insistence on public funds, a bad sign). The team did consider putting out a pro-Montréal sign at The Trop during the 2021 Postseason, but fan backlash caused a withdrawal of the offending sign. By November 2021, rumors emerged that Stu and the Seminole Tribe were gearing up to contribute a majority sum for a new Ybor City stadium. These rumors also included speculation that Stu was ready to drop the split-city plan, focusing all of his efforts on remaining in the Tampa Bay area.9

 

However, a more important development occurred in 2021. The minority owners of the Rays sued Stu Sternberg, claiming that he violated his contract with St. Petersburg by negotiation with Stephen Bronfman and considering him for minority ownership. This could potentially result in Stu losing his controlling partnership in the Rays, producing the most embarrassing owner exit since Jerry Richardson. Rumors also exist that the suit will move into a jury trial and that Stu had embezzled $500 million from MLB’s revenue sharing program. While it is unlikely to result in Stu’s exit, it is still a shameful capper on the split-city plan and Sternberg’s ownership of the Rays.10

 

TL;DR: James May as Stu Sternberg -

 

a2efa21caf057c7c8207b84a95e78fa3.gif

 

Of course, this plan is stupid. Like, of all the stuff I’ve covered, the only plan that beats it is the Horneytown Twins. Asking players to split time in two separate countries with 40 games in each location will be costly, especially from a tax perspective. There’s also the issue of fan engagement. Most people in the Tampa Bay Area would see it as a sloppy temporary solution to move the team to Montréal, while Montréalers would be frustrated in not getting a full team back. Instead, they’ll get screwed by MLB again (albeit for only a few years). Likewise, there’s the possibility of taxpayers in both locations paying for ultimately temporary venues, both open-air. While open-air isn’t a big problem in Montréal (outside of the first and last months of the season), it’d be brutal in the swapassery of Tampa. This plan was blatant blackmail for the Tampa Bay Area and it seems to have worked.

 

However, St. Petersburg building The Trop on speculation (and without a referendum) to “one up” Tampa is still the stupidest thing to happen in the series, as it screwed over the market (with help from ownership). I find it fitting that St. Petersburg will lose its team no matter what happens, a team that should’ve been Tampa’s from day one. That stupid civic rivalry doomed Tampa Bay MLB.

 

The best analogy I can think of is that Tampa Bay MLB/The Trop is the cabriolet minivan from Top Gear

 

lkn5uoxs2o741.jpg

 

They’re a mangled mess birthed from misguided and short-sighted ideas, subjected to constant pain and alienating features (The Trop’s location, letting a fragile soft top just hang off the van’s back), and ultimately doomed to a messy end. The split-city plan is the equivalent of the minivan going into the car wash - a prelude to the end of the freak show. 

 

Of course, what should this team name even be? At a later advertisement for the plan in November 2021, team president Brian Auld took a detractor suggestion and implied that Tampa Bay-Montréal Dragonflies would be a good idea. They migrate from Canada to Florida and it’d be a unique team name in Big Four sports. So, let’s run with Dragonflies.11

 

Since language laws are still an issue in Montréal, the team will be the Libellules when they play their games there. The jerseys would simply change for each stint at their home, a degree of modularity. The colors are the Rays’ navy and light blue, with a gradient of royal blue/dark turquoise/light teal/yellow. This mimics the color of a dragonfly (based on this image) while also being an update of the ’98 Rays’ gradient set.

 

TBMDragonflies-Logo-Sheet.png

 

TBMDragonflies-Logo-Sheet-MTL.png

 

The uniforms remain simple, to emphasize the gradient colors in the wordmarks and logos. I opted against a “Dragonflies” wordmark, because it was too long in the Insignia font (an appropriately modern font, despite being very '90s).

 

TBMDragonflies-Homeand-Road.png

 

TBMDragonflies-Homeand-Road-MTL.png

 

The alternates include both powder and navy jerseys.

 

TBMDragonflies-Alts1.png

 

TBMDragonflies-Alts1-MTL.png

 

The second set of alternates are for exhibition purposes, where both locations need acknowledgement. These include a navy top and a grey set, with “TB” and “M” on each side of the chest.

 

TBMDragonflies-Alts2.png

 

The jackets feature the gradient on the sleeves and the dragonfly on the back.

 

TBMDragonflies-Jacket.pngTBMDragonflies-Jacket-MTL.png

 

Ultimately, had the split-city plan been implemented, the end goal would be for Montréal to be the sole location by 2028 (the year after The Trop’s odious lease ends). With no Tampa Bay locals to worry about, the team could give the Montréal fans what they want. Le retour des les Expos!

 

MTL-Homeand-Road-CB.png

 

Nobody really wins in this stupid plan, except fans of gradients. C+C is appreciated, as always!

 

Up next, a different name for one of the potential DC teams.

 

1 “Tampa Bay Rays Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors,” Baseball-Reference.com, accessed December 3, 2021, https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TBD/attend.shtml.

 

2 Michael Lortz, “The Importance of the 30-Minute Population Radius on MLB Attendance,” Community Blog (blog), February 3, 2015, https://community.fangraphs.com/the-importance-of-the-30-minute-population-radius-on-mlb-attendance/; Noah Pransky, “Did Rays’ Stu Sternberg Violate His Contract with St. Petersburg?,” Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. (blog), June 25, 2019, https://floridapolitics.com/archives/299694-did-rays-stu-sternberg-violate-his-contract-with-st-petersburg/; Josh Solomon and Emily L. Mahoney, “Tampa Bay Rays Minority Owners Sue Sternberg, Say He Secretly Negotiated Montreal Deal,” Tampa Bay Times, May 24, 2021, https://www.tampabay.com/news/st-petersburg/2021/05/24/tampa-bay-rays-minority-owners-say-sternberg-secretly-negotiated-montreal-deal-in-new-lawsuit/.

 

3 Marquette Law School, “Tampa Bay Rays Lease Summary,” 1–2, accessed December 3, 2021, https://law.marquette.edu/assets/sports-law/pdf/ls-mlb-tampa-bay.pdf.

 

4 C.T. Bowen and Josh Solomon, “Rays Resurrect Ybor City Stadium Idea,” Tampa Bay Times, May 27, 2021, https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2021/05/27/rays-resurrect-ybor-city-stadum-idea/; Mark Bergin, “Montreal Businessman on Rays’ Future: ‘It’s a Full-Time Team Played in 2 Places,’” wtsp.com, June 2, 2019, https://www.wtsp.com/article/sports/mlb/rays/stadium-saga/montreal-businessman-on-rays-future-its-a-full-time-team-played-in-2-places/67-3b68f264-fdbc-4231-8bb9-0a0d5162c0db; Jeff Passan, “Rays to Explore Splitting Games with Montreal,” ESPN.com, June 20, 2019, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27016429/rays-explore-splitting-games-montreal; Marc Topkin, “The Rays’ Montreal Plan: A Peek behind the Curtain,” Tampa Bay Times, June 22, 2019, https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2019/06/22/the-rays-montreal-plan-a-peek-behind-the-curtain/.

 

5 Jeff Blair, “What Are Likely Scenarios as Rays Tease Tampa-Montreal Split Season?,” Sportsnet.ca, October 1, 2021, https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/likely-scenarios-rays-tease-tampa-montreal-split-season/; Bowen and Solomon, “Rays Resurrect Ybor City Stadium Idea”; Jay Cridlin, “The Rays, the Mayor and Montreal: St. Petersburg’s Stadium Drama, Explained,” Tampa Bay Times, June 4, 2021, https://www.tampabay.com/news/st-petersburg/2021/06/04/the-rays-the-mayor-and-montreal-st-petersburgs-stadium-drama-explained/; Jared Diamond, “The Tampa Bay Rays Still Want to Play Half Their Home Games in Montreal,” Wall Street Journal, October 8, 2021, sec. Life, https://www.wsj.com/articles/tampa-bay-rays-montreal-11633668244; Charlie Frago, “Tampa Bay Rays Get More Specific on Ballpark Cost,” Tampa Bay Times, November 12, 2021, https://www.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2021/11/12/tampa-bay-rays-get-more-specific-on-ballpark-cost/; JP Peterson, “JP SHOW- 11/11/21,” November 11, 2021, https://fanstreamsports.com/jp-show-11-11-21/; Frédéric Tomesco, “Quebec Open to Funding Part of New Baseball Stadium, Legault Says,” Montreal Gazette, March 23, 2021, https://montrealgazette.com/business/local-business/quebec-open-to-funding-part-of-new-baseball-stadium-legault-says; Topkin, “The Rays’ Montreal Plan.”

 

6 ABC Action News, Rays Owner Committed to Making Split-Season Montreal Deal Happen, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Q_tpBsZnE.

 

7 10 Tampa Bay, “TRAITORS!” Tampa Bay Rays Fan Not Happy with Possible Montreal Split | 10News WTSP, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4VuOzueN1o; ABC Action News, Local Business, Rays Fan Speak on the Proposed Season Split with Montreal, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cmVBNud2MI.

 

8 Diamond, “The Tampa Bay Rays Still Want to Play Half Their Home Games in Montreal”; ESPN.com news services, “Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay Rays Calls out Team’s Fans for Not Showing Up,” ESPN, September 28, 2010, https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=5625055; Matthew Ross, “CONFIRMED: Stephen Bronfman Will Be a Guest of #RaysUp Owner Stu Sternberg Tomorrow in Oakland for the #WildCardGame . #Expos #Montreal,” Tweet, @MatthewWords (blog), October 1, 2019, https://twitter.com/MatthewWords/status/1179152593752350722; Zach Spedden, “Rob Manfred Backs Rays’ Pursuit of Split-Season Plan,” Ballpark Digest (blog), February 7, 2020, https://ballparkdigest.com/2020/02/07/rob-manfred-backs-rays-pursuit-of-split-season-plan/; Marc Topkin, “Rays’ Veteran Players Voice Concerns about ‘Montreal Plan,’” Tampa Bay Times, July 5, 2019, https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2019/07/05/rays-veteran-players-voice-concerns-about-montreal-plan/.

 

9 Bowen and Solomon, “Rays Resurrect Ybor City Stadium Idea”; Cridlin, “The Rays, the Mayor and Montreal”; Evan Donovan and Justin Schecker, “Tampa Bay Rays Consider State Help for Proposed Ybor City Stadium Site,” WFLA (blog), October 8, 2021, https://www.wfla.com/sports/rays/tampa-bay-rays-consider-state-help-for-proposed-ybor-city-stadium-site/; Frago, “Tampa Bay Rays Get More Specific on Ballpark Cost”; Peterson, “JP SHOW- 11/11/21”; Marian Scott, Linda Gyulai, and T’Cha Dunlevy, “Mayoral Candidates Would Love for Baseball to Return — as Long as Montreal Doesn’t Pay for It,” Montreal Gazette, September 28, 2021, https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/mayoral-candidates-would-love-for-baseball-to-return-so-long-as-montreal-doesnt-pay-for-it; Tomesco, “Quebec Open to Funding Part of New Baseball Stadium, Legault Says”; Marc Topkin, “Rays Change Plans, Won’t Post Sign about Montreal at Tropicana Field,” Tampa Bay Times, September 28, 2021, https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2021/09/28/rays-change-plans-wont-post-sign-about-montreal-at-trop/.

 

10 Pransky, “Did Rays’ Stu Sternberg Violate His Contract with St. Petersburg?”; Noah Pransky, “Sternberg Says He Has Talked to MTL Investor Bronfman about Concept of Sharing the #Rays between Two Cities. With His Disclosure That He Wants to Split the Games as Early as 2024, THAT WOULD APPEAR TO BE CLEAR VIOLATION OF TEAM’S CONTRACT WITH ST. PETE PROHIBITING THESE TALKS.,” Tweet, @noahpransky (blog), June 25, 2019, https://twitter.com/noahpransky/status/1143571686777925637; Peterson, “JP SHOW- 11/11/21”; Solomon and Mahoney, “Tampa Bay Rays Minority Owners Sue Sternberg, Say He Secretly Negotiated Montreal Deal.”

 

11 Frago, “Tampa Bay Rays Get More Specific on Ballpark Cost.”

 

Edited by SFGiants58
Added accents to Montréal
  • Like 12
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SFGiants58 changed the title to MLB: The Defunct Saga - Tampa Bay-Montréal Dragonflies/Libellules Added

Beautiful work, as always. I love the overall idea and team name(s). MLB really needs an insect/bug themed team! And that gradient is gorgeous. 

My only complaint is that light blue doesn't feel really "dragonfly," though I get that you kept it to maintain a visual connection to the current Rays' identity. If you don't mind, I wanted to see how the concept would look with lime green replacing light blue, as lime is also a common dragonfly color:

spacer.png

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, coco1997 said:

Beautiful work, as always. I love the overall idea and team name(s). MLB really needs an insect/bug themed team! And that gradient is gorgeous. 

My only complaint is that light blue doesn't feel really "dragonfly," though I get that you kept it to maintain a visual connection to the current Rays' identity. If you don't mind, I wanted to see how the concept would look with lime green replacing light blue, as lime is also a common dragonfly color:

spacer.png

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not to jump on the “bombard SFGiants58 with concept suggestions” train but apparently—and this was news to me before tonight—there was a serious bid by oil baron Marvin Davis to purchase and relocate the White Sox to Denver prior to the 1980 season:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/10/archives/veeck-denies-plans-to-sell-white-sox-not-on-the-agenda.html

 

The Legendary Harry Caray: Baseball's Greatest Salesman - Don Zminda - Google Books
 

The Denver White Sox could make for an interesting concept!

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love the Dragonflies concepts, in spite of the cooky and non-sensical proposal by ownership. But I had a thought... You mentioned the name being too long for the front of the jersey. What if you stacked them like the original Devil Rays set? DRAGON over FLIES. While I know it’s one word (dragonflies) it didn’t stop the Diamondbacks from making it two words in their stacked wordmark.

  • Like 2

4409811293_559b1d05dd_o.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/27/2021 at 3:06 PM, NicDB said:

Looking good as usual!

 

I've had an idea for the Vegas A's. Basically, a very dark green accented by volt green and highlighter yellow. I think it'd be a cool way to Vegas-ify the A's while staying true to their brand.

 

Thanks! I really like that idea - very Oregon Ducks/OG Xbox dashboard:

 

LVAthletics-Logo-Sheet-M.png

LVAthletics-Homeand-Road-M.png

LVAthletics-Alts1-M.png
LVAthletics-Alts2-M.png

LVAthletics-Jacket1-Redux-M.png

 

It clashes a bit with the Blackletter, but it's definitely a good look.

 

On 12/4/2021 at 8:16 AM, coco1997 said:

Beautiful work, as always. I love the overall idea and team name(s). MLB really needs an insect/bug themed team! And that gradient is gorgeous. 

My only complaint is that light blue doesn't feel really "dragonfly," though I get that you kept it to maintain a visual connection to the current Rays' identity. If you don't mind, I wanted to see how the concept would look with lime green replacing light blue, as lime is also a common dragonfly color:
 

 

Thanks! I'm glad you like the gradient, as I'm really learning to like them in designs. The light blue is also a common color (even if powder blue wasn't an Expos team color), so that's why I thought to keep it. However, lime green improves the design:

 

TBMDragonflies-Logo-Sheet.png
TBMDragonflies-Logo-Sheet-MTLw.png

TBMDragonflies-Homeand-Road.png
TBMDragonflies-Homeand-Road-MTL.png

TBMDragonflies-Alts1.png
TBMDragonflies-Alts1-MTLs.png

TBMDragonflies-Alts2.png

TBMDragonflies-Jacket.png
TBMDragonflies-Jacket-MTL.png

 

It's a bit more impactful than another navy/powder team.

 

On 12/5/2021 at 11:14 AM, Frylock said:

Love the Dragonflies concepts, in spite of the cooky and non-sensical proposal by ownership. But I had a thought... You mentioned the name being too long for the front of the jersey. What if you stacked them like the original Devil Rays set? DRAGON over FLIES. While I know it’s one word (dragonflies) it didn’t stop the Diamondbacks from making it two words in their stacked wordmark.

 

Thanks! Now that you mention it, stacking works well for the Tampa Bay set.

 

TBMDragonflies-Homeand-Road-B.png
TBMDragonflies-Homeand-Road-B.png

 

Montreal doesn't really have a neat splitting point, but angled wordmarks are nice.

 

TBMDragonflies-Homeand-Road-MTLB.png
TBMDragonflies-Homeand-Road-MTLB.png

 

Not bad at all!

 

The next post will be coming within the next day (MST).

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Courtesy of @coco1997's suggestion - 

 

WASHINGTON PANDAS (FORMER SAN DIEGO PADRES) - Sim-Sim likes to boogie!

 

 

This one was a rather goofy suggestion for that time the Padres nearly moved to DC. While “Nationals” was the most popular suggestion, “Pandas” was also in consideration. This was in reference to President Nixon receiving a pair of adult pandas for the National Zoo from China, one of the few sets of giant pandas in the US. Ultimately, Ray “The Founder” Kroc killed the Padres’ move and we didn’t get to see this happen. But what if we did?1

 

The colors are black and bamboo leaf green, with a modified Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs logo (also used for my Milwaukee Athletics) as the central feature. Albertus again features as the primary font, as it’s very “DC.” I’ve included both “W” and “DC” insignias, for variety’s sake.


WASPandas-Logo-Sheet-A.png

 

Uniforms feature striping designed to emphasize green, along with vertically-arched wordmarks. The cap bills are green, to allow some white into the setup (as pandas are predominantly white). 

 

WASPandas-Homeand-Road1.png

 

Alternates include a green top (with green-crowned “DC” cap) and a black jersey with a contrast-colored interlocking “DC” design. 

 

WASPandas-Alts1.png

 

The other designs are a green-capped home uniform and a 1959-60 “Nationals” jersey from my ‘87-‘09 SeNationaltors concept. I figured the name was better for a retro-inspired design than “Senators.” 

 

WASPandas-Alts2-A.png

 

Jackets feature white sleeves, while the throwback is more in-line with my previous AL Nats/Sens Mk I/Twins concepts.

 

WASPandas-Jacket1.png

 

WASPandas-Jacket2.png

 

It’s a fun little experiment, but I’d argue that Nationals is a better name for a DC club. 

 

Up next, another recent discovery.

 

1 Jake Russell, “San Diego Padres Were Once so Close to Moving to D.C. They Had Uniforms and Everything - The Washington Post,” The Washington Post - D.C. Sports Bog, June 16, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2016/06/16/the-time-the-san-diego-padres-were-this-close-to-moving-to-d-c/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.12b3e5479833.

  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.