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MLB: The Defunct Saga - Bibliography Added


SFGiants58

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Great to have you back, and what a way to return with the Charlotte Knights! I am very proud of the fact that my Chicago White Sox have some of the best minor-league identities in the league. I really love what you’ve done with them here, although I do have a few nitpicks. One, something seems off about the colors of the front numbers on the home and road jerseys, particularly the white numbers on the road set.
 

Second, as others have already said, the cap logo is a bit awkward looking. I think the plume hanging off the back of the “C” is the problem. May I offer a few suggestions for alternate C’s?

 

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or even a “C” based on the Knights’ Hispanic Heritage branding cap:

 

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This concept is just a few small tweaks away from being a perfect identity. Keep up the great work!

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On 5/28/2020 at 7:19 PM, QCS said:

It's absolutely gorgeous! It's stupid that the city spent so much on a minor league stadium (even if BB&T Ballpark is beautiful) but I think the Knights name would've been "promoted" like the Angels and Padres. That said, the logos aren't really doing it for me. The helmet and C is a little awkward, I honestly prefer for the helmet C the team currently uses. That said the scripts and jersey are nothing short of fantastic, the only thing I'd change is putting pinstripes on the home jersey, it's become a tradition for Charlotte baseball (and basketball) teams to utilize pinstripes, plus it looks great on the Hornets fauxbacks. Excited for OKC!

On 5/28/2020 at 8:08 PM, _DietDrPepper_ said:

I agree with QCS, the colors are and uniforms are easily some of the best in the league but the logo package is off, I had a hard time making out the helmet and the C logo looks like a C with a horse mane, I think a tweaked and scaled back version of the current logo set, some of the gimmicky-ness of some of the logos can be removed, would top this set off as one of my favorites of yours! 

 

Thanks, guys! I'm glad you liked it. I totally get how the knight's helm and the "C" look awkward. I've revised them for the update.

 

On 5/29/2020 at 9:18 PM, FinsUp1214 said:

First off, glad to see you back SFG! Welcome back and looking forwards to seeing your contributions again. It’s always been a pleasure to converse with you, as well as to see your designs.

 

I really love your take on the Knights! The medieval look is something that would really stand out from the rest of the league in a great way. The wordmarks especially are excellent, and not only look medieval but manage to have a classic baseball look as well. Great work!

 

Thanks! It's good to be back.

 

On 5/29/2020 at 11:21 PM, Yee Yee Go 'Stros! said:

So glad to see this series back, but right now I just want to applaud you for admitting your mistake.  Sadly, people like you are few and far between these days, but it is very encouraging that you aren’t too proud to admit when you’re wrong.  God bless you sir.  

 

Thanks. I needed time away to reassess myself and realize how much of a Social Repose I was being. I'd apologize repeatedly without ever truly meaning it or changing my behavior. I'm glad that's behind me now.

 

On 5/30/2020 at 9:51 AM, coco1997 said:

Great to have you back, and what a way to return with the Charlotte Knights! I am very proud of the fact that my Chicago White Sox have some of the best minor-league identities in the league. I really love what you’ve done with them here, although I do have a few nitpicks. One, something seems off about the colors of the front numbers on the home and road jerseys, particularly the white numbers on the road set.
 

Second, as others have already said, the cap logo is a bit awkward looking. I think the plume hanging off the back of the “C” is the problem. May I offer a few suggestions for alternate C’s?

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or even a “C” based on the Knights’ Hispanic Heritage branding cap:

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This concept is just a few small tweaks away from being a perfect identity. Keep up the great work!

 

Thanks! I really do find that the Sox have some good-looking affiliates. I decided that contrasting numbers were a good trick, with white replacing gray on the gray jersey. It kind of works, IMO. As for the "C" designs you showed, I've incorporated them into the retro uniform!

 

So here's the update. I've incorporated a new "C" with a knights' plume and a new knight helmet based upon this design. I incorporated @QCS' suggestion for a pinstriped home uniform and added a new shield with the pinstripes, knight's helmet, and a flag that combines the Charlotte flag with the Charlotte crown (inspired by QCS' Project CLT series). Also, using @coco1997's suggestion, I used a 1909-30 Reds-styled "fancy C" on the retro uniform.

 

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I also made a Charlotte Hornets-colored version of the set.

 

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The OKC teams should be up soon.

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42 minutes ago, bcon_731 said:

@SFGiants58 I didnt know til recently that the St. Louis Browns were going to move to Los Angeles and planned a press conference for the move, then Pearl harbor happened. Have you ever thought of a Browns/Orioles set for Los Angeles? 

I agree, that might be pretty good!  I seen a recent MLB article about what might have been, and I immediately thought of this series.  Then I forgot 😂

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These updates are perfect! This is a team I'd be proud to support. The pinstriped sets are pure class and I love the flag-inspired logo as well! The Hornets colors work well but the gold and black is just too perfect for this team. Brilliant!

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the user formerly known as cdclt

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I like the upgrades a lot! I'm still weary on the C logo, as I think it needs some tweaking and I'm a bit confused with some of the choices here but it's good. The primary looks great, good work there, the secondary looks good as well. My complaints come with the pinstripes and the front numbers. I think the gold wordmark with the black outline gets drowned out and lost by the pinstripes. Your throwback does a lot better in this regard and I think a black wordmark with a gold outline would work a lot better. However, I think the front numbers could work a lot better as gold, I think the silver outside of the logos is almost unnecessary, if wanted you could put a silver outline around the numbers and wordmarks to get it included, but the silver numbers look very out of place. I'll carry this over to the away jersey as well, I think gold or black numbers would be an improvement. I think you could include the cap logo into the wordmark as well possibly. The alternate shares the same problem with the home and away in which having silver and gold numbers and a white nob doesn't make the set work cohesively, I would make the front numbers white to match the nob. Overall I think this is one of your better sets, I love the black and gold scheme and the Charlotte Knights in general is one of my favorite minor league identities, and this does a good job of upgrading their brand. 

 

And I thought I commented but further review would result that I didn't, so I'll say it now. Took some real guts for you to come out with a wall of text of an apology, it's really appreciated from everyone on the board, it showed some class and set an example many of us here would hope to follow. 

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Follow the NFA, and My Baseball League here: https://ahsports.boardhost.com/index.php

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Good to see you back! I feel like I can safely say we all appreciate the honesty and self-reflection of your apology, and I hope you’re feeling better now.

 

As for the concept itself, the Knights look great! I love the inclusion of silver/gray as an actual team color paired alongside the gold. My only suggestion is minor: the NOB of the black jersey is a bit awkward being white, I would make it silver to match the other accents of the jersey. 

 

I also love the Hornets color scheme version, especially the teal alt. Great work!

 

Looking forward to what you have in store for an OKC team.

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Love the two Charlotte Knights concepts. Just thinking you could use them as a starting point for a New York Knights concept if you ever want to recreate the team from the book/movie "The Natural".

 

Can't wait to the Oklahoma City team concepts!

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On 6/1/2020 at 1:34 PM, bcon_731 said:

@SFGiants58 I didnt know til recently that the St. Louis Browns were going to move to Los Angeles and planned a press conference for the move, then Pearl harbor happened. Have you ever thought of a Browns/Orioles set for Los Angeles? 

 

On 6/1/2020 at 2:17 PM, Yee Yee Go 'Stros! said:

I agree, that might be pretty good!  I seen a recent MLB article about what might have been, and I immediately thought of this series.  Then I forgot 😂

 

Well hey, that's part of the plan! It wasn't initially, but I think I can get around to that. I've got things in the pipelines (fictional stuff, several A's relocations and updates, that Milwaukee-to-DC thing, the TB-MTL proposal, and some additional updates) and it can fit well into the system. 

 

On 6/1/2020 at 2:47 PM, bcon_731 said:

@Yee Yee Go 'Stros! @SFGiants58  This entire series is prime for HatClub. Paychecks would disappear every drop. 

On 6/1/2020 at 5:09 PM, QCS said:

These updates are perfect! This is a team I'd be proud to support. The pinstriped sets are pure class and I love the flag-inspired logo as well! The Hornets colors work well but the gold and black is just too perfect for this team. Brilliant!

On 6/1/2020 at 2:36 PM, coco1997 said:

The new cap logo is a big upgrade over your first version. And man, I’d buy any jersey or cap from that Hornets-colored set in a heartbeat. Great work!

 

Thanks, guys! I'm glad you like the updates and the Hornets colors (using the proper purple, I might add). I don't think it's as good as what HatClub offers up, so I'm flattered by the comparison.

 

On 6/1/2020 at 6:14 PM, _DietDrPepper_ said:

I like the upgrades a lot! I'm still weary on the C logo, as I think it needs some tweaking and I'm a bit confused with some of the choices here but it's good. The primary looks great, good work there, the secondary looks good as well. My complaints come with the pinstripes and the front numbers. I think the gold wordmark with the black outline gets drowned out and lost by the pinstripes. Your throwback does a lot better in this regard and I think a black wordmark with a gold outline would work a lot better. However, I think the front numbers could work a lot better as gold, I think the silver outside of the logos is almost unnecessary, if wanted you could put a silver outline around the numbers and wordmarks to get it included, but the silver numbers look very out of place. I'll carry this over to the away jersey as well, I think gold or black numbers would be an improvement. I think you could include the cap logo into the wordmark as well possibly. The alternate shares the same problem with the home and away in which having silver and gold numbers and a white nob doesn't make the set work cohesively, I would make the front numbers white to match the nob. Overall I think this is one of your better sets, I love the black and gold scheme and the Charlotte Knights in general is one of my favorite minor league identities, and this does a good job of upgrading their brand. 

 

And I thought I commented but further review would result that I didn't, so I'll say it now. Took some real guts for you to come out with a wall of text of an apology, it's really appreciated from everyone on the board, it showed some class and set an example many of us here would hope to follow. 

 

Thanks! My thought process behind the gold text with black outline was a metallic version of this:

 

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I get that it might not work for some, but I think I'll stick with it (along with keeping the cap logo and wordmark separate - it'd be a bit too "overboard"). I definitely agree with you on the front numbers, which is why I made them gold (contrast wasn't needed). I also made the NOB silver on the alternate (like @MJD7 suggested), as white really didn't need to be on that design.

 

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I like that a lot more.

 

I'm glad I got that apology out of my system. I've largely stepped away from the stuff that wore on me so much, which has improved my mental state (which is especially important ATM and I'll leave it at that). 

 

On 6/1/2020 at 7:25 PM, MJD7 said:

Good to see you back! I feel like I can safely say we all appreciate the honesty and self-reflection of your apology, and I hope you’re feeling better now.

 

As for the concept itself, the Knights look great! I love the inclusion of silver/gray as an actual team color paired alongside the gold. My only suggestion is minor: the NOB of the black jersey is a bit awkward being white, I would make it silver to match the other accents of the jersey. 

 

I also love the Hornets color scheme version, especially the teal alt. Great work!

 

Looking forward to what you have in store for an OKC team.

 

Thanks!

 

On 6/3/2020 at 4:39 PM, Topherlee2 said:

Love the two Charlotte Knights concepts. Just thinking you could use them as a starting point for a New York Knights concept if you ever want to recreate the team from the book/movie "The Natural".

 

Can't wait to the Oklahoma City team concepts!

 

Let's just say that Hobbs' team is on the list soon. Thanks!

 

The OKC stuff should be up by the end of the night.

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OKLAHOMA CITY TWISTERS - A twist from the mists of the past

 

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A fresh-faced Jeffrey Loria as owner of the Oklahoma City 89ers, circa 1989-1993

 

One of the many stops on the Marlins’ relocation threat tour was Oklahoma City, a place that had a personal connection to Jeffrey Loria. He got his baseball ownership start in OKC, as the owner of the AAA Oklahoma City 89ers from 1989 to 1993.1 A return to the city, especially after OKC’s warm reception to the Hornets, would seem like a good idea. Then-Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma reached out to the Marlins in November 2005 regarding a potential move to the city. By February 2006, it was out in the open that Fallin had made contact, outlining that she had investors lined up to potentially aid in the relocation.2 Of course, any relocation plan would have required the expansion or demolition of the OKC RedHawks (now OKC Dodgers)’ Bricktown Ballpark. 

 

Unfortunately for Oklahoma City, the Marlins never paid the city a visit during the tour. By May 2006, Fallin withdrew her intentions to draw the Marlins to OKC. The stadium would have been $350 million at the minimum (for a “38,700-seat venue with 69 suites and would include a stadium club, a sports bar restaurant and a parking lot with 15,000 spaces”). Instead, the state focused on gaining an NBA team, which eventually happened with the Thunder.3

 

In the long run, pursuing an NBA team was probably a better choice for Oklahoma City than gaining an MLB club. It shouldn’t have come at the expense of the Sonics (I for one enjoyed the stripping of the Thunder like a junkyard Fox Body Mustang), but that’s a rant for another day.

 

However, what if Loria and company took Fallin seriously and that $350 million venue came into being? What would OKC MLB look like?

 

I wanted to go with a local-themed sobriquet, with two options coming to mind. The first is the entirely new team, the Twisters, while the second concept revives the ‘89ers identity. Both brands use the Thunder’s Oklahoma Blue (from the state flag) and Reddish-Orange, alongside black (because this is still the Marlins, after all). I opted for a base font for both concepts, namely the Caniste Semibold of the Florida White Sox/Tampa Bay Cannons. It fits well as a 19th century-influenced font. 

 

The primary logo is a roundel with a twister inside it. The twister on its own is a tertiary, while the secondary mark is the interlocking “OKC.” 

 

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The uniforms feature tri-layer lettering and striping, with the orange/black/blue/black/orange pattern on white/gray backgrounds. I opted for a stacked “Oklahoma City” wordmark, as a carryover from the 1989-96 89ersThe Oklahoma Blue is the primary color for the caps and accessories, as it could be “their” color in MLB. 

 

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Alternates include both orange and blue tops. The orange top has the twister on its own, while the blue shirt features the “OKC” interlocking logo.

 

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The second set of alternates include a black jersey, featuring a black cap with a blue bill and black accessories. The creme alternate does an Oklahoma Blue/Reddish-Orange co-balance color scheme (influenced by Cleveland AL’s 1940s uniform). The script text is modified Buinton.

 

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Jackets include the main design with the road wordmark and trim stripes. The retro alternate has orange sleeves, with the “vintage” logo on the back and the “OKC” on the sleeve.

 

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Oklahoma City MLB can look fantastic, especially with that “Oklahoma Blue” color to use. While “Twisters” is an appropriate name, it’s not my favorite.

 

This is where we’ll get into the ‘89ers!

 

1 Barry Jackson, “Oklahoma City Move Is in the Talking Stage,” Miami Herald, The, February 17, 2006, sec. Sports.

2 Bob Hersom and Michael McNutt, “Fallin Trying to Reel in Marlins - City’s Corporate, Fan Support of the Hornets Got Lieutenant Govenor Thinking,” Oklahoman, The, February 17, 2006, sec. SPORTS; Steven Wine, “Marlins’ Future up in the Air,” Oklahoman, The, April 12, 2006, sec. SPORTS.
3 Michael McNutt, “State Not Trying to Lure Marlins, Fallin Says,” Oklahoman, The, May 26, 2006, sec. NEWS.

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  • SFGiants58 changed the title to MLB: The Defunct Saga - Oklahoma City Pt. I Added
40 minutes ago, SFGiants58 said:

<snip>

 

 

I like the overall design, but man.... After Iowa State's blunder, any logo of an actual tornado will always look like a Bugle chip to me.

Edited by officeglenn
No need to quote all those images and text for a one-line response.
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OKLAHOMA CITY’ 89ERS - Catching the Oklahoman Dream

 

This identity opts for the classic Oklahoma City baseball team name, with the sobriquet referencing the city’s founding date of 1889 (within the Land Rush of 1889). This identity had a long history in Oklahoma City, ending in 1997 with the American Association’s dissolution. Given that Loria owned the ‘89ers from 1989-93, perhaps it would have behooved him to adopt this identity. While the name may have a bit of a “colonial” connotation, it’s about on the same level as Padres or 49ers when it comes to the “colonial” stuff (as in, not as awful as “Conquistadors”). 

 

The primary logo takes influence from the flag’s buffalo skin shield (mistakenly referred to as a “dreamcatcher” by many). I divorced it from being a direct reference by reducing the feather amount from seven to five and making them alternating colors. The top half of the design includes the Survivor Tree, an American elm that survived the Oklahoma City Bombing. It has become a civic symbol in the years since Noddle McVeigh and company killed 168 people because “Patriot Movement”/”revenge for Waco and Ruby Ridge”/other Turner Diaries-influenced trash - linked here is a relevant Last Podcast on the Left series. The rendering used here is from the OKC Dodgers’ memorial for the 168 victims/Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. The lower half has two baseballs with the interlocking OKC. The tertiary logo is a textless version of the primary.

 

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The uniforms are the same as the Twisters, but with new patches and an “‘89ers” wordmark on the home uniform. I didn’t want to use a placket design or the “Niners” wordmark of the past. The placket just felt “off” in Caniste Semibold, and “Niners” kinda infringes on the 49ers. 

 

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Alternates carry over from the Twisters.

 

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The black alternate now features two-color versions of the lettering and interlocking insignia, for a small change-of-pace (as there was more white in the logo than for the Twisters). The tertiary is on its sleeve. The retro uniform is of the early-’90s 89ers (see pictures of Steve Balboni and this Barry Goetz card), with separate cap and jersey logos of ostensibly the same design.

 

My favorite part of this design was the extensive work I undertook to recreate the Clarendon variant with drop shadows used by the 89ers. A combination of the 1996 American Association Playoffs and numerous WorthPoint auctions produced enough evidence to recreate the font close enough. 

 

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The main jacket is a minor patch swap of the Twisters’ design, while the retro version updates this OKC 89ers jacket.

 

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Oklahoma City baseball, either with a heritage identity or a new one, could have been fantastic for MLB. Heck, if anything, bringing back the ‘89ers like this would be welcome once the Dodgers sell the OKC Dodgers. C+C is appreciated, as always!

 

I've also got the "reclamation" material for the '90s 89ers right here.

 

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Can I just say that I find this identity really bland? Like, I get that the team was a Rangers affiliate and wanted/needed to use Rangers colors, but the Clarendon mixes poorly with the "side-shadows" and the recolorings generally look awful. Heck, a more direct early-'90s Rangers clone design would have looked better.

 

Up next, the Marlins’ most desired destination, San Antonio!

 

Big Sidebar, relating to the "dreamcatcher" part of the identity and a "person of interest" I did a deep dive on during my Defunct Saga break.

 

My latest experience with dreamcatchers has been that one was a curious background feature of one of the worst apology videos ever put onto YouTube (look to the right of him). 

 

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Bloomingdale, Illinois’ scene-alternative musician/Glenbard North alumnus Austin Jones had one in his window for “Setting the Record Straight.” The video features him trying to excuse his pressuring of underage fans into giving him twerking videos. According to him, it was the result of his deeply traumatic childhood. He also suicide baited and painted his accusers’ supporters as little more than “bullies.” It's in spoiler tags, since it's a bit of an investment.

 

Spoiler


 


It’s a sight to behold, this video. He escalated his behavior (into straight-up CP) before receiving a ten-year prison sentence last year. 

 

It’s mildly ironic to see a dreamcatcher in this nightmare-giver’s window given the cultural significance of these items. This wretched story is well-covered by The Right Opinion and Damon “deefizzy” Ford (the guy who outed Austin as a nonce). I even made a video on it (video-editing is something I do when I'm not on the concepts train)!

 

 

“Eminence Front” felt right, ya know? 

 

Edited by SFGiants58
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  • SFGiants58 changed the title to MLB: The Defunct Saga - Oklahoma City Pt. I & II Added

More great work from you sir.  The second version of the Charlotte Knights was your best. Honestly, I like the vintage Twisters logo better than the primary.  I'm not a fan of the red baseball and would reduce the amount of black used.  The rest of the package is solid.  Glad to be enjoying your work again.

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Great work on both OKC identities, I’d expect nothing less. I especially love the interlocking “O-K-C” logo. For the 89ers dream catcher logo, I wonder if you could modify the feathers hanging off of it to be shaped more like pennants?


I agree with @itsmb8 that the tornado design for the Twisters could use some work. The black bits actually cause it to look like a very thick, severed tiger tail! I wonder if something a little more abstract could solve the problem, like this:

 

http://btgym.com/hitting-institute/club/
 

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Side note, those colors would’ve been perfect for the latest Marlins redesign.

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That heritage Twisters jersey is absolutely spectacular! Cream is severely underrated as a base color in every sport, but baseball most of all. The 89ers are also really good, but that 90s set is ugly as all get-out (through no fault of your own). 

 

Slightly unrelated, do you think you could mock up a gold shirt for Charlotte? I think it might look pretty good.

 

Quick edit: with your interest in baseball history, I found a website dedicated to Charlotte's baseball history and you might be interested. Here it is: https://qcbaseballhistory.jimdofree.com

the user formerly known as cdclt

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