Another WHAT IF? The Federal League survives! CIN added

[Walk-Off 155]

2 hours ago, mcrosby said:

I still haven't decided if I keep the Senators for the Atlanta club. The most historic name in Atlanta is Crackers, and I don't think I'll be using that. If anyone has suggestions for ATL let me know. 

 

Given Atlanta's roots as a hub of rail transportation, a railroad-themed name might work well for an Atlanta team.  Locomotives, Boilers (as in the boiler of a steam locomotive), Railroaders, Engineers, Conductors, and even Crescents (for the Crescent passenger train that has run from New Orleans, through Atlanta, to various points to Atlanta's northeast since 1891) all seem like good choices to me.

[the admiral 28,205]

Atlanta Junctions? Junks for short? I don't know, I don't like imagining a world without the Atlanta Braves, though it would be funny if they still had a controversial name with the Atlanta Crackers.

[Brian in Boston 2,539]

2 hours ago, mcrosby said:

I still haven't decided if I keep the Senators for the Atlanta club. The most historic name in Atlanta is Crackers, and I don't think I'll be using that. If anyone has suggestions for ATL let me know. 

Did the Senators of your "What If?" timeline relocate out of Washington in time for the 1961 American League season? If so, I'd say go with Atlanta Firebirds, which would reference both  the image of a phoenix and motto - "Resurgens" ("Rising again") - that appears on the city's seal. While General Motors produced a series of four concept automobiles bearing the Firebird name from 1959 through 1964, none were made available for sale to the general public. By the time GM's Pontiac division debuted a Firebird-branded car for sale in 1967, the Atlanta-based American League team in this series would have played six seasons of pro baseball. As such, there'd have been no confusion between the ball club and the automobile, so no trademark dispute... and even if one had arisen, the baseball team would have had just as much of a claim to said trademark.

Barring Firebirds, I'd go with Atlanta Thrashers. That said, I think Firebirds would make for the more marketable brand. It worked for the Triple-A Pacific Coast League team in Phoenix for twelve seasons.

This is shaping up as a terrific series.     

[darkpiranha 580]

10 minutes ago, the admiral said:

Atlanta Junctions? Junks for short? I don't know, I don't like imagining a world without the Atlanta Braves, though it would be funny if they still had a controversial name with the Atlanta Crackers.

 

In the world of my fictional hockey league, there's one team I have that started off in golden age of the league with a very now-controversial name.  Every few years in modern times, this team realizes it has an offensive nickname and changes it, but each time it's to a name or logo that's offensive in a different way.  They can't seem to get out of their own way.  Does it make me an equally horrible person if I make up controversial names for my own amusement as part of a fictional  history?  Or is that "okay"?  (I'm doing it either way, I just need to know if I'm a terrible human because of it.)  And no, no one will ever see my controversial team names, unless you ask really really persuasively.

[the admiral 28,205]

Sounds like a pretty good bit.

[SFGiants58 13,640]

Just now, the admiral said:

Atlanta Junctions? Junks for short? I don't know, I don't like imagining a world without the Atlanta Braves, though it would be funny if they still had a controversial name with the Atlanta Crackers.

 

I do, either the club in Atlanta with a new name or still in Milwaukee (as the Braves or Brewers, take your pick). 

 

Firebirds or Firecrackers sounds like fun, but "Peaches" also works for me (because of that peachy color that's really underused in sports).

[heavybass 661]

3 hours ago, mcrosby said:

BUFFALO BLUES

Reality: The Buffeds, or Buffalo Blues played in 1913 as a minor league club and 1914 and 1915 in the FL, and folded with the league. Buffalo remains without a top tier club to this day. 

 

What if?: The Blues join the Reds as historically boring named teams playing to this day. The Buffalo script is a favorite of mine. I loved the nesting of the F's in the original script and did my best to modernize that while still making it feel like it could have been on a jersey 100 years ago. 

 

Just the right about of traditionally boring MLB as one can have... I would watch them.
 

[scottyeagle 273]

Love the messy look of the Buffalo scripts.  Looks so vintage!  I'll hop on the bandwagon and fire off some other Atlanta names to consider as well (pun intended):

 

Governors (capital, keeps political theme)

Goobers (peanuts being a prominent crop)

Brakemen (trains)

Generals (as in the train named General.  The great train robbery occurred near Atlanta with that particular train)

[heavybass 661]

I'll say one thing...

Atlanta Peaches.

[Bruins 1,357]

Buffalo is really terrific in that simple-yet-quirky vintage way, great job there and love the idea here.

 

Atlanta Firecrackers gets my vote. Neat way to hold on to the historical moniker, yet be more appropriate. Same situation as the Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs.

[mcrosby 3,276]

I've got a name for Atlanta and it hasn't been suggested yet. Working on it now. If anyone guesses it before I post I'll put your name on the jersey. I know, pretty great prize. 

[sportsfan7 412]

59 minutes ago, mcrosby said:

I've got a name for Atlanta and it hasn't been suggested yet. Working on it now. If anyone guesses it before I post I'll put your name on the jersey. I know, pretty great prize. 

Is it the Atlanta Caps? It would be a nice local tie (Coca-Cola Bottlecaps) and keep the political theme of the Senators (Since Atlanta is the Capital of Georgia).

[mcrosby 3,276]

15 minutes ago, sportsfan7 said:

Is it the Atlanta Caps? It would be a nice local tie (Coca-Cola Bottlecaps) and keep the political theme of the Senators (Since Atlanta is the Capital of Georgia).

That's a great one, but not it. 

[mcrosby 3,276]

Well, nobody wins

 

ATLANTA HAMMERS

Reality: The Braves made it to Atlanta after some 69 years in Boston and another 12 in Milwaukee. 

 

What if? The Boston club moves to Milwaukee in 1953 and finds continuing success and support after a 1957 World Series Championship. The Milwaukee club stumbles a bit when Hank Aaron takes his talents to A-Town when the Washington Senators move to town. Hank carries the Hammers and earns the nickname Hammerin' Hank Aaron. To this day Atlanta fans do the Hammer Swing. 

 

I had no idea how much I was going to like navy, peach, and grey as a color scheme. I re-worked the Atlanta script a while back, and really enjoyed making a Hammers script to match. Between Hammerin' Hank and the easy switch from tomahawk to rail spike hammer the nickname just felt perfect. Click to see full size. 

[coco1997 3,359]

Great job on the last few teams. The Hammers look great and have a wonderful color scheme. Brilliant repurposing of the Braves’ crossed tomahawks logo.

[GriffinM6 1,354]

8 hours ago, darkpiranha said:

 

In the world of my fictional hockey league, there's one team I have that started off in golden age of the league with a very now-controversial name.  Every few years in modern times, this team realizes it has an offensive nickname and changes it, but each time it's to a name or logo that's offensive in a different way.  They can't seem to get out of their own way.  Does it make me an equally horrible person if I make up controversial names for my own amusement as part of a fictional  history?  Or is that "okay"?  (I'm doing it either way, I just need to know if I'm a terrible human because of it.)  And no, no one will ever see my controversial team names, unless you ask really really persuasively.

This whole bit you're doing is great and seems like it could be the premise of a South Park episode.

 

Really loving this series so far. Your take on the Terrapins as the Orioles is amazing. I also love Atlanta's look. The name makes perfect sense with regards to both Hank Aaron and the railroad history. It reminds me of how Atlanta United drives home the golden spike before each match at MBS. 

[mcrosby 3,276]

12 hours ago, coco1997 said:

Great job on the last few teams. The Hammers look great and have a wonderful color scheme. Brilliant repurposing of the Braves’ crossed tomahawks logo.

I was going to go with Peaches but I couldn't pass up replacing the tomahawk with a rail spike hammer. Too perfect.

 

11 hours ago, GriffinM6 said:

This whole bit you're doing is great and seems like it could be the premise of a South Park episode.

Why South Park? I think they'd probably have much more vulgar and tongue-in-cheek nicknames.

[heavybass 661]

15 hours ago, mcrosby said:

Well, nobody wins

 

ATLANTA HAMMERS

Reality: The Braves made it to Atlanta after some 69 years in Boston and another 12 in Milwaukee. 

 

What if? The Boston club moves to Milwaukee in 1953 and finds continuing success and support after a 1957 World Series Championship. The Milwaukee club stumbles a bit when Hank Aaron takes his talents to A-Town when the Washington Senators move to town. Hank carries the Hammers and earns the nickname Hammerin' Hank Aaron. To this day Atlanta fans do the Hammer Swing. 

 

I had no idea how much I was going to like navy, peach, and grey as a color scheme. I re-worked the Atlanta script a while back, and really enjoyed making a Hammers script to match. Between Hammerin' Hank and the easy switch from tomahawk to rail spike hammer the nickname just felt perfect. Click to see full size. 

LIES! I got the Peach colour right

[Htown1141 1,493]

Wait, if the braves stay in Milwaukee, how do the hammers have that exact same style of uniform? That doesn’t make sense to me. I’d actually suggest repurpose bits of the Twins looks, past and present, because that’s where the sens originally moved. Also, any reason why the Senators moved to Atlanta instead of Minnesota?

[SFGiants58 13,640]

4 minutes ago, Htown1141 said:

Also, any reason why the Senators moved to Atlanta instead of Minnesota?

It’s because in this timeline, the Federal League Saints have been in the city since the 1910s/‘20s.

 

I agree with H-town on the Hammers. While it’s a fantastic adaptation of the Braves’ design (and the peach is lovely), it wouldn’t really work with the Braves around. Unless you want to turn the Braves into the Brewers (or rename the Braves as the Brewers, which would be nice), it likely won’t work.

 

Also, from a historical POV, Hank Aaron going to the team owned by Calvin “I moved my team from DC because I didn’t want African-Americans at my games” Griffith seems odd. That’s not got much to do with the concept, but it’s a historical tidbit to consider.