Minor/Independent/Collegiate League Baseball Logo/Uniform Changes

[CaliforniaGlowin]

I want Green Bay Booyaa because it reminds me of this group:

 

[Krz]

Went to the corny dogs game last night, got a good corny dogs hat

[The_Admiral]

On 8/23/2018 at 3:03 PM, Gothamite said:

"Supper Clubbers" and "Old Fashioneds" are about as Wisconsin as you can get.  But they're surprisingly adult for minor-league ball, which leans toward the kiddie.

I can get down with Supper Clubbers, but why would anyone want to be on a team that's a homophone for "worst"?

[Gothamite]

I don't know that anyone thinks about the names that closely.

 

Why would anyone want to be on a team in a city that starts with "Pitt"?

[Sykotyk]

In the Prospect League (collegiate summer league), Kokomo Jackrabbits is leaving for the Northwoods League. And the Butler BlueSox were trying to enter the Great Lakes League before opting to suspend operations for 2019.

[buzzcut]

Not for 2019 but for 2021, Wichita will likely be joining the PCL at the expense of one of their Southern outposts. That city losing their PCL team will likely join the Southern League.

[TBGKon]

2 hours ago, buzzcut said:

Not for 2019 but for 2021, Wichita will likely be joining the PCL at the expense of one of their Southern outposts. That city losing their PCL team will likely join the Southern League.

So if we are speculating...i feel like its New Orleans moving to Wichita.  NOLA is the one that stands out that has the older venue that needs replacement.  New Orleans also falls in the SL footprint, not far from Biloxi and Mississippi.

 

If NOLA opens up to the Southern League,  its not Mobile (they're going to North Alabama soon) but it could be one of the three in Tennessee  The Jackson Generals, Chattanooga Lookouts, and the Tennessee Smokies all play in dated ballparks and might be on the block.  I feel like its going to be Jackson Generals but no clue.

[Green27]

Curious if it is NOLA, then would they keep all the new Brandiose Babycake branding, or maintain the branding of whatever Southern League team moves there. Lookouts have such a great identity, I hope it doesn't get lost in all of this. 

[Dilbert]

It seems that the Pacific Coast League is slowly moving everything near the central United States rather than the Pacific coast. New Orleans seems to be the only PCL club that would fit the bill for the Southern League. (Cant imagine Nashville or Memphis dropping down). As for the Southern League Ive heard Chattanooga had been wanting a new ballpark. Havent heard anything regarding Tennessee Smokies but I do see Jackson as the likely candidate.

 

Meanwhile the collegiate Northwoods League appears to be closer to adding every Wisconsin town, another Wisconsin town to the circuit as Waukesha looks to build a new ballpark in time for the 2019 season. With Kokomo Jackrabbits and St Croix RiverHounds already set to join next season this would give the Northwoods League 23 clubs for next year, 11 of which are in Wisconsin (Eau Claire, La Crosse, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Kenosha, Mequon, Madison, Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Hudson and Waukesha). The new ballpark in Waukesha, a Milwaukee suburb, are to be built less than 20 miles from a new Franklin, WI ballpark being built for a new independent American Association club for next season. Meanwhile in Beloit, it looks like they may be close to getting a new ballpark built to replace their current ballpark which is not in MiLB standards. Wisconsin must really love baseball.

 

 

 

[Brian in Boston]

48 minutes ago, AstroBull21 said:

So if we are speculating...i feel like its New Orleans moving to Wichita.  NOLA is the one that stands out that has the older venue that needs replacement.  New Orleans also falls in the SL footprint, not far from Biloxi and Mississippi.

 

If NOLA opens up to the Southern League,  its not Mobile (they're going to North Alabama soon) but it could be one of the three in Tennessee  The Jackson Generals, Chattanooga Lookouts, and the Tennessee Smokies all play in dated ballparks and might be on the block.  I feel like its going to be Jackson Generals but no clue.

 

I'd agree with your assessment of the situation.

The only current Pacific Coast League markets that would fit into the Southern League's footprint are Memphis, Nashville, and New Orleans. The oldest ballpark amongst those three markets is the Shrine on Airline in New Orleans, which opened in 1997. The Baby Cakes' attendance was down precipitously this season.

In the Southern League, the oldest facility after Mobile's soon-to-be-vacated Hank Aaron Stadium is the Ballpark at Jackson. Meanwhile, the Jackson Generals/West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx have finished either last or second-to-last in Southern League attendance in 13 of the last 14 seasons. The Chattanooga Lookouts and Tennessee Smokies have, traditionally, both been much better draws than the Generals/Diamond Jaxx.

To bring this back to a branding-centric discussion, I would assume that New Orleans would remain the Baby Cakes after such a shift. After all, team ownership only introduced the identity last season. As for a Wichita-based Pacific Coast League team, I'm going to presume that the owners will conduct a "Name-the-Team" contest. Now, whether said promotion would actually influence the team's branding, or simply be a cover for the owners foisting a pre-selected identity upon the fanbase, I don't know. Still, I'd expect that if fan suggestions are actually entertained, we're likely to see Wranglers in the mix, as well as something with a flight-based theme - Aeros, Aviators, Pilots, etc.     

[buzzcut]

8 minutes ago, Dilbert said:

It seems that the Pacific Coast League is slowly moving everything near the central United States rather than the Pacific coast. New Orleans seems to be the only PCL club that would fit the bill for the Southern League. (Cant imagine Nashville or Memphis dropping down). As for the Southern League Ive heard Chattanooga had been wanting a new ballpark. Havent heard anything regarding Tennessee Smokies but I do see Jackson as the likely candidate.

 

Meanwhile the collegiate Northwoods League appears to be closer to adding every Wisconsin town, another Wisconsin town to the circuit as Waukesha looks to build a new ballpark in time for the 2019 season. With Kokomo Jackrabbits and St Croix RiverHounds already set to join next season this would give the Northwoods League 23 clubs for next year, 11 of which are in Wisconsin (Eau Claire, La Crosse, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Kenosha, Mequon, Madison, Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Hudson and Waukesha). The new ballpark in Waukesha, a Milwaukee suburb, are to be built less than 20 miles from a new Franklin, WI ballpark being built for a new independent American Association club for next season. Meanwhile in Beloit, it looks like they may be close to getting a new ballpark built to replace their current ballpark which is not in MiLB standards. Wisconsin must really love baseball.

 

 

 

When does the PCL become something like the Western League? Or is the PCL branding too important to abandon?

[Dilbert]

17 minutes ago, buzzcut said:

When does the PCL become something like the Western League? Or is the PCL branding too important to abandon?

PCL is too important to abandon. If it wasnt for the independent American Association already taking the name I would love to see the AA return to the AAA ranks.

[TBGKon]

I have wondered if a split of AAA baseball into 3 10-team leagues could be a possibility in the future.  Am I being too ambitious? 

 

You could see something like the following.  I know it would break up the National Championship, but could something else take its place?

 

New PCL

Tacoma, Sacramento, Reno, Fresno, Vegas, Salt Lake, San Antonio (former Colorado Springs), Round Rock, El Paso, Albuquerque

 

New IL

Louisville, Toledo, Indianapolis, Columbus, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Lehigh Valley, Scranton-WB, Pawtucket/Worcester

 

New League (I'll call it the Federal League for intents and purposes)

Oklahoma City, Wichita (former New Orleans), Omaha, Iowa, Memphis, Nashville, Gwinett, Durham, Norfolk, Charlotte

[buzzcut]

1 minute ago, AstroBull21 said:

I have wondered if a split of AAA baseball into 3 10-team leagues could be a possibility in the future.  Am I being too ambitious? 

 

You could see something like the following:

 

New PCL

Tacoma, Sacramento, Reno, Fresno, Vegas, Salt Lake, San Antonio (former Colorado Springs), Round Rock, El Paso, Albuquerque

 

New IL

Louisville, Toledo, Indianapolis, Columbus, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Lehigh Valley, Scranton-WB, Pawtucket/Worcester

 

New League (I'll call it the Federal League for intents and purposes)

Oklahoma City, Wichita (former New Orleans), Omaha, Iowa, Memphis, Nashville, Gwinett, Durham, Norfolk, Charlotte

I'd swap the current IL West with the current IL South in your alignment, although realigning the IL would be very tricky. Also, I think you can name the third league the Central League.

[RoughRiders99]

1 hour ago, AstroBull21 said:

I have wondered if a split of AAA baseball into 3 10-team leagues could be a possibility in the future.  Am I being too ambitious? 

 

You could see something like the following.  I know it would break up the National Championship, but could something else take its place?

 

New PCL

 Tacoma, Sacramento, Reno, Fresno, Vegas, Salt Lake, San Antonio (former Colorado Springs), Round Rock, El Paso, Albuquerque

 

 New IL

 Louisville, Toledo, Indianapolis, Columbus, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Lehigh Valley, Scranton-WB, Pawtucket/Worcester

 

New League (I'll call it the Federal League for intents and purposes)

 Oklahoma City, Wichita (former New Orleans), Omaha, Iowa, Memphis, Nashville, Gwinett, Durham, Norfolk, Charlotte

 

Like what @buzzcut said, switch the IL West with the IL South, so that way, Iowa, Omaha, Memphis, etc. can be in the same league with Louisville, Indianapolis, etc, while the IL is more Atlantic coast based. 

 

As for the National Championship, maybe take the 3 league winners and a preselected championship host and place them in a 4-team bracket thing. I believe the Canadian Hockey junior does the same thing. 

[Sec19Row53]

1 hour ago, Dilbert said:

It seems that the Pacific Coast League is slowly moving everything near the central United States rather than the Pacific coast. New Orleans seems to be the only PCL club that would fit the bill for the Southern League. (Cant imagine Nashville or Memphis dropping down). As for the Southern League Ive heard Chattanooga had been wanting a new ballpark. Havent heard anything regarding Tennessee Smokies but I do see Jackson as the likely candidate.

 

Meanwhile the collegiate Northwoods League appears to be closer to adding every Wisconsin town, another Wisconsin town to the circuit as Waukesha looks to build a new ballpark in time for the 2019 season. With Kokomo Jackrabbits and St Croix RiverHounds already set to join next season this would give the Northwoods League 23 clubs for next year, 11 of which are in Wisconsin (Eau Claire, La Crosse, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Kenosha, Mequon, Madison, Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Hudson and Waukesha). The new ballpark in Waukesha, a Milwaukee suburb, are to be built less than 20 miles from a new Franklin, WI ballpark being built for a new independent American Association club for next season. Meanwhile in Beloit, it looks like they may be close to getting a new ballpark built to replace their current ballpark which is not in MiLB standards. Wisconsin must really love baseball.

 

 

 

The new ballpark in Waukesha is anything but a done deal. Along those lines, there's also talk of one being built in Pewaukee. The two locations are MAYBE 10 miles from each other. Mequon is a 40 minute drive tops from either of those two locations (I was there all summer long as Official Scorer for the Chinooks).

[TBGKon]

1 hour ago, buzzcut said:

I'd swap the current IL West with the current IL South in your alignment, although realigning the IL would be very tricky. Also, I think you can name the third league the Central League.

 

8 minutes ago, RoughRiders99 said:

 

Like what @buzzcut said, switch the IL West with the IL South, so that way, Iowa, Omaha, Memphis, etc. can be in the same league with Louisville, Indianapolis, etc, while the IL is more Atlantic coast based. 

 

As for the National Championship, maybe take the 3 league winners and a preselected championship host and place them in a 4-team bracket thing. I believe the Canadian Hockey junior does the same thing. 

Yeah the IL South and IL West are interchangeable.  I guess i just saw a good cluster in the northeast, but either way works.

[Green27]

 

The new North Alabama AA team (Mobile BayBears relocation) will be unveiled tonight. Still speechless at the list of options.

 

[B-Rich]

Tweet by a local sports broadcaster: "Sources say that it will be announced tomorrow that the Baby Cakes will move to Wichita. The Baby Cakes have a lease through 2021, so baseball is not leaving yet, AND there is a group in NOLA hoping to bring an AA southern league team in by then".

 

I don't know where to begin.

 

So, Lou Schwechheimer buys the team 3 years ago, talks about how he is going to do great things by giving us a more local nickname (among other things) and changes the name prior to last year, , and now is planning to move them? 

 

As I noted in a post in 2016,  Schwecheimer is also head of an organization called the Caribbean Baseball Initiative, which also includes a sub-group called BaseballHavana, which was formed after Obama began working to normalize relations with Cuba.  Schwechheimer secured the exclusive rights from Minor League Baseball to return professional baseball to Havana.   He obtained the necessary licensing from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

 

However, that initiative, and what I thought was his ultimate goal of moving the Miami Marlins AAA franchise to Havana, wound up being squelched by the surprising election of Trump later that year.   Hilary Clinton would have certainly continued Obama's policies toward Cuba; instead Trump reinstated travel and trade restrictions that Obama had eased.  Essentially, Schwechheimer's whole "Baseball Havana" deal was screwed.

 

As Brian in Boston stated, "the Baby Cakes' attendance was down precipitously this season." I projected that as well, noting that a poll indicated 91% of respondents did not approve of the name change, and that many online (like myself) stated that they would not spend any money on the team -  not just merchandise, but also actual game attendance.  There were also some calls for a formal boycott of the team by fans,

 

All I can hope for is that the "group in NOLA hoping to bring in an AA team" is NOT as indicated in the article linked by Buzzcut; i.e. the same Schwechheimer  ownership  group. 

 

Get him, his lame management, and his stupid "Baby Cakes" name out of here for good;  let us have an AA Southern League team (with a decent name) with some nice regional rivals in Biloxi, Pensacola, Birmingham, Jacksonville, and Jackson, MS.

 

 

[kimball]

50 minutes ago, Green27 said:

 

The new North Alabama AA team (Mobile BayBears relocation) will be unveiled tonight. Still speechless at the list of options.

 

 

If it's not Trash Pandas I'm rioting.