new angle.....

[1991]

the local paper in springfield had photos of the world series trophy, and had never seen this angle nor noticed the baseball in the middle.

[Gothamite]

That is a great angle - I don't think I've ever seen that shot (although I did notice the baseball before).

The redesign of a couple years ago is a major upgrade - this is a beautiful trophy.

[Lalalaloser]

what was the redesign?

[Gothamite]

The old ones looked like this:

bigger version of that pic here

In 1999, they streamlined the design, eliminating the crown, baseball and team logos.

[maz]

thats a beautiful trophy but it looks a bit fragile to me... i mean... how do they survive all the torture of postgame celebration in the locker room?

[Gothamite]

I don't know, but somehow they do.

[McCall]

It also survived Springfield, Missouri last week. I swear, the second day it was here it rained like a mofo (game was delayed and eventually called off), so they had to put it in the Team Store. As if I didn't have enough other crap to worry about. Not only my two other retail locations and scorecard vendors, I had to also to keep an eye in the store. Luckily my Lead Clerk did a great job, as well as the Cardinals employees and Off-Duty Sheriff's Officers who do security, so it was a little bit easier. Wish I could say more about the storm outside. That was a pain in the @$$. But the trophy was sweet, and couldn't believe I was actually standing with the World Series Trophy. Dream come true, I tell ya.

[ShlyKBMT]

Are the team names still on the pennants or are they blank now.

[McCall]

Are the team names still on the pennants or are they blank now.

Blank.

[-kj]

I don't like that the flags go in a circle now, rather than the way they used to--following a singular wind direction.

[BallWonk]

I don't like that the flags go in a circle now, rather than the way they used to--following a singular wind direction.

I went to college in Washington, DC. A girl in my dorm worked weekends as a tour guide around the city. She recounted once that, upon arrival at the Washington Monument one day, she explained that the flagpoles around the base numbered fifty, one for each state. Which prompted this question from one of the tourists in her group: "And do they make the flags wave in the same direction to symbolize national unity?" My dorm-mate swore that she stifled her own laughter long enough to answer, simply, "Yes."

One thing I like about the current trophy is that it looks less fragile than the old one. That big circle thing supporting the crown always looked like a broken trophy waiting to happen, even more than the ring of narrow flagpoles.

[Gothamite]

I don't like that the flags go in a circle now, rather than the way they used to--following a singular wind direction.

Funny, that's one of the things that I really love about it.

I also love that the pennants are blank - no need to actually put the team names on them, we know that they stand for all the major league clubs. That's the difference between an elegant design and an overdone one.

[powersurge]

Names on pennants are indeed too much. Less is more in this case.

You know I've always thought that there should be a 'back' to the trophy. Something that would serve as a subtle backdrop for the pennants, like a crystal backing or something.

I guess I should refer to my previous comment huh?

Just a thought.

[TheOldRoman]

The trophy is amazing up close. I saw the 2005 Sox' world series trophy up close twice. I remember marveling as I was standing over it, staring at it with a big dumb grin on my face. I'm sure it wouldn't have meant half as much if I saw the Diamondbacks' or Red Sox' trophies, but it really is nice.

On a side not, it is hard to tell in most pictures, but the trophy is silver, not gold. The only gold is on the flags and seams on the baseball part.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

Wow, I was not aware that the trophy had been redesigned. As Mr. Horse said: no, sir; I don't like it. And, while I will admit that some of my antipathy comes from seeing yet another bit of the culture of "my day" go by the wayside, I will maintain that the larger part comes from a purely aesthetic judgement.

I do see the point that the flags are better left blank. I hadn't thought about the whole overkill angle, but Gothamite had a good point there. So, in this one respect, the new trophy shows an improvement. However, I think that the overall trophy is much less impressive looking than the old one, on several grounds.

First of all, I would disagree with Gothamite about the wind direction of the pennants, and agree with Mockba. To me, the pennants blowing in the same direction makes a much more handsome display.

Furthemore, it seems to me that the loss of the crown/ball construction in the middle tends to rob the trophy of much of its grandeur, as likewise does the change from gold to silver.

Finally, I cringe to see that the engraved plate now reads "WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS" instead of the correct title "WORLD CHAMPIONS", as shown on the old trophy.

It's bad enough seeing "WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS" on those stupid hats and t-shirts produced for the Series each year (hats and shirts which should not be worn by players anyway, since that is the time to be most proud of your real uni and hat, which of course is a whole different topic); but the enshrinement of this bit of kiddie-speak on the trophy is, I daresay, worse.

Sigh. Still, I guess this is what we must expect in a day and age when the kiddies walk around actually saying "MLB" ("em-ell-bee") when they refer to Major League Baseball. Boo-yah.

[iowahoo]

"Finally, I cringe to see that the engraved plate now reads "WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS" instead of the correct title "WORLD CHAMPIONS", as shown on the old trophy. "

So what do you put on the WBC trophy World World Champions??? With the internationalization of all the major "American" sports it is nice to see the leagues shifting away from the title "World's Champions". I always thought that title to be presumptuous and typical loud American tourist-like.

[Gothamite]

Well, except in this case it's justified. There is no greater competition than the World Series - it is the height of the sport.

WBC vs. WS is the classic "club sport v. country sport" that the rest of the world has in soccer, and nobody there seems to have any conflict at all.

Good point, cesarano. I'm with you all the way on that one.

[Sport]

Wow, I was not aware that the trophy had been redesigned. As Mr. Horse said: no, sir; I don't like it. And, while I will admit that some of my antipathy comes from seeing yet another bit of the culture of "my day" go by the wayside, I will maintain that the larger part comes from a purely aesthetic judgement.

I do see the point that the flags are better left blank. I hadn't thought about the whole overkill angle, but Gothamite had a good point there. So, in this one respect, the new trophy shows an improvement. However, I think that the overall trophy is much less impressive looking than the old one, on several grounds.

First of all, I would disagree with Gothamite about the wind direction of the pennants, and agree with Mockba. To me, the pennants blowing in the same direction makes a much more handsome display.

Furthemore, it seems to me that the loss of the crown/ball construction in the middle tends to rob the trophy of much of its grandeur, as likewise does the change from gold to silver.

Finally, I cringe to see that the engraved plate now reads "WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS" instead of the correct title "WORLD CHAMPIONS", as shown on the old trophy.

It's bad enough seeing "WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS" on those stupid hats and t-shirts produced for the Series each year (hats and shirts which should not be worn by players anyway, since that is the time to be most proud of your real uni and hat, which of course is a whole different topic); but the enshrinement of this bit of kiddie-speak on the trophy is, I daresay, worse.

Sigh. Still, I guess this is what we must expect in a day and age when the kiddies walk around actually saying "MLB" ("em-ell-bee") when they refer to Major League Baseball. Boo-yah.

How old are you? 85? "MLB" is not a new term. And I think the team that wins this trophy just won the WORLD SERIES. What's wrong with puting that on the trophy. I don't know what you mean by kiddie speak since the phrases "World series" and "MLB" have been around for decades.

I disagree with most of what you said. The old trophy looks like it was made at your local trophy place. Cheap. The new one looks more professional, although I still think it is the worst trophy of the four major team sports.

[BBTV]

I get what cesarano is saying about the "kids actually saying MLB" thing.

When I was growing up, there was the NFL, NHL, NBA, and the Major League, or just Majors. MLB was the one sanctioning body that was almost never referred to by its letters. You'd hear NL and AL, but never ML or MLB. But now with the way the leagues have basically dissolved, and how the marketing is done at the league-level (as opposed to at the team level) (I'm talking about things like how all teams wear the MLB BP cap, the same jackets, same website, etc.) I guess MLB has become its own entity.

[24 Hour Charleston]

I always just called it baseball. NFL, NBA, NHL, and baseball.