The 2008 Minor League Baseball Season

[oddball]

If I may be permitted a little proud-Iowan sarcasm, "Right, because zoot suits and big bands have nothing at all to do with the swing era in jazz, nor with Davenport's century-plus of history with jazz, blues, and the swinging music of the Mississippi valley."

However, if you have information from decisionmakers on the name change that they were going after the swing dancing craze, then I think we may have a new recipient for the stupidist baseball executive award, since the swing dancing craze was nearly five years dead by the time the Swing adopted their name. (Didn't "Swing" come from a fan suggestion, not the team itself, in 2003?) That part of the country, maybe a line dancing team would make sense -- "Line of the Quad Cities" -- but swing dancing? Not even in '98.

I'm really not following you here...are you trying to differentiate between the swing era of jazz and the swing era dance fad? Sure - I understand that there are some differences (it WAS the busiest time of my professional musical career), but we're essentially talking about the same music. Just different applications. Some different trendy, newer bands (Squirrel Nut Zippers for one), but a lot of swing era standbys as well (Louis Prima, Cab Calloway, even Glenn Miller). When I was playing swing dance gigs back in the late '90s, it's was mostly swing era music, with a few newer trendy charts thrown in.

I have to say - as a professional jazz musician - I never thought I'd see the day when a room full of 20-somethings would scream for "In The Mood". I thought I was in the freakin' Twilight Zone...

Ah swing. That brings back good memories as I use to DJ a swing class/hangout for church. The greatest thing was the look I'd get for throwing on Sing, Sing, Sing. It was kind of like an evil, "I hate you" glare. *Hee Hee* That was fun. Actually there are still a decent amount of places to go Swing Dancing in So Cal, including Disneyland.

[RyanB06]

Missoula has a new road cap:

[Discrim]

while checkin out the Tides site, I came across this here...an alt hat modeled after their traditional one, only in Orioles colors

no word on whether they're dropping their alt red uniform, but they no longer have the red cap available on their site.

[Island_Style]

I don't know if it is a throwback for a day or a sunday alternate but here is a new jersey from the Jax Suns.

[Gothamite]

I don't know if it is a throwback for a day or a sunday alternate but here is a new jersey from the Jax Suns.

That's their 1967 throwback, to be worn every Sunday this season.

Simply beautiful. Shame they didn't get helmets to match.

[totc]

Shame the team went with Swing instead of an even more Davenport-apt jazz name, like the Rags or the Bix or something.

Yeah -- Bix Beiderbecke was from Iowa, IIRC.

[Gothamite]

Back to the minors, the Portland Beavers wore their alternate uniforms yesterday:

Sorry for the lousy photo, but it's the only one on the team's website.

Okay, but I don't like them as much as their new regular uniforms:

[BallWonk]

Wow. It's a shame Portland missed the boat with its cap logos. Aside from the beaver jammed into the cap, and maybe for that much-too-prominent Adidas logo, those might the best uniforms in pro baseball. Even the blue alt, which is exactly the kind of alt I normally hate.

Seeing those pics, I can't believe that no big-league team wears shoulder stripes like this. The Nationals, Cardinals, Phillies, or Mets need to rock the shoulder stripes. Any one of them, I don't care which. And an AL team, too. Maybe the Rangers.

[Gothamite]

Yeah, as we talked about when they were first unveiled, this would make a much better cap logo:

Make that one change, and this is easily top ten in the majors.

[a2grafix]

The Toledo Mud Hens for the past handful of years, have worn various jersies throughout the season, in honor of "events." And the Mudville Nine will do it once again in 2008.

On May 24, the Hens will have an "80's retro night" and will give away "game-worn uniform tops" to the fans in an auction (I would say possible 1980s throw-backs); On July 4, the Hens will auction off camoflage "game-worn uniform tops" on Independence Day (probably similar to the San Diego Padres cammos); On July 25, the Hens will auction off their pink "game-worn uniform tops" in honor of NW Ohio Komen for the Cure Night.

In 2007, the Hens wore black and orange Harley Davidson jerseys in honor the the motorcycle company, wore Hawaiian-inspired jerseys and red, white and blue star Independence jerseys.

For more on the 2008 promo nights, check out the Mud Hens Website.

[a2grafix]

(double post)

[Gothamite]

The Toledo Mud Hens for the past handful of years, have worn various jersies throughout the season, in honor of "events." And the Mudville Nine will do it once again in 2008.

Mudville Nine? That's a different team.