MiLB 2010 Changes

[Burmy]

Because of the name being that of a certain minstrel show dance, "Hambones" has been eliminated from consideration in the Richmond team-naming contest:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/BASEGAT13_20091013-172002/299106/

So now it's just Rock Hoppers, Rhinos, Flatheads, Flying Squirrels, and Hush Puppies under consideration-Name's being announced Thursday-GO RHINOS!

[Blackjack76]

I'm really disappointed. This is not terrible, but it's B-minus work at best, and many of the details are just wrong. Simple things like triple-outlines on cap logos with a two-color scheme. Bad, bad, bad. And if I lived in New Orleans, I'd be chomping at the bit for a ballcap with an NO logo. Instead, the Zephys offer fans a Z logo, an NOZ logo, and what looks like a BP cap with yet another Z logo. And the colors may be literally the last colors I'd name if you asked me what colors I associate with New Orleans. Well, maybe I'd name silver or blue before orange, but probably not both. Green, yellow, purple, black, brown, red -- blue and gray is just not the right choice here, unless the Zephyrs are planning to become a Yankees farm team.

The primary logo is not successfully rendered -- the too-squat bat de-emphasizes the bat while failing as a FDL. That's really one of those "how do you screw that up?" elements.

On the plus side, the number font is terrific, and the home jersey script is solid B-plus or A-minus work. I agree with those who've said they would prefer an arched Z and S, but it still works as-is.

Conceptually, this is a solid upgrade. But the execution is oddly lifeless. It's inert and carries no sense of place or individuality. There is nothing about this uniform that wouldn't work just as well anywhere in eastern Canada, New England, the upper Great Lakes states, the Ohio River valley, or the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. It sorta-kinds says "French," or maybe "Catholic," that that's it, and as such this whole package could be dropped onto a team in Duluth.

That font is just City Bold with spikes attached to it to make it look custom. Surprising, I know, considering it's Rickabaugh....

[BallWonk]

On the plus side, the number font is terrific, and the home jersey script is solid B-plus or A-minus work.

That font is just City Bold with spikes attached to it to make it look custom. Surprising, I know, considering it's Rickabaugh....

Indeed, the Z and the S give that away.

I don't regard the novelty of a lettering style to be a virtue in and of itself. If a team identity can be well expressed with Helvetica, then it would be bad design to draw a whole new font for the team. The point is to express identity, not to build a catalog of custom fonts. (Although non-design factors, such as trademark law, do make some form of lettering customization all but mandatory. Even if it's just adding spikes to each letter's stem or something.)

I mean, think of the love expressed here for the old Texas Rangers script lettering. Like the Royals script, the Rangers essentially used the same script as the Dodgers, and yet for many people the Dodgers script better expresses the Rangers identity than their current custom lettering that tries very, very hard to draw on folk memories of display lettering from the frontier days.

[B-Rich]

I'm really disappointed. This is not terrible, but it's B-minus work at best, and many of the details are just wrong. Simple things like triple-outlines on cap logos with a two-color scheme. Bad, bad, bad. And if I lived in New Orleans, I'd be chomping at the bit for a ballcap with an NO logo. Instead, the Zephys offer fans a Z logo, an NOZ logo, and what looks like a BP cap with yet another Z logo. And the colors may be literally the last colors I'd name if you asked me what colors I associate with New Orleans. Well, maybe I'd name silver or blue before orange, but probably not both. Green, yellow, purple, black, brown, red -- blue and gray is just not the right choice here, unless the Zephyrs are planning to become a Yankees farm team.

The primary logo is not successfully rendered -- the too-squat bat de-emphasizes the bat while failing as a FDL. That's really one of those "how do you screw that up?" elements.

On the plus side, the number font is terrific, and the home jersey script is solid B-plus or A-minus work. I agree with those who've said they would prefer an arched Z and S, but it still works as-is.

Conceptually, this is a solid upgrade. But the execution is oddly lifeless. It's inert and carries no sense of place or individuality. There is nothing about this uniform that wouldn't work just as well anywhere in eastern Canada, New England, the upper Great Lakes states, the Ohio River valley, or the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. It sorta-kinds says "French," or maybe "Catholic," that that's it, and as such this whole package could be dropped onto a team in Duluth.

Wonk, I pretty much agree with you completely. This is okay, but it looks... unfinished. "An 85% submittal" in our engineers' parlance.... The bat needs to be longer on top in the "fleur-de-z", the Z and S needed arching.... etc. While not particualrly lloking for a ballcap with a "NO" on it ( I've always liked the unusuality of having the "Z"), I'm not a fan of the ballcap logo with "NOZ" ("Noz" reminds one of "nose" via "schnozz", Jimmy Durante-style).

And re: the colors, several around here including me noted that the blue and silver are very similar to the colors of the University of New Orleans, and have speculated that Ron Maestri, the club's COO who is also the former baseball coach at UNO, may have had something to do with the decision on the colors....

[powersurge]

I'm really disappointed. This is not terrible, but it's B-minus work at best, and many of the details are just wrong. Simple things like triple-outlines on cap logos with a two-color scheme. Bad, bad, bad. And if I lived in New Orleans, I'd be chomping at the bit for a ballcap with an NO logo. Instead, the Zephys offer fans a Z logo, an NOZ logo, and what looks like a BP cap with yet another Z logo. And the colors may be literally the last colors I'd name if you asked me what colors I associate with New Orleans. Well, maybe I'd name silver or blue before orange, but probably not both. Green, yellow, purple, black, brown, red -- blue and gray is just not the right choice here, unless the Zephyrs are planning to become a Yankees farm team.

The primary logo is not successfully rendered -- the too-squat bat de-emphasizes the bat while failing as a FDL. That's really one of those "how do you screw that up?" elements.

On the plus side, the number font is terrific, and the home jersey script is solid B-plus or A-minus work. I agree with those who've said they would prefer an arched Z and S, but it still works as-is.

Conceptually, this is a solid upgrade. But the execution is oddly lifeless. It's inert and carries no sense of place or individuality. There is nothing about this uniform that wouldn't work just as well anywhere in eastern Canada, New England, the upper Great Lakes states, the Ohio River valley, or the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. It sorta-kinds says "French," or maybe "Catholic," that that's it, and as such this whole package could be dropped onto a team in Duluth.

Wonk, I pretty much agree with you completely. This is okay, but it looks... unfinished. "An 85% submittal" in our engineers' parlance.... The bat needs to be longer on top in the "fleur-de-z", the Z and S needed arching.... etc. While not particualrly lloking for a ballcap with a "NO" on it ( I've always liked the unusuality of having the "Z"), I'm not a fan of the ballcap logo with "NOZ" ("Noz" reminds one of "nose" via "schnozz", Jimmy Durante-style).

And re: the colors, several around here including me noted that the blue and silver are very similar to the colors of the University of New Orleans, and have speculated that Ron Maestri, the club's COO who is also the former baseball coach at UNO, may have had something to do with the decision on the colors....

Ha! The first thing I thought about when I saw "NOZ" was the rapper: Naz. (he was a rapper, right?) I think I'm showing my age/disconnect from anything cool in music. Moving right along.....

I agree with all that say that this logo is lacking. My biggest pet peave is that if you are going to use the Fleur de Lis then make it stand out. They kind of half asses it here. The NO Hornets FDL logo is a nice example of how to successfully incorporate two elements together without losing the identity of either one. This logo does the opposite IMO. I think the presence of another color other than grey, navy, and white could have helped. The shading at the bottom of the bat handle also looks awkward. It makes it seem like the bat is skewed in some way. Definitely not a good thing visually.

[rvrdgsfn]

Because of the name being that of a certain minstrel show dance, "Hambones" has been eliminated from consideration in the Richmond team-naming contest:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/BASEGAT13_20091013-172002/299106/

So now it's just Rock Hoppers, Rhinos, Flatheads, Flying Squirrels, and Hush Puppies under consideration-Name's being announced Thursday-GO RHINOS!

Somehow, I'm not really surprised with Hambones getting dropped.

I gotta see if the press conference is open to the public, cause I would like to see this first hand. Plus, the Times-Dispatch artist drew his own logos for the team (they won't be picked) & somehow, I could see a flying squirrel logo with it as a pilot

Either way, tomorrow @ 2:30

[Brian in Boston]

Because of the name being that of a certain minstrel show dance, "Hambones" has been eliminated from consideration in the Richmond team-naming contest...

Well, in that case, my adjusted rankings are:

1) Richmond Flatheads

2) Richmond Flying Squirrels

3) Richmond Rhinos

4) Richmond Rock Hoppers

5) Richmond Hush Puppies

[AAO]

Looks great. Well done, Rickabaugh.

[Texasrangers13]

Richmond Hush Puppies appears to be the winner. The Richmond Baseball Club has registered only one domain and it is that. 2:30 is the announcement time.

[TBGKon]

Richmond Hush Puppies appears to be the winner. The Richmond Baseball Club has registered only one domain and it is that. 2:30 is the announcement time.

You have got to be kidding me!!! The name that was added at last minute gets the win? Sounds fishy to me...

[Texasrangers13]

To make it more interesting it shows it was registered on the 8th...and I believe they announced on the 9th that it was added.

[Burmy]

I went to sites with www.richmond(namecandidate).com , and all of them had godaddy.com pages marked.

So it's still anyone's guess...

[RyanB06]

It's "Flying Squirrels".

http://eastern.league.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091015&content_id=7462166&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

[chickenfish13]

Waaay better than Hush Puppies, but still not great. Then again, it's Plan B Branding, so no matter the name, the identity will be great. I'm sure they are going to come up with something awesome.

[Blackjack76]

The Class AA Southern League Jacksonville Suns changed its colors to black-gold-old gold. Interesting seeing as Jax is the Marlins' affiliate...could this be a harbinger of things to come in South Florida? (Doubt it.)

Courtesy of Ballpark Digest

Also, the Sarasota Reds are now the Bradenton Pirates, as Cincy and Pittsburgh traded High A affiliates (Lynchburg Hillcats are now with the Reds).

I now have a precedent for something I am working on....

[Lee.]

I can't stand that Jacksonville indentity, it looks like a bloody family restaurant chain, and a second-rate one at that. And for a Marlins affiliate to be using alt caps that look rather Mets- and Pirates-oriented, as a parent club, I'd be a little pissed.

If Plan B is doing the branding for Richmond, then I have a little bit of faith in the project.

[TBGKon]

Also, the Sarasota Reds are now the Bradenton Pirates, as Cincy and Pittsburgh traded High A affiliates (Lynchburg Hillcats are now with the Reds).

Kinda figured this would happen, since Baltimore expects to heavily renovate or knock down and build a new stadium at the site in Sarasota. I just had no idea where the team would end up, but Bradenton was pretty much the only place I could think of, as any other potential Florida State League-type city either didn't have a sustainable venue, or just wasn't even an option.

Also, to clarfy, the last paragraph of this article states that the team in Bradenton will not be called the Pirates.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_650535.html

Hmm, has me wondering what they'll be known as...

[Burmy]

Also, the Sarasota Reds are now the Bradenton Pirates, as Cincy and Pittsburgh traded High A affiliates (Lynchburg Hillcats are now with the Reds).

Kinda figured this would happen, since Baltimore expects to heavily renovate or knock down and build a new stadium at the site in Sarasota. I just had no idea where the team would end up, but Bradenton was pretty much the only place I could think of, as any other potential Florida State League-type city either didn't have a sustainable venue, or just wasn't even an option.

Also, to clarfy, the last paragraph of this article states that the team in Bradenton will not be called the Pirates.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_650535.html

Hmm, has me wondering what they'll be known as...

Probably a derivation...Bradenton Buccos is what I'm thinking!

[BallWonk]

The Class AA Southern League Jacksonville Suns changed its colors to black-gold-old gold. Interesting seeing as Jax is the Marlins' affiliate...could this be a harbinger of things to come in South Florida? (Doubt it.)

Courtesy of Ballpark Digest

What a mess! I thoroughly dislike the use of black for a team named the Suns -- black signifies the absence of the sun; substitute royal blue and this is a winner -- I actually like the look of the team's new home jersey and home cap. But my gosh, what an absolute mess the rest of the uniform set is. The road cap keeps the black but kills the yellow in favor of white and gray. Fail. Then inexplicable Mets and Pirates-themed caps. Fail. (Well, not inexplicable, seeing as how the motivation is pretty obvious, but these don't relate in any way to the team's new uniforms.) And a BP cap that brings in the gray rather than either shade of yellow. Fail. Throw in unnecessary black outlines on the script in the logo that are not present in the much cleaner script on the jersey for another fail.

Also, a team named "Suns" and the jersey script is predominantly black, with yellow used only for drop-shadow highlights -- when the actual sun is yellow, and actual shadows are black? Fail and fail.

This is one of the clearest example I've seen in a while as far as the finished result showing the work of the designers (generally well executed) versus the out-of-control and/or indecisively noncommittal demands of a client who seems to have no clue what he actually wants from the project.

The color change works much better than I would expect, at least on the home jerseys, but the rest of the uniform set is just so bad that the quality of the recolor can't save the project. This may be the best-looking uniform that I will ever call a D or D-minus.

[TBGKon]

Also, the Sarasota Reds are now the Bradenton Pirates, as Cincy and Pittsburgh traded High A affiliates (Lynchburg Hillcats are now with the Reds).

Kinda figured this would happen, since Baltimore expects to heavily renovate or knock down and build a new stadium at the site in Sarasota. I just had no idea where the team would end up, but Bradenton was pretty much the only place I could think of, as any other potential Florida State League-type city either didn't have a sustainable venue, or just wasn't even an option.

Also, to clarfy, the last paragraph of this article states that the team in Bradenton will not be called the Pirates.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_650535.html

Hmm, has me wondering what they'll be known as...

Probably a derivation...Bradenton Buccos is what I'm thinking!

I'm thinking a derivation of some kind as well, but with the NFL Buccaneers right up the road, they might want to separate themselves from that as well.