Cape Cod Baseball League 2013 Project

[JLopesXC]

Whats up everyone. So I'm super excited to finally be posting this because for the past two weeks I've been brainstorming the heck out of this project and I think I've got to the point where I'd like some C+C. But first here is the low down.

The Cape Cod Baseball League one of the countries best Collegiate summer baseball leagues. Hundreds of players have gone through this league at one point or another and it provides for some really great baseball to watch here in Massachusetts during the summer.

Having been into sports logos for some time now, this is where the league lacks...drastically in most cases (see here: http://v2.capecodbaseball.org/). Some teams however, do have great names with not so great logos (Kettleers, Gatemen, Whitecaps). Some teams just use major league logos combined with the town name (Y-D Red Sox, Harwich Mariners, Bourne Braves). And a few have recently ditched their major league ties and completely rebranded due to copyright infringement ( Anglers formerly known as the Chatham A's, Orleans Firebirds were the Cardinals, Hyannis Harbor Hawks were the Mets, etc. etc.). The league logo isn't all that bad, but it's getting tossed too.

So anywho, my goal through this process is to cut loose on all Major League names, and rebrand the entire league. I'm only keeping a few names that are currently in the league, dismembering a regional team for two entire new identities, adding two new teams and folding one. I want to give each team a name that has a deeper meaning to the towns history in one way or another rather than just slapping on any old generic name.

I really hope to grow with my design skills through this process but I think it's going to be pretty neat if I can finish it.

So here's the map of the Cape with the league's new arrangement and the new league logo in the center (check the link above for comparison to the current logo). First team will be up tomorrow.

**New Team Names/Locations**

C+C on the league logo and even team name suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks.

[oaklandhusker]

Everything looks good. Also, I find it interesting that the 'real' Y-D Red Sox use a recolored White Sox logo. I had been expecting the hanging sock red sox logo, to be honest.

[udubs03]

I'm excited to see what you come up with. I really like all of your names so far.

I work for a team in the Northwoods League, so I've done quite a bit of research of other collegiate summer leagues.

I've seen how bad a lot of the design in the Cape Cod League is...you've got your work cut out for you!

[speedy]

Definitely looking forward to this. The league logo is a clear improvement, the only issue I have is the Cape being almost entirely hidden by the typeface. Great color choices though.

As for the team names, I'd try to work in a more cultural identity to some. Sagamore or Bourne should use a canal or bridge type imagery, I'm not really feeling Wings. Wareham has a great identity, is there a reason for folding them and giving their name to Bourne? I would've kept DY together since in practical terms it just makes sense, but then again it is a concept so have fun with it.

[Brian in Boston]

Wareham Gatemen - town's reputation as the "Gateway to Cape Cod"

Bourne Buzzards - town's location on Buzzards Bay

Falmouth Steamers - town's role as headquarters of various island steamship lines, including the current Wood's Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority

Cotuit Kettleers - referencing part of the price - a brass kettle - that Myles Standish is said to have paid to purchase present-day Cotuit from the Wampanoags

Hyannis Presidents - Hmmmm... what could be my reasoning?

Yarmouth-Dennis Crows - referencing John Crowe, who organized and named both towns

Brewster Bills or Brewster Pilgrims - referencing the town's namesake, Elder William Brewster

Harwich Bog Sox, Harwich Bog Barons, Harwich Bog Monsters or Harwich CranBarons - town's role as an early commercial producer of cranberries

Chatham Beacons or Chatham Lightkeepers ('Keepers for short) - referencing the Chatham Lighthouse

Orleans Dukes - referencing the fact that the town was named for Louis Philippe II, Duc D'Orléans

[Moseph]

This is pretty cool. My grandmother lived up near Hyannis and we would visit for a week or two every summer. I always thought it was nice up there.

[JLopesXC]

First team up the Bass River Runners. They would play in South Yarmouth where the current Y-D RedSox play at Red Wilson Field. South Yarmouth has a rich history of alcohol smuggling during the prohibition era. Larger boats would wait off shore while smaller boats would "run rum" up into the mouth of Bass River, hence Rum Runners, or in this case just Runners for short. I wanted to keep the uniforms simple I know they aren't very clean but I think you get the idea. Side note: Where can I find a better uniform template for photoshop CS3? C+C Appreciated! I'll do what I can with this before I move on to the next team.

Wareham Gatemen - town's reputation as the "Gateway to Cape Cod"

Bourne Buzzards - town's location on Buzzards Bay

Falmouth Steamers - town's role as headquarters of various island steamship lines, including the current Wood's Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority

Cotuit Kettleers - referencing part of the price - a brass kettle - that Myles Standish is said to have paid to purchase present-day Cotuit from the Wampanoags

Hyannis Presidents - Hmmmm... what could be my reasoning?

Yarmouth-Dennis Crows - referencing John Crowe, who organized and named both towns

Brewster Bills or Brewster Pilgrims - referencing the town's namesake, Elder William Brewster

Harwich Bog Sox, Harwich Bog Barons, Harwich Bog Monsters or Harwich CranBarons - town's role as an early commercial producer of cranberries

Chatham Beacons or Chatham Lightkeepers ('Keepers for short) - referencing the Chatham Lighthouse

Orleans Dukes - referencing the fact that the town was named for Louis Philippe II, Duc D'Orléans

I really love all of these names. Wareham is gone due to the fact that they aren't actually located on Cape Cod, so there name was given to Bourne because the Bourne contains all three bridges that connect both sides of the Cape. Hyannis was between Senators and Presidents but I thought Senators sounded better, but it's still up in the air. If you don't mind Brian I would love to use Bog Sox for Harwich. I wanted to do something Cranberry themed, I thought of Harvesters and Boggers but Bog Sox is great. Some of these teams I'm still up in the air about for names, I may just continue brainstorming up until I get to each team.

[undead]

The Runners logo is nice. Very original and the crossed bats making XXX is genius. For some reason when I look at the primary, it feels like it's leaning. I don't know why. It seems that maybe the second N in Runners should line up directly under the middle X.

[Whittier S]

I like Bog Monsters myself.

[JLopesXC]

#2) Bourne Gatemen. I took Wareham out of the league for the sake of having all of the teams on the Cape side of the canal. If I get to the end and want to continue with teams I may expand back to Wareham but I digress. Bourne contains all three bridges that connect both sides of the Cape Cod Canal so I thought the name "Gatemen" was even more fitting for Bourne than Wareham. Here's just the logos/scripts for now, uniforms will come within the next few days along with the next team (Barnstable). So have at it.

[JLopesXC]

Bumpage...just because I edited previous posts rather than a new reply. whoopsies

[Brian in Boston]

I really love all of these names.

Thanks... much appreciated.

If you don't mind Brian I would love to use Bog Sox for Harwich. I wanted to do something Cranberry themed, I thought of Harvesters and Boggers but Bog Sox is great. Some of these teams I'm still up in the air about for names, I may just continue brainstorming up until I get to each team.

Feel free to use any of the names I posted. As a Massachusetts native who has spent a great deal of time visiting relatives on the Cape, I've often brainstormed new, original identities for the Cape Cod League's member-teams. Hence, why I was drawn to your project.

[JLopesXC]

So I haven't gotten much C+C, but I put this next team together the past few days and I'm extremely happy with how it came out

#3 Barnstable Bats. The background with this team comes from the Barnstable Bat Company. Being an expansion team with no history, it's fitting that the name comes from a company that's only been around since 1992. Barnstable Bats have been in use all across not only the CCBL but the Majors as well. I thought using the animal would be a fun identity to play with and it's underused in sports. Quick, speedy, and vicious here's the Barnstable Bats.

**COLOR UPDATE**

[fouhy12]

It looks good, but there isn't enough contrast.

[Whittier S]

Agreed. Also, the face of the bat looks off, but I can't place quite why. Maybe too much detail for a sports logo, and the placement of the eyes looks odd, though I'm guessing it's how they lie on the species you used for a model.

[JLopesXC]

Barnstable Bats colors are updated. I plan on going through each team in the Upper Cape Division before making updates to previous teams/moving on to the Lower Cape Division.

Team #4) Cotuit Kettleers

So this team had me stumped for quite a few days before I found a design I liked. With such an obscure name I had to make it simple, for there's not much you can do with a team named after a kettle. The names history is pretty neat though, here's the reasoning right from the Kettleers website: "More than 300 years ago, according to legend, the Indians bartered with the early settlers for the land on which the villages of Cotuit and Santuit now stand. The terms of the sale were a brass kettle with a hoe thrown in for good measure. Thus, the Cotuit baseball team?s nickname, KETTLEERS, was derived from that early real estate transaction."

C+C still greatly apprciated, every post helps. Falmouth will be next and they may or may not maintain the "Explorers" name, we'll see how it goes!

[Philsphan]

Good work! The designs of all of these are certainly better and more modern than the ones that the Cape Cod League had before. Your primaries and hat logos are really storng and creative and the fonts youve used are perfect. That being said, I think that your color combinations could be a little more original.

Also, in the primary logo, the c in Cotuit isn't capitalized.

[B@ltim0r3R@v3n5]

i like the idea bhind the logo for the kettlers the color contrasts nicely and is fun to see.