Open Thread: Birmingham Barons

This is probably going to be a slow week here at The Sports Logo Pundit. I'll be out of town from Tuesday to Thursday and mostly out of the internet loop that whole time. So I apologize for the lack of posts this week.

So, to encourage a little bit of participation and keep this thing active while I'm gone, I'm going to ask for your opinion on the Birmingham Baron's logos that were released last week. The comments section is yours, tell me what you think about it or tell us whatever else is on your mind. I don't care, it's an open thread for a reason.

Team: Birmingham Barons
League: Southern League
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Stadium: Regions Park
Merchandise: Still selling the old stuff at full price

Lancaster JetHawks

As I mentioned last night, the Lancaster JetHawks introduced their new logos and identity package yesterday.

One of the basic criteria I use when I judge a redesigned logo is simply, is it an improvement over their previous logo? And in the JetHawk's case, the answer is a resounding yes. Actually, I really liked one of their logos, but when it was stripped down and turned into a cap or a jacket, it was pretty pitiful, bordering on horrible.

The new logos have some problems. In particular, the hawk itself and that funky eye. Because of the eye and the aggressive angles, the hawk doesn't have any life. It looks more like a statue than anything, maybe taxidermy. But at the same time, it goes great with all of the other elements of the logo because of how aggressive and sharp everything is.


But I don't see why they need to put different versions of basically the same thing on the caps other than to cash in on people who can't decide between the two logos. I'm sure I just answered my own question, but I think it would've been much more cohesive had they chose between one or the other for both of made one of them totally and completely different than the others.

At times, I think that these new packages give too many alternate options (see the Lehigh Valley IronPigs) and I think this is a case where it would've been better to stick with a primary logo, one cap logo and maybe a sleeve patch.

But again, anything over this is an improvement. Despite my quibbles with the logos, overall it's a very successful redesign that the JetHawks and the Antelope Valley can certainly be proud of. Now let's get out there and start selling some tickets and improve that game day experience.


Team: Lancaster JetHawks
League: California League
Location: Lancaster, California
Stadium: Clear Channel Stadium
Mascot: KaBoom - Although I'm assuming there will be a new KaBoom
Merchandise: Old and New

Linfield Wildcats

I was hoping to get to the Birmingham Barons new logo or the Lancaster Jethawks new logos tonight, but I ran out of time. So, instead, here's a quick look at Linfield College's classic Wildcats logo. I visited McMinnville, Oregon over the weekend and had the pleasure of checking out the Linfield campus. It's a very nice place and I was especially impressed with their facilities and was surprised to find an extensive selection of Wildcats merchandise at their bookstore. Not too shaby for a small Division III school.

Linfield's Sports Information Director, Kelly Bird, was kind enough to send me a full sized version of their logo and this quick history lesson...

"As competitive athletics increased in popularity and prominence during the 1920s, the Linfield student body voted that the college’s athletic mascot would be a “Wildcat” because Linfield was “a small school with a lot of fight and scratch.”

Before the 1924 vote, spectators at Linfield athletic events cheered variously for the “Baptists”, owing to Linfield’s early heritage, or the “Cardinal and Purple,” a reference to the school colors.

The current Linfield athletic logo, showing a scowling Wildcat wearing a jauntily cocked sailor's cap, first became a fixture in 1963 under Hall of Fame coach Paul Durham. It remains a recognizable symbol of all Linfield varsity athletic teams."

Thanks again, Kelly. I love the logo and I loved the campus. I don't know if we'll be moving to McMinnville (that was our reason we visited), but if we do, you can be sure that you'll find me cheering on or working for the Wildcats.


School: Linfield College Wildcats
Conference: Northwest Conference
Location: McMinnville, Oregon
Facilities: Beautiful facilities. Check out Maxwell Field.
Merchandise: Even the online store is better than most

RIP: Las Vegas Gladiators

I'm a little slow with this news, but if you didn't hear already, the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena Football League will be moving to Cleveland next season with Bernie Kosar at the reins.

There are some in the Vegas area that are pretty happy that the Gladiators are gone. Owner Jim Ferraro ran the team into the ground. After a season in which they averaged over 10,000 fans a game, Ferraro moved them from the Thomas & Mack Center to the Orleans Arena where attendance dipped to a staggeringly low 5,383 in 2007. Granted the team stunk going 2-14, but that is no reason to drop nearly 5,000 fans per game. That's simply poor management. Chances are Vegas will get another team in the pretty near future. Going a couple years without football could end up being worth it.

And while some are happy, there are others that are without a doubt upset. The handful of fans in the area will have to go without football for a while, the players who now have to spend their downtime in The Flats instead of the Bellagio, and maybe most of all, the Gladiators cheer squad, the Goddesses. I mean, what on earth are these girls going to do for work now?


I mean, young, busty, flexible, dancers just don't have a whole lot of opportunities in the Vegas area. Perhaps we should set up a fund for them, maybe do some bake sales or car washes or something. Jim Ferraro, I ask you...What about the cheerleaders? Can't we all just think about the cheerleaders for once?


Team: Las Vegas Gladiators
League: Arena Football League
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Arena: Orleans Arena
Mascot: Thraxx
Dance Team: Goddesses

Hawaii Hurricanes - UPDATE!

The ABA keeps on chugging away adding teams all willy-nilly and hoping that at least a handful of them make it beyond the first week of the season. The latest sucker to join the party is Honolulu's Andrew Moss, the new owner of the ABA's most far-flung and travel budget busting basketball team. Yeah, good luck with that. I wonder how many teams will actually make the trip out to Honolulu when most of them struggle to get to their game at the middle school gymnasium down the street.

Hawaii has hosted ABA basketball once before. The Hawaii Mega Force lasted all of two games during the 2005 seasons. The players were never paid and the owner, Orrys Williams, was banned from the league by Joe Newman himself (although I'm sure he would be reinstated and championed by Joe if he would just cough up some cash).

The Mega Force left doom and gloom and destruction on the face of paradise's professional basketball scene, so in an attempt to distance themselves from that destruction and to put a happy face on the return of basketball, Moss decided to go with a positive team name that would brighten everybody's day. A team name that suggests good times ahead and great things to come. A team name that...Oh who am I kidding, they called the damn team the f-ing Hawaii Hurricanes. You know, a big, destructive, killer storm that rips through an island leaving nothing but a mess behind it. Or, as I like to call it, the perfect metaphor.

And to top it off, they designed a logo showing a big ABA basketball ready to brutalize the islands. I mean seriously, if this team tanks and leaves a slew of unpaid bills, ripped off ticket holders and conned investors in it's wake like it is destined to do, when his day in court comes, all Moss will have to do is point to the logo and say "we warned you!" Personally, I think all ABA teams should change their name to Hurricanes. It just works so well.

You know why I know the Hawaii Hurricanes won't survive? Because according to their logo, they will be playing with a ball that has all sorts of hard angles and points. Dribbling that ball is going to be one hell of an adventure. Nobody is going to pay to see that.


UPDATE - 10/16 - Hey Hawaii...don't make me say I told you so. From the Honolulu Advertiser...

"The Hawai'i Hurricanes professional basketball team has been downgraded before it even hit the Islands. After several "shady" business deals by Hurricanes owner Andrew Moss, ownership of the Hawai'i franchise was transferred to a group of investors called Pacific Rim Inc. yesterday."

Gee, what a surprise. Shady business deals from an ABA owner? The whole ABA is a shady business deal. What a joke.

Why don't people do some research before they join the league, buy season tickets or sponsorships or commit to coach or work or even play in this league. The general rule is "you are going to get screwed" and then you should be surprised if you don't.

It's to the point where I don't have any sympathy for anybody who associates themselves with the ABA. The broken promises are par for the course. Quit getting suckered.


Team: Hawaii Hurricanes
League: American Basketball Association
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Arena: Neal Blaisdell Center

SBCC vs. VC - La Playa Stadium

I took in a community college football game this weekend up in Santa Barbara. The reason? Because I've wanted to see a game at La Playa Stadium on the campus of Santa Barbara City College, a stadium that probably has one of the most beautiful views in all of college football.

It just so happened that when I finally had a chance to go to La Playa Stadium, my hometown Ventura College Pirates were playing. I'm glad that there was an incredible view because a 7-3 game isn't exactly riveting football. But the Pirates did pick up the victory, so I guess I shouldn't complain.

Anyway, here are some pictures from La Playa Stadium. Try to tell me that there is a stadium with a better view than this...





This was taken during halftime. The VC team didn't go back to a locker room, I'm not sure that there is a visitor's locker room, so they just went on the other side of the track and spread out on the grass. That's the first time I ever saw that. You gotta love community college football.




Aww...Only at a college football game in Santa Barbara. Purse dogs love football!

Port Huron IceHawks - UPDATED AGAIN!

Wow. Now that is on BAD logo. Seriously, I don't think there is anything left to say except...YUCK!


UPDATE - 7/27/2007...

And it just gets worse. For some reason, the IceHawks changed their colors to red and black. Why, I have no idea. I'd be wiling to bet it's because they got a good deal on red jerseys or had leftovers from the old Flags team that they can salvage. It's either that or they just want to capitalize on the Red Wings color scheme. Either way, it still stinks.


UPDATE - 10/12/07...

I've got to give it up to SLP commenter jonez who chimed in with "AM I the Only one seeing the word KINNEY within the iced tail feathers of the bird??" Good eyes jonez, I never even noticed that. You are absolutely correct, the word KINNEY is right there.

If you are wondering what that cryptic word means, it's pretty simple. Larry W. and Frank D. Kinney are the owners and president and governor respectively of the IceHawks. It explains so, so much.


Team: Port Huron IceHawks - or DrunkenParrots
League: International Hockey League - a few of the former UHL teams
Location: Port Huron, Michigan
Arena: McMorran Place

Picture stolen from the Port Huron Times Herald

American Hockey League Logos

Running the risk of disparaging anybody's opinions, I have to post a rebuttal to the AHL top 10 and worst 10 logos lists that I just read over at Faceoff Factor.

The problem lies in how we judge logos. The criteria in his list are...

1. Does it associate well with the NHL affiliate?
2. Is it hockey related?
3. Can people recognize it from far away?

Using his criteria, I can understand his rankings. But for me, the only criteria that I would use of these three items is #3. I don't think that logos associating with their NHL affiliate is a very important factor. For the average fan of these teams, it doesn't make that much of a difference. And I really don't like it when they take the affiliates name and almost exact logo. It's boring and weak.

I also won't penalize a logo if it isn't related to it's sport. In fact, if a logo can be effective and get the point across without relating to the sport it can gain some big time points.

I still can't say that I have a specific criteria about how I judge logos. I just look at them and determine if they strike me as something I like or not. I wish I could boil it down a little bit more than that, but I just can't.

So, using my "criteria", here are my top five AHL logos. Why only five? Because I don't think there are 10 good logos in this league. I could do a top fifteen of my least favorite logos though but ten of those might tie for first place. Faceoff Factor rankings in parentheses.

5. Portland Pirates (5th on the Worst 10 list)


I can't say that I'm in love with this logo, but I do like Pirates and I do like that kind of coy, coniving look on the Pirates face. I can't believe that I have to pick this as my fifth favorite AHL logo. This league is brutal.


4. Houston Aeros (not ranked)


I love the idea of this logo. The bomber is very cool and the wordmark is interesting and different. However, I don't like how it's all put together. The flying through the puck thing is weird because it begs the question, "what happened to the wings?"


3. Toronto Marlies (1st on the Top 10 list)


I love the Toronto Maple Leafs logo, so that wins it big points automatically. But I'd prefer that they do something with the unique and historic Marlboro's nickname. But what are you going to do? They are owned by the Leafs. And I have to wonder why they need both the historic leaf and the current maple leaf logo (on the shield) on the same logo. Seems like overkill.


2. Grand Rapids Griffins (not ranked)


First of all, I love Griffins as a nickname, it's a totally unique name in all of professional sports. The wordmark is very well done, I love the two f's in the middle separating the city name and I love how it creates an arch. And that griffin is great. It's fierce but isn't scary and is both kid friendly and something that an adult would have no problem wearing it on a t-shirt.


1. Milwaukee Admirals (1st on the Worst 10 list)


Simply read my review of this logo. It has stood the test of time for me. One of my favorite logos period.

Sports Logo Pundit Insta-Poll

College basketball season is rapidly approaching. I LOVE college basketball and there is virtually no way that I'm not going to write about it extensively.

The question is, where should I write about it? Should I write about it over at my personal blog Down With Pants!, here on The Sports Logo Pundit, on my own new blog solely about college basketball that I would have to create or should I find an established blog to be a correspondent for (I'm already going to do Big West updates for Storming the Floor)?

So what do you think? Could you take a bunch of non-logo related, college basketball posts on this blog? Please vote below...

Seattle Sounders - MLS Concepts

They guys over at GOALSeattle.com are nervously reporting that October 11th could be the day that the MLS announces that they have awarded an expansion franchise to Seattle. I'm all for it. I've now been to a couple of MLS games and was won over and I definitely think it could do well in Seattle. I wish there was a soccer specific stadium in town rather than the massive Qwest Field, but I'm not willing to have taxpayers pay for yet another unnecessary stadium.

My hope is that Seattle MLS, headed by current Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer, will stick with tradition and take the Sounders nickname with them. I personally can't imagine a Seattle soccer team that isn't called the Sounders. I almost don't think it would be worth having an MLS team in town if they wouldn't be called the Sounders. Seriously, that's how much I love that name.

Above you see my favorite of the concepts done by Luminous Creative that GOALSeattle obtained (click here to see the others). It's the only one that he did that incorporates the Sounders name with the FC Seattle or Seattle FC that many are suggesting will be used. I love the use of Chief Sealth, the man Seattle is named after and the symbol of the City of Seattle (this is an exact replication of Sealth from the city's logo) and I like that he retained the blue and green that the Sounders have used all along.

Too bad the Seattle MLS group appears to have hired a different firm, hence the availability of these concepts online. Oh well, as long as they remain the Sounders and improve upon their current logo, I'll be plenty happy.


Team: Seattle Sounders
League: Current - USL First Divison... Proposed - MLS
Location: Seattle, Washington
Stadium: Qwest Field
Merchandise: Get the current, OK logo before it's gone

Tampa Bay Rays

Welcome back correspondent Chris Roberts with his review of the soon to be released Tampa Bay Rays logo. My thoughts are in the comments...

When it comes to a good logo, especially in sports, I’m almost always a huge fan of simplicity. Logos that are simple, yet classy, and convey a solid imaging really appeal to me – that’s why I’m almost always a fan of baseball logos like the Red Sox, A’s, Yankees, Dodgers, and Cubs. The logos are simple, but they aren’t so simple that a solid brand can’t be built around them.

For contrast, enter the Tampa Bay Rays.

Now before you say, “Hey, new guy at the Sports Logo Pundit, the team’s called the ‘Devil Rays,’” note that the team from the glowing orange dome is being reinvented across the board – new logo, new unis, new colors, new name. Well, not so much a new name so much as the name going on a diet and shedding six keystrokes.

I hated the old look. The color combination was horrible, and the logo always seemed too busy to me. I say that because, well, I prefer the old logo to this one.

Blue is a favorite color of mine, so points to the Rays for the new color scheme, but the logo is painfully bad for two reasons.

First, the font is a very weak choice. While this slight skewing of the Mediaeval font might look nice on a book jacket or a plaque, try telling me with a straight face that it looks passable on a uniform. Well, I suppose it doesn’t look all that bad, but it’s at best quite weak looking when on the uni.

Second, the primary logo could have been so much more, especially when you put it up against the old logo. Maybe they’re trying to pander to the roughly 25% of people living around Tampa Bay that are over 65 with something easy on the eyes. Maybe they really wanted to have a logo that would cause people to think they were going shopping instead of going to a Rays game – heck, that might even boost attendance. No matter the motivation, the new logo is a downgrade from their gaudy former logo – this is very noticeable when you compare the old word mark to the new.

Other minor details are the diamond – I’d rather have it without home plate and second base; with those features I think it looks cheap and makes something that should be subtle annoyingly obvious – and that odd gleam on the “R.” Plus, the logo is just plain – you can be simple without being plain. The plain logo leads to the even plainer uniforms, which can be a good thing, just not here.

Overall, this logo gets a grade of a weak (recurring theme here, which is quite fitting considering the franchise’s considerably weak history) C-, higher than it should be if only for the use of blue.

Team: Tampa Bay Rays
League: American League (MLB)
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
Stadium: Tropicana Field
Mascot: Raymond D. Ray
Merchandise: Get your Devil Rays merch before it’s too late!

Tournament of Logos

I just want to pass along a couple of links today, both related to each other.

The first is for the NHL Tournament of Logos, a blog and contest that recently wrapped up with the Montreal Canadiens taking the top spot over the St. Louis Blues logo. Not sure if I agree, but the public has spoken.

Now Chris, the tournament master, is launching the Tournament of Hockey Logos. He will start with either the AHL or the ECHL with voting in the first tournament opening on October 15th.

On his site right now he has posted all of the logos for both leagues and I have to say, the ECHL tournament is going to be the most interesting. While the AHL, to me, has a clear winner in the Milwaukee Admirals...


...The only logo that really stands out in the ECHL is the Victoria Salmon Kings...


...And I wouldn't choose it as the best logo, it just happens to be my favorite logo of the bunch, warts and all.

Anyway, it should be an interesting tournament and both of those sites are worth checking out if you have some time.