tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102439462024-03-23T11:37:01.057-07:00The Sports Logo PunditExploring the wacky world of sports logos just for you!Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.comBlogger259125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-3716536626044003942011-04-01T21:47:00.000-07:002011-04-01T21:52:37.680-07:00The Sports Logo Pundit Has MovedYou can find new posts from The Sports Logo Pundit over at <a href="http://www.sportslogopundit.com/">www.sportslogopundit.com</a>.Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-39809261630386365142011-02-15T21:19:00.000-08:002011-02-15T21:34:06.484-08:00McMurry University<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLi8INdl-2Ytuv8k9offP08MsK2cGOivRkC5Yie6xNuDRDG-CGBz8fCp1s1Oy-dGMGL4saaD5b9UI_QCh34fUydC1A2zpw6avYkn1fSeS22V7dn93Baa9FZXV9nFWg5WUncZni/s1600/36012_130228963664887_130218793665904_235452_1175817_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLi8INdl-2Ytuv8k9offP08MsK2cGOivRkC5Yie6xNuDRDG-CGBz8fCp1s1Oy-dGMGL4saaD5b9UI_QCh34fUydC1A2zpw6avYkn1fSeS22V7dn93Baa9FZXV9nFWg5WUncZni/s400/36012_130228963664887_130218793665904_235452_1175817_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574155402534372962" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.mcmurrysports.com/">McMurry University</a> has been without a nickname and mascot since 2006 when the NCAA forced them to drop their Indians moniker. Five years later the Abilene, Texas school is in the final stages of picking a new nickname and voting for the name is currently underway <a href="http://www.mcm.edu/survey">here</a>. Your choices: Bison, War Hawks and Circuit Riders.<br /><br />Despite having no stake in the name (though I did say I was a friend of the university when I voted), I personally have submitted my vote for Circuit Riders, which is described by the McMurry search committee as “preachers who traveled from church to church during the founding of the Methodist church.”<br /><br />Though I think Bison is too common and boring, I can easily get behind War Hawks because I think McMurry is more likely to produce a decent War Hawks logo. Circuit Riders would be a unique name but would be pretty difficult to illustrate in a satisfactory way. I fear they would just go with the McM logo shown above – a serviceable letter mark - and just tack the Circuit Riders name onto their athletic teams.<br /><br />But the possibility of a great Circuit Riders logo is just too strong to pass up. I’m probably getting my hopes up for nothing, but I’m a sucker for the chance at the ridiculous. Vote Riders!<br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-90135191998210310832010-12-19T20:28:00.000-08:002010-12-19T20:32:15.991-08:00Catch Me On The Twitters<div style="text-align: justify;">Has it really been over two years since I last posted on The Sports Logo Pundit? Well, perhaps I'll get started again soon. <br /><br />Lots of logo news has been in my brain so the very least I can do is start a Sports Logo Pundit Twitter account. So until I can get back to blogging, follow me - <a href="http://twitter.com/sportlogopundit">@SportLogoPundit</a> - for all your logo news needs (or at least some of them). <br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-25479337663230655782008-09-04T22:25:00.000-07:002008-09-04T22:29:22.429-07:00Oklahoma City Thunder<div style="text-align: justify;">Prepare for my most intellectual review EVER...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNrZ5fMRCq0s-RB0YB3Rwm73puxOEb8g1nYXdMomY4LuYUGCwy7xjoT-AqXpaoLSftC7KvRhySvWAkIw-wlbZDPsI_MRYaYvosNGi4rV9EyXPRe-j5gRM45rrYdsvdAsbV6mg/s1600-h/khmovcnezy06c3nm05ccn0oj2.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNrZ5fMRCq0s-RB0YB3Rwm73puxOEb8g1nYXdMomY4LuYUGCwy7xjoT-AqXpaoLSftC7KvRhySvWAkIw-wlbZDPsI_MRYaYvosNGi4rV9EyXPRe-j5gRM45rrYdsvdAsbV6mg/s400/khmovcnezy06c3nm05ccn0oj2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242404422129772018" border="0" /></a></center><br />Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.....Your logo TOTALLY sucks!<br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-67664618064022157822008-08-22T00:23:00.000-07:002008-08-22T00:43:08.323-07:00We Want Cave Shimp! We Want Cave Shrimp!<div style="text-align: justify;">The Sports Logo Pundit is back! Recent emails from a couple of baseball front office folks has rekindled my interest in this blog and it's about time I got it going again. I'm not going to lie, I got a little tired of sports logos. Couple that boredom with a brand new baby in the house and you should be able to understand why you haven't heard much from me. I can't promise tons of posts or greatness, but you can expect at least a few posts each week. We'll just have to see how it goes.<br /><br />One of the biggest reasons that I'm back is to encourage everybody to vote. Now I'm not talking presidential politics, I could care less. No, I'm talking big important stuff - like what to call the new Bowling Green, Kentucky baseball team. And I'm not doing this as a public service, I'm here to rally the troops for one name in particular...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojxvvCpQMrcdyvexDKH6dvdUe-U2JeroYj3vBBPIQmYdOg51SdzS7P5IIQ_4NZVl1TgJ4n3RqD5wrSQqX4AhDZF4n2tCWsEJ3OLmZQgfmSJ8f6asty59qPN09WaqW5sMu5aOe/s1600-h/kyshrimp.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojxvvCpQMrcdyvexDKH6dvdUe-U2JeroYj3vBBPIQmYdOg51SdzS7P5IIQ_4NZVl1TgJ4n3RqD5wrSQqX4AhDZF4n2tCWsEJ3OLmZQgfmSJ8f6asty59qPN09WaqW5sMu5aOe/s400/kyshrimp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237241998923266402" border="0" /></a></center><br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Bowling Green Cave Shrimp</span><br />Mammoth Cave, located near Bowling Green, is home to the endangered Kentucky Cave Shrimp, a sightless albino shrimp. The blind cave shrimp has been registered as an endangered species since 1983."</blockquote><br />I haven't felt this strongly about a name the team contest since the GBL thought about naming one of their teams the <a href="http://sportslogopundit.blogspot.com/2005/02/we-want-desert-penguins.html">Surprise Desert Penguins</a>. <br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.bowlinggreenprobaseball.com/namevote.html">click here</a> to go vote for the Cave Shrimp. Come on...do it for the Sports Logo Pundit. He needs the Cave Shrimp to win. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Picture stolen from <a href="http://busleagues.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/bowling-green-nickname-contest-down-to-seven-finalists/">Bus League Baseball</a> who is also behind the Cave Shrimp name 100%</span><br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-51265866894537991422008-04-17T22:19:00.000-07:002008-12-11T05:55:40.171-08:00Tacoma Rainiers<div style="text-align: justify;"><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHl12MTurJuoPbZFuXXyo3ub4pYF5mggL0lt9SWQ41Gw8vRXLfNY4cZSRQJOu1a4wOBWrM2Yp9YE-MNemMMhzh0vFtV_11XD7ruI6Nkls5MNl0Uw_UEnhVhgs0Jj1vy8POvRHD/s1600-h/rainiersblue.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHl12MTurJuoPbZFuXXyo3ub4pYF5mggL0lt9SWQ41Gw8vRXLfNY4cZSRQJOu1a4wOBWrM2Yp9YE-MNemMMhzh0vFtV_11XD7ruI6Nkls5MNl0Uw_UEnhVhgs0Jj1vy8POvRHD/s400/rainiersblue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190451307786815090" border="0" /></a></center><br />When is an alternate logo not an alternate logo? I think the answer is probably when it adorns every single piece of merchandise available in the team store, appears on every single publication - ticket brochures, pocket schedules and programs, all the staff clothing features it and generally, the primary logo is nowhere to be found.<br /><br />That's what I observed at the Tacoma Rainiers home opener a couple weeks ago. Everything was plastered with this logo, a logo that is technically their alternate and supposedly was only supposed to be worn on special occasions. Maybe the team won't be wearing it all the time on the field, but off the field, this logo suddenly seems primary. <br /><br />Which is too bad, it's not a very good logo at all. It doesn't fit at all in with the current set of logos at all and while the star is supposed to represent the Mariners affiliation, the elimination of the teal totally distances it from the Mariners.<br /><br />But what makes this a disaster is that the cursive "R" that is an iconic northwest symbol that has been passed down through generations to represent the word Rainier - from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Rainiers">Seattle Rainiers</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier_Beer">Rainier Beer</a> and now to the Tacoma Rainiers - is nowhere to be seen. I'd even suffer through the awkwardness of this logo...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPDV5UYJvDyNdI7Vk36x3wsycKrceU-mYWgvJOXZeS-RwOK214xvSsw9mGYWlIpwmhiKsNN70NRqz09tAgmGybb2NXA-6P1eyXngT_0bp9446UQpaHpl8B7q5RuwMz8xsglEw/s1600-h/TR+logo.gif"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPDV5UYJvDyNdI7Vk36x3wsycKrceU-mYWgvJOXZeS-RwOK214xvSsw9mGYWlIpwmhiKsNN70NRqz09tAgmGybb2NXA-6P1eyXngT_0bp9446UQpaHpl8B7q5RuwMz8xsglEw/s400/TR+logo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190460095289902722" border="0" /></a></center><br />...over the new alternate logo simply because the cursive "R" is front and, well, off-center.<br /><br />Other parts of this alternate package work better than the logo. The <a href="http://www.rainiersblog.com/2008/03/rainiers-new-uniform-and-more.html">jersey script</a> is fantastic and the red and the blue really remind you of the Seattle Rainiers jerseys . However, the jersey itself looks like a softball uniform. Check out those sleeves! Not to mention that I'm a traditionalist that hates solid color uniforms. That's a whole nother post in itself.<br /><br />Whatever, it's not the whole package I have a problem with. It's the complete takeover of Cheney Stadium by this lesser alternate logo. Is this logo the future? Will this become the primary logo shortly?<br /><br />If it does, I'm extremely disappointed. I'll admit that an update is overdue, but an overhaul, and a cheap overhaul at that, is completely unnecessary.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Team:</span> <a href="http://tacoma.rainiers.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t529">Tacoma Rainiers</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">League:</span> <a href="http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=l112">Pacific Coast League</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Location:</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma">Tacoma, Washington</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stadium:</span> <a href="http://www.ballparkreviews.com/tacoma/tacoma.htm">Cheney Stadium</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mascot:</span> <a href="http://tacoma.rainiers.milb.com/fans/page.jsp?ymd=20070611&content_id=255877&vkey=fans_t529&fext=.jsp&sid=t529">Rhubarb</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Merchandise:</span> <a href="http://shop.mlb.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=2642686&cp=2642686">Very little available</a>. I hate that MiLB.com has taken over many team's online presence.<br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-40092572439103444152008-04-11T23:49:00.000-07:002008-12-11T05:55:40.182-08:00Seattle Sounders FC<div style="text-align: justify;"><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWY2oXCQKV5pY2PVRTl1R6pJNSnu66kZ3otULRGYueo1lhHTj_serWeORBc8xhc2WZENZWTB2YvJO8HEgUHCnS153c4jNbw9gkYs25Lny4UACZDgWVnsIyHUGjcs3yL0vMMUHY/s1600-h/Sounders+Crest.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWY2oXCQKV5pY2PVRTl1R6pJNSnu66kZ3otULRGYueo1lhHTj_serWeORBc8xhc2WZENZWTB2YvJO8HEgUHCnS153c4jNbw9gkYs25Lny4UACZDgWVnsIyHUGjcs3yL0vMMUHY/s400/Sounders+Crest.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188247369203389042" border="0" /></a></center><br />I am so happy that Seattle's new Major League Soccer ownership group listened to the fans on the naming of the team that I'm willing to look past the awkward blue shield in their new logo. The fact that the team will be called the Sounders is enough of a victory for me.<br /><br />I don't even mind the FC part. I understand the need to differentiate between this team and the current, original Sounders. That makes perfect sense to me.<br /><br />And I'm not just saying that because I plan on applying for a job with them and I'm super nervous about my Googleability. I'm moving back up to Seattle in July and I'd love to be in on the ground floor of a new franchise. I would've wanted to work for whatever they called the team, it's just a bonus they are the Sounders.<br /><br />However, I do think <a href="http://sportslogopundit.blogspot.com/search?q=Sounders">this concept</a> I wrote about last year is a far superior logo.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DAY AFTER UPDATE</span> - After I wrote this review last night and read Dave's comment, I went to bed and while trying to fall asleep I thought more about the Sounders logo. I've come to the sad conclusion that I can't overlook the faults just because of the name. In fact, because I love the name so much, I really feel cheated now by this lackluster effort. <br /><br />I mentioned the second, blue shield that doesn't make any sense to me. I guess it was simply a way to get that blue somewhere in the logo. But how about <a href="http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c47/murtaugh29/soundersfc.gif">this concept</a> - a ten minute tweaking by jl murtagh on the Sportslogos.net forums. So much better, so much cleaner, improved upon by an amateur. <br /><br />While that eliminates the unnecessary shield, two major problems still exist. First, the lettering. It's pretty obvious to me that they selected this logo long ago and left the name banner blank so they could fill it in when the time came to name the team. That being the case, the logo doesn't reflect the name Sounders at all and the lettering itself if just a basic font with just a tiny bit of embellishment. Nothing interesting or unique or eye-catching or marketable. Just a name, in normal font. Whoopee. <br /><br />But what gets me the most is the design of the Space Needle. It is so basic, so cheap, that I'd expect to find better in the touristy gift shops that are in the Seattle Center. In fact, I'm sure I can probably find the same design on one of those three t-shirts for $9.99 table. <br /><br />What I didn't think about last night is the missed opportunity that this logo represents. This could've and should've been so much better. This is a weak effort and whoever designed it can't really be proud of it. I bet it ended up being a logo by committee, and no logo looks right after that process. <br /><br />As it stands now, this isn't an ugly logo, just a poorly designed one and it would've been no matter what name filled that banner. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Team: </span> <a href="http://www.soundersfc.com/">Seattle Sounders</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">League:</span> <a href="http://web.mlsnet.com/index.jsp">Major League Soccer</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Location:</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle,_Washington">Seattle, Washington</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stadium:</span> <a href="http://www.qwestfield.com/">Qwest Field</a><br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-21334693479151267222008-04-11T23:34:00.000-07:002008-04-11T23:35:32.537-07:002008 Bigger Dance - Now With DWP! Office Pool<div style="text-align: justify;">Every single year I post something about this and hope someone will play along with me and nobody ever does. Well I don't care. Why not try one more time. <br /><br />The 2008 Bigger Dance is here! The Bigger Dance is a tournament run by Seattle sports radio station KJR to determine what pop-culture female is the "Queen of the Hardwood". I'm not proud to love this contest, but I do. It's one of my great meat head pleasures. But the main reason is because the final prize is so awesome - A free trip to ANY sporting event in the world. Airfare, hotel and tickets included. Oh, and the babes, too. <br /><br />This year I've setup a DOWN WITH PANTS! Office Pool. So if you are interested in competing against my entry, just go to <a href="http://204.29.20.134/mitmbd/public/">The Bigger Dance page</a>, sign up for a Sports Club membership (Sorry! Hopefully that's not a deal breaker. I don't ever get any spam from them if it makes you feel better), and then enter...<br /><br />Pool Name: DOWN WITH PANTS!<br />Password: downwithpants<br /><br />I want to offer a prize to the winner of the pool, I just haven't figured out what it should be.<br /><br />In case you're wondering, my Final Four consists of Stacey Keibler, Hayden Panettiere, Jessica Biel and Jessica Alba. Stacey Keibler and Jessica Alba face off in the final with Jessica Alba taking home her third straight Bigger Dance Championship. <br /><br />Sadly, they missed the boat. No Kristen Bell. Have they seen the trailers for Forgetting Sarah Marshall yet? <br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-50119582460752337362008-04-08T17:45:00.000-07:002008-12-11T05:55:40.601-08:00Brandon's Unknown Talent: Baseball Card Photographer<div style="text-align: justify;">It was 2001, I was the Director of Media Relations/Community Affairs for the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings baseball team in Harlingen, Texas. Rapidly approaching was Team Baseball Card Night on our promotional schedule and we didn't have any cards made yet or had take any pictures yet and the deadline to get the photos in to ensure delivery by game day was only a day away.<br /><br />We had no money to hire a professional and this was just before everybody and their mom had nice digital camera. So, since I had a camera that was a little bit more than a normal point-and-shoot - a beat up 35 mm Canon AE that was originally my parents when I was a kid that I had equipped with a nice zoom lens - I was enlisted to take the pictures.<br /><br />Nevermind the fact that I had no experience and didn't really know how to use my camera that well. Until that point, I had just taken pictures for my amusement. I really didn't think that I'd do some work that would have to be published. But again, since the team had no money, it was up to me. I had one day to get it right.<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qFdKwEAbTalx5LFSNH1ev1phCmB7wBiSGsCHQoYBKIbn0iMJ5xCDMW3KOaU6Q8AiBXqfOFpAKWia8SmhHtWGYaJGZU3SXtu2kIgqy54m3XzQV_paFMjZqiB2kGuIKWdeu-FOGA/s1600-h/joel-barreto-&-joe-fretwell.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qFdKwEAbTalx5LFSNH1ev1phCmB7wBiSGsCHQoYBKIbn0iMJ5xCDMW3KOaU6Q8AiBXqfOFpAKWia8SmhHtWGYaJGZU3SXtu2kIgqy54m3XzQV_paFMjZqiB2kGuIKWdeu-FOGA/s400/joel-barreto-&-joe-fretwell.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186988967066759682" border="0" /></a></center> <br />I found the cards while I was home last week and all in all, given the circumstances, they aren't that bad. The color is horrible - I've always had trouble with the color on that camera for some reason. And some of the players I just couldn't get a good picture of - <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/downwithpants/2391960562/">Willie Oropeza</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/downwithpants/2391966700/">Carlos Duncan</a> in particular.<br /><br />But some are really good. I love the picture of Joel Barreto because he was one of the only players that I took portraits of that smiled for me. No surprise there, he was always happy. Too bad you can't see his eyes. That's the problem with baseball caps.<br /><br />And Joe Fretwell was such a good guy, one of the best dudes on our team. The card is a little weird because they cropped the picture so much, but the original photo is incredible and because of the beer ad over his shoulder, it fit him perfectly. Not that he was a drunk, it just worked with his personality in a weird way. It's one of my best pictures I've ever taken. I gave him the original when the season was over.<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjRpIEdDdu4FA-q2EN5Z659tJoF-Ig8SMp7prsCfItJVf1sZH2xy-nHNVIQ06sHvU_Xtqpfy6zT4_7HCzs0Pc38XeW-s0PK5-Co4VtDypust8eMq2vHyDGbMwPgNVnhymGJKu1Q/s1600-h/jamie-clark-&-clark-viegas.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjRpIEdDdu4FA-q2EN5Z659tJoF-Ig8SMp7prsCfItJVf1sZH2xy-nHNVIQ06sHvU_Xtqpfy6zT4_7HCzs0Pc38XeW-s0PK5-Co4VtDypust8eMq2vHyDGbMwPgNVnhymGJKu1Q/s400/jamie-clark-&-clark-viegas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186988700778787314" border="0" /></a></center><br />Clark Viegas was one of our coaches that we also signed to play for us late in the season when we were out of contention and didn't want to go through the hassle of finding a player to come down for only a week or two. This picture is great because it captures him looking like he's a coach showing you proper technique, but it also captures him as a player as well. Plus, he was a good guy too so I was happy to get a good picture of him.<br /><br />Many of my best pictures were of the nicest guys on the team because they would help me out by posing or smiling or would let me keep taking pictures of them so I had a bunch to choose. The worst pictures are of guys that didn't care and didn't help or I didn't like enough to make sure they had a nice picture they would be happy with on their card.<br /><br />And then there's the Jamie Clark card. Don't even ask me how I got him in this position, there's a point when you are throwing long that you hit and I somehow captured it. It was the only one that turned out of him, so I had to use it. Turns out it's one of my favorites and he was cut from the team before the cards were even finished, so I doubt he even saw it. I got future Major Leaguer <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/downwithpants/2392052812/">Bobby Madritsch</a> in a similar pose.<br /><br />It still amazes me that I was asked to do these cards in the first place. It clearly illustrates just how shot the budget was for the WhiteWings that year. We didn't have a very good year on the field or in the stands and it hurt. It got so bad that there were times when payroll almost wasn't met. Occasionally our assistant general manager had to go out a few days before payroll and personally collect checks from people that owed us so that we would have enough money in the bank. Ah, the life of an independent baseball team.<br /><br />What also amazes me is that this was only seven years ago - just yesterday in my book - and nobody associated with the team had a digital camera yet. That's crazy. The technology has advanced so quickly, has become so cheap and so readily available in such a short time period, it's absurd. Now anybody, and pretty much everybody, could take these pictures.<br /><br />To see the whole set of professional baseball cards with amateur photography - these are crappy scans, by the way - <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/downwithpants/sets/72157604407822607/">click here</a>.<br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-30710057473181848312008-03-24T22:54:00.000-07:002008-12-11T05:55:40.835-08:00South Shore Shooters<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHEI0IFbo9cusc6NN76UH5z-wK1GTyAHyCuuCL_jEdZC7AJR81VpK7mIoLcUK6XFRNv4lOGlokoEi2ItWENxBjBJZ-znNi2sR0uV2NuPQVnY4ikyFMH4bSe8m7Af2m91TvioG/s1600-h/ss_black_logo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHEI0IFbo9cusc6NN76UH5z-wK1GTyAHyCuuCL_jEdZC7AJR81VpK7mIoLcUK6XFRNv4lOGlokoEi2ItWENxBjBJZ-znNi2sR0uV2NuPQVnY4ikyFMH4bSe8m7Af2m91TvioG/s400/ss_black_logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181554837004906914" border="0" /></a></center><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So anybody who thinks that a good nickname for a Gary, Indiana based sports team would be the Shooters, please raise your hand. Seriously, Andrew Haines and the rest of you team owners, you can put your hand down - you don't count.<br /><br />And don't go defending it by telling me that it honors the local casinos, either. That's almost as bad as it's other connotation.<br /><br />Wait, it's not actually in Gary? It's in Dyer, 10 miles away? Well that makes it soooo much better.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and while we're at it, Dyer - enjoy your half season of ABAish hockey. Good luck with Mr. Haines there. He's never burned anybody.<br /><br />Doesn't anybody do research before investing in sports franchises anymore?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Team:</span> <a href="http://www.southshoreshooters.com/">South Shore Shooters</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">League:</span> <a href="http://www.mahlhockey.com/">Mid-Atlantic Hockey League</a> - What a joke<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Location:</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyer,_Indiana">Dyer, Indiana</a> - the greater Gary area<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Arena:</span> <a href="http://www.midwesttrainingandicecenter.net/">Midwest Training & Ice Center</a><br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-34331715353333540502008-03-20T01:15:00.000-07:002008-03-20T01:48:03.938-07:00NCAA Tournament Best Logos Bracket - The Rest<div style="text-align: justify;">Continuing on with my picks...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sweet Sixteen</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">East Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/North_Carolina_Tar_Heels_interlocking_blue_logo.png">North Carolina Tar Heels</a><br />5. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/NDLeprechaun.svg">Notre Dame Fighting Irish</a><br />Two schools with classic interlocking logos and solid secondary logos. The strength of the leprechaun is just too much for the Tar Heel logo. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Notre Dame</span><br /><br />3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:UL_Cardinal_head_logo.png">Louisville Cardinals</a><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e6/SouthAlabamaJaguars.png">South Alabama Jaguars</a><br />It's basically clip-art, but something about that Jaguar is just, awesome. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: South Alabama</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Midwest Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Jayhawks_logo.png">Kansas Jayhawks</a><br />13. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d1/SienaSaints.png">Siena Saints</a><br />The Cinderella story ends for Siena. The novelty of the Saint Bernard wore off and the consistent Jayhawk gets the win. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Kansas</span><br /><br />3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:BuckyBadger.png">Wisconsin Badgers</a><br />2. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d4/Hoya.jpg">Georgetown Hoyas</a><br />Two heavyweight logos, but tonight I'm a little obsessed with Bucky Badger. Good effort by the Hoyas, though. They just ran into a buzzsaw. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Wisconsin</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">South Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/MemphisTigers.png">Memphis Tigers</a><br />12. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/TempleOwls.png">Temple Owls</a><br />Finally, Memphis comes up against a professional logo. Temple destroys them. Calipari weeps. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Temple</span><br /><br />14. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3d/CornellBigRed.png">Cornell Big Red</a><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/SaintMarysGaels.png">Saint Mary's Gaels</a><br />Two Cinderella's, only one spot in the Elite Eight. St. Mary's clover logo is on fire. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Saint Mary's</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">West Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6d/UCLA_Bruins_Logo.png">UCLA Bruins</a><br />5. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/DrakeBulldogs.png">Drake Bulldogs</a><br />The Bulldog cannot be stopped. UCLA's silly script of an abbreviation finally gets the boot. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Drake</span><br /><br />6. <a href="http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/33/809/full/86x2yna1eg3g9e1t1cun.gif">Purdue Boilermakers</a><br />2. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/54/Duke_logo.PNG">Duke Blue Devils</a><br />Duke has coasted on reputation up until this point. But the Boilermakers cowcatcher pushed the Blue Devils off the tracks and into the woods. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Purdue</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Elite Eight</span><br /><br />5. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/NDLeprechaun.svg">Notre Dame Fighting Irish</a><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e6/SouthAlabamaJaguars.png">South Alabama Jaguars</a><br />It was a nice run for the Jaguars, but clip-art just can't get past logos as iconic as Notre Dame's. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Notre Dame</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Jayhawks_logo.png">Kansas Jayhawks</a><br />3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:BuckyBadger.png">Wisconsin Badgers</a><br />Best game of the tournament so far. Kansas barely squeaks by basically because of just how well known the Jayhawk is. Bucky Badger, not so much outside of Wisconsin. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Kansas</span><br /><br />12. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/TempleOwls.png">Temple Owls</a><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/SaintMarysGaels.png">Saint Mary's Gaels</a><br />The Temple logo is very nice, but it's a pretty basic owl, not a ton of creativity involved to create it. The Saint Mary's logo, on the other hand, is a one of a kind. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: St. Mary's</span><br /><br />5. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/DrakeBulldogs.png">Drake Bulldogs</a><br />6. <a href="http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/33/809/full/86x2yna1eg3g9e1t1cun.gif">Purdue Boilermakers</a><br />The Bulldog is very nice, the best Bulldog of the bunch. But much like the Temple logo, it has peers. Purdue's logo is very unique. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Purdue</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Four</span><br /><br />5. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/NDLeprechaun.svg">Notre Dame Fighting Irish</a><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Jayhawks_logo.png">Kansas Jayhawks</a><br />This is a very tough call, both school's logos are classics. But Kansas squeezes by because of how much it represents college basketball. Notre Dame would get the nod in football. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Kansas</span><br /><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/SaintMarysGaels.png">Saint Mary's Gaels</a><br />6. <a href="http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/33/809/full/86x2yna1eg3g9e1t1cun.gif">Purdue Boilermakers</a><br />Two unique logo, but the Cinderella newcomer Saint Mary's takes home the cake simply because it is so much more eye catching than the Boilermaker's train. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Saint Mary's</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Championship</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Jayhawks_logo.png">Kansas Jayhawks</a><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/SaintMarysGaels.png">Saint Mary's Gaels</a><br />The Gaels had a very nice run and their logo is definitely deserving of the top spot. But the Jayhawks logo is just a little bit better. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Kansas</span><br /><br /><br />Ok, that was ridiculous. Saint Mary's in the Final Four? Highly doubtful. But what do you want to bet that this bracket ends up doing a lot better than some of the brackets that I actually put thought into? I'd be willing to bet that this one ranks near the top of all my brackets. If it doesn't win, it'll probably be the one where I picked the winners based on which mascots would kill the other mascots. <br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-64307374279878468492008-03-19T23:59:00.000-07:002008-03-20T01:14:39.424-07:00NCAA Tournament Best Logo Bracket - Second Round<div style="text-align: justify;">Continuing on with my best logo bracket picks. Again, click on the team name to see the logo...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">East Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/North_Carolina_Tar_Heels_interlocking_blue_logo.png">North Carolina Tar Heels</a><br />8. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/81/IULogo.png">Indiana Hoosiers</a><br />It's a battle of classic interlocking logos. Carolina's secondary logo seals the deal. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: North Carolina</span><br /><br />5. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/NDLeprechaun.svg">Notre Dame Fighting Irish</a><br />4. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:WashingtonStateCougars.png">Washington State Cougars</a><br />Like I said in the first round, I love the Cougars logo. But Notre Dame has two great, memorable logos. Sorry Wazzu, but once again, you Coug'd it. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Notre Dame</span><br /><br />6. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/OU-Logo.PNG">Oklahoma Sooners</a><br />3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:UL_Cardinal_head_logo.png">Louisville Cardinals</a><br />Oklahoma skated by in the first round with the simple interlocking logo, but Louisville's logo just has more life, even if it looks a little strange. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Louisville</span><br /><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e6/SouthAlabamaJaguars.png">South Alabama Jaguars</a><br />2. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/UTVolunteers.png">Tennessee Volunteers</a><br />I'm telling you, that's one wicked Jaguar. South Alabama easily upsets Tennessee and their boring "T". <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: South Alabama</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Midwest Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Jayhawks_logo.png">Kansas Jayhawks</a><br />8. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/UNLV_Rebels.png">UNLV Runnin' Rebels</a><br />I love the Runnin' Rebels mustache, but the Jayhawk is just too iconic and memorable. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Kansas</span><br /><br />12. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/47/VillanovaWildcats.png">Villanova Wildcats</a><br />13. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d1/SienaSaints.png">Siena Saints</a><br />Oooooo...Doggy! <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Siena</span><br /><br />11. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/KSUWildcats_logo.png">Kansas State Wildcats</a><br />3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:BuckyBadger.png">Wisconsin Badgers</a><br />Before this tournament, I guess I never really noticed Bucky Badger. He's pretty badass. K-State only got by because USC is garbage. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Wisconsin</span><br /><br />7. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3f/GonzagaBulldogs.GIF">Gonzaga Bulldogs</a><br />2. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d4/Hoya.jpg">Georgetown Hoyas</a><br />The battle of the bulldog logos. I like Gonzaga's, but let's be honest, it's a little generic. The Hoyas logo is a one of a kind. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Georgetown</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">South Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/MemphisTigers.png">Memphis Tigers</a><br />8. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b1/MississippiStateBulldogs.png">Mississippi State Bulldogs</a><br />Memphis gets by once again despite having a horrible logo. Mississippi State only advanced because Oregon was so putrid. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Memphis</span><br /><br />12. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/TempleOwls.png">Temple Owls</a><br />13. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fe/OralRobertsGoldenEagles.png">Oral Roberts Eagles</a><br />I never really noticed it too much before, but Temple's Owl logo is pretty good. Oral Robert's Eagle is just too amateurish to get into the Sweet Sixteen. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Temple</span><br /><br />11. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/UKentucky_logo.png">Kentucky Wildcats</a><br />14. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3d/CornellBigRed.png">Cornell Big Red</a><br />Whoa...massive upset here. At second glance, I'm just not loving Kentucky's logo. Cornell, the sentimental favorite, and it's nasty looking bear pull it out in overtime. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Cornell</span><br /><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/SaintMarysGaels.png">Saint Mary's Gaels</a><br />2. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Texas_Longhorn_logo.svg">Texas Longhorns</a><br />Another massive upset. St. Mary's logo is just too creative for the simple longhorn outline. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Saint Mary's</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">West Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6d/UCLA_Bruins_Logo.png">UCLA Bruins</a><br />9. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/Texas_AMU_logo.png">Texas A&M Aggies</a><br />Again, not a fan of the Bruin's logos, but it's so much more bright and interesting and fun than A&M's. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: UCLA</span><br /><br />5. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/DrakeBulldogs.png">Drake Bulldogs</a><br />13. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ce/SanDiegoToreros.png">San Diego Torreros</a><br />The Torreros strangely thin Torrero got by one dog, but Drake's Bulldog is too detailed and strong. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Drake</span><br /><br />6. <a href="http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/33/809/full/86x2yna1eg3g9e1t1cun.gif">Purdue Boilermakers</a><br />3. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/XavierMusketeers.png">Xavier Musketeers</a><br />It was an X-citing run, but the single letter "X" can't stand up against a very cool train. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Purdue</span><br /><br />7. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e3/WestVirginiaMountaineers.png">West Virginia Moutaineers</a><br />2. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/54/Duke_logo.PNG">Duke Blue Devils</a><br />Duke barely beats out West Virginia for one sole reason: It has a devil in it. I'm a sucker for a devil. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Duke</span><br /><br />The rest of the tournament, coming up tomorrow...<br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-88896919903392398362008-03-19T17:46:00.000-07:002008-03-20T00:30:48.468-07:00NCAA Tournament Best Logo Bracket - First Round<div style="text-align: justify;">The Sports Logo Pundit is back! It's been hard to find time to do any blogging since the birth of my first child in February, but I'm starting to get back into the swing of things.<br /><br />And my first post back is a doozie. I've signed up for what seems like a million NCAA basketball brackets this year and I continue to use different methods, theories and general silliness to fill them out. For one of my brackets, I decided to pick whoever I though had the best logo. Seems like a natural thing to do for a logo blogger.<br /><br />So here are my picks for the first round. They are poorly researched and most decisions were made after just a quick glance at the logo, so don't get too bent out of shape if you disagree.<br /><br />To see the logo, click on the team's name...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">East Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/North_Carolina_Tar_Heels_interlocking_blue_logo.png">North Carolina Tar Heels</a><br />16. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/MSMMountaineers.png">Mount St. Mary's Moutaineers</a><br />Carolina features the classic interlocking "NC" and the foot with tar on the heel. It's an iconic college basketball logo that is simple and works on nearly all fronts. Mount St. Mary's has a triangle and the words "The Mount" for a logo. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: North Carolina</span><br /><br />8. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/81/IULogo.png">Indiana Hoosiers</a><br />9. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/ArkLogo_2.png">Arkansas Razorbacks</a><br />It's a simple interlocking IU versus a mean looking piggy. Like Carolina, the IU is classic and iconic. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Indiana</span><br /><br />5. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/NDLeprechaun.svg">Notre Dame Fighting Irish</a><br />12. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/NEWgmusportslogo.png">George Mason Colonials</a><br />Is there a more recognizable logo than Norte Dame's "ND" or their boxing leprechaun? I don't think so. Mason's logo, a green and gold shooting star, can't compare. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Notre Dame</span><br /><br />4. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:WashingtonStateCougars.png">Washington State Cougars</a><br />13. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/WinthropEagles.png">Winthrop Eagles</a><br />Though I am a Washington Huskies fan, I do have a secret love for the Cougars logo. In fact, it's one of my all-time favorites. Poor goofy looking Eagle never had a chance. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Washington State</span><br /><br />6. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/OU-Logo.PNG">Oklahoma Sooners</a><br />11. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/SaintJosephsHawks.png">St. Joseph Hawks</a><br />Again, it comes down to the simple, iconic interlocking "OU" over a cool but perhaps overly designed Hawks logo. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Oklahoma</span><br /><br />3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:UL_Cardinal_head_logo.png">Louisville Cardinals</a><br />14. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/Boisestatebroncos.jpg">Boise State Broncos</a><br />I don't know why, but I've never been a big fan of the Louisville logo. But I really don't get Boise State's dead eyed, Smurf blue bronco. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Louisville</span><br /><br />7. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/ButlerBulldogs.png">Butler Bulldogs</a><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e6/SouthAlabamaJaguars.png">South Alabama Jaguars</a><br />It's a clip art battle! But that's a pretty wicked Jaguar. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: South Alabama</span><br /><br />2. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/UTVolunteers.png">Tennessee Volunteers</a><br />15. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/AmericanEagle.jpeg">American Eagles</a><br />I hate to give the win to a bit orange "T", but that is one seriously ugly eagle. Yuck! <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Tennessee</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Midwest Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Jayhawks_logo.png">Kansas Jayhawks</a><br />16. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8a/Portland_State_Viking_Logo.jpg">Portland State Vikings</a><br />I want to give this to the futuristic, disembodied Viking head but I just can't. The Jayhawks logo is one of the most recognizable in all of college basketball. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Kansas</span><br /><br />8. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/UNLV_Rebels.png">UNLV Runnin' Rebels</a><br />9. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bc/KentStateGoldenFlashes.png">Kent State Golden Flashes</a><br />Kent State's hawk head and spine are no match for the best mustache in all of collegiate athletics.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Winner: UNLV</span><br /><br />5. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/da/Clemson-University-claw-logo.png">Clemson Tigers</a><br />12. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/47/VillanovaWildcats.png">Villanova Wildcats</a><br />A big orange paw versus the letter V. Villanova's use of two colors secures them an overtime victory. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Villanova</span><br /><br />4. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/Vanderbilt_Commodores.png">Vanderbilt Commodores</a><br />13. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d1/SienaSaints.png">Siena Saints</a><br />Nothing against Vanderbilt's logos, but I'm just a big sucker for a big ole' Saint Bernard. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Sienna</span><br /><br />6. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/SCinterlock-trojans.gif">USC Trojans</a><br />11. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/KSUWildcats_logo.png">Kansas State Wildcats</a><br />USC has better logos, I'll admit. But I hate them with such a passion, I cannot pick them to win anything. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Kansas State</span><br /><br />3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:BuckyBadger.png">Wisconsin Badgers</a><br />14. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/CalStateFullertonTitans.png">Cal State Fullerton Titans</a><br />Wisconsin has two logos that they use all the time, the "W" and their awesome Badger. Fullerton is one of those schools that has multiple versions of their logo used for many different things and none of them really work. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Wisconsin</span><br /><br />7. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3f/GonzagaBulldogs.GIF">Gonzaga Bulldogs</a><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/DavidsonWildcats.png">Davidson Wildcats</a><br />Davidson's logo looks like a charcoal sketch. Probably the worst NCAA Division 1 logo period. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Gonzaga in a landslide.</span><br /><br />2. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d4/Hoya.jpg">Georgetown Hoyas</a><br />15. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/UMBCRetrievers.png">UMBC Retrievers</a><br />The Hoyas have one of the best looking dog logos in the NCAA while UMBC might have the worst. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Georgetown</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">South Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/MemphisTigers.png">Memphis Tigers</a><br />16. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/75/UT-Arlington-v4-mascot-full.gif">Texas-Arlington Mavericks</a><br />Ugh. I have to pick between these two stinkers? I can't believe that a major university like Memphis has such a generic looking logo. But it's so much better than the horrible UTA horsey. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Memphis</span><br /><br />8. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b1/MississippiStateBulldogs.png">Mississippi State Bulldogs</a><br />9. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2c/Oregon-O-logo.png">Oregon Ducks</a><br />Mississippi State takes the win simply because they have a banner across their "M" that reads State while Oregon is simply an "O". <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Mississippi State</span><br /><br />5. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b3/Michigan_State_Spartans_logo.svg">Michigan State Spartans</a><br />12. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/TempleOwls.png">Temple Owls</a><br />Now this is a major upset. The combination of their "T" and their sweet Owl beats a big green "S". <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Temple</span><br /><br />4. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5f/PittSecondaryPantherHead.jpg">Pittsburgh Panthers</a><br />13. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fe/OralRobertsGoldenEagles.png">Oral Roberts Eagles</a><br />This is the upset bracket. I hate the Pittsburgh Panther's logos. The "Pitt" is fine, the panther is so nasty. Oral Roberts has a cartoon Eagle, but at least he's an agreeable fellow even if he was funded by the lies of a televangelist. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Oral Roberts</span><br /><br />6. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/24/Marquette_athletics_logo.PNG">Marquette Golden Eagles</a><br />11. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/UKentucky_logo.png">Kentucky Wildcats</a><br />The "MU" logo looks fine and is probably, on it's own, better than the Kentucky "UK". But the "UK" logo is such a major part of college basketball and is so iconic, it can't be defeated by a similar, maybe better newcomer. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Kentucky</span><br /><br />3. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5e/StanfordCardinal.png">Stanford Cardinal</a><br />14. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3d/CornellBigRed.png">Cornell Big Red</a><br />Stanford features an "S" with a tree, while Cornell has a big, mean, roaring bear. I'm also factoring Cornell's old, sassy bear logo and that my wife is an alum. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Cornell</span><br /><br />7. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/MiamiHurricanes.png">Miami Hurricanes</a><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/SaintMarysGaels.png">Saint Mary's Gaels</a><br />The interlocking "SMC" that Saint Mary's unveiled last year is one of my favorite new college logos. Miami's funky looking seagull and their "U" can't match it. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Saint Mary's</span><br /><br />2. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Texas_Longhorn_logo.svg">Texas Longhorns</a><br />15. <a href="http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/30/611/full/6841.gif">Austin Peay Governors</a><br />Let's Go Peay! Let's Go Peay! Too bad the "AP" logo is no match for the Longhorns. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Texas</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">West Regional</span><br /><br />1. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6d/UCLA_Bruins_Logo.png">UCLA Bruins</a><br />16. <a href="http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/756/full/6924.gif">Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils</a><br />While I've never been a huge fan of UCLA's logos, they are definitely much better than MVSU's. The Delta Devils have such potential though. Someone design them a better logo. Please! <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: UCLA</span><br /><br />8. <a href="http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/30/622/full/t2k7w98wp67rswqopr1pra06h.gif">BYU Cougars</a><br />9. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/Texas_AMU_logo.png">Texas A&M Aggies</a><br />While I like the BYU logos, it's hard to figure out which ones they are actually using right now. The A&M logo isn't anything special necessary, but at least it's consistent and well known. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Texas A&M</span><br /><br />5. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/DrakeBulldogs.png">Drake Bulldogs</a><br />12. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cd/WesternKentuckyHilltoppers.png">Western Kentucky Hilltoppers</a><br />So many Bulldogs. I love the Gonzaga logo, but the detail in Drake's Bulldog makes this my favorite Bulldog logo. I used to think higer of Western Kentucky's logo, then I took a closer look. It's just a hand and a sash. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Drake</span><br /><br />4. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4e/ConnecticutHuskies.png">Connecticut Huskies</a><br />13. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ce/SanDiegoToreros.png">San Diego Torreros</a><br />Upset alert! San Diego's kind of effeminate Torrero takes down Connecticut's panting, fey Husky. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: San Diego</span><br /><br />6. <a href="http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/33/809/full/86x2yna1eg3g9e1t1cun.gif">Purdue Boilermakers</a><br />11. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5c/Baylor_University_bear_logo.png">Baylor Bears</a><br />I've always liked the way Purdue's train logo and the school's name on the cowcatcher. Baylor's bear just isn't very memorable. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Purdue</span><br /><br />3. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/XavierMusketeers.png">Xavier Musketeers</a><br />14. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/67/UGA%24%21logo.png">Georgia Bulldogs</a><br />The "X" is so edgy. The G, is fine, but it's just not X-citing enough. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Xavier</span><br /><br />7. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e3/WestVirginiaMountaineers.png">West Virginia Moutaineers</a><br />10. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e9/ArizonaWildcats.png">Arizona Wildcats</a><br />This one comes down to a last second shot and West Virginia hits a runner from halfcourt. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: West Virginia</span><br /><br />2. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/54/Duke_logo.PNG">Duke Blue Devils</a><br />15. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3d/BelmontBruins.png">Belmont Bears</a><br />Duke gets the nod even though I like Belmont's cray bear logo. But for college basketball's premier program, their logo really is kind of unmemorable. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Duke</span><br /><br />The rest of the tournament coming shortly...<br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-26991668696721785732008-01-28T17:57:00.000-08:002008-12-11T05:55:41.246-08:00Springfield Sliders<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0Ae8CZFBkB2Z4lX-XMtmBexBxOXTU_AHMbBxH47nWPjMxA0BK6kHFpzuoVaW4SLYLDRvq6ykfcnkHvEF8ElSfpq8evRBbkkgeqTvh-9ea5ZuRLCPiyEeaIrfYeieklK-ZM75/s1600-h/springfieldsliders.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0Ae8CZFBkB2Z4lX-XMtmBexBxOXTU_AHMbBxH47nWPjMxA0BK6kHFpzuoVaW4SLYLDRvq6ykfcnkHvEF8ElSfpq8evRBbkkgeqTvh-9ea5ZuRLCPiyEeaIrfYeieklK-ZM75/s400/springfieldsliders.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160711828858058290" border="0" /></a></center><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm always impressed when a really small-time team understands the importance of a great logo. <br /><br />The Springfield Sliders will become the fifth team in the Central Illinois Collegiate League when they open the 2008 season at Robin Roberts Stadium. They have already jumped to the top of the league standings and probably to the top of all collegiate wood bat leagues with this outstanding logo. Heck, it's better than a lot of Minor League Baseball teams, maybe even better than a few Major League teams - I'm looking at you Tampa Bay Rays!<br /><br />And it instantly gives them credibility. I know nothing at all about their ownership group, but if I were approached by their sales people trying to sell me season tickets or advertising, this logo would go a long way in establishing that these guys mean business. With a logo like that, I wouldn't consider this a fly-by-night, rinky-dink organization upon first glance. <br /><br />Now they actually have to back it up, a logo can't do it alone. But it definitely goes a long way.<br /><br />Plus, I have a soft spot for turtles, so this is right up my alley.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Team:</span> <a href="http://www.springfieldsliders.com/">Springfield Sliders</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">League:</span> <a href="http://www.ciclbaseball.com/">Central Illinois Collegiate League</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Location:</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield%2C_Illinois">Springfield, Illinois</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stadium:</span> <a href="http://www.geocities.com/shoeless1920/Springfield.html">Robin Roberts Stadium at Lanphier Park</a><br /><br />P.S....Can I just say how much I love the CICL. I wish I could make it out to Illinois just for some ballgames in this league. You've got three uber-historic stadiums living on in <a href="http://baseballdiaries.blogspot.com/2006/11/76.html">Danville</a>, <a href="http://www.geocities.com/shoeless1920/Quincy.html">Quincy</a> and Springfield, and one of the best recreations of a historic stadium in the country in <a href="http://www.ballparkwatch.com/visits/league_stadium.htm">Dubois County</a>. <br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-22052926883899357812008-01-18T00:30:00.000-08:002008-12-11T05:55:41.619-08:00Clinton LumberKings<span style="padding-right: 15px; float: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36BqKJz81yBOwCkpxNJ2kpAjJh75NHw_frSFTIkwzmcqLtx0kePXF6sv-hLKW-lEZoTwUAbEt8UQetDrC2eq0DZQH9BwN1ZKG0X65eeVC-zzcD2FXZ-QOZrv83o1hgi-Jar8V/s1600-h/clintonlumberkings.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36BqKJz81yBOwCkpxNJ2kpAjJh75NHw_frSFTIkwzmcqLtx0kePXF6sv-hLKW-lEZoTwUAbEt8UQetDrC2eq0DZQH9BwN1ZKG0X65eeVC-zzcD2FXZ-QOZrv83o1hgi-Jar8V/s200/clintonlumberkings.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156721551619672034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilteclrgVLJ2i7OoRMagllY02DkaR7YTqdxRotKbOVeNxsRdpFS1TvnhWdBYaHgsxDL6ULCwBEehMdIbYa3mn1ipmBfWei4QpYnXtOukth3xS6Dc_-1Lelcl1ylgOJBX26cvGp/s1600-h/oldclintonlumberkings.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilteclrgVLJ2i7OoRMagllY02DkaR7YTqdxRotKbOVeNxsRdpFS1TvnhWdBYaHgsxDL6ULCwBEehMdIbYa3mn1ipmBfWei4QpYnXtOukth3xS6Dc_-1Lelcl1ylgOJBX26cvGp/s200/oldclintonlumberkings.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156721555914639346" border="0" /></a></span><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't know this for sure, but I'm pretty sure that this new Clinton LumberKings logo (left) is the first foray into logo design that the New Era Cap company has taken on. Perhaps they should stick to making baseball caps more and more expensive instead, since that's what they do best.<br /><br />While I agree that Louie could've used a little bit of a tweak, perhaps just an upgrade to a more contemporary style of artwork, why they needed to make him so creepy is beyond me. In a sensitive time for baseball on all levels, there are just far to many cheap steroid jokes that one can make about the new Louie.<br /><br />Seriously though, you can say that I'm reading to much into it, but I really think that this logo is an unintentional commentary on how different we think baseball players look now than we used to. Let's be honest with ourselves, thanks to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds, we now think of baseball players, especially sluggers, as being barrel chested, monstrous armed, razor sharp jawboned, aggressive monsters.<br /><br />That was never how I thought baseball players looked growing up. My vision of them, especially because of the ugly fashions of the 70's and 80's, was very similar to the old Louie logo. More soft, round and jovial. More of an every man, less of rage filled nerd beater. I know it's a bit naive and juvenile and old-fashioned to think of any era of baseball player this way, but I like that fantasy and I'd prefer to not be reminded of the changes even in our logos.<br /><br />Not to mention that they felt the need to get rid of the board with the nail. That's arguably the best part of the old logo. It definitely loses a great deal of it's charm with a plain baseball bat in his hand.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Team:</span> <a href="http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t500">Clinton LumberKings</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">League: </span> <a href="http://www.midwestleague.com/">Midwest League</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Location:</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton,_Iowa">Clinton, Iowa</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ballpark:</span> <a href="http://www.geocities.com/bigghoti/minors/clinton.htm">Alliant Energy Field</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mascot:</span> <a href="http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/fans/page.jsp?ymd=20060208&content_id=40992&vkey=fans_t500&fext=.jsp&sid=t500">Louie the LumberKing</a> - who will be getting a facelift as well, I'm sure. Hide the kids.<br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-46972340797950537092008-01-17T23:36:00.000-08:002008-12-11T05:55:41.788-08:00Non-Logo Content: Walberg Resigns at Pepperdine<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="padding-left: 15px; float: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANfvjMPWrmIfcNSRPc3ngnrYpY0d9IPY-p6bai5mLQXW15Rg_kzbtO4csMN_1Cc1VqQi7RNLDfnfW3OJxKUvBLbqsSR394GbIYUxeU3TwDQGs7Ar7SQUa25PBKzjICVDgLEwn/s1600-h/walberglarge.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANfvjMPWrmIfcNSRPc3ngnrYpY0d9IPY-p6bai5mLQXW15Rg_kzbtO4csMN_1Cc1VqQi7RNLDfnfW3OJxKUvBLbqsSR394GbIYUxeU3TwDQGs7Ar7SQUa25PBKzjICVDgLEwn/s400/walberglarge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156717754868582354" border="0" /></a></span>The Vance Walberg experiment has ended at Pepperdine. Walberg, the coach that jumped from high school to city college to Division I basketball, resigned today citing personal and family reasons for leaving.<br /><br />It was a short, ugly tenure for Walberg, his 14-35 record speaks for itself and his final game as head coach was one of the worst Division I games I have ever watched. Gonzaga, who in fairness is hitting their stride and with Josh Heytvelt finally healthy might be good enough to beat anyone in the country, made Walberg’s Waves look downright silly in front of Pepperdine’s largest crowd of the season and the largest student crowd that I have seen in the threes years I’ve been going to their games.<br /><br />It’s disappointing to see the experiment end this way. Walberg’s attack-attack-skip-attack-attack style of play – a style that emphasizes quick drives to the basket followed by a pass to outside shooters if the layup isn’t there - was supposed to, at the very least, make the Waves an interesting team to watch. As the originator of this style that has been partially implemented by many teams on all levels across the country including John Calipari at Memphis, Walberg was called on by Pepperdine to bring his style whole-heartedly to the Waves and take a team that had become dull and predictable under Paul Westphal and turn it into something exciting and completely crazy.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the cupboard was left so bare by Westphal except for returning freshman Michael Gerrity and raw talent Kingsley Costain, Walberg never had the horses to make it work. Gerrity, a talented, gritty point guard, quickly transferred to Charlotte before the 2006-2007 season leaving just Costain to shoulder the load of a demanding style of play. He played admirably in a forgettable 8-23 season, but when he was mysteriously kicked out of school just before this season started, Pepperdine was left with a young, largely anonymous group of players that currently aren’t deep enough to make the system work. And except for occasional games against lower level teams like Division III Hope International earlier this month, we never got to see AASAA in all its glory.<br /><br />Assistant coach Eric Bridgeland takes over for Walberg on an interim basis. If Pepperdine wants to continue working with and developing the AASAA style of play, Bridgeland is a good choice to take over for Walberg permanently. As a coach at Division III Puget Sound, his teams played a similar (if not the same) up-tempo style and were wildly successful. As Pepperdine’s recruiting coordinator, he has worked for two seasons to put together a team that eventually, with more experience and even more athletes on board, could make the system work. Their top three scorers are talented, athletic freshman. Crawford High School (San Diego) teammates Tyrone Shelley and Malcolm Thomas lead the way with 15.6 and 13.6 points per game respectively while Australian forward Daniel Johnson is chipping in 9.7 ppg.<br /><br />I am of the opinion that this is the direction Pepperdine should take the program. It is unfair to these freshman and the recruits coming in next year that they recruited specifically to play this style to suddenly bring in someone that will totally change what they are doing. It’s a better option than completely throwing away the last two seasons and starting over, as tempting as that seems. It can’t get much worse than 14-35, but if they dump AASAA after just two seasons, I fear that it will get worse.<br /><br />But I fully expect Pepperdine to go after a replacement with a bigger name than Bridgeland to make some, please excuse me, waves. They took a lot of heat for making such a bold decision to go after a gimmicky city college coach with no Divison I experience in Walberg and I have to think that they are wrongly excited to show the Pepperdine community that they are taking the losing very seriously and want to correct a mistake in judgement, whether it really is the right move or not.<br /><br />This is Malibu after all, image is everything. Firestone Fieldhouse is not immune.<br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-21437014621118129212008-01-13T12:45:00.000-08:002008-12-11T05:55:42.765-08:00Non-Logo Content: Fight! Fight! Vermont vs. Manchester<div style="text-align: justify;">Last night in Burlington, Vermont in a game between the <a href="http://www.vermontfrostheaves.com/">Vermont Frost Heaves</a> and the <a href="http://www.manchestermillrats.com/">Manchester Millrats</a> of the hapless ABA, things got a little bit chippy. There were three fights in total and you can see them all by <a href="http://event.playonsports.tv/frostheaves/?eventId=2917">clicking here</a>. The first fight is at 1:06 (the Millrats coach acts like a fool) , 1:56 (both teams go at it) and the worst of the bunch - a sucker punch by the Millrats Ife Anosike - is at 2:56. The last fight came with less than a minute to play and the game was called as a result.<br /><br />Since some on the <a href="http://www.oursportscentral.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=77">Our Sports Central ABA message board</a> were worried that these actions would go unpunished and that the live record of the game broadcast by PlayON would be taken down - both very reasonable concerns based on the ABA's piss poor record - I made a few screencaps of the sucker punch to preserve what is a big black eye for the Millrats and the ABA in general.<br /><br />It all started when the Frost Heaves' Erik Nelson and Anosike got tangled up down low (click on the images to enlarge)...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBHM_QtcjI-7RPEtiQYXTtAvKEkR6gOFlQPM2KLsMFmajVfl6PwrQX-Qsji8xASfKUzrILAqsA4Jz8Vg83F-n_RmF2QRVSeI12qj3ftYtCkFLiNG-IJr7qw3Poso2CBVBFHSk/s1600-h/Manchester-Vermont-Fight.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBHM_QtcjI-7RPEtiQYXTtAvKEkR6gOFlQPM2KLsMFmajVfl6PwrQX-Qsji8xASfKUzrILAqsA4Jz8Vg83F-n_RmF2QRVSeI12qj3ftYtCkFLiNG-IJr7qw3Poso2CBVBFHSk/s400/Manchester-Vermont-Fight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155068603391035250" border="0" /></a></center><br />Nelson, got up and headed down court but as he ran by he gave Anosike a little pat on the belly...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Q2BRO79YgqoiwZ4keYTwseuXMG4TRp6h6NgS0_gDzVeZ-XNAOkpfj8lkMUdJiFeBTsuuQA6txZyCs1eSzgITUxeZWO27PLRLlGJSOss06PZT1PHdfUiAG0NxC3OX2wjd6FUC/s1600-h/Manchester-Vermont-Fight3.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Q2BRO79YgqoiwZ4keYTwseuXMG4TRp6h6NgS0_gDzVeZ-XNAOkpfj8lkMUdJiFeBTsuuQA6txZyCs1eSzgITUxeZWO27PLRLlGJSOss06PZT1PHdfUiAG0NxC3OX2wjd6FUC/s400/Manchester-Vermont-Fight3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155068611980969874" border="0" /></a></center><br />Pretty innocuous, right? Well, Anosike didn't take that little tap lightly...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippd5AEMPJdz_n5KVCJG3kobKOMR7KoIUZpYanAfEMt5x5jsGTz4Kzhkn6S_rPC2VfPKaotDk_jiYurZImsYNJ7gUkobiwFVgfLXfSkrHkjPH0GZuczvThL7u1ctJl0If7GCVH/s1600-h/Manchester-Vermont-Fight4.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippd5AEMPJdz_n5KVCJG3kobKOMR7KoIUZpYanAfEMt5x5jsGTz4Kzhkn6S_rPC2VfPKaotDk_jiYurZImsYNJ7gUkobiwFVgfLXfSkrHkjPH0GZuczvThL7u1ctJl0If7GCVH/s400/Manchester-Vermont-Fight4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155068611980969890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeQp2XUPHLW_YNo6zs26GIgBccgdlBO__JHMMr__ckUSuVr2WyheS5FI721U4Tz0T9hYlIb2U4xLKCLbGb7jMP_sevw2VItCXyFq_0QUqXe9PaiiY-BrDSf8uvIEHi7xmcqhL/s1600-h/Manchester-Vermont-Fight1.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeQp2XUPHLW_YNo6zs26GIgBccgdlBO__JHMMr__ckUSuVr2WyheS5FI721U4Tz0T9hYlIb2U4xLKCLbGb7jMP_sevw2VItCXyFq_0QUqXe9PaiiY-BrDSf8uvIEHi7xmcqhL/s400/Manchester-Vermont-Fight1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155069166031751090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio__gVP00upm0l5duH2SGj5LydTi5gAAzCA4cRvzERpXVZmzPkZnTGS306CY3Xya7ixQI454iQVG_T7VvMNDVixqqn_HhZVCR6TEPKQ2x3infA47MdvcED3vXqa1urkGFx6FbV/s1600-h/Manchester-Vermont-Fight1.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio__gVP00upm0l5duH2SGj5LydTi5gAAzCA4cRvzERpXVZmzPkZnTGS306CY3Xya7ixQI454iQVG_T7VvMNDVixqqn_HhZVCR6TEPKQ2x3infA47MdvcED3vXqa1urkGFx6FbV/s400/Manchester-Vermont-Fight1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155068603391035266" border="0" /></a></center><br />That's quite the vicious sucker punch if you ask me. He must've missed because Nelson was fine, but if he connected it could've been very bad.<br /><br />According to Our Sports Central's Paul Reeths, the league won't take any action. Instead, Reeths says that Joe Newman sent an email to the Millrats saying that "self-regulation and self-determining of team standards is a very positive way to approach this difficult situation." Why expect anything more out of Newman? <br /><br />The Millrats have suspended Anosike but they are calling on Vermont to do the same to Nelson saying in a press release this morning, "we would hope that the antics of Erik Nelson, who hit people with shoulders all game, smacked Sanders on the back of the head, and popped Anosike for no reason prior to the final melee, would be looked at by the Frost Heaves organization." <br /><br />What a joke. This is bad even by ABA standards. What league doesn't take action following a brawl? One that exists solely to collect $10,000 market reservation checks and doesn't care otherwise about what's happening...that's who.<br /><br />In fact, yesterday <a href="http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3579645">the league announced a new team</a>. The ABA is playing less than 50% of their scheduled games and people are still buying into this fraud? Shameful. <br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-54381136499331355602008-01-11T23:59:00.000-08:002008-12-11T05:55:42.942-08:00Non-Logo Content: The Boomer<span style="padding-left: 15px; float: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AdqVLSZeA2f4URWZuwnPN5liReca77rDMjRrLV4TrejwltVovcWdV35YkfDqEcSM5uTXiAwZ2mLsNwRkMgK-7DQTQ6xr0_0bAWA4CgAQMWnbFoCDoyOFQz6a0uduou23zMykWQ/s1600-h/George_Scott_79_360.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AdqVLSZeA2f4URWZuwnPN5liReca77rDMjRrLV4TrejwltVovcWdV35YkfDqEcSM5uTXiAwZ2mLsNwRkMgK-7DQTQ6xr0_0bAWA4CgAQMWnbFoCDoyOFQz6a0uduou23zMykWQ/s320/George_Scott_79_360.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154498300453603154" border="0" /></a></span><div style="text-align: justify;">I worked for the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings baseball team (now the Harlingen WhiteWings) as the Director of Media/Community Relations during the 2001 season. It was an interesting and difficult season to work for the WhiteWings and to be quite honest, I didn't like Harlingen very much. One season in the Valley was plenty. But I still had fun and wouldn't trade it for anything.<br /><br />One afternoon before we headed to Edinburg for a game against the Roadrunners, we were sitting around the office shooting the breeze a little bit with our team's manager, Boston Red Sox hall-of-famer and one of the greatest characters I have ever known, George "The Boomer" Scott.<br /><br />Once a great player for the Sox, The Boomer was a gruff, overweight, old school kind of a baseball guy from Mississippi that unfortunately had some health problems and was never well liked by his players. No matter, he was still hilarious in his own, understated way. I can still here him walk into the office and yell at me "HEY BIG MAN," I don't think he ever knew my real name. "YOU FIND A PITCHER FOR ME YET?"<br /><br />When we traveled the 30 miles to Edinburg for games we rented a couple vans for the team and a pickup truck for Boomer instead of the usual sleeper bus. But we noticed that Boomer was picking up the equipment and leaving at 11:30 or noon for a game giving him a good two or three extra hours to get to the ballpark. We were curious as to why he was leaving so early for ballgames and he explained that he had been going to a barbeque place in McAllen for lunch and to take it easy for a little while before the game.<br /><br />"The owner of that place is a total asshole," piped in our assistant GM, John. "They have good food, but he doesn't sponsor us and is always a jerk when you talk to him."<br /><br />A silence settled over the room and after a long pause, Boomer, in all sincerity, broke it in the only way that The Boomer - keep in mind he's a big, old school, Mississippi born African-American - could....<br /><br />"Whell......Ah don't go dere to find out that the man is an ass-HOLE. Ah go there... fortheCHICKEN!"<br /><br />And with that....we lost it. I think I laughed for half an hour straight.<br /><br />You're the man Boomer, wherever you are. You might be the only reason I have any positive memories of my time with the WhiteWings.<br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-38253753884687629402008-01-08T18:09:00.001-08:002008-12-11T05:55:43.080-08:00New Hampshire Primaries - Redux<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlFZXUfbKNPX73q714DwntcA5r1_onBXqhVdhrsVbTWf1e89cVol4itakQbD0iKy5Cj38cFvcR9fbvFxFUivHyLv5-iu40iBoNVe6wMfMqyB68F2Wq6syQJKjlomL1c0m2k-r/s1600-h/newhampshireprimaries.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlFZXUfbKNPX73q714DwntcA5r1_onBXqhVdhrsVbTWf1e89cVol4itakQbD0iKy5Cj38cFvcR9fbvFxFUivHyLv5-iu40iBoNVe6wMfMqyB68F2Wq6syQJKjlomL1c0m2k-r/s400/newhampshireprimaries.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092311431387182530" border="0" /></a></center><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I think that today is a good day to reiterate that the above logo and especially <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLwoxp7zP09oX50S0VJCSJ42Vy53k2Pbod45nAQ0CeAne_e24LkePl1yGZ4NAvsyFItnMDwCKOJP6oRxN9VvOKQ7BYsYARQ4uC1Ht1WkyHRZ74QM6bc0GhXw9r03RmZYw8Nwo/s1600-h/newhampshireprimariessam.jpg">this logo</a> are probably my favorite logos EVER. Click here to read <a href="http://sportslogopundit.blogspot.com/2007/07/new-hampshire-primaries.html">my review from this past summer</a>.<br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-27080880531856035602008-01-08T00:02:00.000-08:002008-12-11T05:55:43.965-08:00Indiana University<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfQfIV_MK7KBOr4RlnkEjQXvlQ-eXzw4q2_gWyRv864ywcNi8I4dADtX50Cn-Z3JGbgCqbbk0UYIAqELA_OFhvwxG-5VMug9SqORJX8SbqafANnEBfcO_w_HBe4snw0PbzoDg/s1600-h/indianaulogos.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfQfIV_MK7KBOr4RlnkEjQXvlQ-eXzw4q2_gWyRv864ywcNi8I4dADtX50Cn-Z3JGbgCqbbk0UYIAqELA_OFhvwxG-5VMug9SqORJX8SbqafANnEBfcO_w_HBe4snw0PbzoDg/s1600/indianaulogos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153026389391460114" border="0" /></a></center><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Happy new year everybody! The Sports Logo Pundit is back and I hope to keep this thing rolling along at a nice pace after this. I'll probably add in a little bit of general sports talk since I just don't have anywhere else to write about sports, but I'll try to keep it focused on logos as much as possible. So stay tuned, please tell your friends, and enjoy at least until my little girl is born in February and I totally disappear.<br /><br />For my first post of the new year, I just simply want to point out the logos of the lesser schools of the Indiana University system. I couldn't believe how cheap they went with these. I guess I can understand it for NAIA schools like <a href="http://www.iue.edu/athletics/">IU East</a>, <a href="http://www.iun.edu/%7Estulife/athletics/">IU Northwest</a>, <a href="http://www.ius.edu/athletics/">IU Southeast</a> and <a href="http://www.iusb.edu/%7Esbathlet/">IU South Bend</a>, but <a href="http://www.iupuijags.com/">IUPUI</a>? A large Division 1 school gets the same generic treatment as IU East? And why didn't <a href="http://gomastodons.cstv.com/">IPFW</a> have to conform?<br /><br />And seriously, what the hell is going on over there? Should their motto be "The Indiana University system: keeping a weary eye on Illinois since 1820"? <br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-67283248878821658532007-12-26T22:53:00.000-08:002008-12-11T05:55:44.172-08:00Oakland County Cruisers<div style="text-align: justify;">What a down December for The Sports Logo Pundit. Not a way to end a pretty good year overall. Oh well, I hope to get back on the horse starting next week.<br /><br />Until then, I would like to blow your mind with what is perhaps <a href="http://www.cruisersbaseball.com/t-logo_contest.aspx">the saddest logo contest</a> that I have ever come across. Last week, the Frontier League announced that in 2009 the Oakland County Cruisers would be joining the league. Never mind the fact that they don't yet have a ballpark, they have more than a year to get that done. But they did eschew the normal name-the-team contest and skipped straight to the logo selection process...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8bEPknxLMH73EXZ9O7E0f3SXuKPilADV0x0aOwU6amVIRoTts9neaWb_w_9uvzWnlcdDiMCXUTtSgTms29LLEq9uMNY0YImIsCxu2DCK5Ojs5MJenA_KBp2mUPl86XLBN2fI/s1600-h/oaklandcountycruisers.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8bEPknxLMH73EXZ9O7E0f3SXuKPilADV0x0aOwU6amVIRoTts9neaWb_w_9uvzWnlcdDiMCXUTtSgTms29LLEq9uMNY0YImIsCxu2DCK5Ojs5MJenA_KBp2mUPl86XLBN2fI/s400/oaklandcountycruisers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148546257465394914" border="0" /></a></center><br />Oh boy, how will I ever choose? Do I go with the most horrible neon green in both baseball and automobile history or with the nearly unreadable scripts complete with gradients? And as a fan of rec league softball t-shirts, I'm really all about the clip-art background designs, it's about time someone brought these back to professional baseball. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Team:</span> <a href="http://www.cruisersbaseball.com/default.aspx">Oakland County Cruisers</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">League:</span> <a href="http://www.frontierleague.com">Frontier League</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Location:</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterford_Township,_Michigan">Waterford, Michigan</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Merchandise:</span> <a href="http://www.cruisersbaseball.com/t-merchandise.aspx">Sweet</a>! You can buy shirts with at least three of the logo choices on them.<br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-29331786914355452522007-12-14T01:46:00.001-08:002008-12-11T05:55:44.394-08:00Quad City River Bandits<div style="text-align: justify;"><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAf3RQYOx5T-UShBN5bbsuz-qEoWxLCDHpl4mMznissm6WhpJ_M2jT-YFaEeux_m_487WRSunkyPgsXlnae1pyqfUMQiqM-v_9LBDwt3Dy3SRFUUEQTWG-uJxNFkAbQnyWnhK/s1600-h/quad_cities_new_big.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAf3RQYOx5T-UShBN5bbsuz-qEoWxLCDHpl4mMznissm6WhpJ_M2jT-YFaEeux_m_487WRSunkyPgsXlnae1pyqfUMQiqM-v_9LBDwt3Dy3SRFUUEQTWG-uJxNFkAbQnyWnhK/s400/quad_cities_new_big.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143762869134159682" border="0" /></a></center><br />It's late and I need to go to bed. But I just saw this and wanted to quickly share. The Quad City River Bandits are back! Thoughts?<br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-84352034433616665322007-12-10T23:34:00.000-08:002008-12-11T05:55:45.910-08:00Cal State Northridge vs. Utah Valley State<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMtQMHlfpG5UDHfduTC6wqQvBPOEqx337Adjej4tm5KMimm6I8nQmehJuHv9MCzEujbIHeCvvCqg52yq-WzohWgtXw9uPZa3rzbH_nhaPLcP1EXNAys-pUPNunRES3uFzVId6/s1600-h/CSUN+Matador.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMtQMHlfpG5UDHfduTC6wqQvBPOEqx337Adjej4tm5KMimm6I8nQmehJuHv9MCzEujbIHeCvvCqg52yq-WzohWgtXw9uPZa3rzbH_nhaPLcP1EXNAys-pUPNunRES3uFzVId6/s400/CSUN+Matador.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142621319707599906" border="0" /></a></center><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />I just posted my first <a href="http://www.stormingthefloor.com/2007/12/stf-conference-reports-big-west.html">Big West Conference Report</a> for the college basketball blog <a href="http://www.stormingthefloor.com/">Storming The Floor</a>. After seeing Cal State Northridge handle Utah Valley State, I had to name the Matadors the Team of the First Month...<br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Team of the First Month: Cal State Northridge</span><br />UC Santa Barbara was picked to win the Big West by the media and they have lived up to the billing by going 9-1 in the first month. No surprise there. Cal State Northridge didn't get a lot of preseason love but the Matadors have taken care of business against lesser opponents. Led by senior forward Calvin Chitwood (13.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and senior guard Jonathan Heard (12.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and complemented by junior three point specialist Deon Tresvant (11.4 ppg) and junior rebounding force Tremaine Townesend (10.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg), Northridge has only been beaten by Duquesne and Gonzaga. Both were thumpings and their biggest win so far was against Cleveland State, so it's hard to get too excited. But it's better than expected and better than any other non-Gaucho Big West squads.</blockquote>Here are a handful of pictures from the game...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhxWiIuirJv49vLHYkbD-ls2IgtQdrt94-MIDRdMvboifeiejeDdGvXV_0gInkSSorXZblDVtuIlmpEZpZ3R7Gy2PAYh0Gm1SqW6VyrwgFthbGPJIXCY4RSN0Dhd4nd2ijfzi/s1600-h/IMG_0465.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhxWiIuirJv49vLHYkbD-ls2IgtQdrt94-MIDRdMvboifeiejeDdGvXV_0gInkSSorXZblDVtuIlmpEZpZ3R7Gy2PAYh0Gm1SqW6VyrwgFthbGPJIXCY4RSN0Dhd4nd2ijfzi/s400/IMG_0465.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142618596698334226" border="0" /></a></center><br />Welcome to the Matadome, all 1,600 seats of it. What a dump. It's an embarrassment of a Division I facility. But it is home to the hardest working cheerleaders in the NCAA...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrH6EWzD_S3qld4gdZCwBwNZDtdZsE-Qu0WFHnnv9abBBAW2RUY-JJROfY5pSxiBen_KUuT_oy0DgIc0_G0dyEwQQe5_JwhhXjHKGJ2Ox7Ww-LaTMnpllA79ibW7TqORQ5ACxh/s1600-h/IMG_0448.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrH6EWzD_S3qld4gdZCwBwNZDtdZsE-Qu0WFHnnv9abBBAW2RUY-JJROfY5pSxiBen_KUuT_oy0DgIc0_G0dyEwQQe5_JwhhXjHKGJ2Ox7Ww-LaTMnpllA79ibW7TqORQ5ACxh/s400/IMG_0448.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142618377655002066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjY12lAOQFihRfGCSwWIfMM9g8_-PIuS0ftAOAUKEUgZkxjTbdS32SuZdugqGsQhX-qAZhIVFlLyVhltOXF8QKE33hhoQN-hIY4zOoreIanzK0-tX8QlIJUfASSqGUYV0LXlQp/s1600-h/IMG_0455.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjY12lAOQFihRfGCSwWIfMM9g8_-PIuS0ftAOAUKEUgZkxjTbdS32SuZdugqGsQhX-qAZhIVFlLyVhltOXF8QKE33hhoQN-hIY4zOoreIanzK0-tX8QlIJUfASSqGUYV0LXlQp/s400/IMG_0455.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142618386244936706" border="0" /></a></center><br />Seriously, I've never seen cheerleaders lead more cheers. They performed during every single timeout and did a solid job. Not bad for what is essentially a glorified community college. Oh yeah...don't forget the basketball...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKnZBVQgu2avS3AjpOI3nV44DmUPlpef1VeZPVrYHTHbeNyZiLaHtJF5MmC-dp6ZOZmGtsk15iFm3d35ZTUEu5U0RKyKkEyGWz_r_VVGtVx43HLTP1j0LAnbqCaOFV-gQkBlK/s1600-h/IMG_0452.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKnZBVQgu2avS3AjpOI3nV44DmUPlpef1VeZPVrYHTHbeNyZiLaHtJF5MmC-dp6ZOZmGtsk15iFm3d35ZTUEu5U0RKyKkEyGWz_r_VVGtVx43HLTP1j0LAnbqCaOFV-gQkBlK/s400/IMG_0452.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142618381949969378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNr0PgqGRlVU29IJa7C6tPR6VsIzwSpMSHAvac8oj1d5CRq-43adHFSo-pg9t-B_ttBTcswFWLlUS7GgbLj2oBAZ4u0x70Tt-0uWcrO9IL7MErLR3q_zRfTKZUACB5aoCx6fy/s1600-h/IMG_0453.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNr0PgqGRlVU29IJa7C6tPR6VsIzwSpMSHAvac8oj1d5CRq-43adHFSo-pg9t-B_ttBTcswFWLlUS7GgbLj2oBAZ4u0x70Tt-0uWcrO9IL7MErLR3q_zRfTKZUACB5aoCx6fy/s400/IMG_0453.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142618381949969394" border="0" /></a></center><br />Too bad the students have forgotten. Despite a good team, students don't turn out that for games in any meaningful way and the ones that do sit on their hands. The loudest group of students was a bunch of deaf kids. Seriously.<br /><br />Now, about that logo. It's a solid logo when you just quickly glance at it or see it in a much smaller form. But now that I've found a larger version and really looked at it, it's a bit rough. What is with the big thick black line on the nose and chin? I suppose it's supposed to be a shadow, but it's really unnecessary. And how big can one man's hands be?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Team:</span> <a href="http://gomatadors.olinesports.com/mbasketball.php">Cal State Northridge Matadors</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conference:</span> <a href="http://www.bigwest.org/">Big West</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Location:</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northridge%2C_California">Northridge, California</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Arena:</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matadome">The Matadome</a><br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-20129168152831751812007-12-04T23:04:00.002-08:002008-12-11T05:55:46.396-08:00Vancouver 2010 Olympics Mascots<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVf-KiwANseNHQefvrZ7_OONAnTZKBk-sUG0GsP2NDSoRRG-R3r4BwPp9E2fbgGwcddckcQycuN_0kCvsEeK8ghwNhj2BksLBWm29qTwwKz7gLkEplv7B71x1aewcLHMEzcF_Y/s1600-h/vancouver2010_mascots.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVf-KiwANseNHQefvrZ7_OONAnTZKBk-sUG0GsP2NDSoRRG-R3r4BwPp9E2fbgGwcddckcQycuN_0kCvsEeK8ghwNhj2BksLBWm29qTwwKz7gLkEplv7B71x1aewcLHMEzcF_Y/s400/vancouver2010_mascots.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140381734780904274" border="0" /></a></center><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Have you seen the <a href="http://www.vancouver2010.com/en">2010 Olympic mascots</a> yet? I know I'm a little bit late - these were released last week - but I love Quatchi, Sumi and Miga - they are really cute. I'm so going to buy the set of all three for my kid (maybe kids by that point). And they have <a href="http://www.vancouver2010.com/mascot/en/index.php">a cool website</a> too! It should come as no surprise to anybody that knows me that the mascot that I'm most like is Quatchi...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9se7QqS0wJtThwFXQoouTauTgiAUD9TeIT3W1HuFNjays6lCgYErbTwogdFX_B1cCK-7NxJKLVJy_B3cgyDf8uGO74q7CJBZef3hvXKavpM2sH3wHjwxdsofUELv3hUMgG5Z/s1600-h/quatchi.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9se7QqS0wJtThwFXQoouTauTgiAUD9TeIT3W1HuFNjays6lCgYErbTwogdFX_B1cCK-7NxJKLVJy_B3cgyDf8uGO74q7CJBZef3hvXKavpM2sH3wHjwxdsofUELv3hUMgG5Z/s400/quatchi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140406761555338082" border="0" /></a></center><br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10243946.post-5972461313452647922007-11-30T23:47:00.000-08:002008-12-11T05:55:46.921-08:00New Hampshire Fisher Cats<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz68nZk8ac9p8YlJh8UWx9pA8lwz77ovi-xu2TzetTCLeWiEm7lhtLaW7iiQynHzC_F2AL6Ah5sh6MRjqfyoxiV8EUS_3EwrffCDeeB7FvsAxH74sngSPKBJhtNfWAlCUwLoXx/s1600-r/fishercats-eyes.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxH8cvWD7lpu41dQt1hLUV_c3BidNUyUbj6ze701ZfCBMgk-clME6fS05PFJK65P7fXtQN78wqpHegDJX-ZGuLMZ0L7GCRbdeAbAX5WEshe7vAJ7kYyX268_UYk_ThRDUT48t/s1600/fishercats-eyes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138908491455817426" border="0" /></a></center><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />When I saw the headline proclaiming that the New Hampshire Fisher Cats had changed their logos, I got a little excited. Could they possibly come to their senses and allow the <a href="http://sportslogopundit.blogspot.com/2007/07/new-hampshire-primaries.html">New Hampshire Primaries</a> to be set free? Sadly, it was not to be. They are still the Fisher Cats, but now they are Fisher Cats that have lost my respect.<br /><br />Why? That has to be the question that you ask when thinking about this identity change. Other than the fact that they weren't the Primaries, I found virtually nothing wrong with <a href="http://www.sportslogos.net/logo.php?id=5008">their old logos</a>. There were small things I didn't like and they weren't necessarily my style, but they were well done and logos that a team could be proud of for a very long time.<br /><br />But the Fisher Cats have been lured to the dark side in search of a temporary increase in merchandising dollars. This identity set is incredible in it's trendiness.<br /><br />First of all, the eye logo above that follows in the steps of the <a href="http://www.starstruck.com/Images/gallery/Product/SSProductImgs/P0047038.jpg">Lake Elsinore Storm</a> originally (the best selling cap in baseball for a few years running) and the <a href="http://www.starstruck.com/Images/gallery/Product/SSProductImgs/P0080843.jpg">Orem Owlz</a> last season. Thankfully, this logo isn't actually being used as one of their caps yet, but I'd be willing to bet that it's only because they know that they will sell a bunch of caps this season because of the identity change even without resorting to using this logo. But next season, when sales lag, it'll be slapped on a cap and peddled like crazy.<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2yrPNl75cSTngpdVZUO8R8640_nJ4SATcRMgiFaTz6ijonpZfvk9A9LrkqsnR1KJyE_MrIAoSRLlAEDH0dzQRMHUOnwWuMlcZcVP2NiblHoarBVRRG9lkoaOxuwZJVQPLiPU/s1600-r/cats-logos.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXagUFClmSHP0gX-FM0QzjSKizdkFDdnASwGzI1OFVLS6DprdGCfPLNGLXlwDFvmpovebmL7jQVKBvSmEUK8APWEFO5HN_bNov0OGTjAerH5bGBa96XeVb584HwCRdkz_HhTN/s1600/cats-logos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138908500045752034" border="0" /></a></center><br />Secondly, the primary logo shown above. What is going on with this trend of having the mascot peer over a name or around something? The New Britain Rock Cats already has the Eastern League peering covered, not to mention the tail and the silver animal. In fact, I'm not convinced that the Fisher Cat isn't really the Rock Cat. Or maybe a twin? Separated at birth? Clone? Whatever, they are definitely related.<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeqgW4RgnQldX6A_E31TyBowU39tEel-4IWi2p2pXa7tFVoroVB0_tKOhJyt7HvFQOgkgwHoU_F0BXBN_kQ-ktAHn4Ef_qDnhS2zRbbmsU3JL_Nwr2xVD1iVsfKI7XSLqBDbR/s1600-r/fishercats-alternates.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYsrdqbSQVmxpTlcRjh94y2OC6TcK2_hkmjc-zCh6d-E22k8EPBeo7MtJAF347ArspkVDV49j2c5KmuB9pttdKFaXqiZCVhhBuwwGq9YvpscLJTSMPCXiG1A7C7Tu4SONxi43/s1600/fishercats-alternates.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138908504340719346" border="0" /></a></center><br />Thirdly, the cap/alternate logos. As much as I hate the eyes logo, they might actually be better than any of these wretched logos. You got your severed paw logo, your illegible and unproportionally itty-bitty"F" logo, and your "NM" or "NN" or, oh...that's supposed to be an "H" logo. Disasters all around.<br /><br />And I haven't even mentioned this early 90's color scheme. To go from a simple and classy green and black to the same color scheme sported by the <a href="http://www.logoserver.com/football/SacramentoSurge91.GIF">Sacramento Surge</a> in 1991 dumbfounds me. I thought that this teal-ish, emerald green and yellow was something that we would never have to see again, but it rears it's ugly head in New Hampshire and I can't figure out why.<br /><br />This set is an abject failure, in my opinion. It was a change that was totally unwarranted and unneeded and because it wasn't even executed well, it is completely unloved here at The Sports Logo Pundit.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Team:</span> <a href="http://www.nhfishercats.com/index.php">New Hampshire Fisher Cats</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">League:</span> <a href="http://www.easternleague.com/">Eastern League</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Location:</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester%2C_New_Hampshire">Manchester, New Hampshire</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stadium:</span> <a href="http://www.nhfishercats.com/index.php?id=82">Merchantsauto.com Stadium</a><br /><br /></div>Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003609878691180270noreply@blogger.com0