A B-Side BY Armin

Louisville Slugger

About: (Est. 1894) “Louisville Slugger is synonymous with baseball and softball. It is the leading brand in diamond sports. The company makes the #1 Bat in Major League Baseball, bats that are swung by the best of the best - Derek Jeter, Josh Hamilton, Joey Votto, Curtis Granderson and David Wright, among hundreds of other current MLB stars. […] Louisville Slugger also makes industry-leading equipment for youth, high school and college players. It sponsors top-level NCAA Division 1 baseball programs, including the 2012 National Champion Arizona Wildcats.”

Design by: N/A

Ed.’s Notes: Kind of terrible. The logo is now stuck in the 1980s, early 1990s. If they had just let it be another ten years it would be all retro and stuff, even with how mangled that old typography was. Bigger view, and a shot of the logo on bats below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: WFPL story

Select quote: “Hillerich and Bradsby Company Vice-President of Marketing Kyle Schlegel says this is the first new look for the logo since 1980.

‘What we’ve tried to do is hold true to those pieces of the mark that really speak to the legacy, so the oval is still there but we wanted to introduce a lot of new modern elements to it that allow the brand to really come into the present day,’ he said.”

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A B-Side BY Armin

Stockton Ports (Alternate)

About: “The Stockton Ports are a baseball team in Stockton, California. The Ports play in the Northern Division of the Class A - Advanced California League and are a Minor League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.

Design by: Brandiose (again!).

Ed.’s Notes: This is an alternate logo, not a replacement logo to the Ports’ main logo. Confusing? Yes. Awesome? Yes. Alternates of the alternate below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Press release. Brandiose blog post.

Select quote: “The Ports new logos honor Stockton’s heritage as the largest in-land port in California and the Asparagus Capital of the World. A new character, 5 O’clock Dock, is the centerpiece of the identity, brandishing his baseball tattoos and asparagus club. Navy, Shipyard Gray and Asparagus green make up the club’s new alternate colors. The Ports are the first professional sports team to use Asparagus green.”

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A B-Side BY Armin

Reading Fightin Phils

About: (Est. 1967, previously Reading Phillies) “The Reading Fightin Phils are a minor league baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. The Reading Fightin Phils were founded in 1967 and they are the Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.”

Design by: Brandiose.

Ed.’s Notes: Plenty more images at both links below.

Relevant links: Press release. SportsLogos.Net news.

Select Quote:“The Fightins’ new name is highlighted by an ostrich logo that symbolizes the feisty bird that is now indigenous to Reading because of the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor. With its fists ready for battle, the new ostrich logo represents the fighting spirit of the franchise, both on and off the field. It will be the first time in the franchise’s history that the team will feature an identifiable mascot. The logo is also the first in professional sports to feature an ostrich as its mascot.”

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A B-Side BY Armin

Lexington Legends

About: “The Lexington Legends are a minor league baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL), and the Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Lexington, Kentucky.”

Design by: Brandiose.

Ed.’s Notes: On the subject of moustaches, this identity delivers. Logo detail and moustachioed cap below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Photo gallery. Press Release.

Select quote: Fans will see an old-timey “Big L” gripping two bats over a classic “Legends” script and white farm fences. Caps worn by the Legends for home games will feature a stone-chiseled “LEX” in reference to the historic dry stone walls that line many of the roads in the Bluegrass and a modernized “L-State” (a letter “L” in which the base is an outline of Kentucky). Big L’s famous mustache will appear on the road caps, and the “stache” will be part of several new mustache-themed fan experiences. Big L will continue to represent the Legends as he has since the team began play in 2001.

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Opinion BY Armin

Houston Astros Looking Stellar

Established in 1962 as the Houston Colt 45s, the Houston Astros, as they were renamed in 1965 when they moved into the Astrodome, are the Major League Baseball team for Houston, Texas. The team’s best season came in 2005 when they made it to the World Series but were swept by the Chicago White Sox. In November 2011, it was announced that, after 51 years in the National League, the Astros would move to the American League, a move that balances the two leagues, now each with 15. I’m sure to actual baseball fans this has more philosophical meaning but to me, as math equations go, it makes sense. This past Friday — after MLB stole its thunder by leaking merchandise with the new logo early (and offering an apology) — the Astros unveiled their new logo, uniforms, and mascot at their stadium.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Pensacola, Florida just got their own Minor League Baseball team — the Blue Wahoos. Unveiled in November 2011, the team identity was designed by Brandiose, and you can see the baseball cap version of the logo after the jump.

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In Brief BY Armin

In Brief: December Miscellany

For a slight change of pace today, I have a few interesting tidbits worth posting.

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Opinion BY Armin

Hi Hi Birdie

The Toronto Blue Jays joined the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball in 1977 and are two-time World Series winners (1992 and 1993). With the departure of the Montreal Expos to Washington, the Blue Jays are the sole Canadian team in the MLB. Last week, the Blue Jays announced new uniforms and a new logo for the 2012 season, designed by the MLB’s Design Services, that take them back to their original look

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Opinion BY Armin

Like Marlin out of Water

Established in 1993 as an expansion team of the Major League Baseball, the Florida Marlins, winners of two world series (1997 and 2003), have been renamed the Miami Marlins and will be moving into a fancy new stadium at the start of the 2012 season. Miami Marlins’ management had a hard time keeping the name, logo, and uniform change under wraps, with the logo being leaked as early as September and, stealing the thunder from a webcast conference unveiling the new look, a picture of the uniforms and a ticket brochure surfaced earlier in the week. This past Friday, the official unveiling took place at their new stadium.

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Opinion BY Armin

Royal All-Stars

With less than thirty days since the last All-Star Game for the Major League Baseball (MLB) was played in Phoenix Arizona — National League won — the league and the host team of the 2012 All-Star Game, the Kansas City Royals, have unveiled the logo for next year’s “Midsummer Classic”. According to our archives we haven’t covered an MLB All-Star game since 2007 so just to fill you in, the first image you’ll see is a recap.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Madison Mallards

The Madison Mallards, based in Madison, Wisconsin, are members of the 16-team summer collegiate Northwoods League. In February they unveiled a new identity, designed by local firm Shine Advertising. A bigger view of the logo is available after the jump.

Thanks to Nathan Garn for the tip.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Tucson Padres

Formerly located in Portland and known as the Beavers, the Tucson Padres will begin play in the 2011 season of Triple-A baseball. They will be affiliated with the San Diego Padres — Tucson’s logo is based on San Diego Padres’ logo from the late 1970s. One story describes the new logo as having “a Tucson feel with the artistic addition of the cactus and mountain, synonymous with the Old Pueblo.”

Thanks to Dan McCormick for the tip.

Opinion BY Armin

There is a New “W” in Town

Originally home to the Washington Senators, not one (1901 – 1960) but two times (1961 – 1971), Washington’s current Major League Baseball team is the Nationals, who were originally the Montreal Expos before they relocated to the U.S. as an expansion franchise. On November of last year, the Nationals announced new uniforms and new logos.

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Opinion BY Armin

All Aboard the Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express is a minor league baseball team located just north of Austin, TX. Earlier this month the team announced that it would be changing leagues and affiliation from Double-A with the Houston Astros to Triple-A with the Texas Rangers, the current American League champions (who defeated the New York Yankees for the title, thank you very much). To coincide with this change the Express unveiled a new identity designed by Louisville, KY-based Studio Simon, that will debut in 2011.

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