Thursday, November 4, 2010
MLB Logos, Past and Present (Pt. 2)
What do you mean you missed the first part of my series on MLB logos? I'm not sure I can really forgive you, but if you check it out now, it'll be a start.
On to the AL West and NL East!
TEXAS RANGERS
The current AL champions only had five primary logos in their existence, and my favorite of the bunch is one they used only for one year.
Incidentally, is the another state that incorporates their geographic shape into their logos more than Texas does? Just off the top of my head, the Rangers, the Astros, the Stars, the Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs), Stephen F. Austin, and the basketball courts for both Texas A&M and Texas. I've even seen a high school that incorporated Texas' shape into their logo. A college, I could understand, but a high school? Is this like the flagship high school of Texas?
OAKLAND A'S
The A's primary logo has been pretty boring over the years, although their '70s logo is pretty cute, (the shoes! "swingin'!"). Their alternate logos, on the other hand, have been worth talking about. They rolled out this one, which I love, in 1993. By the way, why do sports teams like the A's and Alabama use an elephant logo, but no one names themselves "the Elephants?"
Anyway, just a year after busting out the menacing elephant logo, they made a slight but ridiculous change to it, thus ruining it. In 1999, they upped the ante again. When you think of the A's, you think of an elephant made of legos and playing croquet, right?
ANAHEIM ANGELS
Let's say you attended an Angels game in 1992. And let's say you got conked in the head by a foul ball, and the last thing you saw before your world went black was their primary logo at the time.
In 2002, you finally, miraculously awaken from your coma! You see their new primary logo.
What you won't know is that they also used two completely different primary logos within those 10 years, plus another tweak, not to mention the whole California Angels/Anaheim Angels/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim thing. This franchise is the most schizophrenic in baseball. Their punishment should be a permanent change to their Gene Autry Memorial logo.
SEATTLE MARINERS
The trident logo was one of my childhood favorites, along with Milwaukee's logo of the time. Then in 1987, they replaced it with the most boring logo imaginable
At least they have gotten away from that these days, but still, who wants to join me in starting up a "bring back the trident!" petition?
FLORIDA MARLINS
I have less to say about the Marlins than any other team in the majors. They are 17-years-old, and have never really changed anything other than tweaks in that time. It's not a bad logo. It's not a good logo. It's just an average logo. Change it already.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Not a lot of history to go on here, either, even if you include their history as the Montreal Expos. I do have two anecdotes, however.
1) When I was a kid, I asked my mom what the J and the B stood for on the Expos' cap and jersey. She laughed and said it was an M. Do you see it, though? The first third of the M being a J, the second two thirds being a lower case B?
2) I went to a DC United (the soccer team) game this summer at RFK stadium. I sat at the end of my row, and I noticed that each end-row seat had a DC United sticker on it. I peeled mine away, which revealed a "Washington Nationals Inaugural Season" logo sticker underneath it. Am I proud of my vandalism? Yes.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
They are another one that exchanged a cool logo for a boring one in the '90s.
I know I usually deride childish logos, like the elephant-with-sunglasses thing for the A's, but for some reason I kind of like the more literally childish alternate logo of the Phillies from the 1970s. And if you peruse all their logos throughout the years, can you tell me that one that does not fit with the rest? Find the bizarre avian outlier.
NEW YORK METS
Firstly, why are they allowed to have an N intertwined with a Y? Why don't the Yankees sue them for that (the Knicks are even worse offenders)?
Secondly, can we have Mister Met fight to the death with the Reds' mascot, so we can have just one baseball-headed man to rule us all?
ATLANTA BRAVES
(The time: 1970 in Atlanta. The place: a modest two-story home. The scene: a man tries to teach his 4-year old grandson about baseball.)
GRANDPA: Baseball is a great sport, Junior! Your ol' Grandpa played it in the army, not 200 yards from the barracks! That was dubyah dubyah two.
JUNIOR: sucks his thumb silently)
GRANDPA: And the Atlanta Braves are a great team! They have Hammerin' Hank! They used to be in Milwaukee. But they came down to Hotlanta because they are the greatest baseball team in the world and they wanted to be closer to your Grandpa!
JUNIOR: (sucks his thumb silently)
GRANDPA: Now Junior, it's important for a boy to get started in baseball early. That's why I got you this ball and glove! We'll start practicin' tomorrow!
JUNIOR: (sucks his thumb silently)
GRANDPA: Secondly, we're gonna make you a proper Braves fan! I got you a hat, a t-shirt, and a blanket with their logo — real, real, real, real big! (holds up blanket)
JUNIOR: (screams, cries, runs out of the room)
THE END
Unbelievably, the Braves used one version or another of this logo for 35 years.