Florida State League: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

By Bowen Hobbs

44th & Goal is back with the eighth part of its 14-part series, The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly. This week, we will look at the Florida State League. Like every other league within the world of Minor League Baseball, certain teams understand the power of branding, while others need a push in the right direction. Let's take a look:

The Good

Charlotte Stone Crabs: The Stone Crabs are a relatively new team, replacing the Vero Beach Devil Rays before the 2009 season. The Stone Crabs, like their predecessor, worked closely with the branding of the parent club Tampa Bay Rays. Their primary logo consists of a blue crab standing on a Stone Crabs wordmark. They also use two cap logos with Rays-inspired typography and a standalone crab logo. Anytime you can take one of the worst graphic identities in Major League Baseball and carve a great Minor League identity out of it, you know you've done your job.

Clearwater Threshers: The Threshers' identity is the work of Plan B Branding and they couldn't have done a better job. Within the primary logo, you have a shark closing in on a ball below a custom wordmark with a shield holding shape. The primary and alternate cap logos feature a shark in a C shape, while the batting practice cap logo adds a bat. The jerseys use an arched version of the wordmark from the primary logo. Overall, one of the better identity sets in Minor League Baseball.

Fort Myers Miracle: The Miracle had used this logo since 1992, but will be entering the 2011 season with significant changes including a much more scenic logo and new typography. In addition, they have revamped their cap logo and uniforms. The island feel of the new typeface adds some character to the set. It's a good update to a solid identity package.

Lakeland Flying Tigers: I realize there are reasons for using the parent club's moniker. There can be a lot of equity in relationships with the Yankees, Braves, or Cubs. The Paw Sox advertise the Sawx of tomorrow. But how does one go about presenting the team's relationship with the parent club while maintaining an identity of its own? The Flying Tigers are one example. While using the Detroit squad's color scheme and general theme as a starting point, the A-ball club added its own twist to make the team name even more relevant to its fan base. The alternate logo pays homage to the city's World War II history, as does the team's alternate cap (the standard one is the same but without the brim decoration) and jersey number typography. While I don't like brand borrowing, this is well thought out brand incorporation.

The Bad

Brevard County Manatees: Admittedly, a manatee is a tough animal to work with. Their general ability to fill in for the Blob on short notice is a challenge to anyone tasked with trying to develop an identity based around them. But unfortunately, this is not the complete answer. While I like the intention of covering up most of the manatee's body, wouldn't it make more sense to eliminate it and focus on the creature's head, where most of its definition is? Maybe add an accent reminiscent of the tail within the typography… The team's cap logo is also problematic as the typeface of the BC is too thin to handle the mass that people associate with manatees when they see the animal. And really, navy and red? With the Threshers, Cubs, Miracle, Cardinals and Yankees also in the Florida State League, why not try something different?

Dunedin Blue Jays: Brand borrowing. Plain and simple. Just take the bird from Toronto's logo and shove it next to a D. I do like the Dunedin adaptation of the script though. Also, the choice to follow the parent club and use black as the team's primary color despite being named the Blue Jays is a mistake.

Palm Beach Cardinals: The High A affiliate of St. Louis uses the parent club's colors and logos. They have their own PB mark though. It's not the worst brand borrowing design in the Florida State League.

The Ugly

Daytona Cubs: At this point, are they just keeping their logo to be ironic? Is this a baseball logo or an an for Budweiser from 1987? There are better ways to work this the 1980s and the Cubs. Or they could try something really classic. Maybe they should craft an identity from their BP cap logo…

Jupiter Hammerheads: This is what happens when you cram 15 pounds of design into a 5-pound bag. While the Jupiter and Hammerhead wordmarks are duking it out for attention, the the lighthouse and the hammerhead are competing in the middle of the "composition". They couldn't even get the cap logo down to two elements. It wouldn't be as bad if any of the elements matched each other. And what's the point of the red lighthouse? Neither the red nor the lighthouse help the design in any way. Then we have the type. While the Jupiter wordmark could be decent if it wasn't overstylized, the Hammerheads wordmark looks sloppy and doesn't work with the script of the Jupiter wordmark. It's as if someone took something they liked from four different identities and smooshed them into one mess of color and form.

St. Lucie Mets: As if rehashing the New York Mets graphic design wasn't bad enough, St. Lucie went a step further and slapped together a clip art palm tree and a streaking sun-ball with a Mets wordmark. It's a six color logo. It really only needs to have three colors: blue, orange, and green. The hat logo is even worse. I didn't know Nickelodeon had a minor league team. Seriously though, the tL combination doesn't fit against the S. And the streaking ball behind it doesn't help. There has to be a better way.

Tampa Yankees: Sometimes you come across an identity that really says something. That's what I thought when I came across the Tampa Yankees identity. But what did it say? Afterthought. From the tacked-on block letters of the Tampa script to the fact that the T and Y in the cap logo aren't integrated into one mark says that there wasn't very much effort out into this. With all the money the Yanks have to throw at players, maybe a fraction of that could go to creating a timeless identity for years to come. Just sayin'.

In Other News… The Air Force Academy looked very patriotic in the Independence Bowl… Tulsa had the island mentality during the Hawaii Bowl… The Pacers have been wearing a mistake all year… The Knicks and Bulls got into the holiday spirit… The Cardinals were a sea of red against Dallas… The Rams went all-navy, as did the Broncos… With the free fall the Dolphins are in, maybe they should try something other than wearing all-white at home… Why can't the Bengals wear this full time?

Designer's Corner
As I mentioned (or ranted) earlier, the Jupiter Hammerheads have an amalgamation of mismatched parts the they've visually duct taped into an identity. The first thing I did was streamline the identity. No mroe splashes of red, no more lighthouse. The primary logo is actually fairly stark, using a Hammerheads wordmark in combination with a revised fish hook J. The Jupiter wordmark was re-rendered into a subordinate typeface so it no longer competes with the Hammerheads wordmark. The alternate marks include a standalone J and a circular logo featuring a hammerhead shark with a basbeall cap. The typography combines a traditional script with the added touch of barbs in the letterforms that resemble the end of a fishing hook. Many of the cap options utilize the hook J, but the bases come in a variety of colors and patterns. Some of the caps use the hammerhead logo as well. But my personal favorite cap is the wraparound shark head cap, complete with toothed brim. The home and away uniforms use simple black type with teal piping that is wavy on the sleeves. The home alternate features a teal jerseys with the hook J in black, while the road alternate uniform is all-black. Alternate 3 relies on subtle silver pinstripes and Alternate 4 features a two-tones shark-inspired jersey with gills on the shoulders.


Feel free to leave a comment about the graphic identities of the Florida State League, the Hammerheads concept above, or anything sports branding related.

Game Thread, Week 16: Carolina Panthers

The last time these two teams met, Jonathan Dwyer rushed for 86 yards, and Manny Sanders had 66 yards receiving. Tonight, I'd just settle for a win and no injuries.

Isn't the Point of a Uniform to Be Umm…… Uniform?

By Bowen Hobbs

With the unveilings of the Indians' and Nationals' new uniforms in November, I started to think about the concept of matching. I've always been of the opinion that a team's brand should be as consistent as possible. And yet, three of the four major sports have examples of inconsistency. I do also enjoy alternates that differ from the norm, but I believe a team only needs one of those, if any, depending on the sport.

When I say matching, I'm referring to a team's primary home and away uniforms matching in their general templates. For example, the Cleveland Indians use a placket piping scheme on their "primary" home uniforms, but use sleeve trim and a line of neck trim on the road jerseys. Furthermore, the homes use a script with multiple outlines, while the roads use simple, single-outlined block letters. The Tribe's home alternate cream uniforms would work far better as the primary home option, despite the lack of matching v-neck and sleeve trim.

The Nationals went through great lengths to make their home uniform and two alternate jerseys consistent with two-color placket piping and sleeve trim, but the road uniforms use a three-stripe v-neck trim. I understand using the full Washington script, but if you are going to re-do the trim style of the other three jerseys, why not finish the job? Although other teams use two-color trim, only the Nationals use two-color placket piping.

But home and away uniforms not matching is nothing new in MLB. Just ask any pinstriped team not named the Rockies. (White Sox, Twins, Yankees, Cubs, Marlins, Astros, and Phillies) The Twins used to have pinstriped road greys, but traded them in for relative anonymity. And the Yankees are even nicknamed the "Pinstripes"! Wouldn't a pinstriped road uniform make sense? Maybe some of these teams should think about demoting their pinstriped uniforms to home alternate status.

The NHL has a few teams with inconsistency between the home and road sweaters. The Thrashers (home/away), Blackhawks (home/away), Oilers (home/away), Wild (home/away), Canadiens (home/away), and Rangers (home/away) all show significant differences between white and dark jerseys. The Thrashers are a menagerie of mismatched design elements, while the Wild and Oilers can't decide whether they want a modern or an old school look. The Blackhawks, Canadiens, and Rangers all ahve striping inconsistencies.

The NFL only has three teams with different templates. The Bears and Giants have different striping patterns while the Cowboys are a total mess. Some teams add a splash of color (Cardinals, Bengals, Bills), but the overall template of the uniform is the same. The NBA is amazingly consistent in this regard, as every team's home and away uniforms use the same template. However, the Cavs routinely wore various jerseys that were alternates, throwbacks, and fauxbacks when LeBron James played there.

The main reason that the home and away uniforms should be consistent is that it builds a brand. However, many of the teams I mentioned have a long tradition wearing the two different looks (Canadiens, Giants, Rangers), but why not adapt the team's more established looks to unify their sets.
In Other News… The Bucks wore the red fauxbacks in LA last night… The Ravens wore all black on Sunday, while the Cardinals opted for red pants on the road… The Vikings added to the throwback atmosphere of playing outdoors by wearing throwbacks… The Chargers wore their powder blue alternates last Thursday… The Dolphins wore white at home again, this time against the Bills… The Bengals went 1.5-o-chrome against the Browns… Virginia Tech is going with an orange helmet for the Orange Bowl… Turns out ugly sweaters aren't just for grandmas anymore. They're starting to become a holiday tradition in minor league hockey…


Designer's Corner
This week, I decided to work on a uniform concept for the University of Arizona Wildcats. Arizona has a very strong mark in its A. The existing wildcat logo needs a touch-up, and that is exactly what I did to it. I made the lines crisper and outlined the mark in red to unify it with the rest of the set. The Wildcats also have a wordmark based logo which was upgraded from this to this. While it is a good logo on its own, I felt it needed to be re-styled to match the rest of the identity package. With that in mind, I developed a new desert logo with typography consistent to the rest of the package, including the A logo. The numbers play on the Old West theme, a nod to Old Tuscon. For the uniforms, I wanted to keep a version of the Wildcats' signature helmet striping. The jerseys and pants feature striping that reinforces the helmet striping, as too many teams in college football have helmets that stylistically do not match the rest of the uniform. While the jerseys come in navy, white and red, the helmets and pants only have navy and white options. I could have added red, but I did not feel it added much value to the brand.


Feel free to comment on the uniformity (or lack thereof) of sports uniforms, the Wildcats design above, or anything sports branding related.

Game Thread, Week 15: New York Jets

Yeah, this is a really, really big game. And Ryan Mundy (!) will be reprising the role of Troy Polamalu.

Learning To Like A New Sport

I've been a fan of Arsenal and the English Premier League for five months now. The quick backstory: after being unimpressed by anything I saw in the World Cup, soccer fans encouraged me to follow the EPL. They promised a much more exciting and higher quality brand of soccer than that of the WC--so I promised to pick a team to follow for an entire year and really try to get into the sport.

I chose Arsenal because they were good, but not the best. They would be on TV every weekend. There was a great book written about their history--Fever Pitch--which I read and which really helped me learn about what it meant to follow not just Arsenal, but any EPL side. I also chose the Gunners because they had a reputation for playing a style of soccer that was pleasing to the eye--lots of nifty passing by highly skilled international athletes. And, they just seemed cool--a cool name, cool uniforms, cool history. So far, my choice has been a great one.

I'M A GOONER

I'm keeping my promise. I've seen every league game this season, plus a couple of the other trophy contests. Just last week, Arsenal sat atop the standings (or table, as it's called). Even though I've only been a fan for five months, it still made me swell with pride to see them in first place this deep into the season. But, they lost 1-0 to hated Manchester United, which again brought up the subject that haunts Arsenal: they can't win the big one. In their last 12 against Chelsea or Man U, they are 0-11-1. So, that is the mountain they must climb.

To my eye, Arsenal needs three things (other than health). They need a bit more offensive firepower (I don't understand why Walcott doesn't play more--they say he's he fastest player in the EPL and a good goal scorer). They need a bit more toughness on defense. And, they need a really good goal keeper. They seem to be very close to having all of that, but it's just not quite happening for them.

I've really enjoyed the personalities on the team, from the smooth Cesc who is a passing savant, to the cocky Nasri, who can be a brilliant goal scorer. Their coach, the Frenchman Arsene Wenger, spiced things up this season by having an affair with a French female rap star 35 years his junior. Good stuff!

It's only been five months, but I can't imagine rooting for another team. I chose wisely. My next objective is to see a game at the Emirates Stadium. One day.

LIKES AND DISLIKES

Above all, I'm really enjoying the color and pageantry of the league. The history, the stadiums, the uniforms, the international flavor, and of course the raucous crowds. I'm also digging the athleticism of the players--I've always known they had tremendous stamina, but they are also gifted athletes who have to be much tougher than you might think.

The television coverage of the EPL, and soccer in general, is tremendous. I never realized just how much soccer you can watch if you want to--if you have the right channels. Between certain Fox and ESPN channels, you can watch practically every EPL game each weekend. Amazing. And the coverage is top-notch. The graphics, camera angles, replays and announcers are all terrific. Ian Darke is the best play by play man I've heard, although the guy who sounds like Michael Palin is great, too.

I also like that you have no commercial breaks during each half--it's a tidy, less than two hour investment to make for every match.

The game itself I rate as good to very good. It's not football or basketball in terms of how it sucks me in. However, the EPL was a good tip--it's light years more entertaining than the World Cup. There are plenty of scoring chances in each game. There are usually enough goals. There are organized possessions and constant attacking, which is great. The passing and dribbling can be mesmerizing. I would rather watch Adrian Peterson rip off an 80 yarder, or Kobe make some crazy under-the-backboard-spin-around dunk--but I have to admit that the two goals that Nasri scored against Fulham this month had me jumping off the sofa.

To be honest, I've come around on most of the things I used to dislike about the sport. I don't really like draws--I would prefer a shootout--but I understand they have a place. I used to hate the flopping, but I'm used to it now. I also used to not understand, at all, offside--but I think I get it now. Soccer is like any sport--the rules are the rules, but the interpretation can vary from official to official.

THE SOCCER BONUS

I love my job. I love that I have to watch the Cowboys and Rangers for work. But, I'm also finding that I love watching Arsenal because I don't have to talk about their games on the radio. It's a bit of a release for me, in the same way that pro cycling is. They are escape sports--they are contested in lands far, far away, and I like that. I like that the average guy walking down the street has no idea that Arsenal finished second in their Champions League group, or that Philippe Gilbert won the Tour of Lombardy this fall. It's one of the reasons that, when I was a kid, I was so drawn to the Spurs--because they played in the ABA, and nobody at school new that league existed.

Five months. Not a long time, but I'm happy to report that I'm hooked. In five more months, five more years--even twenty five more years--I think I'll still be hooked. I just hope by then the Gunners have given me at least one trophy to cheer.

Game Thread, Week 14: Cincinnati Bengals

Despite the Bengals' abysmal record, this is a pretty big game for the Steelers. Just in case that wasn't obvious.

Crisis Inter Cannavaro Not Surprising

Although no longer feel the atmosphere of Serie A, Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro still follow the development of football in his homeland. Former Juventus player was even predicted that AC Milan will win the Scudetto this season.

"I think Milan will win the Scudetto and Inter Milan are the current crisis does not make me surprised," said Cannavaro who currently strengthening Dubai club Al-Expert as quoted by the Italian Football.

The reason, this season all clubs in Serie forces nearly balanced. So, there is no more clubs that dominate like last season.

Game Thread, Week 13: Baltimore Ravens

This is for the division. And Ben will be playing on one leg.

Proud Pique Witnessed 400 Million Viewers

El Clasico match on Tuesday into a fight that will never be forgotten Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. In addition to 5-0 victory over Real Madrid, Pique also claimed never to feel the action as grand as that.

Yes, joy Pique also shown in the action held up five fingers round the Nou Camp after the game. Five perennial rivals scored the goal, of course a fantastic record.

"I enjoy the game like when I was a kid," Pique said as reported by Tribal.

"400 million people have watched a best match in the history of Barcelona. We are proud to be part of this team and receive love from many people, it was amazing," beber this Spanish national team defender.