Sports Design Blog

MLB: some things that drive me crazy

Now that Major League Baseball is making its return, I got to thinking about some things that really drive me crazy about Major League Baseball. I was a huge MLB fan growing up. I knew every nuance of every logo and uniform and really loved the sport because of all of that. In the 1990's I started to lose my love of the game a bit, moved on to the NBA and some other stuff.

In the modern MLB, there are a few design and uniform related things that just drive me crazy and really get in my way of trying to enjoy the game the way I used to. So, here's a list of my MLB pet-peeves:

The New Spring Training Hats:

What in the world is going on with these spring training BP hats? Is nothing sacred? I was no fan when MLB added the color blocks to the sides a few years ago, but this year's version really crosses the line. What purpose does it serve to add random piping and color blocking to something as pure as the MLB on-field cap? Did they go out and hire someone who did some of the modern NFL gear with all that color blocking and piping. Sorry, but I'm just not getting these at all.

Floppy Pants and Oversized Uniforms:

To me, a baseball uniform should be worn in much the same way as a military uniform, with a certain protocol. It should fit you, it should be tucked in and the pants should be properly stowed at the calf with a nice set of stirrup socks at your feet. The way the modern MLB player wears their uniform makes the game almost unwatchable. I just can't get used to players wearing their jersey three sizes too big and their pants drooping down their legs and dropping down over the back of their shoes. To me, that is just not the way a baseball uniform is supposed to look and really makes the visual enjoyment of a baseball game suffer. Luckily there seems to be some movement taking place back to the nice old school way of wearing the uniform. Let's hope that trend continues.

The Pirates Using Red:

I know this is probably way out there, but the Pirates just don't look right with red in their logo and on their uniforms. I know there is some historical perspective to red being in their color palette, but to me, who grew up seeing the Pirates of the Willie Stargell era, the red just makes no sense. Couple the red with the Pirate madman in the logo and you get a look that, to me, just doesn't cut it. The Bucs need to make a return to their 1970's roots and ditch the red and bring back the old school Pirate.

The Random Use of Black:

I wrote about this last season, but why do teams find it necessary to use black in their uniforms for no real reason? I just don't get why teams like the New York Mets and the Cincinnati Reds feel the need for black as an accent. When you think of the Mets, you think orange and blue, not black. The Reds are named the Reds for a reason, they should be red! I just don't get the addition of black. It seems like the trend for black in licensed products has waned a bit and teams like these need to return to their original color schemes and send the black packing.

Logos That Need to Return:

This is a personal thing, but their are a few old school logos that need to return. You all know my fondness for the old Astros look, and I've even written about the need for them to return to the look that made the team famous. I'd be right back on the MLB bandwagon the minute the Astros brought back the H-star look.

Another team that needs to make a return to the past is the Baltimore Orioles. I really miss the old smiling bird that the Orioles used to feature on their caps. Behind the Astros, the Orioles were my second favorite team growing up, thanks to finding a Jim Palmer Kellogg's 3-D card in my cereal one morning. I just get a great feeling any time I see that old school look and though I like the Orioles caps as they are now, I would go nuts to see the cartoon bird return.

So there you go, some random rantings about my MLB opinions. Major League Baseball and its uniform history hold a special place in my sports design heart, and much of what I wrote is based on the era I grew up in. Maybe some of this stuff will take place and all could become right in my MLB world!

Cincinnati Cyclones/Cincinnati Reds Jerseys

My hometown Cincinnati Cyclones hockey team will take on the Florida Everblades on December 5th at U.S. Bank Arena wearing special Cincinnati Reds themed hockey jerseys for Redsfest Night. The Cyclones will be paying tribute to their neighbors in Great American Ballpark, the Cincinnati Reds, by wearing special Reds themed jerseys. The Cyclones play at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati which is located right next door to the Reds' ballpark on the Ohio River. The Reds will be holding their annual Redsfest on the same weekend.

The jerseys feature the Reds' famous C on the chest and also have Mr. Red on the upper right chest area. The regular Cyclones macot logo appears on each shoulder. The jerseys are a combination you don't see very often, a minor league hockey team and a Major League Baseball team. The jerseys will be auctioned off after the game.

 

The Cincinnati Cyclones are the ECHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators. You can find out more about the Cyclones here.

One Last Look at Baseball.....again!

During the World Series, we had a guest column on SDB from frequent contributor Dan Leonard. Dan's column received lots of great feedback and he wanted to do a follow-up  on his baseball subject. So, without further introduction, here's Dan's column:

By Dan Leonard

I've received quite a bit of positive feedback from readers on my guest column. This comment on my article was made by Starskee on October 30th:

It's curious to consider that innovation is often tempered by superstition and superstition can drive teams to emulate the design of winning teams. A team could come out with some wacky new design and be ridiculed, but if they're winning, all will be forgiven. And then emulated! Having said that, I do dig the classic uniforms. By the way, the font and uniform style of the L.A. Dodgers is still pretty much the original Brooklyn look, right? (Except for the knickers/socks, I guess...)

Starskee's point is quite insightful.

The early 70s Oakland Athletics came out with new uniforms in kelly green, gold and white jerseys that were interchangeable with their white pants. It was a huge break from traditional, staid baseball uniforms. In addition to the radical colored jerseys, they sported gold socks beneath the kelly green stirrups, also a departure from the norm. Yes, those A's teams were certainly trendy, and successful! These stylish dudes won three consecutive world series championships from 1972-74, all while sporting long hair, sideburns, beards and mustaches.

I was devastated when my hometown favorite, Pittsburgh Pirates were unable to hold onto their National League crown in 1972. Their loss in the  divisional playoffs to the Cincinnati Reds forfeited a chance for the grooviest Series baseball had ever seen!

Those Pirates ultimately mimicked the successful Oakland franchise in 1976 with their own radical black, gold and pinstriped, interchangeable jerseys and pants. It was the Centennial celebration of the National League that year and many teams were sporting pill-box styled caps, similar to those worn during the senior circuit's first season. With two different colored caps, they outdid their predecessors, the A's, wearing their jerseys and pants in 15 different combinations.

The Buccos did become superstitious, too. During the 1979 season, the elder statesman, 38 year-old team captain , Willie Stargell decreed that they would only wear the black jerseys with gold pants or vice versa. Thereby, disbanding the pinstriped versions altogether, during their divisional playoffs and World Series games.

Stargell added to the color of those uniforms. Throughout the pennant -winning campaign, he awarded gold 'Stargell Stars' to teammates who's contributions helped win crucial ballgames. The stars were worn on the black pill-box styled caps in between the gold stripes. This exemplified Willie's leadership. He'd been through previous pennant-winning wars, as a young member of the world championship 1971 team led by the great Roberto Clemente, then 37.

All this culminated in the only themed-song title team to date. The '79 Pirates had adopted Sister Sledge's, "We Are Family" as their song during that summer. Some of the player's wives danced to the music on top of the dugout  celebrating a world series victory over the Baltimore Orioles!

The New York Yankees celebrated their 27th World Series title this season. We often fault the big market teams for buying the latest, greatest players, and pennants. Lets give Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera their due. Having only been Yankees, their leadership has been responsible for many championships. It's fun to remember when other small market teams had the same opportunities. Who can imagine Willie Stargell as anything other than a Pittsburgh Pirate?

 

One last look at Major League Baseball

Today's column was written by Sports Design Blog reader and contributor Daniel Leonard from Tucson Arizona. I have gotten to know Daniel through his interaction with the site and have found that he and I shared the same childhood passion for sports and art. His comments are always well thought out and on the money. I knew he would be perfect for a guest spot on SDB. Today Daniel takes us back to baseball one last time this season with a look at the uniforms of the four remaining teams that are still chasing their World Series dream. Thanks to Dan for taking the time to share his thoughts with the readers of SDB today. You can find more information about Daniel and his wife and the way they put their artistic skills to work here.

By Daniel Leonard

As the now extended 'Fall Classic' has begun, I'm here to comment on the classic styles of the uniforms of the remaining four participants. The Yankees, Angels, Dodgers and Phillies all sport what is now known to be true classic baseball uniforms. Does how they appear have anything to do with how well they play? Possibly.

The most recognizable uniform in all of American sport is obviously, the New York Yankees' home white, navy-blue pinstriped version. Their unapproachable record of  26 World and 39 American League  championships is the gold standard all franchises, in all sports aspire to. Many teams over the years have adopted pinstripes, hoping to somehow emulate their success. Certainly, because of their history, they've not deviated much from this look.

The single color, navy-blue cap with the stylized, curved, white, interlocking 'NY' is known worldwide. Throughout the years, the gray road uniforms have been slightly altered, with or without an outline, around the navy 'NEW YORK'. Equally as recognizable is the Yankees logo. The white baseball, covered by 'Yankees', in script, with the bat supporting the 'k'. The 'k' is capped by Uncle Sam's, red and white top hat. Oddly, it only appears on the sleeve of their warm-up jackets or in the on-deck circle.

As players come and go, most aspire at some point in their careers to be Yankees. They understand that with donning those pinstripes, great expectations follow, from both fans and media. Some, like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson and Derek Jeter have reveled in those expectations. Others, too numerous to list, haven't fared so well.

In contrast, the Los Angeles Angels, opponents of the traditional powerhouse Yankees, have finally found success under the steady guidance of manager, Mike Sciocia. Born as an expansion team in 1962, they didn't win much in their first two decades of existence. The then, California Angels, were kind of the career-ending spot for many over-the-hill stars. Occasional, individual stand-out performers, like Nolan Ryan, Alex Johnson and Lyman Bostock's accomplishments were the only things Angel fans had to cheer. Meanwhile, the cross-town Dodgers did all the pennant winning. During those early years, they constantly tried different looks, usually going with the fashion trend of the time. Remember the original 'halo' on the navy-blue caps with the red bills? Inventive, but maybe a little 'too' different.

With the arrival of their championship-experienced manager, these Angels have adopted the 'classic' look. Using red as the dominant color, the halo neatly surrounds the big 'A' on the cap and the 'A' in ANGELS on the jersey. Sadly, the halo no longer tops the stadium scoreboard. Staying with the same ANGELS on all versions of the jersey (vests, white home, gray road, and alternative red) gives them a consistent, great look. Their stylized, curved numerals, with points coming out of the center, make them unique. Hopefully, they'll stay with this style, as they've enjoyed success. Future Angels should aspire to follow the tradition of winning built during the 'Sciocia' years.

Over on the senior circuit, both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies look the part of winners, though they've travelled different routes to arrive there.

The Dodgers, much like their cross-country rival Yankees have held to their traditional uniform since the middle of last century. With 6 World and 18 National League championships, many a young ball player has aspired to wear 'Dodger Blue'. The interlocking LA on the cap and shoulder of both the Dodger home and away jersey represents an attitude as much as it's city. Only block red numbers to the right, below the blue, scripted 'Dodgers' adorn their clean white home uniforms. No stripes on the legs or sleeves makes LA's National League franchise one of kind. Returning to the blue, scripted 'Los Angeles' across the chest on the visiting gray version is a tribute to their 1960's championship heritage. A fact, not lost on their current manager, Joe Torre (once a leader of four previous Yankee World champion squads) brought in to return to those lofty goals.

Finally, those Philadelphia Phillies. Red pinstripes are worn well by this current championship group seeking to repeat. With red as the dominant color, the cap boasts a white, 1950's style, scripted 'P' and the perfect contrasting, blue cap tip. An alternative, blue cap with red visor looks great when worn with either home white, pinstriped or away grays. Both with the 50's style, scripted 'Phillies' across the chest. Nice touch in the 'Phillies'  script is the contrasting, blue stars which dot each lower case 'i'. The Phillies also have an excellent logo. Worn on the sleeve, the blue ballfield with the Liberty Bell in it, blends historic tradition of the city to the team. This current uniform is a radical departure from the zipper-fronted, 70's style worn by Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and Greg Luzinski. It's a version Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard are doing their best to stamp in their era as 'Classic'!

Old School Design: Cincinnati Reds

As I was digging around looking for some old photos over the weekend, I uncovered this classic sports design gem. This card is a Cincinnati Knot Hole Club card from 1957 that was issued by the Cincinnati Reds. The card was issued to my Dad when he played knot hole baseball in the 1950's. The card features the Crosley Field era Reds mascot and the signature of team president Powel Crosley Jr.

The back of the card is a true classic. It contains information about the Knot Hole Code of Honor that all team managers are supposed to promote.The card describes how all players should behave while attending a game at Crosley Field. The Code of Honor features some classic rules to live by that are very representative of the year 1957.

Among the rules are:

-I will not cut class or miss school without permission.

-I will not attend "Knot Hole Day" at Crosley Field against the wishes of my parents or guardian.

-I will not use tobacco in any form at Crosley Field.

-I will not trespass on private or railroad property to or from Crosley Field.

-I will practice "Safety First" by not throwing anything at Crosley FIeld.

-I will endeavor to practice clean speech, clean sports, clean habits, and show by my conduct in school or at ball games, my worthiness to retain membership in the Knot Hole Club.

Classic rules to live by that are so reminiscent of this great time in American history. This card is a great look back at baseball's past, when life moved a little bit slower and the game was truly at the heart of American life. I hope you enjoyed this little trip through time, old school Major League Baseball style.

Then and Now: Cincinnati Reds

Today I wanted to take a look at the traditional Major League Baseball team photo, as it was done then and now. This team photo of the Cincinnati Reds is from the 1981 season. The 1981 season is well known because it featured a first half champion and a second half champion due to the work stoppage in the middle of the season. The Reds finished with the best overall record in their division that year but failed to make the playoffs due to the unusual season format.

This team still had some very famous names on its roster, many of whom played for the Big Red Machine, like Johnny Bench, Dave Concepcion, George Foster, and Ken Griffey. Another notable member of this Reds team was Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver. This Reds team was the last time you would see some of these famous names on the team, and was the last successful season for the Reds for many years to come.

This team photo is typical of the team photos of the day. It featured the players and coaches posed together on the field in one big family group. It was a bit like Olan Mills day at the ballpark. The bottom of the team photo featured the team's logo with '81 Cincinnati Reds in a great Cooper style font, found quite frequently in design from that time period. Under the team name was a full roster in simple black and white.

Fast forward to the present day and you find that the Major League Baseball team photo really hasn't evolved all that much over the years. The 2009 version benefits from modern graphics software, with the team name and roster being placed over the image, rather than on a white background. The team is photographed in the grandstands, and the pose is a bit more hip, but the idea remains the same, players and coaches all gathered together for one big happy family photo. One of the more notable improvements in 2009 versus 1981 is the clothing styles worn by the training staff.

Though many things have changed over the years in sports design, the traditional team photo still stays true to its roots as a staple in Major League Baseball each season.

Old School Design: Montreal Expos

In today's Old School Design, I wanted to take a look at one of Major League Baseball's strangest logos and a team that had a great graphic and uniform history. That team is the now defunct Montreal Expos. The Expos had one of the most unexplainable logos in sports history and had some crazy uniform looks as well.

Let's start with the logo. Is it an M? Is it MEB for Montreal Expos Baseball? Is it something in French? Whatever it is, I spent a lot of time as a child trying to figure out what the elements of the logo meant. For a long time I though it was ELB, which made no sense at all, but I guess my young mind couldn't process everything going on there. I'm sure some of you out there know the story on the logo. No matter what it said, I always liked the logo and was fascinated by it.

Now on to the uniforms. Who can forget the Expos uniforms from the 1970's? The bright red, white and blue colors. The over the shoulder sleeve stripes and best of all, the crazy three color paneled hat. The images of Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Tim Raines will always be etched into our memories wearing these classic uniforms. The uniforms also came in a powder blue version as well. I still can't get my mind around Peter Edward Rose in these classic Expos colors.

Though the Expos are now in the history books, only remotely represented as the current Washington Nationals, their logo and uniform looks will always be remembered as true Major League Baseball classics.

Old School Design: 1970's Hostess Baseball Cards

Continuing with our theme from yesterday, we take a look at another food related baseball treasure in today's Old School Design. These 1970's baseball classics came from the bottom of your favorite Hostess snack box in the 1970's. Each box of your favorite cream filled snack featured three cards of the tops stars from Major League Baseball.

The cards all had a thin dashed outline around them so you could cut them out and trade them with your friends. Of course, cutting them out completely ruined any collector value they had, but as a kid in the 1970's, were you really thinking about such things?

The cards were simple in design, definitely not filled with any graphic bells and whistles. Each year the designs evolved a bit but never really explored any creative innovations. The Hostess cards were a great showcase for the pre-Photoshop airbrushing skills of the time, as seen in these examples of Buddy Bell and Dennis Eckersley and the Catfish Hunter card above.

These cards were another great example of baseball card collecting in the 1970's and the crazy ways kids from that era had to use to acquire the best card collection in town. I'm sure I consumed more Hostess snack cakes than I really needed to in order to get my hands on these baseball gems.

Old School Design: Kellogg's 3-D Baseball Cards

How many of you are old enough to remember the feeling you got when you rushed downstairs in the morning to open up your new box of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, with one of these outstanding gems inside? There was nothing quite like the feeling of shaking the box around and spilling it everywhere in the quest to see which Major League Baseball superstar was waiting for you inside on the 3-D card!

The Kellogg's 3-D Super Stars series featured the top players in Major League Baseball at the time, on a 3-D styled lenticular baseball card. For the 1970's, this technology was way out there and produced a card like no other at the time. These cards were also loaded with awesome 1970's style sports graphics.

I'll never forget when I pulled this Jim Palmer card out of the box. For some reason, after I found this card waiting for me in my morning cereal, I adopted Jim Palmer as my favorite player at the time and became a big Orioles fan. There was no rhyme or reason as to why this happened, the card just affected me that way! I know I've heard stories of others who had similar experiences.

The Kellogg's 3-D Superstars cards bring back some great childhood memories and will always hold a special place in my sports design history heart.

Cincinnati Reds History

Yesterday I introduced you to a great photo gallery featuring the history of the Cincinnati Bengals. Today I wanted to point you to another gallery that features some ridiculously cool images relating to the history of the Cincinnati Reds. Just like the Bengals gallery, this one is loaded with some great looks at old Reds uniform and logo designs.

This ad features a Reds player from 1940. Classic Reds uniform from the early 20th Century. This cover of baseball digest from 1948 features Reds player Hank Sauer. Rogers Hornsby as a Red. This was from the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1954. This logo was painted on the wall at Crosley Field. A baseball card with Johnny Bench wearing the #55. 1970 All-star Game ballot for the game at Riverfront Stadium. We all loved our Kellogg's 3-D cards! A great look at a 1972 World Series press pin. A great cover from Cincinnati Magazine. Pete! (I drank a bunch of this stuff as a kid) The Uncle Al style ushers hats from the 70's and 80's. Great shot of Marty and Joe from 1975.