Baseball By Design: Stories of Minor League Logos and Nicknames

The Saint Paul Saints made a name for themselves as an independent franchise with wacky promotions, pig-themed branding, and a heavy-hitting ownership group that includes Bill Murray and Mike Veeck. Now as a Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, the team is carrying on its tradition of fun with wacky branding but a classic brand. The team's executive vice president Derek Sharrer discusses the...

The Bowie Baysox, Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, pay tribute to the nearby Chesapeake Bay with their time-honored brand. GM Brian Shallcross talks about the history of the brand, Curved Brim Media Month rounds out with Patrick Noote of the invaluable resource Baseball Mapper dot com, and Baseball By Design's newest contributor, Wildlife Consultant Ranger Amy, stops by to talk about t...

The Gwinnett Stripers pulled a bait and switch when they announced a name that was not one of the five finalists in their name-the-team contest. Find out how that went down from the team's GM at the time, North Johnson, and Brandiose's Jason Klein. And on week four of Curved Brim Media month on Baseball By Design, Pat Larson of the MiLB Hat History Series talks about singing the National Anthem at...

The Corpus Christi Hooks are named for the fishing industry in the Gulf of Mexico and for the curve ball of one of Texas's most famous native sons (OR ARE THEY?!). This week, CEO of Ryan Sanders Sports & Entertainment (and son of Nolan Ryan) Reid Ryan and designer Dan Simon talk about the napkin sketch that led to the Hooks' logo. And on week three of Curved Brim Media month on Baseball By Des...

The Durham Bulls went from being the very image of the gritty, no-frills minor league experience, as seen in the classic movie Bull Durham, to being one of the iconic brands with one of the most recognized logos in the minors—thanks in no small part to that movie. The team's production designer Paxton Rembis discusses the team's history and the work he's doing with the brand today. And on week two...

The Akron RubberDucks are named for the long history of the tire industry in Akron, not to mention the city's longstanding association with the team's eponymous bath toy. Akron GM Jim Pfander and Brandiose's Jason Klein stop by to talk about the team. Plus, it's Curved Brim Media month in August—each week Baseball By Design will highlight a content creator from the network, starting this week with...

The Charleston Dirty Birds pay homage to the tiniest heroes of local industry with their brand—the literal canaries in the coal mine. The Godfather of Minor League Baseball Branding, Chuck Domino, stops by to talk about his philosophy of naming teams; designer Carolina Buchas talks about the development of the logo; and Jordan Bennett, curator of the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, educat...

The Single-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers have one of the most popular brands in the minors, but they had a unique challenge in replacing a brand based on beloved native son Dale Earnhardt. Alicia Amling of Temerity Baseball, designer Dan Simon of Studio Simon, and six-time Guinness Record holder and human cannon baller himself David "The Bullet" Smith tell the story of this unique brand on this epis...

The High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods are more than just a cool minor league team with a great logo—they're an integral part of their community. On this episode of Baseball By Design, the team's award-winning general manager Eric Leach stops by to talk about not just the team's brand, but the role they play in being good neighbors; home-grown designer Brandon Lamarche of 3-2 Designs talks about his wo...

In Baseball By Design's first ever Tampa Bay Rays-style opener, Sofie Dill joins to tell the story of how she ordered a pizza for Mariners player Jesse Winker. Then, we're joined by Tyler Maun and Josh Jackson, who cover Minor League Baseball in lots of ways, including writing for MiLB's website and on the Show Before the Show podcast. Most importantly for the purposes of this podcast, Tyler Maun...

For two decades, the Pioneer League team in Missoula, Montana, was called the Osprey before they rebranded as the PaddleHeads—a nickname that describes both moose and people who love being on the river. The team survived a season cancelled by COVID and losing their Major League affiliation when the minors were reorganized in 2020, and now have a popular brand new in an idyllic setting. On this epi...

The Burlington Sock Puppets are the only team in the new-look Appalachian League whose logo was not created by Major League Baseball. In the first-ever group interview on Baseball By Design, designer Dan Simon of Studio Simon is joined by Sock Puppets Owner/Team President Ryan Keur, General Manager Anderson Rathbun, and Assistant General Manager Thomas Vickers to discuss the disagreements and disc...

Designer extraordinaire Todd Radom is back on Baseball By Design, this time to discuss his work on the Wichita Wind Surge's Pegasus-based brand and what the nickname Wind Surge means to the up-and-coming city of Wichita, Kansas—not to mention the alternate Turbo Tubs brand that he created. The team's director of fan experience Bob Moullette also joins, offering his perspective on the transition fr...

The Triple-A Worcester Red Sox—or WooSox to friends—have a brand built around the iconic yellow smiley face created by commercial artist and Worcester native Harvey Ball. This episode features the team's director of productions Tim Quitadamo, Brandiose designer Jason Klein, baseball media member and Red Sox fan Gabrielle Starr, and Harvey Ball's son Charles. WooSox Website / Twitter / Tim Quitadam...

It's opening day for the collegiate summer level West Coast League, owner of a brand new logo that highlights the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, where the league operates. The 16-team league features such wacky teams as the Portland Pickles, Walla Walla Sweets, and Nanaimo Night Owls/Bars (who play by different names according to the time of day), but the new logo is understated and subtle. The...

The collegiate summer level Danville Otterbots made a splash with their aquatic robot mammal logo. Otterbots general manager Austin Scher stops by to discuss the many layers of significance to the team's brand—along with his own extensive knowledge of minor league baseball branding. Plus, Otterbots Ambassadors Tim Stoops of Montana and Johnny Bowlin of Mississippi discuss the team's ground-breakin...

The Rocket City Trash Pandas made a splash with their new brand right before the 2020 season, then had to keep the momentum going in spite of a year lost to COVID. The team still set merchandise sales records with their patriotic astronaut raccoon logo and are now one of the best known in the minors. Trash Pandas Vice President Lindsey Knupp and Brandiose's Jason Klein join the podcast to talk abo...

The Idaho Falls Chukars base their identity on a bird that can best be described as a small, husky turkey. This week, Chukars Assistant GM Chris Hall, Pioneer League Vice President Henry Hunter, and Arkansas State Parks Director Shea Lewis (formerly of Idaho State Parks) stop by Baseball By Design to talk about what makes this bird the perfect foundation for a baseball team in southeast Idaho—plus...

The collegiate summer level Carolina Disco Turkeys have only played one full season, but they've taken the world of baseball branding by storm. Team president Greg Sullivan, artist Brittain Peck, and Matt Strangewayes of the Phoenix Zoo talk about what makes disco turkeys—or peacocks—an appropriate mascot for a team in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Carolina Disco Turkeys website | Twitter | Insta...

The iconic prison in Joliet, Illinois, opened in 1858 and has been highlighted in countless pieces of pop culture, from The Blues Brothers to Prison Break to songs by Bob Dylan and Memphis Minnie—and since 2011, the nickname of the Joliet Slammers baseball team, which plays in the independent Frontier League. In this episode of Baseball By Design, guests include Bill Waliewski, who was the Slammer...

The Hartford Yard Goats are one of the most popular brands in Minor League Baseball. They're named for locomotive switchers in rail yards—appropriate to Hartford because the rail industry features prominently in the city's history. But the team's identity extends well beyond trains. General Manager Tim Restall, Brandiose designer Jason Klein, and sports journalist Suzie Hunter join Baseball By Des...

The erstwhile Bakersfield Blaze were not the most glamorous of franchises, but before they were contracted by Minor League Baseball, their backwards-facing ballpark was home to stories that feel like they're right out of a Hollywood movie—games that had to be paused as the sun set over the center field wall, the time they intentionally set the field on fire, a game played with a 12-man roster and...

It's opening day for Triple-A baseball and other affiliated and independent leagues are getting underway soon! We can start taking those baseball road trips we've been planning all offseason! Guests this week include Benjamin Hill of MiLB.com, who has been to 182 minor league ballparks; Jeremy Soule, who in 2014 co-founded the annual Baseballpalooza road trip that Paul talks about all the time; an...

The Savannah Bananas have become a phenomenon in the world of baseball branding. Their popular logo represents more than just a baseball team, but rather an entirely new version of the sport. As the Banana Ball World Tour takes the country by storm, this episode visits with team owner Jesse Cole, designer Dan Simon of Studio Simon, and the Young Professor, who is providing entertainment to fans at...

The Beloit Snappers are no more, but their legend lives on, as told by Chris Kretz, the designer who created the logo in 1995, and Bobby Coon, the team's media director for five years in the 2010s. Find out how Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe, and Ken Griffey Jr. factor into the turtle-based logo. Plus, stay tuned for a surprise post-credit sequence with Howard Aprill, a Wisconsin-based naturalist who is...