NFL Logo Rankings: #26 Bills and #25 Bengals

Doubling it up today. As I continue the countdown today, I begin with #26 the Buffalo Bills. The Bills have been using the leaping buffalo since 1974. For that time period, this logo was sleek, energetic and forward thinking. It first debuted on the helmet on white, but they moved to a red helmet to separate themselves from the rest of the division. At the time the Patriots, Jets, Colts, and Dolphins had white helmets, and for good reason. White helmets look sweet, so I understand them changing. Plus when you line up against divisional teams twice a year, it's not a bad thing to want to look different and separate yourself from the opponents. However, the Bills broke out the throwbacks. And good lord are they great. Which brings me to the logo. Like the Lions, seeing just that silhouette of that buffalo on the helmet reminds me how the simplest logos can say a lot. There is no guessing. No flare or fireworks. It says Buffalo. And since this team is associated more with it's city name than it's nickname, why not embrace it? A buffalo for Buffalo. It's perfect. And it's time to move past the mess they've made of their current uniforms and the 4 straight Super Bowl losses. Bring back the lone buffalo!

Keep the white helmet or...

Keep the red. It's a win, win.

Next we have #25 the Bengals.

The Bengals. Great helmet, car wreck uniforms, dumb logo. The "B" just doesn't work. It looks too complicated and clunky. It's actually not a very good "B". I sort of looks like a "B". Kind of. 

This is an easy fix. They have a great Bengal head they use. Just stick with that and leave the cartoon letters alone.

Which, while I'm thinking about it. The AFC North is such a weird conference for logos and uniforms. I just ranked 3 of the 4 teams in the bottom 10, leaving only the Steelers to be ranked. The 3 I have ranked already, Ravens, Browns, Bengals, are all weirdly linked. It's like the Kevin Bacon game:

The AFC North has 2 teams with a ton of history (Steelers, Browns). The Browns have history but their team was moved to Baltimore. Baltimore used to be the Browns but they share the history of the Colts since Johnny U played there (BTW be sure to catch the ESPN 30 for 30 film about the Colts Marching Band. It's excellent). So you have 2 teams that have broken histories, both being new teams one way or the other. The Browns and Bengals used to be owned by the same owner, Paul Brown and the Bengals we're modeled, look wise. The Browns were named after him but Cincy's stadium is named after him. The Browns have never won a Super Bowl, but the Ravens did. Baltimore has 2 SB wins but 2 different teams did it (Colts, Ravens). No wonder the Steelers are usually the best team in this division.

Then the AFC North has  4 different helmets styles: Browns no helmet logo, Steelers with 1 helmet logo, Ravens with the standard 2 helmet logos, and the Bengals have an all over design. 

It's a mess.

BIG post: NFL Logo #27 Ravens, New NBA Unis

Big post today. I had to work a lot the last couple days and couldn't get to some of the news going on. Continuing the NFL Logo countdown, we have #27 the Ravens. I have never been a big fan of any of their logos. At least the ones they slap on their helmets. For those of you who don't know, the Ravens actually debuted with no raven on the helmet but rather a crest with wings. However, there was a lawsuit over the creation. Well, the guy won but got no money from the suit and the Ravens changed their logo. Personally, I would have just taken pride in the fact that the team was using my logo and just got them to agree to credit me as the designer and some free swag every year. But that guy got a lose-lose. All he has is that Wikipedia entry to show for it. And what a cheap move by the Ravens, but what do you expect from an owner who moved the Browns (note, Cleveland kind of had this coming because he wanted a new stadium and they said no right after they had just gave the Indians a new one. Still a shady move, but hey it's his team. All fans remember that. Owners actually own the team. They are the ones that really win or lose, risking their own bank rolls. It sad, but true.) Anyways, when it comes down to it, a simplification of the logo is all they need. Here is a mock I whipped up:

See, doesn't that look cleaner? They can keep the raven head and use it else wear. 

 

In other news the NBA has a foursome of new uniforms. The biggest one being the Cavs officially de-LeBroned themselves, ditching the uniforms they changed to when they drafted the King. Those are some new beauties. It's a shame their is not one single player I would want to buy their jersey on that team. Maybe Varejo but he's not the type player that is going to stay there. He'll be a role player on several NBA teams in his career. Let it be known though, these uniform changes have to be approved months in advance. So LeBron was probably still shooting left handed free throws with the Cavs while these were being approved by the league.

Next we have the Timberwolves who kept the same basic design but ditched the green. Whatever. It's not really that big of a change to get all crazy about but personally I liked the green thrown in there. I feel like they went a little bland with the change to gray. Also seems really silly since they just updated their uniforms last year and green has always been in their color scheme (I like that logo better anyways).

Next is the Jazz who have music noted themselves and look great. I was afraid the Jazz were going to color overload but I like it. And to answer that report I linked to: Yes, they did. I love the road jerseys. The white version of the Jazz logo pops on it. Although, I do find it weird each set emphasizes a different color scheme. The whites seem to favor green and the roads highlight blue and yellow. Hey, smoke'em if you got them, right. It might be smart in the long run because then could move to a green alt or yellow alt. They've got some option with all those colors.

And finally we have the Clippers. Just some tweaking with added piping. I do like the new red with the Los Angeles script. But seriously after reading this article on Donald Sterling's latest thoughts, who cares. As Pirates fan, I can honestly say the Nuttings aren't the worst owners in pro sports. Go Bucs!

More NFL Rankings tomorrow!

Ranking NFL Logos: #28 Falcons

You know, sometimes when I first see a changed logo, I get all excited and think it's such an upgrade over the previous version. Then time passes and as I see it more, it's luster wears off. Then I begin to hate said logo. Case in point, the Falcons. When they debuted the new version, I thought they nailed it. It looks more like an "F". It's meaner looking. More colorful.

But then I started to waver, a lot. And it really came to a head when the Falcons did what so many other teams have done, they throw on a throwback uniform. And after seeing that, it was all clear to me. That's what the Falcons should look like. That is a top 5 uniform. The striping is gorgeous. The red on the jerseys pop out at you. The red helmet has the perfect contrast with the black logo. The logos on the shoulders perfectly compliment the logos on the helmet. It has everything. But sadly, they only wear the throwback two times a year.


If you compare the current to the old, it's no contest. I understand why the Falcons moved away from the old set. The old red helmet set looked like the Georgia Bulldogs, even more so when the Bulldogs decided to look like the old Falcons with their black ensemble (UG did that way, way after the Falcons changed). So they had to evolve. But when all the Vick shit hit the fan, that was the perfect time to move away from that and restore a pre-Vick look. Go back to a time before your quarterback was a full blown dog fighter. There is still time for that. Hey at least we get to see the throwbacks twice a year. All year would be better.

Ranking NFL Logo's: #29 Detroit Lions

 

This is not going to be long entry. The Lions did what a some teams decide to do, change when there was no need. The lions had a perfectly good logo, and chose to first add black with made no sense and in turn transformed their uniforms into the Carolina Panther 2. Then they go and add details to the previous, which was not needed. Shame, shame. They had a perfectly iconic logo. It was so simple it was perfect. I didn't need claws, an eye, and fur patterns to realize that I was looking at a lion. Just one of the many reasons this franchise hasn't won anything. I didn't mind the change in fonts and if they wanted to tweak the number font, that's fine. But, come on. Seriously. They needed to add that crap. Especially, when you are looking at their helmets on the field, you can't see the details. What's wrong with the silver and blue?...nothing.

Seriously, was the old lion not "liony" enough?

Ranking NFL Logo's: #30 Titans

Warning video has sound.

Hey, hey. I got my new toys. I was playing all day and came up with that video for the logos. As you can see my #30 ranked team is the Titans. I find a few things wrong with the Titans logo. One, the flames. Do we need them? I say no. And why have blue flames. If you are going to go with fire, I would think you would want bright blazing fire. Not simmering flicker flames that you might find on your common gas stove in the kitchen. You are playing football not simmering Hamburger Helper. Next, they kept the Oilers colors. Shame on them. If you are going to take the time to completely move a team and change it's identity, go all the way. Plus, it robbed Houston from bringing back their sweet former look. Finally, this is one of those logos that was kind of cool when it debuted, but now it's past it's prime. And not just the logo but the whole Titans look in general. It's dated. And the solid baby blue uniforms are awful. I'm not a fan of solid color uniforms in general, but that one is real bad.

So now that I have my new toys, here are a couple ideas for a changes. On one I dropped the flames and made it a shield and the other i took the current helmet, flipped it to baby blue, and altered the emblem.

What do you think? Not bad for my first stab at doing this.

NFL Primary Logo Rankings: #31 Texans

I have never really got into the Texans since they came into the league. To me, I forget that they are a part of the NFL. They really haven't done much since becoming the 32nd franchise in 2002. Although that could change this year. They keep coming up as the team to look out for...for 3 straight years. And still nothing. In their defense, they have the Colts and Peyton Manning in their division. The Jaguars and Titans too. All 3 have been legit Super Bowl contenders or playoff teams every year since the Texans joined the league. I think my biggest disappointment in their look is twofold. One, they chose a name that was already used by an NFL franchise, the Dallas Texans who then became the Kansas City Chiefs. And two, I loved, loved, loved the old Houston Oilers logo and uniforms. The baby blue, one of the best helmets ever, Warren Moon, and the run and shoot offense. Loved it! I wanted them to be the Oilers again. When I was a kid, I fell in love with two team logos: the New England Patriots and the Houston Oilers (I grew up in Pittsburgh Steelers' country but that team just didn't resonate with me. I don't know why, they just didn't.) So I had two teams I was being pulled in by (well, three. I also liked the 49ers but I was a kid and they had Montana and Rice and were winning Super Bowls. I also liked the gold and red and they're were beasts on Super Tecmo Bowl. But that didn't last long.) So after much long debate, one of the worst defeats a team could go through, and the drafting of a player who was my boy after watching him in college, the New England Patriots became my team. And I'm glad I did. I couldn't have stomached when the Oilers left and then giving me the Texans.

In the reincarnation of Houston football. I have three problems with the Texans logo. One, at first glance, what the hell is it? You eventually get it's a bull. Two, it's really hard to try yo give a 2D logo and 3D effect. Slanting and proportions of each side are the way to do it but when you try to do it too much it looks awkward. And three, red, white, and blue colors plus a recycled nickname...how original. You chose the same color scheme as 4 other teams in the league already.  If you were going to go with those colors, at least match it to your city's flag. Sorry Houston, but it could have been better. But beggars can't be choosers for you. You have to love this team and from what I've seen you do. Good for you...

2010 Uniform: Home, Road, and Alternate

The Texans have been pretty much rolling with the same designs since their inception. Although at the first official unveiling (the video is the first the rally where they announced the team name. Could funny things from it. Bob McNair talked about the will wear Battle Red and the team wore blue, He said he chose something as a proud Texan, to represent all of Texas. I think the Cowboys might be scared by that. Or they just build the holy mecca of football stadiums. And a side note, a Skittle commercial ran before the video and it had a grown up Jake Berman from Little Giants. He called for the Annexation of Puerto Rico play in the movie or "Fumblerooski"), the team showed a white helmet but later changed it to the nave blue. Also some teams just look better in a certain set of uniforms. The Texans look really sharp in their red alternates. One of the better alternate uniforms in the league. It should maybe be their actual home uniform instead of the blue. Although the all red is fugly. Uniform wise, I was hard on them but it's really not that bad of a total look. Could be better though.

NFL Primary Logo Rankings: #32 Browns

The poor city of Cleveland. I hate ranking them last after what they have been through lately ("I'm taking my talents to South Beach"). But, with that said I have to put them last in the logo ranking because well they don't really have one. That is what they use. Their helmet. Really? That's all you got? It's not like they don't have options. They have a their dog face logo. They tried a "B" logo with striping (under the crazy dog logo). Both okay but I can see why they didn't quite stick. Well, I guess I shouldn't say that. The dog face is one they currently sort of use but it's really not that good. Anyways, the Browns have pretty much just used the helmet as their logo for 25 years. The sad part is they could be top 5 if not #1. They used to have a "brownie" elf guy logo that was just fantastic. Does that logo any way say tough, macho, dog pound, intimidating, or any other adjective a football team wants to say. No, but it is sooooooo awesome. This could be the Boston Celtics logo of the NFL. And you know what, the Browns really haven't won anything since they ditched the elf so it's time to bring back that Cleveland Browns magic.

Uniforms for 2010: Home, Road, Throwback

Their also seems to be the possibility for brown on brown, white on white, and they have worn orange pants before but I think the Mangenius wanted to go with the brown pants. I really like the Browns on-field look. They are a top 5. It's original, iconic, and just plain works. Literally the Browns are the only team that openly and passionately use the color brown. More power to them. But no logo means you get ranked last when it comes to a logo ranking list.

Not to rub salt in a wound but remember this? Jerk...

Who Are We? Not the Devil Rays, for sure...

The Tampa Bay Rays. It's been 2 years now since the dropped the "devil" from their names and decided to be known as just the Rays. Since then, they seem a little confused on finding exactly how they want to be identified. I get the play of the name. Florida has sun and the sun makes rays (a play I find a little strange for a team that plays indoors in what most consider the worst baseball stadium in MLB. The get no rays in there). I will give them credit. they are trying to make it work in Tampa. Why Tampa isn't behind them fully, I'll never know. As a Pirates fan, I would kill to get that team in the Black and Gold (Some sports writer wrote an article about that a couple months ago that MLB should fire everyone in the Pirates organization an then move the Rays to Pittsburgh and let that team play as the Pirates in the best ballpark in MLB. It begs for the big stage). Dreaming. Dreaming. And I'm back. Anyways, the rays went from this to their current version. They promptly made a World Series appearance. I'm of the thinking that the green color scheme they had before was a very good look. Also because green is soooo underplayed in MLB. Literally the Oakland A's are the only other team that uses it. So let's breakdown the Rays uniform combos:
1. Home white
2. Road Gray
3. Blue Alternate
4. Baby Blue Alternate

First thing I've noticed is they are totally committed to being the Rays. It's on all 4 of the jerseys. Where they seem confused it what to do with their alternate logos. Are they the sun rays or the "devil" rays? The fish ray logo is a jersey sleeve patch on the home and road uniforms. The sun ray logo is apart of the Rays logo and is in the outfield on their "grass" turf. So which are you, Rays? And they have a nice TB logo, why not use it more? So here are my quick fixes.

1. Choose an alt logo and stick with it. Fish, Sun, or the TB.
2. Come up with a Tampa Bay full logo to use on the road jersey.
3. One of the alternates, I'd say the baby blue, put the one of the alt logos, TB, sun, or ray, on the left chest.
4. Figure out where to better utilize the use of gold. They have it in there. It could be used more effectively.
5. Move the team to Pittsburgh and become the Pirates. No, actually I'd like to see one of their alt logos used on a cap to break up the monotony of the TB hat. It's nice but it's about finding more choices to sell.

The Rays need to get it together because their time is now. They have the star players. They've been to the World Series. They are arguably better than the Yankees and the Red Sox who are bigger payroll teams. The Rays are in the spotlight and they need to shine with their look.

Who Are We? The Blue Jays?

There are some things that don't make sense with baseball uniforms when it comes to colors in team names. The White Sox don't wear white socks. The Red Sox don't wear red socks. But the Blue Jays seemed confused and I can't forgive them for their mistake. I have no problems with them adding black. In fact it's actually more realistic to what a blue jay looks like. But here in lies the problem; the breadown of the uniform combos:
1. Home white 2. Road gray 3. Black Alternate
4. Throwback Alternate

See the dominating tone. It's black. Except for the throwback alternate. But then they go and over do it with the blue. Baby blue is the new black. Seems like evey team is trying to throw it in somewhere. What the big shame is is there was nothing wrong with their previous 2 uniforms( 1992 WS, Clemens era. This logo was kind of stupid). Personally, I hate the overdone beveling on the lettering. They had a classic font. That's what the Blue Jays look like to me. So, here are my quick fixes:

1. Flip the primary colors. More blue less black. Hell, even change black to navy blue.
2. Drop the beveling from the letters.
3. Change the throw back blue to the version they wore in 1992.
4. Bring back the blue and white hat. It could be their niche.
5. Embrace the Canadian leaf again. As the only Canadian team left in MLB, own it.

Overall, I really don't like the new blue jay face with the "J" logo. The old school blue jay with the little red maple leaf, and the stripe style font need to come back. Until the Blue Jays embrace who they are, they are stink-o looking. My feelings on them, they are going to be a while before they can pass the Yanks, Red Sox, and Rays for a World Series. At least come up with a look that will sell gear. As of now, I wouldn't buy any of their new stuff. Which is sad, because I would love to have some their stuff. The Joe Carter walk off home run was one of my favorite baseball memories. I could get behind that. Right now, not so much...

It's Been A While...MLB Teams Who Can't Find Themselves.

Yes, I know. It has been a while. Let me just say it's not that I'm too busy or don't want to work on this blog. It's actually the opposite. I am very close to getting a new computer with all the Adobe software I can handle. And I really want to get it so I can edit and show my thoughts, just not type them out and let anyone reading guess what I am talking about. My passion is still there, I just got frustrated with my product. I want it to be better, a lot better. So since I'm close to getting what I want, I'm ready to dive back in. So, with no further delay, here is my new project. I have been looking around at what teams are doing, and what they have been wearing. I've been watching baseball and soccer all summer. While watching some baseball, I have a few teams in mind that just don't seem to know what to do with themselves. Their looks are confusing, and just don't make any sense. And as I looked there are teams like this in all the upper echelons of pro sports in America. I'm going to start with the MLB teams since it's their season right now.

The first team I've picked to do this is the Washington Nationals. The Nats, well they are all over the place. First thing, lets breakdown all their current combos (note these are from the MLB galleries so you might have to scroll through to see what I'm talking about):
1. Home whites
2. Road grays
3. Red Alt
4. Blue DC Alt

When you look at all those combos, there are so many mismatches in identities it's scary. The home whites have the classic curly W logo, with a modern looking font on the jerseys. The road grays and red alts look good from the front and almost completely match for what would be a great look. Then you see the backs and they use the modern font for the numbers. All 3 have the the modern, solid colored DC logo sleeve patch. Then lastly the the blue DC alt. Not much to describe for those besides awful. Why they want to throw a Stars and Stripes theme into the logo is quite the conundrum. Especially since they use the regular DC logo on their other jersey sleeves. One a side note, the blue jersey is the only one that actually looked respectable with those MLB American Pride hats they made every team wear including Toronto, but wisely made them in Canada's colors.

The Nationals don't seem to know whether they want a modern look or a classic look. Or if they want to be identified as the team name, city, or city nickname. Here are my quick fixes, without a major overhaul to all.

1. Use the solid DC logo on the home red cap paired with the modern number font.
2. Keep the road grays with the navy hat and use the curly W logo. Drop the modern fonts and use a plain block number scheme.
3. Burn the Stars and Stripes DC crap or just put the regular DC logo instead.
4. Drop Nationals name all together and just rename them the Washington Strasburgs or drop Washington and call them the Strasburg Nationals. Sounds like a city right?
5. Move back to Montreal and re-become the Expos. At least they looked cool.

The Nationals have a lot of potential with their uniforms but they've just thrown too many elements together. If you are going to have the biggest name in baseball on your team, fix it so you sell even more gear.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Team Name for the Birds

Hope everyone had a good holiday. I have been really busy recently and the news has been slow. Really the only thing going on is MLB and the World Cup. I already broke down the World Cup uniforms. As a fan watching the games, I am rooting for Holland although Germany has been really fun to watch. I would like to see that match up in the finals. With baseball going on, I get bored writing about the different uniform match ups since their seems to be way to many options. For anyone who paid attention over the past weekend, all the teams wore those awful Stars and Stripes caps that don't match majority of the teams uniforms (more on that later in the week). Anyways, I came across this item that was posted on Uniwatch. It's the original article from when the Penguins team name was announced. And it didn't sound like too many people, fans, front office, the media, were really fond of it. But that's the name to board approved and that's history. Now you have one of the most popular and successful franchises in the NHL. I found one thing funny. They came up with a stock uniform before the team name was even announced. And they further more sounded happy they did so they could keep their distance from the team name, Penguins. To see the article, click here, and then it should take you to the page on a story about Bill Mazoroski. On the right there is a view finder and drag it to the left to the little circle on the left, above the picture of two guys in suits. That's the Pens logo and you can read it in larger area. Great article.  

Weekend Round Up: MLB Throwbacks, Timbers Revise Logo

On Saturday, I did a recap of the two new MLS teams for next year. I link to some reports and a video of the Portland fans booing and hating their new mark. Well they've already revised the new logo so here is the new, new logo. Changes they made: #1 They took away the yellow and green shadowing on the ax, going with just a plain, white ax. #2 They removed the line slashes that were pointing into the word mark. #3 They toned down the thickness of the outer yellow outline. As I stated before, I thought the new logo was fine and I don't feel any differently about this updated version. I guess after looking at it, the old, new version didn't need all that detail on the ax. The plain ax is still bold looking and gets the point across. But really I could go either way. I think their fans were being too picky but when they are drawing 3 times as many people as the Triple A baseball team, they care a lot (the Timbers draw 15 to 20 thousand people to their matches pre MLS).

The Brewers and Mariners broke out the old duds for a game in their weekend Interleague series. Now this isn't new for the Brewers who have a throwback alternate already, but the Mariners wore a version they don't go to very often. And really, this is another team that after years of using the "S" compass logo, might really need to look at going back to this old school beauty. Or at least incorporate it somehow. I see the trend of a lot of teams finally realizing their old look. I would like the Mariners to take that step.

The O's and Nats put on the throwbacks as well. The Nationals had to of course use the Senators, which is weird they are allowed to use them since the Texas Rangers were the result of the Washington franchise moving. The Senators uniforms are kind of boring but the work. I have to say that the Orioles look great. That old template looks fantastic and I love the cartoon bird. I don't know why the O's insist on using the actual oriole bird as their primary cap logo. An oriole is such a pacifistic bird so why not cartoon it up? I love the smiling bird on the cap and combine that with the O's cap, that the combo they should have. And don't get me wrong, I like the current Orioles look. But that cartoon bird is great. Which is strange because I hate the Indians Chief Wahoo guy on their cap.

A's-Buccos Break Out the 70's

The Athletics and the Pirates broke out into solid color 70's uniforms on Saturday. Both looked so awful, they looked fantastic. The A's were in all gold and the Bucs in all Black (link to photo gallery). After seeing the A's on Saturday in the gold and then they wore those stupid black uniforms on Sunday, I wish they would go with an alternate gold with the A's logo. The Bucs should think about the same thing. Although I don't care about their black alternate because they have black in their color scheme. I'm not a huge fan of the black alternates, I do kind of like the white outline. And I don't get why they kept the sleeveless pinstripe alternate. If they want to go pinstriped, go with this. Anyways, back to Saturday's game. The teams looked nice but I wish they both would have went with different colors for either the jersey or pants. The A's could have went with green pants, gold jersey and the Bucs black jersey, gold pants. It was a little too much solid colors. And I couldn't find a decent picture but I couldn't tell if either team was wearing real stirrups or if they were made into the socks. And the A's starting pitcher Cahill had the fake stripe socks on. Come on this ain't softball. It looked awful

Two New MLS Teams For Next Year

Starting in 2011, two new expansion teams will be joining the MLS. Those two teams have unveiled their logos. The Vancouver Whitecaps FC have been around in some form for over 30 years. The team name has been the pro soccer team moniker by deflate for 6 teams in 4 men's leagues and is also the current women's league name. The current Whitecaps of the USSF will move up to North America's highest pro league with the logo pictured left. The new logo is a welcomed change from their current logo, which is very cartoonish. It's not bad, very sleek but not much character. I like the baby blue and I don't know if the meant to but the almost have a interlocking "VW" formed on the bottom blue. If they did mean it I wonder why they didn't complete the formation of it?

Now the other team scheduled to make their debut, will move up from the USL to the MLS. The Portland Timbers unveiled their logo with only one minor problem: the fans hate it. Well not all of them but it seems a lot of people preferred the old one. I personally like it. I also like the old one. I guess that's the conundrum. Did it need to be changed? Some are calling the new one too cartoonish, unfinished looking, too busy, and many other negative things. It doesn't start well for a franchise when after it's unveiled at a public video display, the crowd chants vulgarities and boos. Watch this video on YouTube. At first they cheer and awkwardly applause then it's like it hits the crowd what they are looking at and then turn on it. Relax Portland. It's not that bad.

Cavs Change Their Colors Slighly

The Cleveland Cavaliers went public with their already leaked color change (link to Cavs press release). Nothing ground breaking. In fact it's almost the same. But they are going with what they are claiming are the original wine and gold to embrace their history. Took them long enough. Like I said nothing ground breaking. It looks good but I wouldn't say it looks better. I nothing this change. I don't hate it, I don't love it. I practically have no opinion about it. No word when we will see the new uniforms and no word whether Lebron is swayed to stay with the new colors. I wonder if Lebron picked them out? Here are the alternate logos below:

The Warriors Don't Look Terrible Anymore!

The Golden State Warriors went with what is the new school thing to do; go old school. On the day of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Lakers Game 7, the Warriors showed their new, old colors, logos, and potentially what their uniform will look like. I like the new primary, a lot. It's cool, it's classic and it's not the RoboCop lightning thrower anymore. I'm definitely going to have to move them up, way up on my ranking list but I'm going to wait because I don't want to over react with it's initial release. They have several alternate logos as well with one with the standard basketball inside the NBA logo (which almost every team does), a state of California with a W on it, and one that doesn't make too much sense to me. If you look they have a logo with "SF" on it. I'm assuming this is for San Francisco however they aren't the San Francisco Warriors anymore and they play in Oakland. I would think GS would work better. My other complaint is the font. That font is Copperplate Gothic which can be used by anyone with Microsoft Office applications. So really, anyone can use the Warriors new font. I would have like to see something a little more creative. And the new uniforms they have displayed looks like they are going to use the whole logo on the front and put the players number inside the logo next to the bridge. Very throwback to "The City" uniforms from the 70's. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet though. I need to see the real thing. Overall, major upgrade and I'm glad to see it.

Maple Leafs Fix Their Sweaters

The Toronto Maple Leafs, where hockey is 1 and then family is 2, unveiled their new jerseys. Well I wouldn't call them new, they just fixed them to the design before Reebok took over the NHL. What it boils down to, they added the stripes back to the hem and put the classic Maple Leaf on the shoulders, replacing the "TML" logo. It really isn't that big of a change but when they removed it, it was noticeable if not down right bad. The RBK designs did that to a few teams. Unnecessary changes where made to the Leafs, Oilers, Avalanche, and Penguins. Those are the four I consider that didn't need to be changed from the pre-RBK era. And it's not like every team got a makeover. The Red Wings, Rangers, Canadiens, and Blackhawks got to keep their designs. The Maple Leafs should have been in that group as well. They look good now. It's amazing what a little hem striping can do.

Jazz and Magic Release New Logos

Well the Jazz and Magic unveiled their new logos. Both are okay; upgrades for both. I wouldn't call it a total win though. Both teams upgraded their looks. Last month I ranked all the NBA logo's. With these changes really am not inclined to improve either's rankings. I had the Jazz #28 and the Magic at #10. You would think that the Jazz bringing back the old music note, they would surely move up. But let me breakdown the changes.

Utah Jazz

I love the music note logo. The Jazz brought back the look but not fully. The primary color is navy blue instead of the traditional purple. I am in the camp that purple is a fine color when used properly. But the NBA has enough team using purple: Lakers, Hornets, Suns, and Kings. So a change to purple wasn't necessary. It keeps them seperated a bit. They added the yellow and green which was apart of the original color scheme and they fixed the basketball so it now has proper striping. So why is this not a total win? Because this is their secondary logo. The Jazz kept their old primary "snow mountains" logo and just recolored it. So now they have to completely separate logos that don't match each other. I have no idea which one they plan to use the most and they didn't release their new uniforms. The music note logo is supposed to decorate the Jazz home floor. I'm guesing they are going to use the new music note more , but who knows? Stupid.

Orlando Magic

The Magic basically matched thier logo to their current jersey font. It's a more streamlined look and the reduced the number of stars being used. I like the new logo but not in love with it. They kept the swooshy magic basketball which I like. As I stated before, I'm not sure how else you illustrate magic without being silly. I will say the new logo lost a little character. At least everything matches now. That's always important and it's something the Jazz completely ignored.

Nike ruins the World; Bucs-Tigers go Negro League

Well Nike and the World teamed up and decided everyone is supposed to look the same. Much how Nike has ruined college football and basketball, they've taken their crap show on the road and took over the world. It was over the weekend team USA unveiled their new uniforms for the FIBA World Championships. And they also unveiled the other participating Nike countries, shocker, they all have the same cookie cutter design. Italy, China, Puerto Rico, Brazil, France, they all look the same. Just awful. At least we don't have a University of Oregon in this bunch.

Also over the weekend, my beloved Buccos (who are awful) played in Detroit, and the were swept. Here is a video link that shows the tragic highlights. It's a shame Ryan Doumit looks so nice. The Pirates wore the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Tigers represented the Detroit Stars. Here is the Wikipedia history behind the 2 teams (Crawfords, Stars). I like these sets that MLB teams wear. I wanted one of the Crawfords jerseys and it could have been mine for the low, low price of $275 at the Bucs team store. Going to have to wait on that.

The Utah Jazz release their new logo and uniforms Tuesday morning. I will have a full report on Wednesday.

Best and Worst World Cup Kits

I hope you have been enjoying the World Cup as much as I have. I love the fact it's on when I get up and goes through out the afternoon. I wish more sports were set up like that. Wouldn't it be great to have live sports on all day. It's like a Saturday or Sunday of football but every day. Anyways, the action has been good albeit low scoring and a few too many draws. I haven't seen a clear cut favorite but Germany looked impressive on Sunday. And the U.S. although not what I would call a favorite to win, it looked respectible in their match even if they got a gift goal. But hey you got to be lucky sometimes. Anyways, lots of colorful kits (love that they're called kits). Let's go through the best and worse kits I've seen so far. These aren't rankings btw, just the best and worst.


Best World Cup Kits
Cameroon - Home/Away Colorful and bold. They look great on the field.
Argentina - Home/Away The baby blue homes are fantastic. The away kit is solid too. 
South Korea - Home/Away Looking good in their victory over Greece.
England - Home/Away Classic looks even if their goalie cost them a game.
Serbia - Home/Away You stay classy, Serbia.
Portugal - Home/Away Love these Kits. Might be my favorite.

Worst World Cup Kits
Chile - Home/Away These just don't work. Awful Logo on the left chest.
Slovenia - Home/Away You can't play soccer, Charlie Brown.
U.S.A. - Home/Away Nothing says America, like Miss America.
Denmark - Home/Away  Bad pattern, Adidas corporate look, and then black...yuck.
Mexico - Home/Away Why go black? Mexico used to look good. The green is okay.
Ivory Coast - Home/Away One is boring and the other too much.
Hondorus - Home/Away If you're one of the poorest nations in the world, you don't have to look it.

Stretching the Term "Throwback"

This past Saturday, the Mariners and Angels hooked up for one of their many divisional games that will happen through out the year. It was also decided that both teams would brand themselves in throwbacks from the famous 1995 season. This was the season the Angels choked away a 13 game lead  and lost to the Mariners in a tiebreaker game, pitched by Randy Johnson. This is also the season the Mariners then shocked the Yankees with the famous slide to score the winning run by Ken Griffey Jr in game 5 before bowing out to the Indians in the ALCS. The Angels wore the old California Angels uniforms, as they were known then complete with the interlocking "CA" logo. Really this wasn't a bad look for them. I like their current duds and logo but the Angels and the Texas Rangers seem too similar (seriously, am I the only one to pick up on this?). Someone is copying someone here. The Mariners wore "throwbacks" as well. However, the only thing throwback about them is that the jerseys were teal. The Mariners only wore the teal for one season. This makes me ask the question, are they really throwbacks if the still use the same logos and color set? Isn't this just more of an alternate? I think the M's were stretching the term throwback. Now if they wore these old dandies, then yes I would consider that a throwback uni. But the teals jerseys, not so much. You can't throwback on one color. A complete makeover is necessary. Let's make that a rule from now on.

A Logo Drenched in History

NEWS FLASH! For those of you residing in America, there is a sports out there that is more popular globally than in the USA. It's called soccer or futbol. And there is an entire league of these "soccer" teams that play here in the States. It's called the MLS and if you've never been to a game, I recommend going sometime. I went to a Columbus Crew game a few years back and had a blast. It's really great to watch in a facility that is made for soccer. And I am way excited for the World Cup to begin. Anyways, that brings me to an expansion team that started in the MLS this year, the Philadelphia Union. I don't care for Philly that much being from around Pittsburgh all my life, but I have to say I love this logo. I read the break down of it and it is packed with historical meanings. I quote from the ultimate source, Wikipedia: "The Union's colors are navy blue and gold, representing the primary colors of the Continental Army's uniforms during the American Revolutionary War. The team's primary logo is circular, symbolizing unity. Its thirteen gold stars represent the original Thirteen Colonies, while the shield's contour derives from the Philadelphia coat of arms. The rattlesnake pays homage to a political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin that was featured in the 1754 Pennsylvania Gazette. The rattlesnake eventually became a national symbol during the American Revolution, representing the danger of disunity, and was featured on the Gadsden flag.The light blue in the middle of the badge is a tribute to the Sons of Ben, and is further derived from the civic flag of Philadelphia. The team's secondary logo is a simplified version of the above design that consists of the blue shield with the rattlesnake, augmented with a gold border and a ribbon bearing the team's official motto: "jungite aut perite", a Latin translation of the phrase "join or die", which was also used in the 1754 Benjamin Franklin political cartoon mentioned above. The home jersey is midnight blue, with a gold strip down the center with light blue piping in the color of the Philadelphia flag. The away kit is the reverse of the home kit – predominantly "natural khaki" with a midnight blue panel and blue piping

Wow, now that is a logo. I couldn't believe all the stuff that is packed into a simple, yet beautiful, logo. Stunning. I know the Union will never surpass the Eagles, Phillies, 76ers, or Flyers in popularity but the Union represents the city better than any of them. Very cool stuff. (Side note: One thing I really like about the MLS, they aren't teams but listed as clubs. Makes them sound special. Like at your office you can put together a "team" to brainstorm or whatever. But a club? That's a privileged.)

The Flying Squirrels...Really?

Ahhh yes, the minor leagues of America's past time, baseball. Crazy promotions, wacky mascots, beer and hot dog specials, and yes, crazy logos and team names. For every bears, tigers, and cat related names there are just as many crazy names like the biscuits, iron pigs, and yes beginning this year the flying squirrels. The Connecticut Defenders who tried everything to make it work in Norwich, formally the Norwich Navigators, were purchased and moved to an empty stadium in Richmond, VA after the Richmond Braves in AAA packed up and left for Gwinnett, GA. And the funny thing about how they got their name, according to Wikipedia, was the ever popular name-the-team contest and this was a finalist, but not the winner. Two of the more popular names were Hambones, which the NAACP said is a derogatory name towards African Americans and Flatheads, a derogatory name towards Native Americans. So when two out of 5 are racists names in nature the owners just went with the safest and zaniest possible name, the Flying Squirrels.

They actually have a pretty good array of logos.

As you can see in thepicture to the right, they have the primary flying squirrel, a decent full script but the font is a little busy. I really like the R's with the bushy tail completing the the bottom of the letter. The acorn logo is okay but really I could do without it. It has a baseball inside of it. I think the R clutters it up. I would like to see it without the R blocking it. Overall it may be crazy but I like it. There are so many sports teams out there it's getting tough to come up with an original name, anymore. God bless the minor leagues for trying. If you want to check out their shop here is a shortcut to their online store. If you get a chance look at their jerseys. They aren't the best. as I said, that font is tough on the eyes. But they have some cool hats, t-shirts, and other apparel.

Buffalo Sabres...Will They or Won't They Change?

I got a NHL catalog in the mail and nothing ground breaking inside. I did notice the Sabres put their old logo on their 2010 Draft Day cap. Rumors have been flying around that the Sabres plan to go back to their original logo after the "buff-a-slug"  logo was about as popular as AIDS in the 80's (Actually it was really popular but think like breast cancer awareness today. It was everywhere). But there are some good things that came out of these changes.

1. The Sabres paid attention to the fans. This is so important for owners and the front office people to realize. Yes, they make the decisions and they may refuse to do certain things. And they can do that if they want. But good teams and good owners pay attention to the fans and their wants. Bad owners and management have the "it's my team and I'll do what I want with it." They listened to their fans and they want the old logo. Kudos to them for that.

2. The Sabres re-found their identity. Some times teams think that a redesign will make over their franchise. Aesthetically they sometimes do that. More often they end up screwing around with the past and then come back to their roots. At least a lot of teams are appreciating the history and realize that is what the fans cheer for. They cheer for the soul of the team. Dad's want to take their kids to see the current Yankees in the same uniforms that they saw them as. And I'm sure this is what happened in Buffalo. The team has been around since the 70's. Those fans watched them, rooted for the, and loved them for who they were. But it means more when you do it in the same uniforms that their heroes did it in. Can you imagine the Red Sox having completely altering their look when they finally won the World Series? And how weird it was when the Diamondbacks or Marlins won it? Seriously, didn't you say to yourself "That doesn't look right?" I felt that way when my Pats finally won the Super Bowl. It was awesome and I loved it but I would have really like to have seen Pat Patriot celebrating more then the flying Elvis logo.

3. They learned what doesn't work. When teams do this they learn the hard way (think of the Pistons, Brewers, and Islanders). Actually it wasn't all bad. The first redesign wasn't that awful. The mean snorting buffalo head was kind of cool. I owned the red 3rd jersey for a while before I finally put it on EBay. The one thing it didn't do was represent the team name. It's Sabres not Buffalos or Bisons. Why they couldn't put a couple sabres behind it, I don't know (doesn't look too shabby). I get it, the city name is Buffalo. I wonder why they never tries the old colors with that logo. The change to red, black, and silver was radical and didn't quite go over but why not try that instead of developing the "buff-a-slug". Tie the new into the old.

Anyways, the Sabres are starting to look like the Sabres again. And that's all that matters. It doesn't look like they've completely committed (scroll down on the page) yet, but in time they will.

MLB Teams Go Old School

Well after focusing so much on NBA logo's for the past month, a lot of other things have been going on too. For us Pirates fans, we know, painfully, it's another season in Major League Baseball. Since opening day, a lot of teams planned to don throwbacks, something that has very popular and trendy to do. For some teams it represents a nice reminder of the past and for other it reminds us of what some some teams need to look like again on the field. Hopefully, I don't forget anything that has happened so far...

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to wear their original baby blue throwbacks for Friday home games. These are nice reminders however, I still think they need to go back to when they won their World Series Championships in the 90's. For god sakes could a team with the word "blue" in their team name go back to wearing blue and ditch the black over tones.

The Brewers Have done a couple different throwbacks, solidifying that they don't like their current uniforms either. They recently wore Negro League era uniforms against the Mets (Mets also wore them and btw this is the only time in it's acceptable to use the word "negro" anymore). They've already been wearing this version for the last couple years now, so that's old news. Then there was the throwback match up versus the Phillies, with the Phils wearing the baby blues. I personally like the pinstripe duds they've been wearing the last couple years the best.

The Padres have been having Throwback Thursdays and break out the old mustard and yellow set they wore for the first twelve years of their existence. Well actually they wore that version in their first year. They add and then replace the yellow with orange back in the 80's. Wonder why that color combo didn't catch on? Who wouldn't want to wear the colors of poop and pee?  Definitely not the prettiest color set but it's original and for some odd reason, I like it. Not too many teams use brown at all (except the Cleveland Browns). I hate their current logo. They need to bring back the "swinging father" logo.

If you check out the Brewers Gallery above you'll see that the Phillies joined in the throwback fun and donned their 1980's baby blues. Baby blue is the new black, where in every team is trying to figure out a way to get in on it. The Phillies though did actually wear those at one point. Some teams looked better in the blues, but the Phillies? I actually think their current duds are a better look. Maybe if they just threw in a splash of the baby blue somewhere as a complementary color. Possibly an outlining color or something but those uniforms are a nice reminder of a point on their history.

The Braves also joined the Padres in the throwback festivities and put on their baby blues from the 80's. If you check out they Padres link about you'll see them in baby blue throwbacks too. Another cute reminder of the past but I'd stick with the Braves current unis. Although isn't weird about the Braves. They were all over the place with uniform designs including a really good one when Hank Aaron played for them. Then they came up with their current design and stuck with it for the past 23 years.

I think that's it so far but they're are more to come this season. If I missed one let me know.

Ranking NBA Primary Logos: #1 Celtics

Well here it is the #1 NBA logo. And if you hadn't figured it out on your own by who was left, then you need to read my blog more often. The Celtics. I can't decide what's the niftiest aspect of this logo: The guy winking at you; the fact he has a pipe; the fact that he is wearing a vest, tie, and hat with shamrocks on it; the casual way he's spinning a basketball on his finger while leaning on a cane. There is so much to like about this logo. It's silly yet intimidating. It's ridiculous yet surprisingly vogue. This is something a lot of teams need to learn. Not all logos need to be menacing, mean, or trendy. They need to be good. But you see this you think winner. You think Bird, Russell, Hondo, Rondo, Garnett, Pierce, McHale, Parrish, DJ, and Cowens. It represents so much. What's even better about the Celtics is their secondary logo would still be #1. They just get it. So that's it. The C's get the title.

I hope you enjoyed the rankings. I'll be back Monday with a breakdown of what's been going on in MLB this season. Lot's of throwback going on. Peace...

Ranking Primary NBA Logos: #2 Bulls

The Bulls started play in 1966 and in their history, this is the only logo they have ever known. This logo is solid even without the fact that 6 titles in the 90's, MJ and Pippen, Rodman and Kerr, Rose and Deng, and all they great players they've had in their history (even Luc Longley looked cool with it). What is even cooler than this logo is the robot conspiracy that surrounds it. Seriously, people think that.The Bulls never need to change this even if they just want to tweak it. They've had the same uniforms since their inception (take away the away reds with the script Chicago which MJ came into the league with). In fact that's a great quality with all Chicago teams. All of their teams have held almost the exact original logo for their existences. Bulls, Blackhawks, Bears, Cubs; of course there are the White Sox who have had the quirkiest logo and uni changes of most teams (shorts, the 80's). That could be a fun column, the best (and worst) logos by a city. Might have to do that one.