Baseball By Design: Stories of Minor League Logos and Nicknames

Missoula PaddleHeads

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 episode, team president Matt Ellis, Brandiose partner Jason Klein, and Pioneer League Vice President Henry Hunter discuss the unique identity.
Missoula PaddleHeadsWebsite / Twitter
BrandioseWebsite / Twitter
Pioneer LeagueWebsite / Twitter
Baseball By DesignTwitter / Instagram / Website
Curved Brim Media NetworkWebsite / Twitter

Burlington Sock Puppets

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 discussions that led to the groundbreaking identity.
Burlington Sock Puppetswebsite | Twitter
Dan Simon, Studio Simonwebsite | Instagram
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Curved Brim Media NetworkWebsite | Twitter

Wichita Wind Surge

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 from the notably wacky New Orleans Baby Cakes brand to the  more austere Wind Surge identity.
Todd RadomWebsite / Twitter
Wichita Wind SurgeWebsite / Twitter / Bob Moullette Twitter
Baseball By DesignTwitter / Instagram / Website
Curved Brim Media NetworkWebsite / Twitter

WooSox

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.
WooSoxWebsite / Twitter / Tim Quitadamo on Twitter
Brandiosewebsite | Twitter
Gabrielle StarrTwitter / Girl at the Game
Baseball By DesignTwitter / Instagram / Website
Curved Brim Media NetworkWebsite / Twitter
 

Rob Neyer, West Coast League

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 league's commissioner Rob Neyer, TV commentator and author or co-author of eight books on baseball, joins the podcast to talk about the league, the logo, some of the teams, and his latest book, The Umpire Is OUT, about openly gay umpire MLB umpire Dale Scott.
Rob Neyerwebsite | Twitter
West Coast Leaguewebsite | Twitter
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Curved Brim Media NetworkWebsite | Twitter

Danville Otterbots

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-breaking ambassador program.
Danville Otterbotswebsite | Twitter
Ambassadors on TwitterTim Stoops: @timmer82 | Johnny Bowlin: @johnnymilbfan
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Curved Brim Media NetworkWebsite | Twitter

Rocket City Trash Pandas

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 about the ground-breaking brand.
And stay tuned for real live NASA engineer and actual rocket scientist Jay Hollenbeck of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, who is a former college baseball player and an avid fan of minor league baseball. Jay weighs in on the Trash Pandas brand.
Rocket City Trash Pandaswebsite | Twitter
Brandiosewebsite | Twitter
Marshall Space Flight Centerwebsite / Twitter
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Curved Brim Media NetworkWebsite | Twitter

Idaho Falls Chukars

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 we discuss exciting innovations in the Pioneer League at large.
Idaho Falls ChukarsWebsite | Twitter
Pioneer LeagueWebsite | Twitter
Arkansas State ParksWebsite
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Curved Brim Media NetworkWebsite | Twitter