MLB TV Network Logos

[oh_henry]

Originally Posted by BigRed75

Next up - I'm not sure. Open to requests

You did the Padres. What about their expansion sibling Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals?

[silvam14]

Originally Posted by BigRed75

Silvam - Thank you so much. It means a lot coming from you, since you are one of the giants of OOTP graphics!

LansdowneSt - Glad to know you like the logos, even if you don't use them! Seriously, though, to get positive feedback from talented artists such as yourself and Silvam is such a fillup

NegroLeagueEnthusiast - Happy to do the Marlins - I've got no actual roadmap set up, so I'll get on it next

Now on to the Yankees. You may recall me writing this:



HAHAHAHA!!!!

Yes, the Yankees have had the same cap logo since the 1940s. But it turns out, they had many, many logos in the Highlanders days. Heck - they were the Baltimore Orioles for two years, and in those two years, they had two wildly different logos, as you will see:

Baltimore Orioles
#1 - 1901
#2 - 1902
New York Highlanders
#3 - 1903
#4 - 1904 (Gratuitous color change ahoy!)
#5 - 1905

Five logos in five years. What a clown show

I'm really enjoying these as a lot of the older logos don't look so great on their own and need the contrast in the background to pop. Keep going man!

[BigRed75]

Originally Posted by oh_henry

You did the Padres. What about their expansion sibling Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals?

Sure, why not?

The Expos/Nationals were actually pretty easy to do, primary logo-wise. The famous Expos cap is the pinwheel, but these logos don't lend themselves to multi-color backgrounds. So what to use? After thinking about it, I came up with a solution - use the second-most famous feature of the original Expos uniform - the powder blue road unis.

In 1992, the Expos simplified things with a solid royal blue cap like approximately half the league. A period of both prosperity and penny-pinching followed, until, of course, the Expos moved to Washington...

...and promptly stole the logo from the last team to play there.

Of course, the Nationals have many, MANY alternate logos. Some of them are very good looking. Others, well, also looked like they ripped off another Washington Senators logo. I'll tackle the wide array of alternate Nationals logos when I do the alternates. But for now, here's the mains:

#1 - Montreal Expos 1969 to 1991
#2 - Montreal Expos 1992 to 2004
#3 - Washington Nationals 2005 to present

[OriolesFan40]

Great work!! How about Baltimore Orioles & Boston Red sox??

[BigRed75]

OriolesFan40 - Thanks for the kind words. I've already worked on the Cincinnati Reds, but I'll do Baltimore/St. Louis/Milwaukee next

Ah, the Reds. As most of you already know, my favorite team. They are not having the best of seasons, but then again, they don't have the best of owners.

Much like the Yankees, the Reds have had logo stability for quite a few years...or so I thought. Turns out that the Reds have had three logos since 1968 (I honestly thought it was just one) and lots and lots of logos before that. So let's get started!

First things first...the Reds are NOT the oldest franchise in baseball, no matter what the team tries to say. The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings either folded or moved to Boston, depending on who you ask. So these Reds actually began in 1890, as members of the American Association, and then moved to the National League.

That's where we will start - with the first five logos being uniform logos, not cap logos, because teams didn't wear logos on their caps back then:

#1 - 1890 to 1899
#2 - 1900
#3 - 1901 to 1904
#4 - 1905
#5 - 1906 to 1907

[BigRed75]

As we move through the first quarter of the 20th century, the Reds started putting logos on their hats in 1914. We also start to see features that will return time and again throughout the team's history, including the word Reds (1913), the wishbone C (first appearance 1905, and surrounding the team name in 1913), and, my particular favorite for its incongruity, the use of the color blue (1908)

#1 - 1908 to 1911
#2 - 1912
#3 - 1913
#4 - 1914 to 1923 (First WS champions - you all know that story)
#5 - 1924 to 1925

[BigRed75]

Just when you think stability is coming around - five logos in ten years! More blue, more wishbone Cs, and even a blue wishbone! The wishbones in the final two logos are the fattest that they will ever be, they will slim down quite a bit, but from here on out, the fundamentals of the logo will remain the same.

#1 - 1926 to 1929
#2 - 1930 to 1931
#3 - 1932 to 1933
#4 - 1934
#5 - 1935 to 1936

[BigRed75]

Ah, the blue years. There was a second World Series win in 1940 against the Tigers, as the wishbone was significantly slimmed down in 1937 and stayed that way for 15 years.

The wishbone was slightly narrowed in 1953, two years later, a white border was added. The next year, red hats meant the inside was filled in white, this created the classic look and shape that we all know. Just one year later, the hats went to white at home and gray on the road, necessitating a red wishbone instead of the white.

#1 - 1937 to 1952 (Second WS win)
#2 - 1953 to 1954
#3 - 1955
#4 - 1956
#5 - 1957 to 1960

[BigRed75]

The "ice cream man" look was used in the 1950s as well, but not full time (similar to the 1990s). In 1961, the point was taken out of the wishbone, and striped hats were used exclusively. I took this as a challenge to incorporate the striped background, and I think it turned out pretty good.

But in 1967, the team went back to the 1956 white on red look, coinciding with their name change back to Reds from Redlegs. The wishbone was again slightly narrowed a year later, and these were the hats worn by both the Big Red Machine and the Nasty Boys. In 1999, a drop shadow was added, and in 2013, the team went back to the slightly wider 1967 design, while still keeping the drop shadow. That's where we are today.

At 25 different logos, the Reds were my most labor-intensive team so far. But I feel there will be others coming down the pike with more logos

#1 - 1961 to 1966
#2 - 1967
#3 - 1968 to 1998 (3 WS wins - 1975, 1976, 1990)
#4 - 1999 to 2012
#5 - 2013 to present

[BigRed75]

The next team I'm working on, by request, is the Baltimore Orioles franchise. Of course, the Orioles weren't always the Orioles. I mean, there was an Orioles franchise when the American League started in 1901, but that team would go on to fame and fortune under a different name. No, the team we now know as the Baltimore Orioles started out life as the Milwaukee Brewers.

This means that in the American League in 1901, you had games where the Milwaukee Brewers played the Baltimore Orioles. And, in the present day, you also can have games where the Milwaukee Brewers play the Baltimore Orioles, only in these games, the Baltimore Orioles are the team that was the Milwaukee Brewers back in 1901. And don't even get me started on the present-day Brewers, who play in the National League, but used to play in the American League, and didn't even start out as the Milwaukee Brewers, but the Seattle Pilots...

...you know what? I think I just found my next franchise to do after I finish with the Orioles.

Anyway, here are the historical logos for the Orioles franchise. And it's at this point that I realize I've been rambling and I finally mention that before they were the Orioles, but after they were the Brewers, this team was the St. Louis Browns.

Like most teams in the early 1900s, the Brewers/Browns didn't have logos on their caps. So these first five logos are based on what they wore on their jerseys. After moving to St. Louis, the Browns opted for a blocky "ST.L" where the "T" and the period presumably went down the placket of the uniform, as you can see below. They then went for a more rounded font in 1903, stretching across the front of the uniform. In 1905, the team put both elements together, going for a rounded font and the placket design, before scrapping the whole thing entirely in 1906 with the team's first attempt at something resembling a logo.

Milwaukee Brewers
#1 - 1901
St. Louis Browns
#2 - 1902
#3 - 1903 to 1904
#4 - 1905
#5 - 1906 to 1907

[BigRed75]

In 1908, the Browns finally put a logo on their caps - a fleur-de-lis, symbol of the city of St. Louis, and Saint Louis the man. That lasted...for a grand total of three years before the team went back to plain hats, and they would keep it that way until the '30s.

By the 1910s, the team was consistently using the interlocking "SL," sometimes with a T, sometimes not. By 1934, the team had settled on the brown and orange color scheme that they used for the rest of their time in the Gateway City. Of course, the Orioles kept the orange, for obvious reasons.

#1 - 1908 to 1910
#2 - 1911 to 1914
#3 - 1915
#4 - 1916 to 1933
#5 - 1934 to 1938

[BigRed75]

Part 3 - The Apotheosis Years

In 1939, the Browns switched their identity once again, shifting from the fleur-de-lis to the Apotheosis of Saint Louis, a statue created for the 1904 World's Fair and, until the building of the Gateway Arch, the symbol of the city.

The team switched their logos, going to a block "SL", at least for one season. In 1940, they moved to an interlocking STL, which is the logo they had for their one World Series appearance in 1944. After the war, the Browns switched to an orange version of the same logo the Cardinals were wearing on their caps at the time. In 1950 they switched to brown caps, and in 1952, changed the logo from orange to white.

Two years later, the Browns flew to Baltimore...

#1 - 1939
#2 - 1940 to 1945
#3 - 1946 to 1949
#4 - 1950 to 1951
#5 - 1952 to 1953

[BigRed75]

Part 4 - The Oriole Way

I've gotta say, I was actually surprised at how many different logos the Orioles had. I thought there were just four logos: the original Oriole, the Oriole Bird, the ornithologically correct Oriole, and the return of the Oriole Bird. Turns out, there have been a lot of tweaks and changes over the years. You have been warned.

When the Orioles moved from St. Louis in 1954, they took the name of the minor league team that had been in the city for 40 years. That first logo, a realistic-looking bird, lasted for nine seasons before being replaced by a block B for one season, then a slightly different bird with an upturned head, more reminiscent of the birds to appear in the 80s and 90s.

But in 1966, two things happened: The Oriole Way - a process of rebuilding a moribund franchise from the ground up, through consistent processes from the minor leagues up to the majors, culminated in the Orioles' first World Series win.

And the Oriole Bird was born.

#1 - 1954 to 1962
#2 - 1963
#3 - 1964 to 1965
#4 - 1966 to 1975

[BigRed75]

Part 5 - Beware the Bird

The Oriole Bird was insanely popular. But he was also insanely tweaked. In fact, for two seasons, the Orioles ran out two different versions of the bird on two different caps, before dropping down to just one in 1977. The Bird was also very successful - all three World Series titles were won with the team wearing some version of the Oriole Bird

The first version, in the previous post, won two titles. In 1975, that bird was put on orange caps, instead of black caps, and his head was tilted upwards. But at the same time, there was also a second version of the bird on white caps that had a leaner face (good!) and large pupils, which made it look, well, kinda soulless (bad!). In 1977, the team finally made a decision, and they choose...the soulless bird (WTF?)

I guess they realized they made the wrong choice, because the next year, they went back to a version more like the original Oriole Bird, with normal-sized pupils, although if you look closely, you'll see Oriole Bird IV is casting his gaze downwards. Finally, in 1979, Oriole Bird V shows up, with even smaller pupils and a rounder lower beak. Actually, he kinda looks like he has a pelican granny somewhere in his family tree. But it's this version of the Oriole Bird that wins the World Series in 1982.

Sadly, it's also this version of the Oriole Bird that was worn by the team when they started the 1988 season 0-21, still the worst start in MLB history. That start cost Cal Ripken Sr. his job, and the Oriole Bird was also a casualty, because in 1989, the team called back to their first years in Baltimore, with a logo officially known as - I kid you not - the Ornithologically Correct Bird

#1 - 1975 to 1976
#2 - 1975 to 1977
#3 - 1978
#4 - 1979 to 1988
#5 - 1989 to 1998

[BigRed75]

Part 6 - The Camden Yards Years

The Ornithologically Correct Bird presided over the opening of Camden Yards, and a return to success. Unfortunately, the OCB also presided over a return of success for the Yankees (aka the Original Orioles), so the Orioles never made it to another World Series during this time. However, in 1998, the team decided to make some more tweaks, making the bird more life-like, and less like a drawing.

This lasted exactly one season.

In 1999, they decided to make some more tweaks. The bird stood taller, his chest was puffed out, and his bearing was more regal. Too bad nobody thought to tell the players - this bird was worn by a team whose play could charitably be described as "lackluster." By 2009, even the bird had flown the coop, replaced by what the team called the "realistic" bird. No, I don't know what the difference between life-like and realistic is, either. I always thought they were synonyms. This bird look, at least to me, like he is flying instead of standing on the ground.

Finally, in 2012, the Oriole Bird returned! This Bird was probably the closest to Oriole Bird I, with backward-glancing eyes and round lower beak. Not only that, the Orioles made the playoffs again when Oriole Bird VI made his debut. There was a five year period of success, but we all know what happened after that...

#1 - 1998
#2 - 1999 to 2008
#3 - 2009 to 2011
#4 - 2012 to present

Next up: the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Pilots

[OriolesFan40]

Thanks for the Baltimore franchise lo9goas, they look great!! Looking forward to you next team set

[BigRed75]

Milwaukee Brewers
Part 1 - From the Pacific Northwest to Motre Bame

Historically, the minor league Milwaukee Brewers wore blue and white. Even the MIlwaukee Braves wore blue and white, with red. So why do the modern-day Brewers wear blue and gold? The answer lies in the colors of another city, and another team - the Seattle Pilots.

Much like how the original Brewers lasted one season in a city before immediately moving somewhere else, the Seattle Pilots played the 1969 season in a (poorly) retrofitted minor league park, then went bankrupt and were purchased by a Milwaukee car dealer. Allan H. "Bud" Selig, who didn't become rich by splashing the cash, just replaced the letters on the jerseys and the hat. And they kept someone else's uniform design for EIGHT YEARS until they came up with an identity of their own.

And what an identity it was. The iconic MB "Ball in Glove" (or BiG) lasted from 1978 until 1993, including the Brewers only World Series appearance in 1982. All-time Brewers greats such as Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, JIm Gantner and Gorman Thomas all wore the BiG. With perfection like that, why change it?

The answer, as it always is, was money. With a new logo, you can get fans to buy new jerseys, hats, etc. The new scheme incorporated green, changed the yellow to a metallic gold, and darkened the blue to navy. Given the color changes, and the switch from the BiG to an interlocking "MB" monogram, it's no wonder the look is derisively known in design circles as "Motre Bame"

Seattle Pilots
#1 - 1969
Milwaukee Brewers
#2 - 1970 to 1977
#3 - 1978 to 1993
#4 - 1994 to 1996

[BigRed75]

Part 2 - MIller Park and the Return of the Notorious BiG

By the time the Motre Bame logo debuted, in 1994, Bud Selig of course had "moved on," becoming acting commissioner and then official commissioner. I put that in quotes, because his daughter ran the team while he still had an ownership stake. In 1997, the "B" was removed from the cap, leaving just an M, reminiscent of the original Brewers caps (and, in fact the minor league Brewers and Brave caps as well). That connection was furthered the next season, when the color of the M was changed to white.

Two years later, following the opening of the team's new ballpark, Miller Park, the Brewers ditched Motre Bame for good, switching to a new, barley-and-hops themed logo set (while keeping the metallic gold and navy blue). For my money, it was one of the better logo sets in baseball in its team, with a good intergration of team identity with its elements. But you can't stop nostalgia, and, by popular demand, an updated BiG was developed for the 2020 season.

#1 - 1997
#2 - 1998 to 1999
#3 - 2000 to 2019
#4 - 2020 to present

[BigRed75]

Expansion '98

Crazy to think, but next year will be the 25th anniversary of the latest expansion in MLB history. That fact becomes even crazier when you think that MLB expanded five times in the previous 37 years, and that the other Big Four leagues have expanded six times since Arizona and Tampa Bay joined MLB.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined Major League Baseball with logos that definitely exuded a certain time and place - specifically, professional American sports in the late 1990s. Both teams would then go on to switch to classical looks with understated color palettes at approximately the same time (2007 for Arizona, 2008 for Tampa Bay), identities that they maintain to this day.

Arizona Diamondbacks
#1 - 1998 to 2006
#2 - 2007 to present
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
#3 - 1998 to 2000
#4 - 2001 to 2007
Tampa Bay Rays
#5 - 2008 to present

[BigRed75]

The Athletics Franchise
Part 1 - A Philadelphia Story

The team we now know as the green-and-gold Oakland Athletics started out as the Philadelphia Athletics, wearing blue and white. Owned by businessman Ben Shibe and managed by the (already) legendary Connie Mack, the Athletics, like most teams of the time, wore blue and white.

The elephant mascot came from a comment by New York Giants manager John McGraw, who didn't see the wisdom in putting a second team in Philadelphia (especially given the sad-sack nature of the Phillies), and said that Shibe and Mack had a white elephant on their hands. Mack turned the comment around and make it his own - putting an elephant on the uniforms along with the A (the team never used a P) and even giving McGraw a toy elephant when the two teams met in the 1905 World Series.

While the team usually wore a royal blue, there were some other shades, and even black and white from 1924 to 1927. But by 1928, the team would settle into the look that would serve them for nearly 100 years, three cities and numerous color schemes.

#1 - 1901
#2 - 1902 to 1919
#3 - 1920
#4 - 1921 to 1923
#5 - 1924 to 1927