MLB TV Network Logos

[BigRed75]

Part 2 - City of Champions

Quick question - who is the second-most successful AL franchise in the World Series? Well, there's two - but one of them is the Athletics, with nine championships in 14 appearances. The Athletics' championships tended to come in clusters, and one of those clusters was the late 1920s and early 1930s.

The Athletics transitioned away from the elephant on their jerseys and back to the capital A in 1928. In 1929, they put the logo on their caps for the first time, and they broke the stranglehold of the Murderers Row Yankees, winning back-to-back World Series in '29 and '30, and losing to the Cardinals in '31.

In 1931, the team switched to royal blue caps with a white A. While this is considered the traditional look for the club during its time in Philadelphia, they only used it for 20 of the 54 years in the City of Brotherly Love.

#1 - 1928
#2 - 1929 to 1930
#3 - 1931 to 1949

[BigRed75]

Part 3 - End of and Era

By 1950, Connie Mack's time with the Athletics was coming to a close. While the grand old man was officially manager of the team, in actual fact, towards the end the team was actually managed by his lieutenants, such as his son Earle and former captain Mickey Cochrane.

In 1950, for the 50th season of the club (and 50th and final season of Mack's time as skipper), the A on the cap was outlined in gold. But by 1951, Connie Mack was out (although he still owned the team) and so was the royal blue, swapped for a navy tone that the team would keep when they moved to Kansas City. In a portent of things to come, the club added a red outline to the A in 1954, its final season in Philadelphia. The Mack family would sell to Chicago businessman (and Yankee Stadium landlord) Arnold Johnson, and the team moved to Kansas City for the 1955 season.

[BigRed75]

Part 4 - The Kansas City Athletics

When people think of the Kansas City Athletics, they usually think of one of three things:

1. How owner Arnold Johnson turned the team into a glorified Yankees farm team
2. That Charlie O. Finley bought the team and moved it to Oakland
3. Charlie O. Finley's pet mule, also named Charlie O.

Quick quiz - looking at the logos below, when did Charlie Finley buy the team?
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.
.
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You've guessed wrong.

You said when the colors switched to green and white, didn't you? Most people would, because Finley is known for green and gold uniforms, white shoes, and paying his players to grow moustaches. But the correct answer is when the team put the KC on the hat, since Finley bought the team in 1960, after Johnson died of a stroke. It was the first time in 60 seasons of the franchise that the team's monogram acknowledged the team's city instead of its nickname.

While Charlie O. (the person, not the mule) did of course change the team's colors (famously to Kelly Green, Fort Knox Gold and Wedding Gown White), that wouldn't happen until 1963. Five years later, the team was playing in the East Bay. And that's where we'll pick up the story in the next post...

#1 - 1955 to 1959
#2 - 1960
#3 - 1961 to 1962
#4 - 1963 to 1964
#5 - 1965 to 1967

[BigRed75]

Part 5 - (Sitting in) the Mausoleum of the (East) Bay

In 1968, Charlie Finley moved the team. He knew he wanted to move it, and he knew he couldn't move it to the Chicagoland area where he lived, so he had to find a new place. Dallas - nope. Louisville - not approved. Oakland - ditto. San Diego, Seattle, Denver - no, no, no.

Eventually, he did get approval to move to Oakland. Around the same time he moved the team, MLB started the draft. This benefitted the A's in a couple of ways. As a bad team, the A's got to pick early (including first in the very first draft in 1965). And as a cheap team, the A's got to pay what they wanted, without having to worry about being scooped by a richer club.

Thanks to draft, and some good scouting, the A's (as Charlie O. preferred them to be called) began to win after reaching Oakland. And win, and win, and win some more. Three straight World Series from 1972-1974. The Swingin' A's brought swagger and success to Oakland, lead by the most charismatic of all, Reggie Jackson.

Not everything last forever, and the A's entered a fallow period. But 15 years later, a new type of swagger returned to Oakland. The Bash Brothers led the team to another string of three WS appearances, although they only won one of them, in 1989.

By 1993, the team adopted the identity they wear to this day. From the "A" to the "A's" In 1970 (in line with Charlie O's preference) to a style more in line with the last years in Philly, to a gradual darkening of the green that eventually settled on Forest Green, the Athletics are constantly evolving. From Athletics to A's and back again, from White Elephants to a mule to Stomper, the team is always innovating. They have to. It's tough being No. 2 in a two-team market.

#1 - 1968 to 1969
#2 - 1970 to 1972
#3 - 1973 to 1981
#4 - 1982 to 1992
#5 - 1993 to present

[BigRed75]

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies are 17 years older than the Athletics, and a heckuva lot less successful. Why is that? Maybe it's the name. The Philadelphia Phillies - it would be like calling a team the New York Yorkies. San Francisco Frannies. Los Angeles, um,Angels...

...okay, bad example.

We pick up the story in 1900, one year before the Athletics hit town. The Phillies are wearing white and...blue??? Yes, just like the Athletics would do. They switched to red in 1901, then black and white in 1903 for a few years. Then things got weird, as you'll see in the next post

#1 - 1900
#2 - 1901 to 1902
#3 - 1903 to 1905

[BigRed75]

In 1906, the Phillies, keeping the black-and-white color scheme, switched to a different, plain block font. The next year, back to the old look with the serif font that had been used for the previous part of the decade (in three different colors).

1908 rolls around, and they switch back again to the block font. 1909, and back to the serif. What the heck?

#1 - 1906
#2 - 1907
#3 - 1908
#4 - 1909

[BigRed75]

The year is 1910. A new decade, and the Phillies are second in a two-team town. The upstart Athletics have already appeared in a World Series and are about to win three more in four years. The Phillies have to do something, so they decide to...switch to green?

Yes, green. The color that would go on to eventually be best associated with the Athletics was first worn by the Phillies. It was just for one year, and by 1911 the Phillies were back in red. They wore red caps in 1913 and 1914, but then relative stability took hold, and the Phillies only switched looks once in the next ten years.

#1 - 1910
#2 - 1911 to 1912
#3 - 1913 to 1914
#4 - 1915 to 1920
#5 - 1921 to 1923

[BigRed75]

The Sans-Serif block P, last seen in 1908, returned for one year in 1924. That was quickly replaced by and Old English-style P that hung around until 1934.

That year, the Philles went to blue caps, and a style that looks familiar - something akin to the Whiz Kids era logo we'll see in the next post. In 1938, the blue caps remain, the Block P returns, but it's...gold? Pardon the pun, but that seems like it came out of left field. But much like the 1910 green logo, this one only lasts a season before being replaced by a white block P on a blue cap. Could it be that the Phillies are trying to imitate the Athletics?

[BigRed75]

Believe it or not, this is the final Phillies post. After 17 different looks from 1900 to 1943, the Phillies would have just five different identities in the next 79 seasons.

Now, many of you know that during World War II, the Phillies had a name-the-team contest, and the winning entry was Blue Jays. The media made kind of a big deal about it during the 1993 World Series, when the Phillies played the Toronto Blue Jays - "Har Har Har, the Blue Jays are playing the Blue Jays"

Well, not exactly. You see, the Phillies never officially became the Blue Jays in 1944. More to the point, the was never designed to find a replacement nickname for the club, just a second nickname. Don't believe me? Take a look at the official team logo for 1944. You'll see the picture of a Blue Jay, perched right on top of the word Phillies. Why did the team need two nicknames? Beats me. What I do know is, the color change that resulted when they added the Blue Jays name made the team look even more like the Athletics than they did when they switched to the white Block P logo.

By 1946, World War II was over, and so was The Great Blue Jays Experiment. The Phillies were now the Fightin' Phils, and they switched back to navy blue, along with a red P that looks verrrrry familiar. But don't get too used to it. By 1950, the Fightin' Phils had become the Whiz Kids, and actually made it to the World Series for just the second time in franchise history. They lost, just like they did in 1915, but this look would last the team for the rest of the time they played in Shibe Park, aka Connie Mack Stadium.

That's right! Not only were they second fiddle in their own hometown, they played at a ballpark named after their rival's owner. The Phillies had to move into the Athletics stadium because the Baker Bowl was, to be charitable, a ****hole. Even after the Athletics moved away, the name remained - it was Connie Mack Stadium until it hosted its final game in October 1970.

Say - speaking of 1970, that was the year the Phillies made history by becoming the first, and still only, MLB team to wear maroon uniforms. These beauties (although I still say their powder blue and maroon road unis are far superior) were definitely '70s style, along with the Expos pinwheel caps, Astros "Tequila Sunrise" unis, the Pirates flat caps, and anything Charlie O. Finley bought for the Oakland A's to wear. I love this logo, and uniform set, because it is unique. I'm not a Phillies fan by any stretch, but what I wouldn't do for a late '70s Pete Rose Phillies away jersey.

But the 1990s had their own design aesthetic, and that is were we conclude - with the logo that the Phillies wear to this day. Based on the post-WWII "Fightin' Phils" design, this logo has stuck around, birthing many, many alternate designs (including a red-on-navy blue design that looks a lot like the Fightins' logo).

#1 - 1944 to 1945
#2 - 1946 to 1949
#3 - 1950 to 1969
#4 - 1970 to 1991
#5 - 1992 to present

Next up - I think I'll do the Blue Jays. That makes sense, doesn't it?

[silvam14]

Originally Posted by BigRed75

Believe it or not, this is the final Phillies post. After 17 different looks from 1900 to 1943, the Phillies would have just five different identities in the next 79 seasons.

Now, many of you know that during World War II, the Phillies had a name-the-team contest, and the winning entry was Blue Jays. The media made kind of a big deal about it during the 1993 World Series, when the Phillies played the Toronto Blue Jays - "Har Har Har, the Blue Jays are playing the Blue Jays"

Well, not exactly. You see, the Phillies never officially became the Blue Jays in 1944. More to the point, the was never designed to find a replacement nickname for the club, just a second nickname. Don't believe me? Take a look at the official team logo for 1944. You'll see the picture of a Blue Jay, perched right on top of the word Phillies. Why did the team need two nicknames? Beats me. What I do know is, the color change that resulted when they added the Blue Jays name made the team look even more like the Athletics than they did when they switched to the white Block P logo.

By 1946, World War II was over, and so was The Great Blue Jays Experiment. The Phillies were now the Fightin' Phils, and they switched back to navy blue, along with a red P that looks verrrrry familiar. But don't get too used to it. By 1950, the Fightin' Phils had become the Whiz Kids, and actually made it to the World Series for just the second time in franchise history. They lost, just like they did in 1915, but this look would last the team for the rest of the time they played in Shibe Park, aka Connie Mack Stadium.

That's right! Not only were they second fiddle in their own hometown, they played at a ballpark named after their rival's owner. The Phillies had to move into the Athletics stadium because the Baker Bowl was, to be charitable, a ****hole. Even after the Athletics moved away, the name remained - it was Connie Mack Stadium until it hosted its final game in October 1970.

Say - speaking of 1970, that was the year the Phillies made history by becoming the first, and still only, MLB team to wear maroon uniforms. These beauties (although I still say their powder blue and maroon road unis are far superior) were definitely '70s style, along with the Expos pinwheel caps, Astros "Tequila Sunrise" unis, the Pirates flat caps, and anything Charlie O. Finley bought for the Oakland A's to wear. I love this logo, and uniform set, because it is unique. I'm not a Phillies fan by any stretch, but what I wouldn't do for a late '70s Pete Rose Phillies away jersey.

But the 1990s had their own design aesthetic, and that is were we conclude - with the logo that the Phillies wear to this day. Based on the post-WWII "Fightin' Phils" design, this logo has stuck around, birthing many, many alternate designs (including a red-on-navy blue design that looks a lot like the Fightins' logo).

#1 - 1944 to 1945
#2 - 1946 to 1949
#3 - 1950 to 1969
#4 - 1970 to 1991
#5 - 1992 to present

Next up - I think I'll do the Blue Jays. That makes sense, doesn't it?

Interesting to note that if you start a game in 44 or 45, the Phillies are the Blue Jays

[BigRed75]

Yeah, I remember during the 1993 WS the media stories taking about how the Phillies "changed their name" to the Blue Jays. But the research that I did for this (multiple sources) talked about the Blue Jays being a second nickname, and the logo that I linked to seemed to bear that out.

Now it's possible that the team had every intention of transitioning away from the Phillies and to the Blue Jays. It's not like the Phillies had any history of success or were even very popular. But the Blue Jays nickname proved to be unpopular, and the plan was foiled.

Interesting, also, that although the team swapped from the Blue Jays logo to the Fightin' Phils logo in 1946, the team didn't officially drop the Blue Jays as a second official nickname until 1949.

[BigRed75]

I've still been making logos, I just haven't felt like writing huge posts about each team. So I won't. Here, presented without (much) comment, is the Toronto Blue Jays

#1 - 1977 to 1996
#2 - 1997 to 2000
#3 - 2001 to 2003:

[BigRed75]

Can you tell the difference between the middle two logos? As near as I can figure, the red on the Maple Leaf is more red in the current logo.

Also, a second version of the original 1977 logo, in case you, like me, think the light blue background (the powder blue of the road uniforms) washes out the logo and would prefer a darker background

#1 - 2004 to 2011
#2 - 2012 to 2019
#3 - 2020 to present
#4 - 1977 to 1996 (alternate)

[BigRed75]

The Los Angeles Angels started out with a very ornate look. After moving from Chavez Ravine and out of the City of Los Angeles, they changed their name to the California Angels, and originally just modified their look with a C in the style of the L.

In 1971, the Angels, like many teams, went with a '70s aesthetic - this look is forever preserved in the famous incident when opera master Enrico Pallazzo stopped Angels slugger Reggie Jackson from killing Queen Elizabeth II at Dodger Stadium

#1 - 1961 to 1964
#2 - 1965 to 1970
#3 - 1971
#4 - 1972 to 1988

[BigRed75]

In 1989 the Big A got a lot bigger in all directions. The final California Angels logo combined '90s sensibilities with a call-back to the original logo - for my money, it's the best Angels logo. That was quickly followed by the worst Angels logo - the Disney version that coincided with the name change to Anaheim Angels.

When Arte Moreno bought the team he went back to a Big A-inspired logo and switched to a red color scheme - there is no difference between the final two logos except for the file name - the team switched back to the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim) in 2005 (the "of Anaheim" was dropped in 2016).

#1 - 1989 to 1992
#2 - 1993 to 1996
#3 - 1997 to 2001
#4 - 2002 to 2004
#5 - 2005 to present

And with that, we have reached the halfway point of MLB. 15 teams down, 15 to go

[cheo25]

I just want to thank you for this. Might do it another time or two just so that you know they're appreciated. Thanks again.

[OriolesFan40]

These logos are great, thank you for all your work....looking forward to remaining

[PSUColonel]

Originally Posted by BigRed75

The second Washington Senators franchise is an unusual case. Of course, the original Senators became the Minnesota Twins, but Washington immediately got an expansion team with the same name, colors, and, for the first few years at least, uniforms. Unfortunately, the original Senators were just starting to become a good young team (they would go to the World Series within five years of moving to Minnesota), yet Washington baseball fans would effectively have to start over. Little wonder attendance was poor and the team would barely last move than a decade in the District before following the first Senators franchise out of town.

The other thing that the Senators Mk. II are known for (with the exception, perhaps, of hiring Ted Williams as manager) is the creation of the "Curly W" logo (okay, maybe Walgreens created that instead) that the third Washington franchise would assume 35 years later. That team, at least, was a equal opportunity scalawag, having also appropriated the formal name of the first Washington franchise.

Here, now, are the Washington Senators logos. The Rangers will show up in the following post:

#1 - 1961 to 1962
#2 - 1963 to 1967
#3 - 1968 to 1971
#4 - 1971

Did Washington alter their secondary (cap) logo? I was unaware if they did.