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02-18-2019, 09:24 PM | #121 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The Key West Armada
In the Florida Keys... there's a team called the Armada... Old Town Park is where you'll want to go to get a look at their sweet teal duds... Okay, enough of that. I allowed myself an exception to the endless stream of team names ending in 'ess' for the Armada; it felt like a good fit for a region without a lot of dry land. Key West was awarded a CBL team during an expansion several years back—having covered most of the first, second, and third tier American cities, I decided to place a few teams in popular regions like the Keys and Cape Cod that weren't home to big metro areas. I'm not thrilled with the Armada logo or uniforms, which are a bit of a medley of found images that swerve between old school (away uniform, secondary logo) and more modern looks. Ergo, this is a candidate for a full-on refresh. At least the Armada tend to play good ball; in a division with six extremely strong teams, they're always able to make a decent splash. |
02-18-2019, 09:26 PM | #122 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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Sorry, Low! I use your templates for most of these, obviously (in addition to borrowing heavily from your terrific original work). All credit goes to you... I'm just curating, changing colors, and doing some C-minus photoshop work for the most part. Hope you don't mind.
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02-19-2019, 11:34 AM | #123 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The Miami Tropics
I've gotta say, this is one of the teams I'm most excited to share—it's probably the identity I'm happiest with in terms of team name, color scheme, and uniforms (though the logo could probably use some work). If Major League Baseball approached me to pitch them one team from the CBL, I think I'd go with the Tropics, and send the Marlins to live in a nice aquarium upstate somewhere. I was going for a sleek, late-night, Miami Vice vibe here; the hot pink wouldn't work for most sports teams, but I think it's the perfect fit for Miami and pairs nicely with the black and teal. The Tropics have the distinction of having won the Eastern League in my inaugural season (no small feat given that they had to beat out 95 other teams), and have been a perennial power at Carnival Park. |
02-19-2019, 11:41 AM | #124 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The Nassau Junkanoos
Surprise! Once again, we're leaving the country for a quick jaunt to Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, the Bahamas' lively capital. I've spent a little time in Nassau—enough to peg banana yellow as the right primary color for this spunky playoff squad. The name and logo are unorthodox, obviously (though I suppose so is having a baseball team in the Bahamas); they come from the Junkanoo, the country's signature annual event: a vibrant, colorful festival celebrating the spirit of the nation. I don't normally get too crazy with the photoshopped uniform elements, but I managed to teach myself enough to make a collar and sleeve stripe out of the Bahamian flag—another unorthodox twist, but fitting, I thought, for a team standing in for their entire country. |
02-19-2019, 11:46 AM | #125 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The Orlando Wizards
From (where else?) Disney Park, I opted for a rather predictable and well-worn name for my Orlando squad. Most of this identity, in fact, came directly from Robo's brilliant set—I just added a tertiary color and did some resizing and whatnot. The Wizards are a good team that unfortunately tends to get buried in a loaded division, often just missing the playoffs in their desperate attempt to catch juggernauts Miami, Jacksonville, Nassau, Key West... and one more contender to come. |
02-19-2019, 12:20 PM | #126 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The San Juan Raiders
To Puerto Rico we go, where the Raiders of Hiram Bithorn Stadium are the pride of the island. Though I can't remember where I took the small logo from, I do remember my childish efforts to superimpose it over a Puerto Rico flag map in Photoshop—an idea I borrowed from Robo's San Juan Leatherheads concept (along with the caps). These uniforms aren't my favorites, but they've got a little pop... unlike the Raiders, unfortunately, most of the time. |
02-19-2019, 12:21 PM | #127 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The Savannah Travelers
Our farthest excursion north in the Everglades Division is to Gulfstream Park in Savannah, Georgia, where the Travelers toil in relative obscurity. Look, this is not the coolest name. This is not the prettiest set. This is not the greatest team. And, honestly, the city of Savannah deserves better—I just haven't gotten around to a refresh yet. The logo comes from an Arkansas Travelers concept I adapted from a SportsLogos thread... if someone who knows Savannah better than I wants to suggest a new name or look, I am all ears. |
02-19-2019, 12:21 PM | #128 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The St. Petersburg Blacktips
Raymond James Park is the home of the Blacktips, one of the last additions to the CBL. I'll start with the obvious—I went a little crazy with the home uniform, here, trying something completely different from any other team's jersey. Can't decide if the giant shark is awesome or an utter mess, but I'm keeping it for now (along with the twist on the home collar). The away jersey and small logo are ripped, like so many things, from the platinum efforts of Low. I do love this name as a variant of the tired "Sharks" that is both specific and rolls off the tongue. |
02-19-2019, 12:22 PM | #129 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The Tampa Bay Tornadoes
The last team in the Eastern League is a good one—the high-flying Tornadoes of Tampa Bay. WellCare Stadium is the home ballpark of a squad that always seems to be a part of the postseason story. I went with a blue-gray feel for this team, drawing on some great wordmark designs from a SportsLogos project (by a prolific user called sfgiants, as I recall). And with that... we're on to the Western League, folks! Only 96 teams to go—thanks for indulging me. |
02-21-2019, 10:23 AM | #130 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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We're on to the Western League, and the back half of the CBL's 192-team extravaganza. Our first division up is the Heartland Division, spanning twelve towns from Michigan to Missouri. Once more, we'll travel alphabetically—like countless presidential contenders, that begins with a trip to eastern Iowa...
The Cedar Rapids Haymakers One of the later additions to the league, I liked the Haymakers identity so much that I had to find a home for it (even if it meant placing a second team in a small, already-covered state). I got the idea—and both logos—from a Haymakers set on a sensational SportsLogos fictional dodgeball concepts thread; the black and gold felt like a nice fit for the place. Though the Haymakers have struggled to reach .500, they have shown some promise from their home at Rockwell Collins Park. |
02-21-2019, 10:31 AM | #131 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The Chicago Hitmen
This is an identity that has appeared many times before, but it's nevertheless one of my favorites. The black, white, and silver look could not be simpler, but it is imposing and classic—making the Hitmen the Oakland Raiders of the Western League, with a name that recalls Chicago's gangster history as well as its more recent history of compiling impressive slugging percentages. From Allstate Park, these Hitmen sport one of the league's youngest lineups—these baby bombers are already playoff caliber, but the future is even brighter. |
02-23-2019, 01:01 PM | #132 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Somewhere in the United States of America on God's Earth
Posts: 6,887
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Nice work on the Tropics and Hitmen. I don't know how Low might have approached those teams before, but your versions are very good, I think. Keep up the great work. CD out.
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02-23-2019, 01:02 PM | #133 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Somewhere in the United States of America on God's Earth
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Where might we be able to get the related parks, as well, later on, perhaps? If you can and want, would you please advise? Thanks. CD out.
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02-23-2019, 02:52 PM | #134 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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Thanks—I've never created a park; I just assign municipally-appropriate names to each team's default field.
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02-23-2019, 04:24 PM | #135 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Southeast US
Posts: 206
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TrapperJohn
I love your uni work. Thank you for sharing.
__________________
If pain is the sign of weakness leaving the body...then, I must be weak. |
02-24-2019, 06:46 PM | #136 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The Decatur Commodores
From Archer Daniels Midland Park in the heart of Illinois come the Commodores, a struggling squad with a buttoned-up look. Some people would tell you that Illinois probably doesn't warrant four major-league-level teams; to them, I say 'okay, sure, maybe I have a problem, but there is something about obsessive OOTP world-building that relaxes me.' The Commodores take their name from a minor league club that played for 64 seasons in the sleepy midwestern city. I can't recall from whom I stole the logo, but I can tell from the imperfect typography that I edited it from another team name—Skippers? Captains? Anyway: |
02-24-2019, 06:52 PM | #137 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The Gary Steelers
Another unlikely location, perhaps, but what city deserves something nice more than Gary, a place that overcame industrial decay and a ridiculous name to deliver us Michael Jackson? The Steelers play ball at—where else—the U.S. Steel Yard, but have had a hard time muscling up to the big dogs in the division. I opted for more of a (forgive me) blue steel look for this team in order to build some distance from the Pittsburgh football team. |
02-24-2019, 06:57 PM | #138 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The Grand Rapids Brewers
From Fifth Third Park, the Brewers of Grand Rapids mark the last Michigan entrant in the CBL. I absconded with the great logo work of Hockey13Playa, who had used Grand Rapids as a minor league affiliate of Detroit in his incredible league, and adapted it to a new color scheme and new team name (which also borrowed from his great Lagers set). The Brewers are another generally unimpressive team on the field, but at the very least I do think the maroon and cream combo is a winner. |
02-24-2019, 07:41 PM | #139 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Somewhere in the United States of America on God's Earth
Posts: 6,887
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Most likely going to grab Decatur's set, and maybe even Gary's set. Very nice work, between you and low, at least, I think. CD out.
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02-25-2019, 04:07 PM | #140 |
Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 231
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The Iowa Barnstormers
From Principal Park in Des Moines comes the first of the Western League's true powerhouse teams—a relentlessly talented squad with all-star talent in all phases of the game and, appropriately enough, a dynamite farm. The Barnstormers were a team I've had in mind since I was a kid, and in my head they've always been dominated by black with red accents. I was fortunate to find the perfect logo to add a little intimidation factor to a somewhat hokey name (courtesy of a SportsLogos 'Barons' football concept), and made the perhaps unusual choice to stick with black home jerseys and black away jerseys. Is this heaven? No... it's Iowa. |
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