Minor League Hockey Shows Off

One of the sports logo websites I frequent runs annual contests for Best New Logos. If I remember correctly, any team from any level can be voted upon after they've been located and nominated by the purveyors of the site.

One winner was the Milwaukee Admirals, whose redesign knocked it out of the park:

The blues are pleasing, the skull is symmetric and stylized without being too much, and the peacoat detailing rounding out the dynamism in the rhomboid shape fits the theme.

So, it makes sense, that the team that brought this gem, when mixed with the sensibilities of a minor league team in any sport, decided to go all out and make a Dia de los Muertos-inspired jersey, that it, too, would kick ass:

Rock on, Milwaukee Admirals!

New LA Soccer Team Crushes Logo Game

I'm not from the Los Angeles area originally, so I don't hold specific LA logos as sacrosanct. My mother loves the Dodgers more than most people love baseball, and I grew up with them as my favorite NL team, but their interlocking "LA" logo, taken from an earlier version of the PCL Angels franchise, resembles the typewriter font on any word processor. It's currently so beloved around here and in most baseball circles as to be essentially untouchable.

Enter to this crowded sports landscape a new soccer team, LAFC, headed by such LA luminaries like Magic Johnson, Will Ferrell, and Mia Hamm, and we may have the best LA logo of them all:

It's part art-deco, part homage to the OG LA soccer team Aztecs, partly based on the LA city seal, and incorporates elements of flight and power and speed, and we may have a winner.

Here's the graphic designer Matthew Wolff's explanation graphic:

When compared with the other LA logos, from Wolff's own site and we get to compare and contrast:

Without the emotional connections to the Dodgers and Lakers, which logo is even close? The Ducks footprint is pretty cool, and the Clippers is high art for comedy's sake, but really, it's not that close.

More Than An Inspiration

I do enjoy a good minor league logo, and sometimes I even enjoy a good minor league logo that's "inspired" by the parent affiliate.

Two of the most iconic NBA teams, one each in the largest metropolitan areas in the country, have affiliated D-League (soon to be Gatorade League (G-League)) teams, and the "inspiration" on their logos from the parent is strong.

On the east coast:

The Knicks have been a model of futility for over a decade now, with a single playoff appearance over that span. Maybe. Pretty sure, right? One year that was 50+ wins for Melo and JR Smith...

Their D-League team, the Westchester Knicks, changed their original logo to this much more direct copy of the parent. Here's the original Westchester Knicks look, as inspired-but-not-copied:

And on the west coast:

Having been futile for less time than the Knicks, the Lakers still haven't been the model franchise the NBA needs for a few years now, ever since the Dwight Howard/Steve Nash debacle.

Anyway, I do like the South Bay Lakers look and alternate logo better than their D-Fenders identity. Maybe because I live in the south bay. Here's that alternate:

And here's the far-less inspiring D-Fenders logo:

India and Miami, Strangely Enough

I have written before about the similarities between India and Niger's flags, but when I saw the flag for the city of Miami in south Florida, I was struck by its similarity to the other two:

India

Miami, FL

It's interesting that nobody knows why this design was chosen for the flag of Miami, and there is talk of updating it as well. Here's the leading proponent for replacement:

I like it, but I don't (and wouldn't) live in Miami. Read about it here.

Again, In With the Old, Calling it New

The old is back again, only italicized and shinier.

The Hawks updated their "Pac-Man" logo from the era of 'NIQUE!

1972-1993

2015-Present

And the Pistons change the font and expect us to not notice it's exactly the same:

1979-1996

(Leaked) 2017---

Of course they want us to notice what it truly resembles: glory years and championships.

The nostalgia thread in sports is strong, especially as people my age start to have kids and buy them gear, these updated logos are going to keep returning.

California Flag Variations

A sequential art story about California's secession, "CalExit," due out next month, used a striking visual as part of the marketing campaign:

I thought it looked pretty cool, and got online to find other alterations of the California flag. This got me inspired to return to the Flags part of the title of this forum.

There is an alternate history website that looks like it takes itself very seriously. Maybe not...but I lost the link (and refused to go look for it---my bad) and can't remember really what was going on. They did have two pretty sweet alterations: one that plays on the socialist/commie idea of our "Left Coast"; and a second that mixes the Azatlan aspect of California (North Mexico) with the Bear&Star of today:

The next few I found were color scheme alterations, the first two go with the blue and gold associated with the University of California system of institutions, and then an even more communist version similar to the one above:

There were also a few whacky ideas, like the Sasquatch from that footage and the area being limited to "Northern California":

And the goofy panda for the San Diego Republic:

I've been to San Diego, and while I never saw this down there, I got the feeling that if they liked it, it would quickly spread like wildfire and be everywhere...so, give it some time and see?

Just Kidding! Chargers Yank Both Logos

The Chargers have spurned San Diego's stadium offer because it wasn't, eh, it wasn't...going to make enough money for Dean Spanos? Maybe cost too much of his own money?

Anyway they dropped their first attempt at a logo on their first day in town like a dad out with a 20 year old yoga instructor the first night after signing the divorce papers:

It was roundly panned by fans and was even the target of derision by both professional and college teams.

The reaction was such that both the Chargers and the NFL said that it most certainly wasn't the real logo, and voila! here is the real logo:

They traded the Dodgers colors for the UCLA Bruins. In their defense, this matches the real Chargers actual colors.

It sounds like they scrapped the entire thing and are starting over.

Also, in the five years of living in LA county, I have an unscientific list of the area's favorite football teams: (Keep an eye on the Chargers)

1. USC Trojans
2. Raiders
3. 49ers
4. Steelers
5. UCLA Bruins
6. Cowboys
7. Patriots
8. Rams
9. Seahawks
10. Chargers, maybe?

NY Ranger Knockoffs

While I'm from northern California, my father is from New York, and I grew rooting for the Rangers as "my" NHL franchise. They were admittedly ranked below the Yankees, G-Men, and Knicks (with whom I split affection between the Showtime Lakers), but I got to witness a Stanley Cup victory in 1994.

When they won, in game 7 in June of '94, it was over a hundred degrees in Sacramento, and I thought about the absurdities of playing a game on ice during that month...

Anyway, as one of the Original Six teams, the Rangers have the history and the red-white-and-blue color scheme. Their logo, though, is the only official NHL franchise logo that doesn't appear on their jerseys. Which I always found interesting.

Probably more interesting than the logo itself, the Ranger-shield:

Maybe it grows on you...

I guess I kinda do like it...

And I'm not the only one, as the Ranger-shield has been openly copied by many teams over the years. From varying levels of play, take a gander:

That' something, right? Mimic and flattery and all that...

Las Vegas Has a New NHL Team

And they go by the hipper name, "Vegas".

The Vegas Golden Knights to be exact.

Here is their primary logo, and I can say that I do like it:

I'm a sucker for negative space, and the "V" as the facial openings in the knight's helmet satisfies this. It's both simple and strong, both new and hinting at the old school. I rather like it.

It reminds me of another team that used te negative space in the helmet of a warriors outfit:

This was a now-defunct pro-lacrosse team that started play while we lived in New York. They used the Mets and Knicks color scheme (orange and blue) and the name of the original Jets franchise. Here you can see the negative facial space is the "T".

In the grand tradition of professional Vegas sporting teams--of which there haven't been too many---or any (besides Larry Johnson and the Runnin' Rebels of UNLV)---the logo has been pretty sweet.

I speak of the Las Vegas Outlaws of the heavily promoted but ultimately doomed XFL:

I always thought that the Outlaws logo was the most inspired in their league, reminding me of the Dead's Steal Your Face:

Funny: I'm neither a Grateful Dead nor Las Vegas fan, but I can appreciate killer logos, and these four satisfy that qualifier.

Sacramento Kings Make the Past New Again

Essentially claiming Sacramento as my "home" town means I get to suffer through each bizarre Kings personnel decision after another until they drive their talented (and mercurial) big man away.

But until then, they have updated their logo, and that gives us something to talk about that isn't Mad Vivek and his Love of the Big-Man.

Personally, I think this was a safe move. They chose the '80s shape with the later color scheme, mostly:

I like it. I do like the blue and red better, but that's me. You get the crown, you get the basketball, you get the legacy, as this was ultimately inspired by the old Rochester Royals logo from the '50s...

Well, that may be a stretch to make that claim. The shape is ultimately there, but it wasn't until Cincinnati that the old Kings logo I grew up with in Sac came about:

Then they moved to KC and became the Kings, seeing as how there already was a Royals team. But they spent their first two years split between KC and Omaha.

Can you imagine an NBA franchise in today's world split between two cities nearly two hundred miles apart?

Anyway, here's a cool alternate for next season:

DC Comics Updates Logo with Rebirth Launch

DC Comics has commenced a company-wide relaunch called Rebirth. The company claims to be returning to their roots with many of the characters that they changed in the last few company-wide shakeups over the last five to ten years, and fans seem happy? Maybe? I'm not exactly sure how fans feel.

I know that the DCU Rebirth issue kicking off the event sold very well and was generally well received. It has gone into multiple printings.

Anyway, the company updated their logo again, and here the fans seem underwhelmed. I think it will grow on fans until they grow to really like it, at which point, in four or five years, DC will change it again. Fans had just grown to like the "flipped-page" logo. Go figure.

Sometimes changes are necessary, sometimes they're forced.

Here's a graphic of the many DC Comics logos over the years. The one labeled 1976 is the one with which I have the most collecting experience:

Rams Return to the Southland; Fans Debate Which Old School Color Scheme is Best

LA has a team again. My mother's team has returned. We're all just waiting for the official name to become "Los Angeles Rams of Inglewood." The home of Jules Winfield...

Anyway, the official logo has been circulating, and it's the same navy/gold look they used while in St. Loo, only it says Los Angeles. That makes a certain financial sense. They play for a season in the Coliseum wearing the (bad) navy and gold kits, sell a ton of merch, then make the switch and start selling more.

The question around these parts, as the Southland is still where the Caliboy Network is located, is which of the two main old school looks the Rams should focus on. The first:

The classic white and blue, similar in design to the Colts (against whom they're playing in this photo). I like it. I certainly like it more than their current navy and gold.

I just don't like it as much as the classic yellow and blue:

Now we're talking.

I've heard rumblings that the pattern will be: 1) Sell as much navy/gold gear as possible; 2) move to Inglewood, change back to blue/yellow; 3) use the blue/white as alternates and try and sell as much of that gear as possible.

The common thread between those scenarios seems to be...

Pleasing Vintage NHL Logos

This is somewhat of a subjective list of logos, but so is most everything else on this site.

I find myself occasionally perusing Chris Creamer's Sportslogos.net site for older logos that are pleasing. This gives me a creating boost in an odd, tangential way: I like watching a logo's progression from utilitarian to pleasing to garish and (hopefully) back to pleasing. It helps me conceptualize timing in a manifested and branded way.

Examples of this idea (mentioned without logos) from baseball and basketball, respectively, could be the Blue Jays and Warriors.

Anyway, the following logos are the middle ones, the ones I find quite nice, in no particular order. Let's reminisce:

This is the original negative-space-using Hartford Whalers logo. Whaling as an industry was important for the growth of many a maritime nation, but today has become a lawless and gruesome practice, with many whaling vessels being attacked by vigilantes funded by the late Sam Simon.

For those reasons I appreciate the use of this logo to make fun of the Piper Maru, a notorious Japanese Cetacean Research Institute vessel (the CRI is a mostly state sanctioned whaling operation).

Anyway, this logo is quite fetching. I always found it interesting that this franchise represented the only major league team in any of the four major North American sports that resided in Connecticut. The team has since moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, a city of roughly the same metropolitan area population size, and taken the name Carolina Hurricanes.

Now in Dallas and called simply the Stars, this Minnesota North Stars logo has yet to be updated for the '90s. It retains the simple charm that many logos from that era had before the '90s came along and italicized and metallicized nearly all known logos.

Like the Whalers before, the 90s version of the North Stars (pre-move) was metallicized and italicized.

This team never got the metallic or italic makeover. This is a slightly updated version of the Quebec Nordiques logo. I'm not sure why the igloo-and-hockey-stick logo speaks to me as strongly as it does. Like the two teams before, the Nordiques moved from the riverside Quebec City (and the furthest north major league franchise on the continent) to Denver and became the Avalanche.

I always liked this logo. I don't know why. Oddly enough based on the previous three logos, Edmonton still has their team and beyond tweaking the colors, hasn't changed the logo since the team's inception in the WHA during the 70s. They've even changed the name (from "Alberta Oilers" to "Edmonton Oilers") while leaving this logo intact. Maybe I'm not the only one it speaks to...

This is that rare find: the vintage logo that is still in active duty.

Has It Been That Long?

When I was a kid we moved from California's Bay Area to Sacramento, a few months before the Kings made the move from KC to Sacramento. Essentially, we both made it to Sac at the same time. I've since left, but my brothers still live there, and I enjoy my visits.

I also still occasionally root for them. I mean, of course I root for the Kings, but they have given precious little to root for since the refs helped the Lakers back in the 2002 playoffs. As of now, June of 2015, it's easier to root for the Warriors as the de-facto Northern California basketball team.

Anyway, I came across the anniversary patch the Kings wore this season, fondly remembered the script work markings, and then found some of the other anniversary patches.

The first:

From the mid 2000s, after the sputtering of a possible dynasty, after Peja and C-Webb, Bibby and Vlade, the 20th anniversary logo had the current purple and black logo mixed with red and blue from the original Sac color scheme. Not great, not awful. Like the Kings...

The next one, the quarter-century mark, sees a nice doctored up skyline of our capitol city, with both the dome and the I-Street bridge:

And then the last one, the one that started me down a short rabbit hole. I'm not sure why, but I prefer this script lettering to the block one they use as a primary, and while I prefer blue and red to black and purple, that's mostly because I'm biased towards blue:

I would certainly rock this Boogie shirt:

It has the script while also using the black and purple. See? Not so bad...

Here's to hoping Vivek figures his shit out and becomes the owner we know he wants to be.