Baseball By Design: Stories of Minor League Logos and Nicknames

The Gastonia Ghost Peppers, an independent professional team in the Atlantic League, played with seven different identities in 2024, then let fans vote on which one should be the permanent brand. Guests include:

• Nick Matarese, The Barn Creative
• Ed Currie, PuckerButt Pepper Company, puckerbuttpeppercompany.com
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon

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When John's Oliver's HBO show Last Week Tonight offered to rebrand one minor league baseball team, 47 clubs volunteered for the honor with very little idea what they were signing up for. The Erie SeaWolves were selected, and just weeks later, the Erie Moon Mammoths were born. The name is a tribute to a mammoth skeleton discovered by diver George Moon more than 30 years ago in Erie County's Lake Pleasant. Guests this week include:

The Great Lakes Loons, High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, play just above the ball of the thumb on the Michigan mitten. They're named for a bird that has creepy red eyes and is known for a mournful call that is often heard in movies. Guests include:

• Chris Munkdhenk, GM, Great Lakes Loons
• AJ Chlebnik, naturalist & Michigan native
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon

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Minor League Baseball royalty Erik "the Peanut Guy" Mertens visited Colorado, and we spent the day checking out the Denver Bears defunct ballpark, a Colorado Rockies game, the National Ballpark Museum, and the Sundae Helmet Hall of Fame!

• Erik "The Peanut Guy" Mertens, Tri-City Dust Devils, Twitter @ItsErikMertens
• National Ballpark Museum, ballparkmuseum.com
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon

The Hudson Valley Renegades, High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, have had a brand based on a raccoon for more than three decades. Guests this week include:

• Will Young, Assistant GM, Hudson Valley Renegades
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon
• Ranger Amy Burnett, Insta @therealrangeramy

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The collegiate summer level Morehead City Marlins having been pushing boundaries for a few years, with the latest entry in a parade of double entendres being the Crystal Coast Booty Divers. Guests include:

• Buddy Bengel, Owner, Morehead City Marlins
• Brian Begley, Designer, iambrianbegley.com
• Matt Frick, Curator, St. Augustine Pirate and Treasurer Museum
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon
• Ranger Am...

The Delmarva Shorebirds, Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, play in a part of the country named for three states. Guests this week include:

• Chris Bitters, GM, Delmarva Shorebirds
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon
• Ranger Amy Burnett, Insta @therealrangeramy

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• Instagram @baseballbydesign
• Threads @baseballbydesign
• Bluesky @baseballbydes...

The Sussex County Miners, an independent professional team in the Frontier League, unveiled an alternate identity that honors one of New Jersey's quirkiest quirks—it's the only state in the union where it's illegal to pump your own gas. The team will play select games as the Fill it Up Regulars. Guests include:

The independent York Revolution play in a central Pennsylvania town that lays claim to the title of the nation's first cap...

The independent York Revolution play in a central Pennsylvania town that lays claim to the title of the nation's first capital—but their identity is more about industry than patriotism. Guests this week include:

• Eric Menzer, Vice Chairman, York Revolution
• Phil Broder, Kite Maker, Facebook
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon

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• Instagram @baseball...

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have a classic name and a brand that they have expanded with a number of recent alternate identities. Guests this week include:

• Rob Zerjav, President/CEO Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• Howard Aprill, Naturalist, Wehr Nature Center
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon

Find the Baseball By Design podcast online:

• Instagram @baseballbydesign
• Threads @baseballbydesign
...

The brand-new collegiate summer level Marion Hungry Mothers are name for an almost definitely apocryphal legend of a mom and her child running for their lives. Guests include:

• Terry Hindle, Managing Partner, Marion Hungry Mothers
• Brittain Peck, Illustrator
• Kevin Mcdonald, Hungry Mother State Park
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon

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Ride along with designer Dan Simon, host of the Baseball Bucket List podcast Anna DiTommaso, and Ranger Amy on the annual road trip affectionately known as AnnaDannaPalooza. This year we dodge Georgia raindrops in Atlanta, Columbus, and Rome to sneak in four games (and a trip to the Georgia Aquarium) in 48 hours.

Guests include:

• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon
• Anna DiTommaso, Baseball Bucket L...

The Triple-A Norfolk Tides switched from a traditional brand to one based on a Neptune seahorse just over a decade ago. The new brand tells a number of stories about the ecology and the culture of Virginia's Tidewater region.

Guests include:

• Joe Gregory, General Manager, Norfolk Tides
• Sarah Peterson, Naturalist
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon

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The Triple-A Rochester Red Wings are one of the longest-tenured teams not only in Minor League Baseball, but all of sports. The team pre-dates a certain hockey team of the same name by two years.

Guests include:

• Naomi Silver, President, CEO, COO, Rochester Red Wings
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon
• Ranger Amy Burnett, Insta @therealrangeramy

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The Fresno Grizzlies have a brand based on an iconic, extinct animal that is featured on the California state flag, the California Grizzly. Additionally, they are innovators in alternate brands, launching the MiLB food frenzy with their groundbreaking Tacos identity.

Guests include:

• Jonathan Bravo, Director, Marketing & Communications, Fresno Grizzlies
• Sam Hansen, Insta @samfromftk
• Ranger Amy Burnett, Insta @therealrangera...

The brand new High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers is the Hub City Spartanburgers, who play in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Their burger-based brand gets into all the condiments, and then some! Guests include:

• Tyson Jeffers Hub City Spartanburgers
• Steve, Beacon Drive-in website
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon

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• Instagram @baseballbydesign
• T...

As we launch the 2025 baseball season, longtime Minor League Baseball reporter and commentator Ben Hill stops by to discuss new logos, minor league baseball culture, and Weird Al Yankovich.  

Find Ben Hill here:

• Show Before the Show podcast
• MiLB News milb.com
• Baseball Traveler newsletter

Also on this episode:

• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon

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The Washington Wild Things have played in the independent Frontier League since 2002 with a logo that features a sunglasses-wearing animal. In this episode we delve into just what that animal is. 

Guests include:

• Christine Blaine, CEO, Washington Wild Things
• Dino Guarino, Dino Guarino Gallery
• Ranger Amy Burnett, Insta @therealrangeramy
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon

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Thomas Harding has covered the Colorado Rockies for more than a quarter century, and during that time has developed an interest in sports design and even created some of his own logos. He joins from Spring Training in Arizona to discuss the history of Rockies branding, sports branding at large, and some of his own work.

• Thomas Harding, Twitter @harding_at_mlb
• Dan Simon, Studio Simon, www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon