And we have some winners! Congrats to the winners and thanks to all who submitted bids, logos, and uniforms! Looking forward to doing this for other leagues as well.

 

KOLO 8 News Now

25 March 2023

Reno, NV - Authorities were alerted to a figure spotted atop the massive geodesic dome of Reno's National Bowling Stadium today. Apparently, the man, later identified as noted oxygen aficionado Igneus D. McQueen, started yelling abruptly to pedestrians below, saying, "It's 10 o'clock! I've been up here for eight hours! Why haven't you people noticed me yet? This was supposed to be a cool stunt!"

McQueen's "cool stunt" was apparently intended to reveal a new identity for the local single-A ballclub, the Reno Kingpins, who had originally been slated to undergo a rebrand prior to last season. In fact, McQueen himself seemed convinced that that was still the case, stating multiple times that he was "looking forward to the 2022 season" and that "the Kingpins will go into 2022 looking better than ever." Eventually, someone piped up and told McQueen that it was in fact 2023, but he vehemently denied the fact multiple times. When he finally looked at his watch and realized what year it actually was, he started screaming. "Those [expletive]! They kept me up there for a whole [expletive] year! I swear to [unintelligible] that I'll -" at which point he rattled off seventeen straight expletives in a way that did not seem to have any basis in English syntax, kicked a box full of new merchandise off the side of the dome, before appearing to jump directly into the dome itself. Authorities later investigated and found no anomalies, though several witnesses reported seeing the dome appear to "light up from the inside," in the words of one witness who preferred to remain anonymous, and a psychic who later visited the scene immediately passed out after mumbling something about "the energy." To be honest, this is all far above my paygrade. Regardless, if you came here for the Kingpins' new look, here it is:

After an extended wait, the Carolina Griffins have at last finalized their minor league teams. Without further ado, let's get started with our Triple-A team!

The BALTIMORE TERRAPINS are the Triple-A affiliate of the Carolina Griffins. Team owner Sky has family ties to the Baltimore area and the Terps are a historic brand with a passionate fanbase. The team maintains an intense rivalry with the Washington Eagles, the Philadelphia Keystones' Triple-A affiliate. The Terps' logo is a diamondback terrapin in the shape of Ft. McHenry, where brave Americans withstood the British attack in the Battle of Baltimore, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that would become our national anthem. The Griffins' shade of brown is combined with the gold from the Baltimore flag. The Terrapins play in Old Bay Park, a historic ballpark located near the Inner Harbor.



Baltimore's uniforms are simple. The home set features a script "Terrapins" with a contrasting front number, like their big league affiliate. A unique font is used for the numbers and the road "Baltimore" wordmark. The alternate is a brown top, and their fourth uniform is a retro set calling back to the history of Baltimore baseball, featuring a vintage white base and the Griffins' Sandlot Series classic logo on the sleeve.


The WINSTON-SALEM TWINS are Carolina's Double-A affiliate. They take their name from the city's historic halves, Winston and Salem, that came together to form the Camel City. The Twins use a color scheme of camel orange and navy blue, inspired by R. J. Reynolds' Camel cigarettes that put the city on the map. In fact, their stadium, Camel Field, was named for the old minor league team that took its name from the popular product. A WS monogram serves as the cap logo and is used with a font inspired by old cigarette packaging to create a uniquely Winston-Salem look.


The Twins' jerseys are simple as well, featuring a script "Twins", a fancy "Winston-Salem" wordmark, and an original striping pattern that sets the team apart in Double-A ball.


Finally, the Single-A affiliate of the Griffins are the BLUE RIDGE SIXERS, who play in Asheville, North Carolina. They're named for mountains that reach over six thousand feet in the Appalachians, which are concentrated in the Blue Ridge mountains in Western NC and Eastern Tennessee. In fact, North Carolina's Mount Mitchell is the highest point in the US east of the Mississippi River! Their brand is a combination of the Asheville Tourists and One Knoxville SC, representing the beautiful sunrises over the mountains that are a hallmark of the region. At the center of the brand is a sunglasses-wearing sun, ready to enjoy the outdoors and look cool doing it.


The Sixers are the most minor league of any of the Griffins' affiliates. They use a 60s-style font to capture Asheville's hippie vibe, with a sunrise effect on the sleeve stripes to emulate the primary logo. The alternate puts the mountains on the jersey itself, with the cap acting as the sun rising over the ridges. The second alternate honors Asheville, putting the city's name on the jersey, its airport code on the cap, and tie-dye all over to celebrate NC's weirdest city.

P.S.
If you didn't know Alt League teams had minor league affiliates, we do! I know we've had some ownership shuffling since these leagues first launched and some teams are still holding on to minor league teams decided by a previous owner. If you would like to check out a complete list of our minor league teams, check out this spreadsheet. Or, if you're more visually inclined, check out this map! If you see anything that needs to be changed, just shoot me a message. For any team that doesn't have a brand, I'd be happy to help! Again, just shoot me a message, and I can assist in developing a brand. I want to see a ton of fun, colorful, creative teams!