Today, I went up to Frontier Field to see the Rochester Red Wings unveil their new logo. They’d had their previous logo since the late ’90s, and I was curious to see what they’d do. Would they go retro and go fully to the ball-and-wings logo that they’d introduced as an alternate the past few years? Would it be something completely different, perhaps something with talons?
Well, it turned out to be like this:
Not bad. Keeps the old logo’s main theme while changing it up a bit, with other logos for home, road and alternate caps. The alternate cap logo “R”, in particular, serves as a retro touch that brings to mind Specs Toporcer and Rip Collins, while also serving to make the wordmark look classy.
(JUMP… note that this is an image-intensive post)
Of course, a simple news conference would have been boring. The Red Wings were smart enough to make it something of a show. Due to heavy winds, for example, the unveiling was done down in the Red Wings’ clubhouse, allowing for the very cool feeling of walking past photos on the walls of previous greats and letting you stop and look over motivational items, scouting reports and memorabilia that lined the walls. That said, it was a rather… tight fit:
Still, as the room filled up, the Wings’ mascot, Spikes, walked around… completely hatless.
Yes, it is true: an anthropomorphic bird mascot can be bald. I’m sure you never knew this. Actually, it’s happened a few times before, usually as part of publicity stunts like “if we don’t beat team X we’ll shave our heads”.
Anyway, soon the show began, as Naomi Silver, President/CEO of the Red Wings and daughter of Rochester’s baseball savior Morrie Silver gave some quick remarks and then played a rather well-put together video that showed previous logos as well as memorable moments that went with them, which then culminated in the showing off of the brand-spanking new identity, just in time for Christmas shopping. Well, most of it anyway, as you can see in the picture below, they haven’t revealed actual jerseys yet, just hats and T-shirts:
Overall, a fun little event to be open for fans. Oh, and they were selling pretzels, hot dogs, Coke, hot dogs, and beer. A nice touch.
Okay, so, about the clubhouse. It’s not something you see every day, and it could be of interest, especially to Twins fans, so here it is:
As you walk in, you see images on the wall of past greats, including the aforementioned Silver as well as….
…Rochester’s “Mr. Baseball”, Joe Altobelli…
…and, last but not least, Cal Ripken.
And then, as you get closer to the actual locker-room, you come across neat Twins memorabilia. Such as….
…a Sports Illustrated cover and Jim Thome signed photo….
… a logo and sign touting the “Twins Tradition”, which, to absolutely nobody’s surprise, is “PASSION, HEART, HUSTLE, FUN”. I may or may not have been been cajoled into getting my picture taken next to this sign by the mascot, and if I did, I’m not sharing the image with mortal eyes.
Oh, right, more clubhouse stuff. Like….
…1997 Governors’ Cup Championship pennant (back when the Wings were an Orioles’ affiliate)…
…a plaque of retired numbers in Minnesota, and another call of the Twins Tradition…
…lineup cards from the 1st Wings’ No-Hitter at Frontier Field (I was there… good times)…..
and, finally, this note board. Amongst other things on it (you can’t see due to the crumminess of my camera on the shot) included a scouting report on Clay Buchholz (who had a rehab start for Pawtucket in Game 2 of the divisional playoffs this past season, which turned out to be the last home game of the year for the Wings), an article on how the Detroit Tigers supported each other in the line-up and made it a team effort, pictures from school kids, drug program information, and a list of rules from former farm director Jim Rantz, which included such gems as “STAY OFF UMPIRES- STAY IN THE GAME” and “DISCIPLINE STARTS IN THE CLUBHOUSE”, amongst other guidelines.
So, overall, it was an interesting look at what the players in AAA see as they enter their office, and a fun bonus to seeing what my hometown team will be wearing for the next decade or two.