Logo of the Month: Akron RubberDucks
Aeros to RubberDucks
More RubberDuck Logos
Location: Akron, Ohio
League: Eastern League (Double-A)
Affiliate: Cleveland Indians
Home Field: Canal Park
Early this week, another bomb shell was dropped on Minor League Baseball, as the Akron Aeros officially changed their name to the RubberDucks. The name was changed to honor the birth of the rubber industry in Akron, mainly the tire and rubber companies like Goodyear, Firestone, Goodrich, and General Tire that originated there. It is a neat, original logo, and I do like the fact that it relates to the history of the town. The team was named the Akron Aeros from 1997-2013. The franchise originated in Lynn, Massachusetts before moving to Burlington, Vermont. The team finally ended up in Canton, OH, as the Canton-Akron Indians in 1989, an affiliate of Cleveland. The team moved up to Akron in 1997, and was re-named the Aeros after astronaut Judith Resnick, a native of the city who died in the Space Shutter Challenger tragedy. The team has won the Eastern League championship seven time in its history, dating from the beginning of the franchise (1984, ’85, ’86, 2003, ’05, ’09, ’12). The Aeros’ mascot is named Orbit, and he stated he’ll be sticking around, but I assume they’ll have another duck themed mascot with the new moniker. As of now, Akron is the last game we’re scheduled to see on next years baseball trip. They seem to have many interesting concession items (like the Nice2Meat you, a hamburger/hot-dog combo) that I’m sure we’ll enjoy. With all of the history in Akron and Canton, it should make for an enjoyable trip.
Notable Alumni: Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Victor Martinez, Sean Casey, Charles Nagy, C.C. Sabathia, Jim Thome, Grady Sizemore
Official site of the Akron RubberDucks
Logos courtesy of the Akron Aeros/RubberDucks
Logo of the Month: Charlotte Knights
Location: Fort Mill, South Carolina
Home Field: Knights Stadium
League: International League
Affiliation: Chicago White Sox
Summary: This is actually a very cool logo, in my opinion. And during this coming seasons’ baseball trip, our second game on the schedule will be at Knights Stadium when the Knight take on the Pawtucket Red Sox. This will be my first time seeing both teams. We were in Pawtucket a couple of years ago, but the game was rained out. The team represents Charlotte, North Carolina, but the ballpark is located in one of its suburbs, Fort Mill, SC. From what I’ve read, the ballpark isn’t anything special, but a new one is being built as we speak in downtown Charlotte. There has been some opposition to this, and I’m not sure why, but the new stadium looks like it will be amazing. Too bad we’ll miss that one, but I’m sure we’ll have a great time seeing them this year, too. Baseball in Charlotte dates back to 1901, and the Charlotte Hornets (sound familiar?). The modern version of the team dates back to 1976, when famous wrestling promoter Jim Crocket, Jr. bought the team that was in Asheville, and brought them to town to become the Charlotte Orioles. They were then bought by the owner of the NBA Charlotte Hornets, and named the Knights. They have been in the original South Atlantic League, which became the Southern League, and then landed a Triple-A franchise in the International League. During their affiliation with Baltimore, the likes of Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Curt Schilling played in Charlotte. During their stint with Cleveland, fans were able to watch young versions of Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome. The mascot is a Dragon named Homer, and I’ll do my best to get a photo with that guy. Charlotte looks like a great city, and I am really looking forward to our visit. There is so much else to see and do, also, including the Charlotte Motor Speedway and President Polk Memorial. P.S.: I know this is the second LoM this month, but if I’m going to get through all the teams before my trip, I’ll have to double some of them up!
Minoring In Baseball
