Results tagged ‘ West Virginia Power ’
It's News To Me
Three such items indeed went unremarked upon (by me) when they were first announced, but today’s post will set everything right with the world. Here, then, is a round-up of that which I neglected.
Generally Speaking — Last month, it was revealed that the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx would henceforth be known as the Jackson Generals.
The new team is a nod to the region’s rich baseball history. Let us journey now to the press release:
According to Kevin McCann, author of “Jackson Diamonds – Professional Baseball in Jackson, “The name Jackson Generals has a rich history of unusual plays and colorful players. Some of the players who’ve spent time on the diamond in Jackson include Shoeless Joe Jackson, Edd Rousch, John McGraw, Ellis Kinder, Casey Stengel, Yogi Berra, Joe Garagiola, Tony Kubek, and many others.”
The team announced the name change immediately following the conclusion of the regular season, an announcement punctuated with some thoughtful nods to the past:
Throwing out the last pitch of the regular season as the Diamond Jaxx was Ms. Jane Des Ormeaux, the 93-year-old fan who doesn’t miss a game. She also is the fan who came up with the name West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. The first pitch as the Jackson Generals was thrown by local businessman Walt Mestan. Mestan, a Chicago native, was one of the leading pitchers for the 1950 and 1951 Jackson Generals.
Miraculous Changes — While not quite as dramatic as a name change, the Fort Myers Miracle will be wearing new uniforms in 2011.
Sez the team: The new uniforms will feature hats that are a lighter shade of navy blue than is currently being worn. The uniforms will also be without pinstripes for the first time since 1993 and feature the current Minnesota Twins logo on the left sleeve.
Addition By Subtraction– On August 31, the West Virginia Power unveiled their new mascot. His name is Chuck, and he replaces the five (!) costumed characters the team had previously employed. No pictures of Chuck seem to exist on the club’s website or Facebook page, but this local newspaper article picks up the slack.
So what else have I missed out on over the last six weeks? Let me know, because my powers of oversight are boundless.
benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz
Mega-Mix Monday
Hello, and welcome to what I’ve been told is a “new” week. In order to celebrate this milestone, I will finally cease my coverage of the 2009 Baseball Winter Meetings.
Instead, I will focus on that which I neglected while I was suffering from Indianapolis overload. So (metaphorically) buckle your (metaphorical) seat belts, because it’s going to be a slightly bumpy ride.
New Logo! – I wrote a story about this on MiLB.com last week, but the new Florida State League franchise in Bradenton announced its name and logo.
Behold, the Bradenton Marauders!
As soon as you are done beholding, feel free to move on the next item of interest…
Holiday Photos! — Teams all over the country have been engaging in seasonal activities as of late. Teams such as the Lexington Legends, who sent out the following ragtag crew to spread some yuletide cheer:
(An Alternate Reality ‘Scooby Doo’?)
Moving on from holiday photos to holiday video, check out the West Virginia Power’s latest offering. It stars velvety-voiced Andy “Bull” Barch, who recently announced that he will not be returning to the club in 2010. This will leave a void not only in the broadcast booth, but also in the crucial area of holiday-themed parody videos.
And since we’re on the topic of “West Virginia Power” and “videos”, now is as good a time as any to share the following. I mean, why not, right?
Finally, I am going to indulge a common reader request and share a series of photos that, in their entirety, depict a mascot somersault. The mascot in question is Splash of the Stockton Ports.
benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz
The Autumn of Our Discontent
My recent headfirst dive into the treacherous waters of social networking has yielded a virtual treasure trove of blog-worthy material. Specifically, I am now privy to a seemingly endless cavalcade of team-produced videos.
What follows are two videos that I would like to share with loyal readers of this sputtering, but never completely stalled, blog. Like the Fresno Grizzlies’ “I Hate the Offseason” and the Omaha Royals’ “My Offseason Life is Average”, these videos portray the pervasive sense of boredom and unease that accompanies the cessation of on-field play.
First up: The West Virginia Power front office does their best to re-create the game-day experience, with less-than-optimal results.
Also suffering from a mild-to-moderate case of mental illness is Grover, on-field MC for the Lake County Captains:
The above two videos make it abundantly clear that times are tough right now for those who make their livings in baseball. Thankfully, I have just come across an image that is sure to provide at least a momentary uplift to the mentally downtrodden. Boomer! Arrested for some reason!
Obviously, this picture results in more questions than it does answers. I’ll go check the Williamsport police blotter in order to see what Boomer’s offense was, and report back in the near future with my findings.
In the meantime, if you have stories pertaining to offseason existentalist angst and/or mascot run-ins with the law, then please get in touch immediately:
benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz
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Even the President Can't Get Past Customs
One of the more amusing stories to emerge in the past 24 hours involves the West Virgina Power and their difficulties in obtaining a shipment of bobbleheads.
The bobblehead in question features President Barack Obama in his high school basketball uniform, and 1000 of these fine collectibles were slated to be distributed prior to Saturday’s game. Yesterday, however, the Power issued a press release that explained that U.S. Customs had detained the bobblehead shipment for an “extended search.”
Just what U.S. Customs was searching for remains unclear. Perhaps they were just puzzled by the incongruity of a West Virginia-based baseball team distributing bobbleheads of the President wearing a Hawaiian basketball uniform. At any rate, the story had “legs”, as evidenced by the fact that it was picked up by the Associated Press.
As an aside, I remain baffled by the Associated Press and other national media outlets. When it comes to which Minor League stories get picked up and which ones don’t, your guess is as good as mine. I think the term “arbitrary crapshoot” (also the name of my high school band) would apply. My suggestion to all members of the national media is to read this blog religiously, because I’ve got all the scoops. Just make sure you link back to my work, because doing so helps to justify and legitimize my fleeting existence on this Earth.
But back to the saga of the detained bobbleheads…it appears that there is more BREAKING
NEWS.
A press release issued just a few hours prior explains that the bobbleheads have finally been sent on their way to West Virginia. They won’t make it in time for the game, however, so fans will instead recieve a “Golden Ticket” that can be exhanged for the bobblehead at a later date.
In the meantime, I hope that the national press continues to monitor this story. Why not send out live news copters to film the journey of the bobbleheads as they make their way to West Virginia? I don’t know about you, but I would watch that all night long.
benjamin.hill@mlb.com
New Logo Mini Round-Up
While I don’t have enough new logo information to put together a full-blown “Round-Up”, let me strike while the iron’s hot and provide some info regarding recent changes in the fascinating world of Minor League apparel.
First up is the Buffalo Bisons, who recently unveiled their 2009 jerseys. Here, in lieu of what would surely be a tedious 1000 words, is a photo:
York Mets, while each design features a level of uniqueness that is
unmatched in minor league baseball.” The white jersey will be worn at home, the gray on the road, and the black is an alternate home top that will be sported on Sunday and Thursday afternoons.
Let us now move on to the ever-elusive West Virginia Power, who have “revised” their logo. According to the omniscient press release, this new and improved version “is a mixture of the original BP logo and the Power text logo.” Let’s check it out:
Perhaps even more exciting is that the Power will soon unveil a new “mystery” logo. There are literally infinite possibilities when it comes to what this “mystery” might be, but I’m hoping it will somehow incorporate a magnifying glass, a smudged fingerprint, and a silhouette of the Hardy Boys.
If anyone is aware of any logo changes I have not yet covered, then send me an email at benjamin.hill@mlb.com
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