The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

The Best and Worst Major League Baseball Logos (AL West)

by Chris Holmes on February 22, 2012 in Sports

With the 2012 Major League Baseball season nearly upon us, now is as good a time as any to obsess once again on one of my favorite topics — logos. So I’m going to offer up my choices for the best and worst team logos for all 30 current MLB franchises. Primary, alternate, and cap logos listed on Chris Creamer’s outstanding logo website are all under consideration. Up first are the four squads of the American League’s West division.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Best

Yeah, using an outline of your home state is a bit of a cop-out but this logo, used from 1973-1985, has a lot going for it. It’s clean and simple but makes good use of the halo. I never cared for any of the Angels logos with wings in them — just seems too predictable. I’m also a fan of the typeface, and the star representing Anaheim is a nice touch.

Worst

See, this is what I’m talking about with the angel wings motif. The “Angels” typeface is pretty good but this looks too minor league for me. Just doesn’t have that classic baseball feel. Also, only the San Diego Chargers can get away with light blue on any of their gear.

Besides, they’ll always be the California Angels to me.

Oakland Athletics

Best

What makes this so great, other than the fact that it’s an angry white elephant holding a baseball, is the reason it exists in the first place. In 1902, one year after the Athletics were founded in Philadelphia, New York Giants manager John McGraw told A’s team owner Connie Mack that his club was a “white elephant.” A white elephant, in case you don’t know what that is, is a term for something that’s really cool and valuable, but costs so much to own that it’s not really worth it.

So as one of the greatest “F*** you” moments in sports history, Mack adopted a white elephant as the team’s logo and proceeded to win the American League pennant that same year. This variation on the logo was used from 1940-1953.

Worst

Oh wow, an elephant wearing sunglasses! With a sun in the background! That’s… great.

Seattle Mariners

Best

Count me as a big fan of the Mariners’ old trident branding, especially this logo (used 1980-1986). I also miss the blue, yellow, and white color scheme.

Worst

Blech. Boring. Z’s is more like it. Not much else to say here. I’m also not a huge fan of the current Seattle logo, but at least it has a stronger identity than this.

Texas Rangers

Best

Classic. As with the Angels logo above, this is an exception to the rule about states in logos being a cop-out. Love that script typeface, and the color scheme as well. I wanted to be all cheeky retro and say that the team’s first two logos were better, but that’s simply not true.

Worst

Barf. First, I hate pinstripes in logos. Second, this looks like the logo for a chain of moderately priced business-class hotels. It manages to be distinctive while at the same time lacking in any personality whatsoever. Luckily the Rangers dropped this after the 2002 season.

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Album cover of the week: Vaughn Meader, The First Family

by Chris Holmes on February 20, 2012 in Album Cover of the Week,Music

For a special President’s Day edition of this series, let’s take a look at a fairly innocuous but hugely popular album that was blasted into obscurity in the blink of an eye.

Few people remember the name Vaughn Meader today, but for about a year in the early ’60s he was one of the hottest acts in the world not from Liverpool. As you might be able to tell from this cover photo, The First Family concerns President John F. Kennedy and his family. It was a parody album, recorded in front of a live audience, and it featured Meader as Kennedy. He was sort of the Rich Little of his day.

Thanks to Meader’s spot-on impersonation and America’s obsession with all things Kennedy, The First Family hit #1 on the Billboard album chart and won a Grammy award in 1963. Meader became an overnight sensation, and was the toast of the town. A second volume, released in the spring of ’63, sold fairly well.

If you want to check out most of the first side, here you go:

Pretty innocuous stuff, no? Exactly. But it didn’t seem so harmless after President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Meader’s album was immediately pulled off record store shelves and basically vanished overnight, as did his career. He could never escape his greatest success, and was forever linked with President Kennedy.

And how’s this for a weird coincidence – The First Family was recorded on October 22, 1962, the same night as President Kennedy’s speech to America during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Spooky, man.

Read more about: 1960s • album covers • Albums • comedy • Cuban Missile Crisis • John F. Kennedy • Rich Little • spoken word • The First Family • Vaughn Meader

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Trailer Trash — The Lorax, A Thousand Words, and 21 Jump Street

by Chris Holmes on February 16, 2012 in Movies,Trailer Trash

I don’t have time to go to the movies much any more. So instead I’m going to just review some new and upcoming films based solely on their trailers. Because let’s face it, most movies only have about two or three minutes’ worth of good material anyway.

The Lorax

I’m not familiar with the Dr. Seuss source material for this movie, so I don’t care a whit about whether it deviates from the book or not. What I do care about is whether or not that stupid Polyphonic Spree song gets played in the movie. I hate that friggin’ song and every commercial it infests.

In any case, this looks like a lot of fun. I’m still not 100% sold on CGI animation in movies, but I think the world of Dr. Seuss is particularly suited to this type of visual approach. I can even overlook the inclusion of Zac Efron because Danny DeVito is so awesome. I just don’t know if I can watch Taylor Swift’s character speak without imagining her having Swift’s vacant stare and distracting overbite. Damn, woman, close that mouth already!

A Thousand Words

So help me God, this looks like it could actually be funny. Sure, it’s basically Charades: The Movie, but it could be worse (Pictionary or Pluto Nash 2 anyone?). The setup reminds me of Liar, Liar but the bit with the falling leaves is clever. I don’t know, I’ve been hurt by Eddie Murphy so many times I just don’t know if I have it in me to forgive him at this point. But bless his heart, he seems to be trying.

21 Jump Street

Clutch my pearls, that’s a lot of obscenity! And so few laughs to go with it! Well at least we have Ice Cube yelling and acting all tough. This ought to restore his street cred lickety split. And is that Jonah Hill, or has Johnny Depp gotten shorter and dumber?

Read more about: 21 Jump Street • A Thousand Words • action • animation • comedy • Danny DeVito • Dr. Seuss • Ed Helms • Eddie Murphy • Johnny Depp • Jonah Hill • Polyphonic Spree • Taylor Swift • The Lorax • trailers • Zac Efron

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My Sports Memories: The 2002 New York Jets Win the AFC East

by Brian Roll on February 15, 2012 in My Sports Memories,Sports

My Sports Memories is a look back at some of the best (and worst) days we’ve experienced as sports fans. For the inaugural entry in the series, let’s welcome new GFS writer and lifelong New York Jets fan Brian Roll. – Chris

Wayne Chrebet, Hofstra Legend

The New York Jets franchise has always had a flair for the weird, either in victory or in defeat. One of the greatest sports moments I ever experienced in person happened at Giants Stadium on December 29, 2002. At stake was an AFC East division title for the Jets and a home playoff game the following week. This is a fairly common NFL scenario — win and you’re in. But naturally, this being the Jets, there had to be one hell of a twist. Irony of ironies, the group that helped make it possible that day was the nascent dynastic version of the hated New England Patriots.

The Jets got off to a terrible start in 2002, going 1-4 and earning starting QB Vinny Testaverde a well-deserved spot on the bench. Enter third-year QB Chad Penningon, and the Jets went on a tear. They entered week 17 with a record of 8-7 and owned the tie-breaker over the Patriots, but not over the Miami Dolphins. The Jets were hosting Green Bay at 4:15 p.m. and, lo and behold, the Pats were hosting the Dolphins at Foxboro at 1:00 p.m. If the Dolphins beat the Pats, the Jets were finished. However, if Miami lost, then all the Jets had to do was win and they would clinch the division — only their second since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.

During the pre-game tailgate, every Jets fan was closely monitoring the Dolphins-Pats game on their radios (this was the pre-smart phone era, kiddies). It was a tight game, and it hung in the balance as 4:15 approached. Miami seemingly had the game in the bag, but as we took our seats and the Jets prepared to take the field, the game went to overtime. I don’t pretend to remember the exact details, but I do recall that poor clock management by Dave Wannstedt (shocking!) led to New England having enough time to tie the game, and they sent it to overtime.

As the Jets game started, the Pats-Dolphins game was going down to the wire. The Jets fell behind 7-0, but the most bizarre part of the game experience was the fact that the Jets fans were mostly paying attention to the other game. My seat was on the 10-yard line, 20 rows up from the Jets bench, and there was a running dialog between Jets fans and players as the team tried to learn what was happening up in Foxboro.

Chad Pennington celebrates winning AFC East championship

Chad Pennington in happier days.

Suddenly a roar went up at the Meadowlands, and it had nothing to do with the action on the field. New England had beaten Miami, thanks to the steady leg of Adam Vinatieri. The Jets players were visibly fired up upon hearing the news and, for a moment, Jets fans were able to vicariously enjoy the clutch kicking of Vinatieri, whose game-winner opened up the door for the Jets.

In very un-Jets like fashion, New York stormed through that door. Led by Pennington’s four touchdown passes, the Jets demolished the Packers 42-17. New York roared into the playoffs, blowing out (and shutting out) Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts before bowing out against Oakland in the divisional round.

The Jets’ late-season surge predictably led to absurd hyperbole in the New York press, and columnists (Steve Serby in particular) couldn’t wait to anoint Chad Pennington as the next Joe Montana.

The following pre-season, during the annual Giants-Jets game, Pennington was injured and lost for the year (in predictable Jets fashion). This pretty much destroyed the promise of his young career, and although he would lead the Jets to the playoffs again he was never the same. The Jets eventually petered out under head coach Herm Edwards, starting up the coaching carousel again.

But for one frigid night in the Meadowlands in late 2002, the Jets seized a chance presented to them by their hated rivals (and ruined New England’s own playoff chances in the process). It was an enjoyable game for a Jets fan, a rollicking, never-any-doubt annihilation that kicked expectations into high gear and was seemingly going to set up a decade-long back and forth battle with New England for control of the division.

We all know how THAT turned out.

Read more about: Adam Vinatieri • AFC East • Chad Pennington • Giants Stadium • Green Bay Packers • Miami Dolphins • National Football League • New England Patriots • New York Jets • NFL

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Listening booth — Simple Minds, “This Fear of Gods”

by Chris Holmes on February 14, 2012 in Listening booth,Music

OK I’ll admit it — I’m one of the many dumb Americans whose knowledge of Simple Minds starts and stops with “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” and “Alive and Kicking.” But I’m been forced to dig deeper thanks to Slacker, which introduced me to this excellent song. It’s “This Fear of Gods,” from the band’s excellent third album, Empires and Dance.

This is some seriously thick, dark stuff. It has the same propulsive, eerie feel of early Talking Heads and seems to predict the indie dance-pop revival of the last decade. Don’t be turned off by the 7-minute running time. This thing goes by in a flash.

As a matter of fact, just get the whole damn album. But for now, enjoy “This Fear of Gods.”