As the NBA gets set to embark upon the 2012 playoffs, there will be six franchises vying for the chance to win their first-ever league title — the Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, and Utah Jazz. Elsewhere in the league, there are a handful of non-playoff teams who also have either never tasted ultimate glory or who did so a long, long time ago. Like before I was born. Let’s take a look at the ten longest active streaks.

#10 — Portland Trail Blazers (34 seasons)

The Blazers enjoyed their one and only NBA crown in the 1976-77 season, the year new head coach Jack Ramsay and Hall of Fame center Bill Walton led the team to its first winning campaign and first playoff appearance. The team followed that up by making it to the Western Conference semifinals, where they lost in six games to the Seattle SuperSonics.

From that magical season all the way through 2002-03, Portland missed the playoffs just once. They made it back to the NBA Finals twice during this stretch, losing to the Detroit Pistons (in 1989-90) and the Chicago Bulls (1991-92). The 21st century has not been kind to the Blazers, however. A five-year playoff absence ended in 2008-09, but they lost in the first round to Houston Rockets. They did not qualify for the playoffs this season.

#9 — Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, & New Jersey Nets (35 seasons)

All three of these teams joined the NBA in 1976 when it merged/absorbed the defunct American Basketball Association (ABA). Of the three, only Indiana and New Jersey have been to the NBA Finals. The Pacers, under head coach Larry Bird, won their division in 1999-2000 and took the Eastern Conference Finals from the Knicks in six games. In the Finals the Pacers were dropped by the Los Angeles Lakers, led by new head coach Phil Jackson.

The Nets got off to an inauspicious start in the league when they were essentially forced to sell their best player, Julius “Dr. J” Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers to pay a $4.8 million fee for competing in the same market as the New York Knicks. The team won just one playoff series from their debut season through 2000-01, when they acquired Jason Kidd and underwent a resurgence. With Kidd the Nets won three straight division titles and advanced to two consecutive NBA Finals. In 2001-02 they were swept by the Lakers, and the following season they lost in six to the San Antonio Spurs. The Nets set a new mark for futility when they started the 2009-10 season with a record 19 straight losses. They ended the 2011-12 campaign, their last in New Jersey, by missing the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

The Nuggets are the lone surviving ABA squad to never even make the NBA Finals. They’ve made it as far as the Western finals three times, losing to the Lakers twice (1984-85, 2008-09) and the SuperSonics once (1977-78).

#8 — Golden State Warriors (36 seasons)

The Warriors trace their history back to 1946, when they were a charter member of the Basketball Association of America, later to become the NBA. Playing in Philadelphia, the Warriors won the BAA title that season. The Philadelphia Warriors took it all again in 1955-56, then packed their bags for San Francisco in 1962. The Warriors — who moved to Oakland in changed the first part of their name to Golden State in 1971 — won their last NBA title during the 1974-75 season, sweeping the Washington Bullets in four games.

After a few more decent seasons, the Warriors fell off a cliff and haven’t really recovered. Since 1977-78 Golden State has made a grand total of six playoff appearances, and they’ve made it no farther than the second round. Their last trip was in 2006-07, when a Western Conference semifinal tilt against the Utah Jazz ended in only five games.

#7 — Utah Jazz (37 seasons)

Speaking of the Jazz… Of all the teams to never win an NBA crown, Utah may be the best of the bunch. After joining the league as the New Orleans Jazz (doesn’t that make much more sense?) in 1974, the franchise struggled for quite a few years until Frank Layden led the team to their first winning season in 1983-84. But it wasn’t until Jerry Sloan took over toward the end of the ’80s that things got good.

The Sloan Era (which ended in February 2011) was marked by seven division titles, 16 consecutive playoff appearances (ending in 2003-04), and two straight trips to the NBA Finals. Perhaps the only thing stopping Utah from going all the way was bad timing — both of their Finals appearances were against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls at the tail end of their dynasty. Despite giving it their all, Utah was on the wrong side of history and lost the 1997 and 1998 Finals in six games.

The closest Utah has come to a title since was a Western Finals loss to the Spurs in 2006-07.

#6 — New York Knicks (38 seasons)

Nobody who follows the league needs to be reminded of the Knicks’ sad recent history. Suffice it to say that even if you forget all about that, despite a good run throughout the 1990s New York came away with nothing to show for it except frustration. Of all the New York teams in the four major pro sports, the Knicks now have the longest active title drought save for the NFL’s Jets.

The Knickerbockers were a perennial playoff team from 1987-88 through 2000-01, which included their epic NBA Finals showdown with the Houston Rockets in 1994. That was the one O.J. Simpson and Al Cowlings had the gall to interrupt, for those who don’t remember. A 4-1 series loss at the hands of the Spurs in the 1999 Finals was much less memorable.

So for now, New York fans will have to be content to bask in the memories of the 1973 Finals, featuring the likes of Walt Frazier and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe.

#5 — Milwaukee Bucks (40 seasons)

The Bucks had an early taste of glory, and have been waiting for a second helping ever since. With Lew Alcindor (soon to become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) at center and Oscar Robertson at guard, Milwaukee exploded for 66 wins in only their third season in the league. They tore through the Warriors and Lakers en route to the 1971 finals, where the Baltimore Bullets were swept in four games. The next few seasons brought tons of regular season wins and one more trip to the finals — a seven-game affair with the Boston Celtics in 1974 — but no more trophies.

The Bucks remained consistently decent (and sometimes pretty damn good) until the early ’90s, when they went seven years without a playoff appearance. In fact, since the 1988-89 season Milwaukee has just two playoff series wins to their credit, both coming in 2000-01. They’re on their fourth head coach since 2003, when George Karl was fired after five seasons. The Bucks barely missed qualifying for the 2012 playoffs, getting eliminated in the season’s final week.

#4 — Cleveland Cavaliers & Los Angeles Clippers (41 seasons)

There is only one reason the Clippers aren’t higher on this list — they simply haven’t been around long enough. In their 41 years of NBA play, Los Angeles (which began in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves) has qualified for the playoffs eight times. That’s about once every six years for you English majors. And three of those came in consecutive seasons (1973-74 through 1975-76). In other words, you’ll get more enjoyment waiting for the Olympics than you will waiting for the Clips to make the postseason.

The franchise’s regular season win-loss percentage currently stands at a beefy .363. To put that into perspective — if L.A. went undefeated for the next 11+ seasons, they would finally climb back to .500. Futility, thy name is the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Cavs, on the other hand, have many seasons to their credit that weren’t a total embarrassment. Unfortunately their pre-LeBron James playoff history is mostly remembered for a first-round loss to the Bulls in Game 5 of the 1989 playoffs. You know it better as “The Shot.”

Oof. To make matters worse, Cleveland was ousted from the playoffs by Chicago three times over the next five years. And then depression set in, until the arrival of you-know-who. Cleveland made it to the NBA Finals for first and only time in 2006-07, a four-game sweep at the hands of the Spurs. LeBron took his act to Miami in 2010 and the Cavs, well, let’s just say they won’t be competing for a title any time soon.

#3 — Phoenix Suns (43 seasons)

I’m no NBA historian but I would’ve sworn the Suns managed to sneak in a title somewhere in the ’70s. Hell, everyone else seemed to. Actually Phoenix did reach the Finals in 1976, only to lose to the Boston Celtics in six. They got back in 1993 but met Da Bulls and lost again in six. Still, it’s not all doom and gloom. For a franchise without a title Phoenix has been consistently good, and sports a .559 regular-season win percentage. And they certainly haven’t lacked for talent — Charles Barkley, Alvan Adams, Kevin Johnson, and Steve Nash are but a few of the players to burn brightly out in the desert. They just seem to be one of those teams that can never quite put it all together when it counts.

#2 — Atlanta Hawks (53 seasons)

The Hawks bopped around the NBA after their inaugural 1949-50 season until finally settling in Atlanta in 1968. But it was during their 13 years in St. Louis that they achieved their greatest success. They made the playoffs in twelve of those seasons and claimed their lone title, beating the Celtics in six to end the 1957-58 campaign. However, that accomplishment was stacked against three Finals losses to Boston in the same period.

After the move to Atlanta the Hawks remained fairly competitive for many years — they made the playoffs more often than not through the 1990s but only advanced past the first round ten times in more than 30 seasons. Their best postseason came in 1988, when they took the Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference semis.

After several lousy years to start the new century, Atlanta has been in the midst of a resurgence of late. They’ve qualified for the postseason the last five seasons and have advanced past the first round twice.

#1 — Sacramento Kings (60 seasons)

The Kings have this much going for them at least — their current NBA-worst run without a title is dwarfed by baseball’s Chicago Cubs (104 years and counting). That’s about all the good that can be said for the Kings and the postseason. They claimed their one and only league title in 1951 when they beat the Knicks in seven. But even that victory was tainted as the team — then known as the Rochester Royals — was in the midst of serious financial troubles.

The Royals relocated to Cincinnati in 1957 and enjoyed a decent run from 1961-62 to 1966-67. Led by Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas during this run, Cincy posted six straight playoff appearances but were continually stymied by the Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers.

The franchise moved again — to Kansas City/Omaha — and changed their name to the Kings in 1972. Their greatest success in Kansas City came during a three-year stretch from 1978-79 to 1980-81, when they advanced to the postseason three times and made it to the Western Conference finals in 80-81 (a five-game defeat to the Rockets). Another relocation came in 1985, when the franchise moved to their current digs in Sacramento, California. The Kings’ best year in Sac-town occurred in 2001-02, when they won 61 games and advanced to the Western finals again (losing to the Lakers in seven).

The past six years have been pretty miserable ones in Sacramento, and relocation rumors are swirling once again. Get ready to welcome your Anaheim Royals!

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Fredi González, Atlanta Braves — González played for six years in the minors, and made it as far as the AA level. This is Fredi in 1983 as a member of the Greensboro Hornets, the New York Yankees AA affiliate in North Carolina.

Ozzie Guillén, Miami Marlins — Guillen enjoyed a long and productive Major League career, including 13 seasons with the Chicago White Sox (1985 – 1997). He was the American League Rookie of the Year for 1985, won a Gold Glove in 1990, and was a three-time All-Star.

Terry Collins, New York Mets — I wasn’t able to find any cards from Collins’ days as a minor league ballplayer, so here’s a card from his early coaching days with the AAA Albuquerque Dukes. Collins managed a .255 batting average for his playing career, which never advanced to the Major Leagues.

Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia Phillies — “Chuck” Manuel played for six Major League seasons (1969-75), the first four with the Twins. He played sparingly in his final two seasons, both with the L.A. Dodgers.

Davey Johnson, Washington Nationals — Davey Johnson spent eight years in Baltimore, where he won two World Series rings (1966 & 1970) as a second baseman. He finished his playing career in 1978 with the Chicago Cubs.

Dale Sveum, Chicago Cubs — Dale Sveum was never a star in the Major Leagues, but did manage to carve out a 12-year career nonetheless. His best year was 1987, when he hit .252 with 25 home runs and 95 RBI.

Dusty Baker, Cincinnati Reds — Of all the skippers on this and the AL list, few played in the Majors for as long as Dusty Baker. Over the course of 19 years — mostly with the Braves and Dodgers — Baker logged 242 home runs, 1,013 RBI, and a .278 average. He was an All-Star left fielder for Los Angeles in 1981 and 1982.

Brad Mills, Houston Astros — Mills bounced between the Montreal Expos and AAA ball from 1980 to 1983, before a knee injury ended his playing career. He gained a bit of notoriety on April 27, 1983, when he became Nolan Ryan’s 3,509th career strikeout, setting a new MLB record.

Ron Roenicke, Milwaukee Brewers — Roenicke bounced between six clubs in eight MLB seasons. He was a career .238 hitter, and collected a season-high 82 hits in 1983 with the Dodgers and Mariners.

Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh Pirates — Hurdle was a highly touted draft pick of the Royals in 1975 but never really panned out for Kansas City. He played in 100+ games only twice in his career, and in his last season appeared in just three games with the Mets (1987).

Mike Matheny, St. Louis Cardinals — Matheny returns to manage St. Louis this year, where he won three of his four Gold Gloves as a catcher. Matheny built a 13-year Major League career on his defensive prowess, and his .994 career fielding percentage ranks tenth all-time among Major League catchers.

Kirk Gibson, Arizona Diamondbacks — Before he gained baseball immortality for his 1988 World Series Game 1 home run with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Gibson spent his first nine seasons in Detroit. He returned in 1993 to play his last three years for the Tigers. Over the course of his 17 Major League seasons Gibson his 255 homers, 870 RBI, and was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1988.

Jim Tracy, Colorado Rockies — Jim Tracy’s career was a brief one, lasting just two seasons with the Cubs. After MLB Tracy played two seasons in Japan with the Yokohama Taiyō Whales.

Don Mattingly, Los Angeles Dodgers — Few players are more beloved by Yankees fans than Donnie Baseball. He is arguably one of the greatest players of the modern era not yet in the Hall of Fame. From 1982-1995 he appeared in six All-Star Games, won three Silver Slugger and nine Gold Glove Awards, and was the 1985 American League MVP.

Bud Black, San Diego Padres — Interestingly enough, Black is the only former pitcher currently managing a National League team, and one of two in all of MLB. Black was a member of the Royals for seven of his fifteen seasons and was a member of the World Series title squad in 1985. He finished his career with a 121-116 record, a 3.84 ERA, and 1,039 strikeouts.

Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants — Bochy was a backup catcher throughout his nine-year MLB career. He spent his five of those seasons (1983-87) was the Padres, where he got to wear one of the sweetest baseball unis ever (aside from the Astros one seen on the above card).

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Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles — Buck never made it to the majors, but did play AAA ball briefly. This is a card from his time with the New Haven Yankees (AA), dated either 1978 or 1979.

Bobby Valentine, Boston Red Sox – No fake mustache needed here. This is Bobby as a member of the California Angels, from a Topps 1975 card. Valentine played for five big league squads during his ten-year career.

Joe Girardi, New York Yankees — While he won three World Series as a Yankee, Joe Girardi spent most of his career playing backstop for the Cubs.

Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays — Maddon spent just four seasons in the minors, and never played higher than A ball for affiliates of the Angels and Padres. I couldn’t find any photos from that era, but there are some neat images of Maddon as a member of the Lafayette College baseball team in the mid-1970s on the Rays Index site.

John Farrell, Toronto Blue Jays — Farrell spent his first four seasons as a member of the Cleveland Indians pitching staff, before missing the entire 1991 and 1992 seasons due to injury. He played sparingly in four seasons after his return. He finished with a career record of 36-46.

Robin Ventura, Chicago White Sox — Chicago fans know Robin Ventura well, as he spent the first decade of his career with the White Sox. When all was said and done, Ventura had two All-Star appearances and six Gold Glove Awards to his credit over a 16-year Major League career.

Manny Acta, Cleveland Indians — The current Indians skipper spent five seasons in the Astros farm system, most of it at the A level. As best as I can tell this card is from his time with the Osceola Astros (A+).

Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers — It’s well-documented that Jim Leyland was in the Tigers minor league system from 1964-70, it’s just not well-photographed. If anyone can help me out here, I’d be most thankful!

Ned Yost, Kansas City Royals — Yost only saw more than 100 at-bats in a season twice during his six years in the Bigs. His two most productive offensive seasons were in 1983 and 1984, when he racked up a total of 12 homers and 53 RBI for the Brewers and Rangers, respectively.

Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins — Gardenhire spent five injury-plagued seasons with the Mets, making his last Major League appearance in October 1985. His longest and best season was in 1982, when he played in 141 games, drove in 33 runs, and had a .956 fielding percentage at shortstop.

Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — Scioscia built his reputation on his defensive prowess and durability as a catcher over the course of 13 seasons with the Dodgers. After returning from a rotator cuff injury that wiped out most of his ’83 campaign, Scioscia never played fewer than 100 games in a season.

Bob Melvin, Oakland Athletics — The term “journeyman” was invented for players like Bob Melvin. He played for seven teams over ten years, including three in his final season (1994).

Eric Wedge, Seattle Mariners — Don’t remember Eric Wedge’s playing days? You’re forgiven, especially since he appeared in just 39 games over four years. 27 of those came in 1992 with Boston, mostly as a DH.

Ron Washington, Texas Rangers — Washington broke into the Major Leagues in 1977 but lasted just 10 games. He returned in 1981 with the Twins and spent eight more seasons in the Big Show. Washington was your typical light-hitting middle infielder, hitting 20 home runs for his career.

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Sad Toronto Maple Leafs fans are sad.

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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. Today, for the final installment, I look at the five squads of the National League’s East division.

(Other recaps — AL West, NL West, AL Central, NL Central, AL East)

Best

The whole Atlanta Braves look from the ’70s was one of the best in modern baseball, and that includes the primary logo seen here (used until 1986). A close second for this spot was the distinctive feather logo used on the jersey sleeves.

Worst

This cap logo, rolled out in 2003, is a silly, hamfisted attempt to meld the team’s long-lived cap logo with the tomahawk used in the current primary logo.

Best

I don’t have a lot to choose from. Prior to the Marlins’ total makeover heading into the 2012 campaign, they had used the same primary logo since their founding in 1993. It’s a decent enough graphic, but I like the 1993-2004 alternate much better. Very nice typeface choice here. It just looks cleaner and leaner than the original primary.

Worst

I have to say, I don’t think this is really all that bad. Sure, this could just as easily represent the Miami Board of Tourism, but it’s original — gotta give the fish that much. The color scheme is pure South Beach, and I like the stylized Marlin. There, I said it. But still, I’m a traditionalist at heart and I had to pick this for the “wag of the finger” slot.

Best

Mr. Met for the win. Simple as that. Pick any variety you want. This is the original alternate, used from 1963-1970.

Worst

Only a diehard Mets fan — is there any other kind these days? — could tell you the difference between this alternate logo and one of the two primary ones. Basically, this is the same as the current primary but is used with the team’s black-based color scheme. And since I don’t care for the Mets wearing black, I don’t care for this version of the logo (which otherwise is quite good).

Best

This is the Phillies cap logo of 1970-1991. Great uniforms and a great color scheme. I still have never gotten used to what replaced it, even though it’s been around for 20 years essentially.

Worst

I can dig where they were trying to go with the whole Colonial motif, but this is just too childish. They look like extras from Schoolhouse Rock. Oh and by the way, these kids do have names – Philadelphia Phil and Philadelphia Phyllis. Seriously.

Best

Yeah, I went there. Les Expos got screwed in ’94 by the MLB strike, and I still miss them and their logos.

Worst

One of the many variations on the Nats’ basic cap logo. And this one looks like the Walgreens logo, just like the rest of ‘em.

I can’t wait for Free Prescription Refill Day at Nationals Park this season!

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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. Today I look at the five squads of the American League’s East division.

(Other recaps — AL West, NL West, AL Central, NL Central)

Best

Despite being a lifelong Yankees fan, I’ve always been partial to the Orioles. Could it be because orange is in fact my favorite color? Maybe. All I know is that this logo, the team’s second, is damn neat. It’s fun but not frivolous, cartoonish but not cutesy. This one, used until the early ’90s, just edges out the Orioles’ original logo as their best.

Worst

It seems a lot of people favor this alternate logo, which the O’s rolled out in 2009. I am not one of them. Yeah the Maryland state flag design is cool, but the way it’s just lazily shoehorned into the old Baltimore logo leaves me cold. I’ll take any of the team’s ornithologically correct (but bland) logos over this one.

Best

Until I undertook this project, I never really gave much thought to the fact that the primary logo the Red Sox used from the late ’70s until 2008 used two totally different typefaces. Now that I have this alternate, more uniform version in front of me, it just looks so much better. I’ll despise the Sawx until they lower me into the ground, but this is one of the best logos in sports.

Worst

On the other hand, this thing is an abomination. I don’t know what kind of drugs were available in 1950 — when this was introduced — but somebody got some and decided it would be swell to combine the red sock imagery with the shape of Massachusetts. What resulted instead was a decade of nightmare fuel.

Best

Two things make this an easy choice. One, the Yankees have only used two primary logos in their history, of which this is the second (introduced in 1947). Two, it kicks ass.

Worst

I know I said in previous entries of this series that I don’t like to rag on early 20th century logos because everything looked weird back then, but I really didn’t have a choice here. Again, two primary logos in Yankees history. So this is the one used by the Yankees in 1905, when they were still known as the New York Highlanders. You can see what they were going for here, but they didn’t really hit the mark.

Best

So now we move from a franchise with a rich, storied past to one with virtually no past. I had to disqualify the Devil Rays’ first logo because using a color gradient was a bad idea. This is cleaner, albeit less interesting. Still, it gets the job done. The typeface is not without merit too.

Worst

Has it really been four years since Tampa pulled the gutless move of removing the word “devil” from their name and ditched the devil ray symbolism altogether? Lovely. So what is this new logo and name supposed to represent? Well, in the words of majority owner Stuart Sternberg it represents, ”a beacon that radiates throughout Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida.”

Fail.

Best

I was a big baseball card collector for about five years, starting around 1983. I always enjoyed seeing Blue Jays cards pop up and looking at this logo and those old uniforms. I always loved the color scheme, the logo itself, and especially that typeface (which was retro and modern at the same time). There can be no question that this specimen, used from the team’s debut season of 1977 through 1996, is their all-time best.

Worst

I have vague memories of an old Woody Woodpecker episode where either Woody or some other bird becomes all huge and muscular. I don’t remember if it was a drug of some sort or the result of an intense workout regimen, but it probably was the drugs. Body-altering serums were big in cartoons back in the day. Anyway, it creeped me out as a kid and this creeps me out as an adult. Fortunately this was canned after 2003, with just one season as Toronto’s primary logo.

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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. Today I look at the six squads of the National League’s Central division.

(Other recaps — AL West, NL West, AL Central)

Best

This is the only Cubs logo I’ve ever known, and I assumed it always looked like this. Alas, this particular variant of the primary design introduced in 1937 has only been in use since 1979. Still, seems kind of timeless, no?

Worst

It had been not quite 20 years since the Cubbies’ last World Series title when this was rolled out in 1927. So why can’t I shake the feeling that this rather portly fellow is committing the ursine equivalent of seppuku?

Best

Reds fans fondly remember the running Mr. Red with the team’s Big Red Machine glory days in the 1970s. I almost went with his mustachioed relative from the 1950s, but learning that Cincy adopted it and the name “Redlegs” to deflect associations with Communism left a bad taste in my mouth.

Note that the original Running Red wore jersey number 27.

Worst

Reds logos come in two basic flavors — Mr. Red or a variation of the letter “C” and the team name. I chose this one, used throughout the 1940s and early ’50s, mainly because I can’t reconcile Cincinnati with Chicago Cubs colors. Otherwise, it’s fine.

Best

This was the Astros’ first logo after being renamed from the Colt .45s. Even as late as 1965 this was sort of retro. Love the action font and the Atomic Age motif. I’d love to have this on a t-shirt.

Worst

Blech. I can deal with the unfinished star — even though the color scheme does nothing for me — but that typeface is awful. I’m very much interested to see if they keep this logo when they move to the AL West next season.

Best

Finding out that this seemingly simple logo actually contained an M and a B as part of the glove was a mind-blowing experience. ‘Twas a sad day when the Brewers ditched this in 1994…

Worst

…for this thing. You’re telling me they couldn’t just update the glove logo a little bit? Please.

Best

I’m not a huge fan of any of Pittsburgh’s logos, which is odd since a pirate should be an easy win. Well I guess for their opponents it still is (hey-o!). But seriously, this one from the ’50s comes the closest to the appropriate amount of seafaring menace.

Worst

And then there’s this bloated monstrosity, which was introduced during the team’s World Series winning year of 1960 and stuck around for six more seasons after that. I have to say, though, that the skin loop earrings were a bold and fashion-forward looking touch.

Best

The Cardinals have been around for 120 years, but their current logo (seen here) is only their seventh new primary. Pretty impressive. More impressive is the fact that this one, rolled out in 1998, beautifully incorporates their past iconography into a look that’s modern and timeless at once. One of the best logos in sports.

Worst

This is Fredbird, introduced as the team’s mascot in 1979 and adopted as the alternate logo in 1980. I do not care for Fredbird. That is all.

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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. Today I look at the five squads of the American League’s Central division.

(Past recaps — AL West, NL West)

Best

What I like about the White Sox’s current primary logo (rolled out in 1991) is that it looks like something the team would’ve worn in the ’20s, but doesn’t seem stodgy. In fact, this is a slightly updated version of the alternate logo Chicago used throughout the 1950s.

Worst

Tough call here. I can’t really bag on the logos the team used at the beginning of the 20th century — they were pretty standard for the time and it’s not like sports graphics of that era were terribly sophisticated anyway. And although the team’s logo and uniforms from the late ’70s and 1980s aren’t exactly looked upon with fondness, at least they tried something fresh.

But this — this is just weak sauce. Surely there were enough talented designers by the early ’70s to produce something better with even five minutes of effort. Yeah the white sock is there, but this is so generic and bland.

Best

I’m not interested in debating the racism angle of this logo. From a purely aesthetic standpoint it’s really cool. There’s a reason why Cleveland brought this back in 1980, only eight years after the logo’s original 1951-1972 run — it’s instantly identifiable and looks like no other logo in baseball. Long live Chief Wahoo!

Worst

See, this is what you get when you let your kid design a team logo. I’ll give the team credit for coloring inside the lines on the headdress, even though it’s not finished. Maybe I’m missing something, and this is really a stylized map of Ohio made to look like a head? Whatever the case, this was used as the team’s primary logo in 1928 and replaced the next season.

Best

Depicting a tiger on a logo should be a no-brainer, and yet every time Detroit tried it was a misfire. They finally got it right in 1994, just in time for the Tigers to begin one of the most dismal stretches in franchise history. This was replaced as the primary logo in 2006, but now serves as the alternate.

Worst

“Gah, derp! Is that a booger on my nose?”

Even though this was only used in 1927-28, its influence stretched into the 21st century. Witness Meatwad of Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 / Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Best

Props to the Royals for at least maintaining some consistency. Despite some tweaks in their primary logo — a darker blue and other cosmetic adjustments — it’s remained largely unchanged since the team’s founding in 1969. Unfortunately that makes my job harder, as there’s not much to choose from. Still, this primary logo is pretty nice.

Worst

This alternate logo — used from 2002-2005 — isn’t particularly egregious. It’s just rather plain. Not a big fan of the typeface in the black ring either. And hey, just because you throw the words “baseball club” in there doesn’t make it fancy or timeless.

Best

I know, I know. I’ve already slammed other logos as being cartoonish and then I go and pick this one as my favorite for the Twins. It’s packed with neat little touches but doesn’t feel crowded or overly busy. It’s also just so gosh-darn friendly and unique after all. I mean, if Minneapolis and St. Paul can get along why can’t the rest of us? Not everything in sports has to be aggressive.

Seriously, I do like this.

Worst

This, on the other hand, is a great example of how a cool design concept can also be executed poorly. It also screams ’70s, which is appropriate since this was rolled out in 1972.

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I’ll let professional and amateur sportswriters vent their spleens over the whole New Orleans Saints bounty brouhaha. I just want to use Photoshop to make funny images. It’s not my best Photoshop job but you get the idea. That’s Jonathan Vilma standing to Bossk’s left, by the way. I sure hope Han Solo doesn’t play quaterback.

Click on the image for a full-size version.

And no, that’s not Gregg Williams in the Darth Vader outfit. Although with as much as George Lucas screws with these movies, I wouldn’t put it past him.

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• Daily Madden: Saints Facing Harsh Penalties For Bounty System (sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com)
• Rams DC Williams met with NFL to discuss ‘bounty’ system (nfl.com)

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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. My rankings for the American League West are here — up next are the five squads of the National League’s West division.

Best

I’m not a huge fan of any of Arizona’s branding, but the current rattlesnake cap emblem (in use since 2007) beats the original one. The aggressive, desert-themed red background also looks snappier than than the original purple/green color scheme.

Worst

As much as I don’t care for the team’s original iconography, this one strikes me as the least inspired in the club’s 14-year history. I get it — it’s a lower-case ‘d’ and ‘b’ meant to look like a snake head. It just seems a bit lazy. The replacement for this one is better, though.

Best

I’m cheating a bit here, as this logo was never officially used by the Rockies. It was their branding up until they actually took the field for the first time in 1993, and I find it to be just a bit more appealing than their primary logo. It feels less cluttered, mainly because the arch is gray rather than black. Also, the sans serif typeface for “Colorado” looks cleaner than the current serif style.

Worst

Here’s the team’s cap logo, used since 2007. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that the team has had so few variations on their logo over the years that I had to choose something. So there you go.

Best

One of the great logos in baseball history. Timeless script and a simple logo. What else do you need? Well apparently something else, because the Dodgers are rolling out a slightly tweaked version of this for the 2012 season. It features thicker lines and a darker shade of blue for the “Dodgers” script.

Worst

The Dodgers have had no real clunkers since they moved to L.A. in 1958, so I have to reach back to their days in Brooklyn to find one. This was used for the 1937 season only, and I can see why. The “B” stands for Boring.

Best

What’s not to love about the Swinging Friar? Yeah it’s a bit cartoonish but it’s also fun and distinctive. And I’m on record as loving the old brown and yellow color scheme. This logo served as the Padres’ primary from their first year in the league (1969) through 1984. The Friar will return — albeit with the team’s current blue — as one of San Diego’s alternate logos for 2012.

Worst

This is about as far removed from the team’s historical identity as you can get. Even if you can get past the brown and yellow being gone, that P is beyond lame. Reminds me of the last logo Oldsmobile had before they vanished. Luckily the team only used this on their caps from 2004-2006, and are back the interlocking “SD.”

Best

It’s not that I don’t think the Giants logo used from 1947, when they were still in New York, until 1976 wasn’t cool. It was. But the combination of the black “Giants” wordmark and the orange baseball is cooler. It almost looks like a sun, which I dig.

Worst

Much like with the Rockies, I can’t really find major fault with any of the Giants’ logos. I went with this one (used from 1983-1993) because when stacked up against the ones that came before and after, it just doesn’t quite measure up. But really it’s not that bad at all.

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