This column is suppose to be the trade deadline preview, but the Cleveland Indians decided to release a cool video announcing they are changing the name to the Cleveland Guardians.
To quote Robert Burns: “The best-laid schemes of mice and men, go oft awry.”
Bet you did not think you would be reading a sports column that would quote Scottish poetry? My sports analysis leaves a lot to be desired, but I did not totally flunk English.
Now I am back into my comfort zone.
Anyway, the organization did a great job with the hype video.
They did well getting Tom Hanks to narrate it. Hanks is a well known Cleveland Guardians fan going back to his days being apart of the Great Lakes Theater Company early in his acting career. The Black Keys Little Black Submarines on the end is a nice touch. It’s a really well done reveal. The last image is what the rebranding will look like.
I like the name. The statues on the Hope Memorial Bridge are an iconic part of heading from Ohio City into Downtown. It is something that is unique to the area.
Guardians protect what is important. They can be both offensive when they anticipate a threat and defensive when they are being attacked. They stand tall and are intimidating.
They went 1 for two on the logos. I like the split G logo. It is unique and a great way to emulate the Guardians on the bridge. They could raise the seams a little more on the baseball, but in the grand scheme, if that is my only complaint, then we are doing well.
The diamond C is the same problem I have always had with the block C, it’s incredibly generic. The letter C is already a logo for the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs, why is the solution to have the same as the other teams in the league?
My biggest complaint is with keeping very similar script and the colors. It seems like the organization was attempting to lessen the blow of the name change by making things look close enough to the previous name, that people would accept it easier. It felt like they took away a child’s cookie and replaced it with a sugar free cookie, hoping the kid would not realize the disappointment when they bit into it. The kid realized and realized loudly.
We all knew how the name change was going to go. We knew 50 percent of the fan base would hate it because it was not the previous name, 25 percent would hate it because it was not the name they wanted, 12.5 percent would be apathetic toward it and 12.5 percent would like it. This is exactly what happened. I was on with Baskin and Phelps on Friday when it was announced and our callers/tweeters were pretty much this mix.
It’s why I would have rolled out new colors as well.
Completely rip off the bandage and tell people it is a brand new era of Cleveland Baseball. 24 of the 30 teams have red, blue or both as their color scheme. Why be like everyone else? There are a bunch of great colors to experience, but everyone does the same thing. It’s the same problem I had with the block C and the same problem I have with the Diamond C, two other teams already use a C as their logo, why be like everyone else? Be different! Be bold!
I would have embraced the “Forrest City” motif and made the uniforms green, black and gold. Make it your own.
My two cents are meaningless though. I am going to root for them no matter what. Why? Simple really, it’s because they are Cleveland. They represent the city I call home. The name that comes first is part that means the most to all of us. The organization could have rolled out a video calling them the Cleveland Rainbow Unicorns and they could have fluorescent pink uniforms with purple polka dots and hats with a rainbow unicorn horn on them.
We all would have had a conniption, some would have even boycotted, until they make the playoffs. Then Progressive Field would have been slammed with people chanting “U-NI-CORNS U-NI-CORNS!” at the top of their lungs. The first part of the name is what matters, the second part is for marketing and kids.
If you want to boycott, fine. If you refuse to never buy another ticket, whatever. I have no sympathy for you. You knew this was coming. They announced a year ago the name was going to change. Hell, when they removed Chief Wahoo, you knew this day was not far away. Professional sports are meant to bring all of us together, not tear people apart and the previous name tore people apart. Does it still say Cleveland on the front? Then, who cares what the nickname is.
If you are one of those people, good luck, because we all know when they make the playoffs again…take it away King George.
Three Quick Thoughts:
1. I expect the Guardians to sell around the margins at the deadline. They will move Bryan Shaw, Eddie Rosario (if he is healthy) and Cesar Hernandez and run out the kids to see who can help this team in 2022. This was the gap year for this team and I expect them to be a playoff team in 2022.
2. I believe the Cavs will keep the third pick and take Evan Mobley. Mobley can play with Jarrett Allen and is extremely mobile for a guy who is 7 feet tall. I don’t see Love being traded on draft night, but I could definitely see Sexton traded on draft night.
3. The world wishes there were fans in Tokyo and we are going to sorely miss them when it is time for the medal games, but it is great to have the Olympics going on. The NBC Sports streaming app has replays of all the games you can pick and choose what you want to see. Find a sport you have never seen before and give it a whirl, and if it doesn’t hook you in 10 minutes, find another, life is short.