New York Mets in Cincinnati FC Colors - Sports Recoloring #11

The changes in this one are very small, but there are slight color differences in the royal blue and orange the two teams use. Cinci's blue is a touch more royal than New York's, but the orange is barely differentiable. 

 

Atlanta Hawks in Ottawa Senators Colors - Sports Recoloring #10

This by far isn't the greatest mesh of colors and logo. I considered leaving the center part plain white, but it still looked too much like the actual Hawks logo. The hues of red are nearly identical. 

New Orleans Pelicans in Memphis Grizzlies Colors - Sports Recoloring #9

The Pelicans logo as a design is already a beautiful design regardless of color, but with the Grizzlies colors, it definitely has a different mood without taking away any fierceness from the pelican itself. It does help that the beak is now a natural beak color. Very well balanced. 

Ohio State in Cincinnati Bengals Colors - Sports Recoloring #8

This one is certainly a fun one. My first dab into doing college logos. It brings at least two major players in the Ohio football scene, and the more skilled if I may say. I actually did this one about 6 months ago but haven't remembered to post it. 

Kansas City Chiefs in Houston Texans Colors - Sports Recoloring #7

There isn't much of a difference in terms of how the colors changed going from Chiefs to Texans on this one. But the red is a little darker and the outlines are in Texans blue (their shade is much darker than other blues normally seen in sports). 

Mississippi State in Auburn Colors - Sports Recoloring #6

The second edition of Auburnizing the SEC West. This one was done on Adobe Illustrator instead of Photoshop, as I had initially done. 

Alabama Logo in Auburn Colors - Sports Recoloring #5

Sorry Crimson Tide fans, but being an Auburn fan, this was soooooo fun to do! 

The original logo has a black strip circumnavigating the crest, which I took out. 

Black LSU Wordmark - Sports Recoloring #4

I had a halloween spirit going on when I made this. It seemed to be a logical color choice to replace the traditional purple that wouldn't be radically different. While I hope LSU never chooses to do anything black related to any of their uniforms, I could certainly see this as a possibility for casual usage. 

Baby Blue New York Mets Wordmark - Sports Recoloring #3

My original vision for this was for the orange outline to have a different color as well, but I just couldn't get myself to change it without thinking it wouldn't work with the new shade of blue. 

Philadelphia Eagles Kelly Green Helmet - Sports Recoloring #2

Experimenting with what the current Philadelphia Eagles helmet would look like with "kelly green" instead of the "midnight green" they currently use. I ultimately like the current helmet more, but that may be because I automatically associate the old Eagles wings with the "kelly green."

Red Falcons Helmet - Sports Recoloring #1

I always liked the red falcons helmet, but also the current logo. This is the two mashed together. The red may be a little bright. I never got to the part I really would've wanted to do; black and gold stripe on the top. 

An Up and Coming Soccer Fan's Reaction to Blatter's Resignation

As I've come to find of myself, I love soccer. I also am interested in the actions of the governing bodies of different sports. Last week, I became much more knowledgeable in the recent history & actions of FIFA. I learned that Blatter is essentially the head of Athletic Spectre. I became astounded that such corruption and ignorance could plague such a powerful and 'celebrated' organization, and still maintain a chokehold on the world. 

But with Sepp Blatter resigning ("Why now?", states former USA goalkeeper Kasey Keller), a door was opened that was thought would never be approached. Such an important organization requires transparency and the ability to be trusted, which is what FIFA lost after announcing the 2018 & 2022 World Cups, and especially after the 2014 World Cup (and this, http://youtu.be/DlJEt2KU33I). Soccer is too important on our earth to be clouded by a corporate political force that in fact valued money over the sport. Soccer is the sport with the most strings attatched to people's hearts. 

While I've vocally opposed Blatter on social media, Sepp's resignation proves to me that he loves soccer more than money, at least enough that he recognizes that resigning from one of the most powerful jobs in the world was worth it to him. It could've been because he was approached by the major sponsors of FIFA, peer pressure, or pure wisdom. Whatever it is that caused his resignation an hour ago, Mr. Blatter has bought a level of respect from me. This is a great step in the process of making the world of sport more healthy & prestigious. Let's go FIFA, let's go FIFA!!

2015 Braves Outlook

2014, it looked like a year with some possibilities until about August. Never did tying with the Mets for 2nd in the East look so bad when it did. Despite some great defense out of Jason Heyward & Andrelton Simmons, and a great offensive year out of Justin Upton, the Braves lacked a sense of spirit on the field and in the clubhouse. With the retirement of Chipper Jones and the departures of Brian McCann & Martin Prado, the team lacked any real veteran leadership last year, an essential ingredient to complement young blood on great baseball teams. 

The team needed a change, and both John Hart (Braves GM) & John Schuerholz (team president) executed changes a'plenty. Hart through trades and free agent signings acquired 40 players, notably Jim Johnson, Nick Markakis, Zolio Almonte, Eric Stults, Alberto Callaspo, A.J. Pierzynski, Shelby Miller, and Jason Grili. All while Mr. Schuerholz fully single handedly screwed over anyone in Metro Atlanta who wanted to go to any games in 2017, as the new stadium being built in Cobb County (ew!!) has started construction.

Looking at the upcoming 2015 season, the Braves' 140th season in franchise history, any major success looks quite slim. The Nationals have upgraded with Max Scherzer and former Brave Yunel Escobar, while thankfully losing Braves bruiser Adam LaRoche. If they can stay healthy as a team, the Nats will likely be the team to beat in the East. The Marlins have also made plenty of upgrades, locking up Giancarlo Stanton long term, trading for Dee Gordon, Dan Haren, Martin Prado, and signing Ichiro. The Marlins also get Jose Fernandez back, the young phenom who threw a no-hitter in his rookie season two years back (he had Tommy John surgery after the season, casuing him to miss all of last year). The Braves talent-wise just don't match up with Washington and Miami during a full season, especially if any injuries occur that would cause some AAA (Gwinnett) call-ups. 

If the Braves really want to compete, they need to make full use of Jim Johnson, Grili, and Craig Kimbrel. All three have been closers in the last three years, with Johnson tying Kimbrel in 2013 for most saves in the MLB. If the Braves are in closing situations, the Braves need to make a serious point of never losing in those situations. They can also serve as great 10th & 11th inning relievers. Freddie Freeman is the only serious dangerous bat on the team, but if they can get two or three guys to have above average seasons, the once homer happy team might have a shot for October talks. 

Expecting a playoff run is a faulty hope for any concious Braves fan this season. Heck even a losing season is extremely possible. In the end, like any season, it will come down to division games, injuries and pitching.  

My CFB Top 25 - Morning of Week 11

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Nov 8, 2014
RK	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	Mississippi State Bulldogs
2	Auburn Tigers
3	Florida State
4	Alabama Crimson Tide
5	Ole Miss Rebels
6	TCU Horned Frogs
7	Kansas State Wildcats
8	Oregon Ducks
9	Arizona State Sun Devils
10	Michigan State Spartans
11	Baylor Bears
12	Notre Dame Fighting Irish
13	LSU Tigers
14	Arizona Wildcats
15	West Virginia Mountaineers
16	Oklahoma Sooners
17	Utah Utes
18	Nebraska Cornhuskers
19	Marshall Thundering Herd
20	Georgia Bulldogs
21	Ohio State Buckeyes
22	East Carolina Pirates
23	Wisconsin Badgers
24	North Dakota State Bison
25	Minnesota Golden Gophers

Winning Percentages by the Primary Logo: American League

Every person has some sort of glitch in them that makes them pay attention to the most stupid/unnecessary things in life, OCD or non OCD. For me, that's the uniforms and logos of professional sports teams. I'd always liked looking at NFL & MLB helmets at a young age and wondering what exactly the Atlanta Thrashers logo was (I must admit, that took too long for me to figure out). I'd always choose to be a different baseball team for rec ball so I could collect every team.

Logos have been fascinating me for years. My obsession for them increased when I came across Paul Lukas' Uni-Watch blog (he also writes season previews for ESPN) that covered everything when it came to uniforms and logos. I became one of those people that saw a missing patch or noticed someone was wearing the wrong socks during games. I've matured more to just the logo side of things. I currently pour over Chris Creamer's SportsLogos  website. A library of 20,000+ logos for lax, baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, olympics, rugby, & college sports.

So out of my enjoyment in logos & sports play, I started a little study of this stupid/unnecessary thing of life. A study to see which primary logo for each team was the most/least successful. I've started with the MLB in the American League, featuring the beautiful logo that is this, and the WTH?

So here, I will present the best/worst logos for each team. In order to qualify for either spot, each logo had to be in use for at least 3 years. Aside from that, it all was played out on the diamond. Enjoy!

BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Worst:

 
1999-2008: .440 Winning %

This is the 2nd youngest primary for the O's that encapsulated the end of Cal Ripken Jr.'s incredible career.

Best:

1966-1988: .557 Winning %

In this stretch, Baltimore won and lost 3 world series'.

BOSTON RED SOX

Worst:

1912-1930: .472 Winning %

The present logo at the beginning of the Curse of Bambino.

Best:

2009-2013 (Present): .543 Winning %

The current primary for the Sox, although this will likely end up not being the best if they keep up this year's losing ways.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

Worst:

1932-1935: .402 Winning %

The White Sox never managed a winning record in this timespan & went through 2 managers (Fonseca/Dykes).

Best:

1912-1917: .551 Winning %

Here was one World Series win & one losing year.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

Worst:

1973-1979: .471 Winning %

This is the first of two primary logos for Cleveland that suffered a losing career record.

Best:

1946-1950: .552 Winning %

A World Series was one in '54 in a sweep over the New York Giants.

DETROIT TIGERS

Worst:

1994-2005: .409 Winning %

One of my personal favorite Tigers' logos ended up by far being the worst when it came to actual baseball. Smart idea considering they went to the World Series a couple years after changing it.

Best:

1908-1915: .553 Winning %

Although it just might be something someone drew & colored in with a random pen (or ink & quill?), 2 World Series were reached, but both lost (1908 & 1909).

HOUSTON ASTROS

Worst:

1975-1993: .448 Winning %

Even though this is the worst one that fits the qualifications, in a few years time it'll probably be the current 'Stros primary that takes the bottom spot (.315 winning % last year, are 39-54 as of 7/10/2014).

Best:

1995-1999: .556 Winning %

Despite being the most winning logo, it also was extremely talented at losing when it really counted with 3 straight ALDS exits.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

Worst:

2002-2013 (Present): .425 Winning %

The Royals are only on their second primary logo. This one.

Best:

1969-2001: .502 Winning %

They barely nudged out a winning record in this long stretch.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

Worst: IT'S A TIE!

1961-1964: .477 Winning %

1965-1970: .477 Winning %

Coincidentally, the next logo also had a .477 winning %, but was only used for two years (1971-1972).

Best:

2005-2013 (Present): .554 Winning %

Another current logo at its best; but alas, no World Series. Yet they've had a row of incredible players: Trout, Hunter, Wilson, & Rodriguez just to name a few.

MINNESOTA TWINS

Worst:

1976-1986: .461 Winning %

So much for a logo that says 'Win! Twins!'

Best:

1961-1969: .542 Winning %

The inaugural Twins logos was a success, and got them 1 win away from a World Series.

NEW YORK YANKEES

Worst:

1947-2013 (Present): .582 Winning %

So this one is completely backwards in an obvious way. But this is only the Yankees' second primary logo since the franchise began in 1913. This 'worse' logo has produced 17 of the 27 World Championships for the Bronx Bombers, and has seen the likes of Berra, Mantle, Gehrig, Mattingly, DiMaggio, and Posada.
Best:

1913-1946: .587 Winning %
As you can see, its only a .005 difference between the two logos, but here lies 10 World Championships and the source of the Curse of Bambino.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Worst:

1993-2013 (Present): .516 Winning %
A bad stretch and a lot of nobody's has still resulted in Oakland having a worse logo in winning ways, only to improve after this years fantastic campaign. 
Best:

1983-1992: .538 Winning %
A very similar logo to the one above, here lies 3 straight World Series & one Championship. Maybe a Fingery mustache....

SEATTLE MARINERS
Worst:

1977-1979: .386 Winning %
Being an expansion club, it definitely took a few years for the Mariners to get off the ground. But that trident still rules.
Best:

1993-2013 (Present): .520 Winning %
The current Mariner logo houses one of the best seasons ever seen in this generation. The 2001 team mustered an impossible 116-win season, tied with the 1906 Chicago Cubs for the greatest season in baseball history. They also hosted the All-Star Game that year with 6 all-stars of their own.

TAMPA BAY RAYS
Worst:

2001-2007: .392 Winning %
It took quite awhile for any significant progress to be made in the Trop. Despite having Fred McGriff, Aubrey Huff & Randy Winn, wins didn't abide here.
Best:

2008-2013 (Present): .561 Winning %
Maybe knocking the devil out of Tampa helped a bit. 2008 featured a World Series appearance against the Phils, but still no championships.

TEXAS RANGERS
Worst:

1984-1993: .480 Winning %
This losing stretch had itself some fun though, hosting the Ryan Express from 1989-1993.
Best:

2003-2013 (Present): .522 Winning %
Ron Washington has mostly had his ways in Arlington, recently making 2 straight World Series appearances while having ownership issues. 

TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Worst:

1977-1996: .490 Winning %
By next year, the current primary might be the worst, but their 2014 campaign has playoffs written all over it. 
Best:

1997-2002: .503 Winning %
Modernization seemed to work in Toronto, but the playoffs weren't on their side in this stretch.

The National League will come in the next week or two. 

Blackhawks Vs. Kings 6/1/2014 West Finals Game 7

THESE ARE SPUR OF THE MOMENT THOUGHTS AS THE GAME GOES ALONG

(I picked up at the end of the 1st period)

End of 1st: It's seeming more like a first round game, not a game seven do or die game.

17:30 in 2nd: Much more emphatic period so far. I'm seeing the roughness I normally see in the playoffs.

17:14 in 2nd: Yeah uh offside has no place in hockey

16:05 left in 2nd: Not only do I miss the Atlanta Thrashers, but I miss the Marian Hossa/Ilya Kovalchuck (ok and Slava Kozlov) days.

14:17 left in 2nd: FINALLY someone fell down like a hockey player!!

13:11 left in 2nd: So if Bill Murray were to walk in with full pads, stick and everything, & a Blackhawks jersey, they'd let him play. Right?

12:28 left in 2nd (1:29 left on Blackhawks' power play): I don't see a goal happening here. The Kings defense has been great this period. A simple slap shot won't get past Jonathan Quick.

10:23 left in 2nd: Now that the Blackhawks have gotten better control of the game, It's starting to feel more like a playoff pace.

9:51 left in 2nd: Can we just have sumo wrestlers be the goalies? I mean, they're about as big as the goalies when they have their pads on.

9:29 left in 2nd: ANOTHER bouncing/random misdirection goal (Toffoli). Can we get one pure shot? Kings tie it up at 3.

 8:10 left in 2nd: Ok good, we've had a couple actual shots; alas like most, they just get deflected to the side. Ooh ooh, another power play for Chicago!

7:35.5 left in 2nd: I think I'm rooting for the Blackhawks (still misty about those Hossa Thrasher days). I'm still a little angry at LA for their cup win over New Jersey.

6:43 left in 2nd: Whoops, Drew Doughty might not want to do that again.

6:12 left in 2nd: JUST SHOOT CHICAGO!! YOU'VE GOT A 5 ON 3!!!

5:22 left in 2nd: Power plays in the NHL playoffs should only be one minute. Wouldn't that increase the shooting percentage per minute? Oh and that was a sad penalty Saad. 4 on 4.

2:31 left in 2nd: Don't some hockey players look like worn out touring musicians?

2:02 left in 2nd: Broken stick on a shot = broken bat

1:35 left in 2nd: Patrick Sharp (pure shot too)!!!!!  4-3 Chicago

END OF 2ND PERIOD

19:09 left in 3rd: I've always felt like it's weird that California is actually pretty good at hockey. I'd think a similar scenario that's happening in Phoenix would also happen in some fashion in Los Angeles.

15:31 left in 3rd: And if we did have sumo wrestlers be goalies, we should expand the goal.

15:23 left in 3rd: Patrick Kane scored the game winner in game 6. I'd be looking on him if LA scores again.

14:12 left in 3rd: Favorite player name b/w the teams: Duncan Keith. Least favorite: Drew Doughty.

13:46 left in 3rd: Anze Kopitar gets the honorable mention.

11:41 left in 3rd: This game is about to become awesome.

10:07 left in 3rd: I don't even know half the players' names in this game, but who cares. You can't beat playoff hockey...that is unless Wayne Coyne were to walk into my house.

7:17 left in 3rd: OH DANG! Fantastic reflexes by Gaborik! 4-4 tie! I've got no idea whose gonna win this game.

4:56 left in 3rd: This is becoming a complete playoff game: diving, cross-checking, funky goals, all around intense play, and...oh crap, I forgot there hasn't been a fight! #bringmeahockeyfight

3:51 left in 3rd: Marian Hossa's beard looks like spray cheese.

3:32 left in 3rd: Gaborik has 12 playoff goals this postseason. He had 11 in the regular season. Via ESPN Stats & Info tweet

2:19 left in 3rd: No one can beat Stoll on the faceoff. Huge advantage for LA if this goes into OT.

1:17 left in 3rd: Chicago just had 3 great chances. Don't stop shooting at this point in the game.

0:37 left in 3rd: Dustin Brown looked like Alex Ovechkin with those slimy moves!

0:5.3 left in 3rd: Quick just saved LA's season.  #clutch

END OF 3RD PERIOD - OVERTIME IS COMING!!

Patrick Kane has 4 overtime playoff goals. I like Chicago's chances, especially at home.

19:09 left in OT: I know they just zambonied the ice and everything, but I think this game is destined to finish on an awkward hop into goal.

17:29 left in OT: Saad really did hit the boards hard on that breakaway.

15:53 left in OT: At this point in the game, it feels like skating is becoming just as important at shooting.

15:32 left in OT: Or just dumb luck.

15:05 left in OT: Another rule change that should happen for the playoffs: no icing.

14:1oh who cares how much time is left, KINGS WIN KINGS WIN KINGS WIN KINGS WIN OFF OF A RANDOM BOUNCE!!!

Rangers Vs. Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals. Kick 'em in the butt big blue, HEY!