Ripken-Owned IronBirds Unveil New Logo Inspired By '67 Orioles Mascot

The Single-A New York-Penn League Aberdeen IronBirds yesterday unveiled a new logo, which was “inspired by a furious, bat-wielding Orioles bird mascot introduced after the 1967 season,” according to Chris Korman of the Baltimore SUN. The bird's “menacing look combined with inspiration from the recent Iron Man movies ... form a slick new character” that team Owners Billy and Cal Ripken Jr. hope “will continue to draw young baseball fans to games.” The new bird's “piercing eyes stare ahead, while his metal wings spread wide and his talons prepare for landing.” The IronBirds' first logo, a “smiling fighter jet, lasted 11 seasons.” But as the Ripkens “continue learning the business side of baseball, they felt a new direction was needed.” Shirts and hats showing the new logo "went on sale at the IronBirds website” yesterday (Baltimore SUN, 11/27).