The rebrand's new color combination uses various shades of of navy, yellow, gold, gray and blue
The short-season N.Y.-Penn League Connecticut Tigers have rebranded to become the Norwich Sea Unicorns after fans "submitted 700 suggestions for a new team name," according to Jimmy Zanor of the Norwich BULLETIN. The Sea Unicorn name was "chosen over the Norwich Golden Roses, Norwich Mill Mules, and Norwich Salty Dogs." The Sea Unicorns are the "first professional sports team to use" their color combination of "Submarine Navy, Captain's Yellow, Streets of Gold, Narwhal Gray and Sound Blue." Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom said, "I love the amount of depth and discovery and the length that they went to to come up with this new logo. ... It's very unique and it's going to be very marketable." As MLB is "threatening to end its ties" with 42 MiLB clubs in '21, including the Sea Unicorns, Nystrom also was "confident in the team's future." He said, "It is our mission and our goal to see that partnership with the Sea Unicorns is sustained and goes forward" (Norwich BULLETIN, 12/6). In Hartford, Dom Amore notes this rebrand comes a "few months after the franchise," a Tigers affiliate, and the city of Norwich "signed a 10-year lease to keep the team at Dodd Stadium." As part of the negotiations for that lease, which was "finalized last August, the city wanted to again be included in the name of the franchise." If the Sea Unicorns are eliminated as part of MLB's current plan, Nystrom said the issue "will go to court" (HARTFORD COURANT, 12/6).
ENTER SANDMAN: In L.A., Bill Shaikin notes U.S. Sen. and Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (Ind-Vt.) has a message for MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the owners on the contraction proposal. Sanders: "I'm not looking for a compromise where you reduce the number of teams that you kill. I'm asking you to kill the whole plan." Sanders noted representatives from MiLB will meet with MLB in San Diego to discuss the plans, and he said he hopes what MLB will do is "sit down and negotiate seriously, and they will take off the table this simply outrageous idea that they can simply shut down these 42 teams around the country that are so important to those communities." Sanders said, "That demand should be taken off the table, and the major and minor league organizations can come to an agreement." He also referred to the possibility of MLB losing its antitrust exemption and said, "You will find many, many members of the House and Senate who are prepared to take a hard look at that issue if Major League Baseball moves forward and shuts down baseball in 42 communities" (L.A. TIMES, 12/6).
