BY MARK A. LARSON
Editor & Publisher
One of the most unique, recognizable and popular baseball team logos in current use is the Brewers’ “Ball-in-Glove” design.
The combination of a ball and glove forming the ”m” and “b” of the “Milwaukee Brewers” full team name is simple, yet very clever.
Some facts and a short history:
◉ In 1977, the Brewers decided it was time for a new logo. They had been using the “Barrelman” design since moving from Seattle just before the 1970 season began.
◉ The team announced a design contest among fans with a $2,000 prize (worth over $11,000 in today’s money) going to the designer of the logo chosen. Over 1,900 entries were submitted.
◉ The winning entry came from a graphic arts student who attended the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. The city – which today has over 70,000 residents – is located in west-central Wisconsin.
◉ As a sidenote: One of Eau Claire’s biggest claims to fame is that Hank Aaron began his minor league career there in 1952 with the Braves’ Class C Bears team of the Northern League.
1982 Fleer (First Use of the Logo on Card back) … 1983 Fleer (First Use of the Logo on Card Front)
◉ The logo first began to appear on Topps’ cards in 1979. Most Brewers players were wearing yellow caps with the logo. While the next year the majority of the team’s players in the 1980 set were shown with dark blue caps.
◉ In 1982, Fleer was the first major company to use the “Ball-in-Glove” logo as part of the card’s design – in this case, card backs. … This was also the year the Brewers appeared in their first World Series. (They fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.)
◉ A year later, in 1983, the Brewers logo received more exposure as Fleer added team logos to their card set’s front design.
◉ The familiar logo was eventually phased out in the 1990s, but brought back in the 2020s. With the Brewers in the 2026 World Series, interest in it has generated a great deal of regional and national media exposure. And it remains a fan favorite.
To View an article relating to Hank Aaron playing in Eau Claire, WI, click Link below
A LOOK AT BOOKS — “A Summer Up North” Link
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