December, 2007:

• Pulaski Mariners Unveil Nickname, Logo (Appalachian League (baseball))
  December 21, 2007
  After a one-year absence, the city of Pulaski, VA will once again be a host venue for Appalachian League baseball, this time as an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The announcement of the agreement was revealed in a morning press conference on December 21 in Pulaski. The city was without baseball in 2007 after the departure of the Toronto Blue Jays and no availability at that time for a replacement major league affiliate. With the Blue Jays exit, the Appalachian League played with only nine teams last season, which coincided with the scheduling difficulties that come by playing with an uneven number of teams. "We are certainly excited about our new partnership with Pulaski. We have several people in our organization that have had affiliates in the league before and knew the advantages that the Appalachian League can have for our player development system," said Greg Hunter, the Mariners Director of Player Personnel.
   
• Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz Unveil Redesigned Logo (arenafootball2)
  December 14, 2007
  The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz have unveiled their new official team logo. The new logo was designed as part of a logo redesign contest sponsored by the organization. The team chose three contest winners, all whom received a $500 savings bond, 2008 season tickets, and Yard Dawgz merchandise. The winners were Linda Poetter, Artisha Crawford, and Charles Wonsey. Poetter is an art teacher at Destiny Christian School and has been an artist for as long as she can remember. Her involvement in the school system allows her to use her creativity for school events. Poetter encouraged her art students to enter the Logo Redesign contest as well. Three made the finals and one, Artisha Crawford (13), joined Poetter in the winners circle at last nights unveiling.
   
• Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "Meet the King of Gumball Machine Helmets"
  December 12, 2007
  Back when young Uni Watch was knee-high to a knee pad, some of the most popular collectibles among the pee-wee set were gumball machine football helmets. Cheap, easy to find outside any supermarket, and endearingly boxy-looking, they were way better to collect than football cards, which weren't allowed to show team logos back in those days (plus you could stage little helmet wars with your friends). You probably had a few dozen of the helmets yourself. But that's nothing compared to Bill Jones. He's got a few thousand of them. And here's the kicker: He made most of them himself. Jones first appeared on Uni Watch's radar in October, when a reader on the Uni Watch blog found a series of Flickr galleries featuring gumball helmet decal designs -- not just for the NFL, but also for arena teams, women's leagues, even prototype designs.
   
• Kansas City Royals Unveil New Powder Blue Alternate Uniforms (Major League Baseball/American League)
  December 7, 2007
  Frank White remembers when the Royals first introduced powder blue road uniforms in 1973. "Other Major League teams didn't like them, thought they were effeminate," White said on Thursday. "Then we started winning, and other teams started wearing them." The Royals, however, put the powder-blue uniforms in moth balls after the 1991 season. The powder blues have long been a fan favorite in Kansas City with campaigns to bring them back. After a lengthy absence, the powder blues will return in 2008. The new powder blue jerseys were unveiled to an enormous applause from season-ticket holders on Thursday night at a special private function at The Grand Ballroom.
   
• Converse College Unveils New Nickname (NCAA)
  December 7, 2007
  On December 6, the Converse College Valkyrie Athletics program unveiled its new logo and announced the addition of lacrosse to its roster of sports. The unveiling and announcement were made from center court of the College’s Weisiger Center during halftime of the Valkyries basketball match with Brevard College. The College announced the addition of a second sport, swimming, earlier this week. A member of NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas, the Converse Valkyries already field teams in basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis and volleyball. Lacrosse and swim teams will compete next year in the 2008-2009 season .
   
• Canadian-American Association Announces Ottawa Franchise for 2008 (Can-Am League (baseball))
  December 7, 2007
  With a unanimous vote of the Ottawa City Council and a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors of the Canadian American Association, the Can-Am League welcomes Ottawa as the eighth team for the 2008 season. The league had been set to operate again with the Grays as a road team, but a strong push by fans and baseball supporters in the Canadian capital, led to a lease being available for the Can-Am League. The Ottawa Stadium seats 10,000 which will make it the largest in the Can-Am League. A Canadian ownership group is being developed, and initially a two-year lease will be signed. A name for the new team will be chosen through a name the team contest. Front office and a field staff will be selected in the coming weeks.
   
• College of William and Mary: Evolution of Tribe Pride (NCAA)
  December 6, 2007
  In what is more of an evolution than revolution of its trademark symbol, the College of William and Mary unveiled a new logo design Thursday that is intended to simplify and unify its visual image across campus. The design—which features an updated approach to the College’s well-known W&M in four similar designs—will be incorporated as a core symbol of not only the athletics department but the campus community as a whole. The new design is also a return to the more traditional colors of green and gold—instead of the more recently used green and yellow. “I’m grateful for the important work of our logo committee—recommending a new look and bringing a welcome consistency to those symbols used to represent the College,” said William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol. “The passing months have given us no greater esteem for the NCAA’s misguided decision to prohibit the feathers in our past logo. However, Sam Sadler and this impressive group of faculty, staff, alumni and students have advanced a design that will remind generations of William and Mary faithful of Tribe Pride. I’m pleased with the result.” Following a ruling by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2006 that deemed William and Mary’s athletic logo—which included two green and gold feathers—impermissibly “hostile and abusive,” the College announced it would begin the process of developing a new logo. President Nichol asked Sadler, vice president for student affairs, to chair the committee, which also included alumni, students, faculty, staff and members of the local community.
   
• College of William and Mary Unveils New Logos (NCAA)
  December 6, 2007
  College of William and Mary officials unveiled the college's new logo Thursday, culminating months of discussion and research aimed at replacing the previous logo, which was declared "hostile and abusive" by the NCAA. The new logo is a simple "W&M" and revives the ampersand, which was introduced in the 1990s, and the school's traditional green and gold colors. The college's popular athletics logo, a green and yellow W and M featuring two green and yellow feathers, was introduced in 1987. In 2006 the NCAA ruled it offensive to Native Americans, and college officials decided to drop the logo rather than wage a legal battle to keep it. During Thursday's Board of Visitors meeting at the Williamsburg campus, three other "secondary" logos were unveiled. Each includes the traditional green and gold colors. One features an uneven "W&M" design, another features "WM" inside the college's circle and the third has an uneven "W&M" in the school's crest.
   
• Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "Searching For Sports Gift Ideas?  Look No Further"
  December 5, 2007
  Santa knows a thing or two about uniforms -- why do you think he keeps wearing that red-and-white getup year after year? But sometimes he needs a little help. So if there's uniform-minded person on your Christmas list -- or, perhaps more to the point, if you're a uniform-minded sort and you'd like to give a little guidance to people shopping for you -- Uni Watch is here with 10 uni-related gift ideas that are sure to please.
  
  
   
• Toronto Blue Jays Unveil New Retro Alternate Uniforms, New Road Uniforms for 2008 (Major League Baseball/American League)
  December 3, 2007
  The Blue Jays might not be making any drastic changes to their team during the offseason, but that doesn't mean the on-field product will look entirely the same in 2008. On Monday night, the Jays announced they would be returning to their vintage powder-blue uniforms -- a mainstay during the 1980s -- as part of next season's "Flashback Fridays" promotion. "Many of our fans indicated to us that they liked the old uniforms," Jays president Paul Godfrey said. "They wanted us to wear them on occasion, and I think they made a good point. You have to remember the roots, history and tradition of the team. This is a great way of doing it." Powder blue was the color of choice when the Jays first broke into the Major Leagues in 1977. The specific design Toronto will use in '08 is almost identical to the one that was used as the primary road uniform from 1981-89.