Texas League (baseball) - Corpus Christi Hooks

Corpus Christi Hooks Unveil Uniforms

(CORPUS CHRISTI, TX) – The Corpus Christi Hooks unveiled their team uniforms today at Hook, Line and Sinker, the downtown souvenir store located in the Waterstreet Market. During the inaugural 2005 season, the Hooks will have three separate uniforms; the traditional home white and road gray, plus an alternative light blue jersey that can be worn at home or on the road.

The traditional home white will be a vest top that will be worn with navy blue tees. The team name “Hooks” will appear in light blue across the chest, with the player’s number located below the lettering on the left side. The number will be the only marking on the back of the jersey. Both numbers appear in navy blue with light blue trim. The home pant is all white with one thin navy blue stripe on the outside of each leg.

On the road, the Hooks will appear in traditional road grays. Instead of “Hooks” across the chest, the road jersey will feature the “interlocking C’s” logo on the left chest. The logo is two silver hooks shaped in the form of two C’s that represent Corpus Christi. Numbers and piping on the road uniform are identical to the home uniform.

The alternative light blue jersey will be a mesh top with short sleeves with “Hooks” across the chest, similar to the home white jersey. Numbers on the alternative jersey will be navy blue with white trim.

Team caps will differ home and road. Both caps will be navy blue, with the home cap featuring the “Rusty” logo and a light blue bill. The road cap will be all navy blue with the “interlocking C’s” logo.

All elements of the uniform were designed by Studio Simon, a Louisville, Kentucky based creative firm that develops comprehensive branding strategies and solutions for a wide range of professional sports teams, leagues, colleges and universities. The Hooks are one of over two dozen minor league baseball franchises that have collaborated with Studio Simon to create their team’s images and logos.

Dan Simon, owner of Studio Simon, says elements of the uniforms stemmed from the character “Rusty,” originally created for the home cap and other team uses. “By taking the shapes specific to hooks and playing with them a bit, we were able to achieve this goal with the club’s corporate logo and the alternate “CC” mark (interlocking C’s) in a manner that utilized the same sort of visual cleverness, but ultimately did not seem forced,” said Simon.

“For the home uniform, it was then a simple matter of taking the essence of the lettering from the corporate logo and creating a version that was appropriate for the jersey. And, since the alternate “CC” cap logo was well-received, it was decided that it would also be used on the road jersey.”

As has been stated previously, Hooks’ owner Reid Ryan wanted the club’s name, colors and mascot to be unique in the Texas League and throughout minor league baseball. “That drove our decision to select two shades of blue for our logo and uniform, the deep blue of the water and the light blue of the sky, which both seem endless in Corpus Christi.” Regarding the creation of Rusty, Ryan added “We wanted to create a character that would be kid-friendly and could lend itself to various mascots. Rusty will have a cast of characters from the sea as his friends.”

Hooks’ replica jerseys are available now at Hook, Line and Sinker and range in price from $45 to $85. Special Hooks’ replica tops that include the names “Clemens” or “Ryan” list between $100 and $115. Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, one Hall of Famer and a soon-to-be Hall of Famer, are the most well-known members of the Hooks’ ownership group. Fans may also order replica jerseys with the names of other famous Hooks’ owners like Jeff Kent, Craig Biggio and Andy Pettitte, or, may custom-order jerseys with their own names displayed on the back.

In addition to Hook, Line and Sinker, Hooks’ fans will be able to find that special team souvenir at Padre Staples Mall beginning November 1st. A Corpus Christi Hooks’ souvenir kiosk will be open at the mall from November 1st through mid January.

This article was taken from www.cchooks.com.  All rights reserved.