The New Britain Rock Cats were the Double-A franchise of the Twins last year, but they switched over to the Rockies' organization for 2015. The new parent team's first order of business? Planning a move to Hartford, and then hosting a vote to pick a new name, which would eventually -- with a little insistence on our end -- be the Yard Goats.
They won't start playing as the Yard Goats until the 2016 season, but don't worry. You can see their interpretation of a yard goat right now, in logo form, courtesy Uni Watch's Paul Lukas:
Logo for new AA Hartford Yard goats: Nifty typography but does mascot have mad goat disease?? pic.twitter.com/xPAMfRjoqX
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) July 8, 2015
Hey now, the goat isn't mad, just chewing on a baseball bat, anticipating the start of the Yard Goats' inaugural season just like the rest of us.
A nifty little touch for Hartford's new sports team: the Yard Goats will have the blue and green of the departed Hartford Whalers. Hey, it's not the same sport, nor is it a major-league franchise, but it's a way to live on besides retro hats and Mallrats quotes.
Apparently you can purchase gear with the logo on it right now. Cal Ripken already did!
If Cal Ripken Jr. has a @goyardgoats hat, you should too. http://t.co/RZFoG5B0ZE pic.twitter.com/Q1rlW2A2m9
— Hartford Yard Goats (@GoYardGoats) July 8, 2015