Tourists Unveil New Logo
TOURISTS UNVEIL NEW UNIFORMS AT HIGHLAND BREWING
The Asheville Tourists unveiled their new uniforms at Highland Brewing during a special Thirsty Thursday Kickoff Party on March 31. The team's revamped jerseys and pants incorporate the new colors and logos that were introduced in October as well as many elements of previous styles worn by the team in the 1950s and before.
The South Atlantic League club will wear traditional white jerseys at home with a script "Tourists" across the chest. Uniform numbers are on the lower left front and on the back, while the team's new mascot, Mr. Moon, is shown swinging a bat on the left sleeve. Blue piping also rings the bottom of both sleeves as well as on both sides of the buttons down the middle. The home pants have blue piping along the outside part of each leg. The Tourists will wear blue socks and a midnight navy cap with the logo of Mr. Moon wearing sunglasses.
The Tourists' road jerseys are traditional gray with "Asheville" spelled in the team's new craftsman font across the chest. Blue piping is on both sleeves and down the middle of the shirt as well as along the outside part of each leg. Uniform numbers are only on the back of the away jersey. The Tourists will wear blue socks and a blue ridge blue cap with the craftsman "A" during away games.
Both the home and away jerseys were designed by pulling traditional elements from the Tourists' uniforms from the mid-1920s through the 1950s. The uniforms are most similar to the 1954 Tourists, who won the Class B Tri-State League by 13 games with a record of 86-54 under legendary manager Ray Hathaway.
"When you look at back at many of those great photos of those Tourists teams from 60, 70 and 80 years ago, what's striking is how clean and sharp the designs were," said team president Brian DeWine. "We really wanted to capture that same traditional look while also paying tribute to the 1954 Tourists. By using those characteristics and employing our new logos and colors, we're extremely excited about how the team will look when they take the field this season."
A third uniform was also introduced that will be worn during games at McCormick Field on Thursdays and Saturdays. The blue jersey has white piping on the sleeves and down the middle with logos of Mr. Moon over the heart and on the left sleeve. The backs will have the player's number in white. The alternate cap features midnight navy on the bill and blue ridge blue on the crown along with the craftsman "A" and glowing stars.
"We decided to add an extra, fun look that both the players and fans will enjoy," DeWine said. "All three sets of our new uniforms dovetail perfectly with the rebranding of the Tourists, and we're looking forward to implementing that approach in a variety of ways as the 2011 season unfolds."
The Tourists open their home schedule on Friday, April 15th against the Lexington Legends. Season ticket packages are still available at the McCormick Field box office. For more information, contact the Tourists front office at (828) 258-0428.