New logo solves Jammers' mascot mystery

Since the inception of the New York-Penn League's Jamestown Jammers in 1994, fans of the club have wondered what exactly it was that they were rooting for. The team's logo, a bat-wielding Tasmanian Devil, certainly provided no clues.

This burning question was finally answered Thursday, as the Jammers, the Short-Season Class A affiliate of the Florida Marlins, unveiled their new logo at a press conference. The logo, featuring an anthropomorphic cluster of grapes, is a nod to the region's thriving grape-growing industry. Chautauqua County, which includes Jamestown, is the No. 1 producer of Concord grapes in the country.

And from grapes come jam. Hence, the name "Jammers." It all makes sense now.

While the Jammers currently have no plans to replace beer with red wine at the concession stand, they are pleased to clear up the confusion regarding the team's identity.

"We are proud to present a logo that represents our geographic region," said Jammers General Manager Matt Drayer. "In our re-branding effort we were able to continue to use our nickname 'Jammers' with a new logo that better represents our fan base and the region they live in."

With the new logo comes a new color scheme. The red, black and silver uniforms worn by the club over the past 12 seasons will be replaced with colors that are associated with grapes: dark green, light navy, lime green and purple. The logo was designed by a local marketing firm, United Concepts. The owner of the firm, Jake Warner, has been a member of the team's advisory board since 2004.

The Jammers' new logo is the latest in a series of cosmetic changes to the New York-Penn League this offseason. In November, the Vermont Expos changed their name to the Lake Monsters, severing professional baseball's last remaining tie to the Expos moniker. Later that month, it was announced that the fledgling State College franchise would be named the Spikes, a reference to the popularity of deer hunting throughout Central Pennsylvania.