Blue Rocks debut new logo, uniforms
The Blue Rocks held a cocktail reception in Wilmington on Thursday night to debut the second major change to the look of the franchise in the 18 years it has called the Riverfront home.
The most extreme alterations lie in the change of colors to a powder blue and a move away from the old pickax logo. The new primary logo has the words Blue Rocks centered around team mascot Rocky Bluewinkle. The new uniforms also highlight the lighter shade of blue and include newly designed hats.
The Blue Rocks contracted with Plan B Branding to develop the new identity.
The updated look marks the first major change to the Wilmington franchise's identity since it went away from the team's original logo before the 2003 season. The Blue Crew also made minor adjustments to color schemes before the 2005 and 2007 seasons, when the franchise switched affiliations from the Kansas City Royals to the Boston Red Sox and then back to the Royals.
The unveiling ceremony featured former players Jeff Bianchi, Tony Longueira, Chris Fallon and Chris Eddy, modeling the new duds for those in attendance. Eddy also spoke to the patrons, along with Steve Taylor (who was largely responsible for raising funds to help build Frawley Stadium) Scott Sharp (director of Minor League operations for the Kansas City Royals), Jack Ireland (the team's original beat writer for the Wilmington News Journal), and Joe DiPinto (director of economic development for the city of Wilmington).
"This is a very exciting time for the Blue Rocks," said Jim Beck, the team's director of merchandising. "This has been 18 months in the making. We're ecstatic with the results and we think the fans will be as well."
To purchase any of the new gear, visit the Quarry Team Store at Frawley Stadium, which is open during the offseason Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or shop online at bluerocks.com.
The Blue Rocks will open play in 2010 on April 8 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., against the Pelicans (Atlanta Braves). The home opener comes on April 16 with the first of a record 15 fireworks shows at Frawley Stadium this season as the Blue Crew host the Potomac Nationals (Washington Nationals). Every Friday in 2010 will have postgame fireworks at Frawley.