To most fans, it’s just a hashtag at the top of the home page of their favorite team’s official website: Three or four words to overlook before the inevitable headline click of yesterday’s game.
But, to scores of publicity and marketing folks employed throughout Major League Baseball, each word is carefully chosen months in advance to accurately convey a team’s focus for the coming year.
A fairly new convention, the team slogan says a lot about where the team is going, and may even hint at where it’s been.
Take the Houston Astros, for example. Their gloriously belligerent “Take It Back” 2019 slogan clearly refers not only to their 2017 “Earn It” World Series championship trophy (yielding the year-end “History Earned”), but the fact that their 2018 “Never Settle” team eventually did… settle, that is, for the American League West crown.
Now, the ‘Stros want to elbow the Boston Red Sox out of the way in 2019 and use the resulting trophy as a matching bookend.
Related: Astros Unveil 2020 Slogan, “For The ‘H,'” Plus a Look at Other Teams’ Taglines
All the Word’s a Stage
Producing an annual PR slogan apparently isn’t an MLB directive, as many teams are without such motivating verbiage. To paraphrase the great comic/singer/artist/actor Martin Mull: “Some teams have a way with words; others, not have way.”
Interestingly, the Red Sox are among the many squads sans slogan. If it’s not plastered conspicuously at the top of a team’s website, it must be assumed their way with words is wayward; it’s not the kind of thing a team would bury. Being champs, let’s assign them one: “Oh, Yeah?”
The Sox have a long-hated rival, the New York Yankees. They, too, couldn’t be bothered to fashion a slogan for this season. Maybe on Opening Day, they’ll raise their “Wotta YOU Lookin’ At?” banner.
Go West, Young Team… and Turn Left
Astros fans might enjoy knowing their favorite team has little to worry about when it comes to AL West competition this year… if slogans are any indication, anyway.
While settling for the geographically-inspired “One Texas” last year, the Texas Rangers, leaving cartography behind in 2019, are waving so long to an inanimate object, with their “#FarewellGLP” entry. Refusing to acknowledge that the Astros’ pulled their Triple-A affiliate out from under them last fall, the north Texas nine are choosing to welcome in a new stadium, hoping against hope that “#FarewellGLP” will look good on a gift shop jersey.
The Oakland A’s unveiled their new slogan a few weeks ago: “Rooted in Oakland,” and while it’s a mystery as to how that one’s going to inspire A’s players to climb to the top of the Western Division, Bay Area arborists seem to get it.
“We’ve Got the Trout, You Bring the Tartar Sauce” may as well be the Los Angeles Angels’ slogan, ’cause they’re otherwise without.
The Seattle Mariners‘ colors are navy blue, northwest green, silver, and white. Ignoring three-quarters of their color scheme, the M’s are going with “#TrueToTheBlue” this year, with no guarantee that their 2020 slogan might be “#NorthwestGreenNewDeal.”
A Trip Around the Word
Re-visiting the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays are not above (or beneath, for that matter) using wordplay to hashtag their way into relevance, with the needlessly optimistic “Rays Up” directive. Rumors that “2019: The Apology” was in the running have been summarily debunked.
The Toronto Blue Jays apparently employed an eighth grader to pound out this banal “Let’s Go Blue Jays” seasonal yawner. In the National League, that same middle school cheerleader was clearly overworked, slapping the “Let’s Go Bucs” tag on the Pittsburgh Pirates. I’m guessing a public relations cubicle is vacant somewhere. Apply within… quickly.
The AL Central weighs in with this, from the Cleveland Indians, and their “#RallyTogether.” Not bad, but certainly more inclusive than a certain pitcher’s “#BauerPauer” suggestion.
The Detroit Tigers offer a nod to a century of gnats on the riverfront with “Bringing You Summer Since 1901,” while the Kansas City Royals quaff an eternal ale to monarchy with “#AlwaysRoyal.”
The Rational League
Not to leave the senior circuit completely ignored, the Chicago Cubs have adopted a 2019 slogan that might be heard poolside at the Ridgemoor Country Club this summer: “Everybody In.” Pretty good, and while “No Running” was an early favorite, it barely beat out the eventual loser, “Wait 30 Minutes After Eating.”
The St. Louis Cardinals, taking a dog-eared page from Delta Airlines’ playbook, likes “Time to Fly,” and not missing a beat, Busch Stadium, instead of scorecard programs will proudly offer SkyMall catalogs to summer visitors.
Hematology moves front and center as the Los Angeles Dodgers assert, “LA Bleeds Blue” in 2019, which might explain the sudden appearance of “Tourniquet Tuesdays” on the Bums’ promotional calendar.
And, finally, the San Francisco Giants get the initial vote for slogan creativity, with their “It Doesn’t Get More SF,” although the local Chamber of Commerce has to be up in arms at the team for highlighting the city’s persistent summer fog.
Longtime Houston Astros fans remember the countless years when annual triple-digit losses kept Astros caps and t-shirts hidden deep in our closets.
Now, Astro-bling of all types can be seen by just walking around Texas! The Astros' goal for 2020? To re-visit the magic of '17 and find a finger for championship ring #2!
As the Houston Astros Correspondent for TRS, it's been a blast meeting new fans and new friends, all of whom know where to turn for Astro news, prospect profiles, historical perspective, and a few surprises!
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