We See What You Did There....

Yesterday, the Hartford Yard Goats, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Colorado Rockies, announced their new mascot, logo, and look.

Hartford Yard Goats Unveil Logo, Pay Tribute To Whalers With Colors - Hartford Courant / July 8, 2015

The name, submitted by a New Jersey man who attended UConn, is an old railroad slang term that had no apparent connection to the market.

There was an effort to incorporate the train theme into the logo, from giving the goat a conductor's hat to including railroad tracks at the base of the image.

"It felt too cartoonish," Domino said.

Domino Googled the defunct New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company and was struck by that logo. He loved the lettering — classy, old-school and traditional. "I realized this was the way to honor the railroad part of it," Domino said.

  

 Now why is that logo so familiar? 

Ah yes, the Friends of the Valley Railroad Boxcar 35386, repainted and lettered in 2008, and captured here in all it's glory by Lee Carlson. 

The Valley Railroad (operating company behind the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat) was part of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad (or more commonly, the New Haven) system from 1892 - 1968.  

We're proud to have the railroad heritage of the "Yard Goats" recognized in their new font, and wish them the best of luck as they get ready to bring professional baseball to Hartford in 2016.