March Madness: Version Copa de la Diversión, part 3

There are some serious upsets brewing in the Western Region bracket for the first annual Bleed Cubbie Blue Copa de la Diversión bracket. If you haven’t voted yet you have until Sunday afternoon to make sure your voice is heard.

Today however, we turn our attention to the Legends bracket. A lot of the logos in this year’s Copa de la Diversión are shout outs to Latinx legends or culture (or in one case, literally a translation of the word “legends”) so I decided they needed a bracket all their own.

Voting for this bracket will be open until Monday afternoon, make your picks and share with your friends!

1 v. 16 Mal de Ojo de Durham (Durham Bulls) v. Veleros de Columbus (Columbus Clippers)

MiLB Mal de Ojo

This name directly translates to “evil eye” but is a pretty brilliant play on the Durham Bulls regular mascot. I also just love how the team explanation incorporates their mascot, success and the stadium into their choice for their Copa rebrand:

As legend has it, “Mal de Ojo” or evil eye, is a curse believed to be cast by a glare having the ability to cause bad luck or misfortune. Standing high atop the left field Blue Monster wall, overlooking Durham Bulls Athletic Park, is a glare that can’t be missed by fans or opposing teams from the famous Snorting Bull. “Mal de Ojo” is the only explanation for the dominance the Bulls have experienced since joining Triple-A in 1998; the Snorting Bull has cast fear, anxiousness and mental anguish upon visiting teams.

MiLB Veleros de Columbus

I’m not going to lie, if the Veleros had used their secondary mascot here they’d be ranked much higher. That skull and bat crossbones is AMAZING. But they didn’t. They directly translated their name “clippers” to “veleros.” At this point you all know how I feel about direct translations. Additionally, while I get that they are from Columbus, the Christopher Columbus shoutouts feel a bit yikes in 2019.

8 v. 9 Coquis de Florida v. Coquis de Lehigh Valley

MiLB Coquís de Florida

Yep, you read that right. This is the battle of the Puerto Rican frogs (seriously, baseball is perfect). At the eight seed we have Coquis de Florida. Here’s how they describe their logo:

The identity of the team has been derived from our local personal connection to the Caribbean with strong community roots to the island of Puerto Rico. The Coquis is the de facto national animal, symbol and sound of the island. The soothing sound made from the local frogs of Puerto Rico actually sounds like they’re saying “coqui!”

We looked at our community and we wanted to offer and honor them with a piece of home away from home. We chose to embrace the Caribbean connection as the culture breathes beautiful and vibrant colors to match the skies, the drinks, and the heritage. We have opened our arms to our friends and neighbors from Puerto Rico after the devasting Hurricane Maria that struck them. We want our newest community members to feel as welcomed as possible with the Coquis.

Puerto Ricans account for 25% of the population in Osceola, making them the largest ancestral group in the county. Osceola County has the second largest Puerto Rican population in the country, trailing only New York City. The goal of being the Coquis is to welcome everyone home, because Mi Casa es Su Casa!

MiLB Coquis de Lehigh Valley

I mean this is truly a battle of who wore it best. Here is the explanation from Lehigh Valley:

The Coqui is a symbol of Puerto Rican heritage (similar to the bald eagle’s status in the United States). Each night across Puerto Rico, the familiar mating call of Coquis can be heard. The symbol serves to better connect the IronPigs with their local community (approximately 80 percent of Allentown’s Hispanic population and 90 percent of Bethlehem’s is of Puerto Rican descent). A popular refrain from people of Puerto Rican descent is “Soy de aquí como el Coqui” which roughly translates to “I’m from here like the Coqui” or “I’m as Puerto Rican as a Coqui.”

The local community reached out to the IronPigs to voice their support of the “Coquis.” Local artist, Max Meano Torres created the Coqui logo and marks and incorporated both IronPigs elements as well as traditional elements of Puerto Rico including the amapola flower. In addition to the new logo and identity, the Pigs will have new food, music and giveaways available during this season’s three Hispanic Heritage contests.

Choose wisely, BCB.

5 v. 12 Cascabeles de Wisconsin v. Locos de Lansing (Lansing Lugnuts)

MiLB Cascabeles de Wisconsin

“Cascabeles” means jingle bells which is a shoutout to the Timber Rattlers normal name, but what really makes this rebrand shine is the design and coloring of the logo.

MiLB Locos de Lansing

This team rebrand is a shoutout to the original rallying cry of the Lugnuts:

In 1996, the Lugnuts burst onto the scene in Lansing, becoming one of the first crazynames in Minor League Baseball and spurring fans to cheer, “Let’s Go Nuts!” In Spanish, that cheer translates to ¡Vamos Locos! - the rallying cry of the Lansing Locos.

4 v. 13 Murciélagos de Louisville (Louisville Bats) v. Demonios de Des Moines (Iowa Cubs)

MiLB Murciélagos de Louisville

The Murciélagos have one of the most stunning rebrands of the Copa. This is by far the most successful direct translation of a mascot. The Mesoamerican hieroglyph and coloring is gorgeous. Honestly, if they had a better story behind the logo they’d be a one or two seed.

MiLB Demonios de Des Moines

Look, I appreciate a good anagram as much as the next girl and while this isn’t a perfect anagram of “Des Moines” it’s so close I gave them some credit. The Iowa Cubs will become the Demonios for the Copa. It’s a shoutout to the earlier team name the “Demons.”

6 v. 11 Reyes de Plata de Las Vegas (Las Vegas Aviators) v. Leyendas de Lexington (Lexington Legends)

MiLB Reyes de Plata de Las Vegas

I love this rebrand. In the interest of full disclosure, as a coal miner’s daughter, this just spoke to me. It was hard to be objective here. This is a shoutout to the silver mines in Nevada and the logo is just outstanding:

“The Reyes de Plata name plays off the fact that Nevada is the Silver State and embraces the impact and history that the Hispanic/Latino community had early in the precious metals mining industry that ultimately made Nevada state-worthy during the final months of the Civil War,”

MiLB Leyendas de Lexington

The Leyendas literally translates to Legends and I almost put them on the bubble when this list first came out. And then I saw their alternate logo and I had to reconsider. I also noticed that Las Leyendas will play every Friday home game in Lexington, which is a larger commitment than most teams in the Copa.

3 v. 14 Alebrijes de Modesto (Modesto Nuts) v. Patos Joyuyos de Down East (Downeast Wood Ducks)

MiLB Alebrijes de Modesto

Alebrijes is an amalgam of creatures in the form of a spirit guide and each of the animals chosen has significance for the Modesto club:

The Modesto Nuts have chosen the name “Los Alebrijes de Modesto” for the 2019 Copa de la Diversión campaign. An “Alebrije” is a mythical creature that guides spirits safely from this life to the next. Alebrijes can take on the form of one or multiple creatures. Los Alebrijes de Modesto have taken on three forms that embody our community. The coyote, which is common throughout the Central Valley. The moose, not common in the Central Valley, but instead a representation from the Pacific Northwest part of the United States, representing the home of our parent club, the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have taken great pride in immersing themselves into our community through countless player appearances and annual charity functions. Lastly, the Mighty Eagle, which was derived directly from La Bandera Mexicana, the heritage of nearly 50% of our population. The new logo features an Eagle’s wings and talon. Los Alebrijes de Modesto are here to allow safe passage into a new generation of baseball. Viva Beisbol aqui en Modesto!!!

MiLB Patos Joyuyos de Down East

There isn’t a lot here. It’s a revamped logo and I love ducks, but this is pretty much a direct translation for the Wood Ducks.

7 v. 10 Ocelotes de Greensboro (Greensboro Grasshoppers) v. Pescados de Carolina (Carolina Mudcats)

MiLB Ocelotes de Greensboro

Let’s get one thing clear, this Ocelote is beautiful. The design is beautiful. The bat is great. The colors are great. I just... don’t really get it for the Copa, even after reading the explanation on Greensboro website.

MiLB Pescados de Carolina

This is a solid shoutout to Dias de los Muertos and a nice tie-in to their normal mascot. Incidentally, if anyone is going to a Pescados game on May 24, I’d really love this bobblehead...

2 v. 15 Soñadores de Hillsboro (Hillsboro Hops) v. Rápidos de Kannapolis (Kannapolis Intimidators)

MiLB Soñadores de Hillsboro

The Hops participated in 2018 and decided they needed to do some work on their rebrand, so they approached 2019 as follows:

Year one as part of Copa was an exciting learning experience for the Hillsboro Hops; we used our direct name translation to honor our Spanish speaking fans and Oregon’s rich agricultural heritage; however, we felt we could do better. During the season we attended Latinx focused events, met community leaders and allies and made strong connections. After the season, we invited members of the Latinx community to the ball park for our first Latinx listening session; attendees were grateful to have their voices heard. We shook lots of hands and shared many stories over champurrado, conchas (Mexican hot chocolate & sweet bread) and tamales. In that moment we noticed all our stories had something in common, they all started with a dream.

And so, Soñadores de Hillsboro (Dreamers of Hillsboro) were born. The name also references the dreams of minor leaguers to play in the big leagues and features an incredible rendition of a dog howling at the moon.

MiLB Rápidos de Kannapolis

Los Rápidos de Kannapolis has one of the more understated brands of the Copa, but the bird on fire is:

...a nod to the Greater Charlotte Areas strong Hispanic population. The diversities of Latin culture come together as one to celebrate their fast-paced, positive impact here as “Los Rápidos de Kannapolis.” Deep in the heart of racing country, a new kind of speed has begun to make itself known. Growing, working, learning, and even dancing faster than any other, the Latin American community is on the rise.

Stay tuned later today for the last two brackets in our March Madness: Copa de la Diversión competition.