Should MLB have an actual player as the logo like the NBA?

[kdailey4315]

Jerry West was the inspiration for the NBA logo and it's a actual picture of him in silhouette form. Should MLB have the same? If yes then who do you think it should be?
Me personally, I think a silhouette of Ruth would be amazing. There are certain portraits of Ruth that are iconic and you would know right away it's the great Bambino.

 

[FortyFour]

It already is... Harmon Killabrew

 

[Gwynn545]

 

[kdailey4315]

It already is... Harmon Killabrew

No it's not. That's an urban legend.

I'm not sure if you consider Wikipedia a credible source but this is from there.

According to Dior, the logo was created in a single afternoon. Contrary to popular belief, the silhouette was not modeled after Harmon Killebrew or any specific player[1], but was drawn with reference to photographs of several players.[2] The silhouette was chosen specifically because of its ambiguity: the batter could be right- or left-handed and of any ethnic background. [2]

I can find other sources if you like.

 

[kdailey4315]

That's definitely an iconic baseball image.

 

[Gwynn545]

It already is... Harmon Killabrew

Hmmm....???
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/081118

 

[FortyFour]

It already is... Harmon Killabrew

No it's not. That's an urban legend.

Harmon says its him

"I was in the commissioner's office one day in the late 1960s. I can't remember the specifics, but I think it had something to do with a litho they were doing for the National Kidney Foundation. Anyway, I walked through the back part of the office, and there was a man sitting at a table. He had a photograph of me in a hitting position, and he had one of those grease pencils that you see at a newspaper, and he was marking that thing up. I said, 'What are you doing with that?' and he said they were going to make a new Major League Baseball logo. I never thought any more about it. And then the logo came out and it did look like me. The only change was the angle of the bat -- they changed that to kind of make it fit more into the design."

 

[Gwynn545]

It already is... Harmon Killabrew

No it's not. That's an urban legend.

Harmon says its him

"I was in the commissioner's office one day in the late 1960s. I can't remember the specifics, but I think it had something to do with a litho they were doing for the National Kidney Foundation. Anyway, I walked through the back part of the office, and there was a man sitting at a table. He had a photograph of me in a hitting position, and he had one of those grease pencils that you see at a newspaper, and he was marking that thing up. I said, 'What are you doing with that?' and he said they were going to make a new Major League Baseball logo. I never thought any more about it. And then the logo came out and it did look like me. The only change was the angle of the bat -- they changed that to kind of make it fit more into the design."

Jerry Dior, creator of the logo:

Nope. "I've never been in the commissioner's office," he says. "I wish I had -- that would be nice. But all the work I did on the logo was at the offices of Sandgren & Murtha [the marketing company where Dior worked at the time]." And is it possible that one of the photos he used to create the silhouetted batter could have been a shot of Killebrew? "It could have been, but it would have been bastardized, because there were several photographs that I kept altering. I wish I could say to Harmon that it's him, but I can't."

 

[FortyFour]

It already is... Harmon Killabrew

No it's not. That's an urban legend.

Harmon says its him

"I was in the commissioner's office one day in the late 1960s. I can't remember the specifics, but I think it had something to do with a litho they were doing for the National Kidney Foundation. Anyway, I walked through the back part of the office, and there was a man sitting at a table. He had a photograph of me in a hitting position, and he had one of those grease pencils that you see at a newspaper, and he was marking that thing up. I said, 'What are you doing with that?' and he said they were going to make a new Major League Baseball logo. I never thought any more about it. And then the logo came out and it did look like me. The only change was the angle of the bat -- they changed that to kind of make it fit more into the design."

Jerry Dior, creator of the logo:

Nope. "I've never been in the commissioner's office," he says. "I wish I had -- that would be nice. But all the work I did on the logo was at the offices of Sandgren & Murtha [the marketing company where Dior worked at the time]." And is it possible that one of the photos he used to create the silhouetted batter could have been a shot of Killebrew? "It could have been, but it would have been bastardized, because there were several photographs that I kept altering. I wish I could say to Harmon that it's him, but I can't."

Good enough for me

 

[P_Manning 18]

Safe to say its Tony Conigliaro

 

[pujolsjunkie]

Could be anyone. It's a very common stance.

 

[thefatguy]

It's Shef!!

 

[RZimm11]

If they were to do something different now, it would be a big mistake. Even if they did model it after Ruth or Mantle or any old player, you know today it would have a bunch of lights and probably animtion and crap. There's no way they could keep it clean and simple like it should be.

 

[Mudcatsfan]

Look at the nose.

Its obviously this guy.

 

[JackLondon]

I like the original logo best:simple and straightforward.

However, if they ever did change it, I would like it to be either a silhouette of Babe Ruth or a silhouette of this famous photo of Joe D taking a swing.

 

[shepsspot]

I would have to go with Ted Williams swing if they were ever to change it, which I hope they dont to be honest with you.

Shep

 

[rico08]

I think it should be a pitcher, not a batter.

 

[AmishDave]

I believe it was created after the '90 Donruss Reverse negative of Juan Gonzalez ...

 

[maxpower]

I like the current logo, but if they wanted to attribute it to a single player, I think Hank Aaron should be that player.

Using this shot as a model would help them to keep the logo relatively simple and similar to the current logo: