On Saturday evening, as Game 2 of the World Series got underway in Los Angeles, the Dodgers¡¯ Triple-A affiliate made some news of their own.
The Oklahoma City Comets have arrived.
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Oklahoma City¡¯s longstanding Minor League franchise, members of the Pacific Coast League since 1998 and a Dodgers affiliate since 2015, unveiled the Comets name and identity at a brand launch event held at their home of Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
It's the fifth team name in the organization¡¯s history, following 89ers (1962-97), RedHawks (1998-2014), Dodgers (2015-23) and this past season¡¯s temporary ¡°Baseball Club¡± moniker.
The Comets identity pays tribute to the past and present -- referencing the growth and evolution of Oklahoma City as well as Oklahoma native Mickey Mantle¡¯s ¡°The Commerce Comet¡± nickname -- while maintaining a visual connection to the parent club. The light blue and red color scheme is an homage to the Dodgers, as is the baseball streaking under the Comets wordmark.
Oklahoma City¡¯s Dodgers affiliation began prior to the 2015 season, when Los Angeles became part owners of the team. That ownership group, headed by Dodgers co-owner Peter Guber, sold the team to Diamond Baseball Holdings following the 2021 campaign.
¡°Having the opportunity to carry the Dodgers name here in Oklahoma City was always great. One of the most iconic brands in sports,¡± said Comets president Michael Byrnes. ¡°Then the transition of ownership to Diamond Baseball Holdings just opened the door for us to go back and reconsider what is our identity, and we felt like that gave us a chance to have something that¡¯s Oklahoma City¡¯s.¡±
Byrnes said creating the Comets brand was a multiyear endeavor, with approvals that needed to be gained and deadlines that needed to be met. The process went on long enough that the team ¡°hit pause¡± last season and simply played as the Oklahoma City Baseball Club. The Comets logos were designed by Dan Simon of Louisville-based Studio Simon who, prior to founding his own studio, served as director of creative services for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The home caps feature ¡°OKC¡± in a diagonal slant with a comet baseball streaking through the lettering; on the road jerseys and caps, the path of a looping baseball forms the ¡°C¡± of OKC. A tertiary astronaut logo -- Byrnes said the front office has taken to calling him Moon Man -- will be incorporated into ballpark signage and marketing and educational materials
¡°The feedback we were receiving in focus groups, and when we worked with people in the community, they were coaching us on doing something that was very professional, that had a Major League feel to it,¡± said Byrnes. ¡°There is sentiment, especially since the [NBA¡¯s] Thunder got here, that Oklahoma City is a big league city.
¡°But we were also challenged to make it fun. There was a lot of history that we were picking up on as well.¡±
Enter Mickey Mantle, whose ¡°Commerce Comet¡± nickname refers to the small Oklahoma town where he grew up. The Mick looms large at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, as the facility is located on Mickey Mantle Drive and a statue of the legendary slugger stands in front of the third-base entrance.
¡°There was motivation to use Mantle as an inspiration,¡± said Byrnes, adding that there¡¯s an image of Mantle on the end cap of every row of every section of seats at the ballpark. ¡°But there was also this theme of, Oklahoma City, it¡¯s modernizing. There¡¯s a lot of optimism here. There¡¯s a burgeoning aerospace industry. All these things began to take shape and help us narrow it down.¡±
Saturday¡¯s announcement featured the unveiling of a 20-foot-by-20-foot ballpark mural by local artist Barrett ¡°Kid Lennon¡± Tarr, as well as the introduction of a new mascot. There¡¯ll be more where that came from.
¡°We wanted to make sure we¡¯re finding ways for this brand to be really present,¡± said Byrnes, mentioning the addition of another mascot, creative home run celebrations, new concession items and more. ¡°We want to have Opening Day 2025 feel really new in the ballpark.¡±
The Oklahoma City Comets make their on-field debut on March 28 on the road against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros). Their home opener takes place on April 1 against the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres).