While you were working...

Here is a brief rundown:

BaseballAmerica.com his this behind their subscriber wall, but too good to not share:

Sorting Through The New Logo Landscape by Will Lingo

As mentioned in this space before, we don't ask for much in a minor league nickname and logo--known as a brand or identity in marketing-speak. Don't get too silly, and don't make your logo too cartoonish. If at all possible, give your name a local tie, both to connect with your fans and to let the rest of the world know about where you are.

And above all, remember that professional baseball players will be wearing your cap and uniform. Nothing looks sadder than one of the stars of tomorrow wearing an animaniac on his head.

Funny, I don't recall the Wakko, Yakko, or Dot ever being on a minor league baseball cap. Give it time, I guess.

Lingo missed out on the Kernels and the Bees new logo, but he gets this in on the Loons :

And finally, we have the launch of a completely new franchise, which gives you the opportunity to start with a blank slate.

A new franchise that's coming to the Midwest League next season has nowhere to go but up, with the former Southwest Michigan Devil Rays moving to Midland, Mich.

The name is pretty good: the Great Lakes Loons. Great Lakes gives you a better idea of where the franchise is than the name Midland would, and Loons is a distinctive nickname that also happens to be a bird that lives on shorelines all over Michigan.

Unfortunately, the logo is no good. There's nothing outrageous about it, but the lettering doesn't work and the cartoon loon just is not attractive. Teams sometimes seem happy when a new logo and nickname create controversy because it at least shows that people are interested. This is the kind of logo that seems to draw a wrinkle of the nose and a shrug.

Wow. A slam on the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays and the new logo.

Lingo gives a thumbs-up to the name and a thumbs-down to the logo. I might have gone with bills-up and bills-down, but that is just Tuesday Night Quarterbacking.

Okay, enough fun at the Loons expense for now. Here is something the guys at Ballparkdigest.com found that promotes Dow Diamond as a ballpark district:

Ballpark could connect with shoppers

MIDLAND -- Midland's downtown has the potential to serve as a regional drawing card, a consultant says.

"You have a fantastic opportunity to find a vision for downtown with the construction of a new ballpark rising at the end of Main Street," said Nicholas P. Kalogeresis, senior officer with the National Trust Main Street Center, referring to Dow Diamond.

...

The team, the Great Lakes Loons, and state officials have offered a 12-page report outlining Midland's progress in its first year with Michigan Main Street status through the state's Cool Cities Initiative.

Kalogeresis urged officials to design a "powerful vision" that reflects plans to expand and enhance the Ashman Court Hotel with streetside restaurants.

Midland is one of 13 communities participating in Michigan Main Street.

On reading the rest of the article these Michigan Main Street and Cool Cities Initiative things sound like a very large home owners association with forced awnings and updated facades and the like.