San Diego AA affiliate named Amarillo Sod Poodles

The AA Texas League franchise of the San Diego Padres presented its new name and logos, today. After a long search during a name-the-team contest, five names were picked. Of those five names, Sod Poodles prevailed. 

Sod Poodle is a name for a prairie dog. The name was used by the pioneers that moved west on the wagon trails. The logo shows a prairie dog’s head just coming out of a hole in the ground. The head is wearing a Texan stetson. Next to the main logo, several secondary logos and the script that will adorn the jersey were presented as well.

Sam Geaney, Padres’ director of player development, Texas League President Tim Purpura, D.G. Elmore Jr, chairman of the Elmore Sports Group,  the owner of the club and several others praised the new ballpark, which is still under construction, claiming that it comes close to Major League level.

“We wanted something different, something authentic to Amarillo that’s never been done before,” said Tony Ensor, Sod Poodles president and general manager. “Early on, we looked over a lot of different areas, and we were really focused on the beef industry. … But obviously prairie dogs are prevalent in West Texas, and once we discovered the uniqueness of the Sod Poodle, the minute that name came out, everyone’s eyebrows were raised. There was just something special to it from the very beginning.”

Of course, Brandiose was the designer of the new brand. The San Diego based design company, that is prevalent throughout Minor League Baseball, created a lot of Texan links. First of all the Sod Poodle wearing a cowboy outfit and of course the secondary logo that depicts the state of Texas in the background of the Sod Poodle’s head. The yellow color of the Sod Poodle can be explained as Amarillo is Spanish for yellow.

The cap logo features a Sod Poodle, leaning against a red A, in the white hero’s hat biting down on a stalk of prairie grass, a nod to the community’s agricultural heritage. The leaning Sod Poodle is tipping his cap, representing Amarillo’s welcoming hospitality.

Amarillo Yellow, Texas Red and Blue, and Route 66 Retro Blue make up the club’s new official colors. The Sod Poodles are the first professional sports team to use this color combination.