Thursday, October 23, 2008

The man behind the logo

I'll admit it, I love these stories-behind-the-scenes stuff. Tell me about what goes on in the lowest levels of an organization. What the clubhouse boys have to do. How the laundry gets done. How the concessions get distributed. Anything. I'm a sucker for that minutae. So naturally, the story of the designing of the MLB logo is fascinating to me.

Now 76, Mr. Dior is retired. He says he enjoys seeing his creation whenever he and his wife, Lita, watch his favorite team, the Yankees. He has one regret: Major League Baseball has never acknowledged his contribution.
......
Mr. Dior says that he would be grateful for official credit, if only to share his hardball legacy with his four children and four grandchildren. "
Just to be recognized as the person who came up with the logo," he said, "that would be great. It's what I'm most proud of in my entire career as an illustrator."

And just WHO is the guy in the logo? The NBA used Jerry West's silouette as the logo. Anyone serve as the inspiration for the MLB logo?
His son once heard a radio broadcaster say that Minnesota Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew served as his model for the logo. Mr. Dior's response: "That's completely untrue. It's not Harmon Killebrew. It's not anyone in particular."

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The super-short sleeve and close-fit helmet just scream 'early 60's Yankee' to me, while the aquiline nose indicates Maris more than Mantle.

So...coupled with his Yankee fandom, I'm going to say that it's Roger Maris, though I wouldn't completely rule out Mantle.