LOGO POLL: We grade the Toronto Blue Jays logos through the ages

Logos are like personalities, and the Toronto Blue Jays, in their short history, have had as many as Charlie Sheen mid-meltdown. With the launch of its latest logo rendition last week, we look back at the evolution of the club’s branding over the years and figure out which current Jay best personifies each era.

1. 1977–1997 An understated, simple, confident image that doesn’t try too hard. In other words, the Jays’ first baseman Adam Lind, a soft-spoken country boy from Indiana who wields surprising home run pop and who made the transition from designated hitter to the field look easy. Grade: A

2. 1997–2000 This logo is stiff, noticeably Canadian and forgettable, and its lettering is uneven—just like Mark Teahen’s swing. Zing!

Grade: C+

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3. 2000–2002

Thankfully, this one didn’t last too long. It’s messy, inconsistent and confusing, much like Edwin Encarnación, who couldn’t catch a beach ball with a fishing net. (There’s also an element of Brett Lawrie here: tattooed, young and cartoonish, with plenty of energy.) Still, it’s the worst logo in the history of logos—even worse than the Toronto Raptors’ dribbling dino.
Grade: D-

4. 2002–2011 Metallic, austere and intimidating, this look was supposed to be badass—it’s too bad the team at that time wasn’t. We’d liken the logo to neck-tatted Jon Rauch, who looks like an ex-con, but as of this month he’s no longer a Jay, so we’ll have to stick with resident slugger

José Bautista. Grade: B-

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5. 2011

The new logo is retro-cool, clean and confident, with some new-school flair. In other words, ace Ricky Romero, who rocks an old-school zero-curve on his brim, has a surplus of swagger and is as fiery a competitor as any of the back-to-back champs from ’92 and ’93. Hopefully, that’s a good omen. Grade: A-

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