STL Post Dispatch, November 5th 1997

 In the megabucks world of sports licensing and marketing, the adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" doesn't necessarily apply. Teams tend to change uniforms and logos almost as often as fans change channels with the remote. There is gold in them thar threads, a vehicle to generate interest, a means of offsetting multimillion-dollar wages.

But when director of merchandising Bill DeWitt III pondered a re-design of the Cardinals' logos, he knew he was treading on sacred soil.

Some distinguishing marks in sports transcend fashion and trend, and confront those who would tinker with a neon "hands off" sign. As countless numbers of their most intimate friends in St. Louis and surrounding areas might say: You don't mess with the "Birds On The Bat."

DeWitt, 29, was acutely aware of the volatile chemistry with which he played.

"There was a lot of apprehension," DeWitt said. "That's why we made sure with all the dramatic changes that were made, we could look back to what we had seen in the past and say, `Hey, we've been there before.' We're just putting it together with today's graphics."

The alterations introduced during a Tuesday press conference at Busch Stadium would hardly fill a New York fashion stage. With the exception of an eye-catching new batting practice jersey, a new dugout jacket and a "Sunday cap," the changes are primarily in the various logos.

The introduction reflected both the attention and the respect the club's call letters command. We' re not talking about changing the wheel, w e're talking about going from "Pantone 186" to "Pantone 200" on the color chart.

"I knew people would think, `Who is this DeWitt kid, changing the logo? What does he think he's doing?' " DeWitt said. "But try, if you can, to take away any team values or tradition that is connected with it and take a look at the old logo strictly on its graphic or aesthetic merits. If you do that, I think you'll agree that it's really pretty ugly."

Time for an overhaul. The red in the redbirds will be a deeper shade, c loser to the color of the actual bird. The lines will be heavier, keeping the images from fading under certain uses.

The birds are still there, perched on a bat, but they have a different attitude. To bring it out, DeWitt got together with Gary Kodner of St. Louis-based design firm Nehmen-Kodner and looked at more than 100 possibilities.

"The concept stemmed from the opinion the team uses too many `cardinal' birds for different applications," DeWitt said. "We decided to come up with a new bird that would look great on the `birds on bat' logo and also in a new primary logo. We agreed a more realistic bird was our goal."

The design team gathered books and drawings, studied paintings by Midwestern Audubon artist John Ruthven, researched the Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum, dug through archives for birds of a different feather. DeWitt even put a bird feeder in his yard to conduct field research.

The result is a more genuine bird, a more dignified specie, a cardinal with soul.

"I went out and showed it to people in the stands late last season," DeWitt said. "It was very informal, just to get a feel. It's amazing the reaction you get when you're talking about changing the logo, but I would say, `Now, wait a minute. Take a look at the primary logo, take a look at this and tell me, would you go in this direction?' And then people reacted positively."

For all the consternation over birds and logos, the wardrobe adjustments most likely to create a sensation among fans is the apparel. The batting practice shirt is a warm red, button-down mesh jersey with blue piping and "birds on bat" on the front. The shirt is scheduled to be worn in pregame activities only - at least for this season.

Catcher Mike Difelice, who modeled the new uniform at the christening, would like to see the shirt become standard attire.

"I think it's cool," Difelice said. "This would be great as a regular jersey. On hot days in the summer, like those Sunday day games, it would be nice to be able to wear this. I think fans are really going to like the look of this."

The dugout jacket, made by Starter, brings back a traditional satin look and features red sleeves with a blue trunk. It will be adorned with the "birds on bat" on the front, consistent with all the on-field attire. All the new items and logo merchandise will be available at various shops and outlets beginning today. DeWitt is confident the catalog will be well-received.

The "Sunday cap," which will feature a blue crown, red bill and an entirely new Cardinal-on-bat logo, also figures to catch the eye. The cap borrows elements from a 1920s logo and combines them with elements from a cap used in 1942, a championship season and Stan Musial's first full season. Not a bad foundation.

The cap is targeted to be worn on "Sundays and special situations," but Difelice suggested players will want artistic license.

"It's kind of a different flair," he said. "These things definitely leave the door open for some superstitions. If we wear that cap and get something going, guys are going to want to wear it on a regular basis."

DeWitt said: "It's no secret that a lot of clubs have changed their merchandise to generate revenue. It's almost like if you can't get a winning team, you change the logo. But that was not a primary concern in doing this. We felt we had a legitimate reason to take a look at the logo and see if we could bring it up to date and improve it.

"For me, it was certainly a labor of love. I think the things we've done bring an exciting new look to the Cardinals, while retaining the continuity and tradition of this storied franchise."
*** *** *** ***
On sale

Merchandise featuring the Cardinals' new logo and designs goes on sale today at the Cardinals Team Store at Busch Stadium. It also is available through the team's website (www.stlcardinals.com) and through the Cardinals Gift Catalog.
Illustration

PHOTO, GRAPHIC; Caption: (1) Color Photo by Jane Rudolph/Post-Dispatch - New look for the Redbirds Cardinals catcher Mike Difelice models the team's new batting-practice uniform. (2) Color Graphic Illustration/Logos - St. Louis Cardinals baseball New and Old Examples of the following Cardinals' logos: Primary logo, Secondary logo, Script logo, Birds on bat logo, Birds on bat logo, and Sluggerbird logo. (3) Color Graphic Illustrations - (of various styles of St. Louis Cardinals' baseball uniforms) Uniforms reprinted from "Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century" by Marc Okkonen 1900 Home - The early years. Gets a little dizzy going from lower case to upper case in the lettering, but the Frankenstein stitching is an interesting touch. 1920 Home - Like the pinstripes, like the birds-on-bat sleeve, especially like the socks. But what's up with the hat? Looks like a polygraph readout. 1940 Home - Fairly consistent throughout the dynasty years of the '40s. The blue cap, blue long sleeves and the bird-on-Mizuno-bat are outstanding. 1956 Home - Never won anything in this uniform, but it was worn by Alex Grammas (1954-56, 59-62) and Gino Cimoli (1959), which automatically qualifies it as the greatest uniform in baseball history. 1972 Home - The first of the double-knit years. No belt, no buttons, no reasonable person would be caught leaving the locker room in this. Catering companies were known to dress servers in this outfit and send them out with the crab dip.