Baseball BBQ is so excited to be able to connect fans to their teams — even when those teams don’t exist anymore. When Baseball BBQ began providing our patented bat-handle tools and cutting boards, we were very excited to offer customized products that quickly became THE gift for baseball fans and serious grillers. Once we began offering products licensed for major-league, minor-league, and college teams, we were able to put smiles on even more faces. Naturally, we have received requests to do even more and we are thrilled to announce the creation of our MLB Legacy collection to celebrate teams that are gone but definitely not forgotten.
We selected six memorable teams to start the collection and are looking forward to hearing from fans about teams we should add next. So, you won’t find these teams in the MLB Standings in 2023, but for true fans, these clubs will always be first in their hearts.
The lyrical plea “Let’s Keep The Dodgers in Brooklyn” wasn’t enough to keep Dem Bums in Flatbush and the Brooklyn Dodgers flew west. But fans have never forgotten their boys of summer or the barrier-breaking teams they loved.
The Montreal Expos were Major League Baseball’s first north-of-the-border team, making the national pastime truly a global game in 1969. The Expos’ pinwheel hat, "(les) Expos (de) Montréal Baseball" logo – and Youppi! – remain iconic reminders of a beloved team.
The New York Giants began play in 1883 and “The Giants won the pennant!” – 17 of them plus 5 World Series crowns — in the Big Apple. There, the Polo Grounds hosted such memorable baseball moments as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” and “the Catch.”
The Philadelphia Athletics and Connie Mack’s White Elephants built a pair of baseball dynasties. But the franchise that bragged of a “$100,000 infield” was also known for a “Spite Fence” in Shibe Park that blocked the views of non-paying fans.
The Seattle Pilots enjoyed a brief, but memorable single-season Major League Baseball history in 1969. Memorialized in the inside-the-locker-room classic book, “Ball Four” and remembered for their striking caps with gold “scrambled eggs” on the visor, the Pilots left their mark on the baseball world.
The St. Louis Browns began play in 1902. While the Browns did not enjoy much success on the field, the team’s “colorful” final years included Louie the Elf and memorable stunts like“Grandstand Managers Night,” when fans voted on in-game decisions.
There is nothing “past” about the love of the National Pastime so every team lives on for true fans. All our officially licensed MLB tools and accessories are laser-engraved with team names and logos so you can root, root, root for the home team whether you are grilling at a ballpark tailgate or safe at home — even if the teams do not play where you remember anymore.