Isotopes new alternative look honors 'City Roots'

ALBUQUERQUE – The Albuquerque Isotopes held a press conference last week to unveil their latest alternative identity, “City Roots”.

The new alternative identity comes with new alternative merchandise as well as its own dedicated promotional days at Isotopes Stadium during the regular season.

Sporting gothic black lettering across the front of black and white pinstripe uniforms, spelling the words “Duke City”, the new look honors the origins of Albuquerque’s name and the city’s “rich cultural history,” the team said in a news release.

• The city of Albuquerque was officially founded in 1706 and named after Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, the Spanish Duke of Alburquerque. The then-governor of New Mexico, Francisco Cuervo y Valdés, chose the title in the hopes of currying favor with the DukeNote: Over time the first “r” in “Alburquerque” was dropped in favor of the easier-to-pronounce, current version: “Albuquerque”.

The “City Roots” hats are branded with a “505” logo in the same gothic font as the uniforms. The number calls attention to the city’s “505” area code, a source of identity for locals and one of the country’s first area codes, receiving the number in 1947.

In the center of the “0” on the hats is the Zia symbol, which also adorns the state flag. The Isotopes worked closely with the Zia Pueblo people, for whom the Zia symbol is sacred, on the design and received permission from the tribe for its use with the new branding.

The Isotopes have a reputation for creating successful alternative identities.

“Over the last decade, alternate identities across Minor League Baseball have played an integral role in strengthening the connection between teams and their respective communities,” the team news release said.

In 2017, the team unveiled their first-ever alternative identity, the “Albuquerque Green Chile Cheeseburgers”. The colorful uniforms paid homage to the popular New Mexico burger creation.

In 2018, they did it again, this time with the “Mariachis de Nuevo México” alternative identity merchandise. The logo featured a Mexican-style skeleton, sometimes called a “calaca”, wearing a traditional Mariachi hat.

The Isotopes are dedicating five home games to promotion of the “City Roots” uniforms. For those dates, fans can purchase the new “Duke City 505-PACK”, a ticket package that includes a guaranteed box level ticket to all five games.

The Isotopes Home Opener is scheduled for April 1 at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park at 6:35 p.m. against the Salt Lake Bees.

For ticketing and scheduling information, or to purchase Isotopes merchandise, visit abqisotopes.com.

{span style=”text-decoration: underline;”}”City Roots” Schedule and Promotions:{/span}

• Saturday, April 19:
• Duke City Flag giveaway (first 1,500 fans)
• Post-Game Fireworks Show, presented by Power Ford
• Saturday, May 17:
• Post-Game Fireworks Show, presented by Melloy Los Lunas
• Sunday, July 20:
• 505 Parachute Jackets, courtesy of Toyota (first 2,000 fans 16 & older)
• Pre-Game Vibestrong concert on the Berm
• Saturday, August 23:
• Pre-Game Al Hurricane Jr. concert on the Berm
• Post-Game Fireworks Show
• Friday, September 5:
• TBD — Giveaway announcement to come