The Cleveland Indians are said to be changing their name. I am wondering on ideas for a new name.
Here’s my list:
After local birds, since Blue Jays and Cardinals are taken, I would go with Swifts because it sounds cool for baseball and is a fairly common Ohio bird. Also, there are no Swifts in pro sports except an Australian World Netballers team and I don’t even know what Netball is.
After local animals, I’d go with Raccoons. Those little things are everywhere.
After local trees, I’d consider Buckeyes for historical reason (name of Cleveland’s Negro League team), but there is a pro sports team in Columbus named after them already. So, I’d go with Pines or Cedars, but I think Cedar trees are cool.
After famous people from Cleveland, there are none famous enough. Skip.
After famous things that happened in Cleveland, well, there is the River Fire, which I don’t think you’d want to celebrate, so skip.
I’d say there should be a Cleveland heritage category, but that’s how we ended up here in the first place, so skip.
Named after places near or in Cleveland, I’d say Edgewater is the best sounding one.
Thoughts?
Sell the naming rights then maybe we can resign a damn free agent in my lifetime. The "Cleveland Renta Centers" sounds about right. Or the "Cleveland Progressives playing at Progressive field". Then the new hat can be a P overlayed with a C. Actually, that last one might be better for a South Park episode.
Well, they can always trade a star for a 4th outfielder and a prospect if they need players.
Name them based on the most prominent geographic feature nearby, Lake Erie? So the Cleveland Lakers? How about the Cleveland Eries? No, that's an Indian tribal name, and we'd be going from one problem to another.
The Cleveland Squirrels? The Cleveland Pit Bulls? The Cleveland Muskies? The Cleveland Walleyes?
I think we should pick a modern name the Cleveland Webpages? Cleveland Social Medias? Cleveland Influencers? Cleveland Vloggers? Cleveland Tweeters? Nothing seems to flow well. The Cleveland Technocrats?
The Cleveland Christmas Ales? The Cleveland Rockafellers?
Nothing seems to work well. Maybe we just sell the name. The Cleveland Progressives? The Cleveland Flos? The Cleveland Fords?
Or maybe just something that describes the team - The Cleveland Garage Sales? The Cleveland Also-rans? The Cleveland 72-years-of-futility?
(12-14-2020 08:59 AM)Slinkin Street Flash Wrote: [ -> ]Name them based on the most prominent geographic feature nearby, Lake Erie? So the Cleveland Lakers? How about the Cleveland Eries? No, that's an Indian tribal name, and we'd be going from one problem to another.
The Cleveland Squirrels? The Cleveland Pit Bulls? The Cleveland Muskies? The Cleveland Walleyes?
I think we should pick a modern name the Cleveland Webpages? Cleveland Social Medias? Cleveland Influencers? Cleveland Vloggers? Cleveland Tweeters? Nothing seems to flow well. The Cleveland Technocrats?
The Cleveland Christmas Ales? The Cleveland Rockafellers?
Nothing seems to work well. Maybe we just sell the name. The Cleveland Progressives? The Cleveland Flos? The Cleveland Fords?
Or maybe just something that describes the team - The Cleveland Garage Sales? The Cleveland Also-rans? The Cleveland 72-years-of-futility?
The "Cleveland not-economically-viable to win"?
Yeah, kind of tough when Cleveland has a lake that's Erie & a tower that's Terminal.
Buzzards?
Emeralds?
#GoFlashes
The "Cleveland Lake Effect Snow"?
I think they ought to try something new that no one else has tried "Team Cleveland" "Cleveland BC" - like a lot of the European soccer teams like 'Sevilla FC'. "Cleveland United"? "TechnoCleveland"? "Virtual Cleveland"?
Or maybe something in the news like "the Cleveland Pandemic"?
I like Cleveland Buzzards. They could show up in Hinckley every April when spring training is over.
Another possibility is going into Cleveland sports history and naming the team Force or Barons.
Maybe they could go after baseball slang and Forest City history and go with Cleveland Lumber.
I also like Lake Effect Snow, but that’s more a hockey team name.
But seriously, folks, I noted a lot of negative reaction elsewhere online, the usual complaints about bowing to PC, "cancel culture" and the like. I don't get that because it's the owner's team! Shouldn't the owner be allowed to change a mascot name if he wants? If I learned anything in my 75 years it's that something that's a big deal one day people get used to quickly and it's no big deal the next. Does anyone miss the Miami Redskins or the Stanford Indians? I doubt it. I remember when I was in high school it was supposed to be the end of America to some if the Catholic Kennedy was elected. Four years later Goldwater's running mate was Catholic and I don't think anyone even mentioned it, or mentioned Biden being the 2nd Catholic president. It was the end of the world when the universities of Alabama and Mississippi had to admit a couple of black students, Now every redneck down there cheers madly for their teams, even if a majority of the stars are black. The name will be changed to something innocuous and in a year or so it will be like it was always that new name. Heck, I'm already used to saying the "Washington Football Team" and "Washington Redskins" already sounds odd, and dated. Just my 2 cents.
(12-14-2020 09:38 AM)Muskrat Wrote: [ -> ]But seriously, folks, I noted a lot of negative reaction elsewhere online, the usual complaints about bowing to PC, "cancel culture" and the like. I don't get that because it's the owner's team! Shouldn't the owner be allowed to change a mascot name if he wants? If I learned anything in my 75 years it's that something that's a big deal one day people get used to quickly and it's no big deal the next. Does anyone miss the Miami Redskins or the Stanford Indians? I doubt it. I remember when I was in high school it was supposed to be the end of America to some if the Catholic Kennedy was elected. Four years later Goldwater's running mate was Catholic and I don't think anyone even mentioned it, or mentioned Biden being the 2nd Catholic president. It was the end of the world when the universities of Alabama and Mississippi had to admit a couple of black students, Now every redneck down there cheers madly for their teams, even if a majority of the stars are black. The name will be changed to something innocuous and in a year or so it will be like it was always that new name. Heck, I'm already used to saying the "Washington Football Team" and "Washington Redskins" already sounds odd, and dated. Just my 2 cents.
It's not a big deal one way or the other. I'm completely ready for the name to change because I'm tired of hearing about it. I'm really sick of seeing people call the organization "racist". Racist is a heavy word and really not fitting of the situation at all (especially when the people in charge weren't around when the team was named). I saw an article yesterday titled "Cleveland baseball team finally agrees to change racist name". If you want to say it's not PC or not sensitive, whatever, but racist is an very heavy word to use for this situation.
It's particularly frustrating when you actually look at the organization's history. First team to sign an American Indian player. First AL team to sign a black player (and the third to sign multiple black players). First team to have a black manager.
So I'm more than ready for them to change the name and you're right, people will be over it in a couple years.
Agree, anti-zip. The word "racist' is over the top. So many people on all sides of any controversy nowadays love to engage in hyperbole. You made good points about the Indians history. I remember 35 years ago many accused the Celtics of racism when their team was majority white, including three starters, even though they were champions! Those people ignored the Celtic's history in which they were a pioneer in many ways in including blacks. People, no matter their politics, need to calm down and use their intelligence and reason. I wonder what people thought when the New York Titans became the New York Jets? I doubt anyone gave a damn. I remember when the Browns left town and the mayor was fighting for Cleveland to retain the name, history and colors. One guy said to me, "Hell, Baltimore can HAVE those colors! They are ugly!" Teams move, change names, change colors. The Cavaliers wear all sorts of colors besides wine and gold now! None of it is worth a bucket of warm spit. I just want to be able to go to Dix and the MACC and see the Golden Flashes as soon as possible. Remember when a Flash wasn't an eagle? HA!
"The Cleveland Muskrats?"
I agree- 3 years after, no one will care. I think they ought to use this as an opportunity to come up with a better name. New brand, new marketing, more apparel sales.
(12-14-2020 11:56 AM)Slinkin Street Flash Wrote: [ -> ]"The Cleveland Muskrats?"
I agree- 3 years after, no one will care. I think they ought to use this as an opportunity to come up with a better name. New brand, new marketing, more apparel sales.
My hope is that they'll be able to have as bump in profit from selling new apparel to help balance out the losses from the pandemic.
If they don’t come up with a better name for the team than Muskrats, then I do think people will care 3 years from now. It is my understanding that all merchandising is split evenly among the teams, so any bump the Indians (oops) get from merchandising profit will be split 30 ways.
New modern suggestion for an outside-the-box name: "Network Cleveland"
OK - one minute after I wrote that, I'm thinking it's lame. Howabout "Cleveland BatNet"?
"BatBot Cleveland?"
(12-14-2020 04:13 PM)Slinkin Street Flash Wrote: [ -> ]New modern suggestion for an outside-the-box name: "Network Cleveland"
OK - one minute after I wrote that, I'm thinking it's lame. Howabout "Cleveland BatNet"?
"BatBot Cleveland?"
For all I know, that is good.
My wife said “Waves” and I said “White Caps”
And finally, there really should be an “Indigo Sox” somewhere, if only to teach school children what the color indigo looks like.
The Cleveland Snowsqualls.
Cheer: "LET'S GO FLAKES!"
(12-14-2020 04:08 PM)bopol Wrote: [ -> ]If they don’t come up with a better name for the team than Muskrats, then I do think people will care 3 years from now. It is my understanding that all merchandising is split evenly among the teams, so any bump the Indians (oops) get from merchandising profit will be split 30 ways.
Oh... That sucks. I know there's profit sharing in the MLB I figured the team that made the money still kept the lion's share of it.
This definitely is not the ideal time for a small market team to do something that might piss off part of their fan base. Especially with the fact that the team's most popular player will be traded this winter. I just hope everyone gets over it quickly and we can move forward just talking about baseball.
(12-14-2020 05:21 PM)anti-zip Wrote: [ -> ] (12-14-2020 04:08 PM)bopol Wrote: [ -> ]If they don’t come up with a better name for the team than Muskrats, then I do think people will care 3 years from now. It is my understanding that all merchandising is split evenly among the teams, so any bump the Indians (oops) get from merchandising profit will be split 30 ways.
Oh... That sucks. I know there's profit sharing in the MLB I figured the team that made the money still kept the lion's share of it.
This definitely is not the ideal time for a small market team to do something that might piss off part of their fan base. Especially with the fact that the team's most popular player will be traded this winter. I just hope everyone gets over it quickly and we can move forward just talking about baseball.
No. Only when the Yankees and a few others make the most money do they get to keep it. The Indians have to share when they are doing well and also have to give up their nickname when the MLB tells them to. I wonder what MLB has told the Braves.