Regional/Geographical/City Names

[sky1324]

9 minutes ago, Digby said:

 

I think this is generally right, but I always wonder about the local exceptions. Like the Minneapolis/St. Paul teams are always gonna use Minnesota to skirt around any local politics, that makes sense. The New England Patriots seems excessive, like who else is northern Vermont and downeast Maine going to root for ... But in those early post-merger days the Giants still had a pretty big New England following, so maybe every little bit did help in trying to claw that back. (Or maybe it's always just MBA consultants trying to hard, who knows)

Yeah, I've never had a problem with the Minnesota teams because of the MPLS/StP thing, but the "regional name" never made sense to me when there isn't that local rivalry to avoid or a direct reference for the name. I'd be just fine with the Boston Patriots, San Francisco Warriors, Indianapolis Pacers, etc. but I can let the Minnesota teams, both Panthers, and the Texas Rangers slide (although I'd also be fine with the Dallas Rangers). 

[Brian in Boston]

4 hours ago, Digby said:

I wonder why the history of New York-Penn League teams in Burlington always use "Vermont" as the identifier.)

I think it's simply due to the fact that there's never been another New York-Penn League team operating anywhere else in Vermont during the current franchise's 26-season - and counting - run. So, ownership/management has elected to widen the breadth of its marketing and stake claim to representing the entire state. It was the same story during the five years in the 1980s that an Eastern League team called Centennial Field home. Whether dubbed the Reds or Mariners, the place name was always Vermont.

Way back in the late 1800s and early 1900s - when Burlington-based teams played in leagues alongside squads from other Vermont communities such as Barre, Montpelier, Rutland and St. Albans - the clubs from Burlington used the municipality's name as their place name.

As far as I know, prior to the arrival of the modern era Eastern League and New York-Penn League franchises, the 1955 Burlington A's were the only other minor league baseball team based in the municipality that opted to use the city-specific place name while playing in a league that counted no other Vermont-based clubs in its membership.  

[MilSox]

Speaking of minor leagues, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a curious case.

They had been the Appleton Foxes or Fox Cities Foxes since the 1960s, but changed their name to coincide with their move to Fox Cities Stadium, which is just outside of Appleton in Grand Chute.  I would have preferred they just revert back to the Fox Cities Foxes.  It never made sense to me that they wouldn't want to be the Foxes, given they won 9 pennants under that name.  But apparently they were planning to represent river itself with their initial idea.



I would have preferred this, honestly.  I imagine the Phantoms name is a reference to the several places along the Fox River that are supposedly known for paranormal activity.  But it didn't make sense for them to claim the entire state when Beloit still had a team.  I know Wisconsin had lost 4 MWL teams in the dozen or so years leading up to the name change.  Perhaps claiming to represent the entire state was a lazy attempt to appeal to fans who just lost their local team?

[Tygers09]

When I go see a game its about getting out, watching the game and and to support the team; not about what their team name is, or about how good they're playing or if they have a winning record. It wouldnt matter to me if they were called Detroit, Michigan or even Great Lakes. I would've went to see the Michigan Panthers at the Silverdome back in the day, but never had the chance.  And they were way better than the Lions will ever be. I have gone to see some Lions/Red Wings/Tigers/Pistons games. I prefer the Lions and the Red Wings over the Tigers and the Pistons. I'm down on the Tigers cause I feel the they are a farm team on the Majors, because they always trade off the good players, keep the overpaid, overrated players; the Pistons, I'm not a baskerball fan, but have gone to a couple of games because I was asked by friends and I'm not bias either. But hey at least I went to all those games and had a good time, rather they win or lost. 

[Digby]

6 hours ago, Brian in Boston said:

I think it's simply due to the fact that there's never been another New York-Penn League team operating anywhere else in Vermont during the current franchise's 26-season - and counting - run. So, ownership/management has elected to widen the breadth of its marketing and stake claim to representing the entire state. It was the same story during the five years in the 1980s that an Eastern League team called Centennial Field home. Whether dubbed the Reds or Mariners, the place name was always Vermont.

Way back in the late 1800s and early 1900s - when Burlington-based teams played in leagues alongside squads from other Vermont communities such as Barre, Montpelier, Rutland and St. Albans - the clubs from Burlington used the municipality's name as their place name.

As far as I know, prior to the arrival of the modern era Eastern League and New York-Penn League franchises, the 1955 Burlington A's were the only other minor league baseball team based in the municipality that opted to use the city-specific place name while playing in a league that counted no other Vermont-based clubs in its membership.  

 

The nice thing about Burlington, I've heard, is that it's so close to Vermont.

[The_Admiral]

6 hours ago, NicDB said:

I would have preferred this, honestly.  I imagine the Phantoms name is a reference to the several places along the Fox River that are supposedly known for paranormal activity.  But it didn't make sense for them to claim the entire state when Beloit still had a team.  I know Wisconsin had lost 4 MWL teams in the dozen or so years leading up to the name change.  Perhaps claiming to represent the entire state was a lazy attempt to appeal to fans who just lost their local team?

 

I don't think minor-league baseball teams' catchment areas are that big. No one was driving from Kenosha to Appleton for minor-league ball, if they wanted that, the 1993-1999 Brewers were a much easier drive.

[MilSox]

On 5/1/2020 at 9:38 PM, the admiral said:

 

I don't think minor-league baseball teams' catchment areas are that big. No one was driving from Kenosha to Appleton for minor-league ball, if they wanted that, the 1993-1999 Brewers were a much easier drive.

 

Same with Madison. But Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids? It's not unheard of for them to drive to the Fox Valley to do things as it is. I'm also told the Foxes never really marketed themselves in Green Bay until they were the Timber Rattlers.

 

I have no doubt "Wisconsin" was an attempt to cast a wider net. I just think Fox Cities or Fox River would have done just as fine.

[Chromatic]

On 4/28/2020 at 5:55 PM, throwuascenario said:

I think that if a city is named after the state that it's in, it should always be called the state name. Minnesota instead of Minneapolis. The Colts should be Indiana instead of Indianapolis. The Thunder should be the Oklahoma Thunder. The extra word or ending just makes it sound clunky and long.

My understanding is that Minnesota teams do this because they have two major cities right next to each other and don't want to give preference to one over the other.

[raz]

On 4/28/2020 at 11:52 AM, Tygers09 said:

Is today's standards becoming more precise or logical that it HAS to be exactly where their located? For instance, I was thinking of a football team from El Paso or Las Cruces, NM( nevermmind whether or not those cities have the population or the right stadium, this is not the issue) and thought it would cool to call them the 

Rio Grande ______. Is this acceptable? 

 

Name it what you want, brother! But I agree that Rio Grande isn't great. Being from there, I know that locally, Borderlands is used. 

 

There used to be a pro volleyball team there called El Paso/Juarez Sol. So that's an option too. 

[tBBP]

Since we're here, let me take this moment to remind us all of this glorious yet obscure nugget of regional-naming history...

 

 

As in the Pee Dee Pride...one of the greatest sports team names ever.  I'll wait to see who can identify the place this team was based (no Googling!!!!).

 

In even more obscure regional naming talks...up here where I live now exists the regional name "Siouxland".  Depending on who you talk to, it extends from a point just south of Sioux City Iowa (and its tri-city compatriots North Sioux City, South Dakota and South Sioux City, Nebraska) to as far north as Sioux Falls, though some apparently dispute that--generally speaking, its northwest Iowa, northeast Nebraska and southeast South Dakota.  Up here in Sioux Falls, though, at some point in the past somebody somewhere took to calling the northern reach of Siouxland "Sioux Empire"--the bigger mall in town is even named Empire Mall.  I'm guessing that was to assert some level of dominance over the rest of the region?  (since there really ain't jack else around here--Omaha is the closest half-major city at 170 miles away.) But I'm sure all of you care about that, right? 

[chcarlson23]

1 hour ago, Buc said:

Since we're here, let me take this moment to remind us all of this glorious yet obscure nugget of regional-naming history...

 

 

As in the Pee Dee Pride...one of the greatest sports team names ever.  I'll wait to see who can identify the place this team was based (no Googling!!!!).

I believe this team is named after the Great Pee Dee River area in South Carolina...

 

I know this because I’ve spend the last couple of summers in Myrtle Beach, and driven through that area and over the Pee Dee River...

[The_Admiral]

First time I encountered the name "Pee Dee Pride," I thought they sold the front half of their naming rights to a Southeastern chain of gas station convenience stores, as if "Southern Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Distributors" or "Preferred Distillates" somehow evolved into a kinder, gentler "Pee Dee." Turned out it was a river. Hm. 

[cajunaggie08]

On 5/1/2020 at 12:38 PM, QCS said:

Yeah, I've never had a problem with the Minnesota teams because of the MPLS/StP thing, but the "regional name" never made sense to me when there isn't that local rivalry to avoid or a direct reference for the name. I'd be just fine with the Boston Patriots, San Francisco Warriors, Indianapolis Pacers, etc. but I can let the Minnesota teams, both Panthers, and the Texas Rangers slide (although I'd also be fine with the Dallas Rangers). 

Besides the fact that the law enforcement agency theyre names after is the Texas Rangers, they have actually never played in Dallas. Yes Dallas is the largest city in the giant DFW metroplex, but some of the other cities in the area have a chip on their shoulder with everything in the area being called "Dallas."  The city of Arlington has foot the bill for all 3 of the Rangers stadiums so they would be mad as hell if the team was called the Dallas Rangers. There is also the fact that Arlington is a county over from Dallas and the closest big city is actually Fort Worth and not Dallas. Thankfully Arlington gone full Anaheim where they demand team name credit like in the case of the Angels and Ducks

[The_Admiral]

To the extent that Arlington is nationally known for anything but domiciling two Dallas sports teams, it's that they're the most populous city in America without public transportation. Run a goddamn bus route, jerks!

[monkeypower]

Here's one involving everybody's favourite topic, Canadian junior hockey history.

 

In 1998, the Edmonton Ice of the WHL relocated to Cranbrook, BC and became the Kootenay (Koot-knee) Ice, where they would play for 21 years. Kootenay, or the Kootenays, is the region of BC that Cranbrook is in.

 

The Ice's arrival in Cranbrook forced the folding of the Jr. A Cranbrook Colts and was a bit of a deathblow to the entire Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League, the league the Colts were in, as it folded the year after the Ice arrived. The RMJHL was the lesser of the two Jr. A leagues in BC at the time and had already been bleeding teams to the Jr. A BCHL and AJHL for a couple years prior to the Ice and the eventual folding. There were other teams in the RMJHL that were in the Kootenay region, so the Cranbrook team using Cranbrook makes a bit of sense. At the time, there was, and still is, a Jr. B league called the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League made up primarily of teams in the Kootenay region and is where a couple of the teams from the RMJHL ended up.

 

Now that the Ice have moved the Winnipeg, the expansion Cranbrook Bucks are scheduled to join the BCHL for the 2020-21 season. The BCHL already has a team in the Kootenays in the Trail Smoke Eaters, who were one of the teams to move from the RMJHL to the BCHL (technically).

 

There were no other WHL teams in the Kootenay region when the Ice moved to Cranbrook, so I assume they wanted to sound "bigger" for the bigger league of the WHL and become the team of Kootenay, instead of just Cranbrook.

[The_Admiral]

Kootenay sounds better than Cranbrook, I'll give 'em that. 

[Davidellias]

Surprised the Mahonig Valley Scrappers aren't mentioned here.

They are from the Single A NYPL and I feel they'd be better off using the city name they are located in. (Youngstown)

Also Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs of the AAA IL.
 

[JerseyJimmy]

On 5/10/2020 at 10:28 AM, Davidellias said:

Also Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs of the AAA IL.

 

correct me if I'm wrong, but Lehigh Valley might be another Minnesota situation on a smaller scale with Allentown and Bethlehem.

[The_Admiral]

"Allentown Phantoms" would sound better. At least Allentown is the name of a popular Billy Joel song (the one where he tried to write a Springsteen song), "Lehigh Valley" doesn't mean anything to me. As for the Phillies affiliate, well, you'd have to start from scratch on that one.

[TrueYankee26]

On 5/6/2020 at 10:34 AM, cajunaggie08 said:

Besides the fact that the law enforcement agency theyre names after is the Texas Rangers, they have actually never played in Dallas. Yes Dallas is the largest city in the giant DFW metroplex, but some of the other cities in the area have a chip on their shoulder with everything in the area being called "Dallas."  The city of Arlington has foot the bill for all 3 of the Rangers stadiums so they would be mad as hell if the team was called the Dallas Rangers. There is also the fact that Arlington is a county over from Dallas and the closest big city is actually Fort Worth and not Dallas. Thankfully Arlington gone full Anaheim where they demand team name credit like in the case of the Angels and Ducks

Arlington and Ft. Worth are in Tarrant County