What's in a name?

[brinkeguthrie]

(didn't see THIS coming..THREE NAMES IN SEVEN SEASONS.)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The San Francisco Giants' ballpark is changing its name to AT&T Park beginning in March.

The name change announced Friday, the third since the ballpark opened in 2000, follows SBC Communications Inc.'s acquisition of AT&T Corp. in November. SBC changed its name to AT&T after the merger.

The Giants stadium was originally called Pacific Bell Park and was later renamed SBC Park.

"AT&T played a critical role in the development of our ballpark and helped to keep major league baseball in San Francisco," Larry Baer, the club's executive vice president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. "Our partnership enabled us to create what we believe has become the best ballpark in America."

AT&T Park is scheduled to host the All-Star game in 2007. The Giants said the park will offer wireless AT&T Internet service and that signage likely would be changed by midsummer.

[VitaminD]

That ties the unofficial record of 3 names in 7 years.

Philadelphia's CoreStates Center (1996)... First Union Center (1997)... Wachovia Center (2003).

Long live the FU Center. Heck with it - long live Spectrum II!

[FiddySicks]

The new sign

Took this pic back in January

Original sign

Back when they originally changed the signs from Pac Bell to SBC, I saw a guy being questioned by the cops outside of the BArt sation holding the giant P from the old sign.

[brinkeguthrie]

i know the new signs haven't gone up yet- I was just by there last week.

[winghaz]

Dammit. I hate those corporate names to a passion, especially in cases like this when it's changed over and over and over.

They should have named it Willie Mays Park. And if they wanted some kind of corporate logo, they could have called it AT&T Field at Willie Mays Park.

[NJTank]

It pays to own a sign company these days

[DaytonBlue]

for some reason I like AT&T Park better than SBC Park, and some will just keep calling it PacBell anyways, and I like those people even more.

[redsfan39]

I will always call it "PacBell" park.

[marlinfan]

Very few corporate sponsored names on the new parks sound good.

Ex:

Chase Field (actually sounds like the name of an old ballpark)

Great American Ballpark

Coors Field

Miller Park

Busch Stadium

If Rogers Centre were Rogers Stadium/Field/Park/Grounds it would also be on this list.

[Gothamite]

I will always call it "PacBell" park.

I still call the Astros' home "Enron."

They got into bed with the company, they can' get out of it so easily.

[Sec19Row53]

I will always call it "PacBell" park.

After this name change, I may just revert to calling it Candlestick.

[leopard88]

I'm still mad at that Wrigley guy for putting his name on Weeghman Park/Cubs Park.

In seriousness, I couldn't agree more (being from the home of M&T Bank Stadium and 1st Mariner (Bank) Arena). I'm glad the Orioles will probably never exercise the naming rights that they went to arbitration to obtain (based on a clause requiring parity with the Ravens in their respective leases).

[black_gold_capone]

I think PNC Park is good....even though its corporate its a Pittsburgh company. Heinz Field is a really great name as well.

For baseball Great American Ballpark is probaly the best.

[VitaminD]

I think PNC Park is good....even though its corporate its a Pittsburgh company. Heinz Field is a really great name as well.

PNC Park ruins the most beautiful ballpark in North America. It's not even a name; it's 3 letters forming an acronym. Its only saving grace is it lacks a "dot-com" name. It's good that it's a local company, but it's an atrocious name. Especially considering it replaced one of the best stadium names ever, one that fit its city PERFECTLY... Three Rivers Stadium. You knew exactly where you were with a name like that.

While the new parks may be nice (PNC, Citizens Bank, Great American, Petco), the names are craptacular compared to what they replaced (Three Rivers, Vet Stadium, Riverfront, Jack Murphy ["The Murph"]).

[tp49]

They should just call it Willie Brown Park at Willie Mays Plaza or include McCovey in the mix and call it Three Will...ahh forget it.

[OMMF]

I think PNC Park is good....even though its corporate its a Pittsburgh company. Heinz Field is a really great name as well.

PNC Park ruins the most beautiful ballpark in North America. It's not even a name; it's 3 letters forming an acronym.

Oooh. Acronym huh?

(Yes, I know that initialism and acronym can be synonyms but that's only if you use the second definition of acronym. There's a reason it's #2. )

[DrBear]

This came up on a talk show the other day and somebody mentioned Wrigley Field ... there's a little difference as it was named after the family as well as the company. That was the style in those days (Briggs Stadium, Shibe Park).

I've also noticed a new trend - when corporate names are changed, fans prefer the old corporate name. I guess we just don't like change.

Nobody has a great dislike for, say, Miller Park; if it was changed next season to MGD field, folks would have a fit.

[leopard88]

This came up on a talk show the other day and somebody mentioned Wrigley Field ... there's a little difference as it was named after the family as well as the company. That was the style in those days (Briggs Stadium, Shibe Park).

I've also noticed a new trend - when corporate names are changed, fans prefer the old corporate name. I guess we just don't like change.

Nobody has a great dislike for, say, Miller Park; if it was changed next season to MGD field, folks would have a fit.

I'm not sure Wrigley Field was named for the family any more than Coors Field and Ford Field were named for the families. Either way, it is such an iconic name, that any complaint about it is, at best, tongue-in-cheek (as mine was intended to be).

I think Miller Park, Ford Field, Heinz Field and Coors Field (among others) elicit less dislike than other corporates name precisely because they sound like they are named after individuals or families rather than multinational corporations. Raymond James Stadium and the Edward Jones Dome come in a close second because they sound like Joe Robbie Stadium and Jack Kent Cooke Stadium even though they are also corporate names. The bottom line -- you get less backlash as a corporation if you are fortunate enough to be in a position to attach a name that can slip by the unitiated (example -- I didn't know right away that Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte (now BankofAmerica Stadium, IIRC), was named for a cell phone manufacturer).

As for preferring old corporate names, I can assure you that no one in Baltimore has shed a tear over the loss of PSINet Stadium.