Preference on Minor League team names

[TBGKon]

What is your take on Minor League Baseball teams keeping the name of their parent club?

I don't know if anyone thinks the way I do, but I feel that each club should have their own, unique identity.

[FiddySicks]

I like it when Minor League teams have original names. When they keep their parent club's name it just sounds, well, Minor League.

Oh and on another note, even though I love the RiverCats name and style, id love it if the RiverCats were to change their name to the B's, the RockHounds to the C's, and the Ports to the D's. That be awesome.

[maz]

I bought a shirt with the logos of all the minor leauge teams. Pretty sweet logos... and some terrible ones ...out there.

I think its okay for them to do that, just make your own logo and your own uni. Other than that most of them should have their own identity.

[BlueSky]

Definitely they should have their own identities. Love the Carolina Mudcats.

[HedleyLamarr]

It doesn't matter to me. On one hand, you'll know which MLB club they're affiliated with. On the other, you can get some interesting nicknames and such.

[The_Admiral]

I like what the Braves and Cardinals do.

[NJTank]

I like original names like Norfolk Tides it was an even better name when it was the Tidewater Tides you cant get better then that.

[PhilliesPhan1325]

I like when the teams have their own identity, just because of the creative logos some of the minor league teams have.

[TNT44]

I like the teams to have original identities. But I'm perfectly OK with being a Cubs fan on two levels, MLB and AAA.

[Discrim]

on the one hand, most minor league teams are better suited to a unique identity. a very good case in point, the team whose cap logo is our thread starter's avatar, the Clearwater Threshers. Until a few years ago they were the Clearwater Phillies, and pretty much tried to mooch off the big club's identity. the Toledo Mud Hens and Durham Bulls, a lot of folks know those teams. then of course the Montgomery Biscuits...and I figure if the folks in New Hampshire had any backbone, we'd have the Primaries

on the other hand, you got those teams that use the parent club's name but make it their own in some way. the Vero Beach Dodgers have a unique VB-grapefruit logo, the Iowa Cubs have been willing to try things the big Cubs won't do (like their old alternate red cap, sleeveless homes, or the Cuba script on the homes).

aaaand then of course, you got them teams (mainly in single A or the Braves organization) that halfass it. where there aint much difference between what they wear and what the big team wears.

[lambertjr]

The independent names are fantastic!

[nwtrailtrekker]

my favorites are when they have their own identities completely but hint at affiliations through team colors or similarity in name.

[The_Admiral]

To clarify, I don't think an across-the-system nickname is always the solution. For example, the Phillies name doesn't make sense in other cities. The Dodgers name doesn't even make sense in its own. But for the Braves and Cardinals, who have huge portions of the nation as their respective dominions, it works. The Braves are THE team for an entire region. Why not capitalize on that by having Braves at every level? It'd be pretty dismal to just have the same thirty names repeated over and over again, but I'll take some brand recognition here and there over the Memphis BluesDawgz or the Mississippi Meltdown.

[DrBear]

The one problem with using parent team names is the changes in affiliation that sometimes happen; during the time I've followed the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (formerly Appleton Foxes) they've been a farm club of the Orioles, White Sox, Royals and Mariners. It's easier to market a team that has a constant image than one whose name changes every few years.

[DGivens87]

I'm partial to keeping the name of the parent club, only because my Pawtucket Red Sox have done just that. That being said, the PawSox have been affiliated with the Red Sox since 1973, IIRC. The proximity of the parent club (45 minutes away, which is a luxury especially in AAA when an emergency call-up needs to be made) and the hardcore fanbase of Red Sox Nation will likely mean that Pawtucket will remain the AAA team for years to come, so I think keeping the team the "Red Sox" is the best way to go.

On the flipside, I can see how lower-level or other minor league franchises might go with an original nickname when affiliations change, and thus the team itself keeps its identity.

I think, overall, it's better go with an original nickname given the state of flux that so many minor league teams go through when affiliations change.

So long as it isn't "Biscuits" or "Nuts".

[SgtCarp]

I hate it. The team nearest to me, the Richmond Braves, has EVERYTHING looking exactly like the Atlanta Braves. When a team has the same name as their parent club, its hard to be creative with logos, uniforms, etc. Which logo do you think looks better?

or

[LMU]

Independent names are great, as they actually represent the location of the club in most cases, which in turn helps to build a fan base. For instance, in Salt Lake City, a team named the Las Vegas 51s is a heck of a lot more relevant to the home city than a team named the Las Vegas Dodgers.

[infrared41]

Montgomery Biscuits, Lansing Lugnuts, Chattanooga Lookouts, Asheville Tourists, Las Vegas 51's, Carolina Mudcats, Albuquerque Isotopes, The Toledo Mud Hens, and on and on... I'll take those over The Iowa Cubs or Richmond Braves every time.

The Montgomery Biscuits? Gotta be the best name ever in Minor League sports.

[slapshot]

I like unique names with a hint to the affiliate. The Portland SeaDogs used to have the same colors as their parent club, the Florida Marlins. When the Red Sox took over the franchise, the team changed its colors to the Red Sox colors. I think it looks better for a team to have some connection with its parent, and if the colors match, it looks more consistent if the team adds its parent's patch to the uniform, as in the case of the Lowell Spinners.

Teams that are entirely devoid of their parent's colors or themes end up looking like independent teams that are unaffiliated with anyone.

[Tazz013]

I'm ok with the rookie ball affiliate sharing names with the major league team, but when there are two or three affiliates using the same name, it gets out of hand.