Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Grays...
According to ESPN, MLB has decided to name the old Expos the "Nationals", instead of the Grays or the Senators. Please permit me to make two points:
1. "Nationals"? Could MLB have saddled the team with a worse nick-name? I doubt it. The name sounds terrible, and it is too easily shortened to "the Nats". This team's karma follows it everywhere...
2. Lets have a nod to history here. Baseball is the sport where history plays the biggest role. No other sport is so mindful of the past. Why has baseball failed so spectacularly in Florida? I submit it is because the people there are wedded to their old teams, the old memories of glory that new baseball teams don't interest them ... So why not call these guys the Grays or Senators? Two names with tremendous history. In the case of the Grays, baseball can recognize the contributions of Negro League baseball.
According to the ESPN article, the decision was made in part because focus groups liked "Nationals" more than the other two names. Too bad.
1. "Nationals"? Could MLB have saddled the team with a worse nick-name? I doubt it. The name sounds terrible, and it is too easily shortened to "the Nats". This team's karma follows it everywhere...
2. Lets have a nod to history here. Baseball is the sport where history plays the biggest role. No other sport is so mindful of the past. Why has baseball failed so spectacularly in Florida? I submit it is because the people there are wedded to their old teams, the old memories of glory that new baseball teams don't interest them ... So why not call these guys the Grays or Senators? Two names with tremendous history. In the case of the Grays, baseball can recognize the contributions of Negro League baseball.
According to the ESPN article, the decision was made in part because focus groups liked "Nationals" more than the other two names. Too bad.
Comments:
Post a Comment
