From Americans To Wood Ducks – 365 Days of Baseball Detours, Fields, Games, and Photos

Let’s take a small detour from my travel sites blogs to discuss baseball team names and mascots. Every team, every stadium, every baseball organization has a team name. Some have a team name, a stadium name, and play for a completely separate baseball organizational name not even remotely aligned with either one. From the Pacific Northwest to the coast of Maine, from Somerset to Seattle baseball team names represent local traditions and communities, and I was lucky enough to bear witness to nearly 60 different team names in my travels. From minor league baseball to amateur summer collegiate baseball leagues to the Major League clubs, here are a few baseball team names and mascots that really caught my attention this past year…

Birds, birds, everywhere birds. Just last week, I was pre-game walking around Arthur Perdue Stadium hours before the Delmarva Shorebirds took on the Down East Wood Ducks. A very interesting bird indeed, the Stormy Petrel, is the team name for the Oglethorpe University Baseball club. How about this Spring when I visited Citizens Bank Park for PHI Phillies vs. TOR Blue Jays?

And what about our four legged friends – domesticated and in the wild? Sea Dogs, Muckdogs, Retrievers, Chihuahuas, and Huskies would all be welcome in your homes, right? Wildcats, Panthers, Grizzlies, Lions, Iron Pigs, Bison – probably not so much. What about Tobs and Terrapins, after all they are both types of turtles.

What names were inspired by local traditions or area specific occupations? How about the IronBirds of Aberdeen? Or the Peninsula Pilots. The Niagara Falls Americans, the Virginia Beach Valor, the Reno Aces. Here is a great one – the Nashville Sounds. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are inspired by the state motto – The Natural State (Arkansas). And another great one – the Somerset Patriots. Just a few weeks ago, I was introduced to the River City Skippers. The Puget Sound Loggers, the Whittier College Poets, the Tacoma Rainiers – all with great locally based baseball team names.

I experienced Tides home games, visited the home stadium of the Thunder, and watched the Chili Peppers play at War Memorial Stadium. I walked where Trojans played baseball and sat in the stands where the Fish Sticks call home. I’ve seen Yankees and Braves and Giants and Cubs and Monarchs and Coconuts and River Bandits and Stripers. Every team, every mascot, every baseball community had something unique and special to offer this baseball fan. It was an exciting 365 days of baseball names and mascots, and I am ready to start experiencing the next round of cool team names next week with the Cyclones and the Renegades.