I started this blog in 2012 with a post inspired by the Reading Fightin Phils, and now I am moved to post again about minor league baseball branding.
It seems that in 2017, minor league teams are TRYING to strip themselves of any dignity while making money from merchandise. A few months ago, I learned the new name of the Binghamton Mets, one that is probably the most ridiculous in MiLB. They will be called the Rumble Ponies.
Let that sink in.
Rumble Ponies.
Rumble...
...Ponies.
I don't know if any young players in the organization would go out of their way to refer to their minor league teams by name, but now, if they make their way through Binghamton this year or somewhere down the line, they have absolutely zero reason to say anything other than "Binghamton in the Eastern League."
And the name has an esoteric explanation: Binghamton is apparently "Carousel Capital of the World," and the one who won the name-the-team contest drew from a Binghamton U employee's children's book and/or memories of imagining these were real horses and/or dreams of them being real horses. It supposedly represents local "men of industry" bringing to the area something "for the community to enjoy," as well as the "aggression and fighting spirit" necessary to break free from the constraints of a carousel.
But that doesn't justify such a ridiculous name!
To hear them talk about it, it was either that or moving.
I bring this up because today I learned of yet another silly name change coming this year with its own esoteric explanation.
The New Orleans Zephyrs, a current Marlins affiliate whose name dates back to its days in Denver -- Zephyr being a totally fine name that refers to the west wind -- will be known as the Baby Cakes.
Supposedly it refers to the plastic baby in a king cake, which is an annual New Orleans tradition for January 6, the Epiphany, the beginning of Carnival, a season ending with Mardi Gras. But again, let it sink in.
Baby Cakes.
Yeah. As with Binghamton, find whatever problem you will with it.
That name goes hand-in-hand with Rumble Ponies when it comes to keeping things fresh so you can move merchandise. At least Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, another new name for 2017, is one where you can get the gist immediately. The Wood Ducks of Kinston, N.C., have a reasonable name, but call them "Down East Wood Ducks" and some will think of Maine. Another new team, the Florida Fire Frogs of Kissimmee, Fla., sounds a bit too reminiscent of the NBA D-League's Florida Flame, but whatever.
These names won't be in Who's Who in Baseball or on the backs of Topps cards when these guys get to the majors, but they do matter.
