‘Let’s go nuts!‘ Baseball team to be Flying Squirrels

Displaying the spirit with which Flying Squirrels was picked as the name of Richmond's new baseball team, the Double-A franchise's general manager expressed outside-the-box approval yesterday.

"Let me be the first one to say: 'Let's go nuts!'" Bill Papierniak said.

Flying Squirrels, chosen by franchise owners and manage ment, was among more than 6,000 submissions in a name-the-team contest.

Flying Squirrels was the submission of Prince George County's Brad Mead. He won two season tickets for life, a jacket and a cap.

Mead's picture will appear in the 2010 program. He was unable to attend yesterday's announcement at the Richmond Times-Dispatch's headquarters downtown and was represented by his mother, Donna Nelson, and stepfather, Kyle.

Mead, a 30-year-old graduate of James Madison University, works as a magistrate in Hopewell. He is a fan of the Boston Red Sox and said he didn't attend many games at The Diamond after his 1997 graduation from Prince George High School.

Regarding his suggestion of Flying Squirrels, Mead said he considered the trend toward odd nicknames among minor-league teams and tried to come up with one that was "goofy or crazy."

To Chuck Domino, the club's chief executive manager, Flying Squirrels stood out because it is highly unusual. He heard from those who pushed hard for Rapids, Rebels, Virginians and other conservative options.

"Just didn't have the pizzazz," Domino said.

The Flying Squirrels name fits the approach that Domino and Todd Parnell, the Squirrels' vice president and chief operating officer, intend to take with the Double-A team of the San Francisco Giants.

Domino noted that the circus atmosphere at games is the job of franchise management; the Giants will handle the baseball. Games start April 15 at The Diamond.

The team is relocating from Connecticut, where it was known as the Defenders.

Domino acknowledged that the choice of Flying Squirrels -- which beat finalists Rock Hoppers, Rhinos, Flatheads and Hush Puppies -- probably would not receive immediate approval from Richmond-area residents.

"It's going to be rough. We're going to have to put on our seat belts," he said. "But we promised Richmond that we were going to be different, and I think this makes a statement that we are going to be different."

The Division III teams at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton are called the Fighting Squirrels.

"People think our name is funny, but we've also gotten a lot of good press because of it," said Sharon Spalding, the school's athletic director.

Mary Baldwin's nickname comes from the central figure in the crest of a school founder.

Domino is the former general manager of the Double-A Reading Phillies. Parnell is the former GM of the Double-A Altoona Curve. The franchises, both in Pennsylvania, were very successful under their leadership.

"They set the standard for what happens in minor-league baseball and the amusement," said Gary Green, part of the franchise's ownership group. "They set the standard, and everybody else follows. This is about fun. Minor-league baseball is anything but conventional."

According to Domino, each of the finalists had some support among the group that eventually agreed on Flying Squirrels. He added that Flying Squirrels received sufficient support in online voting for finalists "to affirm our decision."

Gauging merchandising potential was a part of the decision-making process, and yesterday Domino already was considering the possibilities of squirrel tails, squirrel nests and other squirrelly links. A team store will replace the restaurant at The Diamond.

The team logo will be ready by the end of next month. The franchise's new Web site is SquirrelsBaseball.com.

Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233 or .