Owners stick by finalists in name-the-team contest

The finalists for Richmond's Class AA baseball franchise in a name-the-team contest weren't big hits with the public, based on hundreds of comments received yesterday by the Times-Dispatch. Chuck Domino can handle it.

"This is great. Nothing like stirring emotion," said the franchise's chief executive manager. "Richmond will soon learn that we aren't afraid to stick our necks out there and have some fun and take our shots."

Among the approximately 6,000 submissions were repeat entries that carried substantial support, according to Domino. But he said none of those nominations fits what eight front-office members who collectively selected the finalists -- Flatheads, Flying Squirrels, Hambones, Rock Hoppers and Rhinos -- had in mind.

"We got a lot of names that made me yawn, a lot of names that would have been very popular," said Domino. "We could have said 'Rapids.' We could have said 'Rebels.' We could have said 'Virginians.'

"But to me, totally boring, not what we represent. We represent obtuse, fun, off-beat, you name it. We're not your grandfather's minor-league front office, I can guarantee you that."

The process was expanded yesterday afternoon to make room for a sixth entry. Domino said CNBC unexpectedly expressed interest in identifying a wild-card candidate. Darren Rovell, CNBC's sports business reporter, said his company wanted "to get our readers, on cnbc.com, involved in the process."

Domino said he welcomed the national exposure and believes it will make the process "more interesting." To submit an entry, e-mail today from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. CNBC will choose its wild-card suggestion tomorrow morning. Rovell projected that CNBC would receive about 200 submissions.

"Someone could say, 'There are five ideas from Richmond and now you're going to throw in something else and then that could win, and that's not part of our heritage,'" Rovell said. "I think people can make that case, and I understand that. But I think there's also the case that can be made that maybe there is some other name out there, when you expand the base of people, that could be a cooler name."

Said Domino: "I like the [candidates] we have, but I'm open to a sixth one. Maybe it will blow us away."

Among those who contacted the Times-Dispatch regarding the five finalists already announced was Guy Kinman, 91 and a Richmond resident since 1960. The longtime Richmond Braves' supporter applauded club operators for thinking outside of the box. "I'm thrilled they have a sense of humor," said Kinman.

Many of those commenting on the finalists agreed with Scott Smyth, who said he wanted a choice of nicknames "associated with Richmond."

Domino and seven front-office members evaluated public suggestions. He said he left his co-workers with these basic instructions:

"We want to have something that's going to lend itself well to a logo, lend itself well to multiple mascots, be something that people are going to scratch their heads about. And something that would lend itself well to merchandise that would last the test of time for kids' merchandise. That's where the key is, selling kids' merchandise.

"Adults will buy their one T-shirt, one hat, every couple of years. Parents are going to buy their kids multiple items, for gifts, for whatever, as they grow, as they go into different sizes. So you want something that's going to lend itself well to kids' merchandise."

Each of the eight front-office members identified five finalists. Of those 40 possibilities, 20 were repeats. Domino said he and his staff took the 20 and "just kept going around the room discussing the pros and cons of each. And then we whittled it down, whittled it down, whittled it down until we got to these five that seemed to fit the criteria.

"I told them, 'We're going to get killed.'"

Domino realized that the approach taken by the front office may not immediately appeal to area baseball supporters. He called some of the negative reaction "predictable" because it came from people whose submissions were rejected.

Despite criticism, Domino said the process continues, with the added wild-card dimension. One of the five finalists, each entered by the public, or the wild card will be the name of Richmond's Eastern League team.

The franchise encourages voting for one of the finalists, though the top vote-getter may not match the franchise's choice, scheduled to be announced by a week from Thursday.

Domino is president of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a nickname connected to that area's steel industry. Domino said that when IronPigs was chosen from about 5,000 submissions to complete a name-the-team contest, the public overwhelmingly disapproved of the distinctive name.

"Everybody hated it, but we set some kind of record for merchandise sales," Domino said. "Now, you can't go anywhere up there without somebody wearing a pig nose, a hat with pigtails on it. It's incredible how popular that name has become."

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