Flying Squirrels picked as new baseball team name
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Flying Squirrels
Watch the news conference announcing the name of Richmond's new baseball team.
MARK GORMUS/TIMES-DISPATCH
Donna Nelson (left), the mother of Brad Mead, who submitted the team name, celebrates with husband Kyle Nelson (center) and Todd Parnell of the baseball team.
Published: October 15, 2009
Updated: October 15, 2009
VIDEO: Interview with team rep and parents of contest winnerFlying Squirrels was announced this afternoon as the nickname for the new Richmond Double-A baseball franchise.
Also under consideration as finalists were Rhinos, Flatheads, Rock Hoppers and Hush Puppies. The new team will begin playing at The Diamond next season and is affiliated with the San Francisco Giants.
The nickname was picked by franchise owners and managers in conjunction with their marketing partner. It was submitted in a name-the-team contest that drew approximately 6,000 entries. Team management selected five finalists. Hush Puppies joined the competition as a wild-card entry.
Hambones, one of the finalists, was removed from consideration because a hambone is the foot-stomping, thigh-slapping dance brought here by enslaved West Africans and later performed at minstrel shows.
Team officials made the announcement at the downtown offices of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, which was a sponsor of the contest.
The Eastern League franchise moved from Norwich, Conn., on Sept. 23. There, the team nickname was the Defenders, a nod to the defense industry in Connecticut.
Opening day at The Diamond is April 15.
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Reader Reactions
“You won’t see me at a game.“ - Promise? Flying Squrrels is an awesome name and we should all be thankful to have baseball back in town. Keep your negative vibes outside of the stadium please - those of us who appreciate these owners bringing ball back here will be cheering for our Squirrels!
If you are ashamed to live in Richmond maybe you should move. I think too there is a lack of civic pride in this area. Instead of focusing on the positive things about our city many tend to focus on the negative. Look at cities such as Charlotte, New York, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. There is a since of pride found in those cities. You don’t think they have problems too? The difference is they don’t spend a lot of time complaining about the problems. It’s time that we all work to make Richmond a better place to live if that’s what it takes to be proud!
The selection of the team name was rigged by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I call shenanigans.
I wonder how many players will be nicknamed “Rocky”?
Great idea Ark…. A cannon out near the field and everytime a homerun is made… the thing goes off filled with stuff squirrels and nuts…
STUPID NAME…JUST STUPID…The owners are obviously more interested in marketing Tee shirts, than the dignity of the ball players….I am a long time Braves fan, but you won’t see me inside of the stadium…STUPID NAME…JUST STUPID
Lighten up people. It’s just a team nickname. A name that people won’t forget either. I hated it when I first heard it but now I understand why they chose it.
It’s all about marketing and making sure people remember a name.
I just hope they don’t shoot squirrels from those t shirt cannons at the fans.
Let this be a constant reminder for Richmond to keep searching for a AAA team for real professional baseball.
We could vote on the logo.No, that again would be pointless.
Logo idea: A squirrel in a WWII style flight jacket and sunglasses, standing beside a P-51 Mustang with war paint.
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