No. 1
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: May 11, 2008
Winston-Salem Journal
Upon typing the word "warthogs" into Google -- the world's favorite search engine -- the No. 1 suggested link is our own Winston-Salem Warthogs' home Web site. Why anyone would choose to give up such a unique, beloved and valuable name for a minor-league baseball team is beyond me.
I'd like to ask Billy Prim, what gives? Fifteen minutes of "Look! We have a new name!" is but a blip in the minds of local baseball fans. The right thing is to keep the name as is.
STROTHER BULLINS
Winston-Salem
Published: May 11, 2008
Winston-Salem Journal
Upon typing the word "warthogs" into Google -- the world's favorite search engine -- the No. 1 suggested link is our own Winston-Salem Warthogs' home Web site. Why anyone would choose to give up such a unique, beloved and valuable name for a minor-league baseball team is beyond me.
I'd like to ask Billy Prim, what gives? Fifteen minutes of "Look! We have a new name!" is but a blip in the minds of local baseball fans. The right thing is to keep the name as is.
STROTHER BULLINS
Winston-Salem
posted by Andy W. Rogers | 7:41 AM
3 Comments:
"Warthogs" sucked as a mascot 15 years ago when some stupid kid won the "rename the team" contest then, and sucks just as bad today. It only flew b/c the NC ZOO had a new special warthog exhibit at the time. If they were going to leave it alone they should have left it the "Spirits."
How about something that relates to Winston Salem in some way. Maybe " The Camels", or the "Winston-Salem Bore". Maybe the "Winston-Salem Relocated Yankees." W-S is a Chicago White Sox farm team. They could be the "Winston-Salem White Sox." That makes sense and sounds much less dorky than the Warthogs.
Regardless of the mascot the new stadium will not be a success unless the atmosphere is enjoyable. Attendence has sucked for sometime now, and will continue to suck as long as they attempt to cater to the "family crowd". To be succesful they need to forget about the kiddies and try to lure the young adult, beer drinking crowd again.
Lil' kids make everything square, especially baseball games.
Hmmm. I can remember when the Winston-Salem farm team was called the Blue Jays. "Warthogs" is actually a pretty cool name for a minor-league team. Much better that the "Spirit" (not "Spirits"). What the hell is that? How can warthogs be any dorkier than a stupid "kinder, gentler" name pasted on the team by some PC dimwit?
The Toledo Mudhens are world famous. Mudhens is a deliciously dorky name. The Scranton Wilkes-Barre Red Barons are hugely popular up in that neck of the woods. There's another dorky name for you. (I have a Red Barons cap. They use the city initials, "SWB," which also happen to be my initials. How cool is that?)
I do agree about the atmosphere, though. Minor league baseball and beer nights are a categorical imperative. Sadly, some of the same PC dimwits think you can't take your kids to beer night at the baseball park. I guess they think there will be no drunks at ball parks when the kids grow up.
Is it true that the 'Rhinos' is an actual consideration for the new mascot? Yeah: Blue Rhino propane/Billy Prim ... I get it. And it's lame.
So is another official consideration, the Dash, as in the “-“ in between Winston and Salem. (Marketing 101: If you have to explain it, it ain't cool.)
The only good suggestion I've heard thus far — meaning it has to be something better than the cool/’indie-sounding,’ quirky, alliterative/rhythmic 'Warthogs' — is the ‘Smoke’. The Winston-Salem Smoke — we could have an ashed-out cigarette butt running around the field, coughing and hacking. It'd be the coolest. Maybe even cooler than Wally.
And the young adult, beer-drinking crowd on Thirsty Thursday would love it. Guaranteed.
Since (sadly) Wally's obviously history, who's with me?
Cheer along with me: "Go Smoke! (Cough! Cough!) Go Smoke (Cough! Cough!)”
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