The Lynchburg Hillcats, High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, are in the midst of renaming their team (or not), and have unveiled the six options plucked from the fan-submission part of the process. Here they are, in order of my favorite to least favorite:
Lynchburg Derechos: With this option, Lynchburg would join a long list of teams named for weather phenomena, which leads to a world of possibility for logos. The word “derecho” is Spanish for “straight,” used in English to describe a strong, straight wind that leads to severe thunderstorms.
Lynchburg Love Apples: I like this one mostly because I write a series about the origins of minor league baseball nicknames, and there’s plenty of fodder here. The name comes from a legend that, to borrow a phrase the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, “has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate.” The story is that Thomas Jefferson was the first person to eat tomatoes, which were thought to be poisonous and which he called “love apples,” and he did so during a visit to the city of Lynchburg.
Lynchburg River Runners: The city’s founder, John Lynch, started a ferry service across the James River as a teenager in the 1700s. This option plays on that history, and feels like the most traditionally basebally name for a baseball team.
Lynchburg Doves: This one, according to the team, “pays tribute both to Lynchburg’s hunting culture and the community’s faith-based history.” Doesn’t exactly strike fear into opponents’ hearts, but most minor league nicknames don’t.
Lynchburg Lamb Chops: I’ll defer again to the team’s description: “A celebration of Lynchburg’s faith-based heritage, the Lamb Chops combines the community’s servant-spirit with the fun of Minor League Baseball.”
Lynchburg Hillcats: Their current name is on the ballot and will definitely win the vote, because like Garth Algar in Wayne’s World, fans fear change. It will also definitely not be selected by the team, because that’s not how this works.
Voting on the team’s website ends Tuesday, July 19.
