Baseball Toaster The Griddle
Help
A place where a man can slow down to a walk and live his life full measure, but he has to keep his watch on Pacific Time.
Frozen Toast
Search
Google Search
Web
Toaster
The Griddle
Archives

2009
02  01 

2008
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2007
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2006
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2005
12  10  07 
06  05  04  03 
Suggestions, comments, ring the catcher's interference alarm?

Email me at btimmermann@gmail.com

The stuff I keep track of
Random Game Callbacks

Select a date:

Personal favorites that I wrote
FAQs
Tampa Bay's exorcism is complete
2007-11-08 20:54
by Bob Timmermann

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are no more. They are officially the Tampa Bay Rays now.

The team dropped green from its color scheme and switched to blue. And the team is no longer named for a fish, but rather a ray of sunshine.

 

The Rays are the first major league team to change its nickname without changing cities since the Houston Colt .45s became the Houston Astros before the 1965 season. If you wish to debate if Oakland's official nickname ever became A's instead of Athletics, the floor is open.

Comments
2007-11-08 21:11:25
1.   KG16
I was under the impression that the Oakland franchise went by both "A's" and "Athletics". But then I don't tend to pay much attention to the junior circuit.
2007-11-08 21:17:21
2.   Bob Timmermann
I had thought that Charlie Finley just preferred "A's" or "Swinging A's".
2007-11-08 21:18:06
3.   Sam DC
A few days ago, I was watching ESPN, and a report came on about the New Orleans Hornets.

"Why would they give up the name 'Jazz,'" I though. "What a wonderful New Orleans name, so perfect for a flowing, improvisational sport like basketball, and you've got the legacy of Pistol Pete to work with.

"Why on earth would you switch to something as dull as 'Hornets.'"

And then I returned to reality and became very concerned about the aging process and my mental health.

2007-11-08 21:54:37
4.   chris in illinois
NOW the Tampa franchise is tuly ready to dominate...
2007-11-08 22:20:35
5.   Mattpat11
Well, Tampa just went from a really ugly color scheme to a different kind of ugly color scheme.
2007-11-08 22:39:24
6.   Robert Daeley
So, so stupid. I wrote about this last year

http://www.celsius1414.com/node/459

when I first heard of the plan. Devil Rays are so cool.

Might as well call themselves the Tampa Sunbeams. Bah.

2007-11-08 23:39:30
7.   xaphor
Any irony in the Rays playing their home games permanently shielded from the sun? And what becomes of their devil ray tank?

Replace it with a giant microwave.

2007-11-09 00:05:39
8.   Ken Arneson
I believe the A's official/legal name since moving to Oakland has always been "Oakland Athletics Baseball Club".
2007-11-09 06:10:34
9.   110phil
And in related news, the New Jersey Devils have changed their name to the New Jersey S.
2007-11-09 08:07:20
10.   Woden325
It appears that they're keeping the Devil Ray on the jersey sleeves, for some reason.
http://tinyurl.com/24648y

I'm underwhelmed. The Colt .45's to Astros change made sense, and was kind of hip at the time. This change is just lily-livered.

Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.