Reds were originally Red Stockings and got shortened to Reds. Red Sox honored that. I don't know when SOX become an actual word, but Sox of course shortened stockings and White honored the original name of the Cubs. I am biased of course being a White Sox fan.
What else would you have the Houston club be named?
Stupid sports names to me:
Redskins
LA Lakers
STL Cardinals - state bird of MO is a Eastern Bluebird, State bird of IL is the Cardinal.
LA Dodgers
Utah Jazz
Rays should be Sting Rays
KC Royals - dont hate the name just there are better names for KC
thought this was interesting:
The temporary decision by the Boston National Leaguers to drop the color red from their uniforms led to a history-making decision:
"Red Stockings had been part of all Boston National League teams up to 1907, but
Fred Tenney, manager in that year, told Peter F. Kelley, the
Boston Journal's baseball writer, he would abandon the red stockings tradition in favor of white stockings, because of the danger that colored stockings might cause leg injuries to become infected. Kelley wrote a story condemning Tenney for parting with the Boston National League club's tradition. The next day, John Irving Taylor, Boston American League club president, told the
Boston Journal writer, 'Here's a scoop for you. I am going to grab the name Red Sox, and the Boston American League club will wear red stockings." (BBG)