Need expansion team ideas

Kelric · 01-09-2010, 02:16 PM

Running through a MLB sim and I want to expand with two more teams in the AL following the 2020 season. I'm thinking of a team in Portland for the AL West, but I don't have a name I like much yet. The other team is going to be in the AL East and will be either in Montreal or be a third New York team. I have no terribly exciting names for those potential clubs either.

So I need team names and a definite idea of whether to go back to Montreal or to take advantage of NY's ridiculous market size. Any suggestions?

bubba22plus · 01-09-2010, 02:35 PM

If your set on the East, Montreal IMO.

DougWyatt · 01-09-2010, 02:51 PM

The most common nickname for Portland is The City of Roses, and this became the city's official nickname in 2003. Other nicknames include Stumptown, Bridgetown, Rip City, Little Beirut, Beervana or Beertown, P-Town, and PDX.

Is the home of Adidas and Intel. I'm sure both would help with finances if enough advertising came their way via stadium name or w/e.

When I make fictional teams, I usually google the city and come up with a name with some significance. A nickname, economic, culture, or history - or even as a last ditch effort - I'll sport their "State Bird or Animal".

State Animal: Beaver
State Insect: Oregon Swallowtail Butterfly
State Bird: Western Meadowlark
State Fish: Chinook Salmon

From all that, I personally would go with Rippers. Just is kind of "basebally" imo. But then again, baseball is a sport that says : "Hey, what color are our socks going to be .. OK, that'll be the team name then." - So that said, you can probably just randomly open the dictionary, close your eyes and drop a finger to the page - and no one would question your choice ! lol.

-- As for the Montreal, New York question. I'm not sure I'd go with a 3rd in NY - but it's a better choice than Mon. in my opinion. I don't think Montreal can field a MLB team. The Expos saw alot of quality players go through there - Carter, Dawson, Raines, Pedro, Walker, Vlad, etc. Really, the 80s, 90s - the fans had exciting reasons & players to support this team. And I've felt, if the Expos couldn't find success there - it wasn't meant to be.

canadiancreed · 01-09-2010, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DougWyatt

I don't think Montreal can field a MLB team.

Depends if your giving them to a Loria-level incompetent owner or not. After all, four million potential fans within the metro area isn't a market to sneeze at (Beats Kansas City and Milwaukee for sure.)

DougWyatt · 01-09-2010, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

Depends if your giving them to a Loria-level incompetent owner or not. After all, four million potential fans within the metro area isn't a market to sneeze at (Beats Kansas City and Milwaukee for sure.)

Could be true. But, it didn't work. And, it's not like the city just recently doubled in size or something.

Then again, I could be still bitter about them leaving, and shouldn't "blame the city". I'm from metro-Detroit, and have always been a fan of the local Detroit teams - but to be honest; the Expos were always my 2nd favorite team growing up.

I started "keeping closer tabs" on them when LeFlore left Detroit and went to Montreal, and I took a shine to them. Uniforms were great, Tim Raines, the Hawk, Rogers, Valentine, Reardon, etc. I really pulled for them. They had some of my favorite players pass through there.

Eugene Church · 01-09-2010, 06:49 PM

Montreal Royals or Royales in honor of the great International League franchise.

Portland Lumberjacks or Portland Beavers.

New York Broadways

New York Tycoons

New York Naturals

Kelric · 01-11-2010, 10:17 AM

I always wind up naming any Portland team the Beavers, so easy to do. Looking at the origin of Rip City and that it is related to the Blazers, I think the Rippers might work for them. Probably pretty ease to dig up a logo for since I can just find an R if I have to.

Sticking with the idea of nicknames, what about the Saints for a potential Montreal franchise?

Charlie Hough · 01-11-2010, 12:27 PM

I have regularly placed teams in Portland and Montreal in OOTP and in other sports sims. I've often used the Portland Cascades to name the franchise after the mountain range that runs through Oregon and includes Mt. Hood.

I've often used the Montreal Monarchs as a play on the old minor league franchise called the Montreal Royals. An alternative, in honor of Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain, would be the Montreal Explorers.

johnnybourbon · 01-11-2010, 01:53 PM

looking for a west team...two words...vegas, baby

canadiancreed · 01-11-2010, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelric

Sticking with the idea of nicknames, what about the Saints for a potential Montreal franchise?

Doesnt' really link me to Montreal IMO, outside of the large cross on Mount Royal. Depends on the era though. Maybe it'd fit in the early 20th century, team that started as an amateur bunch sponsored by a local church and went from there?

zukes · 01-11-2010, 02:37 PM

I would just go with the Expos.

As for Portland, Beavers seems to me to be the best fit.

Kelric · 01-11-2010, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

Doesnt' really link me to Montreal IMO, outside of the large cross on Mount Royal. Depends on the era though. Maybe it'd fit in the early 20th century, team that started as an amateur bunch sponsored by a local church and went from there?

I thought of it simply because all of the streets named Saint somethingorother in Montreal.

I like the Monarchs idea, as the Saints do already exist in the NFL. The Portland Cascades is a good idea as well. Choices, choices...

dcpcarmona · 01-11-2010, 03:24 PM

New York Kings
New York Knights
Portland Rollers
Portland Jacks

canadiancreed · 01-11-2010, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelric

I thought of it simply because all of the streets named Saint somethingorother in Montreal.

Heck that's the whole freckin province.

fhomess · 01-11-2010, 05:15 PM

Portland Ideas:
Lumberjacks/Jacks - Works well due to the huge logging industry nearby
Timbers - same reason, but already the name of the local soccer team
Beavers - Not a bad name for reasons listed above, although the minor league team here already has that name (perhaps they're moving), and OSU does as well
Explorers - Lewis & Clark came through Portland
Cascades - not only is it the name of the mountain range, it's also evocative of the numerous waterfalls nearby
Salmon - the Columbia River is noted for the salmon the migrate along it, although I don't find this name to be pariticularly inspiring
Rippers - sounds a bit like beer league softball to me...

Heck, maybe the Salmon Rippers!

Las Vegas is a reasonably viable option out west, too, and there's probably a ton of decent nicknames out of there.

I think it's easier to see MLB giving Montreal another go rather than adding a 3rd team to New York City. The Mets and Yankees would have a fit. I'll let others provide names for those.

fhomess · 01-11-2010, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DougWyatt

Is the home of Adidas and Intel. I'm sure both would help with finances if enough advertising came their way via stadium name or w/e.

Adidas has a major office in Portland, but they're really headquartered in Germany. Nike is the athletic gear company headquartered nearby. Columbia Sportswear is, too, but they're not really the baseball types.

kq76 · 01-11-2010, 05:45 PM

The background to "Rip City" is just so random and to name a baseball team after something that came from basketball doesn't seem right to me.

I'd consider going with something to do with their highways or bridges like the Portland Bridgers (I initially thought Bridgebuilders, but that's too long). I've only been to maybe a half dozen major US cities so maybe it's more common than I think, but the one thing that really struck me about Portland, besides the beautiful greenery, was the maze of highways and bridges. Good luck trying to get somewhere there if you're not from there.

A Portland native friend of mine said they were famous for two things they had a lot of: their churches and their strip clubs. I suppose you could go with something along those lines.

I'd probably stick with something to do with the beautiful nature around there like the Lumberjacks or Beavers though.

StyxNCa · 01-11-2010, 05:54 PM

New York New Yorkers.

Athletics17 · 01-11-2010, 05:57 PM

I have seen lumberjacks and timberjacks for Portland. Maybe river cats, rapids due to the Columbia river.

scottdogg73 · 01-11-2010, 06:06 PM

I've used the Portland Beacons in a recent solo league. Going with the "City of Roses" angle, I like the Portland Thorns. I also used the Portland Power and Portland Pistols in the past but then I'm a sucker for alliteration.

01-09-2010, 02:16 PM	#1
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	Need expansion team ideas Running through a MLB sim and I want to expand with two more teams in the AL following the 2020 season. I'm thinking of a team in Portland for the AL West, but I don't have a name I like much yet. The other team is going to be in the AL East and will be either in Montreal or be a third New York team. I have no terribly exciting names for those potential clubs either. So I need team names and a definite idea of whether to go back to Montreal or to take advantage of NY's ridiculous market size. Any suggestions?

01-09-2010, 02:35 PM	#2
bubba22plus All Star Reserve Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Equestria Posts: 808	If your set on the East, Montreal IMO. __________________ OOTP Resident Brony

01-09-2010, 06:49 PM	#6
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,093 Blog Entries: 1	Montreal Royals or Royales in honor of the great International League franchise. Portland Lumberjacks or Portland Beavers. New York Broadways New York Tycoons New York Naturals Last edited by Eugene Church; 01-09-2010 at 07:25 PM.

01-11-2010, 03:24 PM	#13
dcpcarmona All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: at the New Moon Posts: 1,644	New York Kings New York Knights Portland Rollers Portland Jacks __________________ "People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -Rogers Hornsby

01-11-2010, 05:15 PM	#15
fhomess Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,585	Portland Ideas: Lumberjacks/Jacks - Works well due to the huge logging industry nearby Timbers - same reason, but already the name of the local soccer team Beavers - Not a bad name for reasons listed above, although the minor league team here already has that name (perhaps they're moving), and OSU does as well Explorers - Lewis & Clark came through Portland Cascades - not only is it the name of the mountain range, it's also evocative of the numerous waterfalls nearby Salmon - the Columbia River is noted for the salmon the migrate along it, although I don't find this name to be pariticularly inspiring Rippers - sounds a bit like beer league softball to me... Heck, maybe the Salmon Rippers! Las Vegas is a reasonably viable option out west, too, and there's probably a ton of decent nicknames out of there. I think it's easier to see MLB giving Montreal another go rather than adding a 3rd team to New York City. The Mets and Yankees would have a fit. I'll let others provide names for those. __________________ StatsLab- PHP/MySQL based utilities for Online Leagues Baseball Cards - Full list of known templates and documentation on card development.

01-09-2010, 02:51 PM	#3
DougWyatt All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,117	The most common nickname for Portland is The City of Roses, and this became the city's official nickname in 2003. Other nicknames include Stumptown, Bridgetown, Rip City, Little Beirut, Beervana or Beertown, P-Town, and PDX. Is the home of Adidas and Intel. I'm sure both would help with finances if enough advertising came their way via stadium name or w/e. When I make fictional teams, I usually google the city and come up with a name with some significance. A nickname, economic, culture, or history - or even as a last ditch effort - I'll sport their "State Bird or Animal". State Animal: Beaver State Insect: Oregon Swallowtail Butterfly State Bird: Western Meadowlark State Fish: Chinook Salmon From all that, I personally would go with Rippers. Just is kind of "basebally" imo. But then again, baseball is a sport that says : "Hey, what color are our socks going to be .. OK, that'll be the team name then." - So that said, you can probably just randomly open the dictionary, close your eyes and drop a finger to the page - and no one would question your choice ! lol. -- As for the Montreal, New York question. I'm not sure I'd go with a 3rd in NY - but it's a better choice than Mon. in my opinion. I don't think Montreal can field a MLB team. The Expos saw alot of quality players go through there - Carter, Dawson, Raines, Pedro, Walker, Vlad, etc. Really, the 80s, 90s - the fans had exciting reasons & players to support this team. And I've felt, if the Expos couldn't find success there - it wasn't meant to be.

01-11-2010, 10:17 AM	#7
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	I always wind up naming any Portland team the Beavers, so easy to do. Looking at the origin of Rip City and that it is related to the Blazers, I think the Rippers might work for them. Probably pretty ease to dig up a logo for since I can just find an R if I have to. Sticking with the idea of nicknames, what about the Saints for a potential Montreal franchise?

01-11-2010, 12:27 PM	#8
Charlie Hough Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 3,625	I have regularly placed teams in Portland and Montreal in OOTP and in other sports sims. I've often used the Portland Cascades to name the franchise after the mountain range that runs through Oregon and includes Mt. Hood. I've often used the Montreal Monarchs as a play on the old minor league franchise called the Montreal Royals. An alternative, in honor of Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain, would be the Montreal Explorers.

01-11-2010, 02:37 PM	#11
zukes All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: London, Ont. Canada Posts: 1,105	I would just go with the Expos. As for Portland, Beavers seems to me to be the best fit.

01-11-2010, 05:45 PM	#17
kq76 Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 10,701	The background to "Rip City" is just so random and to name a baseball team after something that came from basketball doesn't seem right to me. I'd consider going with something to do with their highways or bridges like the Portland Bridgers (I initially thought Bridgebuilders, but that's too long). I've only been to maybe a half dozen major US cities so maybe it's more common than I think, but the one thing that really struck me about Portland, besides the beautiful greenery, was the maze of highways and bridges. Good luck trying to get somewhere there if you're not from there. A Portland native friend of mine said they were famous for two things they had a lot of: their churches and their strip clubs. I suppose you could go with something along those lines. I'd probably stick with something to do with the beautiful nature around there like the Lumberjacks or Beavers though. __________________ My OOTP Wishlist Your Recommended Team Nicknames, By City (A Crowdsourced Project) Last edited by kq76; 01-11-2010 at 05:47 PM.

01-11-2010, 05:54 PM	#18
StyxNCa Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Victoria, Texas Posts: 3,136	New York New Yorkers.

01-11-2010, 05:57 PM	#19
Athletics17 All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: jackson Hole, Wy Posts: 1,187	I have seen lumberjacks and timberjacks for Portland. Maybe river cats, rapids due to the Columbia river. __________________ Compilation of Uniforms

01-11-2010, 06:06 PM	#20
scottdogg73 Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 38	I've used the Portland Beacons in a recent solo league. Going with the "City of Roses" angle, I like the Portland Thorns. I also used the Portland Power and Portland Pistols in the past but then I'm a sucker for alliteration. __________________ Kansas City Brahmas 2001 Hoboken League Champions 2010 Cartwright Classic Champions Long live the PCBL!