New League Team Names

[DaddyO]

Feel free to move this to a more appropriate place if need be.

If I decide to buy OOTP 13 (I skipped 12), and I well might, I have started to work on a new organization. I've tried hard with the team names to pick nicknames that truly correspond in some way with the history of the city or team but do not duplicate the actual MLB team name. In some cases you will see that I like nicknames from other sports so well, considering them apt, that I have adopted them.

There are two 16 team leagues with four four-team divisions in each league. Rather than spread teams from each league throughout the country, I have tried to group both divisions and leagues geographically, as you will see.

Also, I have tried so far as possible within that framework to include all major markets and only add viable markets. There are a few instances where geographic considerations along with balancing the leagues and divisions prevented me from including (or excluding) certain teams. Also, I have chosen to go with three New York market teams (including New Jersey), and two LA market teams in order to dilute their clear population and market power. Unfortunately I could not do the same with the other mega-market in the US, Chicago, because I want a Great Lakes division and clearly there are already four must-have teams in that division. And you will notice that in order to accomodate the Northeast population density I had to break it into two divisions with no geographic considerations, only considerations of balance.

So here goes:

(*) = would love something better, either for historical or asthetic reasons

Eastern League

North Atlantic Division
(Brx) The Bronx Bombers
(NJ) New Jersey Generals*
(Was) Washington Capitals
(Pit) Pittsburgh Steelers

Metropolitan Division
(Bro) Brooklyn Dodgers
(Phi) Philadelphia Congress*
(Bos) Boston Clippers
(Bal) Baltimore Choppers*

South Atlantic Division
(Mia) Miami Hurricanes
(TB) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(Orl) Orlando Sentinels
(Car) Carolina Cannons

Great Lakes Division
(Chi) Chicago Muscle
(Det) Detroit Wheels
(Cle) Cleveland Stevedores
(Mil) Milwaukee Ales

Western League

Southwest Division
(Dal) Dallas Grands (or Texans)*
(Hou) Houston Roughnecks
(Atl) Atlanta Flames
(SA) San Antonio Alamos

Mid-America Division
(Min) Minnesota Lakers
(StL) St. Louis Archers*
(Cin) Cincinnati River Cats
(KC) Kansas City Kettles

Pacific Southwest Division
(LA) Los Angeles Stars
(Ana) Anaheim Amigos
(Phx) Phoenix Firebirds
(SD) San Diego Breakers

Pacific Northwest Division
(SF) San Francisco Quakes
(Sea) Seattle Sounders
(Den) Denver Peaks
(Por) Portland Timbers










Any comments or suggestions are welcome, that's kind of why I am posting this. Someone might come up with better team nickname suggestions, or other suggestions. Of course I will have to make my own final decisions.

[The Game]

Originally Posted by DaddyO

(NJ) New Jersey Generals*
(Phi) Philadelphia Congress*
(Bal) Baltimore Choppers*
(Chi) Chicago Muscle
(Cle) Cleveland Stevedores
(Dal) Dallas Grands (or Texans)*
(StL) St. Louis Archers*

Just a few ideas off the top of my head.
New Jersey Hitmen or Oilers or Drillers
Philadelphia Eagles, Revolution, Freedom
Baltimore Fire, Robins, Keys

Why Chicago Muscle? Fire, Hitmen, Sky, Wind are all names that come to mind to me.
What is a Stevedore? Never heard of it before
Dallas Drillers, Cowboys, Burn, Lone Stars
St Louis Xplorers, Cardinals, Rivermen, Expedition, Steam, Arsenal, Brewers, Clydesdales

Most of these ideas came from Wikipedia.

[shawa666]

Originally Posted by DaddyO

Feel free to move this to a more appropriate place if need be.

If I decide to buy OOTP 13 (I skipped 12), and I well might, I have started to work on a new organization. I've tried hard with the team names to pick nicknames that truly correspond in some way with the history of the city or team but do not duplicate the actual MLB team name. In some cases you will see that I like nicknames from other sports so well, considering them apt, that I have adopted them.

There are two 16 team leagues with four four-team divisions in each league. Rather than spread teams from each league throughout the country, I have tried to group both divisions and leagues geographically, as you will see.

Also, I have tried so far as possible within that framework to include all major markets and only add viable markets. There are a few instances where geographic considerations along with balancing the leagues and divisions prevented me from including (or excluding) certain teams. Also, I have chosen to go with three New York market teams (including New Jersey), and two LA market teams in order to dilute their clear population and market power. Unfortunately I could not do the same with the other mega-market in the US, Chicago, because I want a Great Lakes division and clearly there are already four must-have teams in that division. And you will notice that in order to accomodate the Northeast population density I had to break it into two divisions with no geographic considerations, only considerations of balance.

So here goes:

(*) = would love something better, either for historical or asthetic reasons

Eastern League

North Atlantic Division
(Brx) The Bronx Bombers
(NJ) New Jersey Generals*
(Was) Washington Capitals
(Pit) Pittsburgh Steelers

Metropolitan Division
(Bro) Brooklyn Dodgers
(Phi) Philadelphia Congress*
(Bos) Boston Clippers
(Bal) Baltimore Choppers*

South Atlantic Division
(Mia) Miami Hurricanes
(TB) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(Orl) Orlando Sentinels
(Car) Carolina Cannons

Great Lakes Division
(Chi) Chicago Muscle
(Det) Detroit Wheels
(Cle) Cleveland Stevedores
(Mil) Milwaukee Ales

Western League

Southwest Division
(Dal) Dallas Grands (or Texans)*
(Hou) Houston Roughnecks
(Atl) Atlanta Flames
(SA) San Antonio Alamos

Mid-America Division
(Min) Minnesota Lakers
(StL) St. Louis Archers*
(Cin) Cincinnati River Cats
(KC) Kansas City Kettles

Pacific Southwest Division
(LA) Los Angeles Stars
(Ana) Anaheim Amigos
(Phx) Phoenix Firebirds
(SD) San Diego Breakers

Pacific Northwest Division
(SF) San Francisco Quakes
(Sea) Seattle Sounders
(Den) Denver Peaks
(Por) Portland Timbers










Any comments or suggestions are welcome, that's kind of why I am posting this. Someone might come up with better team nickname suggestions, or other suggestions. Of course I will have to make my own final decisions.

Dallas Mustangs
St. Louis Blues
Baltimore Skipjacks

[Syt]

Not sure if "Fire" is a good name for Atlanta. Might as well call them Shermans.

For some of the cities I usually go with
- Pittsburgh Pointers (after the spot where the Allegheny and Monongahela form the Ohio)
- Atlanta Rebels
- Brooklyn Brawlers (after a wrestler)
- Baltimore Strikers (after the 1877 railroad strike)
- Boston Irish

[toxicavenger74]

Philadelphia Statesmen
Philadelphia Aristocrats

St. Louis River Pilots
St. Louis Aviators
St. Louis Explorers
St. Louis Clydes or Clydesdales

Dallas Shotguns
Dallas Rifles
Dallas Lone Stars
Dallas Stallions

[DaddyO]

Originally Posted by The Game

Just a few ideas off the top of my head.
New Jersey Hitmen or Oilers or Drillers
Philadelphia Eagles, Revolution, Freedom
Baltimore Fire, Robins, Keys

Why Chicago Muscle? Fire, Hitmen, Sky, Wind are all names that come to mind to me.
What is a Stevedore? Never heard of it before
Dallas Drillers, Cowboys, Burn, Lone Stars
St Louis Xplorers, Cardinals, Rivermen, Expedition, Steam, Arsenal, Brewers, Clydesdales

Most of these ideas came from Wikipedia.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Chicago Muscle (machine politics and mob connections)

A stevedore is a dockworker, usually one who loads and unloads freight.

[DaddyO]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll repost once I sort through the ones I get and make my decisions.

[ZMan]

Here's a fun, historical, and unconventional nomination:

The Baltimore Mud Machine

Baltimore has (or, historically, had) a shallow harbor and the only way Baltimore shippers were able to accommodate larger vessels in their port in the late 18th / early 19th century was to constantly dredge the harbor to make it deeper.

A special dredging machine known as "The Mud Machine" was used for this purpose, and the mud machines were manned by many generations of immigrant workers. The Mud Machine was a crucial component in the city's shipping economy, before new technologies allowed a massive public works project to permanently deepen the harbor. It was also tough, dirty, low-paying, and sometimes dangerous work. This would be a great mascot for a hard-nosed, blue collar brand of baseball.

[DaddyO]

Originally Posted by ZMan

Here's a fun, historical, and unconventional nomination:

The Baltimore Mud Machine

Baltimore has (or, historically, had) a shallow harbor and the only way Baltimore shippers were able to accommodate larger vessels in their port in the late 18th / early 19th century was to constantly dredge the harbor to make it deeper.

A special dredging machine known as "The Mud Machine" was used for this purpose, and the mud machines were manned by many generations of immigrant workers. The Mud Machine was a crucial component in the city's shipping economy, before new technologies allowed a massive public works project to permanently deepen the harbor. It was also tough, dirty, low-paying, and sometimes dangerous work. This would be a great mascot for a hard-nosed, blue collar brand of baseball.

That's a good one, and right on mark with the kind of thing I'm looking for with a sprinkling of teams throughout the organization. Looks like Dredgers would be another possibility along those lines.

Thanks!

[Mntwins]

Originally Posted by DaddyO

A stevedore is a dockworker, usually one who loads and unloads freight.

[DaddyO]

Originally Posted by Mntwins

Can yo clarify what your smilies mean?

Stevedore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[slickphipsi]

The following are ones that I keep using in fictional leagues:

Philadelphia Colonials
Baltimore Clippers
St. Louis Explorers

[MrHaroldG]

That list of team names reminds me of my proposed 96-team Mega League for OOTP13. The league is divided into two sub-leagues, each with eight divisions, each with six teams. The names of not only the teams, but also the sub-leagues and divisions, are as follows:

Joe Cronin League


Luis Aparicio Division (Midwest) - Chicago Crusaders, Cleveland Foresters, Detroit Dragons, Indianapolis Racers, Kansas City Outlaws, Minneapolis Lakers

Whitey Ford Division (Pacific) - Bakersfield Blazers, Long Beach Surf Dogs, Los Angeles Condors, Oakland BaySharks, San Jose Missions, Seattle Sounders

Al Kaline Division (Mid-Atlantic) - Arlington Colonials, Baltimore Clippers, Newark Sailors, Newport News Nighthawks, Philadelphia Phantoms, Virginia Beach Neptunes

Harmon Killebrew Division (Mountains/Plains) - Lincoln Pioneers, Mesa Apaches, Oklahoma City Cowboys, Salt Lake City Buzz, Tucson Sidewinders, Wichita Wranglers

Mickey Mantle Division (Northeast) - Boston Minutemen, Bronx Bombers, Buffalo Bisons, Hempstead Islanders, Manhattan Skyliners, Rochester RedHawks

Brooks Robinson Division (Deep South) - Jackson Jackrabbits, Lexington Colts, Little Rock Rock Cats, Montgomery Cotton Kings, Nashville Spartans, New Orleans Creoles

Frank Robinson Division (Texas) - Amarillo Armadillos, Austin Rattlers, Beaumont Boppers, Dallas Twisters, El Paso Ranchers, Waco Peppers

Carl Yastrzemski Division (Southeast) - Augusta GreenJackets, Columbia Roosters, Columbus (Georgia) Copperheads, Orlando Thunder, Raleigh Oaks, St. Petersburg Stingrays


Warren Giles League


Hank Aaron Division (Southeast) - Atlanta Lancers, Charlotte Cougars, Greensboro Grasshoppers, Jacksonville Jokers, Miami Sun Kings, Tampa Bandits

Ernie Banks Division (Midwest) - Chicago Flames, Cincinnati Monarchs, Columbus (Ohio) Explorers, Milwaukee Millers, St. Louis Spirit, St. Paul Saints

Roberto Clemente Division (Mid-Atlantic) - Jersey City Skeeters, Norfolk Baycats, Philadelphia Liberty, Pittsburgh Power, Richmond Renegades, Washington Diplomats

Don Drysdale Division (Texas) - Corpus Christi Hammerheads, Fort Worth Panthers, Houston Aeros, Laredo Lariats, Lubbock Crickets, San Antonio Alamos

Bob Gibson Division (Mountains/Plains) - Albuquerque Isotopes, Denver Gold, Las Vegas Aces, Omaha Frontiers, Phoenix Roadrunners, Tulsa Oilers

Sandy Koufax Division (Northeast) - Brooklyn Cyclones, Hartford Whalers, Providence Bees, Queens Jets, Staten Island Ferry, Syracuse Emeralds

Willie Mays Division (Pacific) - Fresno Frogs, Los Angeles Aztecs, Portland Lumberjacks, Sacramento River Cats, San Diego Friars, San Francisco Seals

Willie McCovey Division (Deep South) - Baton Rouge Bengals, Birmingham Magic, Louisville Colonels, Memphis Blues, Mobile Bay Sox, Shreveport River Hawks

[DaddyO]

Thanks all, keep 'em coming!

[boshk]

Charleston Chew
Louisville Sluggers

[joefromchicago]

Originally Posted by DaddyO

Chicago Muscle (machine politics and mob connections)

[thehef]

Not nearly as interesting and team nicknames, but I would rename the Pacific Southwest and Pacific Northwest divisions to simply Pacific South and Pacific North (or North-Pacific and South-Pacific?) ... The "Pacific" part pretty much covers that they are out in the West ;-)

Also, with ATL being in your Southwest Division, I might consider renaming that, although I don't know what... Maybe Gulf Coast Division? Or simply Southern Division...

Finally, assuming teams will play division opponents more than non-division opponents, I'd want to maximize the rivaly potential amongst the three NY teams, Wash-Balt, Cincy-Clev, Philly-Pitt by placing them in the same division. I realize that's not really done in the current MLB or NFL (and doesn't even apply in the NBA), but still... (You already have that for the FLA, Texas, and SoCal teams, plus KC-StL.)

Overall, your league's nicknames have a definite 70's/ABA feel to them. Very cool.