Minor league stupidity

[Vegas Halo Fan]

My hometown team, The Jacksonville Suns of the AA Southern League, recently went under new ownership. The new owner decided that a local identity that has sufficed since the early 1960s wasn't good enough, so he hired a firm out of San Francisco to come up with a new one. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the latest national embarrassment out of the Sunshine State: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

 

 

I realize that minor league teams operate in a different realm, and many have come up with campy identities. However, unless the goal was to make the team the laughing stock of the league, I don't get it, despite the owner's assurance that this is a "hard working shrimp" meant to pay tribute to the long fishing history in the area.

 

 

[Angel Oracle]

Are they going to resurrect the old San Francisco Giants' crab as the new mascot?

[Vegas Halo Fan]

2 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Are they going to resurrect the old San Francisco Giants' crab as the new mascot?

I remember Skip Caray talking about that on Braves broadcasts from the west coast. He said "The scoreboard says 'Love that Crazy Crab', but the crowd boos this guy mercilessly."

 

[Chuck]

 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I looked it up, and the team mascot is a relatively benign dog. What this has to do with shrimp makes about as much sense as the name itself.

 

[IEAngelsfan]

Maybe they're anticipating signing a bunch of small ballplayers.

[Angel Oracle]

2 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

I wish he would wax poetic about shrimp on Designated Survivor, just for sheets and giggles. 

[disarcina]

I am always amazed at out of area 'expert consultants' who arrive in a town (any area, any town, USA) to advise ownership (of almost any industry/ type of business) and in order to justify their contract price come up with recommendations that over- haul some aspect of the business that has been a long time tradition in the area.....and a tradition that area folks relate to and are somewhat proud of, if not, at least have some sort of acquired admiration for over a number of decades..........

this looks like exactly that -- so instead of doing something that would draw more fans -- like kids under 10 admitted free and /or having a family pack of food & drink at a bargain price (sort of like they do at Peoria Ballpark in Spring Training in Arizona) or making sure there are more comfortable shade seats where needed etc.......they do stuff like new name and logo --

these must be some of the same folks (or same thinking) behind the New Coca Cola (Coke) -- remember that fiasco?

 

[Angel Oracle]

Or behind the New Math?

[Vegas Halo Fan]

2 hours ago, disarcina said:

I am always amazed at out of area 'expert consultants' who arrive in a town (any area, any town, USA) to advise ownership (of almost any industry/ type of business) and in order to justify their contract price come up with recommendations that over- haul some aspect of the business that has been a long time tradition in the area.....and a tradition that area folks relate to and are somewhat proud of, if not, at least have some sort of acquired admiration for over a number of decades..........

This has been the reaction from most of the locals. Except for brief periods when the team was named after the parent club, the Jacksonville team has been called the Suns since the early 1960s, when a AAA International League club moved in from Havana. Before there were animated scoreboards, at Wolfson Park there was one in the shape of a sun, and the rays would illuminate sequentially whenever the Suns hit a home run. Now they're the f'n Shrimp, and the local attitude toward the name change has been very predictable.

[ettin]

I bet they chase a lot of tail.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

In case anyone is wondering about the "Bold City" titles in the first shot with the logos, in 1968 when the City of Jacksonville and Duval County consolidated to form the largest city in the country in terms of land area, Mayor Hans Tanzler dubbed Jacksonville "The bold new city of the south." That legend remains on the patches worn by city police and the crest on the doors of police cars.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

3 minutes ago, ettin said:

I bet they chase a lot of tail.

Tug McGraw fathered Tim McGraw with a baseball groupie while pitching for the Suns in the late 1960s. So, yes.

[ettin]

1 hour ago, Vegas Halo Fan said:

Tug McGraw fathered Tim McGraw with a baseball groupie gropie while pitching for the Suns in the late 1960s. So, yes.

Fixed.

[Docwaukee]

will they serve cocktails at the games?

 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

My sister said that Tug's ex still calls in from time to time on local sports talk radio.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

The jokes have already started.

 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

On 11/3/2016 at 8:05 PM, disarcina said:

this looks like exactly that -- so instead of doing something that would draw more fans -- like kids under 10 admitted free and /or having a family pack of food & drink at a bargain price (sort of like they do at Peoria Ballpark in Spring Training in Arizona) or making sure there are more comfortable shade seats where needed etc.......they do stuff like new name and logo --

The old club used to do that. I still have my button from 1965, from a club for kids called the Sunny Button Club. If you wore your club button to the ballpark, you got reduced price tickets and concessions, there were special autograph nights (one of mine was Tom Seaver), and during certain days of the season you got to go on the field and run the bases - a big deal when you're 10.

[disarcina]

Vegas Halo Fan -- and that's exactly the kind of promotion that works and that baseball (in general) needs whether it be at the MLB level or in the minor leagues.

Here, we had a semi-pro team for years (a real tradition that ended a few years ago when the main integral person keeping it going passed away and then it was kept afloat for a number of years after that but the volunteer effort and financial resources finally ran out and so it's gone now) and they would let kids in free, have a family type package and similar stuff to what you mentioned above.........now, not going to say the place was packed and the stands packed but a number of area families, often those with a number of kids -- would take the family out to the ballyard for some baseball (and they usually had a BBQ going) -- a real outlet for some low cost wholesome family entertainment -- something that is really needed these days, IMO.

[Kevin]

You're all going to look foolish when they win the battle for los ange......I mean the freshwater shrimp territory.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Considering that the nearest club otherwise is in Orlando, they may just win that.

[Blarg]

Last night at the AFL All Stars Game I talked to a guy with a Kernels t-shirt on. At first I was thrown off because he said he was rooting for the player Gordon on the back of his shirt and I thought, there is no Gordon that went through A ball for the Angels .  Duh, the Kernels are now the Minnesota franchise minor league team. It was Dee Gordon's brother on the field, Nick.

It was a night of little brothers playing, the Diamondbacks has a large guy playing 1st base in the AFL, it's CJ Cron's brother and he is a clone. He has almost the same exact body (only a little lumpier) and swing. With two strikes on him he shortened up and drops a bloop single into right field. 

[nate]

I kinda like it @Vegas Halo Fan

[Tank]

Do you have to be de-veined to play for the Shrimp? Or is it Shrimps?