04/17/24
July 23, 2021
Cleveland Ex-Indians Unveil New Name: After 106 years, the Cleveland Indians have chosen a new name, using a video narrated by Tom Hanks and a Black Keys song to make the announcement.
Watch the video, but ignore the twitter comments
posted by prof at 11:20 AM on July 23, 2021
Kind of makes sense and definitely an improvement.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:28 AM on July 23, 2021
Agreed. Plus, the guardians themselves on that bridge. Beautiful!
posted by NoMich at 11:36 AM on July 23, 2021
I was hoping for Spiders but the Guardians name is growing on me. It's not used anywhere else in sports to my knowledge and the statues are amazing.
posted by rcade at 11:54 AM on July 23, 2021
Kudos for Cleveland choosing a name with local resonance and a touch of eccentricity, rather than chasing trends (cf. that hockey team in Seattle).
posted by werty at 01:01 PM on July 23, 2021
Some Twitter randos are upset that Guardians only makes sense if you know something about the statues in Cleveland. They think a name needs to appeal to people who know nothing.
Which brings me to the Toronto Raptors choosing their name because velociraptors were cool in a movie in 1993. I never thought that would age well.
I do like Kraken though.
posted by rcade at 02:19 PM on July 23, 2021
I actually really like the name and I don't recall it ever being on the list of possibilities for any other team naming venture. And it should have been considered.
It's strong, unexpected, and came from out of nowhere from my perspective.
However, I also have to channel and pay tribute to my childhood in acknowledging the new name. When I first heard the new name, I knew nothing of the bridge.
In my mind, I immediately envisioned the starting infield and outfield.
posted by beaverboard at 02:43 PM on July 23, 2021
The name's not bad, but naming your team after statues might bring memories of teams like the 1899 Cleveland Spiders (20 - 134) to life. Having players like these guys (list is from 2011) on your roster would truly represent the statue image.
Beaverboard's link is probably similar, but it won't open on my 'phone.
posted by Howard_T at 03:18 PM on July 23, 2021
I do not own any team swag or merch from any US pro or college program or franchise. But I think I'm going to have to get a Guardians shirt or something.
And I didn't know that there was or is a XFL team named the Guardians, which I just found out. As Larry "Bud" Melman used to say, I was unawares.
I decided that the winged logo is not cool. You can't attach such clunky elements to the sides of a smooth, round baseball. It's clumsy and disjointed looking. They just need to work on the block letter and the wings a bit to make them less rigid looking, then it would be OK.
posted by beaverboard at 05:52 PM on July 23, 2021
I think the letters are supposed to evoke the lettering on the bridge. The "C" on caps is based on the Guardian bridge font.
posted by rcade at 08:11 PM on July 23, 2021
Watch the video first if you don't know the name yet.