OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Help naming teams in state-themed league?

Toad Eightyfive · 09-24-2015, 04:38 PM

Hi, new to the forum.

I've been planning a new 64-team session for a short while now. Basically, the concept is that each team represents a state or territory (with some duplicates for larger states), rather than a city. The divisions are broken up based on geography, with groups like "Northeast" or "Great Plains". Everything else is pretty similar to the MLB.

I've been working on making names for each of the teams, but I'm terribly uncreative at this kind of thing and I got stuck halfway through. Help would be appreciated. I'd prefer the names to have something cultural, historical, or symbolic meaning for the state in question, but that isn't necessarily a hard requirement.

I'll list the names I’ve already decided on here, with a short explanation for each choice:

Alabama Slammers [Alcoholic beverage. Also, that assonance is too perfect.]

Alaska Huskies [Popular breed of dogs. Also a reference to the Iditarod Trail dogsled race, which predominantly uses huskies.]

Arizona Saguaros [Suggested by Joefromchicago. Cactus species of the Sonoran desert.]

Northern California Gold Rush [Refers, of course, to the 1848 gold rush near San Francisco.]

Central California Raisineaters [Suggested by Joefromchicago; reference to the agricultural industry.]

Southern California Surf [Gnarly, dude.]

Colorado Black Diamonds [Suggested by Dogzilla. Skiing term, a symbol that represents a difficult slope.]

Connecticut Nutmeggers [Demonym for residents of the "Nutmeg State".]

District of Columbia Federals [Federal government is located here.]

North Florida Manatees [Endangered species native to the Florida area.]

South Florida Hurricanes [Floridian weather is fickle as hell.]

North Georgia Firecrackers [Double-whammy reference: recalls both General Sherman's campaign in Atlanta (fire), and the old minor league Atlanta Crackers.]

South Georgia Peaches [Somewhat trite, but it works.]

Hawaii Volcanoes [After the two active volcanoes on the island, Mauna Loa and Kilauea.]

Kansas Pioneers [Suggested by Bowtie. Somewhat self-explanatory.]

Kentucky Distillers [Suggested by Joefromchicago. Kentucky is known for its Bourbon production.]

Idaho Spuds [Potatoes. Self-explanatory.]

Illinois Metro Skyscrapers [Sears/Willis Tower was at one point the tallest building in the world.]

South Illinois Cornjerkers [Suggested by Joefromchicago, a type of cornhusking machinery.]

Indiana Hoosiers [Self-explanatory.]

Iowa Porkers [Suggested by Joefromchicago. Pig farming.]

Louisiana Krewe [A krewe is a group that organizes parades on Mardi Gras. Honestly don't know how someone hasn't capitalized on this name yet.]

Maryland Crabbers [Crab fishing is a major part of the state economy.]

Massachusetts Monsters [Named after the "Green Monster" wall at Fenway Park. Also, I like alliteration. Alliteration is cool.]

Minnesota Loons [Suggested by Puckett guy. State bird.]

Montana Grizzlies [Suggested by Bowtie. Grizzly bears are native to Montana, plus it reinforces a "woodsy" feel that fits the state.]

Nevada Silver Bullets ["Silver State" + wild west iconography = badass name]

New Jersey Elysians [Named after the first recorded baseball park, Elysian Fields in Hoboken.]

New Mexico Roadrunners. [Since I took a cactus species for Arizona, I settled on the state bird.]

New York Metro Gothams [Somewhat more interesting than "Empires." or "Big Apples."]

Upstate New York Hawkeyes [Suggested by JCarter93. Named after a nickname of the main character in The Last of the Mohicans. The author's father, James Fenimore Cooper, founded Cooperstown, NY.]

North Carolina Regulators [Suggestion by Coxmeatsandwich. Reference to the Battle of Alamance.]

North Ohio Mainliners [Suggested by Joefromchicago, albeit for a different state. Reference to Ohio's railroading history, especially the Baltimore & Ohio.]

Oklahoma Aviators [After Tinker Air Force Base in OKC.]

East Pennsylvania Keystones [Pennsylvania is the Keystone State.]

West Pennsylvania Ironmen [Suggested by Bowtie; refers to Pittsburgh's metal industry.]

Puerto Rico Isleños [Self-explanatory.]

Rhode Island Burnsides [After general, politician, industrialist, and facial hair aficionado Ambrose Burnside.]

South Carolina Palmettos [On the state flag.]

Tennessee Hound Dogs [Elvis spent most of his career at Graceland, located in Memphis. This is part of the title of one of his most famous songs.]

U.S. Territories Travelers [Catch-all team based in Guam, but also representing American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. Needless to say, as the farthest-flung team from the mainland, on road trips they have to travel pretty far.]

Utah Arches [Suggested by Canaveral. Arches National Park is simply gorgeous.]

Vermont Greens [Vermont derives its name from the French for "green mountain".]

Virginia Colonials [Suggested by JCarter93. Refers to Virginia's long pre-Revolution history.]

West Virginia Miners [Suggested by Joefromchicago. West Virginia is a hub for the coal mining industry.]

Wisconsin Cheddar [Cheese-related. It sounds terrible, but I think it has a certain charm.]

Wyoming Jackalopes [Mythical bunny creature from Wyoming folklore.]

Team names I'm unsure about, still mulling over, or looking to change:

Maine Lobsters [I like the name, but it's very similar to Maryland's and I could be convinced to go with something more unique.]

Mississippi Bayou Something [Reference to Mississippi River delta topography. Had used Bulldogs, but with Tennessee's name it's redundant, so I need a better animal name. Just "Oxbows", maybe?]

New Hampshire Granites [Suggested by Joefromchicago. New Hampshire is the Granite State. While I like the name, A. I already have a bunch of teams themed after minerals, and even if I didn't, B. it's not a particularly original team name considering it derives directly from the official nickname. However, it's still a great suggestion, and it does convey something important to New Hampshire history, so unless something better comes up I'll probably end up using it.

Washington Emeralds/Grunge/Sasquatches/Techies/Rain. [Can't decide, too many good options.]

Teams I still need:

Arkansas

Los Angeles Metro California

Delaware

Michigan

Missouri

Nebraska

North Dakota

South Ohio

Oregon

South Dakota

North Texas

South Texas

West Texas

Uniforms aren’t necessary; I tend to just go with the defaults. Thanks if you can help!

EDIT: Thanks for the help! If I didn't include your suggestion, that doesn't mean I've dismissed it; I'm just giving some more time in case anyone else has suggestions.

09-24-2015, 04:38 PM	#1
Toad Eightyfive Bat Boy Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 3	Help naming teams in state-themed league? Hi, new to the forum. I've been planning a new 64-team session for a short while now. Basically, the concept is that each team represents a state or territory (with some duplicates for larger states), rather than a city. The divisions are broken up based on geography, with groups like "Northeast" or "Great Plains". Everything else is pretty similar to the MLB. I've been working on making names for each of the teams, but I'm terribly uncreative at this kind of thing and I got stuck halfway through. Help would be appreciated. I'd prefer the names to have something cultural, historical, or symbolic meaning for the state in question, but that isn't necessarily a hard requirement. I'll list the names I’ve already decided on here, with a short explanation for each choice: Alabama Slammers [Alcoholic beverage. Also, that assonance is too perfect.] Alaska Huskies [Popular breed of dogs. Also a reference to the Iditarod Trail dogsled race, which predominantly uses huskies.] Arizona Saguaros [Suggested by Joefromchicago. Cactus species of the Sonoran desert.] Northern California Gold Rush [Refers, of course, to the 1848 gold rush near San Francisco.] Central California Raisineaters [Suggested by Joefromchicago; reference to the agricultural industry.] Southern California Surf [Gnarly, dude.] Colorado Black Diamonds [Suggested by Dogzilla. Skiing term, a symbol that represents a difficult slope.] Connecticut Nutmeggers [Demonym for residents of the "Nutmeg State".] District of Columbia Federals [Federal government is located here.] North Florida Manatees [Endangered species native to the Florida area.] South Florida Hurricanes [Floridian weather is fickle as hell.] North Georgia Firecrackers [Double-whammy reference: recalls both General Sherman's campaign in Atlanta (fire), and the old minor league Atlanta Crackers.] South Georgia Peaches [Somewhat trite, but it works.] Hawaii Volcanoes [After the two active volcanoes on the island, Mauna Loa and Kilauea.] Kansas Pioneers [Suggested by Bowtie. Somewhat self-explanatory.] Kentucky Distillers [Suggested by Joefromchicago. Kentucky is known for its Bourbon production.] Idaho Spuds [Potatoes. Self-explanatory.] Illinois Metro Skyscrapers [Sears/Willis Tower was at one point the tallest building in the world.] South Illinois Cornjerkers [Suggested by Joefromchicago, a type of cornhusking machinery.] Indiana Hoosiers [Self-explanatory.] Iowa Porkers [Suggested by Joefromchicago. Pig farming.] Louisiana Krewe [A krewe is a group that organizes parades on Mardi Gras. Honestly don't know how someone hasn't capitalized on this name yet.] Maryland Crabbers [Crab fishing is a major part of the state economy.] Massachusetts Monsters [Named after the "Green Monster" wall at Fenway Park. Also, I like alliteration. Alliteration is cool.] Minnesota Loons [Suggested by Puckett guy. State bird.] Montana Grizzlies [Suggested by Bowtie. Grizzly bears are native to Montana, plus it reinforces a "woodsy" feel that fits the state.] Nevada Silver Bullets ["Silver State" + wild west iconography = badass name] New Jersey Elysians [Named after the first recorded baseball park, Elysian Fields in Hoboken.] New Mexico Roadrunners. [Since I took a cactus species for Arizona, I settled on the state bird.] New York Metro Gothams [Somewhat more interesting than "Empires." or "Big Apples."] Upstate New York Hawkeyes [Suggested by JCarter93. Named after a nickname of the main character in The Last of the Mohicans. The author's father, James Fenimore Cooper, founded Cooperstown, NY.] North Carolina Regulators [Suggestion by Coxmeatsandwich. Reference to the Battle of Alamance.] North Ohio Mainliners [Suggested by Joefromchicago, albeit for a different state. Reference to Ohio's railroading history, especially the Baltimore & Ohio.] Oklahoma Aviators [After Tinker Air Force Base in OKC.] East Pennsylvania Keystones [Pennsylvania is the Keystone State.] West Pennsylvania Ironmen [Suggested by Bowtie; refers to Pittsburgh's metal industry.] Puerto Rico Isleños [Self-explanatory.] Rhode Island Burnsides [After general, politician, industrialist, and facial hair aficionado Ambrose Burnside.] South Carolina Palmettos [On the state flag.] Tennessee Hound Dogs [Elvis spent most of his career at Graceland, located in Memphis. This is part of the title of one of his most famous songs.] U.S. Territories Travelers [Catch-all team based in Guam, but also representing American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. Needless to say, as the farthest-flung team from the mainland, on road trips they have to travel pretty far.] Utah Arches [Suggested by Canaveral. Arches National Park is simply gorgeous.] Vermont Greens [Vermont derives its name from the French for "green mountain".] Virginia Colonials [Suggested by JCarter93. Refers to Virginia's long pre-Revolution history.] West Virginia Miners [Suggested by Joefromchicago. West Virginia is a hub for the coal mining industry.] Wisconsin Cheddar [Cheese-related. It sounds terrible, but I think it has a certain charm.] Wyoming Jackalopes [Mythical bunny creature from Wyoming folklore.] Team names I'm unsure about, still mulling over, or looking to change: Maine Lobsters [I like the name, but it's very similar to Maryland's and I could be convinced to go with something more unique.] Mississippi Bayou Something [Reference to Mississippi River delta topography. Had used Bulldogs, but with Tennessee's name it's redundant, so I need a better animal name. Just "Oxbows", maybe?] New Hampshire Granites [Suggested by Joefromchicago. New Hampshire is the Granite State. While I like the name, A. I already have a bunch of teams themed after minerals, and even if I didn't, B. it's not a particularly original team name considering it derives directly from the official nickname. However, it's still a great suggestion, and it does convey something important to New Hampshire history, so unless something better comes up I'll probably end up using it. Washington Emeralds/Grunge/Sasquatches/Techies/Rain. [Can't decide, too many good options.] Teams I still need: Arkansas Los Angeles Metro California Delaware Michigan Missouri Nebraska North Dakota South Ohio Oregon South Dakota North Texas South Texas West Texas Uniforms aren’t necessary; I tend to just go with the defaults. Thanks if you can help! EDIT: Thanks for the help! If I didn't include your suggestion, that doesn't mean I've dismissed it; I'm just giving some more time in case anyone else has suggestions. Last edited by Toad Eightyfive; 09-26-2015 at 02:17 PM.