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Name the New Washington Baseball Team Poll


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Originally posted by December90

Why not use the indian name "Potomac"

Why should it be "Washington" - team name

Why not the:

Capitol Grays or Capitol Hill (if basketball can have the Jazz and the Heat why can't we have the Hill?)

Potomac Redman

That is what I was thinking...maybe the D.C. Potomac's or the Washington Potomac's

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Originally posted by unsonny

educate yourself

http://www.negroleaguebaseball.com/teams/Homestead_Grays.html

I'm curious. Does everyone who says they like that name know what it is? My understanding is it was a negro leagues team. Curious to see if the support for the name would remain the same if everyone knew where the name came from. "?" I have no problem with it. Infact I like it. Still part of evil empire though. Sorry. :)

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Originally posted by Renegade7

I'm curious. Does everyone who says they like that name know what it is? My understanding is it was a negro leagues team. Curious to see if the support for the name would remain the same if everyone knew where the name came from. "?" I have no problem with it. Infact I like it. Still part of evil empire though. Sorry. :)

youre right, most people have no idea......I think it fits the D.C. area perfect..it would be a nationally liked team as well if they took the Grays as its name!!!!...no doubt...i bet it would triple the yearly sales of most MLB teams merch.......they would be stupid not to name it the Grays

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Originally posted by Renegade7

I'm curious. Does everyone who says they like that name know what it is? My understanding is it was a negro leagues team. Curious to see if the support for the name would remain the same if everyone knew where the name came from. "?" I have no problem with it. Infact I like it. Still part of evil empire though. Sorry. :)

I'm confused, Renegade. Is there more to the name other than it came from the Negro Leagues? I think most people who are for the Grays name want to honor the memory of the players in the Negro Leagues, who are in danger of being just a footnote to history right now. I think it would be healthy for DC to embrace its past and recapture the glory of the Grays.

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Originally posted by jbooma

I like the grays because what MLB could do. They could create a museum about the negro league next to it. This would be a great way to bring back baseball to DC when it left many of the residents felt the owner was racist and that is why a lot of people refused to support them.

Agreed! The Griffith Family did indeed move the team for racial reasons. An article on baseballlibrary.com recounts Clark and Calvin Griffith's relationship with with DC's black community this way:

"At first, Griffith’s relationship with this demographic group was quite good. There were no firm rules on segregated seating, though it was understood that the outfield bleachers were for the “Negroes”. And they didn’t seem to mind. They faithfully supported the Senators, even though not a single player was black. Griffith also rented out the stadium to the Homestead Grays, who, along with the Kansas City Monarchs were one of the most successful and professionally run franchises in the Negro Leagues. When the Monarchs came to town, and the fans knew Satchel Paige would be on the mound, they packed the ballpark to the rafters. With future Hall of Famers Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard on board, the Greys were a dominant team. And here is where the problems set in for Clark Griffith. In the late thirties Grey’s fans clamored for an exhibition game with the Senators. They were confident that their team could whip the Nats. And so was Clark Griffith. At the time only a closet racist, Griffith came up with a number of excuses to prevent such a matchup. Over time, this left a bad taste in the mouthsof black fan’s. Fewer of them came to Senator’s games. The situation was exacerbated at the end of the war when the pressing question in baseball was who would be the first Major League team to sign a black player. At first, Grey’s fans were confident that Griffith would rise to the call. It would be so easy. Two of the game’s best players were regularly displaying their skills in his own ballpark. Certainly it would be easy to sign one of these deserving men. But Griffith hemhawed and, as we know, Branch Rickey beat him to the punch, signing Jackie Robinson with the Dodgers. But soon it was apparent that Griffith did not even attempt to throw a punch. This led to resentment, which soon turned into outright animosity. It was another eight years before a black player took the field in a Senators uniform, and he was a Cuban, which the local African-American community found insulting. By this time, hardly any African-Americans were coming to Senators games. Mr. Griffith succeeded in disenfranchising the greatest majority of his fan base. The lack of support led to the decision in 1960 to move the club to Minnesota, where they became the Twins. It was a situation the Griffith family brought upon itself."

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/submit/Cole_Jonathan1.stm

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I hate to stop progress but doesn't the Washington Greys sound too much like the Washington GAYS. Not that there is anything wrong with that but I could see the team getting heckled quite a bit in NY or Philly on road trips. Am I off base on this one?

My vote is stick with the Senators, not original but at least it gives us that connection to the prior franchise. (ex Browns / Browns).

:no:

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Originally posted by December90

Why not use the indian name "Potomac"

Why should it be "Washington" - team name

Why not the:

Capitol Grays or Capitol Hill (if basketball can have the Jazz and the Heat why can't we have the Hill?)

Potomac Redman

Because this is MLB, not MLS. No cheesy 21st Century names, please. :doh:

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