When the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate moved from Tucson to El Paso this offseason, the organization decided to give the team a new nickname that would strike fear into opponents in every ballpark it traveled to.
Just kidding, they named the new club after the dog from the Taco Bell commercials.
The Pacific Coast League franchise announced Tuesday that it would be changing its name from the Tucson Padres to the El Paso Chihuahuas for the 2014 season and beyond.
The name was chosen after it garnered the most votes in an online “Name The Team” poll, beating out the Aardvarks, Buckaroos, Desert Gators and Sun Dogs — which are all pretty absurd in their own right.
Some may find the name to be a bit ridiculous, but it’s par for the course in the minors, joining the likes of the Montgomery Biscuits, Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Inland Empire 66ers and Albuquerque Isotopes (which get extra points for being named after a team from The Simpsons).
El Paso general manager Brad Taylor admitted that “Chihuahuas” might not be for everyone, but that a nickname that stirred up a little controversy was what he and his team were going for.
“I’m sure I’m going to be hearing all sorts of views, but we’re standing by this,” Taylor told MiLB.com. “We have friends in a lot of other places, like the Iron Pigs or the [Fort Wayne] Tin Caps, who stepped outside of their comfort zone to create a brand. That’s what we’re doing here.”
Photo via Twitter/@PhilHeckenÂ
