a's change name to . . . a's?

Friday, October 17, 2008

a's change name to . . . a's?

By now, you've probably heard that the Chatham Athletics changed their name to the Chatham Anglers as a result of the agreement with Major League Baseball, which would have limited their merchandise opportunities while using the Athletics' name.

I like the name, and it's a nice little slap in the face of Major League baseball.

But my question: Are they still just going to be A's?

Because, if you flip through a Chatham yearbook from any of the past few years, you won't see a single reference to the Chatham Athletics. They had become the Chatham A's.

It stands to reason that they could still be the A's, but that ground hasn't really been covered in any of the stories I've read.

Does anybody know?

4 comments:

R9 said...: Unfortunately, any form of use of 'A' and apostrophe S is also an infringement (equal to that of the actual use of Athletics). The A's is also fully covered under MLB trademark, and thus is not a suitable alternative for Chatham to avoid infringement. I like the Anglers name already, as will most people eventually. R9; October 21, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Will Geoghegan said...: Thanks for the info, R9.

Good to know.; October 21, 2008 at 9:27 PM
SB24 said...: Also, Orleans and Bourne are both changing their name (NY Times 10/24). They have not been publicly announced yet but I have talked to an (inside source) from Orleans who says they will probably be the Orleans Firebirds in 2009.; December 21, 2008 at 6:57 PM
sportsbooksempire.com said...: Hi

For all you Cape League fans, here is a link to an article I did on Summer Collegiate league cards & collectibles. The Cape League is mentioned here:

http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/article/Summercollegiateleagues/

For all Cape teams that will be issuing player card sets or photo/postcard sets to your fans, please contact me at ekobak@yahoo.com as I will be reporting on 2009 player photo sets.

Also, I am offering a Pre-season discount special rate on my 2009 Sports Address Bible & Almanac. Normally $39.95 + ship. Special rate of $19.95 + $5.50 ship within usa. 500+ pages, like the BA directory, but on ALL sports and more coverage on summercollegiate baseball leagues! you can pay through Paypal to my acct #: globalnw@earthlink.net or to:
Ed Kobak-Global Sports-16810 Crystal Dr E., Enumclaw, WA 98022 310/454-9480. More books at www.sportsbooksempire.com.
PLAY BALL!; May 7, 2009 at 10:59 PM

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as the fog settles in

The left-field sunset has faded. It is chilly now. You slip a sweatshirt on. The stat sheet you hold in your hands almost feels wet, the air is so damp. But the ink doesn't run. You can read it. That kid from LSU is still leading the league in home runs. That pitcher who they say throws 95 -- he's way up on the list in strikeouts.
The game is close, 3-2 through seven innings. You're staying till the end.
You look out at the field. Some fog has slipped in. It settles like smoke, just off the grass in front of the right fielder, like a cloud. When he runs through it to catch a fly ball, it looks almost magical, maybe even spiritual, like he's playing baseball in heaven.
Maybe he is.
The baseball is pure here. The players eager. The fans, maybe some of them don't know what they're seeing, maybe they just heard it was a fun night out, good for the family and everything -- but they know. They know somehow that this thing, this Cape League, is special.
Really, there's nothing like it.
I'm going to try and keep up.

Stop waxing poetic

The Cape Cod Baseball League is the top college summer league in the nation. Plenty of other leagues have cropped up of late, and some are having success, but the Cape League is still the model -- and the pinnacle. In 2006, 198 Major Leaguers had spent time in the Cape League.
The rosters are like a who's who of the best college baseball players. All the top prospects want to spend their summers on the Cape. The only better opportunity is Team USA. There are 10 teams in the league, divided into two divisions. Over the course of two months, they play 44 games. Scouts will watch many of them. They come because of the combination of talent and wood. Unlike college baseball, the Cape uses only wooden bats, providing an accurate picture of what players might do at the next level.
What else? Players live with host families. Some have part-time jobs (Jeff Bagwell worked at Friendly's). There's no admission charge at games. The level of baseball has been compared to Single A.
That should sum it up. If you have never experienced Cape League Baseball, you have missed out.

Friday, October 17, 2008