What's In A Name?

Not too long ago, there was a minor movement to rename the Dodgers. Not sure who started it, but it died pretty quickly. I think some wanted the name to reflect in some ways, the city in which they now play. I did not see any suggestions online. And at this point I could only speculate who started all of this.

As most fans who follow the team already know, the Dodgers have had several names in their history. They were first formed in 1883 and were called the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, they joined the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantic’s. For a while in the late 1880’s they were called the Bridegrooms since six of their players got married during the 1888 season. In 1890, they joined the NL and won the Championship. And that is the year the MLB history of the Dodgers truly begins.

In the late 1890’s they got players from the defunct Baltimore franchise and were nicknamed the Superbas. This was after a famous traveling troupe of the times, Hanlon’s Superba. A circus act. They were for a while referred to as the Trolley Dodgers. This was because the borough’s street cars had recently went from horse drawn to electric power and were considered more dangerous. There were some other names used, Ward’s Wonders, when they were managed by John Montgomery Ward. None of these were official.

During the management reign of Wilbert Robinson, they were called the Robins. They stayed that way until he left after the 1931 season. Then the nickname Dodgers was first used. The teams legal name was the Brooklyn Baseball Club. Since 31 the name has stuck. And the franchises history and following has grown.

To the fans in Flatbush, they were affectionately called, Dem Bums. They were devastated when the team moved west. So, just for giggles, if you were going to change the name of the Los Angeles Dodgers, what would you call them? Can’t use Angelinos. Too close to the Angels. If I were choosing a name that reflected the city’s history, it might be Rancheros because of all of the rancheros that were in the area back in the late 1700’s up until statehood. Fire away!