Lakeland Tigers

The Lakeland Tigers are thinking about changing their name after 27 years of baseball being played under the sane moniker. The Tigers were born in 1967 when they became a Detroit Tigers affiliate and are housed at the Tiger's spring training home, Tiger Town. The team is heavily considering changing the name to the Fish Hawks, in reference to the fish hawks (AKA Ospreys) that nest on the light standards at their ballpark, Joker Marchant Stadium.

I'm all for teams dropping their parent club's name and finding their own identity but when I first saw the name Fish Hawks I thought they must be freakin' crazy. What a lame sounding name. But after reading about the fish hawks that live at the ballpark I was sold that this was a great idea. Nothing makes me happier than team names and logos that actually spawn from an organic and original idea rather than trends, focus groups and hardcore marketing research.

And let's be honest, some kind of change is needed for the Lakeland Tigers. Obviously the Tigers name hasn't really caught on despite being 27 years-old. Attendance for the team last season was the worst in Minor League Baseball with only 538 paying customers per opening. That's pretty pitiful even for the Florida State League. A name like the Fish Hawks will probably catch some people's attention in the community that never noticed the team before.

Besides, the Detroit Tigers have been pretty awful over the past 10+ years. I think it's high time they stop reminding people that they have anything to do with that sorry franchise and make a name for their own, as the mighty fighting Fish Hawks.

Thanks to one of my favorite baseball sites Ballpark Digest for bringing this story to my attention.