Baseball is America's game, and some of the teams seem to portray the American spirit of the game. Some of that is because of how long they'd been around. But where did they get their names from? Sure some seem simple and obvious: Yankees for the Americans of the Revolitionary War era, birds like Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Orioles, or then there are colors like Reds. But what is a Met? What are the Dodgers dodging? Although there are many things in dispute in the MLB (such as baseball's origin itself, the year of the MLB's beginning, etc.), the names of the teams typically have a origin. Here is Part 3 of an explanation of these.
The Central Division Teams 1
11. Reds - The Reds also have a very confusing origin story. There have been three Reds franchises in Cincinnati. The first was the famous Red Stockings in 1869-70 (which moved to Boston and became the Braves). The second was formed in 1876 when the National League formed. They also called themselves the Red Stockings, but had nothing to do with the first franchise. In 1880, this franchise was expelled from the National League for some of its practices. A third team was formed in 1882 and was a charter member of the American Association. It used the name Red Stockings also. The team left the American Association after the 1889 season and joined the National League in 1890. When the team joined the NL, they lost the "Stockings" from their name and simply became the Reds.
12. Tigers - The Tigers were originally known as the Wolverines (which is from the Michigan nickname, the Wolverine State), but the present franchise can trace its name to a previous franchise called the Wolverines. The original club existed from 1881-88 and was actually a member of the National League. The team then folded. There were attempts to revive baseball in Detroit, but either the leagues they were in folded or the teams didn't make it. Finally in 1894, the Western League (a minor league) reformed and the Wolverines were a charter club. It was during this time that many people called the team the Tigers to differentiate it from the old Wolverines team. When the Western League became the American League, the Tigers went with it into the MLB.
13. Astros - The Astros began in the first expansion year of 1962. The club was started when some members pushed for Houston obtaining a team, but the MLB declined. Those in Houston tried to band with other cities and announced they would form their own league. The MLB (deciding they didn't want to lose future potential expansion sites) chose to expand, and Houston was chosen as a city. At first the team was called the Colt .45's, but was changed in 1965 to the Astros when the team moved into the Astrodome. The term "Astros" also has significance for Houston's involvement with space and NASA.
14. White Sox - The White Sox began as the Sioux City Cornhuskers in the Western League. Charles Comiskey bought the team and moved it to St. Paul, MN. In 1900, Comiskey moved the team to Chicago and called it the White Stockings (which was an old nickname for the Cubs). Legend has it that newspaper men couldn't fit "Stockings" on a headline, so they shortened it to "Sox".
15. Cubs - The Cubs began playing games under the name of the White Stockings in 1870, but quit for two years after the Chicago fire in 1871. They continued as the White Stockings from 1874-89 (joining the National League in 1876). By 1890, the team was playing well and became known as the Colts. However, after a disappointing 1897 finish, their manager was released, and the media dubbed them the Orphans or Remnants. The team was sold in 1902 and the name was changed to the Cubs. The Cubs are only second to the Red Stockings (now the Braves) organization for being the oldest franchise, mostly because of the two year absence because of the fire. The Cubs are the oldest franchise still in their original city (not to be confused with the Phillies who are the oldest one-city, one-name franchise).
Check back for Part 4!
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