Game-Changing? Name-Changing!

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The Date: November 7th, 2007.
The Place: Downtown St. Petersburg, Florida
The Reason: To Celebrate the Official Name Changing of The Devil Rays

Trying to reinvent itself, what once was a perennial last-place team officially shortened its nickname to simply "Rays" during a celebration that brought a crowd of about 7,000 to a downtown park a year and a half ago.

New team colors and uniforms were also unveiled during a fashion show featuring current players. Navy blue and light blue had replaced green and black as the primary colors. The club's new logo, as well as the home and road uniforms for that upcoming season, feature the word "Rays" in navy blue lettering with a light blue shadow.

The Result: A Trip To The World Series.

Now I don't believe in HeeBeeJeeBee stuff all that much but there is definitely something to this one. They dropped the "devil" from within and WALA! - They earn themselves a pennant. Granted the "Rays" does not sound nearly as fierce as the "Devil Rays" but sometimes "manning up" is all about manning down.

We all know what took place the past 3 seasons. I need not spell it out for you. (Just in case you don't: C-O-L-L-P-A-S-E & H-E-A-R-T-B-R-E-A-K). But what if the Mets did the same thing? What if they sounded a whole lot less manly (and thereby maybe causing their opponents to think that they're not a force to contend with)? Well, before we discuss some names that might fit the bill, let's prove our point with another sport.

Since Football is a tough, man-tackling, hit-crunching, QB-sacking sport, it would only make sense for a team to use the opposite strategy and change their name or logo to more of a scary theme.

Darren Everson, of The Wall Street Journal, writes:

Could this be what the 0-16 Detroit Lions need to restore the roar -- a sharper, angrier logo? This rumored revamp, which features detailed eyes and teeth, briefly appeared this week on a toy truck on nflshop.com. (A Lions spokesman neither confirmed nor denied whether this is the new logo.) NFL history has repeatedly demonstrated the power of meaner mascots: The Denver Broncos won Super Bowls in 1998 and 1999 after unveiling a sleek horse-head logo. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in 2003 a few years after switching from a dashing pirate to a skull and crossed swords. And the Arizona Cardinals gave its old logo a tougher frown in 2005, and the team reached its first Super Bowl this season.

Baseball is our national past time. No wonder the Pirates have not won since the 30's. This sport is not about mean grimaces and nasty tattoos. It's about enjoying ourselves and still not needing a shower. It's about catching a ball in 85 degree weather in a luscious outfield, not catching a cold in below-zero temperatures at Lambeau Field.

So there you have it. No need to fix a horrendous bullpen. No point in hiring the best pitcher in baseball. And we certainly shouldn't spend $4 million on a second baseman by the name of Orlando Hudson (oh wait, we didn't do that). What it is about is convincing the other team that we are as sissy sounding as they come and then maybe, and just maybe, we will win one or two more games that will be just enough to get us into a Fall Classic.

So what should it be? What will be our "removing of the devil?" (Sorry Angel Pagan. You were removed even if you were not the devil).

The New York Mess? That might do the trick.
The New Jersey Mets? Okay, I didn't say brain-dead. I said "wimpy."
The New York Pathetics? That would be the Islanders. Correct.
The New York Shmeffs? They do get smoked alot.
The New York Sweats? Who hasn't shvitzed their way thru a 9 inning game, huh?
The New York MMMets? If only they deserved that title.
The New York Debts? After Bernie Madoff... (Lol, I love this one. Thanks Wario).
The New York Vets? For all those aging veterans.
The New York Zets? Give that ball ah zets (for Jewish Night).
The New York Cents? After Bernie Madoff... (#2)

Do you have any other names that we can use to perhaps catch lightning in a bottle? LET US KNOW! The Rays had 100's of names to choose from before deciding on the 'Rays'. We're open to all ideas. Anything to win...

Whatever the team decides to change its name to, let's hope we see a little less this:



And a little more this:



Anytime the game ends with someone hitting a home run off Armando Benitez - I'm there! I didn't know the Mets were picked up by the Fox Channel. Good to know. What's the deal with the apple being suspended 55 feet in mid air? Even weirder, Jose Reyes was the only one who met Delgado when he came around to score. It's a walk-off homer for G-d sakes! This all leads me to believe that something in this video is not real.

10 days left......Let's Go Mess!