Originality, Anyone?

OK, so I've been really absent from my blog. Part of it, as mentioned previously, is to adhere to my obligation to not duplicate content I'm creating for an online magazine. But a good deal of it is simply because I'm just not that inspired lately. Without further ado, here's a look at what I've been noticing...(hence the title)

Last month, the Salem Avalanche, which had been purchased by the Red Sox, have renamed the team the... wait for it... The Salem Red Sox. Wow. And I say that as a Red Sox fan, mind you. Part of the charm of minor-league ball used to be the unique identities that would enable teams to change affiliations seamlessly and allow the locals to endear themselves to the teams, which were often named after nearby things: Eugene Emeralds (the rainforest), Holyoke Millers (the 19th century cloth factories), the Lowell Spinners (ditto).

Then last week, the Winston-Salem Warthogs chose to rename themselves as the... grab your lunch... Winston-Salem Dash. And in case you were wondering, this was chosen over: Aviators, Racers, Rhinos, and Wallbangers. The official reasoning is that the "dash brings 'Winston' and 'Salem' together. Never mind that's a hyphen.

But seriously, when will these single-word concept names stop? And I say this as a fan of the former North Shore Spirit. Granted, at least it doesn't have "cat" or "dog" in the name. Now, as much as I personally like "Wallbangers," the obvious name to choose was "Racers." Hello? It's not like North Carolina is the heart of NASCAR country...

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With the successful expansion into Southern Maryland this season, there's talk about the Atlantic League next heading into Virginia. In years past, I might have gotten excited, but in the current economy, I have my doubts anything will transpire unless it's 100 percent privately funded. The biggest obstacle to any site in Northern Virginia is the cost of the land, followed closely by the infrastructure. With the improvements to Rte. 28, the latter might not be as big of an issue, but I have to wonder if they'll be able to get the deal done before either the market stabilizes or the NIMBYs can mount a challenge.

As for how it would affect me personally, it's roughly the same distance as Woodbridge in terms of mileage, so it's doubtful I'd switch allegiances. Ever the pessimist, I can't help but notice that the 2010 season is the last for the current arrangement with the Potomac Nationals, and if there's any kind of delay, the smart money is on Art Silber using that new stadium as leverage to get one built in Woodbridge.

Of course, stories like this were floating around at least three years before Southern Maryland became a reality, so again, file this under "I'll Believe It When I See It"