Close your eyes for a moment. Imagine a parallel universe. Everything is the same except that for whatever reason, the San Diego Padres have to change their name. Maybe it was the capricious whim of the ever-brilliant Bud Selig. Maybe the Swinging Friar, the team mascot, tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Or maybe Franciscan monks file a class action lawsuit against the team. At any rate, I have the perfect new name.
The San Diego Seals.
Now keep in mind I'm not advocating for a name change, I am just saying that if we went back in time to before 1969 and had to pick a name for the team, the Seals is so perfect that I am almost surprised that that is not what the team is called.
Obviously, the team could adopt the name, insignia, and uniforms of the San Francisco Seals, one of the most iconic baseball franchises on the west coast. The team could not hoodwink fans into believing that they are the very same team, but it would only take some great, Giants-caliber, marketing to co-opt some of the SF Seals history and culture. Remember that the Seals were founded in 1907, won 14 league titles, and fielded the likes of Joe DiMaggio, his brothers, and Frank Crosetti, who won 17 (yes, you read that correctly) World Series championships with the New York Yankees. And years before Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, and Ichiro Suzuki traveled west (or east) the Seals and their Pacific Coast League brethren paved the way for the vibrant baseball culture across the west coast. This concept or re appropriation of another team's legacy is actually very common. The team that is now the Chicago Cubs was called the Chicago White Stockings in the late 1800's, and that is where the newer White Sox got their name. The team that is the New York Yankees began as the Baltimore Orioles, and their have been about three incarnations of "Rangers" teams. Even the Mets are named after an obscure 19th century team called the Metropolitans, and furthermore, they themselves try to re appropriate a lot of the Giants' and Dodgers' New York history. But that is not even the best part. Seals are intelligent marine mammals that frolic around San Diego bay in huge numbers. SD is a huge garrison town, Practically half the navy is based there, and even its city motto is modeled on the various armed services mottos. The seals name would pay tribute to the most elite fighting force in the world, something you know the Padres would be interested in, because they have a camouflage alternate uniform. And the dichotomy between the cute animals and special forces unit would provide a kind of depth that most team names lack.
But enough about that. I do not expect the Padres to change their name any time soon. But I thought this rant was worth including because, in a way, it demonstrates everything that is wrong with franchises like the Padres and Astros and everything that is right with franchises like the Giants, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Yankees. It takes discipline and vision and a whole lot of other attributes to run a professional baseball club. It is obvious that big-ticket signings and catchy promotions are key to running a great franchise, but one also has to look at even the smallest things; the dirt of the warning track, the view from a particular upper-deck seat, the color of chopped onions at condiment stance. Alone these are insignificant, but together they combine to vastly effect the experience of a ballgame and the image of the team. And so things like team names can function like canaries-in-the-coal mine. When a team fails to design an effective slogan or ballpark design, what else might be missing? Most likely, everything "less important"- the thousands of tiny things that combine to make a world class organization- are not up to standard. Any team (or almost any team) can lure a star player with a $100-million dollar check. If you really want to evaluated the quality of the organization, look at the brand, the name, the concessions, the color of the uniform, the alternate jerseys (or, preferably, the lack of alternate jerseys).
Look at the small things.
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