In the MLB competition, many unique teams have become symbols of this event. For example, when it comes to baseball , many fans will first think of teams such as the Yankees, Dodgers, and Red Sox. Not only are they top-notch, but their team names are also very recognizable. But where did the team names of these teams come from? Let’s take a look at the stories behind the names of the five teams in the National League Central Division.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are a veteran team in MLB. They had established the team as early as 1876, and their name at that time was "Chicago White Stockings". However, they are not the predecessors of the Chicago White Sox. In fact, it was after they changed their name that another American League team was established in Chicago in 1900 and then adopted the team name "White Stockings". The current White Sox . The predecessor of the Little Bear was renamed "Colts" in 1890.
It wasn't until 1903 that the team was renamed the Cubs. This is because in 1901, the team's record was poor, and the owner decided not to destroy it but to simply change its name. Because the team had many young players at the time, the Chicago media gave them the nickname "Cubs", and later the team directly used this as the team name. After the team name was changed, the Cubs were transformed and won the World Series twice in 1907 and 1908. Later... many fans knew the story of "Guangxu Bear".
Cubs mascot Clark
Of course, in case you don’t know the story of the "Guangxu Bear" - among all professional sports leagues in the United States, the Cubs were once the team furthest from their last championship, For a long time, their last championship date back to 1908, which was the 34th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, so some fans nicknamed them the "Guangxu Bears". It was not until 2016, 108 years later, that the Cubs won the World Series again. 108 years is enough time for several generations, but the long wait is still worth it, isn't it?
In 2016, the 108-year-old Cubs fan "witnessed" the Cubs championship for the second time in his life
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers also had a short-lived predecessor. In 1969, when the American League expanded, Seattle established a team called " Seattle Pilots. However, the team only existed in Seattle for one year before it declared bankruptcy. After being acquired by Bud Selig, the team moved to Milwaukee in 1970 and was renamed the Brewers. It represents Milwaukee's proud local brewing industry. At the same time, the team owned by Milwaukee in the 19th century was also named this name.
The team logo used in the history of the Brewers
Although they moved to Milwaukee in the Northeastern United States Great Lakes region, the Brewers still played in the American League West for two years , and later moved from Washington to Texas in order to serve The Brewers joined the American League East in 1972 to make room for the Rangers in Arlington. In 1994, due to division adjustment, the Brewers were assigned to the American League Central Division. Later, they were directly adjusted to the National League Central Division in 1998. They are the only teams in MLB to change leagues (the other is the Astros people).
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds, founded in 1882, are MLB's first team . Their team name also comes from socks, and in fact they are the original version of the "Red Sox". Because the players wore red stockings, the team was known as the "Cincinnati Red Stockings" from 1882 to 1889.
Like many other teams, the early name of the Redskins was limited by newspaper layout. In 1890, the team's name was changed to "Reds" , which was used until 1953. During the period from 1954 to 1958, affected by the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the team once changed its name to the "Redlegs". However, after 1959, they changed the name back to the "Reds" and still use it today.
The St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals were also founded in 1882 and were reorganized from the St. Louis Brown Stockings. In 1983, the team abbreviated the team name to "Browns" (Browns), which was used until 1898. In 1899, the team wanted to stop losing, so it changed its name to "Perfectos", and in 1900, it changed the main color of the jersey from brown to red. It was this change that prompted the "Red" The birth of "Sparrow".
Originally, the team had plans to change its name again after changing the color of its jerseys. However, since there was already a Redskins team at the time, naming became a big problem. A reporter happened to quote a female fan's evaluation of the team's uniform in a report - " What a lovely color like a red bird! " So the team was renamed the Cardinals, and the North American team changed its name to the Cardinals. The red tit has also become the team's totem.
Pittsburgh Pirates
In 1882, a baseball team was established in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. At that time, their name was called "Allegheny" (Allegheny). In 1887, the team was renamed "Pittsburgh Alleghenys" (Pittsburgh Alleghenys), a name that was used until 1890. The team was eventually renamed "Pirates" entirely because of a signing incident.
Before the 1890 season, almost the best players of the Alleghenys team joined the Pittsburgh Citizens of other leagues, but after the league went bankrupt, these players returned to the Allegheny team, along with them The well-known second baseman Lou Bierbauer at the time. But the difference is that Bill Ball previously played for the then-Philadelphia Athletics, moved across the league to join other teams, and the Athletics vigorously protested against Allegheny's practices.. Some league officials called such behavior simply "piracy." Since then, the team has been nicknamed the Pirates. In 1891, they simply adopted "Pirates" as the new team name and still use it today.
There is an interesting history behind these familiar team names. After reading these stories, have you learned more about the major league teams? Do you know the origin of the team names of which teams? Come and share with us in the comment area!
