A new baseball team is coming to Modesto, and the community has been invited to help choose its name. The Pioneer Baseball League’s expansion club launched a contest on Oct. 8, allowing anyone to submit suggestions for the team’s new identity.
The contest is sponsored by Cost Less Foods, a company based in Stanislaus County. The first phase will accept submissions until Friday, with one restriction: entries cannot include “The Nuts.” Suggestions can be submitted online and will be reviewed by team owner Dave Heller and city officials.
Once all submissions are received, five or six names will be selected as finalists and announced on Oct. 20. On the following day, these names will be presented in a poll published by The Bee for public voting. The final name will be revealed at a press conference scheduled for Nov. 10.
“This is really why I want the community to engage in a dialogue with the team. I want to hear what the community has to say, I want to hear what the community wants, and I’m a big believer in giving people what they want,” Heller said.
Some possible names mentioned so far include “Lowriders,” “Cruisers,” “Heat,” “Force” and “Dusters,” according to a video posted on modestobaseballclub.com.
Naming contests have played a role in professional sports history before; for example, Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners were named through such a contest after receiving about 15,000 entries in 1977.
The Modesto Nuts previously played their last game at John Thurman Field this September after lease talks with the city failed. Shortly afterward, Modesto’s City Council unanimously approved a new lease agreement with Main Street Baseball LLC—led by Heller—for use of Thurman Field.
Heller expressed his commitment to keeping the new team connected to Modesto: “As long as I own the team and I’m breathing, it will never leave Modesto.” He also emphasized that he wants this club to stand apart from its predecessor: “completely different in every way” from The Nuts. Heller said team colors would reflect this difference too—promising they would be bright and colorful instead of muted tones used before.
