If you're a baseball fan, you know these names by heart. But you probably don't know where they came from. Here are the stories behind some famous names.
Los Angeles Dodgers. Formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 1890. Brooklyn had hundreds of trolleys zig-zagging through its streets, and pedestrians were constantly scurrying out of their way. That's why their baseball team was called the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers (later shortened to Dodgers). The team moved to LA. in 1958.
Houston Astros. Formed in 1961, they were originally called the Colt .45s, after the famous gun. But by 1965, when their new stadium opened, Houston had become famous as the home of NASA's Mission Control. Both the stadium (Astrodome) and the team were named in honor of America's astronauts.
Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1876, they were known as the Alleghenies (after the neighboring Allegheny River). But in the 1890s, they earned a new nickname—the Pirates—when they stole a few players from a rival Philadelphia baseball club.
San Francisco Giants. The New York Gothams baseball club were fighting for a National League championship in 1886. After one particularly stunning victory, their manager proudly addressed them as "My big fellows, my giants." The name stuck. The New York Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958.
Cleveland Indians. From 1869 to 1912, the Cleveland baseball team had five different names—including the Forest Citys, the Naps, and the Spiders. Then in 1913 a popular player named Luis Francis Sockalexis died. He had been the first American Indian ever to play pro baseball and the team was renamed in his honor.
Chicago Cubs. Apparently they had no official nickname at the turn of the century (although they were informally called the Colts and the Orphans). Then, in 1902, a sportswriter dubbed them "the Cubs" because it was short enough to fit into a newspaper headline. The name caught on, and 5 years later the team officially adopted it.
Cincinnati Reds. Formed in 1869, the team was originally called the Red Stockings. Later, they were known as the Reds—until the early '50s, when McCarthyism was rampant. No one wanted to be called a "Red" then—it sounded too much like "Commie." So the team actually made an official name change, to Redlegs. When the patriotic panic died down, they quietly switched back to Reds.
Detroit Tigers. Legend says that the Detroit Creams (the cream of the baseball crop) became the Tigers in 1896, when their manager decided their black and brown striped socks reminded him of tiger stripes.
Montreal Expos. The Canadian city was awarded a baseball franchise in 1968, partly because its 1967 World's Fair—called Expo '67—had been successful. The team was named in honor of the event.
New York Yankees. They were first called the Highlanders or Hilltoppers, because their ballfield was located at the highest point in the city. Again, sportswriters got fed up trying to fit the names into headlines. So in 1909, a newsman arbitrarily called them Yankees—patriotic slang for "Americans." After World War I, when jingoistic fervor was rampant ("The Yanks are coming"), the team officially became the Yankees.
Baltimore Orioles. Were named for the Maryland state bird in the early 1900s.
Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays. All 5 are expansion teams. All 5 got their names in public "name-our-new-team" contests. The Padres, although formed in 1969, got their name in 1935. The original contest was held to name a minor league team. Thirty-four years later, San Diego was awarded a major league franchise, and the new ballclub adopted the old name.
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