Links

We don like the name Yard Goats but maybe we get used to it

A goat named Fancy Pants was on hand Wednesday for the announcement that Hartford’s new ball club will be called the Hartford Yard Goats. (Michael McAndrews / Hartford Courant)

By Editorial contact the reporter

New Britain Rock Cats Editorial: Yard Goats for the birds

To borrow a baseball phrase, the name Yard Goats goes 0 for 4: It has nothing to do with baseball, it has nothing to do with Hartford, it has nothing to do with the name of its parent club and it isn’t terribly clever.

Data DeskFrom The Sand Gnats To The Lugnuts, Minor League Baseball Team Names Are Quirky And LocalSee all related8 We didn’t like the name Rock Cats very much, either. We didn’t know when we had it good.

When A Goat Is Not A Goat? I was a little surprised to see Yard Goats selected as the name for Hartford’s baseballteam [March 19, Page 1, “Yard Goats? All Aboard”]. I have always been a big fan of trains and cheap jerseys shop baseball, but in sports, if a particular player plays badly at a critical time and loses the game for the team, he.

I was a little surprised to see Yard Goats selected as the name for Hartford’s baseballteam [March 19, Page 1, “Yard Goats? All Aboard”]. I have always been a big fan of trains and baseball, but in sports, if a particular player plays badly at a critical time and loses the game for the team, he.

Read the story

The New Britain Rock Cats, Double A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, will indeed become the Hartford Yard Goats when the team moves to Hartford next year. The name was selected by a name the team contest that drew close to 6,000 entries and seems part of a trend toward goofy and quirky names for minor league teams. (The other finalists were Hedgehogs, Praying Mantis, River Hogs and Whirlybirds.) Quirky is fine, but you want to be quirky and local.

The local connection with Yard Goats is supposedly this: It is a term for a work engine in a railroad switching yard and is a reference to Hartford’s “rich railroad history.” It is more a middling railroad history. And if you have to explain the joke, it isn’t funny.

Also, a goat in baseball is the guy who just blew the play (see: Buckner, Bill). Someone on social media wondered if the naming was voluntary.

But perhaps there’s marketing genius at work here. Like it or not, and there are a lot of nots, everyone is talking about it. It should have a certain appeal to children, who often are the instigators of trips to the ballpark. The name does have fans, per social media, who can’t wait to buy the T shirt.

Also, the fellow who submitted the winning name, Anthony Castora, a 1998 UConn graduate who lives in northern New Jersey, won two tickets for life and plans to donate them to a charity. Good man.

Perhaps the mild embarrassment will pass and we’ll get used to the new moniker. The product is more important than the title. Edition Advertising Real Estate Autos Jobs Work Shop Classifieds Autos Auto Deals Find A Job List A Job Jobs Work Real Estate Place An Ad Local Business Ad Options Check Listings Obituaries Place An Obit Reminder Ads Sell Your Car Sell Your Home For Sale By Ow Pets Connecticut Breaking News Weather Traffic Politics Nation World Health Education Photos Video Data Desk Courant 250th Health Connect Brand Extra Public Notices Noticias Lottery CitylineOversightEye ContactThe ScoopCapitol WatchThe Day In PicturesMugs In The NewsGalleries Video Eye Contact Buy A Photo All Towns Submit News Town Heroes Reminder News Avon Berlin Bloomfield Bristol Canton East Hartford Enfield Farmington Glastonbury Hartford Manchester Middletown New Britain Newington Plainville Rocky Hill Simsbury Southington South Windsor Vernon West Hartford Wethersfield Windsor Breaking UConn Men Men Insider UConn Women Women Insider UConn Football FB Insider High Schools College UConn Huskies CT Sun NFL MLB NBA Hockey Wolf Pack Golf More Sports Stats Scores TV Schedule UConn MenUConn WomenUConn FootballJeff JacobsBreaking Autos Real Estate Smarter Living Success Find A Job Jobs Work Top Workplaces Local Business Local Ads The Haar ReportProperty LineInsurance CapitalThe Bottom LineWho’s Climbing CT’s Career Ladder?Main StreetBreaking Capitol Watch Education National Jon LenderOpinion Editorials Insight Letters Cartoons Op Ed Columnists Features Healthy Living Success Food Travel Travel Extra Parenting Home Garden Pets Obituaries Horoscopes Comics Games Crossword Deals Lottery Health Connect Brand Extra Too SheaSavvy ShopperJavaMommy MinuteThe Bottom LineDeal wholesale jerseys Of The DayArts/Theater CTNOW Food Drink Movies Music Celebrity Television Travel Travel Extra Games JavaA wholesale nhl jerseys La CarteBehind The CurtainSound CheckArt SmartThings To Do In ConnecticutTV ListingsNews Sports Photos Coupons Classifieds Place An Ad Cars Jobs Good Neighbor Speak Out Contact Us Advertisers Home Cover Stories Best Of Food Drink People Fashion Family Fun Features Healthy Living Home Living Travel Upfront Weddings Town Spotlight Where To Buy Subscribe Contact Us Home wholesale cheap nfl jerseys Cover Stories Best Of Food Drink People Fashion Family Fun Features Healthy Living Home Living Travel Upfront Weddings Town Spotlight Where to buy Subscribe Contact Us Site Map Tour The Site Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms: Update About Our Ads Advertising Subscribe Our Mission Courant 250 FAQ Digital Plus Place An Ad Ad Options Media Kit 435 Digital Local Business About Our Ads Buy A Home Sell Your Home Rentals For Sale By Ow Home Garden New Car Specia Used Car Speci Courant Store Local Ads Local Business Back Issues Keepsake Pages Buy A Photo Subscribe Gift Subscribe Membership Search Archive SaveNowCT Travel Deals Savvy ShopperArticles Connexes：