Go Blue Wahoos! Pcola’s New Baseball Team Gets A Name

May 24, 2011

Pensacola’s new Double-A baseball team will be named the Blue Wahoos.

The name, submitted by Shelley Yates of Pensacola, was the slight favorite among thousands of fans that cast their vote during a “Name the Team” contest.

The Blue Wahoos brand was officially welcomed to Pensacola Monday at Cordova Park Elementary School. Quint and Rishy Studer, owners of the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, Blue Wahoos President Bruce Baldwin and fifth grade students and teachers from Cordova Park Elementary School were on hand to cheer for the six finalists and ultimately the winning name.

“From the 1,700 people who submitted team names to the pep rally here today at Cordova Park Elementary School, we have all thoroughly enjoyed this whole process,” said Quint Studer. “Naming the team is one of many opportunities for our fans and community to really take ownership of their new team. If the energy and creativity we saw from fans during this contest is any indication, we are going to have a lot of fun when the Blue Wahoos begin playing in Pensacola.”

Named for the explosive way they pull out of the water, Wahoos are a tough hometown fish that mean business. Blue, while part of the fish’s color, also connects to Pensacola’s blue water, blue skies and the Blue Angels, according to the team.

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are the future Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The team will begin play in April 2012 at Maritime Park.

Pictured top: The Pensacola Blue Wahoos name is announced Monday morning during a pep rally at Cordova Park Elementary School. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

19 Responses to “Go Blue Wahoos! Pcola’s New Baseball Team Gets A Name”

  1. eab on May 27th, 2011 7:40 am

    *Polite version to escape the censors*…If you will read my post again, robert, you will see that is just what I said.

  2. robert on May 26th, 2011 9:57 am

    To eab the term you are looking for is YAHOO NOT WAHOO

  3. eab on May 26th, 2011 12:04 am

    Lauren said…”I believe I have heard that when you call someone a wahoo it is a form of calling them stupid or and idiot. just me though what do I know? LOTS lol”

    I said…I have never heard that but maybe. I was unable to find any definition on the web that said “wahoo” was a euphemism for stupid or an idiot. It’s probably out there though. Everything else is. You were most likely thinking of “yahoo” though.

    Sort of puts you in an awkward position though. I mean, calling someone else’s choice of wahoo as stupid when you were a bit confused by the meaning of the word. (chuckle)

  4. Lauren on May 25th, 2011 9:39 pm

    I believe I have heard that when you call someone a wahoo it is a form of calling them stupid or and idiot. just me though what do I know? LOTS lol

  5. Lauren on May 25th, 2011 9:37 pm

    What a stupid name but was suprised Tourist wasn’t one of the choices. lol Am sure someone thought of that though. Since the Navy is here and we depend so much on their money might call em aviators (duh)

  6. bjay on May 25th, 2011 1:37 am

    @eab- the rivalry is huge in college football but its also huge in anything between the two states. In baseball the bigger rivalry for the reds are the pirates and indians in interleague. We (Reds) dont get to play the tigers often but when we do we hate them. lol

  7. Vance on May 24th, 2011 6:04 pm

    I’ve seen a couple of double A games in Montgomery and have enjoyed some great baseball. Also got to see Evan Longoria from Tampa Bay during his rehab blast a couple of homers. This is going to be great for Pensacola.

  8. jpad on May 24th, 2011 4:23 pm

    why would you name a double a team with a name like that . who do you think is going to want to play on that team………..so dorky

  9. eab on May 24th, 2011 4:14 pm

    I see from the last couple of posts that the flamers can even find something to get angry about in a story about a minor league baseball team’s nickname.

    Fortunately, our friend Rick put things in perspective when he said…”I am ashamed that I did not vote on one hand, but glad I did not on the other.” Thanks for clearing that up, Rick.

    Bjay….I guess I shoulda figured that out but thanks for the info. I think of that as a college football rivalry not being from the area (or following football very closely). Is there much of a rivalry between the Reds and the Tigers now that the bigs have inter league play?

    Excited….You are dead on with your comment about the skill level between AA and whatever the Pelicans were. Low A? I’m really not sure, I just happened to catch some well played games and really had a good time watching them. I can’t help but wonder if the new digs and new level might hurt their fan friendly approach. I felt that the Pels were definitely good ambassadors for the game of baseball.

  10. Rick on May 24th, 2011 3:55 pm

    We might well have chosen “Village Idiots” for their name……wait……..how about the “dingleberrys”, “class clowns”, “flaming morons”…………….or even the “azure suckers” or the “cobalt goggleeyes”, “glauoucs groupers”, “periwinkle perch”, “indigo cottonfish”, ……OR EVEN THE “ROYAL BLUE RED SNAPPERS”…………..those are shades of blue and types of fish. It scares me to think that our populous actually chose that as the name for this team. I am ashamed that I did not vote on one hand, but glad I did not on the other. That would be worse than people thinking I voted for Obama.

  11. daechap on May 24th, 2011 1:59 pm

    How long before they file for bankruptcy?

  12. KB on May 24th, 2011 12:16 pm

    I am very excited to have real minor league baseball in Pensacola. We are counting the days until next April and the opening of our new park. As far as the name goes, it sounds like minor league ball to me. Many of the minor league teams have quirky names that symbolize the local culture. Thanks you Mr Studer for bringing us the real deal, cannot wait!!!

  13. Excited on May 24th, 2011 11:20 am

    This new team is not just “a couple of cuts above the Pelicans”. This minor league team is actually affiliated with a major league team, unlike the Pelicans. The skill level of this AA team will be far better, and these guys actually have the potential to make it to the majors.

    Also, minor league team’s names don’t have to have anything to do with their major league affiliate. It should be a reflection of the hometown they’re in.

    I’m excited to see some real baseball!!

  14. Dave on May 24th, 2011 11:04 am

    Worse name ever. I thought this was a joke article at first.

  15. David Huie Green on May 24th, 2011 10:43 am

    Me not care, but think the name is too close to “wazoo” for comfort.

  16. eab on May 24th, 2011 9:13 am

    As a baseball fan, I am glad we are getting the upgrade to AA ball. It’s a couple of cuts above the skill level the Pelicans had. As far as the ballpark goes, I haven’t really kept up with the politics of the whole thing but I don’t get why downtown on the waterfront is a bad place for a ballpark.A number of major league parks are located on or near water and several are in or near downtown. What’s the issue with that?

    I do wish the park was closer to us so I wouldn’t have to travel so far to see a game. I hope as well that the new team will keep some of the flavor of the Pelicans like meeting the fans on the field after the game. That was a nice touch that I have never seen any other pro team do.

    I also gotta agree with Bjay that just plain “Wahoos” would have sounded better. I’ll bet that’s what most folks will call them anyway. Although I couldn’t have told you what Ohio’s rival state is. Still can’t.

  17. BOGIAN on May 24th, 2011 7:02 am

    When I heard that Pensacola was getting a double A team, I was really excited (and I don’t even like baseball). I was even more excited when I heard they needed a new name, that is, I was excited until I heard that people were going to be voting on it. It seems like whenever folks in Escambia county get to vote for something we wind up with some underqualified idiot giving a victory speech when the votes are tallied… This situation produced a similar result. Part of the charm of minor league baseball is picking a team name that really represents the area, while at the same time having some fun with it. The voters really dropped the ball on this one by not going with “The Mullets”. The team would have sold tons more merchandise to baseball fans, tourists, and people like me who can’t stand baseball or the idea that I’ll be helping to finance this ridiculous park right downtown. I was going to pick up a hat or something, but now that the ownership got stuck with this ridiculous name, I have no interest at all. To me, they will be the Pensacola “Whatevers” and that is kind of a shame.

  18. 06FLSTCI on May 24th, 2011 6:29 am

    Stupid name. Stupid location for ballpark!

  19. Bjay on May 24th, 2011 1:10 am

    This is wrong on so many levels. First its just a stupid name. Second its a REDS team named BLUE. Third the Reds are an ohio team and we name them the color of Ohio’s rival state who they hate. I realize none of you are from Ohio but I am and they will not happy about this. Just name them the wahoos.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports