Sleuths try to crack mystery of new Schaumburg team name
No one likes to leave an unsolved mystery alone.
And so when it comes to the name of Schaumburg's new professional baseball team, we're hoping to crack the case.
Sure, the identity of Patrick Salvi's ballclub will be revealed at a launch party Tuesday evening at the former Alexian Field — the stadium also in need of a new name — but we just couldn't wait.
We weren't starting from scratch, though. Salvi did give us a few intriguing clues, such as that the name is related to an indigenous animal that could easily be a mascot ... but whose present use by any other sports team is “very unlikely.”
And so our animal analysts, fauna flatfoots and pet detectives got down to work.
One early piece of evidence is the name of Salvi's existing team — the Gary Southshore Railcats, named for the stray cats along the railroad tracks.
Familiarity with the Schaumburg area produced such possibilities as the Coyotes, Raccoons, Jackrabbits, Stags and Possums (the team pretends to struggle until late in the season?).
Several sleuths were confident about the relevance of their rodent-based suggestions: the alliterative value of the Schaumburg Shrews; the uniform ideas inspired by the Striped Gophers or Striped Skunks; the baseball tie-in of the Big Brown Bats or the Field Mice; and the Woodfield reference inherent in the Mall Rats.
Others, too, felt sure about a Woodfield connection in their suggestion of the Maulers, though Bearon — the mascot of the former Schaumburg Flyers — was a much friendlier type of bear.
Concentration on Salvi's use of the word “indigenous” suggested the Schaumburg Monarchs (Illinois' state butterfly), the Squirrels, the Box Turtles and — the most esoteric choice of all — the Tobacco Hornworm Moths (as listed on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website)!
The Rat Snakes seem an ideal choice to strike fear in the hearts of those pesky Railcats, and cultivate a non-cuddly team persona.
Ah, well. All will be revealed during the invitation-only party at the ballpark Tuesday. While the mascot costume probably won't be ready by then, the logo will be, team officials said.
Our best guess: We're going with the Schaumburg Bats.
#376; Want to get in on the guessing game? Give us your suggestions by commenting on this story at dailyherald.com.