Many sports fans across the Texas Panhandle were left scratching their heads on Wednesday, while others erupted in outrage, as the five finalists for the name of Amarillo’s new baseball team were announced.
The five finalists are: The Amarillo Boot Scoters, the Amarillo Bronc Busters, the Amarillo Jerky, the Amarillo Long Haulers, and the Amarillo Sod Poodles.
In an editorial, The Amarillo Globe-News asked, “Can we go with none of the above?” further concluding, “Amarillo can do better.”
Local author and baseball fan Jason Boyett, host of the popular Hey Amarillo podcast, agreed, saying, “I hope [the names are] a joke. If not, I am already embarrassed. We have to get this right.”
Boyett has created a petition asking Amarillo Professional Baseball to “go back to the drawing board and choose five better finalist options.”
As of late Wednesday night, the petition had already garnered 5,000 signatures.
In a statement, Tony Ensor, president and general manager of Amarillo Professional Baseball, said these five names were the best of the 3,000 submitted entries.