Mistaken Identity in the Minors

As is often the case these days, it all started with a tweet. I posed a redundantly worded question:

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Minor League teams across the nation rushed to respond in the affirmative. In an accompanying MiLB.com article, I provide more detail on three of the oft-confused teams in question — the Asheville Tourists, Harrisburg Senators and West Virginia Power.

Read my MiLB.com story

But here on the blog, there’s room for everyone.

What follows is a compendium of confusion, showcasing the myriad ways in which Minor League teams are assumed to be entities they most definitely are not.

Most commonly, teams are mistaken for other businesses and organizations. It happens to the Omaha Storm Chasers so frequently that they address the issue in their Twitter profile.

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The Storm Chasers represent the tip of this iceberg of befuddlement. Other examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

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I’m not sure if the Tortugas are serious here or if they are being facetious.

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Nate March, Bradenton Marauders broadcaster, is almost certainly being facetious.

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This sounds like a more likely scenario for the Marauders, who play in Pittsburgh’s Pirate City complex.

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The Dunedin Blue Jays can relate to stadium name mix-ups.

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As can the Memphis Redbirds.

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Speaking of car parts…

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The Helena Brewers are rare, in that they are named after their parent club and still get confused with local businesses.

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In Louisville’s case, it’s easy to see why people could be confused.

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Like a bus not making any stops, the tweets just kept going.

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That’s not the only case of mistaken identity for the Frederick Keys. Maybe Fred Key is a locksmith?

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And then there are the Modesto Nuts, who didn’t know where to begin. Therefore, they didn’t.

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A saner, less thorough person would end this blog post now. But I am not that person. I haven’t even gotten to one of the most common categories of confusion, which I will do my best to shed some light on.

Your local Minor League team is unable to process your utility bills, even if the name of their stadium seems to suggest otherwise.

The West Virginia Power (profiled in my aforementioned MiLB.com article) play in Appalachian Power Park and thus are a double whammy of confusion.

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There’s plenty more where that came from:

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And then there are the Lexington Legends, who can not help you if you are looking to make a withdrawal.

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Finally, there’s this:

Minor League Baseball teams are often confused for other professional sports franchises.

The Clippers made this point via a sick burn.

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The Boise Hawks can relate.

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Basketball bewilderment doesn’t end in Boise.

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Nor does it end in Hillsboro.

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The Rochester Red Wings confuse people on two fronts: Hockey and location.

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This one’s pretty weird.

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The Wilmington Blue Rocks, who play in Delaware, are often confused with the summer collegiate Wilmington Sharks, who play in North Carolina.

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In some cases, Minor League Baseball teams are confused for other Minor League Baseball teams.

Remember, the two Green(e)villes are separate entities. Greeneville, Tennessee plays in the Appalachian League. Greenville, South Carolina hosts a team in the South Atlantic League.

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Also confusing is that there are two Minor League teams which have the geographical designation of Tri-City.

The Tri-City ValleyCats play in New York, representing Albany, Troy and Schenectady. The Tri-City Dust Devils play in Washington, representing Pasco, Richland and Kennewick.

Erik the Peanut Guy is employed by the Dust Devils.

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And me? I’m Ben Hill, a Minor League Baseball writer. Please don’t confuse me with this guy.

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Also, a special thanks to Brad Friedman for initially suggesting Minor League mistaken identities as an article topic.

benjamin.hill@mlb.com

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