By Matt McCarthy, 985TheSportsHub.com
When the Pawtucket Red Sox move north on Route 146 to Worcester in 2021, they will keep the Red Sox nickname and will brand themselves as the WooSox.
But there were other options on the table.
According to the organization, more than 1,000 people suggested nicknames for the franchise as they prepare to set up roots in New England’s second-largest city. In total, there were over 200 ideas floated by the public for a team name.
Here are the 217 names that were considered, according to The Boston Globe:
- Americans
- Aviators
- BaySox
- Beaneaters
- Bear Sox
- Bears
- Birds
- Black Sox
- Black Stones
- Blacksmiths
- Blast
- Blue Fins
- Bottle Rockets
- Bravehearts
- Brown Sox
- Canal Diggers
- Canal Rats
- Canal Sox
- Canalians
- Canaligators
- Canallers
- Candlepins
- Cannons
- Carmine Hose
- Carmines
- Central Sox
- Chowdaheads
- Claws
- Cods
- Coney Islanders
- Continentals
- Counts
- Crew
- Crewmen
- Damage
- Daredevils
- Deckers
- Defectors
- Diamonds
- Diggers
- Diners
- Dinosaurs
- Dirt Dogs
- Doctors
- Duck Boats
- Ducks
- Engineers
- Express
- Fighting Leafs
- Fighting Lobsters
- Fire
- Fire Sox
- Firefighters
- Forgers
- Freeze
- Gondoliers
- Green Bananas
- Green Monsters
- Green Sox
- Grinders
- Gritty Kitties
- Hammers
- Heart Breakers
- Heart Sox
- Hearts
- Heroes
- Hill Sox
- Hillsiders
- Hilltoppers
- Holy Sox
- Hot Sox
- Hot Weiners
- Hubcaps
- HubSox
- Ice Bears
- Ice Caps
- Ice Sox
- Infield Sox
- Innovators
- Iron Forgers
- Ironmen
- Islanders
- Jesters
- King Pins
- Kings
- Knights
- Llamas
- Locks
- Love
- Lox
- Machine
- Mass Pikers
- Mass Sox
- Masses
- Massholes
- Mechanics
- Med Sox
- Militia
- Millers
- MiniSox
- Minutemen
- Monkey Sox
- Monkey Wrenches
- Monsters
- Mudville 9
- Night Crawlers
- Night Owls
- Nine
- Nipmucs
- Nor’ Easters
- O’ Sox
- Orcas
- Orson Sox
- Osos Polares
- Outlaws
- Owls
- PawSox
- Perfect Curvers
- Perfectors
- Perfectos
- Pikes
- Pilots
- Pins
- Pioneers
- PI’s
- Polar Bears
- Polar Express
- Polar Sox
- PolSox
- Pride
- Pulse
- Raging Rockets
- Red Booties
- Red Fox
- Red Hearts
- Red Richmonds
- Red Stockings
- Rem Dawgs
- Revolution
- Righteous Rebels
- Rise
- Rocket Sox
- RocketMen
- Rockets
- Rooster Sox
- Roosters
- Royal Valentines
- Royals
- Ruby Hearts
- Ruby Legs
- Ruby Reds
- Ruby Sox
- Ruby WooSox
- Seven Hills Sox
- Shears
- Shires
- Silkworms
- Smiles
- Smiley Faces
- Smileys
- Soul Sox
- Space Cowboys
- Spies
- Splendid Splinters
- Splendids
- Splinters
- Spys
- States
- Storm
- TableTalk Sox
- Tornadoes
- Triple Deckers
- Turbine
- Turncoats
- Turtle Boys
- Twistahs
- Valentines
- Vikings
- Volunteers
- Walleyes
- Wallops
- Warlocks
- Warriors
- WarSox
- Waybacks
- Werewolves
- Whalers
- Whirlwinds
- Whistlers
- White Sharks
- Wicked Awesomes
- Wicked Coolers
- Wicked Rockets
- Wicked Worms
- Wild
- Wildcats
- Wildlings
- WildSox
- Wind
- Winners
- Winter Worms
- Winters
- Wire
- Wista Twistas
- WistaSox
- Wizards
- Wonderdogs
- Wonders
- Wool Sox
- WooPeckers
- WooSox
- WooStirs
- Worm Sox
- Worms
- WorSox
- Wrenches
- 351s
The WooSox will become the third minor league sports team in Worcester. The city already has the Worcester Railers hockey team, the ECHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, and the Massachusetts Pirates, an arena league football team. Worcester previously was home to two AHL hockey teams, the Ice Cats and the Sharks.
Construction on the 10,000-seat Polar Park, the new $100 million home of the WooSox, is underway near Worcester’s Kelley Square. The state is planning to redesign the notoriously complex intersection as part of the ballpark project.
You can hear Matt McCarthy on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s own Hardcore Baseball podcast and on various 98.5 The Sports Hub programs. Follow him on Twitter @MattMcCarthy985.