Letter to the Editor: How about Ice Cutters, Germans, Eels, Red Foxes or Dogwoods for new baseball team name?

I’m very excited about Quincy getting a new Prospect League baseball team, and I immediately started brainstorming names for the squad. Here’s what my family has come up with so far, in no particular order.

Ice Cutters: Before machines could make it, much of the ice used to store food and cool drinks throughout the United States was taken from Quincy Bay. Every winter, more than 1,500 men were employed by cutting slabs of ice out of the river. This would be a great way to remember these men whose hard work helped build Quincy.

Germans: We could honor Quincy’s proud German heritage with this nickname. Every game could be a tiny Octoberfest. Germans too bland? How about the Bavarians, the Brats, the Schnitzels, the Pretzels or the Beers?

Eels: What name could be more unique than these squirmy, fearsome river dwellers? Eels are a great mascot for any team on the Mississippi River, this team would get an extra bite because Dr. Richard Eells was Quincy’s most famous supporter of the Underground Railroad.

Red Foxes: My children’s choice because they love foxes and red. Foxes are clever, crafty, fearless and cute. I love the idea of tying this in with the German heritage and making the mascot a little Bavarian fox like Reynard, the old Bevo mascot. Plus, at every Red Foxes game, in honor of Redd Foxx, you’d get to play the “Sanford and Son” theme composed by the great Quincy Jones.

Eloquents: John Quincy Adams, our town and county’s namesake, was called Old Man Eloquent by younger men in Congress. Eloquents has a nice, old-timey baseball feel and would nod at the history of the great speakers and debaters who have come through our town. 

Forgottens: There was a time when our part of the state seemed completely ignored. Keep the Forgottonia movement alive with this name. One thing is certain: everyone will remember this name.

Calfs: Who says we’re a cow town? We’ve got growing to do. We love beef, we love cheese, we love ice cream and many of us enjoy it in Calftown. Why not just buy the farm already?

Dogwoods: Nothing goes together like baseball and the beginning of summer, and it isn’t summer in Quincy until we’ve had the Dogwood Festival. Though maybe not as grand as it once was, the dogwood blooms are just as beautiful, and the trees are as resilient as the town’s spirit.

Thanks so much for bringing baseball back. We are all very excited. 

Brian Stitt
Quincy, Illinois