Long Beach Baseball Club announces 6 semi-finalists in naming contest

What’s in a name? When it comes to sports, a lot. You need something fans can be proud to rally around — and spend money on, be it tickets or merch.

In an effort to ensure fans are all in, the leaders of Long Beach’s forthcoming professional baseball team are giving the city’s residents a voice in the naming process. Following a call for submissions from the public, the club has narrowed it down to six semi-finalists, which residents can cast their vote for over the next week.

Without delay, in alphabetical order, here are the names the public will cast their ballots for:

1. Coast
2. Cruisers
3. Grit
4. Groove
5. Parrots
6. Regulators

Ballots can be cast online here or at six locations around the city, including Long Beach Airport, Joe Jost’s, SteelCraft (LB), District 4 Pizza, Riley’s and ISM Brewing & Kitchen. Voting opens today and runs through 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

In an email, the Watchdog noted that there are no voting locations in North Long Beach. A club spokesperson acknowledged the oversight and, as of Thursday morning, the club said it's working to add one.

The club received 1,366 total submissions, including 530 unique names, according to club President Ena Patel. An internal panel of founders and management whittled down the list based on a number of factors, including repeat submissions, branding possibilities, originality, creativity and ties to Long Beach, Patel told the Watchdog in an interview Tuesday.

“We want to build this team with the city and with the people of Long Beach,” Patel said, adding that there are also legal challenges to contend with such as trademarks, domains and social media handle availability.

Names of past Long Beach teams, including the Breakers, Riptide and Armada, were also contenders.

“The question was, do you want to be tied to the history behind that team? Or do you want to kind of start from scratch and make your own history?” Patel said.

The Long Beach Pounders was another name that was on the cusp of the final six, Patel said, adding that the submission was “very creative” and included a logo. Ultimately, though, it did not tie in enough to Long Beach, she said.

The Regulators became a popular suggestion following last month's announcement that rapper Warren G, a Long Beach native, is now an investor in and co-owner of the team. Comment sections across social media lit up with the name suggestion.

Patel said she does have a favorite of the six but declined to say what it is, adding that she will not cast a ballot.

“It’s not about me,” she said. “We really want it to be about the city and to be able to build a brand that resonates with folks from Long Beach.”

While the popular vote will be a major aspect of choosing the name, Patel did note that the club's internal panel would again weigh the branding options and legal hurdles associated with each name. The list will then be reduced to three for a second round of voting from Oct. 22-29.

After that, the plan is to unveil the name sometime in January.

“We’re looking forward to a public brand launch, where we’ll have merch available — and hopefully everyone’s excited to wear it,” Patel said. “What we’ve learned in our research of Long Beach is people love to rep the city, so I’m hoping we can do it justice with what we come up with.”

The club will be the 13th team of the Pioneer Baseball League, which was founded in 1939 and is now one of four Major League Baseball partner leagues without MLB affiliations. The league’s season begins in May, giving the club only a few months to iron out the minor details of securing a field to play on and a team field it — both of which are in the works.

Negotiations between the club, Long Beach State and city officials for the shared use of Blair Field continue this week with at least three meetings, Patel said.

“Everyone is still really excited,” Patel said. “We’re moving full steam ahead.”

In a Sept. 3 email, club co-owner Paul Freedman told the Watchdog the field already meets many of the requirements for professional baseball but that a few million dollars worth of improvements, such as a batter’s eye (a dark-colored section of outfield wall beyond the center field fence that allows batters to better track the ball), will be needed to meet league standards.

The club is mindful of the Long Beach Dirtbags’ upcoming season, which kicks off in February, and working to determine what improvements can be completed before and what can be going on concurrently. Consultants have been brought in to work with the club on facility improvements, Patel said.

Former professional baseball player, scout, coach and manager Don Wakamatsu, who now serves as executive vice president of baseball operations for Innovation Baseball Partners, the parent company of the club, is building out the club starting with the coaching staff. Once the staff is in place, player recruitment will be next.

Patel said she does expect the club to hold open tryouts at some point.

Chase d'Arnaud, another former professional ball player, has stepped up as a special adviser for the club for player pathways and community impact. Along with his younger brother Travis, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Angels, d'Arnaud also owns and operates a baseball facility in Long Beach that Patel said she hopes will become an official training space for the club.

“[Chase] has been such a tremendous support and advocate for what we’ve been doing since the beginning,” Patel said. “He's just been and continues to be a mentor for baseball players, not just in Long Beach, but in the minor leagues baseball space in general. So he was excited to partner with us in that capacity, to continue to provide that kind of guidance and mentorship to the players on our team, and also help us integrate into the broader community.”