The New Hampshire Fisher Cats hold their home opener tonight in Manchester. It's the 10th season of a team that was originally supposed to be called The New Hampshire Primaries. That plan changed dramatically thanks to a group of vocal and mobilized Granite Staters. To remind us what happened, we talk with Vin Sylvia, the deputy managing editor for sports at the New Hampshire Union Leader. Ironically, the current name was selected through a democratic process not unlike the actual Primaries.
Here are some of the strange names that were nominated for voting in 2003.
- New Hampshire Kung Fu Chickens
- Granite State Foliage
- Manchester Mill Monsters
- Manchester Mill Rats
- Manchester Mighty Macs
- Manchester Mill Dawgs
- Manchester Hobos
To hear more suggestions that were made at that time, listen to a vintage episode of The Exchange (with retro theme song) called Name That Team! below.
Here's another two-way interview by host Sally Hirsh-Dickinson after the Fisher Cats name won its election.
