In defense of “Hub City Spartanburgers"

Kathy and I were among the thousands who turned out for Saturday night’s block party name reveal for Spartanburg’s new minor league baseball team that begins play next spring in a now under construction downtown stadium complex. There has been a lot of interest and speculation about what the team name would be.

I mentioned to Kathy and others that announcing the name in front of thousands was some combination of brave and taking a chance, because there was no way any name was going to please everybody. I predicted that no matter what was announced, probably about a fourth of the crowd would be excited about the name, another fourth would hate it, and maybe half would be somewhere in the middle.

That’s about the way it played out when “Hub City Spartanburgers” appeared on the big screen. There was some cheering, some booing, and a lot of “OK - so that’s the name.” “Hub City” has long been one of several nicknames for Spartanburg because of it’s history as a major southeast railroad hub. The name “Spartanburgers” was used a few summers ago for a short-lived college developmental team here and was both loved and ridiculed, depending on who you talked to.

Standing near us Saturday night was one man who was livid at the choice of names. He continued to express his displeasure as the rest of his family looked on as if trying to figure out what his problem was. He looked like he was ready to place a take-out order on whoever cooked up such a terrible tasting name. (Let the delicious Spartanburger puns begin!)

Since then, social media has dished out complaining-a-plenty about the name. “Embarassing.” (Seriously?) “Redneck.” “Is this the best we could do?” Someone was sure that the Spartanburger name was the reason the college team failed. Someone asked how you can take a team seriously when their mascot is a hamburger? (As a South Carolina fan I’ve somehow managed to pull for a team whose mascot is an angry chicken, portrayed at games by somebody dressed up as a cartoon chicken.) “The name is a joke!”

Yes! The name is a joke! And a somewhat clever one making good use of our city’s name. Jokes are fun. People pay good money and fill arenas to hear good jokes, have fun, and be entertained. Nate Bargatze has become a millionaire making fun of himself.

Minor league baseball teams throughout the country have figured out that people want to have fun and be entertained. Why does everything have to be so serious? Minor league teams used to just simply take on the name of their big-league parent team. In recent years they have abandoned those names in droves in favor of creative, quirky, and even laughable labels that often play up their local flavor. I loved the Spartanburg Phillies as a kid, but not because of the name. Some have posted that we should now just be the Spartanburg Rangers (ala Texas Rangers). Where’s the fun in that name?

Savannah, GA used to have a minor league team in the South Atlantic League called the Savannah Cardinals (ala St. Louis) that later was renamed the Sand Gnats. When the Sand Gnats departed for Columbia, SC (Fireflies), the city had to settle for a college developmental team with the ridiculous, embarrassing, redneck, awful, can’t-take-them serious, joke name “Savannah Bananas.” Long story short, in a few years the Savannah Bananas became an amazing success, outgrew their local league, and are now a national phenomenon packing stadiums all over the country. There was much more to their popularity than just the name, but a funny joke name at least didn’t hurt them and in all likelihood was a huge part of their success.

Below I’ve listed the Top Ten minor league baseball teams according to MLB.com along with some other notable top names according to sources like Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sporting News, etc. The trend is obvious. I’ll go ahead and predict that “Hub City Spartanburgers” will soon be joining such lists, bringing national attention and fans to our fair city. Deluxe plates of burger puns should give sports writers and sportcasters (I’ve been both) plenty to feast on when writing and talking about games in downtown Spartanburg.

I’m not worried about people laughing at us. I’m looking forward to people laughing with us.

Yes, there were some boos and disappointment at the name reveal, but there were also hundreds of people lined up at the large merchandise tent with an appetite for a Hub City Spartanburger to-go order. As soon as the announcement was made, I let our out-of-town grown children and grandchildren know the name. It was met with cheers. They immediately wanted Spartanburger hats, but we unfortunately didn’t have probably a couple of hours to stand in line with others who got and appreciated the “joke.” Hopefully we’ll get some Hub City Spartanburger swag soon that will be worn with a smile and noticed by many others in Greenville, Nashville, and St Louis.

I don’t know who made the decision to go with the quirky, laughable name. They had to know there would be eyerolls and backlash. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Their willingness to not play it safe and go with a name that has enormous marketing potential leads me to believe that somebody in the kitchen knows what they are doing.

Everyone’s taste is different, and that’s fine. Serving up Spartanburgers may be too rare for some, but I hope and believe that with a little time to age, it might be recognized as a well done choice.

MLB.com TOP TEN MINOR LEAGUE NAMES

10. Richmond Flying Squirrel

9. Lehigh Valley IronPigs

8. Binghamton Rumble Ponies

7. Albuquerque Isotopes

6. Batavia Muckdogs

5. Lansing Lugnuts

4. Biloxi Shuckers

3. Fort Wayne TinCaps

2. Hartford Yard Goats

1. Montgomery Biscuits

OTHER "BEST" MINOR LEAGUE NAMES FROM MAJOR SOURCES

Akron Rubber Ducks

Green Bay Booyah

Portland Pickles

Traverse City Pit Spitters

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Vermont Lake Monsters

Amarillo Sod Poodles

Rocket City Trash Pandas

Toledo Mud Hens

Shoes, people, and a chance to change

Several decades ago, I tried a different pair of running shoes as an alternative to my Nike Pegasus. My evaluation of my new Brooks shoes was that they were the worst running shoes I had ever worn, and I vowed that I would never buy another pair.

In the past couple of years, I’ve been hearing good things about Brooks. In fact, they’ve been named “top running shoe” by a number of prominent sources. Most of the reviews I’ve read about them have been excellent. A good friend posted a while back that he had gotten a new pair of Brooks and raved about them. I called Randy and told him about my previous experience with Brooks, and he assured me that the various pairs he had tried were the best he’d ever worn.

In spite of my strong conviction that I would never buy another pair, I decided to give them another chance. I’m a careful, frugal shopper and never pay anywhere near full price for running shoes, so it took me a while to find what I wanted at a sufficiently discounted sale price. Toward the end of the summer, I ordered a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 19 shoes (which had been replaced by GTS 20). On my first run I posted: “Fastest 4 mile run of the summer. Not sure if it’s because of the new running shoes or because I ate a piece of Kathy’s birthday cake right before running.”

The shoes weren’t really revolutionary, but felt good and ran well. I don’t know that I liked them better than my Nike Air Pegasus (which I also continue to wear), but I looked forward to seeing how they stood the test of time. Five-and-a-half months later, they’re holding up well. I won’t hesitate to buy another on-sale pair (which should be coming since GTS 20 has been replaced by GTS 21).

On that first run and some subsequent runs, I’ve been glad that shoe companies can change and get significantly better over time. I’m glad I gave them a chance. As I’ve thought about that, I’ve thought about some of the people I knew in much younger years, especially junior high and school. Some of the ones that could have been candidates to be voted “Most Likely To Wind Up in Jail” instead wound up as ministers and missionaries. For many others the change isn’t that dramatic, but it has been encouraging over the years to see so many made significant changes in their lives. Even if they didn’t start their run that way, they (hopefully we) have become people who love the Lord their God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and love their neighbors as they love themselves.

We may discover that shoe companies can change if we give them a chance. Thankfully, so can people. Give them a chance.

Ok, that is where this post was going to end. But as I was writing it, I looked into the history of Brooks running shoes. I was surprised to see that back in the day when I considered them the worst running shoes I’d ever tried, even then they were actually highly rated and regarded by many experts as the best. Maybe I got a bad pair. It happens. Maybe they just weren’t what I wanted. It happens. Maybe they really WERE horrible and I was the only one smart enough… never mind. My opinion was certainly sincere and valid, but as for evaluating a whole shoe company … maybe I was wrong. It happens.

Not a bad place to start some of our own changes.

Be still and listen

Grandsons Jim and Liam love for me to play hide and seek with them. We played today for much of the afternoon. Finding them is never hard even when they are well hidden. It is totally against their nature to ever stop talking, so all I ever have to do is be still and listen.

 That’s a pretty good starting strategy for more than just grandsons.

A non-political comment on politics and priorities

Election Day 2016. In my whole life, I can’t remember more people being more ready to get to this day. Not because very many of us are excited about finally getting to vote for our candidate(s), but simply because we want this campaign to end. Unfortunately I fear the election won’t put an end to all the negative rhetoric that has plagued the nation for more than a year.

For various reasons, I’ve made no effort to publicly try to convince anyone to vote for one candidate or another, or even to vote at all. That’s a personal choice. Many have tried to influence others, and that’s not inherently a bad thing. In fact, intelligent, well-informed, civil exchanges of thoughts in appropriate ways and proper settings is a very good thing.

To say this election is important is a vast understatement. There are issues and policies at stake that effect all of us (and others) tremendously right now and even for generations to come. I am as concerned as anybody about where our country and world are and where we are going. As painful as it has been, I think I’m about as informed as reasonably possible on all the candidates, options, scenarios, and everything that is at stake.

But beyond all the political, legal, and moral issues, I have other concerns. These concerns stem from being a citizen not just of the United States or even the world, but of a much larger kingdom. Being a Christian definitely shapes my political views, but I think it’s vital that our vision goes beyond just what is on the ballot. 

In no particular order, it concerns me that many are using politics as a test and statement of one’s Christianity. Yes, I believe that our faith and convictions should impact how we vote, but how we vote does not determine our Christianity. I certainly don’t claim that I’ve got it all figured out, but at the risk of oversimplification, I believe that being a Christian is based on whether we’ve trusted Jesus Christ, not on our political party or how we vote on certain issues no matter how important they may be. I don’t think it’s Jesus plus whatever. 

So hopefully we don’t really believe that our salvation depends on our politics - just whether or not we’re a “good” Christian. Unfortunately we’ve all missed that boat.  Romans 3:10-11 says “…There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands…” That doesn’t mean we quit trying. 

But in the mean time, what do we accomplish when we publicly bash others (including Christian brothers and sisters) who think and vote differently from us? Cheap shots and petty arguments with people who don’t agree with us rarely change their minds but rather entrenches them deeper in their opposing position.

Not only are we not changing many minds (or votes) with our social media and other public attacks, we’re not representing ourselves or Christ very well to those who watch and listen.  In John 13:34-35, Jesus says “…Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”

If I’m a non-Christian (or anybody else for that matter) observing some of what’s being said by those claiming the name of Christ, a lot of it doesn’t seem much like love. There’s not much there attracting me to be even mildly interested in what Christianity is all about. It gives me yet another excuse to stay away from church and God. Does that matter? I think it does. A lot.

For some people, elections are pretty easy. Their minds are made up even before they know who the candidates are. They are party loyalists. Everything their party/candidate does is obviously right and everything the other party/candidate does is wrong and stupid. Part of pulling for one’s party is pulling for the other party to fail and gleefully cheering those failures no matter who those failures hurt. It’s another sport in which party is sadly more important than country, not to mention world or kingdom. 

For many of us, even including some party loyalists, this election has not been easy. We are faced with the choice of two candidates who are widely considered the most unpopular, unfit, undesirable,  un-presidential nominees in many years - perhaps ever. Without rehashing all we’ve been bombarded with for too many months, I understand why some Christian friends are in the never Hillary camp and are either enthusiastically or reluctantly supporting Trump.  I understand why other Christian friends are among the never Trumpers and are enthusiastically or reluctantly supporting Clinton. I understand why many of us don’t want to vote for either candidate even while holding our noses. I get it.

In a less imperfect world, we would still be passionate about politics but with a greater sense of fairness and the understanding that we can disagree without being disagreeable. Or just downright mean and hateful.

If I thought all the animosity would end with this election, I probably wouldn’t be writing this, but I suspect it will continue and possibly even escalate. Each one of us will choose how we participate. Participate in a way that will make a difference - not just politically, but in a larger sense.

I care deeply about this election and all that is at stake. I want to make a difference. In spite of what we always like to say, (unpopular but true statement coming) when all is said and done my one vote all by itself really isn’t going to make much of a difference.

But how I treat people and how well I represent Christ might.  

Superheroes for Jacob

I found this brand-new Superman shirt when we were closing down Concoxions Cornerstone Theatre, and no one else claimed it. About the only time I can remember wearing it before today was to match grandson Jim, who is now six years old. (He is nine days younger than Jacob Hall and is also a fanatic Batman fan.)

When tragedies like the one in Townville happen, I wish badly that I could do something to stop senseless violence and/or comfort those suffering unimaginable sorrow. Wearing a shirt that I wouldn’t normally be wearing is such a small gesture and changes very little. So far today, at Chipotle, at the mall, and at Costco I encountered quite a few others wearing superhero shirts in memory of Jacob as suggested by his parents. Sometimes we exchanged words, but most of the time we simply exchanged knowing smiles and nods that said thank you for caring.

I’m not Superman and after today the shirt will probably once again get lost amongst the large collection of Seesalt and Chillipepper shirts. Our ongoing challenge is to keep showing in large and small ways that we care. No matter what shirt we wear.