BY RICH PALZEWIC
SPORTS EDITOR
ASHWAUBENON – The Green Bay Booyah baseball team is coming to town.
In an announcement made Nov. 14, the Northwoods League club, formally known as the Green Bay Bullfrogs, changed its name to the Booyah.
The NWL is a premier collegiate baseball league based in the Midwest which utilizes some of the best talent in the country. It’s good baseball. I got to witness this first-hand last summer by attending several games for the Press Times.
The Booyah will be moving into Capital Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon next spring for the start of the new season. The team’s old home was at Joannes Stadium near Green Bay East High School since 2007.
If you’re not from this area or not familiar with booyah, it’s a stew-like soup, believed to have originated in Belgium, and made throughout the upper Midwest. Booyah can require up to two days to prepare and is cooked in specially designed “booyah kettles.” I see booyah events all over town being used as fundraisers.
I saw many of the comments on social media in regards to the name choice and the other options: The Cheese Curds, Old Fashioneds, Supper Clubbers, Tailgaters, Under Dogs and Wurst. Some of the remarks from fans were positive, but many were negative.
Some fans even mentioned that they’d never attend another game again if the name wasn’t kept the Bullfrogs. Why should the name of a team have any bearing on whether you attend a ballgame? In this case, it will have no effect on the quality of baseball that will be played. On the contrary, the lure of a new stadium next season will draw better players to the area.
I, myself, was a little skeptical of the choices when they came out a few months ago, but I think change is good. With the move to a new location and stadium, I feel a new name was warranted. I personally like the choice.
A quick search online revealed several interesting minor league baseball team names from around the country. I’m guessing that many folks in these areas maybe weren’t too fond of the choices either.
- Albuquerque Isotopes
- Chattanooga Lookouts
- Vermont Lake Monsters
- Savannah Sand Gnats
- Omaha Storm Chasers
- Montgomery Biscuits
- Lansing Lugnuts
- El Paso Chihuahuas
- Toledo Mud Hens
- Richmond Flying Squirrels
I was in Chattanooga, Tenessee, this past March, and our hotel was right next to the Lookouts’ stadium. It’s named for Lookout Mountain near the city, which my family and I visited.
I also spent quite a bit of time in North Carolina in the mid-2000s, and I used to watch the Winston-Salem Warthogs play on occasion. It didn’t matter that the mascot was an ugly looking pig – it was still good baseball.
All I know is If you want to view some exciting baseball next spring/summer, come to Capital Credit Union Park to cheer on the Booyah. I know I’ll be there …