Johnny Appleseed would be ashamed

I have heard the moans, groans, and everything else this afternoon regarding this story about our beloved(?) baseball team.

I think they should have called them the "Road Apples".

This is from Business Weekly:

The Fort Wayne TinCaps will play baseball at Parkview Field next spring as the Class A affiliate of the San Diego Padres.

Staff members of the former Fort Wayne Wizards announced today TinCaps, a nod to folk legend Johnny Appleseed, will be the team's new name. The new logo features a grinning apple wearing a cooking pot on its head.

The team's owner, Hardball Capital, solicited ideas for a new team name from fans. Jason Freier, CEO of Hardball Capital, said historical names seemed to be most popular among fan suggestions. Apple-related names also were popular.

"We started to look at the tin pot on (Johnny Appleseed's) head, and it looked like people wearing a baseball cap backwards," Freier said.

Johnny Appleseed, according to lore, was known for wearing his tin cooking pot on his head. He planted apple orchards in the area and is buried in Fort Wayne.

The team's new colors are red, brown and green. A mascot and uniforms, hats and other merchandise have not been designed yet, Freier said. An alternative logo depicting the letters "FW," for Fort Wayne that potentially will be used on player caps, also was unveiled.

Freier said the colors and apple theme reflect the team's goal to create a park-like atmosphere at the stadium. While the name was selected before the team inked its deal with Parkview Health for the stadium's naming rights, Freier said he was pleased the name fits with the health care provider's sponsorship of the stadium.

The TinCaps' first home game will be April 16. Parkview Field, the centerpiece of the downtown Harrison Square project, is expected to be completed in time for the game.