SPRINGFIELD — Doug Baum and Jake Trout sat on the third-base side of Route 66 Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
The pair eagerly waited for the rebrand of Springfield’s minor league baseball team.
After 22 years, the Springfield Cardinals are no longer. The franchise rebranded to the Ozarks Springbirds.
“I was scared that it would be something crazy. This was a big relief,” Baum said. “I’m good with it.”
The name Springbirds has been an unofficial nickname for the franchise. Longtime sports broadcaster and media personality Ned Reynolds was one of the first to coin the term during the team’s first years.
“Ned did help popularize it,” general manager Dan Reiter said. “We wanted
it to look a little hungry, a little aggressive because when these players are on their path to the big leagues. They have to have that mentality.”
Dapino Watters has been coming to games for the past decade. He admitted he was nervous about the name change as he entered the stadium.
“It’s a lot better than what I thought it was going to be,” he said.
Will Rayfield and Rowan Camden are two friends who recently moved to Springfield. They aren’t attached to the Springfield Cardinals name like many longtime fans. But they couldn’t pass up the chance to see this ceremony in person.
The two are massive St. Louis Cardinals fans and have always supported the major league club. It was only right to support the AA team once they moved to Springfield. Their big takeaway was the new blue-and-green color scheme behind the bird logo.
“I was wondering if they were going to keep on the Redbirds track,” Rayfield said. “It’s a tradition, you have to keep it with the redbird theme.”
After the unveiling, the team store opened, and many people bought gear with the Springbirds' new logo. Watters was asked if he would represent the new team name and logo, he answered with a smile.
“Most likely,” he responded.
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Missouri State athletics for The Springfield News-Leader. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Fans react to the Ozarks Springbirds new name: 'This was a big relief'
