Albuquerque Isotopes
|
|
Template:MLB Marlins franchise
AlbuquerqueIsotopes_100.png
Albuquerque Isotopes
The Albuquerque Isotopes are the second-newest team in the Pacific Coast League, one of minor league baseball's two US-based AAA leagues, although the PCL is nothing new for the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Albuquerque Dukes won several PCL championships in the 1970s and 1980s before relocating as the Portland Beavers in 2000.
The Isotopes began playing in 2003 when the Calgary Cannons relocated to New Mexico. Their major league affiliate is the Florida Marlins.
The name was chosen by the fans in the city, taking the name from an episode of The Simpsons where Homer's favorite team, the Springfield Isotopes, threatened to move to Albuquerque. Some of the nicknames for the team are "Isodukes," "Archdukes," "Artichokes," and "'Topes."
"Isotopes" could also be considered a reference to the fact that New Mexico has a number of well-known scientific/military facilities dealing with nuclear technology, such as Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP). (In The Simpsons, Springfield's main industry is the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.)
After the Dukes relocated the city of Albuquerque mostly demolished the team's home stadium, Albuquerque Sports Stadium, but kept the old playing field intact. The city then built a completely new stadium around the existing field. The new venue opened in 2003 as Isotopes Park.
The Isotopes' mascot is Orbit, a big fuzzy electron.
External link
- Albuquerque Isotopes web site (http://www.albuquerquebaseball.com/)