Guardians? Cleveland? Is this the state of our Galaxy?

The Guardians? Of what galaxy?

So, the Cleveland baseball team is changing its name. The hostility on the internet has been strong….but then again, hostility on the internet goes without saying. I’m confident that world peace or a cure for cancer would receive far more criticism than praise, so fairness requires a more moderate approach and some time for us to accept change. We must not be sheep, though if we were, we’d probably need guardians.

So, the “Guardians?” The guardians will be playing at Progressive Field? This seems like “insurance” against something, if not assurance of wins.

In truth, I don’t hate it. Like so many, I was rooting for the “Spiders,” and I’ll be interested to find out why arachnids succumbed to an insurance company, but I understand that there is a history of guardian statues in Cleveland. Further, I’ve been told that keeping the last five letters in the nickname the same, provides a sense of continuity. I only knew that, however, because somebody told me that, I would never have sensed that continuity on my own, which does seem to limit the effectiveness of the very notion of continuity. But, now that I get it….I sort of get it.

There could have been worse choices. I mean, the “lake fires” wouldn’t be accepted, nor even understood by those under the age of 30. The “mistakes by the lake” as homage to old Cleveland Stadium probably wouldn’t lend itself to merchandising. The “rockers” seems cliché. “The Cleveland Baseball Club” has a ring to it, but “The Washington Football Club” seems to have cornered that market.

So, Cleveland did what it needed to do. Do we like it? Do we hate it? It’s Cleveland, so fortunately we don’t really have to care.