The toughest fish in baseball
May 19, 2007
Throughout baseball, there are quite a few teams with fish as their mascots….you’ve got the Florida Marlins, Carolina Mudcats, Sacramento Steelheads (now defunct), Jupiter Hammerheads, Vermont Lake Monsters and Tampa Devil Rays. All pretty strong sounding, right?
Then you have the Hiroshima Carp…
Whoa, there…they intentionally named their baseball team after what many consider a junk fish? I mean, there are so many other bad-ass fish out there. Tigerfish come to mind. How about barracuda?
The Toughest Fish
Well, as it turns out, carp carry a symbolic link to reconstruction for Hiroshima citizens. The team, which plays in Japan’s central League, was formed a mere 5 years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. The carp also symbolize toughness, which the people of the city certainly have after the devastation they endured.
As far as the team goes, they won the Japan Series in ‘79, ‘80 and ‘84 and league championships in ‘75, ‘79, ‘80, ‘84, ‘86 and ‘91.
However, the media and fans, quite aware of the long title drought, sometimes also call the Carp “Damekoi,” which translates to “Spoiled Carp.”
You know how fans get…good thing they don’t play in Philly or NY!
Don’t forget the Beloit Snappers, Clearwater Threshers, or the Columbus Catfish…..but don’t expect to catch them anytime soon at Raley Field.
And if you want to add lures to the nomenclature, there’s always the Corpus Christi Hooks or the Lowell Spinners! Ahhhh, the beauty of the minor leagues…..
I’m waitin’ for some ballsy owner in the NY-Penn League to come up with the Harrisburg Hot Shot 50’s! Imagine the uniform….