BCB After Dark: A rebrand for Iowa?

The late-night/early-morning spot for Cubs fans asks if you think the Iowa Cubs should change their name.

Thank you for stopping by BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Please come on in and join us. We’re all celebrating a big Cubs win tonight. The dress code is casual. We still have a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

The Cubs had a dramatic comeback win, beating the Marlins 5-4 on a walkoff two-run double by Justin Turner. When the Cubs win a game because of big-time moments from Ryan Pressly and Turner (and heck, throw Chris Flexen in there), it may just be their year.

Last night I asked you whom you thought was the “unsung hero” of the Cubs this year. The vote may have been influenced by the results of Monday’s game, but it was a runaway for Colin Rea with 58 percent of the vote. Nico Hoerner was second with 16 percent.

On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I don’t do movie stuff. But I always have time for jazz and that time is now.

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Tonight we have a version of the standard “Body and Soul” that was just uploaded to YouTube earlier today. Emmet Cohen is on piano, Chris Lewis plays tenor sax, Philip Norris is the bassist and Joe Farnsworth is on drums.

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Welcome back to everyone who skips all that jazz.

On “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” a week ago, Oliver did a fun segment on minor league baseball. Despite being born and raised in the UK, Oliver has become quite a baseball fan. A Mets fan to be specific, unfortunately, although in his defense he claims that Jon Stewart forced him to cheer for the Mets. But being a comedian, he’s also a huge fan of the utter silliness that sometimes goes on in the minors, which is what the segment was all about.

You can watch the episode if you have the horribly-named Max streaming service. It’s the May 4th episode and it’s preceded by a pretty bleak story on deportations. But the segment on minor league baseball starts at around the 28-minute mark.

Benjamin Hill has a summary of some of the wacky promotions that Oliver loved and Oliver also went out of his way to praise the Rocket City Trash Pandas.

As part of the story, Oliver criticized some minor league franchises that had boring names and specifically called out the Iowa Cubs (among others) as a boring, just taking the name of their major league affiliate. So he made an offer that he and his staff would re-name and promote one minor league affiliate, on the condition that the farm club accept whatever they come up with. One would assume that it will be something like the Rocket City Trash Pandas.

So why am I bringing this all up?

So the I-Cubs appear to be willing to put their name in John Oliver’s hands.

The odds are against Oliver picking Iowa as the show has said that several teams have reached out to the show to volunteer. But putting aside the wisdom of this particular offer (and please, comments on Oliver, the show apart from this minor league stunt or its politics, either pro or con, will NOT be tolerated), tonight’s question is “Should the Iowa Cubs change their name?” Personally, it would make my life a lot easier as I wouldn’t have to keep making a distinction between Cubs in Iowa and Cubs in Chicago. Although I’d rather South Bend go back to being the Silver Hawks because Iowa at least has the “I-Cubs” monicker and somehow the “SB Cubs” has never caught on. But most of you don’t have that problem.

Do you like the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate having the name “Cubs?” Or do you think the team should get with the times and update it to a more colorful name? In Triple-A, only the Syracuse Mets and Wooster Red Sox also share a name with their parent club. South Bend is literally the only High-A club sharing their team’s name. Five teams in Low-A do, but four of those are in the Florida State League and are owned by the parent club. Only the Springfield Cardinals share a name in Double-A, although Reading is the “Fightin’ Phils.”

I know that I’m more likely to buy Myrtle Beach merchandise than Iowa merch because the I-Cubs stuff looks too much like the Chicago Cubs stuff that I already have. So that’s one argument in favor.

On the other hand, there’s something to be said about tradition and Iowa has been called the Iowa Cubs since 1982, when they changed their name from the “Oaks” one year after becoming a Cubs affiliate. And certainly when you go to an Iowa game, you know what major league team you’re cheering for. (Although before Cleveland changed their name to “Guardians,” neither the Spokane nor Indianapolis Indians were Cleveland farm clubs.)

Again, I’m not asking you if the Cubs should accept John Oliver’s offer if it comes. I’m just asking if you think it’s time for Iowa to create their own identity that’s a little more colorful than just the “Cubs.”

And remember—no politics.

Thanks for stopping by. We hope you’ve had a good night tonight. I know we have. Please get home safely. Don’t forget anything. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow evening for more BCB After Dark.