12/15/2014: Reno, NV – The Reno baseball organization has been a consistent loser since the birth of the PEBA.  Not much has changed from that perspective.  The major league club has never finished above fourth place in the Desert Hills division and only once has the team finished above .500.  Off the field, however, the organization has made a number of changes starting with a new team president and general manager who took over the reins back on September 27^th, 2012.

Now Reno will get a new nickname, logo, team colors, and uniforms. Reno owner Maximillian Poppington announced the changes during the Winter Meetings on December 15^th at the Grand Bohemian Hotel, located in beautiful Ashville, N.C.

Poppington built his fortune through his highly successful dog goggle business, Doggles.  He used much of his Doggles wealth to secure founding rights to the Reno franchise back in 2004. Poppington is not known as a hands-on baseball owner. He doesn’t tend to meddle in daily on-field decisions, but he has long been critical of the Tenpinners name.  It seemed it would only be a matter of time before he trotted out a name change proposal. Poppington reportedly considered changing the team’s “Tenpinners” moniker almost immediately after it was chosen through a fan vote in 2006.  After a series of communications and more than a few personal meetings, the name change was approved by the Office of the Commissioner.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce your Reno Zephyrs! What in the world is a “Zephyr,” you ask? In Reno, summer thunderstorms can occur between the months of April and October.  The Sierra Nevada mountains west of Reno are responsible for these storms.  They create a downslope west wind called a “Washoe Zephyr.”  The wind causes air to be pulled down the Sierra Nevada and pushed up against the Virginia Mountains east of Reno, creating extremely powerful thunderstorms.

The name of the meteorological phenomenon is believed to have been coined by none other than Mark Twain, who first used the term in his book Roughing It. “The ‘Washoe Zephyr’ (Washoe is a pet nickname for Nevada) is a peculiarly Scriptural wind, in that no man knoweth ‘whence it cometh,'” said Twain. The term “Zephyr” is derived from the word “Zephyrus,” which is the Greek God of the west wind. Zephyrus is one of the four Anemoi (wind gods).

In addition to the new name and logo, the Zephyrs will of course be sporting new uniforms that hope to inspire a classic feel.  The hat will be blue with the Zephyrs logo on the front.  The home jersey will be a deep navy and off-white with pinstripes.  The Zephyrs name will be emblazoned across the front.

At the unveiling, , Reno players António “Trashmaster” Morales and Trent Jackson were among those on hand to show off the new and improved look.  Both players seemed genuinely excited about the change.

“This is a fun time.  We should look good wearing Zephyr blue,” said Morales.

“I am sure this new look will help us win the division,” joked Jackson.

The main goal, according to team officials, was to find a look that was traditional, classic, elegant and iconic.  The fans will be the ultimate judge in this department, but early signals from fans interviewed at the unveiling have been positive.

“I like the look a lot.  It has that iconic feel like that of the Thoroughbreds, the Cyclones, or the Hitmen,” said Bart Finsterneagle from Sparks, Nevada.  “The logo just kind of jumps out and grabs you.”

“The Zephyrs logo looks cool.  I remember reading about the Washoe Zephyr in middle school.  Let’s get the season started!” said James White of Reno.

Along with the new nickname, logo, and uniforms, the Reno front office has also chosen this moment to adopt a team motto: “Hustle and Heart!”  The entire organization was given t-shirts with the new team logo and motto printed on them.  Of course, everyone knows that this is a not-so-cleverly disguised euphemism for “There is no way in hell we make the playoffs.”

All joking aside, no one in the Zephyrs front office is under the illusion that the changes will be a catalyst to reverse the club’s losing ways. But with the giant haul of draft acquisitions the team has pulled in over the last two to three seasons, it will be nice to have these youngsters come of age under the new ook and motto.

Since the iconic Mark Twain is at least partly responsible for the Reno renaming, I would like to draw your attention to a quote that may be attributed to Twain and is certainly applicable to what Reno fans are experiencing: “Love like you’ve never been hurt.”  Reno fans – despite the hurt that you’ve endured for so many seasons, it’s time to fall in love with your Reno Zephyrs!