the winner is… maine red claws

Posted on | April 2, 2009 | Comments

Haha, it figures. When I first posted about the Maine NBA D-League team that was going to be accepting fan votes to help name them, the one name that jumped out at me as being clearly ridiculous was “Red Claws.” Of course, that’s the name that ends up winning. I laughed out loud this morning going through Dunkin Donuts when they announced it live on the Big Jab. I immediately pulled over and posted it on Twitter. I think I’m a little too Twitter obsessed these days because I’m pretty sure nobody was waiting on pins and needles for this update. Lol. I have to say that the name is growing on me because of the homage to Red Auerbach. I’m now toying with whether or not I want to buy season tickets. They’re making some big improvements to the Expo and it’s less than 5 minutes from my office. If the Claws end up being affiliated with the Celtics as expected, it would be pretty cool to get to see some of the new draft picks play.

Here’s the press release FMI…

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s new NBA Development League team has a name: the Maine Red Claws.

The name, true to the state’s lobster tradition, was announced Thursday by team president and general manager Jon Jennings on The Big Jab sports radio station. The Red Claws plan to unveil their logo in the near future.

Red Claws chairman Bill Ryan Jr. says nearly 3,000 fans submitted votes and selected Red Claws. Names that didn’t get the nod: Maine Beacons, Maine Crushers, Maine Destroyers, Maine Swarm and Maine Traps.

Portland was awarded a franchise last month and most likely will be affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The NBA D-League serves as a feeder to the NBA.