A minor league baseball team changes its name

Nothing special, right? Wrong. As heard on SportsCenter, the Long Beach Armada of the independent Golden Baseball League now have a new name as of May 28.

"The new name will be the Long Beach Armada of Los Angeles of California of the United States of North America Including Barrow, Alaska. The name will be the longest of any professional sports team in the world. The Armada have partnered with Barrow, Alaska to form the northernmost sister city franchise in professional baseball.

"The team will carry an abbreviation of LBALACUSNAIBA. To honor the last two letters of their abbreviation, The Armada will host 'Barrow Alaska Day at Blair Field' on Saturday July 30th. The game will be dedicated to the Armada fans in Barrow, Alaska. Armada fans in Barrow, Alaska can tune in to KBRW am/fm for more information on Armada baseball" (source).

I wonder what the Arbitron ratings in Barrow, Alaska will register on July 30. I'm sorry, but this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. The league's CEO claims his inspiration came from Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim owner Arte Moreno attaching "Los Angeles" to his team's name.

I found this quote from the same article rather priceless: "In order to better reach the larger Armada Nation, we felt compelled to lengthen the name to incorporate all our fans stretching from the warm beaches of Los Angeles to the frigid beaches of the artic [sic] circle," Golden Baseball League CEO Dave Kaval stated.

Armada Nation? No one would know the Long Beach Armada from the Spanish Armada if the team didn't change its name. I guess Dave Kaval is the smartest man in America, at least in the marketing field.