The Chicago Cubs’ new Low-A affiliate in South Bend has been having a whole lot of fun with their new organization. From switching the team’s name to the Cubs, to crazy interactions with the other affiliates on Twitter, to a number of contests, the South Bend Cubs are working hard to quickly imprint themselves on Cubs fans.
To that end, the South Bend Cubs have also added a new bear-like mascot, which they asked fans to help name:
Just 2.5 hours left to submit your name for our new mascot on our Facebook page. Entries must be in by 5pm ET. pic.twitter.com/QagZiqh2JX
— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) January 29, 2015
From the hundreds of submissions they received, they’ve narrowed things down to four finalists:
The winner will be chosen via fan vote, so it’s up to you what name the pants-wearing bear mascot will don.
In case you’re wondering, Colfax is for Schuyler Colfax, a former vice president who is buried in South Bend. (If you can name the president under whom he served without looking it up, you win snaps from me.) As for Stu, I’m assuming it’s short for Studebaker, which was in South Bend.
As for the other two names, they elicited a mild chuckle from me. Harry Beary is awfully on the nose, though, and Bend E. Bear sounds like a mascot who will be required to do contortionist maneuvers at every home game.
All in all, I like Harry Beary as a joke, but Stu would get my vote for an actual mascot name. There’s a nice historical connection, and it sounds like a clean, simple name. Plus, he looks like a Stu.
UPDATE: Jim provides a little context for Bend E. Bear:
@BleacherNation FYI Bend E Bear is for the Bendix Corp, a long time industrial plant in SBI and now namesake of various things around town
— Jim Mumford (@jkmumford) February 10, 2015