The Oklahoma City...Umm...

A follow-up to the short piece I wrote on the Summer League in Orlando: the Seattle Slash Oklahoma City franchise is still looking for a nickname.

For those who missed it, the National Basketball Association has finally accepted the fact that the Sonics are moving from Seattle to Oklahoma City. However, in a truly heartening display of sucking up to a fan base that apparently didn't give enough of a crap to prevent the move in the first place, the league has decreed that the name "Sonics" and the green-and-gold color scheme shall belong to Seattle until that city gets another team -- which is to say, forever.

Thus, the team that now moves to Oklahoma City needs a name.

John Rohde, columnist for The Oklahoman, was doubtlessly faced with a tight deadline when he opined that the task of assigning a new name to the former Sonics was an impossible one. He pawned off this challenge by claiming -- weakly -- that every good nickname was somehow politically incorrect.

Hogwash. Be lazy on your own time, Mssr. Rohde. As one who worships great team nicknames, I am only too happy to submit my list of potential team monikers for the good people of Oklahoma City.

Most of the good ones -- and, I predict, the one that will eventually carry the day -- are vaguely Western and/or cowboy-related. In fact, Cowboys isn't a bad name for an NBA squad in Oklahoma City, but it won't make the cut thanks to the proximity of Oklahoma State and the Dallas By-God Cowboys themselves.

However, there are synonyms a-plenty: Wranglers, Desperados, and Gauchos come to mind. There are problems here, though -- the Arena Football League claims Desperados (and they're in Dallas), while the ECHL brings us hockey's Las Vegas Wranglers. Neither is an insurmountable challenge, but if the goal is to reflect Oklahoma's cowboy-ness and show a little originality, you're left with Gauchos, which I happen to like. (UC-Santa Barbara is far enough away from Oklahoma City that nobody should mind.)

I wonder if Outlaws will gain favor. "Oklahoma City Outlaws." Cool. There's some history with that name, albeit kinda lame history: the Oklahoma Outlaws were a USFL (!) expansion team in 1984.

Moving away from the wild wild west, there's been talk of something related to the oil bidness. Barons has been mentioned. Two problems with that: one, I immediately think of the Birmingham Barons, and two, Baron Davis. There's also the Drillers, which is currently in use by a minor-league baseball team in Tulsa with a very cool logo.

You know what's a great oil-related nickname? The Roughnecks. It's not the highest rung on the oil rig totem pole, I'm told, but it's flat-out cool and almost completely unique -- two pro soccer teams in Tulsa have used it, but neither is still around.

"Oklahoma City Roughnecks." We sportscaster types would undoubtably abbreviate them as the 'Necks. I think we're getting warmer.

What the world really, needs, however, is more teams named after animals. Oklahoma's state animal is the Buffalo, or Bison. The state game bird is the Wild Turkey (can you say hard liquor sponsorships? Ka-ching!). The state fish is the Sand Bass. The state reptile is the collared lizard, also known as the mountain boomer. Are we getting anywhere?

Wait, got it: the state bird. Ladies and gentlemen, your Oklahoma City Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers!

Oy.

Actually, going back to the state reptile for a moment...the 'mountain boomer.' Sounds a little like 'Boomer Sooner," which is the University of Oklahoma's fight song. 'Boomer' can also refer to a thunderstorm, of which there are gazillions in Oklahoma, which sits square in the middle of Tornado Alley. It may also make one think of an 'oil boom,' which has much to do with Oklahoma's history.

And here's the best part: 'Boomer' also elicits thoughts of a 'sonic boom,' providing an understated but tangible link back to the franchise's former identity as the Seattle Sonics.

I'll be darned. Maybe we've got it. The Oklahoma City Boomers?

Tell you what -- Boomers, Roughnecks, or Outlaws. I'm good with all three. Remember where you saw it first.