Jump to content

Greenville Drive Baseball


Recommended Posts


...I would've bought a Green Sox hat. I'm not buying a silly "Drive" hat.

Well, if you change your mind and make it back up to Greenville from Charleston, there's going to be a temporary fan shop set up in the West End beginning this weekend and a permanent shop will be set up soon and then relocate to the ballpark once it opens in April.

According to the Greenville Journal, the team had picked the "Greenville Joes" and had spent considerable time and effort into designing a logo and marketing before Major League Baseball said, "no," due to Shoeless Joe Jackson's still being banned due to his alleged role in the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

Other names that were in the running until the very end were "Greenville Grits" and "Greenville Fireflies" from what's printed in the Journal, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wish I had more time to make it back to Greenville. Charleston is okay, but it's no Greenville. :)

I like the idea of a permanent team shop being set up. That sounds like a cool idea.

"Joes" would have been interesting, no doubt. I wonder if fans would've been able to buy a "hot cup of joe" at the concession? Ha ha.

"Drive" is MUCH better than "Grits!" "Fireflies" would've been okay I guess. So now every time I think about how bland a name like "Drive" is, I will remind myself that it could be worse ("Grits").

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a good attitude, Greenville. :thumbsup: I personally like the logo design. That was one of my largest concerns regarding the name. The next step in regaining my absolute "fanatic" support will be the marketing of the team and the baseball experience in downtown Greenville. Perks with local restaurants and shops, or even hotels would be nice. They should consider selling membership cards where you can recieve a certain discount on a meal or other merchandise at partnering downtown businesses on the days of home games. I would definitely go for that! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a good attitude, Greenville. :thumbsup: I personally like the logo design. That was one of my largest concerns regarding the name. The next step in regaining my absolute "fanatic" support will be the marketing of the team and the baseball experience in downtown Greenville. Perks with local restaurants and shops, or even hotels would be nice. They should consider selling membership cards where you can recieve a certain discount on a meal or other merchandise at partnering downtown businesses on the days of home games. I would definitely go for that! ;)

Great idea Skyliner, get people into town a few hours before the game, or stay overnight. :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not too keen on "Drive" either, but my god, did they really even consider "Grits". How the hell would you market that? How do you make grits intimidating, or anything other than a reminder of the old south. [For the record, I am not some yankee that has never eaten grits. I was raised on it, and still eat them.]

The "Joes" is equally bad. A Shoeless Joe tie-in is okay, but not as the mascot name. Fireflies is uninspired, but at least I can picture a decent logo/mascot.

I would have expected the Drive logo to have wheels or indication of forward motion.

Obviously these folks didn't make their money in Marketing. Nevertheless, it will be an awesome stadium in an awesome location and I wish them much success.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Obviously these folks didn't make their money in Marketing. Nevertheless, it will be an awesome stadium in an awesome location and I wish them much success.

It's funny you say that ... according to what I've read, Erwin Penland is the one that helped come up with the new team name and they also designed the logo. :rofl:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still think it sucks. We could've put our heads together and come up with a much better name/logo/promotional strategy than the "professionals" did. I would've bought a Green Sox hat. I'm not buying a silly "Drive" hat.

On a positive note, it is still not as stupid as Grrrowl.

Your right. Its much more stupid. I, for one, am thoroughly dissapointed by this choice. The Greenville Drive. That just doesn't sound appealing to me at all. I can say that I would most likely not by any of their paraphernalia because of that. But its obviously a plug for the ICAR and other automotive research things that the Upstate is trying to promote, becuase why have a team if it doesn't have 'corporate sponsors' even if they are nameless. I honestly can't see how someone in their right mind could have voted for it. I have a suspicion that they did not take that much consideration in to what the public wanted because it just seems to me that they would not have wanted the Drive.

But on a more positive note, it is much better than the Grits and definatley the Fireflies (where did that come from?)!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to agree with everyone else -- an absolutely HORRIBLE name! It does not even sound like a baseball team. With the team playing in the West End I would have thought they would have come up with a nostalgic, historical-type name. :(

YEA, I was wondering why i don't love the name and maybe that's it. It's in a historical part of town and it's using a name that characterizes Greenville's NEWEST sector. It really doesnt fit in in the West End. But I'll support them nonetheless and patronize my FAVORITE place in Greenville-downtown and my favorite place there- The WestEnd. :wub:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you all noticed the ratio of "I hate the name" to "I love the name" in the opinion section of the Greenville News? So far, in the limited sampling I've seen, I saw 3-4 "not-likes" to 0 "likes". This name was supposed to be the most popular "by far" than the next best choice. If this is the case, I'd like to hear from somebody who loves the name. Anyone? Beuller...Beuller...Beuller. :shades:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you all noticed the ratio of "I hate the name" to "I love the name" in the opinion section of the Greenville News? So far, in the limited sampling I've seen, I saw 3-4 "not-likes" to 0 "likes". This name was supposed to be the most popular "by far" than the next best choice. If this is the case, I'd like to hear from somebody who loves the name. Anyone? Beuller...Beuller...Beuller. :shades:

People who dislike the name are propbubly more apt to write in about it. Im sure at some point after enough negatives have been written that a few supporters of the name will start writing in to defend it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

People who dislike the name are propbubly more apt to write in about it. Im sure at some point after enough negatives have been written that a few supporters of the name will start writing in to defend it.

You're right btoy. Most people don't take the time who are happy with the decision.

How about this:

GDRIVEPOLL.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dunno, btoy. Most people I know in the area (and also in this forum) are just as quick to praise something as to criticize. I really can't help but feel that a vast majority of people aren't happy with the name (and perhaps how it was chosen).

Still, I can't help but feel that the name will somehow grow on us as they take the field and we begin to rally behind our beloved Greenville Drive team. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still, I can't help but feel that the name will somehow grow on us as they take the field and we begin to rally behind our beloved Greenville Drive team. :)

I can't argue there RT, but if they are feeding us this line about it being "by far" the next most popular choice after the Joe's, then who was voting?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.