Colorado Springs’ next minor league baseball will go by a new name. We’ve already said good bye to the Sky Sox. Now, say hello to the Rocky Mountain Vibes.
The Sky Sox era ended in September, drawing a 31-year Triple-A baseball run to a close. The Sox were moved to San Antonio and will play as the Missions in 2019. The replacement team for the Springs’ will play in the lower Rookie Advanced League, so it was decided a new identity was needed.
The team originally announced a list of five finalists for the new nom de plume. Some drew appreciation and others derision. Back in July, team President and General Manager Chris Phillips preached some patience. The names were just words, “but once you see the logo and the imagery and the mascot, and that whole thing comes to life, that’s when you’ll really get it,” he said.
And on Monday we got a head fake. Instead of anything off the list, like Punchy Pikas or Throttle Jockeys, the team will be known as the Vibes.
“Sky Sox history is and always will be part of our city’s history,” Phillips said in an online announcement. “The players. The championships. The records and the memories.”
A new team in a new league needed a new look to represent Colorado Springs, the state, and the Front Range, he said. The clues were there for the change in direction, with Phillips speaking to the whole state and a “Rocky Mountain state of mind.”
“Let’s hear it for your Rocky Mountain Oyst... VIBES,” Phillips said to a surprised room.
Presenting Colorado Springs' new Rookie-Advanced affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers...the Rocky Mountain Vibes! pic.twitter.com/IYT2ZxJJ98
Phillips said the club had leaned toward “Happy Campers” and the stories they could tell with it — but they came to believe that was too narrow a name.
“It’s the outdoor living, it’s the hiking, the rafting, the biking, the mountain climbing,” he said. “The spending time with your family, with your friends, with your dogs. It’s the military presence. The pride we have for this city and community. That’s how the brand was born.”
The team mascot is an anthropomorphized s’more named Toasty — “a fun lovin’ s’more with a winning attitude, and he spreads good vibes all over the community.”
The 2019 schedule was unveiled alongside the name, colors and logo. The home opener will be June 21, against the Grand Junction Rockies.
Your new Colorado Springs Baseball Club... The Rocky Mountain Vibes! pic.twitter.com/ZfnXKE9QUE
