Texas Rangers ???

[N.E. Streetz]

Next year The Houston Baseball team move to The American League. Should the Texas Rangers change there name to The Dallas Rangers ?

[quadraphonic]

What would that help?
There's no historic precedent for "Dallas Rangers." The Texas Rangers range over the range of Texas, solving crimes and whatnot. There's not any "Dallas Rangers" that I know of.
If they changed their name, it would sound as clunky as "Walker, Dallas Ranger."

Hey.
Maybe they could just adopt the Ranger star, and go with "Dallas Stars?"

[DToTheJ]

Not if the NHL had a say in the matter...

And while we're at it, how come the Dallas Cowboys' logo is a star, as opposed to a cowboy hat or a lasso?

[quadraphonic]

Oooh yeah, forgot that Cowboys star thing too.
[/Wolfman Jack voice]

[FreddyE1977]

Not if the NHL had a say in the matter...

I think at some point in the past the NY Rangers had a farm team in Dallas that
was called the Dallas Rangers.

[quadraphonic]

Maybe Houston should go back to the "Colt .45s"
I see A LOT of synergistic marketing there.

[jd]

To reiterate as well as to clarify a few points here, as observed by a native Texan:

The name for the baseball team was inspired by the Texas Rangers, a law enforcement agency steeped in tradition (and folklore, too. "One riot, one Ranger" comes to mind).  They're now primarily involved in investigation of crimes, including all kinds of wrongdoing (like cattle rustling, which I mention at the risk of perpetuating stereotypical impressions of Texas).

The Dallas Stars NHL franchise was formerly known as the Minnesota North Stars (until 1993). 

There was a team called the Dallas Rangers, but they had nothing to do with hockey.  A minor league baseball team used that name for just a few years beginning in the late 1950's, was briefly known as the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers and reverted back to Dallas Rangers in 1964 but vanished at the end of that year.  The team played at Burnet Field, just across the Trinity River in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, and the stadium provided a good view of downtown Dallas.

Finally, the star of the Dallas Cowboys logo pays homage to Texas, The Lone Star State.

[cd637299]

Although the name of the franchise changed this year, the Miami Marlins were, of course, the Florida Marlins, whose name did not change when Tampa Bay got a team.  The two teams play interleague every season, much to my chagrin----IMO, nobody cares who is the "best in the state."  But the marketing has worked, apparently---every year there's the Yankees/Mets-Oakland/SF Giants-Dodgers/Angels-Cardinals/Royals rivalries.

Seems to me just a way of saving travel expense....

my 2c

cd

[RicoGregg]

In 1966, the American League franchise in Southern California became known as the California Angels. At the time, they were the only AL team in the Golden State.

Then in 1968 the Athletics moved from Kansas City to Oakland. They were known as the Oakland A's.

Both teams co-existed just fine through the late 1990s when the Angels dropped the "California" moniker.

Another precedent, long forgotten, was in the NHL, when in the late 60s you had both the Los Angeles Kings and the California Golden Seals in Oakland. The Seals later relocated to Cleveland then were merged with another team, I believe the Minnesota North Stars, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, a team with a state name and a team with a city name in the same state has happened before. Perhaps this move of the Astros will help both teams at the gate.

[jd]

Perhaps this move of the Astros will help both teams at the gate.

I expect that it will.  I've lived in both places over a span of many years, and I can assure you that a lot of Dallas-Fort Worth area people really don't like the folks in Houston...and the feeling is mutual.