The owner of the Akron Blast won't change the name of his minor-league baseball team despite complaints that it is in poor taste.
Team owner Mike Agganis announced the name last week, saying, "The Akron region and Ohio are the home of the Wright Brothers, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong and Judy Resnik."Resnik, an Akron native, was one of seven astronauts who died on Jan. 28, 1986, in the space shuttle Challenger explosion, the worst accident in the history of space exploration.
The Akron Beacon Journal immediately criticized the choice, as well as the decision to name the jet-pack-wearing mascot "Kaboom." In an informal telephone survey, the newspaper reported that 2,400 callers opposed calling the team the Blast, while only 300 favored it.
Agganis was outraged at the suggestion that the name was offensive.
"Nobody in baseball or anywhere in the world would even associate the word `blast' with that tragedy," Agganis told The Associated Press Wednesday. "When Albert Belle hits a home run, it's a blast. When you come to the ballpark, it's a blast.
"What happened with the space shuttle was an explosion and it was a national tragedy, not an Akron tragedy."
Agganis said there were no plans to change the name. In fact, he said, once the name is approved and given a trademark, it can't be changed for three years.
The Blast, a Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, formerly were the Canton-Akron Indians. The team has moved about 20 miles from Canton to a new stadium in downtown Akron, where it will begin playing next season.
Agganis said Blast was on a list of about 50 names submitted by Valentine Design, a Minneapolis-area consulting firm. It included other suggestions, including Zeppelins and Vulcans, which would have represented the city's ties to the tire and rubber industries.
Blast honors the city's and Ohio's contribution to the space program and signifies the team's future, Agganis said. Plans for the new stadium include a Challenger Learning Center, with plaques commemorating space missions and astronauts, including Resnik.