Worst-kept secret revealed: It's the Isotopes

By Jeff Carlton and John O'Rourke
TRIBUNE REPORTERS

The red, yellow and orange Albuquerque Isotopes officially got their
nickname today, and one of the baseball club's executives was already
talking about getting a big name under contract.

That would be cartoon character Homer Simpson, who was an Isotopes
fan before the Isotopes became flesh-and-blood reality.

Ken Young, president of Albuquerque's new Triple-A team, confirmed
this morning that Isotopes is the team's nickname. A news conference
to discuss the name was set for this afternoon.

The team colors are red and yellow, to be displayed in a "blend,"
Young said, resulting in orange in the middle. Red and yellow were
the colors of the Albuquerque Dukes, the city's Triple-A franchise
between 1972-2000.

The Isotopes name comes from a March 2001 episode of "The Simpsons,"
the long-running Fox cartoon series. In the episode, titled "Hungry,
Hungry Homer," Homer Simpson thwarts a plan to move his favorite
baseball team, the Springfield Isotopes, to Albuquerque.

"We didn't pick it because of `The Simpsons,'" Young said today. "We
picked it because over the past year it has become a popular name,
and it does have something to do with Albuquerque."

The name is also a reference to New Mexico's involvement with the
atomic bomb and scientific research.

Young said he plans to contact representatives of Fox to see if the
network will agree to joint marketing allowing the team to use Homer
Simpson in its advertising.

"There's a lot of neat things we can do with Fox," Young said, "but I
don't think we need to jump on it right away."

The news of the nickname drew a chuckle from Al Jean, head writer and
executive producer of "The Simpsons." When reached at his Los Angeles
office this morning, Jean joked that he was interested in royalties.

"I'd like to know how much money we make off it," he said. "That
would be my first reaction. And I hope we also get a Duff beer
concession for the new team. I hope they play better than Homer does."

In the storyline, Duff beer owns the Springfield Isotopes.

This isn't the first time something from "The Simpsons" became
reality, Jean said. For a brief time, an Australian company brewed
Duff beer - until the Fox lawyers put a stop to it.

"I never cease to be amazed at the popularity and reach of the show,"
Jean said.

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez said this spring that he wanted the
traditional Dukes nickname to be kept. But today, he said naming the
team the Isotopes is a smart economic move.

"My sense is it's going to be a good economic opportunity for the
owners. . . . I suspect they've made the right economic decision for
their shareholders," Chavez said.

Gene Peterson, a chemist in the isotopes program at Los Alamos
National Laboratory, said the nickname is a fitting tribute to the
state's science and technology background.

"Sports nicknames are supposed to represent something special or
unique in the area where the team is located," Peterson
said. "Milwaukee has a team called the Brewers, New England has the
Patriots. Certainly in New Mexico, we have as part of our past a
science and technology heritage that started with the Manhattan
Project."

Neal Singer, a spokesman for Sandia National Laboratories, said the
Labs have no official position on the nickname. Singer, however, did
acknowledge a personal preference.

"The Isotopes will pack a punch," he said.

Isotopes was one of five finalists for the team name, along with
Dukes, Roadrunners, Atoms and 66ers. Young, who once promised the
nickname would be revealed in April, admitted today that the choice
was a poorly kept secret.

"I don't think too many people will be surprised this afternoon with
the name," he said. "But I think they'll really like the logos.
That's where we'll really get the publicity."

The Isotopes are to be the Triple-A farm club of the Florida Marlins.
They will play in a renovated Albuquerque Sports Stadium beginning in
April.

Tribune reporter Kate Nash contributed to this story.