Expert: Tony Hutchens - 9/11/2002

Question
How did the Baltimore Orioles get their name?

Answer
The old St. Louis Browns were the team that moved to Baltimore and most people agreed that the "Baltimore Browns" just didn't cut it. So, one of ownership's first decisions was to decide what nickname to give to the team. Another St. Louis team was using the name of a bird (St. Louis Cardinals) and therefore, the prevailing opinion was for this franchise to also adopt the nickname of a bird - especially since there really was already a bird named the Baltimore oriole. The fans quickly fell in love with the name and the team with the worst record in baseball began immediately improving and climbing into contender status.