Flying Squirrels

Baseball. America's national pastime. A sport filled with tradition like no other. When it comes to team names, several come to mind.
-There are the names like the Yankees that you can't really say much about
-There are teams that have a fearsome mascot (Pirates and Diamondbacks)
-There are teams that would not do well together in a Washer with hot water (White Sox and Red Sox)
-There are teams whose full grown version of their mascot WOULD be fearsome, but instead chose the adorable baby version for alliteration purposes (Cubs)
-There are cute little birds (Orioles, Blue Jays, Cardinals)
-There are teams that try to outnumber you (Twins)
-And there are teams that state the obvious (Athletics)

But today we enter a different category - teams named after old cartoons with moose sidekicks. The new Richmond baseball team has been named The Flying Squirrels. Personally, I am super excited about this. For those who don't know, I have a special connection to small woodland creatures. In high school, my nickname was Chipee, because I both looked and sounded like a squirrel. True story.

While I have somewhat outgrown those (not completely, but hey, what can ya do?) I still love squirrels. I am convinced William and Mary has the highest squirrel-student ratio of anny college campus in the US. Those little guys are EVERYWHERE. My freshman year we tried to catch one to release on one of the girls halls. We were unsuccessful.

In this economy, no one is laughing more than squirrels. Squirrels INVENTED the concept of saving. They don't go out and splurge on some tail highlights of a $25 acorn that doesn't taste much different than a $2 acorn to impress their school friends. No, squirrels gather their nuts, they put em away for when they need em, and they spend the rest of their time either (a) chasing other squirrels, or (b) luring humans into chasing them.

Squirrels work hard and play hard, and nothing else. I am convinced that they don't sleep. One day I will find out. Somehow...