Team names:

          Did you ever wonder where they come up with names of sports teams? Many are named for wild and powerful animals; I suppose that is to instill fear and intimidation into opposing teams. Others would be named for something notable about the locale such as the Dallas Cowboys or the San Francisco 49ers. Some names make no sense at all, like the Stanford Cardinal (always singular). Stanford is in California, and California doesn’t have any Cardinals but Arizona does. I guess Cardinals can’t fly high enough to get over the Rockies.

          One particular high school team was named for derogatory remark. When the tiny town of Cobden, Illinois first entered into competitive basketball, they didn’t have a team name or mascot. It is said that the first time they took the floor the opposition was hurling insults, wise cracks, and trash talking in general. One of the other team’s players yelled out, “Would you look at that bunch of apple knockers.”  The name stuck and was adopted by the community. In 1964, the Cobden Apple Knockers took on all comers in the state basketball open playoffs. In those days, schools from Chicago or East St. Louis would play schools with as few as100 students. At the end of play, the Apple Knockers were the kings of basketball in Illinois, and nobody was making light of their funny name.

“Life is much too important to be taken seriously.”

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