Mascot of the Albuquerque Isotopes While the Fans Cheer for Their Team's Players Night in and Night Out, There Is One Who

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THE ORBIT Mascot of the Albuquerque Isotopes

While the fans cheer for their team’s players night in and night out, there is one who has “captured their hearts from the beginning… WHEN GREG COLLINS OF so the mission was clear—bring ESPN.COM LISTED THE TOP professional baseball back to 100 SPORTS MOMENTS from Albuquerque ASAP. In 2001,” the city The Simpsons, the “Hungry Hungry quickly voted and approved the Homer” episode ranked 25th. In this construction of either a new stadi- episode, Homer’s hometown baseball um or intense renovation on the old, team, the Springfield Isotopes, threat- to attract another ball club. ened a move to Albuquerque. When Meanwhile, in a land not so far Homer uncovers these secret plans, away, businessman Ken Young, he takes matters into his own hands, owner of the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, starting a hunger strike, and ultimately purchased the Triple-A Calgary Cannons.

s keeping his team in town. His intentions were to move the team e p o t o s I e While the Isotopes may have stayed south of the border to Albuquerque in u q r e u q u in Springfield on the tube, they certainly time for the 2003 season, if an lb A f o y s te did not give into any hunger strike in the approved stadium was built in r u o real world. time. With a mere 18 months C When the Albuquerque Dukes relo- and limited funds, the city cated to Portland prior to the 2001 resolved to initiate a mas- season, the New Mexican metropolis sive renovation on the was left without a Minor League Baseball old ballpark, keeping team for the first time since 1959. The part of the bowl’s infra- ORBIT Dukes’ abandonment of the very worn structure as well as the down Albuquerque Sports Stadium was dugout alleyways beneath the stadium. there is a 127-foot-long, four-foot-high immediately felt by the community, While fans from the days of the hill in center field. Dukes can sense the old And just like that, in a very impres- stadium’s feel, they also enjoy sive architectural feat, the stadium was some of the most unique completely renovated within its allotted aspects of any minor league 18 months. Only two more issues needed field in the nation. For to be resolved—the team’s name and the starters, the new stadium stadium’s name. placed all 11,124 seats The options for a team name were between the foul poles, leav- extensive. Many people favored reviving ing the outfield as a picnick- the Dukes. Others were partial to nick- ing area to enjoy the game, names like the Atoms, Roadrunners, or Courtesy of Albuquerque Isotopes Albuquerque Courtesy of ISOTOPES PARK: The view from center field, where Orbit lives. while the upper deck seats 66ers (ironically, the 66ers was taken by provide a beautiful scenic view of the San Bernardino in 2004). But in the end, mountains in the east. And finally, akin to The Simpsons showed how influential the Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park, their show was. In a name-the-team con-

AT THE YARD | July 2004 13 [ Logo/Mascot Profile ]

test where over 120,000 fans cast ballots, 1940s. Besides black, the team’s primary the Albuquerque Isotopes was the clear- colors are bright red, orange, and yellow; cut winner, racking up 57% of the votes, chosen to represent the bright colors and the stadium was thus dubbed used in New Mexican culture. By no Isotopes Park. coincidence, the logo is nearly identical On April 11, 2003, the Isotopes kicked to that of the The Simpsons’ Springfield off their inaugural season as the Triple-A Isotopes. affiliate of that year’s world champion Florida Marlins. Playing in the There is only one mystery that Pacific Coast League, the still remains about Orbit: what team finished their inaugu- ral season as division exactly is he? champions, capping off an Courtesy of Albuquerque Isotopes Albuquerque Courtesy of extremely successful return of baseball The Story of Orbit THE GREAT MYSTERY: This Goofy lookalike to New Mexico. The team not“ only con- While the fans cheer for their team’s will reveal his heritage sometime this season. tinues to pull in the crowds, but wins as players night in and night out, there is well. The Isotopes are currently in sec- one who has captured their hearts from while laying on the couch watching ond place in the Central Division. the beginning...” The Simpsons, Orbit continues to blame Once upon a time, people of New it solely on his abundance of fur. He So, what exactly is an isotope? Mexico met with a group of extraterres- enjoys karate (he’s a black belt!), According to Webster’s Dictionary, trials. The humans offered one of their wrestling, running races, and even base- an isotope is “any of two or more species indigenous animals to the aliens in ball, although he looks very silly trying to of atoms of a chemical element with the exchange for information about the uni- catch the ball (usually unsuccessfully). same atomic number and position in the verse. After spending a long time with the Not as shy as when he first returned to periodic table and nearly identical chem- aliens, the creature yearned to return to Earth, Orbit loves to dance with fans and ical behavior but with differing atomic his home planet and found Isotopes his MTV favorites include “Baby Got mass and different physical properties.” Park’s center field a suitable place to Back” and “Take Me Out to the The official team logo is a model of an spend his first night back. It was not long Ballgame.” Orbit’s clumsy dancing, love atom, with a splash of baseball flavor. A until this animal awoke to the sound of for the Isotopes, and fun and bubbly red letter “A” serves as the nucleus of the bats and balls. At first contact, the crea- nature are all reasons that this furry crea- atom, while orange, yellow, and gray ture was shy and scared, but the Isotope ture is so beloved by all Isotope fans. ellipses resemble the orbits—the theo- players took a liking to him. Soon after, There is only one mystery that still retical paths that electrons travel around the team’s owner, Ken Young, resolved to remains about Orbit: what exactly is he? the nucleus on. A baseball on the gray let this creature, Orbit, stay as the Although many perceive him to be either a orbit sweeps across the “A” to represent Isotopes’ mascot, making his residence in dog or a big, cuddly stuffed bear, Isotope an electron. center field. officials continue to deny these claims. The logo is appropriate because New If you account for Orbit’s bright red, Rumor has it that Orbit’s true identity has Mexico is host to a majority of our orange and yellow antennae, he meas- finally been discovered and will be nation’s nuclear research, which ures in at 6-foot-5-inches tall, 72 inches revealed sometime revolves around the splitting of atoms. In around, and weighs a hefty 300 pounds. later this season! fact, the state is a major site for many While many attribute his massive …Just so we have nuclear experiments, including the size to his perpetual devouring of Dion’s it in print, my explosion of the first atomic bomb in the cheese pizza, popcorn, and green chile guess is the white- nosed coati. HATS OFF! [] Eric Karlan

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