After a purchase of the Pioneer League’s Grand Junction Rockies from the Colorado Rockies, new owners have rebranded to a much more whimsical name: the Grand Junction Jackalopes.
A jackalope, of course, is the mythical creature combining traits of a jackrabbit and antelope, the demented taxidermy combining a jackrabbit head with purported antelope antlers. (In reality, the first jackalope sported deer antlers.) The jackalope was the stuff of tall tales before the creation of the first jackalope in Wyoming; today, you can an abundance of the taxidermied creatures in many of your finer drinking establishments and tourist traps in the West.
The Grand Junction Rockies were sold to Future Legends LLC on Oct. 1, maintaining its home at Suplizio Field. The name should be familiar: the Future Legends Sports Complex in Windsor, CO, was originally set to open in 2021 as home of the Northern Colorado Owlz (Pioneer League) and soccer team Northern Colorado Hailstorm (USL League One), an opening delayed by COVID shutdowns and material shortages. Upon completion of the sale, the team announced a rebranding.
“We had over 1,000 great submissions from the community.” Jackalopes President Mick Ritter said in a press statement. “Jackalopes stood out as an amusing and unique name in professional baseball. I think we can have a lot of fun with it.”
“We were taken with the lore and character of this mythic creature.” Jackalopes managing owner Mike Tollin said via press statement. “We think it’s a fresh, fun, and family-friendly identity for our team.”