Minor League Baseball is often "the place to go for fun sports team names," so it is "hard to see why calling a team the Chihuahuas is an affront to this tradition, rather than an extension of it," according to Dan Solomon of TEXAS MONTHLY magazine. Solomon wondered why so many are "hating on" the Triple-A Pacific Coast League El Paso Chihuahuas. It is a "fine name for a baseball team," and it is "more appropriate than the Pit Bulls would be." If the Chihuahuas were a football team, "maybe the haters would have an argument." What makes the best MiLB team names work is "their regional connection." The name Chihuahuas "wouldn't work most places, but in a border city next to the Mexican state of Chihuahua, it's hard to argue it doesn't fit" (TEXASMONTHLY.com, 10/23). But in Las Vegas, Todd Dewey writes the Pelicans "might no longer possess the worst nickname" in pro sports, as that "dubious honor might belong" to the Chihuahuas. Considering El Paso, located across the border from Mexico, "features a predominantly Hispanic population, it could be argued that the nickname is racist." But the "smallest of the world’s dog breeds was chosen over four other finalists in a 'name the team' contest that garnered more than 5,000 entries." Dewey: "For some reason, yo quiero Taco Bell" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/24).
