Back in June, the Expos started a “Name Your Team” contest where the team took suggestions from the fans for a new name and received over 30,000 suggestions. Out of all of the names submitted, the organization chose to go with the new nickname of Lake Monsters.

“We are thrilled that this day has finally arrived and excited that a new era in Vermont baseball has begun,” said Vermont Lake Monsters General Manager C.J. Knudsen. “We hope that everyone will get behind our new name, but we will always remember the Expos and hope to continue to pay tribute to the Expos on an annual basis.”

Vermont had the nickname of Expos since the team’s birth back in 1994 as the New York-Penn League affiliate of the Montreal Expos. With Montreal’s move to Washington before the 2005 season, the franchise began the process of coming up with a new nickname for Vermont’s only professional baseball team.

“We were amazed by the number of suggestions we had for a new name and how many interesting names there were,” said Knudsen. “With Lake Monsters, we feel that we have selected a name that represents Vermont and certainly ties in with our team’s most recognizable figure,  Champ.”

Champ has been the team’s mascot since day one of the franchise and represents the “Loch Ness”-type monster that is said to live in Lake Champlain, which runs along most of the border between Vermont and New York.

Along with the new name, the team will also feature new team colors. The Expos colors of red, white and blue have been replaced with the Lake Monster colors of Navy Blue, Columbia Blue and Green.

Plenty of new merchandise (shirts, hats, mini-bats, baseballs) with the Lake Monsters name and logo are now in stock at the team’s Locker Room Store in the Champlain Mill in Winooski. The store will be open through December Monday-Saturdays 11:00 am-6:00 pm and Sundays 12:00 pm-4:00 pm. “Classic” Vermont Expos merchandise is also still available for purchase at the store.

Lake Monster merchandise, along with season tickets for the 2006 season, can also be purchased on-line at the team’s new website address http://www.vermontlakemonsters.com. For more information, contact the Vermont Lake Monsters front office on the bottom floor of the Champlain Mill by phone at (802) 655-4200 or at the team’s new e-mail address: mail@vermontlakemonsters.com.

LAKE MONSTERS – 15 NOVEMBER 2005