Hang on to your bats! It's time for a quick trip around the ol' baseball diamond of nostalgia as we take a look at funky baseball team names of yore.

1. West Eau Claire Crocodiles

Our national pastime’s fabled history in Eau Claire dates to the 1860s, and one of the best team names came early, According to local baseball guru Jason Christopherson*, the Crocodiles lost the first local game for which a score was recorded, falling to the Eau Claire Lonestars 35-24.

2. Eau Claire-Chippewa Falls Orphans

These neighboring cities are often athletic rivals, but in 1906 they joined forces to field a team in the Wisconsin State League. One problem: They didn’t have a nickname. Another problem: They fired their manager a few games into the season. Fortunately, problem No. 2 solved problem No. 1, and the Eau Claire Leader quickly dubbed the leaderless team the Orphans.

"Grrr."

3. Eau Claire Bears

No Chippewa Valley baseball list would be complete without the Eau Claire Bears, who played in the Northern League from 1933 to 1962. While they originally were called the Cardinals and (in their latter years) the Braves, their furry nickname is best remembered, probably because they were the Bears when future home run king Hank Aaron was on the roster in 1952.

4. Eau Claire Commissioners

This non-sportsy nickname was chosen in 1910 for the Minnesota-Wisconsin League franchise in honor of Eau Claire’s commission form of government, in which a mayor (yep, we had a mayor back then) and two at-large council members made decisions. The Commissioners won the pennant in their inaugural year.

5. Northwestern Telegraph School Clicks

Many local institutions – including Gillette Tires and the O-Claire Box Company – fielded baseball clubs in the early 20th century. In 1915, these teams included the obviously (but still awesomely) nicknamed Northwestern Telegraph School Clicks – young men who temporarily traded dots and dashes for balls and bats.

*This list was compiled with the help of two books by Christopherson,
Baseball in Eau Claire and Diamonds in Clear Water.