Why are things the way they are in the NBA?

The NBA has been getting a little weird.

Just the way the game is played today, it's so different than it was 10-15 years ago. How have we gotten to this point? Why are things the way they are? Is it just because of one player?

Is Stephen Curry changing the way we play basketball? It sure seems that way.

Think about it. In 2004-2005, we crowned the Detroit Pistons as champions of the NBA. They played a dirty, grind-it-out style of basketball. Defense first, offense second. That's unheard of in the NBA today... Would the 04-05 Pistons even succeed in today's NBA? That's something you have to ponder.

Stephen Curry has singlehandedly transformed the way we play basketball now. Dunks aren't the rage anymore. What gets us all going is the art of shooting. The art of the three-point shot. Stephen Curry has mastered this. I mean... did you see how he won the game last night against the Thunder?

Did you see where he shot the ball from? That's not even fair. Not to mention he broke his own record for Three-point shots made in a single season. There's 25 games left. Are you kidding me? We've never seen a marksman like this in the NBA. He's changing how they play. He's changing how they "defend". I put that in quotations because what exactly is defense in today's NBA? You hear legends like Isaiah Thomas and Oscar Robertson argue that the Warriors wouldn't be this good if they played in their era. That they actually played defense. Well with gems such as this....

How can you blame them?

Defense is an expiring art form in today's NBA. No one plays it. Why do you think we see NBA scores in the upper 100's and college scores in the upper 60's? One actually plays defense and the other plays "defense".

So how did we get here? How did the NBA go from "The Bad Boy" era of hard fouls and stingy D to no defense and "hard fouls" getting called as flagrants?

Honestly, I couldn't tell you. Every sport has a phase, I think basketball is just going through one right now. For example, we remember the read-option in football. Remember how Colin Kaepernick was good for a season and a half? Remember how awful he was this past season?

Let's not forget the moneyball period and the Oakland A's and baseball. It worked, just for a short amount of time though. Now big money and big minor league systems rule baseball.

College football and the triple-option? With the exception of Georgia Tech and Navy, that's gone.

Hockey? Well Hockey is just fast paced and crazy. It always has been, I'll take a nice fistfight any day of the week though.

Point is, three-point madness is a phase. At the end of the day, outside of the Splash Brothers and the Warriors, it's a low percentage shot. Yes, there are marksmen and yes defense still exists to some extent. Just like all the other phases, someone will learn how to defend it. Someone will learn how to test Steph Curry. Someone will learn how to rattle his cage. This is just going to take some time to learn how to stop it.

Kenny Smith said during All-Star Saturday Night that the three-point contest should be the main event of the night. Then the dunk contest happened. He took that statement back.

Defense will rule again one day in the NBA. Maybe a new phase will come about. Who knows. That's the great thing about Professional Sports.

It's time Peyton...

You all know what's coming. We saw it this past season.

Peyton Manning... It's time for a new Sheriff in town.

There's no more records to break, there's nothing more to prove. You just won your second Super Bowl and your legacy will live on forever as one of the best quarterback to ever play the position.

Why contemplate coming back? You'll be 40 years old by the time Week 1 rolls around next year. Certainly you don't want to do what Favre did. Look at the feelings he hurt. The people he betrayed. Do you want that to be you?

Of course the situations you face are far less extreme for you than Favre had. You just won the Super Bowl. THE SUPER BOWL!!! Peyton, it's the perfect ending. Exit stage left. Ride off into the sunset as a champion. There's nothing left for you to prove. You're one of the best to ever play the game. Your records speak for themselves. Touchdown passes, Passing yards, completions, touchdown passes in a season, the MVP's. Peyton... it's obvious. It has to be.

This past season was one of the toughest of your career. It was tough on all of us to watch. I didn't like seeing it personally, I know a lot of people didn't like seeing it. I'm sure you didn't like hearing people talk about if you still had "it" or not. Im sure you're tired of all the jokes people made about your passes looking like fluttering ducks. I know you've heard it all.

The torn plantar fascia must have been tough to come back from. I've seen athletes struggle with that injury. Look at the basketball players in recent memory. Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Al Jefferson. I can tell it's painful just by watching. When you're retired you don't have to worry about that anymore Peyton. You can worry about making more gems like these.

Seriously, how awesome were those commercials though?

I can't question a professional athlete and the decisions they make because I'm not one of them. I'm actually one of the annoyances in the life of a professional athlete. The Media. Guess what Sheriff, no more of me! No more cameras in your face. No more questions about this and that. No more after practice news conferences. Heck, no more practice. There's a win.

But I will never understand the one thing a professional athlete has more than anyone else on the Earth: Drive.

I'd kill to know what it feels like to wake up in the morning and do everything it possibly takes to be good enough to compete for a championship. Peyton Manning did this better than anyone else throughout his career. Just ask yourself Peyton. Do you have it in you still? Is that drive still there to go get another ring?

If you have to think about it, I think your answer has already been made.

Peyton, I just want to say it's been an absolute honor growing up and watch you play the position. You've broken my heart a couple times, but you were an absolute professional each time. I respect you for everything you've done on the field throughout your entire career. You've given multiple kids a role model to look up to. (This is all barring the recent news of the off the field stuff at the University of Tennessee by the way) I don't want to see father time take another one from us. He's undefeated after all. Well, Tim Duncan has something to say about that.

Peyton, I know you're going to make the decision that's best for you in the end. I just want you to be happy. If going out and suiting up again makes you happy then do it. If hanging 'em up and looking back you can smile about everything you've accomplished makes you happy, do it.

One thing is for sure though.

Come Week One and #18 is still under center, i'll be shaking in my boots. That old Sheriff still knows how to sling it, doesn't he?

Ranking The Minor League Names Pt. 2

Welcome back to part two of the Minor League name rankings! Last week we covered teams 16-30 and this week we step it up a notch. Who makes the cut as the organization with the #1 ranked MiLB team names?

15. Miami Marlins

AAA: New Orleans Zephyrs

AA: Jacksonville Suns

A+: Jupiter Hammerheads

A-: Greensboro Grasshoppers

R: Batavia Muckdogs

As you can see already, this week is going to be a lot better than last week. There's four really creative names occupied by the Marlins here. I'm a homer and I'm from Jacksonville, but the Suns don't really get anything from me. Love going to the games and all, but there's better names in this system obviously. The Zephyrs were my second lowest ranking and that's kind of surprising. What exactly is a Zephyr? You got me? But the group of the Muckdogs, Grasshoppers and Hammerheads take the cake for the Marlins. The Grasshoppers have one of the best color schemes in all of MiLB and the Hammerheads pay homage to Florida while also being a great name. The Marlins did very well, and that's just team #15.

14. New York Mets

AAA: Las Vegas 51s

AA: Binghamton Mets

A+: St. Lucie Mets

A-: Columbia Fireflies

R: Kingsport Mets/Brooklyn Cyclones

Many of you may be wondering how the Mets jumped Marlins with three of their affiliates owning a Mets name. I'll tell you exactly why. The Las Vegas 51s and Columbia Fireflies, that's why. The 51s are arguably one of the most recognized and unique names in all of MiLB. The color scheme is magnificent and it ties in with the Las Vegas/Area 51 theme. I really need a gif of that History channel guy screaming ALIENS right about now. Brand new for the 2016 season are the Columbia Fireflies and they've absolutely blown me away. The uniforms are already one of the best in all of MiLB. The glow in the dark hats are on fire. Not to mention that the Firefly is incredibly important to the city of Columbia. This is definitely and upgrade from the Savannah Sand Gnats. Job well done, Mets.

13. Houston Astros

AAA: Fresno Grizzlies

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks

A+: Lancaster JetHawks

A-: Quad Cities River Bandits

R: Greenville Astros

The Astros jump ahead of the Mets because of the all around better names. The weight of the two great names pulled the Mets up solely to 14. But lets give the Astros some credit. We've seen many of their top prospects climb through their system so some of us are more affiliated with these names than the others. The Grizzlies are eh but when they pull out the Fresno Tacos uniforms.... oh man. Sign me up. The Hooks color scheme and logo are probably the best in this system. The Baby blue and Navy cmix incredibly well, not to mention the intimidating Hook with a bat. What's a JetHawk? I don't really know but it's working for me. Then you have the River Bandits. Classic Midwest team, baseball with a cowboy hat and bandana as the logo. Nice one Astros.

12. Kansas City Royals

AAA: Omaha Storm Chasers

AA: Northwest Arkansas Naturals

A+: Wilmington Blue Rocks

A-: Lexington Legends

R: Idaho Falls Chukars

I flipped and flopped between the Astros and Royals for the longest time. Ultimately the Storm Chasers and the Blue Rocks were better than the Hooks and River Bandits at the end of the day. How great of a name for city in the middle of tornado alley that the Omaha Storm Chasers? Perfect fit for a great baseball town. The Naturals and Legends don't excite me but the Blue Rocks color scheme and logo helped the defending world champs quite a bit. Baby blue and Navy Blue with a gold trim, yes please. Finally the Chukars... apparently it's a bird but hey, it's an out there kind of name and i'm an out there kind of guy so it bodes well with me.

11. Philadelphia Phillies

AAA: Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs

AA: Reading Fighting' Phils

A+: Clearwater Threshers

A-: Lakewood Blue Claws

R: Williamsport Crosscutters

I'm a Braves fan, that's the worst kept secret in the world. So it hurts to rank the Phillies very high on something. But I have to give credit where credit is due. The Clearwater Threshers are a top five name in all of MiLB. The logo, color scheme and atmosphere of their ballpark make it not only one of the best in the Florida State League but all of MiLB. Ever since the Iron Pigs implemented a bacon alternate logo it's really taken off for the team as far as hat sales go. Reading is apparently baseball town USA but do more with your name please. The Blue Claws are native to that part of New Jersey and the Crosscutters have a cool Lumberjack logo/scheme going on. Plus they play in the town that hosts the Little League World Series every year. Good Job Phillies.

10. San Francisco Giants

AAA: Sacramento River Cats

AA: Richmond Flying Squirrels

A+: San Jose Giants

A-: Augusta GreenJackets

R: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes

Let's start off with the GreenJackets. How cool of a name is this? It's a play on words of the Green Jacket that's given out to the champion of The Masters golf tournament every year in Augusta, Georgia. That's awesome. One of my favorite names personally. Obviously we know which team really helped the even-yeared warriors. The Flying Squirrels, yes please. They could've been content with just the Squirrels but they step it up a notch and BAM! Flying Squirrels (sorry for the lame Emeril reference). Finally the Volcanoes help a little in their scoring as well. The Rookie ball level teams tend to be boring and bland, but the Volcanoes might be the cream of the crop.

9. Seattle Mariners:

AAA: Tacoma Rainiers

AA: Jackson Generals

A+: Bakersfield Blaze

A-: Clinton Lumberkings

R: Everett Aquasox

The Mariners scored two perfect scores with their lower level teams. Remember when I said the Volcanoes might be the cream of the crop? Yeah it's the Aquasox. Game. Set. Match. Three great logos and Full House promotional jerseys? You win Aquasox. Let's not get blown away by just their rookie team, the Lumberings though >>>>. What kind of name is that?! An awesome one! A big dude with a crown on his head and swinging a huge piece of lumber as the logo. Yes. It's these two teams right here... things like that make my love for Minor League Baseball grow.

8. Milwaukee Brewers

AAA: Colorado Springs Sky Sox

AA: Biloxi Shuckers

A+: Brevard County Manatees

A-: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

R: Helena Brewers

For a team that's starting to rebuild, you might as well stockpile great MiLB names as well. The class of this group is the Biloxi Shuckers. The Shuckers were brand new for the 2015 season and honestly they were second best name to debut. You'll see why later. But that name and the logo (Oyster swinging a bat) make this a top 10 name in all of MiLB. Let's not forget about the Manatees too. It's not a flashy name by any means but who doesn't love a Manatee? Finally another one of those widely recognized names is the Timber Rattlers. Just like the Mudcats, go to any little league field across the country and I bet you'll find a Timber Rattlers team. That gets you some points.

7. Detroit Tigers

AAA: Toledo Mud Hens

AA: Erie Seawolves

A+: Lakeland Flying Tigers

A-: West Michigan Whitecaps

R: Connecticut Tigers

We're starting to see a run of Florida State League teams take over this countdown and it continues with the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Not only do they have one of the best hats in the game, the name has history to it. Joker Marchant Stadium, where the Flyers call home, was built on the site of an old training ground for fighter pilots. These pilots were called the Flying Tigers. So not only are they a Tigers affiliate, they also have some historical significance to the name and Lakeland itself. Go Tigers. The Mud Hens hold their own too, let's not forget about them. That name has to be one the most out there and random names. But here, that's what gets you points. Round it out with a couple of above average names and you have yourself a ranking in the top seven.

6. Oakland A's

AAA: Nashville Sounds

AA: Midland Rockhounds

A+: Stockton Ports

A-: Beloit Snappers

R: Vermont Lake Monsters

Are you starting to see what separates these teams from the ones in the last countdown? The Nashville Sounds. A rockstar winging a guitar like a baseball bat. This is what's great about MiLB. This is what Taylor Swift was singing about in "Wildest Dreams". Perfect name for the city. Oh hey and then there's the Lake Monsters. Their tri-panel hat is a top five hat. Their name alone gets them noticed though. We also have a snapping turtle as a mascot for the Snappers. Nothing like a grumpy turtle swinging a bat. Ports and Rockhounds... ehh they're ok. But the Nashville Sounds ladies and gentlemen. My goodness, take me away.

5. San Diego Padres

AAA: El Paso Chihuahuas

AA: San Antonio Missions

A+: Lake Elsinore Storm

A-: Fort Wayne Tin Caps

R: Tri-City Dust Devils

We've finally reached the top five here folks and we start it off with the Padres. First off, I want to go on record saying i'm not a fan of the name "Chihuahuas". BUT it seems to be incredibly popular among the fans of MiLB. it did win the "Clash Of The Caps" competition back in 2014, their inaugural season. Plus it's a tie in with the hispanic heritage of El Paso. The you have the missions and its correlation to The Alamo in San Antonio. The Storm have arguably the most recognizable hat/logo in the game with the black and red eyes. The Tin Caps have to be the best name here. An apple with a Tin Cap on its head, another classic folks. That's why we find the Padres in the top five.

4. Minnesota Twins

AAA: Rochester Red Wings

AA: Chattanooga Lookouts

A+: Fort Myers Miracle

A-: Cedar Rapids Kernels

R: Elizabethtown Twins

Look out folks, the Lookouts finally made an appearance in the countdown. The logo and hat have to be THE CLASSIEST in all of the names mentioned on this list. Plus the correlation with the Lookouts across the mountains in Chattanooga. It's a great name. The Kernels are exactly what you'd think they'd be. A kernel of corn! Homage to the midwest and corn country. I'm not really sure what the Miracle is/are. Names that aren't plural are risky but they pull it off. The Twins affiliates have really popped onto the scene in the last couple of seasons with the rising of their prospects through the system. The names don't disappoint either.

3. Tampa Bay Rays

AAA: Durham Bulls

AA: Montgomery Biscuits

A+: Charlotte Stone Crabs

A-: Bowling Green Hot Rods

R: Princeton Rays

Durham Bulls, Bull Durham. If you haven't seen the movie then you won't understand why that team is up so high. Classic team, classic movie. Way to go Rays. Quick, when you think about the south what's one of the first things that pop into your head? The food, am I right? Then the Montgomery Biscuits would easily be the class of the Southern League in AA. What an original name. The stone crabs away hats might be the best away hat in all of MiLB with the Baby blue and navy blue. Obviously that's a favorite clash of colors of mine if you haven't noticed by now. Finally the Hot Rods, not a fantastic name that blows you away, but certainly gets the job done and is above average. That's why we find the Rays in the top three.

2. Cincinnati Reds

AAA: Louisville Bats

AA: Pensacola Blue Wahoos

A+: Daytona Tortugas

A-: Dayton Dragons

R: Billings Mustangs

The Daytona Tortugas. That is all. The BEST name and logo in the sport. Hands down, game over. The Tortugas were brand new for the 2015 season and boy was it a memorable one for the Reds' affiliate. The Reds took the Daytona affiliate from the Cubs and transformed them into the 'Tugas. If you can get out the "The Jack" for a game, I'd highly recommend it. Remember the Nashville Sounds? Well I'll raise you a Louisville Bats. The home of the Louisville Slugger, how about that for a play on words? And yes, the logo is the animal bat, not the baseball bat. I mean the Reds just keep it coming with the Blue Wahoos and the Dragons too. This is pure creativity and the Marketing department for the Reds gets an A from me. But not an A+. Because it wasn't quite good enough to top...

1. Colorado Rockies

AAA: Albuquerque Isotopes

AA: Hartford Yard Goats

A+: Modesto Nuts

A-: Asheville Tourists

R: Grand Junction Rockies

This. Is. Perfection. The Colorado Rockies blew my mind when I saw these names. They have the best name at three levels of MiLB. The Isotopes, The Yard Goats (new for 2016) and the Tourists. If it wasn't for the Tortugas, the Nuts would be up there too. I mean just sheer greatness lies within this system. Not only do they have one of the best Minor League systems of any team, we are lucky enough to watch their top prospects rise through a system of incredible names. The Tourists play at one of the oldest stadiums in the country and pays homage to the vast tourism Asheville gets each year. The Nuts... idk what to say but it wins. Go Nuts! The Yard Goats are brand new for 2016 and it isn't a goat. Yes the logo is a goat, but it's actually the name of a small train that pushes and shunts cars around the train yard. Then the Isotopes, man just stop it. This is what I live for. The Rockies have it all and are the envy of every team out there when it comes to names. Congrats to the Rockies for your creativity because certainly they won't be winning many games in the Mile High city this season.

Ranking the Minor League Baseball Team Names Based on Affiliate

This is going to be an exciting week here at Hutch On Sports.

With much anticipation (at least on my part) for the upcoming baseball season, this week we're going to focus on the teams who hold the key to the future: The Minor Leagues.

Of course, all us die hard sports fans know what's truly great about Minor League Baseball. The crazy uniforms, the awesome promotions, cheap tickets, top prospects, a good ol' ball game and the best team names of any sport out there.

This week, in preparation for the upcoming season, I've decided to rank every single team by affiliates using a complex system that i'll keep to myself for now. Teams 16-30 will be featured this week and we see the top 15 next week. But for example, if the minor league team was the same name as its major league affiliate, they received one point. In this model, I used every teams AAA, AA, A+ (Advanced A), A- (Low A) and Rookie level teams. So without further to do, lets get it started at #30!

30. St. Louis Cardinals

AAA: Memphis Redbirds

AA: Springfield Cardinals

A+: Palm Beach Cardinals

A-: Peoria Chiefs

R: Johnson City Cardinals

The Cardinals are arguably the classiest teams in all of baseball, let alone professional sports. Therefore it's not a surprise to see the Cardinals stay at home with many of their minor league team names. Going crazy and all out isn't for everyone. They got a couple points for the Chiefs and they mixed it up a bit with the Redbirds, but when it comes to creativity the Cardinals fail miserably. Frankly, I don't think the Cardinals will give a damn at the end of the day. Which is what makes them so great.

29. Atlanta Braves

AAA: Gwinnett Braves

AA: Mississippi Braves

A+: Carolina Mudcats

A-: Rome Braves

R: Danville Braves

The Braves don't stray too far away from tradition as well, with many of the minor league affiliates sporting the Braves name. once again, that's quite alright. To each their own, but for the sake of this countdown the Braves will not do well. However, the Carolina Mudcats saved them from last place. The Mudcats, when you think about Minor League teams, are one of the most recognizable and unique teams in the game. It is for that sole reason that the Braves sit at #29 and not dead last.

28. Pittsburgh Pirates

AAA: Indianapolis Indians

AA: Altoona Curve

A+: Bradenton Marauders

A-: West Virginia Power

R: West Virginia Black Bears/Bristol Pirates

The Pirates the the first team to simply just have bad taste when it comes to their names. Nothing really blows me away personally. The Curve have one of the oldest traditions in the sport of baseball, but the name is just ok. The Marauders are just a cool new way to say Pirates and the Power and Black Bears, albeit decent logos, are lackadaisical names to say the least. The further along we get in these rankings, you'll start to see why the top teams separate from the pack. As for now, the Pirates will settle for contending at the highest level.

27. Toronto Blue Jays

AAA: Buffalo Bisons

AA: New Hampshire Fisher Cats

A+: Dunedin Blue Jays

A-: Lansing Lugnuts

R:  Bluefield Blue Jays

There's a couple of things that get me excited about the Blue Jays affiliates, but then their score just came crashing down to Earth after they lacked creativity and effort and threw up a Blue Jays twice. The Lansing Lugnuts are one of the golden names in all of MiLB. It rolls off the tongue and the name is just truly unique. Not many of you can say you've been a Lugnut. The Fisher Cats also have a great name. It sticks out and makes you think, well what is a Fisher Cat? Unfortunately they've thrown a curve when it comes to their logo the past couple of years and included and Uncle Sam logo that just doesn't fit the team as a whole. Logos didn't play a huge part in the rankings, but they did play a little role.

26. New York Yankees

AAA: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

AA: Trenton Thunder

A+: Tampa Yankees

A-: Charleston River Dogs

R: Staten Island Yankees

"America's Team" comes in at #26. You would think that the Yankees wouldn't even care about their Minor League system since they never actually use theirs the way other teams do. But, props to them for having a spark of creative juices. The gem of this group is the Charleston River Dogs. If you go to any little league field in america and the league is named after minor league teams, I can bet that 9/10 of those leagues has a River Dogs in it. It's one of the most unusual names in all of baseball but it goes so well with the city the team is from too: Charleston. Lets not forget about the Thunder too, the Cloud and Lightning logo is a classic. But the fact that the Yanks had two teams named after themselves killed their score. A recurring theme here.

25. Boston Red Sox

AAA: Pawtucket Red Sox

AA: Portland Sea Dogs

A+: Salem Red Sox

A-: Greenville Drive

R: Lowell Spinners

The Sox get a slight edge over the Yankees simply because the Pawtucket Red Sox go by the "Paw Sox" most of the time and even have uniforms and hats with a bear on them. Other than that, they're almost a split image with their rivals. The Sea Dogs is a fantastic name especially when you realize that the team plays in Portland, Maine. Not many people up there even know what a sea cow is outside of baseball. The Drive are a classic old MiLB team and the Spinners... I can't quite tell you why but I just like that name. Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong because even I'd like to know!

24. Washington Nationals

AAA: Syracuse Chiefs

AA: Harrisburg Senators

A+: Potomac Nationals

A-: Hagerstown Suns

R: Auburn Doubledays

There's some potential here. The Doubledays are the crown of the group but the Senators are right on their tail. The Doubledays make this work with the play on words of Abner Doubleday (supposedly the inventor of baseball... false) but they pull it off brilliantly. Not to mention it's located in Auburn, NY and just a small drive from the baseball HOF in Cooperstown. The Senators are neat since Harrisburg is the capital city of PA and they play that off quite nicely. As for the others, nothing really gets me excited about a Chief, Sun or National. Seen those all before. Yawn.

23. Arizona Diamondbacks

AAA: Reno Aces

AA: Mobile BayBears

A+: Visalia Rawhide

A-: Kane County Cougars

R: Missoula Osprey

It's cheesy, but the Aces do it for me. it ties right in with the casino theme of Reno. Love it. As for the others... The Dbacks, life their new uniforms, tried to be just a little bit edgy with their names. Now, some are going to hit like the Aces. But the Rawhide? Isn't that something you give to your dog to chew on? The BayBears? There has to be some history behind it. But to me it just doesn't fit. As for the Osprey, this has to be one of the first times I've seen a team name singular instead of plural. Interesting, just like the entire Dbacks franchise.

22. Chicago Cubs

AAA: Iowa Cubs

AA: Tennessee Smokies

A+: Myrtle Beach Pelicans

A-: South Bend Cubs

R: Eugene Emeralds.

We should probably know the Cubs minor league names by heart after watching all their top prospects move through their system. I remember Javier Baez and Kris Bryant tear it up in Tennessee for a couple of seasons. Speaking of the Smokies, love the reference to the area and the natural beauty of Tennessee. Goes very well and has an incredibly classy logo. The Pelicans would be cooler if the New Orleans Pelicans didn't become a thing before they were. But like many teams, the Cubs score was drowned out by lack of excitement with two Cubs appearances. Typical Cubs, get you excited but they let you down at the end. We've seen that one before haven't we Northsiders?

21. Chicago White Sox

AAA: Charlotte Knights

AA: Birmingham Barons

A+: Winston-Salem Dash

A-: Kannapolis Intimidators

R: Great Falls Voyagers

The White Sox get a lot of their points off of stadiums. The Knights stadium is widely known as one of the best Minor League Parks in the country, while the Barons park is the oldest. The barons name also goes waaaayyyy back and i'm a sucker for old fashioned baseball things. The Intimidators however, are an exciting name. It would just be a letdown if the team itself wasn't good. Risk/reward with that name.

20. Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim

AAA: Salt Lake Bees

AA: Arkansas Travelers

A+: Inland Empire 66ers

A-: Burlington Bees

R: Orem Owlz

First off... I get having two teams as the same name of your organization. But having two teams with the same name that isn't? Why do the Angels have two teams called the Bees? Is that necessary whatsoever? Could one of the not be the Hornets? Just a little rant. The 66ers are one that makes you think and that there's an actual meaning to the word "66er" on the Inland Empire (Hint, it's for route 66) For that they do a great job. The Owlz is a little edgy, but the logo wins me over. So good job Angels, minus the Bees issue.

19. Baltimore Orioles
AAA: Norfolk Tides
AA: Bowie Baysox
A+: Frederick Keys
A-: Delmarva Shorebirds
R: Aberdeen Ironbirds

The Orioles names get weaker and weaker as the prospects move up their system. But the Ironbirds take the cake for the Birds. The Ironbirds pay tribute to the franchise's greatest player, the Iron Man himself, Cal Ripken Jr. You know you've made it when there's a team named after you. The Tides and Baysox are unique names and those reeled in some points. The Shorebirds have a really intriguing concept as well. As for the Keys, i'm not sold. What exactly are they going for there? But there's been much worse as we've seen, so lets give them some respect for a little creative action.

18. Cleveland Indians
AAA: Columbus Clippers
AA: Akron RubberDucks
A+: Lynchburg Hillcats
A-: Lake County Captains
R: Mahoning Valley Scrappers

Obviously we know what team i'm going to talk about first. A couple of years ago, that team from Akron was called the Aeros. One complete makeover later and they're now called the RubberDucks. Personally, it's not my favorite, but a name like that is something that you love to see out of Minor League baseball nowadays. The Scrappers are a classy name, the Clippers would get more from me with a more vibrant color scheme and if the more popular Clippers weren't playing basketball out in LA.

17. Texas Rangers
 AAA: Round Rock Express
AA: Frisco Roughriders
A+: High Desert Mavericks
A-: Hickory Crawdads
R: Spokane Indians

When I originally was thinking about doing this list, I thought the Rangers would be quite high. Now i'm quite bummed that I find them at #17. The Crawdads are a top 10 name in all of MiLB. Just say the full name out loud to yourself. The Hickory Crawdads. That's just awesome. To rival that, the Roughriders just released a new Alternate logo last year with Teddy Roosevelt in it. That gets an A+ in my book. Unfortunately, the Express sounds like an Arena Football team and the Mavericks and Indians just don't get the job done.

16. Los Angeles Dodgers

AAA: Oklahoma City Dodgers
AA: Tulsa Drillers
A+: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
A-: Great Lakes Loons
R: Ogden Raptors

If this were a competition for hats, I think the Dodgers would win in a Landslide. The Dodgers have one of the cleanest MLB hats, but now the Drillers and Quakes rival that in the Minors. The names aren't that bad either. The Drillers give a nice homage to the oil wells of the midwest and the Quakes is a nice play on the tectonic activity in California. The Loons are different and fit in well with the Great Lakes region. Everything other than the Raptors and the Dodgers fit in with the surrounding areas and ties in with the community, and the Dodgers succeed in my book with that.

Well, if your team wasn't listed this week I guess you have something exciting to look forward to next week. 1-15 are revealed next Sunday night!