Go Slingers!

The names of professional sports teams are often quite creative, however, some of them need some explanation if you aren't local. For example, the Minnesota Twins. Twin what? The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. I don't know how widely known it is that they are called that. Maybe that ends some mystery for someone.

So Singapore has a new (first!) professional basketball team called the Singapore Slingers. I have to think that anyone outside Southeast Asia, or who has never visited Singapore would think, "What on earth is a Slinger?" I, on the other hand, who know what a Slinger is, am asking, "Why would you name your basketball team after an alcholic beverage?"

That's right, they named their team after a drink. The Singapore Sling is one of the few completely unique things I have found in Singapore. If made well, it's kind of like cherry pineapple juice with a kick. I've only had two because they cost about US$10. The second one was free, part of the Colonial walking tour I took with my parents, and we only got a sip. So really just one, but the second was better than the first. The first reminded of that foul Hawaiian Punch drink from when I was a kid.

So now I'm trying to imagine the all important "decide the name of the team" meeting. What else was thrown out there as a possibility? Maybe Lions, as Singapura (the Malay name for Singapore) means "Lion City." I think. Don't quote me. Probably skipped that one because what the early settlers thought were lions were actually tigers. But I digress. My husband says maybe "The Finers" due to the constant threat of fines as a punishment, but you can see why that one got cut. What about The Islanders? That doesn't sound very tough. The Reclaimers? Seeing as something like 12% of Singapore is reclaimed land. Yeah, now that I think about it, Slingers is probably their best bet.

If you came to my blog today hoping for something of depth, sorry to disappoint. Some days it's just easier to ski the surface.