Baseball team steals Springfield name

America's newest baseball team has finally decided on a name - lifted straight from The Simpsons

The Albuquerque Isotopes begin playing at the city's rebuilt stadium from April 2003.

They took their name from Homer Simpson's favourite team, the Springfield Isotopes, so named because of their connection with Montgomery Burns's nuclear power plant.

And in one episode of the animated series, Homer stages a hunger strike over fears his beloved team would relocate to Albuquerque.

Several thousand entries came in to a contest in January to choose a team name, and an informal poll in the Albuquerque Tribune revealed the Isotopes was the fans' favourite.

But Ken Young, president of the Pacific Coast League team, told the paper: "We didn't pick it because of The Simpsons. We picked it because over the past year it has become a popular name, and it does have something to do with Albuquerque."

The city is in New Mexico, which was heavily involved with research into the atomic bomb.

Al Jean, head writer of The Simpsons joked: "I'd like to know how much money we make off it, that would be my first reaction. And I hope we get a Duff beer concession."

Published: 5 Sep 2002