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What鈥檚 in a name?

In minor league baseball, does it even matter?

For 21 seasons now, sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 beloved Triple-A baseball franchise has been the Isotopes, a moniker that has grown into one of the most popular in the country 鈥� born from a popular TV show (鈥淭he Simpsons鈥�), now finding its way on new popular TV shows (鈥淏reaking Bad,鈥� 鈥淏etter Call Saul鈥�).

It鈥檚 helped make the team鈥檚 merchandise a top 10 seller in Minor League Baseball every season since its inception in 2003.

But what exactly is an Isotope?

There are some rather unique team mascots and nicknames in minor league baseball 鈥� in the Pacific Coast League alone there are Bees, Aviators, Space Cowboys and Chihuahuas. Elsewhere there are Yard Goats, Trash Pandas, Sod Poodles and Jumbo Shrimp.

But few, if any, are as hard to define as an Isotope.

So, as the Isotopes defeated the El Paso Chihuahuas 6-5 on Saturday night in the second of a three-game season-opening home stand, we set out to define an Isotope.

Webster says 鈥�

Let鈥檚 get the boring answer out of the way. According to the definition in Webster鈥檚 dictionary:

颈蝉辞鈥辞辫别: (noun) any of two or more species of atoms of a chemical element with the same atomic number and nearly identical chemical behavior but with differing atomic mass or mass number and different physical properties.

Well, duh.

A walk around the park 鈥�

Appropriately, just about everyone at Rio Grande Credit Union Field asked by the Journal on Saturday evening 鈥渨hat is an isotope鈥� gave an answer that was in the ballpark of being correct.

鈥淚鈥檓 not a nuclear guy, but I think it鈥檚 loosely tied to something like that,鈥� said one Atlanta Braves hoodie-wearing fan.

Ding! We鈥檒l take it.

Isotopes catcher Daniel Cope, after impressively hitting on several of the buzzwords in the dictionary definition above, also added a local tie-in.

鈥淚t鈥檚 because New Mexico is known for making the atomic bomb, and an isotope has something to do with that,鈥� Cope said.

Ding! We鈥檒l take it!

Surely KRQE sports anchor Van Tate, a fixture in the local sports scene longer than the Isotopes themselves, knows the answer?

鈥淵ou know what? It鈥檚 in a science book, so don鈥檛 ask me,鈥� Tate said, flashing the huge smile known around sa国际传媒官网网页入口 accompanied by his hearty chuckle before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Saturday鈥檚 game.

Buzzz! Sorry Van, your fastball was nice, but your answer struck out.

And, maybe expectedly, longtime team play-by-play announcer Josh Suchon gave an on-brand, Colorado Rockies affiliated company-line answer, though one acceptable for this exercise.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a baseball player,鈥� Suchon said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great baseball player about to go to the Major Leagues 鈥� here today, in Denver tomorrow. That鈥檚 an Isotope.鈥�

Ding! We鈥檒l take it.

鈥淎ll I know is it鈥檚 something from a Simpson鈥檚 episode,鈥� a woman donning a Mariachis shirt said as she stood outside the stadium waiting for the game鈥檚 CW hoodie giveaway.

Ding! Homer would be proud.

鈥淚 would just say it鈥檚 an atom. Uhh 鈥� an atom,鈥� Isotopes pitcher Josh Rogers said.

Buzz! Close, but the official scorer is ruling that an incomplete.

Dylan Storm, Isotopes marketing and promotions manager, tried covering the bases if you will, giving multiple answers.

鈥淎ccording to Orbit, an Isotope is an alien,鈥� Storm said. 鈥淎ccording to the biophysicists, an isotope is like an imbalanced neutron. Like an atom with one additional neutron that makes it a little too heavy but it鈥檚 the same element as it used to be. And, according to our fans, it鈥檚 the most bad-ass baseball team in sa国际传媒官网网页入口. That鈥檚 what an Isotope is.鈥�

The history 鈥�

When the new franchise came to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 following the Dukes bolting after the 2000 season, it needed a new name.

So, they put it to a vote.

With 57% of the vote, the team was dubbed the Isotopes, a name inspired by the 2001 Simpsons episode 鈥淗ungry, Hungry, Homer.鈥� In that episode, Homer and other baseball fans of the beloved local baseball team, the Springfield Isotopes, threatened to relocate the team to sa国际传媒官网网页入口.

Homer鈥檚 hunger strike in that episode saved fictional Springfield Isotopes from becoming the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Isotopes, but in real life, he had no such luck.

The Isotopes are here to stay, whether or not we really know what they are.

Photos: Isotopes defeat El Paso Chihuahuas