For the love of Long Beach, do not name our upcoming baseball team the *^&!ing Coast or Parrots

Voting for the name of Long Beach’s upcoming professional team ends Wednesday, Oct. 29. Hop on it before we end up regretting it.

Let’s not mince words: Long Beach deserves better than “the Coast.” And yes, this is an actual name being considered for the team that is returning professional baseball to Long Beach. That as well as “the Parrots.” The third option is the only one we should be considering: The Regulators. But it could be…

The Coast.

The fact that this even made it to the final round of team names for our new professional baseball team is a civic embarrassment. The Coast? The coast is not The Rockies. Should the mascot be a beige rectangle? Maybe just a slab of rock for the breakwater. Surprised “the Hill” didn’t land on the list to give our neighbor some love. This city has fought for decades to carve out its own identity—against L.A., against the idea that we’re “almost Orange County”—and now, when given the chance to crown our first pro team in decades with a name that matters, we’re flirting with “the Coast.” Jesus wept.

Then there’s “the Parrots.” Cute. Marketable. Completely toothless. Sure, the green parrots that squawk over everywhere from Bixby Knolls to Alamitos Beach are quirky, beloved residents, but naming a baseball team after them feels like choosing whimsy over weight. This isn’t the zoo; it’s the show. And it’s not that the parrots don’t belong to the city—they do—but they don’t carry the swagger and rhythm of Long Beach.

“The Regulators” is the only one of the three we should consider for Long Beach professional baseball.

Coasts… coast? Parrots talk. Regulators mount up.

Which brings us to the only correct answer: the Long Beach Regulators. A name so obvious, so organically tied to this city’s cultural DNA, that even mentioning alternatives feels like heresy. “Regulate” isn’t just a song; it’s a goddamn anthem. Warren G and Nate Dogg put Long Beach on the global map with that track. It’s smooth, insanely vibe-y, and simply cool as hell—exactly the aura you want walking onto the diamond.

The Regulators evokes pride, attitude, authority. You can see it on a jersey, hear it in a chant. It’s Long Beach. It’s legacy. And it’s the sound of the city that raised the West Coast’s heartbeat. Don’t let a beige committee name our team after a shoreline.  

What league would the Long Beach Baseball Club be under?

We should be seeing the new pro team share Blair Field with CSULB starting in May 2026, marking the return of independent league baseball to Long Beach for the first time in over a decade. The team would join the Pioneer Baseball League as its 13th franchise, a league that became fully independent in 2021 after separating from Major League Baseball. 

Among its backers: Paul Freedman, co-founder of the Oakland Ballers—the scrappy, independent league team born in the wake of the A’s departure and already making waves in Northern California. Ena Patel, head of soccer operations at Angel City Football Club, would be the president of the club.

Will the city be formally involved in operating the team?

For its part, the City of Long Beach wouldn’t be operating the team or managing the stadium—but its role as a strategic facilitator could prove critical. From helping negotiate terms that align with public use goals, to addressing potential neighborhood concerns around traffic, noise, and safety, the city’s involvement would ensure that the project serves not just baseball fans, but the broader Long Beach community.

If successful, this partnership could inject new energy into a storied stadium, bring professional baseball back to Long Beach, and cement Blair Field’s place not just in the past—but in the city’s future.