Joakim Soria is smart for at least two reasons. First: he understands that one cannot choose one’s own nickname. Second, he understands that being called “Mexicutioner” is a pretty tough thing these days given all of the execution-style killings going down in his native Mexico. In light of this, he offered a plea this morning:
I’m not a big fan of sports-as-symbolism -- I thought it was tremendously weak when the Washington Bullets changed their name to the Wizards -- but I understand how this is different to Soria. It’s a personal appellation for one thing, not a team name. It’s also way more on-the-nose with respect to the violence in Mexico than “Bullets” was to violence in D.C. in the mid-90s. And at least “Bullets” had a different intention (i.e. “faster than a speeding ...”). I totally get his discomfort and I’m on board with him wanting to have it changed.
But what it gets changed to is kind of up to us, isn’t it? I don’t know that I have any ideas that he’d actually be cool with. Most that spring to mind have to do with him being the lone elite talent on the Royals, and something tells me that he wouldn’t get on board with that sort of thing.
Ideas in the thread. Nickname dissemination is an inexact science, but I’ll try to get the best one trending and maybe it will stick.