ST. GEORGE — Staten Island Yankees could soon be cheering on the Bridge Trolls, the Killer Bees or the Pizza Rats.
The ball team has narrowed down five choices for its new moniker — Killer Bees as a nod to hometown heroes Wu-Tang Clan (though the hip hop troupe spell it Killa Beez), and the Bridge Trolls in honor of the spans that connect Staten Island and the rest of the world.
Rock Pigeons refers to the nickname "The Rock" for the borough, while Pizza Rats is a nod to Manhattan's famous slice-toting rodent. The other choice, Staten Island Heroes, is in honor of the military, though it could also be a hopeful view of the team's future performance.
The minor league had fans give their ideas on its re-brand.
The team released the suggestions Thursday — and asked for supporters to vote for their favorite online.
"We were definitely looking for something to stand out in a city full of major brands," said Will Smith, the team's president.
"We do want a name that people kind of have a double-take to."
In June, the team announced it would re-brand in hopes of increasing popularity.
They got more than 2,000 name suggestions.
"We wanted to try to find some kind of animals that might be indigenous to the area," Smith said about the choices. "Rats, pigeons, killer bees kind of cover and fall in there."
However, some people were less than happy with the team's potential choices.
Councilwoman Debi Rose posted on Facebook Friday that she was "disappointed" and would reach out to the Yankees next week.
"They sound more like apocalyptic events than celebrations of our character," Rose wrote on Facebook, instead pitching "Captains," Commodores" and "Big Wheelers" as alternatives.
"Among the names submitted, surely there were more that celebrated Staten Island's character in a more positive light?"
The team plans on taking votes and feedback over the next two weeks then work internally on figuring out which one would be feasible and have a great logo, Smith said.
"We're going to use that feedback and it's going to be invaluable," Smith said.
Smith said the team won't reveal its new name until it develops a logo for uniforms, but plans to start the 2017 New York-Penn League Season with the re-brand.
The team, which was known as the Yankees for 15 years, is affiliated with the New York Yankees. It will keep its connection with the Bronx Bombers, but want to stands out from their major league partners.
"The Yankees have their brand and we've kind of been the junior Yankees," he said. "It's made it hard to carve our own path out."
Smith wouldn't say what his preference is, but immediate feedback on Twitter put the Pizza Rats and the Bridge Trolls as early fan favorites.
