Team's name: East Texas Pump Jacks
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

The wait is over: Kilgore's new Texas Collegiate League franchise will officially be known as the East Texas Pump Jacks.

The team's name, logos and colors were to be unveiled this afternoon, but the Kilgore News Herald got an early preview. The franchise, introduced to this area in January, will begin their inaugural season this June at Driller Park.

The team's colors ar dark green, black, cardinal (red) and tan, which are all included in two logos: a dinosaur and a donkey. Also, the franchise's website has changed: it will now be pumpjacksbaseball.com.

When the TCL announced it would indeed start a franchise here, bringing summer professional baseball back to Driller for the first time in decades, it also decided to let the fans come up with an identity for the team, thus a "name the team" contest began. The winner of that contest is Kilgore's Tami Bolding, who will be invited to throw out the first pitch at one of the team's 24 home games this summer. Bolding will also receive season tickets for her creativity, as well as an official Pump Jacks jersey and cap. Bolding was one of six people to

suggest 'Pump Jacks' as the team's name, and was selected as the overall winner randomly.

At the press conference, a new sign was posted at Driller:

Welcome to Pump Jacks Na- tion."

The franchise is owned by East Texas Sports & Entertainment, and the reasoning for choosing "Pump Jacks" as the team's new moniker is the name's obvious representation of the oil industry, said the franchise's general manager, Mike Lieberman.

"So much of this area's identity is born from the East Texas oil field, and it was clear fans wanted that heritage reflected in the team," said general manager Mike Lieberman. "Fans also wanted a strong, workmanlike name befitting their baseball team, and we believe that we have it all with Pump Jacks."

While something representing the area's history with the oil industry was important to the franchise, so was establishing its own identity. That is why, Lieberman explained, that the team steered away from using "Drillers," which was used by a pro baseball team here in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and is also used by a Double-A team in Tulsa, Okla. For the same reason, Lieberman notes, the franchise decided to stay away from names used by recent minor league teams that had been headquartered in Tyler (Wildcatters, Roughnecks).

"We were seeking something unique, but not off-the-wall crazy," said Alan Poff, one of the team's co-owners, "and 'Pump Jacks' strikes that perfect balance. There isn't another summer collegiate or professional team in the nation called the Pump Jacks."

As mentioned, there are two logos representing the team (which can be seen on page 1 of today's paper), both including all the team's colors. Both the dinosaur and the donkey logos were designed by acclaimed sports logo designer Studio Simon, a Louisville, Ky.-based outfit which has created identity packages for a number of baseball and sports properties, including the Super Bowl and Major League Baseball's winter meetings.

Team officials explained in a press release that the inspiration for the dinosaur character came from the oil field and oil's classification as a fossil fuel (the once-prevalent theory was that fossil fuels developed from the remains of now-extinct dinosaurs). The donkey character, on the other hand, has a more modern derivation. Pump jacks, seen all over the East Texas landscape bobbing up and down in place, are also affectionately known as "nodding donkeys."

Both logos feature one of the characters placed above the distinctive "Pump Jacks" text, with an arching background shape. Set against the background next to the donkey is the silhouette of a pump jack, while the dinosaur mark features a pair of East Texas derricks. A blanket on the donkey's back bears a star, reminding fans that the Pump Jacks home is Kilgore, the "City of Stars."

The donkey and the dinosaur have two different facial expressions. The dinosaur, which resembles a brontosaurus, is smiling and happy, like a welcoming friend despite his imposing size. The menacing look on the donkey demonstrates that he's ready to battle an opponent until the final out, no matter how big the challenger might be. Even the donkey's backwards cap implies that he's a scrapper.

"We knew from the beginning that we wanted two characters in the logos, and it evolved into two distinct primary marks," noted co-owner Brett Cox. "It opens up so many creative doors for the team, but it also gives people a unique way to show that they're Pump Jacks fans. Some fans will prefer one of the characters and can express themselves with that logo, and other fans will identify with the other character - but they're all part of Pump Jacks Nation."

Lieberman said the team colors have local significance as well. The green represents the Piney Woods region that encompasses East Texas, and the black symbolizes the oil that fuels the area's economic engine. These colors are complimented by cardinal and tan.

Caps and uniforms bearing the logos are still being designed and produced, and the team also plans to announce names for both characters then. In more baseball-related news, the team plans to begin announcing its roster in the near future, a roster that will include college-bound players from different areas of the country.

T-shirts with the logos are already available (in white, ash or black) at a cost of $15 each. Those can be purchased at the team's office at 1100 Stone Road, Suite 120 here in Kilgore.

The team begins the season June 5, and the first home game at Driller will be June 10.

Season tickets are on sale now. For more information on upper and lower box seats, in-yourseat wait service, the Pump Jacks Premier Club, and all there is to know about season tickets for the inaugural season, visit the web site, stop by the team's offices, or call the Pump Jacks at their brand new office phone, (903) 218-GO ET.