In 2016, when the Staten Island Yankees asked for help renaming the team, the fans spoke loud and clear: The minor-league team should honor New York’s tutelary deity, pizza rat. Two years of hemming and hawing later, the team remains the Staten Island Yankees, despite the public’s obvious wishes. But finally, they will do right by their fans — for a few days, at least.
The team will rebrand itself as the Staten Island Pizza Rats for games on June 23 and July 4, 7, 14, and 21. Did the fear of pizza rat finally strike them? Maybe, maybe not. What’s certain is that this is both instantly one of America’s best minor-league sports team names — and there’s a lot of competition! — and this is going to be this summer’s hottest merch. Short of Supreme releasing a special, 15-shirt collaboration with avocado squirrel, milkshake squirrel, and, screw it, clam bandit, anyway.
