Reading Phillies to change name after 46 years

The Reading Phillies have decided to change their name starting with the 2013 season, according to milb.com.

Double-A Reading has enjoyed the "Phillies" nickname for the past 46 years, but now has decided to go in another direction. The organization is launching a rebranding effort in hopes of sparking some new interest in the club and also just for a chance to shake things up.

The new name hasn't been released yet, with a grand unveiling planned for Nov. 17. On that date, Reading will hold the Name Change Announcement at FirstEnergy Stadium at 11:30 a.m.

Along with the new moniker, the redesigned jerseys will be donned as well for the fans.

Not surprisingly, the decision to change such a traditional name has caused some differeing opinions in the media and with fans alike.

Over at The Good Phight, Peter Lyons shares his feelings on something he grew up with getting a makeover:

In case you can't tell, I hate this. I'm not much of a traditionalist about most things, but this literally hits me close to home. I grew up about a half hour from FirstEnergy Stadium (then Reading Municipal Memorial Stadium and later "GPU Stadium"), and spent over a hundred nights in my youth hanging out at the ballpark, hassling guys like Marvin Freeman and Bob Scanlan for autographs, and learning to appreciate funnel cake.

Undoubtedly, it will be an adjustment for people who love Reading baseball.