ON DECK: Pelicans? Why not?

On Thursday, the New Orleans basketball team released the logo for next season, when the franchise changes its name to the Pelicans.

Laugh if you want, but I like it.

Louisiana is the Pelican State, and I almost never have a problem when a sports team has a mascot that fits with the location.

The San Antonio Spurs. The Milwaukee Brewers. The Pittsburgh Steelers.

To me, those names work better than the “Raiders,” “Bulls,” and “Eagles.”

In a perfect world, there would be a three-team nickname trade: New Orleans receives the name Jazz (where it rightfully belongs), Charlotte gets the Hornets again and Utah receives the name Bobcats and does with it what it will.

I've been to nearly every major city in this great country, and New Orleans is definitely the most distinct and different. And its new basketball mascot sure does fit the bill.

So go ahead and laugh, but I say, Geaux Pelicans.