New Baseball Team Picks A Name And I Learn About A Scary New Animal

A team from Fond du Lac, Wisc., will field a team in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league, beginning next year. Today they announced the team name. It’s that.

“Dock Spiders” beat out 800 or so other suggested names, including finalists Barn Owls, Lake Flies, Pipsqueaks, and Shantymen. And if the logo looks familiar, it was designed by Brandiose, the sports marketing firm responsible for the minor-league snarl.

I don’t see any teeth on the Dock Spider, so perhaps this is better cataloged as a minor-league sneer, or a minor-league smirk.

In seeking to learn more about the Dock Spiders, I came across the website Cottage Tips, filled with helpful tips about cottages. The first thing I was surprised to learn about dock spiders is that they are real.

Other dock spider facts:

•“Dock spiders” is the most common Canadian name for them. In the U.S. they are more often known as “fishing spiders.”

•They live near docks, I guess? Because they eat things in the water.

• They are Canada’s largest spider.

•They are venomous, but generally avoid biting humans unless accidentally stepped on, except I can’t think of anywhere you’re less likely to be wearing shoes than on a dock, so just avoid lakes altogether.

•This infographic:

•Maybe add the Upper Midwest, and the entirety of Canada (just to be safe), to the list of places we should no longer go.

Good luck to the baseball team.