To the editor and the community of Tupper Lake:

My son researched the name River Pigs for Tupper Lake’s professional baseball team during the meeting of the Empire League with town officials. He absolutely meant no disrespect to Tupper Lake by the name but was seeking something close to Tupper Lake history! I think this age of extreme sensitivity has gone “around the bend” (in the river), so to speak!

The Minor and Rookie leagues are loaded with teams with colorful names, with the idea of drawing attention to the team with unique names, which River Pigs obviously succeeded in doing! I will provide a link to a list of Minor and Rookie League names from Wikipedia at the end of this letter.*

My son and I have often talked about the trials and tribulations of Adirondack communities and especially Tupper Lake. When he found out that his friend and former ball player on his summer collegiate team in Sullivan County, Eddie Gonzalez, president of the Empire League, was considering an offer from Tupper Lake to host a team from that league, he was excited to be involved with the effort for the two parties to come together to bring professional baseball to Tupper Lake. I would hope that Tupper Lake keeps the name and can see beyond the extreme sensitivity to some things that once again in our society have been blown out of proportion. Why do some citizens of Tupper Lake insist on looking a gift pig in the snout? No disrespect meant — pun intended! Good golly, economic opportunities do not come that often to Tupper Lake! As saying goes, “What is in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”!

By the way, pigs are among some of the most intelligent of animals! Go, River Pigs!

With respect to the community of Tupper Lake,

Marcel Carrier

Star Lake and Callicoon

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Minor_League_Baseball_leagues_and_teams#Rookie_leagues