Arena Football Names Studied

Orange County’s new Arena Football franchise unveiled six logo and nickname finalists Wednesday, two of which play off the team’s home arena--The Pond of Anaheim.

The team, formerly the Las Vegas Sting, will announce its choice Nov. 14. The finalists:

--The Anaheim Piranhas, a snarling fish taking a bite out of the team’s name.

--The TigerSharks, a snarling shark that resembles the NHL’s San Jose Sharks logo.

--The Beach Dogs, a bulldog wearing sunglasses.

--The Crush, a generic football logo.

--The Commandos, a soldier wearing a football helmet.

--The Americans, a player profile in front of a red-white-and-blue, stars-and-stripes backdrop.

Korobkin & Associates, Inc., an Irvine marketing firm, considered more than 100 names, including the Pond Scum, Mighty Pelicans, Leeches and Mermaids. “The Rams” were not a consideration.

An Anaheim investment group paid more than $1 million in September to buy the Sting, which was last in the league in attendance last season, drawing only 5,200 per game. The investment group includes former Irvine Mayor David Baker and sports promoter Roy Englebrecht.

The team has a five-year lease with The Pond and will begin its 14-game season in May.