I know there has been a lot said, both good and bad, about Hornets owner Tom Benson’s decision to rename the team “The New Orleans Pelicans.” Nevertheless, I am wholeheartedly for the new name, and as proof, I decided to re-run my column from April 18 of this year in which I lobbied for the name change and offered my reasons for it. I stand behind my previous arguments and hope it quells some of the uneasiness amongst Hornets fans about their beloved basketball team’s new name.

 As written by “A Hungry Patriot” April 18, 2012:               

“First, congratulations to the greater New Orleans region for being able to support two major sports teams. In 2011, it looked as if the region might lose the Hornets due to lack of attendance. Nevertheless, the region stood up and said ‘I’m In!’ and packed the arena just in time to meet the necessary benchmark. With the purchase of the team by Tom Benson, it looks as if the question mark hanging over the Hornets has been replaced with a big check mark of approval.

“However, I write today to plead my case to rename the New Orleans Hornets the New Orleans Pelicans as a sign of our state’s ability to repeatedly rise up against all odds. I further recommend that the mascot be named Pierre the Pelican. No other symbol — music, food, or animal — can capture the resilience of this region, the strength of its people, or the beauty of our state like the majestic brown pelican.

“It was the brown pelican, the official state bird, that nearly went extinct until the citizens of the state took action to save it. Now, anyone driving along Interstate 10 across the Bonnet Carre Spillway can see flocks of these graceful, strong birds flying above the marshes.

It was the brown pelican covered in oil that became the symbol of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010. The large bird dripping in oil with its wings outstretched is an image that was replayed the world over. As we put the pieces of our oil, gas and seafood industries back together, the estuaries of countless marine and bird species must be repaired and preserved for future generations.

“It is the brown pelican that proudly feeds blood from its breast to its young on our state flag. The symbolism of this image is one the nation shouldn’t forget, since it is Louisiana that constantly takes the blood from our land — oil, gas, seafood, and waterfowl — to feed America’s thirst for energy and hunger for Gulf seafood and wildlife.

“It is Pierre the Pelican who stands proudly with the other members of the Estuarians, mascots of the America’s WETLAND Foundation, fighting to save the coast of south Louisiana.

“It was Tom Benson’s Saints that allowed the entire state of Louisiana to hold its head up high when the Ain’ts finally became the Super Bowl champions, and it will be Tom Benson’s New Orleans Pelicans that will clinch the NBA championship.

“It was the citizens of south Louisiana that cheered on the return of the pelican, fought to save their coast, stood by their Saints and went back to work after the oil spill. It will be those same hard working, lovers of life in south Louisiana that enthusiastically support their New Orleans Pelicans.”

Buddy Boe, a resident of Garyville, owns a public relations and program management company and is well known on the local political (and food) scenes. His column appears Wednesdays in L’Observateur.