When is a chaqueta not a chaqueta? Ay, chihuahua!

I once worked for a tech company that rolled out a major (i.e., really pricey) collection of services named Black Rocket. The name had nothing to do with anything. We had a new CMO, and he showed up with this name in his pocket and made sure that he got to use it. There was a fake "contest" to name the new offering but - surprise, surprise - his name won.

Once the company had invested a ton in all sorts of Black Rocket merch - not just the usual corporate swag like caps, shirts, mugs and lunchboxes, but goodies like lava lamps, bicycles, and (if memory holds - chairs) - and invested a ton of money in print and TV advertising, someone figured out that Black Rocket was the name for a powerful form of hashish in the Netherlands, and a condom in Spain.

Given this fond memory, I was amused to read about the nickname choice for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, a minor leage affiliate of the LA Dodgers. The nickname: Chaquetas. Which means jackets in English, but in some parts of the Hispanic community, has another meaning. Chaqueta is slang for masturbation.

Go, Jackets! Go, Jack-offs?

Many minor league clubs have a nickname associated with the Hispanic community. Baseball is very big in the Latin American world, and many of current and recent major league superstars hail from places like the DR. (For the Red Sox: David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, Rafael Devers...)

The nicknames are part of the Copa de la Diversión (Fun Cup), a minor league outreach program aimed at Latin American fans. My minor league team, the Red Sox Triple AAA Worcester WooSox uses the nickname Wepa, which is a general purpose word used by Puerto Ricans when they're excited or joyful. The Wepa icon is a rocket.

Anyway, the choice of the name Chaquetas was a shout-out to the Mexican population, which is huge in California, and to mariachi music, which is muy popular.

Unfortunate association with masturbation aside, it's actually an excellent choice, given the ornate jackets that mariachi musicians wear. And there was sound reasoning behind the pick when the Quakes decided to change their prior Copa name - Los Temblores, which literally translates to Quakes - with something a bit more fun. (Little did they know...)

The idea of a mariachi theme came up, inspired part by the popularity of mariachi performances at Dodgers games and part by fond memories of Dodgers relief pitcher and Rancho Cucamonga resident Joe Kelly* wearing a mariachi jacket to the White House following L.A.’s 2020 World Series win. (Source: LA Times)

There was, of course, a bit of backlash (largely on social media). Despite this, the Quakes - after talking to members of the fanbase they were trying to appeal to, which apparently doesn't include those who associate 'chaqueta' with 'jerking off' - decided to stick with the name Chaquetas. There doesn't seem to be a ton of Chaquetas merch available. The caps are sold out, likely due to young cut-ups who do associate 'chaqueta' with 'jerking off.'

Ay, chihuahua!

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*Joe Kelly was part of the 2018 Red Sox team which won the World Series. He was wildly popular here in Boston.