# Support for our Baals **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 9, 2011, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736 "2011-02-09T05:13:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/1 "2011-02-09T05:13:36Z")
From the AP: > [@](#): > > FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A former Indiana mayor who won over voters in the 1930s is proving less popular with modern city leaders trying to choose a name for a new government center. > > Harry Baals (bawlz) is the runaway favorite in online voting to name the new building in Fort Wayne. But Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy tells The Journal Gazette that the city probably won’t name the center after its longest tenured mayor because of the jokes it could inspire. > > Supporters say it’s unfair that the former mayor can’t be recognized simply because his name makes some people snicker. But others say they don’t want the city to become the target of jokes. > > His descendants now pronounce their last name “bales.” > > Online voting ends Friday, then the mayor will choose from several finalists. Don’t know what else to say ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/2 "2011-02-09T15:04:16Z")
If the current leadership had any Baals they’d know what to do. But they don’t, so the new building will be named something banal & stupid. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/3 "2011-02-09T15:28:53Z")
In M_A_S\*H lore, Frank Burns is from Fort Wayne, too. The town can’t win. My mother grew up there. I must admit to snickering a bit when I sent her a link to that article a couple of hours ago… ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/4 "2011-02-09T15:49:23Z")
I thought people would be objecting because Baal is\* a super demon-type thing. What Midwestern community wants city hall named after Satan’s minion? \*: The name comes from “Ba’al,” a title originally applied to many deities and even some people, sometimes referring to a false idol, but not always. ---
**Author:** ![heavyarms553](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/779978/32.png) [@heavyarms553](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heavyarms553)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/5 "2011-02-09T17:58:29Z")
I know a urologist named Dr. Ball. Nice guy. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/6 "2011-02-09T18:02:23Z")
Couldn’t they just call it the Harold Baals center? ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/7 "2011-02-09T19:34:24Z")
I… I didn’t notice the first name. Harry Baals? Really? I just… I don’t know what to say here. ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/8 "2011-02-09T20:28:17Z")
Don’t need any support for mine. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/9 "2011-02-09T20:54:57Z")
I would not care to hang around at the Baals center. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/10 "2011-02-09T21:13:28Z")
\The sports training facility at UGA is called the **Butts-Mehre** Heritage Hall. Considering the ease of taking the last word which is pronounced as ‘May-er’ (as in Oscar Mayer) and turning into ‘Me-er’ which turns the phrase into something that describes an unfortunate underwear accident, I can’t understand why they didn’t invert the two names. Are these folks totally tone-deaf? \ ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/11 "2011-02-10T04:22:59Z")
You Dopers are really letting me down… I tee up a story about Hairy Balls (sp) and this is all we get. Didn’t anyone research to see if in High School he was a really big JOCK, or later how he became a huge ATHLETIC SUPPORTER? Then in his final years he had a bit part in a movie and became a member of SAG. Come on guys, you can do better than this. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/12 "2011-02-10T05:25:29Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > You Dopers are really letting me down… I tee up a story about Hairy Balls (sp) and this is all we get. Didn’t anyone research to see if in High School he was a really big JOCK, or later how he became a huge ATHLETIC SUPPORTER? Then in his final years he had a bit part in a movie and became a member of SAG. > > Come on guys, you can do better than this. I guess we just don’t have the testicular fortitude that you thought we did. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/13 "2011-02-10T06:08:02Z")
So it’s either him or one of the other finalists. I wonder who the other finalists are… Cole Balzac? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/14 "2011-02-10T06:48:20Z")
I wont be able to stop now. Tess Tickles? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/15 "2011-02-10T13:42:44Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > You Dopers are really letting me down… I tee up a story about Hairy Balls (sp) and this is all we get. Didn’t anyone research to see if in High School he was a really big JOCK, or later how he became a huge ATHLETIC SUPPORTER? Then in his final years he had a bit part in a movie and became a member of SAG. > > Come on guys, you can do better than this. Looks like someone’s feeling a little teste today. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/16 "2011-02-10T14:27:33Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I thought people would be objecting because Baal is\* a super demon-type thing. What Midwestern community wants city hall named after Satan’s minion? I was under the impression that the worship of Ba’al was well established long before Satan got a promotion from Divine Prosecutor to Prince of Darkness. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/17 "2011-02-10T15:35:40Z")
They really need to get a lesson from New Hampshire, who proudly elected several times Richard Swett. Yes, he does go by ‘Dick’. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/18 "2011-02-10T15:48:26Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I thought people would be objecting because Baal is\* a super demon-type thing. What Midwestern community wants city hall named after Satan’s minion? Yeah, but imagine that Wild & Nutty [ThanksgivingDay Parade](http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Science/images-4/stay-puft-marshmallow-man.jpg)… “Oh, and here comes The Sta-Pu ft Marshmallow Man! Matt Lauer, what’s that look like up close? Matt..? Matt? We seem to have lost some audio…” ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/19 "2011-02-10T16:10:13Z")
> [@Scuba\_Ben](#): > > I was under the impression that the worship of Ba’al was well established long before Satan got a promotion from Divine Prosecutor to Prince of Darkness. [Ba’al](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba%CA%BFal) is not the same as [Baal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal_%28demon%29). Either way, though, Christians would object. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736/20 "2011-02-10T16:26:15Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > [Ba’al](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba%CA%BFal) is not the same as [Baal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal_%28demon%29). Either way, though, Christians would object. FWIW, I read a blog report early this week about Christians who objected to a young boy dressing up for Halloween as _Daphne from Scooby-Doo_. Fundies of any faith will object to just about anything. (I’m not sure about fundie Pastafarians, though.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/support-for-our-baals/570736.md?page=2)