Thousands of people assembled in downtown Ontario on Thursday evening, many of them in Dodger gear, to celebrate the launch of the Dodger-affiliated minor league baseball team .

The video screens played footage of fighter pilots as a warmup. Then the team name was announced with verve from the Town Square stage: the Ontario Tower Buzzers.

I heard a couple of laughs, then some general applause. No roars of approval, though. The name seemed to fall flat. That was my sense.

The mascot, Maverick, was introduced. It’s a fuzzy yellow bee clad in a blue flight jacket and cap. For those who miss the reference, Maverick was Tom Cruise’s character in “Top Gun,” a pilot who buzzed a control tower.

(This was all news to me. I’ve never seen the movie, unlike whoever came up with the team branding

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