Forgive me for yawning, but Minnesota Thrill doesn't do a whole lot for me, and Minnesota Rush sounds too much like Daunte Culpepper fleeing from a collapsing pocket.

However, Thrill and Rush are two of the four choices being offered by Minnesota Lacrosse for the new club's name.

Now, Minnesota Bullheads is definitely an interesting and curious name, and I perhaps could tolerate Minnesota Swarm, but neither one screams "Fifth Major Professional League" (to use the official Jim Jennings lingo).

The problem's not just with these names -- it's with the whole mindset involved.

I think we've all had enough with giving teams verbs for nicknames. Sting, Rock, Storm, Attack, Smash, and onward. It's getting old. Adjectives (Mammoth, Stealth) are even worse.

Nicknames ought to mean something, and in Minnesota as much as anywhere else, sports teams should know and understand that.

Baseball's Twins pay homage to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Football's Vikings honor the Scandinavians who were among the first Europeans to come to Minnesota.

Basketball's Timberwolves are named after the animal of that name, a native of the state.

Hockey's Wild... well, there's that adjective nonsense again. (And who should happen to own the new lacrosse team? Yup, the hockey team)

In fairness, though, if you're going to bash the preordained choices, you ought to bring something constructive to the discussion, too.

And so we here at the Outsider's Guide are jumping on the bandwagon for a name first introduced in today's St. Paul Pioneer Press -- Minnesota Black Bears.

Start with the idea that several team names in the National Lacrosse League are based, at least in part, on names elsewhere in sports.

The league's flagship team, the Philadelphia Wings, were named as a play on the name of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers.

The late New York Saints, who originated in New Jersey, worked opposite the New Jersey Devils.

In Vancouver, the Ravens (like former NBA club Vancouver Grizzlies) took their name from Aboriginal mythology.

The Anaheim Storm are so dubbed because team owner Jayson Williams, who had a notable NBA career, played his college hoops for St. John's -- the Red Storm.

And in Minnesota, the new lacrosse team can pay homage, albeit slight, to a former hockey team.

While the National Hockey League would protect its trademarks and prevent a lacrosse team from being called the "Minnesota North Stars," there's no reason why a name can't be inspired by it.

Astronomy students will note that the North Star, a.k.a Polaris, is located in the constellation Ursa Minor.

This presents a new naming problem, though. Who wants to be known as the Little Bears?

Not any self-respecting professional lacrosse team, that's for sure. We can fix it with one word change, though, since black bears are native to Minnesota.

And there you go -- Black Bears, a classy nickname for a team which everyone hopes will be a model franchise for future expansion entries.

But, of course, if Minnesotans want their lacrosse team to be a little off-kilter, they can Swarm to the lakes and streams, grab a Bullhead by the fin and get a great, big Thrill.

I'll be in no Rush.