The negativity started early Friday morning.

An alert from Major League Baseball popped onto my phone screen before I even arrived at the office. I admit, I sneered.

Really? The Guardians? It sounded juvenile, I thought. I flashed back to the Power Ranger action figures my kids had collected as children.

By the time I was settled at my desk in the newsroom, my cellphone was blowing up with negative reactions to the newly announced name for the Cleveland Indians. The topic even came up during our regular Friday morning department head meeting. No one there liked it either.

“They considered over 1,100 names, and this is the best they could come up with?” one co-worker demanded.

It wasn’t until about an hour later that I heard the first positive response. Staff writer Andy Gray, a huge Indians fan, said he was OK with the nickname. He explained the connection to the “Guardians of Traffic” sculptures located on the Hope Memorial Bridge near Progressive Field.

Now, I learned long ago, especially in my business, about the importance of keeping an open mind and researching all sides of a story.

So that’s what I did.

I took some time to read the information released by the team.

Key themes most important to fans were “connect to the city of Cleveland, honor our rich baseball history and unite our community,” said President of Business Operations Brian Barren. “We believe Guardians upholds all three of those pillars.”

I watched the organization’s videos, including one where fans explained why they support the new name, along with the initial announcement made that morning by actor Tom Hanks.

“We hold tight to our roots and set our sights on tomorrow,” Hanks said in the video. “And now it’s time to unite as one family, one community, to build the next era for this team in this city, to keep watch and guard what makes this game the greatest; to come together and welcome all who want to join us. We are loyal and proud and resilient. We protect what we earn and always defend it.”

And suddenly the name didn’t seem so bad.

Granted, I’m not sure all fans will be as open-minded or spend as much time researching before simply dismissing it or the MLB in general. Let’s face it, humans are creatures of habit. And Cleveland fans are pretty hardheaded about their teams.

Remember when the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996 to take on a new identity as the Ravens? The only saving grace for heartbroken fans was that the team’s colors and nickname remained for the expansion NFL team arriving in 1999.

Following significant market research before settling on the Guardians nickname, the organization now faces equally significant challenges in winning over fans, many who still refuse to let go of the loveable Chief Wahoo, banished from the field more than a year ago.

I won’t be surprised if popularity of the Cleveland Browns grows, while popularity of Cleveland baseball dips with next year’s arrival of the “Guardians.”

I doubt it was a coincidence that during those years without the Browns, sports fans turned their attention to the Tribe, setting a record of 455 straight regular season home sellouts from June 12, 1995, through April 4, 2001. It didn’t hurt, of course, that the Tribe was super hot during those years, playing in two World Series in 1995 and 1997. The excitement in the city was palpable.

Still, a reverse turnaround could occur now, with fans growing more rabid for the Browns (if that’s even possible) and less interested in the Guardians.

If that happens, it will be a shame, especially for those of us who just love the game. Sure, the nickname on the jersey is important for tradition’s sake, but for me, it’s not a deal breaker.

Frankly, I’ll take a good baseball game, a hot dog with relish and a bag of Cracker Jacks on any hot summer day. And I’ll still be rooting for the home team.

blinert@tribtoday.com