THE NEW name of the Cleveland baseball team is the Guardians.

The Cleveland major league baseball team, known since 1915 as the Indians, is taking on a new name: Guardians.

The new name was announced Friday with a video narrated by film actor Tom Hanks. Changing the mascot after over a century was prompted by protests that the name – along with the ethnic caricature of “Chief Wahoo” – had racist overtones to some people.

“Guardians” is drawn in part from iconic statues at a major Cleveland bridge called “Guardians of the Highway.”

“It brings to life the pride Clevelanders take in our city and the way we fight together for all who choose to be part of the Cleveland baseball family,” said owner Paul Nolan. “While ‘Indians’ will always be a part of our history, our new name will help unify our fans and city as we are all Cleveland Guardians.”

This is the second major American sports team to change its name over racial issues. The Washington Redskins are now known as the Washington Football Team.

COVID-struck Tokyo Olympics open

It’s a year late and bereft of in-person spectators, but the 2020 – or 2021 –Tokyo Summer Olympics opened Friday (today) without most of the spectacle usually associated with some events.

LOGO for Tokyo Summer Olympics, 2020 … or 2021 …

In Japan, suffering from high rates of coronavirus, this is a scaled down affair whose very existence is controversial.

“This is a moment of hope,” said Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, according to the Associated Press.

“Yes, it is very different from what all of us had imagined. But let us cherish this moment because we are finally all here together.”

Because of COVID-19, the Games originally scheduled for 2020 were postponed for a year; there was much talk of cancelling them, as was done during the First and Second World Wars.

A moment of silence was observed for those who had died during the pandemic, but shouts of protest were heard from outside the stadium.

A “back to school” shortage?

Kids contemplating the approach of a new school year may groan in protest, but there may be more than that to be concerned about this fall.

According to USA Today, there could be a shortage of the iconic tools of education: backpacks, sneakers, electronic devices and stationary supplies. On top of that, prices for those items will probably rise as demand exceeds supply. Consumers can expect to spend 10 to 15 percent more this year on such items, says Neil Saunders of the GlobalData Retail organization.

Shop early, he suggests.