Fans christen Irving's WTT team: Texas Wild

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By Rusty Hall

If the new Irving-based member of Mylan World TeamTennis league lives up to its name, local tennis fans are going to be in for some wild times this season.

The team, which announced last month that it was relocating from Kansas City, Mo., to Irving, announced Monday that it has completed its online public naming campaign and the team will be called the Texas Wild.

"We are extremely grateful to our fans and the creativity they brought to this naming campaign," said co-owner and general manager Jeff Launius. "The Texas Wild name came through loud and clear as a fan favorite in the fan voting."

Launius said he was excited to have fan input into the naming of the team and he's looking forward to creating an identity for the team.

"I love the name actually and I'm excited about it," Launius said. "We're working on a logo and there's a lot of things we can do with the name, like Wild Bunch.

"Wild means so many different things and we can go in a lot different directions."

The naming comes a day before the league will hold its Marquee Player Draft, which begins at 11 a.m. today.

The Wild, formerly known as the Kansas City Explorers, will have the second pick. Texas is expected to protect its rights to Bob and Mike Bryan, the ATP Tour's No. 1-ranked men's doubles team and defending Australian Open champions.

Marquee players are some of the top players in the world, but because of their schedules, the number of matches with the team is limited. A roster player draft is scheduled for March 12 in Indian Wells, Calif.

The team, which will be coached by Brent Haygarth, also hopes to name a venue later this week.

The league, founded by Billie Jean King and featuring professional team tennis competition, will begin its 38th season on July 7. The season runs through the month of July.

The Wild will be competing in the Western Conference with the Sacramento Capitals, Springfield Lasers and Orange County Breakers. The Eastern Conference includes the defending champion Washington Capitols, New York Sportstimes, Boston Lobsters and the Philadelphia Freedom.

Rusty Hall, 817-390-78167

Twitter: RustyHall10s

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