Hanging with a hawk at the Zoo? Prez of Island’s new baseball squad promotes team-naming effort

If you were at the Staten Island Zoo Wednesday afternoon and saw someone talking to a hawk you weren’t seeing things.

And no, it wasn’t a crazy person.

It was Eric Shuffler, president of Staten Island Entertainment LLC that will oversee the Island’s new minor league baseball team which will play its games at Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George as part of the independent Atlantic League beginning in May of 2022.

Shuffler was joined by Borough President James Oddo in meeting the hawk to promote the team’s naming effort, which has been narrowed to seven names -- the Ferry Hawks, Harbor Heroes, Dragon Slayers, Responders, Front Liners, Watch Dogs and Greenbelters.

A poll asking Staten Islanders and other fans has been ongoing and will conclude on Oct. 1, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Fans can vote at www.wabcradio.com/baseball. The official team name will be revealed in late October.

In the meantime, Shuffler and Oddo visited the Staten Island Zoo and met a red-tailed hawk named Kubo. The hawk is named after the 2016 animated film Kubo and the Two Strings. In addition to the team-naming effort, Oddo and Co. were there to promote the Zoo and engage the public.

Neither Shuffler nor Oddo handled the one-eyed hawk, but they found out some interesting facts about the animal from its handler Kate Harley.

Hawks are fast and can reach speeds of up to 120 miles per hour. Their vision is superior and Shuffler asked if they can hold their own against ducks, a reference to the Long Island Ducks, who figure to be the new Island team’s rival in the Atlantic League.

When told a hawk can shred a duck, Shuffler smiled.

On Monday, Oddo tweeted out that he would be at the event.

“The things you do to find the right baseball team name!?!,” Oddo tweeted out. “Staten Island Ferry Hawks? Maybe.”

Shuffler is partners in the team along with radio host and billionaire John Catsimatidis, Dany Garcia (the ex-wife of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), Yankee Global Enterprises, RedBird Capital and Saturday Night Live comedians and Staten Islanders Pete Davidson and Colin Jost.

Shuffler also told the Advance that he and Oddo would visit the Greenbelt in Willowbrook Park on Friday to talk about the possible team name Greenbelters, which was among the leading vote-getters in the poll as of last week.

There will be no hawk there, but expect plenty of trees.