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The Isotopes began playing in 2003 when the Calgary Cannons relocated to New Mexico. Their major league affiliate is the Florida Marlins.
The name was chosen by the fans in the city, taking the name from an episode of The Simpsons where Homer's favorite team, the Springfield Isotopes, threatened to move to Albuquerque. Some of the nicknames for the team are "Isodukes," "Archdukes," "Artichokes," and "'Topes."
The name might be considered a reference to the fact that New Mexico has a number of well-known scientific/military facilities dealing with nuclear technology, such as Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP).
After the Dukes relocated, the city of Albuquerque almost completely destroyed the team's home stadium, Albuquerque Sports Stadium, but kept the old playing field intact. The city then built a completely new stadium around the existing field. The new venue opened in 2003 as Isotopes Park.
The Isotopes' mascot is named Orbit.