Fort Wayne Officials Jumpy Over Building's Potentially Provocative Name

The people of Fort Wayne, Indiana, are embroiled in quite the sticky debate: whether to name a new government building after a late, beloved mayor named Harry Baals.

The city held an online poll to name the new building, and Baals, who served three terms from 1934-1947, and then a fourth from 1951 to his death in 1954, came out on top. 

Despite popular support for naming the building after Baals, Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy said such a commemoration would "probably not" happen. Why? Because of the pronunciation of Baals' last name: "balls."

The building, then, would be called the "Harry 'Balls' Government Center," followed by an eruption of laughter. Malloy, however, thinks such a name could make Fort Wayne "look bad." She failed to note that there's already a "Harry Baals Drive" in the Indiana town.

I'll tell you, Harry Baals gets no respect.