One has to feel sorry for the San Jose Clash. It owns an 18-12 record, has won three straight games in regulation since changing coaches, but is once again ù a record third year in a row ù out of the playoffs. So little is thought of the Clash that management is apparently thinking of changing the team name. The buzz around the Bay Area is that San Jose will be called the Earthquakes, beginning in the 2000 season. The theory, of course, is that the name will evoke the so-called glory years of the NASL Earthquakes and, hopefully, bring back the old Quake fans. Four years into MLS, itÆs a little too late to bring back the NASL spirit. I could possibly see a case for bringing back names like the New York Cosmos or Tampa Bay Rowdies, teams that had enjoyed special relationships with their communities, but the Quakes? The problem with these names is thatÆs itÆs all ancient history. Moreover, the NASL boom was fleeting. Few remember the Minnesota Kicks. They regularly drew crowds of 40,000, and the Metropolitan Stadium parking lot was a happening place, but everyone disappeared as fast as they came. The Earthquakes are one of the last NASL teams IÆd bring back. Fact is, they were worse than the Clash, as hard as thatÆs to believe. In the NASLÆs heyday (1978-81), the Quakes went 8-22, 8-22, 9-23 and 11-21 and finished last in its division each year. I moved to the Bay Area in 1985 to witness the first reincarnation of the Earthquakes. I can recall many a Saturday evening spent watching the Quakes II playing before a few hundred fans at Spartan Stadium. After a couple of years, the club folded. If the Earthquakes return again, letÆs hope they donÆt suffer the same fate. FANS, LET’S HEAR YOUR VIEW Click here to log onto (Soccer) American Graffiti. Then click on the topic titled “YOUR VIEW: The Earthquakes III?” and respond to Paul Kennedy in 200 words or less. Best responses may be reprinted in Soccer America Magazine. If YOUR View is selected, we’ll send you a cool T-shirt and pin… Because You’re FANATIC.