Baseball Nicknames

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Posted By: John Spencer

Certainly the history of baseball is made more colorful by the nicknames bestowed on the players. Such labeling is certainly in keeping that major leaguers are men playing a boy's game. Yet you look at the players today and there seems to a real shortage of nicknames out there, and I wonder why? Is it because some spoiled millionaires don't feel they are appropriate and convey the right image, eg. Barry Bonds. Sure there are few, such as A Rod and The Rocket, but they seem to be the exception. Here are a few of my favorites and I would love to hear yours:
1. Willie Keeler - "Wee Willie"
2. Christy Mathewson - "The Christian Gentleman"
3. "Piano Legs" Gore
4. John McGraw - "Mugsy"
5. Johnny Evers - "The Crab"
6. Tris Speaker - "The Grey Eagle"
7. Walter Johnson - "Big Train"
8. Lou Gehrig - "The Iron Horse"
9. Rogers Hornsby - "Rajah"
10. Jimmie Foxx - "The Beast"
11. Ted Williams - "The Splendid Splinter"
12. Bob Feller - "Rapid Robert"
I have many more but want to give others a chance to list their favorites.

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Posted By: dennis

i always thought this one was very cool esp. for the era.

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Posted By: T206Collector

...persist, but the media doesn't cover it as much. I suspect if you talk to any players directly they'll tell you everybody's got a nickname of some kind, some less colorful than others. They virtually never refer to each other by the first or last name alone. One of my favorites of today is "El Brujo" for Ramiro Mendoza, now of the Red Sox. When he was with the Yankees they called him "El Brujo," which means something like "Witch Doctor". And then there's "El Duque" of course. Tim "Rock" Raines. Dwight "Doc" Gooden -- the shortening of Doctor K.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I like the nicknames that supplant the real name so much that that are on the cards and even became autograph styles: Choo Choo Coleman, Boo Ferriss, Bobo Holliman, Buck Newsome, Cookie Rojas, Whitey Ford, Whitey Lockman, Mickey Cochrane, Granny Hamner, Rip Sewell, Pie Traynor, Ki Ki Cuyler, Duke Snider, Yogi Berra, Moose Skowron, Babe Ruth, Cy Young,

Now playing left field: Lefty O'Doul, Lefty Gomez, Lefty Grove, Lefty Phillips

Then there are the nicknames that say all you need, often ironically, about the player's style: Gabby Street, Eddie The Brat Stanky, Ewell The Whip Blackwell, Gabby Hartnett, Hammering Hank, Knuckles Cicotte,

There are the Whiteys: Ford, Lockman

There are the diminutives. Baseball is about the only major sport played professionally by Sammy, Bobby, Davey, Richie, Tommie, Eddie, etc.

I think we see fewer nicknames now because of how insulting public discourse in general has become and how sensitive people have become to being categorized with names that bring up physical characteristics. Also, newspaper sportswriting is so sterile compared to the styles of the earlier columnists, who for the most part created the labels. The nicknames we hear today are the result of publicity departments or in some cases, players being silly (Rock Raines?).

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Posted By: Greg Ecklund

Tony Mullane - "The Apollo of the Box"
Arlie Latham - "The Freshest Man On Earth"
"Bucketfoot Al" Simmons
Luke "Hot Potato" Hamlin
Walt "No Neck" Williams
Max Bishop - "Camera Eye"

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Posted By: Brian H

Yes our "sensitivity" does render nicknames like: "Chief" (any indian player), "Dummy" (deaf players) off-limits.
Many of my favorites date from the 19th century:
"Death to Flying Things" Ferguson;
"The only" Nolan
"the Apollo of the Box" Tony Mullans
"Piano Legs" Gore
"Orator Jim" O'Rourke and his opposite "Silent" Mike Tiernan
"Old Hoss" Radborne

The Negro Leagues had many good ones including:
"Heavy" Johnson
Willie "the Devil" Wells; and the immortal
"Cool Papa" Bell;

I also like
"the Rabbi of Swat" Moe Solomaon
"Losing Pitcher" Mulcahy
and today's "The Big Unit"

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Posted By: Andy

Didn't they use to call Christy Mathewson "Big Six"? Read that in a book a long time ago. Always loved the nickname even though I never quite knew the derivation. (Six-fingered man like the guy in The Princess Bride?)

Andy

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

There are so many.

I find Dizzy, Dazzy, Daffy and Ducky strangely reminescent of Hewey, Dewey and Louie.

But one of my favorires is Line Drive Nelson (a pitcher).

Gil

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Posted By: john/z28jd

Its odd that Gilbert Maines doesnt list Grasshopper Maines as one of his favorites.

My favorites are the previously listed Death to flying things Ferguson and Fred Sure Shot Dunlap from vintage era

A little more recent,and my dad has his glove still from way back in the late 50s. Willie 'Puddin Head' Jones

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

Although this is not the correct thread for the following comment, please consider that I am anxious to purchase any Old Judge card of Maines. You do not have one in a condition so bad that I do not want it, and although you may have one in a condition so good that I can not afford it, please let me try.

Gil

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Posted By: Rich Jacobs

Here you are--Grasshopper Maines in person:

http://gfg.com/LLojfind/16.shtml

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

Rich - thank you !

After about a year of watching Dave's site, I had degraded my checks to only viewing his OJ price list. Obviously, that was an error. I still can't believe that you found one of these for me.

But don't give up yet. The Grasshopper has five poses !

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Gil

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Posted By: Darren J. Duet

Some of my favorites :
Mordecai "Three fingers" Brown
George Herman "Babe" "the Sultan of Swat" Ruth
George "Peaches" Graham
Mel "Yankee Killer" Parnel
Rogers "Rajah" Hornsby
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson -- great story behind this one
Chicago "Black Sox"


Dr. "Moonlight" Graham (Fictional - field of dreams -- still cool).

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Posted By: Darren J. Duet

Honus "the Flying Dutchman" Wagner

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Posted By: murcerfan

Puddin' Head Jones

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Posted By: john/z28jd

Darren,there really was a player named Archibald Moonlight Graham,they used his real stats and bio in the movie,at least pretty close

http://www.baseball-reference.com/g/grahamo01.shtml

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Posted By: Judge Dred

Jeff "Hac Man" Leonard - this name was actually block lettered into some of his bats.

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Posted By: Bill Cornell

Also went by "Penitentiary Face", for obvious reasons.

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Posted By: Rich Jacobs

Pud Galvin

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Posted By: Turbo L.

I'd say Icebox is a good nickname-especially for a pitcher-as in Chamberlain

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Posted By: Bill Kasel

The Iron Horse - how can you compete with that?

"Oil Can" Boyd is my favorite current era nickname.

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Posted By: Darren J. Duet

Did Archibald "Moonlight" Graham become a physician as he did in Field of Dreams?

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Posted By: Professor turbo

It seems like every team had a "Dutch" a "Babe" a "Lefty" no matter what era. I like THE PROFESSOR-for Greg Maddux in the current era.

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Posted By: Greg Ecklund

He did become a physician - here's a little information:

http://www.uslink.net/~0695vs/moonlight.html

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Posted By: john/z28jd

That an actual picture of him in a Giants unifrom and the part about him becoming a doctor is also true,in Chisolm,Minnesota.The game mentioned below was an 11-1 Giants win,with Christy Mathewson being the starting pitcher.Not at the end of the season like mentioned in the movie tho


Heres a short boigraphy on him;
Following a highly successful minor league career with the Charlotte Hornets of North Carolina League, Archibald Wright Graham made his major league debut on June 29, 1905, with the New York Giants. It was the same day he retired from professional baseball. With a ten run lead over the Brooklyn Dodgers after eight innings, Giant manager John McGraw made a defensive change, replacing George Brown with "Moonlight" Graham in right field. In less than -FlVE-minutes, three quick infield outs by the Dodgers ended the game, along with Graham's only chance to face a big league pitcher.

While the Giants went on to defeat the Philadelphia Athletics four games to one in the 1905 World Series, Graham left baseball to fulfill his dream of becoming a medical doctor, eventually pursuing his life's work in Chisholm, Minnesota, the year following the Great Chisholm fire of 1908. "Doc" Graham spent his first six years practicing medicine at Chisholm's Rood Hospital and the next 44(!) years as physician for the Chisholm schools, where he gained national recognition for his thirteen year study of children's blood pressure, as well as the love and respect of the entire Chisholm community.

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Posted By: Kevin O

You gotta love Bill "The Spaceman" Lee. Even better is the name the Spaceman gave Don Zimmer: "The Gerbil."

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

........."Old Aches and Pains" Luke Appling.


We had this thread once before, and somebody contriubuted about 15-20 names from the Negro League, which were a wonder to behold!

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Posted By: ErikV.

I'm impartial to the Black Sox. So here we go:

Pitcher "Knuckles"
Centerfielder "Happy"
Firstbaseman "Chick"
Leftfielder "Shoeless"
Shortstop "Swede"
Thirdbaseman "Buck"
Pitcher "Lefty"
Manager "Kid"
and Owner "The Old Roman"

Heck, even the Gamblers had nicknames:

"The Little Champ" Abe Attel
Joseph "Sport" Sullivan
"Sleepy" Bill Burns
"Prince Hal" Chase


Other scandalous players in baseball include:

"Shufflin" Phil Douglas
Phillies coach "Cozy" Dolan
and who can forget "Charlie Hustle" Pete Rose!!!

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Posted By: Mark

I always liked the name "Mark Lemongello," pitcher for the Houston Astros from 1976-78 and for Toronto in 79. If I were handing out nicknames, I would have named him "Kraftie" (as in Kraft-brand Jello).

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Posted By: Mark

I always liked the name "Mark Lemongello," pitcher for the Houston Astros from 1976-78 and for Toronto in 79. If I were handing out nicknames, I would have named him "Kraftie" (as in Kraft-brand Jello).

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Posted By: With a name like that:

With a name like that I bet he was probably the best fighter in his neighborhood when he was growing up.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

Dick "Dr. Strangeglove" Stuart??

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Posted By: Brian Weisner

"Blue Moon Odom"

Eddie "Eat Drink and be Murray"

Don " Hollywood" Mossi

"Ears" Freeman



Brian "Carolina Brights" Weisner

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Posted By: Paul

There is a player in the 51 Bowman set nicknamed "Swish". He was not a pitcher. He's shown swinging a bat (missing, of course). I believe his last name might be Nicholson.

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Posted By: Greg Ecklund

Nicholson is Bill "Swish" Nicholson, nicknamed "Swish" because of his penchant for strikeouts (even though he never struck out more than 100 times). Despite being among the league leaders in strikeouts for many years, he was actually a very good hitter for the Cubs in the 1940's.

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Posted By: Another Swish

Another Nicholson (Dave) of the 1963 White Sox should have had the name Swish due to leading the league with 175 strikeouts. This record lasted until Bobby "he aint got a nick name" Bonds passed him up.

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Posted By: Big Spider Beck

Don't forget "Vinegar Bend" Mizell.

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Posted By: jay behrens

Matty was known As Big Six because he was 6 feet tall. Quite big for those days. I had never heard the Christian Gentleman moniker before, but Big Six you see all the time.

One of my favorites not listed, "Teinkletoes" Selkirk.

Jay

I saw weird stuff in that place last night. Wierd, strange, sick, twisted, eerie, godless, evil stuff. And I want in.

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Posted By: The Quote

Jay B.,

Where does that quote come from? Was it Ghost Busters?

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Posted By: Pcelli60

When its cold go to Nippy Jones and when your hungry call Pretzels Pizzulo or Peanuts Lowery..

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

I have to agree with warshawlaw that those nicknames which have totally replaced the players given name, and therefore usually appear on baseball cards are among my favorite (Babe, Cy, etc.). But those somewhat less colorful names which have totally replaced the player's actual name are also intriguing (such as "Billy" Martin, Jungle Jim Rivera, "Pete" Runnels, etc.).

Some people collect baseball cards based on nicknames. The "Avian" subset of nicknames is increasing in popularity (Goose, Ducky, Birdie, etc.). 1940 Playballs are a treasure of nicknames.

I like those names which are more sayings than mere names: the Sultan of Swat, the Wild Hoss of the Osage, the Chairman of the Board, and more.

Gil

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Posted By: Rhett

I thought "Death to Flying Things" was Jack Chapman, not Ferguson, but I could be wrong.
-Rhett

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Posted By: Julie

here without him?

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Posted By: John/z28jd

The death to flying things nickname was given to both Chapman and Ferguson but Ferguson is probably more well known because he played professionally much longer.14 seasons compared to just 3 for Chapman.Ive also never seen any photos of Chapman while Ferguson isnt as impossible.He was on the Hartford team cdv in the last mastro auction.Its too bad he wasnt pictured in the old judge set as the manager of the NY Mets in 1887

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Posted By: Julie

(so I guess no longer real nicknames: Skoonj, Oisk, Peewee, Preacher, Duke, Campy, Twig (that's Terwilliger, spent most of his career with the Cubs).

I guess my favorites are "Death to Flying Things" (a big mouthful, though) and The Big Unit (very appropriate, very modern, a touch of sci-fi about it). And funny, with it all. That long, long thing--a unit!

"The Stern Tactician"--was that Mack?

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Posted By: dennis

the tall tactician

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Posted By: Julie

..........and skinny as a rail.

Some of those "title" nicknames, I can't imagine the average player getting his mouth around, at least not in conversation. I guess someone already talked about "PPRACTICAL" VS. "TITLE" nicknames...

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Posted By: Paul M

Steve Jeltz - "The Jet"
Rich Garces - "El Guapo" ....nick-named by Professor Maddux himself

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

"Mudcat" Grant ?

I always liked that one!

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Posted By: John/z28jd

from the worst single season team in my favorite teams history

1890 Pirates had Peek-a-Boo Veach,Crazy Schmit and Phenomenal Smith

Also,i might have missed it but Cannonball [Crane or Morris] is a cool nickname