[z28jd]

I was the first one to uncover this fact after I bought postcards he was sending his family and signing them Dots from Spring Training in 1911. I figured he wouldn't be calling himself "Dots" to family members if it was a nickname given to him recently by the media. From there I searched newspapers in 1909 until the first mention I could find:

Miller got the nickname “Dots” as a small child due to his thick German accent. He would say “That’s mine” when he grabbed things, but the “That’s” came out as “Dots”. His teammates in Pittsburgh learned of the nickname during his first trip to Philadelphia as a player, when all of his friends and family showed up from Kearny NJ. A friend relayed the story to the Pittsburgh media and from then on it stuck, though they often called him Jack Miller in Pittsburgh and Dots was used more often for his hometown papers.

Originally Posted by michael3322

Really impressive. Congratulations.

Just curious: Why did you embark on this challenge? Was it something specific about Dots or the card run?

Also, curious to hear what people think of the conflict between the Wikipedia entry and the SABR entry for Dots with regards to his name.

Wikipedia entry:

In the years since his death (beginning at least as early as a 1935 story penned by one-time Phillies teammate Stan Baumgartner), Miller's nickname has frequently been attributed to a simple misinterpretation of teammate Honus Wagner's heavily accented response, "That's Miller." However, on May 12, 1909, the first day the name "Dots Miller" appeared in a Pittsburgh newspaper, it was made abundantly clear that this was a childhood nickname, stemming from Miller's own German ancestry, and accent.

SABR entry:

"When Honus Wagner was late reporting to spring training in 1909, Miller received his first extended opportunity to display his talents to Fred Clarke and the rest of the Pirates. The 22-year-old shortstop made all the plays, and soon the other Pirates began calling him “Hans,” or “Hans No. 2.” After Hans No. 1 finally arrived in camp, a reporter asked him, “Who’s the new kid?” Wagner replied, “That’s Miller.” The reporter, misunderstanding, listed the young infielder as Dots Miller. Henceforth John Bernard Miller, sometimes known as Jack, sometimes Barney, was now and forever known as “Dots.” In an era of colorful nicknames, Miller had one of the best, acquired quite by accident."