Thursday Thought: Ever notice how many legends have a one-of-a-kind surname?

[prewarsports]

As a kid I always thought it was so weird that the FIRST name in my big and heavy Baseball Encyclopedia was Hank Aaron. The number one home run hitter and the number one person of all 19,000+ people to play the game alphabetically, it i was like it was supposed to happen (in my 12 year old mind).

[Yoda]

Yaz.

[tschock]

I believe Eppa Rixey is the only HOFer and MLB player who has a unique first and last name in all of MLB history.

Edited: With all the influx of Asian and Latin American players, I serious doubt he is the only player with a unique first and last name. But he is the only HOFer with both as it relates to the HOF and all of MLB history.

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by tschock

I believe Eppa Rixey is the only HOFer and MLB player who has a unique first and last name in all of MLB history.

Such a great name.

[cjedmonton]

Originally Posted by Carter08

Such a great name.

Indeed…and a budding chemist as plan B if the pitching gig didn’t pan out.

[Shoeless Moe]

Bench
Kaline
Maris
Mathewson

[Snapolit1]

Interesting point. I doubt it would hold up under any real scientific scrutiny but interesting to think about.

If you took any random small town in the US and said let me see a list of the 150 dentists who have practiced in this town since 1900 . . . . I sort of think you'd get pretty much the same kind of distribution of unique and common names.

I used to have a theory that so many football player have odd ball and feminine names (i.e., Lynn Swann) because they got the crap teased out of them in first grade and immediately decided to turn the tables and get tough . . . . but that's a different thread altogether.

[Bigdaddy]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Yaz.

Yaz's grandson, Mike, plays for the Giants.

[perezfan]

Maybe Clay Dalrymple, John Boccabella and Art Kusnyer were once slated for greatness.

Or perhaps the unique name thing doesn't apply to Catchers?.