$Unique_ID{BAS00045} $Title{Baseball Nicknames} $Author{ Skipper, Jr., James K.,} $Subject{Baseball Nicknames} $Log{} Total Baseball: The Players Baseball Nicknames James K. Skipper, Jr. Nicknames for professional baseball players date from the 1860s. Yet from that time to the present, there has been little systematic research on how players receive their nicknames, what the nicknames mean, and how they might be classified. This essay will attempt such an analysis by starting with pitchers enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Using this limited population has several advantages. First, it allows for a manageable number for a report of this length. Second, the players discussed are important in the history of the game. Third, the players are well enough known that the analysis can concentrate on their nicknames without having to detail their careers and accomplishments. Excluding John Montgomery Ward, Martin Dihigo, and George Herman Ruth, who played more games at other positions than pitcher, and Al Spalding and Clark Griffith, who were elected principally for their executive talents, 48 hurlers are in the Hall of Fame. If we define a nickname as a name which is not derived from a person's given names, but one which is added to, substituted for, or used alternatively with those given names, 40 of the pitchers in the Hall of Fame, or 83 percent, have nicknames. This percentage is over three times greater than the 25.6 percent of all major league players with "official" nicknames (i.e., those that have been recorded and documented) through 1979, as I reported in an earlier study. Thus ability may be an important variable associated with the tendency for a player to attract a nickname, but certainly not the only one. Eight of the all-time-great pitchers do not have official nicknames. They are: John Clarkson (1882-1894), Adrian Joss (1902-1910), Stanley Coveleski (1912-1928), Robert Lemon (1941-1958), Warren Spahn (1942-1965), Robin Roberts (1948-1966), James (Hoyt) Wilhelm (1952-1972), and Sanford Koufax (1955-1966). There are many ways in which nicknames might be classified. The ultimate test of any system is its usefulness. I have chosen to begin this review with two generic categories based on whether the origin of the nickname indicates a direct relation to the game of baseball, or to something else. Then I have let the nicknames themselves and the circumstances surrounding their origin suggest subcategories. In instances of multiple nicknames and conflicting accounts of origins, it is the most commonly used nickname which is classified, and the account which I believe is most convincing. Even so, judgment calls are involved. Nicknames Directly Related to Baseball Surprisingly, just 10 of the pitchers have nicknames that are directly related to baseball. There are two apparent categories. Eight of the pitchers received their nicknames during their major league careers and two before they reached the majors. William Cummings (1866-1877), who is credited by some with developing the curveball, was called "Candy." The term "candy" referred to his "doing such a sweet job pitching the baseball." James Galvin (1875-1892) received the nickname of "Pud" for making pudding out of opposing batters. He was also called "Gentle Jeems," due to his laidback personality, and "the Little Steam Engine," because of his vigorous pitching style. Charles Radbourn (1880-1891) was tagged "Old Hoss" after the proverbial old farm horse who was always faithful and ready to work. Radbourn won 18 games in the space of a month during the last portion of the 1884 season. Joseph McGinnity (1899-1908) earned the nickname "Iron Man" by winning five games in six days for Brooklyn in 1900. "Iron Man" refers to his indestructibility. Another account, however, is that the nickname really stems from McGinnity's off-season job in an iron foundry. Walter Johnson's (1907-1927) fastball led to two nicknames, "Barney" after Barney Oldfield, who was driving race cars at a mile a minute, and "the Big Train," since at the start of his career trains were the fastest vehicles yet developed. Burleigh Grimes (1916-1934) was the last of the spitball pitchers. He did not shave on the days he pitched because the slippery elm he chewed and used to moisten the ball irritated his skin. This led to his nickname of "Ol' Stubblebeard." "The Meal Ticket" was applied to Carl Hubbell (1928-1943) in 1933, due to his ability to win crucial games and prevent losing streaks for the New York Giants. He was also called "King Carl" in reference to the majesty of his pitching. Finally, Robert Feller's (1936-1956) blazing fastball gave rise to his "Rapid Robert" nickname while pitching for the Cleveland Indians in 1936, even before he had graduated from high school. Denton Young (1890-1911) was addressed as "Cy," short for "Cyclone," before he had won a major league game. At a tryout with Canton of the Tri-State League in 1890, not only did Young's fastballs get by the batter, they splintered the boards of the backstop. A bystander remarked, " 'Pears as though a cyclone struck 'em." A nickname was born. "Cy" became a popular baseball nickname, and many future players would inherit Young's "Cy," even though they had little in common with him. Richard Marquard (1908-1925) also received his nickname, "Rube," before he became a major leaguer. Marquard was compared to George "Rube" Waddell (see below) by Indianapolis Star sportswriters after he had won his first game for that city's minor league team in the American Association of 1908. The nickname stuck with him for his entire career. Nicknames Not Directly Related to Baseball The nicknames of Hall of Fame pitchers which are not directly related to the game of baseball illustrate eight broad categories which may be used in the future to classify other players' nicknames. Place nicknames are the first category. The fastball pitcher Amos Rusie (1889-1901) grew up in Indiana and was called "the Hoosier Thunderbolt." Herbert Pennock (1912-1934) was born in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and had the nickname "the Knight of Kennett Square." Similarly, Edward Plank (1901-1917) was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, attended Gettysburg College, and was a guide at the Civil War battlefield during the off-season. He was known as "Gettysburg Eddie." Juan Marichal (1960-1975) hailed from the Dominican Republic and was referred to as the "Dominican Dandy." Nicknames which designate either age or ethnic identification represent two more categories. Players who begin their careers at an early age are often called "Kid," as was the case of Charles Nichols (1890-1906). He received his nickname in 1887 at age seventeen, when he won 21 games for Kansas City in the Western League. Waite Hoyt (1918-1938) signed a major league contract at age fifteen and immediately acquired the nickname of "School Boy." Jessie Haines (1918-1937), on the other hand, did not acquire the nickname of "Pop" until the latter stage of his career. Charles Bender (1903-1925) was of Indian extraction and was called "Chief." An ethnic designation was given to almost every Indian ballplayer from the 1890s to the 1950s. Distinguishing physical characteristics define another category. "Lefty" is the most common nickname in baseball history. Two pitchers in the Hall of Fame have that nickname, Robert Grove (1925-1941) and Vernon Gomez (1930-1943). Grove was also called "Mose," short for Moses, because of his silvery hair, and Gomez, "the Gay Castilian," referring to his fun-loving personality and Spanish heritage. In addition, Gomez also earned the tag "Goofy" early in his career after he told a sportswriter he had invented a revolving goldfish bowl so that the fish would be able to see everything without having to swim! Hair color is the source of the second most popular set of baseball nicknames. "Red" and "Whitey" are the most common. These nicknames are represented in the Hall of Fame by pitchers Urban "Red" Faber (1914-1933), Charles "Red" Ruffing (1924-1947), and Edward "Whitey" Ford (1950-1967). Variation in body size also results in many nicknames with some form of "Big" being most popular--Edward Walsh (1904-1917) was "Big Ed"; Christopher Mathewson (1900-1916) was "Big Six." However, with Mathewson, some believe the "Big Six" sobriquet referred either to a New York typographical union, or a large New York City fire engine, both of which had the same nickname. In more modern times, Donald Drysdale (1956-1969) at 6'5" tall was called "Big D." A body deformity or missing part may also be a reason for a nickname, as in the case of Mordecai Brown (1903-1916). He lost half of his right index finger (pitching hand) as a youth in a mining accident and was accorded the nickname of "Three Finger." Personality and behavioral traits are a parallel category to physical characteristics as a source of nicknames. Michael Welch (1880-1892) was given the nickname "Smiling Mickey" by cartoonist E. V. Munkitvick because he always had a smile on his face, and John Chesbro (1899-1909) was known as "Happy Jack" for the same reason. Chesbro was also called "Algy," which was a popular slang term for sissy, which in his case meant exactly the opposite. Timothy Keefe (1880-1893), a 344-game winner, was dubbed "Sir Timothy" in honor of his royal achievements and lordly bearing. George Waddell (1897-1910) fit the classic stereotype of the country yokel in appearance, mannerisms, speech, and other behaviors. He liked nothing better than chasing fire engines, marching in parades, and tending bar, which on several occasions took precedence over his pitching chores. Fans began calling him "Rube" from the start of his career. "Rube," like "Cy," had been applied to many players after Waddell. White Sox manager Lena Blackburne is credited as the first to tag Jerome Dean (1930-1947) as "Dizzy." Pitching for a U.S. Army team in 1928, Dean was mowing down one White Sox batter after another. Blackburne screamed at his batters, "Don't let that Dizzy rookie fool ya." The nickname was reinforced in 1930, when Dean joined the St. Louis Cardinals, because of his zany behavior and colloquial speech. Sometimes an incident occurs in one's life which is so significant that it leads to a nickname. This category may be called "critical incident." Grover Cleveland Alexander (1911-1930) was referred to as "Old Pete," although he was addressed as "Pete" or "Alex." The nickname stems from a hunting trip in Texas during which Alexander fell from a buckboard and landed on his face in a large pool of alkali and mud resembling peat. Clarence Vance (1915-1935) was known as "Dazzy" by age eleven. He picked up the term as a youth in his native Nebraska from a cowboy who said of his beautiful pistol, "Ain't it a dazzy." Vance started using the word "dazzy" so much that it became his nickname. Later he called his change-of-pace pitch a "dazzy"! Leroy Paige (1948-1953, 1965) also was bestowed with his nickname of "Satchel" at an early age. As a seven-year-old porter in the Mobile, Alabama, railroad station, he managed to rig up ropes around his shoulders and waist, which made it possible for him to carry so many satchels at once that you could hardly see him. In addition to ballplayers being nicknamed after each other, they are also nicknamed after other real people or fictional characters. For instance, Robert Gibson (1959-1975) was called "Hoot," after the cowboy movie star of the 1930s and 1940s, Edmund "Hoot" Gibson. The last category is amphigoric. The nicknames either make no sense, or they do not refer to that to which the nickname refers to in any other case. Eppa Rixey (1912-1933) was dubbed "Eppa Jephtha" by Cincinnati writer Bill Phelon, who took pleasure in such bizarre nomenclature. Theodore Lyons (1923-1946) was christened "Tex" early in his career, even though he had no association with the state of Texas. A sportswriter started using "Tex" when he could not discover Lyons' first name in time to make his column deadline. Early Wynn (1939-1963) was nicknamed "Gus" in 1937 by minor league teammate Ellis Clary, who said he just looked like a Gus! For purposes of publicity, James Hunter (1965-1979) was given the nickname "Catfish" at his signing in 1964 by Oakland owner Charles Finley. Hunter had no association with the nickname, or the fish, before that time. Observations What can be concluded from this brief review of the nicknames of pitchers in the Baseball Hall of Fame? First, the answer is yes to the question of whether baseball players' nicknames can be classified. Even this limited population allows for the development of empirical categories. Second, based on this sample, it appears that a substantial majority of players' nicknames are not directly related to the game of baseball. Third, subject to more extensive analysis, it would seem that physical and personality and behavioral characteristics may account for the largest number of nicknames. Fourth, it is quite possible (given conclusions two and three) that some players would have had the same nicknames whether they played baseball or not. We are aware of them, however, because they did play baseball, and records have been kept. Finally, the categories themselves are heuristic, which is to say, they suggest other categories--for example, nicknames that stem from childhood as contrasted from those that do not; nicknames which can be used as terms of address, such as "Red" or "Satchel," as compared to those which are used primarily as terms of reference, such as "Gettysburg Eddie" and "Iron Man." At this stage the categories are neither demonstrative nor definitive, neither all-inclusive nor mutually exclusive. They are not etched in stone. They will have to be extended, modified and revised, divided and subdivided, before their usefulness is maximized. They do, however, provide a foundation upon which to build our understanding of baseball players' nicknames.