Where Have All the Nicknames Gone?

I got to thinking about this earlier today when I was watching an old Miller beer commercial on Facebook. The player in the commercial was none other than “The Penguin”, Ron Cey. Back when I first began following the game, there were so many players with nicknames. Some were always identified by that nickname on their baseball cards.

Duke Snider, Yogi Berra, Smokey Burgess. The Dodgers first Babe was Babe Herman, much different than his given name, Floyd Caves Herman. Snider was born Edwin Donald. He got the nickname Duke from his father because of his self-confident swagger when he was a child. The other prominent Duke, John Wayne, got his from a dog that followed him everywhere he went when he was a kid.

Carl Furillo’s, Ol Skoonj, came from his love of the Italian dish, scunjilli. Drysdale was simply Big D because of his size. Pee Wee picked up his as a kid from playing marbles. Some of the stories about how they acquired their nicknames are pretty amusing.

Contrary to popular belief, the candy bar, Baby Ruth, was not named after the Babe. Size and stature were the source of many nicknames; others came from things that happened to a particular player. One of my favorites is “Death to all flying things”, a monicker placed on a player who once played for the Brooklyn Atlantics, but long after he had passed and his career was over, Robert Ferguson.

According to SABR, or the Society for American Baseball Research, during his playing days, Ferguson was simply called Bob. He came to Brooklyn in 1866 and played with various teams until 1884. He managed through 1887 and passed away in 1896 at the age of 49. The nickname was hung on him by Al Spink, the publisher of The Sporting News in a 1910 publication called, The National Game. Spink came from the same era as Ferguson, and another player, John Chapman, also a former Atlantic, when he gave the nickname to both. Not because they killed any feathered friends, but because of their ability to throw out runners who seemed to be flying. Top picture is Chapman with Ferguson below.

The Dodgers have had many players with nicknames going back to their beginnings in Brooklyn. Today, not so many get tagged with nicknames that stick. Ohtani is called “The Big Show” by some on the broadcast team, but not around the league. Recently, Dustin May was often called Code Red. Taylor, CT3, Kike is Enrique’s nickname. Justin Turner was simply JT.

Some nicknames are slightly derogatory. A person’s physical appearance or some flaw is picked up on and used for a nickname. Dick Stuart, a hard hitting first baseman was named Dr. Strangeglove because he was such a bad fielder. Of course, Strangeglove was a play on the movie Dr. Strangelove.

Some players natural name led to many clubhouse jokes, case in point, Dick Pole, who pitched for the Red Sox and Mariners over an 8-year career. He later became a coach. Johnny Dickshot, an outfielder who played for the Giants, Pirates and White Sox over a career which went from 1935-45. He was also called Ugly! You could add Rusty Kuntz, and Pete LaCock to that list.

Some of my favorites were Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd, Covelli Lloyd “Coco” Crisp, Doug “Eyechart” Gwosdz, John Lee “Blue Moon” Odom, George Henry “Stuffy” Stirnweiss, Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, Wilmer David “Vinegar Bend” Mizell, Paul David “Dizzy” Trout, Jerome Hanna “Dizzy” Dean, Joseph Jefferson “Shoeless Joe” Jackson, James A “Catfish” Hunter.

Some had more than one handle. Babe Ruth had several, Sultan of Swat, the Mighty Bambino, King of Clout. Gehrig was the Iron Horse and Larrupin Lou. Joe DiMaggio was Joltin Joe and The Yankee Clipper. Some only needed one, like Hammering Hank Aaron. Mickey Mantle was “The Commerce Comet”. Willie was the Say-Hey Kid.

The other day I heard one of the White Sox announcers refer to new Japanese arrival, Murakami as ” The Southside Samurai”. I thought that was pretty cleaver. A career minor leaguer who actually existed, and had his name used in a movie, has become one of the more famous nicknames, Archibald Wright “Moonlight” Graham. The movie, Field of Dreams, made this symbol of fleeting opportunity a household name.

Reggie Jackson was “Mr. October”, Ted Williams, “The Splendid Splinter”, Musial was “Stan the Man” and “The Donora Greyhound. Cobb, “The Georgia Peach”, Ricky Henderson, “The Man of Steal”, David Ortiz, “Big Papi”, Randy Johnson, “The Big Unit”, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Whitey Ford was known as “The Chairman of the Board.

Ripken was known as Iron Man, probably because Gehrig was already the Iron Horse. I really wish that more players today had catchy nicknames as well. It makes the game fun.

MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS from Jeff

OKC Comets 5 – Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle) 4

OKC jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Ryan Fitzgerald drew a walk, and James Tibbs III doubled (6) him home. Jack Suwinski followed by trading places with Tibbs III with his own double (6). Austin Gauthier followed with a 2-run HR (2), and a 4-0 lead.

OKC got their final run in the 3rd. Tibbs III hit his 2nd double (7) and came home on Gauthier’s single and 3rd RBI.

RHSP Ryder Ryan started for OKC and completed 5.0 innings. He allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, 23 BB, with 3K.

Chayce McDermott entered in the 7th and struck out the side. However, he came back out in the 8th and issued a BB and allowed a single and was lifted for Garrett McDaniels, who allowed a run-scoring single.

Keynen Middleton entered the 9th in a save opportunity and retired the side in order on 10 pitches.

Box Score

Tulsa Drillers at Frisco RoughRiders (Texas) – Game Postponed due to Rain – Doubleheader on Wednesday. Game 1 starts at 2:30

Beloit Sky Carp (Miami) 10 – Great Lakes Loons 8

Great Lakes jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 4.0 innings. LF Charles Davalan led off the game with a HR (3). Mike Sirota followed with a double (5) and came around to score on a sac fly for a 2-0 lead after 1 inning.

Davalan hit his 2nd HR (4) in the 3rd, and DH Jose Meza hit his 4th HR in the 4th for the 4-0 lead.

24-year-old RHSP Aidan Foeller pitched a strong 4.0 innings, but lost control and got hit hard in the 5th. Two singles, a double, a BB, and two WP plated three runners, and the score was 4-3.

After RHRP Joseilyn Gonzalez retired Beloit in order in the 6th, Gonzalez and LHRP Justin Chambers allowed 6 runs in the 7th, giving the Sky Carp a 9-7 lead.

The two teams traded HRs in the 8th. Loons 3B Logan Wagner hit his 4th.

Davalan had 3 hits, including his 2 HR. Meza was 2-5, including his HR and 4 RBI. Wagner was 2-2 with 2 BB, including his HR.

Box Score

San Jose Giants 12 – Ontario Tower Buzzers 2

RHSP Brady Smith had his best start of 2026. He went 3.0 innings, allowing an unearned run, 4 hits, 1 BB, and 4 K. It went downhill from there. Four relievers followed Smith, and none of them fared well. Combined, they allowed 11 runs (all earned) on 8 hits and 8 BB, to go with 4 K, in 5.0 IP.

The only scoring by Ontario was from a 7th-inning 2-out double from catcher Conner O’Neal.

No Ontario hitter had a multi-hit game.

Box Score