Causeway Coast Baseball: Great Baseball Nicknames
Monday, June 19Great Baseball Nicknames!
1OO GREAT BASEBALL NICKNAMES
I. TOM ACKER: SHOULDERS 51. DAVID STEWART: SMOKE
2. JACK AKER: CHIEF 52. JUAN GONZALEZ: JUAN GONE
3. GARY ALLENSON: HARD ROCK 53. KEITH HERNANDEZ: MEX
4. WALT ALSTON: SMOKEY 54. JAKE BECKLEY: EAGLE EYE
5. IVY ANDREWS: POISON 55. MAX CAREY: SCOOPS
6. PEANUTS LOWREY 56. STEVE CARLTON: LEFTY
7. LITTLE LOOIE APPARICIO 57. ORLANDO CEPEDA: BABY BULL
8. OLD ACHES AND PAINS APPLING 58. EDDIE COLLINS: COOKIE
9. MORRIE ARNOVICH: SNOOKER 59. SAM CRAWFORD: WAHOO SAM
10. YO YO ARROYO 60. BOB FELLER: RAPID ROBERT
11. JIM BAGBY JR: SARGE 61. CLARK GRIFFITH: OLD FOX
12. BYE BYE BALBONI 62. BURLEIGH GRAMES "Old
stubbleface"
13. JOHN MILNER: THE HAMMER 63. BILLY HAMILTON:SLIDING BILLY
14. FERNANDO VALENZUELA: EL TORO 64. CARL HUBBEL: "Meal Ticket"
15. DICK TIDROW: DIRT 65. MILLER HUGGINS: MIGHTY MITE
16. AURELIO LOPEZ: SENOR SMOKE 66. HUGHIE JENNINGS: EE YAH
17. JASON GIAMBI: G MAN 67. ERNIE LOMBARDI: SCHNOZZ
18. JEREMY GIAMBI: MINI G 68. MEL OTT: Master Melvin
19. VINCENT COLEMAN: VINCENT VAN GO 69. HERB PENNOCK: Knight of
Kennett Sqr."
20. RON CEY: THE PENGUIN 70. AMOS RUSSIE: The hoosier
Thunderbolt"
21. DWIGHT EVANS: DEWEY 71. TURKEY STEARNS
22. JIM BOUTON: BULLDOG 72. ALBERT BELLE: MR. FREEZE
23. TONY GWYNN: CAPTAIN VIDEO 73. TIM SALMON: FISH
24. OMAR MORENO; THE TENT MAKER 74. MATT STAIRS: STAIRSY
25. JOHNNY BENCH: CORKHEAD 75. RALPH GARR: ROADRUNNER
26. JEFF REARDON: TERMINATOR 76. ROY CAMPANNELLA: CAMPY
27. SHAWN DUNSTON; THUNDERPUP 77. WALTER BOOM BOOM BECK
28. RUBEN SIERRA: THE VILLAGE IDIOT 78. BILL DING DONG BELL
29. FRED BONEHEAD MERKLE 79. FRANK The Wonderful Wop
Bodie"
30. BOB FERGUSON:Death To All Living Things 80. FRANK PING BODIE
31. MICKEY BLACK MIKE COCHRANE 81. BILL SPITTIN BILL DOAK
32. JOHNNY EVERS: CRAB 82. BULLET JOE BUSH
33. ROGER BRESNAHAN: DUKE OF TRALEE 83. JOE McCARTHY: MARSE JOE
34. GEORGE KELLY: HIGHPOCKETS 84. ZACK BUCK WHEAT
35. EDDIE PLANK: GETTYSBURG EDDIE 85. BOBBY BONDS:"The Riverside
Ripper"
36. BOB CHIPMAN: MR. CHIPS 86. SEAN CASEY: THE MAYOR
37. RICH GARCES: EL GUAPO 87. DELINO DeSHIELDS: BOP
38. FRED McGRIFF: CRIME DOG 88. BEN GRIEVE: STOMPER
39. MO VAUGHAN: HIT DOG 89. ICHIRO: WIZARD
40. DEION SANDERS: FINE TIME 90. ROWDY DICK BARTELL
41. MIKE HARGROVE: The Human Rain Delay 91. CLARENCE GINGER BEAUMONT
42. WILL CLARK: THE THRILL 92. HAL PRINCE CHASE
43. EDDIE GUARDADO: EVERYDAY EDDIE 93. SMOKEY BURGESS
44. JUAN BERENGUER: SENOR SMOPKE 94. CLINT SCRAP IRON COURTNEY
45. SID FERNANDEZ: EL SID 95. BOOMER WELLS
46. HOWARD JOHNSON: Hondo 96. JEFF BAGWELL: BAGS
47. GARY GAETTI: THE RAT 97. JAMES PUD GALVIN
48. DAVE PARKER: COBRA 98. HARRY HEILMAN: SLUG
49. JAY BUHNER: BONES 99. TIM WAKEFIELD:Melbourne
Medicine Man
50. DAN QUISENBERRY: QUIZ 100. BABE BEE BEE LOREN
Maybe one of these could be yours!
Catfish, Mudcat, Ducky, Coot.
The Babe, The Barber, The Blade, The Brat.
Windy, Dummy, Gabby, Hoot.
Big Train, Big Six, Big Ed, Fat.
Greasy, Sandy, Muddy, Rocky.
Bunions, Twinkletoes, Footsie, The Hat.
Fuzzy, Dizzy, Buddy, Cocky.
The Bull, The Stork, The Weasle, The Cat.
Schoolboy, Sheriff,
Rajah, Duke,
General, Major,
Spaceman, Spook.
The Georgia Peach, The Fordham Flash,
The Flying Dutchman. Cot.
The People's Cherce, The Blazer. Crash.
The Staten Island Scot.
Skeeter, Scooter,
Pepper, Duster,
Ebba, Bama, Boomer, Buster.
The Little Professor, The Iron Horse. Cap.
Iron Man, Iron Mike, Iron Hands. Hutch.
Jap, The Mad Russian, Irish, Swede. Nap.
Germany, Frenchy, Big Serb, Dutch,
Turk. Tuck, Tug, Twig.
Spider, Birdy, Rabbit, Pig.
Fat Jack, Black Jack, Zeke, Zack. Bloop.
Peanuts, Candy, Chewing Gum, Pop.
Chicken, Cracker, Hot Potato, Soup.
Ding, Bingo.
Hippity-Hopp.
Three-Finger, No-Neck, The Knuck, The Lip.
Casey, Gavvy, Pumpsie, Zim.
Flit, Bad Henry. Fat Freddie, Flip.
Jolly Cholly, Sunny Jim.
Shag, Schnozz,
King Kong, Klu.
Boog, Buzz,
Boots, Bump, Boo.
King Carl, The Count. The Rope, The Whip.
Wee Willie, Wild Bill, Gloomy Gus. Cy.
Bobo, Bombo, Bozo. Skip.
Coco, Kiki, Yo-yo. Pie.
Dinty, Dooley,
Tuffy, Snuffy,
Stubby, Dazzy,
Daffy, Duffy.
Baby Doll, Angel Sleeves, Pep, Sliding Billy,
Buttercup, Bollicky, Boileryard, Juice.
Colby Jack, Dauntless Dave, Cheese,
Gentle Willie,
Trolley Line, Wagon Tongue, Rough,
What's the Use.
Ee-yah,
Poosh 'Em Up,
Skoonj, Slats, Ski.
Ding Dong,
Ding-a-Ling,
Dim Dom, Dee.
Famous Amos. Rosy, Rusty.
Handsome Ransom. Home Run, Huck.
Rapid Robert. Cactus, Dusty.
Rowdy Richard. Hot Rod, Truck.
Jo-Jo, Jumping Joe,
Little Looie,
Muggsy, Moe.
Old Folks, Old Pard, Oom Paul. Yaz.
Cowboy, Indian Bob, Chief, Ozark Ike.
Rawhide, Reindeer Bill. Motormouth. Maz.
Pistol Pete, Jungle Jim, Wahoo Sam. Spike.
The Mad Hungarian.
Mickey, Minnie.
Kitten, Bunny.
Big Dan, Moose.
Jumbo, Pee Wee; Chubby, Skinny.
Little Poison.
Crow, Hawk, Goose.
Marvelous Marv.
Oisk, Oats, Tookie.
Vinegar Bend.
Suds, Hooks, Hug.
Hammerin' Hank.
Cooch, Cod, Cookie.
Harry the Horse.
Speed, Stretch, Slug.
The Splendid Splinter. Pruschka. Sparky.
Chico, Choo Choo, Cha-Cha, Chub.
Dr. Strangeglove. Deacon. Arky.
Abba Dabba. Supersub.
Bubbles, Dimples, Cuddles, Pinky.
Poison Ivy, Vulture, Stinky.
Jigger, Jabbo
Jolting Joe
Blue Moon
Boom Boom
Bubba
Bo
Finally! How about some "punny" nicknames!
A
Shawn "Little" Abner
Rick "see ya later" Aguilera
Mike "Enough" Aldretti
or Mike "Mario" Aldrete
Doyle "Brandy" Alexander
Dana Allison "Wonderland"
Bill Almon "Joy"
or Bill "Toasted" Almon
Roberto "Remember The" Alomar
Sandy "Remember the other" Alomar Jr.
Brady "Bunch" Anderson
Joaquin "the dog" Andujar
Tony "Brothers In" Armas
Don "Guns of" August
B
Scott "Hay" Bailes
Mark "Beetle" Bailey
Scott "Tallulah" Bankhead
Floyd "Up and Down the" Bannister
Marty "Grin and" Barrett
Kevin "Small Mouth" Bass
Randy "Large Mouth" Bass
Billy "Lima" Beane
George "Taco" Bell
or George "Liberty" Bell
Bruce "Eggs" Benedict
Andy "Merchant of Venice" Bends
Todd "Mercedes" Benzinger
Damon "Blue" Berryhill
Karl "these are the" Best "of times"
Bud "paint it" Black
Lance "You sank my" Blankenship
Bert "Be home" Blyleven
Bruce Bochte "Ball"
Randy Bockus "is willing"
Wade "Cranberry" Boggs
Barry "U.S." Bonds
Pat "North of the" Borders
Daryl "Please come home to" Boston
Sid "Coffee and" Bream
Greg "Crocodile" Brock
Hubie "Babbling" Brooks
Bob "Bulldog" Bower
Britt "Third Degree" Burns
Randy "Burning" Bush
Brett "Tara" Butler
C
Greg "life is a" Caderet
Ivan "Bubbling" Calderon
Sylvester "When the swallows return to" Campusano
John "Candyman" Candeleria
Tom "Cotton" Candiotti
Jose "can you see" Canseco
Don "roses" Carman
Mark Carreon "my wayward son"
Ron Cey "Hey"
or Ron "born in the US" Cey
Steve "Kentucky fried" Chitren
Will "The Natural" Clark
Mark "Crystal" Clear
David "Sili-" Cone
Ed "Chick" Correa
Henry "Ava-" Cotto
Jose "Won't you take me on a sea" Cruz
Todd "Carribean" Cruz
D
Kal "Jack" Daniels
Ron "Oh My" Darling
Eric "The Red" Davis
Glenn "Mr. Outside" Davis
Jody Davis "Eyes"
"Eye of the" Storm Davis
Bill "Hello" Dawley
Jeff Dedmon "Don't wear plaid"
Rob "Bomba" Deer
or Rob "Rein" Deer
Jim "Two sillouhettes on" DeShaies
Bo "Beunos" Diaz
Bill "Doran" Doran
Rich "280z" Dotson
Brian "Number 10" Downing "Street"
Kelly "Churchill" Downs
Curt "Devil with the blue" Dressendorfer
Dan "Salad" Driesen
Mike "Well" Dunne
Leon "Bull" Durham
Jim "Washer and" Dwyer
E
Lee Elia "Kuriakin"
Dave "Right" Engle
F
Steve "A bridge too" Farr
"El" Sid Fernandez
Cecil "Is No" Fielder
Curt "Model-T" Ford
Bob "Air" Forsch
John "Generalissimo Franscisco" Franco
"Starvin'" Marvin Freeman
Jim "Bela" Fergosi
Rollie "Chicken" Fingers
G
Oscar "six-to-five" Gamble
Greg Gagne "with a spoon"
Andres "The Giant" Galarraga
Mike "Leggo" Gallego
Wes "Kenny the" Gardner
Dan "Man from" Gladden
Tom "Heard it through the" Glavine
Dwight "Johnny Be" Gooden
Mark "Amazing" Grace
Mark "Federal" Grant
Johnny "Pass the" Grubb
"Fettucini" Alfredo Griffin
Jose "Mother" Guzman
Tony Gwynn "and bear it"
H
Moose "Antlers" Haas
Von "Purple" Hayes
Jeff Hamilton "Joe Frank and Reynolds"
Mike Heath "Bar"
Danny "Dung" Heep
or Danny "Uriah" Heep
Dave "Harry and the" Henderson
Tommy "Ben" Herr
Jay "Thurston B." Howell
LaMarr "Where does it" Hoyt
Kent "Buy a vowel" Hrbek
Glenn "Mother" Hubbard
Charles "Moscow on the" Hudson
Tom "Ex-" Hume
Bruce "Patty" Hurst
I
Garth "Clockwork" Iorg
J
Bo "Diddley" Jackson
Chris "Bartles &" James
Dion James "and the Belmonts"
Stan "You can" Javier "way"
Gregg "The Hammer" Jeffries
Jimmy "Handyman" Jones
Wally "Absorbine" Joyner
K
Jimmy "Francis Scott" Key
Dana "Field Goal" Kiecker
Eric "Burger" King
Bob "Yom" Kipper
Ron "Ma and Pa" Kittle
Joe "Wilhelm" Klink
Ray "I dub thee" Knight
Chuck "New Kids On" Knoblauch
or Chuck "Chip off the ol'" Knoblauch
John "I am not a" Kruk
L
Mike "Izod" LaCoss
Mike Laga "beer"
Steve "Great" Lake
Dennis "Fluorescent" Lamp
Dave "Don't" LaPoint
Tim "Praise the" Laudner
Vance "Common" Law
Al "Cigarette" Leiter
Chet "Bitter" Lemon
Jeff "Sugar Ray" Leonard
Jose Lind "on me"
John "Tonight, let it be" Lowenstein
Ed "Merrill" Lynch
Steve Lyons "and tigers and bears, oh my"
M
Shane "Connie" Mack
Greg "Appa" Maddux
Bill Madlock "D.A."
Dave "Mary" Magadan
Rick "Junk" Mahler
Candy "Man" Maldanado
Kirt "What was that" Manwaring
Mike Mason "jar"
Don "Welcome Home" Mattingly
Oddibe "Young Again" McDowell
"Me and" Willie McGee
Fred "Crime Dog" McGriff
Mark "Eve of Destruction" McGwire
Bob Melvin "and the Blue Notes"
Jim "Love me two times" Morrison
or Jim "people are strange" Morrison
John "Holy" Moses
Eddie "eat, drink and be" Murray
N
Tim "Golden" Naehring
Gene "Full" Nelson
Al "Paul" Newman
or Al "-fred E." Newman
Paul "Buenos" Noce
Matt "No" Nokes
P
Jim "Hanky" Pankovits
Mark "trans-" Parent
Dave "Parallel" Parker
Tony "Jala-" Pena
Melido "Shuffle" Perez
Pasquel "roadmap" Perez
Ken "Goodbye, Mr. " Phelps
Eric "Ker-" Plunk
Jim "Hound dog" Presley
Joe "Actual Retail" Price
Kirby "Union Gap" Puckett
R
Tim "Purple" Raines
or Tim "Torrential" Raines
Johnny "Manta" Ray
Randy "Ever" Ready
or Randy "Rough and" Ready
Gary Redus "a bedtime story"
Jerry "Rolls" Reuss
Craig Reynolds "wrap"
Jim "Pork Fried" Rice
Jose "Blame it On" Rijo
Cookie "Days of wine and" Rojas
Bruce "2 minutes for" Ruffin
S
Mark "Tossed" Salas
Juan "play it again" Samuel
Ryne "Carl" Sandberg
Rafael "Evil Ways" Santana
Benito "El Ducce" Santiago
Steve "Alto/Tenor" Sax
Mike "Pre-" Schooler
Bill "Beethoven" Schroeder
Mike "Nova" Scoscia
Rick "Really big" Schu
Mike "Great" Scott
Tom "Leave it to" Seaver
Bob "Ice Station" Sebra
Kevin "Alka" Seitzer
Larry "Satin" Sheets
Eric "Win, place and" Show
Ruben "High" Sierra
Don "On-" Slaught
Darryl "Rhubarb" Strawberry
or Darryl Strawberry "shortcake"
or Darryl Strawberry "Fields Forever"
Andy "Dick" Van Slyke
John "Irish Eyes are" Smiley
Franklin "Ticket" Stubbs
Bruce "3-piece" Sutter
T
Frank Tanana "daiquiri"
Andres "Doubting" Thomas
Fred Toliver "Twist"
Alan "Have Gun will" Trammel
Manny "Kingston" Trillo
Steve "Rainbow" Trout
John "House of" Tudor
U
Jose "Game-winning" Uribe
V
Bobby "Be My" Valentine
Dave "Rudy" Valle
or Dave "Death" Valley
Frank "101 Strings" Viola
Ozzie "like a" Virgil
W
Tim "Eli" Wallach
Gary "Hospital" Ward
Bob "Intentional" Walk
Mitch "Noah" Webster
Walt "Three blind" Weiss
Bob "Ebony Eye" Welch
Glenn "Surfin' U.S.A." Wilson
Todd "We are the" Worrell
Butch "Oil and" Wynegar
Y
Rich "Not ready" Yett
DAVE Don't LAPOINT
RUDY Mother in LAW
VANCE Common LAW
CRAIG Def LEFFERTS
CHET Bitter LEMON
JOHN Tonight let it be LOWENSTEIN
URBANO Renewal LUGO
RICK Innocent LYSANDER
JOE MAGRANE Headache
RICK Junk MAHLER
MIKE Perry MASON
ODDIBE Young again MCDOWELL
Me And WILLIE MCGEE
MARK Eve of Destruction McGWIRE
JIM People are strange MORRISON
JOHN Holy MOSES
DARRYL MOTLEY Crew
EDDIE Eat Drink and be MURRAY
AL What me worry NEWMAN
REID Buffalo NICHOLS
MATT No NOKES
BRIAN B.P. OELKERS
RON Chuck OESTER
DAVE Parallel PARKER
TONY Hali PENA
KEN Good evening Mr. PHELPS
TED Tower of POWER
JIM Hounddog PRESLEY
JOE Actual Retail PRICE
KIRBY Union Gap PUCKETT
TERRY Swimming PUHL
JAMIE Men at QUIRK
TIM Purple RAINES
JOHNNY Manta RAY
RANDY Ever READY
RANDY Rough And READY
JERRY Rolls REUSS
R.J. REYNOLDS Wrap
DAVE Prince RIGHETTI
JOSE Blame it on RIJO
BRUCE RUFFIN Ready
VERN Golden RUHLE
MARK Tossed SALAS
BILLY Free SAMPLE
RAFAEL Abraxa SANTANA
RAFAEL Say It Again SANTANA
BENITO Il Duche SANTIAGO
STEVE Alto SAX
BILL Crop SCHERRER
RICK Really Big SCHU
MIKE Great SCOTT
TOM Leave it to SEAVER
KEVIN Alka SEITZER
JEFF Wine SELLERS
LARRY Bed SHEETS
JOHN T-Bone SHELBY
CRAIG Brewer and SHIPLEY
ERIC Win Place and SHOW
RUBEN Hines SIERRA
JOEL Mule SKINNER
DON On SLAUGHT
JOHN Irish Eyes Are SMILEY
MARIO Scotch and SOTO
CHRIS Church SPEIER
JAMES Easter STEELS
BILL Beer STEIN
TERRY Grapes Of Wrath STEINBACH
DARRYL Rhubarb STRAWBERRY
FRANKLIN Ticket STUBBS
BRUCE Three Piece SUTTER
FRANK TANANA Daiquiri
ANDRES Doubting THOMAS
MANNY Kingston TRILLO
JOHN Private TUDOR
JOSE Game Winning URIBE
JOHN Stick it in your URREA
ANDY Dick VAN SLYKE
FRANK Hundred one strings VIOLA
OZZIE Like a VIRGIL
TIM Eli WALLACH
GARY Hospital WARD
BOB Ebony eyes WELCH
GLENN Surfin U.S.A. WILSON
BUTCH Oil and WYNEGAR
RICH Not YETT
Bobby "be my" Valentine
Ruben "High" Sierra
Ty "Corn on the" Cobb
Jim "Fried" Rice
Bill "Hard a" Lee
Don "Down the" Gullet
Jesus/Felipe/Matty "Skip to my" Alou
Juan "Field" Marichal
Willie "Lost in the" Mays
Frank "Play the" Viola
Jack "the Whiffer" Clark
Matt "Dying" Young
Tom "Dirty" Henke
Dave "Supreme Court" Justice
Dwight Gooden "Plenty"
Monty "Haul" Ferris
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This list was compiled by members of the Rotisserie Newsgroup. All credit goes to Chris Berman and ESPN.
1. "The Splendid Splinter" (Ted Williams)
Back in the day, "The Kid" was as skinny as a snake, and just as dangerous.
2. "The Sultan of Swat" (George Herman "Babe" Ruth)
Among his other records, The Bambino, baseball's greatest player, had the greatest collection of nicknames.
3. Willie "Hit 'em Where They Ain't" Keeler
Complicated nickname, deceptively simple hitting philosophy.
4. "Hammerin' " Hank Aaron
In a word, that's what he did. And he did it more often than anyone who ever played the game.
5. "The Big Unit" (Randy Johnson)
The Devo of nicknames.
Babe Ruth had plenty of nicknames, but "The Sultan of Swat" was the best.
6. "The Georgia Peach" (Ty Cobb)
A sweet nickname for baseball's sweetest swinger, as his .367 lifetime batting average will attest.
7. Mordecai "Three Fingers" Brown
The Hall of Fame Cubs hurler only had three digits, but that's all he needed.
8. "The Yankee Clipper" ("Joltin' Joe" DiMaggio)
The epitome of elegance and grace, like the man himself.
9. Fred "Bonehead" Merkle
In 1908, he cost the Giants a pennant when he failed to touch second base on a hit to the outfield that plated what would have been the winning run. Never lived it down.
10. Walter "Big Train" Johnson
'Cause that's what his fastball sounded like when it roared by.
Honorable Mention: "Big Mac" (Mark McGwire), "The Say Hey Kid" (Willie Mays), "Double X" (Jimmy Foxx), Paul "Poison" Waner and Lloyd "Little Poison" Waner, "Dizzy" and "Daffy" Dean, "Donny Baseball" (Don Mattingly), "Rapid" Robert Feller, "The Chairman of the Board" (Whitey Ford), Willie "Pops" Stargell, "Junior" (Ken Griffey), Roger "The Rocket" Clemens, "Dr. K" (Dwight Gooden).
After going through more than 2,000 letters, below is a complete rundown of the Top 10 vote-getters, along with some of the best letters about each nickname. And be sure to vote in the poll at left to choose the all-time best baseball nickname.
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1. Charlie Hustle -- Pete Rose (121 letters)
You have got to include Charlie Hustle for Pete Rose. If the guy can't get into the Hall, he's got to make the list. You can take away his credibility, his accolades, but you can't take away what he left on the field everyday -- everything.
John
Martinsville, Va.
Anyone who sprints down the first base line after drawing a base on balls deserves a nickname like Charlie Hustle.
Rob Steva
Illinois
110 percent -- 24/7
Paul
Cincinnati
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2. Stan the Man -- Stan Musial (103 letters)
It says it all about this guy. When he stepped on the field, he was the man. Sometimes seemingly playing among boys.
Doc Murdock
Columbus, Ohio
From left, "Stan the Man," "Charlie Hustle" and "Hammerin' Hank" take part in All-Century Team ceremonies in 1999.
Short, to the point, and a bit lyrical. I'm pretty sure that the expression "You the man!" was not widely used during Musial's playing career but it's contemporary meaning certainly applies to his excellent career.
Alan Trask
Chicago
This man is the most overlooked truly great player in history. He was "The Man" in every sense of the word. The epitome of what Tom Brokaw calls the greatest generation, he could field, hit with power, and hit for average. On top of that, he was modest, a team player, and as close to a true role model as we have had in baseball.
My vote is for is career accomplishments and for the accuracy of his nickname as it describes his character.
Tom Maurer
Kingsport, Tenn.
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3. Shoeless Joe -- Joe Jackson (96 letters)
How could you forget "Shoeless" Joe? It's probably the most colorful nickname in sports history, with a great story to back it up.
John Fahey
South San Francisco
What a great image, to love the game enough to play shoeless. Besides, a simple guy who loved baseball and got mixed up with the wrong people and never lived it down. To never be allowed to play ball again, and now to not even make the Page 2 honorable mentions for nicknames, it's a shame!
Nina
Sewanee, Tenn.
People will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.
Brooks
Delray Beach, Fla.
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4. Sultan of Swat/The Babe -- George Herman Ruth (79 letters)
Page 2 readers wouldn't let "Shoeless" Joe Jackson be slighted again.
Ruth was the first big-time home run hitter, and he was king of sports culture in the 1920s. Both parts of the nickname denote his power and his position as the most popular player in his era.
Christian Wheeler
Berea, Ky.
The Great Bambino's legend has out lasted them all. He was a titan and his lofty nicknames were well-deserved -- and earned.
Bob
Odenton, Md.
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5. Donnie Baseball -- Don Mattingly (57 letters)
Donnie Baseball (Don Mattingly), will always be remembered as the man who kept Yankee fans, Yankee fans...through the very lean years of mid- to late 1980s and early '90s. He played the game like an old-timer, and was able to touch all generations of fans!
Scot Neri
Portsmouth, N.H.
Nicknames should be simple (like "The Great One") and what's simpler than using the sport itself as a nickname? Also, to those who watched him in his prime, Mattingly was everything you wanted from a baseball player, so a perfectly suited nickname.
Elliot Chalom
Brooklyn, N.Y.
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6.Oil Can -- Dennis Boyd (51 letters)
Growing up a dyed-in-the-wool Yankees fan, one knew all of the great nicknames of the eras -- "The Babe", "Iron Man", "Scooter", "Catfish", "Donnie Baseball", etc., and their origin ... pretty much; but the sheer elegance in its simplicity of "Oil Can" along with the mystery of its origin, allowed this Yankees fan to think that the nickname of a hated Red Sox man was truly a classic.
It wasn't until many years later, upon seeing an old, taped interview with Boyd, that the mystery was revealed. Seems that in the dog days of summer where he grew up and learned to play ball (somewhere in the deep south, I can't recall exactly), it would get so hot and he would get so thirsty that the beverage he would drink to refresh himself would go down very smoothly. "It was just like drinking oil [drankin' ole]." Again, classic.
Brian D. Wiedeman
Syracuse, N.Y.
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7. The Splendid Splinter -- Ted Williams (48 letters)
"The Splendid Splinter" was poetry in motion at bat.
Note: Ted Williams also received votes for "Teddy Ballgame"
What Ted Williams could do with a bat was poetry in motion. Other players have bigger numbers but, even now, watching Ted swing the bat on grainy, old, black and white film shows a fluidity that few possessed.
Daniel Consolazio
Boston
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8. (tie) The Wizard of Oz -- Ozzie Smith (39 letters)
The reason I'm a baseball fan is because of The Wizard of Oz (Ahs?). No other shortstop could get to the ball as fast as, and utilize the fielders around him like Ozzie. When you can become one of the more popular athletes in baseball batting .260 and hitting one home run a season, you truly are a wizard.
Drew Lewis
Vancouver, British Columbia
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8. (tie) Hammerin' Hank -- Hank Aaron (39 letters)
It is the only nickname added prior to the first name, no Big Units or Yankee Clippers -- fluffy imagery. Just that one added word that said it all about his career and accomplishments in the game.
Tom Pendow
North Little Rock, Ark.
He epitomized grace under pressure and could hammer a ball in any position thrown. I was fortunate to watch him for a number of years in Milwaukee and really saw what a class act he was.
You never heard about the death threats or negative press because he went about his daily business as one should -- with his mouth shut and his head held high. What I would give for more Hammerin' Hanks in today's crybaby game.
Ron Benhoff
Phoenix
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10. Mr. October -- Reggie Jackson (28 letters)
Plain and simple when it counts, nobody -- nobody -- was better.
Jamie Niles
Tampa, Fla.
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Honorable Mention
"Nails" (Lenny Dykstra), "Iron Horse" (Lou Gehrig), "The Ryan Express" (Nolan Ryan), "The Mad Hungarian" (Al Hrabosky), "The Human Rain Delay" (Mike Hargrove), "Death to Flying Things" (Bob Ferguson), "El Guapo" (Rich Garces), "Dr. Strangeglove" (Dick Stewart), "Crime Dog" (Fred McGriff), "The Bird" (Mark Fidrych), "Space Man" (Bill Lee), "Wild Thing" (Mitch Williams), "The Big Unit" (Randy Johnson), "The Big Hurt" (Frank Thomas), "Yogi" (Lawrence Berra), "The Rocket" (Roger Clemens)
From ESPN.go.com/page2