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What's In A
Yankee Name (Part 1)
Email:
Harvey
Frommer
Website: Harvey Frommer on
Sports and
Culture
About the Author: Harvey Frommer
is the author of 34 sports books,
including the classics: "New York
City Baseball," "Shoeless Joe and
Ragtime Baseball," "Rickey and
Robinson: The Men Who Broke
Baseball's Color Line", "The New
York Yankee Encyclopedia," "A
Yankee Century: A Celebration of
the First Hundred Years of
Baseball's Greatest Team", and
Red Sox Vs. Yankees: The Great
Rivalry (with Frederic J.
Frommer).
NEW
YORK YANKEES nicknames have
run the gamut from complimentary
to embarrassing, from
hero-worshipping to amusing from
over-reaching to on target. In
recent years, the name game for
the players on the team known as
the Bronx Bombers has not been as
vital as in times past. But we
always have the history to go
back to and enjoy.
"The
Babe" -
George Herman Ruth leads off the
list and paces the list in most
nicknames acquired. First called
"Babe" by teammates on the
Baltimore Orioles, his first
professional team because of his
youth, G.H. Ruth was also called
"Jidge" by Yankee teammates,
short for George. He called most
players "Kid," because he
couldn't remember names, even of
his closest friends. Opponents
called him "The Big Monk" and
"Monkey." Many of Babe Ruth's
nick-names came from
over-reaching sports writers who
attempted to pay tribute to his
slugging prowess: "The Bambino",
"the Wali of Wallop", "the Rajah
of Rap", "the Caliph of Clout",
"the Wazir of Wham", and "the
Sultan of Swat", The Colossus of
Clout, Maharajah of Mash, The
Behemoth of Bust, "The King of
Clout."
Other Yankee
nicknames, expressions, bon mots
of note for "Babe" and "Ruth." In
spring training 1927, Babe Ruth
bet pitcher Wilcy Moore $100 that
he would not get more than three
hits all season. A notoriously
weak hitter, Moore somehow
managed to get six hits in 75 at
bats. Ruth paid off his debt and
Moore purchased two mules for his
farm. He named them "Babe" and
"Ruth."
Here are some
others:
"Babe Ruth's
Legs" -
Sammy Byrd, used as a pinch
runner for Ruth.
"Bam-Bam" - Hensley
Meulens could speak about five
languages and had a difficult
name to pronounce.
"Banty
rooster" - Casey Stengel
nickname for Whitey Ford because
of his style and attitude.
"Biscuit Pants"
- A
reference to the well filled out
trousers of Lou Gehrig.
"Billyball" - the aggressive
style of play utilized by Billy
Martin.
"Blind Ryne"
-
Ryne Duren because of his very
poor vision, uncorrected -20/70
and 20/200.
"Bob
the Gob" - Bob Shawkey
spent most of 1918 in the Navy as
a yeoman petty officer aboard the
battleship Arkansas.
"Broadway" - Shortstop Lyn
Lary was married to Broadway star
Mary Lawler.
"Brooklyn
Schoolboy" - was what they
called Waite Hoyt for his time as
a star pitcher at Erasmus High
School.
"Bulldog" - Jim Bouton,
for his tenacity.
"Bullet
Bob" -
Bob Turley, for the pop on his
fastball.
"Bye-Bye"
-
Steve Balboni, the primary DH of
the 1990 Yankees had 17 homers
but hit just .192.
''Carnesville
Plowboy'' - Spud Chandler
for his hometown of
Carnesville.
"Deacon" - Everett Scott,
for his not too friendly
look.
"Georgia Catfish"
-
Jim Hunter, name given to him by
Oakland owner Charles
Finley.
"the
CAT-a-lyst" - name given to
Mickey Rivers by Howard Cosell
for his ability to trigger Yankee
team offense.
"Chairman of the
Board" -
Elston Howard came up with the
phrase in tribute to Whitey Ford
and his commanding and take
charge manner on the
mound.
"Clutch versus
Clutch" - qualitative
commentary about Yankee-Red Sox
competition.
"Columbia
Lou" -
Lou Gehrig because of his
collegiate roots.
"Commerce
Comet" -
Mickey Mantle.
"The
Count" -
Sparky Lyle, handlebar mustache
and lordy ways.
"The
Crow" -
Frank Crosetti loud voice and
chirpy ways.
"Danish Viking"
-
George Pipgras, for his size and
roots.
"Daddy Longlegs"
-
Dave Winfield, for his size and
long legs.
"Death
Valley" -
the old deep centerfield in
Yankee Stadium - a home run here
was a mighty poke.
"Dial-a-Deal" - Gabe Paul
earned this one for his telephone
trading habits.
"Donnie
Baseball" - Don Mattingly
was the only player in any sport
to have a nickname with the
actual name of his or her sport
in it. Some say it was coined by
Yankee broadcaster Michael Kay;
others say it came from Kirby
Pucket. Kay takes the credit;
Mattingly gives the credit to
Puckett.
"El
Duque" -
Orlando Hernandez.
"El
Duquecito" - Adrian
Hernandez because of a pitching
style similar to Orlando "El
Duque" Hernandez, the younger
Cuban is of no relation to his
elder countryman.
"Ellie"
-
affectionate abbreviation of
Elston Howard's first
name.
"Father of the
Emory Ball" - Rookie
right-hander Russ Ford posted a
26-6 record with 8 shutouts,
1910.
"Fireman" - The first to
have this nickname was Johnny
Murphy, the first great relief
pitcher who put out fires. Joe
Page picked up this nickname for
his top relief work later
on.
"Flash" - Joe Gordon
earned this nickname because of
his fast, slick fielding and hot
line drives.
"Four hour
manager" - Bucky Harris,
who put his time in at the game
and was finished.
"Fordham
Johnny" -
for the college Johnny Murphy
attended.
"Gator" - Ron Guidry,
who came from Louisiana alligator
country.
"Gay
Caballero" - Lefty Gomez
for his Mexican roots and fun
loving ways.
"Gay
Reliever" - Joe Page for
his night owl activity.
"Gehrigville" - Bleachers in
right-center at Yankee
Stadium.
"The
Godfather" - Joe Torre, for
his Italian roots and his
leadership skills on the baseball
field.
"Gooneybird" - Don Larsen's
teammates called him that for his
late-night behavior.
"Goofy" or "El
Goofo" -
earned by Lefty Gomez for his
wild antics.
"Goose" -
Gossage.
"The
Great Agitator" - for Billy
Martin, self explanatory.
"Grandma" - it was not a
nickname Johnny Murphy liked, but
he was called that for his
pitching motion, rocking chair
style. Another story is that
fellow Yankee Pat Malone gave him
the name because of his
complaining nature especially as
regards food and lodgings.
"Happy
Jack" -
Jack Chesbro's time as an
attendant at the state mental
hospital in Middletown, New York
where he pitched for the where he
pitched for the hospital team and
showed off a very pleasant
disposition won him the
nickname.
"Horse
Nose" - a
nickname given catcher Pat
Collins by Babe Ruth, a reference
to a facial feature.
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