During my childhood, I had two favorite Red Sox players: George "Boomer" Scott and Rick "Rooster" Burleson. They couldn't have been less alike, both physically and attitudinally. A first baseman, Scott stood 6'2", weighed 200 lbs., and was known for his good sense of humor. He's black. Burleson, a shortstop, was 5'10", weighed 165 lbs., and was a very intense player. He's white.
What they had in common other than my loyalty and their service to the Sox, was terrific nicknames.
Other Sox players of the '70s had cool tags, as well. Carlton "Pudge" Fisk, Bill "The Spaceman" Lee, Dwight "Dewey" Evans. Of course, every team at that time, and going back to the start of baseball in this country, had players with colorful handles.
A quick, completely random rundown of nicknames: Edward "Whitey" Ford, Robert "Lefty" Grove, George "Babe" Ruth, Jay "Dizzy" Dean, Paul "Daffy" Dean, Elijah "Pumpsie" Green, Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto, Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, James "Cool Papa" Bell, "Hammerin'" Hank Aaron, Lawrence "Yogi" Berra, Orlando "Baby Bull" Cepeda, Richard "Goose" Gossage, Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, Frank "Tug" McGraw, Johnny "Blue Moon" Odom.
There are many more, of course.
Many, although not all, of those nicknames date back at least 20 years. The heyday of baseball nicknames pretty much ended by the '80s.
Who do we have today?
There are players with nicknames today, and in recent years, but for the most part they pale when compared to the more colorful handles of the past.
Some pretty good nicknames in recent years: David "Big Papi" Ortiz, Covelli "Coco" Crisp, Charles "Chili" Davis, Randy "Big Unit" Johnson, Rich "El Guapo" Garces.
Largely, though, the names are unimaginative: Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez, Larry "Chipper" Jones, (Insert First Name Here) "Gonzo" Gonzalez, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, Carsten Charles "CC" Sabathia.
Take a look at this list of baseball nicknames. Plenty of guys playing today have nicknames, but for the most part they're not well known or part of the culture. While these names -- take, Dustin "Pedey" Pedroia, for example -- are used locally and by fellow players, they are unknown in the wider audience and the media. To national broadcasters, Pedroia is just "Pedroia."
I suspect the situation is the same in other sports. What happened to cool baseball nicknames?
I suspect the primary reason is that few players have loyalty to a team or city any more. Damn free agency! With a few notable exceptions -- recently retired Red Sox Tim "Wake" Wakefield and Jason "Tek" Varitek to name a few -- players don't spend more than a handful of years on the same team any more.
Instead, they travel from one team to the next, seeking out more money and "respect." Baseball is, of course, a business. So why shouldn't players get the most money they can during what for most of them is a brief career? I can't say I blame them. If some family dangled $15 million a year in front of me so I could be their stay-at-home dad...wait, that's not a good analogy.
I don't know who bestowed nicknames on players of yore. Probably sports writers were responsible for many of the colorful appellations. Lots of column inches to fill, no competition from radio, TV or the Internet. Go crazy and start naming guys!
It's definitely a guy thing to do even if you're not a sports writer. I had several nicknames from grade school on through college, all of them bestowed by male friends or acquaintances: Digem, Briggy, Wiggy, Blotto, Dietrich.
Even after college I had a few nicknames: some guys I worked with at a factory called me John Boy; the first year I played over-40 baseball a few guys called me Scoop.
I miss nicknames. Heck, there aren't even any good Mafia nicknames anymore. Where have all the good nicknames gone? The rap community (Wiz Khalifa), roller derby (Kiss 'n' Vinegar), drag queens (Isabel Ringin), reality TV (Snooki), electronic musicians (Skrillex), ranters on Internet message boards (a**hole1776). I bet Boomer Scott, who just turned 68 last week, could take on all of those guys and whip 'em all on the diamond, with one hand tied behind his back.
I'd like to watch him try.
Thanks to my buddy Ray for spurring me on with this idea. Check out his band, Powderhouse, here.
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