YANKEE MONIKERS & NICKNAMES, HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY BY HARVEY FROMMER

YANKEE MONIKERS & NICKNAMES, HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY

BY HARVEY FROMMER

Nom de plumes, aliases, sobriquets, catch words - nicknames, all time, all

ways for Yankees. Through the decades sporting scribes, fans, friends and

relatives, opponents and teammates have outdone themselves pinning nom de

plumes, aliases, sobriquets, catch words - nick-names on Yankee personnel and

experiences.


These have run the gamut, from apt to asinine, from complimentary to crude,

from hero worshipping to hellacious, from amusing to amazing. Herewith, a

sampler.


Babe Ruth leads the pack in the number of nick-names attached to him.

Called "Babe" by teammates on the Baltimore Orioles, his first professional team

because of his youth. Early on he was also called “Infant Swatagy,” G.H.Ruth was

also called "Jidge" by Yankee teammates, in German, short for George.

Opponents referred to him negatively as "The Big Monk" and "Monkey."

He was also called "Two Head, a negative nick-name used by opponents to

describe the size of his head which seemed very huge to some. They also called

him a lot of unmentionables.


Sportswriters glamorizing the big guy came up with these monikers: “Home

Run King,”  "The Bambino", “Bammer,” “the Bam,", "the Wali of Wallop", "the

Rajah of Rap", the Caliph of Clout", "the Wazir of Wham", "the Sultan of Swat",

"The Colossus of Clout", “Maharajah of Mash", "The Behemoth of Bust,”

“Behemoth of Biff,” "The King of Clout", and the“Goliath of Grand Slams.”


"The Babe" - George Herman Ruth leads off the list and pads it for most

nick-names acquired. He called most players "Kid"; because he couldn't remember

the names of even his closest friends.


           In spring training 1927, Babe Ruth bet pitcher Wilcy Moore $l00 that he

would not get more than three hits all season. A notoriously weak hitter, Moore

somehow managed six hits in 75 at bats.  Ruth paid off his debt and Moore

purchased two mules for his farm naming them "Babe"; and "Ruth".

            But enough of George Herman Ruth. Now onto the bon mots, aliases,

expressions for all matter of Yankees:



"A-Rod" – Abbreviation for Alex Rodriguez.

“All American Out” – What Babe Ruth called Leo Durocher because of his

limited hitting ability.

 “Almighty Tired Man” - Mickey Rivers, for his slouching demeanor

"American Idle" - Carl Pavano was known as this because he could never

stay on the field and stay healthy.

“An A-bomb from A-Rod” – classic home run call, John Sterling

“It is high, it is far.  It is gone! The Yankees win. Thuuuuuuuuh

Yankees win!” - another classic home run call, John Sterling

"Battle of the Biltmore" - 1947 World Series celebration in Manhattan's Biltmore

Hotel was a time and place  where Larry MacPhail drunkenly fought with everyone

ending his Yankee ownership time.  "Babe Ruth's Legs" - Sammy Byrd, employed

as pinch runner for Ruth and "Bam-Bam" for Hensley Meulens, able to speak about

five languages, but had a challenging name for some to pronounce.

"Banty rooster" - Casey Stengel’s nickname for Whitey Ford because of his

style and attitude.

       

BOOKENDS: Speaking of nicknames, “the Lip” was the favored one for

Leo Durocher for obvious reasons. To read all about the feisty and sometimes

outrageous manager, pick up a copy of Leo Durocher by celebrated author Paul

Dickson (Bloomsbury, $28.00, 304 pages). It is a fabulous read with all kinds of

new information. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

=======================================

Just a sampling from The Ultimate Yankee Book, fall 2017

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Yankee- Book-Beginning-

Today_Essential/dp/1624144330

Pre-order from Amazon

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Harvey Frommer, a professor at Dartmouth College in the MALS program, is

in his 41 st year of writing books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, he is

the author of 43 sports books including the classics: New York City Baseball,

1947-1957″ and Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball,as well as his acclaimed

Remembering Yankee Stadium and most notable and best-selling Remembering

Fenway Park.

A link to purchase autographed copies of Frommer Sports Books is at:

http://frommerbooks.com/

Baseball Names – How They Came To Be By Harvey Frommer

Baseball Names –How They Came To Be - By Harvey Frommer

The words and phrases are spoken and written day after day, year after year -

generally without any wonderment as to how they became part of the language.

All have a history, a story.

With the 2017 edition of spring training to beging and another season to follow, a

brief sampler follows of some of the singular baseball names follow:

AMAZIN' METS The first run they ever scored came in on a balk. They lost the

first nine games they ever played. They finished last their first four seasons. Once

they were losing a game, 12-1, and there were two outs in the bottom of the ninth

inning. A fan held up a sign that said "PRAY!" There was a walk, and ever

hopeful, thousands of voices chanted, "Let's go Mets." They were 100-l underdogs

to win the pennant in 1969 and incredibly came on to finish the year as World

Champions. They picked the name of the best pitcher in their history (Tom

Seaver) out of a hat on April Fools' Day. They were supposed to be the

replacement for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. They could have

been the New York Continentals or Burros or Skyliners or Skyscrapers or Bees or

Rebels or NYB's or Avengers or even Jets (all  runner-up names in a contest to tab

the National League New York team that began playing ball in 1962). They've

never been anything to their fans but amazing-the Amazin' New York Mets.

BIG POISON and LITTLE POISON Paul Waner's rookie year with the Pittsburgh

Pirates was 1926, when he batted .336 and led the league in triples. In one game

he cracked out six hits using six different bats. In 1927 the second Waner arrived,

brother Lloyd. For 14 years, the Waners formed a potent brother combination in

the Pittsburgh lineup. Paul was 5'8l/2'' and weighed 153 pounds. Lloyd was 5'9"

and weighed 150 pounds.

Paul was dubbed Big Poison even though he was smaller than Lloyd, who was

called Little Poison. An older brother even then had privileges. But both players

were pure poison for National League pitchers. Slashing left-handed line-drive

hitters, the Waners collected 5,611 hits between them. Paul's lifetime batting

average was .333, and he recorded three batting titles. Lloyd posted a career

average of .316. They played a combined total of 38 years in the major leagues.

BONEHEAD MERKLE The phrase "pulling a bonehead play," or "pulling a

boner," is not only part of the language of baseball, but of all sports and in fact, of

the language in general. Its most dramatic derivation goes back to September 9,

1908. Frederick Charles Merkle, a.k.a. George Merkle, was playing his first full

game at first base for the New York Giants. It was his second season in the

majors; the year before, he had appeared in 15 games. The Giants were in first

place and the Cubs were challenging them. The two teams were tied, 1-1, in the

bottom of the ninth inning. With two outs, the Giants' Moose McCormick was on

third base and Merkle was on first. Al Bridwell slashed a single to center field, and

McCormick crossed the plate with what was apparently the winning run. Merkle,

eager to avoid the Polo Grounds crowd that surged onto the playing field, raced

directly to the clubhouse instead of following through on the play and touching

second base. Amid the pandemonium, Johnny Evers of the Cubs screamed for the

baseball, obtained it somehow, stepped on second base, and claimed a forceout on

Merkle. When things subsided, umpire Hank O'Day agreed with Evers. The

National League upheld O'Day, Evers and the Cubs, so the run was nullified and

the game not counted. Both teams played out their schedules and completed the

season tied for first place  with 98 wins and 55 losses. A replay of the game was

scheduled, and Christy Mathewson, seeking his 38th victory of the season, lost, 4-

2, to Three-Finger Brown (q.v.). The Cubs won the pennant. Although Merkle

played 16 years in the majors and had a lifetime batting average of .273, he will

forever be rooted in sports lore as the man who made the "bonehead" play that lost

the 1908 pennant for the Giants, for had he touched second base there would have

been no replayed game and the Giants would have won the pennant by one game.

"B0O” Name for a day in 1979 of Giants shortstop Johnnie LeMaster, who heard

the boo-birds in San Fran. He took his field position wearing "Boo" on his back.

LeMaster switched back to his regular jersey after one game.

"CHILI"  When he was about 12 years old, Charles Davis was given a not too

attractive haircut which led to his getting the nickname "Chili Bowl," later

shortened to "Chili" as the boy became the man and the baseball player "Chili"

Davis.

GIANTS  One sultry summer's day in 1885, Jim Mutrie, the

saber-mustached manager of the New York Gothams, was enjoying himself

watching his team winning an important game. Mutrie screamed out with

affection, "My big fellows, my giants." Many of his players were big fellows, and

they came to be Giants. For that was how the nickname Giants came to be. And

when the New York team left for San Francisco in 1958, Giants, Mutrie's

endearing nickname, went along with it.

SPLENDID SPLINTER He was also nicknamed the Thumper, because of the

power with which he hit the ball, and the Kid, because of his tempestuous attitude-

but his main nickname was perhaps the most appropriate. Ted Williams was one

of the most splendid players who ever lived, and he could really "splinter" the ball.

The handsome slugger compiled a lifetime batting average of .344 and a slugging

percentage of .634.

Williams blasted 521 career home runs, scored nearly 1,800 runs, and drove in

over 1,800 runs. So keen was his batting eye that he walked over 2,000 times

while striking out only 709 times. In 1941 he batted .406 - the last time any player

hit .400 or better. One of the most celebrated moments in the career of the Boston

Red Sox slugger took place in the 1946 All-Star Game. Williams came to bat

against Rip Sewell and his celebrated "eephus" (blooper) pitch. Williams had

already walked in the game and hit a home run. Sewell's pitch came to the plate in

a high arc, and Williams actually trotted out to the pitch, bashing it into the right-

field bullpen for a home run. "That was the first homer ever hit off the pitch,"

Sewell said later.

"The ball came to the plate in a twenty-foot arc," recalled Williams. "I didn't know

whether I'd be able to get enough power into that kind of a pitch for a  home run."

There was no kind of pitch Williams couldn't hit for a home run.

*********************************************************

Coming this fall from your favorite author: (Pre-order)

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Yankee- Book-Beginning-

Today_Essential/dp/1624144330

Dr. Harvey Frommer, a professor at Dartmouth College in the MALS program, is in his 4ist year of writing books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, he is the author of 43 sports books including the classics: best-selling “New York City Baseball, 1947-1957″ and best-selling Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball,as well as his acclaimed Remembering Yankee Stadium and best-selling Remembering Fenway Park. His highly praised When It Was Just a Game: Remembering the First Super Bowl was published last fall.

A link to purchase autographed copies of Frommer Sports Books is at:   http://frommerbooks.com/

From the First to Super Bowl 51 - By Harvey Frommer

From the First to Super Bowl 51

By Harvey Frommer

The very long National Football League season is now over.  Now we all

look ahead to “the ultimate game.”  Hype, hoopla, histrionics and sometimes a

great game is the result of all the activity.


The Super Bowl is America at its best and also America at its worst. American

conspicuous consumption. American grossness. American fandom, American

power. American marketing. American ingenuity. American skills and talent. All

are on parade, all turned up, tuned in at the same time for the same event. All of

that is the greatest power and the greatest weakness of the big game.

Played in the dead of winter in the United States across various time zones,

the “Super Bowl” on “Super Sunday” has become a de facto American holiday,

right up there with Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of

July. For many, better.


How it all came to be is in many ways more fascinating than

whatit has become. The merger of the American Football League and the

National Football League led to the need for a championship game. The first

contest was played on January 15, 1967 The Vince Lombardi Green Bay

Packers squared off against the Kansas City Chiefs.

And, although the contest was officially known as the AFL-NFL World

Championship, its unofficial name - the Super Bowl - was used in the media,

the fans and the players, and the name stuck.


One theory for how the high flying name came about is that at an

owner's meeting centered on what to call the game, owner Lamar Hunt had a

"super ball" in his pocket that he had taken away from his youngster earlier

in the day. Hunt was not too taken with the long and ordinary sounding

suggestions for what would become professional football's ultimate game.

As the story goes, squeezing the ball, he suggested the name “Super

Bowl.” His suggestion was not greeted with much enthusiasm by the

assembled group. Nevertheless, he mentioned the name to a reporter who

loved it and, as they say, the rest is history.


That first game witnessed the first dual-network, color-coverage

simulcast of a sports event in history, and attracted the largest viewership to

ever see a sporting event up to that time. The Nielsen rating indicated that 73

million fans watched all or part of the game on one of the two networks,

CBS or NBC.


In actuality, the game was a contest between the two leagues and the two

networks. CBS' allegiance was to the NFL. NBC's loyalty was to the AFL - a

league it had virtually created with its network dollars.


From the start there were special features to the Super Bowl including its

designation with a Roman numeral rather than by a year - a move on the part

of NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle to give the contest a sense of class.

That first Super Bowl was played at the Memorial Coliseum in Los

Angeles before 61,946. Quarterback Bart Starr was the first Most Valuable

Player as he led the Packers to a 35-10 victory over Kansas City. Starr

completed 16-of- 23 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns.

Max McGee of the Packers became an interesting footnote to Super

Bowl history.


"I knew I wouldn't play unless (Boyd) Dowler got hurt," he said in later

years.


So McGee went out on the town the days (and nights) prior to the game.

Curfews, it seems, were there for him to break. He stayed out until 7:30 a.m.

on the day of the game. Then, the unimaginable happened. Dowler suffered

a separated shoulder throwing a block on the opening series.

In came the 11-year veteran McGee who had caught only four passes all

season. He snared 7 passes for 138 yards. McGee and Starr hooked up in the

first quarter for a 37-yard score, and again at the end of the third quarter for

a 13-yard touchdown. Elijah Pitts ran for two other scores. The Chiefs' 10

points came in the second quarter, their only touchdown on a 7-yard pass

from Len Dawson to Curtis McClinton.


But Max McGee stole the show and set a pattern in that first Super

Bowl that would be part of the ultimate game's history of unlikely heroes,

strange twists of fate, footballs taking a wrong bounce for some teams and

the right bounce for others.


Who knows what history holds in store for 2017’s Super Bowl?

Dr. Harvey Frommer, a professor at Dartmouth College in the MALS program, is in his 4ist year of writing books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, he is the author of 43 sports books including the classics: best-selling “New York City Baseball, 1947-1957″ and best-selling Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball,as well as his acclaimed Remembering Yankee Stadium and best-selling Remembering Fenway Park. His highly praised When It Was Just a Game: Remembering the First Super Bowl was published last fall.

A link to purchase autographed copies of Frommer Sports Books is at:   http://frommerbooks.com/