tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post114100412237103178..comments2024-03-20T04:07:19.586-04:00Comments on The Baseball Card Blog: Woody Allen Didn't Name His Kid Satchel For Nothingjosh Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10212453263195870177noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-1144031458013183162006-04-02T22:30:00.000-04:002006-04-02T22:30:00.000-04:00My C: Drive is named Skeeter Barnes. I named my E:...My C: Drive is named Skeeter Barnes. <BR/><BR/>I named my E: Drive Frank Tanana, which isn't nearly as cool.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-1141322564062175122006-03-02T13:02:00.000-05:002006-03-02T13:02:00.000-05:00Smokey Burgess being the obvious counterpoint to W...Smokey Burgess being the obvious counterpoint to Whitey Ford, following in the great tradition of Chief Bender ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-1141112128466177692006-02-28T02:35:00.000-05:002006-02-28T02:35:00.000-05:00One of my favorite names for a player was:and Smok...One of my favorite names for a player was:<BR/><BR/>and Smokey Burgess, who was once the best pinch hitter in history.<BR/><BR/>http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/burgesm01.shtmlJT Griffithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16689090223824857086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-1141092539056253872006-02-27T21:08:00.000-05:002006-02-27T21:08:00.000-05:00I love that Topps was never shy to go with a nickn...I love that Topps was never shy to go with a nickname, leaving Fleer and Donruss in the dust. However, they had the bizarre tendency to Americanize the first names of Latin players ("Bob" Clemente? "Robby" Alomar? "Benny" Santiago?), something that still remains a mystery to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-1141083242224477132006-02-27T18:34:00.000-05:002006-02-27T18:34:00.000-05:00Mookie Wilson's real name is William Wilson. Mook...Mookie Wilson's real name is William Wilson. Mookie was a nickname that his Grandmother gave him as a child.<BR/><BR/>The only reason I know this is because he will forever be one of my favorite players.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-1141080965241382922006-02-27T17:56:00.000-05:002006-02-27T17:56:00.000-05:00I just did a little research in newspaper database...I just did a little research in newspaper databases on the origins of the "Rock" nickname. Here it is, as told by Raines in the Chicago Tribune:<BR/><BR/>"I want to be called `Rock' because everybody calls me that unless it's somebody who doesn't know me.... I've had the name since my first year in professional baseball," said Raines, who broke in with the Sarasota Expos in 1977. "My teammates noticed that I was short and stocky. They said, `You're built like a little rock.'<BR/><BR/>"At first, I didn't like it, because I thought they were getting on me about it. It just stuck, and I got used to it.<BR/><BR/>"As a matter of fact, everyone calls my son (Tim Jr.) `Little Rock.'" (Chicago Tribune, Feb. 24, 1991)<BR/><BR/>A few notes on physique: Raines Sr. was listed at 5-8, 180 in his playing days. His son, Tim Jr., a 26-year-old outfielder who came up in the Orioles' organization and is now in camp with the Twins as a non-roster invitee, eventually grew to be bigger than his father -- he's 5-10, 195.<BR/><BR/>At least a couple of times, Raines Sr. tried to give his nickname a more public status. But it didn't stick. Here's what happened with the Expos:<BR/><BR/>"LF Tim Raines agreed to an EXPOS request that he drop the idea of changing his name to Rock. `They told me they have a promotion involving $4 million of my posters signed Tim Raines,' he said." (USA Today, April 11, 1988)<BR/><BR/>Then after he was traded to the Chicago White Sox, he tried to go by Rock again, but went back to Tim after he got off to a slow start:<BR/><BR/>"Sunday, waivers were asked on `Rock' for the purpose of giving it an unconditional rest. Raines is `Tim' again. Raines had asked the club to refer to him as `Rock,' a longtime nickname, in all its announcements and publications. He had tried the same thing for a while in Montreal, too, but it didn't take. It wasn't going well in the American League, either. Last week at Yankee Stadium, fans made fun of the entire process by chanting `Tim-mee, Tim-mee.' Sunday [April 21, 1991], Rock went 0 for 4, dropping his batting average to .116. `I thought about it after the game,' Raines said. `I'm going to Dana Noel (of the Sox public-relations staff) and telling him to change it.'" (Chicago Tribune, April 22, 1991)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-1141075185476325682006-02-27T16:19:00.000-05:002006-02-27T16:19:00.000-05:00Fantastic blog! I must link to it from mine. I r...Fantastic blog! I must link to it from mine. <BR/><BR/>I remember the 1985 Donruss set, which featured Dennis Boyd's nickname "Oil Can", and eliminated the name Dennis from the card in favor of it. And it also featured one of my favorites in Shooty Babbitt too!The Revhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04573551553863558468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-1141071563627492552006-02-27T15:19:00.000-05:002006-02-27T15:19:00.000-05:00I always thought that calling Dwight Gooden "Doc" ...I always thought that calling Dwight Gooden "Doc" was pandering ... he had a terrible year in 1989 and then only one more good year (wins wise at least) in his career in 1990. Of course I'm biased cause my Dodgers kicked some Met's butt in 1988...<BR/><BR/>:-)JT Griffithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16689090223824857086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-1141071465493127352006-02-27T15:17:00.000-05:002006-02-27T15:17:00.000-05:00I always thought that calling Dwight Gooden "Doc" ...I always thought that calling Dwight Gooden "Doc" was pandering ... he had a terrible year in 1989 and then only one more good year (wins wise at least) in his career in 1990. Of course I'm biased cause my Dodgers kicked some Met's butt in 1988...<BR/><BR/>:-)JT Griffithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16689090223824857086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20684429.post-1141059473654922642006-02-27T11:57:00.000-05:002006-02-27T11:57:00.000-05:00Kevin beat me to it, but that's the same story I'v...Kevin beat me to it, but that's the same story I've heard.<BR/><BR/>Great blog, by the way. If you keep writing, I'll keep reading.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com