Modern-day baseball nicknames can't match past
S.F. Chronicle / 5-2-12
Imaginative and colorful nicknames for ballplayers, once a baseball staple, are disappearing, going the way of the spitball, the stirrup sock and Sunday doubleheaders.
Boston's Big Papi and Seattle's King Felix plus a few others are probably all right, and the Giants do have Kung Fu Panda and The Freak. But overall, today's nicknames are inferior to the likes of The Meal Ticket, Big Train, The Yankee Clipper, Big Unit, The Flying Dutchman, Iron Horse, The Big Cat, The Grey Eagle and Baby Bull.
Now we are generally reduced to simply cutting off syllables. Usually only one name is shortened: Kruk, Kuip and Boch. Or there is double reduction, such as MadBum, A-Rod and CarGo.
SNIP
It wasn't always like this, and the Giants certainly have had their share of memorable nicknames. Charles Davis wasn't Charlie or Chuck, but Chili. Jeff Leonard was HacMan, a title combining his uninhibited batting style and an early electronic game. Rick Reuschel's physique and personality earned him the tag Big Daddy, John Montefusco was The Count (sorry, Alexandre Dumas) and Doug Gwosdz (who was in the Giants' organization in 1985 but did not play for San Francisco) was Eyechart for obvious reasons.
STORY: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/02/SPEI1OBOSI.DTL
Samples (more at the link):
Blue Moon
Scrap Iron
Mudcat
Easy Rider
Catfish
Georgia Peach
Arkansas Traveler
The Commerce Comet
The Hondo Hurricane
Memphis Bill
The Dominican Dandy
Wahoo Sam
Country
Moose
Reindeer Bill
Rabbit
Hawk
Goose
The Kitten
The Splendid Splinter
El Goofy
High Pockets
Old Aches and Pains
= new reply since forum marked as read
was dubbed "Tinkerbell" by Davey Johnson in ST because he tinkers with his pitches...Tell me thats not a hilarious nickname!
