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This is an interactive Hall of Names -- something we did once before with the controversial attempt to build an All-Top-40-Hits team -- which means your contributions are required.

We're looking to build a team full of players with the goofiest names in baseball history. That could mean a lot of things .. .

... including, for instance:

  • It could be one of the 42 players, including the title character, mentioned in the classic baseball song "Van Lingle Mungo". Or anyone like that -- guys like Biff Pocoroba and Bill Nahorodny post-dated the Mungo tune, but surely not all the names we can come up with are catchers.
  • It could be, for those of us who want to regress to fourth grade or so, a player whose name is an easy punchline, like (everyone, all together now) former Red Sox reliever Dick Pole. (There, now you don't have to make the joke yourself.)
  • It could be someone who has a funny name in the ironic sense, in that it is shared with someone or something better known outside of baseball -- say, Howard Johnson or his former NYM minor league teammate, Ronald McDonald (no kidding).
Rule: no fictional players allowed, so apologies -- but Nuke LaLoosh will not be trotting in from the bullpen for this team. Nicknames are okay, but truly goofy "real" given/first names or family/surnames will be given preference.

As usual, we'll shoot for a 25-man roster: nine starting players (including a DH), five starting pitchers (preferably RLRLX) and a five-man bullpen (CL, RH-SET, LH-SET, LOOGY, RH-LONG, LH-LONG) and a bench (C, COR IF, MID IF, OF, OF, PH/DH).

So there we are. Fire away with your favorite names ... and be sure to share the joke behind each one, in case it's not "Dick Pole" obvious.

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Ryan C - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 12:48 AM EST (#108486) #
Im first so looks like I get to take a bunch of the easy ones.

- Coco Crisp and Milton Bradley cause they're a breakfast cereal and a board game company.

- In the 4th grade department Albert Pujols (poo-holes) and Mike Sweeney (mike's weenie).

- Yogi Berra, Boog Powell, and Tim Spooneybarger just sound funny.

- If fictional characters were allowed Id suggest Who, What, I Don't Know, Why, Because, Tomorrow, Today, and I Don't Give a Dang.
best400 - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 12:55 AM EST (#108487) #
Mike Bordick, he must ahve taken some abuse when he was a kid
Nolan - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 02:01 AM EST (#108494) #
Well, one of my best friends as a kid (and still is today) was named Ryan. We both loved baseball and, being from small town Manitoba, this was slightly rare.

It also happened that Nolan Ryan was one of my favourite players...as well as one of my friend Ryan's favourite players. And so it was a little bit of an inside joke between us that NO ONE ever got.

So there it is, one of my favourite baseball names is a pretty boring one- Nolan Ryan.

Others:

Pee Wee Reese
Vida Blue- classic name...also, some band is named after him
Oil Can Boyd- eccentric nick name for an eccentric player
Goose Goslin
Boog Powell- 4th grade humour...as in "boog"er


I don't know, I have other names that i think are great but am not sure if its just because I'm a little weird- names like Amos Otis, Brett Butler (like the actress), Grover Alexander (ha! Sesame Street...), Jamie Quirk, Bobby Thigpen (pigpen), Ugueth Urtain Urbina, Andy Van Slyke, Wimpy Quinn and Zip Zabel. I just think these name are hilarious...but that's just me.
CaramonLS - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 02:57 AM EST (#108495) #
http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/cockmji01.shtml

I think Jim Cockman has a role somewhere...
Ken Kosowan - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 07:01 AM EST (#108497) #
Here's my three favourites that always come up during discussion.

Oddibe McDowell
Garth Iorg
Archi Cianfrocco

Oil Can Boyd always makes it in there as well... but how about Kent Tekluve?
CeeBee - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 07:58 AM EST (#108501) #
Scotty Alcock
Dummy Hoy
Ray Bates
Fred Ketchum
Goose Goslin
Roger Peckinpaugh
Ossee Schreckengost
Zack Wheat
Mike Green - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 09:02 AM EST (#108509) #
Count Asahel Brainard
John Boccabella
Coco Laboy
Frank Funk

and many, many others from the drug and booze-addled (Coker and Boozer) to the just plain silly (Ed Head).
Mick Doherty - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 11:57 AM EST (#108547) #
Ooh, Mike, do you think we could do an All-(G-rated)-Body-Parts team with Ed Head and Barry Foote and ... uh ... who else? Don Aase? (OK, that's PG-13.)
Brett - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 01:49 PM EST (#108579) #
I'll toss in Drungo La Rue Hazewood, William Van Winkle Wolf, and for ever and for always, Orval Overall.

Also, don't forget Steve Christmas and Luke Easter.

Special mention for minor leaguer Wonderful Terrific Mons III.
Mike Green - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 03:08 PM EST (#108591) #
Nice ones, Brett.

All-Body parts sounds like fun, Mick. Backe or Backman, Fingers...
Mick Doherty - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 03:16 PM EST (#108593) #
Jack Armstrong?
Randy Nosek?
Hal Toenes?
Rick Ankiel? (that's a stretch)

We need to disqualify nicknames or you'd have everyone from Lenny "Nails" Dykstra to Andy "Knee" High (No kidding!) to the two different guys nicknamed "Piano Legs" to Bill "Wagon Tongue" Keister, though the latter could make it on his last name, I guess.

Rob - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 03:47 PM EST (#108602) #
Buddy Biancalana, Esix Snead, Hiram Bocachica.

And for the body parts one, Toe-Knee Arm-Ass should be the captain.
3RunHomer - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 04:48 PM EST (#108610) #

It also happened that Nolan Ryan was one of my favourite players...as well as one of my friend Ryan's favourite players. And so it was a little bit of an inside joke between us that NO ONE ever got.

I don't get it.

And (unfortunately), I'll never think of Pujols in the same way again.

Matthew E - Friday, April 01 2005 @ 10:36 PM EST (#108675) #
Ooh, Mike, do you think we could do an All-(G-rated)-Body-Parts team with Ed Head and Barry Foote and ... uh ... who else?

Former Brewer Greg Legg.

Chill - Saturday, April 02 2005 @ 12:32 PM EST (#108704) #
I'll throw in Boof Bonser.
actionjackson - Sunday, April 03 2005 @ 06:09 PM EDT (#108833) #
I recall a 3rd or 4th string catcher named Creighton Gubanich. How about Doug Gwosdz? It's pronounced 'Goosh'. What the...?
Mike Green - Sunday, April 03 2005 @ 09:47 PM EDT (#108854) #
Mick, you've got to wait until Seattle prospect Shin Soo Choo gets the call.

Hippo Vaughn and Elroy Face would make nice additions to the pitching staff, and the Tragically Hip are naturals for the national anthems on opening day. You've got your radio guy to call the game in our own Tom Cheek.
Craig B - Monday, April 04 2005 @ 12:19 AM EDT (#108864) #
All-Body Parts Team - No Nicknames Edition

C Harry Cheek
1B Barry Foote
2B Boob Fowler
SS George Bone
3B Pinky Pittinger
LF Dave Brain
CF Butts Wagner
RF Bill Keister
DH Jim Ray Hart

SP Rich Hand
SP Ricky Bones
SP Ed Head
SP Bill Hands

RP Ralph Head
RP Rollie Fingers
RP Roy Face
RP Ribs Raney

A lot of guys out of their primary position, but I made it work.
Craig B - Monday, April 04 2005 @ 12:22 AM EDT (#108865) #
And if you don't like Bill Keister or Butts Wagner, you can replace one - just thought of it - with Chin-Feng Chen.
Mick Doherty - Monday, April 04 2005 @ 10:33 AM EDT (#108883) #
Craig gets a gold star! Even with a couple of them being more or less nicknames after all, I really didn't think it'd be possible. Where Hall of Name is concerned, this is certainly a top notch ... wait for it ... body of work!
Mike Green - Monday, April 04 2005 @ 10:46 AM EDT (#108889) #
Craig, could you use Lip Pike to get one of your parts back into position? We wouldn't want any dislocations.:)
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