AskMen.com on Modern Baseball Nicknames

[Unassisted]

http://www.askmen.com/entertainment/...nicknames.html

Tuesday Trivia: Modern Baseball Nicknames

You know who "Big Papi" is. Do you know who "Pronk" is?

Many fans talk about the good ol’ days of baseball before steroids and $198 million contracts. It’s true; some of the magic is gone from our nation’s pastime. However, the brilliant nicknames aren’t. If anything, they’ve gotten better: graduating from Yogi and Three Finger to Fat Elvis and Big Unit. Here are some of the best modern baseball nicknames.

“El Pulpo” or "The Octopus" - Antonio Alfonseca has six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, which is a condition known as polydactyly.

“Fat Elvis” - Lance Berkman’s mother thought he looked like Elvis. During an interview, Dan Patrick asked him, "The fat one or the skinny one?" Berkman answered: "I guess the fat one."

“The Hebrew Hammer” - Ryan Braun’s nickname is a nod to the Jewish superhero comedy starring Adam Goldberg.

“Boof” - Born John Paul Bonser, he picked up the nickname during childhood and changed it legally in 2001.

“Big Papi” - At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds and with a huge smile, Big Papi somehow just fits David Ortiz.

“The Big Hurt” - Frank Thomas got the nickname from a Chicago broadcaster who watched him belt a 450 foot home run during the 1992 season.

“Pronk” - Travis Hafner’s modern baseball nickname is derived from two others that his people would sometimes refer to him as: "The Project" and "Donkey." These were given to him for the way he looked when running the bases.

“D-Train” - This is one of those simple and perfect modern baseball nicknames for the intimidating pitcher Dontrelle Willis.

“The Gambler” - Stuck with the same name as the country crooner, Kenny Rogers also gets to share his nickname.

“Coco” - This nickname is shared by the Royals’ Covelli Crisp and the Reds’ Francisco Cordero, but “Coco Crisp” sounds better.

“The Big Unit” - Tim "Rock" Raines gave this nickname to the 6-foot-10, mulleted, mustachioed, 98-mph chucker Randy Johnson.

“Everyday Eddie” - Now that he’s in his late 30s, Eddie Guardado’s arm isn’t as durable as it was when he was with the Twins.

“Doc” - Get it? Roy "Doc" Halladay.

“Flash” - Here’s another one: Tom “Flash” Gordon. Get it?

“Youk” - His nickname isn’t as good or catchy as Kevin Youkilis’ last name.

“K-Rod” - Tallying strikeouts won Francisco Rodriguez his nickname.

“King Felix” - Félix Hernández got this nickname at 19 years old, before he even became a prince.

“Chipper” - Larry Jones got this nickname in childhood.

“Captain America” - The animated Eric Byrnes is also called "Crash Test Dummy," "Flipper," "Side (Byrnes)," and "Pigpen."

“Pat The Bat” - Designated hitter Pat Burrell’s batting skills won him a better name than “It’s Pat.”

“Sco-Kaz” - Scott Kazmir is also called "Kid K," "K-Train," "Kazmanian Devil," and "Scotty K."

“El Duque” - Translated into English as “The Duke,” Orlando Hernández’ father gave him this nickname as kid.

“ManRam” - Good old crazy Manny Ramirez.

[Eric_the_Red]

Before players get a nickname, they should be good.