by Bruce Markusen |
February 12, 2010 12:19 pm |
2 Comments
Over at The Hardball Times, I feature a regular column detailing the history and origins of baseball nicknames. Since the Yankees have had their share of nicknames over their long history, it seems appropriate to highlight a few of the more memorable monikers in this space. So to start things off, and with apologies to the “Iron Horse,” the “Commerce Comet,” and “Mr. October,” here are five of my most favorite Yankee nicknames:
Phil Rizzuto: Whether it was as a ballplayer or as a broadcaster, who could not love a nickname like “The Scooter?” Rizzuto’s small physical stature, particularly his short legs, contributed to this label. While still in the minor leagues, veteran infielder Billy Hitchcock took note of Rizzuto’s fielding and running style and said to him, “Man, you’re not running, you’re scooting.” Hitchcock’s characterization caught on almost immediately, with teammates happily calling Rizzuto “Scooter.” For his part, Rizzuto loved the nickname. “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” Rizzuto once told Stephen Borelli of USA Today. “It could have been some other name they could have called me.” “Scooting” seemed to work for Rizzuto. He became one of the game’s best fielding shortstops of the 1940s and early fifties, eventually earning election to the Hall of Fame in 1994.
George Selkirk: The outfielder who had the misfortune of succeeding Babe Ruth in right field, Selkirk also had a distinctive way of running with his weight pressed onto the balls of his feet. Some of his teammates with the minor league Newark Bears of the International League noticed this tendency and dubbed him “Twinkletoes.” (And once you’ve got a nickname like that, you’re never getting rid of it.) The nickname followed him to the major leagues, where Selkirk established himself as a solid hitter for average who also drew plenty of walks. From 1936 to 1942, Twinkletoes played for six American League pennant winners and five world championship teams.
Walt Williams: Williams’ two Yankee seasons of 1974 and ‘75 coincided with the lost years at Shea Stadium, but “No Neck” made a stirring impression on those who followed the team during the lean years. The nickname perfectly described the head-and-shoulders region of Williams, a fireplug of an outfielder who also played for the White Sox and Indians. From a distance, Williams appeared to have no neck, his head seemingly sitting on his collarbone. The descriptive name was the brainchild of journeyman catcher John Bateman, one of Williams’ teammates during his first major league stop with the Houston Colt .45s. Along with a fitting nickname, No Neck Williams brought some color to his various major league stops He ate hamburgers voraciously, ala “Wimpy” in the old “Popeye” cartoons, and liked to cover his body in Vaseline both before and after games. Williams felt that it would be good for his skin, even if it did nothing to elongate his neck.
Jimmy Wynn: This underrated outfielder spent only part of one season in the Bronx, but his nickname, “The Toy Cannon,” is too good to pass up. At five feet, nine inches tall and 170 pounds, Wynn hardly struck the pose of a prototypical power hitter. Originally a prospect with the Astros, Wynn soon proved that appearances can be deceiving. Wynn hit with such remarkable power, even in a hitter’s bone yard like the old Astrodome, that a contingent of Astros fans began referring to him as “The Toy Cannon.” Whenever I hear the nickname, an image comes to mind of Wynn pulling a toy cannon by a string, as he slowly walks from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box. It’s a strange image to say the least, but it says something about the powerful connotations that come with such a visual nickname. The nickname was fully in place by the time that the Yankees signed the aging Wynn as a free agent in 1977. It’s just too bad that the Yankees hadn’t brought him to town sooner, when he was putting up big numbers and playing terrific defense for the Astros and the Dodgers.
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