# athlete nicknames (ted williams) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2002, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684 "2002-07-06T22:31:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2002, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/1 "2002-07-06T22:31:41Z")
This is sports-related, so I believe this is the correct forum to post it in… As most Americans (and others too, possibly) must know, one of the all-time great baseball players, Ted Williams, died a couple of days ago. I’ve heard many nicknames that were given to Williams during his lifetime–three to be exact: Teddy Ballgame, The Splendid Splinter, and The Kid. This got me to thinking…what’s the unofficial record for nicknames for a single athlete? Let’s see…Ruth was The Babe, the Bambino, the Sultan of Swat… So what’s the record? [These should be real nicknames used by the masses, not the one-shot type that boxers tend to use before a fight to trump themselves up, as in “Rocky”: “Ladies and gentlemen, the Favorite Son of Boston, the Massachusetts Mauler, the Master of Disaster, the King of Pain, the Man on a Mission, etc., etc., etc.”] ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/2 "2002-07-07T00:06:16Z")
According to this morning’s newspaper, Williams was also known as “The Thumper.” ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/3 "2002-07-07T00:12:31Z")
Not to mention “Terrible Ted” ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/4 "2002-07-07T01:02:48Z")
Deion Sanders was “Prime Time” and “Neon Deion.” That doesn’t even beat the OP’s listees, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/5 "2002-07-07T16:07:14Z")
Babe Ruth was also the King of Klout and pretty much anything else a sportswriter could dream up. I think most of these nicknames are dreamed up by sportswriters (or these days, the gang on ESPN) just looking for a way to juice up their stories. I mean, did anyone ever REALLY address Reggie Jackson as “Mr. October?” ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/6 "2002-07-07T17:39:32Z")
> [@](#): > > No man on earth had more nicknames than George Herman Ruth. The Babe. The Man. The Bambino. The Home Run King. The Circuit Smasher. Herman the Great. Homeric Herman. The Bulky Monarch. The King of Clout. His Eminence. The Sultan of Swat. From [The Official Babe Ruth Web Site](http://www.baberuth.com/articles/082498.html) ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/7 "2002-07-08T10:09:42Z")
OK, that seems to clinch it for the Babe. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/8 "2002-07-08T11:38:15Z")
Lemme join in to tawk NY Willie “The Say Hey Kid” Mays Joltin’ Joe Di’maggio Whitey Ford - Chairman of the Board Tom “Terrific” Seaver Wilie “Mookie” Wilson (more 1986 Mets - not homegrown) Keith Hernandez - “Mex” Gary Carter - “Kid” Lenny Dykstra “Nails” and I’m gonna add Le Expo/Cub - Andre “The Hawk” Dawson. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/9 "2002-07-08T16:06:37Z")
Rick “The Red Baron” Sutcliffe ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/10 "2002-07-08T17:30:48Z")
Um, OK. So those guys are all tied with one, then? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/11 "2002-07-08T19:23:39Z")
The best, of course was Bob “Death to Flying Things” Ferguson. Most nicknames were chosen by sportswriters, and it wasn’t uncommon for stars to have multiples (though I’d guess Ruth had the most). Still, those with multiples include: Joe Dimaggio – “Joltin’ Joe” and “The Yankee Clipper” Pee Wee Reese – not only “Pee Wee,” but “The Little Colonel.” He also had a third nickname that Joe Garagiola mentioned in “Baseball is a Funny Game.” John Martin – better know as “Pepper” and “The Wild Horse of the Osage.” Tom Seaver – “Tom Terrific” and “The Franchise.” ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/12 "2002-07-08T22:37:38Z")
My personal favorite is Frankie Frisch, the Fordham Flash. Although I also like Rabbit Maranville and Kiki Cuyler, whose given name was Hazen Shirley Cuyler. And Pee Wee Reese was nicknamed Pee Wee long before he became a ballplayer. He was a marbles champion in his hometown in Kentucky, and a Pee Wee is a type of marble. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/13 "2002-07-09T00:34:02Z")
Teddy Ballgame was the name used by Williams himself. Except he usually added a _expletive delete_ between Teddy and Ballgame. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/14 "2002-07-09T02:12:49Z")
Kiki Cuyler got his nickname because he stuttered as a youngster and had trouble pronouncing the first syllable of his surname, which should be pronounced “Kigh”. He is “Kigh-Kigh Kigh-ler” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/15 "2002-07-09T13:04:13Z")
Heck, if we’re going to count players whose nicknames were used instead of their given names, it’s a whole new ballgame: Mookie Wilson Boog Powell Jeff Tesreau (his real name was Charles; named “Jeff” because of his supposed resemblance to boxer Jim Jeffreys) Pie Traynor Germany Schaffer Irish Meusel Cy Young ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/16 "2002-07-09T18:09:10Z")
Quiz: What achievement uniquely unites: The Sultan of Swat The Georgia Peach The Flying Dutchman Big Train Big Six ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2002, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/17 "2002-07-10T02:35:21Z")
All in baseball’s Hall of Fame. I think they were the first elected. ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2002, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/18 "2002-07-10T03:48:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Telemark \* > \*\*Teddy Ballgame was the name used by Williams himself. Except he usually added a _expletive delete_ between Teddy and Ballgame. \*\* Is that along the same lines as Bucky \* expletive deleted \* Dent, as he’s known in Boston? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2002, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/19 "2002-07-10T11:45:35Z")
The Big Hurt: Frank Thomas The Big Unit: Randy Johnson The Big Cat: Andres Galaraga The Rocket: Roger Clemens The Killer B’s : Biggio, Bagwell and Bell Charlie Hustle, Cincinatti’s favorate son: Pete Rose “Oil Can” Boyd Mark ‘the Bird’ Fydrich ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684/20 "2002-07-10T14:27:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nineiron \* > \*\*Um, OK. So those guys are all tied with one, then? \*\* It seems you question has been answered and now this thread has been knocked out of the park. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athlete-nicknames-ted-williams/117684.md?page=2)