Dick “Night Train” Lane and Magic Johnson are the two best sports nicknames ever.
“Too Tall” is a good one, but Babe Ruth’s constellation of nicknames might be near the top by virtue of sheer volume.
Too many good ones:
And I did not even see Vincent “Chin” Gigante on the list.
Not his nickname, but there’s an MLB relief pitcher named Antonio Bastardo. I like to think that if he were on the Sopranos, he’d be called Tony the Bastard.
Outside the sports arena, the US Civil War featured some doozies.
Winfield Scott Hancock – the Superb (now that’s a desirable nicjkname!)
Benjamin Butler – Beast, also Spoons (a reference to his alleged theft of property while occupying New Orleans)
Francis Barlow – Dogberry
Thomas J. Jackson – Stonewall (may or may not have been derisive; allegedly General Bee either praised him for steadiness or damned him for not coming to his aid at First Bull Run/Manassas)
Judson Kilpatrick – Kill Cavalry (definitely a criticism - he was a cavalry commander)
Robert E. Lee – Evacuating Granny (after an unpromising start commanding troops), King of Spades; later Marse Robert
William Smith – Extra Billy (allegedly from an ability to persuade people to pay extra fees in his prewar position)
Winfield Scott – Old Fuss and Feathers (the person Hancock was named after)
George B. McClellan – Little Mac, the Virginia Creeper
U. S. Grant – Unconditional Surrender
Nathan G. Evans – Shanks
Nathaniel Banks – Commissary (for having his supply trains famously captured)
George Thomas – Old Slow Trot, the Rock of Chickamauga
Ed lived up to his name. 6 ft 9 in., I remember many Cowboys games that he swatted down passes. He had been coached to get his hands up high in the air during the play.
“Dr. Death” Steve Williams
“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes
“The Russian Nightmare” Nikita Koloff
I forgot Walter Payton. “Sweetness.”
Hollywood Henderson
Boxer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini killed a guy in the ring (Duk Koo Kim).
Warren Zevon wrote a song about him.
Perry was called “Biscuit” by his teammates because he was one biscuit short of 300 pounds.
(Keith) Moon “The Loon” – if that ain’t an apt nickname, I don’t know what is.
A couple from the British Isles are worth mentioning: Keith Wood, the Irish Rugby Union hooker, was apparently known as “The Raging Potato”, for his aggressive playing style and completely bald head. But my favourite is former footballer Fitz Hall, who was christened “One Size” by fans.
And to bring it full circle…
Abner Doubleday was the #2 man at Ft. Sumter when it was attacked. Doubleday’s nickname among the troops was “Old 48 Hours”
I’ve always been puzzled by Confederate General James Longstreet, whose nickname, mysteriously, was “Old Pete.”
Legendary Pirate King Eric “The” Brown
Maurice “The Rocket” Richard’s younger, smaller brother is Henri “The Pocket Rocket” Richard.
“Shoeless” Joe Jackson
Josias Manzanillo had a long career as an MLB pitcher. In 2007, he took a line drive to the croth, and, not wearing a cup, suffered a ruptured testicle that had to be removed. His teammates started calling him "Half a Man"zanillo.
Oh & forgot Scientific’s brother, Majestic Mapp.