pronk call for oliver closeoff
i don't how i've gone all these months without knowing that Travis Hafner's nickname is "Pronk" and that it's short for half project, half donkey. this is so bizarre that it increases my enthusiasm for the Indians (which will please the wife) but this probably does little to ease the pain of Cleveland having been named the U.S.'s "poorest big city".
and in response to an inquiry from the other night, Oliver Perez is not the first major leaguer with the first name "Oliver", though he is close. one Oliver Hill had 2 at bats for the 1939 Boston Braves, collecting a double and a run scored. there is also Oliver Brown who came to the plate 25 times for the Brooklyn Atlantics in 1872 and 1875. of course that was just before the founding of the National League in 1876, and can thus be easily removed from consideration. it seems like such a common name to have such little representation in major league annals - there are 10 Jamies after all.
Comments
how about a nickname for "half-injured"? he's going to drag my fantasy team down with him!
Posted by: dan | September 23, 2004 06:00 PM
there's even an alexander johnson.
Posted by: alex | September 23, 2004 06:59 PM
....and one paquette. although there have been 22 nelsons, beeyotch. then again one of them is jeff nelson.
can I count nelson liriano or nelson santovenia (i can still remember watching game of the week on nbc and hearing vin scully pronounce that name)?
Posted by: David Nelson | September 23, 2004 08:23 PM
About once every 16 months or so, someone I've just met will ask if I'm related to Curt Flood, and then laugh.
Posted by: jim | September 23, 2004 11:17 PM
I work with Scott Shields, but not the Angels reliever.
Oliver is seems common because of the book and play we all had to sit through when we were children. I personally know only one Oliver, while I can think of at least 10 Jamies in a snap, and even a half dozen Jakes. But unless you count Leon Durham, my name hasn't been particularly well represented in the bigs.
Posted by: jake | September 24, 2004 09:49 AM
Jake Westbrook has had a pretty good year for himself. also, the Angels reliever spells his name Scot, which is pretty miserable i think.
Posted by: jamie | September 24, 2004 10:29 AM
That is indeed terrible. I know of someone who's parents named him Jachob. Also miserable.
Posted by: jake | September 24, 2004 10:36 AM