Yankee Monikers and Nicknames

A lot of things are not the way they used to be. And that is especially true in the world of sports. Baseball once held bragging rights to the best and most nicknames. And the Yankees led the pack in that regard.

For your edification and pleasure, a sampler of some of the of the more interesting nom de plumes, aliases, sobriquets, catch words – nicknames, all time, all ways for Yankees. These have run the gamut, from apt to asinine, from complimentary to crude, from hero worshipping to hellacious, from amusing to amazing..

Babe Ruth leads the pack in the number of nick-names attached to him.  Called “Babe” by teammates on the  Baltimore Orioles , his first professional team because of his youth. Early on  he was also called “Infant Swatagy,” G.H.Ruth was also called “Jidge” by Yankee teammates, in German, short for George.

Opponents referred to him negatively as “The Big Monk” and “Monkey.” He was also called “Two Head, a negative nick-name used by opponents to describe the size of his head which seemed very huge to some. They also called him a lot of unmentionables.

Sportswriters glamorizing the big guy came up with these monikers: “Home Run King,” “The Bambino”, “Bammer,” “the Bam, ” “the Wali of Wallop”, “the Rajah of Rap”, “the Caliph of Clout”, “the Wazir of Wham”, “the Sultan of Swat”,  “The Colossus of Clout,”  “Maharajah of Mash,” “The Behemoth of Bust,” “Behemoth of Biff,” “The King of Clout” and the “Goliath of Grand Slams.”

“The Babe” – George Herman Ruth leads off the list and pads it for most nick-names acquired. He called most players “Kid” because he couldn’t remember the names of even his closest friends.

In spring training 1927, Babe Ruth bet pitcher Wilcy Moore $l00 that he would not get more than three hits all season. A notoriously weak hitter, Moore somehow managed six hits in 75 at bats.  Ruth paid off his debt and Moore purchased two mules for his farm naming them “Babe” and “Ruth.”

But enough of George Herman Ruth. Now onto the bon mots, aliases, expressions for all matter of Yankees:

A-Rod – Abbreviation for Alex Rodriguez.

“All American Out” – What Babe Ruth called Leo Durocher because of his limited hitting ability.

“Almighty Tired Man” – Mickey Rivers, for his slouching demeanor

“American Idle” – Carl Pavano was known as this because he could never stay on the field and stay healthy.

“An A-bomb from A-Rod” – classic home run call, John Sterling

“It is high, it is far.  It is gone!  The Yankees win. Thuuuuuuuuh Yankees win!”   –  another classic home run call, John Sterling

“Battle of the Biltmore” – 1947 World Series celebration in Manhattan’s Biltmore Hotel was a time and place where Larry MacPhail drunkenly fought with everyone ending his Yankee ownership time.

“Babe Ruth’s Legs” – Sammy Byrd, employed as pinch runner for Ruth and “Bam-Bam” for Hensley Meulens, able to speak about five languages, but had a challenging name for some to pronounce.

“Banty Rooster” – Casey Stengel’s nickname for Whitey Ford because of his style and attitude.

“Barrows” – Jacob Ruppert’s corruption of Ed Barrow’s name

“Billyball” – the aggressive style of play favored by Billy Martin.

“Biscuit Pants” – Lou Gehrig, reference to the way he filled out his trousers.

“Blind Ryne” – Ryne Duren’s vision, uncorrected -20/70 and 20/200.

“Bloody Angel” – During 1923 season the space between the bleachers and right-field foul line at Yankee Stadium was very asymmetrical causing crazy bounces. It was eliminated in 1924.

“Bob the Gob” – Bob Shawkey in 1918 served in the Navy as a yeoman petty officer.

“Boomer” – David Wells, for his in your face personality.

The “Boss” –George Steinbrenner and that he was. Reggie had actually labeled the owner “the big guy with the boats” long before he became the “The Boss”

“The Boston Massacre” – Red Sox collapse in 1978 and the Yankee sweep of a four game series in September.

“Broadway” – Shortstop Lyn Lary was married to Broadway star Mary Lawler.

“Bronx Bombers” – For the borough and home run power of Yankees.

“Bronx Zoo” – A derogatory reference to off color Yankee behavior on and off the playing field through the years, especially in the 1970s.

“Brooklyn Schoolboy” – Waite Hoyt had starred at Brooklyn’s Erasmus High School.

“Bruiser” – Hank Bauer, for his burly ways

“Bulldog” – Jim Bouton was dogged.

“Bullet Bob” – Bob Turley, for the pop on his fastball.

“Bullet Joe” – Joe Bush, for the pop he also could put on his fastball

“Bye-Bye”- Steve Balboni, the primary DH of the 1990 Yankees, 17 homers but .192 BA.

“The Captain” – Derek Jeter – was such an icon that the Yankees have yet to name a new Captain one since his retirement.

“Captain Clutch” – Derek Jeter, that he was

“Chairman of the Board” – Elston Howard coined it for Whitey Ford and his commanding and take charge manner on the mound.

“Carnesville Plowboy” – Spud Chandler, for his boyhood home of Carnesville, Georgia

“The CAT-a-lyst” – Mickey Rivers, given this name by Howard Cosell.

“Georgia Catfish” – James Augustus Hunter was his real name but the world knew him as “Catfish,” primarily because of Oakland A’s owner Charles O. Finley. Finley. Hunter ran away from home when he was a child, returning with two catfish. His parents called him Catfish for a while. Finley decided that Jim Hunter was too bland a name a star pitcher and revived Hunter’s childhood nickname.

“Columbia Lou” – Lou Gehrig, for his collegiate roots.

“Commerce Comet” – Mickey Mantle, for his speed and being out of Commerce, Oklahoma.

“The Colonel” – Jerry Coleman saw combat in both World War II and the Korean War, As a Marine Corps aviator, he flew 120 combat missions and earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses.

It was also a nickname for pitching coach Jim Turner who came from the south and used by Jim Bouton in Ball Four in a derogatory fashion.

“The Count” – Sparky Lyle, handlebar mustache and lordly ways

“The Count” – John Montefusco, because his name reminded people of the Count of Monte Crisco.

“Core Four” Andy Pettitte , Mariano Rivera , Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada were all drafted or signed as amateurs by the Yankees in the early 1990s. After playing in the minors together they made their debuts in 1995. With the four as a nucleus, the Yanks in the next 17 seasons missed the playoffs only twice, played in the World Series seven times, won five world championships.

“The Crow” – Frank Crosetti loud voice and chirpy ways.

“Curse of the Bambino” – Since the selling of Babe Ruth to the Yankees by Boston owner Harry Frazee in 1920, the Yankees have won all those championships. The Red Sox have won a few.

“Daddy Longlegs” – Dave Winfield, for his size and long legs.

“Danish Viking” – George Pipgras, for his size and roots

“Deacon” – Everett Scott, for his not too friendly look.

“Death Valley” – the old deep centerfield in Yankee Stadium.

“Dial-a-Deal – Gabe Paul, for his telephone trading habits.

“Donnie Baseball” – Don Mattingly’s nickname. Some say it was coined by Yankee broadcaster Michael Kay; others say it came from Kirby Puckett. Kay takes the credit; Mattingly gives the credit to Puckett.

“Ellie”   – Affectionate abbreviation of Elston Howard’s first name

“El Duquecito” – Adrian Hernandez because of a pitching style similar to Orlando “El Duque.”

“Father of the Emory Ball” – Rookie right-hander Russ Ford posted a 26-6 record with 8 shutouts, 1910, using that pitch.

“Figgy” – Ed Figueroa, short for his surname which was tough, for some, to pronounce

“Five O’clock Lightning” – At five o’clock the blowing of a whistle at a factory near Yankee Stadium signaled the end of the work day in the 1930s and also the power the Yankees were unleashing against opponents on the Yankee Stadium playing field.

“Fireman” – Johnny Murphy, the first to have this nick-name was the first great relief pitcher. Joe Page picked up this nick-name for his top relief work later on.

“Flash” – Joe Gordon was fast, slick fielding and hit line drives.

“Flop Ears” – Julie Wera. Was dubbed that by Babe Ruth. A backup infielder, Wera earned $2400, least on the ‘27 Yankees

Yankees,”Fordham Johnny” – for the college Johnny Murphy attended.

“Four hour manager” – Bucky Harris, who put his time in at the game and was finished.

“Friday Night Massacre” – April 26, 1974, Yankees Fritz Patterson, Steve Kline, Fred Beene, Tom Buskey, and half the pitching staff were traded to Cleveland for Chris Chambliss, Dick Tidrow, and Ceil Upshaw.

“Gator” – Ron Guidry, for his hailing from Louisiana alligator country.

“Gay Caballero” – Lefty Gomez, for his Mexican roots and fun loving ways.

“Gay Reliever” –   Joe Page, for his night owl activity.

“Gehrigville” – The old Bleachers in right-center at Yankee Stadium.

“The Godfather” – Joe Torre, for his Italian roots and his leadership skills on the baseball field.

“Godzilla” – Hideki Matsui, his power earned him the moniker after the power- packed film creature.

“Goofy” or “El Goofo” – Lefty Gomez, for his wild antics

“Gooneybird” – Don Larsen, for his late-night behavior.

“Goose” – Richard Michael Gossage, for his loose and lively style.

“Grandma” – Johnny Murphy, for his pitching motion, rocking chair style. Another explanation is that fellow Yankee Pat Malone gave him the name because of his complaining nature especially as regards food and lodgings.

“The Great Agitator” – Billy Martin, self-explanatory.

“The Great Debater” – Tommy Henrich, for his sometimes loquacious and argumentative ways.

“Happy Jack” – Jack Chesbro, for his time as an attendant at the state mental hospital in Middletown, New York where he pitched for the hospital team and showed off a very pleasant disposition.

“Holy Cow” – One of Phil Rizzuto’s ways of expressing awe

“Home Run  Twins ” (also “M & M Boys”) – Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, phrase coined in 1961.

“Horse Nose” – Pat Collins via Babe Ruth, a reference to a facial feature

“Iron Horse” – Lou Gehrig, for his power and steadiness.

“Joltin’ Joe” – Joe DiMaggio, for the jolting shots he hit

“Jumping Joe” – Joe Dugan, for being AWOL from his first big league club as a youngster

“Junk Man” – Eddie Lopat, for frustrating hitters and keeping them off stride with an assortment of slow breaking pitches thrown with cunning and accuracy

“Kentucky Colonel” – Earl Combs, for his Kentucky roots

“The King and the Crown Prince” – Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, self-evident

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Some of the material in this piece is excerpted from the author’s THE ULTIMATE YANKEE BOOK which debuts this fall. PRE ORDER from AMAZON: http://www.frommerbooks.com/ultimate-yankees.html  .

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About Harvey Frommer:  One of the most prolific and respected sports journalists and oral historians in the United States, author of the autobiographies of legends Nolan Ryan, Tony Dorsett, and Red Holzman,  Dr. Harvey Frommer is an expert on the New York Yankees and has arguably written more books, articles and reviews on the New York Yankees than anyone.   In 2010, he was honored by the City of New York to serve as historical consultant for the re-imagined old Yankee Stadium site, Heritage Field. A professor for more than two decades in the MALS program at Dartmouth College, Frommer was dubbed “Dartmouth’s Mr. Baseball” by their alumni magazine.