50's Baseball Nicknames

[cullman]

It is Jim Rivera. Ha! I thought you might be of that era. I couldn't resist a bit of 1959 Chicago White Sox trivia.

[Dutra5]

The Hawk?

Harrelsen

More than one Hawk. I was thinking Clay "The Hawk" Carroll, 1970s reliever for the Reds. His 37 saves in 1972 was an NL record.

Hawk Taylor was a catcher in the 60's. Real name Bob.

Of course there's always The Hawk who's the best of them....Andre Dawson.

[dj]

It is Jim Rivera. Ha! I thought you might be of that era. I couldn't resist a bit of 1959 Chicago White Sox trivia.

Loved the photos from the '59 Series, particularly Al Smith having beer spilled on his head as he watches a Charlie Neal homerun go over the left field wall at Comiskey. It was the first year baseball news photos made some sense.

[KDFINE]

And what was Al Smith's real first name, and what was his nickname? (I'll be gone all day.)

[dj]

And what was Al Smith's real first name, and what was his nickname? (I'll be gone all day.)

Alphonso. Don't know his nickname, and no, it wasn't The Happy Warrior!

[KDFINE]

I believe it is Alphonse rather than Alphonso. Close enough. I still have his 1954 Topps card as well as the card from the 1955 TV screen set (non-Topps).

[dj]

I believe it is Alphonse rather than Alphonso. Close enough. I still have his 1954 Topps card as well as the card from the 1955 TV screen set (non-Topps).

You're right, Alphonse.

The 1955 TV screen set of cards was the last Bowman set until the Topps monopoly on bubblegum cards was broken in the 1970's.

[dj]

For those of you who were baseball card collectors, here's a website you might enjoy:

http://www.vintagecardtraders.com/virtual/

[DrJay]

Doggie is Tony Perez.

The Destroyer is George Foster: "If (George) Foster would have been playing with the Dodgers in the '50's they wouldn't have had to tear down Ebbets Field. George would have demolished it with shots off his bat." --Sparky Anderson

[KDFINE]

Final hints for Paw Paw.
Paw Paw is a place in Michigan.
Incredibly, my 1982 baseball gives "Smokey" as his nickname (and it isn't Smokey Burgess either).
One other source I've seen, I think Wikipedia, lists 4 nicknames, but Paw Paw was the only one I ever heard when he played.

Al Smith's nickname was Fuzzy, which I found out when double checking the spelling of his first name because I never heard it. I only put it up because someone else mentioned the memorable World Series beer cup photograph.

[KDFINE]

O.K. No one is going to get it.
Charley "Paw Paw" Maxwell. Lefty lighting American League outfielder from 1950 through 1964, primarily with the Tigers.

[dj]

O.K. No one is going to get it.
Charley "Paw Paw" Maxwell. Lefty lighting American League outfielder from 1950 through 1964, primarily with the Tigers.

Oh, yes. Vaguely remember it now. But I think the spelling on his name was "Charlie" Maxwell.

[KDFINE]

DJ. You are right on the spelling of his first name. Anyone who was a Tiger's fan at that time appreciated his Yankee killing bat.

[dukehjsteve]

Re the Tigers mnetioned above, and having nothing to do with a nickname... the Tiger name I thought was cool was Walt Dropo.

[dj]

Re the Tigers mnetioned above, and having nothing to do with a nickname... the Tiger name I thought was cool was Walt Dropo.

Owner of one of the great rookie seasons of all time. Over .300, 30 HR, 100RBI for the BoSox in '50, then never hit any of those markers again in a 13 year career.

Dropo was short for Drop-Off.

[KDFINE]

Dropo's nickname was also Moose. Once after 1950 he hit 29 home runs, ad he had 97 and 96 RBI's in '52 & '53. But yes, he wa one of the great drop offs in baseball. Ray "Jabbo" Jablonski was another with 112 and 104 RBI's his first 2 seasons, and never more than 66 after that in 8 years. It makes you wonder if injuries were the cause. You hear of injuries when it was pitchers who started off great and then faded, like Karl Spooner, Von McDaniel, and Mark Fydrich.

[KDFINE]

I don't think anyone has guessed Spaceman yet. Since he's not from the 50s I'm not constrained by being in my 60s. It was pitcher Bill Lee.

Mention by others of the Big Cat reminded me of the Big Bear. A fabulous 20 game winner who was considered to be the 3rd or 4th best on his club's staff.

No one has got Dr. Strangeglove. No, it wasn't Marvelous Marv Throneberry.
No one has got The Walking Man. He played 3rd base for 18 years in the American league, 14 years of which were with the Senators.

[cullman]

Big Bear must be Mike Garcia who pitched on the great Cleveland Indians staffs of the late 40s. I thought dj got Dr. Strangeglove who is Dick Stuart of the Pirates in the 1960s. Eddie Yost is the Walking Man. The other Spaceman?

[KDFINE]

Cullman - Right on Big Bear. I must have missed Dr. Jay getting Dick Stuart. You are correct with Eddie Yost.

[KDFINE]

While reading today's newspaper over the morning breakfast I saw that the "Walking Man", Eddie Yost, has passed away.