What's in a Name? Baseball's quirkiest names

Baseball is the greatest game. Hands down. No debate. (Yes, I am biased.) One of the most interesting aspects about baseball are the games within the games. The overall strategy: a pitcher's or hitter's approach in an at-bat, defensive positioning, when to pinch-hit, hit and run, straight out steal, or when to get a reliever up in the bullpen. There are also fun things to do if you are the ballpark (keeping score), or watching at home (e.g. turn off Joe Buck and announce the game yourself).

One of my favorite things to do  is to take note of the most unusual names in baseball. Not so much the nicknames that players are sometimes given (e.g. Randy Johnson, aka "the Big Unit"), but odd or unique surnames or first names, or nicknames that have effectively replaced a player's given name, like Whitey Ford.

In addition to hearing these names while watching or listening to games, I found many in the Baseball Encyclopedia (I still have my 1976 edition), which in its day was the go-to source for baseball information. Then Baseball-Reference.com came along in the digital age and enhanced the baseball history experience.

There are many categories that you can group names into. There are the odd ones like Shooty Babbit and the very regal, long ones like Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish. Thankfully, he simply was known as Cal McLish.

You can put together your "M" team and debate whether Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays belongs in center field. Willie McCovey and Eddie Mathews are at the corners, etc. Then, there's your team made up fish. Dizzy Trout, his son Steve Trout (who pitched like he was dizzy when he was on the Yankees), and of course Mike Trout. There's also Mike Carp and Ryan Karp, Tim Salmon and of course, Hall of Famer and former Yankee, Catfish Hunter. And let's not forget Mudcat Grant. But no, Frankie Frisch is not correct.

Best-named Yankees team of all time?

Yogi Berra Babe Ruth Frenchy Bordagaray Bullet Joe Bush Spud Chandler Iron Davis Slow Joe Doyle Liz Funk Chicken Hawks Sparky Lyle Vic Raschi Roxey Roach Urban Shocker

Other animals? Rabbit Maranville, Chief Yellow Horse, Doggie Miller, Birdie Tebbetts, and Harry Wolfe. Perhaps Hideki Matsui gets an asterisk entry for being known as "Godzilla". The 1978 World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers featured a "Goose" (Rich Gossage), a "Penguin" (Ron Cey) and a "Gator" (Ron Guidry). Gossage isn't the only Goose in the Hall of Fame though. Goose Goslin, a New Jersey native, played 18 seasons in the American League and entered Cooperstown in 1968. Fellow birds of a feather in the HOF include Ducky Medwick, Robin Roberts, and Robin Yount.

Besides geese, the Yankees' Greg Bird is in a group that includes Brad Peacock, Bill Eagle, Mark "The Bird" Fidrych*, Turkey Tyson, Hawk Harrelson (beak included), Sparrow McCaffrey,  and Jose Cardenal, whose name means Cardinal in Spanish.

There is a long line of  baseball royalty; Duke Snider, King Kelly, Jeff King, Earl Wilson, Prince Fielder, Tom Prince, and Harry Lord. Ray Knight, of course, is one of their protectors. The World Series would be between the houses of Tudor and Stuart. There is no doubt that John Tudor and Dick Stuart would be the respective team captains.

There's the "Pat from the Saturday Night Live" ambiguously-named league. (Yes, Pat was also ambiguous looking, but that's not why we're here right now.) The last championship in the "Pat League" was won by Pat Burrell, Lee May, Leslie Brea, Harley Grossman, Izzy Molina, Jamie Walker, Loren Babe, Jesse Orosco, and Torey Lovullo.

In honor of this year's bizarre presidential campaigns, there was John Kennedy (Yankees, 1967), Russ Nixon, George Washington, Mike Lincoln, Reggie Jefferson, Zach Monroe, Paul Hoover, Pete Alexander, AKA Grover Cleveland Alexander, and Jermaine Van Buren.

Get hungry at the game? Try some of our Bob Veale, Zack Wheat, Mark Hamburger, Jake Lamb, Fred"The Chicken"  Stanley*, Noodles Hahn, Cookie Rojas, Joe Pignatano and Herman Franks .  You can have Pepper Martin and Bob Lemon if anything needs seasoning.

Need something to wash that down with? How about Phil Coke, Clarence Beers, Chris Waters, Todd Coffey, Nick Rumbelow...okay, that's a stretch...Pop Williams, and Taylor Teagarden, who gives you both a drink and a setting for a picnic.

And finally, let us not forget the all-body parts team. Heinie Zimmerman and Heinie Manush, Chase Headley, Barry Foote, Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown (is it worse to be known as Mordecai or "Three Finger"?), Greg Legg, Wally Backman, and Paul Assenmacher. Best to end on that note.

So, there you have it. Next time you are reading a box score, reading the history books or online websites, or watching a game, look and listen a little closer to the game within the game. It's another way to find some fun in baseball, the world's greatest game.