The first team to play baseball under modern rules was long believed to be the new york knickerbockers. The club was founded on september 23, 1845, as a social club for the upper middle classes of new york city, and was strictly amateur until it disbanded. Babe ruth was one of the first five players inducted into. John mcgraw and 1911 new york giants photo gallery click on any image below to see photos. When baseball clubs started forming in the united states in the late 19th century, they used fairly generic names followed by b. Miami had a history of baseball teams named the marlins not mlb but other leagues during the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s. For example the american league baseball club in new york. Coolest team nicknames in history bleacher report latest. Topics covered include personalities, events, and facts that every fan should know without hesitation, such as important dates, player nicknames, and memorable. Major league baseball team history baseball almanac. All kinds of team nicknames grace, deface, maim, highlight or punctuate the landscape of the national baseball association. Best nicknames in baseball history from the page 2 mailbag.
Sure, it would cost a lot of money for a team owner to have to put new names on those jerseys, not to mention the cost and pain of removing illadivised tattoos of your team s logo gotten after that a night of drinking and debauchery. Gmelch, george, whats in a baseball nickname, nine. The popularity of the sport inspired the semiprofessional national baseball clubs in the 1860s. This is a list of nicknames of major league baseball teams and players. Jan 02, 2020 quick facts name babe ruth birth date february 6, 1895 death date august 16, 1948 did you know.
This is a summary of the evolution of nicknames of the current professional major league baseball teams in the national league organized 1876 and subsequent rival american league established 1901, and also of selected former major and minor league teams whose nicknames were influential, longlasting, or both. Baseball, basketball, football, hockey, fantasy football, and virtually every other sport are covered. Its also available for football, basketball and hockey. I even used it myself, presenting it as fact see page one of tales from the red sox dugout. From the fields and stadiums, to the uniforms, to the statistics, baseball is good design. They called don mossi ears because he had big ears, and they called walt williams no neck because he didnt have much of a neck. In 1955, the organization and the name moved to kansas city. Professional baseball is full of arcane team names. Some ballplayers are better known for their nicknames than their careers. Jackie robinson made his debut with the dodgers on april 15, 1947 at brooklyns ebbets field. Baseball almanac pays tribute to the thirty teams of today and their predecessors all of whom are the torch bearers of the games history. An oral history of the new york yankees and have glove, will travel which he coauthored with for major league pitcher bill lee. An oral history of the new york yankees and have glove, will travel which he coauthored with for major league pitcher bill.
It causes consternation among announcers and fans when it is forgotten that the marlins have surrendered representation of the entire sunshine state and go by miami now instead of florida. The sources of the nicknames included club names, team colors, and city symbols. How american league teams got their nicknames team name. As in other states, development and expansion of baseball in washington reflected the social and economic growth of the state itself.
Topics covered include personalities, events, and facts that every fan should know without hesitation, such as important dates, player nicknames, and. With 2,696 strikeouts as a dodger, don sutton ranks first in franchise history and is in the top 10 overall in mlb history. On top of that, he was modest, a team player, and as close to a true role model as we have had in baseball. The name was first used by the amateurs of the athletic club of philadelphia in 1860. Check out the historical leaders in all categories. The allamerican girls professional baseball league gave over 600 women athletes the opportunity to play professional baseball and to play it at a level never before attained. Memorable world series moments and garys handy dandy world series reference guide. It includes a complete list of nicknames of players in the baseball hall of fame, a list of nicknames of current players, nicknames of popular players who have played for each major league team, and lists of nicknames grouped into particular categories e. Sports team names dont always seem to make much sense at first glance, but things start to get much more clear once you know some of the history behind the nicknames. Babe ruth was one of the first five players inducted into the baseball hall of fame in 1936. With the oldest nickname in baseball, the athletics history spans the continent. Their accomplishments can be found here, their championship seasons, and the great performances which define the personality and measure the success of a team. The league operated from 1943 to 1954 and represents one of the most unique aspects of our nations baseball history.
So, lets take a trip down memory lane and check out one outstanding nickname from each team. When you talk about the greatest nicknames in baseball history, you are really talking about more than one thing. Joe morgan played on two cincinnati reds world series championship teams and was elected to the baseball hall of fame in 1990. In reading accounts of the 1903 world series, i so often came across the team name boston pilgrims that i accepted this on faith as one of the names by which the team was known. The sources of the nicknames included club names, team. Parts i v part vi part vii part viii part ix part x part xi part xii part xiii part xv part xvi part xvii part xviii part vi part vii. Sure, it would cost a lot of money for a team owner to have to put new names on those jerseys, not to mention the cost and pain of removing illadivised tattoos of your teams logo gotten after that a night of drinking and debauchery. Baseball almanac is dedicated to the preservation of each teams unique history and we hope you enjoy our look at the major league franchises. Setting the record straight on major league team nicknames.
After reading bill james abstract and its many references to this work, i wanted to read baseball nicknames after a lot of difficulty finding it for the right price used, i was was glad i did purchase it it lists thousands of players, managers, etc. Baseball team nicknames these days the nicknames of major league baseball teams are just about set in stone. Baseball team names, 18692011 is a soft cover nonfiction scholarly but also entertaining book about the tremendous numbers of baseball team names, i. Read about his career, life, and impact on america. I get it, team names sometimes move with a franchise and business is business. Jun 28, 20 from the fields and stadiums, to the uniforms, to the statistics, baseball is good design. A social history as much as a baseball one, halberstams engrossing book sets the last gasp of the mickey mantleera yankees and the triumph of a young cardinals team powered by black stars like. Theres no better evidence of that than the iconic white and red ball. In addition to sharing what amounts to oral histories of 100 of the most interesting minorleague baseball team nicknames, this book charts the evolution of minorleague branding in the modern era as teams have evolved from aping their parent clubs name to seeking individual monickers to chasing national merchandising and local audiences with everwackier nicknames.
An anonymous player for the black diamond baseball team, ca. Just like movies, books and music, the boring ones are soon forgotten, but the good ones live on forever. The teams in the book span from the late 1800s to today, and the introduction paints the story of a modern resurgence of goofy team names after a couple decades of largely bland ones. David nemecs the great encyclopedia of 19th century major league baseball second edition is a useful book for that period in baseball history and provides a nickname for each major league team in each year from 1876 through 1900 as well as national association teams 187175. Root for the home team is a tour through a smalltown america, as the teams themselves take on the character of local industry and history casketmakers.
A journal of baseball history and culture volume 14, number 2, spring 2006, pp. As it turns out, the real history of baseball is a little more complicated than the doubleday legend. Quick facts name babe ruth birth date february 6, 1895 death date august 16, 1948 did you know. Get scores, news and notes in your inbox every day. A baseball nickname can be a description of a player. The sporting news baseball guides through the years, especially during the 1940s when a history of each team s nickname was included.
Clevelands baseball team was originally nicknamed the naps after star playermanager napoleon lajoie, so when the team cut ties with lajoie after the 1914 season, it was in the market for a new name. Sloppy thurston ive been kicking around the idea of starting a series featuring players with great baseball nicknames. Richard lally has written numerous popular books on baseball and other subjects, including bombers. From amateur collegiate summer leagues all the way through affiliated triplea teams, whose players are on the brink of the major leagues, nicknames like tbones, crosscutters, rubberducks, wingnuts, and isotopesto name just a feware more than just whimsical, catchy brands.
The official major league baseball guide, by marc okkonen, 1991, sterling publishing, co. Every team was officially recognized, in some order, simply by its league and its city. Nine of the most unique nicknames in college sports. When the city acquired an expansion team in 1993, they revived the name, but in order to appeal to the broader region, they named the team the florida marlins. The kid who was lucky enough to come up with a real league ball or a storebought bat automatically became team captain. A history of defunct team nicknames the hardball times. This episode of the great american baseball quiz focuses on popular mlb players and their nicknames, examples of using the book in major league games, and twosport stars who happened to play.
Official major league baseball history of american league nicknames. The american league, or commonly called simply the al, started out as the western league which was a minor league outfit consisting of teams based in the states located around the great lakes. Indeed, nicknames for the first handful of decades in major league baseball were just thatinformal, untrademarked, and usually dreamed up by the cigartoting scribes of the day. History of baseball in the united states wikipedia. Minor league baseball team names tell the stories of towns throughout north america. It is sometimes called the junior circuit seeing as it didnt gain major league status until twentyfive years after the creation of the national league. The history of baseball in the united states can be traced to the 19th century when amateurs played a baseball like game by their own informal rules using homemade equipment. Great american baseball quiz nicknames, the book, two. I have covered franchise renaming by listing the team under its bestknown name and including the other names under the aka item. Some have been shortened or modernized as time has gone by. Apr 11, 2015 baseball team nicknames these days the nicknames of major league baseball teams are just about set in stone.
Amateur, town team, and semiprofessional baseball in washington state predated pro baseball by several decades. Popular baseball history books meet your next favorite book. I had already selected my first player for the series, none other than creepy crespi, with bad news hale soon to follow. Apr 06, 2020 this episode of the great american baseball quiz focuses on popular mlb players and their nicknames, examples of using the book in major league games, and twosport stars who happened to play. Red was a walking history book when it came to pro basketball. Thats true in major league baseball, as well, and over the course of the games history, the nicknames have ranged from the charming to the clever to the downright absurd. In 1875, the team turned pro and ultimately became known as the philadelphia athletics. Our familyfriendly site includes sports quotes, slogans, and sports team names. Best baseball books the 20 best baseball books ever. Baseball team names youth clubs fun major league cool. The name wonder boys first appears as a proper noun in reference to the arkansas tech football. Contact me for all your writing needs, including copy editing, proofreading, ghostwriting, white papers, blog content, and magazine articles. Courtesy seattle municipal archives 31110 royal colored giants baseball team, powell barnett right front in vest, manager, ca. Sometimes for inspiration, you have to look at what others are doing.
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