In honor of recently nicknamed Lance Berkman as the "Big Puma," we have put together a list of the greatest baseball nicknames of all-time!
10. "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas -- Nicknamed "The Big Hurt" in 1992 by broadcaster Ken Harrelson, Thomas has been a fearful presence in the batter's box for two decades. With over 500 homeruns and two MVP awards, Thomas is a sure-fire Hall of Famer.
9. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson -- Legend has it that Jackson bought a new pair of spikes for a game in South Carolina in 1908. After a few innings, the spikes were causing blisters on his feet, so he took them off and played the rest of the game barefoot. Although he never played another game without spikes, the name stook forever.
8. "Charlie Hustle" Pete Rose -- The only nickname fitting the man who huslted his way to 4,256 hits. Rose was known for running down to first base after a walk. He never took a play off, and will always be known for his hard slide against Ray Fosse in the All-Star Game in 1971 that ended the catcher's career.
7. "Pudge" Carlton Fisk & Ivan Rodriguez -- This nickname was so good, it was used twice. Known for his durability, Fisk was a Hall of Fame catcher whose career lasted 24 seasons. Fisk also hit the famous "waving" home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. The 2nd coming of "Pudge" was Rodriguez, who certainly lived up to his potential. A 13-time Gold Glove winner and 14-time All-Star, Rodriguez will be calling Cooperstown home once he retires.
6. "The Wizard of Oz" Ozzie Smith -- The perfect nickname for the shortstop who always magicly seemed to come up with the ball. With a record 16 gold gloves and a fantastic flip to start each game, The Wizard personified the acrobatic style of play by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1980's.
5. Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra -- Yogi got his "nickname" from Bobby Hofman, a childhood friend. While watching a movie about an Indian snake charmer, Bobby noted that Yogi had a striking resemblance to the hindu man, saying "That yogi walks like Lawdie ( Larry) Berra," and the name stuck. Joe Garagiola tells a funny story about Yogi giving Carmen an anniversary card signed 'Yogi Berra.' She asked him if he thought he had to sign his last name so she wouldn't think it came from some other Yogi."
4. "The Say Hey Kid" Willie Mays -- Known for his gregarious nature, Mays would usually welcome a newcomer with his traditional "Say Hey." Yet, this "Kid" would go on to smash 660 Home Runs and appear in a record 24 All-Star Games. Today, Mays is arguably the greatest living ballplayer.
3. George Herman "Babe" Ruth -- The Babyfaced Ruth elevated the game of baseball to a national pastime. Prolific with the bat, Ruth batted a career .342 and slugged 714 home runs. Ruth's accomplishments were so incredible that the term "Ruthian" was created to describe his feats and those of future ballplayers.
2. "Mr. October" Reggie Jackson -- Nobody embodies the "clutch" player more than Reggie Jackson. With 3 home runs in game 6 of the 1977 World Series, Jackson dominated the L.A. Dodgers and led the Yankees to their first championship since 1962.
1. "The Iron Horse" Lou Gehrig -- A fitting nickname for the man who played in a then-record 2,130 consecutive games. Besides the incredible streak, Gehrig was also a model of class and dignity--a perfect foil to the playful Babe Ruth. Yet, Gehrig was no mediocre player. To this day, he still holds the record for career Grand Slams (24) and most RBI's in the American League in one season (184).
Honorable Mention: "El Guapo" Rich Garces, "The Chairman of the Board" Whitey Ford, Lenny "Nails" Dykstra, "Donnie Baseball" Don Mattingly, Mordechai "Three-Finger" Brown, Jim "Catfish" Hunter, "Splendid Splinter" Ted Williams, Stan "The Man" Musial, "Big Papi" David Ortiz, "Oil Can" Boyd, Larry "Chipper" Jones, "El Caballo" Carlos Lee, "The Pig Puma" Lance Berkman, "The Crime Dog" Fred McGriff, "Mr. May" Dave Winfield, "The Mayor" Sean Casey, "Dr. K" Dwight Gooden, Edwin "Duke" Snider, "The Big Unit" Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan "Express", "The Rocket" Roger Clemens, "Stanky the Yankee" Andy Stankiewicz, Sal "The Barber" Maglie, "The Mad Hungarian" Al Hrabosky.
10. "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas -- Nicknamed "The Big Hurt" in 1992 by broadcaster Ken Harrelson, Thomas has been a fearful presence in the batter's box for two decades. With over 500 homeruns and two MVP awards, Thomas is a sure-fire Hall of Famer.
9. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson -- Legend has it that Jackson bought a new pair of spikes for a game in South Carolina in 1908. After a few innings, the spikes were causing blisters on his feet, so he took them off and played the rest of the game barefoot. Although he never played another game without spikes, the name stook forever.
8. "Charlie Hustle" Pete Rose -- The only nickname fitting the man who huslted his way to 4,256 hits. Rose was known for running down to first base after a walk. He never took a play off, and will always be known for his hard slide against Ray Fosse in the All-Star Game in 1971 that ended the catcher's career.
7. "Pudge" Carlton Fisk & Ivan Rodriguez -- This nickname was so good, it was used twice. Known for his durability, Fisk was a Hall of Fame catcher whose career lasted 24 seasons. Fisk also hit the famous "waving" home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. The 2nd coming of "Pudge" was Rodriguez, who certainly lived up to his potential. A 13-time Gold Glove winner and 14-time All-Star, Rodriguez will be calling Cooperstown home once he retires.
6. "The Wizard of Oz" Ozzie Smith -- The perfect nickname for the shortstop who always magicly seemed to come up with the ball. With a record 16 gold gloves and a fantastic flip to start each game, The Wizard personified the acrobatic style of play by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1980's.
5. Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra -- Yogi got his "nickname" from Bobby Hofman, a childhood friend. While watching a movie about an Indian snake charmer, Bobby noted that Yogi had a striking resemblance to the hindu man, saying "That yogi walks like Lawdie ( Larry) Berra," and the name stuck. Joe Garagiola tells a funny story about Yogi giving Carmen an anniversary card signed 'Yogi Berra.' She asked him if he thought he had to sign his last name so she wouldn't think it came from some other Yogi."
4. "The Say Hey Kid" Willie Mays -- Known for his gregarious nature, Mays would usually welcome a newcomer with his traditional "Say Hey." Yet, this "Kid" would go on to smash 660 Home Runs and appear in a record 24 All-Star Games. Today, Mays is arguably the greatest living ballplayer.
3. George Herman "Babe" Ruth -- The Babyfaced Ruth elevated the game of baseball to a national pastime. Prolific with the bat, Ruth batted a career .342 and slugged 714 home runs. Ruth's accomplishments were so incredible that the term "Ruthian" was created to describe his feats and those of future ballplayers.
2. "Mr. October" Reggie Jackson -- Nobody embodies the "clutch" player more than Reggie Jackson. With 3 home runs in game 6 of the 1977 World Series, Jackson dominated the L.A. Dodgers and led the Yankees to their first championship since 1962.
1. "The Iron Horse" Lou Gehrig -- A fitting nickname for the man who played in a then-record 2,130 consecutive games. Besides the incredible streak, Gehrig was also a model of class and dignity--a perfect foil to the playful Babe Ruth. Yet, Gehrig was no mediocre player. To this day, he still holds the record for career Grand Slams (24) and most RBI's in the American League in one season (184).
Honorable Mention: "El Guapo" Rich Garces, "The Chairman of the Board" Whitey Ford, Lenny "Nails" Dykstra, "Donnie Baseball" Don Mattingly, Mordechai "Three-Finger" Brown, Jim "Catfish" Hunter, "Splendid Splinter" Ted Williams, Stan "The Man" Musial, "Big Papi" David Ortiz, "Oil Can" Boyd, Larry "Chipper" Jones, "El Caballo" Carlos Lee, "The Pig Puma" Lance Berkman, "The Crime Dog" Fred McGriff, "Mr. May" Dave Winfield, "The Mayor" Sean Casey, "Dr. K" Dwight Gooden, Edwin "Duke" Snider, "The Big Unit" Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan "Express", "The Rocket" Roger Clemens, "Stanky the Yankee" Andy Stankiewicz, Sal "The Barber" Maglie, "The Mad Hungarian" Al Hrabosky.
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