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BGonline.org Forums
ANSWERS: 1950s baseball nicknames
Posted By: Marv Porten In Response To: Trivia: 1950s baseball nicknames (Marv Porten)
Date: Sunday, 29 March 2009, at 6:45 p.m.
Ozark Ike was Gus Zernial, who led A.L. in HR and RBI in 1951, "Ozark Ike" was a big, dumb comic strip character.
Jungle Jim was Jim Rivera, who played like a wild man (head first slides, diving catches).
Scrap Iron was fireplug-shaped catcher Clint Courtney, the first to wear eyeglasses at his position, and he got into many fights (scraps).
The Walking Man was Eddie Yost -- while Stan Musial was "The Man", Yost, who led the A.L. in walks 6 times, was the "Walking" man.
Bow Wow was Hank Arft (self-explanatory)
Puddin' Head was Willie Jones from South Carolina ("Puddin' Head" was a derogatory term for a person thought to be a dumb hick). This Willie Jones was white, so the nickname wasn't racist.
Hurricane was Bob Hazle. In 1954 Hurricane Hazel smashed into the East Coast. In 1957 Bob Hazle joined the Milwaukee Braves from the minors for the last several weeks of the season after one of their outfielders was injured. Hazle batted .403 and earned the nickname "Hurricane".
The Reading Rifle was strong-armed Dodgers outfielder Carl Furillo who got the nickname throwing out baserunners while in the minors for the Reading, PA team (pronounced Redding). Furillo also could hit, leading the N.L. in 1954 with a .344 BA.
Old Folks was Ellis Kinder, who was a rookie at age 31 and pitched until he was 43.
The Commerce Comet was Mickey Mantle, who hails from Commerce, Oklahoma.
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