The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-08-29
BASEBALL GOSSIP.
Curious Names BY Which the
Various Clubs Are Known.
A RICH COLLECTION OF SLANG.

A RICH COLLECTION OF SLANG.
Rem Muiford, Jr., Comments on the Pc
euliar Nomenclature of the National
Game-Tbe Pennant Races In the Two
Big Leagues aud the Status of the Wa-.
Some of these old saws meet trouble
when they conflict with affairs in the world
of baseball. There is no consolation in the
adage THE last shall be first" to the club
carrying the flag in the rear of champion
ship procession. It is not often that a
team thus handicapped forgets the days Of
misfortune and races cheerily to the front.
Familiarity breeds contempt" is another
declaration that fails to hold good on the
diamond. The greater the familiarity
practiced by the race of cranks the more
popular their idols are likely to be. In no
other line of sport do the enthusiasts have
so little use for looks or etiquette. "Mr."
is handle seldom given to the pets whose
bats are their scepters. ALI the country
calls even so great a general as Anson
"Uncle," and when he loses they refer TO
him in Chicago as "Adrienne Chrysanthe-
mum"
Ewing has little use for his baptismal
name of William, for everybody from small
boy in knee pants to bearded patriarch
calls him "Buck." 1t is a fad of the
baseball hterati to bestow titles upon
clubs and players alike, and those who
have escaped the rechristening are as
scarce as Prohibitionists in Kentucky.
The unique and the picturesque the
homely and gorgeous alike do duty. In
the wonderful directory Of the cranks
there are ''Darbys," Bugs" "Sloppys,"
"Shortys," Longs" "Calliopes, ;" "Pops,"
"Grandpas," Counts" "Old Cys" and
Farmers" These are but a few sam
pies from a wonderful case of job lots.
Every club in the league has nickname.
''The Giants" is term almost as common
ly used as New York. Over in Brooklyn
Captain Wards boys were called Bride
grooms" until nearly every member in the
team had one or two young hopefuls Of
his own in stock.
Harry Wright's team has long been de-
nominated ''The Quakers." and the Hub
has had to endure the awful affliction of
'The Beaneaters." When Cleveland Sc
lected the Nadjy uniform a few years
ago there were several Sims in the team
and they were called "The Spiders" 1t
was an appellation that made the aesthetic
residents of the Forest City squirm, and
they rebelled against it. Cleveland jour
mails raised their hands in boycott, and
nowadays PATSY Bolivar's Blues" comes
nearer to filing the bill. Pittsburg has
never entirely escaped the title bestowed
upon it in the old Association days. The
players were called Smoked Italians"
because in their sooty uniforms they re-
sembled descendants of grand old line of
Irish kings. Up In Chicago, Uncle has
been so welded to young blood that his
team is called ''The Colts" although the
veterans outvote the newcomers two to
one. Cincinnati and the Red Stockings
became synonymous back in the days
when Harry Wright's '69-ers made
record that stands alone-a record that
will never be equaled and one that cannot
be surpassed. '"The Reds" they were
twenty two years ago and THE Reds" they
are today, although at times some cruel
foreigner brands them "The Porkers."
The Association, too, possesses an as
sortment of titles, and one club-Wash-
ington-prefers the name Nationals" to
the one of habitation, and that word is in
dCTOSS OliO DIedSIS Vi bnC pidJCEb-
There Is a good reason for that, for the his
tory of the Nationals all but covers the
history of the game itself at the capital.
No club that has ever worn the brown has
made the color more famous than st.
Louis. Louisville has suffered from q
superabundaEce Of titles during the past
few years of it's troublous career. "The
Sour Mashes," "Distillery Delegates"
"Losevilles," Cyclones" and "Colonels"
are among the number. Columbus has
claimed the Buckeyes" while in Cincin-
natl everybody speaks of the east end
aggregation as "Kel's Killers" or '"The
Kings Subjects"
It is in the west, however, that the art
fists have drawn wonderful word pictures.
Denver's team has been called "The Noun
tain Lions;" Kansas City has "The Cow
boys" Sioux City, 1.-THE Corn Huskers;"
Lincoln, "The Farmers" Minneapolis,
'The Minnies," and Milwaukee, "The
Brewers" Omaha has discarded "Oma-
hogs" since the recent emigration act, and
their successors are called THE Ghosts"
because, as some one avows, they will not
have a ghost of chance to win the PEN
nant. They called the Llinois-Iows the
1.-Two Eyed League" while Wisconsin's
league comes forward with the most re-
markable collection Of them all The
Oconto team are the LOG Drivers" Osh-
kosh, the Indians" Appleton, the PA
permakers;" Fond du Lac, the Mud Hens"
Marinette, the Lumber Showers" and
Green Bay, the Dock WALLPAPERS" Base
ball literature affords wide scope for the
young man of lurid Imagination, and il
the striking SMILES used in descriptive
continues there will come a time when
only the elect can read and understand
without the aid of a chart
New York's fright over possible obstacles
in the way of the Giants strides pennant-
ward came at time when Chicago was
ENJOYING quite a little late-in-July picnic
with Cleveland and Cincinnati. These
teams have Just about furnished amuse-
ment for Uncle this season. He has actu-
ally taken no less than twenty-three games
from them and lost but fyel PitUsburg
has almost broken even, but the ease with
which the Orleans have been vanquished
affords grounds for just fear in the east.
Boston has made things warm for New
York. and the rapidity with which these
clubs have been changing places has given
the League race a greater interest Chi
cago's beginning in the east was disas-
trous, and IL the western clubs prsvs
fercer foes when next pitted against the
leaders it will not Be quite so easy 70 dis
tinguish the name Of the Worlds fair
city on the flag 20 be won this year The
fact that Boston aud New YORK both 8D-
ism at home gives them an advantage
which may turn the whole tide Of battle
The League remains discreetly silent
on the war question IL has a circuit
not likely TO be disturbed FOR years. Plans
for changes in the Association still multi