The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-29
SOME MECHANICS
OF BALL TEAMS
How New Yorks Became
Known as the Giants
CINCINNATI REDS FAMOUS
Plttsburg's Players Called Pirates Be-
cause They Wore Black Uniforms.
Clevelanders Called Napoleons
After the Great LaJole

From tho st. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Why are baseball teams nlclSnamed and
how did the teams In the National and
American leagues receive their names7"
Is the inquiry of correspondent who
signs himself Raven"
AS a usual thing, baseball teams have
been given their nicknames by baseball
writer's, who happen to strike upon some
cognomen which hits popular fancy and
Is taken up by the public.
The name Ravens has been applied to
the local American league tenn ever since
the trimmings Of the uniforms were
changed from brown to black, every dis
corning person recognizing the absurdity
of the trimmings of their uniforms, caps
have a vestige OF that color about their
uniforms.
It was because of change In the color
of the trimming os their UNIFORMS, caps
and stockings that the name of the Robi-
son aggregation ct League park was
changed from Browns to Cardinals. The
Messrs. Robson had purchased the team
of Mr.. Won der Abe and then transferred
the Cleveland Spiders to St. Louis. When
the color of the uniform was changed the
team was no longer nicknamed Browns.
but called Cardinals, and the name has
adhered to them ever since.
Most Familiar Name.
| Probably the name most familiar is
| the Giants, by which the New York Ma
! tunai ieaguers have been known since
! 1888, when the team was composed of
! big, powerful fellows. Jim Mutrie, man
ager of the aggregation, was responsible
| 70: the name, which won popular aP-
piOvaI ana has always chung.
The Highlanders, by which the New
| York American league team is known,
was tackled on because the clubs grounds
is way up in the elevated portion of New
| York.
The Boston National leaguers have been
| known as the Beaneaters, which needs no
explanation. The American league tear.
| in the sane city has never had disllnc-
tive title for some reason, although fire.
| quently referred to as the Hubbltcs or the
! Puritans.
formerly the Brooklyn team was known
as the Blidegrooms, because MANY OF The
! PLAYERS took better halves unto them
selves Immediately upon joining the team.
Of late they have been known as the
| Trolley dodgers, which is i tribute to the
Brooklyn citizens ability to dodge cleo
| TIC cars. The Superbas was Si7en the
team when it won the championship years
ago and hangs on through ASSOCIATION.
Phillies, as the Philadelphia National
| league team Is known is Is old as The
team. II was originated as an Gbbrevation
| and Is used affectlonately by supporters
of the team.
The Philadelphia American league team.
! known as the Athletics own the title by
inheritance In the old days of the Amer
lean association the organizations rep
resentative in Philadelphia was the Ath-
letics, and when the American league was
organized the title was handed to 1t.
Senators was tackled onto Washington
chiefly because the team halls from the
Capital City, and, as one writer declares,
| "becauso they are particularly grave
about making a championship ten-strike."
An effort to rename the team the Ma
tionals was made last year. Some call 1t
the Stahlwarts, delicate play on the
name of the manager-captain.
The black uniforms formerly worn by
Pittsburg Is responsible for the name Pl-
rates, by which the Smoky City team Is
known from coast to coast.
The Blues never suited Clevelanders be-
cause 1t revealed the condition of the
populace in the days before Bill Armour
took hold. When Napoleon Lajoe be-
came manager the Napoleons was tack
ed on by Norman Rose, baseball critic.
and stuck like glue.
The Reds Well Known.
No name is better known in baseball
than the Reds by which Cincinnati has
been known for years. The name was
given the team back In the early days
on account of the dizzy red stockings
worn by the players, and Is an abbre-
Walton of Red Stockings.
Tigers was tackled onto the Detroit ag-
gregation, not because the team was fero-
cious or dangerous, but because of the
striped uniforms.
Ansons Babies, White Stockings and
Cubs are names the Chicago Nationals
have borne The latter is now used and
was the inspiration of baseball writer,
founded upon the number of youngsters
on the team one season.
The Chicago American league team is
now known as the White Sox. Although
This IL steal from the old Nationals it
has been adopted universally.
In the American association Toledo has
been hailed as the Mud Hens, much to
the disgust OF the players and manage
ment. This is due to the large marshes
near the city, which years ago were filed
with a feathered monstrouslty known as
the mud hen.
Columbus has been called the Senator's,
and probably always will be. because
the team represents the Capital City
indianapolis is known as the Indians.
which is an abbreviation. Sometimes
Hoosiers is applied, which is easily ac-
counted for, as the team comes form In
diana.
Louisville acknowledges the Colonies as
a happy thought This is based upon the
once popular fallacy that every man in
Kentucky was either a Colonel or Ma
jor.
St. Paul answers to Saints, although
observation will convince anyone that the
bunch is far too lively and dangerous to
uphold so angelic a title. They are devils
on the ball field. but the name Is ac-
counted for by the name of the city they
represent.
Minneapolis will always be the Milers
as long as the big -four mills remain In
the Minnesota city.
Brewers fits well upon the Milwaukee
team, if for no other reason than the
fact that Cantillon's outfit halls from
the city on the far side of Lake Mich
igan made famous by a well-advertised
line of hops.
| Kansas City was the Blues for a long
time. because of the travelling uniforms.
but this team is called the Burkes In
honor of Jimmy Burke, its manager.
Badlnage.
From the Philadelphia Ledger