The Washington times., 1936-03-30
Name Test
For.Ball
Addicts
Bv KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

Times Sports Editor
School opens this bright
spring Monday with a memory
test, or, it might more properly
be called a knowledge test.
We fell to thinking over the
weekend, in anticipating the
starting of the baseball season
two weeks from tomorrow, how
nick-names have crept into the
game and in a group with which
we were discussing the matter
estimated that the average base
ball fan knows only about Is per
cent of the first or given names
Of players in both leagues whose
front names are seldom used
because of their identity being
more generally established by the
use of a trade or nickname.
What Are Their First Names?
Let me submit parcel OF ball
players names to you and ask
you to connect them With their
real first names. In other words,
''Buck" NewSom doesn't sign his
checks that way, nor did he sign
his marriage license application
or ball club contracts with the
first name of Buck" Do you
know his first name? A lot Of you
undoubtedly do, because he's
starting his second part season
here, yet, I surmise others of you
don't and will have to ask some
one.
I can't conceive anyone in Wash
ington not knowing Bucky Har-
ris' full name. However, thereu
be a question about it in the minds
Of some.
Assuming, therefore, that there
Is general familiarity here with
Newsom's and Harris first names,
I will ask the pupils to eliminate
them and check off for themselves
the first names of the following 40
players, without referring to the
baseball records, a who's who, a
club roster or inquiring from a
fellow:
FORTY NICKNAMES
''Red" Kress bad News" Hale
"Buddy" Lewis "MeP' Harder
"Ossie'' Bluege "GOOse" GOslin
sake" Powell 90 Jo'' White
Dee" Miles "Pete" Fox
S9ammy" HOlbrOOk Mickey" COchrane
"Pfnk" Higgins "SchOOlbOy" Rowe
SRabbit" Warstler "Al" simmons
Lefty Grove Mule" Haas
~Rube" Walberg "Zeke" BOnuFa
"Rick'' Ferrell Jackie" Hayes
Moe" Berg Luke" ApplinE
~Heinie' NIanush rip" Radcliff
DUSTY Cook "Sugar" Cane
"Red" Ruffing Lynn" Larry
Lefty" Gomez "ROllie" Hemsely
Lou" Gehrig "Jack" Burns
"'Red" ROlfe V"Bing" Miller
S'BumD' HadIey Connie" Mack
"BOgie" Berger tom" zachary
. AS I say, some pretty well in
formed American League baseball
fans only averaged IS per cent in
giving that list exact front names.
And below are some National
League players whose first names
are seldom seen in print, and may
be even less familiar to local fans
than the bona fide given names
of the American Leaguers listed
above.
Some National Leaguers
AS a supplementary test Of your
baseball knowledge, try to fit front
handles on the following: Boston
Bees, pitchers "Huck" Belts and
"'Tiny" Chaplin; infielders Burt"
Fletcher and "Pinkey" Whitney;
catcher "Al" Spohrer.
Brooklyn, "Frenchy" Borda.
garay and pitcher Moose" Earn
shaw.
Chicago Cubs, infielders
woody" English, "Augy" Galan
and catcher "Gabby" Hartnett.
Cincinnati, outfielders "Kiki"
Cuyler and Babe" Herman.
Giants, "Firpo" Marberry and
outfielder Mel" OFT.
Pittsburgh, outfielders Woody"
Jensen, big Poison" Waner and
''Little Poison Waner; infielder
''Pep" Young and pitcher Red"
Lucas.
Cardinals, mtlelderS rip" Col
Inns, Pepper" Martin; pitchers
"Dizzy" Dean, "Daffy" Dean, out
fielder "Ducky-Wucky" Medwick.
and utility man Mike" Ryba.
Some of those will be hard and
others easy. Are you sure which
Waner is Little Poison" and
which is big Poison?
Which of the Deans is Dizzy"
and which is "Daffy"?
Now be honest with yourself
and see how many you can give
their proper first names. It ought
to be as much fun as a crossword
puzzle, or an acrostic either. Send
me your scores-the number for
which you could give first names,
and remember, it's no fair looking
them up.
paeoheII CehoI,,Inr