Ken Melley

The Anatomy of Baseball Nicknames Ken Melley

The Anatomy of Baseball Nicknames is filled with a selection of over seven hundred monikers given athletes, mostly in the game of baseball, that will make for an enjoyable read whether you are a fan of "America's Game" or not. Be it "the Left Arm of God" or "the Octopus" or "the Gooney Bird," all of these have been tagged to significant ballplayers in their major league careers. Besides the major leagues, which date back to the late 1800s, there is a wonderful parallel history of Negro Baseball teams, owners, and players and the powerful way in which nicknames were integral to the game. The integration of Major League Baseball, which began in 1947, when Jackie Robinson stepped on the field with the Brooklyn Dodgers, did not end the nickname era. There is also a revealing chapter on girls and women baseball players. The first game between two women's teams, where the players were paid for their play, dates back to the 1870s. Along with all the nicknames cited, there are over two hundred pictures of players categorized by their nicknames. The reader will recognize and identify with many of these nicknames, but one will find that far too many have been lost to the history of the game.