Baseball has long been the province of unusual names and nicknames, especially among players of an earlier era. When you hear the names “Splendid Splinter”, “The Man”, “The Say Hey Kid”, “The Bambino”, and “Oil Can”, you know exactly who they are. Nicknames are a funny thing. When I was a kid, I had a mop of long, unruly hair and that earned me the nickname “dog”. I didn’t particularly like it, but it sort of stuck.
When I was in college, some guys in the dorm started calling me “The General”. I went back to my regular name until I met my friend Sam DeVilder who christened me “Bigcat”.