'Mayor' Slater wears grandfather's influence

NEW YORK -- When the Giants take the field Friday to commence Players' Weekend against the Rangers, they'll do so with a litany of notable nicknames on the back of their specialty, alternate uniforms. Some will be funny, like the one chosen by Hunter Pence ("Underpants" -- "just say my name fast," Pence explains). Some will be worn with a nod to pop culture, like Tony Watson's ("Tone Ranger"). Others still will be considered classics: Madison Bumgarner ("Mad Bum"), Evan Longoria ( "Longo") and Jeff Samardzija ("Shark") chief among them.

But none of the Giants' nicknames touches as many bases as Austin Slater, whose "Mayor" moniker comes in honor of a distinguished American life. Slater's…