Origins of nicknames interesting

A few days ago I was talking with a friend, and for some reason during our conversation the subject of nicknames came up.

We were testing each other?s knowledge about famous athletes and who had the best nickname, and we came up with quite a few.

I?m sure if you put your mind to it, you could come up with your own list, but what I found more interesting than the names were how the nicknames originated.

Usually a friend or teammate hangs a nickname on you, but in recent years it seems one man in particular has been responsible for pinning a lot of professional athletes with a catchy nickname. Can you guess who it is? That?s right, ESPN?s Chris Berman has used his keen sense of humor and silver tongue to label some of today?s top athletes.

I would like to use the following space to list a few of the greatest nicknames in sports and give you a little information on how they got stuck with them.

One of my favorites is ?Sweetness.? All of you who grew up in the ?80s should know this one. The great Walter Payton made every play look so perfect and easy that fans starting calling him Sweetness.

My second favorite belongs to Pete Rose, or Mr. Charlie Hustle. Rose played each and every game with everything he had, and was willing to work harder than all the other players, so Charlie Hustle was a perfect fit.

A few may remember these oldies but goodies.

Bernie ?Boom-Boom? Geoffrion: Geoffrion invented the slapshot, and it was said that he hit the puck so hard with his stick it made a boom sound.

Jim ?Catfish? Hunter: Some of you may think he was given the name because of his catfish like mustache, but it was given to him when he told a reporter in a interview that his hobby was fishing for catfish.

Air Jordan: I don?t think this one needs an explanation.

This one I did not know, Willie ?The Say Hey Kid? Mayes. One of the most famous baseball players of all time, would often shout ?Say hey over there? to people whose names he didn?t know.

?Satchel? Paige earned his nickname because of the size of his feet. His teammates and friends often said his feet looked about the size of a small suitcase, or satchel.

Now this one is down right funny. Willie ?Mookie? Wilson. His family gave this baseball player his name because of the funny way he said milk as a small child.

Boston Celtics basketball great Robert Parish who most of you know as the ?Chief? was given the nickname by his teammates. He always had this stern look on his face and his teammates thought he reminded them of the Indian chief from the movie, ?One Flew Over the Cuckoo?s Nest.?

Nicknames are often puns on the players? names or their personalities. But they serve as an endless reminder of who these people are. They?re easily burned into the back of our brains, making it easier to remember than the player?s real name.

Nicknames are part of the sports world that have made some players immortal, and even here locally there have been a few that have stood the test of time. I will refrain from using their real names, but here are a few you might recognize? Birdlegs, Wire-head, Turtle, Mongo, Stitch, and Sunshine.

Just remember, if you have a nickname, then feel privileged someone thought enough of you to mark you for life.