Remember the glory days of the Indianapolis Indians during their affiliation with the Montreal Expos from 1985 to 1992? The Expos sent us some really talented players during that time but the most popular player with the Indy home crowd was Razor Shines. He had a great baseball name and a good part of his popularity came from it. Remember the announcer calling out next batter: “RAAAZZZZZOORRRRR SHINES !!!”to a thunderous roar from the Indians fans. Of course there have been strange, outlandish, and ear-catching names for athletes from the beginning of time. Johnny Dickshot was a Major League Baseball outfielder from 1936 to 1945. To add insult to injury he was referred to as “Ugly” Johnny Dickshot because he was supposedly the ugliest man in baseball during his career. He played with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Giants, and the Chicago White Sox. Kosuke Fukudome from Japan was a hard hitting outfielder who played in the U.S. from 2008 to 2012 with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox before returning to Japan. Rusty Kuntz was a outfielder and designated hitter who played for the White Sox, Minnesota Twins, and Detroit Tigers from 1979 to 1985, including Detroit’s World Series Champs in 1984. Dick Pole was a right handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox from 1973 to 1976 and with the Seattle Mariners from 1977 to 1978. Jack Glasscock was one of the original professional baseball players starting in the barehanded days. Born in Wheeling West Virginia in 1857, Glasscock played for nine different major league times from 1879 to 1895, including the Indianapolis Hoosiers from 1987 to 1889. Glasscock led the National League in batting in 1890.
Women in sports haven’t always fared so well either. Karen Cockburn is a Canadian gymnast who won a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympics. Misty Hyman is a American swimmer who won a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics for the 200 meter butterfly. Yoshie Takeshita is a volleyball player for the Japanese National Woman’s Volleyball Team. Hopefully when her name is broadcast over the loudspeaker system the crowd will understand that it is really her name and not a directive from her coach. Ivanna Mandic was a power forward for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia in 1979, the 6’ 4”, Mandic played for the 2003 and 2004 49er teams. Wang Manli is a Chinese speed skater who won a gold medal in the 2006 Olympics. Dewanna Bonner is a basketball player in the WNB who plays guard for the Phoenix Mercury. Poor Jenni Asserholt is a member of the Swedish Women’s National Hockey Team. Prepawadeen Jaroenrattanata is a female weight lifter from Thailand who won a Gold Medal in the 2006 Beijing Olympic Games. Try saying that name three times fast!
Fair Hooker was a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns who played with the team from 1969 to 1974. He led the Browns in receiving in 1971. Lucious Pusey was a college football player from Delray Beach Fl. He played linebacker for the Division 1-AA Eastern Illinois Panthers during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Dick Trickle was a popular NASCAR driver from Wisconsin who drove in the Winston Cup Series over a 24 year period. Kim Yoo-suk is a South Korean pole vaulter who is a member of the National Track and Field team of South Korea. He competed in the 2004 Olympic games. People need to remember that when his fans are chanting his name they are cheering him on, not insulting him. Assol Silvets is a Russian freestyle skier who is a member of their National Olympic team. Despite his name, he is reputed to be a good guy. God Shammgod is a basketball point guard who played for Providence in college, then two years with the Washington Wizards in 1997 and 98, and finally nine seasons in the Chinese Basketball League. Wonder Terrific Monds Jr. played football at the University of Nebraska as a defensive back from 1972 to 75. He was drafted by the Steelers but played in the Canadian League with the Ottawa Rough Riders for three seasons. Craphonso Thorpe was a Indianapolis Colt defensive back in 2007. Ron Tugnutt is a Canadian hockey player who played both pro and with the Canadian National Oylmpic Teams. Harry Colon was a defensive back for the Missouri Tigers in 1989 and 90 then played six NFL seasons with New England and Jacksonville. Dean Windass is a soccer player from England who played 18 seasons of British football. Some claimed Windass was the dirtiest player in England — a real stinker.
Finally, no matter how bad you think your name is at least you don’t have to go through life with a name like Gaylord Silly. Silly is a long distance runner from the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. With a name like that he would have to learn how to run. And my own tag line is “A name says is all” — by Steve Nicewanger