Quote:
Originally Posted by bear
Syd
I wasn't aware of Cuyler being a stutterer. My dad, who never tired of telling me stories about ball players had told me he got the nickname because he shouted out the first syllable of his name twice when calling for fly balls.
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The 20s and 30s were some really mean times for nicknames by today's standards. Goose Goslin looks a lot like a goose if you ever find his pictures. Guys with glasses, to the extent they were allowed to play, were almost always called "Specs". Fatty Fothergill and Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons also came from that era. I think Frenchy Bordagaray was so termed due to his flamboyantly large mustache (in an era where players were generally not allowed to wear them in MLB; Bordagaray was an exception because he starred in the PCL first). Oh yeah, and Joe Medwick was nicknamed Ducky-Wucky because, well, a fan called him that and the sportswriters thought it was funny.