Ballplayer nicknames throughout the history of baseball are just as colorful as the players themselves. For the “Penguin” Ron Cey to the “Human Rain Delay” Mike Hargrove, nicknames became a part of either describing the players or in reference to his play on the field as in “The Human Vacuum Cleaner” Brooks Robinson or “The Ryan Express” Nolan Ryan.
Some nicknames just come naturally to a player either bestowed by teammates or opponents. And some are just given like that of Jim “Catfish” Hunter. Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley thought every player should have a nickname and when he spoke to Jim Hunter, Jim said he liked to fish and hunt. Charlie Finley made up a story for Catfish Hunter to tell whenever he was asked where his nickname came from.
Sometimes nicknames are inspired and adapted for a younger generation. Stanley Burrell used to hang outside the Oakland Coliseum parking lot waiting for a spare ticket to watch the A’s play. He became such a fixture that not only did the A’s players know him but visiting players also. When the Braves came to town, a teammate of Hank Aaron thought the kid looked just like Aaron.
Charlie Finley, the A’s owner, eventually gave the kid a job as his play-by-play man over the phone when Mr. Finley could not attend the game. Burrell served as batboy a few times wearing the number 44, Aaron’s number, with “Hammer” on the back. Stanley Burrell would later be called MC Hammer.
When Hank Aaron passed MC Hammer wrote, “That gentle, warm, joyful, smile and his heartfelt embrace of a little kid from East Oakland in a moment empowered and changed my life. Hank “The Hammer” Aaron smiled upon me. The love shown is forever appreciated. I am Hammer because he was “Hammering Hank Aaron.”
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