Greatest Sports Name: Urban Shocker

[enigmatic]

I made a custom Strat-To-Matic card for him when I was a kid, just because I loved his name so much:




http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/shockur01.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Shocker

[Oeditpus Rex]

1. ...

And leave us not forget Alan Mitchell Edward George Patrick Henry "Dirty Al" Gallagher.

[enigmatic]

6. That's a great one

I love baseball names..

[KitchenWitch]

9. You love baseball!

:D

[KitchenWitch]

2. I will see your Urban Shocker and raise you a Boof Bonser

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boof_Bonser

[Oeditpus Rex]

3. It's a damned good thing

his last name isn't Ponser.



:D

[KitchenWitch]

7. *snicker*

:rofl:

[Oeditpus Rex]

10. You might know this one:

[KitchenWitch]

11. One of the "Twenty Cubans" that the TC on the cap jokingly referred to

:D

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. I never heard that one

:rofl:



He was a damned good little shortstop, though — a lot like Maury Wills or Luis Aparicio. You hit .273 and win the MVP, you're doing a lotta things very well.

[KitchenWitch]

13. Do you enjoy baseball books?

I know, stupid question.

"Cool of the Evening" by Jim Thielman chronicles the 1965 Twins team. That book is where I first came across the "Twenty Cubans" thing.

[Oeditpus Rex]

14. 'Cool of the evening' is a Johnny Sain line

It's what he said pitchers could look forward to after a good day's work. Quoted by Jim Bouton in "Ball Four."



And, yeah — stupid question. :D

[KitchenWitch]

15. I am about due to re-read "Ball Four"

Loved that book.

[Oeditpus Rex]

16. I've read it five or six times

Damned near got it memorized. :D



Now I'm on my second read of "Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy," by Jane Leavy.

[KitchenWitch]

17. OOOOOH Must add to my baseball library!

:D

[Oeditpus Rex]

18. It's kinda different

For one, it's sort of "unauthorized." Koufax told her he didn't want her to do it, but he cooperated with her — although he isn't directly quoted in it. OTOH, she interviewed like 100 of his teammates and friends, so it's jammed with anecdotes and stuff.

For two, a lot of it's about what was going on in America during his career, especially societally, which she kinda tied in with his Jewishness.

For three, every other chapter covers an inning of his perfect game against the Cubs, in great detail.

It's a good read.

[enigmatic]

5. Oh man

That baseball name is straight out of the 40's!:D

[KitchenWitch]

8. exactly!

:D

[enigmatic]

4. Joe Charboneau, too

It's not shocking, but there will never be a most awesome name made for baseball for me than my hero when I was 17, Super Joe Charboneau: