Rumors and Rants ranked the top 10 most entertaining nicknames given to baseball players.
1.) “Pronk”
Travis Hafner’s nickname has two things working in its favor. First, it is absolutely original. When is the last time you heard of a guy called Pronk? Second, Hafner happens to look like he could kick anyone’s ass. So, who’s going to make fun of him for having a nickname like Pronk? Nobody. This nickname is foolproof.The story behind this great nickname is that coach Bill Selby combined two nicknames during spring training in 2001: “The Project” (because he apparently needed some work) and “Donkey” because of the way he looked while running the bases. Bill Selby didn’t know what he’d stumbled on to.
4. “Guitar Hero”
You already know who it is, don’t you? This is for our buddy Joel Zumaya. It’s really too easy, but if you’re dumbass enough to get hurt during the ALCS and put your career in jeopardy by playing too much Guitar Hero, this name deserves to stick with you.Zumaya went from taking the league by storm to oft-injured reliever after this incident faster than you can say whammy bar. Maybe it’s a Guitar Hero curse, who’s to say?
I’ve always been partial to Barry “Steroids” Bonds, myself. Oh wait – that’s not a real nickname for Bonds? I could have sworn…
Photo courtesy of Flickr
