From English football: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Muzzie Izett and Steve McManaman.
Posted by: Tonia | Oct 21, 2005 7:26:26 AM
Nothing else rolled off the tongue quite like the Green Bay Packers player of a few years ago, Terdell Middleton.
Posted by: Dave Brann | Oct 21, 2005 8:02:57 AM
Pro Football
Proverb Jacobs
http://jt-sw.com/football/pro/players.nsf/ID/03960017
College Football
Ashton Youboty, whose Chris Berman nickname will undoubtedly be Sheik. (see Eric “sleeping with” Bienemy.)
Posted by: Rich Siegel | Oct 21, 2005 8:03:05 AM
They all take a back seat to former Cub Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma (Buster) McLish. As Casey Stengel might have said, "You could look it up!"
Posted by: bob cav | Oct 21, 2005 8:32:50 AM
The late Jim Wildrick, who was a sportswriter for the (Spfld) IL State-Journal-Register, got a strange and never-ending pleasure from saying the name of former Atlanta Brave Larvell "Sugar Bear" Blanks.
Posted by: bob cav | Oct 21, 2005 8:48:48 AM
Baseball:
I always kinda liked Trot Nixon.
Posted by: Jack O'Boyle | Oct 21, 2005 9:24:58 AM
Some old hockey names:
Sheldon Kannegeisser
Morris Mott
Gump Worsely
Turk Broda
Posted by: stantonium | Oct 21, 2005 9:35:16 AM
How about T.J. Houshmandzadeh from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Posted by: Jim | Oct 21, 2005 9:38:31 AM
From swimming (and now journalism), Diana Nyad
Posted by: Rick Lightburn | Oct 21, 2005 9:41:05 AM
Baseball: Coco Crisp, Candy Maldonado
Hockey: Miroslav Satan (probably reads better than it sounds: e.g. "Satan smites Blackhawks")
College Football (past): Hiawatha Francisco
Posted by: Denis | Oct 21, 2005 10:05:40 AM
Great catch on Zarley Zalapski, a favorite. But you have to include auto racer Dick Trickle.
Posted by: Tucker McElroy | Oct 21, 2005 10:25:04 AM
How about Pumpy Tudors from college football a long time ago?
Posted by: Jonathan | Oct 21, 2005 10:27:25 AM
BBall:
World B. Free
NASCAR:
Dick Trickle, Lake Speed
Football:
Bronko Nagurski
Posted by: Tim | Oct 21, 2005 11:04:02 AM
Pro basketball's Uwe Blab has always been a fun to say.
Posted by: Ross | Oct 21, 2005 11:55:05 AM
Reijo Ruotsalainen as said by Tom Brokaw
Posted by: Jimmy | Oct 21, 2005 11:58:15 AM
Pro baseball: Quinton McCracken and Delino DeShields.
Pro football: Antwaan Randle El, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and, once you manage to wrap your tongue around the hyphen, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.
Posted by: Jim | Oct 21, 2005 12:06:18 PM
I always like saying Ivan Cournoyer aloud. It sounds like you're flirting in French.
Posted by: James Finn Garner | Oct 21, 2005 12:35:30 PM
MSU Football: SirDarian Adams
Notre Dame Football: Knute Rockne
Posted by: SirReader | Oct 21, 2005 1:21:32 PM
Golf: Notah Begay, Lanny Wadkins (it's a total golf name); Isao Aoki
Pro football:
Ali Hadji-Shiek
Donald Igwebuike
Bubba Franks
Webster Slaughter
Posted by: Blurg | Oct 21, 2005 1:23:19 PM
Detlef Schrempf (NBA) and Preston Burpo (minor league/indoor soccer) spring to mind. Zinadine Zidane is another good world football one.
I did color commentary for the Chicago Storm webcast the day they signed Gus Kartorouliotis. It was a tough day.
Posted by: notabbott | Oct 21, 2005 1:45:06 PM
Pro Football seems to have the most:
Obafemi Ayenbadejo
Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (Chris?!?!? Seriously?)
Alge Crumpler (whose brother, Carlester Crumpler played the same position, tight end)
Zeron Flemister (another tight end! Can you imagine being Itula Mili and knowing you have no chance of being in the top 3 good names at your position?)
Finally, a Bear: Isreal Idonije. Probably the first player with the initials "I.I." in the league.
Clearly, this is my favorite topic ever on this blog.
Posted by: Don | Oct 21, 2005 1:45:08 PM
Tennis: Yvegney Kafelnikov
Posted by: Scott T. Holland | Oct 21, 2005 1:58:58 PM
U. Houston basketball:
Anicet Lavodrama
Pro Football: Pudge Heffelfinger
Boxing: Darren "Schoolboy" Van Horn*
* he took 6 hours at a community college; in the fight game, that is the equivalent of a PhD
Posted by: bob cav | Oct 21, 2005 2:07:51 PM
Former Georgetown Hoya basketball player Ruben Boumtje Boumtje (pronounced Boom-shay Boom-shay)
Posted by: Maggie | Oct 21, 2005 3:10:20 PM
My favorite baseball player from when I was a kid -
John Bocabella (always fun to hear the PA announcer in Montreal draw the name out).
Also:
College Football - I.M Hipp
Golf - Chi Chi Rodriguez
Posted by: ChiBri | Oct 21, 2005 3:35:26 PM
Is this about euphonious names, i.e., names that roll trippingly off the tongue, i.e., names that are fun to pronounce, or is this instead about wacky names?
While 'Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish' is a remarkable name, but is it euphonic?
ZORN REPLY -- I started with the idea of names that are fun to pronounce...intriguing, lyrical sounds. Or punchy ones, like Yinka Dare. But I'm happy to entertain other ideas of Great Names in Sports.
Maybe I should open it up to ALL great names. Tea Leoni, Boutros Boutros Ghali...anyone?
Posted by: Rick Lightburn | Oct 21, 2005 4:24:56 PM
Chi Chi Rodriguez, as pronounced by WKRP in Cincinnati's Les Nessman: Chy Chy Rod-rig-weeze.
Posted by: mizcmc | Oct 21, 2005 5:25:28 PM
Former Redskin and Eagle Claude Crabb. Also, a KC Chief from the 1960's, Caesar Belser.
Posted by: Tom | Oct 22, 2005 8:59:38 AM
There is a wrestler for Harvard named Bode Ogunwole. And my favorite name in football is Dre' Bly, a cornerback for the Lions.
Posted by: Maggie | Oct 22, 2005 10:12:41 PM
Politics/sports mashup: Julian Javier Tony Perez de Mike Cuellar, who could start a World Series game, turn a double play, hit a line drive walkoff homer, and run the United Nations on travel days.
Posted by: michaelj | Oct 23, 2005 11:49:18 AM
From the NFL, former NE Patriots DB Earthwind Moreland. Mom named him after her favorite R&B; group.
Posted by: stanleynem | Oct 24, 2005 10:32:18 AM
How could you forget baseball Hall of Famer "Al Kaline"? One wonders if his parents were chemists. Judging isn't generally considered a sport, of course, but it's hard to top judges Learned Hand, John Minor Wisdom, and William Wayne Justice. On the other hand, there's currently a federal distict judge in Pennsylvania named Sylvia Rambo.
Posted by: Patrick Michael O'Brien | Oct 24, 2005 10:41:43 AM
My favorite NBA star (as mentioned by Bill Simmons on the ESPN site) is now Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Sing his name to the tune of "Hakuna Matata" from the Lion King without smiling. I dare you.
Posted by: Greg | Oct 24, 2005 2:53:24 PM
Can't forget Kenesaw Mountain Landis, particularly if you're from Chicago!
Posted by: Jake | Oct 24, 2005 6:31:51 PM
From college football days of yore: Washington QB Sonny Sixkiller.
Posted by: KEvin | Oct 24, 2005 8:35:00 PM
1)Aparicio: Little Louie -
2)John Boccabella: Cub catcher: Announcers would sing his name out rhythmically
John Bock - a - BELL-aaahh!
3) Chico Esquela from SNL.
Posted by: KPSOX | Oct 25, 2005 9:38:20 AM
Olympic Skiing: Peekaboo Street
College Football: Hunter H. Hunter. (The "H" stands for Hunter.) -- Sorry, looked that one up.
Posted by: Eric | Oct 27, 2005 3:23:13 PM
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