What's in a nickname?

Giving an athlete a moniker or nickname carries a big responsibility. If you baptize a player a sobriquet or a nom de guerre that doesn’t suit him but sticks anyway, imagine he’ll live with the stigma the rest of his life. Nobody wants to be called the “Benchwarmer” or “Lacoste” (a not-so-abrasive alternative to “swapang”) or the “Hog” (as in “ball-hog”).

Sometimes, an athlete earns a nickname because of his looks as in Marlou (The Skyscraper) Aquino and Gabe (Mr. President) Norwood who resembles President Obama or his playing style like Wynne (The Snatcher) Arboleda for his ability to swipe the ball under your nose or his patented shot as in Mac (Captain Hook) Cardona for his uncanny teardrop or his approach to the game like Jared (The Daredevil) Dillinger or his unique physical feature as in Arwind (The Spiderman) Santos because of his long arms.

Eric Menk dubbed himself “Major Pain,” a witty offshoot from the character Major Payne. Asi Taulava has the label “The Rock” for obvious reasons – he’s an immovable force on the court. Rudy Hatfield is “The H-Bomb” because he’s so explosive with his intense, high-energy style. Dennis (The Menace) Espino owes his moniker to the cartoon character. Gary David is referred to as Mr. Pure Energy because of his go-go game and his “tokayo” Gary Valenciano. Sol Mercado is “The Sol Train,” a take-off from the Motown soul scene. Ali (The Mountain) Peek is a play-on-words for mountain peak.

“Machine Gun” Kelly Williams brings back memories of the notorious gangster “Machine Gun” Kelly who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List during the prohibition era of the ‘30s. Jason Castro is the “Maestro” as Mark Caguioa is the “Spark” as Sonny Thoss is the “Boss” as Cyrus Baguio is “Skyrus” because of the rhyme factor. Other nicknames are Josh (The Fireball) Urbiztondo, Peter June (Supersub) Simon, “Dynamite” Danny Seigle and Paul (Kid Lightning) Artadi.

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Louis Phillips and Burnham Holmes, in their book “The Complete Book of Sports Nicknames,” said: “The world of sports is clearly marked by the signposts of colorful monikers...but where do the nicknames come from? The process is complex; it can involve ancestry, family history, birthplace, initials, physical characteristics, what the individual does during competition or off the field, a favorite expression, sobriquets bestowed by sportswriters, free association or word play.”

Chuck Wielgus, Alex Wolff and Steve Rushin, in their book “The Fan’s Book of Sports Nicknames,” said: “We want intimacy with our heroes, we want to immerse ourselves in the subculture of sport and nicknames help us do that. Nicknames evoke. For the fan, they evoke memories, joyous and painful. For the athlete, they’re a brand of his achievements and limitations, usually birthed in action.” Here are some nicknames of NBA players and their origins:

Anthony (Spud) Webb – As a kid, the head of the NBA’s one-time slam dunk champion seemed as big as the Soviet satellite “Sputnik” which evolved into “Spud.”

George (The Iceman) Gervin – The NBA legend was a picture of cool on the court.

Karl (The Mailman) Malone – The NBA power forward always delivers and you don’t have to ring twice.

Glenn (Doc) Rivers – The Boston Celtics coach wore a shirt of Julius (Dr. J) Erving at a Marquette basketball camp when he was in eighth grade and has since been called Doc.

Earvin (Magic) Johnson – Newspaper reporter Fred Stabley was mesmerized after watching Johnson compile 36 points, 18 rebounds, 16 assists and 20 steals as a high schooler in 1974. He wanted to call him “The Big E” but Elvin Hayes had a lock on the moniker so he settled for “Magic” because his play was just magical. Stabley cleared the nickname with Johnson before using it in his stories.

Julius (Dr. J) Erving – A high school buddy called him “The Doctor” because of the way he operated on the court. When Erving played in the ABA, Fatty Taylor added the “J” to his title.

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“The surgeons of sports, the doctors, are renowned as smooth operators,” said Wielgus, Wolff and Rushin. “For them, to operate means more than the dictionary’s definition of ‘to work efficiently.’ They get the job done with grace and precision and style. They’re cool. These are the elite Doctors of Letters – Julius (Dr. J) Erving and Dwight (Dr. K) Gooden, at different times masters of their games. Drs. J and K stand alone in this branch of nickname medicine. In fact, in 1983, before Gooden was licensed, Temple University conferred a Doctor of Arts degree on Erving and said of the good doctor: “Now the word ‘doctor’ designates a poetic summit of sport reached only by him.”

Sports announcer Andy Jao is also known as Dr. J for his clinical approach to the game. Others with “doctor” nicknames are cager Darrell (Dr. Dunkenstein) Griffith, Abe (Dr. Du) Okorodudu, Robert (Dr. Doom) Brazile, Felix (Doc) Blanchard Jr., Rivers, Steve (Dr. Death) Williams and Dick (Dr. Strangelove) Stuart.

In professional boxing, nicknames are almost a must for fighters. Manny Pacquiao is Pacman. Antonio Margarito is the Tijuana Tornado. A. J. Banal is the Bazooka. Nonito Donaire is the Filipino Flash. Brian Viloria is the Hawaiian Punch.

Somehow, the world of sports wouldn’t be as colorful without those nicknames.