Cuzitt wrote a piece today about nicknames in baseball and I think it brings up some good points that we even see around here:
There aren't many good nicknames anymore, and worse yet, there are a lot of terrible ones. People pushing for JoFer has to be the worst thing going.OK, back to the Pedey, the Bogie and the Holty. While the players may not be aware, they are making diminutive names, a shortening of the given name into a more affectionate form. Kind of like how Timmy is short for Timothy.
Now, diminutive names aren’t necessarily bad, and some can work as nicknames. Certainly, Dwight Evans will always be Dewey. But they also tend to be kind of boring and one-note. Would we remember Bill Lee as fondly if he was nicknamed Billy as opposed to Spaceman? Would Carlton Fisk be as well-remembered if he was nicknamed Fisky as opposed to Pudge?