Things you don't see in sports anymore

[KDubK414]

May have been mentioned before...but...no corporate sponsors for everything during the telecast! Everything these days is "call to the bullpen by AT&T" or "safe and secure at second by New York Life". And I'm relatively young (30 years old) but it's irritating.

This! And I am only a year older than you. Another example is "Kwik Trip to the mound. Kwik Trip reminding you that your $20 shouldn't cost you $21.50" Or "Home Depot doing more on defense..." "Jimmy Johns delivery of the game" for a huge strikeout. I've turned it into a game (perhaps there is a drinking game to be had), and joke about it. I even make up non-existent ones for on the playing surface too. Something like "He's at the FreeCreditReport.com Free Throw Line to shoot a one and one."

Now that games are on more and more, it gets ridiculous every time you hear it.

[tBBP]

Remember back in the day when players were probably known more by their nicknames (which also by the way weren't forced or contrived unlike the current media age) than their real names?

Still happens. King James, CP3, Ocho Cinco, TO, Tiger, Linsanity, JPP, and Floyd Money come to mind immediately.

Most of these are forced though...they're nicknames just to have nicknames.

Thank you for saying that for me. Any combination of letters/initials and jersey number (or stuff like D-Fish, J-Will, et al) is as contrived as contrived gets. And "Linsanity"? Yeah, the very definition of "forced"...even more so than Vinsanity was (even if it was also half-appropriate).

Call me back when we get another transcendent nickname out there in present day.

[bosrs1]

Remember back in the day when players were probably known more by their nicknames (which also by the way weren't forced or contrived unlike the current media age) than their real names?

Still happens. King James, CP3, Ocho Cinco, TO, Tiger, Linsanity, JPP, and Floyd Money come to mind immediately.

Most of these are forced though...they're nicknames just to have nicknames.

Thank you for saying that for me. Any combination of letters/initials and jersey number (or stuff like D-Fish, J-Will, et al) is as contrived as contrived gets. And "Linsanity"? Yeah, the very definition of "forced"...even more so than Vinsanity was (even if it was also half-appropriate).

Call me back when we get another transcendent nickname out there in present day.

Yep. Everything except Tiger is forced and contrived on that list.

[Lights Out]

Thank you for saying that for me. Any combination of letters/initials and jersey number (or stuff like D-Fish, J-Will, et al) is as contrived as contrived gets.

Actually, CP3 picked his jersey number BECAUSE of his nickname. Apparently, it's because he's the third "CP" in his family - his father is CP1 and his older brother is CP2.

[Funky Bunky]

Also the Black Mamba ,AP, MJD, Big Ben.

The most forced of them all.

Wasn't it Kobe himself who came up with that name?

[illwauk]

Someone should bring that back. I nominate the Brewers, since they're all about glorifying the 1980s, but then again it would be weird since they were in the AL when that was a trend.

I'd nominate the A's, Dodgers or Blue Jays... all those logos would look weird on an asymmetrical wall.

[tBBP]

Thank you for saying that for me. Any combination of letters/initials and jersey number (or stuff like D-Fish, J-Will, et al) is as contrived as contrived gets.

Actually, CP3 picked his jersey number BECAUSE of his nickname. Apparently, it's because he's the third "CP" in his family - his father is CP1 and his older brother is CP2.

Ok, credit where credit is due...I'm inclined to give you that one since the same is true of Robert Griffin III?though I still don't consider those "nicknames (especially in the vein of those I listed last page?and let's add Karl "The Mailman" Malone while my mind's on it) as much as I consider them shorthand for their given names...and at any rate, my original point still stands: they're not transcendent.

[Don]

"The Shark" Roger Bernadina is the closest thing to a natural fan nickname that youll find anymore.

[Kramerica Industries]

Hard to believe this one hasn't come up yet: Rod "He Hate Me" Smart.

That's about as unique as it gets period.

[tBBP]

Hard to believe this one hasn't come up yet: Rod "He Hate Me" Smart.

That's about as unique as it gets period.

Yeah...that one there is definitely a cult classic. Still makes me LOL to this day.

(And since we discussing "He Hate Me"...little-known fact: dude's cousin is former Eagles and Redskins receiver Freddie "FredEx" Mitchell. Obviously, that nickname didn't catch on. For that matter, neither did Freddie's hands.)

[Cosmic]

A misty fog used to develop above the ice in playoff OT games in the NHL. The more OT's, the worst it got.

Here's a famous game, at least in Sabres circles; one of the players killed a bat on the ice earlier in the game.

And no ads on the boards in the playoffs... you don't see that much anymore!

[The_Admiral]

The preseason games in Winnipeg were played before the ads were applied. I'm not averse to ads on the boards (as long as they uniformly have a white base like they do now), it's the ones on the ice I can't stand.

[Discrim]

All these nicknames and nobody mentioned Honey Badger? But heh, unless you in Brazil, iconic nicks are gonna be hard to come by...I know damn well Brandon Jennings been trying (and failing) to get one.

Far as you don't see no more, the CFL on US TV...and Arena ball on channels people can actually watch...come to think of it, the Harlem Globetrotters on TV...bullpen carts...football stirrups...team-specific socks in basketball...Roger Clemens' quasi-annual minor league comeback tour

Far as I didn't expect to see but did see recently, bad football that was actually funny to watch...to put it bluntly, the Chicago Colts are probably equal to somebody out there. I hope. They were no match for the Racine Raiders, however.

[AlMagz]

star players staying with one team for their entire career, i.e. Jeter or Chipper Jones

[kajeet]

A misty fog used to develop above the ice in playoff OT games in the NHL. The more OT's, the worst it got.

Here's a famous game, at least in Sabres circles; one of the players killed a bat on the ice earlier in the game.

So why did that used to happen?

[BBTV]

Hard to believe this one hasn't come up yet: Rod "He Hate Me" Smart.

That's about as unique as it gets period.

Yeah...that one there is definitely a cult classic. Still makes me LOL to this day.

(And since we discussing "He Hate Me"...little-known fact: dude's cousin is former Eagles and Redskins receiver Freddie "FredEx" Mitchell. Obviously, that nickname didn't catch on. For that matter, neither did Freddie's hands.)

He Hate Me actually had a cup of coffee (or maybe a Red Bull) with the Eagles as well.

I loved Freddie Mitchell. I think I was the only one. FredEx "always delivers" (or at least when it's 4th and 26.)

Other failed nicknames for him were the Sultan of Slot, and my personal favorite, the Slot Machine.

[RyanB06]

The old barns didn't have air conditioning. Warm air temperature + ice-covered floor = fog.

[The Six]

Half the Giants' roster has nicknames. Whether they're contrived or not is up to you.

The Freak

Buster Posey

Kung Fu Panda

The Beard

The Great White Shark

The Melkman

Captain Underpants

Vogelstrong

[kajeet]

Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders type players that play two sports. I wish there were more atheletes like that now.

[BBTV]

Phillies HOF outfielder and former oft-drunk color broadcaster Richie Ashburn was known (at least locally) as much as "Whitey" as he was Richie. I don't think I ever heard Harry Kalas refer to him as Richie - it was always "right you are, Whitey" or "I'm Harry Kalas here in Chicago with his Whiteness and we're about to see the Phillies face off against the Cubs".

I have no idea how Whitey or His Whiteness came about, but I can't imagine that those would be cool today, even if they came about by innocent organic means.