Rubes

Mets – Willets Point
Apr 13 2012 08:55 AM

It's been 54 years since a ballplayer named "Rube" has played in major league baseball.

Benjamin Grimm
Apr 13 2012 09:10 AM
Re: Rubes

I vote that we lobby Ruben Tejada to shorten his name.

The Second Spitter
Apr 13 2012 09:27 AM
Re: Rubes

Rube Walker's real name wasn't Rube. List should clarify this?

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Apr 13 2012 09:39 AM
Re: Rubes

The Second Spitter wrote:
Rube Walker's real name wasn't Rube. List should clarify this?

Very few would have been.

I like Grimm's suggestion and will start using it on the regular.

The Second Spitter
Apr 13 2012 09:49 AM
Re: Rubes

His younger brother was also known as Rube, but I don't think he made it the Bigs as a player.

Frayed Knot
Apr 13 2012 10:36 AM
Re: Rubes

Not surprising that the number of Rubes was highest during the massive immigration period of the 1890s thru 1920s

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Apr 13 2012 10:38 AM
Re: Rubes

Lots of Indians called Chief, and deaf guys known as Dummy in the old days too.

Frayed Knot
Apr 13 2012 10:42 AM
Re: Rubes

Ahh, those were the days.

Edgy MD
Apr 13 2012 12:26 PM
Re: Rubes

Baby-faced guys named "Babe," red-head guys named "Red," and lefthanded guys named "Lefty," etc.

[list:2lei2e7a][*:2lei2e7a]The last "Babe" was Babe Birna, finishing up in 1958.

[/*:m:2lei2e7a]
[*:2lei2e7a]The last "Chief" was Chief Hogsett, finishing up in 1944. (Freddie Garcia and Geronimo Gil are both nicknamed "The Chief.")

[/*:m:2lei2e7a]
[*:2lei2e7a]The last "Dummy" was Dummy Taylor, finishing up in 1908. (Davey Johnson was nicknamed "Dummy" by his Orioles teammates, because he wasn't.)

[/*:m:2lei2e7a]
[*:2lei2e7a]The last "Lefty" was Lefty Hayden, who threw 3.67 innings over three games in 1958. (Many have borne the nickname before and since without ever being introduced as such over the PA.)

[/*:m:2lei2e7a]
[*:2lei2e7a]The last "Moe" was Moe Drabowsky, who played until 1972.

[/*:m:2lei2e7a]
[*:2lei2e7a]The last "Red" was Red Schoendeist, finishing up in 1963, three days after Red Barrett also played his last game. (Mike Hedlund, who played until 1972, was a "Red" but it was never the name on the front of his baseball card. Other similar quasi-Reds are also out there.)

[/*:m:2lei2e7a]
[*:2lei2e7a]The last "Rube" was Rube Fischer, who played until 1946.[/*:m:2lei2e7a][/list:u:2lei2e7a]

Edgy MD
Apr 13 2012 12:33 PM
Re: Rubes

The last "Swede" was Swede Larson who had three appearances and one trip to the plate in 1936. Only three men played under that name, but nine others carried it as a less official nickname. Walter Johnson was "The Big Swede" before he was "The Big Train," even though he wasn't a bit Swedish.

Benjamin Grimm
Apr 13 2012 12:44 PM
Re: Rubes

Now you have me wondering who was the first Tyler. Or Shaun. Or Brandon.

Or Lastings. Who was the first Lastings? And who was the last Firstings?

Mets – Willets Point
Apr 13 2012 01:26 PM
Re: Rubes

Edgy DC wrote:
[*]The last "Dummy" was Dummy Taylor, finishing up in 1908. (Davey Johnson was nicknamed "Dummy" by his Orioles teammates, because he wasn't.)

The same logic behind the nickname of my father's fraternity brother, a massive man in both height and girth, who was called "Tiny."

Edgy DC wrote:
[*]The last "Rube" was Rube Fischer, who played until 1946.[/list]

Check the chart at the top of this thread. It was Rube Walker who played until 1958.

Mets – Willets Point
Apr 13 2012 01:29 PM
Re: Rubes

Pittsburgh and it's environs contain a high-density of Rubes.

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Apr 13 2012 01:48 PM
Re: Rubes

Lotta Rubes looked to baseball as an alternative to coal mines.

Frayed Knot
Apr 13 2012 02:16 PM
Re: Rubes

Dutch -- a name frequently slathered on anyone of German and/or Dutch descent -- is also most often found in the early part of the 20th century.

Of players listed with that as their main baseball name, the most recent are All-Star hurler Dutch Leonard who played through 1953 and the brief career of Dutch Romberger who pitched 15 IPs in 1954
Darren 'Dutch' Dalton played into the 1990s but that was only an occasional nickname as were many of those who appear at BB-Ref when you type in 'Dutch'

On the minor league side there are 40 entries as 'Dutch'. Of those two appeared in the 1970s but I suspect every one of the rest is dead at the present time.

Edgy MD
Apr 13 2012 04:39 PM
Re: Rubes

[list][*]The last "Rube" was Rube Fischer, who played until 1946.[/*:m][/list:u]

Check the chart at the top of this thread. It was Rube Walker who played until 1958.

Indeed, and shame on me for missing out on my Rube Walker lore.

Edgy MD
Apr 13 2012 04:42 PM
Re: Rubes

Frayed Knot wrote:
Dutch -- a name frequently slathered on anyone of German and/or Dutch descent -- is also most often found in the early part of the 20th century.

Of players listed with that as their main baseball name, the most recent are All-Star hurler Dutch Leonard who played through 1953 and the brief career of Dutch Romberger who pitched 15 IPs in 1954
Darren 'Dutch' Dalton played into the 1990s but that was only an occasional nickname as were many of those who appear at BB-Ref when you type in 'Dutch'

On the minor league side there are 40 entries as 'Dutch'. Of those two appeared in the 1970s but I suspect every one of the rest is dead at the present time.

DocTee
Apr 13 2012 05:48 PM
Re: Rubes

I suppose if Bert Blyleven or Robert Eenhorn (or even Hensley Meulens or that fat Orioles pitcher-- Ponson?-- from a few years back) played a half century earlier they'd all be called "Dutch."

Thankfully, no more Hymies.

Fman99
Apr 13 2012 08:37 PM
Re: Rubes

This is a heroically awesome thread. I love you rubes.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Apr 13 2012 09:08 PM
Re: Rubes

I kinda like "Dutch" Tejada.

holychicken
Apr 13 2012 10:09 PM
Re: Rubes

I just looked it up: Thole is a synonym for rube.

Edgy MD
Apr 14 2012 07:42 AM
Re: Rubes

[list=1:1nnoozl0][*:1nnoozl0]Rube Tejada, ss[/*:m:1nnoozl0]
[*:1nnoozl0]Irish Murphy, 3b[/*:m:1nnoozl0]
[*:1nnoozl0]Red Turner, 2b[/*:m:1nnoozl0]
[*:1nnoozl0]Moe Davis, 1b[/*:m:1nnoozl0]
[*:1nnoozl0]Dizzy Bay, lf[/*:m:1nnoozl0]
[*:1nnoozl0]Moose Duda, rf[/*:m:1nnoozl0]
[*:1nnoozl0]Noodles Thole, c[/*:m:1nnoozl0]
[*:1nnoozl0]Dutch Niuwenhuis, cf[/*:m:1nnoozl0]
[*:1nnoozl0]Knucksie Dickey, sp[/*:m:1nnoozl0][/list:o:1nnoozl0]

G-Fafif
Apr 14 2012 05:03 PM
Re: Rubes

FYI, his 1967 Topps card has our shortstop as Ben Tejada.

Edgy MD
Apr 20 2012 10:22 AM
Re: Rubes

SB Nation wrote:
The Yankees and Red Sox are playing at Fenway today, just as they did on this day 100 years ago. In honor of this anniversary, we present first names of some of the players on those 1912 Boston and New York teams:

Tris, Duffy, Olaf, Pinch, Smoky, Hick, Heinie, Hack, Birdie, Dutch, Gabby, Ezra, Cozy, Klondike, Homer, Hippo, Iron, Red.

HahnSolo
Apr 20 2012 11:00 AM
Re: Rubes

I don't think there was anybody Better than Ezra.

Chad Ochoseis
Apr 20 2012 11:38 AM
Re: Rubes

Going the other way, there were no major leaguers named Jason until Jason Thompson showed up in 1976. The next Jason after him was White Sox flash in the pan Jason Bere in 1993.

Now? 25 active major league Jasons. And that's not counting Jaysons like Werth.

Mets – Willets Point
Apr 23 2012 11:35 AM
Re: Rubes

Last season, the Twins' Liam Hendriks became the first Major League Ballplayer who shares my first name. Interestingly, he is from Australia. With the rise in popularity of the name in the US since the 1990s, I expect the first American-born Liam in the majors should debut in the next decade or so.

Edgy MD
Apr 23 2012 11:37 AM
Re: Rubes

It's been 29 years since the last Gaylord.

Benjamin Grimm
Apr 23 2012 11:54 AM
Re: Rubes

Edgy DC wrote:
It's been 29 years since the last Gaylord.

Has it been that long since I've read Broom Hilda?