Loren Babe
Loren Rolland Babe (1928-1984)

Or, as ESPN's Chris Berman might say, Loren I've got you, Babe. He played third base for the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Athletics (1952-53).

I saw him in the International League with the Syracuse Chiefs. Excellent hitter, at least in the minors. Later a coach and scout for the Chicago White Sox.

Nicknamed Bee Bee, but his last name alone insured that you'd remember him.

Sweetbreads Bailey
Abraham Lincoln Bailey (1895-1939)

Bailey was a relief pitcher (1919-21) with the Chicago Cubs and (briefly) the Brooklyn Robins (later Dodgers). He appeared in 52 games, had four wins, seven losses, an earned run average of 4.59.

The nickname? Well, Sweetbreads is far more original than the obvious alternative – Honest Abe. However, it's still a weird nickname since "sweetbreads" is defined as "the thymus or, sometimes, the pancreas of a young animal (usually a calf or lamb) used for food."

In retirement Bailey was a weighmaster for the Phoenix Manufacturing Company of Joliet, IL, his native city. He died of pituitary gland cancer at the age of 44.

Pelham Ballenger
Pelham Ashby Ballenger (1894-1948)

Or the taking of Pelham One-Two-Three ... three being how many major league games third baseman Ballenger played for the Washington Senators in 1928 – at age 34, making him one of the oldest rookies ever. He had a single in nine at bats.

Cuno Barragan
Facundo Anthony Barragan (1932- )

The catcher joined the Cubs in 1961, hitting a home run his first time at bat. That would be his only home run in a 69-game major league career that ended after one at bat in 1963 – when he struck out.

Barragan was a baseball and football star at Sacramento City College and several years ago was inducted into that school's Hall of Fame.

Matt Batts
Matthew Daniel Batts (1921- )

The perfect baseball surname. Batts was a catcher who enjoyed a 10-year major league career, most of it in the American League.

He broke in with a bang in 1947, getting eight hits, including a home run, in 16 at bats with the Boston Red Sox. He was the Red Sox backup catcher (to Birdie Tebbetts) for the next three seasons, but in 1951, after playing 11 games for Boston, he was traded to the St. Louis Browns for catcher Les Moss. Batts hit .302 in 79 games with the Browns, while Moss flopped in Boston, hitting .198.

The next year Moss was back in St. Louis and Batts was sold to the Detroit Tigers. It was with Detroit in 1953 that Batts enjoyed his one season as a first string catcher, hitting .278 in 116 games, with career highs in hits (104), doubles (24), home runs (6), runs (38) and runs batted in (42).

However, in 1954 Detroit dealt Batts to the Chicago White Sox, and in 1955 Batts found himself in the National League, with Cincinnati, playing in 26 games. He caught just three more games, in 1956, before retiring.

Belve Bean
Beveric Benton (Bill) Bean (1905-1988)

Belve, the first of my four-Bean offering, was a pitcher who appeared in 86 games during a five-season major league career in the early 1930s. He appeared mostly in relief – starting only eight times – and compiled a lifetime record of eleven wins, seven losses. He did most of his pitching for the Cleveland Indians, though he wound up his big league career with the Washington Senators. Bean's best season was 1934 when he posted a 5-1 record with an earned run average of 3.86, not terrific, but much better than the team average.

As with several players on my list, Bean's best days were spent in the minor leagues. On May 29, 1929 he pitched the New Orleans Pelicans to an 11-2 win over the Memphis Chicks, with Bean getting five singles in five trips to the plate. He spent six seasons with the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association in the 1930s, winning 51 games against 39 losses.

After he retired from baseball he was elected sheriff of Comanche County, Texas, and served eight years.

Billy Bean
William Daro Bean (1964- )

Outfielder Bean broke into the major leagues in 1987 with Detroit, but was traded to Los Angeles in 1989. Absent from the majors for three seasons, he returned to play with the San Diego Padres (1993-95).

It was with San Diego in 1993 that he had his best season, batting .260 in 177 at bats and hitting all five of his career home runs. His average dropped to .215 the next season.

After he retired he announced he was gay, then he wrote a book about it. He's not to be confused with ...

Billy Beane
William Lamar Beane (1962- )

A much-heralded high school player, this Beane played parts of six seasons in the majors. The outfielder hit just .219 lifetime, quitting in 1989 to become a scout for his last team, the Oakland Athletics. Smart move. He's now general manager of the A's and considered one of baseball's most innovative and highly regarded executives.

Which reminds me – whatever happened to the boxer Butterbean?

Colter Bean
Randall Colter Bean (1977- )

This Bean is a native of Anniston, AL, and a graduate of Auburn University. He has spent most of his career in the New York Yankees farm system, surfacing in 2005 to make his major league debut with a two-inning relief appearance. He spent most of 2006 with Columbus (OH) of the International League, but made two brief appearances for the Yankees. He returned to the minors in 2007, making only three relief appearances with the Yankees, giving up four runs in three innings and losing his only decision.

Ginger Beaumont
Clarence Howeth Beaumont (1876-1956)

Beaumont played 12 seasons (1899-1910) in the National League, leading the league in hitting in 1902 with a .357 average. The Pittsburgh Pirate center fielder was the first player to bat when the World Series between National and American League pennant winners began in 1903. The Pirates won the first game, but lost the series to the Boston Red Sox, five games to three.

As a boy, Beaumont's nicknames were Clarry and Beau, but the owner of the Pirates dubbed the player Ginger because of his reddish hair.

Boom Boom Beck
Walter William Beck (1904-1987)

He was plain ol' Walt Beck until 1934, his fifth season in the major leagues. Beck was coming off a season in which he lost 20 games, playing for Brooklyn and manager Casey Stengel (before Stengel was considered a genius). Beck was on the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies at the notorious Baker Bowl, known as a hitter's paradise. The short fence in right field was made of tin.

As often happened to pitchers at Baker Bowl, Beck was shelled. Manager Stengel went to the mound and told Beck it was time to shower. The frustrated Beck turned and threw his most memorable fast ball of the day – a high, hard one that slammed against that tin fence. The noise startled Brooklyn outfielder Hack Wilson, a notorious party guy who might been suffering from a hangover. Wilson was taking a break, head down, hands on his knees. When that ball crashed against the fence, Wilson thought the game had resumed. He ran after the ball, picked it up and made a perfect throw to the second baseman.

Spectators had a good laugh and Beck had himself a nickname, thanks to the sound his throw had made when he ricocheted off the tin.

Beck went back to the minor leagues in 1935. He returned to the majors in 1939 – as a member of the Philadelphia Phils. Because he was available during World War II, Beck's pitching career extended through 1945, by which time he was used primarily in relief. His lifetime record was 38-69.

Beals Becker
David Beals Becker (1886-1943)

He was a National League outfielder in the early 1900s; his 11 home runs in 1915 put him among the league leaders, but his .246 batting average was an alarming dip from the .325 mark he posted the season before.

After brief appearances in two World Series games in 1915, Becker never played another major league game. I've found no explanation for Becker's abrupt departure from baseball, though he reportedly was notoriously sensitive to fan criticism and performed better on the road where crowds paid little attention to him. Perhaps he just couldn't take it anymore.

Cool Papa Bell
James Thomas Bell (1903-1991)

Denied the opportunity to play in the majors, outfielder Bell is in the Hall of Fame in recognition of the ability he displayed for 25 seasons in the Negro leagues (1922-46). Even as a 19-year-old rookie Bell performed with a veteran's confidence that earned him his nickname. He was the pioneer of Cool.

Bell also is regarded as one of the fastest men ever to play the game. Which is a whole other story that I stumbled into while researching this project. See Flash.

Blitzen Benz
Joseph Louis Benz (1886-1957)

Yes, Blitzen Benz, but does he break? Not likely. Anyway, how often do you come across a baseball player who could have been nicknamed after one of Santa's reindeer?

As a Chicago White Sox pitcher, Benz hung in there nine seasons (1911-1919), finishing with a 76-75 lifetime record. His best season was 1915 when he posted a 15-11 record and an earned run average of 2.11. The season before he led the American League in losses, with 19.

However, it was in 1914 that Benz put together three consecutive pitching efforts that were truly remarkable. First, he threw a no-hitter against Cleveland, winning 6-1 as his teammates committed three errors. In his next start he pitched a two-hitter against the New York Highlanders (Yankees), but had to settle for a 1-1 tie when rain halted the game in the 10th inning. And then he pitched a one-hitter against Washington. Benz and the rest of the pitching staff could have sued their team for non-support because the White Sox that season were far and away the lowest scoring team in the league.

As for his nickname, it was real, though he was more commonly known as Joe Benz. Have no idea where the Blitzen came from.

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