Noodles Hahn
Frank George Hahn (1879-1960)

Left-handed pitcher Hahn turned pro at 16 and was just 19 when he appeared in his first major league game. His career started brilliantly – a 23-8 rookie season with Cincinnati in 1899. He'd go on to win 20-plus games three times in the next four seasons. In 1901 he became the first pitcher to win 20 or more games with a last-place team. (Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies became the second – in 1972.)

Hahn and his managers didn't worry about pitch counts. In that 1901 season Hahn worked 375 innings, completing 41 games in 42 starts (posting a record of 22-19). The strain on his arm took its toll in 1904, though he struggled on for two more seasons, retiring at the age of 27.

He was called Noodles because as a youngster his duties included carrying lunch to his father's place of work. The lunch invariably was noodle soup. His friends picked up on this and started calling the boy Noodles. I suspect that by the time he retired, Noodles was more appropriate to describe Hahn's left arm.

His playing days over, Hahn became a Cincinnati meat inspector. He frequently worked out with the Reds – until he was 67.

Hinkey Haines
Henry Luther Haines (1898-1979)

Haines was an outfielder who spent much of one season with the New York Yankees, which got him into two games in the 1923 World Series against the New York Giants.

Haines had attended Lebanon Valley College and Penn State University, apparently playing football at both schools ... because he eventually played for the Giants of the National Football League. He spent four seasons with the Giants (1925-28), then later played for the Staten Island Stapletons. The 1927 Giants team won the first NFL championship.

As for his days with the Yankees, Haines was an outfielder and apparently a good baserunner because he was used almost as often as a pinch runner as he was in the field. He had only 25 at bats, getting four hits (.160).

Atlee Hammaker
Charlton Atlee Hammaker (1958- )

The left-handed pitcher with this one-of-a-kind name entered the majors in 1981 with Kansas City, but spent most of his career with the San Francisco Giants where early indications had Hammaker headed for big things. He won 12 games for the Giants in 1982, and in 1983 was selected to the National League All-Star team. It's the 1983 All-Star Game for which Hammaker is best remembered, though it's a game the pitcher certainly would like to forget.

Hard to believe now, but the National League had won 11 straight All-Star Games headed into the 1983 contest, which was played in Chicago's old Comiskey Park. Cincinnati's Mario Soto started for the National League, giving up a run in each of the first two innings. The National League trailed by only a run when Hammaker entered the game in the third inning. He managed to get two batters out, but gave up seven runs, including a home run to Jim Rice and a grand slam to Fred Lynn, before rookie reliever Bill Dawley of Houston was summoned to finish the inning. The American League went on to end its losing streak, 13-3.

A month later Hammaker went on the disabled list. Eventually he'd have surgery on his left shoulder and elbow. Despite his troubles, Hammaker had the league's best earned run average (2.25) in 1983, but the rest of his career, which continued until 1995, was marked by a series of injuries. His lifetime record was 59-67.

A few years ago Hammaker was voted into the East Tennessee State University Hall of Fame.

Granny Hamner
Granville Wilbur Hamner (1927-1993)

Hamner was the starting shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies Whiz Kids in 1950. At the time I thought his was the archetypical baseball name. Handy guy to have around, Hamner could fill in anywhere, even on the mound.

Hamner's hitting was one of the few bright spots in the 1950 World Series when the Whiz Kids were swept by the New York Yankees. Hamner batted .429 against the Yankees, with six hits, including two doubles and a triple.

He played 1,531 major league games, all but 30 of them with the Phillies who traded Hamner to Cleveland in 1959. His lifetime batting average was .262.

Bubbles Hargrave
Eugene Franklin Hargrave (1892-1969)

Bubbles Hargrave and his brother, Pinky, were both catchers who enjoyed long major league careers, but Bubbles made far more of an impact, having a .310 lifetime batting average and leading the National League in 1926 when he hit .353 with Cincinnati.

He was a member of the Reds for eight seasons after spending three years with the Chicago Cubs. He ended his career with the New York Yankees in 1930. He has since been voted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Pinky Hargrave
William McKinley Hargrave (1896-1942)

Pinky Hargrave spent most of his 10 major league seasons with American League teams (Washington, St. Louis and Detroit), and had a .278 lifetime batting average. Like his brother, Pinky switched leagues at the end of his major league career, finishing with the Boston Braves in 1933.

He received his nickname for the light red color of his hair. (Still haven't found out why his brother was called Bubbles.)

Topsy Hartsel
Tully Frederick Hartsel (1874-1944)

A speedster at 5-foot-5, 155 pounds, the outfielder led the American League in walks five times. In those days speed, not power, led to home runs, which is why in 1901 he led the Chicago Cubs in homers with seven. The team total was only 18.

The next season he jumped to the Philadelphia Athletics of the young American League and led that league with 47 stolen bases and 109 runs scored. He played with the Athletics until 1911, appearing in two World Series, in 1905 and 1910.

In 1912 he became player-manager of the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association.

Hasegawa is one of several Japanese players signed by American teams in recent years. He pitched six years for Orix of the Japanese Pacific League before signing as a free agent in 1997 with the then Anaheim Angels. He joined the Seattle Mariners in 2002 and remained with the team through 2005. Three months after the season ended, the 37-year-old Hasegawa announced his retirement. The relief pitcher had a lifetime record of 45 wins, 44 losses and 33 saves.

Roaring Bill Hassamaer
William Louis Hassamaer (1864-1910)

Hassamaer played three seasons (1894-96) with Washington and Louisville of the National League. He was a 30-year-old rookie in 1894 when he batted .322, scoring 106 runs. On June 13 of that season he hit for the cycle. However, his hitting tailed off to .264 in 1895 and .245 in 1896. The next year he was in the minor leagues, playing for Toledo.

Besides hitting for the cycle, Hassamaer experienced another baseball rarity: on Sept. 3, 1895, shortly after switching from the Washington Senators to the Louisville Colonels, first baseman Hassamaer made one of the putouts in a triple play against his old teammates.

I found nothing that accounts for his nickname.

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