Prince Oana
Henry Kauhane Oana (1908-1976 )

The native Hawaiian was an outfielder when he spent a week or so with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1934. Cut to 1943, the middle of World War II. Teams need players wherever they can find them. Re-enter Prince Oana, this time as a relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. He returned for another brief visit to the Tigers in 1945. Otherwise he kept busy in the minor leagues until 1951 when he finished his baseball career with Texarkana of the Big State League. In high school he starred in five sports – track, swimming, football, basketball and baseball.

Blue Moon Odom

Johnny Lee Odom (1945- )

A pitcher for Kansas City and Oakland Athletics (1964-74), Odom spent his two more seasons hopping from Cleveland to Atlanta to the Chicago White Sox. "Blue Moon" reportedly was the creation of A's owner Charlie Finlay, who believed players should have colorful nicknames.

In 1976, his last season, Odom worked the first five innings of a no-hitter against his old team, the A's. Francisco Barrios pitched the last four innings for Chicago.

Brusie Ogrodowski
Ambrose Francis Ogrodowski (1912-1956)

I like the sound of Brusie, though, frankly, my research on Ogrodowski, such as it was, found his nickname was more frequently spelled Bruse, which left me confused about how it was pronounced. Whatever, Ogrowdowski was a catcher who played 184 games for the St. Louis Cardinals over two seasons (1936-37), batting .231.

I also found an item that said he was a backup catcher for the minor league San Francisco Seals and that he kept a rabbit hutch in the bullpen. So I'll just think of him as Bunny Ogrodowski.

Jimmy Outlaw
James Paulus Outlaw (1913-2006)

Oldtimers may remember the song, Johnny Angel. Well, meet the flipside.

If only Outlaw were playing today. While presenting their web gems, ESPN's 'SportsCenter' and 'Baseball Tonight' guys would keep a running tally of how many times the diminutive (5-foot-8) outfielder robbed someone of a hit.

Outlaw also played third base during his 10-year major league career, most of it with the Detroit Tigers. He had a .268 lifetime average and hit only six home runs.

But his name lives on. Maybe he should have been a country singer. He could have toured with Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.

Orval Overall
Orval Overall (1881-1947)

Finding this name was a pleasant surprise for it introduced me to a man who in his prime was one of baseball's best pitchers.

The Farmersville, CA, native was an outstanding student athlete at the University of California where he was a star pitcher and an All-American football player.

He turned professional in 1904, winning 32 games for Tacoma of the Pacific Coast League. The PCL played very long seasons, which is why Overall's win total is only half of the story. He also lost 25 games, which gave him a reputation for being a workhorse, a reputation that was exploited a year later by his first major league manager, Joe Kelley of Cincinnati, who used Overall in 42 games, 39 of them as a starter. The rookie won 17 games, but lost 22.

A year later he was traded to the Chicago Cubs where manager Frank Chance used him much more effectively. In 1907 he had his best season, going 23-8 with eight shutouts and an earned run average of 1.70.

Overall was considered the Cubs' go-to pitcher. He was the opening day starter for four seasons and usually pitched the first game of every regular season series. From 1906-10 the Cubs won four National League pennants. Overall started two World Series games in 1907, two more in 1908. He won three of them; the fourth ended in a tie after 12 innings. He gave up only two runs in his three victories; his shutout clinched the 1908 Series against Detroit.

In 1909 he had his second 20-win season, leading the National League in shutouts (9) and strikeouts (205), but he worked 285 innings, up 60 from the season before. That might have taken a toll because his arm started giving him trouble a year later. He had a 12-6 record, working only 145 innings in 1910 and was the losing pitcher in his only World Series start against the Philadelphia Athletics.

His ailing arm and a contract dispute with the Cubs kept him out of major league baseball in 1911, though he did join a semi-pro team in Stockton, CA, that summer, which turned out to be a mistake. He reinjured his arm. He rested it for a year, then attempted a comeback with the Cubs in 1913. He won four games, lost five, but his 3.31 earned run average was his highest ever, and for the first time in his career he gave up more hits than innings pitched. He left the majors, but pitched for a while back where he started, in the Pacific Coast League, this time with San Francisco.

Upon retirement, he took a job with a brewery company, but his father's illness a year later prompted Overall to take over his family's citrus farm. After his father died in 1921, Overall sold the business and became a wealthy man who later was a bank vice president in Fresno. He even made a run for Congress, but was defeated.

He died of a heart attack in 1947. He was 66.

Stubby Overmire

Frank Overmire (1919-1977)
Moline, Michigan

Pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns and New York Yankees (1943-52), Overmire had a losing record lifetime (58-67), but in 1947 was 11-5 with Detroit, including three shutouts.

His nickname reflects his size – Overmire stood 5-foot-7, though some say he was shorter. (A player who had Overmire for a manager in the minor leagues claims the former pitcher was barely 5-foot-2.)

• Favorite baseball names index: