Biff Pocoroba
Biff Benedict Pocoroba (1953- )

The name Biff conjures up several images – he's one of the sons in 'Death of a Salesman', right? And the villain in the 'Back to the Future' movies. Also sounds like a name that would roll dramatically off the lips of a ring announcer, either in wrestling or boxing.

But Biff Pocoroba was a catcher with the Atlanta Braves for 10 seasons. The best of those was 1977, the only year Pocoroba played more than 100 games with Atlanta, and he responded with a .290 batting average and he walked twice as often as he struck out.

From what I can determine from a few websites, Pocoroba operates a couple of business in the Atlanta area, Sausage World and Biff Pocoroba Master Cuisine.

As a 22-year-old Detroit Tigers rookie in 1937, the right-hander had a 10-5 record in 29 appearances, 16 of them starts. However, even in an era when many pitchers didn't chalk up a lot of strike outs, Poffenberger's statistics must have been worrisome – 35 strike outs in 137 innings while walking 79. (One of Poffenberger's victories – on August 14 of that season – was a gift pitchers dream about. Detroit scored 20 runs against the St. Louis Browns. Poffenberger held the Browns to one run – until the ninth inning when he gave up six more.)

More worrisome to the Tigers was Poffenberger's lifestyle. He is described as bearing an uncanny resemblance to comedian Lou Costello, of Abbott and Costello fame. He loved to party and he loved to drink. I found no explanation for the nickname "Boots," but Poffenberger also was called "The Duke of Duckout" because he had a habit of ducking out for a drink and disappearing for hours, even missing a game now and then.

To start the day, so the story goes, Poffenberger would call room service and ask for the Breakfast of Champions, which was his way of ordering two fried eggs and a beer.

The pitcher's reputation was such that the Tigers hired a detective to follow him.

In 1938 he had a 6-7 record in 125 innings, again walking more than twice as many batters as he struck out. The Tigers put him on waivers, the Brooklyn Dodgers signed him, but Poffenberger got into only three more major league games. The Dodgers wanted to send him to their Montreal farm team, but Poffenberger refused to go, so Brooklyn sold him to the minor league Nashville Vols. Poffenberger won 26 games for Nashville that season.

Recollections of Poffenberger all describe a volatile character. Playing again with Nashville in 1941, he was suspended for 90 days because he threw a ball at an umpire. While in the Army, Poffenberger was stationed in Hawaii where he pitched for and managed a service baseball team. The online memoirs of the late Arthur J. Bradley, one of the players, recall a game when Poffenberger became upset by the heckling of twins on the other team. The twins batted one after the other. Late in the game, while facing twin number one, Poffenberger wound up, whirled and threw his fastest pitch – not toward home plate, but at the twin in the on-deck circle. I've already mentioned Poffenberger's control problems, so you can guess that the throw missed its target, though Bradley says the ball bounced off the dugout and came back to hit the twin on one of his legs.

As his Army days drew to a close, Poffenberger was notified he'd be joining the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. Poffenberger announced he was going to whip himself into shape, but according to Bradley, all of Poffenberger's daytime exercise was undone by his nighttime drinking. Bradley writes that he and some Army friends got to San Diego in 1946 when Poffenberger was scheduled to pitch the second game of a double-header, but Poffenberger didn't show up. The San Diego manager explained that the pitcher got drunk during the first game, which prompted the team to let him go.

After his baseball career was done, Poffenberger worked for Mack Trucks, Inc. And, yes, a Chris Bermanism comes to mind. Say it with me: Boots huff and Poffenberger.

Jennings Poindexter
Chester Jennings (Jinx) Poindexter (1910-1983)

Poindexter was a left-handed pitcher who made three starts for the Boston Red Sox in 1936, getting two decisions, both of them losses. Earlier that season he had pitched for Little Rock of the Southern Association, enjoying a career day on June 11 when he struck out 17 batters in a game against Nashville.

In 1937 Poindexter returned to the minor leagues. He received a second chance to pitch in the majors in 1939, this time in the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies. He appeared in 11 games with the Phils, 10 of them in relief. He was involved in no decisions.

Overall, Poindexter worked 41 innings, gave up 31 walks and struck out 14, with no wins and those two losses. After his stay in Philadelphia he returned to the minor leagues.

Placido Polanco
Placido Enrique Polanco (1975- )

I suspect most people would identify Polanco as one of the famous tenors who pops up on PBS at fund-raising time. However, this Placido, a native of the Domincan Republic, is a utility player who has been gainfully employed by major league baseball teams for ten seasons.

Polanco mostly plays second or third base, though he has filled in a shortstop, first base and the outfield. Not only that, but through 2006 he managed to maintain a .300 batting average while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers. However, after being a Tigers hitting star through the 2006 Division Series (batting .412) and the Championship Series (.529), Polanco went bust in the World Series, going 0-for-17.

He bounced back in 2007. As the full-time Tiger second baseman Polanco batted .341, third best in the American League, and he did not make an error all season.

Arnold Portocarrero
Arnold Mario Portocarrero (1931-1986)

I always loved the way this name rolled off the tongue. Like Biff Pocoroba, his name would be perfect for ring announcer Michael Buffer who'd stretch it out for about five minutes: "Awesome Arrrrrrnolllllld Puerrrrrrto Carrerrrrrroh!." Portocarrero was a pitcher for Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics and the Baltimore Orioles (1954-60). His best season: 1958, he was 15-11 with Baltimore.

Nelson Potter
Nelson Thomas Potter (1911-1990)

Nicknamed Nels, Potter pitched for St. Louis (the Cardinals and the Browns), the Philadelpia Athletics and Boston Braves (1936-1949). His best season: 1944, when he was 19-7 and instrumental in helping the Browns win their only pennant, setting up an all-St. Louis World Series, won by the Cards.

He might have been a 20-game winner that season except for his habit of wetting his fingers before picking up the resin bag. On July 20 he was warned by umpire Cal Hubbard, but Potter continued to behave as usual. Next thing he knew, Hubbard tossed him from the game, and the league followed with a 10-day suspension for throwing the outlawed spitball, something Potter always denied. This made him the only major league pitcher ever suspended for this offense against a 1920 rule change that outlawed the spitball.

With the Athletics in 1948, Potter got into a clubhouse argument with manager and team owner Connie Mack, who had bought Potter from the Browns about a month into the season. Potter demanded his release – and Mack gave it to him, which turned out to be a big break for the pitcher who joined the Boston Braves, winning five of seven decision for them on their way to the National League pennant. This got Potter another shot at the World Series, but once again he was on the losing team as the American League Cleveland Indians won the Series in six games.

Potter returned to the Braves in 1949, but that turned out to be his last major league season. He won six games, lost 11. His lifetime won-lost record in the majors was 92-97.

Nelson remains my favorite Potter. I'll leave Harry to the kids who read his books.

Boog Powell
John Wesley Powell (1941- )

Hey, wasn't he a famous Old West gunfighter? Nope, that was John Wesley Hardin. Powell was the first player in my memory to receive that home field fan reaction that sounds like they're booing when they're actually yelling the player's name.

The nearly 6-foot-5, 230-pound Powell was a power-hitting first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles (1961-74), later with the Cleveland Indians for two seasons, then one season with Los Angeles Dodgers (1977).

He retired with 339 home runs and 1,187 runs batted in. One of my favorite game highlights was Powell chugging around the bases for what – I can't remember for sure – was either an inside the park home run or a double that was misplayed by an outfielder.

I've yet to find an explanation for the nickname Boog. In Baltimore these days, Boog means barbecue – as in Boog's Barbecue, the stand Powell operates outside of Camden Yards, the Orioles stadium.

Gibby Pruess
Earl Henry Pruess (1895-1979)

Pruess was an outfielder who played in one game for the St. Louis Browns in 1920. He caught two fly balls, and in his only at bat he walked, stole a base and scored a run. What happened before and after remains a mystery, as does the story behind his nickname and the pronunciation of his last name. Does it rhyme with guess or dues?

He died in Branson, MO. There's got to be a story behind that.

Spencer Pumpelly
Spencer Armstrong Pumpelly (1893-1973)

Spencer Pumpelly's life story is one of baseball's stranger tales – see www.bioproj.sabr.org. He appeared to come out of nowhere in 1925 for a one-inning appearance with the Washington Senators. The former Yale University pitcher was 32 at the time and had no minor league experience to speak of.

Ordinarily he'd be quickly forgotten, but with a name like Spencer Pumpelly ... even better, Spencer Armstrong Pumpelly (makes him sound like George Armstrong Custer), I couldn't resist listing him. Oh, yes, not only did he come out of nowhere in 1925, apparently he disappeared afterward and his whereabouts were unknown for many years.

Have no idea if there's any relationship between this Spencer Pumpelly and the current race driver by the same name.

Blondie Purcell
William Aloysius Purcell (1854-1912)

Purcell was an outfielder and sometime pitcher with various teams in the early days of professional baseball (1879-1890). His lifetime pitching record was 15-43, which was bad, but not as bad as his 1883 managerial record with the Philadelphia Quakers of the National League – 13 wins, 68 losses. Needless to say, Philadelphia finished in last place. Purcell fared much better as an outfielder, hitting .316 in 1889.

J. J. Putz
Joseph Jason Putz (1977- )

Putz arrived in the majors in 2003 as a relief pitcher for the Seattle Mariners. In 2007 he emerged as one of baseball's best closers, which means he's the pitcher entrusted with saving the game in the final inning. He finished the season with 40 saves, a 6-1 won-lost record and a 1.38 earned run average in 68 appearances.

In any event, the pitcher's name would be great for a Potsie-like sitcom character.

• Favorite baseball names index: