Mickey - Not What You Think
 

11 players in MLB baseball history are/were named “Mickey”.

8 of those 11 players were born before 1928. Why is this significant? Mickey Mouse was created by Disney and made his debut in May of 1928.

My argument in this thread is that Mickey subsequently became unpopular as a given name after 1928. Who in their right mind would name their son after a mouse?

The first post-mouse Mickey was born in 1931. It seems plausible that the 1931 Mickey could have been named after Mickey Mouse. And who was the 1931 Mickey? Mickey Mantle.

The Mickey stigma as a first name however was honored by parents everywhere for another 30 years, when the second post mouse Mickey was born in 1961. The third and last Mickey was born in 1974.

Mickey Mantle was an icon in 1961 hitting 54 home runs, so it seems reasonable that the second Mickey was named after Mantle and not the Disney character.

By 1974 Mickey’s playing days were over, but his legacy was growing and by that year the Mickey Mouse club had largely faded into obscurity. It seems more likely that the last Mickey in 1974 was named after Mantle rather than Mr. Mouse.

The overwhelming majority of all ballplayers were born after 1928. The overwhelming majority, 8 out of 11, of all Mickey ballplayers were born before 1928.

Did Mantle’s parents see any of the early Disney cartoons in the theater before Mickey’s, the ballplayers, birth? Sounds plausible to me.

Conclusions made by this argument.

The curse of Mickey Mouse led to a stigma that prevented all subsequent male offsprings to be named something other than Mickey, the mouse, except one.

Mickey Mantle was likely or at least plausibly named after a cartoon mouse.

The timing of the two subsequent Mickey’s strongly suggest that they were named after Mantle and not the mouse.

Therefore Mickey Mantle could be the only major league player in history to be named after a mouse. Prove me wrong. I rest my case.;)

I’ve always heard his father named him after Mickey Cochrane. See bio below confirming what I’ve heard over the years:

https://www.notablebiographies.com/L...le-Mickey.html

That's what I've heard too.
 

http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/204295...CHRANE_NEW.JPG..

Thanks for the input, but don’t confuse me with the facts.:D

I may have to rebut with my Sylvester and Tweety Pie argument.;)

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Sylvester Hicks and his sister Tweety Hicks?

As with the Mickey stigma, there is a significant gap between Pie Traynor and Felix Pie.;)

Which explains why Felix always reported to spring training out of shape.


:rolleyes:

Wasn’t Minnie Minosa named after Minnie Mouse?

LOL, I had an epiphany last night when I realized that the Muppets Ernie and Bert were probably named after the cab driver and cop in It's a Wonderful Life.

And between pie Traynor and Angelo Dundee

Beats Orestes, who was not a mouse.

Mickey ?
 

What about Mickey Lolich ?:eek:

I never gave it a thought and just took for granted that Mickey Rivers, Mickey Stanley, Mickey Klutts, Mickey Lolich, Mickey Hatcher, and Mickey Mahler were all actually named Mickey. Now I know.

My source was Baseball Reference, searching Mickey and coming up with eleven. I’m sticking with it. No fake Mickeys for me.

You are correct. They were named after the characters in that famous Jimmy Stewart movie.
Little know fact. Alfalfa is who opens the pool and dunks Jimmy.