Roberto Clemente Signature "Bob"

[Peter_Spaeth]

Ironically or not, Roberto, Bobby, and Bob Avila all appeared on different cards. Topps used Bobby. Bowman and Red Man used Roberto.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Orestes Minoso.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Ironically or not, Roberto, Bobby, and Bob Avila all appeared on different cards.

One guy who did not mind being called Bob. Signed his name that way all the time.

Then, there's Carlos Trevino, the elder, lesser-known brother of Alex. He had no major issue MLB cards, but was called "Bobby" for reasons unknown to me. He also apparently didn't mind the nickname, as he usually signed "Carlos 'Bobby' Trevino" post-career.

Miguels Gonzalez and de la Hoz are among several Miguels who had no problem being referred to as Mike, as they usually signed with the Americanized version of their first name.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

One guy who did not mind being called Bob. Signed his name that way all the time.

Then, there's Carlos Trevino, the elder, lesser-known brother of Alex. He had no major issue MLB cards, but was called "Bobby" for reasons unknown to me. He also apparently didn't mind the nickname, as he usually signed "Carlos 'Bobby' Trevino" post-career.

Miguels Gonzalez and de la Hoz are among several Miguels who had no problem being referred to as Mike, as they usually signed with the Americanized version of their first name.

Fun stories. Reminds me a bit of my own family history.

My great grandfather, Giuseppe Tranquillo Pinoli, immigrated to the US in 1901, ultimately landing in a rural part of NorCal known as Anderson Valley, along with his 4 brothers. On old maps of the area, there's even a part of Philo labeled as "Ite-Town", showing where the Italians all lived. Shortly after arriving, Giuseppe started to go by Joe. Even went so far as to sign just about everything Joe. After convincing my great-grandmother to move to the US (they were married in San Francisco after she arrived in 1913), and when they started having kids, a family friend convinced them to give the kids all solid American names - Arthur, Inez, Norris, and Raymond. If you happen to go to the Evergreen Cemetery in Boonville, you will notice that even his grave stone uses Joe.

Fast forward a few generations, and after serving a mission in Italy, my father decided all of his kids needed good Italian names. But growing up, everyone at school gave me crap for having a foreign sounding name, so I went by Nick. Took me a while to get a little confidence and realize that I should lean into it a bit more. When I went off to college, I discovered real quick that the ladies all seemed more interested in the exotic fellows. At that point, I dropped Nick and went by my full name Nicolo, and have never gone back.

Of course, if you talk to my mother or any of my siblings, I'm still Nick. And aside from my little nieces who call me Uncle Colo, everyone else calls me by my full name.

Except I guess for BobC, who took it upon himself to call me Nic, and I haven't had the heart to correct him.

[packs]

I would think the overall chances of Roberto Clemente signing his name as "Bob Clemente" would be pretty slim. Think about Giancarlo Stanton. As long as he went by "Mike Stanton" he didn't sign his name Giancarlo Stanton. Even now that he goes by Giancarlo Stanton professionally, he still uses his original "Mike Stanton" signature because I'm guessing that's how he was used to signing his name his entire life before he decided to go by his birth name.

He didn't start signing his name any differently and as far as I know unless specifically asked to sign Giancarlo he doesn't.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Long after he changed his name, didn't Ali occasionally sign as Cassius Clay?

[packs]

He definitely did because there are some Cassius Clay signatures out there that were clearly signed late in life but again he wouldn't just be walking around doing that. I'm sure that was part of an organized signing.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Slight diversion, but who said about Clemente, he could field a ball in New York and throw out a runner in Pennsylvania?