Rubes

jalex · #1 01-25-2012, 12:34 PM

This one has confounded me and sometimes made me re-think my love for pre-war baseball. Heinie and Rube are tame compared to some of the nicknames given to men who played base ball then. How about "Dummy" for a deaf guy, or "Nig" for well, you know... My favorite pre-war player is Ed Summers, they called him "Kickapoo Ed" because of his native ancestry. It was a very non-PC time.

Cheers,

Jim

novakjr · #2 01-25-2012, 12:55 PM

On the Heine front. How in the hell do you let that name slide when your last name is Berger??? It just sounds gross.

#3 01-25-2012, 01:05 PM

Yes, the name Rube may mean "country bumpkin, outsider, etc.", but it may also be short for Reuben, a biblical name meaning "behold, a son" as in the case of Reuben "Rube" Maxmeyer (Sellwood Dingbats 1915).

alanu · #4 01-25-2012, 01:20 PM

Here's a somewhat interesting article on baseball nicknames:

http://tinyurl.com/7n7fnkl

7nohitter · #5 01-25-2012, 03:37 PM

All very interesting insight....thanks!

T206Collector · #6 01-25-2012, 04:18 PM

With the nickname �Rube,� most people assume that Richard William �Rube� Marquard was a country boy. But Marquard was born and raised in the city of Cleveland -- his father was the Chief Engineer of the city -- and Marquard carried bats for several Cleveland baseball players as a youth, including Napoleon Lajoie and Elmer Flick. In the year prior to signing with the New York Giants, Marquard worked for an ice cream company in Cleveland and pitched for their company team on Sundays. Marquard earned his nickname while pitching for Indianapolis of the American Association in 1908. In an early acknowledgement of Marquard�s extraordinary pitching ability, an Indianapolis Star article reported that the left-handed Marquard resembled one of the greatest southpaws of all time, Rube Waddell.

Jantz · #7 01-25-2012, 11:49 PM

The nickname Heinie was actually given to ballplayers of German descent. Short for Heinrich according to a few web searches.

As far as Heinie Berger, I'm friends with his grandson. I knew him for a few years and while attending a card show, I stopped at his table to say hello. He asked me if I had bought anything, so I pulled out my purchases. While thumbing through the stack he said "Hey theres my Grandfather!" He had never mentioned before that his grandfather was a ballplayer.

Jantz

ScottFandango · #8 01-25-2012, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jalex

This one has confounded me and sometimes made me re-think my love for pre-war baseball. Heinie and Rube are tame compared to some of the nicknames given to men who played base ball then. How about "Dummy" for a deaf guy, or "Nig" for well, you know... My favorite pre-war player is Ed Summers, they called him "Kickapoo Ed" because of his native ancestry. It was a very non-PC time.

Cheers,

Jim

ahh the Age Before Lawyers

alanu · #9 01-25-2012, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottFandango

ahh the Age Before Lawyers

It's not so much the lawyers as the type of lawyers

jalex · #10 01-25-2012, 01:27 PM

Very true, which makes it uncomfortable and comforting all at the same time...

Cheers,

Jim

bigtrain · #11 01-26-2012, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottFandango

ahh the Age Before Lawyers

During the rise of Rome, its citizens involved in lawsuits pleaded their own cases but could call on legal experts called "advocati" to assist. However, "advocati" were forbidden from charging fees. That law changed in the second century B.C. The paid mouthpiece was born and the fate of the Roman Empire was sealed.