Maybe it's just my perception, but it seems there aren't as many good nicknames in baseball as there used to be. Instead we get lots of A-Rod, I-Rod, B-Rob, A-Gon and Miggy, Wiggy, and Riggy. Part of it is probably that those kinds of shortcuts are easier - heck, I use them myself sometimes - but it takes a little bit of the color out of the game. It's more fun to write about Oil Can Boyd having pitched a good game than Dennis Boyd. If he went by Dennis, how many people today would have heard of him? Perhaps I'm just off-base though, and I was hoping that our excellent readers here could fill me in on some of the nicknames around that I've been unaware of. Maybe once there are enough submission we could set up a poll - or series of polls - to pick the best one in baseball today.

I'll offer a few of my own from my local team to get things started:

Former Orioles' closer George Sherrill; Ol' Flat Breezy or the Brim Reaper. Based on the style with which he wears his cap, leaving the brim flat.

Current Orioles' closer Alfredo Simon; I've taken to calling him Shutdown Sauce because it's silly and cheesy*.

* He's got a cheesy nickname and his name is Alfredo. The cheesiness is itself cheesy. I love it.

Former Orioles' starter and current independent leagues pitcher Sidney Ponson; Sir Sid, Sir Shrek, or (my favorite) the Punchin' Aruban. Ponson wasn't knighted in his native Aruba, you see, and later punched a judge. Oh that crazy guy.