Double G
Posted by Andy on November 17, 2010
Earlier when I wrote about Dan Uggla I noticed how another recent star second baseman, Craig Biggio, also has a double G in his name.
What other star or semi-star players have double G's in their names?
Off the top of my head I thought of:
Joe DiMaggio Dom DiMaggio Wade Boggs Magglio Ordonez
There have to be more...who else?
November 17th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Reggie Jackson
November 17th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
How about former ROY Gregg Olson and current Yankee Greg Golson?
November 17th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Miller Huggins?
Chone Figgins?
November 17th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Somewhere, Vince DiMaggio is pissed. 🙂
November 17th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Reggie Smith
Gregg Jefferies
Riggs Stephenson
Alan Wiggins
November 17th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
All-stars with double-g:
Chone Figgins
Craig Biggio
Dan Uggla
Dom DiMaggio
Gregg Jefferies
Gregg Olson
Hal Gregg
Joe DiMaggio
Lew Riggs
Magglio Ordonez
Pinky Higgins
Reggie Jackson
Reggie Sanders
Reggie Smith
Vince DiMaggio
Wade Boggs
November 17th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Rich Coggins
Doggie Miller
Glenn Braggs
Darren Bragg
Steve Staggs (yes, I'm a Blue Jays fan from way back)
Dave Skaggs
Muggsy McGraw
Gregg Legg!
November 17th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Ty Wiggington
November 17th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Wasn't Eddie Stankey called Muggsy as well?
November 17th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
And, now that I think about it, how about Joe Beggs -- a personal hero of mine as a kid, primarily because his was the first baseball card I ever owned.
November 17th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
1915 AL home run leader Braggo Roth
Jigger Statz
Shawn Riggans
Bobby Higginson
. . . And, if you're willing to broaden the topic just a bit, longtime AL umpire Vic Voltaggio and Dodgers broadcaster Jerry Doggett
November 17th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Upon seeing the headline, I assumed this would be about players with the initials GG. I was preparing myself for a discussion on the merits of Gary Gaetti.
November 17th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
@10, Frank -- Nice note on Joe Beggs! I had never heard of him, but I see that he had a pretty fine career -- several good years as a relief ace in the early '40s, and one outstanding season in the rotation ('46), ranking among the NL leaders in several categories.
Those '46 Reds had a heckuva pitching staff, but were done in by an inept offense. The staff ERA was 3.08, ERA+ 110, and their top 7 SPs each had an ERA between 2.32 (Beggs) and 3.25. They had the veteran Bucky Walters (198 wins, 1939 MVP) in his last good year; rookie Ewell Blackwell was an All-Star with a 2.45 ERA in 194 IP and a league-high 5 shutouts (Blackwell would go 22-8 with a strikeout title in '47); "Double-No-Hit" Johnny Vander Meer (3-time K titleist). But they finished 6th at 67-87, thanks to an offense that was the worst in either league by just about any measure.
That '46 season was also the end of the line for HOF manager Bill McKechnie, who won WS titles with the Reds in '40 and Pirates in '25, and a pennant with the '28 Cards. How many managers have won a pennant with 3 different clubs?
November 17th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
going off the boggs theme...Mitch Boggs and Brandon Boggs - both current players.
November 17th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
I can't speak of her breast size, but Indians pitcher Anthony Reyes married Cardinals 2b Skip Schumaker's extraordinarily hot sister. http://wws.weddingchannel.com/view/default.aspx?uid=7778450879824531&MsdVisit=1
November 17th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
@Kahuna Tuna
Aww. man you stole my double-g Greg Legg. I was in Scranton-Wilkes Barre for Greg Legg night, the day he announced his retirement. Great guy, shook all our hands and thanked us for coming out.
November 17th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Does Greg Gross count?
November 17th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Kevin Gregg
Gregg Zaun
November 17th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Reggie Cleveland of "The Reggie Cleveland All-Stars" fame.
November 17th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Sorry, SC! Legg played in the mid-'80s for the Phillies' AAA team in Portland, Oregon, where I was attending college. His name fits the specs so perfectly, I couldn't not post it.
Does Greg Gross count? Only if Greg Garrett does too. (-;þ
November 17th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
@4: Andy said star or semi-star. I once read that (at least many years ago) the Phillies tended to sign the least talented of brothers and, according to the quote, "Had there been a Zeppo Alou, the Phillies would have signed him."
November 17th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
20
And only if we can count Greg Goosen
November 17th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Expanding the definition of semi-star
Jiggs Donahue
Bill Duggleby
Vean Gregg
Reggie Sanders
Riggs Stephenson
November 17th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
@12
Goose Gossage and Goose Goslin?
November 17th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
and another reggie: jefferson, DH for the red sox in the late 90s
November 17th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
@4
I thought Vince might be wigged out, show a hairtrigger temper, be aggravated, shoot daggers with his eyes, or be bugged about his flagging support.
November 17th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Interesting topic, but how about something on the Vet Committee ballot that was mentioned last week? Anyone know how they even choose what names come up?
Also, was there ever a blog on Hoffman getting his 600th save at the end of the season?
November 17th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Are we going to have follow-up posts about other double letters? The double L's could go on for a while. In any case, there's only one player whose nickname actually references the double letter in his name. He's a Hall of Famer, too.
November 17th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
I believe Biggio and Boggs are the only double-G to win the GG award
November 17th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
@28 -- "THE BEAST!"
(Hint, hint.)
November 17th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
@28
"In any case, there's only one player whose nickname actually references the double letter in his name. He's a Hall of Famer, too."
Trying to figure out if it's the Yankee Cligger or Mr. Oggtober
November 17th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Johnny Niggeling -- RHP who made his debut at age 34, lasted through age 42, had some good years during WWII.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/niggejo01.shtml
November 17th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
How about a minor star in a different sport, who also played a bit of baseball?
Apparently, Muggsy Bogues -- at 5'3", probably the shortest starting player in modern NBA history -- played one game in the Texas Rangers' farm system, whiffing in both ABs.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=bogues001tyr
November 17th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
@29 Reggie Smith won a Gold Glove in 1968. Also Doug Griffin in 1972, if you want to count that.
November 17th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
GG Allin maybe didn't play baseball but sure had a lot of spitters in his time!
November 17th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
MG,
and here i thought i'd never discuss GG Allin on a baseball site. Thank you!
if any of these guys ever knew mr allin's antics, i think none would be too thrilled, but i am.
November 17th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
I've come late to this topic, so I can't think of any that others haven't mentioned already.
If we expand it to other letters, the doubling of the vowels "e" and "o" will have a lot of occurrences. In the 1970s, I remember thinking that the combination "aa" doesn't come together very much, but there were several major leaguers with that combination in their last names. Leading off, of course, was Hank Aaron (his brother Tommie had probably retired by then, Dave Aardsma had probably not even been born yet, and Don Aase may have still been in the minors). Veteran pitcher Jim Kaat was another one active then.
Double "u" (not counting Brooks Robinson's "Human Vacuum Cleaner" nickname) is probably a lot rarer than double "a", as is double "i" (the only person I know of who had a double "i" in his name was the recently-deceased movie director Dino De Laurentiis). In these double vowel instances, I am thinking only in terms of doubling within the same part of the name.
November 17th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
@36
GG Allin-August 29, 1956 – June 28, 1993, Rest In Piss!!!!
November 17th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
@37
Kaz Ishii, Keiichi Yabu, and Masato Yoshii all have double ii's. Shane Victorino does too, at least in his nickname--the Flyin' Hawaiian. And Roy Smalley was actually Roy Smalley III, which is three iii's if you want to look at it that way. Plus he's got a double L, which might make him the king of reduplication (and that's appropriate because "Roy" means "king.")
It's amazing what you can find when you start looking for it.
November 17th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Reggie Smith, Wade Boggs, and Biggio may be the only ones from our list that led their league in doubles.
November 17th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
But Roy Smalley III never led the league in triples. Definitely a missed opportunity there.
November 17th, 2010 at 11:14 pm
There must be oodles of double T's, but none so brief as Ed Ott.
November 17th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
@42
True, but Matt Batts is a pretty brief double double T
November 17th, 2010 at 11:42 pm
Liked Neil's All-Star list so much, I posted it as a quiz on Sporcle.com http://www.sporcle.com/games/yippeeyappee/not_kevin_gregg_zaun .Lots of users cite BR as the source data for their quizzes.
November 17th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
DoubleDiamond, Paul Schaal and Moose Haas come to mind for AA.
November 18th, 2010 at 12:53 am
One of my favorite short-lived pitchers from the 90's, Brady Raggio....
November 18th, 2010 at 9:54 am
Another Boggs - Tommy Boggs
28 & 30 - he is on the list of sluggers that started and ended their careers in the same city, but on different teams.
November 18th, 2010 at 10:18 am
@45
I wouldn't mind having Rik Aalbert Blyleven pitching for my team.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Derek Jeter, right? I mean, he's got all those GGs. They can't be for defense, can they???
November 18th, 2010 at 11:22 am
@49
I'm pretty sure that GG really stands for Gorgeous Girlfriends
November 18th, 2010 at 11:24 am
@43: Andy Pettitte has two double T's confined to his last name.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:24 am
28 & 30 - Dos Equis would be his (much improved) nickname today.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Is Gavvy Cravath the only double V?
Funny that Robb Nen's double letter is in his FIRST name not his last.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:46 am
Pitcher George Suggs was a 20-game winner with the Reds 100 years ago, also had the league's best control that year. (He was also one of the best pitchers in the first year of the Federal League, for whatever that's worth.)
November 18th, 2010 at 11:51 am
@53 -- Any mention of Gavvy Cravath is welcome, but I'm not sure he really qualifies as a "double-v." First, Gavvy was just a nickname; his real name was Clifford Carlton Cravath. Second, he himself spelled the nickname with only one v, according to various sources.
From Wikipedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavvy_Cravath)
"While playing in California, Cravath reportedly picked up his nickname of "Gavvy" by hitting a ball that killed a seagull ("gaviota" in Spanish) in flight. The reporters spelled the nickname "Gavvy" to emphasize that it rhymes with "savvy," but Cravath himself spelled it "Gavy.""
November 18th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
@37/39 (re: "ii") --
Larry Biittner has not only the rare double-i, but the even more unusual consecutive-double-letter.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/biittla01.shtml
November 18th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
@6, Neil --
Somehow, your list of "gg" All-Stars missed Ty Wigginton (2010).
@44, I hope you correct your quiz to include Wiggy!
November 18th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
@56
Greg Goossen would agree!
November 18th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
So would Harry Eells.
November 18th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
@33&55 John Autin, interesting you would shoot down Clifford "Gavvy" Cravath after previously suggesting we consider Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues. Muggsy, like Gavvy, is a nickname and in my opinion neither has any relevance here.
Anyway kudos to whoever pointed out Larry Biittner. Don't know if anyone cares about middle names but if so, a shout out to my favorite double vowel player, Rik Aalbert Blyleven.
November 18th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
We need a better bookkeeper, we have forgotten
Jimmy Abbott
November 18th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
@57 Added!
November 18th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
The only two triple G's I could find: Gil Gonzalo Garrido (65 career games at 2B, but hit his only career home run in 1970 while playing SS) and Gary George Gray.
November 18th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
@60, Kelly -- Fair point. I should have omitted the general "nickname" objection, and focused on the fact that Cravath spelled it "Gavy".
(My stance on nicknames (not that anyone should care!) is that, when a person is universally known by a nickname and not by his given name, then the nickname, for all intents and purposes, is his "real" name.)
November 18th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
@45 - Paul Schaal was one of those I was aware of when I was thinking about the "aa" combinations in the 1970s. Moose Haas may have been another one.
@39 - I didn't even think of the Asians with the "ii" combinations.
@56 - But I was aware of Larry Biittner.
As someone whose real last name is often misspelled with one of its letters doubled (thanks to a business with that name), I tend to err in the opposite direction - forgetting to double a letter.
November 19th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Elwell Blackwell has to be the only All Star with "Well" in both his first and last name. See 13.
November 19th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
so many horrible puns. can you hear me gagging?
November 19th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
@66
Well, well, that is one sick piece of trivia.
Did I go to the well too often?
November 21st, 2010 at 9:00 am
Juul, Herb
Juul, Herold
Luuloa, Keith