Name confusion
Posted by Andy on February 5, 2011
Which famous MLB baseball player am I referring to below?
- Famous pitcher
- Best years came in the 1970s
- Multiple All-Star selections
- Won 20 games in a season multiple times, including a high of 25
- Played for the Yankees later in his career
- Was a World Series champion
- First name Jim
- Feline-sounding nickname
So who am I thinking of? Click through to read more.
Of course it's Catfish Hunter. Only it's not--it's Jim Kaat.
As a youngster, I completely confused these two guys. I know that probably sounds ridiculous. But somehow I got "Catfish" and "Kitty" confused and, because I never saw either guy play, it took a long time before my confusion was alleviated. It probably wasn't until Hunter's death, when I read detailed biographies on his career, that I finally separated the two guys in my head.
How about you? Which players do you always confuse?
February 6th, 2011 at 12:26 pm
Charlie Moore and Charlie O'Brien had one LONG career as the Brewers backup catcher.
February 6th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
#95 - Nice one, for the three people who care about Ian Snell (Oquendo).
February 6th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
I read a lot of baseball history, but I confuse Rube Waddell with Rube Marquard. Also, in the 1950's there were two catchers named Dixie Howell.
Sandy Vance pitched for the Dodgers in the early 1970's. Nobody would mix him up with Sandy Koufax or Dazzy Vance, but what a great name!
February 6th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Some of mine have already been mentioned.
The two Alex Gonzalezes, who were opposing shortstops in the 2003 NLCS. With so many more Hispanic players, with a smaller pool of last names and first names to combine, this is only going to get more confusing!
Jeff Robinson born on the 347th day of 1960 and Jeff Robinson born on the 347th day of 1961. One of them played for the Giants early on and learned a split-fingered fastball from their pitching coach, Roger Craig. However, while Roger Craig was one of the better-known pitching coaches of the 1980s, he was not even the most famous Roger Craig in San Francisco professional sports at the time.
Jeremi Gonzalez, Jeremy Hernandez, Jeremy Giambi, and Jason Giambi. I know that one was a position player who was a bigger star than the others (Jason Giambi), and one met a lot of misfortune after his playing days were done - first being required to pay for treating an injury after being released by a major league club and then getting killed by lightning (Jeremi Gonzalez).
Mark Carreon and Diego Segui:
Both played around the same time.
Both were sons of ex-major leaguers.
Both share Jayson Stark's birthday of July 19 (but not same year).
Both were lefthanded throwing position players who, unlike most lefthanded throwing position players, were not purely lefthanded batters. Carreon only batted righthanded, and Segui was a switch hitter.
Both played for the Mets and Indians in their careers, although not at the same time.
February 6th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Don Drysdale and Don Sutton.
February 6th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Bucky Dent and Bill Sharp-probably for no good reason but I had never seen those last names before...
February 6th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
@98- Oh and I forgot Bob Milacki and Kevin Mmahat- mostly cos how the hell did you pronounce Mmahat?
February 6th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Bob Milacki & Dave Mlicki.
February 6th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
Both Milacki & Mlicki pitched for the 93 Indians and both posted 3.38 ERA.
February 6th, 2011 at 11:43 pm
I always got the Martinez fellas mixed up (Ramon, Pedro and Dennis).
February 6th, 2011 at 11:57 pm
Doug Strange and Ed Sprague. I don't know why. Also, Al Kaline and Ralph Kiner. Beats me.
February 7th, 2011 at 1:58 am
I get guys with similar careers/eras mixed up quit frequently
Hornsby and Wagner until recently
Gaylord Perry and Juan Marichal, don't know why
Rube Waddell and Rube Marquard
Dons Drysdale and Sutton
February 7th, 2011 at 2:05 am
Goose Gossage and Catfish Hunter
February 7th, 2011 at 3:25 am
Re #97 - I used to hope the A's would trade for Junior Felix, so they could have an outfield of Junior Felix, Felix Jose, and Jose Canseco.
Re #8 and #79 - Mookie Wilson's given name was William Wilson. The name "Mookie" was very instrumental in being able to tell William Wilson and Willie Wilson apart.
I also have trouble telling William Kristol and Billy Crystal apart. One is a comedian who makes me laugh, and the other just makes me want to cry. To avoid further confusion, I suggest we refer to one as Billy Crystal and the other as Mookie Kristol.
February 7th, 2011 at 9:54 am
Bobby Jones (RHP) and Bobby Jones (LHP)
When I was very young...Yogi Berra and Yogi Bear
Also when I was young, my brother had a New York Rangers pennant hanging up. I knew nothing of Hockey at the time so I thought it was a combination of the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.
February 7th, 2011 at 11:19 am
The 2 Steve Sparks pitchers. The 2 Jeff D'Amicos. The 2 Hoffpauirs for the Cubs/Cardinals who came active in 2009 time span.
When they are active at the same time it's just obnoxious.
February 7th, 2011 at 11:28 am
At one point I got excited because the Orioles got Bobby Bonilla ... no they didn't, they got Juan Bonilla.
February 7th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
@117, JT -- Did 1995-96 make up for that "wrong Bonilla" disappointment? (That is, when Bobby Bo did finally play for Baltimore.)
P.S. to JT -- I take it that you are not Johnny Twisto, whom I and others have sometimes shortened to "JT" on these pages?
February 7th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
@ 115:
bhaahahahaha
Me too! So confusing for a 4 year old.
February 7th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Michael @114 -- I shared your dream outfield, but slightly expanded:
Ken Griffey\Junior/Felix\Jose/Canseco
February 7th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
How about two above average pitchers both named Dutch Leonard, and another pitcher named Dennis Leonard who's career looks very close in scope and sequence with one of the Dutch Leonards?
Then there are two Bill Lee's who both had long and solid (yet unspectacular) pitching careers.
February 7th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
@ 118 As a Mets and Orioles fan (1969 was difficult), Bobby never seemed to live up to his advanced promotion.
I guess JT is kind of common. I'll come up with something unique for next time.
February 7th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
Since the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl, prople think of V. Lombardi, referring to Vince. Years ago the Dodgers had a lefthander named Vic Lombardi. That makes two V. Lombardis in different sports.
February 7th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
Bill Swift and Bill Swift--both righthanded pitchers. William V. Swift played in the big leagues from 1932-1943. William C. Swift played from 1984-1998. In the similar pitchers category W.C. ranked eighth place in W.V.'s list while W.V. ranked 10th place in W.C.'s list.
February 7th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
(Harry) Socks Seibold pitched from 1915-1933. (Ralph) Socks Seybold played from 1899-1908, primarily as a right fielder.
February 7th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
Tom C. Baker and Tom H. Baker. T.C. was a righthanded pitcher from 1935-1938 T.H. was a lefthanded pitcher for the Cubs brfiefly in 1963. When I was in high school in Fresno, T.H. was a star pitcher for the Fresno Cardinals.
February 7th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
Gehringer and Greenberg. Contemporaries, Tigers, right-side infielders, hall-of-famers.
February 8th, 2011 at 12:38 am
one could put a team of 25 together with 13 or less first name last name matches;
But if you can get a best and worst of the same name teams, there's little doubt most would want JOE L MORGAN at 2b rather than JOE M MORGAN.
February 8th, 2011 at 1:38 am
13x2=26.............so 12 sets or less better do it.
February 8th, 2011 at 4:14 am
Lee May and Lee Maye
February 8th, 2011 at 9:46 am
Brian Giles x2
February 8th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
@93
"Thurman Munson and Derek Jeter. Both captains of the Yankees. Never could figure out which is which."
Thurman Munson could field, and was overrated less.
February 8th, 2011 at 10:29 pm
Kenny Rogers, Kevin Rogers, and Kevin Brown. All pitchers who were active at some point in the 1990s. I kept waiting for a Kenny Brown to show up. Kevin Rogers is the least-known of the three. His career ended prematurely due to a circulation problem in his fingers apparently caused by tobacco usage. His best-remembered game was one in which his team blew an 8-0 lead and lost 9-8 in extra innings. He angered the opposition by celebrating a key strikeout, thus rousing the opposing team's players from their batting slumber. April 26, 1993.
February 9th, 2011 at 5:22 am
When I was a child, I got Nolan Ryan and Ryne Duren's names confused. Other than the fact they were both pitchers, I have no idea why I confused them.
February 9th, 2011 at 5:46 am
Wild Bill Donovan the pitcher and WBD the spy.
February 9th, 2011 at 11:28 pm
Robert "Bob" Gibson HOF
could never be confused with Robert Louis "Bob" Gibson who won
12 games for the Brewers from 83-86 and pitched one game
for the Mets in 87.