How Baseball Writing Used to Be

[Theoldmole]

From the NY Times, June 2, 1948:

]OTTMEN SCORE, 10-1, AFTER 4-3 SETBACK Annex Afternoon Game on 13 Hits The Giants and Dodgers went at it hip and thigh in an all-day tournament at Ebbets Field yesterday, but by the time the last survivor in a grand aggregate of 57,102 spectators had given way to sheer exhaustion... 34,149 mingled their cheers and groans in the afternoon as Master Mel's Marauders larruped four Dodger pitchers for 13 blows.

[Valadius]

I've never heard the word "larrup" before.

[batmagadanleadoff]

="Valadius"]I've never heard the word "larrup" before.

It's an ass-whuppin'. Larrup's the verb.

[Fman99]

="batmagadanleadoff"] ="Valadius"]I've never heard the word "larrup" before. It's an ass-whuppin'. Larrup's the verb.

I have a framed copy of this picture that my mother-in-law bought for me at a yard sale. I like having a picture of those two specific players without having to look at MFY uniforms or logos.

Those were team names used when Gehrig and Ruth led contingencies of local players on off-season barnstorming tours in the late 1920s.

[G-Fafif]

That settles it -- the 2008 Mets are to be known as the Wrightmen.

Would you believe Churchgoers?

[Guest AG/DC]

Los Reyes Orientales.

[Frayed Knot]

G-Fafif wrote: Would you believe Churchgoers?

Only if they play the Pagans.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I like how pitchers used to be called "twirlers."

[Frayed Knot]

Former SI writer Steve Rushin was big on noting and repeating old and little-used phrases like that.

He cited one where a visiting pitcher going out for the first inning was said to have "toed the alien humpback"
Or when Chicago's woes on account of thin pitching was described as; "Cubs Blame Slump on Slim Slab Corps"

[batmagadanleadoff]

The Silly Willies.

[batmagadanleadoff]

The Nilly Willies.

[Frayed Knot]

Back when Frank Howard and Jim Fry were coaches they used to have ST inter-squad games which pitted the 'Jumbo Franks' against the 'Small Fries'

[Guest AG/DC]

The Brady Bunch vs. The Easley Duzzitts

[Gwreck]

Didn't the Mets use nicknames for their split-squad game at the beginning of the Spring Training this year? It was Jerry Manuel's team vs. Sandy Alomar's team. Can't remember the nicknames...

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Manuel Laborers vs. the Sandy Crotches

[Gwreck]

Upon further review those nicknames (Manuel Laborers and Alomar Cookies) were Edgy-created. For some reason I had remembered them as "official," and appearing in a Marty Noble piece but I guess not.

Link.