One of the common laments we hear is how there aren’t any more good nicknames in sports. Back in the day, players used to have all kinds of nicknames pertaining to looks or ethnicity, and maybe it’s because the concept of “political correctness” didn’t exist. Still, we’ve had some good nicknames including The Big Ticket, The Big Hurt, and Revis Island, but most nicknames have evolved into shortcuts involving a player’s name. Invoking initials and numbers e.g. CP3 or CB4 does not qualify. Neither does the combination of player’s first initial-hyphen-shortened version of player’s last name. “A-Rod” is not a nickname and it’s sad we have two world-class athletes fighting over it. Luckily for us, Rangers young pitcher Derek Holland won’t fall into the same trap.
The Rangers’ second year southpaw made his season debut Wednesday night, dealing six scoreless innings to beat the A’s and earn his first win of the year. After the game, Holland was interviewed by FSN’s Emily Jones and asked if he liked the nickname “Wonderboy” that some people had bestowed upon him. As Jimmy Traina points out at SI Hot Clicks, Holland said he preferred something else. Yes, I’m guessing you know where we’re going here and it’s obviously a play on Derek’s last name. The natural question is whether the guy really is Dutch. Who knows? At least Holland can be proud he now has something in common with Jessica Simpson.
Sources:
Derek Holland Nickname [SI Hot Clicks]
Holland after Rangers’ win [MLB.com]
Photo Credit: SI Vault
