YesButNoButYes: Top Ten Nicknames for Intriguing Sports Personalities forgotten by Sports Illustrated

You probably saw last week's Sports Illustrated list of the 25 most intriguing characters in sports. Good list, and it's hard to object to the Round Mound of Rebound being number one, but how they left Mike Tyson off the list is beyond me.

That reminded me of a previous SI list...greatest sports nicknames in history. Once again, cool list but I thought they missed a few. So that led to my latest way to waste an evening...

Top Ten Nicknames for Intriguing Sports Personalities, who were left off both lists
(it's a niche category)

And coming in at number 10...

10) Craig "Walrus" Stadler

What's intriguing is how this body makes a living in sports, and I love it when the name fits so perfectly. You really are a walrus, ya chubby bastard.

9) Billy "White Shoes" Johnson

The inventor of the end zone dance, everybody imitated his patented "White Shoes Shuffle". The NFL's all-time punt return leader was a true character...so smooth he never got his shoes dirty.

8) Ille "Nasty" Nastase

McEnroe made SI's list, but he and Jimmy Connors both borrowed their personalities from the original tennis bad boy. Nasty was throwing tantrums and rackets when Mac was still in grammer school.

7) "Never Nervous Pervis" Ellison

Alright, Pervis got in for the nickname. What's intriguing is where his talent went when he got to the NBA. Let's face it, he's got permanent standing on the "Biggest busts in NBA draft hstory" list.

6) Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd

The nickname is legendary, as was his temper. After being left of the 1986 All-Star team, Boyd threw a tantrum so big he was admitted in the psychiatric ward of a hospital. He got his nickname from the way he would gulp cold drinks on hot days...just like "drankin' ole" (weird)

5) New York Knicks "Bomb Squad"

The only sports unit on the list. Mark Jackson, Rod Strickland, Johnny Newman, Gerald Wilkins and Trent Tucker made up what was the most exciting group of guys in Knick History. Mark was the star, Rod was the bad boy, Johnny was the rock, Gerald was the flake and Trent was the elder statesman. They haven't been as fun to watch since.

4) Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky

Remember this guy? Al had some anger issues. Every pitch, he'd have his back to the hitter, mumble something to himself, slam his fist in his glove, spin around and march to the top of the pitcher's mound. A true character and a legendary nickname.

3) Bill "Spaceman" Lee

Spaceman was once asked whether he preferred grass to artificial turf. "I don't know," he replied, "I never smoked the fake stuff." When they asked him about mandatory drug testing, Lee remarked. "I believed in drug testing a long time ago. All through the '60s I tested everything!"

2) Mark "Bird" Fidrych

In his rookie season, Fidrych had a 19-9 record, won Rookie of the Year, and started the All-Star Game. But it's his personality that people will always remember. Dancing on the mound, talking to the ball, discarding balls batters had hit, chasing away groundskeepers and shaking hands with teammates that made great plays. He was like a kid in a candy store...a true character.

1) Doc "Doc" Ellis

What? It's not really a nickname? I got six words for ya...He pitched a no-hitter on acid. If that's not freaking intriguing, I don't understand the meaning of the word.