The Baseball Project, Annotated, Vol. 3: "Panda and the Freak"

The San Francisco Giants 80-grade nickname game.

Feb 26, 2023

The Baseball Project is a rock supergroup who writes and sings songs exclusively about baseball. See Annotated Vol. 1 for a full introduction.

Baseball nicknames are truly one of the great delights of the game. You only get one when you’re loved. Or hated. Or a future Hall of Famer. Or a felon.

There’s a reason everyone knows who the Say Hey Kid is and nobody remembers who was named the J-Hey Kid.

The Baseball Project goes 28 players deep on this song’s roster with extra shout-outs for Giants fans.

Here is the annotated “Panda and the Freak.”

You heard about the Mudcat(1),
Catfish(2), and the Georgia Peach(3)

In Jimmy “Mudcat” Grant’s first minor league try-out camp (1958), another player assumed he was from Mississippi (he’s from Lacoochee, Florida) and called him Mudcat. That was probably not a complement. Cleveland coaches picked it up anyway and it stuck. In the 1965 World Series, he pitched a complete-game six-hitter (on two days rest) and hit a three-run homer to send the Twins to a seventh game. In 1969, he started the first-ever game in Montreal Expos history. In 2005, he published a book about the lives of twelve black major-league pitchers who won 20 games called The 12 Black Aces. Saving my favorite factoid for last: Grant pitched in fourteen MLB seasons, but would supplement his income in the winter by singing in a touring nightclub act: Mudcat and the Kittens.

Here’s a Mudcat song-poem produced with Marvin Gaye, “Life”.

Jim “Catfish” Hunter was a high school pitching phenom in Hetford, North Carolina in 1964, (13-1, with five no-hitters, and a perfect game), despite having 30 shotgun pellets in his right foot from a hunting accident. After a local scout got the Kansas City Athletics to sign Hunter, team owner Charlie Finley told him, “A player’s got to have a nickname… Let’s call you Catfish… The story is, when you were six years old you ran away from home to fish and by the time your parents got to you, you’d caught two catfish and were just about to bring in a third. Got that? Now you repeat it to me.” Hunter’s Hall of Fame career lasted fourteen seasons and included eight All-Star teams, five World Series Championships, over 2,000 strikeouts, a Cy Young (1974), a(nother) perfect game (1968), and his number (27) retired by the Oakland Athletics. Hunter passed away in 1999 at age 53 from ALS.
George “Catfish” Metkovich deserves a mention. Metkovich had a catfish fin pierce his foot through his shoe while trying to retrieve a hook during a fishing trip in spring training, 1940. The injury required a hospital visit and a week out of commission, during which his manager Casey Stengel said, “It couldn’t have been a catfish. It must have been a filet of sole.”
Ty Cobb was dubbed “The Georgia Peach” by Atlanta Journal sports editor Grantland Rice. While playing in the Tennessee/Alabama minor league in 1904, Cobb wrote dozens of letters to Rice telling of his own talent and signed fictitious names to them to attract professional scouts’ attention. In addition to his gaudy career accolades (twelve batting titles, lifetime .367 batting average, and election to the inaugural Hall of Fame), The Georgia Peach spent the 1911 off-season touring as the lead actor in the stage play The College Widow and later starred in the now-lost feature film Somewhere in Georgia (1914).
Catfish, film star Georgia Peach, & the Kitten.

The Kitten(4) and the Cobra(5),
The Spaceman(6) and the Beast(7).

Félix Millan played primarily second base for the Braves (1966-72), the Mets (1973-77), and the Yokohama Taiyo Whales (1978-80). Growing up in Puerto Rico, speed, hustle, and scrappy play earned him the nickname “El Gatito”, which eventually became “The Kitten.” He was a three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner, Hank Aaron’s roommate on road trips, and the first foreign player to win Japan’s batting title (.346 in 1979). Harvey Haddix was also known as “The Kitten” for his resemblance to Cardinals pitcher Harry “The Cat” Brecheen.
When asked by a reporter in 1983 why he wore a Star of David around his neck, Dave “The Cobra” Parker replied, “My name’s Dave and I’m a star.” Parker was never without a quick quip. “The Cobra” nickname was dubbed by team trainer Tony Bartirome and popularized by long-time Pirate announcer Bob Prince. Parker played from 1973 to 1991, compiling 2,712 hits, 339 home runs, seven All-Star appearances, one NL MVP (1978), three Gold Gloves, and two World Series Championships. He also gave this author a baseball during Spring Training in 1980.
Bill “Spaceman” Lee explained his nickname on Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz, in 2016 , “I pitched - Luis Tiant started in Baltimore, I think it was '71- the second time we landed on the moon. He didn't get anybody out. I came in with the bases loaded, two runs already in. I ended up throwing eight and two-thirds innings of relief. I got a fake bunt down and scored the winning run. We went into first place, landed on the moon, and when we went back into the locker room and the press came by, we said we got our own Spaceman right here.” Lee pitched in the major leagues from 1969 to 1982, was an All-Star in 1973, has co-written four books, and continues to set the record for the oldest professional pitcher with the Savannah Bananas. At age 65, he earned his last official win for the San Rafael Pacifics of the Pacific Association. Both Warren Zevon and They Might Be Giants have written songs about Lee.
Jimmy “The Beast” Foxx was a Hall of Fame slugger from Sudlersville, Maryland. In 1924, he was in the majors with the Philadelphia Athletics as a high school junior. The Philadelphia press dubbed him “Double X”, “The Maryland Strong Boy”, and simply “The Beast.” His twenty-year career ended with a .325 batting average, 2,646 hits, and 534 home runs (second only to Babe Ruth when he retired).
Venezuelan winter league Dave Parker; young Bill Lee is a Zack Greinke doppelganger; Jimmy Foxx, not to scale.

Goose(8), Bird(9), Rooster(10)
Penguin(11), Vulture(12).

Rich “Goose” Gossage got his nickname from teammate Tom Bradley who said Gossage stuck his neck out when looking for the signs, goose-esque, on the mound. It stuck all the way to his Hall of Fame plaque. He pitched until he was 42-years-old (1994), finished with 1502 strikeouts, nine All-Star appearances, and is one of only a handful of relief pitchers in the Hall of Fame.
Completists will also cite Mauro “Goose” Gozzo, Leon “Goose” Goslin, Phil “Goose” Gosselin, John “Goose” Easton, Gene “Blue Goose” Moore, and Lance “Baby Goose” McCullers.
Mark “The Bird” Fidrych was the biggest thing to happen to Detroit (maybe the whole US) in the summer of ‘76. He became famous for a variety of antics, but primarily talking to the baseball on the mound. He explained, "That ball has a hit in it. I want that ball to get back in the ball bag and goof around with the other balls. I want the other balls to beat him up. Maybe that'll smarten him up so when he comes out the next time, he'll pop up." After pitching to sell-out crowds at home and on the road, he won the AL Rookie of the Year Award with an MLB-best era of 2.34 and AL-best 24 complete games. His nickname came from somewhere in his year and a half in the minors (stops in Bristol, VA, Lakeland, FL, Montgomery, AL, and Evansville, IL) where his curly blonde hair and lanky stature reminded coaches of Big Bird on Sesame Street.
Pitching and magazine cover phenom Fidrych.
Rick “Rooster” Burleson was a hard-nosed shortstop from 1974 to 1987, a four-time All-Star, and the 1979 Gold Glove Award winner. Bill Lee said, “Some guys don’t like to lose, but Rick got angry if the score was even tied.” Joe Garagiola said, “He’s even-tempered. He comes to the ballpark mad and he stays that way.” Don Zimmer supposedly nicknamed him saying, “With his hat off and his hair standing up, he looks like a rooster walking around.”
Ron “The Penguin” Cey was nicknamed by his Washington State University coach, “Bobo” Brayton, for his waddling gait. A six-time All-Star, Ron was the World Series MVP for the Dodgers in 1981. He released a country music single in 1976 “Third Base Bag” b/w “One Game at a Time”. Don’t think there’s not another whole post about this song coming soon.
Phil “The Vulture” Regan got his nickname from Sandy Koufax due to his knack of earning wins in relief. In one week in 1968, Regan won both games of a doubleheader for the Dodgers, was traded to the Cubs, and earned saves in both games of another doubleheader. In April, 2017, he threw batting practice for the Mets on his 80^th birthday.
Goose, Rooster, Penguin, Vulture.

And your bird can sing
And the greatest nickname of all time:
Death to Flying Things(13).
In old New York, it was Turkey Mike(14),
Mugsy(15), and the Big Six(16)

Bob “Death to Flying Things” Ferguson was so-named for his spectacular outfield abilities in baseball’s early days (1865-84). Jack “Death to Flying Things” Chapman and Franklin “Death to Flying Things” Gutierrez also claimed the nickname.
“Turkey” Mike Donlin was a great hitter (lifetime .333 batting average) and rabble-rouser during his playing days (1899-1914). He was dubbed “Turkey” from his strutting walk and flamboyant style. He missed five months of the 1902 season while in prison for urinating in public and accosting two chorus girls. He sat out one season after a contract dispute and toured the vaudeville circuit with his actress wife Mabel Hite. Later in life, he befriended John Barrymore and acted in 68 films, including playing a Union general in Buster Keaton’s The General (1926).
John “Mugsy” McGraw never liked his nickname, which probably encouraged reporters to use it more often. He played for fifteen years (1891-1906), finishing with a .334 lifetime batting average, and managed the New York Giants for thirty years (1902-32), winning three World Series. McGraw ranks second all-time in wins by a manager with 2,763.
Christy “Big Six” Mathewson claimed the nickname is short for “Big Six-Footer” (he was 6’2”), but it probably originated when sportswriter Sam Crane compared his pitching to New York’s Big Six Fire Company, the fastest to put out a fire. The inaugural Hall of Fame inductee pitched seventeen seasons for the New York Giants (1900-16), won 373 games, struck out 2,503 batters, won two World Series, and pitched two no-hitters. In 1902, he played fullback for half a season for the Pittsburgh Stars of the first National Football League.
Lesser known Elden “Big Six” Auker was so-named for being selected all-conference in baseball, football, and basketball at (what is now known as) Kansas State, which played in the Big Six Conference. He went on to pitch for ten years in the majors where he says no one used his nickname.
Death to Flying Things, Turkey Mike, Mugsy, and the Big Six.

In San Francisco, Baby Bull(17),
Stretch(18), and the Say Hey Kid(19).

Orlando “Baby Bull” Cepeda compiled the following accolades during his Hall of Fame career: NL Rookie of the Year (1958, the Giants’ first year in San Francisco), NL MVP (1967), eleven All-Star games, one World Series Championship, 2,351 hits, and 379 home runs. Orlando’s father, a professional baseball player in Puerto Rico, was known as “The Bull”, hence “Baby Bull.”
Willie “Stretch” McCovey was 6’ 4” and 200 pounds. Los Angeles sports columnist Jim Murray wrote, “On ground balls hit to second, there’s no need to throw, the second baseman just hands the ball to Willie.” Willie won the San Francisco Giants a second Rookie of the Year award in a row in 1959. His Hall of Fame career spanned 22 years, included six All-Star games, an NL MVP (1969), 2,211 hits, and 521 home runs. The inlet of San Francisco Bay beyond the right field wall of Oracle Park is forever McCovey Cove.
Willie “Say Hey Kid” Mays was an All-Star 24 times. He led the NL in home runs and stolen bases four different times each. He hit 660 home runs and had 3,283 hits, and was a twelve-time Gold Glove Award winner. And he missed almost two seasons after being drafted into the Army (1952-53). Willie had a hard time remembering teammates’ names early in his career and said, “You see a guy, you say, ‘Hey man. Say hey, man.’ Ted [Williams] was the Splinter. Joe [DiMaggio] was Joltin’ Joe. Stan [Musial] was The Man. I guess I hit a few home runs, and they said ‘There goes the Say Hey Kid.’” A Day in the Bleachers by Arnold Hano is a goddamn delight. It details game one of the 1956 World Series and Mays’ “The Catch” from a fan POV.
Baby Bull, Stretch, and Say Hey.

Then came the Count(20), the Hackman(21)
Jack the Ripper(22) and Will the Thrill(23),
Barry(24) and Jeff Kent(25).

In John “The Count” Montefusco’s MLB debut, he hit a two-run homer in his first official at-bat and pitched nine innings in relief. He went on to win yet another Rookie of the Year Award (1975) for the San Francisco Giants. In the minors, he was dubbed the “Count of Monty Amarillo” in a El Paso newspaper headline. After his Giants debut, announcer Al Michaels called him “The Count of Montefusco.”
Jeffrey “Hackman” Leonard was a two-time All-Star during his thirteen year career (1977-90). Leonard tended to swing at every first pitch, so teammates dubbed him “Hackman.” He reportedly didn’t like the way it looked written out, so he requested it be spelled “HacMan” like PacMan. Teammate Dave Bergman took Leonard’s hefty stature and piercing stare and gave him the nickname “Penitentiary Face” which stuck for a few years, but Leonard later requested it be changed to “Correctional Facility Face”. It didn’t stick.
“Jack The Ripper” Clark credits Vida Blue for giving him the nickname while playing for the Giants when he modified his already-violent swing to hit line-drives instead of fly balls (that invariably died on the warning track in windy Candlestick Park). He still hit 340 home runs and made four All-Star teams in his eighteen-year career. His post-baseball career includes co-hosting a St. Louis radio show with Kevin Slaten called ‘The King and the Ripper.’
The Count, HacMan, Jack The Ripper.
Will “The Thrill” Clark was an All-Star in six of his fifteen seasons, hit .303 for his career, and won a Gold Glove (1991). His Jesuit High School teammates may have started his nickname or possibly it was Giants teammate Bob Brenly who gave it to him after Clark hit a homerun off Nolan Ryan in his rookie debut and said, “I’m just thrilled to be here.”
Barry Bonds never adopted a nickname during his 21-year playing career, but any Giants fan knows him simply as “Barry”.
Jeff Kent hit behind Barry in the Giants lineup from 1997-2002, which helped him compile the most career home runs by a second baseman (377), five All-Star appearances, and an NL MVP in 2000. He never had a nickname either, at least not to his face. A dugout fracas between Jeff Kent and Barry in 2002 (one of many conflicts between the two) became known as the “Slug-out in the Dugout”.
Will the Thrill, Bonds, Jeff Kent.

But a dearth of nicknames, that is, until…
The Giants got the Panda
The Giants got the Freak
The Panda's smoking line drives
The Freak is throwing heat
Panda and the Freak
Panda and the Freak
When it comes to kung fu fighting
He's no better than Hong-Chih Kuo(26)
He's kinda like Bruce Lee
If you cross Bruce Lee with a buffalo
He barrels 'round the bases
He scrambles for ground balls
Zito named him Kung Fu Panda
That's our Pablo Sandoval(27).

Hong-Chih Kuo was the fourth player to play in the major leagues from Taiwan, but the first to be an All-Star and the first to hit a home run. He pitched his best season with the Dodgers in 2010, finishing with a franchise record 1.20 ERA. I can find no reference to a nickname or to him knowing kung fu.
Pablo “Kung Fu Panda” Sandoval was named by teammate Barry Zito after Sandoval jumped over a catcher to score a run despite his 5’10’ 260-pound frame. Sandoval has been a two-time All-Star and was the 2012 World Series MVP. After being a part of 3 World Series winning teams with the Giants, he signed a $90M contract with the Red Sox, where he totaled -2.1 WAR over three injury-riddled seasons. Boston was still paying his 2019 salary ($18M+) as he played for the Giants, when, on May 5, he set a MLB record by stealing a base, hitting a homerun, and pitching a scoreless inning in relief. The film Kung Fu Panda was nominated for an Oscar in 2008.

They said he wasn't built to last
They said that he's too small
The Mariners passed him right by
Now that was a bad call (28)
Two Cy Youngs, two strike-out crowns
In his first full two years
And if Timmy takes a puff or two
Well, let's raise a toast, "Three cheers!”(29)
The Giants got the Panda
The Giants got the Freak
The Panda's smoking line drives
The Freak is smoking weed
Panda and the Freak
Panda and the Freak
Panda and the Freak
Panda and the Freak

Despite being from suburban Seattle and attending University of Washington, Lincecum was bypassed in the 2006 MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners, who selected Brandon Morrow (5th overall) instead. Mariners also passed on Clayton Kershaw (7th) and Max Scherzer (11th). Hindsight, 20/20, something something. Mariners weren’t alone. The Royals had the #1 pick and selected Luke Hochevar.
Tim “The Freak” Lincecum was so-named for his slight stature (5’11”, 170 pounds) and 99 mph fastball. A misdemeanor marijuana charge in 2009 didn’t dispel the nickname. In nine seasons with the Giants, he won two Cy Young Awards (2008, 2009), pitched two no-hitters (2013 & 2014, both against the Padres), appeared in four All-Star games (2008-11), led the NL in strikeouts three times (2008-10), and won three World Series. A 2010 ESPN SportsCenter ad has Lincecum calling himself “Big Time Timmy Jim” (perhaps the best nickname of all time), but it didn’t catch on.