By Harry Ballsonue
The Nick Name…who gave them the name?? For this article I was able to interview, May Day, Rocky, Stevo, Bulldog, The Legend, Junior and Rex Brennen and Sunny and here is what I was told…
The Mayor: The Turk named him after announcing him as the Mayor of St. Clair Beach at a Ukrainian Festival
The Badger: May Day (he was a tenacious checker, like a squirrel on a back pack)
Dusty: May Day, not sure why
Rake: The Turk gave him the name
Bundura: Stevo gave him the name saying that his other nickname, Bundy, was short for Bundura
Sparky: Stevo gave him the name since he is an electrician.
Jingles: Sparky gave him this name, after he ran around on his first night, with his keys in his pocket (His thinking was someone would steal his car)
Tonto: Mayday
Sea Lion: Mayday, in Stevo’s pool as the Sea Lion was swimming with his cub Chris
Bullwinkle: Stevo, cuz Bullwinkle is good friends with Rocky…get it, “Rocky and Bullwinkle?”
Rocky: Mayday named him after Rocky Saganuik
Killer: Mayday, assigned him 93, Dougie Gilmour’s number and named him Killer, Dougie Gilmour’s nickname, and if you have seen him play, it fits!
Mayday: Mayday named himself. He is also known as Daddy.
Junior: Mayday, September 1989 in Port Austin on the shores of Lake Huron
Sunny/ Husky Eyes: Stevo gave him Sunny, ‘Husky Eyes’ was given to him by a chick on the bus in Pittsburgh, but don’t tell the Unicorn that.
Soupy: Stevo, named after the famous comedian Soupy Sales
Sheep Dog: Came to the team with that name
Falcon: Stevo, named him that cuz of Eddie the Eagle the goalie for the Leafs at the time, keeping the bird name, the Falcon was born, but the Falcon wears number 30 because Chris Osgood wore 30.
Hollywood: Stevo, due to his golden locks
Skuz: Came to Tomcats with that name
Finner: Had the name all his life
Crow: Came to Tomcats with the name
The Matador: Stevo gave him the name ‘Matty the Matador,’ Toro, Toro!
Crazy Legs: May Day…..cuz Frank had crazy legs.
Lovie: Stevo, named after the NFL coach of the Chicago Bears, Lovie Smith…and because Lovie is so Lovie. Thurston Howell was Lovie too. “Oh Lovie!”
Cribzie: Sea Lion
La Bamba: Stevo, (Named after the trombone player in the band Southside Johnny and the Ashbury Dukes)
Chevy: Stevo (No one ever calls him by his first name, wait….does he have a first name? We know that he now has a drink called ‘the Chevy.’ Vodka, Soda, Bar Lime…shaken not stirred.
Big Easy: Stevo
Spinner: Stevo
Mez: May Day
YoungBlood: Stevo
Kamikaze: Stevo gave him the name because it rhymes with his last name. Sometimes it gets shortened to Kaz or Kazzie.
Razor: Snowpants
Fuzzy: Crispy
Uwe: Crispy
The Turk: Mayday, after Turk Broda the Toronto Maple Leaf goalie who was stellar in the net like the Tomcat Turk.
Shackalicious: Actually Shack, Sunny named him
Chico: Stevo named after the goalie Chico Resch. Chico is a goalie, get it?
Kramden: Stevo gave him the name as Kramden’s first name is Ralph.
Snowpants: Chevy, one night as Snowpants was playing wearing some sort of track pant that looked like snow pants, Chevy asked when he got to the bench, “Are those Snowpants?”
Doc: Stevo cuz he looks like Doc Holliday
Hurricane: Mayday (cuz he used to be a whirlwind…and still is on most nights)
Spanky: Stevo
Bagz: Came to the Tomcats with that name
Bucko: Came to the Tomcats with the nickname
The Lizard: Stevo
Crispy: Came to the Tomcats with that name
Tunzie: Sea Lion
Beep: Stevo
The Terror: Nicknamed that by the Green Giant
Bubbles: Nicknamed by Daddy Mac
Zaba: Stevo named him.
The Eagle: Mayday
Tweetie Bird: Stevo
El Choppo / Flintstone: Both names came from Stevo
Bearcat: Stevo
Bulldog: Stevo named him that back in 1988. Bulldog at the same time tried to give Stevo the name Buzz, but it never took
Skippy: Came to the Tomcats with that name
Green Giant: Stevo
Ogie: Hollywood
Squid: Stevo
Big Ned: Mayday
Frost Bite: Rocky
The Anvil: Rocky cuz he looks like a blacksmith
Solstice: Stevo
Helios: Stevo
The Legend: Named himself…obviously, after all he is the Legend.
Rex Brennen: Stevo. (Named Captain Rex Brennen cuz we use to tell the waitress that we were pilots and we flew with American Airlines…
Non-Tomcat Player Notables:
Hatchie: Golf Tomcat; came with that name, aka Chewy
Little Bird: Golf Tomcats – Stevo
Nature Boy: Golf Tomcat – Mayday
Big Perv: (Battle Creek golfer guy) Got the name from the Bartender at the bar, The Docks, Augusta Michigan
Shakespeare: (Battle Creek golfer guy) Got the name from Cribzie
The Stomper: Mayday
Serta: Soupy’s wife – Beep
Unicorn: Sunny’s wife – Hollywood
Roxy: Rocky’s wife – Stevo
The Rockettes: Rocky’s daughters – Stevo
The Howler: Stevo (named after…..well I can’t say, its a PG 13 blog)
Sweet Feet: Mayday
Joad the Toad: Doc’s wife. Had the name her whole life, resurrected by Ghost Crossing
Instead of Tomcats we could have been called the….
Interesting Note: Stevo did try to give himself a new nickname a few years back, ‘Snakebite’, but it did not catch on. You should also know that there is drink called ‘The Sparky’- Rye, Coke and a topper of Wolf Head Coffee Whiskey Liqueur…try one today. If I missed someone, I am sorry, but hey, while sipping on a Sparky, would you mind if I put my Harry Ballsonue.