DAILY DIRT: The nicknames you do not hear on TV can prove to be far more interesting

Daily Dirt for Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025

It HAS to be hard for Mark Schlereth to live down that moniker of his … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,183 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Nicknames are a big of sports, especially at the professional level.

Some players, however, have earned nicknames during their career that most of the sporting public has never known about. Here are some of those nicknames, according to stadiumtalk.com, and why the players received them:

Mark Schlereth: “Stink” A three-time Super Bowl champion and ESPN analyst, Schlereth earned his nickname for “relieving” himself while sitting on the bench. He just didn’t feel the need to go to the locker room or even have some trainers shield him with towels — he just went then and there in his football gear.

Jared Lorenzen: Take your pick from “The Pillsbury Throwboy” or “The Hefty Lefty” He was a record-setting quarterback at the University of Kentucky who played briefly in the NFL and assorted minor leagues. He had a big arm AND a big belly. He simply couldn’t push himself away from the dinner table. After his playing career, he ballooned to more than 500 pounds, eventually passing away in 2019 due to heart and kidney problems.

Darko Milicic: “Human Victory Cigar” or “30/30/30” Every NBA team has a “Human Victory Cigar” — a player who subs into the game only when the game’s result is well out of reach. And despite being the No. 2 overall pick in his draft (behind LeBron James), Darko Milicic became that player for Detroit Pistons teams from 2003 to 2006. Milicic was drafted ahead of such future NBA legends as Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. Milicic was also known as the ultimate “30/30/30” player: The guy who checks into a game only when their team is either up by 30 points or down by 30 points, and they only play for 30 seconds.

Anthony Davis: “Street Clothes” Through 10 NBA seasons, Davis missed more than 175 games due to injury — or the equivalent of more than two full seasons. He’s never played more than 75 games in a year and always seems to have nagging injuries and ailments that keep him out of action for a week or two. He’s often on the bench wearing street clothes instead of his NBA gear, which earned him this nickname from Charles Barkley.

Russell Westbrook: “Westbrick” This nickname is pretty obvious. Westbrook will never be confused for Steph Curry when it comes to shooting. He’s never reached 35 percent on 3-point attempts, which is considered league average, in any season of his NBA career, and he’s also led the league in missed field goals four different times.

Pervis Ellison: “Out Of Service Pervis” During his college hoops career at Louisville, he was known as “Never Nervous Pervis” for not shying away from the spotlight. Once he graduated to the NBA, he became known more for the games he did not play. Through his first 10 NBA seasons, he played in just 55 percent of games. 

Artis Gilmore: “Rigor Artis” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Artis Gilmore were NBA contemporaries who could do everything on a court that you wanted your center to do. They also played seemingly forever and retired ranking first and second, respectively, in games played (ABA + NBA). However, while Abdul-Jabbar took up yoga during his career and aged gracefully, the same can’t be said for Gilmore. He was once one of the NBA’s premier shot-blockers but could barely move once he got into his mid-30s. That earned him the dubious nickname of “Rigor Artis” as a play off of “rigor mortis,” signifying that Gilmore could barely move in his advanced age.

2. Did you know (Part 255)

• That Buffalo Wild Wings will be releasing the following three dips to selected supermarkets: Spicy Beer Cheese, Parmesan Garlic and Creamy Buffalo. 
• That Blue Bell Ice Cream is releasing Tin Roof and Butter Crunch flavors.
• That Dr. Pepper’s unique taste is the result of combining 23 different flavors.
• That Coca-Cola is the largest beverage company in the world, and with its other holdings is the third most valuable business brand on the planet, trailing only Apple and Microsoft. It is now recognized as the largest food and beverage company in the history of civilization. 
• That Pepsi-Cola, now called PepsiCo, merged with Frito Lay in 1966. Subsequent deals has seen it buy Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, 7-Up, Tropicana, Dole, Quaker Oats and Gatorade.

3. This week’s spotlighted celebrity birthdays:

• Legendary singer Neil Diamond turns 84 on Friday. “You Got To Me” is my N.D. favorite.
• Former U.S. gymnastics star Mary Lou Retton will be 57, also on Friday. That can’t be right, can it? Mary Lou Retton is 57? Wow.
• Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky turns 64 on Sunday. The. Great. One.
• Actor Alan Alda will be 89 on Tuesday. His first major role in film or TV was when he played author George Plimpton in the 1968 movie “Paper Lion”.
• Actor Tom Selleck turns 80 on Wednesday. I’m sure going to miss “Blue Bloods”.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — I was ecstatic to see Ichiro Suzuki be a landslide selection to the MLB Hall of Fame, which prompted a thought: How long until Japan has its own MLB franchise, or even its own division? 

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Of course, one lone Hall of Fame voted had to know more than the rest of them when he didn’t list Ichiro on his HOF ballot. Idiot.