The fascinating world of sports nicknames is here again

When it comes to recognizing nicknames, sports fans think they know them all. That may not be the case, but some are easily identified while others take a few moments to comprehend.Baseball lost two of its biggest stars this year and if I tell you that the Say Hey Kid and Charlie Hustle passed away, you would immediately know who I'm referring to. Willie Mays died just days before Major League Baseball was to honor his legacy with a game played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama his home state.Pete Rose passed recently and though both of these men are well known for their achievements on the playing field, only one of them is in the Hall of Fame. That's because Rose was banned from the game for gambling on baseball and the Hall has a rule that no one banned is eligible for entrance.Will Pete Rose be inducted posthumously? I would think so, but we will have to see.So here are some more sports nicknames for you to identify. We will start with your "Average Joe." Can you put a last name with Joltin' Joe, Smokin' Joe, Front Row Joe, Shoeless Joe, Mean Joe, Turkey Joe, Broadway Joe, Joe Cool and Jersey Joe?The moniker Joltin' Joe refers to Joe DiMaggio. The New York center fielder, who holds the MLB record for hitting in 56 consecutive games, was also known as the Yankee Clipper or for some, Mr. Coffee from commercials he appeared in. I would think if the last nickname was your first choice, you're not exactly a big baseball fan. You would not want to get hit with a right cross from Smokin' Joe Frazier, but then again I would not want to get hit from any blow thrown by any boxer.Joe Nemechek got his nickname from his qualifying efforts in Nascar. Unfortunately he qualified better than he raced. Shoeless Joe Jackson is best known for throwing the 1919 World Series, which is too bad considering his immense talent. Mean Joe Greene was a stalwart defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers and to pacify those commercial fans, he also did a pretty cool Coca Cola ad.Turkey Joe Jones played for the Cleveland Browns and is best known for spiking Terry Bradshaw on a sack. He is probably as well known in Pittsburgh, just not as affectionately! Broadway Joe Namath was given this nickname by a teammate for his acting role off the field. That was just one appearance, but his swagger and guarantee of victory in Super Bowl III will forever live in New York Jets lore. Joe Montana was always cool under pressure during his Hall of Fame NFL career.Jersey Joe Walcott was a professional boxer, but his name wasn't Joe. His last name was not Walcott either, but he did hail from New Jersey. He used Joe Walcott as his boxing name as his given name was Arnold Cream. Well I guess that explains a lot!Here is a new list. Can you name the athletes whose nicknames started with The? See what you can do with these eight folks. The Intimidator, The Refrigerator, The Answer, The Ice Man, The Human Vacuum Cleaner, The Mailman, The Mad Hungarian and The Microwave are familiar monikers that many of you will know.Dale Earnhardt, Sr. drove the iconic No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. He was not afraid to use the chrome horn on his racing brethren, thus the nickname. William Perry was a Chicago Bears defensive lineman that was huge. The Bears put the Fridge in the offensive backfield a few times during his career. Though he mostly blocked, he did have the occasional carry. Can you imagine trying to take down this massive man?Allen Iverson was known as The Answer. The name came from a friend who thought he would bring popularity to a league struggling with name recognition before Michael Jordan came along. Iverson's comment "it's practice man" came later in his career, but it is the first thing I think about when his name comes up.George Gervin was cool and calm on the basketball court no matter how heated the action got. Supposedly he didn't perspire either. Brooks Robinson was known as The Human Vacuum Cleaner for his defensive ability at third base. He did seem to make every play at the hot corner.Karl Malone was The Mailman as he delivered night after night for the Utah Jazz. Al Hrabosky got his nickname from both his nationality and his actions on the mound when he came into pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals. He would go behind he mound and give himself a pep talk before slapping the ball into glove and hurrying to the pitching rubber. Somewhat like a madman. Vinnie Johnson was a guard for the Detroit Pistons. His nickname came from his diminutive size. Trust me, he had game.There were two major league catchers who sported the nickname of Pudge. You likely have heard of Carlton Fisk and Ivan Rodriguez. How about the full name for Chipper, Babe, Tiger and Penny? That would be Larry Jones, George Ruth, Eldrick Woods and Anfernee Hardaway. Nicknames are cool and it's fun to get the story that goes with them. So which of the above names is your personal favorite? For me, it is simple.How can you not go with Arnold Cream!