Monday, April 13, 2009

Most Ironic, Unfit Nickname Ever

Not only is Ryan Theriot the starting shortstop of my least favorite team of all-time, the Cubs, but he also has the lamest nickname since I've been following major league baseball. Thus he really never had a chance for my sympathy. For those of you unaware, his nickname is "The Riot." He is obviously called this name because of his last name; however, he does not deserve the nickname. He does not resemble a riot even a little bit. He's 5'11, 175 lbs, considerably small for a professional athlete. As a matter of fact, if I were a Cubs fan I would be embarrassed to have him play shortstop, the position with the longest throw to first base in the infield. I could not justify calling a player with a weak arm who only had 24 total extra base hits last season The Riot. Not even a riot, but The Riot. The Riot of all riots. Maybe I am the last person to recognize the irony here, because Theriot is the opposite of a riot. If he was a riot, similar to Manny Ramirez, he would not be in the league. The reason Ramirez gets signed is that he has a .314 career batting average and 527 homers. Theriot is closer to The Regulated, than The Riot. Similar to players such as David Eckstein, and Craig Counsell, Theriot is known as a player who plays really hard, but has little talent. As some of you saw against the Brewers on April 10th, instead of going for the inning ending double play, he unsuccessfully attempted to throw out Ricky Weeks at home--showing off how weak his arm really is. I am not saying that he should not be in the league; he is batting .500 this season, and batted .307 last season. Those kind of numbers are worthy of a roster spot. However, I would not give him the nickname "The Riot." I understand it is his last name, it can be split into the two words. But if a player had the last name Thecocksucker, we would not do the same for him.

1 comment:

  1. My name is Charlie Thecocksucker, and I don't appreciate your poking fun at my surname. The Thecocksuckers have a long, proud history, and you should be ashamed of mocking their family name.

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