Stories behind the running phrases on AN

a couple

Wear it was a phrase from Michael Urban's book about the Big 3. It was a catch phrase used by the team. When you did something, you had to "Wear It".

Cupcakes is the nickname for one Joe Blanton.

by Zonis on Sep 6, 2006 12:01 AM PDT reply actions

Booby

Not sure how many people are still using it, but I remember one offseason where someone mistakenly spelled Bobby Kielty's name Booby and it seemed to stick for a time. I still use it.

Green eyes come from yellow flecks of fatty pigment on a dark background. Some men think a green-eyed woman is exotic. The truth is she's got fat eyes.

by Furious George on Sep 6, 2006 1:00 AM PDT reply actions

I called him Booby when he was hitting .214

Now I call him Mr. Kielty

by Hang Man on Sep 6, 2006 8:48 AM PDT up reply actions

someone make an AN glossary

and stick it on the side.
band camp, NRAF, etc

Hi, I am closetasfan, and I am a NRAF, and an ANA

by closetasfan on Sep 6, 2006 2:53 AM PDT reply actions

Hey, bud, that's no joke! The Athletics have lost two in a row to the third place team in the AL West while the Rally Monkey has won its games. There's some who naively hold out hope but others, like myself, who realize the inevitable fatalism early on. We're doomed.

4 8 15 16 23 42

by LowcountryJoe on Sep 6, 2006 3:44 AM PDT reply actions

Are we talkin'...

..."Everybody Hurts" or "(Don't Go Back) to Rockville"?

;)

by PositionPlayerProd on Sep 6, 2006 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions

Over on the front page,

it's "Bang and Blame (Macha)."

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 9:23 AM PDT up reply actions

obviously, the apt R.E.M. song for the A's is ...

"We Walk"

A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 6, 2006 9:23 AM PDT up reply actions

Everybody Hurts

should be played over a loud speaker after every Frank THomas home run

"Be in first place, then come and talk to me!!!" Erik being Erik to Angels fan at Anaheim Stadium.

by Amnesiac727 on Sep 6, 2006 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions

or every time Larry Davis appears ...

A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 6, 2006 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions

LOL

by BleacherDave on Sep 6, 2006 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions

cupcake up!

GreenNGoldGirl named "Cupcakes" as a result of a wild acid-fueled slumber party she had with The Internet People. More historical links here.

by Apricot on Sep 6, 2006 8:25 AM PDT reply actions

It's self-evident for most people,

but why is Ellis associated with unicorns?

"The A's are boring because all they do is win."

by Checkswing HR on Sep 6, 2006 9:00 AM PDT reply actions

The unicorn thread.

It's best to read the whole thing:

http://www.athleticsnation.com/story/2006/3/13/14453/8949

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 9:28 AM PDT up reply actions

lol

Ah, that was a fun day....

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Sep 6, 2006 9:45 AM PDT up reply actions

I forgot that Ellis owns the city of Albany!

I guess we'll see him at the Solano Stroll, then......

"The theme of the day is murky." -- Ken Macha, August 11, 2006

by Englishmajor on Sep 6, 2006 9:56 AM PDT up reply actions

hey!

I live in albany!

by WhatElse on Sep 7, 2006 10:59 PM PDT up reply actions

Wow...

I think I was on spring break when that thread happened. Things make a lot more sense now...

by whiteshoes40 on Sep 6, 2006 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions

Yikes

When anything on AN starts to make sense, you need to run... RUUUUUNNN!!!

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions

Unicorn in training

"A's Brand Baseball: The worst best baseball you've ever seen!" -Chavvy

by ohtobe21likehuston on Sep 6, 2006 5:26 PM PDT up reply actions

From now on...

...everything you post is going to contain a photo, isn't it? ;)

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 5:31 PM PDT up reply actions

jus fow a widl wile

"A's Brand Baseball: The worst best baseball you've ever seen!" -Chavvy

by ohtobe21likehuston on Sep 6, 2006 5:34 PM PDT up reply actions

First recorded use

of MaEl was late last winter. Monkeyball described it as being an unacceptable nickname for Mark Ellis. Ironically, it is now the only acceptable nickname for our secondbasemen.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 9:21 AM PDT reply actions

But how do you PRONOUNCE MaEl?

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 10:03 AM PDT up reply actions

"kalima shakhtiday"

A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 6, 2006 10:04 AM PDT up reply actions

You know what they say:

It's a lot easier when you understand the language of the cultists.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 10:07 AM PDT up reply actions

I'd know

if I only knew how to pronounce maelstrom.

"Don't be an ass!" --Bill King

by batgirl on Sep 6, 2006 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions

I've tried to start that

as a greeting-chant, a la Marco/Scutaro

http://www.athleticsnation.com/comments/2006/8/15/22052/0201/157#157

but to no avail :-(

"Even if you know the deck is stacked in your favor, you still have to have the discipline to trust the math and the cojones to go to the ATM." BB

by green star oakland on Sep 6, 2006 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions

Glossary is a great idea

Doesn't need to be on the side. A good glossary would be too big to fit on the AN sidebar anyway. It should have its own page(s).

Someone who has the free time can take the initiative to compile the information in one list, someone can pretty it up in HTML with links and anchors, and someone can host it on a website somewhere. (Maybe all the same someone, or maybe a team effort.) Then once it's up, we can all link to it.

One that had me confused for a long time was "Bunnies". I was never really sure who that was. I thought maybe it was Crosby, in which case it would explain why I haven't heard the name in a while.

Also, ChoCoBoCro? I figured out the BoCro part, but what is ChoCo?

"...but we're also always open to hearing about other sandwiches if it can make our lunch better." -- Nico, channeling Billy Beane

by iglew on Sep 6, 2006 10:16 AM PDT reply actions

Chocolate covered

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions

First appearance of ChoCoBoCro

http://www.athleticsnation.com/comments/2006/3/8/104225/9120/80#80

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 10:21 AM PDT up reply actions

There was an Urban notebook

where it was mentioned that Crosby had nicknamed himself "Bones" and had gotten the other guys to call him that.

Sharon (I think? Hope?) declared that "Bones" was pronounced "Bunnies." And like almost everything around here, it spread like wildfire. That's one of my favorites.

Kettlecorn! Swishercorn!

by TurnTwo on Sep 6, 2006 10:22 AM PDT up reply actions

It was in Sharon's DLD,

but Apricot gave us the pronunciation.

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions

Dang

I knew Sharon was involved somehow. The old memory ain't what it used to be.

Kettlecorn! Swishercorn!

by TurnTwo on Sep 6, 2006 10:27 AM PDT up reply actions

Bones origin

http://athleticsnation.com/story/2006/5/2/105133/0786

by Apricot on Sep 6, 2006 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions

Okay...

In that diary, there is a link to this.

It still kills me.

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 12:00 PM PDT up reply actions

so freakin funny :]

"The separation between good and great is mental. It's about conviction. It's about commitment. I really believe that." --Barry Zito

by GreenNGoldGirl on Sep 6, 2006 4:55 PM PDT up reply actions

I've been able to catch on to a lot

but can someone tell me when the Crosby puppy-giving came along?

Also, who the heck thought of binturongs and tapirs and how did they become associated with the A's?

Kettlecorn! Swishercorn!

by TurnTwo on Sep 6, 2006 10:18 AM PDT reply actions

The Crosby puppy-giving

is in the unicorn thread linked above... I just read it for the first time and a lot of things clicked. I don't know if it came up before then though.

by whiteshoes40 on Sep 6, 2006 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions

Tapirs

Valentine's Day link dump, I think...

And there's a Crosby-giving-puppies reference in the same Spring Training game thread that's linked above, but I'm not sure if that's the first occurrence of it...

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 10:27 AM PDT up reply actions

Tapirs

Yes, it came from this article originally.
I think "binturong" was just a word that monkeyball liked.

We hold these truths to be self-evident / We drink beer in bars and act irreverent - Lambchop

by andeux on Sep 6, 2006 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions

It's binturong since we reminisced like that.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 10:30 AM PDT up reply actions

That link dump

also has the origins of the throw-eat-soak in betadine jokes.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 10:31 AM PDT up reply actions

That was classic reading...

for a relative newcomer like myself. I laughed so hard that day.

Burgundy Cherry

by Ice Cream on Sep 6, 2006 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions

AHA!

Here it is!

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 10:38 AM PDT up reply actions

Whoa

That article is insane.

Kettlecorn! Swishercorn!

by TurnTwo on Sep 6, 2006 10:40 AM PDT up reply actions

Okay, NOT the Valentine's Day link dump

But the Valentine's Day link dump DOES contain the first time sal confiscated periods!

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions

annika sorenstam venereal disease

many of the terms that we need a glossary to explain and catergorize deserve a "golf clap" for their creativity and absurdity, uh, i mean wittiness.

"Apparently there's a rule that you have to be old enough to drive yourself to the induction ceremony. So obviously that's not gonna work."

by F171615 on Sep 6, 2006 10:39 AM PDT reply actions

Another diary with similar questions:

http://www.athleticsnation.com/story/2006/2/8/4031/01347

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 10:41 AM PDT reply actions

One of my favorite threads:

Sal explains why the "sweet spot" feels so good. The "neuralyzer" makes an appearance.

Of course, it's not a running phrase...but AN is a family site. Yep.

"I almost landed in some lady's lap, which was kinda fun.'' -- Swish

by Sharon on Sep 6, 2006 11:27 AM PDT reply actions

I agree

Incredible thread.

by paradox on Sep 7, 2006 7:38 PM PDT up reply actions

Not that good

Nevermind.

"the reason why hitting the ball on the "sweet spot" of the bat feels so good is that the ball is contacting at the bat at a vibrational node." - salb918

by McFood on Sep 7, 2006 8:36 PM PDT up reply actions

Lemurconkers!

"The theme of the day is murky." -- Ken Macha, August 11, 2006

by Englishmajor on Sep 6, 2006 11:30 AM PDT reply actions

obscure

Began in an old Dump where I mention conkers, and other people, esp monkeyball, having unclean minds, took it in a unsavory direction.

Mutated right around here, so I'd say that Jeepers is ultimately the one who brought evil here. As usual.

by Apricot on Sep 6, 2006 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't think that was the origin of lemurconkers

I think it was in a game thread where somebody (Jennifer?) who was listening to the radio feed heard the announcers mention Lehmer's Concord auto dealership, and said it sounded like "lemurconkers."

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 5:30 PM PDT up reply actions

cart/horse

A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 6, 2006 5:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Meaning...?

The Lehmer's Concord = lemurconkers came AFTER the jeepers evil?

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes.

Kreepy but true.

We hold these truths to be self-evident / We drink beer in bars and act irreverent - Lambchop

by andeux on Sep 6, 2006 5:44 PM PDT up reply actions

What is Jennifer doing to Santa, mommy?

by Apricot on Sep 6, 2006 1:35 PM PDT reply actions

I hate you.

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions

I hate Mark Teixiera more.

But don't worry, Apricot is a close second.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 1:38 PM PDT up reply actions

hmm

I don't understand. Could you put your hatred into the form of a graph, perhaps a time series?

by Apricot on Sep 6, 2006 5:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Okay.

That's you in the middle.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 5:49 PM PDT up reply actions

sal's hatred is like a sombrero

Or a cervical cap. Not sure which.

A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 6, 2006 5:53 PM PDT up reply actions

Or both!

We hold these truths to be self-evident / We drink beer in bars and act irreverent - Lambchop

by andeux on Sep 6, 2006 5:54 PM PDT up reply actions

My chapeau is legendary around town.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions

i just peed my pants

don't know why i found that comment so funny, but thank goodness i'm working from home.

"Apparently there's a rule that you have to be old enough to drive yourself to the induction ceremony. So obviously that's not gonna work."

by F171615 on Sep 6, 2006 5:58 PM PDT up reply actions

next time, aim for sal's pants

A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 6, 2006 6:04 PM PDT up reply actions

I know.

Your heart belongs to the Cringleman. Amongst other body parts.

by Apricot on Sep 6, 2006 5:41 PM PDT up reply actions

BFF! Facials!

A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 6, 2006 1:39 PM PDT reply actions

AMPLE!

"the poop stain on the collective AN pantalones." -ohad

by ArakSOT on Sep 6, 2006 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions

Y DOAN YOO GOE CHOO SUMM GUMM!

A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 6, 2006 2:11 PM PDT up reply actions

That belongs in today's game thread.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions

... which I'm studiously avoiding

A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 6, 2006 2:53 PM PDT up reply actions

Squeak!

"the poop stain on the collective AN pantalones." -ohad

by ArakSOT on Sep 6, 2006 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions

Honk!

We've been drinking beer.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Sep 6, 2006 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions

BEEP!

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions

CUPCAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i seriously did NOT expect that to spread as much as it did. JLaff was telling me the other day that he saw a girl at the Coliseum with a t-shirt that said "Cupcakes" on it.

i should copyright it :]
just kidding.

CUPCAKES FOREVAAAH

"The separation between good and great is mental. It's about conviction. It's about commitment. I really believe that." --Barry Zito

by GreenNGoldGirl on Sep 6, 2006 4:30 PM PDT reply actions

Okay...

I think I really am going to compile as much stuff as I can into something alphabetical (like, you know... a thesaurus), and post it as a diary that we can bookmark & show to the next wave of people who ask what all these things mean.

Might take a couple of days, since I don't find the search function here to be very friendly (and, you know, there's my whole ADD thing to contend with) -- but there are at least three or four "where did all this come from?" diaries that I can refer to for links, including this one...

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 5:37 PM PDT reply actions

I'd be willing to help...

if you need it.

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 5:49 PM PDT up reply actions

Absolutely...

I'm sure that a) I won't remember everything, and b) there are a lot of things that happened before I got here!

Right now I'm bookmarking all the origin links I can find from the last few "Mommy, where do jokes come from?" diaries...

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 6:06 PM PDT up reply actions

well, the answer to that is easy ...

Anaheim!

A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 6, 2006 6:07 PM PDT up reply actions

the A's just signed Jack Cust!!

"Apparently there's a rule that you have to be old enough to drive yourself to the induction ceremony. So obviously that's not gonna work."

by F171615 on Sep 6, 2006 6:05 PM PDT reply actions

I hear they're going to sign

Frank Thomas within the next two days, too!

And this just in, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson got traded!

--Nebraska--

ThePastime

by Ryan Armbrust on Sep 6, 2006 6:46 PM PDT up reply actions

would you say we're on the "Verge"

of signing him?

"Apparently there's a rule that you have to be old enough to drive yourself to the induction ceremony. So obviously that's not gonna work."

by F171615 on Sep 7, 2006 1:22 AM PDT up reply actions

i got one! i got one!

swish, huston and "baking cookies."

what is that?

by digsthelongball on Sep 6, 2006 6:54 PM PDT reply actions

I'm hunting down the links.

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 7:07 PM PDT up reply actions

Thanks... do you know 2-buck Chuck, too?

I'm making a really peculiar-looking worklist, starting with nicknames... so, at the point at which my husband looked over my shoulder, the list said:

Cupcakes
Crabcakes
Hotcakes
Bunnies
PORN!

He's a little concerned about me now...

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 7:20 PM PDT up reply actions

Sounds like a menu to me...

Burgundy Cherry

by Ice Cream on Sep 6, 2006 7:29 PM PDT up reply actions

2-buck chuck was off a QOTM list

Nickname for Charles Thomas.

"Why won't everyone do what I want???" ~SportySpice

by baseballgirl on Sep 6, 2006 7:35 PM PDT up reply actions

All I can find for Two-Buck

The first use:
http://athleticsnation.com/comments/2005/4/21/13749/3452/84#84

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 8:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Others

Booby: http://athleticsnation.com/comments/2005/2/1/123655/3265/19#19

What's your f'in problem AN?: http://www.athleticsnation.com/story/2005/12/16/31151/651

Hawtcakes/Hotcakes/Tracker: http://athleticsnation.com/comments/2006/6/6/204849/6047/112#112

http://athleticsnation.com/comments/2006/6/6/114055/8339/70#70

Crabcakes: http://athleticsnation.com/comments/2006/6/5/113634/6149/94#94

It's going to take FOR. EV. ER to find the origins of the Chavy heartless/un-Mexican/gutless stuff. That'll have to be when I'm really bored.

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 8:22 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm not sure where the heartless came from...

...but the origin of unMexicanness was linked somewhere really, really recently... Looking...

Thanks for all the others, you're a treasure trove :)

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 10:28 PM PDT up reply actions

I think that's the A's fan anthem right there

A lonely monkey is a spiritually dead monkey. -- tankerraid @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 7, 2006 9:26 AM PDT up reply actions

Ah... baking cookies.

It started out as this:

http://athleticsnation.com/story/2005/6/17/124623/366

Again, it's best to read the entire diary.

Sal's once mentioned "going to Harvard" was a euphemism he and his friends used. Well, AN is euphemism city. I can't find the exact link "baking cookies" went dirty, but that gives you the idea.

Examples: Huston is perfect. In his spare time he bakes cookies for the homeless.
Swish went to back to the team hotel with three peelers to bake cookies.

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 7:57 PM PDT up reply actions

Ha ha! love it!!

thanks so much :)

by digsthelongball on Sep 6, 2006 9:12 PM PDT up reply actions

and the beloved Two Buck Chuck

the great playoff miss of 2004 followed by the good try of 2005...and in 2006 don't make me sick.

by ak_A on Sep 6, 2006 7:02 PM PDT reply actions

Cheap wine!!!

Some people who don't have a Trader Joe's in their area still may not understand where the name "Two Buck Chuck" comes from. Here's an explanation:

http://www.gilroydispatch.com/lifestyles/contentview.asp?c=131018

by beachbum98 on Sep 6, 2006 9:07 PM PDT up reply actions

huh, well I'll be....had no idea.

the great playoff miss of 2004 followed by the good try of 2005...and in 2006 don't make me sick.

by ak_A on Sep 6, 2006 9:17 PM PDT up reply actions

Sigh...

I visit this site often, I get the explanations for these things, and I still don't understand them. :P

Dorian on Bonds: "Still, I love it when Bonds wins at the game that he plays."

by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Sep 6, 2006 7:18 PM PDT reply actions

Rather than a glossary...

...why not an ANWiki. That will allow us to really leverage the collective wisdom around here (and also provide us with something to do with our time during the off season, which, I hasten to add, won't be for another couple months or so).

"It took eight hours...seven-and-a-half to find the heart." -- Steve McCatty on Charlie Finley's heart surgery.

by GreenNGoldSooner on Sep 6, 2006 7:31 PM PDT reply actions

Brilliant!!

Simply brilliant

by Wooka on Sep 6, 2006 7:58 PM PDT up reply actions

oooooooohh...

{mull mull mull}

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 8:01 PM PDT up reply actions

My fingers hurt.

That's not code for anything.

"I miss taking showers with Kendall" ~ Brian Giles

by Poppy on Sep 6, 2006 8:18 PM PDT reply actions

My eyes hurt.

by Jennifer on Sep 6, 2006 8:23 PM PDT up reply actions

i hope that u're not feeling ill....

for that would mean u've just recently eaten at applebees

"Apparently there's a rule that you have to be old enough to drive yourself to the induction ceremony. So obviously that's not gonna work."

by F171615 on Sep 7, 2006 1:57 AM PDT up reply actions

A few cross overs from the ESPN boards

"Did you know we just signed Jack Cust" is a phrase used when someone mentions something that is either old or everyone knows about, like announcing a trade that was made a few days ago.

bsm = Bavasi Sports Management

by Zonis on Sep 6, 2006 9:46 PM PDT reply actions