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MrMet
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On August 22, 1886, the term "dogging it" took on a new meaning. Louisville and Cincinatti were tied 3-3 in the eleventh inning when the Colonels' Chicken Wolf hit a ball into the gap. As Cincinatti outfielder Abner Powell chased the ball, he awakened a dog that had been sleeping near the fence. The mutt grabbed Powell's trousers, and while he struggled to break free, Wolf circled the bases with the winning run.
Continuing my theme of great names. William Van Winkle "Jimmy" Wolf, also known as Chicken Wolf, was an American professional baseball player from Louisville, Kentucky. According to the sabr.org bio project " "Chicken" was allegedly given to him by his boyhood friend and major league teammate, Pete Browning. The story goes that when Wolf and Browning were teenagers they were both members of the then semi-pro Louisville Eclipse team. Their manager instructed the team to eat lightly before a certain game, but Wolf surrendered to his appetite and stuffed himself on stewed chicken. He then played poorly in the game, committing several errors. Browning made a connection between the chicken and the lackluster play and hung the nickname "Chicken" on him. The name caught on with his teammates and the local press. How Wolf felt about the name has gone unrecorded, but about halfway through his professional career he was known as "Jimmy" Wolf in the Louisville newspapers. We do not know the origin or reason for this change."
Continuing my theme of great names. William Van Winkle "Jimmy" Wolf, also known as Chicken Wolf, was an American professional baseball player from Louisville, Kentucky. According to the sabr.org bio project " "Chicken" was allegedly given to him by his boyhood friend and major league teammate, Pete Browning. The story goes that when Wolf and Browning were teenagers they were both members of the then semi-pro Louisville Eclipse team. Their manager instructed the team to eat lightly before a certain game, but Wolf surrendered to his appetite and stuffed himself on stewed chicken. He then played poorly in the game, committing several errors. Browning made a connection between the chicken and the lackluster play and hung the nickname "Chicken" on him. The name caught on with his teammates and the local press. How Wolf felt about the name has gone unrecorded, but about halfway through his professional career he was known as "Jimmy" Wolf in the Louisville newspapers. We do not know the origin or reason for this change."
