8 replies to this topic

[Caveman]

Brian Harris has changed his surname from Harris to Lake.

That is his right, his business and good luck to him for doing so.

I am not sure how this works out for record keeping. Will the 2006 Charles Sutton Medal winner be recorded as Brian Harris or Brian Lake in future publications. Will there be an asterisk?

Anyhow he has changed his name. It belonged to him.

Now he is B.Lake- BLAKEY that will no doubt appear in quick time- blakey being Reg Varney's boss from 'ON THE BUSES'

I would much prefer that Blakey takes hold rather than Swan or Rikki- but it probably won't going by our recent history of appalling nicknames. We have this unique ability to label blokes names after players from opposition clubs.

Quite a few referred to Leon Cameron as Baker after Essendon's Leon Baker, Mark Hunter was Kenny after Kenny Hunter of Carlton, Keenan Reynolds was Crackers after Peter 'Crackers' Keenan. Then don't get me on about Bubba for Rohan Smith. This will arguably be the only occassion that I will ever type the word 'Bubba' for Rohan Smith. Twice in the one paragraph.

If Leon Baker had of came to Footscray instead of Essendon, it wouldn't have surprised me one iota if he was called 'Snake' after North Melbourne's Phil 'Snake' Baker of the 1977 vintage.

[DMcG]

Caveman I agree with you that Bulldogs nicknaming system is appalling. "Granty" "Darce" "Westy" "Johno" just prove that all those years of sponsorship from ICI means too many Dogs fans have inhaled too many paint fumes and killed too many braincells.

My mate and I pride ourselves on our nicknaming ability, often during a game we challenge each other to come up with the best nicknames.

Here is a list of ones I can remember right now:

Mitch Hahn - "Zee Hoff" [Mitch was the Hoff's character in Baywatch, said with German accent for added fun]
Daniel Cross - "Angry Man" [Cross = Angry... probably didn't need to explain]
Ryan Griffen - Stewie [Family Guy]
Wayde Skipper - Gilligan
Luke Darcy - Count Luke Von Darcy [he has cartoonishly evil eyebrows]


And what's wrong with Bubba? Correct me if I'm wrong but it's after the actor who played Lt. Hightower in the Police Academy movies is it not? ... hmmm, why didn't we call Brad Johnson "Tackleberry"? [That right there is an example of how my brain works]


And for the record we'd gone for rhyming nickname in regards to Brian Lake nee Harris and just gone with "Shakey"

[Caveman]

It isn't the end of the world but my dislike of and refusal to EVER refer to Rohan Smith as 'Bubba' is because in my book it sounds ludicrous to call a grown man "Bubba" Especially a grown man who happens to be a Footscray footballer, as opposed to say Mr Humphries from Are You Being Served. If John Inman's character was known as Bubba then that wouldn't worry me in the slightest.

Michael Clarke being 'pup' I also don't like but I guess the Bubba and Pup thing isn't a major issue. Well it aint.

I guess I am a bit dogmatic about what I believe a Footscray footballer should be. It is part and parcel with the directional nickname as the name, yawning cat logo on the jumper, delete Footscray from the song etc etc. When you give players names after players from other clubs, sometimes I wonder if this projects a subliminal inferiority complex. A hard tough bloke like Reynolds who gets the moniker Crackers?

Why not Doug after the 1954er? Then again Hawkins was there at the time Keenan Reynolds was so that wouldn't have cut the mustard. If he had to be given the name of a former opposition player- then how about Dick arguably the greatest Bomber of them all? Certainly a better Bomber than Crackers.

Dick or Crackers- well if you call a bloke Crackers well I don't know........

Maybe that is a load of middle brow philosophical clap trap? !!!

At least Rohan Smith didn't play like a Bubba.

[DMcG]

gonna disagree with you on that last bit there. Rohan Smith did play like Bubba: Strong, Brave and fearless.

[I'm staying with the theory of him being named after Bubba Smith the actor from Police Academy:

He was the HUGE African American Cop who all of the villains were afraid of, and for good reason. With great quotes like "I'ma rip the heart out of a yak and eat it for breakfast"]

Let's not forget that the other players called him "Bubba". Ultimately the nicknames should be coined and used mostly by his teammates.

And isn't the point of a nickname to not be flattering? I have a mate "Shitter", and went to school with "Goat Boy" and "Ringworm" the stories behind these nicknames are forgotten but I can guarantee they're not pleasant tales.

Why are you called Caveman? Is that something you made up or is there a story? [or just vindictive parents?]

[Caveman]

I will take your word about the American bloke Bubba Smith and how he was/is a hard man and not a baby as his name suggests. I only saw the first of the Police Academy movies and thought it was very good, but I never got around to viewing the sequels. So Bubba Smith is not familiar with me but if you tell me he is mean and hard, then I won't argue.

A mate of mine had a dog called Rufus. I loved that cross breed labrador, beagle, Fred Bassett, almost as much as my own dog(which is still living unlike the unfortunate Rufus) so to honour my mate's canine companion I took that creature's moniker. An English king was Rufus - William 11 who reigned between 1087-1100 the son of William the Conqueror, although I supported the Saxons in the Battle of Hastings and was annoyed to learn 20 odd years ago that the invading Normans won and the Saxons lost.

Another mate of mine who happens to be a carpenter built an extension at my old joint- big room out the back- it was our super box for mates and I, watching the cricket, footy, Pommie soccer and Blue Murder. It was our cave watching Neddy Smith and Blue Murder 40+ times over- hence why I would call out 'Neddy' rather than 'Bubba' about our Rohan Smith.

As for your mates nicknames - oh dear- was the first of them something to do with the Harry the Hamster clip that was doing the rounds a few years ago?! Will say no more

[DMcG]

"although I supported the Saxons in the Battle of Hastings and was annoyed to learn 20 odd years ago that the invading Normans won and the Saxons lost."

Caveman. this is without doubt the best thing I've ever heard someone say. You clearly heard about a battle in history... chose a side, whether by research or just random. But then didn't bother to find out who won. And then was annoyed when it turned out it wasn't your side.

Interesting insight into your brain.

[Caveman]

Well, it looks like I worded that in a funny way, after reading it as you quoted it back.

I did know the result of the Battle Of Hastings pretty much straight away (even knew the half time score)- what I meant was that it was over 20 years ago that I first learnt about the Battle Of Hastings and was disappointed with who won and who lost.

We studied it from the beginning from when Duke William of Normandy believed Edward the Confessor offered him the kingdom to be Edward the Confessor's sucessor. Then how King Harold said- no Edward the Confessor anointed himself (Harold) rather than this bloke from across the water in Normandy, up to the great crescendo ending with the actual battle of Hastings.

The Saxons were match hardened having won the Battle of Stamford Bridge over Harold Hardrada a few days earlier, but couldn't repeat their success at Senlac Hill. They were probably burnt out, the Saxons, having marched back from Yorkshire to fight the fresh Normans. Also I didn't like the way the Normans carried on after their victory- bit like us Aussies in the Sydney test match. William the Conqueror should have been more tactful but he became a dictator over his new land and their people who resented his authority.

I often wonder why Edward V111 who abdicated in 1936 and married Wallis Simpson was not Edward X as there were two Saxon kings that were King Edward's by name. It is like us at Footscray with 1925- our Premierships before 1925 are largerly forgotten or ignored which to me is a travesty and an insult to the champions who played for Footscray before 1925.

[Lisbon]

I can wholly understand looking back on historical conflicts and picking a side, for one reason or another. Speaking for myself, I'm really a one-eyed anti-Roman barracker. I still can't believe that the Romans beat the Gauls! Or the Lusitanians, the "forefathers" of the Portuguese! That Vercingetorix had everything going for him and he just blew it all away.

And what about what happened over here, in the rear end of Europe? The Lusitanians had the Romans on the run, so the Romans get three lieutenants of the Lusitanian chief (Viriathus) to murder him, promising to make rich men out of them. When they do the deed and come to collect their blood money, the Romans send them away, claiming that "Rome doesn't pay traitors". What kind of devious bastards were those people?? Surely, if Caesar came back, he would be dragged before the Hague Court by the hem of his toga! And don't get me started about Hannibal... I remember learning about this in school and thinking where's the justice?

And you're right, Caveman, when you talk about Footscray's forgotten premierships. They should be celebrated, otherwise we would be forced to conclude that the VFA was really a meaningless, pointless competition, which I believe it wasn't.

[Caveman]

Yes the Romans were swines alot of the time and their greed was to bring them done in the end.