Dime Box Heroes: What's in a name?

2007 SP Rookie Edition #243 Rocky Cherry RC

Over sixteen thousand players have been lucky enough to reach the big leagues.

Every once in a while, one of those names will stick out. But I'm not talking about the instantly recognizable stars such as DiMaggio or Foxx. 

I'm literally talking about the names themselves.

There have been some great "baseball names" over the years, such as Richie Ashburn or Harmon Killebrew. But as you dig deeper into the annals of baseball history, names like Grover Lowdermilk and Elmer Sexauer start to pop up. Odd names are still present in today's game with guys like Boof Bonser. (He legally changed his name to "Boof".)

But for my money, names don't get much better (or worse?) than Rocky Cherry, one-time member of the Chicago Cubs in 2007.

That's not a nickname, either. His full given name is Rocky Ty Cherry, born on August 19, 1979. (Maybe his parents were still into the whole disco thing at the time.)

I distinctly remember the short period of time Cherry was a Cub. How could I forget a name like that? 

Thank goodness that he made a few appearances on baseball cards in his rookie year of '07. A name like "Rocky Cherry" deserves to be enshrined on cardboard.

A few odd names are bound to pop out of every dime box. Perhaps not as crazy as Rocky Cherry, but you'll find guys like "Stubby" Clapp and Bombo Rivera in most of them. Guys who would make the "baseball name All-Star team", if there was such a thing.

Sadly, Mr. Cherry didn't last long in the majors. He hasn't pitched in the majors since 2008 with the Orioles, and as far as I can tell, he's out of baseball right now. It's a shame that he didn't get a chance to shine at the big league level. 

Just imagine a name like "Rocky Cherry" on a scorecard.