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Boof Bonser

by Matt Smith

There's nothing better than a minor league prospect when it comes to a good baseball name. There's an extra element of intrigue about guys you've only heard of (or more likely read of) and never seen. However, Boof has recently graduated up to the big leagues. He made his Major League debut as a starting pitcher for the Twins on May 21 ( a no decision against the Brew Crew) and got his first win in his second start against the Mariners. Tonight he makes his third start, this time against the A's.


What I like most about Boof's name is that it conjures up the image of an Aussie-Rules player. I can just imagine Boof Bonser lining up alongside U. Beauty and A. Ripper for the Sydney Mongrels!

Celebrities have always had a taste for giving their children “interesting” names, and in this celebrity obsessed world it's no surprise that many supposedly normal people have followed suit. Bonser's case brings up an important issue in the world of baseball names though. “Boof” was originally “John” before he legally changed his name at the end of 2001. When a kid is burdened with a strange name by their parents, you can at least have some sympathy for them. When they choose the name themselves, there's no one else to blame. Whether you think more or less of John for taking this decision is up to you, but if you can't celebrate the name "Boof Bonser" then I don't know what you can.

That is unless he's pitching against your team. Whilst I will always have a soft-spot for Boof, tonight his name will only make it more entertaining when the free-swinging Jason Kendall takes him deep to notch his second homer in two games (or his second homer in the last 248 games if you prefer).

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1 comment

Joe April 17, 2008 - 12:33 pm

The best name I have come across through reading about baseball current and old has to be Ten Million. He played in the Pacific Northwest in the early part of the twentieth century and had a daughter named Decillian Million.

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