The Dean's List- Thursday, June 4

WHAT'S THE HISTORY OF THE NICKNAME ‘DODGER?'

The OKC Dodgers are off to a torrid start. Seven up in the PCL American North Division with a 34-18 record while winning at a.654 clip, best in the leagues. Great news for us Cardinal fans that the only team in all of baseball with a better record is St. Louis – 35-18 (.660). Greater still for us OKC Dodger, St. Louis and Yankee fans. Although it's highly doubtful New York keeps it up, they lead the AL East at 29-25 (.537).

The local Dodgers are getting it done with the talent – pitching, timely hitting and the emergence of the LA Dodgers No. 1 prospect, Corey Seager. But the success and impressive history of the parent club has played a part too. A mentality, process, and the omnipresent logo with that pretty blue DODGER scripting.

An inquiring mind asked me where the nickname ‘Dodgers' started. A little reading and some Wikipedia assistance produced some interesting new knowledge, and might make you a buck or two in a trivia contest someday.

TROLLEY-DODGING A DANGEROUS WAY OF LIFE

The term "Trolley Dodgers" was attached to the Brooklyn ballclub because of the complex maze of trolley cars that weaved its way through the borough of Brooklyn – the original hometown of the Dodgers.

Safety played a part in the evolution of the name. In 1892, Brooklyn started replacing its horse-drawn trolley lines with the faster, electric trolley lines. But by the end of 1895, stats show there were more than 130 deaths due to trolley accidents. Wikipedia reports “Brooklyn's high profile, the significant number of widely-reported accidents, and a trolley strike in early 1895, combined to create a strong association in the public's mind between Brooklyn and trolley dodging.”

So early in the 1895 season the term "trolley dodgers" was used by writers to refer to the Brooklyn club – and shortened to the "Brooklyn Dodgers" in 1898. It wasn't until 1932 that the team formally went with the nickname “Dodgers" on the jerseys.

By that time, Sabatino Lasorda had immigrated to the USA from Italy and had a 5-year-old son who would become the face of the Dodgers for six decades. And you can bet that Thomas Charles "Tommy" Lasorda keeps a very close eye on how his OKC Dodgers are doing.