Dave’s Note: With this post, we welcome a third contributor to this blog – my brother, Rob! You may recognize his name from my post on Ossee Schreckengost, where I explain Rob’s role in starting what would become the Funny Names Blog. Give him a warm welcome!
Van Lingle Mungo, a right-handed pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants, had a mediocre won-loss record (120-115) but an All-Star caliber name (Mungo, incidentally, was a three-time All-Star).
Known for his strikeouts (he led the National League in 1936 with 238 Ks) and combative personality, Mungo once had to be smuggled out of Cuba via laundry cart and seaplane after being caught cavorting with a married woman by the woman’s husband, who pulled out a machete in the incident. Mungo’s assistant in the escape was another humorously named fellow – Dodgers executive Babe Hamberger.
Mungo was brought back into the public eye after his career was over when he was featured in a novelty song by musician Dave Frishberg. Although the poem was comprised of the names of dozens of oddly-named ballplayers, “Van Lingle Mungo” was chosen as the title, largely due to Mungo’s “prosodic” name.
Sadly, Mungo did not follow up his playing career by becoming a coach. Had he done so, he likely would have been given an apt nickname – Van Lingle “Fungo” Mungo. (A fungo bat, for those uninitiated, is a baseball bat specifically designed for coaches to easily hit fly balls and grounders).
The Blog of Funny Names 
As fan of baseball and its history, this post was perfect for my first trip here. Great reference to the fungo bat!
Glad you enjoyed it! Rob’s a real fan, and if you click the Ossee Schreckengost link in the second line of this “Van Lingle Mungo” post, you’ll get the whole story for how important funny baseball names were in the development of this blog.
I’m trying to think of other baseball names we’ve covered – there have been a few.
Cal McLish https://funnynamesblog.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/calvin-coolidge-julius-caesar-tuskahoma-mclish/
and we’ll get around to one on Connie Mack (real name Cornelius McGillicuddy) sometime soon, I’m sure. “Piano Legs” Hickman, Burleigh Arland “Ol’ Stubblebeard” Grimes – there is a huge list of incredible baseball names. I hope you keep coming back for more fun!
Thanks for the link … and if you enjoy baseball, here ya go. http://afrankangle.wordpress.com/category/sports/all-time-teams/
I enjoyed your list of all-time girly girl baseball names. (Here’s the link for anyone else reading this comment: http://afrankangle.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/on-the-all-time-girly-girls/ )
I have to admit, I wish I’d come up with that idea first, because it’s such a good one. Oh well, the more the merrier when it comes to enjoying hilarious names. Thanks for alerting me to your impressive blog post!
🙂
THANKS for visiting my “pun-ny” photoblog and leaving a “like.” Since I’ve always been fascinated by funny names, I’ve just subscribed. You are doing a service alerting the public to these oddities, and your blog serves as a cautionary tale for parents to pick their children’s names wisely (unless their goal for their progeny is to one day have them featured HERE).
You’re welcome. It was the second time I visited and I really enjoy your puns. We try to hold ourselves to the same standards of wordplay here. One of my favorites is when I used the pun “pro-verbial” to describe a couple who met through Words with Friends. https://funnynamesblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/jasper-jasperse-finds-love-with-words/
A classic! Your focus on names makes you a pro-tag-onist. 🙂
Haha! Too good. You have a gift for pun-making.
P.S. It’s not a cautionary tale at all. 🙂 We’re trying to show how much greatness a funny name can bestow upon someone. Arto – one of our three writers – was blessed with a great name from birth. My brother and I are just hoping that some of the funny-named greatness can rub off on us through our work on this blog!
What a great blog! A very original, interesting and hilarious idea. Love it! I think I’ll change my name so I can be a potential subject.
Thank you! If I could make a suggestion, I’d suggest you change your name to Outerbridge Horsey VIII, since it looks like Outerbridge the seventh didn’t pass on his name to a new generation. I’ll be uploading a page called “Theory” in a few days where we explain why Outerbridge Horsey VII is the standard by which all funny names should be judged.
Thanks again for the visit! We hope to see you again!
P.S. Here’s the link to our Outerbridge Horsey post (the first one on our blog), so you know what a fine tradition you’d be carrying on if you changed your name. https://funnynamesblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/outerbridge-horsey/
Visited it. Great start–a whole line of people with the same odd name. An “Outerbridge Horsey” sounds to me like the horse you would choose to visit the bridge farthest from the manor house.
Baseball’s a treasure trove of great names, especially the early eras…thanks fer the post
It really is. Five years ago, Rob and I began our list by focusing on funny baseball player names, and we probably compiled 300 or 400 of them. With so many players and such a well-documented history, it’s hard to beat baseball in the funny names category – perhaps politics gives it a run for its money, though.
Thanks for the comment and the ongoing readership. We really appreciate it!
Hi Rob!! Nice to meet you. Oh, I am so excited to see how this blog is gaining subscribers day by day! Used to be mine was usually the only like on a page, but now this one has 14!! How freakin cool is that! Great place to read before bed. Keep up the good work guys.
It’s exciting, isn’t it! To answer your question, it’s very freakin cool! Thanks Jenn! You’re our #1, even if you’re not technically a follower of our blog, you’re still awesome. 🙂 Dysfunctional Unit is becoming a great commenter too, as are some others, but you’re our #1.
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