Remembering Our Sonics: Nicknames Edition
SEATTLE – One of the underrated aspects of growing up listening to Kevin Calabro call Sonics games: The nicknames.
Sure, there were his signature calls:
“Good golly Miss Molly.”
“Flyin’ chickens in the barnyard.”
“Get on your magic carpet and ride.”
And yes, I did have the Calabro talking bobble head (probably still have it tucked away somewhere).
But, while those sayings were trademarks of Sonics broadcasts, he coined some legendary nicknames – like “The Glove” Gary Payton and “The Reign Man” Shawn Kemp.
And, if you spent time watching the Supes in the 90s and early 2000s you have memories of Calabro’s voice paired with other nicknames, some he didn’t come up with, but always used masterfully.
When Desmond Mason would elevate above everyone, in an almost comical fashion, before dunking over anyone in his way – that tip-dunk against the Hornets after a GP miss to win the game in ’02 – it was Calabro who would punctuate the finish with, “The Cowboy.”
Broadcasts of Sonics games during Brent Barry’s time with the team featured frequent references to “Bones” and each time Sam Perkins flicked a three, you could expect to hear a “Big Smooth” reference.
In the 90s, the team was feeding “The Hawk,” Hersey Hawkins, and Nate McMillan earned a pair of monikers – Mac-10 and Mr. Sonic.
And then there are notable Sonics whose nicknames were either incorporated into the full names or became their name altogether. How many Sonics fans have ever wondered (or knew) what Slick Watts’ first name is? His full name is Donald Earl “Slick” Watts and shares a first name with his son, who was a star at the University of Washington. And then there’s Fred Brown, who is almost always referred to as “Downtown” Freddie Brown.
Ray Allen picked up three nicknames during his playing career – Ray Ray, Sugar Ray and Jesus Shuttlesworth. Two of those names are obvious, while the third refers to the character he played in the film “He Got Game.”
There are players with well-known nicknames who spent more time with other teams than on the Sonics, like Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson, who was a standout with the Pistons when they were winning titles as “The Bad Boys.”
Some former Sonics weren’t stars, but fan favorites. There was “The Chef,” Steve Scheffler. And Brick, Frank Brickowski. We also can’t forget about Reggie Evans, who was dubbed “The Joker” growing up, but earned “The Collector” from Calabro because of his work as a rebounder.
Fans probably remember Ronald “Flip” Murray, whose career highlights with the Supes included a memorable stretch in the 2003 season when he averaged better than 20 points per game over the first 10 games of the season.
And, any Sonics nickname list wouldn’t be complete without legendary tough guy, “X-Man” Xavier McDaniels.
There are others: DJ (Dennis Johnson) and JJ (John Johnson), Uncle Jeff (Jeff Green), Dale Ellis (The Silent Assassin) and more. And who could forget Marvin Webster - “The Human Eraser.”
While these players earned their nickname in different ways, each one is a piece of the fabric that makes up the history of our franchise, a project that remains a work in progress that is currently unfinished, one that will continue to take shape when we get our team back.
Until then, though, which Sonics nickname is your favorite?