By Blaidd Dwrg
You probably have never heard of him – Cal McLish. He passed away Thursday at the age of 84. Cal McLish was a pitcher for the Dodgers, Pirates, Cubs, Indians, Reds, White Sox and Phillies who went a very unassuming 92-92 in his career and was pretty much a league average pitcher.
Why call him a legend? A couple of reasons – he was actively involved in his community for many years, eventually earning election into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame for his contributions; he is a legend among autograph collectors – he was always willing to sign his name, answer any questions and talk about baseball; and he holds a records in baseball that may never be broken – he has the longest name in Major League Baseball history.
You may ask, “Drwg, how long could his name possibly be?” Well, the guy, who was known by the nicknames Buster and Bus, was born with the name Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish. Yes, that is his given name.
The story goes like this:
His full name was Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish. His father chose the name after McLish’s mother told John McLish he could name their son.
“There were eight kids in the family, and I was No. 7, and my dad didn’t get to name one of them before me. So he evidently tried to catch up,” Cal McLish told The Oklahoman in 1999.
I had always wanted to ask him to sign something for me with his full name, just because I thought it would look interesting. Alas, I will not get that chance.
Cla McLish was one of the few remaining connections to the Brooklyn Dodgers and now he has passed but hopefully will not be forgotten.
FlatbreadGarden 