Today's sports nicknames are terrible. A-Rod, L.T., K-Rod. They are nothing more than a combination of a player's first and last name, but nicknames haven't always been so bad. Here are 25 of the all-time greats.
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#25 — Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown

Origin:Remember how your parents told you to be careful around power tools? They weren't kidding. When future MLB pitcher Brown was a young man he accidentally put his hand in his family farm's feed chopper. The chopper's blades cut off most of his index finger, and a later fall on the same hand permanently mangled the middle finger on his pitching hand.

His maimed fingers, though, turned out to be a blessing when they enabled him to put massive amounts of spin on his pitches. Hitters couldn't get balls in the air against Brown, and he won 239 games on his way to the Hall of Fame. So, the lesson here is clear: if your Major League dreams are looking improbable, try sticking your hand in a woodchipper. Can't hurt! (Outside of the excruciating pain.)

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