This might seem an unusual entry on a list of obscure team nicknames, but let’s face it, the use of the name Reds isn’t quite as clear as the name Red Sox. Both, however, refer to the color of the teams’ socks. At the turn of the last century, fans knew Cincinnati’s club as the Red Stockings. That morphed into Reds, but during the height of the anti-communist Red Scare of the 1950s, the team actually changed its official name to Redlegs for a time to avoid negative associations. As that concern faded, “Reds” was revived and the 1975 and 1976 championship teams became known as the Big Red Machine. Today, a Mr. Redlegs mascot entertains fans at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park.
AL BEHRMAN/AP
