'Sponge' talks Players' Weekend name origin

HOUSTON -- At first glance, Chris Iannetta's Players' Weekend nickname -- "Sponge" -- might be perceived as a nod to a catcher's ability to perform multiple tasks on a day-to-day basis.

Catchers have to know the tendencies of all of the opposing hitters. They lead pitchers' meetings at the beginning of every series. They know their pitchers inside and out, and as the stewards behind the plate, they are heavily immersed in the successes and failures of their batterymates on the mound.

So maybe "Sponge" is a nod to Iannetta's ability to soak in every bit of information needed to help his team win a ballgame?

Nah.

It's short for SpongeBob SquarePants.

"It has nothing to do with [being a catcher]," Iannatta said with a chuckle. "It was purely to make fun of me."

• Every team's Players' Weekend nicknames

Iannetta, a big league veteran of 14 seasons, started his career with the Rockies in 2006. In his second year with the team, another longtime Rockie, Brad Hawpe, decided to give Iannetta a nickname and settled on the box-shaped cartoon character who, in Hawpe's mind, had a similar build as his former teammate.

"I was four feet wide by four feet tall," Iannetta said. "It kind of stuck while I was with the Rockies."

Iannetta, who is actually listed as six feet tall, maintained the nickname until he moved on from Colorado several years later. "Sponge" did not carry over during his time with the Angels (2012-15), Mariners ('16) or D-backs ('17). But when he returned to the Rockies last season, some of the support staff started calling him Sponge again, just like old times.

Iannetta figured as long as he's with the Rockies again, “Sponge" would be a good nickname to wear on his back during Players' Weekend, which will take place Aug. 23-25. He's also appreciative that Major League Baseball gives the players the opportunity to get a little goofy for a weekend during the season.

"It's cool that you get an opportunity to express a little personal flair," Iannetta said. "Some guys like doing it more than others. Some people like to sprinkle in a little bit; some guys go all in. I think it's fun to have that option."

Other fun Rockies nicknames include Trevor "True" Story; Jake "Mac Cheez" McGee and Jairo "El Panda" Diaz.

Managers and coaches get nicknames, too, though manager Bud Black will actually be wearing his real name -- Harry -- as his nickname on his jersey. Bud is his nickname. His full name is Harry Ralston Black.

“It’s a twist,” Black said.

Asked if they had anything fun like Players' Weekend back in his day, the 62-year-old Black poked fun at just how long ago "his day" was.

"Back in the wagon-train days? We weren't as creative," he said. "Even before that, in my first few years -- the roaring '20s -- we were a little bit more fun. But we were really just trying to get through it."