NELLIE or NELLY

[Laurence Horn]

At 5:07 PM -0400 7/11/05, RonButters at AOL.COM wrote:
>In a message dated 7/11/05 4:56:09 PM, laurence.horn at YALE.EDU writes:
>
>
>>  At 4:33 PM -0400 7/11/05, Wilson Gray wrote:
>>  >
>>  >On the other hand, though, who doesn't know that "Nellie/Nelly" is a
>>  >girl's name? Remember the baseball player, Nelson Fox? I never was able
>>  >to understand his letting himself be referred to as "Nellie."
>>  >
>>  >-Wilson Gray
>>  More recently, there's Don Nelson, a reserve forward on the great old
>>  Bill Russell Celtics teams who later coached the Bucks, Knicks, and
>>  Mavericks in the NBA, now an exec with the Mavs.  He's always been
>>  "Nellie".  I imagine a lot of Nelsons are, even in pro sports, and
>>  regardless of whether Nelson is their first or last name.  (Is it
>>  relevant that Nellie Fox was not a home-run hitter?  Naaah.)
>>
>>  L
>>
>
>I remember Don Nelson very well from his days as a University of Iowa b-ball
>player. I don't remember anyone referring to him as "Nellie" then--I called
>him "Don," as did our mutual acquaintace, Roberta Dinwiddee Sheets, my
>high-school drama coach who did volunteer tutoring with student
>athletes. He and I were
>acquaintances, though, not close enough to use diminutive nick-names with
>each other. It probably does not need to be said, but my memory is
>that he was no
>more girly than a speed bump.

OK, I take it back.  He hasn't always been "Nellie", but at least
since his coaching days with the Bucks in the late 1970s. I can't
remember whether he was already Nellie when he played for the Celtics
in the 60s and early 70s, but he was definitely Nellie throughout his
coaching career for the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks, and Mavs.  Perhaps
his macho image (he's always been someone gruff-appearing (and
-sounding) and hard-nosed, but with a nice smile, and he was
certainly no martinet) would have immunized him against any raised
eyebrows over the nickname.

L