So, how does a guy get a nickname like “Tomato Face?” Let us count the ways he may have earned it honestly from the baseball culture, especially back in the old days.
He may get it (1) if he’s one of those fair-skinned ethnicity folks who spend too much time in direct sunlight during the day; (2) if he’s one of those fair-skinned ethnicity folks who spend too much time in bars and saloons during the night; (3) if he’s one of those fair-skinned ethnicity folks whose diets and genetics promote high blood pressure; (4) if he’s one of those fair skinned ethnicity folks who decides to take on the stress and pressure of managing a professional baseball club; and (5) he may get it, for sure, if he’s a little bit of everything described above, plus a guy who chose to work and play his heart out in baseball back in the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. – Baseball simply loved handing out outrageous and unflattering nicknames back in the day.
At any rate, such was the nickname-fate of Nick Cullop, one of our Houston Buff twilight time heros of the 1939-40 seasons. The BR/TR outfielder Cullop joined the Buffs at age 38 during his 19th season as a professional baseball player. Nick Cullop then proceeded to hit .318 with 25 homers and and 112 runs batted in for the ’39 first place Buffs, leading the Texas League in HR and RBI and earning for himself the nod as the circuit’s MVP. The Eddie Dyer-managed Buffs lost in the first round of the 1939 league championship playoffs, but they came back in 1940 to repeat their first place finish and, this time, to also take the playoffs, the Texas League pennant, and the Dixie Series championship. Nick Cullop’s production fell to .272 with 21 HR and 96 RBI for the ’40 Buffs, but, hey, the man was 39 years old by this time!
Nick Cullop played four more limited action seasons of minor league ball following his two years as a Buff, completing his 26 total season career as an active player (1920-44) with some interesting major and minor league results. For his five seasons as a major leaguer (1926-27, 1929-31) with the Yankees, Indians, Senators, Dodgers, and Reds, Cullop batted only .249 with 11 HR and 67 RBI. For his 23 seasons as a minor leaguer (1920-26, 1928-30, 1932-44), the stocky 6’0″ “Tomato Face” batted a healthy .312 with a grand total of 420 minor league HR and 1,857 minor league RBI, the second highest total in recorded minor league history.
In segue from his playing days, Nick Cullop beacme best known as a successful minor league manager, working 17 seasons as a skipper (1941-52, 1954-57, 1959) and winning four league championships along the way. Cullop also won two “Minor League Manager of the Year” awards in 1943 for the Columbus (Ohio) Redbirds and in 1947 for the minor league Milwaukee Brewers.
Nick Cullop passed away on December 8, 1978 at the age of 78. Maybe old “Tomato Face” simply died of redfaced humility over his many field accomplishments and a life well lived and enjoyed in baseball.
Tags: Baseball, Houston Buffs
The Pecan Park Eagle 
June 2, 2013 at 10:58 pm |
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