Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
On Monday, Inside Lacrosse published its annual All-Name Team, and despite what lacrosse's ambassadors will tell you about the sport's diversity ("Jim Brown played lacrosse!"), the All-Name Team smacks of prep school privilege. Wellington Stanwick, Murphy Vandervelde, Baxter Lanius IV, Draper Donley: these are all ACTUAL NAMES given to white babies in the late '80s and early '90s who grew up to play lacrosse for Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Lehigh, and Dickinson (respectively).
What's in a lacrosse name? Well, a surname for a first name is always a nice start. "Van" serves as a well-moneyed bridge between first and last names. Any name punctuated with a Roman numeral indicates a family with a tradition of business acumen, with the namesake a captain of American industry. Hyphenated surname? WRONG! Power marriage or not, a hyphenated surname indicates dilution of a superior bloodline. And most importantly: NO IRISH OR ITALIAN NAMES! Remember, a good lacrosse name comes from a family that was already wealthy in America when that wave of immigration hit. Lacrosse names are the 1 percent.
Basically, if it sounds like the privileged villain in an '80s ski movie, it's a good lacrosse name. With that in mind, SB Nation presents the official registry of INVENTED LACROSSE NAMES. These people don't exist, but if they did, they would have popped collars and unruly blond locks, and you would want to punch them.
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Brooks van Airesdale
Preston Bottomtooth III
Rutherford B. Hayes
Astor Billingsley
Duke Chesterton
Otto von Bismarck XIV
Brewster Ruegemer
Chip Rapesly
Rockefeller DuPont
Wellesley van den Bruck
Marston Ruxley
Woodford T. Butterfield
Virgil DeWitt IV
J. Carter Steelworthy
Chet Vanderpump
Comments
The 2010 Padres ...
… had Wade LeBlanc, Clayton Richard, Joseph Thatcher, Luke Gregerson, and Timothy Stauffer on the same pitching staff. They would tie their warmup jackets around their necks.
by Grant Brisbee on Dec 19, 2011 12:08 PM EST reply actions
If someone told me that Mat Latos’ birthname was Chip Rapesly, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. Good riddance from the NL West, butthole.
I've got these tiny hands!
-Alex Smith
by Swamp Thing on Dec 19, 2011 12:57 PM EST up reply actions
Wade should absolutely only be used as a surname.
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by Richard Wade on Dec 21, 2011 1:38 PM EST up reply actions
I predict big things...
For that Rutherford B. Hayes gentleman.
by GamecockTony on Dec 19, 2011 12:25 PM EST reply actions
Edited.
That was supposed to be Hayes B. Rutherford. Hayes is a total lacrosse name.
by Matt Ufford on Dec 19, 2011 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
his opponent should have won that game.
Tilden J. Samuel was robbed.
by smk73 on Dec 19, 2011 1:52 PM EST up reply actions
Would love to
see the iron Bismarck would use to get the blood out of his opponents during games.
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by Russ Oates on Dec 19, 2011 12:32 PM EST reply actions
I refuse to believe that Chip Rapesly is a fake name.
Was at the mall yesterday and heard a dad call his son Rogan. He must want his kid to be a lax player or he’s a huge Fear Factor plan.
by upstate underdog on Dec 19, 2011 12:37 PM EST reply actions
I actually did a spittake at Chip Rapesly.
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by The AMT on Dec 19, 2011 12:40 PM EST up reply actions
Chip Rapesly sounds like the worst Action News anchor ever.
I've got these tiny hands!
-Alex Smith
by Swamp Thing on Dec 19, 2011 12:55 PM EST up reply actions
*fan, not plan.
by upstate underdog on Dec 19, 2011 2:39 PM EST up reply actions
Lacrosse names are the best in sports, bro.
Oh no I just said bro. The culture is taking over.
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by Marisa Ingemi on Dec 19, 2011 12:51 PM EST reply actions
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