Tim Anderson will honor slain friend during Players Weekend

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Some guys chose their hometown.

Other players went with watered down nicknames playing off their real names.

When Tim Anderson chose his nickname for Players Weekend, he opted to honor deceased friend, Branden Moss. The White Sox shortstop couldn’t think of a more fitting acknowledgement for his close friend, who was shot and killed on May 7 near the University of Alabama campus. Players across the majors will wear jerseys with their chosen nicknames across the back on the weekend of Aug. 25-27.

“When I first heard about it, it’s the first thing that came to my head,” Anderson said. “Just thought I definitely want to pay tribute to him. He definitely motivates me and someone I played the game for.”

White Sox players chose a variety of options for their nicknames. Catcher Kevan Smith preferred to use “Ripper” but said Major League Baseball suggested he might get flack for its proximity to serial killer Jack The Ripper. Smith settled on “Szmydth” instead, which was his family’s surname before his grandparents immigrated to the United States from Poland.

Rookie pitcher Aaron Bummer isn’t sure what his nickname would be but said his last name often is used anyway, that or “Bum.”

Alen Hanson went with “El Chamaquito,” which translated to “The Kid.” Gregory Infante said he’s always been called “El Meteorico,” or “The Meteor.” Leury Garcia only recently picked up “El Molleto,” or “The Muscle,” after Michael Ynoa began to call him that.

Yolmer Sanchez said he has too many nicknames and decided to go with his hometown, El Del Penonal. Jose Abreu also opted for his home, Mal Tiempo as did Miguel Gonzalez (El Jaliscience).

Adam Engel put his daughter Clarke’s name on the back of his while Chris Beck went with the nickname his younger siblings gave him, “Bubba.”

Though he could have gone with something as simple as Timmy, Anderson wanted to pay his respect to Moss, whose death has affected him greatly. Anderson and Moss were close enough to be brothers. Anderson said he still talks to Moss’s mother all the time.

“It lets people know how much he meant to me,” Anderson said. “Very special in my life. He just kept me going. He was such a happy person. It’s always good to pay tribute to someone who was so great in your life.”

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