When Melky Cabrera calls out, fellow White Sox outfielder Avi Garcia answers to "Big Head."
Michael Ynoa, a Sox pitcher Cabrera considers long in the neck, good-naturedly gets dubbed "Giraffe.'' Inexperienced reliever Juan Minaya goes by "Pasante,'' a Spanish word for intern. To hear Sox players and officials talk, Hawk Harrelson has nothing on Cabrera when it comes to inventing nicknames.
Such is baseball life for the Sox as the Melk Man lightens the mood in the clubhouse, applying terms of endearment as a means of making teammates laugh while playing a game that can be a serious struggle.