His name was Walter Arlington Latham, and he was fresh.
In 1860, the former St. Louis baseball great was born on this very day, and I could see me writing this line in the Post-Dispatch on, say, March 15, 1887: “Beware, ladies, of the Ides of March – it's the birthday of Walter Arlington Latham.”
Arlie Latham has my favorite nickname in baseball history – “The Freshest Man On Earth” – a prelude to “The Fresh Prince” and “The Most Interesting Man In The World.”
As explained in the book “Baseball Anecdotes,” the smooth-talking Latham “loved to clown around, and persisted in shouting and gesticulating throughout every game he played.