Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Boo(g) Who?!

With all the negativity surrounding Bay Area baseball this season, it can often be hard to find a spark plug during the final stretch of the season. Believe me, as a die hard A’s fan, it is just as hard to get excited for my team as the next. Thankfully, recently acquired outfielder Herschel “Boog” Powell has brought the Oakland Athletics some recent excitement not only with his blazing speed on the bases and diving plays in the outfield but with his personal story as well.

As some may know, the A’s Boog Powell is not the first Boog Powell to achieve success in the big leagues. The Orioles had their own Boog from 1961-1974 and while they may share a name, their games couldn’t be more different.

While Boog from the A’s is all about sparking excitement with his legs, standing at a just 5’10” 185 pounds and hitting just one career home run, the Orioles’ big Boog stood at 6’4″ weighing 230 pounds and made his name by hitting 301 home runs over his 14 seasons with the O’s.

Recently, the A’s visited the Orioles in Baltimore and Boog and Boog had the chance to finally meet. As the two shook hands and talked about their shared love of baseball, they soon found out about yet another Boog Powell playing the game they love!

This time, it skipped yet another generation. Jeffery “Boog” Powell, seems to be taking after the oldest Boog as a power hitting little leaguer for the Tennessee Little League World Series team this year. At 5’2″ 220 and only 12 years old, this Boog is looking to swing hard and send the ball flying into the seats each swing.

While in Baltimore, Boog and Boog, from the A’s and Orioles, had a chance to talk to their long lost, baseball loving brother. Thanks to technology, Boog and Boog were able to FaceTime “little” Boog at the Little League World Series.

So the question of who’s related and who’s named after who are the obvious questions. Well ironically, none of the three Boogs are related at all. However, two of the three Boog Powells use Boog as nicknames.

For the A’s, Herschel “Boog” Mack Powell got his nickname growing up and he just says that while it’s not his favorite, it stuck. The Oriole’s Boog Powell is what you could call the grandfather, the original, the “OG.” Not just because he’s the eldest of the group, but because he is the one of the three who was originally named Boog. Twelve-year-old Jeffrey “Boog” Powell is just yet another addition to the three Boogs.

While the A’s and Giants may be having down seasons compared to the past, as a baseball lover, I encourage you to take times like this to get to know the players better on an individual level like I have done with the A’s newest spark plug, Boog Powell. Find the facts about them that make them unique and fun in your downtime.

Or better yet, take advantage of the cheaper ticket prices this year and get out to the ballpark in the next month before the season is over and take in a ball game with some peanuts and a cold one!

Justin Couchot can be reached at [email protected] or @bigasfan1 on Twitter.

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