Meet the new league, same as the old league

In case you haven't heard, the proprietor of a certain eatery in The City gently but firmly discouraged me from using the place's name, even in tribute, to identify this silly little undertaking.

I guess I should have known that was coming ever since my mother Googled the place one day and this blog came up in the list before the restaurant itself.

So, Henk and I were brainstorming new names that (I hope) we wouldn't get cease-and-desisted for, and he asked me: "Who was the first guy to lead the league in home runs?"

According to baseball-reference.com a guy named Lipman Emanuel "Lip" Pike, initially of the Troy Haymakers and then of the Baltimore Canaries, led the National Association in home runs three years running, beginning in 1873.

Aside from the fact that Lip Pike is a great baseball name, here are some more cool facts about him, courtesy of his Wikipedia page:

• Pike is considered the first professional baseball player (or at least the first to acknowledge he was being paid to play).
• Pike was one of the fastest players in the sport, and even won a 100-yard race against a horse.
• Pike was Dutch.
• Despite being left-handed, Pike played second base quite a bit.
• Pike was the first famous Jewish ballplayer.

So, as a result of necessity, all bow to our new namesake - - until his ghost's attorney tells me to knock it off.