CHICAGO -- People seem to have trouble consistently pronouncing the last name of White Sox reliever Jake Petricka.
So using "Petey" as his jersey name during Players Weekend will make it easier for everyone.
"Petey becomes the short-hand, so that worked out well," Petricka said hours before taking to the bullpen wearing the special red and black jerseys. "This is the most current nickname, so a pretty easy choice."
White Sox fans will get a look at many of the White Sox nicknames and tribute patches over the course of the weekend. Those nicknames range from home cities, such as Jose Abreu (Mal Tiempo) and Yolmer Sanchez (El Del Pinonal), to Tim Anderson paying respect to his friend Branden Moss, who was tragically killed earlier this season, with his B. Moss jersey.
There's also the slightly bizarre but humorous. White Sox assistant hitting coach Greg Sparks will feature the name "S. Panther," as in Shadow Panther for his Twitter handle. White Sox hitting coach Todd Steverson will sport his nickname, "Trick," on the back, adding that he's going to make the rare call to wear the jersey top instead of just a jacket during the game.
White Sox manager Ricky Renteria went with Ricky on his back, adding the players were the ones who had to be asked about their opinion of this special weekend.
"I think they feel good about it. They're wearing their shirts," Renteria said. "They're a little bit more relaxed in terms of their attire. It doesn't hurt.
"It's the first time so I guess we'll all get a feel for what it's actually going to be like. We'll get a feel what it's going to mean to everybody once this weekend is over."
Yoan Moncada, wearing his nickname "YoYo" on his back, was disappointed he wouldn't be able to feature the jersey at second base. Moncada was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a right shin contusion prior to Friday's action.
Sanchez tweeted a poignant message on the meaning of his jersey:
"This is fun," Petricka said. "It's fun that they are allowing us to do it and just kind of relax and play."