I figured out who Pants is! Our long national nightmare is over!
Long ago, as I was thumbing through a ratty issue of Total Baseball with Kimberly by my side, we stumbled upon an entry with a first name of "Pants."
(Hmm, I'm thinking Lifetime movie. "I Know My First Name Is Pants." Let's make some calls about this.)
Unfortunately, while laughing uncontrollably, I lost the page, and the true identity of Pants seemed lost to me forever.
Until today.
Clarence "Pants" Rowland was manager of the White Sox from 1915-1918. He even won a World Series in 1917, but when the team slipped to 5th the following year he was fired (thus avoiding the whole Black Sox thing).
Pants later umpired in Major League Baseball and served as president of the Pacific Coast League. According to his obituary, here's how he got his name:
When Roland broke into baseball, the first club he played with did not have a uniform small enough to fit him. The pants slid down to his ankles--and a nickname was established.
In that case, shouldn't they have named him No-Pants? Or, to adapt a nickname from another White Sox member, Pantsless Joe?