Let's Play The Nickname Game: E-sports Athlete Or Mobster?

by Mike Futter on Jul 02, 2015 at 07:26 AM

Earlier today, we covered the guilty plea by noted video game violence detractor Leland Yee. Yee didn’t operate alone, collaborating with a criminal named Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow.

We realized that organized crime isn’t the only place you’ll find colorful names. It’s with pride (and a smile on our hearts) that we present a new quiz: E-sports Athlete or Mobster?

All you need to do is note your guesses and click ahead to page two for the answers. Let’s see if you know the difference between someone who will gank you and someone who will shank you. Give yourself extra credit if you know the real name of the mobster or the game the e-sports athlete plays.

Yeast Baron
Lord High Executioner
Moose
Bodydrop
Tony Pro
Freeze
Silent
Peanuts
Killing Machine
Snorky
Ace
Rabbit
Cheech
Sneaky
Sharp

Got your answers locked in? Click ahead to page two to find out the answers (and a little bit about each of the people behind these nicknames).

Yeast Baron
Real Name: Giuseppe Siragusa
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: Mobster

Pittsburgh-based Giuseppe “Yeast Baron” Siragusa earned his nickname selling yeast to illegal breweries during prohibition. He became the head of his family before being shot and killed in his home in 1931. We’re not sure why an e-sports pro would pick the name “Yeast Baron,” but if that was your guess, please do enlighten us.

Lord High Executioner
Real Name: Albert Anastasia
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: Mobster

While “Murder, Inc.” might sound like an e-sports team (someone should get on that), it’s the name the American press gave to enforcer groups for the mafia. That group was responsible for up to 1,000 contract murders. Anastasia, who was himself assassinated in 1957, was also known as “The Mad Hatter.” While we’re sure there is some e-sports pro out there who has declared him or herself the Lord High Executioner after scoring a Pentakill, this guy is definitely not someone you want to queue up against.

Moose
Real Name: Tom Handley
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: e-sports, Call of Duty

Tom “Moose” Handley is a British Call of Duty player currently part of TCM Gaming. We won’t hold it against you for guessing “mobster” on this one. Moose does seem like the kind of name you’d give a guy who could break you without breaking a sweat.

Bodydrop
Real Name: Adam Krauthaker
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: e-sports, League of Legends

Bodydrop currently competes with Enemy Sports as a support player in League of Legends. His favorite champions are Thresh, Nami, Nalzahar, and Shen. “Bodydropper” seems too obvious for a professional hitman. “Lord High Executioner” is far more subtle.

Tony Pro
Real Name: Anthony Provenzano
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: Mobster

Provenzano was a member of New York-based Genovese crime family. He was connected with Jimmy Hoffa and suspected of having a hand in the famous disappearance case. He died of a heart attack in 1988. We fooled you with this one, because we’re talking about PROfessional gaming, right? We knew it.

Freeze
Real Name: Aleš Kněžínek
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: e-sports, League of Legends

Freeze is an AD Carry player in League of Legends hailing from the Czech Republic and playing for the Copenhagen Wolves. He prefers Graves, Kalista, and Draven. “Freeze” is less of a mobster name and more of a “I have bodies in my basement, wanna see ‘em?” nom de guerre.

Silent
Real Name: Airat Gaziev
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: e-sports, Dota 2

Russian Dota 2 player Silent currently plays for Team Empire. He typically slots in at carry or support, preferring to play as Gyrocopter, Mirana, or Luna. You wouldn’t want to be a mobster named “Silent,” because then you’d be “Silent, but deadly.”

Peanuts
Real Name: John Tronolone
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: Mobster

John “Peanuts” Toronlone lived until the age of 81. He was arrested multiple times on a variety of charges (a whopping 29 of them at once in 1981), including racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder. He was acquitted, but eventually arrested and convicted of accepting stolen goods in a sting operation. He died before beginning a nine-year sentence for his crime. I can imagine an e-sports pro choosing “Peanuts” for a nickname because he moves his hands over his keyboard like Schroeder plays the piano. Or because he loses a lot and blames Lucy for moving the tower.

Killing Machine
Real Name: Greg Scarpa
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: Mobster

Greg Scarpa, also known as The Grim Reaper and The Mad Hatter, served as an enforcer for the Colombo crime family. He also spent time as an FBI informant before being convicted of three murders and conspiracy to commit others. He died of AIDS-related complications in a prison in Rochester, Minn., in 1994. With subtlety like “Killing Machine,” I have to believe Scarpa could have been an ace Call of Duty player if he’d just been born a little later.

Snorky
Real Name: Alphonse Capone
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: Mobster

Yes, we mean that Al Capone. Snorky, a term meaning “sharp dresser,” was Capone’s nickname to his friends. Little needs to be said about the Chicago boss who evaded Eliot Ness and his team for years before an eventual arrest for income tax evasion. For some reason we have the urge to watch The Untouchables.

Ace
Real Name: Marcus Hoelgaard
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: e-sports, Dota 2

Ace currently plays Dota 2 for Flipside Tactics. His brother Sylvester “Link” Hoelgaard is also a pro Dota 2 player. This one was tricky, because Robert DeNiro’s character in Casino is named “Ace.” Also, it’s super generic, and we kind of feel bad for including it.

Rabbit
Real Name: Wang Zhang
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: e-sports, Dota 2

Rabbit is a carry player for NewBee. You’ll likely find him playing Lifestealer, Weaver, or Faceless Void. The more we read the names of these Dota characters, the more we hope the next generation of organized criminals uses them as nickname inspiration. I’d be afraid of some enforcer named “Faceless Void.” Wouldn’t you be?

Cheech
Real Name: Frank Scalise
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: Mobster

Scalise, whose nickname “Cheech” is itself shortened from Don Ciccio, led the Italian-American group that would eventually become the Gambino crime family. He was born in Palermo, Sicily, before relocating to New York City. He was a business partner of Bugsy Siegal, and the two opened the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Scalise was assassinated in New York in 1957. If you guessed “pro cannabis consumer,” you’re not entirely wrong. You’re just not right.

Sneaky
Real Name: Zachary Scuderi
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: e-sports, League of Legends

As a member of Cloud9, Sneaky fills the AD Carry role. Corki, Lucien, and Graves are his go-to characters. This was admittedly a tough one, except that would be a rough nickname to live down in prison. A guy named “Sneaky” getting caught is just going to make time behind bars rougher.

Sharp
Real Name: Brandon Rodgers
E-sports Athlete or Mobster: e-sports, Call of Duty

Sharp is a member of Team Kaliber. He entered the pro scene in 2009 and has played for Team EnVyUs, Team FeaR, and others before joining Team Kalibur. If this had been a mobster, we imagine that it would be someone who specialized in fencing a specific brand of televisions. Or stabbing people.

So? How did you do? Tally up your score, including bonus points (earned by guessing the name of the mobster or game that the e-sports pro plays). Post your results in the comment.

15+: Made Man
12 - 14: Enforcer
9 - 11: Up and comer
6 - 8: Learning the ropes
3 - 5: Feeder
0 - 2: Fitted for a pair of cement shoes