It's Pronounced "Puts," Until J.J. Screws Up, At Least

New Met reliever J.J. Putz's last name is the focus of a feature in today's New York Times. It is pronounced "puts," but his move to a city where plenty of people are familiar with Yiddish makes it likely that another, less positive pronounciation will become more common. For those who aren't familiar with the tongue, putz is a vulgar term for penis although it's current usage is much closer to calling someone a dope.

Of even more interest is how the city's legendary tabloid headline writers will handle such a juicy name. The Times tried to find out:

 

The name, in fact, may be used less in headlines than usual, just to avoid accusations of double-entendre. “It’s almost a nightmare,” (Daily News copy editor Bill) Sweeney said. “He’s going to be referred to a lot as J. J., that’s for sure.”

 

Greg Gallo, The New York Post’s sports editor, declined to comment on the paper’s potential use of the name.

Just a guess, but the Post is probably reserving the right to use the name in the more derogatory sense when and if Putz blows a couple of eighth inning leads.

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