Aug 30th 2008 4:01PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, AFC NorthWith all the lunacy over Chad Johnson changing his name to “Chad Ocho Cinco” came this comment from #85:”It’s something I don’t think anyone has ever done before,” he told the team’s Web site. “Have I ever had a reason for why I do what I do? I’m having fun.”
Well, it has been done before … just not to the dumb extent you have made it.

We have had numerous athletes discover Islam and changed their names. A couple of high profile guys like Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcinder) whose resumes Chad couldn’t even sniff. There are others, too, like Ahmad Rashad (Bobby Moore), Mahmoud Abdul-Raof (Chris Jackson) and Tariq Abdul-Wahad (Oliver St. Jean).

But those name changes aren’t always religious. Remember that Lloyd Free changed his name to “World B. Free”??? Or Larry Berra became “Yogi Berra”??? How about Elegio Sardinius-Montalbo, the 1930s Cuban boxer who changed his name to “Kid Chocolate”??

How about one of the greatest fighters of all time … Walker Smith. Who? You may know him as “Sugar Ray Robinson”. Sugar Ray used another fighter’s AAU card (Ray Robinson) so he was old enough to box.

I get it. It’s a cutesy thing … just like those celebrities who name their kid “Lemon Lime Thompson” or something. But don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back for thinking you were the first.