When Mike Stanton was a wee little lad, he probably dreamed of playing baseball in the Majors and getting a real cool nickname like: Catfish, Hoover, Scoops, Captain video... Well, he achieved one part of that dream, sorta.
One day Parcells went over to the Marlins' side of the Abacoa Complex in Jupiter, where he was introduced to their phenom Mike Stanton, who was headed to the University of Southern California as a tight end before the Marlins drafted and signed him. One of the coaches asked Parcells if he'd be interested in having the 6-foot-6, 235-pound Stanton joining the Dolphins.
"You look a little wormy," Parcells told Stanton, meaning that he'd have to put on some bulk to play tight end in the NFL.
Stanton now answers to the nickname "The Worm."
So there it is. Not exactly sure The Worm, was what Stanton had in mind in his boyhood dream, but hey, it beats something like Whiff. For now, at least, on FishStripes if a player is referenced to as The Worm, it's Mike Stanton.