Posthumous chronicles and reference works about Titcomb referred to him as "Cannonball" (or "Cannon Ball") Titcomb, thus assigning him a nickname which was never used during his playing days and did not appear in newsprint until Titcomb was 82.
Society for American Baseball Research historian and author Bill Lamb researched the origins of the nickname and in fall 2016 published an article in the SABR quarterly newsletter
Nineteenth Century Notes debunking the nickname. After analyzing between 600 and 700 newspaper articles mentioning Titcomb, Lamb discovered that, "For the most part, Titcomb was identified by last name only during his pro career. On at least 17 occasions, however, 'Ledell Titcomb' appeared in newsprint. At no time whatsoever during his professional playing career did the putative nickname 'Cannon Ball'/'Cannonball' appear in the newspapers that covered Titcomb." Lamb further wrote, "A search for the surname Titcomb in newspapers published from the start of Titcomb's playing days in 1884 until the day before his death in June 1950 via GenealogyBank yielded 10,458 page hits. Linkage of the word 'Cannonball' with 'Titcomb' promptly reduced that number to zero." After his playing days, during which Titcomb worked in shoe manufacturing, reported Lamb, he was accorded "sparse newspaper attention. ... But on the odd occasion when his name did appear in print, it was always given as 'Ledell Titcomb,' never as 'Cannon Ball'/'Cannonball' Titcomb." and in
The Sporting News, both of which drew upon the
Gazette obituary, repeating the erroneous nickname as well as the factual errors. ==See also==