Fleitz, p. 22. "Brunell suggested, jokingly, that such a gangly, long-limbed collection of ballplayers in their black and gray uniforms should be called Spiders. And so they were. Brunell first used the name Spiders in his Plain Dealer column on May 12." Fleitz, David L. (2017). Rowdy Patsy Tebeau and the Cleveland Spiders. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN9780786499472.
Light, p. 205. "... a club executive assessing their shapes supposedly said: 'They look skinny and spindly, just like spiders. Might as well call them Spiders and be done with it.' " Light, Jonathan Fraser (2016). The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball (2nd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN9781476617442.
