An unusual idea would be "something out of left field" in American idiom. This is obviously a baseball-based expression, but why left field? Why not use center field, which is usually farther out?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi080515west-side-c... The Tribune claims that this phrase originated from a psychiatric hospital located just beyond the left field wall of the West Side Grounds -- the baseball stadium where the Cubs played through 1915, when they moved to Weeghman Park, now Wrigley Field.
-- Mike Kruger "You have to be careful if you are reckless." - Richard M. Daley
> An unusual idea would be "something out of left field" in American > idiom. This is obviously a baseball-based expression, but why left > field? Why not use center field, which is usually farther out?
> http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi080515west-side-c... > The Tribune claims that this phrase originated from a psychiatric > hospital located just beyond the left field wall of the West Side > Grounds -- the baseball stadium where the Cubs played through 1915, > when they moved to Weeghman Park, now Wrigley Field.
>> An unusual idea would be "something out of left field" in American >> idiom. This is obviously a baseball-based expression, but why left >> field? Why not use center field, which is usually farther out?
>> http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi080515west-side-c... >> The Tribune claims that this phrase originated from a psychiatric >> hospital located just beyond the left field wall of the West Side >> Grounds -- the baseball stadium where the Cubs played through 1915, >> when they moved to Weeghman Park, now Wrigley Field.
>> An unusual idea would be "something out of left field" in American >> idiom. This is obviously a baseball-based expression, but why left >> field? Why not use center field, which is usually farther out?
>> http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi080515west-side-c... >> The Tribune claims that this phrase originated from a psychiatric >> hospital located just beyond the left field wall of the West Side >> Grounds -- the baseball stadium where the Cubs played through 1915, >> when they moved to Weeghman Park, now Wrigley Field.
>"...in older ball parks, left field was deeper than right field; that the >left fielder must play farther back when the batter is right-handed."
>And I *think* right-handed batters were more prevalent back then...which >is probably why they'd make left field deeper than right.
>But I dunno.
I think that center field would be more mainstream, or middle-of-the-road, while left field is much closer to foul ball territory.
Don't right-handed batters have to swing early in order to pull the ball to left field? This might mark such a person as having a hair-trigger, or being slightly unstable.
On May 16, 9:42 pm, "ZBicyclist" <ZBicycl...@excite.com> wrote:
> Today's fun fact?
> An unusual idea would be "something out of left field" in American > idiom. This is obviously a baseball-based expression, but why left > field? Why not use center field, which is usually farther out?
> http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi080515west-side-c... > The Tribune claims that this phrase originated from a psychiatric > hospital located just beyond the left field wall of the West Side > Grounds -- the baseball stadium where the Cubs played through 1915, > when they moved to Weeghman Park, now Wrigley Field.
That's the story I heard when I worked near there. In fact you can see where I worked on the map shown. It is the large building that takes up the entire block of the south side of Polk St.
Bob Ward <bobw...@email.com> wrote: >>> An unusual idea would be "something out of left field" in American >>> idiom. This is obviously a baseball-based expression, but why left >>> field? Why not use center field, which is usually farther out? >I think that center field would be more mainstream, or >middle-of-the-road, while left field is much closer to foul ball >territory.
>Don't right-handed batters have to swing early in order to pull the >ball to left field? This might mark such a person as having a >hair-trigger, or being slightly unstable.
But the idea comes "out of left field", rather than "deep into left field". I agree with you that the center is mainstream. -- Tomorrow is today already. Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
>Don't right-handed batters have to swing early in order to pull the >ball to left field? This might mark such a person as having a >hair-trigger, or being slightly unstable.
From what perspective do right field and left field get their names? It must be from the perspective of someone in the field, but I would have thought that it would have been from the batter's perspective, though I can't say why, exactly.
I can remember playing work-up ball[1] where the extra fielders would be out in right field. I got relatively good at hitting to left field where almost no one was.
[1]Work-up baseball was a game played with however many kids showed up. There were three batters, then the positions at the infield had one player each, then the extra kids were in the outfield. If a batter got put out, the catcher would take his place, the pitcher would take the catcher's place usw., with the infield moving up one position. If you were in the outfield, you had to remember who moved to third base at this time, but I don't remember too many problems. One other method of becoming a batter was to catch a hit ball on the fly. Then the person who caught it would trade positions with the batter.
For this reason, it made sense that when a right handed hitter was batting, the extra fielders would shift to right field, leaving left field mostly empty. If you could hit the ball there, you probably would get on base.
Charles Bishop wrote: > From what perspective do right field and left field get their > names? > It must be from the perspective of someone in the field, but I > would > have thought that it would have been from the batter's > perspective, > though I can't say why, exactly.
From the batter's, catcher's, or home plate umpire's perspective, left field is to the left.
> >"...in older ball parks, left field was deeper than right field; that the > >left fielder must play farther back when the batter is right-handed."
> >And I *think* right-handed batters were more prevalent back then...which > >is probably why they'd make left field deeper than right.
> >But I dunno.
> I would have guessed that it was simply related to the connotation of > left-handedness as being unusual, and even sinister.
Well, in Baker Bowl, where the Phillies played from 1887-1938, it was 341 feet to left but only 280 feet to right.
The same is true of Ebbets Field (originally was 419 feet to left and 301 to right) and others.
-- D.F. Manno | dfma...@mail.com "As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it. Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests." (Gore Vidal)
>> >"...in older ball parks, left field was deeper than right field; that the >> >left fielder must play farther back when the batter is right-handed."
>> >And I *think* right-handed batters were more prevalent back then...which >> >is probably why they'd make left field deeper than right.
>> >But I dunno.
>> I would have guessed that it was simply related to the connotation of >> left-handedness as being unusual, and even sinister.
> Well, in Baker Bowl, where the Phillies played from 1887-1938, it was > 341 feet to left but only 280 feet to right.
> The same is true of Ebbets Field (originally was 419 feet to left and > 301 to right) and others.
Here's a big differential. Robison Field (St.Louis Cardinals, 1890-1923) at one time had a 470-foot left field and a 290-foot right.
