Out of Left Field -- phrase origin - alt.fan.cecil-adams

Message from discussion Out of Left Field -- phrase origin

Blinky the Shark

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More options May 16, 11:44 pm

Newsgroups: alt.fan.cecil-adams

From: Blinky the Shark <no.s...@box.invalid>

Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 20:44:17 -0700

Local: Fri, May 16 2008 11:44 pm

Subject: Re: Out of Left Field -- phrase origin

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ZBicyclist 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.

Another theory here in the blogosphere:

http://www.bobcongdon.net/blog/2004/06/out-in-left-field.html

"...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.

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Blinky
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