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

Message from discussion Out of Left Field -- phrase origin

artyw2@yahoo.com

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More options May 17, 1:36 pm

Newsgroups: alt.fan.cecil-adams

From: "art...@yahoo.com" <art...@yahoo.com>

Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 10:36:47 -0700 (PDT)

Local: Sat, May 17 2008 1:36 pm

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

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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.

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