Funny Terms & Expressions In Baseball
When it comes to inside languages of baseball, certain terms and expressions arise that are not only unique but also spark a little laughter in the uninitiated. Do you know the origins of the following terms?
Can of Corn
One of the funniest expressions that belongs to the inside languages of baseball that you may hear during the announcer use during a game–or even in some baseball video games–describes a pop fly ball that travels so lazily as it arcs high through the air that the fielder barely even needs to exert himself in order to catch it. So where does this baseball expression come from? The prevailing theory suggests the term for an easily caught fly ball is a baseball metaphor for the gentle manner with which an old time grocer would knock canned food items off the top shelf so that it landed softly in his hand.
Ducks on the Pond
This humorous entry from the inside languages of baseball seems to trace back only to about the 1940s. This baseball expression refers to a situation when runners are in scoring position on at least second and third base. In many cases, the term “duck on a pond” is expressly used only in reference to all three bases being loaded as part of the color commentary providing insight into the fourth duck looking onto the pond: the batter. For instance, an analyst might say that the batter has struck out the last five times he came to bat with ducks on the pond.
Wouldn’t be a Home Run in a Phone Booth
Many of the expressions that have made into the lexicon of the inside languages of baseball are funny today because the passage of generational time has disconnected their meaning from the mainstream. One day that will likely be true for this phrase coined by legendary Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray to refer to specifically to a weak hit by a batter at just such a moment that a little more power would have produced some runs.
Million Dollar Arm, Five Cent Head
The origin of “million dollar arm, five cent head” may only go as far back as the baseball movie “Bull Durham.” At least, it has been since that movie was released that this funny expression has officially entered the inside language of baseball. The term refers to a baseball player blessed with an almost unnatural raw talent who nevertheless fails to live up to all the promise and hype expected of him because he doesn’t possess the mental talents to transform that raw ability into a long career.
Waiting for the Express and Caught the Local
In certain situations, the most obvious kind of a pitch to be delivered to the batter is a fastball. A smart and experienced batter will recognize this situation and prepare himself accordingly since it would really make no sense at all for the pitcher to toss something softer and easier to hit. But then again, the pitcher also knows that the batter is expecting that fastball and so he plays mind games by throwing an off-speed pitch. When the batter just stands there in befuddlement as he watches a slow ball slide past him for strike three, this description is appropriate.
The Hall of Very Good
You’ve heard of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, right? The ultimate destination for every player who moves up past the sphere of superstar toward the status of legend. It may not be a laughing matter to those baseball players who just missed out on getting into the Hall of Fame by as little as a single voter or as many as a dozen, but you have to admit that the name “The Hall of Very Good” does deserve a chuckle.
Head of Lettuce
Let’s end our look at funny expressions from the inside languages of baseball back where we began: in the grocery store. A “head of lettuce” is the term for the part of a bat that winds up in fair territory in the infield after it broke as a result of the batter’s swing. This humorous baseball expression is one of the newest additions to the inside languages of baseball as it seems to trace back to a 2006 observation comparing the splintering of a baseball bat to a head of lettuce exploding as a result of being hit with a baseball bat.