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Alphabetic Baseball Slang Thread

Kong76 Feb 21 2009 03:02 PM

We've done baseball slang threads and lists, this one's a little different. Add one in alphabetical order and supply a definition. Use your own definition or a researched one. If you cut and paste a definition, give proper credit. examples: ace - best pitcher on a team -- kong76 Baltimore Chop - "The Baltimore Chop was a hitting technique used by batters during Major League Baseball's dead ball era. This technique was an important element of John McGraw's "Inside baseball". Popularized by and named after the original Baltimore Orioles, the batter would intentionally hit the ball downward to the hard ground in front of home plate, resulting in a high bounce which allowed the batter to reach first base safely before the opposing team could field it." -- Wikipedia

Fman99 Feb 21 2009 03:42 PM

Can of corn -- an easy pop fly. I immediately think of Fran Healy when hearing the phrase.

Kong76 Feb 21 2009 03:56 PM

dinger - a home run -- kong76

dinosaur jesus Feb 21 2009 05:32 PM

Eephus--Rip Sewell's blooper pitch; Ted Williams was the only batter ever to hit a home run off it, in the 1946 All Star game. Seaver had a blooper pitch at the end of his career, though I guess he didn't call it an eephus. It was kind of embarrassing, whatever he called it.

Edgy DC Feb 21 2009 05:37 PM

fan - to strike out or, alternatively, to strike a batter out as a pitcher. The term metaphorically refers to a batsman swinging at a pitch and missing, and therefore only connecting with air, as a hand fan. Edgy DC

Kong76 Feb 21 2009 05:55 PM

gone - a ball that has traveled far enough to be a home run -- kong76

dgwphotography Feb 21 2009 06:00 PM

homer - an announcer who views the game through the home team's colored glasses. See Kay, Michael.

metirish Feb 21 2009 06:19 PM

Iron Glove - a bad glove man... all hit no glove

DocTee Feb 21 2009 06:30 PM

Jeter:Shortstop of limited range, and incomparable intangibles. Object of Steve J Rogers affections.

Kong76 Feb 21 2009 06:51 PM

kahnfidence, uh ... k: a strike out -- kong76

TheOldMole Feb 21 2009 07:13 PM

Low Strike Zone -- instance of this bizarre idea that a strike zone should be a reflection of an umpire's personality.

G-Fafif Feb 22 2009 06:42 AM

Mash -- To really hit that ball hard; not to be confused with every time a team has three players on the DL and an announcer refers to the 40-man roster as a M*A*S*H unit

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 22 2009 06:43 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 23 2009 06:23 PM

MENDOZA LINE-- Informal term used to denote the ineffable barrier-- generally considered to be an average of .200-- between mere below-average performance with the bat and Doug-Flynn/Rey-Rey-level futility. (LeiterWagner...)

TheOldMole Feb 22 2009 01:57 PM

Nickel curve -- a slider.

Edgy DC Feb 22 2009 03:14 PM

Onion --- a baseball (<i>Edgy DC</i>)

Kong76 Feb 22 2009 03:45 PM

pounding it in hard - throwing pitches to a batter fast and close -- kong76 Sorry Fman, beat ya to it.

MFS62 Feb 22 2009 04:12 PM

Quick bat- a short, compact stroke that can catch up with a fastball. (my definition) Later

metirish Feb 22 2009 04:50 PM

Rally Caps - for superstitious players and fans , turning their caps inside out in a close game to get their team to rally back from a deficit. - metirish

Edgy DC Feb 22 2009 06:51 PM

shoestring catch Function: noun Date: 1926 : a catch (as in baseball) made very close to the feet Source: <i><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoestring+catch" target="_blank">merriam-webster.com</a></i>.

DocTee Feb 22 2009 07:01 PM

Turn Two: A double-play, often nimbly performed, usually involving three infielders.

Fman99 Feb 22 2009 07:14 PM

Ugly finder A foul ball hit into a dugout, presumably destined to "find" someone who is ugly, or to render him that way if he fails to dodge the ball. (from Wikipedia)

G-Fafif Feb 23 2009 05:27 AM

Velocity: How fast a pitcher is throwing; in far greater usage in the '70s than today; has given way to movement in terms of appraising a pitcher's abilities.

metirish Feb 23 2009 07:02 AM

Wheels - Used to describe a player with great speed , can also be used to take the piss out of a slow footed player like Brian Schneider.......metirish

Edgy DC Feb 23 2009 07:12 AM

X Function: noun : the character used in baseball to depict the bottom of the last inning in the linescore of a game won by the home team, eliminating the need for any actual play in that half inning. Source: <i>Edgy DC</i>

Fman99 Feb 23 2009 08:24 AM

Yips A baseball player who loses the ability to make routine throws (see Sasser, Mackey) is said to have these.

G-Fafif Feb 23 2009 12:09 PM

Zone Where pitchers hope to be with their pitchers, preferably not wild high within. If they can place their pitches where they want, in the zone, they will give up zip.

metirish Feb 23 2009 12:12 PM

Arms Extended - Fran Healy describing a hitter with his trusty telestrator - " Look at him , head level , eyes on the ball and his ARMS EXTENDED"...... Fran

A Boy Named Seo Feb 23 2009 12:23 PM

Bush League - 1) A term used to describe an unsportsmanlike play. The term is a reference to the very low minor leagues. Ex. "A-Rod slapping at the pitcher's glove was fuckin' Bush League, man." 2) A Pearl Jam song about President Bush. 3) Fman's Fantasy Baseball League Name.

Edgy DC Feb 23 2009 12:23 PM

<b>bush league</b> Function: noun, adjective <img src="http://a.espncdn.com/travel/080320/travel_dairyday1_800.jpg" width="200" align="right">used to describe a minor league, or play that is of minor league or unprofessional quality. The "bushes" or the "sticks" are small towns where minor league teams may operate. The hero of Ring Lardner's <i>You Know Me, Al</i> was known to complain to his titular correspondent, "I ain't no busher." "Bush," "bushes," and "sticks" have come to be adopted into common usage to describe employment at the professional fringes of one's field. The latter term also used in the acting profession, famously in the Variety headline of July 17, 1935, "Sticks nix hick pix", meaning small towns reject motion pictures about small towns. (Adapted by Edgy DC from wikipedia.org)

Edgy DC Feb 23 2009 12:23 PM

OH, SHIT!

A Boy Named Seo Feb 23 2009 12:24 PM

I think we covered bush league. Well done, Edge.

Centerfield Feb 23 2009 12:32 PM

Closer: 1. A relief pitcher designated for use in save situations. 2. The player on a given baseball team deemed solely responsible for that team's failures by moronic fans.

MFS62 Feb 23 2009 01:06 PM

Drag Bunt - where a batter bunts down the first base line, trying to get the ball past the pitcher so he can beat it out for a base hit. Later

metirish Feb 23 2009 01:29 PM

Eegit - bunting is for eegits - metirish

Gwreck Feb 23 2009 01:33 PM

Free Pass A bases on balls; a walk. When four balls are called during a plate appearance and the batter is allowed to advance to first base unchallenged. Most frequently used as a synonym for an intentional walk (where the pitch is deliberately thrown outside the strike zone) but sometimes also used as synonym for unintentional walks.

MFS62 Feb 23 2009 01:36 PM

Gopher ball - a home run. Later

seawolf17 Feb 23 2009 01:38 PM

hanger /ˈhæŋər/ (n) - a curveball that doesn't curve much, thereby making it much easier to hit. Often winds up becoming a gopher ball.

Fman99 Feb 23 2009 05:50 PM

="A Boy Named Seo"]Bush League - 1) A term used to describe an unsportsmanlike play. The term is a reference to the very low minor leagues. Ex. "A-Rod slapping at the pitcher's glove was fuckin' Bush League, man." 2) A Pearl Jam song about President Bush. 3) Fman's Fantasy Baseball League Name. I love you guys.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 23 2009 06:40 PM

ice cream cone/aɪsˌkrim koʊn-- a dramatic catch with the webbing of the glove, so that the white of the baseball shows at the top of the glove like a scoop of ice cream; some real Endy shizz (LeiterWagner... adapted from Coach Unga)

G-Fafif Feb 23 2009 06:41 PM

Jump A good thing to get off a bag or when a ball is hit to you in the outfield.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 23 2009 07:39 PM

keystone/kee'-stohn (n)-- the weak link of any Mets team from 1965-1972, 1977-1984, 1988-1998, and 2002-2008. (LeiterWagner... with help from the Ultimate Mets DB)

G-Fafif Feb 23 2009 07:51 PM

Lollygag What virtually every Durham Bull did to cause a very poor start to the minor league season.

Fman99 Feb 23 2009 08:45 PM

Muff Yes, I went with muff. That's how I roll. Meaning, to make an error on a ball put in play. "He muffed it."

TheOldMole Feb 23 2009 11:21 PM

No-no. A no=hitter. (also slang)

G-Fafif Feb 24 2009 03:44 AM

Ohfer Not a helpful thing to take in a big game; ohfer four; ohfer five.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 24 2009 09:05 PM

Paint the black (a personal favorite)-- work the edges of the plate while pitching; the province of maestros like Seaver or Sabes.

A Boy Named Seo Feb 24 2009 09:48 PM

Quisenberry - (n.) 1. A mustachioed relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals from 1979-1988. 2. A style of pitching where the pitcher delivers the ball using an underhand, rather than overhand, motion. Writer Roger Angell called it "a swallowlike, harmless-looking thing that rose abruptly... then changed its mind". 3. A controversial quince/raspberry hybrid fruit jam created by Knott's Berry Farm in 1976.

G-Fafif Feb 24 2009 10:28 PM

Rake To hit really well. "That Olerud, he can rake."

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 24 2009 10:35 PM

Seeing-eye Single-- a weakly-hit grounder that makes its way through the infielders for a base hit; how Luis Castillo do his do.

TheOldMole Feb 25 2009 07:29 AM

Tater - a home run

G-Fafif Feb 25 2009 10:32 AM

Utility player Better than not being a player at all.

metirish Feb 25 2009 10:42 AM

Vinegar - something extra on a fastball......I think I have heard that maybe once or twice..probably a Fran Healy special.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 25 2009 10:48 AM

ww -- wasn't watching, Phil Rizzuto's famous scorecard symbol.

metirish Feb 25 2009 10:50 AM

="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]ww -- wasn't watching, Phil Rizzuto's famous scorecard symbol. Another Fran Healy special....told that story a lot... Xavier , Fran's middle name

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 25 2009 01:14 PM

Yo-Yo Curveball-Curveball with wicked, tumbling bite, on which it looks like the pitcher in question is "pulling the string" to start its precipitous drop* (e.g., Doc to NL, 1984-1986; Wainwright to Beltran, 2006) *All the more apropos since the motion of throwing a snappy curve is akin to that of throwing a yo-yo-- release the ball out front with full extension, then pull the wrist in.

G-Fafif Feb 25 2009 01:26 PM

Zeroes What Johan Santana put up on September 27, 2008; sadly, what the Mets offense put up too often in September 2008

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 26 2009 10:55 AM

around the horn-- when fielding a screamer for a double-play rally, it's third base to second base to first base, pally

G-Fafif Feb 26 2009 01:24 PM

Butcher Boy Square to bunt, swing away, fool the opposition

metirish Feb 26 2009 01:28 PM

Captain Hook - A manager quick to the mound to pull his pitcher at the first signs of trouble.

Frayed Knot Feb 26 2009 01:29 PM

A cutter -- slang for cut fastball, not a new pitch but mostly a modern term for a hard breaking pitch somewhere between a fastball and what is now called a slider. Probably close to what was originally called a slider. Not to be confused with a Cutter, a term for blue-collar townies living in or around Bloomington, Indiana circa 1979

G-Fafif Feb 26 2009 01:33 PM

="Frayed Knot"]Not to be confused with a Cutter, a term for blue-collar townies living in or around Bloomington, Indiana circa 1979 Where the Breaking Away pitch was perfected, IIRC.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 26 2009 09:26 PM

Dying Quail-a few more of these-- whether blooper or bleeder-- makes Mario Mendoza "Mario BA Leader"

G-Fafif Feb 27 2009 01:42 AM

E-3 Greatest scorebook notation in Mets history.

Fman99 Feb 27 2009 06:08 AM

Fisting a ball -- hitting a ball off of the narrow part of the bat, near the hands/fists, usually over the infielders' heads for a single.

themetfairy Feb 27 2009 06:10 AM

Grapefruit League - The teams that hold their spring training camps and games in Florida (as opposed to Arizona).

DocTee Feb 27 2009 07:46 AM

]Fisting a Ball . Tell the truth: that's not the definition you originally wrote.

Frayed Knot Feb 27 2009 07:58 AM

Hose -- a somewhat out-dated slang for throwing arm; That right fielder has a great hose!

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 27 2009 10:37 AM

In the Hole- when pitcher, short or second fail to show, it's where "fisted balls" are wont to go (alternatively, if you're looking to peck, it's the guy after the guy on deck) /Deriving weird enjoyment from the Gene Shalit-ing, thank you

Fman99 Feb 28 2009 09:24 PM

="DocTee"] ]Fisting a Ball . Tell the truth: that's not the definition you originally wrote. I am trying to find all the best double entendre baseball terms. In fact...

Fman99 Feb 28 2009 09:26 PM

Jerk the ball Hitting the ball hard, often over the fence for a dinger/tater.

DocTee Feb 28 2009 09:32 PM

In that case... Leave 'em Loaded to have runners on all bases at the end an inning

Edgy DC Feb 28 2009 09:54 PM

Skipped K: keepsake function: noun A foul ball into the seating area of a ballpark, so called because the attending fan who first successfully seizes the ball, by long tradition recognized by law*, is permitted to keep the ball free of charge. (Edgy DC) *A typical game in 1908 uses perhaps six to ten balls (compared to eighty-plus now) because fouls hit into the stands are supposed to be returned to play. Fans didn't always comply, of course, but the law is on management's side. Durign batting practice in Brooklyn in April 1908, Giants manager John McGraw sends plice into the stands to intimidate people into returnign fouls. Christy Mathewson even tattles on one fan, which isn't very nice, and the poor fellow is arrested. It is nto until 1923 that an eleven-year-old establishes the principle of salvage. Young Reuben Berman was jailed overnight for the crime of refusing to return a ball at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl. In the kind of decision that affirms one's faith in the American judicial system, a judge ruled that "a boy who gets a baseball in the bleachers to take home as a souvenir is acting on the natural impulse of all boys and is not guilty of larceny." After that, foul balls were fair game. ______ Murphy, Cait. <i>Crazy '08: How a cast of cranks, rogues, boneheads, and magnates created the greatest year in baseball history.</i> Smithsonian Books (New York). 2008.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 01 2009 03:31 PM

Mop Up Duty-Low-pressure/low-prestige relief pitching "opportunity" in which one of the two teams playing is up by a large margin (as opposed to a low-pressure/low-prestige job opportunity at your local adult-video emporium)

Frayed Knot Mar 01 2009 03:36 PM

Nasty -- the adjective du jour (along with filthy) that ballplayers and media use to describe hard-to-hit pitching.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 01 2009 06:16 PM

Ole!-An indifferent defensive play, usually with a lazy swipe of the glove-- a la a Spanish bullfighter making a pass-- involved; Bonilla at third.

Rockin' Doc Mar 01 2009 07:05 PM

<b>Peg</b> - A strong throw by a fielder.

Fman99 Mar 01 2009 09:17 PM

quality start By the book, anytime a starting pitcher goes 6 innings or more and gives up 3 earned runs or less.