It's Opening Day!

I'm a baseball fan.

My American League team is the Seattle Mariners.  I used to ditch my sedimentology and geomorphology classes at the U-Dub with my friend Lisa to go to games at the King Dome!  My National League team is the Washington Nationals because I never had a NL team until I moved to Virginia.  Ironically, when you put the M and W together you get my initials. Coincidence?

Have you ever stopped to think about all of the idioms in American English that are actually derived from baseball slang?  I bet you've used a few baseball expressions even if you aren't a fan of the game.  Here are some examples:

Closer
O-fer (0 for X number of at bats)
Wheelhouse
Curveball
Cleanup hitter
First base (teehee)
Playing hardball
Throwing a curveball
Grand Slam (not the Denny's breakfast)
Hit it out of the park!
Left field (out of)
Major league (assh*le) *
Way off base
Pinch hitter
Whiffed it!
Swing for the fences

and, my all-time favorite...
RAIN CHECK

Yes, the rain check was given to patrons in the 1880's when games were rained out.  It became a popular term for retailers in the early 1900's.  Let's thank the baseball legends of yore next time we go to buy those organic cotton sheets on sale at Target and we have to pull a paper rain check...

Let's play ball!  Go M's and Nats!!!!

* This in no way is meant to indicate that I am not a Republican or am a Democrat.  I don't vote for a party.  I vote for the candidate.  However, I still think of this gaffe and chuckle.  That's why it is included in this slice of Americana.