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Here are some old terms no longer used in baseball:
1) "First division and second division": Before divisional play started in 1969, the term "first division" referred to clubs in the top four spots in the eight-club leagues (and the top five when there were ten-club leagues in the 60's.). Clubs in the bottom four spots were called "second-division" clubs; always in a derogatory way.
2)"Cellar": Before there were geographical divisions in 1969, there was only one last-place team in each league. The word "cellar" meant last place. When the Yankees briefly hit last place in the AL early in the 1959 season, the headlines screamed: "Yankees hit cellar!"
3) "Journeyman": Before free agency, players could change clubs only if traded. Since fan loyalty inhibited the trading of star players, a "journeyman" player was a derogatory term used for marginal players (utility or long relievers, etc.) who could be traded around a lot without being missed by the fans anywhere.
4) "Backed into a pennant" meant a team which clinched a league pennant, despite losing a game, through a loss by the second-place team.
5) In the 19th century, the word "hippodroming" was commonly applied to teams who were suspected of deliberately losing to extend a series, and thus get more gate receipts. ( Before league play, championships were often settled by "best-of" series between two teams.) This is why World Series receipts are shared with players only for the first four games as of the 20th century.
6) "Revolving":In the mid 19th century, before professional play was legal, players could change teams simply by resigning from one baseball club and joining another. When the top clubs got into fierce competition, top players would be induced (often by quasi-professional means) to change clubs multiple times during a season. This "revolving" was sharply criticized, but commonly practiced.
1) "First division and second division": Before divisional play started in 1969, the term "first division" referred to clubs in the top four spots in the eight-club leagues (and the top five when there were ten-club leagues in the 60's.). Clubs in the bottom four spots were called "second-division" clubs; always in a derogatory way.
2)"Cellar": Before there were geographical divisions in 1969, there was only one last-place team in each league. The word "cellar" meant last place. When the Yankees briefly hit last place in the AL early in the 1959 season, the headlines screamed: "Yankees hit cellar!"
3) "Journeyman": Before free agency, players could change clubs only if traded. Since fan loyalty inhibited the trading of star players, a "journeyman" player was a derogatory term used for marginal players (utility or long relievers, etc.) who could be traded around a lot without being missed by the fans anywhere.
4) "Backed into a pennant" meant a team which clinched a league pennant, despite losing a game, through a loss by the second-place team.
5) In the 19th century, the word "hippodroming" was commonly applied to teams who were suspected of deliberately losing to extend a series, and thus get more gate receipts. ( Before league play, championships were often settled by "best-of" series between two teams.) This is why World Series receipts are shared with players only for the first four games as of the 20th century.
6) "Revolving":In the mid 19th century, before professional play was legal, players could change teams simply by resigning from one baseball club and joining another. When the top clubs got into fierce competition, top players would be induced (often by quasi-professional means) to change clubs multiple times during a season. This "revolving" was sharply criticized, but commonly practiced.
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