BASEBALL - Terms - Jargon - Origins

[Jerry]

I think some of the above replies are only partially correct. My grandmother owned an old grocery story so I can attest that cans were NOT stacked on shelves above head level. Actually, the boxes of Kotex, rolls of toilet tissue, and mop heads were placed overhead; soft goods. The cans of vegetables and boxes of laundry detergent and baking soda were lined up on shelves behind the cash register counter. If someone wanted a can of corn, for instance, "Bushia" (what we called our grandmother) would take it off the shelf behind her and gently toss it to the customer . . . not unlike how the peanut vendors toss their stuff at the ball park. The stick that others refer to, was actually a hook at the end of the stick, used to grab the soft goods that were on the upper shelves.

The phrase, "He caught that can of corn" was first used by announcer Red Barber . . . and referred to a softly hit line drive or short toss to a fielder. Picture an underhanded toss from F6 to F4 on a double play . . . that's a "can of corn".

Farmer Jerry