Can of corn

Posted by ESC on November 01, 2000

In Reply to: Can of corn posted by Clayton Platt on October 31, 2000

: I grew up hearing the phrase "can of corn" used to describe a type of flyball to the outfield in baseball. I can't for the life of me remember, if I ever knew, what the derivation of this term was. I do know that a can of corn was an easy fly to catch. Any help?

From a May 26, 2000 discussion:
: This expression is used in American baseball to indicate a ball that's hit and easily caught in the outfield. A "Can't miss" catch is called a can of corn. I've heard it comes from old general stores that would stack canned foods high against the wall behind the cash register. When retrieving a can for a customer, the shopkeeper would softly lob the can so it could be easily caught. Corn is used instead of another food because the outfield is sometimes called the "cornfield". I don't know if I believe this explanation of origin. Any ideas?

Yes to all of the above ... except ... it's a ball hit softly, not high, right at you. Very easy to catch.