Just to get you in the spring state of mind.
“Step up to the plate or base?”
It turns out that, in earliest days, home was actually a circular object, often a dish, which led to it being
called "home plate.” Home went through several changes over the years. From a circular iron plate in
1845; a 12-inch square in 1869 with one point toward the pitcher; a square marble slab in 1872; a white
rubber square in 1885 that reduced injuries to runners. The five-sided (pentagon) home plate used today
was adopted in 1900. I read that the extra rubber made it easier for both umpires and pitchers to judge
when a ball "cut the corner," especially when dirt happened to cover the corners of home plate.
About 1919 general use-age of the phrase “ he stepped up to the plate” became common. The expression
incorporates the idea of a "challenge" somewhat contained in the idea of 'stepping forward', when others
would not. It can also mean to take on a responsibility, especially an unexpected one. For example. “In the
days following the Fort Hood
the Soldiers on the scene at the Family Readiness Center
safety to the police officers who rushed to the scene, bringing down suspected shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, our Army
community stepped up to the plate. (Taken from the US
There is an element of "taking on a challenge" in the expression "step up to the plate." When you take into
account that a .300 average is considered a good hitter (3 hits every 10 times up at bat), you can see that
batting is a very challenging activity. (courtesy of Skip McAfee, editor of the "Dickson Baseball Dictionary.")
Waterford Athletic Department
