The Common Ground thread

[BaltimoreSkins]

Originally Posted by sdskinsfan2001

Out of left field is an idiom that originated in America. We will examine the meaning of the idiom out of left field, from where this expression is derived, and some examples of its use in sentences.

Out of left field describes something that takes one by surprise, something that is unexpected or perhaps incongruous. The phrase out of left field may refer to something that is odd or does not fit. The idiom out of left field is taken from American baseball terminology, and its earliest use seems to stem from the 1950s. Its origin is unknown. Some say it was a phrase borrowed by the songwriters in Tin Pan Alley to mean a song that is a surprise success. Others say that the expression stems from a Chicago ballpark that was located near a mental institution, which was located behind the baseball diamond’s left field. Supposedly, the mental patients heckled players and spectators from behind left field.

https://grammarist.com/idiom/out-of-left-field/

Whoa whoa whoa! What’s with all the animosity? I thought this was the common ground thread?