Dugouts

[Guest Edgy DC]

Dumb question: Why is baseball the only sport that expects their bench players and coaches to sit in a hole?

My guess is that, traditionally being a summer sport, they can use a shelter to sit under, but they neeed to keep it low so the first-rows of spectators can see over it.

Whatever the original reason, it seems on one hand awful anachronistic, on the other hand, when I see a ballpark with a field level "dugout," I feel slightly cheated.

[MFS62]

Where else would you put them?

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well most benches in the world are placed on ground level. It's sort of a strange tradition that puts baseballists in a trench.

[MFS62]

Who knows? Maybe someone like Connie Mack or John McGraw thought you had a better chance to steal the catcher's signs from that (low) angle. And everyone else followed suit.
But your "not blocking the spectators" idea makes sense, too.

EDIT: Or, as Bouton or Brosnan might have noted, maybe you could peek through the back boards of the dugout and " shoot some beaver".

Later

[Elster88]

It might be cooler in there?

[Guest ABG]

Maybe has something to do with being protected from foul balls

[Guest Edgy DC]

There's something to that. Only it sends liners over your head by channels grounders toward your face.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

If it was for safety's sake, they'd put a screen in front, or a chain link fence like in Little League dugouts.

I think it's probably about not blocking the view of the spectators.

[Guest KC]

Someone should send a letter to Cecil and ask him. I betcha it would
get published and answered - this is right up their alley.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Done and done.

[MFS62]

Who be Cecil?

Later

[Guest KC]

Sorry, I thought I had a link in that post ...

http://www.straightdope.com/

[Guest rpackrat]

Just a guess but, since some of the early ballparks had fans right at field level (or even on the field), the benches were probably placed below field level so as not to block the view.