sit dead red
v. phr.— «The ball sailed into the night, slamming into the facade on the second deck in left field. It fell straight down and was grabbed by a 33-year-old plumber from the San Diego area. In baseball terminology, he was “sitting dead red.” Barry Bonds got his fastball—a two-and-one pitch he ripped 381 feet to straightaway left field at San Diego’s PETCO Park.» —“Reporter’s Notebook: Being There When Barry Bonds Tied Hank Aaron” by Adam Housley Fox News Aug. 6, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Tom Harris from Bluebell, Pennsylvania, wonders: In baseball, when a batter is said to take a ball, what exactly does take mean in that context? Batters have been advised to take a ball since the mid-1850s, when rule changes established the modern...
It’s the ultimate road trip: A father and son retrace the journey of Odysseus and find a way to navigate their relationship. Plus, the story behind the phrase a flash in the pan: It has nothing to do with cooking or gold mining. Also, what’s a...