Whats the origin of the term “bullpen” in baseball?
Like a lot of historical details about the national pastime, how the word “bullpen” came about is anything but clear. One of the most commonly cited explanations has to do with a certain brand of tobacco. As this site on phrase origins explains, the late Moe Berg was a big believer in this chewy theory. According to Berg, a major league catcher and member of the high-falutin’ Linguistic Society of America, all bullpens used to be located in the outfield, often directly behind billboards for Bull Durham tobacco. We won’t insult your intelligence by connecting the dots. There are a few other theories fluttering around like errant screwballs. One suggests that in the earliest days of baseball, when fans came late to the game, they were “herded like cattle” to a standing room only section known as the “bullpe
