Definition of ground rule

The term "ground rule" originated in the game of baseball in the late 19th century. At the time, baseball rules were not standardized, and many local leagues had unique customs and traditions that varied from one town to another. To address this issue, teams would agree upon a set of ground rules before the start of a game. These ground rules governed play in certain situations where the official rules were ambiguous or left open to interpretation, such as where a foul ball landed, how a wild pitch was defined, or what to do with a line drive that hit a fence. The name "ground rule" came from the notion that these guidelines were fundamental principles that governed the play of the game and were set firmly in place like the ground beneath one's feet. Over time, the term has come to be used more broadly to refer to any established framework of principles or protocols that govern a particular activity or setting. Here are a few fun facts about the origin of the term "ground rule": - The first documented use of the term "ground rule" as it's known today appeared in a New York Times article in 1886, which referred to a game between two local teams that had agreed to a set of mutual ground rules. - Some early ground rules were quite bizarre. In the late 1800s, for example, a team in Hartford, Connecticut, had a ground rule that stipulated that a home run could only be scored by hitting the ball over an onion-shaped monument located in right-center field. - In the early years of baseball, teams would sometimes negotiate ground rules on the fly during a game in response to unusual situations that arose. One famous example occurred during a game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants in 1951, when a pigeon flew onto the field and created a potential obstruction. The umpire called for a ground rule double to resolve the matter. - Today, ground rules are still an important part of baseball, and are formally published in official league manuals. They can be updated as necessary to reflect changing circumstances or the introduction of new technology, such as the recent addition of a ground rule concerning defensive shifts.