Why is baseball the

[TodaysAction]

only one of the four major sports in America to not have the same size playing field? Basketball courts at the professional level are the same size, same for the N.H.L. and N.F.L.?

[PsychoQ]

Never thought of it that way...Thats a great question..

[Willie Bee]

Because when the parks were all being built 100+ years ago, the developers were often limited by the plot of land that was available. The infield, the mound, that sort of stuff remains constant.

[VegasPlayer]

Wonder if there is a max limit on the outfield distance to home plate.

[bostonboss]

hockey rinks are all slightly different sizes

[Panekkkk]

Answer is very simple and Willie Bee nailed it. Oldest professional sport. Tradition. Limited room for building. Hard to maintain consistency back 100 years ago. Blah blah blah... Can't change it now... Adds more intrigue and more variables to the game though so I don't mind it.

[DacBietViet]

who knows. who cares

[ankh4all2]

DacBietViet
Don't be mean.

[Reload]

Tradition and nostalgia works for me there. Fenway would not be the same without the Monster.

[smitch124]

I like the idea of each park having its own personality, and gives the home team the chance to design their team to maximize their advantage.