re: DUGOUT seating - I am confessing to just now learning this - until this CWS I had thought

One relatively new advantage to being on the first base side is that players who get on first base can take off all their elbow pads, gloves, shoulder pads, shin guards, and cups on the way to first base, where they can put on their sliding gloves, base running suits, and base stealing shoes.

All of that stuff becomes a hassle when you have to carry it all the way from first base. Some teams don't have a logistics engineer on staff, so it can get messy...