dirtball

( n.)

   [XEROX  PARC]  A small, perhaps struggling outsider; not in the major
   or  even  the  minor  leagues.  For example, "Xerox is not a dirtball
   company".

   [Outsiders  often  observe  in  the  PARC  culture  an  institutional
   arrogance  which  usage  of this term exemplifies. The brilliance and
   scope of PARC's contributions to computer science have been such that
   this superior attitude is not much resented. --ESR]

[glossary]