With all the BC Summer Games excitement going on last week in Prince George you may have lost track that Sports Cliche Week is a fixture in the month of July.
So to refresh your memory today’s column is “for all the marbles.”
The bad news, depending on how one wants to look at it, is this doesn’t mean we won’t hear them again until next summer. On the contrary, sports enthusiasts have been accustomed to hearing clichés for many years, and they are solidly embedded in the fabric of sports culture. After all, “there is no tomorrow”.
According to a poll (1618 respondents) on http://www.sportscliche.com/poll.html the six most overused clichés are:
–We’re taking it one game at a time. (39 %)
–We have to give 110 percent. (24 %)
–We have to stay focused. (19 %)
–We have to go out and execute. (7 %)
–We have to take it to the next level. (7 %)
–We have to play with intensity. (4 %)
Next time you watch a game take notice if it’s a real “pressure cooker” that goes “down to the wire”. Of course, it is certain that each team “will control its own destiny”. Keep in mind that when a team is winning “they can’t afford to get lackadaisical” “because no lead is safe” even if they’re “hitting on all cylinders”.
On the other hand, when a team is losing they look “out of sync”. However, as long as they “maintain their composure”, and keep that “never say die” attitude, “it ain’t over ’til it’s over”, especially since “stranger things have happened”.
After the game, the winners are “tickled to death” because “they came to play” and “brought their “A-game” to prove they were the better team. In other words, “they knew what they had to do” and went out and did it, although “it wasn’t pretty”.
Of course, the losers are the first to say that “the final score is the only statistic that matters”, and “it’s a bitter pill to swallow”. Naturally, “nobody is going to point fingers” it’s just “they wanted it more than we did”.
Once playoffs start, most teams will “face a must-win situation”, especially if they have been “behind the eight ball”. Yes, “they may be down, but they’re not out” as they try to “stave off” elimination.
“At the end of the day” the 10 of the top sport clinches of all time are:
- You can’t stop him; you can only hope to contain him.
- They have to take it one game at a time.
- Records are made to be broken.
- He’s really been in the zone.
- This team must rise to the occasion.
- They have to stay focused.
- He thrives under pressure.
- This team has overcome a lot of adversity.
- They control their own destiny.
- This team sent a message today.
No question about it. I will be the last one to make excuses about the pros and cons of sports clichés. It’s time to move on. I just hope my comments were not taken out of context.
If you insist on wanting more we’re not going to rest on our laurels so you can click here.
FROM THE QUOTE RACK:
The Browns have signed QB Josh Rosen and may take a look at Cam Newton. You know, Cleveland is right next to Akron, which is the Rubber and Tire Capital, so it is fitting that they are bringing in retreads.
*Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
The Seattle Mariners have released pitcher Daniel Ponce de Leon. The team thanked him for his service and wished him well as he explores other opportunities.
*Contributor Marc Ragovin of New York
Golfers like Paul Casey who left the PGA Tour earlier for the Saudi-backed LIV tour say “It’s not about the money.” Translation “It’s about the money.”
*Comedy writer Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com
Andrew Wiggins, a first-time All-Star and NBA champion this season with the Warriors, says he nonetheless regrets getting the COVID vaccinations that allowed him to do so. Who else but an NBA player could turn Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson into bad shot selection?
*Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times http://www.seattletimes.com/author/dwight-perry/
In Case You Missed It:
Three reasons a rival soccer fan threw and hit Argentina’s Leandro Fernandez with a fish:
3. He didn’t think he’d get cod;
2. To make Fernandez flounder;
1. Just for the halibut.
*Western Canadian comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke.com