Date:  Wed, 2 Apr 1997 14:25:24 EST
<br>From:  Larry Horn  LHORN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU 
<br>Subject: MARCH MADNESS #3: The Al McGuire Glossary
<br>
<br>In connection with the following, it's worth noting that many of these ARE used
<br>by other announcers today. A couple of impressionistic comments follow.
<br>I don't mean to impugn Al McGuire or his influence, just to note that at least
<br>of these are more widespread in their distribution.
<br>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
<br>   This is from The Sporting News, 29 March 1980, pg. 12, col. 3. Few of
<br>the terms are used today by other announcers:
<br>
<br>   (...) With the NCAA tournament coming to a climax in Indianapolis,
<br> it's time to bone up on some Al McGuireisms:
<br>
<br>AIRCRAFT CARRIER: The ultimate big man--a franchise maker.
<br>BELLY: The weaknesses on the other team.
<br>CHECKERBOARD: Black/white situation.
<br>CUPCAKE: A team that comes down from North Dakota and plays with snowshoes.
<br>CURTAIN TIME: Pick up the hymn books, it's all over.
<br>DANCE-HALL PLAYER: A fella that thinks he can score more than 2 points at
<br>once.
<br>
<br>  [Note: not a hard feat now, in the day of the three-point shot! LH]
<br>
<br>DYNAMITE: Out of sight. Top shelf.
<br>DUNKIRK: A blowout, that's all she wrote.
<br>EAST CUPCAKE: An easy opponent; A chance to play reserves.
<br>FRENCH PASTRY: Hollywood, going for Oscar, performing unnecessarily.
<br>A KEEPER: Quality player, good to be around; Bo Derek.
<br>LAST MASS AT SUMMER RESORT: Lightning fast.
<br>MERRY-GO-ROUND: Yellow ribbons and winning tourneys.
<br>NOSE-BLEEDER: A guy who can sky; a super rebounder.
<br>OUT-OF-THE-GATE: The first three minutes; sets the norm of the game.
<br>PARK AVENUE: Top shelf, the ultimate in class.
<br>PUSH: Even; a cliffhanger.
<br>QUICK WHISTLE: High school whistle.
<br>SEASHELLS AND BALLOONS: Pleasing, desirable.
<br>SLOW WHISTLE: NBA whistle; refs blow it slower.
<br>TAP CITY: It's all over; Auerbach's cigar!
<br>
<br> [If I'm not mistaken, an extension of a term from table stakes poker. LH]
<br>
<br>TENTH AVENUE ROUGH: West Side Story; a physical game.
<br>THREE O'CLOCK SHOOTER: Great practice player, zero in game.
<br>THOROUGHBRED: God given athlete or a Final Four team.
<br>UPTICK: Team that hasn't reached full potential.
<br>WHISTLE BLOWER: With three officials, the third official.
<br>WHITE KNUCKLER: Dow to the wire.
<br>----------------------------------------
<br>Some of these have been around forever. "White knuckler", "thoroughbred" (for
<br>the "blue chipper" or "can't-miss prospect"), and "push", inter no doubt alia,
<br>are not limited to basketball contexts. The last comes from gamblers' lingo:
<br>a push (or toss-up) is one in which neither team is favored; it's also a game
<br>bet against the spread which you neither win nor lose because the outcome was
<br>exactly on the spread (e.g. one team winning by 3). On the whistles, it's
<br>worth noting that the metaphor extends further: not only are there slow
<br>whistles (ones the refs choose not to blow regardless of the physical nature
<br>of the combat--good recent example was the semi-finals of the women's tourna-
<br>ment last week between Stanford and Old Dominion)--and fast whistles (ones the
<br>refs are all too willing to blow, resulting in "shadow fouls"). There's also
<br>what happens in the last minute of a game (hockey or basketball) or in overtime
<br>when officials reluctant to alter the outcome of a game are said to "swallow
<br>their whistles". Makes 'em hard to blow. I'm waiting for its extension to
<br>football, where the official would have to swallow his flag.
<br>
<br>Larry
<br>