“You can’t steal second base while your foot is on first base”
"You can't steal second base while your foot is on first base" is a popular business proverb that uses baseball language. "Progress always involves risk. You can't steal…
“You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him”
"You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him" means that a sports superstar can be expected to perform well "you can't stop him"), so the secret to winning a…
“You can’t teach scoring” (sports adage)
"You can't teach scoring" is a saying that has been used both in the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association. It's very difficult to turn a 20-goal scorer…
“You can’t tell the players without a score card”
"You can't tell the players without a score card/scorecard" is what baseball vendors yelled in the 1890s and 1900s to sell their score cards for a nickel. "You can't tell…
“You can’t walk your way off the island” (Dominican baseball adage)
Dominican baseball players have been known as free swingers who don't take walks. Dominican-born shortstop Rafael Ramirez explained in 1986: "You have to swing like a man. A walk…
“You can’t win a championship shooting jumpers” (basketball adage)
It's a basketball adage that jumpshooting teams (such as teams that rely on three-point shots) do not win championships. A successful basketball team must also have an inside game because…
“You can’t win them all”
"You can't win them/'em all" is a popular sports adage meaning that no one is perfect. The saying has been used in major league baseball, where even the greatest teams lose a…
“You can’t win. You can’t break even. You can’t quit the game” (Ginsberg’s Theorem)
The Laws of Thermodynamics were translated into everyday English in Astounding Science Fiction in November 1953: "You can't win." (The Law of Conservation of Energy.) "You…
“You cannot be serious!” (John McEnroe)
Tennis player John McEnroe spouted this bit of "Queens-ese" at Wimbledon in 1981. Wikipedia: John McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is a former World No. 1…
“You don’t choose boxing; boxing chooses you”
"You don't choose boxing; boxing chooses you" is a boxing saying of unknown authorship. Boxing, for someone from a poor neighborhood, is sometimes the only profession to choose.…
“You don’t critique a win” (hockey adage)
"You don't critique a win" is a popular hockey adage. The saying means that the players ultimately performed well enough to win the game -- critiquing the mistakes is an overly harsh…
“You don’t lose your job due to injury” (sports adage)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 4 April 1996, Daily Herald (Chicago, IL), "Jackson noncommital on starting power forward: Kukoc or Rodman?" by Kent McDill, Sports, sec. 2, pg. 1, col. 2:In the…
“You don’t need a parachute to skydive” (joke)
"You don't need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice" is a jocular line that has been printed on ecards. The line has been cited in print since at least…
“You don’t recruit JuCos to sit on the bench” (college football adage)
"You don't recruit JuCos to sit on the bench" is a popular college football adage. A college player normally has four years of eligibility, but a junior college (JuCo) recruit plays…
“You don’t want to be the coach who follows the legend” (coaching adage)
A saying in sports coaching is that "you don't want to be the coach who follows the legend, you want to follow the coach who follows the legend." The coach who directly follows a…
“You don’t win silver—you lose gold”
Nike, Inc., an athletic apparel company, posted a billboard in Atlanta at the time of the 1996 Summer Olympics: "You Don't Win Silver — You Lose Gold." The advertisement was…
“You don’t have to be a beer drinker to play darts, but it helps”
The game of throwing darts is a popular pub recreation. "You don't have to be a beer drinker to play darts, but it helps" was cited in the book Darts (1975), by Ivan L. Brackin and…
“You earn your trophies at practice. You pick them up at competitions”
"You earn your trophies at practice. You pick them up at competitions" is a saying about the importance of practice that has been printed on many images. "Win trophies at…
“You gotta believe!” (“Ya gotta believe!”)
"You gotta believe" (or "Ya gotta believe") was the catchphrase of New York Mets baseball relief pitcher Tug McGraw in 1973. The Mets had come from far behind in a crowded field…
“You gotta love it, baby!” (basketball catchphrase)
"You gotta love it" is often said about something amazing or unusual (or both). In sports, "you gotta love it" originally meant that a player had to love the game or get out.…