“Yo mama’s so stupid, she thought Dunkin’ Donuts was a basketball team”
A popular "yo mama" joke is: "Yo mama's so stupid, she thought Dunkin' Donuts was a basketball team." "Ur Mama so stupid she thought dunkin donuts was a…
“You are at your most vulnerable when you have just scored” (soccer adage)
"You are at your most vulnerable when you have just scored" is a popular saying in soccer. A team that has just scored often gets overconfident and plays soft for a few minutes. "As…
“You are what your record says you are”
"You are what your record says you are" means that the record speaks for itself. A team with a good record is not overrated and a team with a bad record is not underrated. All teams have…
“You aren’t a true champion until you successfully defend your title”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Bleacher ReportUFC's Top 10 First-Time Title DefensesBy Brian Oswald , MMA Editor Oct 22, 2009They say you aren’t a true champion until you successfully defend your…
“You boys line up, alphabetically according to your height” (sports manager jocular speech)
"You boys line up, alphabetically according to your height" is nonsensical sports coach-speak -- a player line rarely can be both alphabetical and also by height. Ed Diddle (1895-1970), a…
“You can beat a race, but you can’t beat the races”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google BooksOh, Doctor!A NovelBy Harry Leon WilsonNew York, NY: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation1923Pg. 123:"You can beat a race," she said, "but you…
“You can just start calling yourself an Olympic hopeful. You don’t have to fill out a form or anything”
What is an "Olympic hopeful"? It can be someone who competes in events with the goal of making the Olympics, but an "Olympic hopeful" can also be a young child, who is full of…
“You can never have too much pitching” (baseball adage)
"You can never have too much pitching" is an old baseball adage of unknown authorship. "You never have enough pitching" was cited in print in 1940; "You can't have…
“You can observe a lot by watching”
New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra (1925-2015) was named the team's manager in October 1963, replacing Ralph Houk (1919-2010). Berra told reporters that he'd learned from coaches Houk…
“You can play hurt, but you can’t play injured” (sports adage)
Sports sometimes makes a distinction between "playing hurt" and "playing injured." Many players are not 100% when they enter a game and suffer cuts or sprains. A player must…
“You can skate a skateboard and surf a surfboard, but you can’t snow a snowboard”
"Snow" (for snowboarding) is not a verb like "skate" (for skateboarding) and "surf" (for surfboarding). "You surf on a surfboard, but you don't snow on a…
“You can throw the records out the window” (rivalry games are always competitive)
"You can throw the records out the window when these two teams play" is a sports cliché that means that the teams' records on the season shouldn't matter -- a rivalry game is…
“You can’t beat what you can’t catch”
"You can't beat what you can't catch" is a saying that has been used in horse racing since at least 1943. The saying has also been used in auto racing -- there is a popular…
“You can’t catch a walk” (baseball adage)
"You can't catch/defend/defense a walk" means that a pitcher shouldn't give up a walk (a free pass to first base) and should let the batter hit the ball, where a catch (or…
“You can’t coach speed” (“You can’t coach height”)
"You can't coach speed" and "You can't coach height" are popular sayings in football and basketball, respectively. A football coach can't make his running back…
“You can’t cook with cold grease” (boxing adage)
"You can't cook with cold grease" means that one should (usually proverbially) turn up the heat, or make things more intense. The Chicago (IL) Tribune cited in 1982: "Aaron…
“You can’t fake desperation (sports adage)
"You can't fake desperation" (or "You can't fake desperate") is a sports adage that was popularized by ESPN Radio sports host Ryen Russillo. If a team or a player is…
“You can’t fire 25 players, so you fire the manager”
What's a losing sports team to do? "You can't fire 25 players, so you fire the manager," a popular theory holds. "But when a club isn't winning it is always easy to…
“You can’t fire a cannon from a canoe”
The phrase "you can't fire/shoot a cannon from a canoe" seemingly dates to naval warfare from the 1800s, but there's no evidence of the phrase until the late 20th century. The…
“You can’t fire the owner” (sports adage)
"You can't fire the owner" is an old sports adage. The coach can get fired, the players can get traded or released, but the owner runs the show. "You can't fire the…