Tennis “Bagel”
A "zero" looks like what? A donut? A bagel? In the 1970s, the American tennis players Eddie Dibbs and Harold Solomon were called the "Bagel Twins" or the "Bagel…
Test of a Champion (Belmont Stakes)
The Belmont Stakes (the final leg of the Triple Crown in horseracing) is called the "Test of the Champion" or the "Test of a Champion." The term "Test of the Champion"…
The Beautiful Game (soccer)
Brazilian soccer star eléP titled his autobiography, My Life and The Beautiful Game: The Autobiography of Pelé (1977). Pelé popularized "The Beautiful Game," but there have been some…
The Championship Track (Belmont Park nickname)
The Belmont Stakes is the last race of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown. Belmont Park advertised in June 1987 that it was "The Championship Track." "The Championship…
The Clays (Barclays Center nickname)
The Barclays Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Brooklyn, and the home of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets and the WNBA's New York Liberty in professional basketball. Barclays Center has…
The Fumble or Miracle at the Meadowlands (1978 Giants fumble)
The New York Giants were leading the Philadelphia Eagles, 17-12, and all Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik had to do was down the ball one last time to end the game. He tried to hand the ball off to…
The Great Saunter (32-mile walk around Manhattan)
"The Great Saunter" is the Shorewalkers name for its 32-mile walk around Manhattan's rim. The New York City Marathon, by comparison, is a mere 26.2 miles long. The Shorewalkers…
The Turk (person to cut a player from the team)
"The Turk" is the Grim Reaper of the National Football League -- the team official that tells a player to take his playbook and speak with the coach because that player has just been cut…
Titans (professional lacrosse team nickname)
A New York City professional lacrosse team was announced in 2006. A team nickname contest was held, and "Titans" was declared the winner. "Titans" was the early name of what…
Title Town or Titletown (usually Green Bay, WI, but also other sports cities)
Green Bay, Wisconsin, has called itself "Titletown" or "Titletown, U.S.A." (also "Title Town") since 1961 because of its successful football team, the Green Bay…
Toast (“burned” football cornerback)
Elvis Patterson was a cornerback who first played for the New York Giants football team in 1984. Giants coach Bill Parcells nicknamed him "Toast" that year because Patterson frequently…
Tomahawk Dunk (basketball shot)
A "tomahawk" dunk is when the ball is held with both hands above or behind a player's head, and then sent "chopping" like a tomahawk through the basket. The…
Tools of Ignorance (baseball catcher’s equipment)
The "tools of ignorance" are a baseball catcher's equipment, such as the catcher's mask, chest protector and shin guards. 'Tools of ignorance" has been cited in print…
TOOTBLAN (Thrown Out On The Basepaths Like A Nincompoop)
TOOTBLAN (Thrown Out On The Basepaths Like A Nincompoop) was coined on May 7, 2008, by Tony Jewell on his Chicago Cubs baseball blog, Wrigleyville23. Jewell was describing the poor baserunning of…
Touch Football
Entry in progress. Wikipedia is wrong that this originated in the Navy in the 1940s. Touch football was popular for a long time on NYC streets -- B.P. Wikipedia: Touch football (American)Touch…
Tour de Brooklyn
Transportation Alternatives' "Tour de Brooklyn" is a new annual bicycling event. It's not the Tour de France, but it's not meant to be that.…
Tragic Number
A "magic number" is the combination of team wins and a contending team's losses that will clinch a playoff spot or title. A "tragic number" is the opposite -- a combination…
Treadmill of Mediocrity (Mediocrity Treadmill)
Entry in progress -- B.P. TwitterJonathan Givony@DraftExpressPritchard: Treadmill of mediocrity- Getting 8th seed in NBA playoffs year after year. #ssac12:41 PM - 4 Mar 11 ESPNMark Cuban hopes…
Trekathon (trek + marathon)
A "trekathon" (trek + marathon) is an extensive trek, usually up a mountain. "Trek-a-thon" has been cited in print since at least 1998. The website trekathon.com explained in…
Triangle Numbers (a player’s height, weight and speed)
Football scouts evaluate a prospect's "triangle numbers" -- his height, weight and speed. "Those are the so-called triangle numbers -- height, weight, speed -- that coaches…