“The higher you go, the better the snow” (skiing adage)
"The higher you go, the better the snow" is a skiing adage. The saying was promoted by the Austrian Tourist Office in 1981 as a way to get skiers to Austria's mountains. Other…
“The horse doesn’t know what its odds are” (horse racing adage)
"The horse doesn't know what its odds are" is a horse racing adage of unknown authorship. "A horse doesn't know what the odds are" was said in 1971 by a fan called…
“The horse I bet on was so slow, the jockey kept a diary of the trip”
"The horse I bet on was so slow," an old joke goes, "that the jockey kept a diary of the trip." The joke was credited to Jewish-American singer and actor Al Jolson (1886-1950)…
“The House That Ruth Built” (Yankee Stadium)
George Herman ("Babe") Ruth (1895-1948) played for the New York Yankees from 1920-1934. Some consider him the greatest baseball player ever. Yankee Stadium opened in 1923. "The House…
“The House That Tex Built” (Boyle’s Thirty Acres)
The boxing "Battle of the Century" between Jack Dempsey and Georges Carpentier couldn't be held in New York State, so promoter Tex Rickard (1870-1929) built a huge octagonal bowl at…
“The House That Tex Built” (Madison Square Garden, 1925-1968)
Entry in progress -- B.P. "The House That Jack Built" is a traditional nursery rhyme. Boyle's Thirty Acres (1921 to 1927) in Jersey City, New Jersey, was a boxing arena that was also…
“The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has”
American humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935) spoke about the income tax in his newspaper column on April 8, 1923: "The Income Tax has made more Liars out of the American People than Golf has.…
“The judo club knows how to throw a party”
People get thrown in judo, and this has led to some "throw a party" jokes. "The GB Judo team are staying at the same hotel. They know how to 'throw' a party...hello...is…
“The last line of the national anthem is often thought to be ‘Play ball!’”
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The anthem has been regularly played at the start of baseball games since World War II. A frequent joke is that the…
“The last ten hits (to 3,000 career hits) are the hardest”
New York Yankee Derek Jeter joined an exclusive baseball club when he got his 3,000 base hit on July 9, 2011. A month earlier, 3,000-hit-club member Tony Gwynn had advised Jeter, "Fortunately,…
“The last three outs are different” (baseball adage)
"The final/last three outs are different (from the previous 24 outs)" is a baseball adage. The three outs in the ninth inning could be the end of a game. Unlike the beginning of the game,…
“The luckiest horse wins the Derby, the fastest horse the Preakness, the best horse the Belmont”
The United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing starts with the Kentucky Derby (at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky), then goes to the Preakness Stakes (at Pimlico Race Course in…
“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team”
"The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team" is a popular sports quote that is usually credited to college basketball coach John Wooden (1910-2010), who included the saying in…
“The Masters doesn’t really begin until the second nine on Sunday” (golf adage)
The Masters golf tournament at Augusta (GA) National Golf Club is played the first week in April, but many believe that it really doesn't get exciting until Sunday. "The oft-repeated line…
“The Minnesota Night Hawks. I’m coaching. The Big Apple!” (Slap Shot film, 1977)
Slap Shot (1977) is an American sports comedy film about 1970s minor league professional hockey teams. At the end of the film, coach Reggie Dunlop (played by Paul Newman) accepts an offer to be…
“The more captains you have on the field the better” (soccer adage)
A soccer team has the positions of "captain" and "vice-captain." A general adage is that it's better for a team to have its captains playing on the field. "I've…
“The most dangerous 8 seconds in sports” (bull riding)
The sport of bull riding requires the rider to stay on top of the bull for eight seconds. It has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." "The most dangerous eight…
“The most dangerous eight seconds in sports” (bull riding)
The sport of bull riding requires the rider to stay on top of the bull for eight seconds. It has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." "The most dangerous eight…
“The most exciting two minutes in sports” (Kentucky Derby slogan)
The Kentucky Derby is a race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds that is held the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race lasts a little over two minutes and has…
“The most important parts of the Super Bowl are the commercials and the food…”
"The most important parts of the Superbowl are the commercials and the food. I really don't care who makes the most baskets" is a jocular saying (the Super Bowl is a football game;…