CONTENTS FEATURE: Sports jargon goes out of bounds in business SPOTLIGHT: EditPros clients in the news NET NOTES: Captivating web sites FEATURE: Sports jargon goes out of bounds in the business environment      Drive by any athletic field in any community on any Saturday morning, and you're likely to see dozens of uniformed kids engaged in baseball, softball, soccer, football or other sports. Along with their coaches, their parents cheering from stands or sidelines are convinced that participation in organized sports is constructive—not only because of physical fitness benefits but also because it teaches principles of teamwork, leadership and strategy that are applicable in many of life's endeavors, including careers.      The business world has long embraced the competitive ideals of sports, assimilating many of its terms and metaphoric expressions. Business leaders encourage staff members to be "team players," to avoid "dropping the ball," to conduct business according to the "rules of the game," and to "pinch hit" for employees who need assistance. The sales representative who signs an important new client boasts of hitting a "home run." A marketing executive views expansion of a product line into a growth market as a "major-league" move. However, use of arcane sports terminology can be perplexing to people who are not sports fans and may not translate properly across cultural barriers.      An easily accomplished mission may be labeled a "slam dunk," while an aggressive action may be praised as a "slap shot." A manufacturing plant that has geared up for rapid production is poised for a "full-court press." A beleaguered company on the verge of collapse is "on the ropes." An administrator "calls the shots." Unyielding rivals are engaged in "neck and neck" competition. A risky strategy is a "long shot." A person who proceeds with confidence is "on an even keel"—perhaps because of "holding all the aces." A "kickoff" event inaugurates a program. Negotiators are encouraged to develop a "poker face" that conceals emotions, and deceitful transactions are made "under the table."      Business executives speak of "leveling the playing field" in competitive situations. A rough estimate is a "ballpark" figure. Covert discussions are described as "locker-room talk." A strategy is a "game plan." An employee who submits a proposal may be told to "take the ball and run with it."      An analyst who has identified the weakness of a competitor speaks of finding the "strike zone." Taking decisive action may be labeled "playing hardball." Failure is characterized as "striking out."      Underhanded tactics are "low blows." A "knockout punch" marketing campaign may render a vulnerable competitor "down for the count." Employees entrusted with sensitive information are cautioned against "letting down their guard."      An employee who circumvents a supervisor or a regulation to expedite action is said to make an "end run." Strategists "huddle" in a planning session. Successful deflection of a hostile takeover attempt may be called a "goal-line stand." A mistake is a "fumble."      A triumphant transaction is a "touchdown" or a "hole in one." Failure to perform up to expectations can brand someone "below par." A participant in a negotiation may be told to "fish or cut bait." An advantageous position is the "inside track."      Even if some competitive symbolism is admirable, many sports terms and expressions used by athletes and sports commentators are inadvisable in the business environment. The grammar of sportscasters is often atrocious.      A television network commentator who pondered "How do you defense that kind of speed?" provoked another question: How can the network justify hiring an announcer so oblivious to proper English grammar and syntax? The sportscaster used the noun "defense" as a verb. He may not have understood that he should have said, "How do you defend against that kind of speed?" That alone is not nearly as disturbing, however, as the probability that some viewers may be fooled into thinking his use of "defense" is acceptable.      A Golden State Warriors broadcaster who did properly distinguish between noun and verb forms still used the verb improperly when he said, "You can't defend that play." He meant that Warriors players were unable to defend themselves against a well-executed scoring play by the Sacramento Kings, but instead his sentence declared that the play was unjustifiable. The garbled syntax reversed the meaning of the sentence, changing an attempted statement of respect for the Kings into unintended condemnation of them.      Trouble with verbs widely afflicts sports announcing. During this year's World Series, a network radio announcer declared that several Yankees "are gonna conference on the mound." He should have used the verb "confer" rather than the noun "conference."      Parts of speech appear to baffle sportscasters, who chronically mistake verbs for nouns, and use adverbs or adjectives in place of verbs. Describing a football quarterback's hurried play, a broadcaster blurted, "He audibled at the line of scrimmage." The announcer fumbled at the mike because "audible" can be either an adjective or noun, but not a verb. The quarterback called an audible signal.      Sportscasters also have trouble with verb tenses. When a coach asked a game official to review a ruling using video replay, a network sportscaster said, "His challenge is whether or not Harris touches the ball." That's equivalent to saying, "Jenny hires three new employees last August." Although the game official may be reviewing a videotape in the present, the play involving Harris occurred in the past. The coach is challenging whether or not Harris touched the ball.      The conditional tense, used to hypothesize the consequences of potential actions, is commonly used in business forecasting. An analytical business report that declares "our compact circuit weight training product line would have attained 20 percent greater market share if we had not named it 'Short Circuit'" makes use of conditional tense. It expresses an action that did not occur, but which would have if another condition had been met. Don't be fooled into thinking that the present tense can be used in forming conditional expressions. The baseball commentator who said "If this is Little League he gets ejected" should have been ejected from the broadcast booth. The correct sentence construction is "If this were Little League, he would have been ejected." During the World Series, a sportscaster said, "Posada did not get the lift he wanted on that ball—otherwise, this game's tied." He should have said, "—if he had, this game would be tied."      Sportscasters who ineptly attempt profundity also serve as cautionary examples for the business world. An announcer's somber declaration that "The crowd noise at Arrowhead Stadium is a physical presence" isn't profound; it's pointless. Yes, sound is, indeed, a function of physics. Tell the audience members something they don't already know.      During pauses in the action, sportscasters resort to stock expressions, such as "He's a very physical football player"—as if being "physical" is an exceptional trait that exceeds the requirements in a football player's job description.      Another superficial standby: "We've seen him make some physical mistakes, but this was a mental mistake." A mistake is a judgmental error, misconception or misunderstanding—all of which involve mental processes. The decision to pivot while on soggy turf may be a mistake in judgment, but the process of slipping on that turf is a misstep, not a mistake.      If that hapless player's team had lost most of its contests but was victorious in the previous game as well as in today's game, count on a sportscaster to declare that the team has won "two in a row." Two fence posts do not constitute a row, and neither do two winning scores. Until the team claims a third successive triumph, they're merely consecutive victories.      The liberties that sportscasters take with use of terminology is not admirable either. "You would think that the big guys on the outside aren't as athletic, but he makes a move that enables the run," said a football play-by-play commentator. Even though the adjective "athletic" is fundamental to his vocation, the commentator didn't understand its precise meaning. An athlete, of course, is someone who participates in sports or who has the strength to do so—an essential quality of all players on an NFL team. The outside linebacker was surprisingly agile or nimble—able to move or shift direction quickly.      The sports world does provide entertainment, inspirational moments and lessons in leadership, strategy and cooperation that are applicable to businesses. However, exclusionary sports jargon and end-runs around the rules of grammar should be confined to the playing field and excluded from the workplace. Yes! EditPros can help you replace jargon in your documents with more universally understood terms. SPOTLIGHT: EditPros clients in the news Peak Design moves into larger quarters, expands staff      Peak Design, offering Web site, multimedia and print design services is reaching new heights. In response to steady client growth, owner Joe Starrett has relocated the firm into larger quarters alongside Lake Natoma in Folsom, Calif., east of Sacramento.      The firm, with which EditPros works, also has hired an additional software engineer-designer: Danny Hotea, who refined his "functional beauty" approach while working on projects for Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Studios, Biogen Inc. and ACNielsen.      Peak Design's comprehensive services include Web site planning, strategy and design, electronic commerce development and Web site marketing. The firm's print-related services include identity package development, logo design, and materials related to production of brochures and other marketing collateral, annual reports, outdoor advertising, and trade show booths.      The firm's multimedia expertise encompasses development of interactive CD-ROMs, sales support presentations, Macromedia Flash Web sites and animations, Interactive educational applications logo screen savers, virtual 3-D tours, and interactive games, quizzes and questionnaires. Here's contact information: Peak Design 90 Blue Ravine Road, Suite 74 Folsom, CA 95630-4729 New phone: (916) 985-4191 New fax: (916) 985-4195 Web site: http://www.peakdesign.net E-mail: joe@peakdesign.net (Joe Starrett). Net Notes: Captivating Internet resources The Word Spy http://www.wordspy.com      What's new? This site tracks the latest terms that have been coined. If you want to learn about "fat finger dialing," "bluejacking," "warm-chair attrition," "biohackers" or "geezer glut," this is the place. In additional to whimsical word coinages, the site lists legitimate recently introduced terms, including "prebiotics" (a term used by microbiologists) and "reprogenetics," citing their origin. Incidentally, the site explains that "fat-finger dialing" is a telephone scam in which an often unscrupulous company establishes a phone number one digit removed from the number of a legitimate competitor, hoping to cash in on customers who accidentally misdial when trying to reach the other company. The Word Spy site is operated by author Paul McFedries. Which price is right? http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/68/pricing.html      This article on the Fast Company magazine Web site examines the psychology of pricing. AllSchools.com http://www.businessschools.com/      Billed as the "school, college and program directory network," this site contains categorical links to 8,000 institutions specializing in training and education in art, business, computer technology, cooking, fashion, graphic design, medicine, nursing, performing arts, photography, Web design and other specific fields. The site is a service of Education.org, Allison Park, Pa. YOUR TURN: Ask the "grammar coach" or subscribe      We invite you to submit your questions to the "grammar coach," and we welcome you to subscribe to this monthly newsletter—which we'll send to your e-mail address at no charge. We respond to all "grammar coach" questions personally, but delays may occur because we must place top priority on assignments from our clients. We appreciate your patience and your interest.      You also can change your e-mail subscription address. For an address change, please indicate your existing AND your new e-mail address. 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