Hallowed be thy Name – Sports Terms Uncovered!

Life is constant progression. From the schooling days of Newton’s Laws to the engineering struggles of Dijkstra’s Algorithm to the management world of Peter Drucker Theories and now to the enchanting world of sports with its Kolpaks and Bosmans.

Vote for the eponym that you think has been the X-factor in significantly adding a new dimension to the already enchanting world of sports.

1) Bosman Transfer

Jean Marc Bosman is a former Belgian footballer whose will in taking to the courts has set an unprecedented change in the way footballers are employed. Bosman’s contract had expired and he wanted to change teams and move to Dunkerque, a French team. However, Dunkerque did not offer his Belgian club RFC Liège enough of a transfer fee, so Liège refused to let him go. Bosman’s wages were reduced as he was no longer a first-team player. A legal battle ensued and the verdict was in favor of Bosman. EU football players were given the right to a free transfer at the end of their contracts, with the provision that they were transferring from a club within one EU Association to a club within another EU Association . Edgar Davids , Steve Mcmanaman , Sol Campbell, Esteban Cambiasso, Michael Ballack, Javier Saviola, Jay Jay Okocha and Joe Cole are all some of the high profile beneficiaries.

2) Bosie (also Googly)

Bernard Bosanquet

Bernard Bosanquet used to play a game called ‘Twisti-Twosti’, which involved bouncing a tennis ball on a table and spinning it in such a manner that one’s opponent could not catch it. An art he further developed into one of the most powerful weapon in a leg spinners armory – the Bosie (or Googly or Wrong ‘Un or Doosra). To a right-handed batsman, a leg-break will, when it pitches, turn away from him and towards the slips. A googly will turn towards him. The trick is that both are bowled with a virtually identical bowling action and it can therefore be very difficult to tell the two deliveries apart. St. Bernard!

3) Hack a Shaq

Shaquille O’neal

One thing Big Shaq will not be proud of in an otherwise glittering and unsurpassed career – The Hack a Shaq. A defensive tactic used to hinder his scoring ability by deliberately fouling him and exposing his weakness at free throws . . The chief conspirator – Don Nelson (Dallas Mavericks Former Coach) whose innovation was to take a strategy whose primary purpose had always been simply stopping the clock, and employ that strategy in an entirely different fashion: with a primary purpose of minimizing the opposition’s scoring. Other less famous techniques include “Bruise-a-Bruce” for Bruce Bowen, “Whack-a-Wallace” for Ben Wallace and “Chop-a-Diop” for DeSagana Diop.

4) Kerlon Seal Dribble

Seal Dribble

Kerlon, a Brazilian midfielder, currently on contract with Inter Milan has written yet another chapter in the Samba Copybook with his fanciful “Seal Dribble” move. It is performed by flicking the ball up from the ground onto the head, whereby the player then proceeds to run past opponents, whilst bouncing the ball on top of his forehead, imitating a seal. The seal dribble makes it very hard for the defending team to challenge legally with the shoulder push seeming the only viable option. Constant injuries have limited the opportunities for the seal to dance to the Samba tunes.

5) Kolpak Ruling

Maroš Kolpak may not be a household name in the sporting fraternity but the former Slovak handball goalkeeper and coach presented his case to the European Court of Justice and came out a winner. According to the Kolpak ruling, citizens of certain countries which have signed agreements with the European Union, have the same right to freedom of work and movement within the EU as EU citizens. The beneficiaries- a host of English County Cricketers and British Professional Rugby Union players. The ACP Group of States (including South Africa, Zimbabwe and parts of the Caribbean) had an association agreement with the EU and by law; players of these countries could play for their respective counties as local players! (Limit in county cricket is one foreigner per team). County Cool Pack!

6) Dilscoop

Dilscoop

Tillekaratne Dilshan scooped this one straight from the heart ,literally translating to – The DilScoop .The basis of the stroke is to go on one knee to a good length or slightly short of length delivery off a fast or medium paced bowler and ‘scoop’ the ball over the head of the wicket keeper. The ball travels straight towards the boundary behind the wicket keeper. A lengthy debate has ensued over whether the Dilscoop is identical to the Marillier or Paddle scoop. While the Dilscoop travels straight over the wicket keeper, the Marillier shot travels towards fine leg or deep fine leg and the Paddle Scoop used by some players notably Moin Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq is played against a yorker length ball (the Dilscoop is played against a good length or slightly short of length ball).

7) Fosbury Flop

Fosbury Flop

Dick Fosbury pioneered a back-first technique that revolutionized the art of high jumping. The funda was to sprint diagonally towards the bar, then curve and leap backwards over it. The term “Fosbury Flop” gained prominence when a reporter wrote that Dick looked like a “fish flopping in a boat”.

8) Alekhine Gambit

Alekhine Gambit

Alekhine was a true champion – a fighter and a gambler . He baptized a style of play where pieces, not pawns,are used to control the center of the board .This provocative chess opening dares White to overextend its center, allowing black some beautiful counter-attacks and mating nets. Grandmaster indeed!

9) Manakaded

Mankad

Apart from his fantastic all round ability and a rather strange record of batting in all 11 positions in Test cricket, Vinoo Mankad will be remember in cricketing circles for pushing the laws to the limit and justifiably so in running out Bill Brown who wandered too far out of his popping crease at the bowlers end in the Sydney Test. In all fairness, Mankad had warned and then run out Brown earlier in the tour in the same manner and the batsman paid the price for being pig-headed. The last instance of this debatable tactic was when Peter Kirsten was “mankaded” by Kapil Dev. The laws have since been tweaked so that a bowler cannot perform a run out once he has begun his delivery stride.

Instances of Mankading in Test cricket

Bill Brown by Vinoo Mankad, Australia v India, Sydney, 1947-48Ian Redpath by Charlie Griffith, Australia v West Indies, Adelaide, 1968-69Derek Randall by Ewen Chatfield, England v New Zealand, Christchurch, 1977-78Sikander Bakht by Alan Hurst, Pakistan v Australia, Perth, 1978-79Instances of Mankading in One Day Internationals

Brian Luckhurst by Greg Chappell, England v Australia, Melbourne, 1974-75

Grant Flower by Dipak Patel, Zimbabwe v New Zealand, Harare, 1992-93

Peter Kirsten by Kapil Dev, South Africa v India, Port Elizabeth, 1992-93

Any additions are most welcome!