I enjoyed a wonderful article in USA Today last week about how Foreign Business Executives Balk at American Sports jargon. I have always disliked these cliches in business that are suppose to pump you up but leave me tired and flat. These phrases mean nothing to someone that does not know the rules of baseball : Make a Pitch, Hit a Home Run, Manufacture a Run, Choking Up, Around the Horn, Stepping up to the Plate, etc

The article quotes Paula Shannon who says that "The Hail Mary Pass which doesn’t make sned anywhere that isn’t football mad. You can establish your American centricity and risk a religious offense at the same time."