The death of the dinger

[soxhop411]

the AP stylebook is encouraging writers to no longer use words such as Dinger to represent HR's
 

 
http://deadspin.com/updated-ap-stylebook-says-no-more-dingers-1694097234?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[Darnell's Son]

I fully support that, cliches are so cliche.

 

[lostjumper]

 
In short, avoid hackneyed words and phrases, redundancies and exaggerations.

 
If you removed the above from a Peter King column, all you have left is the "Hoppiness" of certain beers. Wait, is that redundant?

 

[theapportioner]

What about taters?

 

[Harry Hooper]

To me, "scored 10 straight points" is not necessarily the same thing as "10 unanswered points."

 

[Darnell's Son]

To me, "scored 10 straight points" is not necessarily the same thing as "10 unanswered points."

But they're used interchangeably in today's sports' vernacular. After a football team scores a FG to go up to ten, the announcer always says "That's ten unanswered points" before the kickoff, so the other team hasn't even had a chance to answer. Well not always, but you know what I mean.

 

[MentalDisabldLst]

What about taters?

 

 

[NortheasternPJ]

AP to Writers: Do not add any color to your stories.
 
I can see the unanswered part as it's factually different, but the first part is just stupid.
 
"Ortiz won the game with bomb to right"
"Ortiz won the game with a homer to right" 
 
if he hit it 20 rows in the grandstands saying it was a "bomb" adds more color than if he hit in the first row. 

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

"Ortiz won the game with a deep homer to right"

 

[SumnerH]

What about taters?

Only if they're luscious. /Thome

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

I fully support that, cliches are so cliche.

and should be avoided like the plague.

 

[theapportioner]

Only if they're luscious. /Thome

 
Word up.

 

[kenneycb]

"Ortiz won the game with a deep homer to right"

That's still just as boring, just with more context.

 

[yep]

AP to Writers: Do not add any color to your stories.
 
I can see the unanswered part as it's factually different, but the first part is just stupid.
 
"Ortiz won the game with bomb to right"
"Ortiz won the game with a homer to right" 
 
if he hit it 20 rows in the grandstands saying it was a "bomb" adds more color than if he hit in the first row. 

Ortiz dinged a ruthian tater off of a late Uncle Charlie turned gopher ball. 

 

[VTSox]

[SIZE=12pt]Ortiz, standing from his designated place within the batter’s box, struck at a pitched ball, and having made contact, sent the sphere back in the direction from whence it came, but sufficiently high and far enough that it passed over the outfield fence, while still in fair territory, allowing him to advance and tag each base, in sequential order, culminating at home base, where he was credited with scoring a run.  Having thus scored more runs than their opponent, and being the bottom portion of the ninth inning, the game was deemed to have ended and the Red Sox were credited with a win.  Ortiz was greeted by his teammates who each offered him a hearty handshake.[/SIZE]

 

[pappymojo]

I assume that these are guidelines for A.P. stories that get published throughout the country. It makes sense for them to want a consistent writing style. If I'm reading a story on the Red Sox in a Boston newspaper, a little bit of flavor in the writing is certain welcome, but if I'm reading a short account of the San Francisco Giants game I just want the details. No need for any over-the-top color.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

Those terms are pretty consistent across the baseball culture though aren't they?

It's not like in Boston the AP guy is writing that Ortiz had a wicked awesome dinger that landed in Worcester and someone in Oregon had no idea what the fuck he was talking about.

 

[pappymojo]

But if you reading five sentence blurbs about each out-of-market game, you want a uniform writing style, so that they read as one piece.

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

Those terms are pretty consistent across the baseball culture though aren't they?

It's not like in Boston the AP guy is writing that Ortiz had a wicked awesome dinger that landed in Worcester and someone in Oregon had no idea what the fuck he was talking about.

I dont see it as removing regionalization in the reports, as I do an attempt to remove colloquialisms.  IOW, speak proper English, dasm it!  (Thought I read somewhere that the accepted definition of 'literally' has now become 'figuratively'?)
 
ASIDE:  I'm still trying to explain to my wife why we start a basketball game with a tap-off, when everyone else starts with a tip-off.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

Those terms are pretty consistent across the baseball culture though aren't they?

It's not like in Boston the AP guy is writing that Ortiz had a wicked awesome dinger that landed in Worcester and someone in Oregon had no idea what the fuck he was talking about.

 
True, but I think pappy has a good point in there somewhere. If I'm reading an AP piece I generally expect it to be kind of boring and just brass tacks. What happened in the game and not much more than that. Particular taste can vary on whether that suits a person or not, but if I'm looking for color or slant I read the local beat guy. Generally if I see AP I expect it be nothing more than a recap. Again, YMMV. 

 

[kieckeredinthehead]

The NPR story this morning on the NCAA championship referred to the winners as the "Dukies," which was a little more color than I would like over coffee.

 

[Vandalman]

I'd like to see "circuit clout" make a comeback.

 

[Vandalman]

[SIZE=12pt]Ortiz, standing from his designated place within the batter’s box, struck at a pitched ball, and having made contact, sent the sphere back in the direction from whence it came, but sufficiently high and far enough that it passed over the outfield fence, while still in fair territory, allowing him to advance and tag each base, in sequential order, culminating at home base, where he was credited with scoring a run.  Having thus scored more runs than their opponent, and being the bottom portion of the ninth inning, the game was deemed to have ended and the Red Sox were credited with a win.  Ortiz was greeted by his teammates who each offered him a hearty handshake.[/SIZE]

 
 
This is outstanding!