Sports cliches

I was watching last night's Villareal vs Arsenal game on TV3 and I was marveling at the number of cliches used by the commentator (not the play-by-play man). In one 90 second stretch I think I counted more than a dozen cliches. Sheer genius.

It goes without saying that sports cliches are great. Of course, they can get a little old after a while, but here are a couple that I loved when I first heard them:

• "They set their stall out early" –– it's one that I never heard before I watched an English league soccer match. A nation of shopkeepers, indeed.
• He's giving 150% – when I was growing up 110% was sufficient, but since I've been able to get US sports on t.v. again I've noticed that for some announcers the ante has been upped. This is why the American economy is the most productive on Earth. 100% is insufficient.

I'll have to think about this a little more. I'm sure there are dozens of others I could list.