One of the big advantages of reviewing your work is that it provides certain insights into your presentation that you might overlook when you are in the moment.  Many times these insights shed some light on certain language or words that you may be using incorrectly.  This may ultimately fit into my “pet peeve” category, but the use of certain terms in an over exaggerated manner has become commonplace during broadcasts today.

Words such as great, literally, and awesome are many times not only be overused, but also misused.

Great:  I struggled with overusing this word during my career.   A shortstop moving to the hole to snatch a ground ball and throwing out the runner is a good play.  I would often call it a great play.  A major league shortstop should be able to make that play.  It might be above average, but certainly not great.  Additionally, taking an outside pitch and slapping It to the opposite field is not a great at-bat.  Yet, I would often describe it as a “great piece of hitting.”  It may have been a good at-bat, but not necessarily great.  A major league hitter should be able to hit to the opposite field.

Conversely, Dave Bergman’s 13-pitch at-bat against Roy Lee Jackson in 1984 was a “great” at-bat.  Here is a refresher:

Literally: Another word that is often overused. If a manager has used up his bullpen and is forced to use a position player to pitch the 9th inning, I would sometimes describe the manager’s predicament as “literally being caught between a rock and a hard place.” Unless that manager were to drive his car between two large rock formations and couldn’t get out, then yes, he would literally be caught between a rock and a hard place. Eliminating the word literally from that sentence would solve the issue. It is often a commonly exaggerated word.

Awesome: At its core, the definition of this word is, “to inspire awe.” Many times announcers will use the word to describe a nice defensive play. Did a centerfielder running in the gap to catch a fly ball really inspire awe? Probably not. It takes some practice and intentionality to not use our everyday expressions to describe routine plays on the field. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Does it really make a big difference in the quality of your broadcast to eliminate these habits. Maybe not, but it’s worth mentioning in my opinion.

In conclusion, in can literally be great to use some awesome words in your broadcast, but only if they are used correctly.