SixFourThree

In English class when students define a term, they are always discouraged from using such term in their definition. But in the sports world, it’s become increasing popular – necessary, you might say – to use a player’s name when defining such player.

The classic example is the now-overused phrase, Manny Being Manny. The free agent outfielder is known for being quite aloof, and this phrase has multiple meanings. It usually refers to something silly Manny Ramirez does, such as the time he relieved himself inside the Green Monster at Fenway Park during a pitching change. (My personal favorite is when Manny cut off a throw from Johnny Damon in 2004, even though he was merely 20 feet or so away; that clip has mysteriously been removed from web sites that previously displayed it).

It can also be used to describe Manny’s hitting prowess, but the phrase usually relates to Ramirez’s odd behavior. In fact, the first documented use dates back to 1995, when then-Indians manager Mike Hargrove uttered the phrase after Ramirez forgot his paycheck in his boots in a visiting clubhouse (we’ll presume Manny now uses direct deposit).

While the phrase has spawned web sites and is often heard during telecasts when Ramirez is playing, its usage has spread to other sports. After the first-round NFL playoff game between Baltimore and Miami – a game in which Ravens cornerback Ed Reed had two interceptions, one he returned for a touchdown – Dolphins’ quarterback Chad Pennington praised Reed.

Said Pennington, “That was Ed Reed being Ed Reed.” Sure, Pennington could have simplified the phrase by saying Ed Being Ed, but his full-name version still flows nicely from the tongue.

Just a few days later after Florida’s win in the BCS National Championship game, Gators receiver Percy Harvin lauded his team’s leader, quarterback Tim Tebow, by saying, “That was Tebow being Tebow.” Harvin took the Manny phrase and turned it around, using his teammate’s last name only.

Those statements are meant as compliments to those players, even though the Manny phrase is generally used in a more critical context. But what does Tebow Being Tebow actually mean? Are there no other complimentary words to use to describe this player? Or is the phrase itself the highest compliment, implying that no one else could do what that player does?

Either way, the phrase is becoming more universal and is here to stay. English teachers can only hope it doesn’t creep its way into the classroom. Otherwise there will be a student who writes an essay explaining “Romeo and Juliet” by claiming it was simply Shakespeare being Shakespeare.

–Gluskin