Respect for Boise may be tricky — The following quote comes from a NYT news story reprinted by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer about the two fantastic plays done by the Boise State team to beat Oklahoma over the holiday. The first was the “hook and ladder” and the second was a variation of the Statue of Liberty play. Anyone who ever played or even watched high school football knows these plays. Apparently neither the New York Times writers nor its editors nor the editors of the Seattle PI seem to have ever heard of any of it. Maybe the readers can prove my point one way or the other.
Boise State perfectly executed trick plays in its 43-42 victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Here’s another look at the two plays that will be remembered longest — a hook-and-lateral to tie the score in regulation, and an unconventional 2-point conversion to win the game in overtime
Wikipedia and a few other sources have recently begin to call the play a hook and lateral. It’s descriptive although the pass does not have to be a hook and the lateral can be a pitch or a hand off. So it’s BS to call it a hook and lateral. It’s a hook and ladder play! I suspect it was named after the fire truck since it swings around like ahook and ladder truck. The NYT tends to be traditional and why are they adopting what seems to be a new name for an old play originally named after a fire truck? They refused to call the other a play the Statue of Liberty too. I’m surprised it wasn’t called a fake pass-handoff. These plays were given colorful names, not descriptive names when they were invented.
I’m surprised Dvorak, you doing a post about sports like this.
Anyway this just shows the sort of generation gap in sports today. It use to be just the jocks that live and breath sports but now the geeks too. And you know how technical we are. The term “hook and lateral” will make more sense to sports fan and non-sports fan alike rather then “hook and ladder”.
So it is less colorful but change is expected.
So what you’re saying is that, since the NYT sportswriters suck, they should leave journalism to those qualified to provide accurate reportage.
Like bloggers.
*Ducks*
I think someone has too much time on their hands this time of year !
Didn’t get what you wanted for xmas John ? hehe
“Hook and Ladder” because of the firetruck? Are you kidding me? It was called that because it was traditionally a button hook passing route followed by a lateral.
Added just today on Wikipedia: [On the January 2, 2007 broadcast of ESPN’s Around the Horn, sportswriter Woody Paige claimed, perhaps facetiously, that the name “hook and ladder” originated with firemen in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. This was in response to the other panelists ridiculing his use of “hook and ladder” rather than “hook and lateral.”]
Maybe sportswriters are trying to rewrite history. ?
And the fire truck pictured is *not* a Hook&Ladder! My Dad used to be a tiller driver (that’s the guy in the back who steers the rear wheels) used to say it’s not a easy thing to do. There even used to be a video game call ‘Tiller’ if my fault-encrusted organic memory is to be trusted.
Hook and ladder is what the play has been called for ages, and calling it a ‘hook and lateral’ seems ridiculous and a weak attempt to feign intellect.
The NY media not giving props to sports outside the rotten apple? Say it ain’t so! The very epitome of ‘east coast bias’ in sports comes from the sports media thinking that everything revolves around all things NY – that nothing else exists.
I am from the West coast and have always known it to be the “hook and lateral” play. I always laughed at people that called it the “hook and ladder” play. I guess I know how they feel now. Different strokes for different folks. I can atest that it has been called “hook and lateral” at least since the 40’s on the west coast (that I am aware of).
Obviously, it is the hook and lateral. “Hook and ladder” originated because it sounds close enough and most people just are too lazy to do the minimal thinking necessary to understand the terminology. Always was, is, always will be, hook and lateral.