RBI or RBI's ?

I don't know about anyone else, but I am fed up with hearing these schmos on the radio, and TV, whether it be an in-progress broadcast of a major league baseball game, or on ESPN radio, continually refering to RBI's (Runs Batted In ; more than one ; many) as RBI.

It sounds stupid, plain and simple, and it's bad English. Enough to make old grade school English teachers roll over in their collective graves !

For example. When Travis Hafner of the Cleveland Indians belts yet another of his record-setting grand slams, he is credited with 4 RBI's, not 4 RBI. Now, if you are going to say the words, "runs batted in", you say, Hafner had 4 runs batted in, or Hafner had 4 RBI's. Check your AP (Associated Press) style books folks.

It's as if these ESPN geeks, some of them anyhow, are trying to rewrite history. Well, it ain't happen'in !

Dave Burkey

The Beginning....

This is my first post and I'm not at all sure I know what I'm doing. I wrote for Mark Conrad on www.sportslawnews.com back in 2001, and also for a Cleveland Browns online publication in 2000-02, originally called BrownsTNG, which later became www.berniesinsiders.com. It has since changed names yet a 3rd time. I loved writing for both sites and realized at that time that I wanted a future career involving sports law and economics.

My long-term goal is to have a "Sports/Talent" agency in the future, possibly even to include some video production involving such things as shooting commercial spots.

By the way, Mark Conrad, who is a professor at Fordham in New York City, has a new text out, "The Business Of Sports". You can check it out on the first page of his website.

Dave Burkey