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sambista



Joined: 25 Sep 2004
Posts: 16951
Location: way station of life


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PostPosted: 05/25/05 4:32 pm    ::: pop quiz Reply Reply with quote

i've just asked this question of someone who has a broad knowledge of basketball. he gave me an elaborate answer and he's fairly certain of its origin, but i wondered what answers i might get from the board junkies. so here it is:

why are assists called "dimes?"



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peaceplease



Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: 05/25/05 4:56 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

I'm waiting for somebody to answer this, because I have no idea.
Embarassed I have always wondered that though.



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jfox108



Joined: 23 Sep 2004
Posts: 311
Location: Nebraska


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PostPosted: 05/25/05 5:14 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

I googled it and couldn't find out. My best guess is that it began back in the day when phone calls were 10 cents. If someone needed help and you gave them a dime, you were therefore providing assistance to them?

Back in my younger days, the joke was that parents would give their daughter a dime when she went on a date, in case he got too fresh with her. Most people assumed the dime was for a phone call home to Dad, but the alternative was the put the dime between your knees and hold it there with your knees together. Kept you out of trouble until your date took you home.

Guess I'm showing my age, huh? Of course I also remember NICKEL phone calls. Embarassed


sambista



Joined: 25 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: 05/25/05 6:14 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

jfox, that's like way too much information! lol!

well, here's what i learned.

first, i just wanna say that i was genuinely curious about the origin of “dimes” as assists, because i’ve heard it a lot lately on tv. i assumed it came from “dropping a dime,” though that is really slang for ratting out someone to the police, as in dropping a dime for a phone call.

i should also say that i’m not declaring that this is the real, true origin of “dime” in the basketball lexicon. however, based on some initial research, there’s no reason to suspect it’s not true.

as my acquaintance tells the story, the first time he ever heard of a “dime” in reference to assists was in an interview with benny anders, then of houston's “phi slamma jamma,” which also included clyde drexler and during the ncaa tournament against nc state and the likes of michael jordan (was that 1983?). according to this person, anders said if he dropped a dime on his teammate, hakeem olajuwon (who i think was akeem at the time), he’d have to take it to the hole.

now, though my acquaintance initially said he “didn’t really wanna go there” with the actual quote he remembers, he said his best recollection of benny’s quote is this: “if i drop a dime on the big swahili, he gots to take it to the hole.”

there are smatterings on the web to support the quote, and at least one archived column suggests this famous quote is really the thing for which benny anders is best known. (i don’t know from the nba, so i’m assuming anders didn’t do much beyond college?) there’s also evidence that the quote, in its original context, may have been chronicled in sports illustrated around that time.



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CamrnCrz1974



Joined: 18 Nov 2004
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PostPosted: 05/25/05 6:18 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Isn't the characterization of an assist as a "dime" a Chick Hearn thing?


sambista



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PostPosted: 05/25/05 6:52 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

he's credited with "dime store score," for a 10-to-5 score, but i haven't found anything else. the person i asked is fairly expert on the subject, and i imagine he'd know if it was a "chick-ism." but honestly, i don't know the real truth of it. all tales, tall and otherwise, are welcome!



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peaceplease



Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: 05/25/05 6:52 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

CamrnCrz1974 wrote:
Isn't the characterization of an assist as a "dime" a Chick Hearn thing?



http://www.abbaroo.com/lakers/chick.html

Here are some Chick-isms. Even though I didn't see "dime" on the list, I just thought these were entertaining.



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