NATCHEZ — Certain things coaches and players say simply die in my notebook.

Obviously, if I’m told something off the record, I’m not going to print it. If a source gives me wrong information, and I know the information is wrong, I’m not going to print it.

If you saturate me with swear words, well, hopefully I’ll never do something egregious enough to deserve that, but I won’t print it if it happens.

And then there are sports clichés.

Coaches and players alike have had them drilled into their heads for years by other coaches and players — and by ESPN — so to see them pop up in interviews is expected. But that doesn’t make them any less annoying.

Prospective journalists are taught to avoid clichés like the plague, and for good reason, since they tell us absolutely nothing. With that in mind, here are the top five sports clichés I wish I didn’t hear nearly as much as I did. Coaches, players, take note!

“He/she gives 110 percent.”

I know the intent behind this one, and it’s an honorable one. A coach or teammate is trying to compliment a player for the effort they put in to perfecting their craft as an athlete. Indeed, that is worthy to be commended.

But it’s impossible to give 110 percent. A player cannot be better than they are — ever.

Equally as bad is the related, “So-and-so elevates their level of play when the game is on the line.” Since we’ve established it’s not possible to be better than you are, what you’re essentially saying is he or she doesn’t try as hard when it’s not a “clutch” situation. And that should not be commended.

“We showed up to play.”

I certainly hope so. I mean, you went through all the trouble making arrangements with the other team, hiring refs, getting concessions and workers, etc.

Why else would you show up?

“There’s no ‘I’ in team.”

This is another cliché that has good intentions, but it also has a huge, fatal flaw. There’s also no “we” in team, and there is an “I” in “win.”

Coaches don’t want selfish players. The concept of a “team” is that everyone’s working together for a common goal, winning. I get that, and I support stressing the team concept.

Let’s just find a different way to express that.

“This is a ‘must-win’ game.”

It’s not that there isn’t a legitimate difference between games that are “must-win” versus those that aren’t.

Locally, non-district, non-playoff or non-rivalry games aren’t really must-win games. In professional sports, if a team has secured a playoff spot, or is out of contention, the next few games aren’t must-win.

But the idea of a coach or players saying some games aren’t “must-win” is kind of deflating. Don’t you guys want to win every game you play? Is it ever OK to “take a game off?” Just something to consider.

And the absolute worst sports cliché of all time:

“He/she plays the game the right way.”

This one is just plain awful. Why? Because we have a word for playing the game the wrong way — cheating.

Are you saying that this one player does it right, and everyone else cheats? Of course not. In order to not imply that, some new terminology is strongly recommended.

Or, if you just want to make sure your quote is in the paper, try a different phrase, because I definitely won’t be printing this one.

MICHAEL KEREKES is the sports editor for The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3633 or at michael.kerekes@natchezdemocrat.com.