Webster says the word 'nil' means nothing, naught or zero.

     So, technically, the Champaign TV sportscaster who uses the word to describe scores in just about every sport is correct.  But, he is driving me crazy just the same.  I have taken to turning down the sound and waiting for the graphic to tell me the score.

     Nil is used in soccer.  That is good.  Because soccer games are quite frequently zero-zero at the end.  Nil seems to be a good word to describe that excitement.  Even the report of a one-nil thriller seems appropriate.

     But, in football?  20-NIL, 14-NIL, 7-NIL.  Stop it!  My head is aching.

     Have you ever heard anyone report a tennis score as 6-2, 6-NIL?  Well, I have.  It came right out of my TV set.  The correct score would have been written 6-2, 6-0 and spoken six-two, six-love.

     (By the way, if you beat your opponent six-love, six-love, it is common to call that a double-bagel, but not a NIL-NIL no matter what.)

     A shutout in baseball is seven to nothing.  Even seven zip might work.  But, seven-NIL?  That might cause Dick Enberg  to shout, "OH,MY."

     Can you imagine someone saying to Bob Gibson, "Nice game, Bob, that one to NIL outcome was really great."  Stand back, protect yourself.  The fireballer might just fire one under the chin.

     "Alex Legion hits a long one.....the Illini are up three-NIL."  Get that play-by-play guy outa here.

     There is no problem in reporting volleyball scores, because they go to 25 each set, you must win by two, and the winner is the first team to win three sets.   (Oh, my goodness, I just heard a guy say it is NIL-NIL when the match begins!!!   No, I just made that up.)

    Perhaps NIL is a term they use out west or out east or in Europe.....I don't know.  But, here in the good old MIdwest zero, zip, nothing, or love will do just fine.