In the postmodern era since Manny Ramirez was excused for his erratic behavior because he is in fact, Manny Ramirez, stating "that's just X being X" has become an even more popular (and less useful) cliché among athletes than "going out there and giving 110%." Still, there seems to be some confusion about when the phrase is appropriate—an Arizona high school golfer recently excused his poor putting by stating, "It was just golf being golf"—so let's see how the big boys use it.

USC's star receiver Dwayne Jarrett has had a down year, by his standards. He has caught fewer TDs this season than either of the previous two and even has been outperformed by another wide receiver on the same team. So after he exploded (not literally) for 132 yards and three touchdowns against Notre Dame last Saturday, he decided it was time to refresh the media's memory about his skills. "It was just me being me," Jarrett said, "going out there making plays" (New York Times). His quarterback John David Booty concurred. "That's just Dwayne being Dwayne, man," Booty told USA Today.