Bobby Thomson died last week. He played baseball for the New York Giants, and in 1951, hit perhaps the most dramatic home run in major league history. Not only did Thomson's home run win the National League pennant for the Giants, it inspired two over-the-top responses from the media.

First was the immediate reaction from Giants' play-by-play announcer Russ Hodges. He screamed "the Giants win the pennant" over and over in what has become one of US sports' most famous calls.

Secondly, newspaper writers began referring to Thomson's blast as "the shot heard ‘round the world." Now, it was a big moment in American sport, but hardly heard ‘round the world. I'm sure it didn't have much of an impact on any other continent.

The point is, sports and hyperbole go hand in hand, and we see it just as much in Australia as in the United States. Some of it is harmless, some of it is ludicrous.

If you listen to AFL broadcasts on Triple M, SEN or 3AW, you know how sensational the matchday calls can be. Loudmouthed former players fight for airtime, screaming at every opportunity and vying to be the first to claim the sealing goal, even if there are 10 minutes to play.

If you watch Channel Nine's rugby league telecasts, you're familiar with Ray Warren, a superb announcer, but one who seems to border on apoplexy at any potential line break or grubber kick towards the try line.

Or how about the weekly "he's in real trouble, his day is finished" hysteria from AFL boundary riders, who 10 minutes later backtrack furiously as the injured player re-enters the fray?

Two weeks ago, Channel Ten's usually measured Tim Lane joined the big call party with a first quarter pronouncement that "Geelong's days of domination are over." Even in a medium where exaggeration is accepted, Lane's words stood out like a sore thumb, especially when the Cats ended up winning by 101 points.

Lane's comment was criticised, analysed and laughed at, and he had to defend himself on this very website.

Then there was Robbie Slater, who used a column in the Sydney Sunday Telegraph to suggest that Socceroo star Harry Kewell was past his use-by date. Not really a radical thought, when you consider that Kewell is 32 and has had a terrible run of injuries.

But Slater - like many soccer commentators in this country - often feels the need to throw out a few incredibly strong statements - and in this case, led with the salacious and sensational. He claimed that Kewell was a distraction in South Africa, and wrote that "some of (Kewell's) teammates have had enough of the circus" and one player even "told Harry to f... off."

The column led to a debate of sorts on the Fox Sports FC show, a threatened lawsuit by Kewell's manager Bernie Mandic, and not much else, other than a bit of publicity - not really positive - for both Slater and Kewell.

And that's why the big call can be dangerous.

There's a fine line between fun and foolishness, between trying to entertain and putting your credibility at stake.

Russ Hodges is remembered for "the Giants win the pennant." Let's hope Tim Lane isn't remembered for "the days of domination are over."