Am I the only one who thinks this common construction is awkward?

Post date: 2025-07-12 04:06:47

Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ryne Sandberg said, "I didn't play the game right because I saw a reward at the end of the tunnel. I played it right because that's what you're supposed to do—play it right and with respect." While his first sentence may be grammatically correct, I find this type of phrasing to be rhetorically awkward if not outright confusing.

When I read "I didn't play the game right..." it sounds like Sandberg is confessing to playing baseball incorrectly. To my ear, the construction creates a "garden-path effect," where I'm temporarily led down the wrong interpretive path before having to revise my understanding mid-sentence. I would have phrased it like this: "I played the game right, not because I saw a reward..."

Apparently, though, I'm in the minority because I see this type of phrasing frequently. What do style guides say about this construction, and is there a specific name for it (beyond "garden-path effect")

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