We've been talking about the recently-deceased Manute Bol a lot this weekend, and for good reason. Here's another item to add to the list of the man's diverse and positive contributions to society: as Mathew Ingram notes, Bol may have been the one to originate and popularize the phrase, "my bad."
↵↵↵St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jan. 10, 1989: When he [Manute Bol] throws a bad pass, he'll say, "My bad" instead of "My fault," and now all the other players say the same thing.
↵USA Today, Jan. 27, 1989: After making a bad pass, instead of saying "my fault," Manute Bol says, "my bad." Now all the other Warriors say it too.
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Now, there is some debate as to whether Bol was actually the inventor of this phrase, but the startling irony to be observed here is that one of the most commonly-used expressions of apology was popularized by a man who had less to apologize for than just about anybody.
↵(A firm handshake to Jonah Keri)