Word Usage: Left-Fielder or Left Fielder?

Here's another good one.  When writing a sports story, most newspapers (which follow AP style) use the words "left fielder" as a title/description for a baseball player.  However, a hyphen is used for "left-hander".

Word Usage: Playoffs or Play-offs?

Some of my students at Middle Tennessee State University raised a question this week about whether to use "playoffs" or "play-offs" in a sports story.  After researching the web, I discovered that most newspapers (which follow the AP Stylebook) use "playoffs".  Some sports organizations still use the word "play-offs".