Today's Pet Peeve: Misuse of the word "clinch"

You see it more and more these days, presumably because there are more rounds of playoffs. But friends, "clinch" and "win" are NOT synonyms. They have related meanings, but they cannot be used interchangeably. Tonight's offender was a Sportscenter graphic (really, of all the institutions, THEY don't know better?) stating that the Penguins had "clinched" the Stanley Cup. No, they won the Stanley Cup. The game, and the series, and the playoffs are over. They have not assured that they will win the Cup, it is already won. You "clinch" a division, or a game, when you have done something that assures that you will win the division, or the game, when the time comes. Like, the way the Rangers will clinch the AL West in, like, August this year. They will "clinch" in August, and "win" in September.

Drives me nuts.