There have been recent discussions about the possibility of making a big change to the Canadian Football League rules regarding pass interference. Of course, the solution to the wrong calls is wait for it more video reviews. Some more mind numbing, but "we'll get it right" stalls to what used to be fluid games. Give up game flow in order to get the officiating calls right. That's the old give and take.
In the meantime, our professional sports world is becoming less entertaining due to new technology and practices, but I have some ideas as to how to add a little more excitement to our games, starting with hockey.
Too many whistles because the pucks get fired up and into those end-zone nets? I say keep the pucks that bounce off those nets, in play. You play rebounds off the boards, corners and goaltenders why not the nets?
Faceoffs? Get the damn linesman to drop the puck. Too many phony face-off guys get chased. Fairness will be found when the teams realize the puck-dropping guy means business.
There are all kinds of ways to make baseball more interesting and active. My rules committee would dictate that once he has a baseball in his hand or glove, a pitcher has five seconds on the pitch clock. If he hasn't thrown the ball toward the plate by then, it's a called ball. At the other end of the equation, if a batter steps out of the batter's box before his at-bat is over, it's a called strike. No stepping out timeouts to wrap and rewrap batting gloves or spit or adjust cleats. Stand in the box until you're done.
The game would be quicker and more interesting if the umpires used the legitimate strike zone meaning shoulders to knees rather than belt-line to knees. Bigger zone, faster game.
On the football field, we have those boring converts, or as the Americans like to say "point after" touchdowns. Instead of scrimmaging from the two or five-yard line, make the one-point kick from the 35-yard line and put a degree of chance into the otherwise robotic exercise. Two-point conversions with the line-of-scrimmage at the 25-yard line become more exciting and the play gets bigger in coaching strategy.
The NFL could make their game better simply by adopting CFL rules or just a few of them. But I doubt they would. They're a little too self-absorbed. So we'll just let them sleep with their billions.
Basketball? Reduce the number of timeouts allowed from the current 742 to four.
On the golf course, I have some ideas, too. Those PGA and LPGA people get away with murder. Make them play with seven clubs, not 14. Nuff said. They could also increase interest by making sand traps actually work like sand traps.
Curling? Cushion the sideboards and let them bounce the rocks off them, just like those shuffleboard games. Sweep those bouncing rocks, suckers.
Soccer? Seven players, not 11. That's an easy fix.
Darts? Ya gotta be kidding me!
By the way, speaking of baseball, two weeks ago I wrote about a stray dog that befriended the Milwaukee Brewers during spring training in Arizona and wondered whether or not Hank the orphaned Yorkie would be handed over to a shelter in Arizona or would come north with the team. Well, Hank is now a canine resident in Milwaukee and an unofficial Brewer mascot. Good for him, good for them.
