(WGR 550) -- Thursday morning, Howard Simon and Jeremy White have been discussing with callers what they would "Spring Clean" from sports. Well, I've got some things to say about that.
Here are my new ideas:
-- First: the easiest. No more BCS, unless you want to turn the BCS into a seven-bowl, eight-team playoff. I know there will be arguments against who the eighth and ninth teams will be, but it's better than Utah, Boise State or any other undefeated school complaining. Plus, as much as I'd love an upset, seeing some formerly-whining underdog get smoked by a two-loss SEC team would be funny. How has Gonzaga fared in March Madness since they started getting their No. 5 seeds? Adam Morrison was just told that Bambi's mom didn't live. His mom is a liar.
-- Way less time-outs. Jeremy brought it up, and I love it. Here's how it would work for each major sport:
Basketball: one-per-quarter. Anyone who's seen a team on a run knows that time-outs matter in hoops.
Football: no more time-outs. To keep the challenge system alive, 10-yard penalty for lost challenge.
Baseball: no more mound visits for coaches or non-catchers unless it's a pitching change.
Hockey: system's fine, but if you change goalies in-period, that's your time-out.
-- No more Personal Seat Licenses.
This conversation didn't exist a few years ago.
"Hey, I'd like two season tickets for the Yankees."
"Well, fill out this application... and give me $2,500."
"Cool, here ya go."
"Now, as for the tickets... they start at $100 per game..."
-- All player money is guaranteed. Some sports do it now, but Antoine Winfield might be a Bill still if not for fake money, and then maybe the Bills don't draft 1,000 defensive backs. As a concession, the players eliminate signing bonuses.
-- Quarterbacks and goaltenders are fair game once they leave the pocket or crease, respectively. It works for lacrosse. He can "handle his dukes," as a caller once said.
-- New repercussion to icing. As in basketball, the non-offending team can "set up" in the offensive zone.
-- No more easy-to-remember division names. Here's how we'd do it in the four major sports:
NFL: Rozelle, Blanda, Montana, Butkus, Payton (or Sweetness) and Nagurski division ("We've won the Butkus!").
NBA: Chamberlain, Erving, Jordan, Bird, Gervin, Maravich, Russell
NHL: Howe, Orr, Plante, Mikita, Gretzky, Lemieux
MLB: Ruth, Mays, Paige, Aaron, Ripken, Gibson
-- Relegation. In the top division of English soccer, the worst three teams are demoted to the second division, while the top three teams from the second division get promoted. Imagine the New York Rangers fighting to stay in the NHL in the last week of the season as the Manitoba Moose are pouring champagne on each other to celebrate their province's first upcoming NHL season since the Winnipeg Jets left town.
-- Just one belt, and less weight classes in boxing. Please.
-- For baseball, basketball and hockey: a Champions League. This would require shorter seasons, but the idea of the six best NHL teams with the four best Russian teams, and two a piece from Sweden, Finland, etc., playing in season would be fantastic.
Imagine: the Sabres have a Saturday game at home in November, then travel to Gothenburg to take on Frolunda HC for a Champions League quarterfinal. Frolunda returns the favor the next month. A true "World Champion."
Better yet... The Red Sox against Japan's best, or Greece's Olympiakos against the Lakers.
-- FANS cannot complain about: facial hair, tattoos, how a player wears his uniform, hairstyles, et. all. So you're allowed to do what's on the left and do your job, but he's worse at basketball because his wife and kids' names are on his arm?
Does it change the way they play the game? No. Remember the "J.P. Losman stinks cause his hair gets in his eyes?" Goodness gracious, maybe he just stunk. Anyone? I've seen some of the worst tattoos ever while covering sports on some of the most-talented players.
--- I'll add more, throughout the day, but our new comment function allows you to add your ideas below, or email: nick@wgr550.com
With Salary caps in all leagues (except MLB). This will reward the best managed teams instead of the worst automatically getting best new talent entering the pros. Teams will not be forced into paying guys insane amounts of money to guys that have never played professional ball because of their draft spot
05/07/2009 8:58AM
Travis Henry, Shawn Kemp Evander Holyfield
I would get all of them "Fixed"
05/07/2009 9:25AM
Trapezoid
I'm sure math teachers love that the word trapezoid is used in real life but the rule is so stupid. Goalies should be able to go where ever they want, and be fair game.
05/07/2009 10:17AM
HOLD OUTS
How about the NFL excessively fines players who decide to hold out of training camp instead of the team fining them. (i.e. Jason Peters) This might eliminate players signing contracts and then not honoring those contracts like men.
05/07/2009 10:24AM
Less is More
Reduce the number of NHL teams back to 24. Same 16 make the playoffs. The league was way better with 24 teams and the talent increases on each roster. I also agree with getting rid of the trapeziod and the delay of game for flicking the puck over the glass has got to go too. Only 2 timeouts per half in basketball.
05/07/2009 10:26AM
instigator
get rid of the instigator penalty. maybe sean avery, patrick kaleta, jarko ruutu, and steve ott will grow a back bone (or be rendered useless)
05/07/2009 10:45AM
TV Guy
If a fan stands up when the camera is following the play in their section, to turn and wave, diverting their attention from the game....any/all other fans should be able to throw objects or fists at them to get make them sit back down...
05/07/2009 11:06AM
Playoffs
Reduce the number of teams that make the playoffs in the NHL and NBA to 6. Its ridiculous that teams with a losing record can make the playoffs. top 2 seeds get byes in round one. Round one become best of 3 instead of best of seven.
05/07/2009 12:05PM
Hockey Playoffs
I understand the top team in each division gets in automatic, but they should not automatically get the 3 seed. If they have only enough points to squeak in at the 8th seed, then they must play the one seed.
05/07/2009 12:17PM
spring cleaning
college football playoff system - i don't know how it could work but it'll be better than the current systemmore NFL playoff teams - 8 playoff teams seem reasonable.Rookie salary scale in NFL - no more outrageous rookie contractsGoalies should be fair game if they leave the trapezoid.
05/07/2009 12:19PM
NHL
contract the league by getting rid of about 4 teams, hold a draft for the players on those team and i think the league gets alot better.
05/07/2009 12:20PM
Penalty
Remove the tripping-diving penalty combo from the NHL. Either you were tripped, or you dove. Pick one. Somebody's wrong, don't penalize both players when it's not both player's fault.
05/07/2009 12:22PM
Problem with NHL Playoffs?
Playoffs are the best part of the season. The intensity of the sport sky rockets as soon as the teams' lives are on the line. I, personally can't get enough of it. I do have some problems with the NHL though. Get rid of the awefully boring all-star game or move it to June after the Cup. Right in the thick of the NHL regular season we pause to watch passive hockey played by the winners of a popularity contest. You know what else sucks about the NHL way more than the awesome playoffs? Officiating. I know half the reason why the playoffs are as great as they are is because of how much it takes a back-seat to the game, but how about some consistency? Is cross-checking only a penalty if it happens to the home team and the fans react, or if a guy gets it in the face? Goalie interference; I don't know why more D-men don't push Offensive players into their goalie when the pressure's really on 'cause the goaltender gets the call every time. Did they get rid of the 3rd-man-in rule? How about when a guy gets called for tripping and the tripped man gets called for diving? I don't understand how one guy can get called for faking and the tripper's still guilty. Doesn't add up. And Gary Bettman. A few months ago he was guaranteeing that the Coyotes weren't going anywhere. Liar!
05/07/2009 1:12PM
Tax Money
No more publicly funded stadiums. The second PUBLIC tax money get involved, the PEOPLE who pay taxes should have a stake in the team. They should be able to vote a representative on the teams controlling board !! It makes me sick !! It makes me want to turn my two young boys away from pro sports entirely !!
05/07/2009 1:49PM
Larry Quinn
Rene Robert was spot on with this one. Bring in "Duds". I dress like a golfer, but my score tells me I won't be joining the tour anytime soon.
05/07/2009 4:14PM
NFL OT/ Contracts/ MLB home field advantage
Field goals are not allowed in overtime. Also, each team gets at least one possession. So if the team who receives the ball first scores, they still have to kick it off to the other team and stop them from scoring before they win the game. This is only in effect for the first possession. If neither team scores on their first possession, then the first team to score wins the game. Another thing is to eliminate guaranteed contracts. This will stop the Carl Pavanos and Stephan Marburys of sports for making a whole lot of money while doing a whole lot of nothing. Thanks for trying to make players care about the All Star Game Mr. Selig...but home field advantage belongs to the best team in baseball. It doesn't belong to who won the all-star game because guess what...that advantage doesn't matter to the teams who have no chance of going to the World Series.
05/07/2009 4:57PM
NFL Rookie Salary Cap
Enough Said....
05/07/2009 8:56PM
NHL RULES
The biggest rule that needs to go in hockey is the trapezoid behind the net. Goalies being able to handle a puck has basically become extinct in the NHL. Brodeur, Turco, and Dipietro all are incredibly skilled when it comes to playing a puck. It made it more challenging to play against and useful to have on your team. Plus watching goaltenders who lack in that department (i.e. Marty Biron...sorry Marty I still love you) always makes for good sportscenter highlights. Secondly, the delay of game for shooting a puck over the glass needs to go. While it was a good idea initially, its shown to be more of a problem than anything else. Penalties should not be handed out because a player accidentally shoots the puck out of play. Adding rules like these are not going to make people who live in areas throughout the country that never receive snow fall in love with hockey. I cannot wait to see Garry Bettman expand the NHL and place a team in Santa Fe and call them the New Mexico Desert with a giant cactus plastered on their jersey. Point in all this being, some things just do not belong in hockey.
05/08/2009 12:00PM
Draconian Steroid/Substance Abuse Policy
Performance enhancing drugs should be completely demonized in all professional sports. I don't care if you messed up once, and how big of an athlete you are. No one player is bigger than any team or any sport, regardless of what ESPN and the hype machine says. Any one caught receives a lifetime ban with no possibility of appeal. We need to start to perceive steroid users like any other adict or drug abuser, an abuser. No apologies, no excuses.
To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 1 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 2 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; tournament; WGR; Jeremy White; Golf; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 3 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 4 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 5 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 6 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 7 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 8 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala;
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