Okay, I’ve had this sitting around for a while, and some talk about a the NFL kickoff rule has gotten me going on this. So, let’s start with the National Pastime, since it is Baseball season:
1. Fix the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Let’s face it: the game has been broken for some time now, and the “This time, It counts” thing is getting old. So here’s a few suggestions to make it a better game:
- First off – GET RID OF THE HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE thing. I don’t want game seven to be played in the other league’s park because some late-inning pinch-hitter who drilled a 2-0 fastball off a token pitcher from a last-place ballclub into the seats. It’s an exhibition game.
- Always use the DH. It’s silly enough, but it ends up being worth it – and it means both one more good bat in the lineup and one less worry for the managers.
- Allow returnees to the game in three (and ONLY three) situations: the starting catcher can return if there’s an injury to the backup; one position player may return to the game (on the condition that he MUST play the rest of the game – no questions); and one pitcher may return to the game – but on a strict three outs/10 batters/33 pitch limit.
- Reduce the counts in all innings after the 10th. Start with a 2-1 count on each batter for the 11th and 12th innings, then switch to a 3-2 count from the 13th onward. Dimes to dollars says the game doesn’t last beyond the 13th.
2. Expand the playoffs, reduce the schedule – while making sure the World Series is over before Halloween. Yes, it can be done. How? Hint: notice that I said schedule. Reduce it to 156 games, essentially six games a week. Give top two teams in each league a one week “bye” while third division winner and three wild cards play off in best-of-five series that MUST be done in seven days. Non-playoff bound teams get to play an interleague home-and-home series, where one league hosts the first three games every other year. (7 vs. 8, 9 vs. 10, 11 vs. 12, 13 vs. 14, and other two teams – depending on realignment). Two playoff winners are seeded 3 and 4 against the top two teams. It can (theoretically) be done before October 30th every year.
3. “Fix” kickoffs in the NFL by essentially (notcompletely, Mr. Mara) banning then – and only making them optional in certain situations (last 10 minutes of each half). One kickoff to start the half; the rest are automatic placements, depending on the result of the play:
- opponent’s 15 yard line for a TD with a successful 2-point conversion;
- opponent’s 20 for a TD and successful PA;
- opponent’s 25 for a TD with a failed extra point attempt;
- opponent’s 30 for a successful FG; and
- opponent’s 35 for a safety.
With 10 minutes to go in each half, the scoring team has the option of kicking the ball off to the other team – only it would be based on the result of the scoring play. If it was a 2-point conversion, the kickoff would be from their own 40; if it was a regular point-after or a field goal, it’d be from the 35; if it was a missed point-after (either by kick or a two-point attempt), it’d be from the 30. If it was a safety, the receiving team would have the choice of either taking the ball at the 35 or having the opposing team’s punter kick it from their own 20.
4. FIX THE OVERTIME RULE IN THE NFL – AND IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL. First things first: forget the coin flip. The team that kicked off to start the game will kick off again; both teams get at least one possession to score. Attempt an on-side kick? Fail to recover the ball and you lose your “possession” opportunity; recover it and the other team still gets one possession to score. NO KICKOFFS; the ball is placed on yard line according to the automatic placement rule listed above; if (after scoring) the opposing team fails to score after each team’s had a possession, the game’s over.
5. Go to a freakin’ playoff already in Division I-BCS. Conferences with championship games have their “winners” end up in the 16-team field; rest are seeded according to the BCS standings. Use four other “prestige” bowls (Citrus, Cotton, Holiday, Capitol One) as playoff sites.
6. Get rid of the shootout and go to the Power-Play Exchange in hockey’s overtime. Each team, five-on-four for two minutes. One team scores and the other doesn’t – win. If not, go to a sudden-death, five-on-three round of two minutes each. Play until someone scores.
7. Change the point standings in hockey to reward WINS, not non-regulation losses. In other words: 2 points is a win, and a loss is worth no points – regulation or otherwise. Use regulation wins/losses as a tiebreaker.
8. Eliminate the “Foul Out” in basketball – but replace it with something meaningful: every personal foul after the sixth (fifth in college) = two shots and possession for the fouled team. Allow automatic ejections for two technicals and three flagrant fouls.
9. Only three time outs a half in basketball – end of sentence. Timeouts don’t carry over from the first half. To make up for it, add official TV timeouts at a point closest to the halfway mark of each period during a stoppage in play (like they have in hockey). Speaking of hockey: give coaches one extra time out in overtime. If a coach doesn’t use his timeout in regulation, it gives him two to use in OT.
10. NCAA: forget about the Field of 96/68/65/whatever. Go back to the Field of 64 and just have the other 32 play in the NIT.
11. Change the offsides rule in soccer to something any idiot (okay, Americans) could understand – a line on the field. If a player crosses this before the ball, he’s offside.
12. Keep track of stoppage time on the scoreboard, not on some hidden, super-secret official’s wristwatch. When you get to the 45th minute/90th minute in each half, the stoppage time clock takes over and counts down. Soccer needs more transparency in this regard – and the technology is there.
13. NASCAR and IndyCar: You NEED more Road Courses. (Yes, NASCAR, you can cheat and use the infield road course at Daytona for one of them.) If it means running through the streets of some city – so be it.
14. Fix the Chase by making it a real “playoff” – Eliminate three drivers after every three races of the Chase until only three are left at the end. And, just so the rest of the drivers aren’t racing for nothing: add a “wild card” driver with the best point total from the rest of the drivers who would get to join the chase for the last race.
15. Horse Racing: Award “Triple Crown” points for the three jewels of Horse Racing – and give the horse having the highest total some obscene amount as a bonus. Consider having horses run in a series of preliminary races that would give them more “draws” for position in the three races.
16. PGA – Fix the FedEx Cup Playoffs so that they really are playoffs (weekend one: eliminate all but the top 16; weekend two: play head-to-head in first two rounds to eliminate 8, then head-to-head on Saturday to eliminate 4; Final foursome has 18 holes to win the title).
17. Someone in one of the major pro sports needs to give Las Vegas a shot at being home to a major league team. NBA, NHL, whoever – the gambling thing can be overcome. The NHL and the NBA would be the best candidates.
18. Not particular to any one sport, but let’s be realistic: Wrigley Field is not a viable sporting venue anymore. Neither is the Metrodome in Minneapolis, nor is the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale. Ownership needs to either get some courage and build a new place, or hit the road, jack.
19. One of the big four needs to be courageous enough to provide access to complete live games online – for free – either by radio feed or video. Mr. Bettman, I’m looking at you.
20. Every one of the big four leagues need to make games affordable for the average fan. Take a certain percentage of a team’s seating capacity – even if it’s just 1% – and make the tickets both available on game day and cheap (along the order of under $12 per ticket).
