Canadian football:
1.) 4 downs, not 3.
2.) 100 yard field, not 120.
3.) 11 men a side not 12.
If American and Canadian rules in football were standardized, then our Universities can play each other (do they have college football in Canada?).
Also, the Two Minute Warning. Why does the NFL have this?
You know it would have only taken you about thirty seconds to find out.
I second modifying the kick off out of bounds rule. I say give the receiving team an option of 10 yards from the point it went out of bounds, or a 10 yard penalty and rekick. Forcing a re-kick would prevent a team from just booting the thing out of bounds to avoid a dangerous returner.
Reform “Roughing the Kicker.” I say the Punter should have to get genuinely drilled for the full 15 yards. And a 15 yard Unsportsmanlike Conduct to the ingrates that go down like they’ve been shot after a player grazes their leg.
Are you going to walk the batter? Because the runner on 1st would just take a 89 foot lead on any 3 ball count. 
I think we’ve got our “Least Likely to be Implemented” award sewn up. 
Two main reasons. One, the extra clock stoppage will assist in dramatic last minute comebacks. And two, it’s a chance to run advertisements during these crucial moments.
The proposals for penalizing excessive pickoffs deal only with unsuccessful attempts. The idea is that it’s not particularly fun, and not really “baseball,” for pitchers to repeatedly make “pickoff” throws which aren’t really intended or expected to pick off the runner–they’re just to keep the guy close.
A runner who took a huge lead, whatever the count, would be picked off.
Good. More goals.
Though I’d be willing to do away with the “no change on an icing rule.” I’m ambivalent towards that one.
As it stands, I’d do away with the penalty for shooting the puck over the glass and replace it with the same rule they currently have for icing. It’s basically the same tactic anyway.
Couple more baseball ones that I’ll steal from Bill James.
Move the batter’s box back one inch every four years, until it’s four inches back from where it is now. This shouldn’t throw anybody’s career into a tailspin if it’s gradually brought in over the span of sixteen years.
A manager can make a between innings pitching change: once a game, or, after the pitcher on the mound has given up a run. In other words, he gets one freebie a game, and he can remove a pitcher that’s getting hit. But constantly switching out lefties and righties…fuck it. Stop dicking around and play baseball.
Emphasis added. If the defense wants to stop the clock to get the ball back, they should take their timeout as early in the play clock as possible.
Something definitely needs to be done though. In baseball you hit a homer, you lower your head and humbly jog around the bases.
You know what would happen if you hit a homer, and stopped to fake a phone call or pulled or some other equally egregious type of “attention seeking behavior” as that? Your next time up to bat you’d get a fast ball in your ear hole.
I think any form of premeditated celebration should be flagged. I believe 100% that a player should be allowed to have a moment of ‘exuberance’ or even the jumping-chest-bump if it’s quick; but otherwise you should humbly take your points and move on.
Wasn’t Bill talking about pitching changes inside innings? Not between.
Why? What is wrong with some fun in the game?
I would guess it’s 90% the latter, though it was likely sold in as the former. It ensures that there’ll be a full 2-minute commercial break near the end of each half.
Good clarification…when the kickoff spot was moved from the 35 to the 30 some years ago, it had the side effect of making the default placement for that penalty the 40 instead of the 35.
I think the easiest way to solve the problem would be to address it the same way they do fans acting up - turn the cameras away. If these endzone shows weren’t being televised, they’d quickly stop. After all, the whole point of them is attention whoring.
Do you mean away from the plate or away from the pitcher? I can see away from the plate to get rid of batters hanging their elbow into the zone like Barry Bonds used to do. Although that’s slowly getting to be less of an issue now with the elbow armor getting reduced and grandfathered guys retiring.
Sorry about that, you’re right. Poor wording on my part.
Yes, away from the plate.
Both of these changes were fantastic ones that have vastly improved the on-ice product.
But doesn’t shooting the puck over the glass (even deliberately) accomplish the same thing as deliberately hammering the puck down the ice (at least pre-lockout)? Why is only one of them a penalty?
Well, they didn’t have all that crap in the mid-60’s, and the racing seemed fine.
I agree with the proposal to limit pitching changes within an inning.
Abolish the DH forever. Institute a salary cap, or severely limit the number of free agents a team can sign in a season. Make rich teams trade for talent rather than just buying it outright.
Ban Joe Morgan from all parks for life.