The Penalty Box: Random Thoughts For Late October
October 26, 2021 at 9:48 p.m.
The Penalty Box: Random Thoughts For Late October
By Roger Grossman-
Normally the Grossmans stay home and use the extra time off from school to relax and get caught up on paper grading, game prep and such.
My wife found a place to hang out right next to Warren Dunes State Park in Michigan, so we went there for a few days.
There was no earthly way I was going to hike the 100-foot-high dune right next to the beach without being airlifted out of there. So while I took pictures of my crew working their way up to the summit, I had some time to think.
This is dangerous for me, but hopefully entertaining for you.
I wrote last week about not being a big fan of the IHSAA instituting a mercy rule for basketball. Some of you agree, and others don’t.
But I would like to see an additional layer of mercy rules instituted for baseball. Right now it’s 10 runs after five innings. I’d like to see them add a 15 runs after four innings.
Major League Baseball should have a mercy rule too. I’m thinking 10 runs after 7 innings.
I was also gazing up that giant pile of sand, and I realized that the Blackhawks and Bulls have done a complete role-reversal.
The ‘Hawks were the class of the NHL for almost a decade. They won three Stanley Cups and could easily have won two others in a span of seven years.
The Bulls have been in the NBA, but barely, since Derrick Rose hurt his knee for the second time.
A new coach every two years. A newly drafted star to lead the Bulls back to the land of milk and honey that never panned out. Not so much as a sniff of the playoffs. Heck, they barely have given fans any hope that any light was anywhere near the end of their tunnel.
Now, it’s the opposite.
The Bulls are a player away from really becoming a legit threat to make noise in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, and the Blackhawks have people wondering if they could do running clocks in the third period of hockey games as a mercy rule.
Having two Fridays off and 21 days in between games will undoubtedly help the Warsaw Tigers heal up—mentally and physically—after losing in their conference championship game at Dunlap on October 15th. Whoever they play (Carroll or Homestead) will be a quality foe and it will be a game played on foreign field turf November 5.
I think college football should stop stopping the clock on first downs. College games are creeping toward four hours, and that’s entirely too long.
There is one player in the entire National Hockey League who has not been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Most NBA players have their COVID cards filled out. But one of the highest-profile athletes who has not been vaccinated and claims he will not be is Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets.
His will be a test case of sorts. He says he won’t be vaccinated because, like a lot of you reading this, he doesn’t think it’s necessary and he doesn’t believe anyone should be able to make him do it.
New York City leaders say he can’t play if he’s not vaccinated.
Lawyers are lining up for this one, but I don’t see how Irving comes out ok on this without getting poked with a needle twice.
The Houston Astros’ owner has asked us all to put the signal stealing scandal by current and former players using IPads and trashcans behind us and move on.
He was serious. The rest of us are laughing.
There were a few empty seats in the student section at Notre Dame Stadium Saturday night. It was their fall break, too.
Some people were lamenting the empty seats at a home game, and the USC game at that. My question would be, then, would you pay $75 or more to stand on a seat in the back of the student section to watch a Notre Dame football game? No, no you would not. Not this season and maybe not ever for some of you.
Happy Halloween! I am dressing up as me…because what could be scarier looking than that?
Normally the Grossmans stay home and use the extra time off from school to relax and get caught up on paper grading, game prep and such.
My wife found a place to hang out right next to Warren Dunes State Park in Michigan, so we went there for a few days.
There was no earthly way I was going to hike the 100-foot-high dune right next to the beach without being airlifted out of there. So while I took pictures of my crew working their way up to the summit, I had some time to think.
This is dangerous for me, but hopefully entertaining for you.
I wrote last week about not being a big fan of the IHSAA instituting a mercy rule for basketball. Some of you agree, and others don’t.
But I would like to see an additional layer of mercy rules instituted for baseball. Right now it’s 10 runs after five innings. I’d like to see them add a 15 runs after four innings.
Major League Baseball should have a mercy rule too. I’m thinking 10 runs after 7 innings.
I was also gazing up that giant pile of sand, and I realized that the Blackhawks and Bulls have done a complete role-reversal.
The ‘Hawks were the class of the NHL for almost a decade. They won three Stanley Cups and could easily have won two others in a span of seven years.
The Bulls have been in the NBA, but barely, since Derrick Rose hurt his knee for the second time.
A new coach every two years. A newly drafted star to lead the Bulls back to the land of milk and honey that never panned out. Not so much as a sniff of the playoffs. Heck, they barely have given fans any hope that any light was anywhere near the end of their tunnel.
Now, it’s the opposite.
The Bulls are a player away from really becoming a legit threat to make noise in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, and the Blackhawks have people wondering if they could do running clocks in the third period of hockey games as a mercy rule.
Having two Fridays off and 21 days in between games will undoubtedly help the Warsaw Tigers heal up—mentally and physically—after losing in their conference championship game at Dunlap on October 15th. Whoever they play (Carroll or Homestead) will be a quality foe and it will be a game played on foreign field turf November 5.
I think college football should stop stopping the clock on first downs. College games are creeping toward four hours, and that’s entirely too long.
There is one player in the entire National Hockey League who has not been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Most NBA players have their COVID cards filled out. But one of the highest-profile athletes who has not been vaccinated and claims he will not be is Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets.
His will be a test case of sorts. He says he won’t be vaccinated because, like a lot of you reading this, he doesn’t think it’s necessary and he doesn’t believe anyone should be able to make him do it.
New York City leaders say he can’t play if he’s not vaccinated.
Lawyers are lining up for this one, but I don’t see how Irving comes out ok on this without getting poked with a needle twice.
The Houston Astros’ owner has asked us all to put the signal stealing scandal by current and former players using IPads and trashcans behind us and move on.
He was serious. The rest of us are laughing.
There were a few empty seats in the student section at Notre Dame Stadium Saturday night. It was their fall break, too.
Some people were lamenting the empty seats at a home game, and the USC game at that. My question would be, then, would you pay $75 or more to stand on a seat in the back of the student section to watch a Notre Dame football game? No, no you would not. Not this season and maybe not ever for some of you.
Happy Halloween! I am dressing up as me…because what could be scarier looking than that?
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