Time To Clear My Desk Again
October 25, 2016 at 3:46 p.m.
By Mark [email protected]
Every once in a while, I think about some relatively minor changes that could make high school football better.
For example, defensive pass interference should be decriminalized. It should be a 5-yard penalty and retain the down, rather than an automatic first down. Of all the penalties in football, pass interference may be the one most subjective; it’s almost always a judgement call. Perhaps if the penalty isn’t so costly, and able to swing games one direction or another, an official might be inclined to call it more often.
Not that I want more penalties; who does? They are a necessary part of the game. But the PI doesn’t get called in critical situations often enough and when it does the question is usually about whether or not the ball was catchable.
Offensive holding in high school football should never be a spot foul; right now the penalty is assessed from spot where it took place. Whether in the offensive backfield or deep into the defense, mark off 10 yards from the line of scrimmage and call it good. If an offense gets a 60-yard run but holds downfield, it shouldn’t be rewarded with a first and 10 after the penalty is assessed. (If it was already first down, it’s not a reward, is it?)
Why? Because football is a team game; if one commits a penalty, everyone deals with it.
And I complain very little about high school officiating. Those people are essentially volunteers doing it for the love of the game, and having folks in the stands or coaches on the sidelines holler about a bad call simply comes with the territory, and the referees know that going in.
Having said that, I’d love for the refs to get the ball ready for the snap and get the play clock started a lot quicker. On an incomplete deep pass, get another ball from the offensive sideline while a ball person (boy or girl) retrieves the incompleted ball.
But get the play clock running ASAP, and speed up the game. Please, fellas!
While watching the Cubs’ playoff romp, it’s been interesting to people watch, even on television. I’ve seen people of different skin pigmentations hugging each other, and have no doubt Republicans have hugged Democrats, and everyone’s hugging Libertarians. No one’s carding people to see who belongs to what group. And that’s a great thing to see. Politicians could learn a lesson or two here.
But beyond any shadow of a doubt, there’s no place for poverty in Wrigleyville this month. I think my parents paid less for their first house than what many folks are plunking down to be in the ballpark for the World Series.
I also wondered how the people inside Wrigley Field get out, given how many people are hanging around on the streets near the ballpark. If there’s a bar owner in Chicago losing money this month, that owner needs to sell. Immediately. I’d think it’s almost a license to print money.
I’ve been a little torn on who to root for. I want to remain faithful to the American League Central, where my favorite team resides. And Cleveland has a streak of its own to deal with once and for all.
And I also wonder if the most Die-Hard Cubs Fan Club members will have a sort of Twilight Zone experience should the World Champion Cubs shirts and hats remain in America, as opposed to being sent off to a third-world, non-English speaking country.
I checked the archives, and I picked the Cubs to win it all before the season started, and win it at home. Frankly, I don’t see the Indians having nearly enough pitching to beat the Cubs four times in nine days, especially if the wind blows in from either lake.
If Cleveland can’t take the first two at home, I doubt it’ll go back to Ohio after the fifth game.
And I’ve made my peace with that.
Every once in a while, I think about some relatively minor changes that could make high school football better.
For example, defensive pass interference should be decriminalized. It should be a 5-yard penalty and retain the down, rather than an automatic first down. Of all the penalties in football, pass interference may be the one most subjective; it’s almost always a judgement call. Perhaps if the penalty isn’t so costly, and able to swing games one direction or another, an official might be inclined to call it more often.
Not that I want more penalties; who does? They are a necessary part of the game. But the PI doesn’t get called in critical situations often enough and when it does the question is usually about whether or not the ball was catchable.
Offensive holding in high school football should never be a spot foul; right now the penalty is assessed from spot where it took place. Whether in the offensive backfield or deep into the defense, mark off 10 yards from the line of scrimmage and call it good. If an offense gets a 60-yard run but holds downfield, it shouldn’t be rewarded with a first and 10 after the penalty is assessed. (If it was already first down, it’s not a reward, is it?)
Why? Because football is a team game; if one commits a penalty, everyone deals with it.
And I complain very little about high school officiating. Those people are essentially volunteers doing it for the love of the game, and having folks in the stands or coaches on the sidelines holler about a bad call simply comes with the territory, and the referees know that going in.
Having said that, I’d love for the refs to get the ball ready for the snap and get the play clock started a lot quicker. On an incomplete deep pass, get another ball from the offensive sideline while a ball person (boy or girl) retrieves the incompleted ball.
But get the play clock running ASAP, and speed up the game. Please, fellas!
While watching the Cubs’ playoff romp, it’s been interesting to people watch, even on television. I’ve seen people of different skin pigmentations hugging each other, and have no doubt Republicans have hugged Democrats, and everyone’s hugging Libertarians. No one’s carding people to see who belongs to what group. And that’s a great thing to see. Politicians could learn a lesson or two here.
But beyond any shadow of a doubt, there’s no place for poverty in Wrigleyville this month. I think my parents paid less for their first house than what many folks are plunking down to be in the ballpark for the World Series.
I also wondered how the people inside Wrigley Field get out, given how many people are hanging around on the streets near the ballpark. If there’s a bar owner in Chicago losing money this month, that owner needs to sell. Immediately. I’d think it’s almost a license to print money.
I’ve been a little torn on who to root for. I want to remain faithful to the American League Central, where my favorite team resides. And Cleveland has a streak of its own to deal with once and for all.
And I also wonder if the most Die-Hard Cubs Fan Club members will have a sort of Twilight Zone experience should the World Champion Cubs shirts and hats remain in America, as opposed to being sent off to a third-world, non-English speaking country.
I checked the archives, and I picked the Cubs to win it all before the season started, and win it at home. Frankly, I don’t see the Indians having nearly enough pitching to beat the Cubs four times in nine days, especially if the wind blows in from either lake.
If Cleveland can’t take the first two at home, I doubt it’ll go back to Ohio after the fifth game.
And I’ve made my peace with that.
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