Suggestion Box

Just a seance away...

And... you're back.  I think everyone would admit that we can all do things a little better.  No matter how successful we are, we can always find ways to improve.  For instance, my 2 year old daughter, currently accepting her "quiet time" over napping, could improve her actually taking a nap for Mommy and Daddy, much like she does for anyone not named Mommy or Daddy.

The major sports leagues are always kicking around rule changes, some good, some bad.  Since I have an opinion on everything Allow me to share my personal takes on how our beloved professional leagues could improve upon their fine products.  (Kissing ass in search for credibility).


Baseball

Won't Happen, But Should:  Make a decision to ditch the DH or make AL pitchers hit.  Yes, it makes for a different type of game, and it's steeped in tradition... but whatever.  Go with one or the other.

Purity...

Realistically:  I actually had an idea to give the #1 seed four home games to one for the Wild Card back when Wild Cards kept winning and there was only one Wild Card.  2nd Wild Card now makes it tougher to win from there, so we'll scratch that for now.  So how about the obvious, and expand instant replay to foul balls and close outs?  Do it NHL style - central place in NYC where all watch games and buzz down, as needed.  Hell, let the MLB Fan Cave peeps share the space.  I know, it ruins the "purity" of the game... because baseball hasn't had any purity issues the last decade.

NFL

Not Gonna Happen:  Currently we have a 5 yard chuck rule for DBs, which pretty much screws defenses.  Expand it to 10.  The NFL, driven by fantasy football cash and gambling addicts, has become offense obsessed.  But I think this rule could even the score a bit without threatening the desired high score edicts.

Realistic and Awesome:  There have been calls to do away with the Pro Bowl already.  Some suggested an NBA-like skills competition.  LB's idea?  8 team, 7 on 7 flag football tournament.  Lineman can sit it out and get the free trip to Hawaii, since they do all the hard work all year anyways.  QBs are captains and get to pick their teams from the Pro Bowlers, regardless of conference.  Tell me you wouldn't watch this, start a fantasy league around it, and gamble on it.

NHL (other than "not having a work stoppage every four years)

Tick tick... time til Bettman is done?

I Wish...:  We could get a running clock in the corner during intermissions.  Hockey is such a quick sport, missing a few minutes is a lot.  With the NFL and NBA, there are either other games or just a slower pace.  I also wish Bettman would add to the unemployment rate.

You are like a gnat.

We Could:  Give a minimum 10 game suspension for intentional blows to the head, with a rule that you are out as long as the injured player is out.  Some casual fans gripe about the "goon" nature of the sport, and want to eliminate fighting, which is a dumb idea.  Implementing this should shut them up for awhile, and it just seems like the right thing to do.

NBA

This Would Be Really Cool:  4 point line.  Scoring is down in the NBA, though the West has been pretty fun this year.  Add another line about 3-4 feet back, stretching defenses and adding a hell of a lot of intrigue.  This would also bring Antoine Walker out of retirement.

Seriously, Though:  Televise the freaking lottery drawing for the draft.  If David Stern is seriously about eliminating conspiracy theories about the draft, just put a fucking camera in front of it.  You could even get the token old lady to be the "lottery witness" like they do on TV every night.  I'm nominating Doris Kearns Goodwin as the first witness.

We are all witnesses.

Thanks for indulging a more serious post.  I get a lot of questions here in Philly about my beloved hometown of Detroit, so hoping to get you some commentary on that to go with our MLB preview.  I have begged asked Fah T and Mojo to assist on that, so if it's sort of lame, I'm blaming them.  See you in a few weeks.

Contact Logical Betting at logicalbetting@gmail.com and twitter.com/logicalbetting.  Hasta.