I’ve put in about 10 solid hours of cricket viewing and read up on the rules. I still don’t fully understand the game.
Across all levels of baseball it should be mandatory to wear calf-high stirrups.
I think the biggest problem in major professional sports is the rising save percentage average in the NHL. 1983-84 saw 0.873%, 1993-94 saw 0.901%, 2003-04 saw 0.911%, and this past year we saw 0.915% overall. Except for a few post-lockout years after 2004, the NHL is in the midst of a 20-year Dead Puck Era.
It’s crazy to think that in 25 or 30 years we could see a few Kevin Durant-type athletes in the WNBA. That’s a win for evolution.
The Toronto Raptors used to have purple and red as their primary colors but changed away from that template several years ago. I can’t think of another professional or college team with this color scheme.
I’d move the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round games to begin on Friday and stretch through Monday instead of beginning on a Thursday.
I can probably come up with a list of 100 words or phrases that I think should be banned from sports-related conversations forever. We need new, fresh terminology.
At times last year I was convinced James Harden was hiding a 6-year old around his midsection. Turns out he was just overweight and has a lot junk in that trunk.
I like to tell myself that I prefer the Winter Olympics but as I’ve grown older I secretly like the Summer Olympics more.
I take it as a personal affront that Rocket Ismail still has not been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He’s waited 26 years so far!
I can’t get my dander up when Notre Dame wants to charge $150 per ticket for a couple of premium home football games.. That seems entirely reasonable, especially when the same school is charging roughly $514.79 per academic class day with their price of tuition.
There have been thousands, maybe millions, too many words written about the college football satellite camp rules.
I will stick to the claim that Jim Harbaugh will eventually be forced to resign from Michigan after doing something literally unthinkable and bizarre on the field during a game. The best part will be the post-game with zero self-awareness for what he’s done.
One of the great things about watching soccer is getting used to, even embracing, ads on jerseys. They’re coming to major North American sports the year after next in the NBA! The WNBA has been on board for half a decade already.
There is no discussion that could convince me the grunting in the game of tennis is acceptable.
For some people it’s such an alien idea but the Raiders moving to Las Vegas feels so unbelievably right to me.
I’m thankful that as I grow older I’ve become less stressed about how well I perform on the golf course. “You don’t practice enough to be angry that you’re not good” is one of the best sports, and life, quotes of all time.
I once tried to list of all the Major League baseball stadiums I’ve visited thinking I could come up with at least 7 or 8 teams. It’s only 3 teams: Indians, Blue Jays, and Red Sox.
His hairline has always been a warning of his mortality but I find the aging of LeBron James really depressing. He was a man-child at 18 and I want him to stay young forever.
I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of college football adopting a policy of playing games every 2 weeks with a season beginning in mid-August and stretching into mid-February. The longer season feels like it would be overwhelmingly off-set by longer rest and recovery times plus far less stress on academics compressing so much traveling into a shorter time frame.
You don’t know disappointment until you show up at a PGA Championship practice round shortly before 8 AM and find out Tiger Woods had already left the course before you arrived.
I’m really surprised there hasn’t been a bigger movement in the NHL to make full facemasks mandatory. I bet the talks begin in earnest after the next star player is forced to retire early due to concussion problems.
I recently made a bucket list of travel destinations with some sporting events thrown in there, for good measure. My SEC football stadium choice: Neyland Stadium.
I’m a big believer that uniform changes can bring a team great luck or terrible luck with little room in between.
I’ve never been able to reconcile the fact that kiss cams are so popular in public during live events and seemingly have a 0% approval rating at any other time. Some of ya’ll are lying about your true feelings.
Have you ever attended every single inning of a full-season’s worth of home games for a Major League baseball team? Have you ever met anyone who has done this and didn’t work for a club or cover a team?
Maybe it’s un-American to not like the U.S. men’s soccer team but I feel like they are un-American for being so boring and average.
If I could start my life over I would begin playing tennis and golf before my early-teens. We all have regrets, I suppose.
You would think the NFL should have the wide hash marks with its more accurate kickers and that college football should have the narrow hash marks.
I know it’ll never happen but a relegation system for professional baseball sounds like it could be one of the most entertaining changes to the history of sports.
Every uniform for a major sports team should have a nameplate on the back its uniforms. That includes you, Notre Dame football.
Still can’t get into MMA.
One of my sport heroes who might be underrated for today’s crowd is speedskater Eric Heiden. As a kid learning to skate in the late 80’s he was an idol.
I get why they do it but Major League players going down to the minors on rehab stints is still one of the silliest things in sports.
I positively love the smell of a new fresh can of tennis balls. Anyone else?
I’m always disappointed when a team wins a major sports championship while playing on the road. You just can’t get as hype without the home crowd.
I do not, nor will I ever, trust a left-footed football placekicker.
I always get a chuckle when you contrast baseball players getting into fist fights and then in football, the most violent of sports, if someone takes even a half-hearted swing at someone it’s viewed as basically murder.
If you’re worried about the evils of annoying crowd atmospheres check out the National Lacrosse League. You won’t be able to sleep at night.
I can’t think of an athlete who has wasted away quite like Carmelo Anthony. He’ll finish as a Top 25 NBA scorer of all-time and has 66 playoff games and 1 conference final appearance over a 15-year career.
Changing the NCAA Tournament’s picture-perfect first weekend?
FIRE MURTAUGH
Thursday is for MACtion!
…don’t care if football is long done by March.
“I think the biggest problem in major professional sports is the rising save percentage average in the NHL” I find Lax has opposite problem, 50% save percentage, and the goalie not even realizing a goal was scored in half the remainder.
“I take it as a personal affront that Rocket Ismail still has not been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He’s waited 26 years so far!” I could not agree more. There hasn’t been a player nearly as electric since. Impact of this CFL wanderings may have put him into HoF purgatory.
“If you’re worried about the evils of annoying crowd atmospheres check out the National Lacrosse League. You won’t be able to sleep at night.” sums it up accurately
“I’ve put in about 10 solid hours of cricket viewing and read up on the rules. I still don’t fully understand the game.” As the former captain of the Notre Dame cricket team (est. 1862, our first sport), I will be happy to enlighten you.
You played cricket? Go on…
We got hooked watching it while in London program, came back to campus to find we had a team to join. Who knew? Purdue and IUSB were our rivals. Our team was about a dozen guys from US learning game, and players from India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, England, South Africa, Australia and Switzerland. Club 23 was our sponsor, although we managed to hide that fact from the administration. I heard the team has remained active, on and off, over the years. It’s baseball with a dozen additional variables. Folks mock the fact that at the highest level it takes 5 days to complete a match, but as Ernie Els correctly puts it, it plays more like a golf tournament than a 100 inning baseball game. the short format.(20/20) is the second most popular sport in world behind soccer.
Very cool.
Mouth of the South up in this B.
Well said all around, E. I like this segment. It reminds me of Matt Damon’s random observations from the movie “The Informant,” just with a sports twist.
“Maybe it’s un-American to not like the U.S. men’s soccer team but I feel like they are un-American for being so boring and average.” I agree, but it’s also very American to not place much of an emphasis on soccer, the natural consequence of which is a boring and average team. So yes and no. But they do have the players to put up more of a fight than they did against the Albiceleste. That was embarrassing. Klinsmen flat out sucks. F that guy.
I don’t like Klinsmann either.
41. Baseball is the worst.
That is all
Looking forward to the new site. I was a big fan of the old one.
Face masks in hockey though?? I grew up with hockey and it’ll never happen. It would prevent some broken noses and missing teeth but it has nothing to do with concussions at all. Do face masks in football prevent them?
There are tons of concussions in hockey from impact to the face, especially the jaw. The last really high profile concussion with Crosby was from a shoulder to his jaw. Facemasks won’t prevent concussions completely but to say that the face and jaw have nothing to do with concussions is just flat incorrect. Heck, I’ve had concussions from a hit to the jaw and upper lip.
I get what you are saying and if you’ve never played hockey (assuming you haven’t) it would seem to make sense. But, have you ever had a hockey helmet on? A concussion is the result of the brain coming in contact with the skull, typically from a whiplash effect. A face mask will not prevent this at all. There is no way it will absorb enough, if any, force. I’ve never heard any organization argue that face masks will prevent concussions. Crosby would still have gotten knocked with a cage on. He was hit by some who’s 6’6″ and close to 230 pounds, while they were both moving. If you think a piece of foam and wire is preventing a concussion you might need to revisit high school physics. That is just flat out wrong. I’ve never heard anyone make this argument about concussions so I had to respond to its utter absurdity.
First, love the handle. I saw two years of D Mayes as a student, one of my favorite Irish players ever. Second, I love the passion, but maybe ease off the gas a little, especially with the guy who built this site and ran the, ahem, other one for so long.
As it happens, Eric actually did play hockey in high school and maybe college (my memory is rusty), and he still plays rec league. So he’s not ignorant of the game. I’ve never played hockey but I have boxed, and I can tell you that the easiest way to knock someone out in the ring (or anywhere, really) is to hit him in the side of the jaw.
I agree that Crosby would’ve been knocked out if he was wearing anything short of a steel box filled with spray foam – way too much force in that collision. As Eric notes, facemasks wouldn’t magically make the problem go away but even incremental gains are worth consideration. And remember also that we’re always talking about some getting truly knocked out – players in many sports get, for lack of a better word, microconcussions and play through or skip a single shift or whatever. Those kinds of concussions should be easier to prevent with a little outside the box thinking.
Mayes is still one of my all time favs. Point taken on easing off the gas a little. I grew up with hockey, am involved in coaching now and I’m as passionate as ever about the sport. Trust me, I’m all for eliminating concussions and injuries. Hockey is such a violent game though. I’m not sure if it’s possible. I think the one thing that needs to be done which would probably address two of his points (concussions and lack of scoring) is make the ice bigger. Players are too big and fast now to be playing on this ice surface. It would completely open the game up. Look at the average player size now compared to even 20-30 years ago.
And sorry for making this into a hockey discussion haha
Brendan spoke correctly for me, long history with hockey for me. Lots of concussions would still (likely) happen like Crosby’s either way but it’s the perception more than anything. And we’re going to see facemasks evolve and provide better protection as the decades progress.
Plus, there are still plenty of much less violent collisions, especially with high sticks, that cause concussions which would definitely help–to say nothing of the puck hitting people in the face.
Olympic sized sheets of ice definitely won’t help scoring. The recent Olympic games stretching back 20 to 30 years pretty much proves that. There were more than 1.5 goals per game at the Vancouver games on the smaller ice compared to Sochi (and other recent Olympics).
Bigger ice, more than anything else, means more “safe” areas to put the puck defensively speaking (even in your own zone) and a lot more terrible shooting angles.
Definitely is pretty aggressive stance to take on the big ice. Those stats are just that…numbers. You’re not taking into consideration a massive variable, nhl players have basically zero experience playing on that ice. Not surprising more goals scored in Vancouver, it’s what they’re used to. Give them time on the surface and time to adapt.
But NHL and non-NHL players have played on both surfaces in Olympics.
As a smaller crafty playmaker with speed I hated the bigger surfaces, too. Yeah in some ways it “opens up” the game but not in any way that is directly tied to scoring. Hockey doesn’t need more room to one up beautiful skating and passing. It already has an abundance of that and ridiculously low scoring at the NHL level.
I did most of my work in the corners and on the point on the PP, bigger sheets just equal further away from the net.
The real problem is that everyone skates too well and too fast. Larger surface is just more room to skate into areas further away from the net, which leads to less scoring.
Played on it for how long though? I’d feel strongly that coaches would devise schemes to take advantage of the bigger ice surface and not just play keep away like you are alluding to. You’re also ignoring the safety aspect. An outside the box solution is to go to a bigger goal. Again, going back to the average size of players, most goalies cover the whole net now by just standing there.
Are you trying to increase scoring?
I am 100% behind making the nets bigger. It’s the only proven way to increase scoring. Outside of this issue I’m not ignoring anything because I’m not concerned with anything but the topic of scoring. The game itself is better than ever from a skating and skill standpoint and yet scoring continues to stay in the doldrums.
I look at it like this, does anyone recommend making soccer fields larger to increase scoring? It seems pretty silly. It’s the same, IMO, with hockey. Yes, more room to skate, more room to maneuver. But tougher to score. The take shots from anywhere and pray for a deflection type of game that is so prevalent today would be even worse.
Well you were originally concerned with player safety and the big ice helps with that. The average player now is over 6 ft and 200 pounds. Forty years ago it was under 6 and about 180. If the game is better than ever than let players show it with room to move. It is so counter intuitive to think bigger ice would hamper all these talented players. Patrick Kane, Ovechkin, etc would not be able to showcase their skill more with more room to skate?? And they wouldn’t adapt to all those poor angle shots?? Okay….The big ice would also eliminate the clutch and grab bullshit that is so very prevalent now. It is absolutely hindering scoring. There is a lot of marginal talent in hockey now that is thriving. This is eliminated with a bigger surface where skating and puck handling are at a premium and not brute strength. Ever wonder why euro players are usually so good with the puck? They grow up playing a wide open game. Soccer is one analogy yes but what the cfl? Those big end zones in the nfl…yeah I think points per game would go up with that.
Agree to disagree.
Clutching and grabbing isn’t a problem, it’s not 1994 anymore. The players have plenty of room to move and show off their speed and skill. I’m not sure you’re really putting forth a correct assessment of the game today.
Loads of players are nearly indistinguishable precisely because they all skate so well. The days of tall clunky defensemen are gone. The flow of the game is great.
But scoring is way down.
Players barely hit anymore. The power forward barely exists. Speed is overwhelmingly more important than power.
What game are you watching?
At best, your solutions are two decades old and the game has moved past them. At worst, you don’t seem to be addressing the problem of scoring.
There’s plenty of room now to skate and operate. It’s just the goalies are way, way better. Making the boards wider and the rink longer won’t change that.
At this point all I can do is point you to read stuff on what the pro’s think.
Also if you’re bringing up Europeans look at the Swedish Elite League.
Far less entertaining and even bigger scoring problems. The top scorers didn’t crack over a point per game.
Wow…okay. You just sort of create your own narrative as you go. And again, you’re completely not even commenting on the safety issues which you were so hot to trot about. Crosbys concussion being prevented by a face mask was beyond comical. In terms of what pros think, I have that already. Your input here is pretty comical. I’m going to assume your hockey player career was confined to mainly pick up hockey? Maybe some local city league? Your knowledge base clearly reflects that. I sincerely hope you have more to offer on other topics.
And again, you’re completely not even commenting on the safety issues which you were so hot to trot about.
That’s because when it comes to Olympic-sized ice surfaces I’m not talking about health concerns. I’m talking about scoring.
Your input here is pretty comical. I’m going to assume your hockey player career was confined to mainly pick up hockey? Maybe some local city league? Your knowledge base clearly reflects that. I sincerely hope you have more to offer on other topics.
Don’t blame me because you can’t keep up with me. You’re the one who called me out, pretty hilariously, for not having experience with hockey and you’ve resorted to it again because you can’t counter the ideas I’m throwing at you. Pretty classic sign that you’re losing this battle.
Olympic sized rinks bring more a possession based game, a slower game, defenders being more conservative sinking into the slot area unafraid of puck possession deep out on the boards and blue line, and lower scoring.
Here’s a comment from the Blackhawks Artem Anisimov who grew up on the larger surface:
“I prefer the NHL [sized] game. It is more direct, more aggressive. You can score from the blue lines. You can score from the walls. You can forecheck.”
Again, this isn’t difficult to understand. Watch the Russian and Swedish leagues. It’s a slower game and they have even worse scoring problems than the NHL. For someone who wants to knock everyone’s socks off with their hockey experience you should understand this.
Those stats are just that…numbers.
This comment from a while back pretty much sums it up. You haven’t offered much beyond giving us a 90’s trap-style take on hockey and since you play/coach the game you MUST be right. Feel free to disagree with me but you’re taking this pretty personally. If you can’t continue to comment amicably this might not be the place for you.
Also, check the site rules. No swearing is allowed.
Good lord (sorry hopefully that’s not swearing). I haven’t corrected you on this point yet but I said bigger ice surface correct? Not Olympic…you went off on that tangent. Bigger doesn’t mean Olympic size. I’m thinking something like what Bryan Burke is trying to pioneer. Highly entertaining watching you rant though. I also heard a coworker mention the Swedish league had the highest goals per game of any league last year. Interesting if true but I haven’t checked. And again, I love how you dodged the safety issues sans your face mask genius.
It’s Brian Burke, not Bryan Burke. I’m taking away 1 point from your Super Hockey Fan credentials.
I’m not really married to an objection to increasing the size of the rink when you take out the factor of scoring more goals. Burke quite often argues for an increased size for other reasons–seems you are too. And I quote Mr. Burke:
“NINETY FEET,” BURKE SAID. “AN EXTRA FIVE FEET ON THE WIDTH, THAT’S IT. I BELIEVE IT WOULD MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE QUALITY OF HOCKEY.”
Notice he says “quality of hockey” and not increase scoring? In addition to his other terrible ideas he’s brought up before he’s mostly talking about preferences in style.
I’m only talking about rink size with scoring, not player safety, not “more room to move”, or any other vague assertions that sound good on paper but aren’t helpful to scoring in the real world.
You want to increase the rink size a little bit? Great, but it won’t help scoring. You want more room to see more stick handling and puck control? That’s cool. Want more room to see a more east-west game? Sure, it’s a preference that isn’t a bad thing necessarily. They just aren’t areas that prove they will improve scoring.
By the way…
2015-16 Swedish Elite League
728 games played
2.67 goals per game
2015-16 National Hockey League
2,460 games
2.71 goals per game
Now you can go yell at your co-worker, tell them they were completely wrong, and that they probably never played hockey.
Well it looks like there’s two conflicting reports on scoring.
Thank you for the correction on the spelling of his name. Thank you also for not bothering to aknowledge that you incorrectly assumed what I was even talking about. You probably should have asked, doesn’t seem like your style though. I think bigger ice would increase scoring and reduce injuries. I think bigger nets would also be an obvious fix. One question for you…which you will try to dodge but do your best to answer it. Do you think that hockey should still be played on the same size ice surface when players are bigger, faster and stronger than ever before?
Do you think that hockey should still be played on the same size ice surface when players are bigger, faster and stronger than ever before?
Yes, I do.
The safety aspect re rink size is an interesting topic but I’m not convinced that’s much of a solution. It could be, I just don’t think it’s a huge issue facing the NHL right now.
Low-scoring is problems 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 for the NHL which is why I wrote about that topic in this article and I’ve focused on it.
Increasing the size of the rink in the NHL seems like a solution in search of a problem–when it comes to increasing scoring–which coincidentally sums up just about every rule change implemented by the NHL over the last 25 years.
IMO, increasing the net size is a no-brainer rule change.
I’m really surprised there hasn’t been a bigger movement in the NHL to make full facemasks mandatory. I bet the talks begin in earnest after the next star player is forced to retire early due to concussion problems.
– I just don’t think it’s a huge issue facing the nhl right now.
Yes….you do think it’s an issue right now!! It’s in your article. If you don’t think a bigger ice surface helps that’s fine but don’t just ignore the issue now that you originally brought up. You’re contradicting yourself now.
Sorry, I accidentally deleted my comment.
But, yea. I did see on one of the SB Nation sites that the SHL had the highest GPG in 2016. Although they’re usually significantly lower than the NHL. Each of the past 5 years before that the NHL had a higher GPG.
I don’t know how that source compared to Eric’s and I didn’t bother searching further, but that’s what I found.
I recall seeing something like this as well, can’t remember where though. Cheers!
A bigger goal isn’t an outside the box solution, it’s literally the #1 or #1a solution everyone comes up with when discussing scoring being down. Make the goalie (or his pads) smaller or make the goal bigger.
If you want an outside the box solution, try removing the blue line and eliminating offsides. Breakaways for dayzzzz!
Well, I know nothing about hockey but that was educational AND entertaining! See, can’t get this at the old website. Speaking of, what exactly is the status of the old website?
1. “Shall not be named”?
2. Grudgingly respected yet disparaged at every opportunity like fOSU?
3. The girl who got away?
4. That cool job we all had in college that had great memories, but Lord knows, we would never work at now?
Anyhow, great article. The doubling of the CFB season forced me to do a double take. Sheer genius!
Hmmm, probably more like 1 and 4 I guess.