There is also a bonus point at the end of these three points so be sure to stick around...
1) The NFL has decided that pass interference plays are now reviewable. While I agree that it is the right thing to do, I am even more curious to see the consequences of it on the field, both expected and unexpected.
Basically how the rule works is "coaches will be permitted to challenge calls and non-calls of pass interference, and the replay official will initiate the process in the final two minutes of each half and overtime." (via PFT). This essentially makes up for the mistake in the NFC Championship game when the officials missed a blatant pass interference call on the Rams' Robey-Coleman. This also has the ability to affect jump balls at the end of the game when QBs will throw a deep hail mary pass to try to win or force overtime. All of the sudden these P.I. plays are available for review which could significantly affect the outcome of many games.
This also means that Joe Flacco may be out of a job since he relies on deep-pass P.I. plays.
I appreciate the fact that this rule only takes place in the last two minutes of games. If you allow it at any point in the game then you run the risk of coaches or player lobbying for P.I. on every single play which would extend games by multiple hours. In the lats two minutes of each half and overtime, not too many people care about how long it is if the game is close and dramatic. I am more than willing to sacrifice the speed of the game in order to ensure the right calls are made.
I am curious to see though how referees will acknowledge P.I. replay. Will it simply be triggered and reviewed by someone in an booth upstairs or will the NFL have a replay center like the MLB and NBA. We have yet to find out the actual wording of the rules, we only have confirmation that the owners voted to change add this rule in order to fix mistakes.
Finally, I am interested to see what unexpected outcomes we will get as a result of this rule. It seems pretty straightforward and seems like it will take the "judgment" or "human error" that so many fans seem to either hate or love which is good. However, often times when the NFL makes a reactionary rule to something major that happened the season before we get unexpected outcomes. For example, last year the NFL implemented the rule where defensive players cannot land on the QB once they tackle them. This rule was meant to simply protect QBs who are the most important player on basically any franchise. However, the rule was vague, enforced inconsistently, and as a result, many players were flagged for hits and some teams even lost games because of the rule. (see Packers vs Vikings Week 2). I am certain that there will be unexpected consequences as a result of this rule. I am also certain we will complain about them and say the NFL got it wrong again even if they got it right. Thus is the way of the NFL.
I think this was the right decision, I just hope that the actual plan is executed as well as the idea of it is.
2) Baseball is back! No, I am not talking about the two games Seattle played over a week ago at 2am in Japan. Actual Opening Day happened yesterday! It was nice to see the run shining and the beautiful weather in co many ballparks across america. Watching baseball reminds me that we are that much closer to summer which is a great thing! However, I have some baseball critiques and note about Opening Day.
First, a good note. I liked how much the baseball broadcasts were jumping around to different games yesterday. Normally, during a local broadcast, I like to enjoy just the game and focus on only my team, but if it is a nationally televised broadcast I want to see what else is happening in baseball and see which storylines I should pay attention to. So good job doing that baseball!
Second note - this is a critique. Why is Opening Day on Thursday - the same day as the day the Sweet Sixteen starts in the NCAA Tournament. Why not make it on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday when we have come down from the high of watching college basketball all weekend and we need more sports to watch? That is an idea you can use for free baseball. Just think about that next year.
I have no more notes for now. I will check back in with baseball in a few months. Actually I have some picks for each Division. I am basically going chalk this year.
AL Division Winners: Yankees, Indians, Astros
NL Division Winners: Braves, Cubs, Dodgers
3) This is kind of a two for one point. First, I think my NBA awards are finally coming together. I have about all of my All-NBA teams solidified with the exception of a few players. I need to still figure out MVP - which has come down to James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Speaking of ranking players in order, I was listening to the Mickstape podcast by Coley Mick and Tyler I Am (which is hilarious, and, contrary to popular belief, not a basketball podcast) and they put out the challenge to rank: Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, De'Aaron Fox, Jayson Tatum, and Lauri Markkanen. I am not one to turn away from a challenge so here we go.
Number one for me is Ben Simmons. He has not taken the step that I think many of us expected of him to this year but he is still the best player on this list because of his size, passing, and speed with the ball. He also has the highest ceiling still of all these players because if (big if) he can develop a jumper, then he will be considered an MVP candidate every year.
Next is De'Aaron Fox. Fox has made a significant stride on offense this year. His shooting numbers are better across the board, his passing is way better (just watch how good some of his one-handed passes are now), and he looks confident in jumper now. He is a candidate for Most Improved Player and is the main reason the Kings are fighting for a playoff spot still.
3rd is Donovan Mitchell. Like Simmons he has not been spectacular this year and he seems to be going through some form of a sophomore slump. However, his floater in the lane is still deadly (despite how inefficient of a shot it is) and he can still create shots on a Jazz team that desperately needs a shot creator.
After that I pick Jayson Tatum. I say that reluctantly because he has probably been the biggest disappointment for me this year. After his rookie year I really expected him to get even better and score at an even higher level. However, if anything at this point he has regressed and consistently takes bad, off the dribble, deep twos on offense. He even takes them early in the shot clock which is crazy to me! He and Kyrie together seem to both need the ball to create offense and when they are on the floor together it does not look great. Tatum needs to cut more or spot up from three more often that he is doing now. Sometimes I feel like he does not realize how big he actually is and that he can use his length to get to the rim way more often than he actually does.
Finally on this list is Lauri Markkanen. I only have him last because he has only played 52 games this season and he was shut down yesterday for the rest of the year. Statistically he is averaging 3 more points per game on the exact same shooting percentages as last year. I am putting him at the bottom mainly because of health. To me he was the biggest surprise of the draft last year because he was so good so soon. I simply did not think he would be that good because I was frequently disappointed with how he played at Arizona. However, Deandre Ayton was not used properly at U of A either so many it is Sean Miller's fault that I thought so little of Lauri coming out. He has the potential to be a great big man in the league; I just need him to stay healthy so that he can do so.
4) A small observation I noticed. I am doing my Game of Thrones re-watch and I now have a random prediction based on something Arya said in Season 3, Episode 9 (The Rains of Castamere). Arya and the Hound are travelling to River Run to return Arya to her family so that the Hound can get a reward for her. Arya turns to the Hound (at the 21:50sih mark) and says "I'm gonna put a spear through your eye right through the back of your skull". This made me think of something. Game of Thrones is really good at having something someone says either come true or have it come back to bite the person who said it. They are also big fans of irony and cruelty; they want a situation to end in a way you did not expect it to.
When Arya said this quote to the Hound, she said it with such hate. She truly wants to kill him at this point. However, along their journey (throughout Season 4), even though she will not acknowledge it, I think she begins to see the humanity in the Hound and realize that he is not terrible. He is in fact a troubled man just trying to survive in the world. When she finally has the chance to kill the Hound in Season 4, Episode 10 she does not do so because she finally sees him as human, even a friend who she cannot bring herself to kill.
I think she is going to kill the Hound though. I also think it is not going to be the way she wants to. I think when the (super spoilers at this point if you have not watched the whole series) Night King arrives at Winter Fell and we have our massive battle, many of our favorite heroes are going to die. I think one of them will be the Hound. Then, after he is dead, the Night King will rise a bunch of the fallen foes as wights to fight our remaining heroes. I think the Hound, as a wight, will attack Arya and she will have to stab him "through [his] eye right through the back of [his] skull". In the cruelest twist of fate, I believe she will have to kill him once he rises from the dead. It will be traumatic and horrifying for her. It will be a promise she fulfills but not in the way she wanted to. It will be a promise she will not want to keep, but will have to.