rule changes Archives - News Now Warsaw https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/tag/rule-changes/ Wed, 04 Feb 2026 17:11:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Let’s change some rules https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/lets-change-some-rules/ Wed, 04 Feb 2026 17:02:49 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=126403 By Roger Grossman
News Now Warsaw

With word filtering out of Indianapolis that the IHSAA has received an official proposal that would introduce a shot clock to the rules of Indiana high school basketball, it felt right to talk about rules changes in general.

My feelings about the concept of a shot clock for high school basketball is well documented, and I frankly don’t have the energy to fight that battle today.

While I stand strongly against it, I am certainly not against changing rules to make a sport better.

So, in this space this week, I want to examine some rules of some sports that could be tweaked or changed.

Since we are in basketball season, let’s start there.

You may remember a couple of weeks ago I suggested a rule that would require players of either gender to arrange their hair in such a way that the number on the back of their jersey be visible. For our discussion today, it’s about basketball, but it would certainly apply to all sports that use jersey numbers—football, soccer, and volleyball, for example.

I am bringing that up again because I’ve had another instance since then where I could not tell who that player was at the beginning of the game because I couldn’t see the number on the back of her shirt.

When I wrote about that before, some people got the distinct impression that I was “targeting” girls with this proposed rule change. I cannot be clearer on this—all players of all sports and all genders would be subject to this rule.

Also, when Team A shoots the basketball and it’s so far off the mark that it wedges between the backboard and the side of the rim, I propose a rule change to what happens next.

Currently, the alternating possession arrow is used to determine who gets the ball in that scenario.

It’s my strong opinion that the offensive team should not have a 50-50 chance of getting the ball back when they shoot the ball that poorly.

Under my proposal, the ball would automatically go to the defensive team.

I like most of the rules that baseball has changed recently, so I think I’d like another year of that sport the way it is.

I say that, but I still don’t quite understand making the bases bigger. I know why they say they did it, but it was an odd way to try to increase stolen bases and offensive aggressiveness.

If I was going to change anything about baseball, it would be to shorten the season from 162 games to 120 or 130. Start the season in mid-April and start the playoffs in September.

Ending the World Series in October makes sense, doesn’t it?

I would like to change something about all sports with video challenges.

I was watching an NBA game last weekend and I don’t like their challenge system at all. Actually, I think I would like to change one aspect of the challenge systems for all sports.

There is a limit to the number of times a team can challenge, even if they’re right and the officials are wrong.

Let me explain.

On a certain night, the officials for that game are not having a good night. It happens, right?

As it stands right now, you only get so many challenges per game, even when your challenges are all successful.

That means officials could miss 5, 10, 15 calls against one team that could be overturned by video review, but only two could be reviewed because of the limits on challenges.

That’s not right.

I propose that each team be allowed a certain number of challenges. Let’s say two, for the sake of our discussion. A play happens, and the team challenges the ruling. They are correct and the ruling is overturned. They keep their challenge.

In other words, in this scenario, if you challenge and are wrong, you lose that challenge. You challenge twice (unsuccessfully), you are out of challenges. You challenge calls 10 times and are right, you still have two left.

It’s not the team’s fault when the officials are doing a bad job.

Call it the Angel Hernandez rule.

A couple of other things for you to think about.

What if we had power plays in the NBA?

A player commits a lower-level flagrant foul—called a Flagrant 1. That player would sit out the next minute of the game, and his team would play for four players. When that minute is over, that player can rejoin the play immediately.

Also, in football, a defensive holding penalty should be 10 yards (not five) and it should not be an automatic first down.

And while we are at it, let’s make only personal foul penalties automatic first downs. Illegal contact called on a defensive back on 3rd and 18 that gives the offense a first down is not right.

That’s enough change for now.

The post Let’s change some rules appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> By Roger Grossman
News Now Warsaw

With word filtering out of Indianapolis that the IHSAA has received an official proposal that would introduce a shot clock to the rules of Indiana high school basketball, it felt right to talk about rules changes in general.

My feelings about the concept of a shot clock for high school basketball is well documented, and I frankly don’t have the energy to fight that battle today.

While I stand strongly against it, I am certainly not against changing rules to make a sport better.

So, in this space this week, I want to examine some rules of some sports that could be tweaked or changed.

Since we are in basketball season, let’s start there.

You may remember a couple of weeks ago I suggested a rule that would require players of either gender to arrange their hair in such a way that the number on the back of their jersey be visible. For our discussion today, it’s about basketball, but it would certainly apply to all sports that use jersey numbers—football, soccer, and volleyball, for example.

I am bringing that up again because I’ve had another instance since then where I could not tell who that player was at the beginning of the game because I couldn’t see the number on the back of her shirt.

When I wrote about that before, some people got the distinct impression that I was “targeting” girls with this proposed rule change. I cannot be clearer on this—all players of all sports and all genders would be subject to this rule.

Also, when Team A shoots the basketball and it’s so far off the mark that it wedges between the backboard and the side of the rim, I propose a rule change to what happens next.

Currently, the alternating possession arrow is used to determine who gets the ball in that scenario.

It’s my strong opinion that the offensive team should not have a 50-50 chance of getting the ball back when they shoot the ball that poorly.

Under my proposal, the ball would automatically go to the defensive team.

I like most of the rules that baseball has changed recently, so I think I’d like another year of that sport the way it is.

I say that, but I still don’t quite understand making the bases bigger. I know why they say they did it, but it was an odd way to try to increase stolen bases and offensive aggressiveness.

If I was going to change anything about baseball, it would be to shorten the season from 162 games to 120 or 130. Start the season in mid-April and start the playoffs in September.

Ending the World Series in October makes sense, doesn’t it?

I would like to change something about all sports with video challenges.

I was watching an NBA game last weekend and I don’t like their challenge system at all. Actually, I think I would like to change one aspect of the challenge systems for all sports.

There is a limit to the number of times a team can challenge, even if they’re right and the officials are wrong.

Let me explain.

On a certain night, the officials for that game are not having a good night. It happens, right?

As it stands right now, you only get so many challenges per game, even when your challenges are all successful.

That means officials could miss 5, 10, 15 calls against one team that could be overturned by video review, but only two could be reviewed because of the limits on challenges.

That’s not right.

I propose that each team be allowed a certain number of challenges. Let’s say two, for the sake of our discussion. A play happens, and the team challenges the ruling. They are correct and the ruling is overturned. They keep their challenge.

In other words, in this scenario, if you challenge and are wrong, you lose that challenge. You challenge twice (unsuccessfully), you are out of challenges. You challenge calls 10 times and are right, you still have two left.

It’s not the team’s fault when the officials are doing a bad job.

Call it the Angel Hernandez rule.

A couple of other things for you to think about.

What if we had power plays in the NBA?

A player commits a lower-level flagrant foul—called a Flagrant 1. That player would sit out the next minute of the game, and his team would play for four players. When that minute is over, that player can rejoin the play immediately.

Also, in football, a defensive holding penalty should be 10 yards (not five) and it should not be an automatic first down.

And while we are at it, let’s make only personal foul penalties automatic first downs. Illegal contact called on a defensive back on 3rd and 18 that gives the offense a first down is not right.

That’s enough change for now.

The post Let’s change some rules appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/roger.png A mid-season checkup on new baseball rules https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/a-mid-season-checkup-on-new-baseball-rules/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 15:30:06 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=80632 By Roger Grossman
News Now Warsaw

Back in March, I prepped you for the new rules Major League Baseball implemented for 2023.

That was the week before the season started, and in that space, I had two objectives: to explain what the changes were and to guard us all against the inevitable overreaction that comes from major changes in the era of social media and fact-free opinion.

I said then that we needed to wait until the middle of summer to look at the data and see just how the game of baseball would change with the new rules in place, what the unintended consequences might be and whether we could live with it all.

One of the key phrases everyone was using when it came to the new rules and their objective was “pace of play.”

Almost all of the new rules that baseball put in were stoked around the concept of eliminating the periods between pitches where, literally, nothing is happening on the field.

For many years, those gaps in action were part of the charm of baseball. They allowed fans in the stands to have running conversations with each other about baseball things and non-baseball things and not miss a pitch.

But approaching the quarter pole of the 21st Century, the younger sports fan has very little interest in gaps, lags, delays and downtime.

They demand action, and baseball set out to deliver that for them.

They tested a lot of these rules in the minor leagues before turning them loose in the major leagues. They didn’t rely on gut feelings or hunches. They knew what they wanted to find, and they had a very detailed plan to get there.

So, how’s it going?

Last season, the major league average for a game was 3:04 (just over three hours) for the full season. At one point during the summer, it was 3:09. Compare that to the first two months of the current season where the average was 2:38.

That means, from a similar place last year, the new rules have shaved off a half-an-hour from game times. That’s a lot — 17-percent. For perspective, the average hasn’t been this low in about 40 years.

What they are doing is working. Why?

For one, the pitch clock works.

I don’t think anyone who was paying close attention to this rule change thought it wouldn’t have a significant impact. The one X factor in it was the question of whether it would be strictly followed by umpires … and it most certainly has been.

The only trouble I see with it — and I did say this before the season started — is that as the innings mount on pitchers and the thermometer creeps up and brings the humidity with it, it’s going to be hard for a starting pitcher to keep throwing pitches with only 15 or 20 seconds in between (depending on whether there are runners on base or not).

I think adjusting to 20 and 25 seconds would help even that out.

I thought the bigger bases were dumb before, and I still don’t see the point. However, adding an “orange” base at first base is still the next idea that needs consideration. We’ll delve deeper into that another time.

Baseball, however, credits the bigger bases along with the limits on how often pitchers can step off the rubber and throw over to first base with a renewed interest in stealing second base.

The people at MLB who were trying to craft these rule changes were trying to not only bring action back into the game but also show off the athleticism of the players on their rosters. The number of steal attempts is still only 1.8 per game this season—which doesn’t seem like a lot.

But factor into the equation that almost 80 percent of attempted stolen bases are successful (that would be an MLB record if it holds all season) and that change is working, too.

Plus, the silliness of pitchers just stepping off repeatedly has ended and it’s never coming back.

The other massive change was taking away the shift from defenses.

Making defenses play two players on either side of second base and no one in the outfield grass has allowed left-handed batters more room to operate on the right side of the infield. The collective batting average for balls put in play so far is .298, which is up six points from last year.

But left-handers are hitting 37 points higher on pulled ground balls and 28 points higher on pulled line drives than last season.

The truth is the rule changes are absolutely achieving the goals they were put in place to achieve. But, still, we need to let the rest of the season play out.

And if you think they work now in speeding up games, imagine what postseason games will be like.

* * * 

Roger Grossman has been covering local sports in Kosciusko County for more than 30 years and is employed with News Now Warsaw. You can reach him at  rgrossman@kensington.media.

The post A mid-season checkup on new baseball rules appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> By Roger Grossman
News Now Warsaw

Back in March, I prepped you for the new rules Major League Baseball implemented for 2023.

That was the week before the season started, and in that space, I had two objectives: to explain what the changes were and to guard us all against the inevitable overreaction that comes from major changes in the era of social media and fact-free opinion.

I said then that we needed to wait until the middle of summer to look at the data and see just how the game of baseball would change with the new rules in place, what the unintended consequences might be and whether we could live with it all.

One of the key phrases everyone was using when it came to the new rules and their objective was “pace of play.”

Almost all of the new rules that baseball put in were stoked around the concept of eliminating the periods between pitches where, literally, nothing is happening on the field.

For many years, those gaps in action were part of the charm of baseball. They allowed fans in the stands to have running conversations with each other about baseball things and non-baseball things and not miss a pitch.

But approaching the quarter pole of the 21st Century, the younger sports fan has very little interest in gaps, lags, delays and downtime.

They demand action, and baseball set out to deliver that for them.

They tested a lot of these rules in the minor leagues before turning them loose in the major leagues. They didn’t rely on gut feelings or hunches. They knew what they wanted to find, and they had a very detailed plan to get there.

So, how’s it going?

Last season, the major league average for a game was 3:04 (just over three hours) for the full season. At one point during the summer, it was 3:09. Compare that to the first two months of the current season where the average was 2:38.

That means, from a similar place last year, the new rules have shaved off a half-an-hour from game times. That’s a lot — 17-percent. For perspective, the average hasn’t been this low in about 40 years.

What they are doing is working. Why?

For one, the pitch clock works.

I don’t think anyone who was paying close attention to this rule change thought it wouldn’t have a significant impact. The one X factor in it was the question of whether it would be strictly followed by umpires … and it most certainly has been.

The only trouble I see with it — and I did say this before the season started — is that as the innings mount on pitchers and the thermometer creeps up and brings the humidity with it, it’s going to be hard for a starting pitcher to keep throwing pitches with only 15 or 20 seconds in between (depending on whether there are runners on base or not).

I think adjusting to 20 and 25 seconds would help even that out.

I thought the bigger bases were dumb before, and I still don’t see the point. However, adding an “orange” base at first base is still the next idea that needs consideration. We’ll delve deeper into that another time.

Baseball, however, credits the bigger bases along with the limits on how often pitchers can step off the rubber and throw over to first base with a renewed interest in stealing second base.

The people at MLB who were trying to craft these rule changes were trying to not only bring action back into the game but also show off the athleticism of the players on their rosters. The number of steal attempts is still only 1.8 per game this season—which doesn’t seem like a lot.

But factor into the equation that almost 80 percent of attempted stolen bases are successful (that would be an MLB record if it holds all season) and that change is working, too.

Plus, the silliness of pitchers just stepping off repeatedly has ended and it’s never coming back.

The other massive change was taking away the shift from defenses.

Making defenses play two players on either side of second base and no one in the outfield grass has allowed left-handed batters more room to operate on the right side of the infield. The collective batting average for balls put in play so far is .298, which is up six points from last year.

But left-handers are hitting 37 points higher on pulled ground balls and 28 points higher on pulled line drives than last season.

The truth is the rule changes are absolutely achieving the goals they were put in place to achieve. But, still, we need to let the rest of the season play out.

And if you think they work now in speeding up games, imagine what postseason games will be like.

* * * 

Roger Grossman has been covering local sports in Kosciusko County for more than 30 years and is employed with News Now Warsaw. You can reach him at  rgrossman@kensington.media.

The post A mid-season checkup on new baseball rules appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

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