It’s that time of year….NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS.  Now we all know that many resolutions are made on New Years Day with most…if not all… gone by mid-January! Let’s throw some ideas out for Sports NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS. They probably have about as much chance as being accomplished as your resolutions 😊

…In the MLB, why not have a designated Pinch Runner who could be used 2 or 3 times a game (I’m flexible) even for different players w/o having to remove the starting player(s) that he ran for in the game. Fans love action, speedy runners bring that action. The designated Hitter while poo-pooed when introduced has added excitement to the game. The designated runner would do the same.

…Staying in baseball, which is the only sport that I know of, that when you are replaced you can’t reenter. Why not? Let a guy reenter once or twice. Just think, you could pinch run more often, pinch hit more often, etc, etc.

.. in college football, why doesn’t the SEC & Big 10..oops, Big 19, have a drawing for non-conference games. Let’s get rid of these cupcake games against over-matched teams who know that they are sacrificing their team for money. Sure…those over matched schools probably have their biggest “pay day” of the season but….really is it worth it for them or the fans? Further, for the fans–the price of the seats aren’t lowered when these lower level teams are the opponents.   It’s only fair to the fans to pay at the same level as the opponents. I’m sure that if that became the case, you’d stop seeing these cupcakes being thrown out there as easy wins in the non-conference games.

…Wouldn’t it be nice for Mizzou to have Illinois, Iowa, Kansas (as they did this year) regularly on the non-conference football schedule?

…staying in college– football, M &W basketball, M &W soccer, baseball/softball when a player receives NIL money why don’t we know immediately his/her “signing price” & who paid it? Make it public. Who’s embarrassed about it? The player, paying person?

…Following up on this idea….how is it that a College player receiving NIL money is still considered a college athlete (unpaid)?  Further, I’ve often wondered in recent years how these athletes jump around schools and some are receiving money at each stop—are they meeting the academic requirements at each school….after all… Long ago (don’t know if its still followed), if a player was ineligible at one school, he wouldn’t become eligible just by transferring. Hasn’t COLLEGE D-1 sports replaced minor-league sports in football, basketball and probably baseball? Sorry…my naïve idea that college is for education and preparing for the “real” world still lingers in me. Maybe, some would say that MLB, NFL,NBA  IS  the real world for these super athletes.

…more college football… let’s put some limits on how many different schools a player may play for in his career. I saw this year, some players on their 4^th team!!!! I’m proposing 3 teams maximum—period. Why are these players changing so often?  Easy…each time, many of the received additional NIL money. A classic example is St. Mary’s Grad, Kevin Coleman. He’s on his 4^th different team in his career. Do I know if he got paid each time? No, I don’t know for sure….but I highly suspect it!

…Further, let’s put some pressure on the School…  If he/she leave early to play professional sports, you don’t lose the spot. They left college to enter the work world.  But if the student just drops out of school, you lose that spot until he would have graduated. In other words, you enter college in 2026, you’re expected to graduate in 2030. If he leaves in 2029, you lose that spot for a year.

…I’m really excited about the St Louis U Mens basketball team this year. One recent poll had them ranked.  Keep your eye on them. Coach Josh Shertz has assembled a team with athleticism, team-work, height, speed….this IS a really good team (at least from my eyes).

…Why can’t college/pro basketball players just “change on the fly”? Why must there be a “dead ball”? Stand at mid-court showing your intentions and “jump into the action” in a non-competitive moment. Right after a basket, a whistle, etc. 

…even more college football & basketball…let’s put an age limit on the players.  I heard in 1 game this year (can’t remember which one) a player was 26 years old. Come on….I’d suggest that once you’ve reach your 24^th birthday, your college career is OVER on that day!! Being in college isn’t a life-long job…it’s designed to prepare for life…not BE YOUR LIFE!

…. Btw… I had completely forgotten how long ago the DH began…sooo..here ya go.. The Designated Hitter (DH) rule was introduced in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1973, adopted first by the American League (AL) to let a separate player bat for the pitcher, and became universal across MLB in 2022.

…the idea of a DH has expanded. It’s used in all High School/College games. The DH should be allowed to bat for anyone. Often in High School games, the pitcher is the best athlete and the DH would be used for any other field player.

…Why not have football use the soccer style of timing. In soccer the clock just keeps running, even if the ball is out of play, it only stops on goals & injuries. Why does an incomplete pass stop the clock in football? There would still be 30 seconds between plays (throw in a different ball if necessary). Experiment…make each quarter, 20, 25 or 30 minutes—non stop clock action.

….Well, HAPPY NEW YEAR… go ahead, think of some of your own ideas to improve sports and send them to me. I’ll publish on my Facebook page.  I hope one of your resolutions is to keep reading the REWIND 😊 Thanks for your time & read!! Bob