Lockout Free Sports Post!

Ladies and Gentlemen...I present to you the 100th post at Caputo's Corner!!!!!

(Noisemakers in the background!!!)

Anyway, there was no real news today on the NFL Lockout front, so this post will be dedicated to sports topics outside of that realm.

Just because I'm not commenting on the lockout does not mean that there wasn't any news from the NFL owners meetings in New Orleans.  The competition committee proposed a series of rules changes that would be implemented in 2011 (if there is a season of course).  The most important of these rule changes concerns kickoffs, widely considered to be the most dangerous play in football.  The league in recent history has outlawed 3-man wedges on returns (famous for prompting John Madden to invent a new position...the "wedge buster") because of the impacts of collisions.  Today, the kickoff was moved up to the 35 yard line (where college used to kick off until a few years ago).  The competition committee also proposed eliminating wedge blocks all together, allowing returners only a 5-yard running starts (vs. 15), and moving a touchback out to the 25 yard line as opposed to the 20.  The kickoff rule passed the owners with a 26-6 vote (24 votes needed to implement a change).  In order to procure these votes, the committee had to lobby teams that rely heavily on special teams for their success.  Take the Chicago Bears for instance.  Devin Hester is much more of a weapon on kick returns than he is a wide receiver (albeit still a very good one).  Their schemes usually revolve around big plays in the return game.  These rule changes hamper those efforts.  Therefore, in order to get some votes, the committee decided to take out the change in the touchback (it remains at the 20) and not outlawing wedge blocks.  They were able to pass the 5-yard head start. 

I am all for rules that improve player safety.  As a certain commenter...who also happens to be a fan of the Indianapolis Colts...would tell you, I believe special teams to be an important part of the game.  If I were the Bears, I would not want to hinder my best offensive weapon.  However, it is very hard to argue against any rule that is supposed reduce injuries, especially in kickoffs.  I am glad that they did not move the touchback out to the 20.  That extra 5 yards of field position probably means at least one extra touchdown a game, and with scoring up already as it is, offenses do not need any more help. 

Elsewhere, did you know that it was still hockey season?  In fact, the playoffs begin in less than one month.  Of course, the playoffs in hockey don't really mean as much they do in the NFL since over half of the league qualifies for them.  However, the Capitals are in prime position to secure a top 3 seed despite a roller coaster year that included an 8-game losing streak back in December.  Tonight they have a chance to tie Philadelphia for 1st place in the Eastern Conference with a win at the new Spectrum (otherwise known as Wells Fargo Center).  The Flyers have 2 games in hand.  The Caps will be without Alex Ovechkin who will be missing at least a week with an "undisclosed injury."  Yeah right.  He might be sore, but who isn't at this time of season?  The Caps are just trying to protect their 9-figure investment so that he can be 100% for the playoffs, where the Caps have been quite futile in the last few years.  Vancouver, with 103 points, has run away and hid with the President's Trophy (best record in the league), which might be a good thing for the Caps, who won the President's Trophy last year...only to be unceremoniously dumped in 7 games by Montreal in the first round. 

As a Caps fan, the two teams I do NOT want to see in the 1st round are the Rangers and Montreal.  The Rangers are the classic feast or famine team.  They will either beat you 6-0 or crawl into a hole and take what's coming to them.  They split with the Caps this year, but that includes 5-0 and 7-0 beatdowns.  Montreal is very close to passing Boston for first place in the Northeast Division, which would give them the 3-seed.  Playing in Boston is no picnic, but Montreal fans make Maryland students look peaceful after a Duke game.  Oh yea, they also boo the National Anthem.  Even Philly fans don't do that.  I wouldn't mind playing Pittsburgh either, but it looks like they have the 4-seed locked down.  They will not catch Philly, and they are 5 points clear of their closest competition elsewhere (Tampa Bay...who recently has been in free fall). 

Finally, the NCAA tournament has reduced the field of 64 (or is it 65?  68?  Who knows...) down to the Sweet 16.  Keep up with the progress of both the tournament and FBL (sponsored by Caputo's Corner) here on the blog.  As an homage to the NCAA tournament, I am in the process of preparing the next edition of....

NICK'S LISTS!!!

We are working on the top 10 games in NCAA tournament history.  Whether you are a basketball fan or not, I feel like you will enjoy this one, as there are some of the most heart-wrenching moments in all of sports, let alone just basketball.  Once these posts are ready we will have them right here for you only on Caputo's Corner.