JIM LANG ON SPORTS

BY: JIM LANG
FOR RODPEDERSEN.COM

CFL AND VIDEO REPLAY

It is time to give some credit where credit is due. CFL commissioner Mark Cohon made a potentially historic announcement on Tuesday when it was revealed that video review would be extended to cover off disputed pass interference calls.

This is what Glen Johnson, the CFL’s Vice-President of Officiating, had to say to CFL.ca Tuesday about the league’s decision:

“Leagues have been reluctant to subject ‘judgment calls’ to video review, and pass interference in football is the ultimate ‘judgment call”, because it involves so many subjective elements. It will be interesting to see if the Committee approves it, and whether our Board of Governors, which is our ultimate authority on rules, also ratifies it.”

I can’t see any scenario that this rules proposal isn’t ratified.

How many times have we watched the outcome of a football game that was decided over a questionable pass interference call? The answer is too many times to mention.

This is a change that fans, coaches and players can all agree is long over-due. I have to think that many front office executives and coaches in the NFL will be looking at this change very closely. If this rule change is as effective and successful and I think it will be, then the NFL will likely look at doing the same thing when their rules committee meets next off-season. If the technology is there to review these plays then why not do it?

Forget for a second how ticked off fans get at blown calls. Especially blown pass interference calls.

The careers of Coaches, General Managers and players are all determined by wins and losses. A few bad pass inference calls through the course of a season could result in enough losses to cost someone their job. As Lowell Ullrich noted in his blog on the Vancouver Province website that BC Lions Head Coach Mike Benevides is all in favour of the proposed rule change.

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/03/18/leos-coach-supports-new-cfl-rule-coming-to-pass/

As well he should be because the change makes sense for all parties involved. So good for Cohon and the CFL for stepping up to the table and proposing this important rule change.

THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

The combination of new Coach Craig Berube and Claude Giroux has completely turned around the Flyers’ season. Back on November 7th the Flyers were stumbling along with a dismal 4-10-1 record. Since then the Flyers are 32-15 and 6.

Since January 1st Giroux has been one of the most productive forwards in the NHL. Since the calendar turned over from 2013 to 2014 Giroux has 13 goals and 34 points. Led by Giroux the Flyers have also won 16 games since January 1st.

For many years shoddy goaltending has been the downfall of many a solid Flyers team. This season the Flyers goaltending tandem of Steve Mason and Ray Emery are ranked 12th in the league with a respectable 2.79 goals against average. If Mason and the Flyers goaltending can hold up in the post-season (I know, easier said than done.) then they will be a tough to handle in the play-offs.

THE ST. LOUIS BLUES

Since the arrival of goalie Ryan Miller at the trade deadline the Blues have gone from being very good to being a team that looks to be nearly unbeatable. The Blues are top five in the NHL in goals per game, goals against, power play percentage and penalty kill.

You add that all up with an experienced Head Coach like Ken Hitchcock and a goalie like Miller and you have a team that has the potential to be very dangerous in the post-season. I want to make sure that I emphasize the word “potential”.

The Blues have only made it to the Conference Finals once in the last 25 years. During that time the Blues have put together some amazing teams filled with All-Star calibre players only to fall flat in the post-season. Much like the Sharks there are lot of people taking a “wait-and-see” attitude with the Blues. Until they see some tangible results in the post-season most people are hesitant to anoint them as true Cup contenders; no matter how well they are doing in the regular season.

JAROME IGINLA

With nine goals during the Bruins current nine game winning streak Jarome Iginla looks like he has found a second wind late in his career. Iginla is on pace to lead the Bruins in goal scoring this season and is having his most productive year since 2011/12.I am a little biased here because I genuinely like Iginla.

I have always found him to be a first class person and one that always makes take time for media and fans. There are many young players that could learn a lot about what it takes to be a pro, both on and off the ice, from someone like Jarome Iginla.

THE BLUE JAYS

Wednesday the Blue Jays assigned pitchers Ricky Romero and Marcus Stroman to their minor league complex. With the beginning of the regular season just around the corner the Jays only have three fifths of a semi-reliable starting rotation to work with; R.A. Dickey, Brandon Morrow and Mark Buehrle.

No team can expect to compete in the American League East with that kind of rotation. General Manager Alex Anthopoulos had one job to do in the off-season, and that was beef up the Jays starting rotation. Since that didn’t happen there is little reason to think the Jays will be anything more than a team that struggles to play .500 baseball this season. And when that happens, blame should start with Anthopoulos.

There is one thing Blue Jays fans can look forward to; a road trip to Montreal. On Friday March 28th and Saturday March 29th the Jays will take on the Mets in a two-game exhibition series at Olympic Stadium.

The Big O is a bit of a dump but there are still some good baseball memories in that place. In 1994 I was working in Montreal and was able to see that amazing Expos team that featured studs like Larry Walker and Moises Alou. When the strike hit the Expos were cruising along with a 74-40 record and well on their way to the post-season. Montreal is also home to the best hotdogs in Canada.

(Follow Jim on Twitter at @JimLangSports)