Week 5 Tuesday Afternoon Punter

With the MLB post season going strong, well going anyway, the media focus has turned to replay, or lack thereof, in baseball. I enjoy how every controversial call has to be analyze through the prism of what would have happened had replay been used, like there haven't been enough instances already. Look, if there are people who are still against replay, I on't know what it'd take to change their mind, but clearly a play in Game 2 of the NLDS won't do it.

Replay is simple when it comes to baseball: Have an ump in the booth watching the game and he could signal down if a call nees to be overturned. Most every baseball fan can tell what a call should be, so it'd be no problem for an ump. Use it for everything. Everything. Safe or out, fair or foul, everything. If it's really close then the call on the field stands. I don't understand why people, even those who are staunch supporters of replay, get uncomfortable when it comes to calling balls and strikes. I hate that every ump has a different strike zones, and even those vary throughout the games. Use a questech- like device to determine balls an strikes. Get them right.

I hear three arguments against replay:

1.) It'll slow down the game. That's crap. In fact, it'll slightly speed up the game. Any fan can figure out if a call's been blown within watching two replays. That's a hell of a lot shorter then the mandatory arguments by players and managers. If a blown call can't be recognized that quickly, it's not worth overturning.

2.) Smaller market games ten to have less cameras and, therefore, less available replays than bigger market games. If you're in a small market an the game's not televised, nobody cares about your game anyway. Just kidding, kind of. Look, unless the game's being recored by drunk with his camera phone, there will always be enough cameras.

3.) I like the human element. Human element is great, agreed. I mean, marriages without human elements would probably suck, but we don't need human elements in our officiating. It'd better for umpires to be right then human.

On to the TAP

Week 5 Thoughts I Think I Thought About Thinking

1.) The Giants have looked impressive ever since Tiki Barber questioned Coughlin's control over the team. If they continue to impress, we may have to rethink Barber's role in the 2--7 season. Might have to send him a ring.

2.) If Jenn Sterger doesn't put in a complaint against Favre, I on't see why he should be suspended. If you read the original story that came out about this months ago, she din't consider it harrasment, she use to laugh at him. That might be a shot to his pride, but definately not grounds for suspension.

3.) I do love how ESPN celebrated Favre getting TD and yards milestones, while downplaying the fact the he also broke the recor for most fumbles. Is Favre a notorious fumbler? No, but when you compile stats, you tend to compile the negative ones too.

4.) In baseball we just had the year of the pitcher, through five weeks in the NFL this is the year of the defense. That's what's causing all this unpredictability so far. Name a powerhouse offense this year. You can't. You can name offenses that should be great. When's the last time that's happened? Accepting this, it's no wonder that the three most impressive so far (Baltimore, Pittm NYJ) are the three best defenses.

5.) Okay refs, I was with you with the Calvin Johnson incompletion, but now you've lost me with calling Michael Spurlock's catch good. He caught the ball, went down out of bound where the ball was knocked loose. How is that completing the process? How is that any ifferent than Johnson? My only guess is that the NFL, after the Johnson play, decided it's going to change the rule an told the refs to be a little leniant on those plays. Remember this if they change the rule after the season.... [I swear I wrote this paragraph before seeing this. I just finished my 10 and went to PFT to make sure I didn't miss anything and this is the top story.]

6.) I know the Charger's struggles have little if anything to do with their offense. Still, it looks real bad when you're struggling and you have a Pro Bowl WR waiting to be paid. Also, how is this not a bigger eal? Here's an elite WR, in his prime, who's on his way to missing an entire season ue to contract issues. Has this ever happened?

7.) How have the Browns not turned to Colt McCoy yet? I mean, elhomme's not the answer and Wallace isn't the future and the Browns aren't the present.

8.) I think it's time to say that the Chiefs and Bucs are pretty good. Not great, but good enough to beat any team that sleeps on them.

9.) It's great when there are two games on and they sync up perfectly so as a play ends in one game, another's about to be snapped in the other. Though Peyton Manning messes that up every time. You flip to the Colts game and they're line up, but Manning takes forever to snap it so that you end up missing a play in the other game.

10.) If Revis knew he wasn't going to be covering Moss, and I have to figure he did, then he shouldn't have spent the week talking trash about him. That's weak.

Limerick of the Week

There'es problems every now and then

Over at ESPN

A former football croney

Says Kiper is a phoney

And we may never see his hair again.

Peace