Unnecessary roughness

Fantasy Bob has been a longtime fan of American Football.  Not so long ago Channel 4 showed it at a reasonable hour in the evening.  Regretably nowadays it is not aired until well after FB's bed-time so his opportunities to watch it are limited.  In the last couple of years FB has managed to holiday in New York where he managed to get along to a game.  He has seen the Giants and the Jets who played alternate Sundays in the same stadium.   Imagine Carlton and Grange sharing a pitch! But last year on his visit to Giants Stadium a whole new stadium was being built directly beside it for the Jets.  Two 90,000 seater stadia cheek by jowl.  Bonkers. 


There are many charming rituals in gridiron. One is the concept of unnecessary roughness - which seems  to mean severe physical  assault almost and possibly causing death to an opponent.  The fact that the rules identify unnecessary roughness means, of course, that there is necessary roughness, although how this is possible to discern in the mayhem of the game is beyond FB.



Gatting and unnecessary spinniness



But FB thinks there must be something that cricket can learn from this. He has therefore written to the MCC in their capacity as guardians of the laws of the game to propose that the concept of unnecessary spinniness be introduced.  His legal advisers have suggested the following wording:





Any ball bowled, particularly at FB himself, which deviates from the playing surface on bouncing by more than 3cm shall be deemed by the umpire as demonstrating unnecessary spinniness and so be called a no-ball.  In the case of leg spinners, unnecessary spinniness will be defined as a deviation of 1 cm.   In any case of doubt the batsman's view will be final.