On this weeks TSNFC podcast we spent a long time discussing the handball decision that effectively ended Vancouver Whitecaps season. Markus Wheaton Eagles Jersey . Much has been said and written about whether or not World Cup referee Mark Geiger made the right call to penalize Kendall Waston in last weeks playoff match at Dallas, with many differing opinions on the matter. There doesnt seem to be a consensus, although Geigers boss - referees chief Peter Walton - said it was the correct decision and a standard call. As a veteran Premier League referee who now runs the Professional Referees Organization in North America, Waltons opinion should be respected, but the controversy surrounding the decision - and many other handball decisions we see all over the world each week - could easily be avoided if there were a change to the law. In my view, there are two things wrong with the current law. Firstly, the punishment doesnt fairly reflect the size of the crime. Secondly, there is too much room for interpretation of the referee which makes consistency of decisions almost impossible. Here are the main points of the current FIFA Law: Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with his hand or arm. The referee must take the following into consideration: ? the movement of the hand towards the ball (not the ball towards the hand) ? the distance between the opponent and the ball (unexpected ball) ? the position of the hand does not necessarily mean that there is an infringement Deliberate - done consciously and intentionally I dont think Kendall Waston made a conscious and intentional decision to handle the ball inside the penalty area in the last 10 minutes of a playoff match. In my mind it was a momentary lapse in concentration from the towering defender rather than a deliberate act. In relation to this law, it seems deliberate can also mean a player didnt react quickly enough to move his hand/arm out of the way of the ball. But the fact the law allows such ambiguity means officials are in the spotlight more than necessary whether or not they get the decision right. There must be a better way. Although video replays will certainly assist officials decision making in other areas, in the instance of Waston it wouldnt have made much difference because even with review, the decision would have been made depending on the officials interpretation of the law. One suggestion I have seen is to award a penalty anytime the ball hits a hand or arm inside the area whether it is intentional or not. A clear rule - it doesnt matter how it happens, if the ball strikes the hand, it is a penalty. Theres very little room for argument and interpretation there, but I think it would lead to far too many penalties and also an excessive number of game changing moments. Again, the punishment wouldnt match the offence. New Law So how about this. In order to provide clarity, I would be in favour of a rule change along the following lines: Anytime a player makes contact with the ball inside the penalty area with his hand or arm, an indirect free kick will be given. There is no room for interpretation - if it hits the arm or hand whether deliberate or not, it is an indirect free kick. There is one exception. If a player handles the ball to prevent a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity, a penalty is given. With this rule applied, Kendall Wastons handball would have been penalized with an indirect free kick, still giving the opposing team the benefit of a set piece close to goal but eliminating the need for a referee to award a penalty for an incident that was not going to end in a goal. For me, that far better reflects the size of the infringement and also would remove much of the debate surrounding penalty kicks awarded for handball. Im not na?ve enough to expect that changing the law would eliminate all problems. Im sure in some instances there would still be controversy and debate surrounding what is or isnt an obvious goal scoring opportunity. But I believe it would drastically decrease the amount of times a game is decided by a referees decision and therefore lead to more post-game talk about players instead of officiating – and that can only be a good thing. Haloti Ngata Jersey .Y. - Major League Soccers independent review panel has taken back the fine and one-game suspension it placed on Toronto FC forward Luke Moore earlier this week. Dallas Goedert Jersey .Y. - Sven Andrighetto scored once and set up two more as the Hamilton Bulldogs hung on to defeat the host Adirondack Flames 5-3 on Tuesday in American Hockey League action. http://www.eaglesrookiestore.com/Eagles-Haloti-Ngata-Jersey/ . Canada was placed in one of the easiest groups during Saturdays live televised draw in Montreal.Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Tuukka Rask made 30 saves for his second shutout of the season as the Boston Bruins defeated the New York Rangers 3-0 on Thursday. Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Loui Eriksson all scored and Torey Krug supplied two assists for the Bruins, who have won five straight games. Cam Talbot allowed all three goals on 32 shots for the Rangers, who have dropped their last two games on the heels of a five-game winning streak. Boston is now 6-0-2 in their last eight meetings with New York. Bergeron put the Bruins on the board four minutes into the game after he whacked the rebound of Dougie Hamiltons shot through Talbots legs. Boston increased their lead to 2-0 on Krejcis redirection of Krugs slap pass 2:49 into the middle stanza. Each team had good scoring chances following the goal during the second. Rick Nash wasted a prime opportunity as his shot went wide on a breakaway less than seven minutes in, then Krejci had his shot in tight stuffed by Talbots pad almost two minutes later. Avonte Maddox Eagles Jersey. Eriksson made it a 3-0 game with 10:11 remaining as he settled the rebound of Zdeno Charas point shot down in front and lifted it into the top of the net. Meanwhile, Rask stopped seven shots in the first period, made 14 saves in the middle frame and turned aside nine offerings over the final 20 minutes for the win. Game Notes Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli announced during the first intermission that rookie forward David Pastrnak will stay with the team for the rest of the season ... Rask posted his 25th career shutout ... Boston also won five straight games from Oct. 30 to Nov. 10 ... Talbot was the first Rangers goaltender other than Henrik Lundqvist to start against the Bruins since Kevin Weeks did so on April 8, 2006, ending a string of 35 straight games, which includes the postseason ... The two teams will continue their season series at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 4. Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys Cheap Bruins Jerseys Cheap Sabres Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Canadiens Jerseys Cheap Senators Jerseys Cheap Hurricanes Jerseys Cheap Blue Jackets Jerseys Cheap Islanders Jerseys Cheap Rangers Jerseys Cheap Flyers Jerseys ' ' '