Over the wall and into the fans

The NBA season has ended and baseball is reaching its All-Star Break, but another sport has my attention.

The Arena Football League began its playoffs this past weekend and it is intoxicating.

The game is one of constant motion and little boredom.

It's eight-on-eight, with a shortened field and running clock, and with no punting allowed, the scoring possibilities are endless.

Scores are typically in the 60- or 70-point range and the action is so quick that you could blink and miss two touchdowns.

The rules are unique as well.

The goalposts are only nine-feet wide and any attempt or kickoff that goes off the nets on each side is a ball that is up for grabs. Occasionally, the ball will come off the net, take a strange bounce off the turf and land in the arms of a player on the kicking team in the endzone for a quick score.

The best part, for me at least, is that the sidelines are walls that are in play and players are regularly knocked into the stands. Plus, like in baseball, any ball that travels into the stands is a free souvenir for a lucky fan.

Indiana used to have an Arena team, the Firebirds, which were oddly enough, put on eBay a couple of years ago to be sold.

But even with that tidbit of weird knowledge, the game is still exciting. And even with the NFL's perceived stranglehold on football -- the USFL, XFL and NFL Europe all failed, to name a few -- the Arena Football League is in its 22nd year of existence.

So for all those diehard football fans out there, give the AFL a chance and I'm sure you will find it surprisingly enjoyable.