Before we depart for vacation, we leave you the enduring gift of the Monday morning musings and meditations on the world of sports:

FLAG HAPPY

During last year’s Grey Cup, CFL VP of officiating Glen Johnson said the league was aware there was a problem with the number of penalties called and it would take steps in the off-season to remedy the matter.

“The officials don’t want to call all those penalties,” Johnson told this newspaper. “A good game for us is eight to 10 penalties and staying out of the way. We want the game to be fast-paced and flowing.

“We’re all very focused on that goal.”

Which makes you wonder what the games would like if the CFL wasn’t so focused on that goal.

In Friday’s game at B.C. Place, the Leos and the Roughriders combined for 32 penalties, which represented 272 yards.

There was one 24-play stretch in the second quarter in which 11 flags were thrown. In the fourth quarter, when the game was on the line, there was a five-play sequence in which five penalties were called.

This, predictably, produced some lively posts on Twitter.

—“The penalties in the CFL make the game unwatchable.”

— “Want to take my son to his first CFL game but can’t with the current officiating. He’d be bored to death.”

— “Officials seem overwhelmed, now you want them to use judgment on every play? Need to be better but how?”

— “Biggest reason why I’m at home watching hdtv instead of at BC Place. Sick of the horrible officiating.”

Look, as we’ve repeated ad nauseum, the issue here isn’t who’s at fault or who’s to blame for this mess. The issue is its impact on game presentation. The flags destroy flow and momentum. It makes the CFL look bush league.

Yes, we’re aware new rules have been implemented concerning contact with the receivers, but you just can’t expect paying customers to watch a game when the action is constantly interrupted by penalty calls.

The Lions’ home opener — a 35-32 overtime win for B.C. — was a fantastic CFL contest that produced a miraculous Lions’ comeback in the fourth quarter and over 900 yards in total offence. The game was so good, in fact, it camouflaged the officiating, but fans were still talking about the penalties afterward and that’s a sad commentary.

There were also just over 23,000 for the Lions’ home opener against the CFL’s best draw. If that doesn’t concern the league, it should.

AN IMAGE POLISHED

On a related note, it’s funny how one game can change the perception of a team, and Friday’s win was the best marketing tool the Lions could have asked for.

Suddenly, they look like an exciting, dynamic offensive team. Suddenly, all the questions about Travis Lulay are answered. Suddenly, you can see Jeff Tedford’s influence on the passing game.

Lulay threw for 404 yards and, remarkably, not one receiver hit the 100-yard mark. Instead, five registered at least 50 yards and a sixth, Manny Arceneaux, finished with 49 in addition to scoring the game-winning touchdown.