[development] Turning custom_url_rewrite_* into hooks?

[Steven Surowiec]

I've working on a custom module for a project that makes use of 
custom_url_rewrite to open up linking shortcuts through the url() 
function and I was wondering if there is any specific reason this 
functionality isn't a regular hook? I know I could probably use URL 
aliases for what I'm trying to do but requires me to not have to worry 
about managing hundreds, possibly thousands, of URL aliases just to open 
up this type of functionality. Maybe I'm just mis-using this 
functionality but it seems like it might be worth while to consider.