A year after Sportscam Detective said it, Tom Brady advocates rules change regarding helmet to knee tackling.

Tom Brady advocates for NFL rules change regarding helmet to knee contact tackling one year after Sportscam Detective (Alessandro Machi)  made a youtube video on the exact same issue.     

A year earlier Sportscam Detective (aka Alessandro Machi), was making the exact same complaint about helmet to knee tackling as Tom Brady is now making. Sportscam Detective also mentioned how using the helmet to knock out the ball carrier who then fumbles the ball while unconscious still counts as a FUMBLE is dispicable!  

I also questioned using the helmet to spear the football since it is basically identical to a kamikazee style of play because if the NFL tackler misses contacting the football with their helmet they are going to do serious damage to the ball carrier body.

In the video I also mention that as helmet technology improves, the player fearlessness to helmet hunt is increased. While inroads are being made, I watched my Brownies lose to Kansas City in the Playoffs because a KC player head hunted the ball carrier causing a concussion and then an out of the end zone fumble that returned the ball to KC and allowed KC to get a field goal. The 10 point differential cost the Browns the playoff game last year yet no rule changes came forth.

I don't know which is worse, the fact that the NFL failed the Brownies, or that in the following offseason NOTHING was done to fix the obvious targeting flaw of allowing a targeted hit to the helmet that causes a concussion which causes a fumble to be non reviewable.

The NFL is proving to be too slow to correct and improve the safety of their game. It's because of their inbred style of decision making that creates elongated time delays before improvements are implemented. 

Yes, I am available for NFL consulting. Just saying it.

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

Cleveland Cavaliers have an opportunity to use Tall Ball to develop late game three point perimeter of confusion Defense.

The Cavaliers now have three tall defenders who can handle center. Jarret Allen, Power forward and the wing position (Mobley and Markkanen) at the same time (Kevin Love is more of an offensive scoring and rebound threat). They can then slide Osman and Okoro into the guard slots 6' 7" and 6" 5" and use Tall ball to thwart an oppositions attempt to shoot a late game three.

When the opposing team is losing by 3 or 4 points with under 30 seconds left in the game, the LAST thing the Cavaliers want to do is give up a three point play as they twice did against the Washington Wizards with under 30 seconds left and the Cavs clinging to what was a 4 point lead. If the Wizards are inbounding the ball at mid court, the Cavs could use tall ball by placing three or four of their tall players OUTSIDE of the three point line, not inside. This forces the other team to play really deep and go for a three that is 10 feet beyond the 3 point line, or, go for the two point play while Jarret Allen is there for a possible block at the rim.

Against Washington on November 10, 2021, the Cavs allowed two 3 point shots that were canned within five seconds of the throw in from mid court. In both situations, a 2 point shot would have given the Cavs a much better strategic situation. Presently Love and Markkanen are out because of COVID protocols, so Tall Ball could have still worked, but with a less experienced player such as Wade

What is nice about the Tall Ball circle of confusion perimeter defense is if the ball is thrown past the three point line to a cutting player, the move can be countered by someone on the three point line opposite from where the ball is being thrown cutting towards the rim who avoids contact, and the best the opposition can do is get a two point play. 

Of course, once this 3 point defense is used and then studied by the opposition, the counter move might be to dish to a cutting player and as the three point defense collapses, dishing out to another player on the three point line as the defense is collapsing inwards. Nonetheless, this requires an extra pass and perfect timing which is preferable to for some strange reason thinking the best way to guard against the three is to stay behind the three point line.

Washington ended up scoring 8 points from the moment they inbounded the ball with 31 seconds left in the game and down by four. Washington managed to win by 3 points but it was getting 2 three point shots so quickly that was the difference maker. Both three point shots could have been prevented with the Tall Ball circle of confusion perimeter defense.

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

MLB play at first base mistakenly reverses an out back into a safe call in game between Cleveland and Kansas City.

When Armando Galarraga lost his perfect game on what could have been the final out of the game, Galarraga bobbling the throw clearly influenced Umpire James Joyce into calling the runner safe at first base.

While Sportscam Detective was one of the few on the planet that agreed with Joyce's call (under my alter ego of Dashcam Detective), the wiggle room for calling the runner out at first place would be to argue that any bobble that happened after the runner had touched first base would be moot, the remaining issue being was there enough of a bobble BEFORE the runner touched first base to warrant the safe call. 

Unfortunately for all concerned, the Detroit Sports Announcers and the replay crew REFUSED to discuss the OBVIOUS bobble by Galarraga,  choosing to freeze the video frame during instant replay to mask the bobble, so the Galarraga bobble was never discussed.

In this evening's game between Cleveland and KC, The throw beat the runner to first base with the first baseman touching first base, first, then the batter turned base runner touches first base.

After passing the first base bag the now out runner then hits the glove of the first baseman and the ball is knocked loose. 

Because Indians first baseman Bobbie Bradley was turned sideways to received the throw, he was positioned opposite, toe out, rather than heel out when touching first base. Any further encroachment with his glove arm into the base running lane could create a collision situation with the base runner since catching the throw with his arm in the most comfortable position would place his glove arm in the path of the fast approaching base runner. 

Bradley did the Sportsmanship thing and tried to restrict how much of the running path past first base his glove occupied and the result was the throw from second was caught in the very upper region of his webbing, making it susceptible to being knocked out by contact.

Kansas City fans may remember a play at first many years ago against Cleveland where it was alleged that Carlos Santana occupied too much of the first base bag and the KC runner collided with Santana and was out for a few months, (was that Dyson who was hurt?), so let's not discount Bradley's attempt to avoid a collision with the base runner even as it compromised his ability to catch the ball deeper in the webbing of his glove.

The runner, who is clearly out, is INCORRECTLY called safe even though the throw beats the KC baserunner to first base before the KC baserunner touches first base. 

The "clearly out" runner then collides into the first baseman's glove AFTER passing first base, knocking the ball out of the glove. The problem with calling the runner safe is the runner was already out and therefore should no longer impact the play. 

This was not a tag play where control of the ball is essential even with contact, this was a force at first base where a tag of the batter / baserunner is not required, thus knocking the ball out of the glove after passing first base should not have changed the call.

Everyone seems to forget that until the batter turned base runner is first safe at first base, the base runner is not considered a baserunner who can decide whether to run to second or back to first, the baserunner is on borrowed time that ends the moment the first baseman has his foot on first base and the ball is in his glove before the baserunner has touched first base.

The saying, What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, applies here. 

What happens AFTER the first baseman catches the ball while touching first base BEFORE the baserunner has touched the first base bag stays in Vegas, the play is over. The officially dead baserunner does not get to "un out" themselves 

by contacting the first baseman and forcing a drop after they have passed the first base bag.

There is no "Back to the Future" option here in which the baserunner, after clearly being out, can become safe by hitting the infielder's glove downstream of the first base bag.

When AROD did the same thing in the World Series, he did it before he reached first base and frankly, AROD had no choice because a second infielder was also blocking the base path meaning AROD had nowhere to go. But that is another article for another day.

Ironically, AROD was called out when he was a live runner with a right to the base path in front of him that was being occupied by two infielders, not one. In this situation the base runner is past the first base bag and should be thought of as a mosquito being zapped by an electric filament the moment the first baseman had possession of the throw while touching the first base bag before the batter turned base runner reaches the base. What happened after the runner crosses first base should not be used to retroactively change the call. (note-unless the first baseman gave the base runner no space for the base runner to safely slow down and stop without being involved in a collision).

These kind of nuanced situations drive Sportscam Detective nuts because the specific event happens and is over so quickly, and then is rarely if ever revisited  by the MLB rules committee so the rule is improved before it happens again.

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

Sportscam Detective reveals the real reason Cleveland Guardians was selected as the replacement name.

Before SportsCam Detective reveals the real reason for the Cleveland Indians name change to the Cleveland Guardians, 

• a brief recap is in order of what names could have been chosen, 
• why the name the Guardians is an awful choice, 
• and why the name the Guardians may be the best choice.

Sportscam Detective likes the name the Cleveland Beltways. The reason I like the name at first is a head scratcher but when the reasons are given for the name Beltways the entire Cleveland region's reputation is embellished.

My top choices are….

The Cleveland Beltways (click link for full article)

The Cleveland Chasers (Cleveland is always chasing after a championship in multiple sports. Lebron James, who helped chase down the first championship for Cleveland in 50 years, also became known for his ability to chase down a player from behind and block their lay-ups).

The Cleveland Shakers. Shaker Heights is a core part of Cleveland and I like the name, Cleveland Shakers.

The Cleveland Colavitos. If only Cleveland had given to Rocky Colavito what Mr. Colavito was relentlessly giving to the Cleveland Indians, this would be a no brainer.

I do NOT like Cleveland Guardians for many reasons. 

• Baseball is the one sport where one team does not perpetually guard all of the the other team's starting players. 
• Basketball, Football, and Hockey ALL require guarding all of the players from the opposing team that are on the field, court, or ice rink at all times.  
• Even when there is a need to guard a baserunner in baseball it is still one position player doing the guarding and ironically, the player guarding the baserunner actually stops guarding the base runner so they can get into position as the next pitch is being thrown to the plate.

I also do not like the name Guardians because there are frightening examples of Guardianship fraud in the U.S. 

• Senior’s rights and their wealth is being taken from them without their consent all over the country and complicit judicial systems are involved. 
• There are many cases in which a Guardianship victim’s own family may be denied visitation access to their parents or grandparents after a Guardianship coup has been performed by either a Government worker or a member of the family who cunningly creates a secretive Guardianship scenario without letting anyone else who is related to the the person being “guarded” know what is going on, until it is too late to change it.

Possibly the grimmest and saddest reason of all to detest the name Guardians is Cleveland MLB baseball has a pathetic history of keeping its most popular player’s, aka fans favorites, or Guardians, in a Cleveland Uniform.

• Let’s start with Rocky Colavito. If ever there was a Guardian for Indians Baseball it is Rocky Colavito. Before Cleveland Baseball twice gave up on Colavito, Colavito hit 150 home runs in the Minors prior to being called up, and then. Colavito hit another 374 in the Majors. When Colavito retired after 1968, it was not as an Indian. 
• Nobody in Cleveland among ownership and the media had the foresight to encourage Rocky Colavito to try and get in shape and be the Cleveland DH in 1971. If Mr. Colavito had made a comeback by only having to focus on being a DH, can you imagine the excitement that would have been created in Cleveland? What if Colavito, who was known for having a great arm, had come back as a pinch hitter, DH, and reliever? 
• Hank Aaron was able to extend his home run record with two years of DH’ing, Colavito was only 6 months older than Aaron, yet nobody suggested he try be a pinch hitter, DH, and reliever? 
• Aaron played 10 more years than Colavito did. I think part of the reason was Colavito never had his forever fans and forever stadium like many greats of his time did. 
• Many great players of the 60' s and 70's remained with the same team their entire career, if Colavito had been treated equally to those other stars, he would be in the Hall of Fame and Cleveland fans of the early 70's would have had their own Guardian Sports player to root for.

Speaking of Guardians, after Rocky Colavito I like to think there were several Cleveland Star players who could have been  Cleveland Guardians. 

However, the list of Cleveland baseball players who left via free agency rather than sign a team friendly contract includes Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor, Cy Young Award Winner Cliff Lee. CC Sabathia did give up two years of free agency to ensure a nice pre-departure contract, but ultimately he too left for a long career in New York. 

Possibly the most ironic Guardian departure was Francisco Lindor. Lindor was literally the Cleveland Indians logo Doppleganger who probably could have done amazing things for Native Americans yet never hestitated when it came to going for the biggest contract possible. Even after the success Cleveland had in 2016 and then again in 2017 (22 game winning streak) both of which occurred near the beginning of Lindor's career in Cleveland, Lindor still wanted the largest contract he could get. 

However, one wonders if Cleveland did enough as Guardians for Lindor and Roberto Perez's family in Puerto Rico during the savage hurricane season of 2017.

The saddest of all may be Michael Brantley. The Indians could not afford to keep Mr. Meticulous and his plus .300 batting average which would have made the last several seasons trying to cobble together a platoon in left field a non-issue and possibly kept Cleveland’s playoff aspirations more relevant over the past few seasons.

However, having said all of the above…the real reason the name Guardians was chosen has never been revealed until now. I believe the reason why the Guardians name was selected is Paul Dolan Jr. is tributing mostly his father, and to some degree himself as the Guardians of Cleveland Indians baseball. Without their ownership the team may have fled to another State by now.

Who can argue against that? 

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

Simone Biles may have a physical impairment, not an emotional one, so why is everyone stating it is an emotional issue, cuz she's a girl?

Amidst the media cackling about Simone Biles "mental health exist" were Simone's own words that seem to make her withdrawal from 2021 Olympic events a physical issue and not an emotional one.....paraphrasing Simone...."I did not know where I was when I was in the air just before landing"....   

The video Sportscam Detective saw backs up Simone's statement  about loss of equilibrium by how much her legs collapsed on impact. The ground came up faster than Simone could plan for and as powerful as she is in elevating herself into the air, not knowing when to prepare for a proper landing could result in a severe injury.

So why has Nanny journalism decided to call Simone Biles dropping out of an Olympic event a "mental health exist" when it was a solid decision based on the acknowledgement that her timing was off.  Someone built as powerfully as Simone Biles cannot afford to be off on her landings because that power means she can launch herself higher in the air than anyone else who opposes her.

The media has devolved into an "I'm ok, you're ok, we're all ok, no matter what we do" agenda in which nothing is ever really wrong or, unknown.

According to the news media, there was no voter fraud in 2020 even though the Media did virtually zero pre-investigations into the possibilities that the record number of ballots being mailed out could result in some type of illegal ballot harvesting.

We still don't know if a batch of ballots can be run through and counted twice because nobody thought to do such an investigation before the election, therefore it never happened.

Now Simone Biles makes a completely proficient decision to not endanger her own health from not knowing when to brace for her landings, and the nanny media calls it an emotional welfare decision.

 

The consequences of running a story without the right type of investigating makes the Simone Biles situation worse. What if we come to discover that some kind of lighting quirk based on the intensity of the lighting, how close the light arrays are to each other, the speed at which they strobe, and how high up the lights were, and whatever other element may have gone into the lighting is what caused Simone Biles to lose her equilibrium?

What if we discover Simone Biles had an inner ear infection that resulted in her losing her equilibrium in the middle of a routine while she was in mid air?

To call Simone Biles withdrawal from 2021 Olympic events a mental health issue when it appears to be based on her loss of equilibrium may be one of the greatest injustices done to female athletes by the Nanny Media.

The Nanny Media has left the impression that women opt out for valid emotional reasons while men opt out due to physical injury.

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

Both the NFL and MLB have flaws in their instant replay guidelines that need to be immediately corrected.

Both the NFL and MLB have failed to acknowledge that a play that has more time elapse, will then need more time to be reviewed. In the NFL, if a running back with the football runs around the corner and goes out bounds five yards down field, the time needed to decide whether to question where the ball was placed is adequate. If however, the runner runs around the corner and downfield 40 yards, the defense will need more time to review if the runner may have stepped out of bounds at some point during their run. This situation actually happened in 2020 and it may have influenced who would make the playoffs because the defense just did not have enough time to review the entire play. The player actually stepped out of bounds relatively early in their long run, but there was just not enough time to review the entire play before the next play started.

The same mistake is occurring in Major League Baseball. A batter who hits a double and then tries for a triple but pops off the base for a moment as the tag is being applied is mistakenly called safe. Unlike a play at first base that takes 4 seconds and can be more easily reviewed, a play that spans three can take 12 seconds to complete, yet the review time is the same as a play that only took 4 seconds to complete. This is insanity, and just plain wrong. Not only does the play at third take an extra 8 seconds, but reviewing different camera angles adds additional time. Technology does exist that allows all the camera angles to be "locked" together so in theory the review process is faster. But besides seeing if the runner's foot came off the third base base while the tag was being applied, a review to determine if a challenge will be called should also include making sure the runner touched first base and second base and make sure the hit was fair. All of that cannot be accomplished in the same amount of time as runner beating out a throw from the shortstop at first base.  

There is NO WAY a potential triple can be reviewed in the same amount of time as a play at first base. There is NO WAY a 35 yard running gain can be reviewed in the same amount of time as a 5 yard gain. Yet in both the NFL and MLB examples provided above, both plays for each sport gets the same amount of time to be reviewed. 

Please, NFL and MLB, correct this silly instant replay pre-review oversight. As more and more fans bet on games, these are the kind easily preventable mistakes that one day could lead to someone who bet on a game and lost because of this inconsistent instant replay  silliness, thus losing their bet and their mind and possibly harming others out of anger and frustration because they knew they were ripped off by a system that was too elitist to fix an obvious oversight.

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

Jon Rahm should be allowed to play his final round AFTER everyone else finishes their final round.

Jon Rahm has been disqualified from participating in the final round of the PGA Memorial Weekend Golf Tournament. Sportscam Detective disagrees with this poorly thought out decision.  

Since Mr. Rahm had already finished his third round he should be allowed to come onto the course well after the other participants are either several holes ahead and there is no chance of contamination or after they have complete their days activities.

When the PGA / COVID rule was created, I doubt anybody put much thought into this exact scenario that has occurred in which a golfer who was leading by plenty tests positive with only one round left.

Let Mr. Rahm play on Sunday, just make sure it is after the other players and fans have moved on and are much farther down the course.

This is the problem with living with quickly made up rules and then  not being able to pivot at the last minute.  Shame on the PGA. 

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

DK Metcalf was a lot closer to winning his first 100m heat than most realized, according to Sportscam Detective.

Studying the video of DK Metcalf running the 100 meters Sportscam Detective noticed something that could mean DK Metcalf can reduce his times by at least .225 seconds to as much as .45 seconds.

Sportscam Detective noticed during DK Metcalf's 100m Olympic qualifying trial his track shoes were flexing twice as long per step as the other runners on every impact his shoe had with the track surface. 

Los Angeles Emmy Winner & Video Forensics Expert Alessandro Machi

explains how DK Metcalf can still run faster than his 10.37 100m time.

Sportscam Detective believes with a custom made track shoe and track cleats that are based on DK Metcalf's height, mass and torque he could reduce the time each foot is on the ground by .005 to .01 seconds. 

DK Metcalf took exactly 45 steps during his 100m run. Minus .005 to .01 seconds per step would mean a reduction in time of .225 to .45 seconds.   

With the properly designed track shoe DK Metcalf could turn his 10.37 run into a 10.145 on the conservative side all the way down to a 9.92 second run on the optimal side.

July 6, 2021 Update: A discussion about the new breakthrough technology for shoes and spikes...

Does anyone recall what happened to Zion Williamson when his shoe seemed to explode? Zion's mass times his torque and agility basically caused his left shoe to disintegrate.

Who was it who said, "It's gotta be the shoes"? 

Sportscam Detective can offer two more pieces of evidence that DK Metcalf was nowhere near his true, "ready to go" potential. 

The first piece of evidence was Metcalf had minimal second half acceleration once he was up to speed. In theory, a runner can build upon their initial speed if their mechanics are perfect. DK was ahead of one runner and alongside a couple others over the first 30 to 40 meters of the race, yet they all pulled away from DK over the final  30 meters even though it did not seem as if DK had tired or slowed down. Rather, DK's shoes did not give him the support and boost they could have given him if they had been specifically made for his height, weight and torque.

The second issue to consider are the cleats. DK Metcalf would probably need custom made cleats because his sheer size, weight and torque will give specially designed smaller lighter cleats better traction that a lighter weight runner would find too feeble. Placing the same type of cleats on DK's track shoes that lighter runners use is like placing a microscopic brake on every step DK takes.

In the bizarro world the bigger and stronger the runner, the smaller the cleats need to be since the sheer height, mass and torque of the runner will offset the cleat being smaller and shorter. This is easier said than done. Would the cleats actually be shorter, or would they be thinner in diameter? What combination of cleat size and thickness and how many cleats would DK actually need that would match perfectly for his height, weight and torque? 

I would suggest finding three guys who are similar in size and use them as test subject with standard track shoes and then with an improved design. Two of the subjects I would test old design to new design, the third person I would the opposite and tell them the opposite to remove the psychological aspect of thinking the new shoe is better and therefore one actually runs better.

What a great time to experiment. COVID-19 has been around, people have been stuck at home, other than congregating to come up with a vaccine, how about getting experts together to figure out if DK Metcalf has a 9.92 to 10.1425 in him with the proper shoe.

It was frustrating to see Mr. Metcalf in essence using a three speed bicycle while his competitors had perfected their shoe and cleat combinations and running on the equivalent of 10 speed bicycles.

If DK Metcalf had had the perfectly made track shoe and cleat for his 100m run, he might have won the race instead of finishing tied for last.

However, it should also be noted that the level of expertise and kinesiological skill required to create the optimal track shoe and cleat size is of such importance that any mistakes could result in a serious injury for an athlete that is used to running on surfaces that usually have more give to them so that too must be factored in to any endeavor to see if it's "gotta be the shoes".  Who said that?

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

This kind of MLB collision NEVER happens, until it does.

Nobody to blame. Hunter Dozier was just ducking his head to avoid hitting Yasmani Grandal on a high, but dumb little pop up barely 10 feet down the first base line. After ducking his head to get past Mr. Grandal, Mr. Dozier lifted his head up and the first thing he saw was Jose Abreu hard charging the pop-up as both players full on collided with each other, Full speed for Jose Abreu, plus half speed for Dozier, full, head on contact with each other.

In retrospect, everything happened so quickly I am not sure how this accident could have been prevented. When I was in little league there were two infield rules our coaches told us, don't let the pitcher catch a pop-up, ever, and, if an infielder and catcher can get to the same pop-up, let the infielder catch the ball because they are not dealing with a mask, whether to throw the mask off or not, and if there are runners on base let the catcher can get back to home plate just in case the ball is not caught.

Having said that, a little part of me is wondering, why not just cover first base, Jose, and if the ball is dropped, there might still be time to make a throw to first base. 

I wonder if this scenario has ever happened before in the past 125 years of Baseball, probably not. That is what makes Baseball so amazing, year after year somethings happens that has never happened before.

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

Why it is perfectly fine to use Instant Reply in Baseball to see if a Baserunner loses contact with the base on a slide.

Some knowledgeable baseball people (such as Cleveland Indians Radio announcer Tom Hamilton) think it is nit picking to use Instant Replay to see if the baserunner was able to keep contact with the base during and after their slide. 

Here is what is being left out of the MLB Instant Replay Review discussion about whether or not the baserunner has maintained contact with the base. The reason the baserunner is unable to keep contact with the base is they delay their slide an extra half step so they carry more speed into the base thus having a better chance of beating the throw.

I recall one year both Grady Sizemore and Shin Soo Choo made some late, late slides into second base. I wonder if those late slides were the precursor to the knee injuries that Grady Sizemore would suffer the following season or the season after.

I recall seeing Shin Soo Choo make one slide where he was literally 3 to 4 feet from the bag when he started his slide. Scary stuff to watch. If MLB loosens the rules on sliding late by not allowing Instant Replay to review if a ballplayer has lost contact with the base, they could be encouraging more late sliding which inevitably could lead to future knee injuries.

I agree using slow motion to see if a player maintains contact with the bag is somewhat of a ticky tack procedure, but teaching players to maintain contact with the bag at all times once they touch the bag is probably preventing future knee injuries by preventing late slides.

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

The Cleveland Beltways, why I like that as the new name for the Cleveland Indians.

There are several reasons that remind me why I like the name The Cleveland Beltways as the new name for the fading long time namesake, Cleveland Indians. Not every reason cited below is something to brag about,  however the reasons cited below do give character, history, and several bragging rights for the name, The Cleveland Beltways.

• Cleveland and the surrounding communities have several connections to Beltways, some from the past that represent where Cleveland evolved from, some going forward, and some remarkable beltways that are a hallmark to Cleveland and the envy of those who have experienced them. 
• In the previous century those who had to experience the drive into Cleveland from the suburbs encountered some very smelly smoke stacks, a smog beltway that thankfully no longer permeates the Cleveland airways.
• Cleveland was once considered part of the Midwest Industrial Beltway. 
• Presently, Cleveland is considered part of the rust beltway area of the country. 
• Very close to Cleveland is the Magical Snow Beltway in which north of one particular road, snow will fall because of the Lake Erie effect while on the south side of the same road, no snow will fall. I was able to witness this phenomena as a teenager growing up in Cleveland. I recall reaching this particular intersection (whose name escapes me now) and looking across the intersection and seeing big snowflakes dropping out of the sky like fly balls in the outfield. Yet on my side of the intersection as I was waiting for the light to change, nothing, no snow, no rain, no wind, just a gentle silence. After quickly checking to see if there were any cars coming up from behind me, I waited several seconds after the light turned green before grudgingly driving across the intersection and into the Snow Beltway. It was truly hypnotic to witness a Snow Beltway straight ahead, as if one had actually reached the beginning of the proverbial rainbow with the added pleasure of snowflake unicorns slowly cradling the sky as I drove forward.
• What better way to tribute the Cleveland Beltway's own Tom Hamilton for every home run call Hamilton has belted out over the airwaves and also into the stands at Jacobs Field and then Progressive Field. On occasion Mr. Hamilton's radio home run beltway calls have even infiltrated the television feeds of the game. 
• Cleveland and the surrounding necklace of freeways have a certain beltway feel to them as they provide vital links between the network of suburban rural roadways and Downtown, Cleveland.
• Not to be forgotten are the Cleveland Metroparks, an extensive series of nature preserve links that encircle Cleveland in a beltway that is the envy of those who have moved away from Cleveland and vividly recall the Metro Parks and all of their living vitality.
• If and when the Cleveland Beltways do win their first World Series with their new name, It will probably be a Belt and a Bunt (courtesy of Manning and Underwood) that makes it happen.

While the name Beltway may not have the initial lure of other Sports Team Names, it seems evident that Cleveland is the Beltway capital of the U.S., and most certainly Ohio, and something will make for interesting conversation during nationally televised games and the playoffs.

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer and Editor Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

The Strange case of Bradley Zimmer and how the Cleveland Indians might be missing his True Potential.

Having watched Bradley Zimmer in the outfield several things become clear.  

• Bradley Zimmer can throw over 100 miles an hour
• Bradley Zimmer sometimes throws the ball so hard and low that it has hit the ground a mere 60 feet from where he released his throw, yet the ball skip bounced so fast a runner trying to stretch a single into a double was still out at second.
• Bradley Zimmer runs really, really, fast.
• Bradley Zimmer is so fast and has such a long stride that running at full speed and taking his first step onto the warning track it now becomes too late for Zimmer to safely stop before crashing into the outfield fence at full speed.
• If Zimmer ever ran into another outfielder while running at full speed, both outfielders could be seriously hurt and even have their careers ended.
• Bradley Zimmer is too talented for the outfield.
• Bradley Zimmer should either play first base, or be a Closer.

Yes, Bradley Zimmer should either play first base or be a Closer.

In this day and age of Advanced Analytics there could actually be scenarios where the Indians would bring Zimmer in from first base to pitch in a two out situation. The pitcher could either come out of the game, or go to first base, the idea being Zimmer would throw 102 mph and strike out the batter, end the inning, go back to first to start the next inning, and the pitcher from the prior inning would either go back to pitch, or be replaced by another pitcher. 

Zimmer's height could make his 102 mile an hour fastball look like 105 because his release point would be closer to home plate.

Imagine Richie Sexson with blazing speed. But even then Zimmer most likely still has a better arm. Zimmer is not only wasted in the outfield, he is an accident waiting to happen....again.

But at first base Zimmer could prove a blessing in disguise, especially if he can throw 102 mph darts and also be an instant reliever or Closer when necessary. If Zimmer can scoop low throws off of the ground, his extension on all throws to him at first could actually cut off .01 to .02 seconds off because of his extension, which is the equivalent of one or two video frames. Every game there is at least one or two plays that come down to literally one or two video frames in replay.

And then on high throws, the ability to extend and catch a high throw and avoid having to leap would be two more distinct advantages since any leap on a throw can add one half to one second until the first baseman actually re contacts the first base bag after leaping.

With all the names being bandied about for first base, Bradley Zimmer should be at the top of the list.  The last thing I want to see is Zimmer and a relatively inexperienced Nolan Jones diving for the same sinking liner and colliding at a horrifying rate of speed.

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

The Stolen Touchdown. 2021 Cleveland Browns vs Kansas City Chiefs Playoff game decided by OBVIOUS non Targeting Call.

The idea that a concussion can cause a fumble but be un reviewable is too silly to even ponder, let alone enforce as the NFL presently does.

The 2021 playoff game between the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs included a 10 point swing in the Chiefs favor just before intermission because of an uncalled and unreviewed Targeting call in a game the Browns would lose by five points, 22-17.

The ridiculousness of not penalizing a Targeting hit that causes a fumble, interception, prevents a score or a first down, or occurs in the red zone because the referee missed it but the Instant Replay crew sees, is hard to accept. 

When the Chiefs secondary made a spectacular last moment hit at the one yard line that resulted in a fumble into and out of the end zone by the Browns wide receiver, Instant replay revealed an obvious targeting hit that triggered the fumble. (see photo below).

Think about how unfinished Instant Replay is in the NFL. A Targeting hit is more likely to cause a fumble due to an instant concussion, yet the NFL will only review the fumble and not the concussion that caused the fumble? This basically is giving Targeting a free pass and, what is even worse, the defense's motivation to Target rather than make a more conventional and safer tackle is the increased likelihood of a fumble from a Targeting hit that causes a temporary concussion. In this video I literally said Targeting increases the chance of a fumble on November 22, 2020. 

The "Targeting causing a concussion fumble" irony includes the fumble actually causes the referee to not notice the Targeting hit as they watch the bouncing football to see who recovers it.   

This video I warn about the dangers of targeting and how targeting can be incentivized because of the fumbles they cause.

This is another video I made warning about targeting that causes a  fumble.  

Then to make matters worse, the Instant Replay people cannot indicate that Targeting occurred to the Referees.  I think it is asking a lot of a Referee to have to notice both a Targeting hit that causes a concussion fumble to occur.

If the NFL finally does the right thing and allows for Instant Replay to identify a Targeting hit that went unnoticed by the Referees but had a direct bearing on the play being reviewed, the NFL still needs to enhance the rules regarding how a team can challenge a play 

NFL coaches should have the option to accept a 10 yard penalty or 10 yard advancement by the opposition instead of giving up a time-out if they incorrectly challenge a play.

Fans were deprived of a much needed late game challenge in the 2021 playoff game between Washington and Tampa Bay when Washington was out of time-outs and could not challenge what might have been a catch and fumble out of bounds play that would have kept their drive alive with just over 2 minutes left in the game.

Come on NFL, do a better job improving your Instant Replay Rules before you lose fans who can't stand the oddity of watching games in which rules that don't make sense determine the outcome of the game. The idea that a concussion can cause a fumble but be un reviewable is too silly to even ponder, let alone enforce as the NFL presently does.

Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.

Alessandro Machi: Petition to give Philadelphia Eagles 2021 Draft Pick to the New York Giants...

The NFL should punish the Eagles and give a draft pick to the Giants from the Eagles.