Paging Ron Leflore, Major League Baseball, and Ilmaro Vargas and season opening Hitting Streaks.

A rarely mentioned MLB hitting streak achievement is hitting streak at the start of the season. I was surprised to learn that Ron Leflore's 30 game hitting streak at the beginning of the season is the longest streak going back to 1940, that's 86 years!

Ilmaro Vargas of the Arizona Diamondbacks now has a 24 game hitting streak to start the season. I am encouraging Major League Baseball to host Ron LeFlore to every Diamondbacks game while Vargas's hitting streak remains intact. 

 

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

NFL 4 point field goal misses the mark, there is a better way.

If NFL field goal rules are changed, Kickers may soon get 4 points for kicking a field goal from beyond 60 yards. The 4 point field goal rule will radically change a teams offensive philosophy by decentivizing trying to make it all the way to the endzone for a touchdown that is only worth 6,7, or 8 points. New strategies may emerge such as throwing extremely long passes from outside the 60n field goal threshold, knowing the 60 yard field goal is still an excellent consolation prize. While this may make the game more exciting in a sugar rush sort of way, death of the time consuming touchdown drive will change the core value of watching a Football game and turn NFL Football into a hybrid NBA 3point shot, ultra high Soccer Scoring match instead.

It is patently ridiculous to give more points to a 60 plus field goal than to a team that drove an extra 25 yards down the field, and still has to settle for a 3 point field goal, that's just dumb.

Field goals over 60 yards are worth 2 points, not 4. This will instantly discourage teams from from being rewarded for having less ability to move the ball down the field. Also, field goals that are from less than the 20 yard line, should also be only worth 2 points. These two field goal point change rules would reward teams who move the ball well down the field, while reducing points for teams that cannot move the ball, nor score a touchdown from the red zone. 

An additional scoring incentivize for NFL teams to still try for a touchdown but end up being stopped short, Punters can score 2 points for their team if their punt is not returned past the 5 yard line, or 1 point if the punt is not returned past the 10 yard line, as this would incentivize a team making a legitimate effort to go for a touchdown can still score points off of a well place punt.

Safeties should be worth 4 points instead of 2 points since safetys are so rare. 

To recap, Touchdowns continue to equal 6,7, or 8 points.
60 yards or greater field goals equal 2 points.
Field goals closer than 60 yards but farther away than 37 yards (the 20 yard line) remains at 3 points.
Field goals closer than the 20 yard would only be worth 2 points, and, a team could long snap the field goal attempt to ensure the kick qualifies for 3 points (that should add some drama).
Safetys would increase from 2 points to 4 points.
Punts that do not go into the endzone and are not returned past the 5 yard line equal 2 points
Punts that do not go into the endzone and are not returned past the 10 yard equal 1 point. 

Finally, at long last, punters would get a chance to score points while incentivizing their team to keep marching down the field towards a touchdown rather than try a 60 yard field goal attempt.

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

 

 

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

NFL 4 point field goal should include a chain reaction of point scoring changes.

If NFL field goal rules are changed, Kickers may soon get 4 points for kicking a field goal from beyond 60 yards. The 4 point field goal rule will radically change a teams offensive philosophy by decentivizing trying to make it all the way to the endzone for a touchdown that is only worth 6,7, or 8 points. New strategies may emerge such as throwing extremely long passes from outside the 60n field goal threshold, knowing the 60 yard field goal is still an excellent consolation prize. While this may make the game more exciting in a sugar rush sort of way, death of the time consuming touchdown drive will change the core value of watching a Football game.

To offset the negative influence 60 yard field goals equaling 4 points might create, other football plays need to have their point totals changed.

To incentivize teams to still try for a touchdown but end up being stopped at the 40 yard line and having to punt, Punters can score 2 points for their team if their punt is not returned past the 5 yard line, and 1 point if the punt is not returned past the 10 yard line, as this would incentivize a team making a legitimate effort to go for a touchdown since moving down the field can still result in points either through a touchdown, shorter field goal attempt, or, drum roll please, through a well placed punt!

And of course, a safety would now have to be worth 3 points instead of 2 points since safetys are so rare. 

To recap, Touchdowns continue to equal 6,7, or 8 points.
60 yards or greater field goals equal 4 points.
Field goals closer than 60 yards remains at 3 points.
Safetys would increase from 2 points to 3 points.
Punts that do not go into the endzone and are not returned past the 5 yard line equal 2 points
Punts that do not go into the endzone and are not returned past the 10 yard equal 1 point. 

Finally, at long last, punters would get a chance to score points while incentivizing their team to keep marching down the field towards a touchdown.

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

Rocket Man starts his career with 2 home runs and a base hit!

Rocket Man will be Chase Delauter's highlight reel song as his first season progresses. 

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

Why Umpires will embrace the Major League Baseball ABS ball strike system.

Umpire Richie Garcia thinks it is humiliating to have a strike or ball call overturned by the ABS Automated Ball Strike system. Time will tell, but I think Umpires will do fine. I've already seen several batters challenge a call during a spring training game and the ABS replay shows the pitch barely touched the strike zone, this makes the Umpire look like a genius. 

What I hope happens is batters begin a ritual of tipping their cap to the Umpire whenever ABS proves the Umpire's call was correct. Eventually, an ABS baseline average will emerge, perhaps for every challenged call that is overturned, another call is not overturned. ABS Stats may emerge and most likely most Umpires should fall within a narrow range, perhaps around 33% to 50% calls are overturned, thus, the ABS stat will just become a badge of honor for the Umpires and fans to follow.

HOWEVER, to make ABS really cool, what if everytime a challenge is wrong, the team the ballplayer plays for donates 100 dollars to a designated Foundation or Non-profit? Perhaps the Umpires could choose the Foundation or Non-profit. The most that could be generated is 400 dollars per game, but over the course of a full season, lets say one challenge per game is not overturned for both sides, that would be 200 dollars per game multiplied by a 162 game season, then multiplied by 15 contests per full schedule, equals $486,000 dollars, plus, a tip of the cap to the Umpire whenever their call is not overturned.

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

A Slashline is something that is earned, not used to describe all hitters.

Can we quit using "slashline" for all MLB batters? If they have below average stats, call it a #Hashline, or, a #Hackline. It's confusing to use slashline to describe both an average to above average hitter, while claiming someone with mendoza line stats, also has a slashline. 

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

USA makes the 2nd round of the 2026 WBC Playoffs based on tiebreakers once Italy scored 4 runs in their game against Mexico!

Looks like the home run hitting Italians have propelled USA into the next rounder. Once Italy scored 4 runs, they actually triggered the USA going to the next round based on the tie breaker rules. If Italy wins, the USA advances. If Mexico wins they would have to score at least 5 runs, which would also trigger the USA advancing!

The Score is now 7-0 in favor of Italy. Even if Mexico were to rally and win, the resulting 3 way tie would advance the USA since Italy would have allowed more runs per 9 innings than either Mexico or the USA, and it appears Mexico would also advance since their ERA per 9 innings would still be lower than Italy.

I wonder if Sportscam Detective is breaking this story before anyone else? Update: I found one source that eclipsed Sportscam Detective by 31 minutes. 

 

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