Opening Predictions

There are four opening segments in our home telecasts. The ideas for these segments generally come from the producer. We televise 155 Cardinals telecasts each season. Imagine coming up with 155 different and fresh opens for each telecast. Not an easy thing to do. In fact, this particular producer function may be the most difficult task that the producer performs during the season.
The open segment or segments prepare the viewer for the upcoming game. The general theme of the show is established during the open. The open is almost a crystal ball which predicts what will happen during the game. Rarely does this "crystal ball" hit the nail on the head and predict exactly what will happen in the game.
Tonight the open predicted exactly what would happen during the game.
There were three main themes outlined in tonight's opening segments.
Theme #1 - The Cardinals were relying on the long ball. In the 1st segment, before we went on camera to our announcers, we displayed a lower third graphic showing a statistic enhancing the fact that a great percentage of the Cardinals' runs came from the homerun this season.
Theme #2 - The Cardinals starting pitcher, Chris Carpenter, pitched great at Busch Stadium. This was his first start at home this season so we aired a graphic showing his excellent 2009 home ERA.
Theme #3 - The Mets third baseman, David Wright, always plays well against the Cardinals. A lower-third graphic over video of Wright showed that he had the highest career batting average for any current active player.
The game:
The Cardinals won the game 4-3 with all their runs scoring on a grand slam homerun.
Chris Carpenter pitched 7 innings without allowing a earned run.
David Wright went 1-3 with three outstanding defensive plays.
The telecast:
This was the most successful telecast of the season.
The opening predictions all came true and were accentuated throughout the telecast as we revisited these themes with graphics and video packages.
A rewarding telecast indeed.
Today the Cardinals are on the FOX Game of the Week and tomorrow they are on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.
Our next telecast is monday from Arizona.
Will our opening predictions come true?
Tune in and find out monday.