Anticipation Rewarded

I was really looking forward to today's game/telecast.
The pitching match-up featured Danny Haren for the Diamondbacks and Chris Carpenter for the Cardinals.
With these two great pitchers, I anticipated a telecast that directors love to cut. I expected a well-pitched, well-played, fast paced game.
Going into the 7th inning, the score was tied 2-2 and the time of game was 1:32.
Up to this point the flow to the show was just what a director loves.
The first batter of the game hit a line drive that struck Carpenter in the right forearm. Our super slo-mo look of this play was fantastic. We were lucky in this instance because our X-MO camera was isoing Carpenter. During the top of the first inning and the bottom of the first inning, as the first batter of the inning is at the plate, the starting pitcher is the topic of conversation with the announce team. The starting pitcher's statistics are sold and this graphic is shown right after the batting order. Our super slo-mo camera shot stayed on Carpenter during this sequence and we were rewarded with a wonderful replay.
Danny Haren matched Carpenter pitch for pitch during the first six innings. These two players were clearly the story of the game.
Then, in the top of the 7th inning, Haren hit a homerun to give the Diamondbacks a 3-2 lead.
Haren continued to be the player of the game in the bottom of the 7th inning.
Yadier Molina led off the inning with a walk but Haren got the next batter to hit into a double- play and coaxed the next batter to ground out.
End of the 7th inning: Diamondbacks 3, Cardinals 2.
The Diamondbacks went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 8th inning.
The bottom of the 8th inning was a blast to cut!
The first three batters singled, the Cardinals scored a run and had runners on first and third with no outs.
Coming to the plate were Albert Pujols, the greatest player in the game, Matt Holliday, the recently redhot clean-up hitter, and Colby Rasmus, the hottest hitter in the Cardinals' line-up.
Pujols struck out looking.
Holliday struck out swinging.
Rasmus flied out to centerfield.
This situation is especially rewarding for a director;
Tight face, tight face, crowd cheering in eager anticipation, tight face, tight face, the pitch.
And repeat.
Great fun!
The Diamonbacks do not score in the top of the ninth inning. With two outs in the inning, I shot Haren in the dugout. He was stretching and loosening up and it was apparent that he was pitching in the bottom of the ninth inning. We went to break with a shot of Haren getting ready to take the mound.
Molina led off the bottom of the ninth inning. The first pitch was called a strike by the home plate umpire and Tony Larussa was ejected for arguing the call. This moment only added to the drama.
Molina singled and the next batter, Brendan Ryan, also singled.
Haren was replaced after throwing 112 pitches.
Adam Wainwright was called upon to pinch-hit and he layed down a sacrifice bunt. The relief pitcher for the Diamondbacks threw the ball past the third baseman and the Cardinals scored a run and had runners on second and third base.
Down by the score of 5-4, the next Cardinals batter grounded out to shortstop.
During this point of the game, the crowd was going crazy. This atmosphere is just what a director loves. Capturing this excitement is so rewarding.
The next batter hit a ground ball to the first baseman and the Cardinals won the game on a walk-off 2-run error!
Cutting the on-field celebration with a mix of players and fans is great fun. This situation is almost impossible to over cut.
The crew felt it and delivered!
The anticipation of a great telecast was rewarded.
Great show.
Great fun.