Saturday, May 7, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thrilling
The Milwaukee Brewers came to St. Louis tonight to start a three game weekend series.
I enjoyed dinner in the press room with the Brewers TV producer Chris Withers and their director Mike Oddino. During our conversation, we talked about the Twins' no-hitter against the White Sox that occurred a few days ago and we were jealous of the Twins TV director, Matt Gangle, who directed the no-hitter.
A perfect game is the ultimate for a TV baseball crew to televise with a no-hitter coming in second.
Wouldn't you know it, Jamie Garcia of the Cardinals had a perfect game going into the eighth inning.
Trust me, when a TV baseball crew is in this situation, EVERYONE is pumped.
EVERYONE on the crew is "on fire".
Every shot is tight.
Every replay is perfect.
Every graphic is concise.
The audio is "on point".
The telecast is "working".
During the break before the top of the 8th inning, our producer Mike and I began discussing "isos" for the top of the ninth inning if the perfect game or no-hitter was still possible. We wanted Garcia, Molina (the catcher), the crowd, and LaRussa (manager) and Duncan (pitching coach).
After the first out of the 8th inning, Garcia walked a batter to end the perfect game. The next batter singled and the no-hitter was over.
Even though a possible part of baseball history was now over our crew remained focused as we covered a possible Cardinals' complete game shutout.
This complete game shutout occurred and our iso's worked.
However, my choice of shot selection after the final out did not capture the excitement of the moment as well as I had hoped.
Before the final pitch was thrown, I made a decision to cut to Garcia immediately after the final out followed by a shot of LaRussa and Duncan followed by the shot of Molina congratulating Garcia.
The shot of LaRussa and Duncan did not work as little emotion was shown and therefore, my shot of Molina/Garcia was a bit late and not as effective as I had hoped.
However, this was a great game/telecast and it was thrilling.
I know I was thrilled to be a part of it.
I enjoyed dinner in the press room with the Brewers TV producer Chris Withers and their director Mike Oddino. During our conversation, we talked about the Twins' no-hitter against the White Sox that occurred a few days ago and we were jealous of the Twins TV director, Matt Gangle, who directed the no-hitter.
A perfect game is the ultimate for a TV baseball crew to televise with a no-hitter coming in second.
Wouldn't you know it, Jamie Garcia of the Cardinals had a perfect game going into the eighth inning.
Trust me, when a TV baseball crew is in this situation, EVERYONE is pumped.
EVERYONE on the crew is "on fire".
Every shot is tight.
Every replay is perfect.
Every graphic is concise.
The audio is "on point".
The telecast is "working".
During the break before the top of the 8th inning, our producer Mike and I began discussing "isos" for the top of the ninth inning if the perfect game or no-hitter was still possible. We wanted Garcia, Molina (the catcher), the crowd, and LaRussa (manager) and Duncan (pitching coach).
After the first out of the 8th inning, Garcia walked a batter to end the perfect game. The next batter singled and the no-hitter was over.
Even though a possible part of baseball history was now over our crew remained focused as we covered a possible Cardinals' complete game shutout.
This complete game shutout occurred and our iso's worked.
However, my choice of shot selection after the final out did not capture the excitement of the moment as well as I had hoped.
Before the final pitch was thrown, I made a decision to cut to Garcia immediately after the final out followed by a shot of LaRussa and Duncan followed by the shot of Molina congratulating Garcia.
The shot of LaRussa and Duncan did not work as little emotion was shown and therefore, my shot of Molina/Garcia was a bit late and not as effective as I had hoped.
However, this was a great game/telecast and it was thrilling.
I know I was thrilled to be a part of it.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Look At The Numbers
It is now Thursday, May 5th @ 9:15 pm CST.
I did not blog about yesterday's game/telecast because the game took 3:35 to play and I arrived home @ 12:40 am. Today's game was at 12:45 with the pre-game show starting at noon. Because of the day game, I went to bed when I got home last night because my alarm was set for 7:00 am.
Why am I telling you this you ask?
I had originally planned to write a separate blog for each game/telecast tonight but the two games were so incredibly different that I decided to write on blog concerning both games.
Yesterday's game took three hours and thirty five minutes to play.
There were 15 runs, 21 hits, 5 errors (4 by the Cardinals), and 10 walks.
The Marlins threw 24 first pitch strikes to the 40 batters they faced.
The Cardinals threw 25 first pitch strikes to the 44 batters they faced.
This means there were 49 first pitch strikes and 35 first pitch balls.
Add these numbers up and it is easy to see that this was a poorly played, poorly pitched, and therefore, poorly paced game.
Today's contest was 59 minutes faster than last night's with a game speed of 2:36.
In today's game there were 9 runs, 16 hits, 0 errors, and 8 walks.
The Marlins had a poor first pitch strike ratio with only 16 first pitch strikes out of 35 Cardinals batters.
The Cardinals on the other hand threw 26 first pitch strikes to the 34 Marlins batters
The pace of the game was set by the Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook. Westbrook threw 23 first pitch strikes to the 26 batters he faced including the first 14 batters he faced.
As last night's game went on the temperature dropped by 15 degrees and Busch Stadium became colder and colder thus affecting the energy of the crowd.
Today's game was played in beautiful 60 degree weather and the crowd was into it.
2 different games in 2 days.
One game was a blast to cut and one game was torturous to cut.
The numbers don't lie.
I did not blog about yesterday's game/telecast because the game took 3:35 to play and I arrived home @ 12:40 am. Today's game was at 12:45 with the pre-game show starting at noon. Because of the day game, I went to bed when I got home last night because my alarm was set for 7:00 am.
Why am I telling you this you ask?
I had originally planned to write a separate blog for each game/telecast tonight but the two games were so incredibly different that I decided to write on blog concerning both games.
Yesterday's game took three hours and thirty five minutes to play.
There were 15 runs, 21 hits, 5 errors (4 by the Cardinals), and 10 walks.
The Marlins threw 24 first pitch strikes to the 40 batters they faced.
The Cardinals threw 25 first pitch strikes to the 44 batters they faced.
This means there were 49 first pitch strikes and 35 first pitch balls.
Add these numbers up and it is easy to see that this was a poorly played, poorly pitched, and therefore, poorly paced game.
Today's contest was 59 minutes faster than last night's with a game speed of 2:36.
In today's game there were 9 runs, 16 hits, 0 errors, and 8 walks.
The Marlins had a poor first pitch strike ratio with only 16 first pitch strikes out of 35 Cardinals batters.
The Cardinals on the other hand threw 26 first pitch strikes to the 34 Marlins batters
The pace of the game was set by the Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook. Westbrook threw 23 first pitch strikes to the 26 batters he faced including the first 14 batters he faced.
As last night's game went on the temperature dropped by 15 degrees and Busch Stadium became colder and colder thus affecting the energy of the crowd.
Today's game was played in beautiful 60 degree weather and the crowd was into it.
2 different games in 2 days.
One game was a blast to cut and one game was torturous to cut.
The numbers don't lie.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Highlights of the Show
TV sports production teams pride themselves in airing unique video that the fan in the stands doesn't see.
Finding video that the fan in the stands doesn't see is one of our goals each and every telecast. Tonight, we captured three moments that helped us succeed in this goal.
One of the themes that our announce team developed tonight described how important repetition was for a player during each game.
How does a batter get ready for each at-bat? Each batter has his own unique way of preparing to hit when he is at the plate. Lance Berkman came to the plate and we showed how he places the end of his bat on the plate while the pitcher is taking the catcher's signs. Then, as the pitcher goes into the stretch or begins to wind up, Berkman places the bat on his shoulder as he gets ready for the delivery. Berkman did this in exactly the same manner for every pitch.
In the truck, we looked for a similar example of preparation by a pitcher and we found a great example by one of the Marlins pitchers.
A reliever for the Marlins had a unique manner of foot movement before each delivery. As he went into the stretch, he lifted his left foot then his right foot and repeated this movement twice before delivering the pitch.
Both of these examples were captured live and the teamwork between the truck and the booth worked to the max. The video from the truck and the audio from the booth captured these two examples perfectly.
The third example of our goal of showing the viewer at home something the fan in the stands doesn't see occurred when our Ultra-Mo camera operator pointed out to the tape crew that his shot showed the Cardinals pitcher changing his grip on the ball after a come=backer to the mound. Every defensive player wants to throw the ball with his fingers across the four seams of the baseball. This pitcher caught the ball in the air (after it hit off his glove) in a two-seamer grip. He changed the grip to a four seam grip and we had it captured perfectly from the Ultra-Mo camera.
This great moment was aired because of the teamwork between the camera operator and the tape crew.
Once again the weather was cold and the attendance was sparse.
The atmosphere at the ballpark wasn't what the St. Louis TV baseball crew is used to and, as I wrote in yesterday's blog, it was not what we prefer.
However, the highlights of our telecast more than made up for the atmosphere of Busch Stadium.
Finding video that the fan in the stands doesn't see is one of our goals each and every telecast. Tonight, we captured three moments that helped us succeed in this goal.
One of the themes that our announce team developed tonight described how important repetition was for a player during each game.
How does a batter get ready for each at-bat? Each batter has his own unique way of preparing to hit when he is at the plate. Lance Berkman came to the plate and we showed how he places the end of his bat on the plate while the pitcher is taking the catcher's signs. Then, as the pitcher goes into the stretch or begins to wind up, Berkman places the bat on his shoulder as he gets ready for the delivery. Berkman did this in exactly the same manner for every pitch.
In the truck, we looked for a similar example of preparation by a pitcher and we found a great example by one of the Marlins pitchers.
A reliever for the Marlins had a unique manner of foot movement before each delivery. As he went into the stretch, he lifted his left foot then his right foot and repeated this movement twice before delivering the pitch.
Both of these examples were captured live and the teamwork between the truck and the booth worked to the max. The video from the truck and the audio from the booth captured these two examples perfectly.
The third example of our goal of showing the viewer at home something the fan in the stands doesn't see occurred when our Ultra-Mo camera operator pointed out to the tape crew that his shot showed the Cardinals pitcher changing his grip on the ball after a come=backer to the mound. Every defensive player wants to throw the ball with his fingers across the four seams of the baseball. This pitcher caught the ball in the air (after it hit off his glove) in a two-seamer grip. He changed the grip to a four seam grip and we had it captured perfectly from the Ultra-Mo camera.
This great moment was aired because of the teamwork between the camera operator and the tape crew.
Once again the weather was cold and the attendance was sparse.
The atmosphere at the ballpark wasn't what the St. Louis TV baseball crew is used to and, as I wrote in yesterday's blog, it was not what we prefer.
However, the highlights of our telecast more than made up for the atmosphere of Busch Stadium.
A Different Feel
There has been a different feel during our home telecasts this season. Because of the cold, wet weather the crowds at Busch Stadium have not been as large as we have come to expect for the last ten seasons or so.
The atmosphere at the ballpark plays an important part to the quality of the telecast. Forty thousand screaming fans creates an energy that the TV crew feeds off of and this energy really contributes to a successful, aggressive telecast.
The TV crew seems to "create" more memorable moments during a game/telecast when the crowd is large and boisterous. It is so easy to get "into" the game/telecast when the ballpark if full and the crowd is going nuts.
It is just as easy for a TV crew to become complacent when the crowd is sparse and seemingly not into the game.
In St. Louis, we have been very fortunate that Busch Stadium is usually full and the best fans in baseball are usually really into the game. It is a blast cutting the game when the game is on the line and the crowd is going crazy. These moments fire up the crew and the telecast becomes sharper.
I really respect my colleagues who televise games out of stadiums that have sparse crowds. I believe that our difficult jobs which consist of many split second decisions during a game/telecast (decisions that affect the ultimate quality of the show) are made more difficult when there is little or no energy from the crowd. Kudos to those TV production teams that still "create" memorable moments during those telecasts featuring small crowds at the ballpark.
The first month of the 2011 season has proven to me how spoiled I am being able to cut the game at Busch Stadium. I miss the full houses and the boisterous fans.
I am sick of the cold and the rain.
I miss the energy of a full Busch Stadium.
The atmosphere at the ballpark plays an important part to the quality of the telecast. Forty thousand screaming fans creates an energy that the TV crew feeds off of and this energy really contributes to a successful, aggressive telecast.
The TV crew seems to "create" more memorable moments during a game/telecast when the crowd is large and boisterous. It is so easy to get "into" the game/telecast when the ballpark if full and the crowd is going nuts.
It is just as easy for a TV crew to become complacent when the crowd is sparse and seemingly not into the game.
In St. Louis, we have been very fortunate that Busch Stadium is usually full and the best fans in baseball are usually really into the game. It is a blast cutting the game when the game is on the line and the crowd is going crazy. These moments fire up the crew and the telecast becomes sharper.
I really respect my colleagues who televise games out of stadiums that have sparse crowds. I believe that our difficult jobs which consist of many split second decisions during a game/telecast (decisions that affect the ultimate quality of the show) are made more difficult when there is little or no energy from the crowd. Kudos to those TV production teams that still "create" memorable moments during those telecasts featuring small crowds at the ballpark.
The first month of the 2011 season has proven to me how spoiled I am being able to cut the game at Busch Stadium. I miss the full houses and the boisterous fans.
I am sick of the cold and the rain.
I miss the energy of a full Busch Stadium.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Atlanta
For the longest time I dreaded going to Atlanta to televise Cardinals games. The crew talked incessantly and frankly they were mediocre at best. In fact, I tried to take the Atlanta trip off each year because it was such an awful experience.
Not anymore.
From the technical director (TD) to the stage manager today's Atlanta crew was exceptional. The camera operators work hard and find great shots. The replays from the tape crew are quickly cued up and ready to go. The audio mix and the video shading was fantastic.
Exceptional and fantastic were words that used to be unheard of when describing the work of the Atlanta TV techs.
While the quality of TV baseball crews across the country has really diminished of late, the quality of the Atlanta TV baseball crew has grown in a different direction.
They got better!
While flying home to St. Louis on the charter I thought of this crew and wondered why they have improved so much. I came to this conclusion. There is a real "team effort" involved with all members of the Atlanta crew. This TV crew really like each other and as a result they really "pull" for each other. This Atlanta crew truly wants to produce the best TV baseball coverage possible.
We telecast Friday and today and both shows were of high quality.
Thanks to the Atlanta crew!
Not anymore.
From the technical director (TD) to the stage manager today's Atlanta crew was exceptional. The camera operators work hard and find great shots. The replays from the tape crew are quickly cued up and ready to go. The audio mix and the video shading was fantastic.
Exceptional and fantastic were words that used to be unheard of when describing the work of the Atlanta TV techs.
While the quality of TV baseball crews across the country has really diminished of late, the quality of the Atlanta TV baseball crew has grown in a different direction.
They got better!
While flying home to St. Louis on the charter I thought of this crew and wondered why they have improved so much. I came to this conclusion. There is a real "team effort" involved with all members of the Atlanta crew. This TV crew really like each other and as a result they really "pull" for each other. This Atlanta crew truly wants to produce the best TV baseball coverage possible.
We telecast Friday and today and both shows were of high quality.
Thanks to the Atlanta crew!
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