Total Team Effort

The Phillies clinched their fifth straight NL East divisional crown tonight by beating the Cardinals 9 - 2. The Phils scored 6 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the game away.

The 6-run eighth may have iced the game for the Phillies but the big 8th inning threw kerosene on the fire for the 45,470 fans at Citizens Bank Ballpark.

This place was electric all night long!

TV crews feed off that energy.

The St. Louis Cardinals travelling TV party includes the producer, director, lead tape producer and graphics guru. All other members on the remote TV production team are hired locally. In most cases, the members of the visiting telecast crew are fans of the home team.

Therefore, with the Phillies winning and on their way to another crown, the crew members on the St. Louis Cardinals feed were really into it. They were feeding off the energy of the crowd.

The camera shots were crisper, the audio was spot on, the cameras were shaded perfectly and the production was a huge success.

One of our best shows of the 2011 season!

Covering a clinching game for the opposition is certainly not as fun as covering a Cardinals' clincher but it is still loads of fun.

Thinking ahead on isos and planning shot sequences is a blast.

Our replays tonight were terrific , our graphics were succinct and to the point, and the rollout was sweet.

Each and every member of the Cardinals/Phillies telecast tonight contributed to a high quality telecast.

A total team effort.

Just What Was To Be Expected

The Cardinals beat the Phillies 4 - 2 tonight in eleven innings.

This game delivered just what was to be expected.

If the Phillies win and the Braves lose, the Phillies clinch the NL East division.

If the Cardinals win and the Braves lose, the Cardinals move to within 3 1/2 games in the NL wild card race.

Early into the game the Braves were losing 11 - 2 to the NY Mets.

The crowd knew what a Phillies win meant and the energy in the ballpark was electric.

Both team scored in the second inning and the game was 1 - 1 going into the 8th inning.

With one out in the top of the eighth inning Yadier hit a homerun off of the left field foul pole giving the Redbirds a 2 - 1 lead.

The Mets threatened to score in the bottom of the eighth but the score remained 2 - 1 going into the bottom of the ninth inning.

With two outs and no runners on base Ryan Howard hit a pinch hit double to right field. The next batter hit a fly ball to the corner in right field and the Cardinals right fielder dropped the ball allowing the tying run to score!

Extra innings came with the scored deadlocked at 2 apiece.

The Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the eleventh inning and the Phillies threatened with the tying run on base in the bottom of the inning but did not score.

This was a great game/telecast to be a part of.

Two teams playing great baseball.

The ballpark was electric!

September baseball is either great, great fun or a complete drag.

For teams still in the hunt these games are exciting.

Take tonight's Cardinals/Phillies game - just what was to be expected.

Nice Getaway Game

The Cardinals beat the Pirates 3 - 2 in a well played 2:36.

This type of game is the sort that every TV baseball production team loves especially on a getaway day.

Well pitched, well played, and well paced.

As I have blogged before, this type of game allows the telecast to get into a nice rhythm - a good flow to the show.

Everything seems to work. The camera shots are fluid and the replays are nice and tight. There really is no "wasted" moments during the telecast.

Speaking of moments, this game/telecast provided a couple that were both priceless and memorable.

There was the shot of the toddler holding a baseball and falling asleep.

There was the super slo-mo shot of the dejected Pirates fan swatting himself in the head.

This was a nice, clean telecast.

But the best thing about this type of game is the fact that it is 6:00 PM and I am in my hotel room in Philadelphia getting ready to go out for dinner.

A nice getaway game indeed.

Rare Moments

It is often said that if you watch baseball long enough you will see something you have never seen before.

Tonight's game between the Cardinals and the Pirates is a prime example of that adage.

During the bottom of the 5th inning, the Pirates seemingly scored on a sacrifice fly. The Cardinals appealed the play at 3rd base and the runner was ruled out for leaving early by the third base umpire. However, our replays showed that the runner didn't leave early and the umpire missed the call.

Albert Pujols, the Cardinals 1st baseman made 3 errors in a game for the first time.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, the Pirate had runners on first and third with no outs. After a strikeout, there was a fly ball hit to the right fielder. The first baseman, Pujols, cut off the throw to the plate an tagged out the runner from first before the run scored and the Cardinals were out of the inning. Just a horrible baserunning blunder.

Apart from these oddities, this was an exciting game for the Cardinals fans. The Redbirds won the game with a two run ninth inning by the score of 6 - 4.

There was another close play at third base in the bottom of the ninth inning but, despite the loud boos from the crowd, the umpire made the right call.

An exciting game full of rare moments - fun indeed.

Edge Of My Seat

The Pirates beat the Cardinals in 3:01 by the score of 6 - 5.

The Bucs scored 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 6 - 4 lead and the top of the ninth inning had me on the edge of my seat.

The Pirates had their All-Star closer, Joel Hanrahan, on the mound and things looked bleak for the Redbirds.

The Cardinals lead-off batter singled to right field.

The next batter was thrown out on a great play by the shortstop.

The Cardinals were down 6 - 4 with one out and a runner on second base.

The next Cardinals batter singled and the Cardinals had runners on first and third with one out.

The Pirates threw a wild pitch, a run scored, and the other runner advanced to second base.

With the Cardinals now down 6 - 5 the next batter walked.

With runners on first and second, the next batter hit a ball right down the first base line. The first baseman was guarding the line and made the play. The Cardinals had runners on second and third with 2 outs and the score 6 - 5.

I was on the edge of my seat!

With the great Albert Pujols on-deck, the next batter struck out on a 2 - 2 count.

This was a bad loss by the Cardinals but one of the most exciting finishes of the season.

Believe me, cutting the game from the edge of my seat is a blast!

Football Overlap

The Cardinals beat the Braves 6 - 3 in 2:22 to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

Our telecast, while sprinkled with a 9/11 theme, was nice and clean.

This show included one of our best X-MO replays of the season when two Braves players attempted to field a groundball and almost collided.

This time of year is probably the most difficult time to provide a nice clean show for the viewers because of the inconsistency of the crew especially on the weekends.

There is college football and the NFL and, therefore, many of our regular crew members are displaced.

I mentioned the X-MO replay because the operator was not our usual X-MO operator. (Nice job Mike!)

We are in Pittsburgh for three games and head to Philadelphia for a four game series starting Friday.

The weekend in Philadelphia could be interesting.

Hopefully our show will be nice and clean like today's telecast.

The Glamour

The Cardinals beat the Braves 4 - 3 in a great game that included a great telecast!

But, I am going to change the main intention of this blog to become personal.

I love what I do for a living.

I get to "watch" Major League baseball for a living - the greatest game on earth.

I travel with the team on charters and stay in the best hotels.

Life is good.

I arrived home tonight at 9:42 PM which is fantastic. (I love 6:15 starts)

Being home this early allows me to spend some great time with my angel of a wife - Jane.

However, my car is sitting in the driveway with the break lights on.

My neighbor, Tony, came over to help and we couldn't figure out why the break lights are on when the car is completely shut off.

AAA said they can't help unless the car doesn't start.

Well, the car battery will be dead in the morning and after our 1:15 game I am leaving with the team for an 8-game roadtrip to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

I called our bug operator, Mark, to pick me up in the morning for a ride to Busch stadium.

He may be a little late because of a previous commitment so I may arrive at Busch Stadium later than I would have hoped.

Ah the glamour.